Within your business plan you will have identified how to effectively market your small business both online and offline.

Now you will learn potent internet marketing strategies to help launch and promote your small business online.

 

Welcome to the world of Internet Marketing!

 

Thanks to modern day technology and the likes of Google we can now reach millions of potential customers and at a fraction of the cost of achieving the same off line. It's fun, it's exciting and you can physically see your results, test your campaigns and switch tracks quickly, easily and without spending loads of cash if you need to. 

 

No matter what type of business you are; if you are not marketing online you will be left behind!

 

►So how do your market yourself for free online?

 

Below we have outlined some clever ways to be found online without paying anything at all. All it takes is a little bit of time and effort on your behalf. Keep in mind that throughout our Ebooks we go into further detail as to how to achieve your marketing goals and how to set up your online marketing programs in greater detail. Let's take a look at your free online marketing options...

 

►Organic Search Engine Optimisation

 

To be found organically in search engines such as Google and Yahoo you will need to optimise your site with excellent keyword placement and excellent copy-writing skills so that all of the text on your pages are jam packed with your highest ranking keywords.

Therefore thorough and extensive keyword research and placement is absolutely necessary.

Keyword research is almost like a science as is writing good page copy that actually sells your product. A brilliant keyword research tool is Keyword Analyzer which does all of the work for you or you can use Google's Keyword Tool which is an excellent free version and either will help you conduct extensive keyword research on phrases (longer are better than single words) that are relevant to your business. More free keyword research tools: Wordtracker and Good Keywords.

Now you will need to learn how to construct the words on your page so that it actually sells your product, and you will also need to acquire the skill of writing advertising material that sells your product.  Brett McFall's website can help though our Ebooks provide you with an easy to understand approach to writing copy and inserting keywords into your site.

 

There is no such thing as too much keyword research. If Copy is King then Keywords are Queen!

 

►Link Swapping and Link Density

 

The denser or heavier your site becomes when it links to like minded and good performing sites (not your competitors) then the easier you will be found on the web. Linking to sites that are within your industry or relatable to your industry means that you are offering relevant information to your viewers. Search Engines Support Relevance! Aim to link with 5 new sites per month and ask that they in turn link back to you. A good link swapping program is a win/win for both parties involved. It's not called the world wide web for no reason. Create your own web of industry networks right now or create an affiliate marketing campaign so that you can reward those who link to your site.

 

►Articles

 

Can you write something of interest that is related to your industry and post it on the web to gain new clients? There are loads of great article sites out there who receive loads of great traffic everyday from people who are simply trying to find free information on their chosen topic. Why not offer some free advice and in return receive some new clients? If you are already sending out a monthly newsletter then your article can be an extension of that content. It might take you 5 minutes to write and you might receive a couple of new clients so it's well worth the effort. Check out and sign up to the following article sites and submit an article each month that can be of interest and value to readers. Check out Ezine Articles, Go Articles and Australian Articles.

 

►Blogging

 

Blogging is simply a one page website about you or about your business that you update regularly and let's you participate in communication with other bloggers or like minded individuals. It's a great way to get new clients and search engines love fresh page content! If you are already writing newsletters and articles then you already have your blog content for each monthly post (or you can choose to post daily if you have the time and are receiving the benefits). If you are using LIS Hosting and their free site builder then you can add a blog to your website through their program and simply submit it to blog sites. Otherwise sign yourself up as a Blogger with Blogger, Blog Now, Australian Blogger, MyTypesBusinessBlog for free right now!

 

►Newsletters

 

Via email each month you should be keeping in contact with your clients. It doesn't matter if you have three or three thousand on your list, you must stay fresh in the mind of your customers.
Don't annoy them with petty dribble about the day to day ongoings of your business and don't slam them with a sales pitch three pages long. Offer valuable information and a monthly deal in your newsletters. Let them know about your achievements but don't over do it. Remember it's all about them not you. Keep your newsletters simple, bold and full of vibrancy. It should read as if you are sitting right in front of them having a coffee and a catch up. Also remember that by law you must include an option for customers to opt out of your mailing list if they wish to.
You need to stay on top of your CRM so if you are looking for a great solution then check out of Customer Relationship Management section for help.

 

►Podcasting

 

This may not be for everyone but if you have anything important to say, some advice to give or you wish for people to hear a playback of any type of seminar, workshop or training session on your particular business subject then Podcasting can be a great way to get your voice out to the world. Basically Podcasting can contain audio of anything that you wish to share with the world. All you need is a program like Windows Sound Recorder or Mac's Garage Band and you can record yourself. A program like Audacity will help you edit your audio and a program like Free Rip will help you transform your files into MP3 format. Once that is completed you need to create your RSS feed from your site with something like My Rss Creator or contact your hosting company to see if they can do it for you.

 

►Online Forums/Networks

 

Forums are basically online discussion areas but they can be a great way to network, advertise yourself and get some new clients. If you ever enter Forums to search for information or you supply information you should be leaving your details so people can find you. A great forum to be apart of is About.

Adding a forum to your site can also be a great way for your clients to network with each other and discuss their issues. People searching for information on the web can fall upon your forum and find the answers to their questions which can in turn bring you free business. Contact your host in regards to adding a forum to your website.

 

►Free Online Business Directories

 

Online Business Directories are simply a portal for finding businesses online. There are many great free well ranked directories on the web that you can join. Check them out... OzeBiz, Enterprise Search, Aussie Pages, Hot Frog, Aussie Directory, True Local, Australia Online Advertising, KM Directory, Nationwide Networking.
Go ahead and add your site to these directories now for free.

 

►Social Networking

 

Unless you have been under a rock for the last couple of years you no doubt have heard of or use these social networking utilities. With Facebook and MySpace you can also sign your business profile up on either one of these sites or at least add in all of your business details to your profile for all of your friends and their friends to see. You could also consider YouTube if you have some great video content that can help sell your business or product. It's really easy to create your own video material. Learn more in our Ebooks.

 

►Online Business Networks

 

It's worth looking into what free online business networks you can be apart of. We recommend ZaaBiz, Linked In and My Referral Network. However there are many that could be great for your specific industry and to help you receive your clientele. Try a quick Google search and see what you can find.

 

►Referrals and Testimonials

 

Whenever you produce advertising material try and offer a testimonial from one of your happy clients. Once you have sold a product to a client it is a good idea to follow up after a few weeks to gain a testimonial. You can set up auto responders to do this for you. Testimonials help you gain credibility so they are well worth the effort.

Customer Referral programs are another great way to get fresh faces through the door or on to your website. Be creative and set up a simple referral program that will offer bonuses to your current loyal customers to refer their friends. Remember that Word of Mouth advertising is the fastest and least expensive way to build your business so you might as well offer rewards to your customers to get them chatting and crating some hype about you and your valuable service.

 

►What paid online marketing programs can I use?

 

So by now you have completed all of the above tasks to get some traffic to your door for free and you are hopefully beginning to see profit. Firstly set yourself a budget for your advertising and stick to it. Secondly, track all of your campaigns by split testing and comparing real figures to your projected figures to ensure the programs you are using are working efficiently for you.

Here are some examples of online advertising programs that you can pay to use:

 

►Business Networks

 

Most of the online business networks that charge a fee for their service are for women (sorry guys, us gals are much more organised when it comes to congregating and supporting each other). They are a great way to keep in touch with competitors and to associate with like minded individuals that may or may not be in your industry. Networking World is a great site for both men and women. Some great sites for women in business are the Australian Womens Business Network, Australian Womens Mentor Network, Womens Network Australia and Business and Professional Women Australia. It is well worth becoming a member on one of these sites as they offer fantastic opportunities to get yourself out there!

 

►Online Directories - Paid Listing

 

We have already looked at some free online directories but it might also be a good idea to join your choice of a paid directory to advertise your business. Do your research and ask for specific data when you are choosing your advertiser to be sure you are getting your money's worth. Check out Yellow, DLook, Nationwide Business Directory, True Local Paid Listing, Aussie Pages Paid Listing, Aussie Directory Paid Listing, KM Directory Paid Listing.

There are many Online Directories like these popping up constantly on the net. Google business directories to find ones that could better suit your business.

 

►PPC (Pay Per Click) Advertising

 

Just as it sounds PPC means that you only pay if somebody clicks on your ad that you have placed in a search engine such as Google.The aim of PPC is to receive great traffic from your ads at very little cost to you. This will all come down to how well you have researched your keywords so that you can tap into keyword niches for your business and get cheaper clicks than your competitors. As I mentioned before software like Keyword Analyzer helps you do this and also helps you identify your competitors, what their ads look like, what keywords they are buying and how many searches those keywords receive. It honestly gives you a completely unfair advantage over your competitors.
 
For each keyword group that you have, you will need to create two ads so that you can split test each ad group to determine the winning ad. The aim is to start only with one keyword group, perfect it, refine it and them move on to the next group.

Programs like Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, Facebook Advertising, Sensis Bidsmart and  Nine MSN Search Advertising are fantastic but if you are new to the PPC scene it's best to do your research first or get some help.

There are two people in the world of internet marketing that really know Google Adwords and both have some great information and products to get you moving in the right direction not to mention the amount of free information they send out each month to their members. Perry Marshal and Chris Carpeneter could really save you when it comes to writing great ads and getting great traffic from your PPC campaigns. Check them out today!

 

We recommend completing one of our EBooks to help you with this type of advertising.

You can also Ask Heidi and she can help you set up and monitor your advertising campaigns...she loves it!