Trick or Treat Your Way to Online Marketing Success!

It’s finally Autumn and nearly time to get out and Trick or Treat!  As you get outside to enjoy the leaves changing color, or as we do down here in Florida, hit the beach and enjoy the high 70s for a change – don’t forget to keep your end of the year goals in sight and finish out 2010 strong.  Part of this plan should include a strong online presence through multiple marketing outlets and efforts. Let’s take a look at how marketing is like a bag of Halloween goodies!

Imagine you are a kid again, out having fun Trick or Treating for a bunch of treats around your neighborhood.  What is the one thing you really dread getting?  I’m sorry popcorn ball, but it’s you – no kid really wants to get a popcorn ball in their bag.  When the alternative is a heap of yummy candy, there is just no comparison.  The popcorn ball is just too boring and outdated – just like a marketing strategy which exists offline only. 

The Internet presents a whole host of much more enticing ways to gain awareness and turn people into customers.

Here’s that awesome pile of candy I promised you – also known as Online Marketing.  There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular treats of Online Marketing.  First, make sure to use many approaches to maximize your presence and you’ll see that variety truly is the spice of life.  Just like eating only one type of candy over and over can get tiring; choosing only one way to market your company online holds the same drawback.

These little pumpkins have been a long time staple to round out any Trick or Treating experience.  You will, no doubt, see them at every Halloween celebration for a long time to come - just like email is an important part of any solid marketing plan.  Make sure you have a way for your website visitors to sign up on your site and provide them email updates, news, exclusive deals and more.

Just like the two main types of lollipops (regular or with a bonus treat in the center!) search comes in two main categories – paid or organic.  Make sure to use SEO to prime your website for maximum search engine placement so you can gain the most benefit from organic search.  Couple this with some paid ads on your favorite search engines and you have laid a solid foundation for being discovered by your next customer.

Just like Social Media, candy corns have a few different layers which make up a popular candy that most people find hard to put down once they get a taste.  There are infinite ways to use Social Media to increase awareness about your company, so get creative!  You aren’t limited to simply paying for ads on Facebook.  Instead, you have plenty of free choices, such as creating a Facebook Page, creating or joining Facebook Groups, or using various tactics on Twitter.

Peanut butter kisses, you know, those sticky things which come in plain black or orange wrappers.  These are like display advertising because they’ve both been around for quite a long time and tend to get overlooked - but once you try them out, they are still tasty.  Check out what Inuvo is doing to spice this up!

What’s your favorite mix for successful online marketing?