Business Internet Marketing Plan

Business internet marketing can be more than just using the search engines.  However, depending on the search engine, they can be the least expensive in business internet marketing in the long run.  We'll give you some ideas about internet marketing and the ups and downs of each method.  The search engines will be discussed at length on the Alpha Omega SEO webdesign website under search engine optimization.

Not having an business internet marketing plan included in your internet business plan would be like starting a business in a secluded location without signage, advertising, or directions how to get to your store.  No one will know you exist and it would be unlikely they'll ever find you.

A business internet marketing plan is essential, and will help you to design your website for potential marketing success.  If you chose not to prepare your website for the search engines your chances of being found on the search engines is about nil. 

So you will need to use other business internet marketing methods to get traffic to your website.  We have included most the information you'll need for developing your business internet marketing plan.  And, some of this information is full of business internet marketing tips.

Business Internet Marketing Tips

Email

Email leaves me with mix emotions when it come to online business internet marketing.  I am tired of being spammed by it and so are most of the people.  Some of the online businesses that use email spamming as an internet marketing tool use unethical methods to get around filters by changing their id (sender name) and email providers such as hotmail.com, aol.com, msn.com, yahoo.com, or bogus business domain names.  And, if you filter your email to tightly you may filter out desirable or customer email.  It's almost a no win situation.

The point is your chances for having someone look at your email ad is declining exponentially because of this abuse.  The flip side of this is if I get an email from a company domain name or person I know, and the information in the title is of interest, I'll usually click on it.  However, even that is being abused.

The best use of online business internet marketing by email is to your established clients, especially if you are discounting a product or service, or giving them good information regarding your area of expertise.  When you send an internet marketing email, be sure to use your business domain name.

Banners

An online small business using banners for internet marketing has always been a mystery to me.  Why spend the time and money to put up a website only to send a potential customer to another website.  Now I understand advertising on an information website or newsletter, such as a weather or recipe website, which is how they make their money for providing free information to the rest of us.  Be sure they really have the traffic.

Some are better than others so you want to choose carefully and make sure you understand what and how they are going to charge you.  Charges are either a set fee per day, week or month, and/or continuously or random, for your banner or a click through fee.  Personally, I am not a fan of banners and they are usually very pricey.

Affiliates

Affiliates are another way of online business internet marketing. It is similar to banners, however it can be used either way, your get paid if they put a link on your website, maybe, or they get paid if you put your link on their website, which is not the norms.

Here's how most work.  You put their internet marketing banner on your website, or link.  When someone clicks on your link to their website, the affiliate company has a special entry page set up for you and records these visitors as the enter their website, tracks them through their website, and if they buy anything you get a percentage. In some cases they, the affiliate, simple pays you per click through.

There are many questions you need to consider.  What if they don't buy right then but come back later, but not through your website, do you still get paid?  Are you selling a product or service?  Do you really want to distract your potential customers by sending them off to another website?

I can see this work if you are an information based website, or you're not doing to good with your own products or services.  I've heard some websites have done very well as an affiliate.

Target directories

Another option for online business internet marketing are target directories. Target directories are directories that index websites in their database that only relate to their area of interest.  This could be a directory for lawyers,  doctors, arts and crafts, or lawn and garden, etc.

Most will charge you a monthly fee or pay-per-click through.  Be careful, you can end up with a large click through bill and little sales to show for it.  Watch these type directories carefully, some are great at sending targeted customers, others are not and some use your information to sell to other marketing companies.

The directories that don't charge, be sure to check their privacy statement, you may be setting yourself up for tons of spam email.

Link exchange

Link exchange works well, if you are the one with the lower traffic count.  Especially if you link with a website that has an very high volume of traffic.  Also, it works well with a website that complements your website.

Say you sell birdhouses and bird feeders and you link with a website that sells birdseeds and birdbaths.  I recommend, though, that you make up a link page.  You don't want your customer to leave before they complete their business with you.

Most people will see the link page and when they are finished or do not find what they are looking for, they appreciate suggested websites to visit.  The other value of this link exchange is the search engines give links to your website a lot of attention.  Links pointing to your website really helps the popularity requirements the search engines us in placing your website near the top.

A note of caution about link exchange, the sites that are set up to only provide link exchange are not very popular with the search engines and some make their money selling their list to email marketing companies.

eZine ads

eZine ads, electronic magazines and newsletters can also be productive in increasing your traffic, depending on their method of charging and their prices.

As mentioned above, be careful and watch your results closely, you could end up spending more than your make.  Use targeted eZine the same as discussed below in target magazines.

Target magazines

Regular magazines that cover your field of interest can produce surprising results.  Lets say you sell pilot paraphernalia, sun glasses, flight bags, flight jackets, etc., a small ad in a flying magazine with your URL, email address and phone number may work quite well.

Depending on the magazine, though, it can get pricey.  So go slow, keep track of your results by asking how they found you on your order form; actually this should be standard procedure for all order forms, or phone or email orders.

Local ads

If your business is strictly regional, like a restaurant, then a local ad in your newspaper or monthly local magazine can be effective.  But again, try to set up a way to track your results.  Regional websites, especially directories are becoming a hot item.  It's a great service for your local population and easier to get into the top 30 on a search engine.

Business cards

Don't over look your business card, make sure you include your website URL and email address.

Internet malls

Internet malls are popping up all over the internet and are another method of online business internet marketing.  Yahoo is a prime example.  Some of these malls are an excellent way to start your home internet business, however, some are not.  Yahoo looks like it covers everything you need and has done the work to get traffic to the mall, so if your products or services are in demand it may work well for you, but some malls are so large, your website can get lost.

We are not recommending Yahoo, we are just saying we like what we see, but we do not have any personal experience working with them, but if we had heard of any major problems floating around on the internet, it wouldn't be included here.

Auctions

One of the areas of online business internet marketing concerns is product and price acceptance.  Auctions are a great place to check your products demand and price acceptance.  It will show you the lower end.  At least it can give you an idea what to expect.

Also, auctions are a surprising source to get more traffic.  Place a couple of your products in an auction, set your price a little below what your have on your web site, provide a link to your website stating more information is available and watch the traffic increase.

A personal example of what can happen is if it's something I need and I lose the bid, you got it, I'm either on the phone or email, negotiating a price with the seller, I have considered this might be slightly unethical, my jury is still out on that one.  If it's not ethical, I don't want anything to do with it, period.  Besides, I think I'll need every positive point I can get for that future meeting upstairs I'm going to attend some day.