Make OnLine Marketing Work for You-Within Your Budget

Last month when I spoke for the Health-care Businesswomen, I was fortunate to sit next to Danielle Thierry who has a consulting practice and is an on line marketing expert.

Danielle-shared with me part of a presentation she recently gave and I have learned a ton from it and wanted to share it.

I've also put Danielle's information at the bottom of this post--feel free to email her and see how you might use her services.

Make Online Marketing Work for You
Tips for creating a strong brand presence that fits your budget

General tips

·   Consistency = Success—Keep up your marketing efforts throughout the year, and focus on building and maintaining relationships with your past, current, and prospective clients

·   Quality over Quantity—Be realistic about your budget and your needs. Use your budget wisely to create quality materials, and let your marketing plan grow with you

·   Choose the right professionals—Be sure the marketing professionals you hire can create and implement your full marketing plan, including strategy, design, copy, and technical aspects

·    Remember that you are your most powerful branding element—Showcase your expertise through online networking, seminars, white papers, blogs, videos, and more

Preparation—Your best asset

Save time and money by coming to your marketing meeting prepared:

·         Know your specific marketing goals

·         Know the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of your target audience

·         Know what your competition is saying—and what sets you apart

·         Be ready to define your brand’s character

·         Keep an open mind—work together to create the best message possible

 

Your Web site—Your 24/7 marketing tool

·         Choose a reasonable host server and purchase a domain name with emails

·         Start with the basics, and let your Web site grow with you

·         Consider a free content management system for minor updates

·         Talk to your content strategist/copywriter about optimizing your site with keywords and paid search (pay-per-click ads)

Basics to include on your Web site to start	Elements to add to your site as you grow
·         Homepage ·         About/Why You? Page ·         Description of services ·         Pricing (if applicable) ·         Contact information	·         Educational information ·         Case studies ·         Client testimonials ·         Segmented content ·         More detailed info about services or specialties ·         In-depth portfolio ·         Resources (downloadable materials, podcasts, videos, white papers, etc)

Your email newsletter—Online marketing’s #1 ROI generator

Benefits of an email newsletter:

·         Create loyal readers—and drive them to your Web site

·         Use a marketing method even your least tech-savvy clients are comfortable with

·         Target specific segments of your audience

·         Track readership to learn what’s effective, and what’s not

Tips for making your e-newsletter work:

·         Include only content that is relevant to your readers

·         Don’t bombard your readers—once a month is an ideal frequency

·         Use the e-newsletter as a “teaser”—Always drive people back to your Web site to read more

·         Always provide a simple way for readers to opt out

Online networking: How to make it work for you

 

1)      Narrow Down Your Options

Today’s options can be overwhelming—narrow them down to 1 or 2 networks you can participate in consistently. To choose, ask yourself:

·         Which tools fit my strategy?

·         Which communities match my professional persona and my personality?

·         Where are my prospects?

·         What technologies do I understand and feel comfortable with?

2)      Pull. Don’t Push.

Do	Don’t
·         Create awareness through your participation and profile - Tip: Use a specific, descriptive job title in your profile to help the right people find you in a search ·         Build relationships by sharing information and connections ·         Establish yourself as an expert by answering questions in groups ·         Get advice from others by asking insightful, relevant questions	·         Send “advertising messages” to group lists ·         Over promise—You must be able to deliver ·         Say or show anything you’ll regret—Remember that everything you put online is in a public archive

 

Online Marketing Resources

Hosting and domain registration: www.GoDaddy.com • www.1and1.com

Free content management systems: www.wordpress.org • www.joomla.org

Search engine optimization: www.wordtracker.com • www.adwords.com

To contact Danielle and learn more:

Danielle Thierry

Thierry Writing Inc

phone: 856.786.7274

cell: 609.420.1348

e-mail: info@daniellethierry.com