The Three Faces of Internet Marketing

Looking at promoting a website as consisting of three separate areas can help toward simplifying things, and can give a clearer picture of what needs to be done with any particular site.

This is the basic framework of a simple concept, the first in a series that will discover and examine each of the individual facets in more detail.

1. Getting visitors to the site - generating traffic

This can involve either online or off-line marketing efforts - and sometimes includes both. Often, efforts to promote a site are confined to online marketing methods and activities exclusively, but for some sites both off-line and online marketing efforts can be involved and prove effective.

2. Converting visitors once they get to the site

Generally, and possibly most often, converting visitors means conversion to sales; but that isn't always the case. Conversion can be defined as whatever constitutes getting a desired response on the part of site visitors. Aside from sales generated, it can mean getting sign-ups for an opt-in mailing list, generating memberships, acquiring information from visitors that are leads to be followed up on, as in the case of products or services that need further information, or are generally done by telephone contact.

3. Encouraging and drawing return visits

The success of some sites depends on getting and increasing the amount of return traffic, and there are many things that can be done to encourage visitors to come back again, if that's the case.

Knowing what specific goals and objectives are can do a lot to help clarify the best marketing path for any particular site, and can serve as a guide in putting together and implementing a plan that will help along with ultimately getting the desired results.