How to Promote Your Online Business
Recently, I received an email from Deb, mom of two little ones. She has just started up her web design business, though she has been doing design for some time now. Her email stated ” I have NO idea where to start for letting people know about me and what I do!”
I think this is a pretty common issue for moms wanting to get started online. And to be honest, you probably won`t become well-known overnight, it takes a lot of hard work. But it can be done and in the beginning, when you don`t have much in the way of work, a large part of your time should be put into promotion. So, I`ve come up with a few ideas for you to use to promote your online business.
Blogging. Everyone and their dog has a blog these days and there is a very good reason for this. The search engines love blogs and the more you post, the faster you`ll move up in the ranks. This helps people searching for your keywords find you. For example, this blog is often found by people Googling “work at home mom”. Blogging is one of the most popular methods of publicizing a business for free.
Directories. As Deb actually pointed out, you aren`t going to get a lot of traffic from submitting your site to directories. But that isn`t always the point. First of all, when you are just starting your business, you certainly don`t want to discount anything that will bring in some traffic, even if only one or two people. Secondly, many business directories have a high PR rank and this can provide valuable backlinks to your website, helping you rank higher in Google and other search engines.
Comments. Find blogs that cover content related to your business and comment on them. Don`t make it spammy, actually read the post and then make a comment on it. It`s usually adviseable to leave links out of these comments. It`s a great way to get bloggers to become interested in you, which could result in further exposure down the road. You might be surprised how much traffic you can get from readers of the blog, too. If you leave an interesting comment, often readers will click through.
Forums. There are forums for every imaginable type of business, but don`t just hang out on the ones where other business owners are. Set up accounts where your potential clients hang out. For example, if you sell baby gift baskets, look for pregnancy and new mom forums. Put your URL in the signature line, but be careful to add something to the discussion, don`t spam.
SEO. Search engine optimization is still a good way to go and even if you don`t really know much about it, it`s not difficult. Just make sure your keywords are in your article titles and sprinkled throughout the page. Try to get links with your keywords in the anchor text, as well.
Contests. Setting up a contest can be a great way to draw people to your website. For example, Deb could offer a free blog makeover to one lucky entrant, with the rules being they had to link to her site from their blog. This gives you lots of one way backlinks, which is always good and also raises awareness. You can submit your contests to contest blogs, too, which is usually free and brings in quite a few visitors. Learn more about running a contest as promotion.
Reports. Write a free report on a useful topic that can be used by your potential clients. Not only can you build up a mailing list by having them sign up for the ebook, you can also let people give the reports away . . . with your links embedded.
Guest posts. Whether you have your own blog or not, you can often find blogs related to your business topic and write guest posts for them, with a link back to your website. If you are featured on a well-visited blog, this can really net you a lot of traffic, which could turn into a lot of clients.
Ads. Most free ad spaces aren`t worth what you have to do in exchange . . . view hundreds of other ads. They aren`t targeted at all. However, it is worth investing in ad space if you do it right. There are plenty of affordable options. Sparkplugging and Work It, Mom! both have some affordable advertising options that are worth trying. You can also find low cost advertising on many blogs, just make sure it`s worth your while to pay for them.
Articles. Ezines, websites and blogs are always on the lookout for content and many of these find it in article directories. Submit your articles to sites like EzineArticles and you will have the chance to add your URL in the resource box. This nets you a great backlink and if anyone picks it up, they are required to link back, as well, meaning you`ll have even more links and potential visitors to your site.
3rd Party Sites. Set up a Hubpage, Squidoo lens or other third party website with links back to your main business site. Make it informational and people will come to read the information and then hopefully follow the links through to your site.
Contacts. In the world of online business, it`s all about who you know. Make friends with bloggers, people who run businesses that compliment yours, and treat your clients extra special. Word of mouth advertising is extremely valuable.
Anything to add? Please feel free to share your tips for promoting your online business, we can all learn something!
It’s always great to see from fresh ideas…thanks for some of your suggestions!
Wow that’s an awesome list! Thanks so much for taking the time to put together these suggestions and idea’s. Will be a huge help to me, and no doubt any others. I think the blogging idea is particularly good, so will definitely be giving that a go – and the other particularly good idea is article writing also! Great stuff Genesis… thank you!
Hi all,
Here’s a good free PR4 business directory to help promote your business.
Free Business Listings
Thanks.