How to find customers
Taking advantage of the internet
It seems that there has been a drastic shift in marketing in the last 2 years. While we have always taken advantage of both print and internet marketing, responses from our marketing have dramatically improved as we've increased our internet presence. When you compare the cost per lead for traditional marketing with the cost for internet marketing, advertising online is again the winner - by a considerable amount.
So how can you take advantage of this marketing shift to the internet? There are several ways.
Add appropriate content on your website. Search engines look for new information that has been posted, and serve up this information to browsers who use various search engines to look for information. If you have a website and never bother to update it, you could be robbing your company of potential customers. Here are some ideas for what you can add:
1) Event information. What events are you or your colleagues attending? Even listing upcoming Chamber of Commerce meetings or local association meetings is worthwhile.
2) Product information. Do you have some information on the site for every product you sell?
3) Have you, or your colleages, written an article for the local newspaper or journal? If so, add it to your site.
4) Why not start your own blog? Think of all the information you convey to prospects or customers that could be used in your blog. You may be surprised to learn that much of the information you get to as a result of search engines is actually from someone's blog. When you write a blog, you are providing information that is searchable and new.
Try banner advertising. Besides adding content to your website, you might want to look into advertising on local sites. Are there organizations you belong to that accept internet advertising? Sites that advertise restaurants in your area or places to visit might be perfect places to advertise your expertise.
Search Engine Marketing. Finally, you can take advantage of search engine marketing by purchasing key words for your geographic area. For example, if you are located in NY, you might consider purchasing "Business Insurance Needs" for NY and NJ. Most seach engines allow you to choose specific regions. You can ask a marketing firm to look into this for you, or talk to a internet savvy employee at your company. Learning the ins and outs of search engine marketing is pretty simple. Pick a search engine, Google and/or Yahoo for example, and ask that person to look into purchasing key words on the site. It's usually done on a bid basis and can be inexpensive and easily controlled. Have questions? Let me know and I'll answer them for you.