Are You Ready to Make a Profit?
Visitors to your website are self-selected. They wouldn't be there if they had no interest in what you offer. If you have an Always Well Written website, then you will have already maximized the sales potential of every visitor. Fortunately, many of your competitors have sites that do little to increase business..
Remember, if you want to make a profit, it all starts with an effective website.
Put the Pieces Together
There are many choices when it comes to online advertising. I will save you the hassle and create a cost-effective campaign that increases sales. The following is a quick rundown of the tools I use.
Search Engine Optimization: If you sell Widgets in Wisconsin, then everybody searching for Widgets in Wisconsin should find your website. No marketing campaign is effective without an optimized website.
Google AdWords: Google sells ads that appear alongside search results. You pay only when the user clicks your ad. With only 25 characters for the headline and two lines of 35 characters to make your point, it can be quite challenging. It requires testing and tweaking to find the most effective ads.
Google Content Advertising: Google also sells ads that appear on third party websites based on the content of the page. You can see an example on my site for bass players. Like with search advertising, you pay per click.
Facebook: This social website can be a very effective tool when done properly. They offer demographic targeting that most other services can't (Google doesn't know who you are).
Other Search Engine Advertising: Yahoo and MSN offer advertising similar to Google. Since Google is by far the largest, it's best to refine the campaign on Google and move it to other services later.
Other Advertising Models
There are numerous places that sell you online advertising for a fixed fee. In many cases this is a flawed method because the effectiveness of the ad is not directly related to the cost. You pay whether somebody clicks or not. Finding the right site for your business can be tricky, so these types of sites are implemented last if at all
Landing Pages Are Critical
When someone clicks on your ad, where do they go? If the page they land on isn't relative to the ad, chances are you'll lose them. If your ad reads "Discount Widgets" the page they see better show them some widgets and give them a chance to buy them at a discount!
This is the most overlooked aspect of online advertising. Sometimes you can use an existing page on your site. Other times you need a special page designed just for that ad. Someone who knowingly clicks on an advertisement is a hot prospect. You need to be ready to sell.