Portal Marketing

By Shannan Hearne-Fortner
Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2004

The goal of every good marketing campaign is to reach its "target market".
Whether that be new or existing customers, entire or niche markets, to
promote the company as a whole or a specific product; the measurement of a
marketing campaign's success is how well the target market is reached. And
how well the target market responds.

Advertisers spend tremendous amounts of time, money, and effort determining
demographics of target markets to best aim their ad campaigns. Sometimes
more market research is performed than the entire time the product being
prepared for market spent in research and development.

Large market survey companies have evolved to assist advertisers in this
process. Many pay participants for their opinions to gain wide and valid
data regarding responses to products and their advertising messages.

At the same time, publishers, broadcasters, cable companies and a whole
other host of folks who sell advertising time or space perform similar
demographic research to better assist advertisers in reaching their "target
markets". They note which shows are most watched, which columns are most
read, which drive times are most listened to. They record which population
segments are receiving these audio, video, and printed messages.

All this information is combined to provide a better opportunity for
advertisers to get their targeted marketing message to their target market.

On the internet, there is an additional way to target your marketing
message. The internet has changed numerous facets of the marketing world.
Thanks to the speed with which information can be gathered and then
re-distributed, the internet has even changed the way we view marketing
information. Whole new terms for marketing and advertising have evolved:
spam, mass email, pop up and pop under windows, exit windows, banner
exchanges, and more. Do you notice that all these terms have a negative
connotation to the internet user? Not so with the topic of today's article.

Portal Marketing is the development of advertising messages which are
displayed to very targeted groups of internet users.

First, you have to understand what a portal website is. Portals are
webpages that serve as mini-directories on very targeted subjects. Portals
may be made up of specific groups of web sites who are paying for their
advertising or listing on the portal site, or they may be made up of web
sites added by the portal owner because he or she felt they were of value to
other internet users interested in the portal's topic. Or they might be
made up of a combination of both.

Portals do not attempt to catalogue the entire internet. Portals are much
like the hub or center of a wagon wheel. They are a jumping off point for
links or spokes to numerous web resources on a like subject.

So what does that mean for the advertiser?

Portal sites are very targeted sites to disseminate your marketing message.
They are recognized as valuable resources to the demographic groups you are
trying to reach. They are ranked high in numerous search engines because
they do a fantastic job of playing the link popularity game. They also are
only too happy to have you marketing within their walls.

How do you market on a portal site?

Very much the same way that you market on any internet web site. You can
purchase banner advertising or text links. You can provide valuable content
to the portal site and therefore often times get your marketing message out
by way of a byline or a link free of charge. You can participate in the
community. You can sponsor contests or moderate forums or chat boards.
Virtually anything you do on a relevant portal site will fall under the
category of marketing. Because any way in which you make your presence
heard, seen, or felt you are reaching your target market.

There are portal web sites for just about anything you could want.
(http://www.primmart.com) is a portal site for primitive and rustic shopping.
(http://www.mommyportal.com) is a portal site for mom business marketing.
(http://www.moneymakingmommy.com) is a portal site for work at home
opportunities. (http://www.wahm.com) is a portal site for work at home mom
resources on everything under the sun. (http://www.thenetworkforwomen.com) is
a portal site of all things of interest to women on the internet.
(http://www.i-Cop.org) is a portal site for businesses on the internet who
have made an effort to police themselves and each other, providing internet
shoppers and consumers with superior service every time. Even the category
pages within The Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.com) are in effect
portal sites. A brand new portal site for moms doing business on the
internet is (http://www.internetbasedmoms.com).

If you want to find a portal site on which you can begin doing targeted
advertising, run a search. Because of their high link popularity status, a
great search engine to use is Google.com

What if, unthinkable though it might be, a portal web site doesn't exist
that reaches your target market?

The answer is so easy I can hardly believe you would ask. Start one!

Internet real estate is still the best buy going. Find a relevant domain
name that is available. Register it. Host it. And build it. Shazaam.
You are now in a position to portal market.

But how do I build a portal?

Compile relevant resources for people and build a site around it. As
traffic levels grow you will be able to sell advertising space. But
remember that whether the portal site itself ever actually turns a profit or
not, it is still the cheapest and most targeted advertising space available.

What are the added bonuses for setting up your own portal site to use as a
marketing tool?

Much like publishing an ezine or writing articles, you are continuing to
build yourself as a leader and knowledge base in your field. And that is
probably the most powerful marketing of all!
About the Author
Shannan Hearne-Fortner is the President and Wizard of
(http://www.SuccessPromotions.com)
Marketing Your e-Business Better through creative marketing and knowledge.
Guerrilla Marketing. One-to-One Marketing. Relationship Marketing. Your
Marketing.