Hi Davide,
Unfortunately, many people make the same mistake as your client. They
expect that their web site will not serve as just a brochure, but as an
advertising medium and sales rep (in some cases). Wrong! Unless the
subject/content of the website is such that someone surfing the web will
naturally stumble upon it AND be interested in it, then the web site,
per se, is not necessarily a wonderful advertising medium and certainly
not the only medium in the marketing mix. And that ignores the poor
utility of Flash as a utility for indexers.
This is also true if the bueinsss is ENTIRELY web-based: Condiser that
even amazon.com does not rely on web advertising only. It drives
customers to its site using print, radio, TV, and targeted web media
(which is not the main part of the mix) as well as aggressive promotion.
If your client is in the wedding industry, then I would look to proven
advertising/PR strategies and venues appropriate to her business. What
magazines do her prospects read? Is direct mail an option? Trade shows?
Articles in local newsapers or regional magazines, etc.
It is often said that marketing is a 5% endeavor: Each particular thing
you do will advance you a little bit (about 5%). The more you do, and
the more different things you do the more you advance. Sure, some
banners, reciprocal links, search engine registrations and taking a look
at the Google right side ADwords listing feature can be part of the
effort but it is not likely to be a panacea. To expect a web site and
100% web-based marketing strategy to hit a marketing home run all by
itself (regardless of how ggreat the site design is) is 1999-2000 era
dot.com.disaster thinking.
All that said, the lowest cost items would be PR things that she handles
herself, reciprocal links that she negotiates herself, and search engine
registrations (which are more due diligence than proactive marketing in
my view). Marketing costs money. if she does not want to spend very
much, then bottom line is that she does not want to do much marketing.
That's her business and her decision; don't let her make you feel like
you are responsible for it.
Gary
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