How to Effectively Promote Your Business Online

So, you've taken that first step and started your own business. Congratulations. The only problem is, without promotion, nobody knows it exists.The whole 'build it and they will come' strategy may have worked for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, but unfortunately that sentiment doesn't bode well for any business, big or small. You could be selling brand new Porsche's for $100 and still no one would pay you a visit.

Many new entrepreneurs assume that promoting their business takes considerable time and capital but technology has opened up doors to reach thousands, if not millions, of potential customers and clients with very little to no capital outlay simply by incorporating the internet into your promotional and marketing strategy.

Read on to discover quick and easy ways of promoting your business online and customers will be knocking down your door in no time.

Let your fingers do the walking. Yes, the Yellow Pages is still a popular search tool for people looking for a particular type of business or service.

Make sure you write a concise summary of what your business is about and list your business address, telephone numbers, fax numbers, email address and website address.

Even if you roll hay for a living, you need a website to let people know about it. These days you can get a website designed and hosted at minimal cost, but the exposure you'll get is priceless. Creating a unique website is an integral part of promoting and marketing your business online as the internet is usually the first port of call for customers looking for a particular business or service. Make sure your business has a web presence in the form of a unique and eye-catching website to attract potential customers and clients. 

Aside from your business contact information, company profile and 'about us' page, your website should contain plenty of other information and multimedia such as photographs, articles, and even video clips. If, for example, your business is restoring classic cars, then your website should have 'before' and 'after' photographs or even short video clips of cars you've already worked on. You can also write a few articles about maintenance and after-care of classic cars, or even 'how to' guides on general repairing of classic cars. As a result, you'll soon be considered an expert in your business field and people will be more likely to want to deal with you instead of the competition.

You need your business to appear professional to be taken seriously, so instead of opting for a free @gmail or @hotmail account, sign up for a customized email account with your Internet Service Provider. Using the example of classic car restoration above, your email could be john@classicrestorations instead of the generic john@gmail.com. If you were a potential customer, which email address would seem more professional to you? Yes, that's what I thought. It may seem like a small detail, but professionalism and first impressions go a long way in your business promotion.

Whether you have a website or not, and you should , it is a good idea to sign up for a free blog, at services such as Blogger or Wordpress.

You can write articles about your business or related content, post pictures, video clips, and most importantly, backlinks to your website. List your business and contact information prominently on the page and sign up for Google Adsense, which will bring you some passive income, a nice little byproduct of your online marketing and promotional efforts that can be used to further promote your business down the line.

Make sure you use the correct tags that relate to your business or services so that people can find your blog when doing a search. Your articles should be relevant to your business and of high quality. If you feel that you cannot write good quality articles on your own, hire someone to do it for you. These articles can then be posted on your blog and website simultaneously. Always include at least one backlink to your website in every article.

You can easily list your business on Google Places for free, including your business information and even photographs. When people search Google Maps, your business will pop up in their search area. It's like having a mini-website at no additional expense.

Aside from Yellow Pages and Google Places, find other local business directories and list your business and contact information with them. Generally it is free to list your business in these directories, so take advantage of yet another route to potential customers. Local directories usually have both print and online listings so you'll get double the exposure at no additional cost to you.