Over the holiday break I was thinking (too much) about how fragmented communication about online marketing tends to be. There are a number of key strategic elements to achieving online success - but because many of these are specialisations in their own right, its hard to find anyone who pieces it together in a coherent way.

So that's what I've set out to do.  In fact, I'm in the process of restructuring the Cat and Moose website so potential clients can make more sense of what we do, what they need, and how we can help.

It's all about my newly conceived "5 Fundamentals of Online Success".   Conceptually, each fundamental is a piece of the puzzle.  Some you may do well currently.  Others may be either completely missing from your online approach.  While others just need a bit more effort.  But they all work together to help you be successful online.

So, here we go.

The first piece of the puzzle is to have a website - this isn't exactly a blinding flash of brilliance.  But what we're talking about here is a website, or internet presence, which has a clear marketing purpose. The content, copy, design and functionality, all need to conspire to a marketing goal.   For example, if your primary objective it to generate quality leads for your sales people then the website needs to be designed around this goal. 

The second fundamental, is to drive traffic to your website.  A website without visitors isn't going to achieve anything.  There are a number of strategies to drive traffic to your website.  For example, some businesses only use traditional media such as TV and radio to drive customers to directly to their web address.  But more often a better strategy is to leverage search engines to get visitors to your website.  This falls into the field of Search Engine Optimisation or Search Engine Marketing.

The third fundamental is to turn clicks into customers.  This is about ensuring your website actually converts a proportion of your visitors into customers, or at least identify themselves as potential customers.  This is achieved through good webdesign, compelling content and a clear call to action.

The fourth fundamental is to communicate and relate to your newly aquired customers or prospects.  You can do this is any number of ways - email marketing, newsletters, blogging, tweeting etc.  It's about staying top of mind, and building a relationship and giving something back.

The final fundamental to measure and refine. What you can measure you can manage.  You need to ensure you have the tools in place to measure what's happening on your website and beyond.  You need to be able to diagnose which of the previous fundamentals is going right and which are going wrong - so you can constantly tweak and try new things.

Hopefully, some will find that this explanation brings the concepts together.  These certainly aren't new principles - they can be applied to traditional marketing methods too. 

Stay tuned for our restructured website in coming weeks.  www.catandmoose.com.au

Jane Davies
Director
Cat and Moose Marketing Solutions

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