The Importance of Online Marketing

Beacon Marketing offers online marketing services tailored to the size, location, and type of your business. Just because you build a great looking website does not mean they will come. Marketing is a critical piece to your success so we start by working closely with our clients to develop an organized online marketing plan.  The client’s online plan includes developing strategies and action plans that will help them reach their marketing goals.  Our Web Promotions include traffic reports to measure results which we review with the clients throughout the campaign.  We strive to assist clients with the best ROI (Return on Investment) possible.

Online Marketing Services

Search Engine Submission & Optimization (SEO)

Beacon Marketing will submit your site to the top search engines including:

Search Engine Optimization: Beacon Marketing will optimize all of your pages with appropriate Meta Tags. Beacon will also create a Google SiteMap, and applicable Keyword Anchor Tags on each page. This service requires access to your site at your current hosting service via username and password.
Critical Step – Results within 1-2 months $300

Online Marketing – Local Listings:
Beacon Marketing will list your site on all the following local listing and directory sites: Google Maps, Yahoo Local, YellowBook.com, YellowPages.com, SuperPages.com, InfoUSA.com, Localeze.com, TrueLocal, MSNlive and Yelp. Once registered, your local listings will help generate traffic to your site within a few weeks. Some sites may require an annual renewal, but generally this is a one-time listing fee.
Very Important – Immediate Results $300

Web Advertising – Google Pay Per Click (PPC) Campaign:
Beacon will create (3) unique keyword PPC ads based on client’s product/service offering, location & preferences. Campaign minimum is $100 per month for (3) months, but after seeing initial results within first 30 days, client can opt to spend more to generate larger impact. Beacon will retain 20% of all PPC campaigns to pay for ongoing analysis and support. Clients will receive monthly Analytics Report.
Very Effective – Immediate Results $300 Setup$100/mo x 3 Total= $600

Organic Results via Link Building:
Beacon will spend 5 hours submitting online reviews and comments into related forums or blogs and will strive to get numerous links to your site from other sites. A links report will be provided (traffic from new links can be tracked if site is hosted by Beacon). Organic Search Results are the hardest to achieve and usually require ongoing efforts, but have the best long-term impact.
Very Effective – Results within 1-3 months $300

Online Press Release
Beacon Marketing will distribute one press release on client’s behalf using premier PR service. Press release will be distributed to many national and regional media outlets include Google News & Google Search, Yahoo News, Ask.com, eMediaWire, PRWeb, Topix News, and Pheedo Network.
Very Effective – Results 1-2 weeks $400

Product Listing via Google Product Search
Beacon will submit your products to Google Product Search (formerly known as Froogle). This price comparison service displays your products nationally. You must present a list of your products to Beacon Marketing in spreadsheet format including item name, description and price. Pictures should be provided as well. When visitors click on your products, it directs them to your product page. This is a one time listing fee and your products will remain listed for at least one year.
Very Effective – Results 1-2 weeks $300

Online Marketing Classifieds Listing Service
Beacon Marketing will submit your service or products to several free classified listing sites such as Craig’s List, US Free Ads, and Domestic Sale on a weekly basis, for four weeks. Your ads will be keyword and geo-specific to your metro area. The ads serve as landing pages with a strong call to action, since many times these ads can outrank your site in search results.
Very Effective – Results 1-4 Weeks $250

Web Affiliate Marketing Package – Stand Alone
Affiliate Marketing Systems are advanced referral systems that pay affiliates for sending business to merchant web sites. Businesses must have an Ecommerce site with Beacon Marketing prior to launching this service. As part of this stand alone package, Beacon Marketing will create the following components:

  • an online registration page and form for affiliates to join,
    a tracking system using cookies to track traffic & purchases from affiliates,
    a system to determine the amount each affiliate has earned,
    an online account page for both merchants and affiliates.
    creation of up to 15 ads, including text, banner & display.
  • Beacon Marketing will begin by integrating your current ecommerce system with the affiliate marketing program. That includes creating a new link on the navigation bar for affiliates to sign up and check their account. Beacon Marketing will then submit a Marketing Collateral Questionnaire to you, which requests your affiliate marketing preferences and ad verbiage. From there Beacon Marketing will create the ads and test the system. Beacon Marketing will then walk you through the process of monitoring as an administrator. It is important to have a campaign prepared to recruit affiliates prior to launching this service. Only for companies with effective web site.
    Results Vary Based on Complimenting Campaign $700

    Affiliate Marketing Package – Commission Junction
    Commission Junction is the largest Affiliate Marketing Network in the US and the world. The advantage of joining an Affiliate Network versus a stand alone affiliate package is affiliate recruiting. By joining Commission Junction you are very likely to generate hundreds if not thousands of affiliates selling your products within the first two months of singing up. Affiliate Networks also reduce the administrative burden of signing up each merchant and paying commission. Only for companies with effective e-commerce web site. Tremendous Results within 2 months. $4,000 + 13% of each transaction

    Small Businesses Look to E-Mail and Social Media

    Three-quarters of small businesses will increase their spending on e-mail marketing in 2010, while nearly seven in 10 will put more dollars toward social media, according to VerticalResponse data.

    Almost all businesses with 500 or fewer employees will use e-mail marketing next year—just 3.8% said they would not. On the opposite side of the spectrum, more than 70% would not use TV or radio advertising.

    Amid the popularity of e-mail and social media marketing, fewer small businesses told VerticalResponse they were dialing up their search efforts, and more than one-half would do no banner advertising in 2010.

    read more

    Internet Search Engine Traffic Data

    Data from ComScore, for March 2009, has Google at 63.7 percent of all Internet searches conducted in the United States. Yahoo is a distant second at 20.5 percent, with Microsoft at 8.3 percent, the Ask Network at 3.8 percent and AOL at 3.7 percent.

    Google is in no danger. The research firm Hitwise submitted search engine traffic data for April that suggests Google’s lead in the market continues to widen. According to Hitwise, nearly 73 percent of all online searches in the U.S. in April were through Google. Yahoo clocked in for April at 16.27 percent, Microsoft’s MSN Search claimed 5.68 percent and Ask.com claimed 3.95 percent.

    US Search Ad Spending % Change

    For anyone listening to all the doom and gloom pundits out there, it important to note that online marketing, specifically search engine advertising, is still growing and proving to be very successful. In the article linked below, you will see there was 21.4% growth in 2008 and 15% growth expected in 2009, despite the economic recession. This growth is a result of companies all across the US understanding the value of online marketing, some spending over $200,000 in search ads per month.

    US Search Advertising Spending Growth, 2007-2013 (% change)

    US Search Advertising Spending Growth, 2007-2013 (% change)

    While US search advertising is still expected to grow 14.9% in 2009 to $12.3 billion, that rate is down from 21.4% in 2008, according to eMarketer. For 2010 through 2013, search ad spending growth estimates are choppy.

    via US Search Ad Spending Falters? – eMarketer.

    Online Marketing Map

    For anyone who missed our Online Marketing presentation/seminar at the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce in September 2008, or anyone who needs help with their marketing strategy, here is some important information about online marketing from Beacon Marketing. To view the full presentation click link at bottom of post.

    • A 1993 report by Coopers & Lybrand and Business Science International concluded that “Businesses that maintain aggressive marketing programs during a recession outperform companies that rely more on cost cutting measures. A strong marketing program enables a firm to solidify its customer base, take business away from less aggressive competitors, and positions itself for future growth during the recovery.” Many additional research studies support that claim and we recommend you do the same.
    • Despite the down economy and looming recession, online marketing is growing. US Internet advertising revenues for the first half of 2008 were $11.5 billion, reaching another half -year record that represents a 15.2 % increase over the first half of 2007, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
    • So what is online marketing? There are numerous options which can make it confusing but most of them fall within the following groups: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Email marketing, Affiliate and Link programs, Display Ads and Rich Media and Comparison Shopping. If you are still confused read our presentation at http://beaconmarketing.biz/map.
    • There are many advantages to online marketing since it is often inexpensive, very effective in generating leads and sales, and can be tracked to determine ROI. There are also free options such as emailing clients, posting messages onto forums and blogs, and getting listed in free directories.
    • Online Marketing is also very useful for small local businesses since you can geo-target your ads. For example, we’ve launched successful online Pay Per Click campaigns for a private chef, several types of contractors, a preschool, and a chiropractor.
    • Despite the myriad of options, the first step of any online marketing campaign is a good web site. It must be easy to navigate, visually appealing, with a clear call to action (usually to order something or to make an appointment). But to dispel a online myth, “if you build it they will not come”. You must drive traffic to your site. You can choose from several options based on your budget and time.
    • So don’t let the down economy get you down; beat the odds by going online.
    • You can download the PPT presentation here or at:  Online Marketing Map Presentation