To help get the New Year off to a great start, we wanted to share with you some internet marketing ideas that are critical success factors to make a huge difference in your internet marketing program. Each was re-defined, learned or confirmed by Xzito in 2012.

1. Not getting enough leads? Are you not optimizing for the right keywords?

Through online research, you should know that buyers get 50-60% through the buying process before they contact a short list of sellers. They’re using keywords they hope will bring them to the websites of companies that offer what they’re looking for. Are you optimizing for these keywords? If you are running a Pay-per-click campaign, optimize your website with the keywords that are bringing you the most leads. You can also check your website analytics and determine which keywords are bringing you the most clicks. If you are just starting, use keywords with high research volume and medium to low competition.

“What is the value of ranking organically and not getting any visits or savings from this traffic?” – Jeshua Zapata, President and CEO, Xzito Creative Solutions.

2. Companies are ready to sell, but what about nurturing those who are not ready to buy?

Organizations that nurture relationships via online marketing will convert many more visitors into qualified prospects over the course of 2013. You can have great top to middle Calls-to-Actions (CTAs) through your site and visitors are actually converting into leads, but what if these leads are not ready to buy? “Most organizations are ready to sell, but a few are ready to nurture and build a relationship,” mentions Jeshua Zapata, Co-founder and President at Xzito. “If your follow up process is not effective, then what's the point of obtaining these leads?,” asks Jairo Gomez, Co-founder and Design Director at Xzito. Following up is just as important as ensuring you have CTAs throughout your site. Create and schedule a sequence of automated emails for ALL your CTAs. Once they complete the cycle, contact your leads and start building and continue nurturing that relationship.

“You can have great CTAs and leads contacting you via your website, but if your follow up process is not effective then what's the point? The follow up is just as important.” - Jairo Gomez, Co-founder and Design Director, Xzito Creative Solutions

3. Are you listening to your performance metrics?

Inevitably, some strategies and initiatives won’t deliver the results you want. What matters is how quickly and accurately you detect these shortfalls in your offers, content, solutions, and calls to action, and how promptly you make corrections based on the data obtained through your metrics. Gut feel often makes suspected problems worse by causing you to react too soon or to move in a wrong direction. Analytics are the key to the detection of threats and opportunities.

“With internet marketing, there will be strategies that do not bring the results desired. It is important to analyze what went wrong and quickly take the steps that are necessary to improve results.” Cristina Zapata, Internet Marketing Director, Xzito Creative Solutions.

4. Is your message breaking through the competitive noise?

Customers and prospects are exhausted by the sheer volume of me-too research, blogs, emails, tweets and phone calls they’re subjected to every day. Even the good stuff is ignored because there’s simply no time to absorb it all. “Tell me something new,” decision makers ask.

Big idea content lets your emails, Blogs, Tweets, and Facebook posts break through the competitive noise of those vying for your customers’ attention. Big idea content is not re-writing the same thing your industry is saying, Big idea content is presenting your message in innovative ways and in a language everyone can understand. Like they say, “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is a duck”

Big ideas can go viral within social communities, resulting in word of mouth testimonials and trusted referrals that motivate prospects to act. Does your content make people stop and think? Do prospects and influencers believe it’s worth building a social community around?

“We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” Craig Davis, Chief Creative Officer, J Walter Thompson

5. Build your customers’ brand and win more customers

Most companies operate on the assumption that a brand is the promise they keep about what customers can expect. That’s true, but there’s an aspect to branding that’s consistently overlooked. To build your brand, brand your customer! When Marlboro branded its customers (The Marlboro Man), Marlboro became the most successful cigarette in history. Define “What kind of customer should buy from you.” Tell them that’s the kind of customer you’re searching for. Build an emotional bond with them via content, calls to action, and big ideas delivered online and offline.

“Good companies respond to change. Great companies create change.” Dr. Robert Kriegel

6. 2014 is just around the corner.

Time flies. January 2012 seems like a day or two ago. January 2014 is just around the corner. To get the most from your online marketing program, test every initiative and expenditure with the question “How well does this accomplish our objectives?” Reserve a sense of great urgency only for the initiatives that score most highly.

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year.” John Foster Dulles

or

Let us know your feedback, questions, or concerns in the comments below!