Internet Marketing Consulting - Mark J. Welch
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose - MarkWelch@MarkWelch.com . . . (925) 462-8483I provide consulting services to retail e-commerce companies, focusing on how firms can implement performance-based marketing strategies for their internet e-commerce operations. ("Performance marketing" means that marketing dollars are spent only on activities that drive profitable sales.) Some of my strategies include:
- Paid Search: Since 1998, I have advised clients on paid search strategies, which today means primarily "pay-per-click" (PPC) or "cost-per-click" (CPC) search strategies, primarily using Google AdWords and Yahoo Internet Marketing (Overture). I have directly run profitable campaigns with more 500,000 search phrases. (Paid search often drives 30% to 50% of my clients' online sales.)
- Affiliate Programs: Since 1997, I have advised companies on the "design" and implementation
of affiliate programs -- an arrangement in which the merchant pays publishers (web sites) a commission
(percentage or fixed-amount) on each sales transaction, rather than a fixed payment for impressions,
clicks, or actions. (Affiliate programs typically drive 20% to 50% of my clients' online sales.)
- Low-Profile and Stealth Marketing: Since 1997, I have advised clients on a wide variety of other low-cost strategies which some agencies call "guerilla," "viral," or "stealth" marketing, always with a focus on driving profitable sales. This includes the creation of "captive affiliates" and other unique web properties. (These strategies usually drive 5% to 20% of my clients' online sales.)
- Side-Channel Marketing (eBay & Amazon Marketplaces): Since 2000, I have advised clients on using eBay, Amazon's Marketplace, and other "side channels" to drive profitable sales while also raising awareness and driving new customers to the clients' primary web sites. I help clients "do it right," carefully planning and testing to avoid negative experiences common in these side channels. (This strategy can drive 5% to 25% of my clients' online sales.)
- Other Consulting Advice: Each clients' needs are unique, and so my work for each
client is also unique. I have done the following for one or more clients in the past eight years:
- Site Design or Redesign: In-depth advice on user interface design for client web site, and/or extensive suggestions for revision and enhancement of client web sites to improve user experience, "stickiness," and conversions.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Design or revisions of site hierarchy, text, meta tags, landing pages, and other issues to improve "natural" search engine rankings.
- Web Development: Usually, this involves supervision of outside web development team during site-development process. I am proficient in HTML and ASP coding, but it is often more economical to have others do this work.
- Content Acquisition: identify and evaluate of available third-party content; negotiate license terms; design and supervise integration into client web site.
- Copywriting and Editing: Specify, write, edit, and/or proofread web site content, reports, presentations, marketing collateral, and other materials.
- Graphics: Create banner ads; scan, crop, enhance, and optimize images; photography; other graphics work.
- Business Operations: Advise clients on setup of order processing and fulfillment, inventory management, customer service, and other aspects of the daily business operations of a retail e-commerce company.
Past clients include:
MovieGoods.com
[CEO Bob McLauchlan] - I worked full-time as Chief Strategist for this movie poster e-retailing
startup from April 2000 through July 2001. I assisted in the design and implementation of the
e-commerce web site and affiliate program. I also advised on countless technology and business
decisions, and was primarily responsible for implementation and management of the company's
search-engine, paid-advertising, and affiliate marketing strategies.
in 2005.)
How I charge for my services: If you might be interested in my consulting services, please contact me:
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Mark J. Welch email: MarkWelch@MarkWelch.com voice (925) 462-8483 |
What is "Internet Performance Marketing"?
I have always focused on "performance-based marketing," which means that I forecast and measure each campaign, and I only launch and continue campaigns that I believe will generate profits. Performance-based advertising isn't new. On the internet, "performance-based" advertising model can be implemented through "affiliate programs" and "referral-source tracking" technology.
After the "dot-bomb" collapse in 2000-2001, entrepreneurs must return to business basics: selling products or services at a profit. This means focusing on internet marketing that performs well, and it means developing a strategy to actually track the performance of each marketing dollar spent, and the advertising or referral source of every sale.
Most web sites are willing to accept "performance-based" advertising. Oddly, some outlets refuse such advertising, but a careful strategy can integrate pre-paid advertising into a merchant's tracking system so that only successful placements are continued. In addition, careful campaign design allows the same online tracking system to be used to measure the performance of "offline" advertising (including traditional broadcast and print media, and direct mail).
More Professional Background about Mark Welch:
In addition to substantial experience as an internet performance marketing consultant, Mark Welch is a professional writer, web developer, programmer, attorney, and teacher.
- From 1996 through 1999, Mark monitored and reported on "Web Site Banner Advertising" networks, brokers, and representatives, commission and "partner" (affiliate) programs, and "banner exchange" services. This information was transferred to the Adbility.com web site, which grew to more than $10,000 per month in revenue before its sale in late 1999 (ahead of the "dot-bomb" crash). (Mark now has no editorial or business relationship with Adbility.com).
- Since 2000, Mark has developed a variety of independent web sites, including database-driven directory sites like LitPlans.com (a directory of literature lesson plan resources for English teachers) and ScrapbookCritic.com (a content site featuring reviews and commentary). He has also created dozens of "thin content" affiliate web sites to promote products for his clients and other affiliate merchants.
- From 2002-2004, Mark used his dot-com money as a "buffer" which allowed him to explore a very different career option: teaching English in middle school and high school. Although this experience was enjoyable, Mark decided in 2004 that he was not suited to full-time teaching in California's public schools.
- Mark is a licensed California attorney, although he has chosen not to accept any new legal clients since 1997. (It was Mark's development and promotion of his law office web site that led to his intense renewed interest in online advertising, which led him to create the Adbility web site. He sold his professional web site to another law firm in 1998; he sold his "probate & trust attorney directory" web site to in 1999.) From 1993 through 1997, Mark Welch practiced law from his own office in Pleasanton, California. He represented hundreds of individual clients in estate-planning, trust, and probate administration matters. From 1990-1993, Mark worked for a small law firm in San Ramon, California, where he served a wide variety of individual and small-business clients. His work included intellectual property litigation, as well as a variety of other civil litigation and small-business legal matters.
- Mark received his J.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, in May 1989, and was admitted to the practice of law in December 1989. He received his B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, in May 1983.
- From 1987 through 1990, Mark co-authored a syndicated newspaper column, reviewing computer products for the law office. (Mark's former co-author, Barry D. Bayer, continues to write this weekly column, called Law Office Technology Review, which appears in specialty legal newspapers.)
- Earlier, Mark was a staff writer for InfoWorld and BYTE magazine.
- Mark is a skilled programmer. He authored a successful shareware computer program (the Generic Adventure Game System, in 1985) and co-authored a successor product (the Adventure Game Toolkit, released in 1987). He also did all the custom web development work for two database-driven web sites.
- Mark received his B.A. degree in Journalism (with an interdisciplinary concentration in computer science) in May 1983 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
If you might be interested in my consulting services, please contact me:
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Mark J. Welch email: MarkWelch@MarkWelch.com voice (925) 462-8483 |