| Smart business people are leveraging the power of | | | | optimization (SEO) and all it means is that when you |
| Internet marketing strategies to attract more qualified | | | | write the content for your website or blog, you use the |
| customers to their small business. Small Businesses | | | | words that people are typing into the search engines |
| that you would not expect to find on the Internet are | | | | so that they can find you when they search. If you are |
| now using online marketing to draw in customers like a | | | | using a replicated website, it is very likely that it has not |
| magnet. Traditional small business marketing methods | | | | been optimized to be found by the search engines. |
| are expensive and the results are not measurable. | | | | Search engines hate replicated websites. |
| Positioning yourself as the expert in your field and | | | | Your small business marketing strategy should include |
| providing valuable information to your potential | | | | writing articles about topics that are interesting to your |
| customers will magically attract qualified prospects to | | | | customers. To do this, you have to figure out who |
| you. This article will provide valuable small business | | | | your target customer is, and what they are interested |
| marketing ideas to help you develop marketing | | | | in. This is probably the hardest part of your small |
| strategies for your small business. | | | | business marketing strategy. This is the essence of |
| My time is limited, and I have found that using the | | | | attraction marketing and is how you will build an |
| search engines is a great way to find products and | | | | audience for your information, which in turn will draw |
| services that meet my needs. The information | | | | customers to you like magic. |
| available on the Internet lets me compare products | | | | Then it is just a matter of placing your content all over |
| and services and get reviews from other customers | | | | the Internet so that it is found when your customers |
| who have purchased the products I am looking for. | | | | search. If you are a local business, there are ways to |
| Last week I purchased a generator for my home | | | | localize your content, so that customers in your |
| through the Internet, and I needed to find a local | | | | geographic area can find you first before you |
| electrician to install it. I hate calling people from the | | | | competitors when they search. |
| yellow pages, so I decided to search the Internet for | | | | How the value you provide helps you gain the trust of |
| someone who could help me. I found three different | | | | your customers |
| electricians. | | | | Once your customer types in the search words at the |
| Electrician A had very good information on their | | | | search engine and your content comes up, you have |
| website about some simple electrical jobs and things | | | | started building trust and credibility in their minds. The |
| to watch out for when picking an electrician. | | | | more valuable the content you offer for free, the more |
| Electricians B and C simply had a "yellow page" | | | | trust you will build. The more frequently your content |
| website with a phone number and address. | | | | comes up, the more credibility you will gain. Securing |
| Because Electrician A had shared valuable information | | | | the trust of your customers is the hardest step in |
| with me first, I already trusted him more, but I wanted | | | | making the sale. Using these small business Internet |
| to get three bids to make sure I paid a reasonable | | | | marketing strategies does this hard step for you, so |
| amount of money for my job. | | | | that when your customers come to you, they are |
| I sent all three electricians an email asking for a bid on | | | | ready to learn what you have to offer. |
| my job. Then I spoke with each of them on the phone | | | | If the valuable free content that you offer is perceived |
| to answer their questions and give them directions to | | | | to be more valuable than that of your competitors, you |
| my property. | | | | will differentiate yourself in the eyes of your |
| Electrician B bid on the job sight unseen. Electrician A | | | | prospective customer. If your content comes up first |
| and C both made time to come out to my property | | | | on the search engines, you are guaranteed that your |
| and look over the job before bidding. | | | | customer will see what you have to offer. If what you |
| Electrician A made a couple of good suggestions that | | | | offer is of value, you have just won a customer. |
| actually saved me money and helped me avoid a | | | | You too can leverage these ideas for marketing your |
| costly mistake. Electrician C bid almost twice what the | | | | small business on the Internet |
| other two electricians did. | | | | There are many tools that you can leverage today for |
| After getting all of the bids, I chose Electrician A | | | | your small business marketing strategies. Some of |
| because he took the time to come out and look over | | | | these include websites, blogs, articles, images, Google |
| my job, and actually helped me save money, even | | | | maps, videos, etc. In addition to these, there are many |
| though he did not have the cheapest overall bid. | | | | social media options to help build your reputation with |
| Electrician B, who bid on my job sight unseen, had the | | | | your customers. These include such things as Face |
| lowest bid, but would have actually cost me more | | | | book, MySpace, Squidoo, and Twitter. |
| money because of the issues that Electrician A had | | | | For example, my small business has a website which I |
| pointed out when he took the time to come out to my | | | | use as the hub of my business activities. I have written |
| property to see the job before bidding on it. Electrician | | | | articles, such as the one you are reading, which are |
| C looked over the same job site as electrician A, but | | | | found by the search engines when my target |
| did not give me a lot of confidence when he did not | | | | customers type in certain search words. My articles |
| point out the same issues that Electrician A had. | | | | then link back to my website for my customers to find |
| The combination of a website with valuable information | | | | more information about my services. In addition to my |
| to help build my confidence coupled with free advice | | | | articles, I have Squidoo lenses, and a Face book page |
| to help me save money actually won this electrician | | | | which also link back to my website. My offline |
| my business. This is an example of how effective | | | | marketing also has the link to my website. Again, the |
| marketing a small business using the Internet coupled | | | | target of all of my marketing is to drive prospective |
| with a consultative sales approach can help attract | | | | customers to my website where they can prequalify |
| and win customers for your business. | | | | themselves by learning more about my business and |
| Because of their power to attract customers, I have | | | | requesting more information if they are interested. |
| implemented these Internet marketing strategies in my | | | | Notice, I am not chasing customers, nor am I wasting |
| own small business. I have a website that has valuable | | | | my money on the yellow pages. Instead, I am |
| information available to the prospective customers | | | | attracting customers to me through the valuable |
| who search for my services. Because of this useful | | | | information that I provide. |
| information, the customers who find me already trust | | | | You can easily implement these same marketing |
| what I have to say. They know something about me | | | | strategies for your small business also. |
| before we even speak with each other. This helps | | | | If winning more business and making more money is |
| filter out the tire kickers and helps me leverage my | | | | important to you... |
| time to work with only those customers who truly | | | | If all of this information is a bit overwhelming to you, or |
| have an interest in my services as a small business | | | | you just don't know how to get started, I suggest that |
| Internet marketing coach. | | | | you find someone who can guide you through |
| By reading this article you'll learn why it is important to | | | | developing and implementing the Internet marketing |
| market your small business on the Internet. You will | | | | strategies for your small business. Find someone who |
| learn small business marketing ideas that will attract | | | | can show you the ropes and teach you what you |
| more customers to you who are already interested in | | | | need to know to be self-sufficient. |
| what you have to offer. You will learn how to gain the | | | | Don't just sign up with anyone who claims to build or |
| trust of these customers allowing you to win more | | | | host websites, though. Not everyone knows the secret |
| business and make more money. | | | | of attraction marketing like I have described for you |
| Why it is so important to market your small business | | | | here. Find someone who understands these concepts |
| on the Internet | | | | and has demonstrated their ability to apply them the |
| More than ever, people start their search for | | | | way that I have demonstrated it to you when you |
| information about products and services on the | | | | found this article. |
| Internet. In fact, as a business medium, the Internet is | | | | When you do find someone, the more they know the |
| growing while many other sectors of the economy are | | | | more costly their time will be. Look for someone who |
| declining. Your customers are looking for you on the | | | | knows just a little more than you but who isn't so good |
| Internet...trust me I know this. The question is "are they | | | | at it they charge you a fortune. |
| going to find you when they search?" and if they do, | | | | They can show you how to set up your small |
| "will they learn enough about you to trust you and | | | | business marketing strategies on the Internet, or if you |
| contact you to do business?" | | | | don't have the time to do it, they can do it for you. |
| Many people no longer think of the yellow pages when | | | | Now you know how to easily win more business and |
| they are searching for information about a product or | | | | make more money. |
| service. The major search engines are the most | | | | Leveraging an Internet marketing strategy will help you |
| accessed websites on the Internet. Google has over | | | | with the hardest part of establishing any business |
| 91 million searches per day, and Yahoo has over 60 | | | | relationship. It will help you gain the trust of your |
| million searches per day, together they represent 151 | | | | potential customers before you have even spoken |
| million searches per day. | | | | with them yet. You will be able to attract more |
| Now the population of the United States is just over | | | | customers to you, and the ones you attract are |
| 304 million and the population of the whole world is just | | | | already interested in what you have to offer. After |
| over 6 billion (Wikipedia - Jul 2008). One out of every | | | | that, all you have to do is offer great service and close |
| two people in the United States could be searching for | | | | the sale. These great small business marketing ideas |
| something or one out of every 40 people in the world | | | | can give you a leg up on your competitors, and help |
| could be doing the same. This is a staggering number | | | | you grow your small business. Now you know why it |
| of searches every day, which reinforces the fact that | | | | is so important for you develop an Internet marketing |
| people are relying on the Internet to search for and | | | | strategy for your small business. |
| find quality information. | | | | As a customer, I have found that small businesses |
| You can see why, more than ever before, it is | | | | who provide valuable information to me when I am |
| important to have an Internet marketing strategy for | | | | searching for products or services are much more |
| your small business. | | | | likely to get my initial inquiry about their products or |
| How to attract more customers to you who are | | | | services. Businesses who are not on the Internet or |
| already interested in what you offer | | | | who have a replicated brochure website are usually |
| Ok...so now we can agree that your business should | | | | not in the running at all. In fact, I usually forget to even |
| be on the Internet, but how can you be sure that your | | | | look in the yellow pages. My first stop to search is |
| business will be found out of all of the others out | | | | now the search engines like Google or yahoo. I have |
| there? How can you effectively market your small | | | | implemented these small business marketing strategies |
| business on the Internet? Probably not the way you | | | | in my own consulting business. Now I have customers |
| would think. | | | | calling me, instead of me trying to chase them or |
| Hype-based or hard selling techniques no longer work. | | | | spending thousands of dollars on ads that don't bring in |
| The way to attract customers to you is to offer | | | | anyone. |
| valuable free information to the people who find you. | | | | Give me a call or shoot me an email and I'd be happy |
| They will find you because you will use the same | | | | to spend 20 minutes on a free consultation with you to |
| words that people are searching for when describing | | | | get you started on the right track. |
| your products or services. This is called search engine | | | | |