In the Create step, we’ll set up the structure of your online marketing program.

There are 3 components to your structure. They include your Website, Email Marketing account and Social Media which primarily will include Facebook but can also include Twitter, Instagram and others.

Think of it in the same way that telephone poles, lines, and phone make up the structure of a phone network. It's the underlying infrastructure that will carry the information.

The first structure piece is your Website. We'll begin by building you a dynamic website. A dynamic website allows you to log into a backend so that you can enter and update information yourself. This is good for things such as updating products and services, maintaining blog entries, updating a menu etc.

The next piece is your Email Marketing Account. You may be familiar with companies like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. They're two of the most widely used companies for email marketing. At Resource Media, we use Mail Chimp to manage and monitor your email promotions. With MailChimp, you're able to enter email lists, manage subscribers, and build email templates. It allows users to opt in and opt out to be sure you keep from spamming. One of the best ways to develop your list is by creating an opt in list of individuals that choose to receive your emails.

The third component of your Online Marketing Program Structure is your Facebook Fan Page. It's important to keep in mind that there's a difference between a Fan Page and a Personal Page. A fan page is for a business or organization, whereas a Personal Page is for an individual.

You can think of it this way. A Personal Page is like your home. If someone knocks at your door, you have choose to allow them in. In order for someone to become a Friend on facebook you have to accept them.

A Fan Page on the other hand is like a restaurant. Anyone can walk in without an invite. So anyone is free to become a fan of your business page. But also, like a restaurant, they can be removed for bad behavior.

Once someone becomes a fan of your business, your posts will show up on their personal pages. So as they check in to see the latest news from friends and family, they'll be also seeing your messages, which is a marketers dream to have that kind of connectivity.
In addition to those three components, we can also assist you with your branding. Resource Media has a strong background In helping our customers develop memorable identities. We can help you create a strong logo and brand for your business that can be carried through so your Website matches your email marketing templates that matches your facebook page. In addition, we can also help you carry that through to business card, stationery, brochures, signage, etc. Ask us about thes additional services.

That concludes the first C, Create, in the 7 part series - Grow sales through the 7 C's- How to Build an Effective Online Marketing Program.