New network marketers and home based business owners need tools to build their business. Online marketing can enhance your business if you know what to do.
Twenty years ago, most people used computers to craft office documents and play games. That was twenty years ago. Today there is an entire world that exists within cyberspace. The only passport that you need is a computer. Today people can do business, watch television and even get married all with the click of a mouse. Businesses all over the world have realized this. If you were to look up ten different major companies that came to mind, nine of those would have a website, and the tenth would be out of business. However just having the site is not enough. A company that is a household name in all 50 states can simply have a website without resorting to advertising because the traffic will come automatically. It is the smaller regional businesses that would have to resort to advertising on the web in order to gain the needed traffic. While online marketing is different than traditional marketing, it does not have to be a scary proposition. If you have any knowledge of marketing then you have won half of the battle. The second part is finding the right method to market your business. Let's look at three different ways to market a business online and put to rest the myths and horror stories of online marketing.
Blogs
Every celebrity will tell you it does not matter whether people say good or bad things about you as long as they are talking. The same is true for your business. Chatter produces curiosity, and people are extremely curious. This is where blogs come in. So what is a blog? A blog is a form of monologue posted online. People write blogs about anything from fashion, to politics, to celebrities. Some bloggers post matter-of-fact discussions, while others resort to sensationalism in order to gain viewers. Regardless of their blogging style, a mention from that person could make the difference between 20 hits a day or 2000 hits a day. People will want to see what their favorite blogger is talking about.
Social Networking Sites
This is one of the newest forms of socializing online. People sign up on a social networking site, then invite their friends to join. Then it becomes a giant party online. It is not hard to see that a great opportunity to promote your endeavor is to join the party. Business owners can set up pages for their businesses and invite people to become 'friends' of the business. The more friends that sign up, the more traffic the business receives. Think of it as a giant popularity contest. Market the business carefully and you will be the cool kid instead of the dork.
Video Sharing Sites
This last one is a little tricky because unless you are advertising a product to sell it could backfire. A business owner can feature some of the products that they sell and offer a small demonstration of that product. This way people see the product and its uses. This will help people make an informed judgment about the product. Those who are savvy enough can post their videos on social networking sites and double the traffic.
Online marketing does not require a doctorate in advertising. It is simply a matter of having a bit of knowledge and using the tools at your disposal.
