Learn on line with Dr. Ecommerce

Learn on-line
Marketing 1: acquiring customers

Okay. You've got a great product, the best web site in the world and a team to manage orders. People should just come rolling in, no?

No. In 1995, this might have worked. Today it probably won't. There are millions of web sites out there. Hundreds of thousands of them are selling products and all desperately want customers.

But never fear. There a number of ways of bringing customers to your web site.

Search engines

If someone wants to buy Belgian waffle mix (just as an example) on the web, and they've not bought it before, the first place they will probably look is their favourite search engine. Hence, if your web site can achieve a high ranking (ie. appear on the first page or two of results) on popular search engines for relevant key words - you can expect a steady stream of traffic.

It's easier to get a high ranking on a search engine if you a selling a niche product (like Belgian waffle mix) than if you are selling something commonplace (like software or books) simply because there will be fewer companies vying for top position.

Getting high rankings on a search engine is something of a science and it is probably worth contacting a search engine optimisation specialist for the best results. Avoid at all costs any specialist who sends you unsolicited e-mail (also known as "spam"). Any search engine optimisation specialist who has to resort to spam to get business can't be very good. If your budget is tight, visit the popular search engines and register your site; ensure your web designer uses meta tags with appropriate key words and ensure you use key words relevant to your business throughout your site.

Advertise

Thanks to the dot-com slow down, there is a lot of advertising space on the Internet going very cheaply and you can get some real bargains these days. In addition to web sites, also consider advertising in e-mail based electronic newsletters and discussion forums. Such e-publications often develop a devoted following who are willing to visit an advertiser's site to help support the newsletter or forum.

In addition, consider advertising in publications, radio, TV, billboards and other media relevant to your product.

Press Releases

Newspapers, TV news and/or the web based news writing about your business can bring prestige and visitors. The best way to get press coverage is to write the articles yourself and send them to relevant media as press releases. Find something newsworthy about your on-line business. Perhaps it is the first such business in your region. Perhaps you have bought a competitor out. Perhaps you have received venture funding. Whatever. Write an article about it in the style of a newspaper piece. Ring the media to whom you'd like to submit the article and ask them about procedures for submission. Then submit away.

Forums

If you participate in relevant discussion forums or other on-line communities, be active and ensure your e-mail signature (the lines at the end of your e-mail) includes a slogan and the URL for your on-line shop. If people see you are saying intelligent things on line, they'll almost certainly check out your web site.

Etc.

Don't forget to include your URL on your name card, in your e-mail signature card, on flyers and anything else that might come before the public eye. Got a cool car? Then plaster your URL across it.

Finally, no matter how good you are at getting people to your web site, you need to be sure they stick around when they get there and visit again and again. See the next article for tips on making your e-shop sticky.