Top Five Things Small Businesses Need to Do to Win With Internet Advertising!
1. Put your URL on everything: No matter what, every business should have a URL or web address, even if you don’t have a website yet. This is your online address and it can be pointed anywhere you choose. Once you have a web address, put it on everything. Every advertising piece you do, direct mail, coupon mailers, signs, your trucks, EVERYWHERE. The more you get this address out there, the more value you will get with your advertising. Many consumers are beginning to believe that a website is absolutely necessary and wont do business with someone that doesn’t have a website. Its like a litmus test for being a legitimate and modern business. Web sites and your URL are absolutely necessary. Put it on everything and everywhere.
2. Blog, Blog, Blog: Web logs, or blogs, are extremely important to the growth of your businesses online presence. A blog is an opportunity for you to get information about your business and service onto the dotcom information highway were millions of potential consumers can see it. Blogs are links back to your website which increase your page rank. Blogs are an opportunity for you to set your business apart and demonstrate your expertise in your field. Most importantly…blogs are necessary. There are dozens of free sites that allow you to set up a blog, sites like MySpace and blogger.com. You should establish a blog and write an article weekly. Be sure that the blog links back to your website and is informative about your business.
3. Links, Links and More Links: You have website, your friends all have websites…you know dozens of business owners with websites…LINK THEM TOGETHER!. The rank and therefore the placement of your page in search results is dependent on the votes you get from other web sites. These votes are the links I am speaking of. The more links you have the better. The better links you have (links from pages with a high rank) the better. Regardless, more is better. You should be exchanging links with all your friends and business acquaintances. You should have your website URL on everything online. Directories, chambers, free listings, your blogs, everywhere. More is better always when it comes to links.
4. Information is King: I continually tell people that the Internet is competitive and information is the key. Simply listing your business in a directory or building a website is not enough. There are hundreds even thousands of businesses out there that do what you do and want the same customers – why should that customer choose you? Well if you don’t tell them, who will. The way you tell customers why they should choose you is the information you list in on your web site, in your directory listings and in your blogs. Pictures, references, a personal bio, areas of expertise and specialties, education qualifications, certificates held, advance training, and so on. Everything is important. Modern shoppers don’t call businesses to ask questions anymore, they review info online and call the business they want to do business with. If your online content is weak, your conversion rate (clicks that turn into phone calls) will be very low and thus your return on investment will be low. It is the same price to put a little info online or to put a lot. Why wouldn’t you put a lot. Most consumers believe that if you don’t have the info online, it’s because you don’t have anything good to say or you are hiding something. This is your advertisement, put your best foot forward, list all your information online and turn those clicks into calls.
5. Promote reviews of your business: There are literally hundreds of sites out there offering consumers that ability to post and read reviews. Make sure your business is actively monitoring several of these sites and promote the posting of reviews on these sites to your customers…you will not be disappointed.
TJ Goulet is President and Co-Founder of Bythezip.com Directory, Inc. http://www.bythezip.com Operating as a business owner and sales manager since age 16, TJ has over 23 years of leadership experience and has hired and trained over 1,000 sales professionals. Bythezip.com Directory, Inc. is TJ’s seventh company. TJ’s career has varied with businesses ranging from Insurance and Industrial Sales to Direct Marketing and Restaurants. Bythezip.com Directory, Inc. is TJ’s first Internet Company. All of TJ’s companies have been highlighted by a strong sales and marketing strategy that relies on the unique capacity of professional sales people and the idea that greater value and income can be derived from a sold product that a bought one. TJ Goulet has B.A. degrees in Economics and Management with emphasis on Mathematics from the University of Minnesota.
Author: TJ Goulet
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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