A web of intrigue! Internet marketing must surely be one of the most mysterious processes in life. A linear view of site development and marketing might suggest Step A precedes Step B which precedes Step C and so on, to a successful business. Ri-i-i-i-i-i-ght! What planet was I on?
Step A seemed simple enough. Build a purposeful website. Mission accomplished. I achieved a beautifully presented, linked site with consistent style attributes. None of the more sophisticated scripting or dynamic features, but fully functional nonetheless. The shopping basket integrated flawlessly with the PayPal credit card transaction process. (Thank you to my wife who was my first paying customer!) However, my pride and joy sat invisible and unvisited for weeks.
Step B was a wild flurry of URL submissions to anyone and anyplace that looked remotely promising. I did hours of research on search engines and their market share, making sure that I submitted to the bigger players and niche engines alike. The cloak of invisibility continued.
Step C was the discovery of the “Meta Tag Keywords function”. This was a tad more exciting. My pages now sport 30 + relevant words with which a potential customer might search the web. As I write this article, a specific combination of keywords, “Resumes Curriculum Vitaes” ensure my site appears on several search engines. Currently these words make my site Number 1 on MSN! I have visitors to my site. Much joy and celebration all round! Sadly, my visitors are hanging onto their purses and wallets with a grip that would do a Boa Constrictor proud.
Articles from a variety of sources, including AddMe.com, highlighted that my marketing activities needed to be diverse. I immediately implemented newspaper advertising, free online classified advertising, pamphlet distribution across suburban letterboxes, letters to Human Resources professionals in a range of companies inviting submission of job-seeking related articles and e-mails to schools within my state. More visitors. More joy and celebration. NO MONEY!
The horrible realisation dawned that I might have to spend more on marketing the site and the products. With smelling salts and Cardiac Paddles in hand, I met with the marketing guru at the local radio station. What a wonderfully helpful individual she was (thank you Karen, SAFM 107.1). Although my budget was not in the required league, Karen spent some time talking strategies and options.
Karen observed that “as a businessman, you want your product to be as universally acceptable as possible, but as a marketer you need to hone in on very specific consumer groups”. This was a bit of an “Aha!” moment for me. Although my products are valuable for any person looking at winning a job or changing career directions, I had a vague understanding that school leavers and new graduates could be the most productive vein to tap.
Back to Step A.
I redeveloped a suite of products with Resume and CV templates that were specific to different employment contexts and levels. Then I redeveloped the site to attract and retain a younger, less job-wise market.
Having done so, the next step was a new round of marketing activity with a “school-leaver, new graduate” focus.
Miracle of miracles. Sales have commenced. The product is well-priced, the target group is clearer and consequently the benefits are better understood by the consumer.
It is unlikely that Bill Gates or President Bush will be utilising my resources in the near future to enhance their careers, but I have tapped into a market that suits my business well.
So what am I learning? Development and marketing processes are not linear. I must be prepared to revisit my products and my website as I learn more about consumer needs. I now understand that a planned and consistent approach to marketing is much more than theory. This approach actually makes a difference. Not to mention I’ve learnt a lot of “cool” jargon, of which my favourite must surely be “Conversion Rates”!
Progress Enterprise www.progressenterprise.com
So you want to take your HR (or any other!) skills online 
Linear Mode
