"Pulling" Your Customers On The Internet: Part Two
Cliff Ennico
www.creators.com
Once you have optimized your Website for search engines, you don't just sit there waiting for the "hits" to happen. It is now time to engage in "search engine marketing" - creating ads for your Website that will appear next to the search query results when someone is searching for the stuff you sell.
Internet marketing expert Catherine Seda (
www.searchmarketingmastery.com
) recommends that you start with "pay-per-click" advertising on Yahoo!, as it's easier than Google for new advertisers to figure out. When you buy a "pay-per-click" ad on Yahoo!, Google or one of the major search engines, you are "bidding" for placement on that engine's search results. You create a short (usually less than 50 words) ad, tell the search engine how much you are willing to pay for each "click" from the ad to your Website, and that's pretty much it. When a person is searching for something you sell, and they see your ad, they "click" on the link to your Website, and the search engine automatically debits your credit or ATM card for the amount you indicated (full disclosure: most search engines charge a minimum monthly fee, currently $5 for Yahoo!, whether you get any clicks or not). Simple enough, right? Well . . .
Let's say I decide to place an ad for "small business attorney" on Yahoo! I create a wonderful ad, and offer to pay that search engine ten cents (the minimum amount for ads on Yahoo!) each time someone clicks on my ad. My ad will appear on Yahoo!, all right, but on page 50 of the search query results for "small business attorney". How many times have you searched for something and looked at the 50th page of the query results? To get anywhere with search engine marketing, your ad needs to appear on the first or second page of the query results. For that to happen with my "small business attorney" ad, I would have to pay the search engine about $50 per click. That can add up to a significant bill each month in a real hurry, and there's no assurance that anyone who "clicks" my ad and gets to my Website (triggering a $50 fee for the search engine) will actually buy something once they get there.
So how do you get around that? Simple - make your ad as narrow and targeted as possible. While a ten-cent ad for "small business attorney" won't get me anywhere, a ten-cent ad for "NY small business attorney" will get me on page two of the query results. If I raise the ante to 25 cents, I'm on page one. Of course, that narrows the range of "searchers", but the ones looking for a small business attorney in New York are the ones I really want anyway. I will get fewer "hits" from the search engine ad, but (hopefully) a higher percentage of serious folks who will actually contact me once they get to my Website and see how truly wonderful I am.
Once you've listed some pay-per-click ads on Yahoo!, what next? According to Seda, if you're selling services, start "blogging". Create your own "blog" (or Weblog) to show that you're an industry leader. By sharing helpful information (or just some wild, crazy and cool stuff), you will invite blog readers to hire you. On the Web, nothing beats "buzz marketing" - a friend, colleague or someone other than my Mom or my PR person who tells you "hey, Joe, you've got to check out this guy's crazy blog. He's a little off the wall, but he really gets what we're trying to do here!" For advice, start with "Blogging for Dummies" by Brad Hill (Wiley, $21.99) and "Blog Marketing" by Jeremy Wright (McGraw-Hill, $24.95).
If you're selling products, look for Websites with already heavy traffic, and try to become their "affiliate" - they let you have an ad on their home page in exchange for putting an ad on your home page (plus perhaps some cash). For example, if you're selling antique toys from the 1800s and early 1900s, an ad on the Antique Toy World magazine's Website (
www.antiquetoyworld.com
), will be worth its weight in gold. Here's a tip: look for high-traffic Websites that are offering stuff that complements, but is not the same as, your merchandise. One of the most successful Web merchants in the "vintage art poster" market doesn't sell posters at all, at least not on the Web. Rather, he makes and sells the high-end "acetate free" folders you use to store vintage posters that you don't want to frame and hang on your wall. Just about every "vintage poster" Website has a link to him - because all vintage poster collectors needs these folders -- and I don't think he paid more than a few dollars (maximum) for all that advertising. And if you ask him nicely, he does have a few really good posters in the "back room" he might be willing to part with . . .
Finally, since you are selling clothing, housewares, or any sort of collectibles, you should seriously consider opening an eBay Store (stores.ebay.com). For a monthly fee starting at $15.95, you can list dozens of items on eBay, and for a little more eBay will even help promote your eBay Store to the major search engines so you don't have to figure out the finer points of "pay-per-click" advertising yourself. Have you ever searched for something on the Internet and had someone's eBay Store or auction listing pop up as one of the top listings? Enough said. A new book, "Launching a Successful eBay Store", by Ron Mansfield (Pearson Education, $24.99), gives you all the details.
Cliff Ennico (
cennico@legalcareer.com
) is a syndicated columnist, author and host of the PBS television series 'Money Hunt'. His latest book is 'Small Business Survival Guide' (Adams Media, $12.95). This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at
www.creators.com
. COPYRIGHT 2006 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
