7 Ideas For Increasing Your Internet Marketing

Marketing online is a critical part of any marketing plan. Hereare seven Internet-based marketing ideas you may not have thoughtabout for your 2007 marketing plan:

Volunteer for Internet Interviews
Podcasts, Webcasts, blogs, RSS feeds and newsletters (ezines) are all venues for online interviews or discussions. You'll want toapproach publishers who regularly conduct interviews with guestsof your caliber, so finding opportunities will take someresearch. Do this by searching general search engines (such asgoogle.com) or directories. Some directories to get you started:podcast.net (podcasts), ezinehub.com (ezines), syndic8.com (RSSfeeds/blogs)

Approach Bloggers Interested in Your Type of Product
Send your product to bloggers as a gift. You are doing this toexpose your product to influencers in your category by givingthem an opportunity to try it free (not to bribe or beg them tomention the product). If the bloggers like it, they may give it amention in their blogs. Note that this is a subtle Internetmarketing technique. Choosing to mention (or not mention) your product should be solely up to them.You can find and read blogs by searching blogging directories such as technorati.com.

Join One or More Online Networks
Online social networks allow you to set up a profile page andinteract with others who have your same professional (orpersonal) interests. Each network has different features and mayappeal to a different kind of user. As with all Internetmarketing techniques, there are dos and don'ts, so you'll want toread some of the profiles and learn a particular site's rulesbefore aggressively working the network. Some networks toexplore: linkedin.com, ryze.com, myspace.com, orkut.com,friendster.com

Send Out One or More Press Releases
First and foremost, the release must be something newsworthy tothe media (if you need ideas, read the article here:http://www.websitem arketingplan. com/pr/NewsAngle .htm). Also, besure to include a link to your Website or blog in the pressrelease. Finally, distribute the release through an online pressrelease service such as PRWeb.com.

Survey Your Website Visitors
Surveys can help you identify opportunities for improvement.Since online attention spans are very short, try asking a singletwo-part question such as Fred Reichhold's Ultimate Question:"On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend__________." Fill in the blank with your Website name (or otherrelevant product). To those who reply with a 6 or lower, ask whythey are not more likely to recommend. You should see a patternin the comments. These will lead to ways of improving your site.There are software packages to help you set up an online survey.Also, surveymonkey. com is a popular Web interface for producing online surveys. Convey Patrick Hanlon's 7 Primal Branding Pieces Online. According to Hanlon, the seven "Primal Branding" pieces -- acreation story, creed, icons, rituals, sacred words, nonbelieversand leaders -- form belief systems that inherently attract peoplewho want to believe in a product. Those people form thecommunities that surround successful products and services.Conveying as many of these as you can online can help build followers online.Study Your 5 Closest Competitors' Websites and Online Marketing Activities By studying the competition you will not only gain a better understanding of trends in your industry, but also gain new insights into promotional strategies for your own business. As you research, brainstorm a list of ideas and use that list toplan a new online strategy or technique for your own business.

There you have it -- seven ideas for improving your Internetmarketing presence. Integrate one or more into your 2007marketing plan and you'll be on your way to greater success.

About the AuthorBobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, online marketing experience, and marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing. Bobette is proprietor at WebMarketing Place LLC and runs WebSiteMarketingPlan.com --http://www.WebSiteM arketingPlan. com -- where you'll find freemarketing planning articles and resources. She is also author ofthe marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just theSpider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business."Copyright 2006 Bobette Kyle, Web Marketing Place LLC. All rightseserved. Reprints must have URL in "About the Author" box hyperlinked and clickable.