There are numerous methods to tackle the online market. I prefer to call those different methods as to mediums of operating online marketing. In this section of the EBook you will explore the different types of mediums and their advantages. I will discuss several real life examples to explain what companies/ organizations have done to become successful on the particular medium they are applying.
So, what are the different mediums?Social Networking Sites Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. A community platform to meet new people and to communicate new information.
Blogs WordPress, Blogger. A platform for people to express information about a subject or multiple topics. It is also a mean to share your interest to the world
Video and Photo Sharing Youtube, Flickr. The sites that allow upload of videos and photos and commenting space for the viewers.
MicroBlogging Twitter. Sites that provide services similar to blogs but for a small quantity of text. It also provides updates for their user with whatever they are subscribed to (services similar to RSS feeds).
ChatRooms and Message boards Categorize topics of user’s interest and provide online meeting location for a large quantity of people to have a discussion over a certain topic.
Listservs Emails sent to a collection registered subscribers. (What Mr.Nuttanun Puntuwong refers to as E-Blast)Wikis Wikipedia. Web Sites that are platforms for people to edit and update information.
Social bookmarking Stumble Upon, Dig and Delicious. They are Websites that allow users to suggest and share information to others and vote for what interests them. Some categorize them in subjects, so users can find information which interests them by selecting the topics.
A company can choose the different mediums to apply to their marketing strategy. However, they should be selecting them based on their buyer’s personas. As explained earlier, a company would normally have several different types of customers. To develop a well rounded marketing strategy, the key is to fulfill your customer’s needs with your area of expertise. And “how” is it that you can satisfy them? Well the best way is to study the buyers’ personas and understand which internet websites they frequently attend to.
It is nearly impossible and unbeneficial to use all of the types of mediums. In my point of view, companies Must understand their customers and their own company to design a efficient marketing plan. Only operate your marketing strategy on where your customers exist. To better illustrate this point, I came up with this phrase: “It is easier to snipe a flying bird than to shoot them with a shotgun”. If you come to think of it, sniper consumes a single bullet at a time. They are accurate, powerful and to-the-point. Thinking of shotguns, their damage range is wide, but not as accurate and strong. As a medium/ small business, the money, people and skills are limited. If we use a shotgun approach to the online market, our uniqueness and strength on each of the different mediums would be weak and ineffective. If we gather all of the strength and power to tackle on mediums where our true customers are, we will not waste any time and power but instead we use them effectively.
1. Reply with a offensive tone or Forcing people to terminate their comments
On the web, we’re all equal and respect is a very important matter. Whatever goes on the internet stays on there and can be duplicated or enlarged. Any disputes can have the potential to grow large and harm the reputation of your company.
2. Promote personal opinions on the web There are different types of internet users that may follow your online webpage. They may be your customers or just random visitors. Religious or Political views may be controversial, therefore posting opinions towards those sensitive subjects may be harmful towards your own reputation.
3. Let people who are unfamiliar about your company & customers operate your online WebPages
People who are unfamiliar with your company and your target audience may not know your marketing strategy and your goals. All of the posts should be written for your target audience.
4. Leave your online WebPages inactive
It is important that you keep your followers updated with news and remind them of your existence. Once you stop, people forget about you. Therefore if you have decided to target the internet market, keep in your mind that this is a long term strategy and once you stop, it will possibly ruin your reputation.
5. Operate with a strong commercial intention The online mediums are not a page to promote your product. We want to approach the customers in a friendly manner and establish relationship. Leave the promotion of products to the official webpage. Customers tend to dislike companies if their actions provoke a strong commercial intention.
A company Must have an official WebPage. For smaller companies, blogs may just do fine, but for medium to large companies, an official WebPage is absolutely crucial.
An Official WebPage is the companys own page which reveals their background information, products/ services, contact information, events & activities and serves as a home page for pages outside the official webpage.
First of all, all of the content should be clear and precise and designed with your buyer’s personas. Potential customers may visit your website to learn more about your company. However, they are not to read off pages and pages of text. They just want a rough idea to who you are and what sort of services you provide. Background information should provide Who, What, When, Where, Why and How the company started. The product & services section should be design with your buyer’s personas. What do you customers seek for when they visit your website? Graphics or text?
Second of all, contact information should be easy to spot. Potential customers may visit your website from a link of other websites to look for ways to contact the company. It is important to make your contact information easily find. This initiates B2B (Business to Business) and C2B (Customer to Business) business opportunities.
Third of all, the home page (Index page) should appeal to your customers and initiate further stay on the webpage. The term “Appealing” should be determined by your buyer’s personas.
Last of all, linking of company WebPages should be established. The companys online mediums should link to the official WebPages while it links back to them. This interlinking establishes more business opportunities.