Summing Up
Review Goals, Then Implement Tactics
Goals are broad general statements about where you want your business to go and what you want to be to customers. Objectives are specific statements that include metrics (numbers) and completion deadlines. All your objectives, when executed successfully, should lead to the fulfillment of your goals.
Cross-Link Promotions
An integrated business and marketing strategy can include online components and offline components.
As an extra step, cross-link your online and offline promotions. This is a great way to cost-effectively increase your return on investment. For example, direct potential visitors to your Web site via a newspaper ad. Then, use your site to provide details that require more space. Use your offline advertising to capture "eyeballs" and generate interest; then use your online marketing efforts to distribute and/or collect detailed information from prospects and customers.
Consult with your yellow pages publisher to see how you can promote your Web site in your yellow pages ad, and also include a listing in the "online" yellow pages. Verizon offers a free business listing.
Asking For Help
One of the ways to learn if your Web site and online marketing efforts are working is to ask. Create a survey on your site and ask visitors and customers to participate. Ask them what they like, what they don't, and what they would like to see more of. In exchange for participating in the survey you might offer a special discount or promotional give-away.
Select a few friends, business colleagues and customers and ask them to spend an hour evaluating your site and your online marketing efforts. Understand, of course, that this type of survey captures input from only those customers who currently use your site. It will not give you the opinions of people you have not attracted to your site. To get that type of feedback, you’ll need more comprehensive research.
Other resources include Internet Learning Tutor partners U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Business Development Centers (ASBDC). You can request expert help in evaluating the effectiveness of your online marketing campaign.
Good luck! |
