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Internet Marketing Plan Template

Q: I am working with a start up client which I am drafting up an internet marketing plan to present. Does any one have a template I can follow? And what would you recommend the 3 most important things I need keep in mind as I plan? Thanks.

A: This is a good start:
The 30 Day Challenge.  Hands-down the best IM course ever.  And it’s free.  It starts August 1, 2009.

But to summarize the 30DC:

Use a keyword research tool to pick a high traffic, low competition keyword.  Buy a domain name that uses that keyword phrase. Set up a Wordpress blog, customize it, optimize it for the SE’s.  Add as much original content as you can get your hands on.  Create a youtube channel and put related videos up.  Link every video to your site.  Do the same with Twitter-link it to your site.  Set up a Facebook fan page for the organization-link it to your site. Rinse and repeat for all the major relevant social networking sites.  Create a squidoo lens (or several) and link. Outsource some content to ghostwriters, have them create articles with your niche keywords and in the Author Bio box, link to your site.  Submit these articles to ezinearticles.com and other article directories (but don’t use the same articles that you have on your site; just use them to pique the readers’ interests and make them want to know more.  Update the WP site at least 3 times a week.  Each time you do this, tweet the new blog on twitter.  Set up twitter to update your facebook status as well so those friends also see the tweet about your new blog entries.  Don’t think of Wordpress as JUST A BLOG.   Use it as a complete content management system.  Don’t skimp on the design budget. Set up accounts at all the social bookmarking sites and bookmark each entry on all of them fast, using a service like Traffic Bug.  Use Jeff Johnson’s Free Traffic Getting Plugin. Use Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.  Create a custom blog entry strictly for visitors from twitter, and write it with the open acknowledgment that you know that’s how they found you, then that entry can link them to the rest of the site.

Viral marketing can be fun, but takes persistence to succeed.

Also: use RSS to your advantage and don’t forget to ask for your customer’s email addresses for your list, too.  In other words, use a newsletter opt-in form.  And leave comments on dofollow blogs and forum signatures if allowed.  Some SEO spy tactics will help, too: Use the LINK: operator on Google to find out where your competition is getting links from, and email those site owners.  Don’t present a reciprocal link exchange, rather, talk about how much a cross-promotion would help with both your business and the other website owner’s.

Need more ideas?  By doing all of these things, you will have a strong influx of traffic in 1 to 3 months, usually.  It’s time consuming to do everything, so outsource what you can afford.  My company takes care of all these tasks, by the way.  But it’s fun work, and worth trying yourself before hiring someone else to run your campaign.

I would be happy to answer any questions that you have, any time.  Also, my brother Chad and I started a group called Team Rockstar, for our friends and family who are doing this year’s thirty day challenge.  It is a friendly group of people with all different backgrounds, and we talk about web promotion strategies via Google Group, Facebook discussions, and forum threads.  If you want to join us, you are welcome.  It’s nice because we all kind of learn from each other, what works best, and what ideas to avoid.

Even though we are still in preseason, I am trying to get a head start on these sites, so I can hit the ground running. The methods Ed and the others teach you will only take a few minutes per day to learn, but if you do the assigned work, it really does make a difference.  The biggest challenge for most people, I think, is learning to create fresh, original content.  Too many people try to cut corners, plagiarize, or even worse, use auto-generated content that just creates search engine spam.  But for those who are updating their blogs daily, creating videos, podcasting, their businesses can become wildly successful. (I have no interest in podcasting, but it’s just one example of good content that people like.)

In the thirty day challenge, MOST of the tools they offer us are free.  Some are not.  I prefer to use what does NOT cost any money, but take Adwords for example.  If you invest in paid traffic, Adwords can be effective, but I recommend not using it until 1) you really understand the best ways to use it, and 2) you have already earned enough money from the free methods of getting traffic so as not to cost you anything out of pocket.

More specifically, what I would do is put Adsense and Amazon links on a blog, then when you earn a little money, MAYBE reinvest that into a small Adwords campaign.  That way you use the income from your free traffic to leverage getting more traffic, and hopefully, not spend an arm and a leg.

Anyways, here are three links on how to join the Team Rockstar conversations, and learn with us:

Team Rockstar on Facebook

Thirty Day Challenge Forums
(The 30DC forum is not being used as much right now, but when the Challenge starts in August, we will use that more.  Meet some of the other people on our team.  My brother is Chad, my parents are Dan and Donna, my friend David is on it, he owns a web hosting company, then there are some other interesting folks too…we are hoping to help everyone be as successful as possible in their respective niches, with open conversations and cross promotion where possible.)

Anyways, hope to see you soon, keep in touch!
Chris