Marketing101 with Don Halbert

Every great marketing strategy begins with preparation. Without advanced knowledge of a few basic fundamentals in marketing, you are dead in the water!

Before I begin I would like to start by saying that my past accomplishments are testament to my qualifications on Internet Marketing and the lack of institutional education on my part has at no point impeded my work. I am a"Statistically, the evidence in support of my ability is overpowering" firm believer that experience overpowers education however I also believe that education, if utilized correctly, can be of great benefit also. Ultimately the perfect combination of both education and experience supersedes all.

My most recent accomplishment in the field of SEM (search engine marketing) has been taking a brand new brand and web page, entering in to the single most competitive marketplace in Costa Rica, and achieving #1 ranking in only a few short months. How competitive is the market I'm competing within? Well let's put it this way, if you were to do a search for the targeted phrase I am marketing, you would find some 95,000,000 other webpages ranking for the same target. I never dreamed of ranking within the first 20-30 pages in Google let alone ranking within the first or second page. This only proves that statistically the evidence in support of my ability to market is overpowering.

Enough of the self promo and let's get on with the marketing tips. Below I have compiled what I believe to be the Top 5 most important precognitive decisions one should make before venturing out in to the Internet Market.

1

Know your target market!

This is crucial. If you don't know your target market then how do you expect to market to a demographic you know nothing about?

2

Market to the media your target market uses.

Do you think selling toe nail polish in Maxim magazine would be such a great idea?

3

Think outside the box and BE ORIGINAL!

Establishing your product as unique or original is of great advantage. Conforming to what the rest of the playing field is doing will not separate you from the rest of the 'zebras'.

4

Utilize social media channels

Start a blog. Get on Facebook. Become a "Tweeter". Don't forget PR!

5

Branding

Whether it's yourself or your company, branding is beneficial to anyone looking at marketing over the long term. Whenever you have the opportunity to mention your brand...do so because it only helps establish your company/brand.

Certainly just following these 5 rules won't get you to the top however utilizing this information during the pre-game of your marketing strategy will benefit you greatly.

My work with SEM and SEO can be followed throughout my many articles and essays on the subject. Here are just a few for your reading enjoyment.

• Costa Rica SEO and web design strategies
• Costa Rica's largest online network experiences exponential growth through Costa RIca SEO
• Costa Rica SEO - A good example of something that is much easier said than done