A friend recently asked, “What’s the best way to get people to my new web store?” Like many small business owners, he’s web savvy enough to start a web store, but doesn’t spend a lot of time following the online marketing industry.
“I hate spam like everyone else,” he continued, “but I’ve heard that it can be cost-effective. Should I purchase an email list somewhere?”
After I gagged, I pulled up an article from eMarketer.com entitled, “What Works, and What Doesn’t, in Online Marketing” (subscription required). If you’re a professional marketer, some of this will be obvious to you, hopefully.
The top most effective online marketing techniques are:
- Search engine marketing (paying for ads on search engines)
- Opt-in email lists (having customers choose to get email from you)
- Search engine optimization (making your site appear in relevant search results)
- Behavioral targeting (buying ads on sites that can target you towards potentially interested customers)
And what were the least effective techniques?
- Rented email lists (spam)
- Pop-up/under ads
ROI was used as the metric for effectiveness.
Most online marketers know this already. But we haven’t reached the point where this is common knowledge. Every once in a while, another small business builds a web store and believes the myth that spam, while vile & evil, is a cost-effective marketing solution. Shudder. Don’t believe the hype!
