The Internet Marketing
Buffet:
How To Advertise Online
by
Crissy Herron Gipson
When it comes to
marketing your business online, you have many different choices.
It’s kind of like one of those buffet style restaurants. While it
is great to have so many options, it can also be confusing and
overwhelming.
One of the most
obvious ways to advertise your business online is to buy ad space on
someone else’s website. Some sites offer advertising space for a
certain price per week, month, or year. Some offer text ads, others
allow graphics, and some offer both. If you can find a website that
complements your services or products, this type of advertising can
be effective. But don’t stop here, as there are other methods of
marketing online that could give you more bang for your buck.
Cost Per
Impression (CPM) programs allow you to pay based on the number of
times your advertisement is shown. Publishers place your banner or
other graphics on their website, and you pay a specified amount for
every thousand times it is shown. This allows you to gain the
maximum amount of exposure for your money.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
advertising (such as Google Adwords) allow you to show your ads on
the results page after someone performs a search, or on websites
that choose to show these types of ads. You only have to pay when
someone clicks on one of your ads. These programs give you the
advantage of being able to experiment with your ad copy and
determine what produces the most conversions without having to spend
a lot of money on things that do not work.
Cost Per Action
(CPA) programs allow you to show ads and only pay for the views that
result in a lead or sale. These programs are more cost effective
than PPC or CPM programs because you do not have to pay for views
that do not produce sales or leads.
If
you’re on a budget, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to
advertise your business without spending a dime. One of the most
popular ways to get free exposure for your website is through
forums. You can add a link to your website to your signature line,
and each time you post that link will be shown. Participating
regularly will give you more exposure and more respect within the
forum, and can encourage forum members to visit your site.
Another way you
can promote your website is through partnerships with other business
owners, such as a link exchange or a blog roll with someone who
offers a complementary product or service. For instance, if you
make jewelry, maybe you can create some brooches and partner up with
someone who makes handbags. The handbag customers may not have
thought of adding a piece of jewelry to their bag in order to
personalize it.
The Internet
provides many ways to promote your home business. Some are free,
while others require an investment. But all online advertising
methods share the advantage of allowing you to tweak your campaigns
quickly and easily. With some research and experimentation, you can
find the marketing methods that work best for your particular
business. |
