While consulting with customers I get a ton of questions about how to market their website. While choosing to market online can be confusing as well as fun, at some point it will require some level of technical talent. I often go to Internet strategy sessions where people are talking about new gadgets and strategies to make their website or online message easier to find. This is awesome, but the thing that you need to focus on first is the message that they will find. In the Internet world everything is about relevancy! When someone notices your website as a result of a query from their favorite search engine,banner ad, commercial or recommendation from a family member, you have less than seven seconds to give them what they are looking for. If your message is a complete disconnect from their expectations there gone! Unfortunately you won’t get a second chance.
A good example of someone optimizing their website for relevancy is Google. They recently made a change to their home page where the only thing that you see is the search box. In order to see the other links you have to scroll your mouse or wait there for a few seconds. The reason why they did this is to increase conversions. They know the main reason why people come to their website is to search and they made that easy as possible for their customers.
Therefore, before learning about all the new gizmos, strategies and tactics, you should first learn about the quality message that you want to provide to people. The more that you do this the more you will get quality people people talking about you and authority websites linking back to your message.
Furthermore, every idea in marketing is guessing. Once you actually start to know what your doing, then you start to make educated guesses. Just like any other science, business owners and sales people have to test their guesses. Without some form of a/b or multiple variable testing your only shooting and praying. Unfortunately, you can’t start to ring in the cash until you’ve proven your hypothesis and your message or offer is relevant to the people who are looking for you!
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marketing is like shooting in the dark. It might hit the target or it might now. But I am confident that persistent trying will certainly increase out level of understanding and helps us in making an educated guess.
“Educated guess” is the right word that you have used here. I have been in this business for some times now and my experience shows that as well.
Advertising skills and customer satisfaction is the two skills that all business owner should have.
As long as we know what business we are doing and what is our website all about, we can always formulate the best message to provide to people…