Promo strategies for more business mileage

May 28th, 2008 admin

It’s no surprise to note that the well-worn methods of promotion in the print, radio, and television media won’t work in the user-oriented medium of the internet. When consumers can be passive receivers of information with all other media forms, an internet promotional strategy should be able to secure the browser’s active participation in order for it to be effective. As such, pop-ups and banner ads simply do not have as much appeal on the web.

If your online business is new and in need of some serious PR campaign, there are a number of ways in which you can spread the word out and keep it circulating. First, do appreciate the power of search engines, and maximize their use to your advantage. You’ll have bigger chances for customer traffic if you appear on the results of search engine queries. It is true that the top-ranked search results are in fact paid links, but at least you’ll have a chance to appear on the first page if you continuously submit your site to them. Search engines also find their way to your site by ‘crawling’ to them, but these can take a long time due to the amount of new sites which sprout up every day. Incorporate essential key words and tags, and as much as possible, include your company’s name on the title of the home page so that it also appears on the query results.

Make sure that the media gets the buzz on your company by sending out press releases, and once the customers start coming in, have a customer newsletter program in place to maintain their patronage. Newsletters can provide regular information on your company’s newest product and promotional offerings directly to the consumer, and if they are satisfied with your services, the newsletter will most likely be circulated among the inbox of friends and relatives. You can also place paid online ads, particularly on the web pages which enjoy a steady support base of the crowd you are targeting. For example, if you operate an online flower shop, place ads on online sites of wedding coordinators, homemaking websites, and those which are geared for horticulture hobbyists.

If you offer travel services, become an expert at the field and go into newsgroups and forums, offering advice while subtly promoting traffic to your site. This gives you credibility among the community, and many will be lured in by such authority by referring to the contact tag you provide with each entry. On the same note, you can also come up with informative articles which are related to your business, and then submit them to article submission websites which cater to your target market. Make sure that you include your business profile and your site URL on the bio data which comes with each article. Finally, you have to network out your site by linking it with others. This may be done free or at a cost, or with established online business directories and affiliate programs.

You’ll get more mileage if you use these methods to your advantage, and considering that the power of word-of-mouth advertisement is all the more potent in this internet-savvy age, your business is bound to take off.

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