According to Forrester Research, interactive marketing will near $55 billion and represent 21% of all marketing spend in 2014 as marketers shift dollars away from traditional media and toward search marketing, email marketing, social media and mobile marketing.

Is your interactive marketing taking flight? Artwork credit: ©2010 Nico Tangwall

The Internet brings numerous opportunities for marketers to connect with potential customers. The catch: prospects are “piloting the plane.” That’s why many interactive marketing efforts never get off the ground.  If Wilbur and Orville Wright were marketers, they might suggest running through the following 7-point preflight checklist before attempting to navigate today’s interactive marketing environment:

1. Fuel in the tank?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 25,000—Consistently develop interactive marketing content that prospects need, and avoid “fluff.” You’ll be viewed positively as a thought leader in your industry, and customers will appreciate and share your marketing.

2. Departing from a nearby airport?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 15,000—Target the context of interactive marketing to specific markets, and secure placements in online resources that prospects trust. You’ll increase engagement and click-through rates—and prequalify leads. (Of items on the preflight checklist, in The Best and Worst of Paid Search, Forrester Research gives its lowest marks across six industries to prequalifying interactive marketing leads.)

3. Don’t have excessive baggage on board?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 10,000—Focus and limit the topics of your interactive marketing. Your interactive marketing will be easier to navigate.  (For more involved content, organize information into intuitive, online pathways.)

4. Clearly communicated location?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 20,000—Convey relevance in headlines, and avoid the temptation to be too clever. You have less than 4 seconds to gain a click-decision, so it is imperative your headline, title or ad doesn’t miss the chance to engage your prospect by going for cute over keyword-rich.

5. Understand necessary flight connections?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 15,000—Plan for interrelated keywords that work together during longer sales cycles and across organic and paid search. You’ll have a higher return on investment if you figure out terms that cause someone to engage initially and those that generate the end result. (In 11 Tips to Improve Your Search Engine Marketing Campaigns, Mike Deckman, Internet Marketing Manager for Vintage Bath & Tub, refers to these important early triggers as “keyword assists in the click-stream.” Keyword research tools, such as Google Adwords, can help you find popular keywords, phrases, questions—and even suggest alternatives.)

6. On the right runway?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 20,000—Make sure page titles and descriptions are long enough to get prospects on board without overshooting what search engines can display—and tag important keywords. You’ll maximize search results and click-through rates by getting to the point but keeping it long enough to create context and catchy enough to invite interaction. (Rules of thumb: Front-load important keywords where possible and limit truncation by search engines. Yahoo! recommends a maximum of 67 characters for page titles. Page descriptions can push 160 characters.)

7. Asked the tower for permission?…Check!

Frequent flier points: 20,000—Stay in contact with prospects who have given you clearance to take flight; your permission-marketing database is one of the best ROI resources available. Customers and prospects will be more receptive to your interactive marketing when they recognize your name and expect to hear from you.

Remember: It’s hard to succeed if you’re a fly-by-night operation. So run through this preflight checklist to make the most of your interactive marketing dollars.

Up next: So, you managed to get off the ground—to get that mouse-click. Now what? In the next post, I’ll analyze some “black box” data to find out why interactive marketers crash on the landing page.

How do you reach your final destination with interactive marketing?

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