Internet Marketing Strategies Post Harvey Dr. Karen A. Loveland Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi

What the heck are you trying to do? Sell something online? Build relationships with customers? Generate leads for your salesforce? Drive traffic to your physical store location? Build your brand? ????? No matter what you’re trying to do, your first step is to have a plan. Need Help? Consider Interns, Virtual Volunteers, Sharing Skills through Alliances

Internet Marketing Tools Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – techniques to influence organic search results. Includes On-site and Off-site. Paid Search (PPC) – the “sponsored results” on the top of side of a search engine results page (SERP). Content Marketing – creating clever content that’s educational, inspirational and/or hilarious rather than promotional. Social Media Marketing – engaging with customers. Email Marketing – assist in purchase journey and convert customers into evangelists. Mobile Marketing – SMS/MMS, in-app marketing, notifications. Analytics – tracking visits, engagement, and conversions using metrics.

Free (or low cost) SEO strategies Local search optimization 56% of local businesses have NOT claimed their free Google Business Listing Other free listings include Bing, Yahoo!, Yelp, Merchant Circle, and many others. Local business directories Check maps to make sure your business location is accurate Optimize page title and headline SEO analyzer tools identify issues with site design such as bad content, loading speed problems and more. Is your site optimized for mobile? Google and Bing (and others) offer free tools to test the mobile friendliness of your site. Increase backlinks by networking with local businesses and industry-specific sites

Content Marketing Strategies Create a video channel on YouTube Shoot short “how-to” or “unboxing” or “just arrived” videos on your smartphone Post short video-blogs with positive recovery stories Blogging Share your expertise related to products/services you provide Collect customer testimonials Visuals – infographics, charts/tables Share, Share, Share Share it yourself on your social media channels Encourage/reward employees for sharing Make it easy for customers to share

Social Media Marketing Strategies Build Facebook page Post relevant photos Announce specials, changes to hours, new arrivals/menu items/services Create a group and offer exclusive content to group members Create profiles on other relevant social media sites Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, Google+ Recognize/reward employees for monitoring & participating in social media conversations Stay Active Comment on other posts Share relevant info posted by others Monitor review sites & respond to reviews of your business

Email Marketing Build a mailing list Opt-in box on Web site, social media pages; request from in-store customers Hold a contest/sweepstakes (check TX law) Offer coupon/discount Start referral program MailChimp offers free tools for segmenting your list and automating email marketing for up to 2,000 subscribers Write an email newsletter Connect with influencers & potential evangelists

Mobile Marketing Tips SMS/MMS & Notifications Add cell numbers to database & obtain permission Use Clearstream or other free service to send mass texts to subscribers Confirm appointments/reservations; reminders Coupons Set up mobile pay

Other tips Track everything that matters Google Analytics to analyze website usage Confirmation page for each call to action Use call tracking for phone calls Request feedback / reviews from customers Read as much as you can Online training/certifications Check out your competition

Thanks for listening Any questions?