Even after you’ve got a good grasp of the concepts of search marketing, actually launching a campaign can feel like a daunting proposition. Even experienced users find they are still learning a long time after launching their first campaign.
To help small-to-medium businesses create successful and profitable campaigns, Google has introduced an interactive online learning tool called 10 Steps to Promote Your Business Online. It strips away the jargon and presents a self-paced, step-by-step guide to online search marketing for beginners and experienced users alike that builds a solid foundation for launching campaigns.
It starts with assessing your web strategy and identifying your goals, then moves on to the fundamentals of building an online search marketing campaign, managing bids and measuring performance. Important advice and feedback is offered throughout, and at the end you get a tailored marketing plan that can help form the basis for an actual campaign.
Step one covers the basics of reviewing your website. If you haven’t yet established an online presence, 10 Steps also directs you towards registering a web name and finding a service provider to create your website. You’re also asked to nominate three products or services whose sales you want to boost. These form the basis of a hypothetical campaign that develops as you progress through the tool.
The next step asks you to think about how search marketing fits into your existing marketing mix, and how it might be best used to attract new customers. Step three gives you the chance to assess your business in a larger context, asking how what you offer differs from competitors. This helps you define the key points to promote in your advertising.
From there, 10 Steps describes the principles behind search marketing using Google AdWords as an example. It guides you through the process of selecting the keywords that will attract the most suitable customers. There is also help on creating the actual advertisements that customers will see, including proven tips for capturing their attention and bringing them to your site.
Bidding on keywords can also seem daunting, so there is extensive information on managing the bidding process, teaching you the principles of bidding so that you can make decisions that are right for your business.
You now have access to a tailored marketing plan for your business, based on the information you entered throughout the 10 steps, which you can immediately use as a guide to search marketing and AdWords. And, with a little luck, by now you’ll be feeling more confident about launching your own search marketing campaigns, and be ready to take your business to a wider world.
It really is this easy…
1. ASSESS YOUR WEBSITE
2. EVALUATE YOUR MARKETING APPROACH
3. IDENTIFY YOUR MARKETING GOALS
4. TRY SEARCH MARKETING WITH GOOGLE
5. CHOOSE YOUR KEYWORDS
6. WRITE YOUR ADS
7. STRUCTURE YOUR ACCOUNT
8. MANAGE YOUR BIDS
9. MEASURE YOUR PERFORMANCE
10. GET YOUR MARKETING PLAN
Seeking to promote your business? Create your free Australian business listing with Dynamic Search business directory – Sister site of Dynamic Business.
