Lecture 4 of my Interactive Marketing course - Websites as the center of a communications strategy.

1. Getting Found
Websites, Search Engines, and Online Advertising

2. Getting Found Overview

4. Getting Found Overview
 From today, we will start to delve deeper into the
different tools that make up interactive marketing
 So far, we have looked:
 A complete overview of interactive marketing
 Discussed how marketing has changed
 Learned how today’s customer gets information about our
products
 Now, we start breaking it all down into the individual
pieces and how they work together to create and support
interactive marketing campaigns
 It all starts with reputation management

7. Today’s Lecture
 Website – the information distribution platform
 Search Engines – how we get found on the internet
 Search Engine Optimization
 Search Engine Marketing

13. Before We Get Stated,
We Need To End Some Myths

14. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Information Sells Products
 Just because you provide information, does not mean people
will buy what you are selling
 Especially if you’re trying to sell with dry, personality‐free,
buzzwords and jargon
 Fresh storytelling is the heart of compelling websites
 Combines with great design, copy, architecture and SEO to
build a successful website
 The more your audience can envision themselves as part of
the experience, the more they will buy into it and buy your
product/services

15. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 All Stakeholders Are Created Equal
 Success is not democratic, neither is marketing
 Treating all stakeholders as equals means that everyone feels
good, but you don’t get the high value customers to buy
 Ask yourself who is most important
 You can’t control who lands on your site, but by determining
the most important visitor, you can determine how to address
their needs
 Your focus has to be on the most profitable clients because
without them, you can’t serve any clients at all

16. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 All Products and Services are Equal
 Prioritize the most important services – those with the highest
chance of profitability
 Make sure these services can be quickly and easily found on
your website
 Concentrate your time and money on the products/services
that will generate the highest ROI

17. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Pursue New Clients Only
 Sure its great to get new clients, but good businesses mix new
and old
 It costs 6 times as much to attract new customers as to keep
existing ones
 For successful companies, 80% revenue growth comes from
existing customers
 Cultivate relationships and long‐term loyalty with your clients,
make them feel cared for – otherwise someone else will

19. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Online and Offline Marketing are Distinct Channels
 Traditional advertising and interactive marketing are not
stand‐alone silos
 Offline and online work in synergy to produce greater results
than either alone
 2/3 of online search users perform searches because of some
offline channel
 When you prepare your budget, remember it’s not an either/or
situation; it’s a both/and opportunity

20. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Embrace Social Media at any cost
 Too many companies jump into social medias because
everyone else is there – that is the worst reason
 It is better to have a few imaginative, cost‐effective projects
that have a shareable or viral value
 Make your content searchable by tying them to keywords
 There is no value in creating content no one can find
 Don’t forget to add metrics in place so you know if the work is
effective or not

21. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Search Marketing is only part of the Mix
 Search Engine Optimization is the most important interactive
marketing tactic
 Businesses that attain the No. 1 position on search engines
experience extraordinary success
 70% of Internet users said that they clicked a search result
within the first page of results
 92% click a result within the first 3 pages of search results

22. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 Your site is nothing more than sales support
 Your website is the most valuable and widely seen sales tool
 If it is not your No. 1 salesperson, change it
 Make sure that it has a call to action
 Make sure that contact information is easily accessible so
customers can get in touch
 Content should be persuasive so visitors are prompted to take
action

23. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 It’s OK to spend less than 20% of your marketing budget
on online marketing
 Markets have shifted from print and television to online and
mobile devices
 Most people visit websites for decision making and
information gathering
 59.8% of companies say more than half their multi‐channel
advertising campaign budgets will be allocated to digital
marketing channels
 Budget to reach and impact the most people via online
marketing, which will mean higher sales and brand
recognition for you

24. Myths About Websites and Marketing
 More clients are always better
 At business schools, we learn that numbers matter and that
the pursuit of more, more, more solves all problems
 But the pursuit of fewer better‐fit is a superior strategy for
longer term, mutually productive results
 The goal is not to get as many clients as possible, but to the
get the right clients so they stick with you
 Use specific keywords on the web and make sure the language
is appropriate for your audience
 Filter your clients to pick the right, high‐quality clients for your
company
 Then make sure what you promise is what you deliver

26. Websites –
A Customer’s View Into Your Organization

27. Online Communication Channels

28. “Your website should support your
business strategy and objectives by
engaging, persuading and generating
leads.

31. Different Kinds of Websites
 Today’s internet offers company’s a number of different
types of websites for marketing
 Corporate Websites
 Product Websites
 Brandsites
 Informational Portals
 Product Review Websites
 Blogs
 Video Blogs (Vlogs)
 Microsites

32. But They Come In Different Technologies
 Website developed has moved beyond the plain HTML
technology that we used in the in 1980s or what we can
Web 1.0
 Straight HTML
 CSS based HTML
 Flash
 WordPress, Blogger, Moveable Type

34. What Are The Keys to Successful Websites?
1. Does my website portray the image of a successful company?
 Your website should engage visitors with professional design and
entice them to want to learn more
 It should strongly project your image with strong professional brand
identity, design, layout, images and illustrations
2. Are my competitors’ sites attracting more attention than
mine?
 How does yours compare?
3. Is my website content engaging and persuasive?
 What are your company’s positioning, message and value
propositions?
 Talk better

35. What Are The Keys to Successful Websites?
4. Can visitors to my website quickly find the information they
need?
 Visitors should be able to find areas of interest quickly and easily
 They should be able to get to what they want in 2 clicks or less
5. Is your website generating sales leads?
 Every page of your website should have a Call to Action
 Offer information they find interesting, they will offer their
contact information
 Follow a “Give to Get” principle

36. What Are The Keys to Successful Websites?
6. Can target customers find it through search engines?
 The practice of getting your website found is known as Search
Engine Marketing (SEM)
 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will get your website to
“naturally” appear on the first few result pages of a search
using relevant keywords and phrase
 Search Engine Advertising (SEA) is paid advertising on search
engines
7. Is it easy to update and maintain your website?
 Depending on your website, it could be extremely easy to
update or extremely time consuming
 Which is your website?