In this blog, let’s take a look at a topic of utmost importance: the difference between a run-of-the-mill online marketing company and a professional online marketing company! Some managers are hesitant to outsource their Internet marketing responsibilities because of the overwhelming number of companies offering these services. After all, the last thing anyone wants is to hire someone who promises to take the headaches away, only to find that they need to micromanage every step of the online marketing company to ensure money’s not being squandered.
You’ll know you’re dealing with a professional online marketing company if they can tell you not only what visitors are doing on your site, but also why some visitors aren’t doing what you had hoped. The best online marketing company is forward-thinking and well-versed in human behavior. For example, one time we noticed huge amounts of traffic pouring in to the homepage but noticed that they weren’t staying. After some consideration, we redesigned the menu bar, simplifying many of the options and moving the menu from a vertical side bar to a more horizontal configuration and voila! The traffic was staying! Another time we saw that traffic was coming to the page but we couldn’t convert the browsers to sales. After adding a shopping cart feature, we started seeing unprecedented growth! A professional online marketing company has the experience and the tools to offer quick, effective solutions, rather than bombarding you with useless dead-ends.
Secondly, your professional online marketing company should improve your search engine page ranking through traffic-driving keywords. If your reports are coming back with a lot of ineffective keywords, then your online marketing company may be a dud. The top-driving keywords should be closely related to your industry to translate to sales. What good is having the top-searched words if they bring all traffic, no sales? Secondly, the keywords should be specific. Sure, you could say “hand lotion” but those keywords have much more competition and less targeted buyers. Now “emu oil hand lotion” will naturally bring more specific browser/buyers too. Lastly, your online marketing company will write from a consumer’s point of view, rather than a CEO’s point of view. Sometimes to get the sale, you have to think like an outsider and speak on your audience’s level and that’s where a third party online marketing company can really help with their fresh perspective.

With Internet ad revenue exceeding $16.9 billion, it's obvious that you should put as much emphasis on your online marketing company budget as your offline budget marketing. But the question is: When you're spending billions, how do you know if it's working or what is working? 

Novice web designers sometimes add a "visitor counter" feature to their sites, but is page view an accurate gauge of your advertising exposure? Does it really get into the hearts and minds of your consumers and offer guidance as to how you can improve your strategy? So often we get caught up in the bottom line and when we're stressed, we ask simple questions like, "Is it working or not?" 

When, in reality, we should be asking, "How is the majority of our traffic finding our site? Are they staying and browsing – if so, what? Or are they coming to the page and immediately leaving to browse elsewhere – if so, where do they go next? Out of the browsers, who is buying? Have they bought before? Why are they choosing us?" A professional online marketing company uses in-depth web analytics to measure all these statistics and more, to give you better insights.

Traditionally, web users would type in the homepage address of a website, retrieve a static page and click on links to browse other static pages. But in the changing world of Web 2.0, web users now click on a page that refreshes itself, maximizing exposure to many different rotating links. More individualized content is being crammed onto homepages. On the Google homepage for instance, you can watch Youtube videos, catch news headlines, see if anyone's emailed you and view the weather for your city. In a way, Web 2.0 is increasing the possibility of web users seeing your ad, but it's also decreasing the amount of exposure time.

Your online marketing company will probably recommend that you look at "amount of time spent" viewing your content, more so than page views. (Consider that Myspace has 10x as many page hits as Youtube, but people stay on the site only 3x longer.) The idea is to create engaging, interactive content that will keep your brand name in people's minds longer. Games, forums, blogs, videos and other advertising mediums may very well be the way of the future.

From 2004-2006, nearly 40 billion dollars were spent on Internet advertising. If you want your online marketing company to find your audience, you've got to examine their browsing habits. Consumer-generated media like Youtube has rapidly emerged as a low-budget advertising channel that fuses video, still imagery, music and spoken word into a compelling "online commercial." Of course, no one is going to want to watch commercials online if they don't have to. Therefore, ad execs are brainstorming and tapping Gen X & Gen Y consultants to create witty mini-documentaries, memorable characters and catchy-but-subtle promotional videos. Also, online magazines like Forbes often show actual commercials prior to playing a news clip, which compels advertisers to make the right contacts and pay for Internet exposure. 

Social communities like Myspace and Facebook are also changing advertising strategies for the Online marketing company. Web design now involves widgets, multimedia, web applications, photos, blogs, bulletins, forums, comments and daily emailing. It can be crazy trying to keep up, but the word-of-mouth campaigning social networking can stimulate is worth its weight in gold. 

The blog feature appeals to Gen Y primarily, although baby boomers are increasingly interested in "shopping comparison" websites where they can gauge a company's reputation and reliability through consumer opinions. Hiring an online marketing company that's in-touch with these impressionable young buyers can be a huge asset. Research reveals that positive web experiences are not just reaching Gen Y browsers, but are also reaching (and affecting) household purchases through word-of-mouth. The parents of Gen Y-ers are particularly sympathetic to the consumer-based needs of their children for the most part, says a Nielsen Research report. 

Another new approach for the online marketing company is to fuse retail with online experiences. For example, a recent promotion for Indiana Jones marketed DVD box sets that included a coupon for "free Indiana Jones downloads, including wallpapers and ringtones for your cell phone." Statistics showed that 15% of consumers who bought the box set were downloading the features on the website, which resulted in a spike in sales of other merchandise as well.

Return-On-Investment (ROI): It's the end goal of any online marketing company campaign. It's why you spend millions to get back billions. While web traffic is often measured by page impressions, the statistic that really matters is the conversion rate. In other words: How many visitors are buying? This can be particularly tricky when you factor in the reality that some people browse online but buy in stores. (Of course, this can sort of be measured if you offer coupons online or in-store discounts for web users only.) 

According to Nielsen Surveys, an online marketing company should ask the following questions: How much is registration worth? Are online promotions / newsletters effective in driving sales? Does the level of site engagement translate into online spending? Which brands generate the highest impact among registered visitors? 

A recent study by Nielsen found that registered visitors spend more. Consumers participated in contests to win prizes and wound up spending 24% more than non-registered visitors. The total sales gain from registered visitors equated to $8.6 million. Therefore, your online marketing company should invest some time in creating incentives for registration to get repeat customers and drive sales. 

Additionally, the study found success in email promotions, which elevated sales by $3/household and increased profits by millions. Email newsletters were found to be most successful, providing noteworthy information, as well as offering products for purchase. Oversaturation is always the danger, but a smart online marketing company will find a balance and begin converting by the fifth email. 

Remember that the average consumer is looking for VALUE. They want relevant content, more for their money, incentives to purchase online, incentives for repeat customers and a brand they can trust.

The main goal of a website marketing company should be to convert site hits to profitable sales. In order to achieve this end, you’ll have to sit down with your professional website marketing company and consider the various types of audiences and figure out which one you’re trying to lasso in. Online buyers are an intriguing breed… or should I say four breeds?
Do you want your website marketing company to target the ECONOMICAL type? These economical buyers are scouring the Internet for one thing and one thing only: discounts, sales, lower prices. They’re aware that there are competitive deals online that can’t be found in stores — and they want more for less! If you suspect this is your demographic, your content should focus on quality and affordability. A web-only promotion strategy will likely drum up some more business for you.
Or perhaps your website marketing company should appeal to the INTERPERSONAL type. This category of online buyers enjoy a sense of “the world revolves around me” and the personal interaction. No matter if you really are a small business or you’re a large multi-national conglomerate, these buyers want to feel like every company is exclusively focused on their unique needs. Emphasizing customer service and satisfaction is key here. Tone and language can go a long way to reach out to this pamper-me crowd.
A third audience your professional website marketing company may target is the ECO-FRIENDLY type. These buyers are in search for something progressive, innovative, Earth-friendly and philanthropic. For them, your wording should be tweaked to show a communal vibe and you should be sure to illustrate any touching stories of helping others you may have. Perhaps there’s an angle you can use to show you’re one of the little guys who cares.
A fourth crowd for your professional website marketing company to reach out to is the ANTI-SHOPPER. The anti-shopper hates stores, hates crowds, hates price-checks and hates traffic jams. They want to hop on, find their item and hop off. For these shoppers, one of the best things you can do is make a clear, navigable website to help them make their purchase effortlessly. Don’t waste their time with useless garbage: Be clear and concise.

The main goal of a website marketing company should be to convert site hits to profitable sales. In order to achieve this end, you’ll have to sit down with your professional website marketing company and consider the various types of audiences and figure out which one you’re trying to lasso in. Online buyers are an intriguing breed… or should I say four breeds?
Do you want your website marketing company to target the ECONOMICAL type? These economical buyers are scouring the Internet for one thing and one thing only: discounts, sales, lower prices. They’re aware that there are competitive deals online that can’t be found in stores — and they want more for less! If you suspect this is your demographic, your content should focus on quality and affordability. A web-only promotion strategy will likely drum up some more business for you.
Or perhaps your website marketing company should appeal to the INTERPERSONAL type. This category of online buyers enjoy a sense of “the world revolves around me” and the personal interaction. No matter if you really are a small business or you’re a large multi-national conglomerate, these buyers want to feel like every company is exclusively focused on their unique needs. Emphasizing customer service and satisfaction is key here. Tone and language can go a long way to reach out to this pamper-me crowd.
A third audience your professional website marketing company may target is the ECO-FRIENDLY type. These buyers are in search for something progressive, innovative, Earth-friendly and philanthropic. For them, your wording should be tweaked to show a communal vibe and you should be sure to illustrate any touching stories of helping others you may have. Perhaps there’s an angle you can use to show you’re one of the little guys who cares.
A fourth crowd for your professional website marketing company to reach out to is the ANTI-SHOPPER. The anti-shopper hates stores, hates crowds, hates price-checks and hates traffic jams. They want to hop on, find their item and hop off. For these shoppers, one of the best things you can do is make a clear, navigable website to help them make their purchase effortlessly. Don’t waste their time with useless garbage: Be clear and concise.

Sure, any publicity is good publicity. However, professional writers at website marketing companies know that finding a targeted audience is the only kind of worthwhile endeavor. Most sites only have a 2-3% conversion rate — and yeah, sales are still sales. But isn’t it worth a few hundred dollars to hire a professional website marketing company and up that conversion rate to 10-15%? It certainly can be done!
Contrary to popular belief, high conversion of traffic to sales is not simply about having a catalogue. The top converting sites have, above all, a great concept. What do ProFlowers and FTD have in common? They’re both gift sites that allow online buyers the ability to buy and send to others on special occasions. For the in-a-rush buyer who wants to show their thoughtfulness, what could be more enticing than a site that’ll send — not only flowers — but small gifts and cards too? Sometimes gathering a third party opinion from an objective website marketing company can help you expand or hone your ideas.
Next, you should definitely diversify your marketing strategy, but don’t overlook the importance of paying a website marketing company to revamp your website. The top-converting site this year was QVC.com… you know… the shopping channel from television?? This may be surprising to some, but this television channel has gone online with huge success by creating a dynamic website. People don’t like buying off television. The Internet is simpler. The QVC site has sizeable pictures, large / clear menus and a “call to arms” wish list / shopping cart. They know how to pump the holiday deals — Mother’s Day, anniversaries and they’re always offering “today’s special.” (Nothing says “BUY ME” like a one day deal!)
What a website marketing company can do to reach your target audience that you can’t is this: spend hours researching what kind of web user buys what you’ve got. The professional website marketing company is looking at what these people are typing into search engines generally and specifically. Not only that, but they’re looking at what the online buyers are typing in. Since the average person finds what they’re looking for within eleven minutes, we know that the actual buyers have highly specific terms they’re searching for. The key, then, is to reach out through search engine optimization.

Denver Internet marketing and online business has returned after a tough crash-and-burn lesson (which is also lovingly referred to as "the Dot Com Bust.") With the proclivity of web users to find new mediums for self-expression, thus spawning the popularity of Myspace, Youtube, Twitter and other social networking sites, it looks like it's safe to start anew with Denver Internet marketing.

Since online retail sales aren't taxed in Colorado, the state is an ideal place to set up shop. After devising clever Denver Internet marketing campaigns, these local businesses are enjoying the fruits of their labor. Online luggage retailer eBags said the site now draws more than 170,000 visitors a day. Denver local TattooFinder.com has seen a sales increase of more than 1,000% in just four years. Another hometown business, Groople -- a group travel web site – saw a sales growth of 3,600% in just one year.

Local business entrepreneurs say the best Denver Internet marketing techniques include web redesign, keyword research / copywriting and affiliate marketing. By hiring a Denver Internet marketing company, you can get an honest appraisal on your website, not to mention content development which will act as a search engine magnet, directing traffic to your site. In some cases, you may have to give your affiliates a small commission as a thank-you for their advertising efforts on your behalf, but the amount of sales you pull in will make your collaboration worthwhile.

Did you know that over 27 million people use Yahoo News and Google News each month?? Whether it’s a newspaper article, a journal study, a magazine feature or a press release, people are scanning over articles by the million. A professional website marketing company is well aware of this fact and takes the stance: So why shouldn’t these people be reading about your products and services?
Suddenly, CNN and BBC News are finding themselves competing with all sorts of sites for turf. Their journalists are browsing these news sites as well (98% of journalists go online daily, in fact). The press scours the Internet for article research, product searches, to find new sources and to find press releases. According to the American Life Project survey, 68 million American adults go online daily, with 30% using a search engine for information and 27% searching for news stories. A professional website marketing company can be a great link to get your name in front of these audiences — whether it’s a potential buyer or some free publicity.
The professional website marketing company will begin by conducting keyword searches to see what your target audiences may be looking for specifically. Your press releases will be scanned and optimized or written by a professional copywriter, if you choose. These articles will then be built up with links that will send readers directly to your website. Next, the ready copy will need to be distributed. There are many avenues for getting the word out: media-direct emails or newswires, major web portals like Altavista, network news feeds, RSS feeds, sites like Digg and blogging avenues, to name a few. Lastly, the website marketing company will track your release and provide you with data to measure the successfulness of that particular article.
Exposure is obviously the top reason to hire a website marketing company to spread the word for you. Most of us are too busy and lack the necessary experience to keep up with the ever-changing world of Internet marketing. To stay in the game, you need all the publicity you can get.