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How to improve your online presence INTERNET MARKETING


Raising the profile of your footwear business is essential, not only for retaining regular shoppers, but also drawing customers away from competitors. Steve Barnes, CEO of the leading online search specialists, Infoserve, gives you a beginner’s guide to online marketing.


Finding a footwear retailer in the internet haystack As more and more people turn to searching the internet, it’s definitely worth asking where your business would feature on any search. If you’re not easily found, the chances are your competitors around the corner will be and you could be losing out. For those who get lost in all the internet jargon, increasing your online


presence may seem a hopeless task. The trick is to understand how people search before thinking of the best ways to get noticed online.


How people search for your business A staggering 86% of us search for local services, such as a footwear retailer, in a certain town or city. This means a potential customer looking for a “shoes” in “Salisbury” presents a priceless opportunity for you if you’ve tailored your marketing to this product and locality. Armed with an understanding of how people search, the next step is to


consider how best to promote yourself. Below are four key approaches which take full advantage of the growth of online local search.


Getting noticed online 1. How does your business rate on online directories? With paper directories and phonebooks becoming a thing of the past, potential clients are turning to online directories which rank well in searches. The best results can be found by registering on different types of directories – those that are locally focused as well as industry specific ones. Local directories, such as www.cityvisitor.co.uk, list businesses in a certain


geographical area and often have the added advantage of often being found on the first pages of search engines. More industry specific directories focus on a certain sector, such as


www.fashionsomewhere.co.uk. Offering more of a guide, many also include particular reviews or specialist products. It’s surprising how many businesses fail to take advantage of free directory


listings, so it’s worth shopping around and seeing what may work best for you and your local area. 2. Why is it so important to have a website? A website is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising and can really set you apart from the competition. From special promotions to the latest footwear advice, opening times to directions, you can publicise everything your business has to offer. They also mean that you are never actually closed - anybody can find out


what they need to know 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can set up your own website – there are lots of online guides - but there


are plenty of companies like us who can build, and help improve, your website for you from as little as a few hundred pounds for the whole thing, including design and copywriting. 3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) In a nutshell, Search Engine Optimization means modifying the content of your website to feature relevant, specific search terms. When someone then searches for a particular term, the internet is scanned for relevant content and your website will be indexed in the search engine results. Although it’s a simplistic view, the more tailored the content of your website


to specific search terms, the higher you naturally rank in the search engine results meaning it’s a good long-term strategy for increasing your online presence.


36 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2010 Once you have the basic SEO measures in place, there are many other tricks


of the trade to boost your position but it’s worth remembering that with SEO, there are no quick fixes and appearing in the top results in a Google or Yahoo! search takes time and patience, and will be a never ending task. Learning to describe your business using the words that potential customers


are likely to use is a good starting point, so if you wanted the highest possible search engine position when customers looked for “Skechers” in “Southampton”, you would need to tailor your website to these key words. 4. Search Engine Advertising and Pay Per Click campaigns Search Engine Advertising enables you to appear next to results when someone searches for specific search terms. One of the most well-known types is “Pay Per Click” (PPC) advertising, where you only pay when a visitor clicks on your ad and is directed to your website. PPC can produce instant results which can be measured, making it one of


the most popular choices around and a well controlled campaign can see a good return on investment. Costs vary depending on the popularity of the specific search terms but you have tight control of your budget, ensuring you only spend what you can afford. Again, you can run these campaigns yourself, or, as most businesses do, get


a Google AdWords Reseller to do all the work for you. They can design and run your campaign, updating and modifying your search terms on a regular basis to ensure you get value from every click.


Worth considering? If you’re a beginner, you may not have even considered an online marketing plan, but with more people going on line to search for and compare brands and prices, the competition is wide open. Even if you have thought about it, it can be difficult to know where to start. The industry is swamped with companies who offer to run your online


marketing campaigns for you – such as ourselves - and it really is worth getting some advice on how best to increase your online presence. The bottom line is that structured online marketing can really help raise your businesses’ profile. If you need any further help or advice our team of experts are on hand at Infoserve to answer your questions on Freefone 0800 089 0869


CASE HISTORY


Steps Shoes, an independent shoe retailer in Liverpool, has recently started an online marketing campaign to help drive business and sales. Setting up www.upsteps.com less than a year ago, they also secured the top slot on the search engine, Yahoo!Local, so that people searching for either “shoe shops in Liverpool” or “shoe shops in Merseyside” see them straight away.


“Having a website and advertising online has really helped. It gets our


name out there so we are recognised whenever people are looking online. The website is invaluable, as our customers can buy directly from the site or know what to expect in store, and we can put on any of our latest promotions. It’s definitely something I would recommend.”


Mr Shah, Steps Shoe Retailer


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