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If you run an online business or conduct sales through the Internet, you may forget to market your business offline. We provide off-line strategies to promote your online presence.
Conduct almost any Internet search and Wikipedia will be among the results. Due to constant monitoring and strict guidelines, the free, online, user-created encyclopedia has become a fairly well-respected source of information. That, along with high search rankings, make it a desired database of which many companies wish to be a part. Having a Wikipedia article about your business can increase your credibility and visibility, while knocking your competitors' sites down a notch. However, as the saying goes, nothing good comes easily or without a price.
The visitors to your company's Web site are there for a reason -- and if you don't give them what they need quickly you'll lose them. Whether your goal is to sell a product or pass along information, follow these guidelines to help ensure your content is being read.
Lots of companies hang up shingles proclaiming to be a leader in the science of search engine optimization. But how do you know if you're partnering with the right one?
The phone book is no longer the go-to source for finding local businesses. A survey conducted by Nielsen Online and WebVisible shows that search engines are the first place consumers turn when looking for local products or services. The problem with that: Less than half of all small businesses actually have a Web site. Enter Google with a way to add Web presence without a Web site. A Google business listing is a quick, easy and free way for a business, with or without a Web site, to build/start its Web presence.
It is no longer good enough just to have a Web site; now one must analyze that Web site with a Web analytics program such as Google Analytics or Adobe's Omniture. Web analytics is the analysis of a Web site and the computers visiting that site. Think of it as conducting a non-obtrusive, non-annoying, no fail, customer feedback survey.
Viral marketing is all about creating buzz. Viral marketing facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message using pre-existing social networks. Messages can be spread through a reputable blogger, or sent in the form of a text message, image, email, video clip, advergame, brandable software, etc.
Marketing to several generations can be a challenge since different values and ideas resonate with each group. We offer advice on reaching consumers of all ages.
Does the following experience sound familiar? You're on the Web site of a company that appears to offer the services you're looking for. Now you want to know who runs the company and get a sense of the firm's track record. You click on the site's About Us link. But instead of learning about the company's executives, all you find is an overview of the company's service offerings, which you've already read about elsewhere on the site. You look for links to other pages that might contain the information you seek, but to no avail. You're pressed for time so you move on to another company's Web site, never to return.
Research shows that Web readers want fast and easy information in a format that is easy to digest. Follow these 4 tips to reach online audiences.
If you want journalists to visit your site and maybe even contact you for an interview, you need to make your Web site media-friendly.
Potential customers who want to contact your company are likely to turn to your Web site for a phone number or e-mail address. If that contact information is difficult to find, you could not only lose a sale, but your reputation could suffer as well. According to a study by MaCorr Research, 70 percent of consumers have a negative opinion of companies that don't give them the opportunity to get in touch directly. Fortunately, it's easy to make your contact information accessible on your Web site. Here are a few tips to help.
Online marketing is ideal for small businesses. Online marketing strategies are usually extremely cost-effective or even free, besides the time spent creating content and coordinating distribution and exposure. Consider five online marketing strategies to launch your business into success.
Your company's blog or Web site can be great PR for you -- or it can be a big waste of time. If people can't find you when they're looking for you, any effort you put into your site is wasted.
The Internet offers so many new media marketing options that even the most established brick-and-mortar companies should consider branching out their marketing efforts. With YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, blogs, podcasts, webinars, websites, LinkedIn and other networking sites taking off, now is the time to invest in new media marketing.
What if customers who knew exactly what they were looking for could find you in a matter of seconds using Google? Hey, it really does happen, and here's how it can happen for your business.
If you've ever scoured a Web site's frequently-asked-questions page without finding the answer to your question, you know firsthand that an incomplete FAQ has the power to taint a customer's impression of an otherwise well-meaning company.
For retailers, the holiday season is a crucial time for reaching customers. One way to do that and to boost the online presence of your small business at the same time is to create an online gift guide.
On the Web, content is king--or it should be. If you want people to visit, stick around and come back to your small business' Web site, give them substance.
If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? This old riddle might be updated for the Information Age: If you create a Web site, and no one sees it, have you done anything?
How to find a URL when all the good ones are taken
Some people don't care what name you call them as long as you call them something. Some Web site owners feel the same. Yet a Web site's "domain name" can be a powerful way to get people through your virtual door.