E-marketing comes of age
You have the right to be pushy on the internet, as long as you maintain a fine line between being popular and responsibly selling your product, and turning into a pest. The virtual world requires just as much planning and timely execution as does the tangible world.
any readers may not agree with the placing of an extra ‘e’ in the title of this article. However, I stand my ground.
Allow me to explain. In today’s world, marketing is either passive or aggressive: for example, you have a website for your business just sitting there online, or you get some internet savvy people and work within certain boundaries to attract visitors in the hope of converting some of those hits into potential business solutions. One of the ways to do this is to send them email messages. Of course, there is a very fine line between marketing and spam.
Here is a scenario that you might find familiar: you plan your company’s website right down to the ‘T’. Find the web development company, set a budget to have it designed. Then what? Your site sits online waiting to be noticed. It’s almost like having a stall at Sunday bazaar, where there are hundreds of stalls and buyers. Though search engines and directories are present on the internet, the rate at which new sites join the global network is a lot faster than how they can be organised online. Chances are high that you, with your average budget and great product line, will get lost.
Don’t lose hope though. You have the right to be pushy on the internet, as long as you maintain a fine line between being popular and responsibly selling your product, and turning into a pest. The virtual world requires just as much planning and timely execution as does the tangible world.
Here are a few ideas you can play around with and integrate into your e-marketing plan:
E-newsletters
A company newsletter often carries information about the company, new products and offerings. Due to the fixed costs involved, a lot of companies are unable to continue this on for an extended period of time. Why not design regular e-newsletters? Use the openness of the internet, reach out and touch your clients. In this day and age, show me someone who doesn’t have an email address and I’ll show you a rooster that can lay an egg. Collect your database and use it responsibly. I stress on the responsibility factor here. If you are going to develop an e-newsletter, make it count — concentrate on content, concentrate on language that will entice the reader to click on a link which can be forwarded to your website. Other than simple web development company, perhaps you should look to content developers, who can help you make the impression you need to grab the attention of your readers.
Mail shots
This is a very precise way to get information to land in a customer’s mailbox. This is a bit different than the e-newsletter, because a mail shot carries less information and is often referred to as a flyer with specific information or offering, rather than a detailed brochure or newsletter. These are effective if you want people to know about special discounts or limited time offers.
Banner exchanges
Banner ads, something written to death about, serve the same purpose on the internet, as do billboards on the highway. They remind people of your existence. Banner exchanges with popular sites might increase the number of hits onto your site, and they will definitely strengthen brand recall. No guarantees of whether the surfers will click on your banner, but they will definitely see it. Be sure and identify what type of websites your potential customer would visit. Arrange for an exchange with that site, and record what kind of traffic that generates. Pakistani websites such as apnakarachi.com, have generated tremendous response for companies, simply because these are high traffic sites themselves, which is the key element in ensuring visibility.
The selection of the site, in simple terms, is like this: a billboard on Sharae Faisal in Karachi, for instance, will have a lot more visibility versus a billboard placed in a small alley in the deserted Phase 8 of DHA. You must choose wisely. Of course, if a free banner exchange is not your cup of tea, pay to have your banner placed on Yahoo! or any other high traffic site. You’ll pay through your nose, but the benefit will be huge.
A platform
This is where people of different backgrounds can meet at one particular virtual spot and discuss ideas. This is a great way to get inside the head of your clients. Invite them on to a mailing list and perhaps have emails threaded so that people can express their views to you. It is advisable to have a moderated list so that your subscribers don’t get bombed with every email written, as is the case with an un-moderated mailing list?
Groups such as Yahoo! groups give you the chance to run polls and surveys and let people give you feedback directly. The only thing about mailing lists is that there are thousands there. You have to make sure and find your niche.
What does one get by subscribing to your mailing list? If you expect your list to support your website and product range, your list has to make sense.
Alternately, if you aren’t working on a limited budget, it would be wise to invest in a mailing list manager or list-servs, which will be truly your voice, without third-party advertisers, as is the case with Yahoo! groups and other free services. Once again, the emphasis is on content. Make it count.
Interactive
You cannot afford to be passive. The entire purpose of engaging in these activities is to get into the mailbox of your client and potential client.
Of course, you need to ensure that your website is interactive, frequently updated and all those other important things. But there has to be a way whereby people know about you and come to your site so that you can make something happen. If you cannot slam-dunk a sale, your website presence is just a virtual presence — nothing real and exciting. Of course, you must beware of the fact that if you go for overkill, you might just lose out on your potential customers. Waste your visitor’s time and chances are that you will have developed a mortal enemy.
The virtual playing field is not an easy one. You have to be "push-e" about it.
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