Putting your Web site to work for your business

By now, most agents acknowledge that they must have a Web site to grow their businesses. The launch of a professional, well-designed site is only the first step. The logical next step is to utilize proven online marketing techniques to make it more visible to major search engines and, by extension, to your target markets.

One of the most popular online marketing approaches is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) keyword advertising. PPC ads are sold by major search engines and guarantee that your listing will appear in a special area of the page in response to specified user searches. Research shows that targeted copy and approaches translate to higher conversion rates, giving sponsored searches click-through rates that are nearly five times those of free searches. Another cost-effective approach is Local Search, available from vendors such as Google Local and Yahoo! Local, which enables you to focus your marketing campaigns on targeted geographical areas.

The Internet is unrivaled in providing an effective, low-cost way to reach prospective clients, enhance visibility and produce a significant ROI. Online marketing initiatives have significant advantages over traditional forms of marketing:

• Flexibility. One of the major advantages of online marketing is that it enables you to quickly and cost-effectively test and monitor a variety of approaches — e.g., creative, offer, landing pages, et al. You can then quickly abandon poorly performing approaches and concentrate your resources where they produce the best results.
• Focus. Online marketing and prospecting programs utilize geographic, demographic and contextual targeting tools that enable you to direct customized messages to carefully defined target audiences.
• Transparency. You actually see what a user does on your site — e.g., what links they follow and what pages make them stop and take the time to read the copy. You can identify those approaches that fulfill your success criteria and provide the best return on your marketing investment.
• Cost Control. You have complete control over the amount you spend on online marketing during any given period.

This article is adapted from The Professional's Guide to Financial Services Marketing: Bite-Sized Insights for Creating Effective Approaches (Wiley Publishing), by Jay Nagdeman. For more information, visit www.SuasionResources.com.