1. How to Develop a Successful Online
Marketing Strategy
presented by
parallel interactive communications
20 may 2010

2. goals for today
• Self-evaluation :: What am I doing now? How well?
• Evolution of online marketing
• The marketing pyramid
Level 1 :: Core (the basics)
Level 2 :: Interactive (social media)
Level 3 :: Dynamic (thought leadership)
• The basics + social media + thought leadership = 360 degrees of
success
• Questions and answers

3. expectations for today
• Ask questions … everyone learns that way
• No one has all the answers … success is knowing where to find
them
• Social media is a marathon not a sprint … pace yourself
• Commit to learning something new today … and every day
going forward
• Technology is only scary if you make it scary ... so don’t
• Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to … learn from
others’ mistakes and success

4. evolution of online marketing

5. the marketing pyramid
Core
Dynamic
• Corporate website
• Innovative content
• eNewsletter
highlighting unique
• SEO DYNAMIC research, industry
• Online advertising surveys, new
Interactive technology
• Basic social media INTERACTIVE • Advanced social media
• Custom websites • Fully integrated, multi-
channel 360 degree
• Smart phone applications
marketing initiatives
• eCommerce CORE
• Advanced online
advertising
• Advanced SEO

6. the marketing pyramid :: core
• Purpose(s)
Establish core online presence
Satisfy due diligence requirements of target audiences
Create periodic touch points with target audiences
• Information: static
• Resources: minimal to moderate
• Components
Corporate website
eNewsletter
SEO (search engine optimization)
Online advertising

7. website :: the basics
Site Analysis :: Your Site vs. Top 5 Competitors
• Homepage
Dynamic with movement, clear directives, focused
• Navigation
Hierarchical, defined by audience, easy to use
• Content
Clear, concise, tiered, SEO friendly, definitive call to action
• Design
Consistent with brand, value added visuals, interactive elements, alternate
learning paths
• Analytics
Tied to audience and call to action, measurable conversions

8. inspiration :: three very cool websites
CNN Getty Images Chipotle

9. website :: the basics
• Other Questions
Do you have measures of success defined?
• What are the conversion paths?
Do you have an online calendar?
Who is the editor of your website?
• Who manages content creep, voice/tone, consistency of content
depth and adherence to core messaging?
Who manages the update cycle?
• Is it timely? Is it systematic or random?
How often do you review your website statistics?

10. eNewsletter :: the basics
• Questions to Ask
Quality of your email list
Consistency of eNewsletters (design, content, technical issues)
Frequency of eNewsletters
Tracking between online initiatives for bumps in online traffic
ROI measures
• Levels of eMail Services
ConstantContact
GoDaddy
VerticalResponse, BlueHornet

11. eNewsletter Samples

12. SEO do & don’ts :: the basics
Excerpts from “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Do’s and Don’ts, by Colin Greig
Full article available on blog.parallelic.com
DO evaluate your competition thoroughly. What keyword statements are they
targeting; how well are they ranking?
DO create a thorough keyword strategy that is well researched for your market
position, domain expertise and target audience. Include in your keyword
strategy long-tail keyword phrases to be used in the various website tags as well
as website copy.
DON’T stuff your content with too many keywords to trick the spider into
increasing your ranking. It can get you penalized and removed entirely from the
search engines!
DON’T focus on the keywords you associate with your business. Consult with an
expert or speak with your customers. What keywords would *they* search for if
they were looking for a solution to their businesses problems?
DON’T rip off and duplicate someone else’s content. Search engines keep a history
of website content and if they detect another site’s copy on your website, they
will dismiss your webpage with their “duplicate content filter”, preventing it
from ranking.

13. SEO do & don’ts :: the basics
DON’T try to squeeze your entire website onto a handful of pages. The more pages
on your website, the more opportunity for your to keyword optimize and rank.
DON’T over-optimize your content, turning your site into mucky keyword spam. This
will increase your bounce rate and reduce your lead generation capability.
DO write professional copy with the goal of converting website visitors into
prospects.
DO write a professional, keyword rich META-DESCRIPTION for each of your pages.
DO use your keyword statements in the header tags on each webpage.
(H1,H2,H3,H4,H5 and H6)
DO add image “ALT” attributes to all of your images. Write what the image is
about and include a keyword or two.

14. SEO do & don’ts :: the basics
DO use keywords in the ANCHOR TEXT of links within your website.
DO submit your website to industry specific, quality directories.
DO submit your blog & RSS feed to blog directories.
DO write articles for authoritative websites within your industry in exchange for a
link back to your website.
DO submit your press releases to PRWEB.
DO make use of the viral effects from social news and networking sites by
submitting and voting for your content.
DON’T point all of your links to your homepage. Request they point to particular
pages & sections within your website to boost the ranking ability of those
particular pages as well as increase your “deep link ratio”.

15. the marketing pyramid :: interactive
• Purpose(s)
Leverage core online presence
Generate high quality leads and/or strong revenue stream
Build brand recognition with two-way communication with target audiences
• Information: interactive
• Resources: moderate to high
• Components
Basic social media (blog, twitter, Facebook, myspace, Linkedin)*
Custom websites (mobile, micro-site)
Smart phone applications (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid)
eCommerce
Advanced online advertising
Advanced SEO

16. blogs :: the stats
• 55% more website
visitors for companies
that blog
• 97% more inbound
links for companies
that blog
• 434% more indexed
pages for companies
that blog

17. blog :: bia san diego
• Builds a two-way communication channel between BIA staff and
members
• (+ website) Blog is most cost
effective way to communicate to
members; ‘green’; solved problem
of discontinued print publications
• Q1 2010
13,421 unique visitors (+46%)
17,916 total visitors (+12.7%)
92,108 page views (+140%)
• Currently main communication
• BIA is building on eNewsletter
and blog success; launching
integrated 360 initiative
early 2010 to complete migration
to online-only communications

18. blog :: parallel insight
• Builds two-way communication channel with current and potential clients
• Goal is to distill avalanche
of online marketing articles
(blogs, tweets, seminars, etc.)
into digestible, valuable
information for clients
• Soft launch 9.1.09;
official launch 01.01.10
• April 2010
4,588 unique visitors
8,814 total visitors
14,201 page views
• Blog will be centerpiece of
thought leadership campaign;
tightly integrated into
cohesive 360 marketing initiative

19. top 10 social networking sites

20. facebook :: the numbers
• 5,000,000,000 :: The number of minutes spent on Facebook
each month
• 25,000,000,000 :: The amount of content (web links, news
stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each month on
Facebook
• If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th most populated
in the world, just ahead of Indonesia

21. facebook :: honda usa
• Innovative campaign leveraging social
media as leading tool
• Commercials direct consumer straight to
Facebook page
• Corporate site flash also does
• Interactive video used to create
movement + real life testimonials; creates
fun ‘game-like’ iphone app; very effective
• Huge response; using advocates of the
product ‘proven’ to sell their high quality
product
• Could easily translate to the tech market

22. facebook :: audi usa
• Audi keeps marketing and social
websites entirely separate from
one another
• Corporate site :: sells cars
• Facebook ::
Shows video for ‘feel’
Asks fans market data questions
via poll and survey
Contains forums for two way
communication

23. facebook :: resources
“How to use Facebook for Business” by Hubspot
Step-by-step setup instructions
How to promote your Facebook page
Facebook groups vs. Facebook pages
Advertising on Facebook
All resources posted on blog.parallelic.com

24. twitter :: the stats
• 300 :: The number of followers of an average twitter account
today; in July 2009 it was 70
• 173 :: The number of people an average account follows; in July
2009, it was 47
• 35,000,000 :: The average number of tweets per day on
twitter.com; up 1400% from 2009

25. twitter :: how do you compare
Name Rating Ranking Followers Following Updates
Target 99.8/100 7,721/ 19,106 40 416
6,988,574
Oprah 100/100 5,043/ 3,551,108 194 117
5,460,974

26. twitter :: how do you compare
Name Rating Ranking Followers Following Updates
Todd Gloria 96.2/100 264,861/ 792 399 679
6,988,763
Tipton 93/100 473,793/ 701 1,125 18
Honda 6,988,763

27. twitter :: resources
• “How to use twitter for Business : A Beginner’s Guide” by
Hubspot
How to set up an account
How to follow/be followed
twitter for marketing
twitter for public relations
• http://bit.ly (browser tool to shorten your tweet urls)
• http://twitter.grader.com (how you are doing? re: everyone else)
All resources posted on blog.parallelic.com

28. linkedin :: the stats
• 65,000,000 :: The number of LinkedIn members
• 200 :: The number of countries and territories in which
LinkedIn members are found
• 50% :: The percentage of LinkedIn members who are decision
makers or have influence in the purchase decisions at their
companies
• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn
members

29. linkedin :: wealth management marketing
• Great example of layered use of
Linkedin
Blog
Corporate website
Facebook page
twitter
Webinar
• True thought leadership:
social media for financial industry
• Shows knowledge by implementation
of best practices

30. linkedin :: resources
• “Create an Effective Marketing Plan: The 3 Minute Marketing
Association” by Kristen Luke
http://www.viddler.com/explore/kristenluke/videos/7/24.991/
• “Linkedin: 22 Ways to Dominate”
http://www.slideshare.net/jaybaer/linkedin-22-ways-to-dominate
• “Communication in the Digital Age: It’s All About Socializing, Sharing
and Creating” by Marco Derksen
http://www.slideshare.net/marketingfacts/linked-1146960
All resources posted on blog.parallelic.com

31. namechk :: social media tip
• www.namechk.com
• Check most social media sites
for your preferred name
• Get a brief description about
the participating social media
sites
• Go directly to the site and
register to protect your name
All resources posted on
blog.parallelic.com

32. the marketing pyramid :: dynamic
• Purpose(s)
Leverage core online presence and interactive initiatives
Establish brand and/or company executives as thought leaders
Leverage thought leadership achievements to enrich and solidify
two-way communication with customers
• Information: dynamic and interactive
• Resources: high
• Components
Innovative content highlighting unique research, industry surveys,
new technology (eBooks, webinars, podcasts)*
Advanced social media (twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube)
Fully integrated, multi-channel 360 marketing initiatives*

33. thought leadership :: definition
Thought leader is a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a
futurist or person recognized among peers and mentors for
innovative ideas who demonstrates the confidence to promote or
share those ideas as actionable distilled insights (thinklets).
Thought leadership is an increasingly vital driver of business success.
The term was first coined in 1994, by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief
of the magazine, Strategy & Business. The term was used
to designate interview subjects for that magazine
who had contributed new thoughts to business.

34. why thought leadership?
Excerpt from “Why Thought Leadership Is Your Most Valuable Asset”, by Jon MIller
Full article available on blog.parallelic.com
• Thought leadership is one of the most valuable assets your brand can
attain
• Thought leadership can help develop deeper relationships with your
customers by engaging them in non-sales, industry-relevant
conversations
• Thought leadership can establish you as the ‘go-to’ source for research,
insight and interpretation of the latest news and trends
• Thought leadership can build trust among prospective customers so
when they do buy, they will want to purchase from the ‘leader’ in the
industry

35. thought leadership :: how to make it work
• Have a plan that integrates all three levels of the marketing
pyramid – core, interactive and dynamic
• Be committed and consistent in your efforts
• Develop unique content
Create original research on emerging industry topics
Provide valuable insight and analysis on topical industry topics
Be a solution to specific problems
• Maximize the impact of your work by utilizing the power of
online tools (blogs, eBooks, webinars, eNewsletters, twitter,
LinkedIn, etc.)

36. thought leadership :: bell rock growers

37. eBook must read :: viral marketing

38. additional resources
• “22 Tools for Social Media” (with examples) by Pet Kim
• “10 WordPress Blog Plug-ins to Promote Your Social Media
Profiles” by Selena M Bowlby
• “5 Advanced Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses” by
Samir Balwani
• All articles are available on blog.parallelic.com
New articles posted each week
Sign up for twitter to be notified – parallelic
Blog Editorial Calendar
• June 2010 – Social Media :: Tips & Tricks
• July 2010 – eNewsletters :: What Works
• August 2010 – Thought Leadership :: eBooks

39. contact parallel interactive
• Parallel Interactive Communications
• Corporate site :: www.parallelic.com
• Blog :: Parallel Insight :: http://blog.parallelic.com
• Steve Saars
• Chief Marketing Strategist
• 619.507.8278
• ssaars@parallelic.com
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesaars
• Lisa Marie Shaul
• Partner, Client Services
• 619.894.2333
• lshaul@parallelic.com
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/lmshaul