the net result

the net result

this week: on-line promotions

Every fortnight, Karen Gee from eDreams.com helps agents and operators to get the most out of the Internet

SOME of the most important measures of a Web site’s success are page views and registered users.

Page Views is simply a measurement of the total number of pages your customers have looked at and registered users are the total number of customers who have signed up at your site, either to access controlled areas or to receive newsletters and updates.

If you’re looking for ways to increase your traffic and overall levels of activity, then read on!

One of the fastest ways to increase your traffic is through on-line marketing – activities such as competitions, promotions and special offers.

They take a while to get the hang of but they work very effectively and are very good at increasing traffic quickly.

Target your sales

In sharp contrast to off-line promotions, which can be quite difficult to target, on-line promotions are already highly targeted as they are directed solely at the on-line community.

By driving traffic to your site and focusing attention on your products and services, it becomes more targeted and therefore more cost effective.

Additionally, the data capture process becomes null and void as the customer inputs their personal details directly, thereby reducing the problem of inaccurate data.

Better still, the file is ready immediately for your analysis and further action without requiring extra time-consuming processes to take place.

Promotions generally have the same mechanic as in the off-line world and many of the laws are the same.

The simplest mechanic is a competition where anyone can enter regardless of whether or not they have made a purchase.

Whereas a magazine competition will often require skill based answers, on-line competitions tend to be simpler.

Aside from the essential personal information (i.e. first name, last name, e-mail address), most don’t have too many entry questions.

Those that do tend to be multiple choice, with answers in a drop-down menu. Tempting though it is to ask for lots of detailed information, the general rule is that the more hurdles there are for the customer to jump over, the lower the response will be.

Make it interesting

While the upside of promotions is their speed and simplicity, the downside is customer complacency.

The sheer number of promotions on the Web is so immense that customers are becoming increasingly selective about what they do and who they give their information to.

To combat this you need to come up with particularly creative executions to tantalise the tastebuds. This means something that is visually eye catching – a process that is not too laborious and a prize that is highly covetable.

Prize choice

There are many schools of thought on the subject of what prizes to offer.

My view is you should try different angles and see what works best for you.

Try your own travel products (i.e. holidays), travel-related products (i.e. smart new set of luggage), destination-related products (e.g. cases of French wine supporting a promotion on holidays to France) and everything in between.

Sometimes offering a very large number of low value prizes can be very attractive because customers understand that the odds of winning are much higher than a single prestige prize.

Another very popular technique is the ‘everyone’s a winner’ approach, where you give something small to every single entrant. If the item in question is bought in bulk, it can be a very low-cost way of building your list. And customers love it.

If you have pretty ambitious growth plans, then consider making a dedicated spot in your site for this type of promotional activity.

Furthermore, tell your customers this is what you will be doing so you increase the desire to return on a regular basis.

This is also very good for viral marketing as messages about opportunities and special offers are passed through chains on communication.

Start planning now, monitor your campaigns carefully, learn from your successes and failures and you’ll soon be increasing you traffic.

Prize result: customers love the everyone’s a winner approach

Top 10 planning tips

&#42 1. Planning: plan every campaign from start to end. Don’t let the speed with which you can implement them tempt you to skimp on detailed planning.

&#42 2. testing: despite meticulous planning, ensure you do an internal tests run before going live.

&#42 3. PRIZES: the prize on offer influences the level of take-up. So if you really want to maximise the response, maximise the offer.

&#42 4. viral: to enhance the response, introduce a viral element. If something is fun or amusing, customers will tell their friends, increasing the number of entrants dramatically.

&#42 5. MEMBER get member: offer your customers extra chances of winning for each friend’s e-mail address they give you. Your results will increase exponentially.

&#42 6. promotion: even though your promotion may beprominently displayed on your Web site, flag it up innewsletters. It gives your customers another good reason to come back to the site.

&#42 7. creativity: visual impact has a lot to do with response. Colour, graphics and typography all help.

&#42 8. Monitoring: monitor all your successes and weaknesses so you can improve your next performance.

&#42 9. unique: offer something unique to help you stand out from the crowd.

&#42 10. back up: ensure you always have a back-up in case of technical problems. It saves red faces.