The Myth of the Magical Online Bullet
Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a perspective client. They are looking into the possibility of redesigning their web site. As with almost any web site conversation, the myth of the “magical online bullet” was brought up. The magic bullet myth goes like this: “If you build a great web site the flood gates of traffic and sales immediately open up to your company.” Too many companies and web site owners think this way. In order for your web site to be successful you need to approach marketing in a holistic manner and beyond just your web site. Business success involves both online and offline marketing.
Diversify Your Marketing Investment
A web site represents one important aspect of a company’s overall marketing and sales strategy. Yes, web sites have amazing versatility and capability. But you can’t place all your eggs into one basket. Too many companies hedge their marketing bets entirely on their web site. Look at traditional investing as an analogy. Any financial planner is going to tell you to diversify your portfolio. The same should be done with your marketing strategy. Spread your marketing strategy across both online and offline marketing.
The Holistic Approach
Recently I listened to an interview with marketing guru Dan Kennedy and the late Corey Rudl. Savvy marketers combine a variety of techniques with both online and offline marketing. There is no magic bullet or perfect web strategy. Successful marketing requires constant analysis and time appropriate changes. It’s also important to recognize you aren’t going to get it right the first time around.
Online Leads – Offline Follow Up
One of the examples from the interview touched upon lead generation. Web sites are great for lead generation via permission based marketing. At the same time email marketing is becoming so saturated that people are starting to ignore it. You take the leads you acquire online and apply them to the offline word. What takes months or weeks to get old online could take years and decades to get old offline.
How Many Times do you Follow Up?
How many times do you follow up with current clients and perspective clients? Most people follow up once or twice. There are some marketers that have a follow up process that is over 50 steps and they’re extremely successful. Those 50 steps are 49 more than most marketers are willing to take.
Ultimately, the most successful online strategy is carefully married to smart offline strategy. Learn how to leverage both and get the most out of your marketing. There are no “magical online bullets” that will guarantee you success.
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