Having the Right Marketing Tools
What’s in YOUR online marketing toolbox? Just about all of us have seen the advertisements for that credit card company where a horde of barbarians are wreaking havoc on some poor soul’s house or life. The purpose of the advertisement is to make a credit card customer think of what they are really getting when they get a credit card. The real cost of it, the hidden charges, problems in using it, the real cost of having it – you know the one, right? “What’s in YOUR wallet?
If there is anything important that you MUST HAVE if you want to use the Internet for more than just a toy, it is the right marketing tools. Online marketing tools are an essential part of any online marketing strategy. Every individual, business or cause that wants to put what they do on the virtual map of the Internet, must have online marketing tools that effectively generate traffic on their Website. Without traffic to your Website, all you have is a vacant building sitting on a virtual street in Cybertown. And, effectively building your brand online (see Branding Your Blog series) is directly tied to your ability to drive traffic to your Website as well as spreading the world of your Website through the use of the right online marketing tools.
Why is traffic so important? With the right online marketing tools, you generate traffic or visitors to your Website. Traffic produces leads, leads produce prospects, prospects produce qualified prospects, qualified prospects produce sales, and sales, if handled properly, produce repeat sales. This installment of Online Marketing Tool Training introduces the key essential online marketing tools your Website will need to compete in today’s highly competitive global marketplace online.
What Tools are Right for You? In the same way that choosing the right Web hosting company to host your Website is an important decision to make, making sure you have the right online marketing tools for your Website is equally important. In order to determine what tools you will need, you must first assess your Website, its present traffic, the type of product or service that you are offering, and how you will communicate with a visitor from their initial visit through the entire sales process, including after sales follow-up.
Deciding on the right online marketing tools to promote and maintain your online presence to the world, as well as servicing your customers, is sort of like that same scenario of having the right credit card in your wallet. You might find a great deal or offer on some marketing system or slick promotional tool or network, but if the marketing tools do not ultimately build a lasting connection with those you are trying to reach, then you are really wasting money and time.
Now-a-days, almost anyone who is making money in online marketing – barring a few personal and business brands that are already well established – are using several online tools that are almost mandatory in your online marketing success. These tools are almost absolute ‘must have tools’ if you want to be effective in prospecting (lead generation), sales (lead conversion), and customer service (maintenance).
The must have tools now a days are integrated video in your Website to keep those who visit your Website on your Website once they arrive. YouTube is nice, but why would you want to send your leads away from your Website once they arrive? Video adds a dynamic to your Website that engages more then just the eye that reads text on a page. The audio alone, mixed with a Power Point presentation can be a dynamic way to sell your product or service, and it connects your prospects with you on a personal level. And, when you integate actual video of your while doing your presentation, you begin to build personal association with the viewers in the same way that a television show with various actors triggers a connection mechanism in the mind of the viewer to want to tune back in for the next show.
Another tool that is vital is that of an automated email responder system. If you are generating even 10 leads a day (an average blog subscriber rate) out of the 100 visitors to your blog or Website that you have a day, you do not want to have to manually reply to every individual that registers on your site, and if you are not communicating with them to keep them engaged and interested in what you have to say or sell, you will lose them by default to the distraction of the Internet and all the other Websites they visit that DO communicated and engage them. An automated email responder system really allows you to focus on content and your product and service offerings and not get bogged down in the processing of leads, prospects, and customers.
One other important tool that you must have if you want to really be able to effectively connect with people through your website that is used not only to sell, but to build community and customer loyalty, is that of your own personal conferencing system for video and audio webinars. This is a huge one. It is a tool that most every successful online marketer is actively using, and it’s one of the easiest tools to use, that can generate the most return on your investment of time. It brings into the living room of everyone that participates in watching your webinars, and can provide you with real time rich content that is both engaging and highly successful in getting a prospect to act on your offer. It’s the next best thing to sittin in their living room.
If you would like more information on how to get these tools for free, visit www.familydot.com to learn more.
