Most people searching online are looking for a solution to a problem, so if you have a product or service that is going to give them a solution, you will find a ready-made market. For example, if you were a florist with a web presence, you would be solving the problems of what to purchase on Valentine’s Day, how to have the perfect wedding bouquet or how to ease the worry for family and friends attending a funeral. The difficulty is making sure that your potential clients find your website before your competitors. This means making it to the first page of search engine’s listings.

If you have a product or a service to sell, then you can approach the online world in a similar way to the real world. You do this by targeting those people who will be interested in what you are selling and bringing them to your site. One of the best ways to do this is by writing articles and blogging. Regularly updated content, promoted by twitter and Facebook can bring a stream of visitors to your site. Once they are there, it is important that you then entice them to buy.

With Google’s new algorithm, one of the most important things to remember is that searches will be closely linked to location. So with the above example of the florist, it would be important that the business owner informs potential clients within their local area and this is best done with use of keywords. For example, if the florist is situated in Bondi, then the words ‘Bondi florist’ or ‘flowers Bondi’ within the text of regular blogs and articles is what will rank the website within Google’s search engine.

Even though this way of operating online will get you customers, it is worth including a capture page or opt in box on your site so that you can also build a list. A list then enables you to continue marketing to the people you know will purchase from you. Informing them of special promotions and preparing them in advance for special times of the year, can ensure a steady flow of traffic and sales. The best approach to your online business is to begin whether or not you have a list, and then steadily build it for sustained customers.

For further information on start up business online and how to begin without a list, contact Netregistry here or telephone today on 1300 638 734

Many users of Adwords will try advertising once or twice and when they find their advertisement removed after only a couple of days, they may give up on their campaign. Advertising online is similar to offline advertising. A hit and miss approach with occasional Adwords is unlikely to reap any benefits, so creating a campaign to run over a period of time will benefit you more. To do this in the most effective way it is important to know what matters to Google.

Three of the most important factors are cost per click, click-through rate and your daily budget. All three begin with choosing the most effective keywords for your business.

1. Cost per click – Once you have determined the most effective keywords, it is best to begin with a minimum bid on your selections. Google will inform you of your position and you can always raise your bid if your ads do not appear on the first page.
2. Click-through model – Google cares more about the clickthrough rate than the amount you have bid for the keyword. Whatever keyword you have chosen, with this model, Google will only display the ads that are being clicked the most regardless of the amount you are paying. You therefore need a good advertisement for this model to work, an advertisement that is getting a great response from searchers. If you manage this, then leave it up. If you find it isn’t working then look at whether the keyword actually fits with the rest of the text in the ad and is definitely aligned in text with the intended landing page.
3. Daily budget – In this model you set a daily budget with Google for each of your AdWords campaigns, this amount is not necessarily the amount you will pay. Once your ads start displaying you will only pay for the advertisements clicked on and it may be that you are underbidding on clicks and overbidding on daily budget.

An effective Adwords campaign begins with some solid research into keywords. You want to try to avoid the most commonly used keywords and find some phrases that will cost you less to advertise. Although you may get less people searching for those words, you will be targeting potential customers who are more likely to purchase from you and end up getting a higher clickthrough rate.

Although there are other similar advertising platforms like Google Adwords, it remains the most commonly used advertising platform online and one of the most effective. For a greater understanding of Adwords and online advertising, speak to a Netregistry consultant on 1300 638 734.

Your online content should contain keywords specific to your business, the services you offer and in particular, what problem your business solves. By checking your statistical data, you can determine which of your keywords are being searched and when, as well as how your site ranks in the search for those words.

Once you know which words and phrases, relevant to your industry are being searched and when there is a spike (increase) in searches for your key terms, you can begin to prepare campaigns for those periods. For example if you were running a business as a florist, you may become aware that certain words or phrases, such as ‘valentines bouquet’ or ‘valentines roses’ increase prior to February 14^th each year. With this knowledge you could begin a campaign in January to market your business. You could write articles appropriate for Valentines Day, including the key terms, which would build a flow of traffic to your site. You may think that it is obvious that there will be more interest in flowers at this time of year, however your site may not rank in search engines, if you do not know the specific terms being used in searches.

Remember not to saturate your content with keywords, simply incorporate them with some back-links to your site and other sites appropriate to your content. Just writing a sales article about your service or product is not enough, but writing short, content rich articles over a period of time, will build trust in potential visitors who will then click into your site. Your site should then inform them of any special offers and events.

Designing your own campaign based upon key words and terms is simple, once you understand how. However, if you are short on time or would feel more confident having a professional manage your online marketing, then speak to a Netregistry consultant on 1300 638 734 about our comprehensive search engine optimisation solutions.

In the real world, as consumers we base our continued support of a product or service upon our experience. Branding in this sense is both rational and emotive. We will rationally determine the value of a product to us and connect with the story of the product emotionally. Nike very successfully tapped into the emotive response of those who wanted to succeed with ‘just do it’.

Branding online for new businesses is all about creating a profile for you and your business, which builds trust with a particular segment of the market. Becoming the trusted authority in your area of expertise then having your online following share information about you is the equivalent of real time word of mouth marketing.

To brand yourself here are some things to consider:

1. Be clear about your products and services and what you are offering.
2. Distinguish yourself from competitors by positioning yourself within your niche market and highlighting the strength of how you are different to competitors. This determines why people should purchase from you.
3. Develop your online communication via your website and social media sites to establish you as the trusted authority for your niche.
4. Ensure that the visual images you present to the world, complement the image you want to portray and will appeal to your market.
5. If you were establishing a business in the real world, you would choose a location most convenient for your target market. Do the same online. Find out where your niche market is online, and position yourself there with messages appropriate for that market.
6. Ensure your branding includes a logo which is present on all your online communications such as email.

As the battle for customers intensifies daily online, a strong brand is invaluable. Take the time to research, define, and build your brand as this is your promise to your customer. Your brand is a foundational piece in your marketing strategy and an essential part of your online profile.

If you’re looking at taking your business online or would like to find out more about how to increase your brand presence through online marketing, contact Netregistry here or telephone today on 1300 638 734 to speak to a consultant.

• Is your shopping cart solution, search engine friendly? Having control over tags and meta descriptions as well as keywords will enable you to optimise search engine results. The ability to generate keyword associated URLs based on products is also important.
• Having clients willing to make online payments at your site means finding hosting and security for your website that ensures Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. So educate yourself about PCI compliance to avoid penalties such as hefty fines.
• You will want an e-commerce payment platform that allows for up-selling or cross-selling. This refers to the ability to sell products which complement those already being purchased. So before your customer reaches the online checkout, they have been informed about other products which may interest them.
• Product reviews have proven to be a solid marketing tool so an e-commerce solution that promotes reviews of your products and services is an important addition.
• Flexible pricing solutions will enable you to establish multiple pricing options for products due to marketing specials or based on the type of customer e.g retail or wholesale.
• Catalogue management requires an e-commerce solution that will assist you throughout the life of a business not just at set up. You will require a product that allows for catalogue additions and enables solid inventory management.
• Analytics and reporting are essential so find an e-commerce solution which not only offers its own reporting, but integrates with something like Google Analytics. The ability to save and export these reports is also essential.
• Shipping is an all-important component of any online business so your e-commerce shopping cart needs to integrate with courier companies such as TNT or Fastway, as well as Australia Post.

Whilst PayPal and Google offer some great solutions for businesses online, it’s advantageous to speak to a professional who can help tailor your e-commerce solutions to your business. If you would like to talk to a professional or would like more information regarding e-commerce solutions, call Netregistry on 1300 638 734 to speak to one of our consultants.

Why search engines want original content

The job of the search engine is to index and present as much original content as possible, ensuring a variety within the search. Imagine searching online for a professional service such as a beauty therapist. If the beauty therapist had numerous salons in locations around Australia and all of the salons had an individual web presence, containing the same content (the only difference being their address) then you won’t get varied results in terms of the business’ offering – just location. What you are really looking for when you search, is a variety of therapists and offers that you can choose from.

Penalties are intended for spammers:

Considering the amount of spamming that search engines have to deal with, they do a pretty good job of indexing unique content. In order to do this, they have introduced duplicating filters that sort and dispose of information that the search engine already knows about. This is simply a filter not a penalty. Penalties may be awarded algorithmically or in some cases by a search engineer who uncovers spamming or deception within a site.

A professional web presence

The best way to ensure that your web content is original is to avoid copying and pasting or ‘scraping’ from other sites. Whilst researching online to find out what content is already being used is advisable, it is important to produce individual, original content. There are many content writing services online however, beware the services that offer minimal prices. If you are an Australian business, then having a local writer can give your business an advantage as long as they take the time to produce original content. Few writers receiving a small payment or given an unreasonable deadline, will spend the required time on research then generate unique content. The best content writers will ensure your professional online image as well as original content containing keywords and descriptors specific to your site.

Netregistry has a dedicated Online Marketing department that can advise you further on web content. Learn more about Netregistry’s copywriting service or call 1300 638 734 to speak to one of our consultants.

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Strategy – get clear on what you want to achieve and the best ways to do that before you begin. Who do you want to market yourself to? Where do they ‘hang out’ and what are they interested in? What activities are you going to invest your time in and what are you going to post? Take time to plan and do some research.

LinkedIn – picks up where your traditional CV left off. It’s your online CV that gives so much more insight into the people you are doing business with. Spend some time setting up your profile and making quality connections with previous contacts and new ones. As with all activities online, you need to spend some time identifying who you want to do business with, introduce yourself and nurture the connection with consistent contact in the form of social media, quality content and networking.

Social media – Facebook and Twitter are rapidly taking over from emails and newsletters as the preferred methods of communication with customers and prospects. Interested parties will sign up for your business pages and get your content delivered in real time to their accounts – a much more interactive and immediate form of communication. Be proactive and search out businesses or contacts you’d like as clients or contacts and make contact. As with all your marketing, keep your activity consistent and interesting. Develop relationships and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals or recommendations.

Advertising – Facebook ads, Google Ad Words and website advertising are great ways to build your profile. They can be very economical if you spend time planning your approach. The most effective way to get a response is to offer a free report or give something of value away. Don’t go straight into selling something. This is a way in which new prospects can get a taste of who you are and what you do so be sure to create a good first impression.

Online networking – marketing is all about relationships. With online networking you’ve never had access to so many people – find out who’s out there and who could help with your message. This is where you need to be proactive and engage with their blogs, social media and websites. It’s also a great way to find out what they are talking about and get ideas. Remember to also introduce yourself as you would in person.

Brand awareness – promote your brand at every opportunity through social media icons on your website, on your email signature, invoices and every piece of marketing collateral.

Have you had any successes with any of the above? Share your tips and advise with others.

www.leontyne.com.au

DO

• Provide value. Your newsletter should include a healthy mix of interesting content and solutions, along with special offers or product promotions. It’s really important you don’t use it to bombard readers with sales-type messages.
• Be consistent. Be sure to send it out on a regular basis and commit to doing so. Ideally your readers should look forward to getting an update every month and this also establishes trust that you’re here for the duration.
• Set up a template. Have the same look and feel each month so all you need to do is drop in the content. Makes it easy for you to put together and easy for the reader to find what they are looking for. Include links to longer articles and your website and use an email program that gives you statistics on these so you can see what readers are clicking through on.
• Be personal. Be sure to add merge fields to drop in the reader’s first name. You may also want to target certain newsletters to identified segments of interest. This will make it more relevant and effective.
• Include a call to action. Be clear in what you want your readers to do. If you include a feature on an event, service or product, also include a strong call to action that makes it easy for your reader to sign up or make a purchase.
• Be concise. Don’t assume people will read everything in your newsletter. Put the important things at the top, include a summary with links and be mindful of keeping it short and to the point.

DON’T

• Send without an unsubscribe or opt-out option. Not only is this illegal, its also annoying – we’ve all had this experience I’m sure. Also include an option to sign up on your website and keep your unsubscribe list up to date at all times.
• Send too often. Set up a schedule and stick to it. Plan out what you want to highlight and when during the year and be mindful of not cluttering inboxes with too many emails. Try to send out information in the newsletter rather than in ad hoc emails.
• Forget to proof it first. Nothing turns off readers more than mistakes and it reflects poorly on your business. Don’t rush sending it out and have a couple of people read through it to check spelling, grammar and any offers you have included.
• Include too many things. Set one specific goal to accomplish and plan your content around that. You can include an article, case study/testimonial, handy hint or promotion around one theme. Too many messages confuse people and it loses impact.