Archive for January, 2010
Using Google Analytics to Measure the Success of Your Website
A truism is that all marketing efforts are measurable. If you cannot quantify the results of your campaign, then the campaign is more likely classified as public relations, not marketing. And effective marketing is what truly affects your bottom-line.
For many businesses, their website is the prime marketing tool that not only generates leads and sales on its own, but also supports all other promotion efforts. So what is the best way to measure the results of your web-based initiatives?
The Competitive Advantage of Consistent Marketing
The goal of most professional organizations is to be the first name that comes to mind when a need for your product or service arises. To achieve this lofty goal you must work diligently to be constantly and consistently in your prospective customer’s ear. Most businesses understand the “constant” part of that equation, but what is often overlooked is the “consistent” factor.
Set Your Marketing Goals and Plans For The Year
The beginning of the year is the ideal time to look ahead and set up a plan for the entire year’s marketing efforts. This plan will do more than help you estimate your budget for various promotional campaigns. Creating an annual marketing plan helps you see how you can schedule your initiatives to keep a constant and consistent message in front of your customers.
Making Small Companies Look Big
Being a small business has many advantages that carry over to your customers, such as an increased dedication to customer service and a lean, efficient approach to projects, services and pricing. These advantages can not only increase your competitiveness in today’s market, but can also maximize the benefits your customers receive for their money. Everyone wins, but only if your customer is confident that your organization can deliver on the promised goods.
Is Your Website Outdated?
In our article, “Does Your Business Really Need a Website?” we addressed companies that have neglected online technologies and have now reached the point where getting an online presence is essential. But what about the companies that have invested in websites for years? Is there anything that can be done to improve the results from their web-based initiatives?
Five Things You Can Do to Increase Your Visibility
In your ongoing quest to keep ahead of your competitors you need to be constantly conscious of your visibility to your customers. In this case “visibility” refers to your customers’ awareness of your strengths and capabilities. Most likely there are customers that are in need of your service, but are unaware of how well you can meet their needs in areas of quality, cost and responsiveness. It is your challenge to provide them with reminders and incentives to contact you.
Don’t Rely on Someone Else to Spread the Word
It’s no secret that running a business requires a large investment of time and money. It can be tempting, especially when the business is a start-up, to try to manage your marketing efforts on a shoe-string (or smaller) budget. It’s a fact that reputation is a key component to every business’s success. However, relying exclusively on word-of-mouth creates far more business development obstacles than the cost savings warrant.
Does Your Business Really Need a Website?
In business these days every marketing dollar counts. Competition for customers is tight, and you need to be the first name that comes to mind when the need for your service arises. Unlike the mega-corporations, the rest of us need to be generally frugal with our marketing budget, so selecting just the right pieces for your campaign can be a challenge.
