Web Strategy and Powerful Persuasive Writing
Web Marketing Strategy and Powerful Persuasive Writing
In todays hi-tech society, many commercial enterprises are trying to turn `bricks into clicks but fail miserably. They make the classic mistake of assuming Internet surfers will visit their site without them having to do anything. Wrong.
There are already far too many websites out there promising to let you in on the marketing secrets of the internet. I guess youve already visited some of them? And found them sadly lacking or wanting to sell you something?
Web Marketing Strategies
Strategy is not just a word for playing `buzz word bingo in the office.
Website marketing strategies need to address issues such as customers, competitors and market trends. The strategy needs to be proactive rather than simply reacting to the latest trends – this way, it becomes responsive to your customer needs and the commercial pressures around you.
Market orientation of your product or service is the `holy grail. How are you going to approach this?
- customer focussed?
- competitor focussed?
A marketing strategy aims to transform your business objectives into a competitive market position. In essence, you need to differentiate your activities or products by meeting customer needs more effectively than competitors. So, how do you do this?
Firstly, analyse your business environment and define specific customer needs.
Secondly, match activities and products to customer segments and thirdly, implement a programme that produces a competitive position superior to your competitors.
I recommend that you spend some time surfing the web to get to really know who your competitors are.
How do they present themselves?
What are they offering?
What is there marketing and promotional angle? Need? Want?
Then spend some time thinking about your customers.
“Who is your customer?” – This is probably the first question you need to ask yourself when deciding on your website promotional activities. It sounds simple doesnt it? It isnt. Simply responding “everyone on the web” is too general; if `everyone was to be your potential market, imagine how you would have to design your website to satisfy and interest them? Thered be
8 year olds
70 year olds
gays
men
women
transgendered
disabled
black
white
Married
Single parents
Divorced
American
Italian
English
Swedish
etc.,
Its far easier and far more profitable to really hone in on precisely who is your customer.
Is it a 30something professional?
Housewife?
Teenager?
Get the picture?
To help you with finding out who regularly uses the web, use some search engines and query on `internet use or `consumer analysis.
Okay, so now you know who your `target market is. Ensure you design your website to suit them. Their needs, their tastes – not yours !
What is persuasive writing?
Simply put, its the art of using particular words and phrases with the intention of having an impact.
Good examples of this can be found all around you. Just think of all the advertising `catch phrases you can remember. “Thorntons, chocolate heaven since 1911″, or “mymate marmite”, or a classic one from my childhood was “chef square shape soup shows how a good soup should be.”
So, what are the secrets?
For a start, how are you going to advertise your website?
Thinking of submitting to web search engines? Increasingly, search
engines are not offering free submissions – you have to pay.
The ones that still allow you to submit your website for free do
not offer any guarantees of its placement. It can take 6 months
for your submission to be added and then you may find your entry on
page 22 of the search results! Research has shown that most web
surfers do not look past page 3 of search results so youre not going
to increase your web traffic much this way. Of course, if you are a
commercial enterprise – or well paid – you may decide its worth paying
the money to register your URL (universal resource locator/your website
address) with them. However, there are other options.
Few people realise the power of classified ads in local and national
newspapers. Some quite large profitable companies rely on this method
of promoting their goods and services without paying out
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