Small Business Internet Marketing Patterns

One person does it and everyone else follows.

You’ve seen the patterns. When businesses started to build websites they were like brochures online. Welcome to our website. We do, we are. we’ve won….

Small businesses copied the trend. The lead had been set. That must be the way to do a website and of course they were being built by the same people so they were built the same way.

Back in the beginning there was not the same opportunity and flexibility there is today. Businesses were really beholden to their website designer for changes and updates. That was part of the issue with the tools available for website at that time.

Website U-Turns

When did it happen that smart marketers turned brochure websites into direct marketing websites. It was a dramatic shift and I can almost hear the arguments now. But everyone is….

The u-turn thinking that turned brochures online into direct response tools was revolutionary for searchers and businesses alike.

For searchers suddenly – like the great direct response sales letters of old – they were getting what they wanted, websites they couldn’t stop reading and reasons to take action. For businesses their websites were bringing new clients!

However it is hard to turn away from what everyone else is doing. Therein lies the problem unless you set some new filters.

Instead of Everyone How About Just the Best

Instead of looking at what everyone else in your market is doing why not start looking at only what the most successful are doing?

How do I know who they are? Firstly I wouldn’t go by what people say! In the online world as in all walks of life there is a lot of boasting without much substance. Ask an SEO professional to investigate the best players in your market. Who you think are doing well and who are ranking at the top across the board.

Your professional should be able to give you

• indications of keywords,
• the cost to buy those keywords to target through ads,
• the % of traffic those keywords drive to the site,
• the bounce rate ie how many visitors hang around and click on
• even the audience demographics

These are all useful tools and should start your focus back onto your market. What is it your market wants and responds to. Give it to them. You can be the leader when you make a swift u-turn on web marketing to focus on your market not what you want them to want.

Small business internet marketing tools can be very powerful indeed. When used well with a sound strategy driving the use to ensure you are getting in front of the market and connecting with them. There is no more strategic, measurable, affordable and leveraged way to get ahead in small business than small business internet marketing.