7 Steps. . .

While there is a plethora of top 10 lists, tips and tricks, how to's and five things you need to know about (fill in the blank) I came across a list that I feel is worth sharing for the sake of its concise, valuable steps to keep in mind when taking any online marketing initiative.

Complements of the entrepreneurial resource ZeroMillion, here are the top 7 (often forgotten) things to be aware of when creating your online campaign.

1.Promote to the right audience.

If your campaign is to succeed it must be aimed at the right people. That is people that are willing and able to respond. In other words they have a need/want for your product/service and the money and authority to buy it.

2. Minimize risk for the customer.

Ask yourself what can you do to let the customer know that the risk is firmly stacked on your side and they really have nothing to lose? Answer this question and do it to maximise results from your campaign.

3. Set up a follow-up system.

Stats show you may need up to 7 contacts before they buy. So you must have a follow-up system in place for your campaign. Get their email address and permission to stay in touch and make sure you do.

4. Make an irresistible offer.

To make sure they buy, your offer has to be great, in fact it should be irresistible. As a guide it should sound almost too good to be true but not too good, people are sceptical. More than likely each customer you get will buy again from you in the future so make their first purchase a small step and stack the deal in their favour.

5. Know the lifetime value of a customer.

Acquiring a customer can seem expensive but it's not if you consider what a customer is worth over their lifetime with your business.

6. Track your progress.

You have to know the numbers on your campaign. How many enquiries? How many sales? What was the value of each sale? Did you make a profit on the campaign? Will you make a profit over the lifetime of the customers? You need this information to know whether the campaign was successful and one of the better selling points of running an online campaign is that all that information can be easily gathered.

7. Analyse and repeat or improve.

Once you have your figures you must analyse the campaign. If it's profitable you should keep running it. If it's not you need to find out why. Was it the offer? Was there too much risk for the customer? Was the advertising medium wrong? Didn't you follow-up properly? Make changes and try again. Keep trying till you find the winning formula.