Small Business Online Marketing Advice
Many small business owners tend to look at online marketing with fear in their eyes. To quote a famous saying, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Do not let the unknown cause you to be afraid to use the internet to help market your business. With a few simple steps and a bit of professional help, you will be able to see a great increase in your business and productivity.
One Chance to Make a First Impression
On the Internet, your landing page or home page is the first impression you will have on visitors. You need to put your best foot forward for this endeavor. That means hiring a professional instead of your sister’s hairdresser’s kid who “knows computers”. Your website should look and feel professional. It should be easy to navigate and contain all the pertinent information your clients will need. If your website will include an online store, it should be secure and easy to use. People will compare you to other websites offering the same type of product or service, so your website will need to be able to stand up to the comparison. More importantly, your website will need to stand out from the rest. Offering value added features such as information, discounts, sales, and free items will help you in achieving this goal.
Search Engines are King
The main way that potential customers will find your site is going to be through search engines. Either you need to become an expert on search engine optimization overnight, or you need to hire a company that specializes in SEO. Optimizing your website for search engines is not a onetime event. SEO is an ongoing task that, if done properly, will yield impressive results.
Advertising on the Net
Most small businesses advertise, but many do not advertise on the internet. One of the best ways to advertise on the internet is via pay-per-click advertising. PPC advertising allows highly qualified leads to come to your site. Only people interested in what you are offering are going to click on the advertisement on the side of the page. Each time a click occurs, you will have to pay a small fee to the search engine. The upside to this is that the people who click on the link are looking for something you offer. Make sure to be very specific in your PPC advertising campaign and track your results.