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The Basics
There are two basic aims of any web
promotion campaign:
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To get people to a specific
location in cyberspace. It could be a webpage, a website, a chatroom,
or any other location. |
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To get people to buy a product of
service. |
Most campaigns involve luring the
prospective web surfer to a particular location in cyberspace and then
giving them a pitch for your product or service. Some special
campaigns send the pitch directly to the web surfer. We will address
both types of campaigns in the various sections of this cyberbook.
Here are some of the basic tenets upon which this theory of web
promotion has been created:
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Utility is the bottom line.
If it works, it works. Do what works. If
you have been doing something that works and most people advise
against it, they are wrong. By the same token, if you get some great
expert advice and it is not working for you, you need to change your
tactics. |
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The average web surfer is more
interested in information than in widgets.
That is, most people do not go to the web
to buy products, they go there to find information or for
entertainment. |
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Every campaign must be
tailored.
What works for one site may not work for
another. |
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Web promotion is not an
exacting science.
It is quite difficult to tell which
techniques are working and which are not. You can analyze your
server logs and see where hits are coming from, but you can never
know exactly what causes an increase or decrease in traffic. For
instance, if you place an ad at site X and you get a bunch of hits
from site X, you can not be guaranteed that the same ad at site Y or
another ad at site X will be effective. All you know is that
particular ad worked at that time at that place. From there you can
make educated guesses. |
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Do no harm!
The golden rule of medicine should be
heeded by you as well. Don't start any aspect of your campaign
hastily. Remember that you are not just trying to get people to buy
your product but you are also building an image. People will buy
what they think is good, regardless of how good it really is. If
they think a product is shoddy, they will not buy it even if it is
the best thing since sliced bread. When you start a particular phase
of your campaign, ask yourself: "What image is this creating for me
and my products?" |
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Don't be afraid to take risks
or be unconventional.
This may seem to contradict the above
rule. Well, it does, but it is valid as well. The greatest minds of
history have always gone against convention and done things that
they knew were right. Can you strike a balance between these two
rules? |
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