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Internet Marketing Tips, Tools and Strategies

For More Leads and Explosive Growth in Your Business

Internet Marketing tips and strategies to help your business grow and prosper in any market. From Search Engine Optimization to Social Media and everything in between, our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need to compete more effectively online and off.

Do You Really Know Who Your Target Audience Is?

Ryan Adams - Tuesday, April 03, 2012

In my mind, the first step to developing any business marketing strategy, or a business in general, is developing your target audience(s). Knowing who is going to be buying your service and/or product will allow you to develop the appropriate messaging, advertise in the areas they frequent, create a competitive pricing point (not only compared to your competitors, but also your clients wallet), and so forth.

Let’s look at some of the factors that could determine your target audience(s):

  • Age group
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Income
  • Needs or pain points
  • Decision making process

Now, not every single factor will come into play for everyone’s target audience, so remember it isn’t always necessary to limit yourself. For example, you wouldn’t want to exclude females if your product is not male specific.

An easy way to develop a better understanding of your ideal target audience is to run a survey. Ask the people around (previous customers, family, friends, community members, etc.) what they think – not only specifically about your product, but their needs and opinions in general. Focus on open-ended questions that will provide you information you need to promote in your industry.

Developing an outline for your target audience is not always the most glamorous part of any marketing campaign, but it is the cornerstone to any strategy foundation. If you need help understanding your audience you might want to consider working with a marketing expert; they can analyze your market and pinpoint the different factors that make up your target audience.

 

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Targeted Lead Marketing is Key to Increasing Sales Leads

Ryan Adams - Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Your ultimate success in driving new leads online involves so many potential components that it can be overwhelming. You need a product or service to promote, customers to want what you have, and consistent/targeted web traffic to generate new leads and sales. Losing control of one of these elements will greatly affect them all. The best way to tackle your online marketing is to focus on each area independently and equally.

Web traffic is something you want to increase, but you want the people who visit your site to be extremely targeted. A plumber obviously does not need a general remodeling lead, and either does an Orthodontist need a general dental lead. Both businesses need a very specific lead to generate a potential sale (the plumber needs someone from a search like “broken water pipe repair, Chicago, IL” – and the Orthodontist needs someone from a search like “invisible braces, Portland, ME.” Not only do they need a very specific lead, but they need the prospect to be local. Both can be accomplished with internet marketing.

There are a number of effective and cost efficient methods for obtaining online marketing leads. A well structured PPC campaign, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and article marketing can bring in consistent traffic if targeted correctly. You can also use email marketing to re-market to prospects who have opted in – create a great offer, something of value you can give away to get the person’s name and email address (your list can become a huge asset for your business). The prospect might not be ready to do something today, but as you cultivate that lead over time via email marketing and building trust, you can greatly increase your prospect/sales ratio.

The key is to keep your focus on the word "targeted". If you sell baby jogging strollers you don't want visitors arriving to your site if they have no children and are looking to purchase a mountain bike. Tailor all of your online ads and emails to speak directly to your audience. Appearing in the search results and grabbing the prospects attention, and getting them to click-through to your site, is only half the battle. Make sure you have planned out exactly how you are going to get them to take action once they are on the site and capture that quality lead or sale.
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