Pick Up The Phone - Online Markerts Are Diversifying

I found a blog the other day called Search Influence ( http://www.searchinfluence.com/2008/03/convert-offline/ ) which really made me stop and think about the ways online markets are diversifying by taking advantage of print media techniques that have been in use for years.

By integrating call tracking number technology, Search Influence was able to save their clients $20K a year. When there are so many companies out there having a tough time in the current economy, it would seem ridiculous not to take advantage of this kind of service.

I'd like to know more about the simple system that "automatically switches the phone numbers displayed on the site," since I think this is a point where a lot of small business owners would find a lot of profit but might also get confused about how to go about doing so. Should they contact their web hosting companies directly about this kind of coding or do they need to hire a firm like Search Influence in order to trim their budgets and make their online website promotion more effective?

The possibilities with this kind of online website promotion are endless, even for businesses that don't spend as much as Search Influence's customers on their marketing. I know my company has about ten phone lines, and if there were some way we could track links to our website through articles where we're featured or word-of-mouth campaigns we run on facebook/twitter/other social media networks it would go a long way toward proving to management that there are better ways to cut costs than slashing jobs and perks.

When I think about the amount of potential this plan has for generating high return on investment for marketing dollars - and even MORE return on the time invested by companies without a formal marketing plan or budget (such as mine, which is a high-end luxury brand that spreads our name mainly through word of mouth, but is struggling to drum up new business in the current economic downturn), it makes me want to investigate these suggestions a lot further; I'll definitely be bringing this suggestion to my managers at our next marketing meeting...once I do a little more research on how we'll be able to maximize our ability to reach a wider client base through social media marketing and at the same time, direct more traffic at our newly updated website.

As one of the more web savvy members of my company's team, it's been an uphill battle to convince anybody in upper management that we need to start diversifying into mroe web-based promotion, and that focusing our advertising energy in this arena could really help our business. This blog has at Search Influence has me excited about being able to go in and combine my knowledge of online website promotion with my manager's eagerness to stick with more traditional forms of media when spreading the word about our company.

I think Search Influence's blog about return on investment through call tracking is a great primer on the ways online website promotion can combine with traditional market approaches to give companies an edge in the marketplace. Hopefully, by bringing it into our next marketing meeting, I can convince my colleagues this about this first step in improving our online website promotion.
http://www.searchinfluence.com/2008/03/convert-offline/

http://www.searchinfluence.com/2008/03/convert-offline/