Small Business Internet Marketing Strategies... | Internet Marketing

By KennethDoyle
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Any small business that now thinks that the Internet is a passing fad is blind to the facts. There is still much confusion among small business owners about how to utilize the web to the marketing of their own small business. Marketing your small business on the Internet does not need to be expensive, nor does it need to be complicated.

There are many small business marketing opportunities available, just like in the real world.

For small businesses Internet marketing can be a surprisingly low-cost way of promoting your local small business. This promotion can be targeted locally, regionally or across the globe.

So, let's hear these strategies I hear you say. And, how does one apply them?

There are numerous approaches, and this is where most people get confused. In essence there are THREE main approaches to small business Internet marketing, being...

1. Paid search marketing (Pay per click marketing, and its numerous variations), and... 2. In-context link marketing (being commercial links within content on a specific topic), and... 3. Natural search marketing (SEO, content marketing, blogs and its numerous variations).

So, with these different approaches, what are the pros and cons?

1. PAY PER CLICK SEARCH MARKETING:

The effectiveness of your paid search marketing campaign is directly related to the keyterms you chose to use. The other key factor here is your landing page for you PPC advertisement. In essence, Paid search marketing works a little like the marketing you (as a bricks and mortar business owner) already know and use in the real world. The main difference here is that you pay per click.

The PROS: If correctly targeted, you get prospects looking at what you want to sell and/ or promote quickly.

The CONS: A) Specialist skills required. And, you can lose a lot of money, fast! B) PPC specialists are not cheap. C) You continually need to run your ads. D) Can be very costly (especially for commercial keyterms). You only get to play as long as you continue to pay.

2. CONTEXT within CONTEXT LINK MARKETING:

This approach uses other people's web site content as the platform for your advertising. The links are embedded inside the content on their web pages. This content is usually keyword focused. For example, let's say that you sell wood heaters. When you engage in in-context link marketing your hyperlinks are placed within content on specific web site articles and/ or web pages about wood heaters.

The PROS: Information is the currency of the Internet. When you use these embedded hyperlinked, and within context ads correctly they can be a very effective advertising medium for small business. The clickthroughs may be lower than the PPC model, but the quality of visitor is usually much higher.

The CONS: A) You have little to no control over what web sites your links are placed on, which means that links can be placed within content that doesn't quite fit sometimes. B) Best results are achieved by driving prospects to especially designed landing pages. Skill is required to set up these sales funnel paths. C) The demand for good, profitable commercial keyterms always exceeds supply, thus pushing up the price for the good terms.

3. NATURAL SEARCH - SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING:

When a small business interfaces with the fundamental way people use the Internet THEY win. This approach is called natural search (or search marketing). This approach can be especially powerful for small businesses wanting to market themselves locally, regionally (or even across the world). Search marketing strategies require a different approach to the other methods already discussed.

Note: SEO is a term used to describe the optimization of web pages. Search marketing is different (though related). Search marketing integrates SEO and information search paths to better interface with the web user searching for specific information.

The PROS: Natural search marketing is about being found FIRST when people search the net for a solution to a problem. This type of web marketing actually benefits the searcher, and it is never viewed by them as an advertisement. Search marketing allows savvy local businesses to compete on a global level, because there is no shortage of niches one can dominate using search marketing strategies and methods.

The CONS: A) Search marketing strategies require more effort than the potential throwing money at the wall techniques of the other strategies. B) It can be a slower approach than the other methods discussed. However it has been proven time and again that search marketing is an ideal and cost effective method for small businesses to use on the net.

And so, to summarize... There is great divide between those business who understand the web and how to market on it and those who don't. However, your opportunity to market your own small business on the web is now, while this confusion still exists in the marketplace.

About the Author

Before you invest ONE dime on building or promoting a small business on the Internet find out about the premier and proven Search promoting system for small business internet promoting called Site Build It.

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