Internet Marketing

Even if you have a mom-and-pop location for your business, with just one branch, you have to set up an Internet presence. There are people in your community who are looking for a business like yours who have not found you yet, and you could broaden your appeal to people in other areas, especially if your products can be shipped. Use this article to glean some tips about marketing your presence.

You need to put up a social media page for your business. Facebook is currently the most popular venue for this; however, you could also think about LinkedIn, especially if your business targets other business owners or professionals. This way you can be an active member in your community — on the web as well. There are hundreds of millions of people with Internet access, and it’s worth betting that the vast majority of people in your town have it. You want to be online establishing yourself in your community.

On your window, put your website’s URL. This way people can walk by and take note of it. If they saw something in your window that they wanted, they may remember the URL and type it in when they get home, if they don’t have time to walk in. Even if they just do a Google search for your store’s name, it should take them to your URL. This way you can bring people and business in who might otherwise go to one of your competitors with more of a robust online presence.

If you make promotional materials, you want to include the URL and social media links on what you distribute. This includes business cards, but also bags that you sell items in, menus, and any other materials that the public will see. The more widely you distribute your URL and social media presence, the more quickly your name will spread within (and outside) your greater community. This can only help your business grow.

To point people toward your online presence, have a contest that requires people to do something online. Maybe they need to sign up for your email newsletter, or maybe they need to go in and choose a special offer. Either way, getting people in the habit of finding and using your website will make them more likely to follow up with a purchase later on. Again, it’s all about visibility when it comes to promoting your business. If people don’t know you are there, it does not matter what you do.

Get into the free article sites and publish some articles about your field. This will not only make you look like an expert, but it will also help you boost your name in the community. Publicity — the good kind — is what it’s all about.

Promoting your business online will take some work. However, it will pay off, because the people who would never have come across your business through the Yellow Pages or from driving around town will find you — and buy from you.

A Basic Walk-Through Guide to Facebook for Marketing on the Internet

If you are marketing on the Internet, having a Facebook page is essential for bringing in traffic. Although Facebook has been around for quite a number of years, you may not know how to begin using it. This article will show you step by step how to set up a Facebook account for Internet Marketing. You will need to learn more about actually using Facebook, but this article will give you the basics of setting up your account.

Begin by going to the website Facebook.com. This page will have “Sign Up” and some fields for you to fill in your information. On this page you will want to use your real name and business email. Do not use the business name to make your account. We will use pages to set up your business account. For now, real name and business email will do. Create a unique password that is complex enough that someone will not guess it and your account is secure. Then press the “Sign Up” button.

You will be then asked if you want to search e-mail contacts for friends already on Facebook. This is a critical step, search all of your email accounts so friends and customers know you are now on Facebook. When email contacts are found, you will be prompted to add them to your associates.

The next step you will be allowed to add some profile information in regards to your business and schooling. This is an excellent way to connect with clients and customers because your business will be displayed in your finished profile. Also, associates, connections and potential customers from your alma mater might discover you and your business and start working with you or buying from you.

After these steps are done, you will be asked to upload a photo. Even though this is a personal profile, it will be linked to your business. Make sure you upload a professional looking photo. At this point your personal profile is complete, but an email will be sent to you to confirm your account. Click on that email to verify your account and go back to Facebook to start your page.

Now, on the left hand side of your profile you will see a link to “Like Pages”; click on that. This takes you to a screen with a green button at the top that says “+ Create Page.” Click that to make your business page and you will be prompted to describe what you do or sell.

The next steps are very similar to making your personal profile. Facebook will guide you through. But for these steps, do not overlook any details. Add your business address and well thought out description of your business so that your page will be indexed with the top search engines. Add some photos of your business or products and remember to describe and title the photos to further help search engines index your page.

The final step will be adding some source of funding to your page. If you decide to use Facebook’s integrated advertising for your business, you will need to pay for the service. The rates on Facebook vary, but this is an excellent way to promote your business and is well worth the money.

You now have a business page for Facebook. There is much more to learn about it so be sure to read the Terms of Service, FAQ’s and Help sections of the website for more information on getting started.