Home » Guides » Sales and Marketing » Internet Marketing » Marketing Online

Linda Formichelli

Guide to Marketing Online

Increase profits with an Internet marketing and advertising campaign

By Linda Formichelli, Freelance Writer

Online marketing isn't only for e-commerce merchants. Retail shops, manufacturing concerns and service businesses alike can benefit from online marketing. And you don't have to be a tech wizard to get in the game. A host of firms provide products and services that make it easier than ever to take advantage of the Web as a marketing tool.

With so many innovative web marketing techniques available, you can choose one or all of them to kick-start an online campaign. Online marketing can be especially successful considering it can be:

  1. Highly targeted
  2. Inexpensive
  3. Easily trackable

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done


Use banner ads

For a reasonable investment, banner ads can build brand awareness, boost traffic to your Web site and generate sales leads. Target Web sites that attract your customer base to get the most out of banner advertising.
I recommend: Use templates to create your ads with an online banner maker from Flash Banner Now or BannerServer.com.

Market via e-mail

Email marketing is a valuable tool in an online marketer's toolbox. E-mail is a quick, inexpensive way to reach prospects with special offers, coupons, newsletters and keep-in-touch messages. If you're on a shoestring budget, build your own e-mail list by asking visitors to sign up in your store or on your Web site.
I recommend: HeyBannerBanner.com produces HTML email for smaller budgets, and BannersOnline.com offers e-newsletter and email design. Try mUrgent's e-Coupon Club for e-coupon mailings.

Use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

With PPC marketing on search engines, your text ad appears near search results when people type in keywords that you've chosen. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a preset amount.
I recommend: Popular pay-per-click options include Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search.

Use search engine optimization (SEO)

More than half of online purchases result from search engine listings, yet, 75 percent of search engine users never scroll past the first page. That's why SEO, which can improve your placement in those search engine listings, is so critical to successful online marketing. What are the keys to SEO? When submitting your site to search engines, choose keyword phrases or combinations of keywords that accurately describe your business, its products and services. Use those same keyword phrases when creating your site's title tags.
I recommend: Try the free optimization tools at AgentInteractive.com, or zero in on the best keyword phrases for your Web pages at KeywordDiscovery.com or WordTracker.com.

Use affiliate marketing

In affiliate marketing, affiliates promote your offering online in exchange for a commission per click, per lead or per sale. You may have seen people selling books on their site via Amazon; these are Amazon affiliates.
I recommend: Try a third-party marketing service like ClickBank, LinkShare, or Commission Junction.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

  • If you add prospects' addresses to your e-mail list without their permission or buy one of those "millions of addresses for $99" CDs, you'll be branded a spammer. Ask prospects to sign up for your list on your Web site, and if you buy a list, confirm that it is opt-in only.
  • In pay-per-click marketing, the more you pay per click, the higher your ad will rank among the other ads using those terms. Choosing narrow search terms will keep costs down; for example, a search term like "collectibles" will cost you a bundle to rank among the highest advertisers, but you'll pay less -- and attract more qualified prospects -- if you use "sports collectibles NJ."
  • Offer something of value to readers, such as free information, a coupon or a discount. No one is interested in reading a hard sell.

The official source of Marketing Online is
the Paid Inclusion Search Engine Marketing page at Business.com

Use Social Networking to Generate Leads
Increase your Twitter presence and generate leads. Engage your target audience across social media. Create your own Cost Per Click Campaign Today!
PPC Program
Webpartner.com
Business On Main: Online Community
The Experts Answer Your Questions Online At Small Business Solutions!
www.BusinessOnMain.com
Self-Service Internet Marketing
Reach 90% of Internet Users. Target by Geography or Audience Type. Pay Per Click. View Detailed Reporting. Build Your Campaign Now!
BidPlaceSB.com
Online Marketing
Provides internet marketing services including pay-per-click management, search engine optimization, directory listings and website traffic tracking.
www.topspotims.com

Recommended Solution Providers

Google: Advertising Programs
The search engine's self-serve Ad Words program is designed for quick set-up and easy online campaign management.

Yahoo!: Advertising Solutions
The search engine and portal offers search marketing products designed to help drive potential customers to any business' web site.

LinkShare: Online Affiliate Marketing
Supplies tools and services which enable merchants need to create, manage and optimize a affiliate marketing programs.

Commission Junction: Online Advertising & Marketing
Comission Junction offers affiliate marketing and managed search services to companies in need of online advertising and marketing campaigns.

Best Sites to Learn More

PowerHomeBiz.com
Making Small Business Do Big Business

iMedia Connection: Websites
News and information resource for the interactive media and marketing industries.

IM4Newbies: Internet Marketing Forums
Devoted to internet marketing for home-based businesses.

Best Blogs and Forums

Search Engine Roundtable
compendium of search engine marketing discussion forums

The Small Business Community Forums: Internet Marketing
Topics include blogging, pay per click campaigns, and SEO.

Duct Tape Marketing
Small Business Marketing expert blogs

MarketingProfs Daily Fix
...group blog featuring news and commentary on marketing, advertising, and business-related issues, both offline and online.

Internet Marketing Blog
News and views on web marketing.

A Marketing Blog by Marketing Journal
A marketing blog for all marketing, advertising, branding, sales and business related news, knowledge and other interesting information - with marketing comics.



FEATURED LISTINGS

What WorksTM for Internet Marketing

Daniel Kehrer

Search Engine Marketing for Small Business

How to sell more with SEM, search ads and other methods
That whoosh you just heard was the rush of thousands, nay, millions of businesses moving to online ads and other paid inclusion search marketing programs to help drive sales and growth. Call it search engine marketing (SEM), keyword advertising, pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-click (CPC) -- whatever name you use spells the same thing: a great, cost-effective way for small and medium businesses to reach prospects anywhere, anytime. ... Read more

Free B2B search marketing whitepaper, B2B Search Marketing Strategy Guide: Advice From the Pros.
Download

To advertise on Business.com, click here