In the current economy it is more important than ever before for local business to use small business marketing online to attract new customers, clients and patients.
Mass marketing in print media does not work as well as it used to.
But there’s HOPE!
Here’s the neat part. People search online for the goods and services they want and need. Then they buy them from those businesses.
Two-thirds use online search to find what they want and then more than half of them BUY!
According to a recent study by comScore and TMP Directional Marketing:
67% of local business searchers indicated online search as their primary source of local business info. 54% of all online local business searchers went on to make a purchase whether in person, online or by phone. 32% of local business searchers with an internet-capable cell phone conducted a local business search, an 11% increase from 2008.
So what does that mean to me, Paul? How would I even begin to use the Internet to get more customers?
Well, here’s just four ways to harness the power of the Internet and they’re free or really inexpensive.
1.Online video marketing – With the widespread use of high-speed internet service, easily accessible video cameras (heck, if you don’t have one, borrow one), YouTube, and editing software built into computers, using video online as a marketing tool is a MUST. It doesn’t have to be polished and professional-looking. The threshold for quality is still pretty forgiving. Introduce yourself, talk about your business, invite them to your store. 2.Online article marketing – Write an article and submit it for free to online article directories like Ezinearticles.com or SelfGrowth.com. Show your expertise on your product or service and invite the reader to your website for more terrific info. Use ‘location’ words in your article title and article body like Chicago or OakBrook or downtown Evanston. Get found in the search engines when people are searching for your product or service. 3.Online press releases – These can be free or paid. They are a great way to spread the word about your business. Use them to announce contests, surveys, your community involvement, the Little League team you sponsor or any newsworthy event your business is participating in. 4.List building – Give your customers an incentive to sign up for your email list with special offers, discounts or a free report. Keep in touch. Build the relationship. Sell to them over and over again. Ask for referrals and testimonials.
These are just four ways you can use a website and the internet to market your small local business online. And what could be better in this economy than to be right in front of your prospective customer when they’re searching for your product or service?
For more information on how your business can effectively use online marketing, please contact me.
Online Business is an excellent way to make money and retire from the workforce! (yes, I said it) I don’t mind telling people that internet marketing is as simple as setting up a free blog and then just getting out there and telling others about it. Join a free affiliate program (I’m sure there is one on this page) and then go get a free blog. Blogger or WordPress. Your free affiliate program will have banners articles and even emails if you want to share it with friends and family. Take the banners & the articles & post them on your free blog. (if you can put banners in the sidebar this is good too.) Then just go online and tell others about your blog. You will want to do a keyword search with GOOGLE SEARCH BASED KEYWORD TOOL for ‘internet marketing’, ‘online business’ and ‘affiliate marketing’; finding what key phrases are most popular right now. Take the results you get and put them in Google Alerts in the form of a question in “parenthesis” and elect to receive them as a feed to read them in Google Reader. Your Google account will have all of these free tools. When results begin to show in your reader, click on them and get out there sharing what you’ve learned here from me with the rest of the world. But remember to always leave your name, email and web-address when leaving your comments on other blogs, forums or websites. Copy this comment in your “notebook” and save it as ‘Have A Nice Day
’.
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