Trigger Marketing

Ever since the internet has become part of our lives, we’ve all had to learn a new language. So I thought I would write about three relatively new and exciting online marketing tools that are inexpensive and that could help you reach your customers more often.

Podcasts and Vodcasts.

There is a long drawn out technical explanation for what these are, but I’m not smart enough to understand them, so I’ll explain it my way.

I like to say they are “on demand radio and TV”. Podcast is audio only and Vodcast is video.

You can create your own radio or TV shows, that if they are of interest and relevant to your customers, they will subscribe and watch or listen to them.

It’s a great way to provide added value to your customers. You could create a “How to assemble” vodcast, or “The best way to buy a used car” podcast. This could be valuable information to your customers, and it will position you head and shoulders above your competitors.

You can promote them on your web site, or post them to podcasting portals like podcast.com or podcast.net.

Micros

A micro web-site is just that, a web site with fewer pages and focused on one thing. The great use of this is when you’re launching a new product or a new concept and you don’t want to confuse your audience with all of the information you have on your corporate web site, so you create a small 3 or 4 page web site that is focused only on your specific initiative.

Of course you can have a link to your full web site, but this allows you to measure who is really interested in this specific offer.

A great example is what Dove did. They wanted to show women, particularly girls, that they don’t have to fall prey to the unachievable image fashion magazines and TV portrays. To accomplish this they developed the micro-web site http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/ where visitors would not be tempted by Dove product advertising, rather they could be informed and motivated to take action. Of course the Dove brand is there, but it’s subtle and because of this Dove has become more than a soap company in the eyes of their customers.

Technology is great, but it never replaces common sense and sound strategy. If you want to try any of these online tools, remember to think like your customer. What would they want to listen to or watch? Why would they invest their time?

To learn more, download our free eBook "Seat of your pants marketing - The 10 biggest mistakes small businesses make and what to do about it"

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