Target your internet marketing audience

Internet Marketing Tips; Target your internet marketing audience

When targeting your internet marketing audience, it is important to consider the following factors:

  • Your target audience’s interests: What are they interested in? What websites do they visit? What social media channels do they use?
  • Your target audience’s demographics: What age range are they in? What gender are they? Where do they live?
  • Your target audience’s needs: What are they looking for? What problems do they need solved?

Once you have considered these factors, you can develop a plan to reach your target audience with your internet marketing campaign. You can use a variety of methods, including:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your website and content so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This will help you get more traffic to your website from people who are searching for information related to your products or services.
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: Pay to have your website appear at the top of the SERPs for specific keywords. This can help you get more traffic to your website from people who are actively searching for your products or services.
  • Social media marketing: Use social media channels to connect with your target audience and share your content. You can also use social media advertising to reach a wider audience.
  • Content marketing: Create and share high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience. This can help you attract and retain customers.
  • Email marketing: Send email newsletters to your target audience with information about your products or services. This can help you stay top-of-mind with your customers and encourage them to make a purchase.

By using a variety of methods, you can reach your target audience with your internet marketing campaign and achieve your business goals.

Image: Canva Pro

Define your marketing goals

Internet Marketing Tips; Define your marketing goals

Setting marketing goals can feel like trying to nail Jello to a wall if you aren’t specific. To move the needle, you need to transition from “I want more sales” to a roadmap that actually dictates your daily actions.

Here is a streamlined process to define goals that stick.

1. The “Big Picture” Alignment

Before looking at data, look at your business. Your marketing goals should be direct descendants of your overall business objectives.

  • Business Objective: Increase annual revenue by 20%.

  • Marketing Goal: Generate 500 qualified leads per month to support the sales team.

2. Use the SMART Framework

This is the gold standard for a reason. If a goal doesn’t meet these five criteria, it’s just a wish.

Criteria Description Example
Specific Be precise about what you want to achieve. “Increase email subscribers.”
Measurable Attach a number or KPI to it. “Increase subscribers by 15%.”
Achievable Ensure it’s realistic given your budget/team. “Is 15% possible based on last year?”
Relevant Does it actually help the business? “More subs = more nurture opportunities.”
Time-bound Set a firm deadline. “By the end of Q3.”

3. Categorize by the Marketing Funnel

Don’t just focus on the “buy” button. A healthy strategy sets goals at different stages of the customer journey:

  • Awareness: Increasing brand reach, social media engagement, or website traffic.

  • Consideration: Boosting newsletter sign-ups, whitepaper downloads, or webinar attendees.

  • Conversion: Improving sales, trial starts, or demo requests.

  • Retention: Reducing churn rate or increasing the “Lifetime Value” (LTV) of current customers.

4. Identify Your North Star Metric

While you might have ten smaller goals, pick one “North Star Metric” that defines success for the entire campaign. This prevents “analysis paralysis” when you’re looking at your dashboard.

Pro Tip: Focus on Lead Indicators (things you can control, like “post 3 times a week”) rather than just Lag Indicators (things that happen after the fact, like “total revenue”).

How to get started today

  1. Audit the past: Look at your last 6 months of data to find a baseline.

  2. Pick three: Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick three SMART goals for the next quarter.

  3. Write them down: Goals that aren’t documented are easily ignored.

Would you like me to help you draft a specific SMART goal for one of your current projects?

Promote Your Business With Email Marketing

Internet Marketing Tips; Promote Your Business With Email Marketing

Email marketing is an incredibly powerful and cost-effective promotional tool. It provides predictable results and allows you to use targeted ads without spending much of your budget.

Businesses have made use of email marketing opportunities for decades. Although an aged promotional tool, building a strong and passionate emailing list is valuable for a range of different reasons, helping to attract potential customers and drive conversions.

How to Promote Your Business With Email Marketing

Unlike any other platform, your email subscribers belong to you – you don’t just build a network, you own it. While beneficial in many ways, social media advertisements don’t always reach the full extent of your followers.

Facebook has even been reported to only show a small fraction of published content to followers of business pages. Facebook and all other online platforms withhold the right to change things as they please, while your email marketing efforts are entirely under your control.

It’s also advisable, and more reliable if you work to build a strong mailing list rather than buying one from a list broker. The best way to start is to simply begin asking previous and potential clients if you can have their email address to add to your list.

To avoid fines and penalties, as well as comply with email compliance law, you should always ask for permission before you add people to your list.

Choose a keyword-heavy domain

Internet Marketing Tips; Choose a keyword-heavy domain

Internet Marketing Tips: Use a domain with your full business name or a keyword rich domain, nothing is stronger than owning a keyword heavy domain.

Internet Marketing Tip: Nothing is stronger than owning a keyword-heavy domain…

…Even if you already indexed high in the search engine for your business name domain. And, if you currently own a domain that is all initials, it’s a good internet marketing idea to buy a domain that accurately reflects your domain keyword.

Another Tip: Your main domain should be a keyword that prospects are likely to use in a search

To truly sell and market yourself on the internet, you need to understand how Web Users operate, and how they are likely to find you. If you have a domain that is all initials… such as lwrea.com (which might stand for Lori Wilson Real Estate Agent), it would be a good idea to change it to loriwilsonrealestateagent.com.

Think in terms of what your prospects or clients are going to be typing into the Search engine.  They will be typing in Lori Wilson Real Estate Agent, not lwrea… lwrea is not easy for the Web User to remember.

Internet Marketing Tip; Do keyword research first, then choose a domain

This type of keyword research should include phrases that your prospects and clients are likely to use.  For instance, say you have a light fixture store in Oakland CA, and ceiling fans are your major cash cow, you might want to purchase the domain – ceilingfansoakland.com.

If a few more visitors a day would make a huge difference in your business, then buy a keyword-rich domain, set up a satellite website with that domain (even a single page website) that links back to your main website. The result… you will be capturing as much search traffic as possible.

Thank you for reading these Internet Marketing Tips. We look forward to your questions and comments, feel free to add your thoughts in the box below. SUBSCRIBE to this website and you’ll be alerted when we post simple online techniques and the things that may be holding you back from growing your business.

How to Carefully Craft a Meta Description

Carefully Craft a Meta DescriptionInternet Marketing Tips; How to

Master the skill of creating captivating meta descriptions that drive higher click-through rates and boost website traffic.

Before diving into the crafting process, it’s crucial to understand what a meta description is and its role in SEO and user experience.

A meta description is a brief summary of a webpage, typically displayed in search engine results below the page title. While it doesn’t directly influence your search engine ranking, it plays a pivotal role in increasing click-through rates (CTR). A compelling meta description can entice users to click on your link, leading to increased traffic and potential conversions.

The Importance of a Strong Meta Description

  • Enhances Click-Through Rates (CTR): A well-crafted meta description can significantly boost your CTR, providing users with a clear understanding of what your page offers.
  • Improves User Experience: By accurately reflecting the page content, you set clear visitor expectations, reducing bounce rates.
  • Supports SEO: While not a direct ranking factor, a high CTR can indirectly influence your search engine ranking.

Crafting the Perfect Meta Description

  1. Keep it Concise:

    • Meta descriptions typically have a character limit of around 150-160 characters.
    • Get straight to the point and avoid unnecessary fluff.
  2. Use Relevant Keywords:

    • Incorporate keywords that accurately describe your page’s content.
    • Natural keyword usage is key; avoid keyword stuffing.
    • Focus on user intent and search queries.
  3. Write Compelling Copy:

    • Create a strong opening that grabs attention.
    • Highlight the unique value proposition of your page.
    • Use persuasive language to entice clicks.
    • Include a clear call to action if appropriate.
  4. Match Content Accurately:

    • Ensure the meta description accurately reflects the page content.
    • Avoid misleading or deceptive descriptions.
  5. Optimize for Mobile:

    • With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensure your meta description is readable on smaller screens.
  6. Test and Refine:

    • Experiment with different meta descriptions to see what works best.
    • Track CTR and make necessary adjustments.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Duplicate meta descriptions: Use unique descriptions for each page.
  • Keyword stuffing: Overusing keywords can harm your rankings and user experience.
  • Irrelevant information: Focus on the most important aspects of the page.
  • Missing call to action: Encourage users to take the desired action.

Best Practices

  • Use strong verbs: Create a sense of urgency or excitement.
  • Include numbers: Statistics or data can add credibility.
  • Highlight benefits: Focus on what the user will gain.
  • Proofread carefully: Avoid typos and grammatical errors.

Example Meta Descriptions

Poor: This is a page about SEO tips.

Good: Learn proven SEO strategies to boost your website’s visibility. Discover expert advice on keyword research, link building, and content optimization. Increase organic traffic and outrank competitors.

Additional Tips

  • Use meta description generators: Many online tools can help you create effective meta descriptions.
  • Analyze competitors: See what successful meta descriptions look like in your industry.
  • Consider user intent: Understand what users are searching for.
  • Test different variations: A/B testing can help you identify the best-performing meta description.

By following these guidelines and continuously refining your meta descriptions, you can significantly improve your website’s visibility and attract more targeted traffic.

Would you like to try crafting a meta description for a specific page? I can provide feedback and suggestions.

Do you have any other questions about meta descriptions or SEO?

Image: Canva Pro

Marketing your Business on Facebook

Internet Marketing Tips: Marketing your Business on Facebook

Internet Marketing Tips: Manage your Facebook Business Page by sharing relevant and compelling posts, reaching out to your target market and engaging.

Facebook is an important marketing tool for small businesses.

Here are some tips to make better use of the world’s most popular social media platform.

  • As one of the most visited websites in the world, Facebook is a very important tool for small business owners who want to engage their customers and attract new ones.
  • The core of proper Facebook utilization involves curating and creating content that appeals to your audience.
  • Facebook offers multiple tools for promotion, and you should consider using all of them to maximize your reach.
  • This article is for small business owners who are interested utilizing Facebook to grow their business.

Every small business should be on social media, especially Facebook. From its powerful advertisement options to Facebook groups, Facebook has many tools small businesses can and should use. A solid Facebook presence helps you engage potential customers and grow your business.

“Having a Facebook page helps to legitimize your business in the customer’s eye,” said Jake McKenzie, content manager for AutoAccessoriesGarage.com. “Or another way to look at it is a business without a Facebook profile may seem outdated at the best or untrustworthy at worst.”

With so many ways to promote your business on Facebook, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are six easy steps to make Facebook work for you.

Internet Marketing TipCreate a business page.

If you want to have a solid and professional Facebook presence, you need to create a separate page for your business – your personal Facebook profile won’t cut it. A page is like a regular profile, but it’s for brands and business. Also, instead of asking to “friend” someone, users must “like” or follow a page to see its posts.

According to Hootsuite, here is how you create a Facebook business page:

  1. Sign up. You will need to either use your personal Facebook page, or you can create a page from scratch. Visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/create, and select the type of page you wish to create. Fill in the page name, category and description; then click Create Page.
  2. Add photos. It’s important to add a profile and cover photos that reflect what your business does. Given that these pictures will be providing your clients with your first impression, use high-quality images that portray your business in a positive light. Select the images and hit Save.
  3. Create a username. Also known as a vanity URL, your username is how your customers will find you on Facebook. Your username should be the same or as close to the name of your business as possible to avoid confusion. Once you’ve completed step two, you’ll see “create @username” under your page name. Click here to create and save your page name.
  4. Enter your information. When you set up your Facebook page, you’ll notice there are a lot of options to customize it. Add as much information about your business as possible, including your business name, address, contact information, website, business hours, products, etc. You will also need to create a description of what your business entails. You can add additional categories to ensure your company is included in all relevant searches on the site. As you add information, use strategic keywords throughout that indicate to both readers and to Facebook what your page is about.
  5. Tell your story.  Although you have already entered information about your business, you will find that you can expound on the story behind your company or brand. In this section, talk about why and how your business was created, what makes your brand unique, the services and products you offer, and anything else you think will be relevant to a customer.
  6. Create your first post. Before you can invite people to like your page, add some content to it. Your very first post can be a simple “Welcome to our page!” Or you can post a deal or coupon, a picture, video, link, or whatever you think would be a good introduction to your brand.
  7. Publish and then invite followers. Once you have filled in all the details, it’s time to expand your audience! Invite people to like your page once all the information is completed.

Key takeaway: Follow the most current instructions and best practices for filling out your Facebook business page’s information completely, accurately, and in a way that’s optimized for the platform’s preferences.

Find niche keywords to promote website

Internet Marketing Tips; Find niche keywords to promote website

Internet Marketing Tips;  Focus on finding niche keywords with significant
demand and limited competition so your website attracts prospects.

Internet Marketing Tip: Find niche keywords to promote the website.

“Keep going until you break through that wall”*, and find the niche keywords that will promote your business.

Internet Marketing Tip:  Use your top 3 keywords to Google search your industry, document the results.

Important Tip:  “Organic search results are the query results which are calculated strictly algorithmically, and not affected by advertiser payments. Courtesy of Wikipedia

When you do the Google search of your industry, does your website appear on the first page? Who are your competitors? Do your competitors have an organic listing, and/or a sponsored placement? What keywords are your 1st-page competitors using?

The top 3 keywords are the most important, however, it is also a good idea to focus on the next 10 keywords that are also important in your list. They may be a bit longer and more descriptive of your product. As long as the Google monthly demands are at least 1000 and the number of web pages with those keywords in the content is limited to under 500,000, you can call them niche keywords.

Internet Marketing Tip; Niche Keywords can make you rich!

If you are creating content using niche keywords that are focused on attracting your target market, you do not only drive traffic to your website… you drive prospects that are actively looking for your products and services, in many cases, they are ready to buy.

Creating informational and relevant content using niche keywords helps build the trust that your client or prospect is looking for. And, creating this type of content helps establish your expertise in your industry.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article on niche keywords. Feel free to comment with your questions or concerns down below.

*Russell Simmons

Focus on Marketing to Google

Internet Marketing Tips; Focus on Marketing to Google

Internet Marketing Tip; 76% of the time, people searching for you – use Google to find you. For this reason you should focus your marketing on Google.

When Internet users want to look for a website, they are usually unwilling or unable to guess your website address (also known as URL), so they will use a Search Engine and keywords to find you.

Internet Marketing Tip; About 76% of people searching for you – Use Google.

  • Nearly 93% of all web traffic comes through search engines.
  • Globally, Google accounts for 76% and 86% of desktop and mobile search traffic, respectively.
  • 46% of all Google searches are linked to something local.
  • Google takes into account over 200 factors before delivering the best results to its users.

Source: 99firms.com

Google has achieved dominance in such a short period of time, and these days it is not uncommon for people to use the word Google as a verb.

  • Say you want to know about medication, you Google it.
  • If you want to know about a person’s work history, you Google their name.
  • Single people looking for companionship will Google a potential date before committing to a date.
  • Job applicants Google a potential employer and even research the staff before an interview.

Internet Marketing Tip; Online users use Google – A lot!

So if you want your business to thrive, you need to learn how to own your niche on Google. However, there is no instant switch or magic cure, getting to the #1 spot on Google takes time and diligence.

Internet Marketing Tip; Commit seriously to Google, Google will commit back

And Google has a really long memory. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t make it easy. They are well known for changing the rules on a regular basis. Essentially Google is fed up with people abusing the system, and if there is no obvious system, then it is harder to abuse the system.

As you can see, Google is special, and we need to focus on marketing techniques that work on Google, creating content that ranks high on Google.  We also need to learn how to do that so that Google will not tag our content as spam.

Thank you for reading these Internet Marketing Tips. We look forward to your questions and comments, feel free to add your thoughts in the box below. 

Internet Marketing Tips: Get to the #1 spot on Google

Internet Marketing Tips: Get to the #1 spot on Google

Internet Marketing Tips; Find a ‘niche’ keyword with at least 1000 global monthly searches and minimal competition, and build your website around it.

Internet Marketing Tip: Go niche. Be specific.

Whatever your business you are in, it is pretty safe to say that you are part of a very big marketplace. You probably already know that your website is not the first one to offer your product or service, and it won’t be the last.

In fact, someone is already out there marketing a similar product or service to what you are offering… some successfully, some not so successfully.

Internet Marketing Tip: Do Keyword Research and Document Results was all about how to conduct keyword research. You may already have a pretty good list of keywords that you want to use to market your product or service… however:

  • Do you know how many global monthly searches are conducted on Googlehttps://crazysmartmarketing.com/how-to-keyword-research/https://lynnalbro.com/internet-marketing-tips/internet-marketing-tips-do-keyword-research-and-document-results/ each month for your keyword?
  • Do you know how many web pages are indexed on Google with that keyword contained in the content?

If you have already conducted keyword research, you have the answer to the above questions. If your goal is internet marketing, those are the questions you should ask before you decide on a site concept, before you purchase a domain, AND before you start building your brand.

I cannot emphasis this tip enough:

Internet Marketing Tip; Find a ‘niche’ keyword with at least 1000 global monthly searches and minimal competition.

Once you find a keyword (or set of keywords) that describes your product or service (or at least some aspect of your product or service), you build your entire web concept around the keyword(s).

Internet Marketing Tip; Build your website around that niche keyword, use it:

  • In your business name
  • In your domain
  • In the website title and meta description.
  • Include that keyword in your content at least a couple of times for every 100 words of written content.

Once you have several pages of keyword-rich content, Google’s search engine should be taking notice. However, don’t stop there, start driving traffic to your website from your social media site. Post links to the different pages on your website at Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram on a regular basis.

When it comes to internet marketing, there are no hard and fast rules that will get you to the number one spot at Google. However, an important tip is – be consistent,  at least once a week offer fresh keyword-rich content in your niche, with time and patience you will find yourself on the first page of Google… maybe even indexed in the number one spot.

Thank you for reading these Internet Marketing Tips. We look forward to your questions and comments, feel free to add your thoughts in the box below.

Do Keyword Research and Document Results

Internet Marketing Tips; Do Keyword Research and Document Results

Internet Marketing Tip: The first step – conduct a keyword research and document the monthly searches, number of competitors and number of Google indexed results.

In my opinion, keyword research is an art form. It is tedious, time-consuming work that requires lots of patience. It’s important to come to the table with no preconceived ideas as to what your keywords are going to be ahead of time. Be ready to do research.

So how do you conduct keyword research that results in traffic to your website?

First, let’s define Keyword(s)

A keyword is not usually just a single word, but can be 2 or 3 words in a combination that answer the question “What’s the point of this one web page?”

Internet Marketing Tip; Learn how a search engine works.

NOTE: When you do a Google search you aren’t actually searching the web, you are searching Google’s index of the web, or at least as much of it as Google has found.

Google uses software programs called spiders. Spiders start by fetching a few web pages, then they follow the links on those pages to new pages, then fetch the pages they point to. Spiders then follow all the links those pages point to, and so on, until they have indexed a pretty big chunk of the web. These spiders index many billions of pages stored across thousands of machines.

So, when you decide to search for a specific keyword:

  • Google’s software searches every indexed page that includes your keywords.
  • In many cases, there are hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions…even billions) of pages indexed on the internet with those specific keywords.

Internet Marketing Tip; How to conduct a keyword research

You can try out this free keyword tool at Wordtracker, or check out  ‘8 Best Keyword Research Tools’ for more options. I also use the free Chrome extension app – Scout, it is easy to use and has a lot of cool features.

At the Wordtracker Search page, type in a relevant keyword and click Search. For instance, I choose the Google option in the upper left corner, typed in ‘Marketing Specialist’, and clicked Search.

Internet Marketing Tip: Document keyword research results

First, open up a spreadsheet and start documenting keyword research results

  • In the first column type in the keyword
  • In the 2nd column type in the Volume (Average Number of Searches in the Last 12 months).
  • In the 3rd column type in the Competition (# of competitors, the higher the number, the more competition.)
  • In the 4th column type in the Google count of indexed pages with your keyword in the content. It is at the top of the search page, i.e “About 709,000,000 results”.

Finally, go over your spreadsheet and look at all of your keywords looking for a keyword niche… in other words look for keywords with at least 1000 Volume i.e Monthly Demands,  limited Competition; under 500,000 indexed pages of competitors results.

Keyword research takes time… sometimes several hours and should result in hundreds of potential keywords that you can use at your website, keywords that will drive traffic to your site. And, the job is never done. You need to revisit this process on a regular basis to see if the keywords you are using are still relevant, and also search for new keywords

Thank you for reading these Internet Marketing Tips. We look forward to your questions and comments, feel free to add your thoughts in the box below.