Direct And Indirect Marketing For Your Business

To be successful online you need to drive traffic to your web page and you need to do so consistently over a long period of time. There are 2 main components of marketing that will accomplish this goal. The first can be called ''indirect'' and the second ''direct''. Indirect methods are more long-term in scope and draw attention to your site without ever mentioning your business by name or in much detail. The most obvious is to make sure your web page is full of useful content and rich in keywords so that its search engine optimization (SEO) is maximized. Other examples of indirect marketing would be when you write a general blog, post to other people's blogs, or participate in discussion forums and leave your URL as part of your signature and profile. You can include your business URL almost everywhere and create many back links by doing this consistently over time which will raise your search engine ranking and resulting traffic to your page. However, this type of indirect marketing is fairly broad and will not necessarily target the best prospects to your business all the time. It is analogous to giving your business card to everyone you meet on the street. Not everyone will be interested in what you have to offer but people will take notice and start knowing your name. As a result you will see increased traffic and in keeping with the laws of probability and statistics, you will generate some very useful leads this way. Obviously you cannot rely on indirect methods alone so your ultimate focus should be on laser targeting your audience. This is where the ''direct'' methods come in. Placing catchy Classified Ads on popular sites will draw immediate attention to your business products or opportunity. You can be very specific and also create variations of your Ads and post multiple listings. Writing very specific and keyword rich articles and submitting them to popular article directories is an excellent way of gaining exposure and branding yourself as a knowledgeable leader. Writing well-timed press releases pertaining directly to news in your business, and swapping links with other related business web sites will also direct interested parties to your site. Use viral marketing techniques like writing free reports or eBooks, sending out surveys, animations, or music downloads. Your contact info should be prominently displayed with everything you submit and will help point back to your products, services, or business opportunity. Pay-Per-Click advertising is a very cost-effective way of promoting your sites because you only have to pay for how many clicks your Ad or site gets. Banner Ads can be effective too if placed on heavily trafficked sites, however you will pay for their placement regardless of whether people click on them or not. You should join a number of social networking sites and create a profile for yourself where you can subtly introduce your business, interests, and interact with other members of the network. It is always wise to narrow down your search by Group and stick to those that will most likely relate to what you have to offer. Offline networking can never be overlooked. Word of mouth to family, friends, and their respective referrals is always a great way to market your business. No other endorsement carries more weight than one based on a good relationship. By consistently combining both direct and indirect marketing techniques online and off, you will see increased traffic to your site. This will satisfy both the short-term and long-term needs of your business and will increase your conversion rates to obtain more customers, business partners, or both.