Using Social Media Platforms to Promote Your Business
Using Social Media Platforms to Promote Your Business
Right now on the Internet, there is nothing more popular than social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These websites allow people to interact with each other in just about any way imaginable. How, then, can marketing be made to work on sites such as these?
The first thing to do is create an account. Next, go in search of groups or individuals related to your product or service. For example, let’s say you sell kitchen gadgets and you want to get your name out there. Join cooking groups on those social networking sites and always include a link to your website in your profile pages. People will click on them to see what the link is all about.
Once they are there, you can offer them a discount for joining your mailing list because once they do they can receive emailed newsletters about your company. The newsletter is completely free marketing and it is being sent to people who you know are interested in what you have to offer.
The primary thing to keep in mind when using social media platforms to promote your business is you need to do more than simply post your link and expect traffic to follow. You need to interact with people and develop relationships with them. Let them get to know and trust you as a person and then they will come to know and trust you as a merchant.
To review this: Create a free account on the social networking site. Put your link on your profile page or in your posts. Take the time to develop relationships with people. Get people to sign up for your newsletter when they make a purchase so they can get a discount. There you go; almost free marketing that will build itself over time.
Using Search Engine Optimization to Bring Traffic to Your Site
Using Search Engine Optimization to Bring Traffic to Your Site
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a way of tracking what terms, or words, people are using to search for on the Internet. For instance, if your website deals with selling the best potted Venus fly traps in the eastern hemisphere, you would want your site to be optimized so it comes up first when someone searches for “potted Venus fly traps.”
Using SEO is a great tool to get people to come to your site. Think about when you search on a specific word or phrase. How often do you scroll down to the bottom of the page and automatically go straight to page 15 without looking at the results on the first 14 pages? Never, right? In general, a normal search will answer the intended question within the first ten web pages listed in the search.
The further up you are on the search engine totem pole the better traffic will be to your site. The best way to move up the ladder is to do it through search engine optimization. Some people try to cheat the system, but this can be avoided with a little prior research or trusting in someone who knows how to write correct SEO copy.
Search engine optimization can also be a fun project to work on yourself, if you have the time. Between the words you want to key for and tracking how you are doing with those words it can be much like a game you get to play against your potential clients. You win when they start rolling through your links.
There are many tips and tricks on how to use SEO and how to properly optimize your site. Books, blog articles, videos, training tools and even tutorials are being published daily on the right and wrong way to use SEO. Please consult these training materials before attempting to optimize your own site. There is a very fine line between being able to get a better search result with your site and being permanently banned from search engines for good.
Using Email Marketing to Advertise
Using Email Marketing to Advertise
Who doesn’t like getting email? Odds are if you are on the Internet than you most likely have an email address. Email has proven to be one of the best ways a business can market and advertise effectively.
Email is the most powerful marketing tool you have to promote and advertise your website. The best part is for most people, it’s free! The other great aspect of email marketing is how easy it is to get started.
Many businesses have the option for people to sign up through their websites where they leave their personal information as well as their email address. This is how you create your mailing list. You already know that those who sign up are at least interested enough to want more information, so you already have “leads” to work with.
The next step after gathering your email list is to create a newsletter. You can either hire someone to do this for you or you can use the many free templates online and create your own. After all, who knows your company better than you, right?
When starting to market through email, you should take it slowly; there is no need to bombard your email list with more than one email a week. Sending out an email monthly or when you have a special promotion is more effective than bombarding them with what could be considered spam.
When creating your emails and newsletters, treat your email list recipients as if each one were the only person you are writing to by writing the way you talk. This way, they feel more connected to a real person and they will want to read what you are writing or want to purchase what you are advertising. Less is more in email marketing and it’s the best way to get word out about your services or products.
