http://www.webplanet.com/otherresources/browse/6/cypruswebdesign.html Search: E-marketing Analysis Everything you need to know about building websites and Internet marketing As the Internet continues to grow in all directions, E-marketing is evolving into a major source of revenue. In this report, worldwide industry experts reveal some secrets to making your E-products stand out from the rest and yield a greater return. As more and more companies and consumers become Internet savvy, E-marketing is fast becoming a fundamental principal to all organisations. "Any company which does not have an E-marketing side to their business development is missing out on major opportunities," stated creative content & marketing director, MyCyprusWeb, Michael Komo. "This is particularly true for small and medium sized businesses that have relatively smaller marketing budgets available, compared to larger companies. The Internet is the perfect tool for you," added Komo. According to Komo, the cost effective and highly-targeted nature of E-marketing, together with the ability to monitor the results quickly and accurately, means that E-marketing campaigns can be perfected, in real time to produce the best possible results and return on investment. "Online competition is fierce these days, so it's important to stay ahead and do that little bit extra. That's what we do here at MyCyprusWeb. We only deal with one client at a time, and make sure we research their industry well, their market, their prospects, and their product. We then develop a website that not only looks and reads well, but has a marketing concept behind it, and a marketing analysis after it. And this isn't just for companies, but also for non-profit organisations" continued Komo. "It is also always a good idea to periodically make a reservation or use the functions on your website to view the entire procedure and how it functions. Is it user-friendly and efficient? The last thing you want to do is complicate the user-process and lose a potential customer," added IT and programming manager, MyCyprusWeb, Harry Papadopoulos. "That's another thing that we do - testing. Although it is a long process, it is one of the most important aspects to programming a site. We have to make sure everything is working properly," explained Papadopoulos. How to use E-marketing for greater success After talking to some travel E-marketing professionals, we have uncovered some key points to keep in mind, which will help boost your presence online. For instance, just making your website or e-news letter look attractive is not enough. Your content must also be informative, enticing and actually persuade the viewer to act on your advice. The online sequence should be as follows: attracting; persuading; converting; and retaining more customers – basically, converting lookers into bookers. But whilst we delve into the concept of E-marketing, and how to use it to your advantage, it is important to remember that without other collateral, such as print, television or radio advertising, it can often be difficult for the consumer or other businesses to find your specific URL address. So then, what are the top Internet marketing strategies that should be adopted to increase sales and profits? Top tips • Focus on content • Keep material simple, easy to read and understand • Make sure your site is functional, with regular checks and updates • Include links to and from authority sites and travel directories • Earn top search engine ranking • Utilise Pay Per Click advertising • E-mail newsletters with helpful tips and information • Frequent press releases and maintain communication with media • Gather opts in e-mail address and names from web visitors; analyse trends Content is King "Effective E-marketing, using technology and the Internet for exposure, can be very rewarding. This is because E-marketing can be highly-targeted, very trackable, low-cost and super fast to implement – if done properly. If not done properly, you will lose money, waste time and this too can happen painfully fast," warned director, Adventure Business Consultants and travel E-Marketing specialist, Tim Warren. "For years, many companies have been content with simply knowing how many people visit their website. However, the important question is how many visitors is your site converting into reservations? Optimising the design of your website is the first step to better booking efficiency and more sold room nights," he added. According to Warren, it is important to understand how a sales message is being delivered, and that a site's content will determine the results. "Creating a relationship with the written word is most challenging online, as you may only have seconds to compel people to want to read, listen and learn more. What your material says, and how it says it, is the most important part of your site or e-news letter. Content is king," he said. "Content consists of how well your site's key words/phrases are incorporated into the text on each page of your site; how well your images are melded within each page; how well the primary sales principles of location, facilities, and activities are described on your site. "Converting your site from an ineffective one to a productive site simply requires a modest investment in the form of a website analysis. This analysis provides a map of the website elements which need to be added, changed, or improved. This map provides guidelines to enable your web master to improve your site with a guaranteed return on your investment." Warren went on to explain how Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising can be one of the most effective avenues for promoting your website: "If you wisely use some simple but little known secrets I recently learned about Google AdWords, you can increase your productivity. Google will actually reward you by lowering your Cost Per Click (CPC) and increase your position on the page. PPC allows you to target and only pay for those prospects who are looking for what you're selling," he said. "If you are not currently doing some sort of short written or verbal survey with your guests, you are missing one of the most important sources of profitable information available. "Your clients will appreciate you cared enough to ask, and will also tell you some golden nuggets to improve service and fix problems. And if you are doing an excellent job and you ask, your best clients will give you written and audio testimonials too," added Warren. Exposing your Website "Having a web site, and not promoting it, is like buying a flashy new car and leaving it in your garage; great website, but few people will ever see it," stated Internet & E-marketing for hotels consultant, Hotel Marketing Coach, Neil Salerno. "Some people still think that simply having a website is enough to drive new business; wrong. The biggest problem with thinking like this is that a website needs to be found in order to be used by its visitors; and it needs to be structured to sell your hotel to get reservations." According to Salerno, a hotel website's visibility is largely dependent upon its generic search capabilities; its ability to be found by search engines. But first, a website needs to be compatible with search engine guidelines. "Senseless flash elements, poor navigation schemes, lack of properly researched search tags and poorly constructed text all contribute to poor search results," he said. "To be certain that your site is search and sales ready, get a comprehensive website analysis. Your site will be analysed, page-by-page, for compatibility to search engine requirements, its navigation elements, sales text structure, and many other necessary web components," advised Salerno. "The fact is that your website should be far more than simply an online brochure; it's your online selling piece which enables visitors to make real-time online reservations. This makes it critical that your site has good selling text with all the necessary who, what, why, when, and where information; capped-off with a call-to-action…to make a reservation. "Designing a website is like sculpting an elephant out of stone; merely chip-away everything that doesn't look like an elephant. With a hotel website, chip away everything that doesn't lead the user to make a reservation," added Salerno. Encouraging interaction E-marketing shares the same fundamental concepts with the traditional marketing mix of the four Ps: product, place, price and promotion. In this day and age, it is also vital, as with all business and the four Ps, to incorporate some sort of online presence. The Internet is a true multimedia medium, with many other positives. You can combine text, pictures, moving images and flash, audio and video, along with almost anything else you want. Most importantly, it is interactive and functional. You can persuade visitors to act on something NOW, send comments or feedback, make a request or a booking, or purchase a product. E-marketing enjoys a unique set of characteristics that helps it to dominate business marketing nowadays. These include its round-the-clock availability; reach, as there are no geographical barriers online; speed; flexibility; targeting potential; it is dynamic, track-able and cost-effective. "The Internet is also literally everywhere nowadays. It is at home and at the office, at the local café and at the airport, on the plane, in the car and ion the park. With wireless growing so rapidly, it really is literally everywhere," continued Papadopoulos. "No doubt the internet has totally changed every industry and how business is conducted these days. E-marketing has tremendously changed the consumer research process, interaction and functionality. It has certainly enriched both consumer and business practices and developed a true global market," concluded Komo. For further enquires contact: E: info@mycyprusweb.com W: www.MyCyprusWeb.com P: +357 99 012801 F: +357 22 102267