Online Marketing Checklist

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Intro:

Not every online marketing tactic will work for every site, but it's always worth considering whether you are doing all you can to attract visitors and sales. Here is a checklist of 25 online marketing methods to consider.

 

1. Free content: Always a draw for readers, content can help your ranking in search engines, too.
   
    
2. House List E-mail Marketing: Develop your in-house list by asking for e-mail addresses whenever you can. Maybe you can deliver some of your free content in exchange for an e-mail address.
   
    
3. Purchased List E-mail Marketing: If your in-house list is small, you can supplement it with purchased or rented lists. Just be careful to choose a reputable vendor that follows anti-SPAM guidelines.
   
    
4. Newsletter: Send some of your interesting content to your subscribers every month. This will remind them that you're there.
   
    
5. Awards: Apply for selected Web awards. You'll develop a few more inbound links and gain some credibility by displaying the award logo on your site. Make sure they are real awards, though.
   
    
6. Banner Advertising: You can pay for traffic to your site by purchasing banner ads on other sites. Put some effort into developing your ads and selecting the sites. Learn about and practice ad testing to see which ones pull the best.
   
    
7. E-Mail Signature File: Whenever you send an e-mail or post to a forum, make sure your "sig file" has a link to your Web site and a pithy blurb about what you do. While self-promotion on forums is frowned upon, sig files are accepted.
   
    
8. Bookmarks: Suggest that your visitors bookmark your site. They might appreciate the reminder.
   
    
9. Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Investigate Google Adwords and other pay-per-click opportunities. If you target the right keywords, you could increase traffic to your site at a relatively low cost.
   
    
10. Online Promotions: Promotions, such as "buy one, get one free," come in all shapes and sizes. Be creative, and test whenever possible.
    
     
11. Link Exchanges: Used judiciously, link exchanges can draw traffic and increase your search engine rankings. Be careful, though, as too many links to "link farms" can hurt, rather than help.
    
     
12. Banner Exchanges: If you're willing to run ads on your own site, then look into link exchanges. You'll get exposure elsewhere in exchange for promoting other sites on yours.
    
     
13. Coupons: Everyone loves a bargain. Participate in coupon sites, or send yours out by e-mail.
    
     
14. Search Engine Optimization: Learn about SEO yourself, or hire an expert. Ranking high in search engines is probably the single most important tactic for most sites.
    
     
15. Contests: People love to win, so let them! Give away product, gift certificates, iPods, whatever. (Check with your legal department to make sure you are following your state's laws regarding sweepstakes and contests.)
    
     
16. Volume Discounts: Depending on your cost structure, it may be worthwhile to offer discounts to volume purchasers.
    
     
17. Cross-Sell: If your customers buy garden supplies, they may also be interested in patio furniture. Suggest a few compatible products to spark their interest.
    
     
18. Up-Sell: Offer add-ons to items in your customer's shopping carts. Example: suggest batteries, carrying cases, or tripods to people buying video cameras.
    
     
19. Personalized Recommendations: If your site is able, recommend items to your customers based on their past purchasing or browsing behaviour. Amazon has made this practice central to their site.
    
     
20. PR: Whether this means Public Relations or Press Releases to you, it always means free publicity. Craft well-written, newsworthy articles and press releases and get involved in the community.
    
     
21. Free Samples/Free Trials: "Free" always draws people in. This works well if you are giving away trials of the same product you're selling, i.e. expensive software programs.
    
     
22. Affiliate Programs: Let other people do the selling for you by enlisting affiliates. You can join a program like Commission Junction, or set up your own.
    
     
23. Offline promotion of your URL: Don't let anything leave your office that doesn't have your URL on it. Think stationery, brochures, samples, give-aways, delivery trucks, signs, etc.
    
     
24. Newsletter Ads: Place small text ads in newsletters that attract readers in your market. This often costs less than banner advertising and can be more effective.
    
     
25. Comparison Shopping Sites: It's free to be listed in Froogle. Other sites like Shopzilla charge for inclusion, but may be worth the cost.