Keep People Clicking

Building a business website is only the first step to establishing a presence online. Angus Kidman cuts through the jargon and hype to find the most effective methods for marketing a business online.

Building a business website might seem challenging enough, but creating the site is often the simplest task. "The old Field of Dreams idea—if you build it, they will come— doesn't exist," says David Gold, managing director for online marketing and advertising agency OneDigital. "Unless you can be found it doesn't matter how well your message is put forward."

You certainly should promote your business site through other mediums, ensuring that your site address is included on letterheads, shopfronts, and in print advertising, for example. To really develop an audience, however, you'll need to use effective marketing techniques specifically for the online medium.

Online auction site OZtion has experimented with numerous online marketing tactics since it was founded in January 2005. The business operates in a highly competitive sector dominated by eBay, a massive global player, so effective marketing tactics are essential to business growth and survival, according to managing director, Philip Druce.

"Initially, we had a small budget and we concentrated on getting people to learn about the site," Druce says. Sites for advertising were chosen based on simple demographics and traffic levels. "After six months, we thought it had got to the point where people were happy, so we started to do some email advertising via other companies’ emails. That really started to bring the members on.

"Then we started our referral program, which we built in-house. That really worked well. About 50 percent of our members say they've been referred by someone they know." OZtion now has 130,000 members and attracts more than 1.3 million visitors a month.