- If you don’t have a website, get one – a common misconception is that a website has to be complex to serve its purpose. It doesn’t. Your website can be as simple as a one-pager that is easy to read, cleanly designed, and contains all the information your customers might be going online to look for: contact details, opening hours, and answers to frequently asked questions. They can’t find you online if you’re not there!
- Make it personal – reach consumers who have a self-expressed interest in the goods or services you are selling. Search marketing is particularly well suited to this.
- Write ‘must-click’ ads – the tried and true rules of advertising apply when you’re creating a search marketing campaign. Convey product benefits clearly, get to the point, and include a strong call to action.
- Measure, measure, measure – online is a powerful medium to track the impact of your marketing. Check out free tools such as Google Analytics to get to grips with how to measure your ROI.
- Test and adapt – continually review what you’ve set up, whether it’s your website or search marketing campaign. Keep in mind that in the online world, you can immediately respond to what is working and what isn’t.
—Julian Persaud is head of online for Google Australia. (www.google.com.au)
