The Winding Road to Internet Marketing Glory

What makes Internet marketing difficult is the fact that there is no single set of strategies and tactics that wil work for every market. Chances are your business wil need a kind of eclectic mix of tactics in order to generate business. And that mix in the hotel industry, for example, won't be the same as it will in the music industry.

Although there are certain best practices in SEO, as with all industries, how these best practices are applied in any particular market can vary significantly.

This is why we at Gnosis Arts - as much s we focus on details - also like to take a step back and look at the big picture. Without his big picture vision, it becomes more difficult to measure a marketing plan's effectiveness.

*Big Picture No. 1 - SEO
First, there are the search engines. They deliver the bulk of traffic to websites, based on keywords and phrases. Thus, any viable Internet marketing plan must include some measure of Search Engine Optimization. The role of SEO is to promote webpages to the most competitive positions possible in organic search results.

*Big Picture 2 - Advertising
To generate business online, it is often necessary to advertise your products and services. PPC and Impression-Based ad platforms such as Google AdWords or AdBrite, serve this purchase. Though this type ogre advertising is often classed with SEO, it is really a different animal in many ways. A feasible IM plan, therefore, must also include a paid advertising component.

*Big Picture No. 3 - Lead Generation & Prospecting
Of course, no Web based business can grow with a plan to generate quality, qualified leads and prospects. There are many ways to do this, but online basically it boils down to: engage, interact, garner a following, and then sell to that following.

*Big Picture #4 - Your Website
The best marketing in the world won't be super effective if the website potential customers land on is no good. Here is where things like appeal, usability and good information archtecture come in. A professional look is also key here. A website should be engaging on some level - neiher simply a purveyor of dry information nor so filled with "bells and whistles" nobody can navigate around it.

*Big Picture #5 - Social Media
Social Media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn should support the other components. These sites can have many uses, from updating current clients to generating leads to new ones. A workable IM plan should probably include a plan for how to use these sites to enhance business objectives.