Five Most Effective Internet Marketing Tools
Copyright 2006 Titus Hoskins
Like any industry, Internet Marketing has its own special
marketing tools and methods. Many of these marketing tools
may already be familiar to you: autoresponders, SEO
software, link-building systems, content management
programs, affiliate software... and the list goes on.
However, Internet Marketing has other more effective,
non-traditional marketing tools every marketer should know
about if they want to reach their full potential as online
marketers. Some of these marketing tools come cleverly
disguised or camouflaged, with many surfers or customers
completely unaware that they're receiving a sales-pitch.
Yet, these innocent and simple sales techniques are some of
the most effective marketing tools on the web.
For anyone involved in Internet Marketing or for anyone
wishing to become involved, a quick rundown of these
marketing tools may prove helpful. Here's a brief list and
a few pointers on how to effectively use these marketing
tools.
1. Domain Name
Lets start at the very beginning. Your domain name should
be considered your first Internet marketing tool. Pick it
right and your domain name can also be your most effective
marketing tool. Get it wrong and it may spell game over.
Most marketers agree you should pick a short memorable
keyword-related domain name. For example, www.hotels.com,
it's easy to remember/spell and it tells you exactly what
the site is about. Picking a domain directly related to the
keyword or keywords of your site will help greatly in
obtaining a high ranking for your site with the search
engines. Not to mention, it will be a great marketing and
promotional tool, telling your potential customers exactly
what your site is promoting and displaying.
On the other hand, some marketers suggest you opt for a
short jazzy name that can be easily remembered by your
visitors. Ebay, Google, Napster, Yahoo... regardless of
which route you take, make sure you examine all the
marketing potential before you pick your domain name. The
right domain name can be one of your most effective
marketing tools on the world wide web.
Many experts also suggest you only set up a dedicated
server for your domain or domains. A dedicated server only
carries one domain. Most hosting companies (for economic
reasons) often share hosting servers, i.e. your domain is
co-hosted with hundreds of other domains on the same
server. Since you will be using the same IP address this
may have dire consequences if one of the domains is accused
of spamming or some other unscrupulous behavior. Even if
you can't afford a dedicated server, it would be wise (for
SEO purposes) to have a separate IP address for each domain
you own. Most hosting companies provide this service for a
small fee.
2. Keywords
Keywords, what surfers type into search engines to find
what they're looking for, are the real building blocks of
the web. They are the single most important element in any
online marketing venture. Pick the right keywords and
you're in business, pick the wrong keywords and again, it's
game over.
Therefore, you must have special keyword software or use
some online sites or services to help you pick the right
keywords. Many top marketers use WordTracker.com,
GoodKeywords.com, or the new Keyword Elite by Brad Callen.
A superior keyword research product will supply valuable
information: number of searches made each month, amount of
competition and the top sites targeting your keywords.
Remember, you must target the right keywords with your site
or online marketing. Targeted keywords draw targeted
traffic (customers) to your sites or products. The right
keyword software or program will have a direct correlation
to the success or failure of your online marketing efforts.
So choose wisely!
3. Articles
Many marketers believe in and rely upon purely organic SEO
techniques for marketing their sites. One simple method of
organic SEO is writing and submitting keyword related
articles around the topic of your website with links back
to your site. As other sites display your articles you
gain valuable one-way links back to your site. Search
engines then follow all of these links and rank your site
highly for the keywords in these articles. For this reason
the modest article may prove to be the single most
important marketing tool you have in your arsenal.
As your site becomes highly ranked for these keywords,
other sites will want to link to your site in order to
become optimized for those same keywords... article keyword
marketing is one of the most effective Internet marketing
tools at your disposal. Used properly if can position your
site in the search engines and bring in all that highly
prized targeted traffic.
Keep in mind, many Internet marketers have side-stepped the
whole SEO optimization process by going directly to search
engines and buying their traffic with PPC pay-per-click
advertising. Overture and Google Adwords program are good
examples of this method. Marketers bid on clicks to their
site's keywords and bring in targeted customers. In
knowledgeable hands, PPC marketing is an extremely
effective and lucrative marketing tool.
4. Lists
The backbone of any Internet marketing system is the list.
It is another marketing tool you can't do without. The list
is simply a large database of contacts, people who have
given you permission to email or contact them. These are
subscribers who have opted-in to your ezine or newsletter.
Most successful marketers keep countless different
databases for each product or topic they're targeting with
their marketing.
Ezines or newsletters are vital Internet Marketing tools
that no online business should ignore. It is essential you
keep in contact/touch with your past and future customers.
You must build an ongoing relationship and connection with
your customers.
Besides your ezine or newsletter, many marketers also set
up lists of affiliates to help promote and sell their
products. Never underestimate the power of an affiliate
system as an effective marketing tool. It is the stuff
Empires are made of! Once a marketer has acquired a large
list of loyal contacts or affiliates - the flood waters
open up. Opportunities for JVs or Joint Ventures with other
online marketers make for serious cash flow.
5. Blogs And RSS Feeds
Blogging and RSS feeds have become essential marketing
tools for savvy online marketers. Online journals or blogs
are all the rage, especially in the marketing field. These
blogging systems such as WordPress are great content
management tools that will quickly build a content-rich
site, pulling in targeted traffic from the search engines.
Search engines are enamored with blogs and RSS feeds mainly
because blogs provide fresh content, the main lifeblood of
every good search engine. For this reason no site should be
without a blog and RSS feed, it will keep your content
regularly visited and indexed by the search engines. In
addition, all that information and content is a perfect
tool for drawing potential customers to your products and
services.
Along with your domains, lists, keywords, and articles -
blogs are effective marketing tools that will play an
important role in the success of your online marketing. In
the right hands, these Internet marketing tools can work
magic on any company's bottom line. They are some of
Internet Marketing's most effective tools.
You don't have to think outside of the box, you just have
to know what makes up the box!
About the Author:
The author runs an Internet Marketing website featuring all
the latest marketing tools and techniques. Anyone wishing
to learn about Internet Marketing and don't want to spend a
bundle should try these free courses:
http://www.bizwaremagic.com/Free_Marketing_Courses.htm
© 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.
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