Seven Simple Steps On Using Internet Marketing To Beat The Credit Crunch

The Credit Crunch clearly created hard times and has changed behaviours. Although online trading growth has been stronger in recent years than non web retailing it is clearly hard going in most sectors currently. So here are seven steps site owners can take based on practical experience of internet marketing ideas which have worked, to help manage the effects of downturns like the current one.
1. Turn a niche market into a scale opportunity – many small businesses sold niche products where the market in their immediate locality was too small to generate worthwhile income. However, the web helped turn this local niche into a scale market as buyers around the UK and internationally began to search out their sites. This has worked for site owners among my clients selling high value camera accessories, personal fashion items, and electronics maintenance. Even old, declining, physical markets can be become profitable as the wider selling reach of the web brings potential clients from the surrounding areas e.g. many repair services used to be in every High Street for many products. Now, to find these, people will scour the web to find the service they want, and a dying market can become profitable.
2. Try newer areas – for quite a while, the web was used most strongly for travel, books, music and electronics. Increasingly now, other physical product sales are growing strongly, eg food and clothing have become high growth areas, so why not check out any ideas you might have. Firstly though, use professional keyword skills to estimate the possible demand for these before you incur significant spend.
3. Improve your price proposition – Aldi supermarkets have achieved a huge increase in site visits, and far more web users now use shopping comparisons sites. Other web users are increasing their use of value supermarkets and auction sites. So make sure you have pricing or a specific price offer, which addresses the new cost emphasis in shopping.
4. Diversify – it is sound business advice to “stick to your knitting”, and “maintain focus on core activities” and we don’t challenge this. However, the web does let you research and test a new business idea more quickly and at lower cost than previous, physical models. So, if you have built an understanding of how the web works, with one business or product, why not check out the idea you have been carrying round. Firstly though, use some careful keyword research to check out the size and nature of the market – we are happy to assist with this.
5. Maintain your presence – web marketing costs are low, compared to physical domain marketing. So don’t let your ranking slip. Use the full range of promotion tools to win links, and build your web presence using Article marketing, Press Releases, a site change programme, and directory and non-directory links to help win a higher position. Using web professionals in this area is best for good results.
6. Try a facelift – can you improve the visual impact of your site? Try some new graphics, some video material? When did you last change the colours or text on the site? And how about some fresh content too – remember that Google prefers those sites which do change or renew their content to those with static content.
7. Boost Your Content– add a new section either giving information related to the products you offer, or a “how to” section, e.g. how to use the products you offer on the site. Perhaps give advice; e.g. if you sell fashion products, you probably have good fashion awareness; why not offer suggestions and ideas on the site?
Dave Abernethy
Net Commerce Solutions Specialist web site promotion consultants