subject: Marketing Your Business Through The Magic Of The Internet [print this page] If you are currently operating a small business and are still using the yellow pages as your primary marketing strategy, then you are missing out. Most people across the world have set aside the yellow pages and are now turning to the Internet for information concerning local businesses. If your business is not using Internet marketing tools, then you are losing a large amount of business to your competition.
Just because your business is local does not mean that you should not have an online presence. Many people every day go to their computers for information on where to go to dinner, how to hire a roofer, or for directions on how to get where they need to go. Without some sort of Internet identity, your business is going to get missed.
One of the first steps any business needs to take in its Internet marketing campaign is to get involved in social media. Millions of people every day turn to social media sites as soon as they wake up in the morning. Many even claim to get most of their news from social networking sites. The social network phenomenon cannot be ignored. Be assured that one or all of your competitors are already there. Sites like Facebook and Google + make it easy for you to create a page for your business to help you connect with current and future customers.
Creating a website is important as well. Websites have huge advantages over yellow pages directories. The first of these advantages is that people use the Internet, while they are abandoning the yellow pages in droves. Another advantage is that you can provide much more information on a web page than you can in a yellow pages ad. Contact information, a map and directions to your place business, articles summarizing your business, and customer reviews are just a few examples of the wealth of information that will be at your prospective clients' disposal.
These two basic Internet marketing tools are a good start. You can learn later about the effectiveness of article marketing, email blasts, and search engine optimization. If you want to get started, establish a website where people can find you and a social media profile where you can communicate with your customers and where your customers can spread the word about you. Internet marketing is not the wave of the future. It is now. If your small business is not using the Internet as part of its marketing strategy, it needs to start right away.
