Online marketing
|
An accessible website or targeted email can be effective methods of retaining existing customers and winning new ones. So how do you market your business online effectively? Tom Whitney finds out
A website provides small businesses with access to a global market at an affordable price," says Sam Onigbanjo, director of Consulting4London, an IT consultancy for small firms. "However, it's not enough just to build a website. To boost sales you need to increase the number of potential customers visiting your site."
Start by ensuring your website has a high search-engine listing. According to research from web-hosting business Fasthosts, two-thirds of Internet users only look at the first two pages of search engine results. "Unless your website has a high listing, it may never be discovered by potential customers," warns Fasthosts chief executive Andrew Michael. "To get a high listing on a search engine your website needs to include keywords," he continues. "Consider what users looking for a business like yours are likely to enter in a search engine." You can also pay search-engine providers to include your website in their search lists or pay for a sponsored link alongside search engine results. One year's sponsored link on Google costs approximately £1,600. Links and banner ads A popular free method of attempting to increase site visitors is exchanging website links with non-competing firms in your sector or businesses in your area. Exchanging links also improves your chances of appearing near the top of relevant search-engine listings. You could also place banner advertisements on other websites. These online adverts can appear as part of the chosen site (similar to an advertisement in a newspaper) or as pop-ups in a separate window. "Banners can be useful for brand awareness, but they can be expensive because you'll probably have to pay for each individual display [impression] of the advertisement," Onigbanjo explains. Email campaigns Email marketing is a fast and effective way of getting marketing messages through without the time and expense associated with printing. "Your emails can be precisely targeted at the most receptive individuals," says Onigbanjo. "Email campaigns are also easy to track, enabling you to monitor the number of responses that lead to sales." However, you need to make sure you comply with data-protection regulations. You are required to obtain recipients' prior consent before sending them commercial emails. You must also provide a clear and easy opt-out mechanism in your marketing emails so that recipients can remove themselves from your list.
|