5 Ways to Promote Your Business Online

Your customers are looking for you on the Internet. How will they find you?

The Internet should be as much a part of your business’ marketing plan as advertising, direct mail, or public relations. It’s never been easier to use the Web to put your name in front of qualified prospects, project a powerful image, and communicate with your customers about your products and services. Here are five ways to use the Web to build your business:

1. Build a Web site

There may be many reasons why your business doesn’t have a Web site yet. But if you don’t, you are missing out on an enormous marketing opportunity. Here are just a handful of ways a Web site can boost your business:

• Let customers and prospects serve themselves: By creating your own Web site, you can provide customers with round-the-clock information on your company and your products or services. They can get to this information when they need it, at any time of the day or night.
• Enhance your image: A professionally designed Web site can boost your company’s image significantly. Online buyers are less concerned about the size of your company than its ability to meet their product or service needs, and your site can go a long way towards setting them at ease about your capabilities.
• Locate new customers: The global nature of the Internet lets you reach out to customers who might never have heard of you otherwise. Local businesses can find a national or even international audience for their products or services.
• Control your marketing costs: With a Web site, you can reduce the time and energy spent printing and mailing brochures, catalogs and other printed materials. When a prospect contacts you looking for more information, you can simply send them to your site for the most up-to-date data.
• Improve customer service: Customers can get information about your products and services, or learn answers to common questions, without having to initiate direct contact. When done effectively, this can improve the quality of service you provide while holding down staffing levels.

2. Advertise your business in online directories

Customers frequently turn to the Internet when they’re looking for a company. An online directory such as SuperPages.com offers advertising products such as priority placement and links to your Web site from your listing. This way, customers interested in learning more about your company can go directly to your site. In addition to online yellow pages, you might also want to look into small directories that specialize in a particular industry or geographic region. A local bed & breakfast, for example, might want to list itself with its local tourism site. Take advantage of your association memberships as well — trade associations, local chambers of commerce, and other groups frequently publish their own online membership directories.

3. Advertise across the Web

Interactive banner ads can be used to drive traffic to your Web site, but they also can be used to build your brand online. Unlike people who see ads in a magazine or newspaper, online prospects can go directly to your site by clicking on the banner, making it easy for them to learn even more about your company and your products or services. Online advertising can also be cost-effective, even for cost-conscious small businesses, since you can target banner ads to people who might be interested in what you sell. For example, you can purchase ad space on a search engine, and have your ad “pop” when a person is searching for certain relevant keywords.

4. Use email

Email can be used in a wide variety of ways to enhance your customer relationships and help you locate new prospects. It can be as simple as sending an instant “thank you for placing an order note” to a customer that has just done business with you. It can also be a bit more involved, such as a monthly email newsletter that includes tips for getting the most out of your products and services. Or it can be as complex as a highly targeted direct response marketing campaign with multiple offers going out to different segments of your target market. You can use email to:

• Inform customers about your latest product announcements, without having to print new brochures or catalogs
• Notify customers of changes in their order status
• Alert customers to sales and special offers based on their past purchases
• Exchange information with your key business partners to speed up your sales cycle

Be sure to follow e-mail marketing laws and guidelines as you collect addresses and send e-mails to customers.

5. Contribute to other sites

You can communicate your expertise to customers and prospects by contributing articles and insight to various sites across the Web. It may also be helpful to find online message boards and newsgroups that relate to your business. For example, a knitting supplies dealer could become part of a “crafts” community and share tips on making scarves or sweaters. Similarly, an accountant who specializes in working with home-based businesses could write articles on the latest changes to the tax law for a home-office site. When you contribute to these sites, avoid a “hard sell”. Instead, provide useful information, and be sure to include a way for people who see it to contact you.