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Your
Online Marketing Goals
As an online
marketer,
your objective is to drive visitors to your website and
eventually convert those visitors into customers. To accomplish this,
you may already be utilizing channels such as banner ads, email blasts,
pop-ups and pop-unders. These are all "push" techniques, whose purpose
is to create demand where it may not yet exist. However, in order to
have a fully realized online marketing strategy, you must also employ
"pull" techniques, whose purpose is to generate website traffic by focusing
on what your potential customers want, and are already proactively
seeking.
Online, the most effective pull technique is search engine
marketing, because with search, the user is in control. If she
comes to your website from a search engine, it's because she is looking
for you, and is therefore, a qualified prospect. But if your
website isn't readily visible in the top search engine results, you
have missed an opportunity to attract her, and thousands of
others just like her. That's where search engine marketing comes in —
regardless of whether your online marketing goals are focused on lead
generation, branding, or producing online sales — because search engine
marketing covers all three.
Search
Engine Marketing Generates Sales
Leads
Perhaps your product or service isn't
easily sold directly from your
website. Maybe your business model requires a salesperson to have
direct contact a prospect. Or perhaps you sell your products through
dealers or distributors. Regardless of whether your online marketing
goals include persuading a visitor on your site to request product
information, download a demo, contact the dealer nearest him, or ask to
speak to a salesperson, search engine marketing generates powerful
results.
Search
Engine Marketing Enhances Brand
Recognition
Both online and offline, branding is an
essential element of creating
and building familiarity, comfort and confidence in your company and
your products. For many Internet users, brand recognition starts with
their use of search engines. Over one third of surveyed Internet users
believe the companies topping a search results list to be a leading
brand in the business category they are searching. And when your site
repeatedly appears prominently in the search results, you're creating
multiple brand impressions. So, top search engine rankings definitely
enhance brand equity.
Search
Engine Marketing Produces Online
Sales
According to JupiterResearch, the most
sophisticated search engine
marketers manage ecommerce websites for retail merchants. Why? Because
search engine marketing techniques attract prospects who are ready to
make an online purchase from sites whose online marketing strategy is
to generate a financial transaction — a purchase. Search engine
marketing effectively places your website content in the path of these
highly-motivated, potential buyers — the ultimate qualified prospects.
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