Hello again. It’s been a long while since I've posted here and I apologize for my absence. I'll be posting regularly from now on.
In my last post I talked a bit about the different strategies - tactics - one could use in an online campaign. Today I'm going to walk you through how to actually decide which strategies to use.
First, come up with a budget. Pay-per-click, banners, etc. are more expensive than article marketing or even a search engine optimized (SEO) news release campaign. You can allocate your funds across different tactics, both online and off. For example, SEO, pay-per-click, affiliate programs, blogging, some media buying can work very well with some offline stratgies such as trade shows, advertising in industry journals, participating in your local chamber's events, perhaps even some direct mail.
If you've had success with certain tactics in the past, focus on those; less so the new - at least at first. You do not want to spread your tactics - or your budget - too thinly. In fact, you could find lose focus and thus weakening your results. Few of us have exceptionally deep marketing pockets. Focus is key.
It’s a sad day when someone spends a good amount of money on marketing but has little budget for the follow through that’s necessary as your tactics bring results. You will need to have systems and processes in place to respond to queries and - happy day! - sales. You’ll also need to track each marketing tactic’s effectiveness. No need to keep paying for pay-per-click if you find most of your results are coming from article marketing - but you need to keep track of each part of your campaign to see which is bringing you the best results and adjust your budget allocation accordingly.
The tactics you use need to be driven by where your target market "hangs out." You'll also need to know how your target market responds to various tactics. I'll cover this - "Targeting" - in my next post.
About Hartland Ross
Hartland Ross is an online marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and founder and president of eBridge Marketing Solutions - an online marketing agency and consulting firm catering to technology companies.
An expert in the principles of marketing, strategy and business development, Hartland began his entrepreneurial career in the building materials industry as a successful franchise owner and operator. He followed this up with a stint in the pulp and paper industry before landing positions with two different internet marketing startups in the online advertising sector. He then took his online success and moved on to become VP of Sales and Marketing for a national training and development company.
Considered a pioneer in the online world, Hartland has been working in the sales and marketing of web based technology companies since 1999. He is well recognized and regarded in the hosting industry and to date has worked with over 150 web hosting companies providing business growth, marketing strategy and industry direction advice and recommendations.
With 15 years of business development experience, plus over 10 years experience in working specifically with technology companies, Hartland is a sought after speaker and online authority who is often interviewed and quoted in various industry related case studies and articles.
Corporate philanthropy is also top of mind for Hartland who believes it's important to give back to his community. Hartland is a past board member of Young Entrepreneurs Association and is an active mentor for Junior Achievement helping our youth become the business leaders of tomorrow.
A graduate of UBC, Hartland holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master degree in Business Administration with a focus on Business Strategy.
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