Tuesday, February 07, 2012

 

Four P's of Internet Marketing

Traditionally, the “Four P’s” of marketing” consisted of Price, Product, Place (actually distribution), and Promotion. However, like most theories in the business world, the “Four P’s” have been adapted to apply to today’s Internet-driven world. We use the term loosely because the fourth “P” actually starts with "I."

POSITION: Search engines are one of the best sources (free and paid) of online traffic for small businesses. Generally speaking, you need your business website ranked (for particular keywords) on the first page of the Google search results page. Search engines offer paid listings and natural search listings. Paid listings are normally bought on a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) basis. Natural listings are obtained via Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Local search and shopping search engines are also important tools all small businesses must utilize effectively.

PARTNERSHIP: Links to your business website from other similarly focused websites has become a very important piece of the internet marketing toolbox! Quality links from websites focused on topics included on your website will rank your site higher with Google and likely provide increased traffic to your website as well. Online directories, press releases, article distribution, and affiliates can all be valuable partners that generate traffic.
 
PERMISSION: All small businesses should be collecting and utilizing visitor e-mail addresses to stay in touch with current and future customers. Newsletter subscriptions and good content on your website keep visitors coming back
Auto responders automate communications with customers at set intervals. Blogging and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) also offer a good medium to reach potential customers.
 
PERFORMANCE: Fresh content is king! Good design, easy navigation, and monitoring your web analytics help assure a successful internet marketing campaign.
Any one of the “Four P’s’ can be extremely effective by itself. However, a small business that correctly implements all four done gains a competitive advantage over the competition. Think of these four P’s as four legs to a table. Most tables have four legs. Can a table have only one leg? The answer is yes, but it needs to be much thicker and stronger than if you had all four legs.