Having a great looking website is just the beginning. It takes much more than that to create a high demand for your offer.

It takes planning, marketing & organizing your business to expand your reach and handle the demand.

Some people believe - "If you build it, they will come!" - When it comes to creating a successful website, this is simply just not true!

There are a number of factors to consider: Purpose, Goal, Design, Function, Content, Marketing & Commerce.

After all, the ultimate success of most business strategies is measured by the amount of money it makes and/or saves your company - right?

While there are literally 100s of ways to promote your business using internet technology, I suggest that you concentrate primarily on 15 of the more effective strategies. They include the 4-Step Marketing Preparation Process, 5-Part Core Marketing Strategy and 6-Part Advanced Marketing Strategy.

Internet Marketing Preparation - Planning and preparation is at the heart of all of the strategies. It is where you determine the most effective approach to creating a successful internet marketing campaign.

* Marketing Plan Development
* Keyword Phrase Analysis
* Keyword Phrase Selection
* Website Theme & Description Development

Core Marketing Strategies - These strategies are the building blocks for your internet marketing success. They are fundamental to producing cost effective results and have stood the test of time.

Each core strategy is a proven method for generating targeted buyers or visitors to your website. When combined with a comprehensive marketing plan, you are literally guaranteed success!

* Search Engine Optimization & Placement
* Keyword Landing Pages
* Strategic & Reciprocal Links
* Pay-Per-Click Internet Marketing
* Electronic Newsletter or Ezine Publishing

Advanced Marketing Strategies - These strategies extend the Core Marketing Strategies. They are designed to further capitalize on an already existing internet marketing foundation.

* Autoresponder Email Campaigns
* Affiliate Partner Program
* Targeted Email Campaigns
* eZine Marketing Campaigns
* Directories & Vertical Portal Submission
* Key Product Landing Pages

***** Internet Marketing Preparation *****

Marketing Plan Development - All great marketing campaigns start with a clear, concise & effective plan with specific measurable results. As the old saying goes - "Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail."

One of the major complaints that I hear over and over is "I've spent a lot of money on my website and it's not paying off like I thought." Often times, small business owners concentrate more on how their website looks and less or none at all on driving qualified prospective buyers to it.

Having a clear understanding of how to effectively promote and market your website is a requirement to building a strong foundation for your overall marketing plan and strategies.

Keyword Phrase Analysis - Identifying the keywords or keyword phrases is the next step in creating an effective internet marketing strategy. Starting with a few root terms or phrases, we conduct an extensive analysis of at least 100 keywords and how frequently they are searched over the internet each month.

This analysis tells us exactly what they want and their demand for it. For example, here are a few keyword phrases with their monthly search frequency - based on the root word "gifts". As you can see, there's no guesswork here, the numbers tell the whole story!

Keyword Search Analysis - October 2005

1,818,913 gift idea
683,330 food gift
490,589 gift
363,391 gift basket
296,892 food gift basket
182,581 baby shower gift
168,356 gift for him
155,154 corporate gift
153,300 baby gift
126,325 wedding gift
122,813 gift card
118,940 christmas gift
118,690 gift certificate
104,286 buy baby gift
94,359 unique gift
90,058 birthday gift
87,050 gift shop
86,583 wine gift
85,857 anniversary gift
81,397 candy gift
80,265 personalized baby gift
79,212 gift for her
65,630 business gift
61,703 personalized gift
60,639 corporate gift basket
57,110 wine gift basket
47,909 baby gift basket
47,325 animal lover gift
46,210 christmas gift basket
43,929 online gift

Keyword Phrase Selection - After conducting the initial Keyword Phrase Analysis, you are now prepared to begin identifying the absolute best words and phrases for your marketing strategies and content development. Start by selecting 25 - 35 effective keywords and phrases designed to drive potential buyers to your website and give you the most exposure for your budget.

Website Theme & Description Development - By focusing on a major theme, your website becomes more that just another "dot com". It becomes a valuable resource for your customers and visitors. It improves their overall experience and delivers high value that keeps them coming back monthly, weekly or even daily!

People love it because it provides what they are looking for and Search Engines love it because it shows that your website is a credible resource and your company as an expert on the topic.

In my next article, I share a little more about Core Marketing Strategies - These strategies are the building blocks for your internet marketing success. They are fundamental to producing cost effective results and have stood the test of time. Each core strategy is a proven method for generating targeted buyers or visitors to your website.

When combined with a comprehensive marketing plan, you are literally guaranteed success!

* Search Engine Optimization & Placement
* Keyword Landing Pages
* Strategic & Reciprocal Links
* Pay-Per-Click Internet Marketing
* Electronic Newsletter or Ezine Publishing

For more information about Internet Marketing, please download my free ebook - Internet Marketing Strategies & Overview by using the following link:

http://www.vbocommerce.com/downloads/internet_marketing_guide.asp

Jonn Thomas
Sr. Business Analyst
VBO Corporation
http://www.VBOCommerce.com