Is your online presence is getting leads?

February 24, 2010 | Posted by Carolyn Pikoulas
It used to be that marketing was all about making enough noise to be heard. But with the advancement of the Internet, the world is continuing to move in a consumer-driven market. Now, you should think of marketing as making beautiful music that people will come to naturally. How can you tell if your Internet marketing efforts are making the right sound for your target audience?

Before you start any online marketing venture you must first set appropriate goals, so that you have a focus for your efforts as well as results to track and measure. Obviously, everyone's ultimate goal is to close more sales. But, you must understand the factors that determine whether or not you're on the right track. To do this, answer the following questions:

1. Does your website provide the right information for consumers?
2. Do you know your niche market?
3. Are you open to new and better ways to drive traffic to your site?
4. Once they're on your site, is there a way you can capture their information without being pushy or annoying?
5. Do you answer every single inquiry within minutes, even if it's after the regular business hours?
6. Are you staying connected to your leads on a regular basis?
7. Do your e-newsletters provide valuable information instead of fluff?
8. Are you tracking your website statistics regularly?
9. Do you look at the bounce rates of your online ads regularly?
10. Do you experiment with your online ads and landing pages to make sure they're working together?
11. Are you keeping in touch with past clients, in hopes of more referrals?

If you answered yes to all these questions, then you're making all the right moves.

With Internet Marketing, disregard the mindset of "set it and forget it," especially with your online ads. Don't expect leads to roll in right away. It often takes several impressions for a user to make contact. If you want success, you have to track and measure your ads, website and e-mail communications to make sure they're all working together.

Even if a user who has contacted you is not in the market to buy or sell right now, responding to their inquiries will plant the seed in their memory about how you've assisted them. Start to develop that initial relationship. Ask them if they'd like to be included in an e-mail notification program. Understand that most consumers who use the web to shop for homes may still be in the information-gathering stage and may not want to communicate with anyone. The important thing is to stay connected during this phase, without bothering them for personal information.

Even with the best technology, your success with online leads depends largely on your commitment and knowledge. When you become more perceptive of Internet consumers and understand how they think, you have a better opportunity to increase sales.