(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Online marketing strategist and entrepreneur Hartland Ross knows some great ways to help hosts put their best foot forward, so-to-speak.
In his Monday afternoon presentation, “Increasing Profits and Prospects with Marketing Best Practices,” Ross, who is founder and president of online marketing agency eBridge Marketing Solutions and consultancy, went through a variety of ways in which hosting companies can use marketing to differentiate themselves in a very competitive field.
One of Ross’ main points is that a marketing strategy must constantly be revised and re-examined. “A lot of people in the business have been around for a while and may say, ‘I think i have this down,’” Ross said. As soon as you’ve got things figured out – they change. These folks, he said, may have started their business in the early 2000′s, when things were very different, and they clearly need to adapt.
This also helps when a company is acquiring another, and trying to figure out how it fits into the greater business model.
Whatever the reason, an organization must decide specifics about its support levels and hours, and whether to target a global or local audience, as well as what currency and languages it will support. Through this process of self-assessment, a Web host can focus on areas in which it can differentiate its services.
How to make these differentiators known is also a very interesting matter. Depending on who is the target audience, the organization should tailor its website layout and language. If the service is more consumer oriented, testimonials may be a good thing to put on the site. If it’s a more technical or sophisticated audience, case studies, white papers, and ROI calculators could be more effective.
So, in terms of positioning within the market, Web hosts can use a variety of factors such as price, support, testimonials, list awards, case studies, and a compelling service level agreement, as well as company news and blog updates.
Interestingly, Ross noted: “You can be a low-cost leader, but not compete on price.” What he means by this is that a host can drive down its operating costs, but it doesn’t necessarily be reflected in the end price — it might just translate into larger margins.
Another very interesting tactic, and one that Ross notes is underused, is providing a chart featuring the host in comparison to its top competitors.” The chart, he said, “highlights them as the leaders.” Further, it shows that the host recognizes the competition, and they’re not afraid of it. Also, by doing the research for the customers, it makes them feel that they have surveyed all the options available.
SingleHop, he noted, included many of these tactics in its latest website update, including a comparison chart. But it’s not just larger hosts that are able to do this. Web hosts of all sizes can re-examine their company and use marketing best practices to make the services they already offer all the more appealing.
