Online Marketing E-Book

Murray Newlands

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 247

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

This is Your Complete Manual of Digital Marketing Magic. How do you stay out in from when everything's moving so fast? The internet and social media have changed how we do our jobs beyond recognition. Sometimes it's exciting; other times it's just frightening. Online Marketing has all the answers. Murray Newlands tells you everything you need to know; how to do it; how to do it even better; and what the future might hold. With this book you'll get closer to your customers, increase conversions, learn more about the tools, understand digital brands, and become better networked. What more could you want?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

THE MARKETING WORLD

WHAT WILL THIS BOOK TEACH?

WHAT YOU GET

Chapter 1 - Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE: DEVELOPING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICE

Twitter

INTRODUCTION

TWITTER BASICS

ADVANTAGES OF TWITTER

TWITTER OVERVIEW

HOW TO GET STARTED USING TWITTER

ADVANCED FEATURES

TWITTER EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES OF TWITTER

THE FUTURE OF TWITTER

TWITTER TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Facebook

INTRODUCTION

FACEBOOK BASICS

EXAMPLE

ADVANCED USES OF FACEBOOK

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

FACEBOOK TOOLS AND RESOURCES

YouTube

INTRODUCTION

YOUTUBE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLE

ADVANCED USES OF YOUTUBE

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

YOUTUBE TOOLS AND RESOURCES

LINKEDIN

INTRODUCTION

LINKEDIN BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 2 - Digital Branding

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

WHERE TO START

EXAMPLES OF DIGITAL BRANDING

ADVANCED USES IN DIGITAL BRANDING

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR DIGITAL BRANDING

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 3 - Company Websites

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 4 - Blogging

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO SET UP A BLOG

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 5 - Online PR and Blogger Outreach

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 6 - Video Marketing

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 7 - SEO

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 8 - Email Marketing

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 9 - Affiliate Marketing

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Chapter 10 - Digital Advertising

INTRODUCTION

THE BASICS

HOW TO USE IT IN PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

ADVANCED USES

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Index

This edition first published 2011 © 2011 Murray Newlands

Registered office

John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

ISBN 978-0-470-97384-4 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-119-97453-6 (ebook) ISBN 978-1-119-99277-6 (ebook), ISBN 978-1-119-99278-3 (ebook)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Set in 11/16pt Adobe Jenson Pro by Sparks – www.sparkspublishing.com

To my parents, George and Elizabeth, as well as my brothers Stewart and Craig

Acknowledgments

I hope this book will serve as an inspiration to all bloggers seeking a book deal. This book came about through my editor Ellen Hallsworth approaching me to write for John Wiley having read my blog www.murraynewlands.com. It can happen! I would like to thank Ellen who has become a friend during this book for all her suggestions and hard work in helping this project succeed.

I am indebted both consciously and unconsciously to a great many people for their help, support and inspiration when I needed it. Two bloggers who inspired me right from the start are Heather Smith, HeatherinBC.com and Steve Hall, Adrants.com. Chris Brogan reached out to me as I was just starting and has encouraged me along my journey. I’d like to express my gratitude to my business partner in Influence People, Luke Brynley-Jones, for the global trip we have been on.

I would also like to thank in no particular order Sue Keogh, Pierre Zarokian, Andrew Bennett, Dana Oshiro, Holly Homer, Chris Tew, Nadeem Azam, Warren Whitlock, Jonathan Volk, Jennifer Lindsay, Tom Foremski, Oliver Roup, Kristi Hines, Dazzlin Donna Fontenot, Connie Roberts, Ann Smarty, Gail Gardner, Ron Cripps, John Chow, Tamara Walker, Scott James, Vandy Massey, Nick Welsh, Geoff Jones, Filip Matous, Shawn Collins, Missy Ward, Emma Jones, Eric Schechter, Marissa Louie, Greg Rollett, Jorgen Sundberg, Katja Garrood, James Evans and Brian Solis – and my dad for casting a professorial eye over the draft.

Murray Newlands, Cambridge, New York and San Francisco

Foreword by Chris Brogan

Near as I can recall, I met Murray Newlands because I really liked his shirt. It was a nice shirt, with all sorts of embroidery bits on it, and very, very white. Murray stood out in a crowd, and when I went to say hello, he was very polite and personable. It’s in these simple ways that first impressions are made.

And now, here I am writing a foreword for Murray’s new book. I’m fairly late in handing it in, because like all Internet marketer types, I’ve got three thousand projects on the go, and like all professional speakers, I’m up the night before a trip, trying to work through some more of my to-do list instead of sleeping soundly, and like all entrepreneurs, this is the night before the launch of my new project, Kitchen Table Companies.

What goes into a foreword? Well, in most cases, you’re hoping that I’ll help you decide that this book is totally worth it. In some cases (fewer), you’re just a nerd who reads EVERY WORD IN A BOOK (I’m that kind of nerd sometimes). In a middling number of cases, you’re someone who knows me and wonders what I’m doing endorsing Murray Newlands in this way.

Murray’s book is worth a read because it goes fairly deeply into all the current best and known trends and practices for doing Internet marketing. He covers all the social media stuff that’s all the rage, but Murray also covers email marketing, affiliate marketing, and all kinds of other great information that sets this book apart in that regard.

All the way through, the ‘feel’ you get for Murray’s writing is what you’d get if you spoke with him for more than two minutes. Murray is a very easy-going, down-to-earth gentleman, who seems like the kind who’d patiently hold your hand and help you through the foggy parts until you understood everything he was trying to explain. The book reads that way, which is delightful, because that’s exactly who Murray is in person.

This book is actionable. It’s useful. It’s the kind of book that you’ll keep in an easy-to-reach area. If you’re the kind of person who wants to understand what’s what before diving in, Murray’s given you all you need to get started. If you buy another book to read after this one, you’re kind of stalling, and you should rethink that move. At least in the short term. Take a look at what you’ve got here and execute from this playbook for a while, okay?

Finally, because it’s not like they asked me to write Murray’s book for him, I wanted to say that picking up a book like this one is actually the start of something exciting. Get a note pad. Crack open a web browser. And get thinking about how you’re going to execute these things. Because that’s the bigger opportunity with a book like this. You can do something big with it right away.

Are you ready? Let’s let Murray do his thing.

– Chris Brogan, President & CEO, Human Business Works www.humanbusinessworks.com

Introduction

Everything You Want to Know but are Afraid to Ask about a New Kind of Marketing

A friend of mine, we’ll call him Tim, has been a marketing professional for decades. He’s been successful, consistent and innovative. A few months ago his boss called him in and said, “We need to get on top of our digital strategy. I want to revamp our website and start a blog, get some SEO going and make sure we are doing everything we can with social media and affiliate marketing.”

Tim said sure thing, tried not to sweat, and immediately went to his desk and called me.

“Murray, I don’t really know what digital strategy is, I’ve barely heard of blogs and social media and I have no idea what SEO even stands for. Help!”

We spent a lot of time talking on the phone over the next few weeks, and he put together a digital marketing strategy that worked and made his boss happy. But for everyone like Tim who has someone like me to call there are a thousand others who have nowhere to turn.

This book is for you.

It will explain the basics, teach you techniques and strategies, and connect you with the best resources out there. This book will show you how to plan, execute, manage and measure a successful online marketing campaign.

THE MARKETING WORLD

In less than ten years the entire landscape of marketing has changed. What a few years ago was a new option is quickly becoming the new way of doing things. Not making the transition could mean losing your job or your company’s place in the market.

A successful marketing professional in 1999 knew how to put together a direct mail campaign with a dynamic copywriter and targeted mailing lists, delivering a 3% conversion rate. Maybe their daughter was using an email account at college.

By 2004, that same marketer needed to turn their direct mail into an email campaign, build a landing page that converted leads and figure out a reliable way for their customers to buy something online. Facebook’s founder was still in high school.

Fast forward to now. There are over 500 million people on Facebook and over 50 million “tweets” happening every day. Online marketing has exploded, leaving many traditional marketing techniques gathering dust in the corner with carbon copy machines or in the storage room with lead paint.

Do you know how to coordinate a website, online PR and an affiliate marketing campaign to reach potential customers? Do you know how to use digital branding, SEO and social media to make sure your business is dynamic and easy to find?

If you need to start from scratch, this book will help you. If you already know some of the pieces and just want to round out your understanding of all the options out there, this book will help you.

WHAT WILL THIS BOOK TEACH?

This book is ideal to use both as an introduction that you can read straight through and as a reference to keep on your shelf and come back to when you need it. I’ll be covering all aspects of online marketing – company websites, social media, digital branding, blogging, video, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, affiliate marketing, online PR, and digital advertising.

This book will help you:

• understand the basics across the spectrum of online marketing,

• develop online marketing skills that you can use today,

• deliver scalable results,

• monitor and measure your campaign, and

• grow your business.

Here’s a preview of what’s in store.

CHAPTER 1 – SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is the darling topic of the moment that your boss tells you “you have to do.” The computer company Dell makes millions from it every year, but how can you use social media to generate traffic, leads and sales for your company? I will go into Twitter, Facebook, Google and other emerging social media tools that offer endless possibilities.

CHAPTER 2 – DIGITAL BRANDING

Companies are developing more personality-focused brands because consumers relate better to people and characters than corporate entities. At the same time, personal branding is growing in importance as a business asset. Brand reputation management is just as important as what you say on your website – maybe more.

CHAPTER 3 – COMPANY WEBSITES

With a growing proportion of business happening online, your company’s website is critical. Company websites are far more than just putting your brochure online. Your customers expect news, real-time feeds, video and newsletter subscriptions with the site as the hub of activity that extends to social media like Facebook and Twitter.

CHAPTER 4 – BLOGGING

Blogs give everyone the ability to publish, and blogging for business offers an incredible opportunity to get news out to your current and potential customers. But they also raise a number of questions. Who should write it? What should you say? How do you manage employee disclosures?

CHAPTER 5 – ONLINE PR AND BLOGGER OUTREACH

Online PR is predicted to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the online marketing industry. Social media is heavily intertwined with content creation and written content is still a very large part of this. Traditional PR skills will need to be refocused in order for new horizons to appear. Online PR is now heavily intertwined with SEO, with some SEO firms offering PR and PR firms offering SEO services.

CHAPTER 6 – VIDEO MARKETING

Video is one of the easiest ways to make a personal connection with your audience. From corporate videos to funny viral videos, YouTube’s success demonstrates the potential to reach large numbers with online video. The process of utilizing video for business can be a lot easier and a lot less expensive than you think.

CHAPTER 7 – SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Being found online by your current and future customers is vital to success. Knowing the basics is a must so that you can implement campaigns the right way and understand how to find and manage external agencies.

CHAPTER 8 – EMAIL MARKETING

Email marketing is more than just redesigning print mailers online, it is about developing a new relationship with customers. The transition from direct postal mail to email has been one that many marketers are familiar with, and the next phase in the evolution of this medium is the integration with social media campaigns. Add to that options like Facebook Connect, Twittering and Share-ability buttons to content and you can dramatically increase reach and grow email lists.

CHAPTER 9 – AFFILIATE MARKETING

Affiliate marketing used to be a specialist’s art form – now it is much more mainstream, encompassing business-to-business products and services as well as consumer needs. Preparing a company for affiliate marketing, selecting an affiliate network and recruiting affiliates can seem like a daunting task to those unfamiliar with the territory; however, the rewards can be significant.

CHAPTER 10 – DIGITAL ADVERTISING

Advertising has not gone away – it has changed. Millions of pounds are spent on pay-per-click advertising and Google very quickly introduced image banners to its advertising inventory. Ad banners now include data collection forms and additional features that make them much more effective.

WHAT YOU GET

Each chapter is structured upon similar lines and covers the following key areas.

• Introduction

• The Basics

• How to Use it in Practice

• Examples

• Advanced Uses

• What the Future Holds

• Tools and Resources

You won’t become an “expert” overnight, but (to answer a question I get a lot) no one’s an expert – yet. The rapid growth of an entirely new kind of marketing is both exciting and frightening, and everyone has a lot to learn.

This is a resource guide for the million questions you have to ask but can’t – because if you’re in marketing, you are the person that everyone you know is asking.

Keep asking questions, and start reading for the answers.

Chapter 1

Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

INTRODUCTION

Social media is about creating conversations and cultivating relationships online. As a marketer, you need to understand that it’s already mainstream, not something in the distant future. Twitter sees more than 50 million status updates every day – larger than the population of England – and Facebook has over 500 million registered profiles – that’s larger than the population of the United States. And while there is a lot to learn about social media, at its core it is just what it says it is – social. You will hear a lot of buzz terms like “Listening” or “Viral” or “Engage,” and these are all important tactics within social media marketing, but, as I said, the key thing to remember is that all social media is about communication and relationships.

So what does social media mean for marketing? Marketing in the 20th century was primarily about broadcasting a message and interrupting what people were doing to tell them your message. In the 21st century social media marketing is about engaging in relationships with your customers and making your message and brand part of their online experience.

People online are embracing brands through social media:

• 46% of Facebook users say they would talk about or recommend a product on Facebook.

• 44% of Twitter users have recommended a product.

• 25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content.

• 73% of active online users have read a blog.

• 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands.

And the number that tells the whole story of the transition from 20th century interruption-based marketing to 21st century social media relationship-based marketing?

• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations. Only 14% trust advertisements.

People are not just using social media, they trust it. Chris Brogan and Julien Smith wrote an entire book called Trust Agents about how to operate as part of that give and take, how to use the web to build influence, improve reputation and earn trust.

Where things like billboards interrupted your drive, commercials interrupted your TV show, or magazine ads interrupted the article you were reading, social media is the opposite. Instead of interrupting, social media marketing is about making your message part of the media a customer or potential customer is consuming, enjoying, or taking part in.

Social media marketing is about becoming part of the user experience for your customers, both current and potential. You are not becoming something that adorns the side of the page, you are not becoming something that will interrupt the user experience, you are not becoming something that people click away from as soon as they realize it is there. Leave that to the Internet advertising world. Social media marketing does not interrupt – it integrates.

Whenever I talk about the process, people always ask me when they start to make money out of it – where’s the ROI? How will I know if it’s working? Even though people know that social media is happening all around them, there still aren’t hard and fast rules about what “success” means. And that’s both the beauty of and the problem with social media marketing – there is no formula. The way to think about success is to figure out your goals – whether those be building account size, creating engagement, or selling products – and establish your own targets for “success.”

THE BASICS

Social media marketing is about becoming part of a community and integrating your messaging with the larger context of that community. In this chapter I will discuss how to assess, establish, utilize and monitor your company’s social media presence. Then I’ll look more specifically at how to create a presence or campaign on larger social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Steps to creating your social media presence

1. Assess your current social media presence.

2. Research potential social media networks to join.

3. Adapt your existing content to your chosen networks.

4. Strategically plan your overall social media campaign.

5. Craft your social media presence.

6. Create new content for social media.

7. Listen to your potential customers where they already are.

8. Engage with your customers.

9. Represent your product/service as part of the brand.

10. Measure your influence and tweak your approach.

1 Assess your current social media presence

Before you can figure out where you want to go with your social media marketing, you have to know where you are, so first things first: where are you? Most people I know say something like, “Well, I started a Twitter account a while back but I haven’t used it, and I don’t even remember the password,” or “I have a Facebook page but it’s been a while since I was there.” If that sounds like you, the first thing to do is stop worrying about it.

Make a list of the social media networks you are active in. And if you can dig up those old passwords through the clunky retrieval processes, it’s worth the ten minutes. Take some time to go back through the accounts and see what you posted, think about what you were trying to do, and how it felt to be on social media at all. Whether you stopped a while back, keep up with one or more accounts, or haven’t started at all, be honest with yourself about why – that is the first question to address.

2 Research potential social media networks to join

There are hundreds of different social media networks and sites that you can join. That doesn’t mean that you need to join all of them. What it means is you have a lot of choices to make.

The vast majority of the social media networks out there are geared toward niche audiences, or have become that way over time. For example, Sphinn.com is a social media network specifically for Internet marketing professionals. It’s designed for industry people to share articles, hold discussions, find events and network. If you’re looking for celebrity gossip or a new band, it’s not here. It will never be huge because it’s a niche market. But if you are looking for a way to connect with and learn from other Internet marketers, it’s ideal. The lower number of people is an advantage, rather than trying to hunt down the Internet marketers on LinkedIn or Facebook.

On the other hand, MySpace used to be the go-to personal social network. They lost that market for a variety of reasons, but they temporarily re-emerged as a destination for musicians and artists. This is where you find that new band, but not where you go to talk about search engine optimization.

Depending on who you want to reach, you’ll want to research the best social media networks for your niche. Wikipedia (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites) has a good list to start with, and Googling your niche market with + social media will give you some options as well.

That said, I do recommend establishing accounts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and keeping them updated. Setting aside time each day to check each one is ideal, but checking each one once per week is the minimum. Remember, social media is intended to be real-time, i.e. a form of simultaneous communication, and it’s social too.

3 Adapt your existing content to your chosen networks

Before you open new accounts, you need to get some content ready. While you may hear the mantra that “content is king,” it’s a little misleading. Having content ready and creating a schedule for its release is the ideal way to make sure you have something to contribute once you join the social media networks of your choosing. When you are researching those networks, get a sense of what other people are sharing. Look at your partners and competitors – how are they using social media? Links? White papers? Videos? The culture of what to share is most likely already established and will give you a good starting point for deciding what of your own content is ideal to share on other networks.

When you are deciding what to share and when, keep in mind that you can adapt some of your content. If you have a great PowerPoint about sailing and you want to share it on YouTube, consider presenting it to your company as a speech and putting it on video. Or adapting it to a few key statistics or statements on each page and adding music. You get the idea.

4 Cultivate your social media presence

Start by watching and listening to what is going on in the networks already. Spend a week or two just seeing what the culture is like and if you want to be part of the conversation. This will look different depending on the network, but making connections, engaging in interactions and promoting the content of other people in the network is an ideal place to start. Build the community first, then look at how your content fits in the mix.

Then, when you decide where to engage, I recommend starting out with a set of goals based on interacting. For example, you could set a goal of making 50 connections, having at least 10 conversations and re-sharing 10 pieces of content within the network during your first week. And while you’re at it, don’t share any of your own content.

No matter what your field, seek out current experts in the space, current customers, and current discussions or posts about your industry. What are people saying? What are the problems that they are having? What frustrations do you see?

From there, decide what problem your product or service solves and make that your role on the network. This will give you an angle for conversations, a connecting thread throughout the content you share and, eventually, a reason for people to seek you out.

Choosing something like “sailing” is much too general. You could end up sharing and talking about everything from the America’s Cup to where to find the best repair shop on the coast. To craft a social media presence, take your personal or company mission statement and adapt it to the network you are on – it will give you direction, purpose and, with time, a branded presence that people will begin to recognize.

5 Strategically plan your overall social media campaign

Yes, you can open a few social media accounts, fish around and hope for the best, but I don’t recommend it. Think about the last time you went to a networking event and thought, well, I’ll just go in and see who’s there. Did you end up hanging out at the buffet and having a drink? Forget your business cards?

Don’t let your social media experience be like that. Like any other endeavor, you want to have goals and a plan to meet them.

Start with one or two goals on a given social media network. Know what you want to do and who you want to meet, and make sure the content you create and share addresses those goals.

6 Create new content for social media

Once you have spent a week or two focusing on listening, interacting and understanding how the community works, it’s time to start creating new content that is tailored to solving problems, crafting your personal brand, or deepening the connections you’ve already started.

If you’ve found certain problems that your product or service solves, package them in a way that is easy to share and that makes sense for your network. If you have found things you like that other people are doing, tailor those techniques to your own account and approach. If you’ve made connections, figure out what would take that connection to the next step – whether that’s converting a lead, creating a business partnership, or offering advice.

Does that sound like a lot of work? It is. And just a few minutes ago you didn’t think you’d have much to say on a social networking website.

7 Listen to your potential customers where they already are

I could have put this earlier in the list, but I think it’s important to focus on this after you have started to create content. It’s an easy trap to listen at the beginning, then just start creating content and churning it out, turning your social media into a broadcast network. Remember to listen as you go – it’s how you started, and it will always be a bottomless well of ideas and direction for what you need to make and where you need to go next.

8 Engage with your customers

Some of this is listening, some of this is creating content that solves problems or converts leads, but what I mean by “engage” is to interact. When you come into contact with current or potential customers, be yourself. Be human. One of the truly amazing (and often difficult) things about social media is that it allows and sometimes compels you to interact as a person, not just as a business. Embracing that can be hard, especially for marketing departments, but it goes back to one of the core principles about social media – it’s social. Remember, you’re talking with people, not at them.