3 Powerful Ways – How Small Businesses Can Build An Online Presence

Since the introduction of the internet, all businesses (large and small) now have access to more prospective customers than ever before.   No longer are they limited to those who live close to them but have access to customers around the world.   Once online they can immediately connect and communicate with potential customers through social networking and interactive sites.   Of course, they need an online presence.   In this post, we will provide some easy ways of how small businesses can build an online presence.

1) Social Networking

Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin have provided large and small businesses with a completely unique way to market themselves.   After joining such websites, you need to build up a comprehensive profile and then start to join in on conversations as well as communicate with both existing and potential new customers.   Also, don’t forget to build relationships with other professionals using this method.

2) Begin A Blog

Make sure that the blog you start on your website is one that is relevant to the service or product, relates to something that you know a great deal about or have a keen interest in.  Helping to keep your site updated with fresh and unique content which is an important part of any successful internet marketing campaign will help you to gain a reputation of being a leading authority in your niche.   This will in turn serve as a reliable source not only for your customers but other leading professionals.

3) Product Marketing Video

Video has become extremely popular as they provide all businesses with a way of providing in depth view of their product or service.  You business is able to provide details regarding the products size, color and texture.  These videos offer you the opportunity to explain fully the benefits of them to all your potential customers.   When you use this way of how small businesses can build an online presence, the videos you create do not have to be anything fancy.  However, make them as personable as possible.   Then once created, simply upload them to sites like YouTube and other popular video sharing sites.

5 Tips for Choosing an Internet Marketing Consultant

Proper internet marketing is crucial to the success of your website and your online visibility. Unfortunately, taking the time to learn about internet marketing while at the same time running a business can be a bit difficult and time-consuming.   Many busy business owners find it necessary to hire an internet marketing consultant to aid them in their online marketing efforts. With so many consultants to choose from, it may be difficult to determine who is most qualified for the job.  Here are some things to consider.

Ask for Samples and References

One of the most important things to consider when choosing an internet marketing consultant is the track record of the individual in question.  Has he or she ever marketed and earned top rankings for a website in the past?  Most consultants can give you examples of their work and should be able to give you the contact information for a past or current client so that you can confirm the validity of the working relationship, even if it is no longer current.

Disregard Guarantees

While your dream may be to earn the #1 spot in Google for your chosen keyword, it is important for you to recognize that this is not always possible.  Google’s algorithms change on a regular basis and there is no way anyone can actually guarantee a specific placement within the search engines.  It’s not unreasonable to ask for first or second page rankings, but anything more specific is questionable.

Ask About Strategy

While not every internet marketing consultant is going to outline the step-by-step methods he uses for increasing your rankings, he should be able to tell you about the techniques he uses. Will he keyword optimize your website and content?  Will he utilize social media?  Will he start a link building campaign?  You have the right to know what techniques will be incorporated into your site’s internet marketing plan.  You also have the right to ask about the techniques your consultant believes are damaging to an internet marketing campaign.

Review the Internet Marketing Consultant’s Website

Ask your internet marketing consultant for the list of keywords he has chosen for optimizing his own website.  Do a Google search for those keywords and see how well his own site ranks. If he hasn’t taken the time to make sure his own website is in good standing, he may not give your website the attention it deserves either.

Consider the Rates

Internet Marketing does take both time and effort.  Someone who is charging very little is likely doing very little work or is placing quantity over quality.  You need to find someone who can offer you a competitive service package at a reasonable rate.  Most times, you’ll get what you pay for and, in this case, less does not equal more.

Take your time and don’t jump to sign a contract with the first internet marketing consultant you speak with.  Make an effort to interview at least 2-3 companies or independent consultants before making your final choice.  You’ll be glad you spent the extra time to make a quality choice.

How to Improve Your Local Business Website in 5 Easy Steps

Learning how to improve your local business website will require more than just a single step to complete.  Things with any importance that lead to success require several steps over a period of time. It is just inherent within the nature of things that significant undertakings usually aren’t accomplished overnight.  You need to prepare yourself, learn how to do it right, then stick to it and persevere. Regardless of what task or project you choose, you shouldn’t expect to find exceptions to those requirements.

But it’s really not so difficult.  You simply break it down into simple steps and take them one by one…

Site Search

This is of critical importance because for those who have greater than 20 pages, it’s recommended that you give a search facility.  For those who have a web site search, make sure it’s prominent. Usability guidelines often like the upper-right corner of the page.  Keep the button label basic and clear – “Search” still works best for most sites. Don’t unleash your powers of lateral thinking and swap inside a word like “Retrieve”. Make it simple..

Ensure Your Webpages Can Be Skim-read Easily

This is how to do it the best way, for the best results.  Give your website a quick review and make sure all your text is broken up into clear, manageable sections.  Always keep your text in manageable chunks, not an unbroken wall of words like insurance small print, so it’s easier for customers to look up what they want right away and with confidence – which is critical if they are making a buying decision.  The primary reason this will be significant is because few people read word for word online. The vast majority skim-read to get a sense of the page before they read any of it in detail.  Make it easy for visitors to skim-read your content.  Always use headings and bullets to break up text. Think about it.  If a heading is not relevant for your visitor, they can easily skim down to the next heading, making it straightforward for them to get directly to the information they need..

Keep Your Styles & Colors Consistent

The reason for this will be to make sure people know they’re still on your site by being consistent – confuse them and you’ll lose them.  Keep the look and feel of your website sections consistent and avoid any radical changes.  Layout, headings, and styles should be consistent site-wide, and colors should usually have the same meaning.

For example, don’t use red for headers on one page, red for hyperlinks on another, and red as standard text somewhere else. .

Use Emphasis (bold,italics etc.) Sparingly

To break that down into more detail, it’s a fact of human psychology: try to draw attention to everything and you’ll effectively draw attention to nothing.  We’ve all seen that site, the one with a red, blinking, underlined “NEW!” next to everything.  Please don’t be that person!

Remember, if your site’s graphic design is counter-intuitive and doesn’t help visitors get something done quickly, it’s going to make your site much slower and difficult to work with. Slow, awkward sites don’t ever delight your customer or create a good rapport online.  Visitors will be back at the search engine in seconds if they find your website “complicated” or “busy”. Ensure your website is only highlighting critical factors you absolutely need your visitors to gaze at or clíck on in order to meet your online business goals.  Menus, buy buttons, opt–in boxes and so on.

Keep Your Ads & Pop-ups Unobtrusive

Additionally, ads are a fact of life, but integrate them nicely into your site.  Don’t try to force ads and pop-ups down peoples’ throats; you’ll end up creating frustration for your visitors. Also, do people a favor and make your ads clear.  If you blur the line between ads and content too much, your content may suffer, since many people have developed “banner blindness” when it comes to surfing, and might overlook some important content by mistake.  Doublecheck if your popup window is significantly increasing your opt–in rate.  If it isn’t, you could be annoying present and future customers unnecessarily.

Finally, should you have observed these tips closely, you are going to succeed and will then benefit from the fruits of your success!  Welcome the rewards and admiration.  You achieved it you now deserve the credit! It’s you that set out to attain your goals and also you who succeeded! You now may revel in your achievement and revel in it!

For those who chose to not stick to the steps above and try to improve your local business website, ah well, that is life, I suppose.  Not everyone succeeds, just those that truly want it…