AN EXPERIENCED WEB MARKETING FIRM

Recent industry reports put shopping cart abandonment rates at anywhere from 20 to 50%. In too many cases, cart checkout processes take too long, require too many clicks and involve too many requests for non-essential information. Shoppers get distracted and distressed, lose interest, leave the site, or simply shop and research at another online store. The result is a huge lost revenue opportunity.

*According to Forrester Research, the average shopping cart abandonment rate among online retailers is 36 percent.
*38 percent of online users do not buy online because they have to register with a site before purchasing. (source: Forrester)
*Online customers return to a site an average of three times before making a purchase.
*A study conducted by PayPal and comScore found that 45% of online shoppers had abandoned carts more than once over a three week period, leaving behind baskets worth an average of $109.
*Forrester’s Online Retail Checkout report showed 39% of online non-buyers didn’t purchase online because they thought “returns would be a hassle.” Talk to us re web usability & conversion advise . visit smbwebdemo.com

Marketing guru, Seth Godin, very succinctly outlined the ubiquity of search marketing in a 2007 post titled, “Permission, Junk and Spam.” The general premise of Godin’s observation was that consumers were becoming less patient with interruption marketing and much more interested in embracing marketers that met them online with relevant products and services as the result of a proactive search. In Godin’s own words, “Junk turns into spam when you show up at my doorstep, when your noise intercepts my quiet.” Organic search is dependent upon consumers taking action (i.e., conducting an online search). A solid blogging strategy ensures that the content (and consequently, the product or service) a consumer is seeking is available and waiting for them when they type those high-impact keywords into Google.

This permission marketing dynamic means corporate blogging is the most effective way to fully leverage the power of organic search. Because organic search results are heavily dependent on the amount and frequency of content updates as well as the number of relevant keywords in your blog content, blogging is the perfect medium to increase your company’s results. Ultimately,
SEO (search engine optimization) success is primarily a content-driven strategy. By identifying the keywords and phrases that drive your business – and incorporating them appropriately into blog content – your search engine success begins.

online marketers have largely embraced PPC (pay-per-click) as a part of their demand generation arsenal. But according to recent research ,organic search results in a 5.66 times higher conversion opportunity than that of paid search. The ultimate driver of organic search is unique, accessible, and high-quality content. And the easiest, most cost-effective way to create that content is through corporate blogging. Sound complex? It’s not. Think of it this way – budgeting belts may be tightening, marketing dollars might be stretched, but everyone is still using the internet to search. From finding the best deals on the latest technological gadgets to locating the closest restaurant, online search is approximately 80% of all web activity. In fact, the 2008 Pew Internet Project statistics indicate that internet search is one of the most frequently executed daily online activities – second only to email, and steadily outpacing news and weather checks.

Search Engine Watch notes, “People don’t go to web sites anymore. Web sites come to them. This is, perhaps, the best way to explain the impact of search on the online experience.” It’s time to stop trying to drive customers to your site, and instead, meet them where they already are – on Google (or Yahoo, or any other preferred search engine). Your customers are no longer necessarily focused on memorizing your name, your brand, or your website address. Instead, they’re interested in locating exactly what they need in as little time as possible.

Prospects use search engines through out the buying cycle :

Research a problem or technology need
Understand the value of ROI for a specific solution
Learn about a vendors reputation
Discover new solution vendors I may not be aware of
Find peer discussions or reviews of products
Discover technology problems I wasn’t aware of
Find white papers, case studies or success stories
Find the price of a specific product or service
Explore specific brands of technology products
Find information on a particular service or vendor
Find product reviews
Understand a product’s features or specifications

Source: Google / Tech Target : How IT Pros Search Online During Purchase Process

* Some 62% of B2B marketers said their primary goal would be customer acquisition, 19% cited brand awareness and nearly 12% pointed to customer retention.
* Online will constitute more than one-third (nearly 34%) of marketing budgets in 2009, B2B marketers said; that’s up from the nearly 27% cited for 2007.
* Online areas that marketers plan to increase next year are website development (74% of marketers said so); email (70%); search engine marketing (64%); video (40%); webcasting (39%); banners (36%); sponsorships (30%); and social media (26%).
* Rating ad agency partners’ willingness and ability to adapt programs according to marketing goals, 54% of B2B marketers said “OK” and 41% said “excellent.”
* Rating trade-media partners’ willingness and ability to tailor programs to fit marketing goals, nearly 66% said “OK” and 28% said “excellent.”
* Nearly 20% of B2B marketers say they are using social media as part of the marketing mix: Among them, 40% use them for customer feedback, 31% for market research, 29% for advertising, 27% as a sales channel.

is an ongoing monthly iterative /cumulative process via …

SEO & Search Marketing : Google PPC AD’s
Great useful and relevant text Content
SEO friendly web design & coding / programming
web site usability
On-page optimization
Off-page optimization
Link Building > reciprocal
Email Marketing
Advanced Keyword & competition Research
Joint ventures with partner sites
Blogging > testimonials , articles , tips = subject matter expert in your field
Micro-blogging > twitter
Off line marketing to drive traffic to your web site : print , radio , TV etc
Video Uploading & video optimisation & photo sharing
Pod casting
Press Releases
Online PR >> social media
Social Networking >> face book , blog , linkedin

FYI : Always work with and engage with a proven FULL TIME search marketing firm who have the EXPERIENCE & track record and have the full time QUALIFIED IT staff resources to manage & execute these campaigns ! (eg ) a 2 to 3 man jack of all trades outfit will use your web site as a Guinea pig to learn off and therby adding no long term value to your busness period !! ask for case studies & talk to their clients & check out their ” hyped up ” track record ! It is your business brand that’s at stake !

Build Your Website Around What
Buyers/Prospects Want !

Because of the Internet, the relationship with a prospect begins before a salesperson sets foot in the prospect’s office – it begins when the person visits your Website.

Providing the content your prospects want delivers results, says D M Scott, author of Cashing In with Content. “A Website visitor may actually come to view the organization behind the site as a trusted resource, rather than just a place to spend spare time or dollars.”

According to a joint study by ThomasNet and Google, industrial buyers are “increasingly turning to the Internet when conducting a search for products and services.”

1) Order a listing in the Yellow Pages.com type listing directory web sites if you haven’t done so already. The key here is to to drive traffic to your web site . Make sure your listing shows your web site is listed clearly and it is a clickable link !

2) Place small display ads in appropriate sections of weekly or daily ” local ” business type newspapers and chamber of commerce web sites to drive traffic to your web site . Make sure your listing shows your web site is listed clearly and it is a clickable link !

3) Make arrangements to exchange coupons and do joint mailings with non-competing local businesses who serve the same clientele.

4) Write up a press release announcing your business news and updates etc and send it to local newspapers and local area chamber of commerce you service . Make sure your press releases shows your web site is listed clearly and it is a clickable link !

5) Consider some type of giveaway—refer a friend, get a free service, or whatever might be appropriate for you business. Promote your web site offline with such offers mentioned clearly in your web site .

6) Put up a professional properly coded web site and get it ranked in search engines. with a proven SEO Firm !Also , Blogs are very useful for many reasons & work a few social media sites such as ” linkedin ” ” twitter ” …etc . Update your web site & blog regularly , this is a must ! not an option !

7) Network, network, network ! Get into whatever groups are appropriate so people get to know you … Target your market(s) for cold/prospect/purchased calling. Networking @ such events such as chamber of commerce etc is far better than cold calling & most productive use of your time as well . go & Network, network, network !

BNI type networking groups is good for many people with local businesses – attend two meetings and see if it looks promising for you.

Know what differentiates you from the competition – what your product features to offer people. Connect with someone who can be a good source of referrals and visa versa – someone who is into markets you want to get into and visa versa.

Regards,

Andy Alagappan , COO Epromotionz

281.556.8319 ( cell : 281.570.5804 ….832-677-4620 )

www.andyalagappan.com
Proven Search Marketing Strategies ! & RESULTS !

It’s not about JUST BEING online, it’s about being FOUND online… if you just build IT ….No One Will Come !