Developing an Effective Internet Promotional Mix

Here's the number one question I am asked: "How can I get more traffic to my website?"

Here's the consultant's answer -- and the truthful answer: "It all depends."

What Your Website Tells Your Visitors

First of all, until your website is in good shape, you can spend a lot of money bringing traffic to your site, but you won't do much business. Have you ever seen a store on a street in your town where the owner decided he could skip paying a professional sign maker, and paint the sign himself? When he's finished, he's really impressed with what he's been able to accomplish with his limited experience. He brings his wife over.

"Great sign, right, dear?"

"Remarkable, Henry," she comments.

He shows it to his brother-in-law and best friend. And he's so excited about it that they don't want to burst his bubble by telling him the truth: "Henry, it may be a real accomplishment for you, but it looks cheap and homemade. It won't grow your business. In fact, it will deter customers from coming in your store."

Ad agencies have complained to me that companies are spending tens of thousands of dollars in banner advertising, but their websites turn people off when the advertising succeeds in getting them to the site. One of the first steps in your site promotion strategy is to get your website ready to sell effectively. It'll never be perfect, it'll always be a work in progress, but it needs to look very good.

What's Next?

All of the "Eight Essential Types of Internet Promotion" are important. You can't neglect search engines or public relations or any of the others. But very high on your list needs to be developing a regular e-mail publication, and an effective way to get your visitors to subscribe when they visit your site. We're too small, you say? Nearly all e-mail publications start small. But you have to begin. Don't put it off, for it becomes more and more powerful later as your list begins to grow.

Mud on the Wall

I'll tell you a secret. What works splendidly for Marketing Guru A, only works so-so for Marketing Guru B, etc. The reason is that companies are different, budgets vary, the ability to innovate changes in different contexts. Yes, you can learn from marketing gurus, but don't be surprised if their pet programs don't quite produce the same results in your corner of the world.

You've probably decided by now that I believe in planning and working out careful Web marketing strategies. Yes. But I also know that often you'll never learn what works best until you try a lot of things that show some promise. There's an old saying, "If you throw enough mud against a wall, some of it is going to stick." Hmmm ... strange saying. But it's true. Try a number of things, see what works best for you, and then focus more of your resources on the things that work. Don't be afraid to try new things. But don't make long-term investments in strategies you haven't first experimented with on your site.

For example, let's say your company sets the annual Internet promotion budget at $400 or $4,000 or $40,000 or $400,000. If you're just beginning, I recommend making short-term contracts where possible, so you can try out various approaches, but still have the flexibility to shift significant funds to the approaches that work.

Don't be afraid of failure. Your role in the company is to learn everything you can, including the things that don't work. If one method bombs, don't quit. Keep at it until you find a mix of methods that are effective for you.