When entrepreneurs hear terms like Internet marketing and online advertising, they often believe they must have a lot of cash to spare in order to promote their products or services online. Nothing could be further from the truth. What follows are some simple yet powerful online advertising strategies that can help more customers and clients find you - even if you do not have a large marketing budget.
1. Are you using social media? If you are not on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn you are probably leaving money on the table. The key is to become a personality online. Helping people through free tips and advice will go a lot further more quickly than spamming every spot you can find with a link to your website.
If you are new to the social media game, then pick one network at a time and stick to mastering that one. It is far better to have a strong Twitter presence than a mediocre presence across several networks simply because your resources are stretched too thin.
2. Find online forums related to your area of expertise. For example, if you are a financial planner go find the forums where people are seeking reputable financial advice. If you are a writer, find popular forums where other writers gather or business owners might be seeking writers.
Again, becoming a personality is key here. You do not want to spam your links or talk all about your business. The secret is to answer people's questions. Most forums allow you to have a brief phrase and link in your signature block. This boosts the popularity of your business website. Plus, the forum members are seeing the link. Once you are a key presence there, chances are that people will start signing up for your mailing list or purchasing your eBook. You should also focus on one, possibly two, forums at a time. Always make sure people are active on the forum before devoting a lot of your time and energy to participating within it. You can check Google or Alexa to find out just how popular the bulletin board is in the online world.
3. Write articles for directories such as EzineArticles or GoArticles. If you hate writing or hard-pressed for time, find an intern, assistant, or online article writer to help you with this service. Give about 400 to 500 words of free advice related to your niche. At the end, you will have a brief area in which you can promote your website. This is called a resource box. Some article directories will let you place your link in two places within the resource box. Read the terms and conditions carefully; you might be leaving potential customers lost on the information superhighway if you do not take full advantage of all available linking opportunities.
Again, hard selling never works especially with online advertising. You must provide quality free information, build trust over time, and then naturally lead your potential client to take the next step with your company.
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