It’s almost common place to expect to see references to Twitter, Facebook and MySpace on cable and national network newscasts.  I suppose it was  just a matter of time to hear references to the major social networking sites on the local news program.  It was also no big shock to hear both the CNN pundits and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News request a follow on Twitter and Facebook during their Sunday morning talk shows.

Shortly thereafter, however, I changed the channel to the local (Kansas City) news channel (KCTV 5) to catch up on the local information and weather.  As luck would have it, I changed channels just as a special feature segment started.

The topic: Low-cost Marketing Techniques for the Small Business Owner.  During the segment, the reporter was interviewing Mr. Jerry Smith with the Marketing Action Club located in the KC Metro area.

Mr. Smith was quick to point out that during these tough economic times, even small businesses need to keep a substantial marketing effort alive.  Failure to do so could result in the customer-base losing contact and confidence in their businesses’ viability.

He specifically pointed out five different low or no-cost methods to maintain a reasonable marketing effort to keep your message in front of your target audience.  To my surprise (only because of where it was mentioned) these included:

1. Article marketing using sites such as Ezine Articles;
2. Social networking presence on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn;
3. Blogging;
4. Email marketing campaigns; and
5. Local networking clubs.

Even though I interact with numerous references to the first four tools online each day, it brought a smile to my face to both see and hear it on a live local TV news cast. I commend Jerry Smith and his Marketing Action Club for a great set of basic tools and insightful message.

All of these tools are indeed low or no cost options to assist anyone (small store-front business, network marketing business or home business) get there message out to their target audience and help build a web marketing presence.

Always remember, however, to use the proper approach and be sure to provide information that helps the prospect or customer find a solution to their problem and just don’t “pitch your product or service”.

Given enough time, several members in your target audience will build a sense of trust in you then respond to some offer (free product, e-book, consultation, etc.) by providing their contact information.  This sign of trust opens the door for more personalized contact and the relationship continues to build.

It could be argued that once the personalized contact takes over attraction marketing gives way to relationship marketing.  Though this is one perspective, I believe that attraction and relationship marketing work hand in hand and are never really separated.

The following video provides my perspective of both the overall process as well as collectively defining attraction and relationship marketing:

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I have been posting a series of articles describing what I first referred to as an Internet Message Delivery System (IMDS). Recall that from my perspective, anyone trying to deliver a message via the Internet is really marketing and therefore my IMDS could also be thought of as the broad view of an Internet marketing system.  They are effectively, one and the same to me.

IMDS - aka Internet Marketing System

My previous post described the Attraction Zone portion of the IMDS flowchart, today’s post focuses on what I refer to as the Capture Zone.  Members of the Target Audience are ready to enter the Capture Zone after multiple constructive contacts with valuable content.  When they reach a certain level of comfort and enough interest has been generated, the nature of the interaction can shift and become more focused and personalized.  When that point is reached there is a transition from attraction building by repeated exposure to valuable content to more direct and focused contact as they shift into the Relationship Building Zone after passing through the Capture Zone.

Let’s stop and evaluate a few examples describing what happens as people encounter and pass through the Capture Zone from different avenues of attraction marketing:

• One group of people arrives after multiple exposures to valuable content (articles, webinars, videos, etc.) in the Attraction Zone. When first encountering the Capture Zone, they are usually offered an incentive (free e-book, video series, consultation, newsletter, etc.) via a simple squeeze page (lead capture page) in exchange for providing their basic contact information (name, email as a minimum).  Once they provide their contact information they leave the Capture Zone and enter the Relationship Building Zone.

• Another group may arrive via social networking activity (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.). The transition through the Capture Zone to the Relationship Building Zone may occur as it did with the first group (squeeze page offer) or might come from direct interaction and an offer/request for more information during social dialogue.

• Some people use Pay-Per-Click advertising (more for marketing than message delivery) to connect with the Target Audience using select keyword phrases and focused ad copy. Once clicking on the link, the person may either be directed to a squeeze page or an information-oriented page with a link to some lead capture feature (widget on page, pop-up window or squeeze page).  After providing the contact information, they also enter the Relationship Building Zone.

The main purpose of the Capture Zone is to help those members of your Target Audience with heightened interest to commit to the next level and enter the relationship building phase by providing their contact information.  Once the commitment is made, more focused interaction begins leading to a stronger relationship, which is the topic of the next and final blog post associated with this series.

Now understand that the “Plan” I am talking about here isn’t the Internet delivery system because in actuality that system is a part of the “Plan”.

The “Plan” I am talking about here defines the:

1.      Purpose of the message;

2.      Nature of the message;

3.      Desired outcome after delivery of the message.

What does this mean exactly?

Every time I think of a plan, there is commercial pops into my mind where Dennis Hopper is sitting in the middle of an intersection in the desert talking about retirement to the “Baby Boomers”.

Towards the end of the video he states in a pleading voice ” you gotta have a plan!”  (Somehow I can hear him saying it as I typed it!)

Just as Dennis Hopper said in the video, we have to have our “Plan” as well!

Here’s another way you can think about it ….

Let’s say you have just finished a marathon session of culinary creation in the kitchen and you created the tastiest, low-cal Cajun dish in the world.  You’re so excited about your new creation and others produced during your session, you just need to get the word out to the world!

Why?

Well perhaps you just want to share it.

Perhaps you’re hoping to get other “like-minded” people to share their Cajun culinary gems as well.

Maybe you’ve decided to take it to the next level to create a low-cal Cajun cookbook and want to get the recipe field-tested plus build your “Brand” so to speak.

Each of these scenarios has a different purpose, will change the nature of the message and the expected outcome; all key factors in defining your target audience (or target market as appropriate).

See as important as the Internet Message Delivery System may appear, it is only a part of the overall “Plan”. That must be in place before you develop the system.

Once the “Plan” is set and you’ve selected the Internet as the medium for delivery of the message, it’s time to define the road-map for the system. The road-map starts by identifying the target audience (target market).

We’ll pick it up there the next time …..

Anytime we venture out onto the Internet to deliver a message, we’re instantly afforded a huge opportunity to deliver the message considering the almost infinite number of people on the “Net”.  Network marketing businesses looking to the Internet to enhance their MLM lead generation activities are one group in particular needing to tap into the “Web” universe with their messages.

This post identifies a “Generic Internet Message Delivery System” that can be adapted and modified to fit almost situation where the goal is reaching people with specific interests on the “Web”. The associated diagram shows the general format of this system and the flow of Internet surfers from the “Net Cloud” to “Message Delivered”.

IMDS - aka Internet Marketing System

Even though audience potential on the Internet (the blue cloud in the diagram) seems almost limitless, we are instantly confronted with a very significant problem … “How we reach those people that have an interest in seeing or hearing our message”.

Those people are often referred to as either the “target audience” or in some circles as the “target market” (identified by the light-colored asterisks).  And of course, the nature of your message ultimately defines who they are.

Great! ……. Problem solved, right?

Well, yes and no!

Although we now have defined the types of people interested in hearing or seeing our message, the next dilemma pops up!

How do we get their attention?

Simply stated, you have to attract them (Attraction Zone).

Though attracting your target audience sounds simple, it’s somewhat complicated and does take work and/or money.  One popular method of attraction on the Internet: provide valuable information (content) that helps lead them to the solution to a problem or answer a question.

As you become more attractive (creating great content), some members of the target audience eventually become comfortable with you.  Wanting even better information, they take you up on an offer to communicate with them more directly and enter the “Capture Zone”.

Once they provide their direct contact information (name, email or other information they agree to provide), you are in a position to start direct contact and interact with this select group. During this time of personal interaction (spent in the “Relationship Building Zone”), these people not only become more familiar with you (as you do with them). At that point a level of mutual trust evolves and the relationship flourishes.

Bonding and building a level of trust with anyone is cool but the other thing that typically happens in this scenario, your message is delivered and warmly received ….

And remember … that was the ultimate goal …..

As I mentioned above, this basic model fits almost any message to be delivered on the Internet and even broadly defines a basic Internet Marketing System.

Return to the Classroom Guide page to access the rest of the IMDS series to see how the details of each of the elements in this basic model unfold explaining where things like: content, PPC, squeeze pages, initial offers, funded proposals, auto-responders, email series and a host of other marketing tools fit into a more specific Internet marketing system.