Six Things Your Internet Marketing Company Won’t Tell You
Posted by Jim Monteleone
Most internet marketing companies see the same business problems over and over again. Yet some are reluctant to discuss them with clients, especially as they relate to flawed content.
Since many firms emphasize SEO and other technical solutions, they may not know how to address content-related problems that hurt a site's ability to attract real prospects. Here are six things your internet marketing company won't tell you – because they may not know the solutions:
1. Building a site is easy, content is hard -- With today's tools, building a handsome website is not difficult. What is difficult is building a site that attracts prospects with “good content” and gives them a reason to return. This is why it's critical to load your site with fresh, informative content that helps prospects become better buyers.
2. Companies soon run out of content -- At the beginning, everyone is well-intentioned. The site is built, and new content is created frequently. After 3 to 4 months, the novelty wears off, subject matter experts get busy, and content creation slows to a trickle. One way to jump this hurdle is to use a second party content provider who understands your business.
3. Search engine optimization is not enough -- Good SEO can get lots of people to come to your site – but only good content gets them to stay (and come back). To engage prospects, create content that helps them solve problems by using your products or services -- and give them easy ways to ask for more details through landing pages, inbound calls, and more.
4. Close only counts in horseshoes -- There is no such thing as “almost right” when it comes to creating content that mirrors the value of your product or service. Using inexperienced people -- or suppliers with little or no expertise in coaxing “good content” from your subject matter experts -- will leave you with a good-looking site that no one visits.
5. Direct marketing techniques still rule – Knowledge of direct marketing techniques makes it easier to create “good content”. Informational offers, crisp “calls to action,” and ongoing offers are all techniques developed in the world of mail order in the 1920s. Marketers who understand the techniques of direct marketing, i.e., what works and why, produce content that generates leads and sales.
6. There is never enough time – Unless your are an internet marketing firm or have a full-time web marketing staff, chances are that you will not be able to sustain the time, interest and effort needed to create a steady stream of “good content.” To succeed, you need one (or more) full-time staff dedicated to doing things right or competent suppliers who can do the same work offsite.
As with any type of marketing, successful internet marketing requires that you (or your web marketing firm) work backwards from the desired result – and make the needed investments in “good content” to attract the right prospects and keep them coming back.
Are You Sitting on a "Goldmine" of Existing Content?
We can quickly repurpose your existing white papers, sales literature, presentations, etc. into hard-hitting "good content" that helps prospects become smarter buyers -- content you can offer on your website to attract real prospects. To learn more, contact us at sales@leadsource.com, or call us at 412.922.6415