Internet Marketing Strategy
If you fail to plan…
At most web design companies, the strategy phase is often passed over in favor of the more interesting and more visual design phase. Plowing ahead to choose colors, images and layout without first setting down a strong, clear strategy is a common misstep. It is measurably more effective and efficient to first clarify objectives, prioritize goals and define markets. Strategy is the life force of great website design, assuring that all decisions have common and reasoned purpose.
Marketing Strategy at Its Best
It is always tempting to talk about specific trends and hot, new technologies in web design. We are often called on to implement specific Search Engine strategies or design a specific flash banner campaign, but often such isolated tactics will be ineffective because they lack the cohesiveness and consistency of a smart strategy. Before we answer the questions of flash or video, blue or green, this image or that image, a clear and focused strategy is laid out that allows everyone to stay on course and have confidence in the decisions on detail.
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Branding — Do You Make A Great Impression?
Branding is a term that has many definitions, but we believe branding to be the reinforcement of a consistent impression that helps your market identify you quickly and easily. Going far beyond a logo, we can help you create a simple but powerful concept that will penetrate through the clutter of advertising and leave a lasting impression on your target market.
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Positioning — What Is Your Competition Doing?
Unless you're a monopoly, you need to be conscious of your competition. Looking at it from your customers point of view, you need to decide whether you are going to be like your competition or distinct from them. We can help you identify how your competitors are branding and positioning themselves and give you recommendations for positioning yourself accordingly.
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Copywriting — Content is King
There is no substitute for good copy. We help clients write and reorganize their message and stage the content to appeal specifically to an online audience. Copy that engages visitors, dramatizes benefits and drives conversions is vital to delivering ROI.
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Content Architecture — Is Your Information
Compelling, Easy to Find, and Easy to Change?A relatively new discipline, content or information architecture, goes beyond traditional copywriting to the total development and organization of your information. Content architecture is most closely associated with website design, but it's application transcends into all company communications, internal and external, to make information consistent, accessible, and easy to manage.
Writing Tips for the Web
In many ways, good copywriting is good copywriting- it needs to be clear, compelling and informative. But when considering copy specifically for the web here are some tips:
Conduct some search term research before you begin writing or editing.
Whether or not you are interested in Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Advertising, a valuable by-product of search term research is that you will discover what terms people use to identify your product or service. By using the language of your audience you will deliver your message more clearly and quickly.
Write for the audience - not your boss.
This is an extension of #1, but you need to fight the tendency to write copy that appeals to an industry insider, because that same copy is likely to confuse and turn off your target audience. Save the terminology and acronyms for your company meetings.
Look to your competitors websites for hints on language, organization and depth.
Chances are that your viewers are going to be looking at several websites in their time online and you need to be conscious of how your message plays in comparison. Are you more professional? More friendly? More or less informative?
Make your website into a steel trap
Use simple tools to capture information from your website visitors.
Contest
Advertise a contest on your home page for something that would appeal to your audience. Make it quick and easy for them to enter by only requiring their email address and before long you will have compiled a great list of prospects.
Survey
Add to the contest by asking for participants to answer a few simple questions. Make sure the questions are short, clear and make it multiple choice so the answers can be compiled to give you great market stats.
Articles
Create or compile articles that would be interesting to your audience and ask for them to subscribe in order to receive them. This not only gives the impression that the information is valuable, but it gets you their contact information in the process.
Newsletter
Create a newsletter sign-up that promises and delivers great information and you can generate a great list of prospects.
Call us at 1 (610) 518-1865 for more information on how to implement these or other great internet marketing tools.