10 Things I Know About…Online Marketing

10/27/08

By Eric Guerin
Special to the Worcester Business Journal

10. Keywords Are Key

Getting found online is all about choosing the proper keywords. If you don’t know what to choose, ask your customers what words they would use to find you.

9. Listen

Instead of immediately publishing your own material…listen first. Find a place with relevant conversation and let it guide you.

8. Join In

Participate in social networking communities, create profiles and engage in ongoing conversations. This will help develop an online network of people who trust and respect your opinion.

7. Time vs. Money

A great thing about engaging online is almost all of the social networking web sites are free. All it takes is a commitment of your time.

6. Measure & Analyze

Use free tools such as Google Analytics on your web site and TubeMogul for any online videos to track how effective your time is spent online and where your inbound traffic is coming from.

5. Be Patient

It takes time to develop an online audience; it won’t happen overnight.

4. Loosen Your Grip

You don’t have as much control of your brand online. This is hard, but communicating online is not a traditional “top-down communication medium.” Join the conversations people are having about your brand and accept feedback in stride.

3. Blog

Blogs encourage social interaction by allowing your readers to react and comment on your posts.

2. Be Entertaining

Don’t just post your traditional television commercials to YouTube. Create content that is entertaining, engaging and easily shared with others.

1. Be Yourself

Let your personality come through. People respond to inspiration & originality, so do what comes naturally.