Opportunities in Internet marketing exploded and have set an innovative path. Social networking created the biggest noise amidst a cacophony of new products vying for attention. The five biggest attention getters in the internet marketing arsenal emphasize the importance of search engine optimization and interconnectedness in formulating your Internet marketing plan. If there’s a keyword that will describe successful Internet marketing efforts, it’s collaboration.
- Facebook is still growing at the unbelievable rate of more than half a million users a day. Facebook now reports more than 500 million active users and millions more “friends” who regularly access Facebook sites. Widgets in the Facebook sidebar herald the Internet’s next big trend: open social networking. Facebook widgets and Google’s Friend Connect allow friends to stay connected while visiting other websites and blogs. Enabling visitors to communicate with each other while visiting your website will position you to take full advantage of open social networking and its customer referral potential.
- iPhone is transforming the way we communicate. Communication experts at last fall’s Web 2.0 Summit predicted that the iPhone will be the most popular phone in the U.S. and that more people will access the Internet via their phones than with computers. Quickly multiplying iPhone apps already allow users to search the Internet, access GPS directions, ID and download music, play games, read books, play an instrument, snap a picture, send live video, and much, much more.
- Twitter marries the immediacy of cell phone technology with the power of the Internet. Twitter allows you to post short-burst alerts to customers. Use Twitter to provide immediate answers to customers’ questions, direct them to useful site pages or offsite info sources, and alert them to special offers.
- Podcasts have many of the same advantages as face-to-face communication, allowing you to connect to and interact with customers on a direct personal level. Podcasts allow you to show your products in action, provide valuable training seminars in product use, sponsor vibrant interactive sessions between customers and staff specialists, and introduce customers to innovative new products and services.
- Blogging allows you to develop a rapport with potential customers. Linking to other blogs and websites also creates important search engine links that can significantly boost your rankings. Blogs are a proven method of maintaining a connection with established customers and attracting new customers. An informative, interesting and well-written blog will keep people coming back to see what’s new.
