Web Marketing A.K.A. Plugged in Pecans

It is hard to believe that the Internet hasn’t always been with us. But think back if you will to when the Internet really exploded onto the scene…if you can’t remember exactly, it was the mid-nineties. Fifteen years ago, outside of major universities and research institutions, most people had not even heard the word Internet, much less been on it. But that all changed when the Internet transformed from a text based system to one that incorporated graphics and pictures in a user-friendly environment.
Much of that credit goes to Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web. Web pages have evolved to included streaming audio and video which in turn pushed the speed of data transfer to the point where it is common these days to have a high speed Internet connection which is used for everything from email to downloading movies.
The Pecan Business is like any other business in that it needs to have a web presence these days. The web can be a wonderful tool for selling pecans or any other product but there are some pitfalls that can be almost overwhelming to non-geeks. Even simple things like making sure your web site shows up on search engines can be a daunting task, particularly to folks who didn’t grow up with the Internet.
But here’s where your kids might be able to help. If you talk to any young person under 20 years old, they can’t remember a time without the Internet. If you ask them how they do their homework, the answer is probably something like, “Well I get on the Internet and...” They can’t imagine life without being connected to the rest of the world by this umbilical cable we call the Internet.
Well why not use the Internet for homework, or for any other type of information you might need. It has become so commonplace to use the Internet that if you need a phone number or a news article or a recipe, you have almost instant access to it through the Internet. And we don’t seem to be likely to give up this technological wonder anytime soon.
In an article published in Broadcast Cable by Glen Dickson this past June, the author quoted a study by the research firm of Leichtman Research Group, Inc. that said, “53% of all US households now subscribe to a broadband high-speed Internet service at home,” … and “that broadband services now account for about 72% of all home Internet subscriptions, compared to 60% last year. Not surprisingly, broadband penetration continues to be tightly correlated to household income: 68% of all households with annual incomes over $50,000 now get broadband, compared to 59% last year; and 39% of all households with annual incomes under $50,000 get broadband, compared to 27% last year.”
That is very good news for marketers of all kinds, including us in the pecan business. It’s nice to know that a large percentage of the population with some disposable income can be specifically targeted. In addition, with the ability to directly market to individuals who are looking for something specific (i.e. a search for pecan vendors,) a marketer can sell directly to the interested party. Internet marketing really seemed like a dream to anyone wanting to sell product at first. But then things got complicated.
Like any service that has a large population of subscribers who are interested in and utilize that service, the Internet has become something of a snare that captures the unsuspecting in its web of twists and turns and blind alleys. What seemed like a simple solution has become complex. What makes marketing on the Internet simple is that anyone with a computer and a few bucks can setup a web site to sell their product. What makes it complex is that anyone and everyone is doing just that.
To truly be noticed on the Internet anymore requires an investment of time, money and perseverance, not to mention a little luck. To start a search for a particular product or service most people go to a search engine. Let’s use pecans as an example since we are all interested in that subject. There are hundreds of search engines out there, but some of the most popular include Google, Yahoo Search, Alta Vista, Ask, MSN, and AOL. Google is the big dog on the block with nearly as many searches on it as on all the others combined.
So let’s put in “pecans” on Google. The results come back in eight hundredths of a second. There are 3,360,000 results for “pecans”. Well, that leaves quite a stack of web pages to go through. Most people never look past the first page, which generally holds about ten results. Getting your web page on the first page of returns is key to successful web marketing. But that is hard to do unless you have some deep pockets. “Deep Pockets?” You mean you have to pay to get noticed on a search engine?
That has been common practice since about 2001. “Ad Words”, “paid search ads,” "pay for placement," "pay for performance," "CPC listings" (cost-per-click) and "PPC listings" (pay per click), are all terms that are used to describe the ways marketers pay to get noticed on search engines. The last two terms reflect the fact that paid listings are sold on a basis where advertisers only pay if someone clicks on their ads and may be a little more cost effective for a low budget campaign. But your budget could be blown in a short time if you get a lot of pass through clicks.
Understanding how all this works takes a lot of effort and time. Most smaller marketers of pecans and pecan products don’t really want to spend the time making sure that their web page is registered with all the appropriate search engines, that they have submitted their yearly Yahoo Directory listing (along with the annual fee), that they have all the possible key word combinations, meta tags, and appropriate links, both internal and external to have the web crawlers pick up on their site and that they have enough inquiry to drive their listing higher.
One thing that the Texas Pecan Board has started as a service to those who participate in the check-off program is to allow links to be placed on its web pages for those who are looking to buy pecans. By allowing bi-directional linking to the TPB web pages, those looking to buy can connect with those who want to sell. It’s a small step in helping growers and others who participate in the check-off program to see some additional results from their investment. Every little bit helps in the highly competitive world of Internet marketing.
If you are a participant in the Texas Pecan Board check-off program and you would like to submit a link to your web page, go to www.texaspecans.org and click on “contact us” at the bottom of the page. Fill out the form and put “web-link” in the subject box and submit your information in the comments area.
Internet marketing is a tricky business these days and while the concept remains simple, the application is sometimes a lot harder to achieve. By working together, the Texas Pecan Board and participants in the check-off can have a synergistic effect on the effort to assure that consumers find the good tasting results they are looking for.