KEYWORD BUYS
Purchasing of keywords can come in many forms, ranging from
banner ads to paid-for listings. Search engines use these ads when
the user searches for a particular term or keyword. For example,
if you bought the keyword “balloon,” everytime someone used the
keyword balloon, your ad would pop up. Sites such as Yahoo! and
AltaVista offer keyword buys.
Be aware that the more common the word, the more expensive
the purchase may be. If you are very careful when choosing your
keyword, this can provide very precise target marketing. When
purchasing this option, it’s a good idea to purchase it on a “click-
through” basis versus “times viewed.” This will ensure that you
are paying for someone actually seeing your ad.
PERSONALIZING YOUR EVENT MESSAGE
The Internet has become the preeminent niche-marketing tool.
As you begin to identify your event target audience, it becomes
easier to focus your marketing efforts on specific groups in
specific ways. “Cookies” can be used to remember your
guests’ names, as well as their Web-surfing habits. This tool pro-
vides a great customer service benefit to the guests visiting your
site. For more information on cookies, visit http://www.
cookiecentral.com.
E-COMMERCE FOR YOUR EVENT
To use your Web site as a profit center, encourage visitors to buy
some sort of product or take some sort of financial action while
visiting your site. If you do not have the information technology
(IT) staff to manage this yourself, Web-hosting companies are
available for outsourcing. These companies allow implementa-
tion of the “shopping-cart” service without any additional pro-
gramming needs and sometimes for as little as a few hundred
dollars. You can also set up a shopping service on sites such as
http://www.store.yahoo.com.Monthly fees range from as little as
$10 a month to over $100 a month, depending on the site and
services chosen.
Marketing Your Event on the Internet 69