Marketing Strategies
by Scott F. Geld

You need to identify your principal target markets and then design a strategy to achieve maximum marketing exposure. To develop an effective marketing strategy, you must first identify your main markets and the type of web services you are offering. For example, if your company offers application or managed hosting your marketing campaign will be different than if your company offers co-location and shared hosting.

Figure out what separates your company from the crowd. What do you offer as a web host that makes your company stand out in the industry? Then decide whether your approach should be narrowly targeted or have a wider focus. Develop a consistent method and message in all your advertising, and design a campaign that will make your company known both on the Internet as well as in the offline world.

Your marketing campaign should advertise the specific ways your services satisfy the needs of your primary markets and it should be aimed at increasing your brand awareness. Make sure your web pages are optimized with effective tags to insure high ranking in major search engines. Consider placing banner ads on a few of the most popular search engines either on a pay-per-click arrangement or a page ranking basis. This will get you quality targeted traffic based on the specific key words you have incorporated into your web site.

Offline, make the best use of newspapers, billboards, television, radio, and magazines. This should also include network and cable television, direct mail, and the yellow pages.

A successful marketing plan must be comprehensive, flexible, carefully monitored, and innovative. It will include different markets, target audiences, and components which work together to increase your overall exposure.

In order to launch an effective online and offline advertising campaign, you must figure out your place in the market, your particular specialization in the field, and the potential customer's perception of the market. Your advertising must communicate your unique identity using the components of conception, layout, design, logo, and execution. Then you must be consistent in your approach across multimedia, including magazines, television, letterheads, presentations, newspapers, brochures, etc.

A dazzling logo and intriguing advertisement will catch potential customer's eyes and help establish a branded presence in the market. Use positive feedback and testimonials from existing clients to reinforce your identify. Stay in touch with your existing clients by utilizing customer surveys to find out what services they are happy with and what services they would like to see added. The more personal the service you offer, the more loyal your customers will be in the long run.

Television offers exposure to the broadest audience, especially if you advertise in national markets. To make your money go far, buy commercial space around a popular television program or a special show that focuses on computers. Use a professional advertising company that specializes in making commercials to convey the professional quality of your service.

Ads that run in trade magazines that focus on the computer industry are a good source for reaching potential customers. Newspapers in metropolitan areas that run on a daily basis often have a more targeted audience, and your ads can be modified easily to reflect changes in your business, added services, or special promotions. Also consider using targeted mailings and press releases. Press releases are effective particularly if you are just starting out or adding a new service. They help establish a presence in the market, and can be used to report anything of significance about your company.

Press releases should be short, precise, direct, and only one page in length. If you are reaching out to global markets, prepare your press release in several languages. The most common way of disseminating press releases is through email. Do not send it as an attachment, however, but make the body of the email text the press release. Make sure that there is only one address indicated in the recipient line, no matter how many you are sending out. Then follow up in a day or so with a phone call to confirm receipt of your press release. A phone call will garner you a much better chance of actually having your press release read.

Putting together a marketing campaign requires diligent research and a comprehensive plan. Your aim as a web hosting company is to increase brand awareness of your company. In order to do that, you must be able to emphasize what makes your company unique, and you must keep your marketing strategy flexible to adapt to the changing marketplace. Coordinating offline advertising with online advertising will double your chances of increasing your brand exposure.

Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and direct links starting at just $5. For more info: http://www.MarketingBlaster.com

dead link above Dec 28, 2006

For additional marketing ideas, tips and help   click here