Q: Is the web really a cost-effective way to promote my small business through advertising or a website?
Nov 07 2007
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Answered by: Chris Lindsay Ask a question
The web is a very cost-effective way to promote your business, but you need to consider a couple of things: how much business you realistically expect to get through the online channel and how much you want to invest in your online presence.
If you don’t have a large budget for online activity, a great place to start is with a dedicated business social networking tool like www.bttradespace.com. This free service will allow you to create an online presence, with information about your company and products, as well as blog posts, photographs and podcasts.
Social networking tools also complement a company website, which can either be a way to provide information or allow you to sell products directly through the site. The next challenge is how to get people to find the site.
Many people now use search engines to find suppliers, whether locally, nationally or internationally. As a result, at this stage, you should be thinking about using search marketing.
Search Marketing is a proven way of generating leads directly from both major international and local search engines. The trouble is, in order to use it successfully, businesses need a detailed understanding of search and continual tweaking, which can be both time consuming and costly – some larger companies even employ people just to do this.
The most cost-effective option is to use a subscription search marketing service, such as BT Web Clicks, that will give expertly-chosen keywords and professionally-written advertising copy for as little as £20 per month. This will ensure visitors who come to the site from a sponsored link are looking for the products you offer and are much more likely to buy.
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