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If you’re pursuing any form of online marketing or just running a website, you will probably be aware there are some essential tools that you simply must have in order to reach your full potential. Having the right Internet marketing tools will make your online business run much, much smoother. These tools can also greatly influence your bottom line.

What are these marketing tools and do I really need them?

The definite answer is yes, but you must realize these tools come in all shapes and forms; some are non-conventional and you may not even think of them as marketing tools. However, you must keep an open mind and realize anything you use online to promote your products or business can be considered a marketing tool.

First, you really have to consider your domain name since your online site will probably be one of your most important marketing tools. You must choose your domain very carefully and many SEO experts suggest you place your main keyword in the domain name. It you have a site on hotels then having "hotels.com" would be an excellent marketing vehicle for your business. That’s the reason many short, targeted domain names sell in the millions of dollars… people searching for a hotel room will probably just type in your domain name and go directly to your site.

Blog tools can be worth millions in direct traffic and business.

Of course, most if not all of the major important keyword domain names have been taken, still if you’re trying to establish an online business you should get a good domain name which can bring in customers 24 hours of the day. If may even be worth your while to buy a domain if it’s connected to your business, never underestimate how important a domain name is for branding, bringing in search engine traffic and for getting direct customers and clients.

Next, you also have to realize your website will play an important part in the success of your online endeavors, so create a site that is user friendly and optimized for all the search engines. Your online site will be your main business drawing card – it will present your company to the world. It is vital that you make a good first impression so invest in some professional graphics, logos and site creation. Your site must look and feel professional in the eyes of your visitors. If you’re selling products make sure you have a reliable "shopping cart" system which quickly turns interested customers into buyers. Remember, your site will be working for you around the clock, drawing in business.

Another essential marketing tool you simply must have is an autoresponder system to follow-up with your potential customers. You must build your list of contacts, those interested in your site or product. You must give these interested parties a convenient way to opt-in for further follow-up or to subscribe to your site or newsletter. Growing this contact list will play an important role in the success or failure of your online business.

A good reliable autoresponder system will automatically do all of this for you 24/7. Also, don’t forget to use all the social bookmarking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google+, Digg… and also make sure your visitors can follow you on Twitter. Most of these sites and programs are simply glorified auto-responders, dressed up to make everyone using them to look cool.

Viral Link Bait, sounds like something you would use at your favorite fishing hole, but actually creating well crafted and well branded viral videos, ebooks, articles, slideshows, special reports or just plain good quality content can be very effective marketing tools on the web. Mainly because you can use these viral products to help build backlinks to your site and content; this will automatically increase your keyword rankings in all the search engines. As more and more people link to your content, this will increase the importance of your site.

One of the best ways to succeed online is to get top rankings for your targeted keywords in the search engines, especially in Google. Get those top rankings and when someone searches to buy something online, your site and product is listed in the number one spot in organic search, they click through to your site and buy your product. Sounds simple and it is, this scenario is being repeated millions, if not billions, of times each day on the web.