A comprehensive overview of Internet Marketing aimed at amateurs. Includes definitions of Internet marketing terms, tips and examples.

1. Internet Marketing for your Business Kat Gritzmacher

2. A bit about me…

3. The Internet & Business 63 % of Adult American households have broadband (up 8% from last year)* 74% of all Americans use the Internet* 7% of all adults cut back or cancelled online service due to the recession while 22% of adults cut back TV or cell phone service* 2009 Facebook: 276% growth among 35-54 year olds** Over 55% of American adults buy stuff online *Pew Internet & American Life Project **iStrategy Labs.com

4. Just Having a Web Site is NOT enough! Is your web site just ‘hanging out?’ Why would anyone want to visit your web site? How will people find you? How do you capture them when they do visit? Do your other communications drive traffic to your web site for more information or to purchase a product? Hmmm…..

5. Terminology & Definitions Search Engine Marketing (SEM)—part of internet marketing that refers to visibility on SERPs (search engine results pages) Organic Search—unpaid listings; natural search, FREE Paid Search (PPC)—paid inclusion in search engine results EXAMPLE Search Engine Optimization (SEO)—the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic via organic or natural search. SEO can target different kinds of search: image, local or industry specific (vertical search engines: i.e. SimplyHired.com is a job search engine)

6. Local Search—refers to searches specific to a geographic location against a database of local business listings. Example: Ely MN Resorts Geo-targeting—the process of limiting paid inclusion to searchers in a specific location. Example: you are a print shop and only want to advertise to people in Minnesota Web Analytics—software that measures web traffic including visitor tracking, navigation patterns, etc. Google Analytics, Clicktracks Banner ads—graphical ads that display on web sites SERPs—Search Engine Results Pages

7. PPC—Pay-per-click—the most popular form of web advertising (pay per impression, pay per action)—Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing Impressions—how many times an ad is shown Click Through Rates (CTR)—number of times an ad is clicked Landing Page—also known as a ‘lead capture page’ is a page that appears when a customer clicks on an ad or SER link; used to measure effectiveness Conversion Rate—percent of visitors who completed a desired action

8. Social Media/Social Networking—online content created by people. People share, information, comment and interact using social media platforms. A ‘fusion of technology and sociology.

9. RSS (real simple syndication)—also called a ‘feed’, it’s the process of publishing frequently updated content in a standardized format. Usually ‘feeds’ are aggregated in a ‘feed reader’ such as Google Reader.

10. SEARCH

11. Think like a Search Engine Keywords—nobody searches for ‘Home’ Research keywords related to your product or service—Adwords keyword tool, Wordtracker Choose the right keywords Optimizing your web site (SEO) What makes your site relevant to searches? Content is KING—search robots read and analyze TEXT H1 Headings Title Tags Bold/Italics/Bullets/Subheadings URL Anchor TEXT Link Building: If no important web sites think you’re important, you’re not. Page Rank

14. Examples http://moosetrackadventures.com Best http://grandelylodge.com GOOD (1st page Google) http://www.stonyridgeresort.com/ OK (4th page Google) http://www.shagawainn.com/ BAD http://www.brownfamilylaw.com/ GOOD (1st page Google) http://www.copepeterson.com/ Um… let’s look

15. Local Search Ely MN Outfitters Using local search to boost traffic Google Local Business Results Yahoo! Local Merchant Circle Other directories… The percentage of mobile searches that have local intent will increase from 28 percent in 2008 to 35 percent in 2013. Currently there are 54.5 million mobile Internet users in the United States, representing 25 percent of online users. Approximately 15 percent of iPhone applications are local. * *http://kelseygroup.com

16. PPC—Paid Placement on Search Engines What you don’t get in ‘organic’ results, you can supplement with PPC Getting started with PPC Create GOALS & OBJECTIVES Create a budget & estimate ROI Choose keywords Write ads relevant to keyword targets Be sure your landing page has supporting content AND Conversion Measures are in place to measure your ROI

17. Conversions WHAT desired action do you want the visitor to take when he arrives at your Landing Page? Subscribe to your email newsletter Download a brochure Fill out a form for more information Register as a member Buy a product DON’T just send everyone to your home page and expect them to search your site RELEVANCY

18. SEO and PPC: Create a Balance SEO is not a ONE TIME process—ongoing What you can’t achieve organically, try to supplement with Paid Placement (PPC) Trial and error Track conversion rates and analyze traffic patterns and behaviors Check Analytics frequently Calculate ROI

19. http://www.bplans.com/business_calculators/ppcroicalculatorwindow.cfm

20. Email Marketing and RSS

21. Dos & Don’ts Permission marketing: Your customers WANT to get your information SPAM is illegal Use an email marketing program so you can track your efforts iContact or Constant Contact Measure opens, clicks and subscriptions Provide USEFUL information—don’t try to hard sell or they’ll unsubscribe

22. Make it easy to subscribe—don’t require a ton of personal info and be sure to have a privacy policy Use FEEDBURNER if you update your content frequently; subscribers only get one email/day for any updates made that day Enable RSS on your site

23. Creating your Message Don’t give away the farm! Use as a traffic driver—give them a reason to click Content in newsletter should ‘tease’ them Have fun and be sincere—know your target audience Don’t write a book—people don’t READ emails, they scan them Visit: http://copyblogger.com for tips on writing for the web, iContact

24. Gaining Subscribers Make it EASY to subscribe and create the subscription area on several pages Tell people what they’re going to get Tips & tricks Coupons Sale notices, etc. Send confirmation email of subscription Opt-in and Double opt-in..I go for single 

25. Blogging What should you talk about? Why bother? Provide useful information to your audience Are you a mechanic? Teach them about warning signs and tips on saving money. Public Relations—keep people informed about what’s happening in your company Communicate news, trends or experiences Become an authority about your business

26. Don’t write a book: keep posts short and use sub-headings to make it easy to scan info Focus on keywords and search phrases related to your business Blog CMS are easy to set up and manage—like using Word Add on to current web site Software is FREE! Typepad Wordpress (recommended) Moveable Type Blogger

27. Social Media Just have a conversation…

28. Social Media Use social media platforms to connect with your customers and drive traffic to your web site Create goals and objectives It’s free but takes time to do correctly Don’t try to push or hard sell—you don’t have to talk about yourself all the time Share ideas with others in your industry Don’t be lame—it’s ok to be fun and real; no cheesy sales pitches

29. Don’t try to do it all yourself: get co-workers you trust to help out but have a content policy Consider social media advertising—very targeted and similar to PPC on search engines (but a little expensive) Facebook Activity=Effectiveness Examples: Dave’s Pizza Eveleth 4th of July Labovitz School of Business

30. Developing your Strategy Set Goals & Measurable Objectives What do you want to achieve with your internet marketing? Sales PR Permission marketing How does IM work with your traditional marketing? Know your audience

31. Choosing your tactics

32. Resources Books I recommend: Search Engine Marketing, Inc. by Mike Moran & Bill Hunt SEO for Dummies, PPC for Dummies Blogs to Read: SEM SearchEngineLand.com SearchEngineWatch.com SEOBook.com Online Marketing Blog (TopRankBlog.com) SEM Geek.com Blogging CopyBlogger.com

33. Contact Me Kat Gritzmacher Kat@RangeBuzz.com 218-780-1839 Thank you!