The Truth About Marketing Online

"Can I make money online?" I am asked this question almost daily. The answer is simply, yes, if you understand the difference between Revenue Generating and Reputation Marketing. Most small business owners confuse the concept of advertising, marketing and sales. Not all are meant to generate an income.

MARKETING

For example, I optimize and run Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns for 10 different clients. I have one client who runs marketing campaigns. I consistently win 1 - 5 new top Search Engine Position Results (SERPs) for my clients each month. Even though I can successfully get clients to the top of the search engines, they complain because they are not selling.

Asking a marketer to take responsibility for sales is not logical. The same applies to advertising campaigns. Take a look at a company I work with ADAIDM. They have a website made to ‘sell.' Their customer service is easy to access. Their message is clear. And, this company is very successful.

ADA Intelligent Dental Marketing helps local dental offices market their services. However, they are not responsible for the sales. Marketing companies have no control over how their clients treat customers, whether they respond to queries in a timely fashion, or if they offer good service.

So, why market? The answer is simple. Without marketing, you will not have the exposure needed to sustain business growth and improve profits. Marketing builds an image - a brand - for your business that people recognize. Good marketing creates exposure in the same places where your customers surf the net. Marketing also helps companies identify their potential clients, untapped markets, and build a strong reputation.

ADVERTISING

Advertising puts your message in-front of buyers. If it is the right message then the company's sales will increase. However, the product must be in demand. No one buys SEO, or logos, or web design. All the companies that sell offer something else to their clients - they add value.

The biggest advertising mistake is to promote a product or service. Do not sell yourself or your product. Instead, sell something that the client cannot get elsewhere.
The ad should never ask for a sale. Instead, it should hook the buyer and convince them to keep reading.

REVENUE GENERATING

Making money is a completely new ball game. One of the first ways to separate people from their money is to avoid asking for money. Let them use credit. Many people are more comfortable increasing their debt than they are decreasing their net-worth.

Asking for the money requires a delicate balance of several factors which may have nothing to do with the product or service being sold:

• Buyer remorse
• Value
• Communication styles
• Behavioral motivation
• Personality types
• Market saturation
• Intrusion value
• Perceived value
• Social significance of the product
• Problem solving benefits
• Its ability to open up opportunities
• Emotional/impulse value

When we build revenue generating landing pages for clients, we often touch on the emotions of the consumer, and the fundamental needs of the website owner. Consider two examples.

Website 1 does not focus on the product, but on the benefits. The first landing page uses education give potential buyers a reason to keep clicking links. The second one offers solutions for potential advertisers, highlighting potential problems and reminding potential customers why they need to buy. Neither page asks for the sale but offers to answer questions, include more information, and give away something free.

Website 2 focuses on the sale. The consumer is ignored, as if they are the least important element in the sales cycle. The website totes the virtues of the product, the company's successes, and even the talents of the web designer.

Asking for the sale is a common ‘real world' tactic, but it does not work well on the net. It is impossible to refute excuses not to buy, so eCommerce businesses need to develop new strategies. Once an eCommerce business owner, freelance professional or small business entrepreneur understands the purpose of the sales cycle … Marketing, Advertising, and Sale … they are ready to start making money.

Note: ADA intelligent Dental Marketing, www.adaidm.com is owned in part by the ADA, and is not owned by our firm.

Suzanne James is the project manager/SEO at Axiom9 internet marketing a Canadian SEO/SEM firm that focuses on conversion-to-buyer ratios. She works with clients to monetize their websites, and improve their Search Engine Ranking Positions.