Turn the Basics into Bucks – The Internet is a vast chronicle of information, and can be extremely intimidating to those uncomfortable with technology. However, its’ complicated eccentricities make it an exciting medium for advertisers, once you know it is an entity worthy of your trust. As an American society, we depend upon TV, radio, and print media for our daily dose of information, news, and entertainment. For most of us, we tend to trust these media outlets more than the Internet because of its long-standing history in our lives. Investing marketing and advertising dollars in non-Internet media seems like a better choice. We can trust it; we can see tangible results from commercials on television or full-page ads in the newspaper. However, do you ever know exactly how much your marketing investments are paying off? Tracking sales fluctuations during marketing campaigns is a good indicator, but it is not precise. Only online marketing can truly show you dollar for dollar how much you are really bringing in.

The ROI Tracker: Your New Best Friend – Online marketing is still a new enough medium for prices to remain reasonable. Compared to other types of advertising, I would even venture to call it inexpensive. At Blizzard Internet Marketing, we insist that our hospitality clients install the Blizzard ROI Tracker on their websites. This particular tracker is able to trace a visitor from original destination on Internet to the booking engine. We discern what pages the visitor has explored, and exactly how much was spent. We can also assess which online resources are making your website the most money, such as pay-per-clicks, directories, e-mail marketing newsletters, press releases, etc. No other type of marketing or advertising is able to provide concrete numbers on the exact return on investments. Does this sound like an advertising medium you can trust? You can; the numbers speak for themselves.

Beware the Ides of Bad Internet Marketing – The Internet fits nicely into American society. It produces quick results, is convenient, and is becoming more accessible by the day. The myth surrounding online marketing is that results are quick and easy for the advertiser. Beware of Internet marketing companies that promise results fast. Stoney deGeyter, president of Pole Position Marketing, says in his article, Undersell Your SEO Service, Overachieve Your SEO Results, “SEOs that are honest with potential clients find that they lose many who are looking for the quick fix, instant results, or a guarantee. But they’ll also discover that those who do become clients have a much better grasp on what’s at stake, how long it’ll take and what kind of results to expect. And if you’re both honest and capable, you’ll always be able to meet and often exceed the client’s expectations.” If the company seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Mr. deGeyter continues in his article, “The SEO industry is aggressive; every SEO’s motive is to convince potential clients that the services he or she provides are a cut above those offered by competitors. This is why so many oversell with the promise of spectacular results that may or may not be achievable. Few SEOs go out of their way to provide a truthful assessment of what is possible and on what kind of timeline. New sites will take a year or more. Competitive industries require a bigger budget. And, poor websites… well, top rankings can be achieved, but you may need to make drastic changes if you want to improve conversions.”

You can trust online marketing, but like every other advertising medium, being educated is key. Use common sense – you wouldn’t believe a realtor who promised to sell your house in one day, right?

Kate Olsen – Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.

 

Categories: Featured Articles.
Comments RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.>