Friday, November 16, 2007

Do You Have A Marketing Strategy?

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BWMagic's Web Marketing News!


Read This Newsletter Online:
http://www.bizwaremagic.blogspot.com






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Contents:

o Do You Have A Marketing Strategy?

o Online Marketing Sample

o BlogRush is Delivering Free Traffic

o Web CEO 7.5

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o Do You Have A Marketing Strategy?


When I started my first website around 9 or 10
years ago - I didn't have a clue about marketing.

Online or Off!

You see I have a background in art education and the only
experience of a business nature I could speak of was
my dealings with Gallery owners & dealers who handled & sold
my art for a hefty 40% commission.

Needless to say I didn't get rich selling my art
but very few artists do - just the way things go...

When I started online marketing with my websites I
had a lot to learn about marketing and I am still
learning. But I quickly learned enough so that I
could support myself and work full-time online
and from the comfort of my own home.

Something I never achieved with my art - no matter
how hard I tried!

Perhaps, the whole key to my success with online
marketing has to do with something I read early
on when I was just starting out.

One key marketing strategy that made it possible.

If you could bare with me - I would like to explain
this marketing strategy to you in my own words. It
may help your marketing as it did mine.

This marketing strategy is very simple. And it is very
easy to use with your own marketing.

You have to find your prospective customers at the
exact time when they're ready to buy. In other words,
you target your online marketing towards those times
when a person is ready to buy a product.


Sounds complicated doesn't it?

But in fact it is not. It is very easy.

Just examine the times when you made your own purchases
in the past. What did you do? How did you go about it?

If it was an item you knew little about - I bet you
asked around with your friends to see if they had one
and what would they recommend or what they paid for it?
Where they got the item... any information they could
give.

The key here is information. You want to get your
potential customers coming to you or your site for
information on the product they're thinking about
buying.

Give helpful, useful advice that they really need
to make a good purchase. You can even lead them to
different options you have chosen for them, pointing
out the benefits or any disadvantages of buying
each product.

More importantly you want them when they have their
minds made up and are ready to buy the item.

With the Internet, it is easy to get them when
they're ready to buy. Online marketers have known
for years that buyers searching for the exact
brand name and model number - have their minds
made up and are looking to buy. These exact product
search phrases convert much better than a generic search.

For example, someone searching "sport cars" could
be just browsing, whereas someone searching for
"a 4.6 litre V-8 Ford 2008 Mustang Bullitt" probably
already have their car picked out and just looking
how to order it.

Even targeting keyword phrases with the words
buy or buy online will give you more sales -
for example someone searching for "buy laptop
online"... is probably ready to buy than someone
just searching for "laptops".

Along the same lines, targeting keywords such
as coupons, gifts, best deals, laptop discounts...
points to stages when customers are ready to buy.

Perhaps all this talk of marketing strategy is
all too abstract... here are some examples from
my own online marketing where I have used this
theory of finding the right customers at the
right time.

Since my main site deals with the work-place
and business. I have a whole section on
Corporate Business Gifts.

Here I am targeting bosses, employees, workers...
who want to purchase corporate gifts. The real
beauty of targeting this sector... a boss
or company buying gifts for clients or employees
are not just going to buy one item... rather
they will purchase many items at the same time.

Instead of getting an order for one box of
chocolates - you get an order for 50 or 60...
Instead of getting an order for one promotional
pen - you get an order for 100's even 1000's
of pens. Believe me it all adds up very quickly!

In my marketing I like to know:

- who I am targeting (bosses, employees, students,...)

- when I am targeting them (holidays, back to school...)

- how I am targeting them (article marketing, online guides,...)

In this case, bosses or employees looking
for corporate gifts for the upcoming holidays.

This is just one example of how to find your
customers at the right time - when they're ready
to buy. This marketing strategy has worked out
very well for me - I hope it can do the same for
you.

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o Online Marketing Sample


Using the marketing strategy above, one of my
most effective marketing techniques is to use
short informative articles which I distribute
all over the web.

At the end of each article is my resource box
with links back to my landing pages or places
where the potential customers can get more
information, sign-up to my list and/or buy
a product thru my affiliates links.

These are keyword rich articles so they get
picked up (indexed) by all the major search
engines (I many targeted Google because it sends
the most traffic, hands-down.) These articles are
a simple way of pre-selling to your potential
customers, warming them up so they will be more
receptive to your landing pages and anything else
you want to tell them.

Here's an Online Marketing Sample I use for
Corporate Business Gifts:





Tips For Buying Corporate Business Gifts Online
Copyright © 2007 Titus Hoskins




These days it seems like any business activity or purchase
can be done online, including ordering and buying all your
corporate business gifts. No matter if you're acquiring that
single perfect gift for a special boss or ordering 1000's of
promotional items for your customers, it can all now be done
from the web.

You can order large volume orders of promotional business
gifts from inexpensive pens, calendars and chocolates to
slightly more costly items such as USB Flash Drives, desk
accessories and clothing - all branded with your company's
name and logo, of course.

Almost any business gift imaginable can be found online;
even unique "one-of-a-kind" luxury items can be obtained
if you know where to look.

However, while buying your corporate gifts online does
present some distinct advantages, you still have to make
sure you avoid certain pitfalls when ordering any product
from the web. With this thought in mind, here are some simple
tips to remember when ordering your corporate gifts online:

1. Shop Around

The whole point of the Internet is to give us options. Almost
all well-known stores and companies now have an online presence
or outlet. Use the web to shop around from the comfort of your
office or home and do your homework before you buy or order your
corporate gift.

Not that you want to be a Scrooge when it comes to gift giving
but a little fiscal restraint never hurt anyone especially if
you have a large work-force, so shop around and find the ideal
gift at the right price. Just remember to remove the price tag
before giving the gift!

2. Check Out the Merchant

Of course, ordering and purchasing does come with some hazards
along with all that convenience; mainly you must make sure
you're dealing with a reputable company. With most large
well-known online retailers such as Amazon this is not a
problem. Just make sure if you're using a smaller company
or store to do a quick check of this company.

Try BBB or check for customer/user complaints and also check
the store's online ratings. Contact former or present clients
to inquire about the quality and support of your chosen merchant
or supplier. Make sure there is a physical address listed,
along with the usual phone/fax/contact information.

3. Look for Bargains & Coupons

The online corporate gift sector is an extremely competitive
field, especially when it comes to branded promotional gifts
and luxury corporate gifts. There are thousands of stores and
companies competing for your business, so check out any online
gift deals, bargains and coupons. Always check for a special
price on volume orders.

4. Use a Gift Guide & Organizer

As we all know, finding the appropriate gift for a demanding
boss or employee can be a real pain sometimes, so to lessen
your struggle try using gift guides and organizers. These guides
can save you time, money and make your corporate gift buying a
whole lot simpler. The gift guide and organizer created by Amazon
has proven very popular in past years.

5. Use Auction Sites for Finding Unique Gifts

Unique original gifts are some of the best gifts to give because
they show you have put a lot of consideration and thought into
getting that special item; you have gone out of your way to
please a special boss or employee. Some great places to find
unique gifts are the online auction sites; try using eBay for
finding that unique "one-of-a-kind" gift that will truly delight
the receiver.

6. Look for Free Shipping & Gift Wrapping

Many gift companies will offer free shipping and gift wrapping
especially during special holidays such as the Christmas giving
season. So always check for free shipping and gift wrapping, you
might be pleasantly surprised especially if you have a large order
or an expensive gift.

7. Order Early

Make sure you order early especially if you have a large volume
order or are giving personalized engraved or monogrammed gifts.
At special gift-giving occasions such as Christmas, Valentine's Day,
Mother's Day, Father's Day... most popular gift shops and stores
are extremely busy and backed up with orders so make sure you plan
in advance and order early to avoid disappointment at those special
times.

8. Last-Minute Corporate Gifts

We are all human. If the inevitable happens and your corporate gift
order is late/delayed or you just forgot to buy a gift, be assured
there's a whole market sector formed around last-minute corporate
gifts. From magazine subscriptions to concert/sports tickets to gift
certificates to an impromptu night out at a popular restaurant or
club, most online corporate gift stores and sites will have a section
on last-minute corporate gifts. Use them to save your corporate derrière.

Just remember, your next corporate gift-giving occasion doesn't have to
be a major chore or pain. Simply relax, take a deep breath, turn on the
computer and browse the web for those special gifts that will delight
and please your boss, employees or clients. Just keep some of these
online corporate gift buying tips in mind as you get ready to play
corporate Santa.



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For the latest corporate gift ideas for any occasion and
a handy Amazon gift-organizer try here:
Corporate Business Gifts
For Timely Special Savings/Deals/Coupons on Corporate Gifts...click here:

Copyright © 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be
freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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o BlogRush is Delivering Free Traffic


A little while ago, I told you about BlogRush,
a free program designed by John Reese which
brings in traffic to your blog.

John is a well known online marketer who put
out Traffic Secrets a few years ago. He's well
known and well respected in marketing circles.

BlogRush is quite simple. You join and place a
small widget on your site with 3 or 4 blog posts
from other high quality blog sites in the program.
In exchange, you get to place your latest blog post
on other people's blogs.

The more interesting your posts, the more traffic you get.
You're exchanging impressions, you earn credits (impressions)
depending on your own blog traffic and the number of
people you refer, only people who are interested
in your post will click thru to your site.

Neat idea and it works... if you have a blog
there's no harm in checking it out:







o Web CEO 7.5 - Take Full Control of Your Site


I told you about Web CEO last week, and I would
like to mention it again because it is one of
the best web management programs out there.

Web CEO is a whole suite of software programs and
tools that will automate your online site or business.

Used by more than 414,774+ businesses in 124 countries!

From November 6th through November 17th you
can get it half price:

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Kind Regards,

Titus Hoskins

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