Marketing intelligence
MJB Data has many years experience with search engines, email, affiliates and planning and buying online media.
Search engines
Currently, although email is probably the most used online communication, search engines are more strongly associated with driving traffic to websites, and for good reason. Search engine usage is massive with well over 400 million searches performed every day, and is uniquely self-qualifying through the keywords used by searchers.
However, anyone sad enough to regularly cast an eye over the top 500 or so search terms* can quickly learn that huge chunks of the search market are driven entirely by off-line media activity, and contrary to what some new-media pimps might tell you, the best way to drive traffic to websites is traditional media exposure. Of course, it's important that your site ranks well for relevant search terms, but rather than stimulating search activity, search engine optimisation and keyword buying are ways of tapping into search activity that happens to already be out there.
Unfortunately, email marketing is almost synonymous with spam. Spam is common in all forms of online marketing , but email spam is more invasive and irritating. It's relatively easy these days to block unwanted pop-ups, and although filtering can help manage and control unwanted email, there seems to be no way of stemming the flow once your email address has been targeted.
The strong association between email and spam, (and viruses), is unfortunate mainly because email can be an exceptionally effective marketing communications tool, for website owners and visitors. Where a website features an ever-changing inventory, as is the case with estate agents and recruitment consultants, visitors can benefit from being able to opt to have specifically relevant information sent by email, at the moment it becomes available, rather than having to repeatedly visit a website and perform a search.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing programmes can be a double-edged sword. On one hand they they can rapidly generate online sales on a cost-per-sale basis, which can be useful, particularly if your website isn't performing well in search engines itself. On the other had, it can encourage a mass-spawning of web content in direct competition to your own. The key to effective affiliate marketing is not allowing affiliate websites to directly compete for your brand name, and to closely monitor activity to make sure affiliates don't damage your brand or misrepresent you.
Media buying: banners, buttons and skyscrapers
Placing ads on websites is pretty much the same as placing adds in print and broadcast media. Online audience measurement can be a contentious issue as it's easier to exaggerate a website's usage. However, compared with off-line, online ad placement is very low-cost, and its success or otherwise can be much more easily assessed.
* The top 500 search terms referred to are supplied by Wordtracker