A Short on Behavior Based Search

An interesting conversation on behavior based search.

Dr. Ralph's Marketing Series

Value Added Content: Article Marketing

Article marketing is fast becoming a marketing strategy on the Internet. Article marketing is defined as a method of advertising where business enterprises write articles featuring a topic related in the industry they are competing in. Well-written articles are effective for building website traffic, bringing in potential clients and leads into the website, and improving the business’s credibility.

Because of this marketing trend, article writing services are proliferating on the internet. Currently, there are countless freelance writers who write articles on a wide range of topics and submit them to an Article Directory. Article writers who want to be competitive and proficient in the field of article marketing must learn a few tips on how to write and submit articles the right way.

Differentiate your article from competitor articles

Currently there is an influx of article submissions all over the Internet that are featured in different article directories. You must learn to make your article and your writing services stand out from the rest. Research your competitors so you know what articles they offer and the strategies they are using.

You can find out about this from article directory websites. It is also a good idea to frequent social networking sites, blogs, online forums, and be up to date with trending topics online so you’ll know what people are currently interested in. All this research will help you pick out a good topic to write about and teach you how you can make your article different from all the other articles.

Use a targeted submission campaign for your articles

A lot of writers make the mistake of using a scatter shot approach of their submission campaign. Targeted campaigns are more successful because they are able to target a particular group of audience and draw them in.

When you have identified a target audience it will be easier for you to write articles with content specifically targeted to spark interest from that audience. Make sure that you thoroughly perform keyword analysis and search engine optimization so you will know exactly how to use these with your campaign strategy.

Make sure your articles are filled with accurate and comprehensive information about the business you are representing as well.

Choose the best places to submit your articles

Effective article marketing does not end in writing a good quality and unique article; you should also know where to submit the article you have written. Choose websites, article directories, and newsletters that are not only credible but are known to have thousands of targeted website visitors every day.

Do not waste your efforts and potential on websites that have poor reputations or poor quality articles. The method of advertising a product or service through writing articles is not a new approach in traditional marketing, but it is defining the marketing strategies of the online world. To use this approach effectively, one must be able to know the right way to write and submit articles. Remember the blogs, forums, and chat-rooms as well. For startups, like computech247.com, this process is invaluable. 

Why Businesses Succeed....or Fail

The ‘Internet Economy’ is a lucrative field today, with success stories such as Steve Wozniak and Apple computers and Sabeer Bhatia’s Hotmail. Naturally, everyone wants to get a share of these much ‘touted’ e-commerce profits. However, to succeed in the online world, businesses need to know all the possible causes of failure, even though it seems like an exercise in pessimism.

These are the common reasons why many startup e-businesses fail:

1) Stale ideas  Web businesses that have nothing new to offer, and are mere clones of an already successful business, don’t succeed. Does your e-business sell a product that is innovative? Is there something completely new about your social networking website? The key to avoid typecasting is to stay fresh. Look for problems and needs that you can solve.

2) Not defining your customer  The first rule in selling is to know your customer. Some startup e-businesses offer a variety of services and products, not knowing the profile of the users. As a result, they cannot offer tailor-made services for any specific age group or nature of target audience. And this reduces the chances of succeeding.

3) Ineffective Marketing  The best marketing strategy is a well calculated plan. Marketing is the backbone of any business. A web site that has been creatively marketed without any regard to user acquisition costs might become cost ineffective.

For example, even buying keyword ads is a complex process. A good entrepreneur buys keywords that people most frequently use in searches while having high relevance and low competing advertisers.

A common mistake most businesses make while cost cutting, is not hiring professional marketing consultants. They work on instinct, and their marketing plans lack a well researched strategy. This makes their marketing strategies ineffective. So the websites they make have inadequate SEO, SEM, and low virality, which results in low traffic to their website.

4) Poor web designing Today, most websites seem like clones. Businesses make compromises while designing their web pages. They use free software and badly designed user interfaces. So, first-time visitors find the home page unattractive and it fails to register in their minds. It is highly unlikely they will ever go back to a web site that’s hard to navigate, is poorly designed and does not offer them something interactive.

A person who wants to use an online personalized gift services will look at several companies that provide the service. He is likely to choose the site which gets the first rule of ‘catching eyeballs’ right, more so when you are dealing with the business of ‘feel-good’- gifts.

Web businesses with cluttered, badly color coordinated websites, which have long download time and unclear navigational tools don’t work. Only professionally designed, well branded websites, with original and relevant content can be effectively marketed.

Given these reasons, it is best to employ the services of a web designing company to ensure significant online presence or hire good programmers!

5) Lack of web analysis  Web Designing Vs Web Development. Web analysis is a process of analyzing the behavior of visitors to a website and then enhancing and modifying the features of the website to maintain and increase the traffic. Many web businesses design a website and then forget about it; and the resources invested in web designing go waste. Such e-businesses have no feedback regarding their website, as a result of which they cannot maintain a competitive edge.

6) No Networking  An entrepreneur needs to be friendly and people-focused. It is good to have an extended professional and personal network, before launching a web business. Web businesses that de-prioritize good partner and interpersonal relationships lose out in the long run.

7) Bad time and money management  A failed web business means that the founders have not managed their finances well. It includes over-spending or ineffective spending. Such individuals overlook the basic tenet of every business- time is money. They spend a lot of time bargaining for small cost reductions, while delaying launching time and other activities vital to growth in the world of start-ups.

The most important thing that leads to failed web businesses is lack of commitment and passion towards the work. Such people may know all the theoretical pitfalls that they can encounter, yet put in a half hearted effort to avoid them when confronted in the practical world. Hence, they continue to fail. Some businesses are fortunate. They feel a lot of pain but ultimately persevere to success.