The reality of effective marketing is evolving with every new development in technology, particularly in the online environment. Did you know that the 6th most visited website in the world in 2008, did not exist three years before? We are talking about YouTube, which might be fighting for position with Twitter and Facebook this year.

In this rapidly changing environment, it is very possible to leverage these new developments into effective marketing tools, if your business is willing to embrace the changing reality. If not… remember Beta, or more recently HD-DVD?

That aside, we believe the following 5 layers of engagement represent the best new media choices for business at this time. The list below utilizes both push and pull marketing, creating a balanced approach which in our experience is most effective in the long term:

1. Web design and development – This being the cornerstone of your online presence, even if you already have a website there are opportunities to utilize well thought out design for landing pages, project or promotion specific pages or creating a stand alone presence for one of your products or services. >more




2. E-mail Marketing – Having been around the longest of the 5, e-mail marketing is still one of the most effective ways to build business. With careful planning it can easily be leveraged into a lead generation tool through mailing lists, targeted newsletters or as part of a viral campaign. >more




3. Search Engine Optimization – Yellow pages and other directory and listing services are slowly becoming less and less relevant. Anyone with an internet connection or a cell phone can now access this information within seconds, so having your company at the top of the list can make a difference between getting the business… or not. >more




4. Social Media Marketing – MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks before and after them are changing the fundamentals of Internet. Within 5 minutes, anyone can be connected to over 175 million  people. With a strategic and prudent approach, some businesses can take advantage of this new medium and connect directly with their current and potential customers. >more




5. Online video – this medium is quickly gaining popularity and is one of the most engaging ways to interact with the public. YouTube helped foster this revolution and many savvy businesses are using this medium to engage and connect with their customers. >more

As you can see, these 5 layers are quite comprehensive and do require proper planning in order to leverage them into an effective business tool. At the same time, they can be quite powerful if implemented properly.

Happy planning!

- Ernest.