We’re often asked the question: “Where should I advertise online?” And it’s a good question… since there are (literally) thousands of online advertising options!

From paid search, to ad networks, to online directories, to websites, to social media… and the list grows longer all the time. Maybe all these options make sense for your advertising dollars, but then again, maybe not.

No worries, as our job is to help you get on your feet and moving in the right direction with online advertising… and hopefully keep you from taking too many wrong (and expensive) turns.

Now back to the question: “Where should I advertise online?” The answer depends on the following:

1. What’s your monthly online ad budget? There’s a big difference between relying on “word of mouth” and having lots of money to throw around. Not sure what you should be spending? Do the marketing math and find out.

2.  Who is the target audience you want to reach? The more you understand about your prospective customers… the better you’ll be able to reach and influence them with your marketing message. Who are you targeting with your online advertising?

3.  Are your customers local or everywhere? On the Internet, it’s easy to waste marketing dollars finding prospects who can’t buy from you. Yes, even online you need to think geographically. Getting started with your local online advertising?

4.  How will you know if your advertising was successful? What results are you looking for… orders, leads, sign-ups, phone calls? Figure this out in advance so you can measure the performance of your ad campaigns. And remember: without web analytics your website is flying blind.

With these questions in mind, here are some guidelines to help you figure out where to advertise online:

If your monthly online ad budget is less than $1,000, then consider:

• Paid Search: Google is the most popular but you should also test Yahoo/Bing. Keep in mind there are lots of other search-oriented sites that you can try such as Facebook, Business.com, LinkedIn, and (even) Amazon.com.

• Directories: These include the Internet yellow pages such as Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com, and DexKnows. Many of these providers will also create your very own web page if you don’t need a fancy website.

• City Guides: Yelp, Yahoo!Local, and Citysearch offer advertising options that can be really effective if most of your customers live nearby. And if you have a local store then make sure and put it on Google Maps.

• Social Media: It’s time to get your business on Facebook and Twitter. Why not since it’s free to set up an account and get started building your audience! Ready to grow your business with social media?

If your monthly online ad budget is $1,000 to $10,000, then consider:

• Paid Search, Directories, City Guides, Social Media (as described above)

• Small Blogs and Websites: This is where knowing all about your target audience pays off… since you want to advertise on sites that your prospects frequent. Expect to spend between $100 to $1,500 per month. Need help? Find out where to advertise online.

If your monthly online ad budget is $10,000 or more (lucky you!), then consider:

• Paid Search and Social Media (as described above)

• Blogs and Websites: Focus on sites that reach your target audience. The better the match the better your advertising results will be. Keep in mind that many popular consumer-oriented websites require a minimum order of $5,000.

• Ad Networks: There are hundreds of ad networks to choose from. Select those that best reach your target audience. For example, vertical ad networks specifically target many consumer categories such as autos, travel, health, women, and even eco-friendly consumers! And like with popular websites, most ad networks want you to spend at least $5,000.

Remember these are just guidelines. So, yes there are ad networks you can try even on a smaller budget; and sure there are popular websites which sell affordable text links. But when in doubt, stick to the guidelines until you feel comfortable with your online advertising efforts… or you risk taking one of those wrong turns we talked about.

Don’t spend your whole adverting budget on one option (i.e., Google). Instead, test different alternatives to see what works best for you… based on how you measure success. And make testing your online advertising a standard practice!

With all that said… are you ready for your online advertising roadmap?

Thanks and let us know how it goes!

Or reach out as we can help too… just give us a call at 888.330.3236.

(Btw, this was an update to our December 2008 post)

Did you know that fewer than half of all small businesses advertise online? That’s what Nielsen Online reports. Surprising, huh? Well, maybe not… if you’re a small business owner who finds Internet advertising confusing, complex, and cluttered (we sure do!)

But the fact is that most consumers now search the Web for local products and services like yours. And if your competitors aren’t already on the Internet they will be soon. So like it or not… it’s time to jump online.

Seriously, how else are you going to become comfortable with Internet marketing if you don’t begin doing it? (Tough love, I know.)

Here’s the good news: There are lots of services now available to help you market your business online. From making it easy and affordable to build a website; to getting a listing with the Internet Yellow Pages; to helping you manage search advertising with Google.

Not sure where to start? Read on…

1.  What if you don’t even have a website?

Our recent post: Does Your Business Need a Website? lays it out for you… including the must-have pages that every local website needs. And here’s our list of the Best Free and Affordable Website Builders. You’ll be seriously amazed at how easy it is to build a great looking website. Best of all… no technical degree required!

2.  Want to have your business found on the Internet?

Listing with the Internet Yellow Pages and other online directories is really important. Here’s our list of the Best Local Directories for Your Online Advertising. With these directories, it’s mostly free to create a listing for your business… and if you’re willing to pay ($25 to $50 monthly) you can also add photos, special offers, user reviews, and more!

3.   What if you’d like to find more prospects online?

Using a service to help you with search engine marketing may be the way to go. Check out Yodle and ReachLocal to see if they meet your needs. Both specialize in helping small business owners advertise on Google and other search engines to find prospects looking for local products and services.

4.  Still trying to get a handle on this online advertising stuff?

We understand. As a matter of fact, we’ve written a few blog posts on this very topic:

Why Advertise Online? Here are 7 Important Reasons

Getting Started with Local Online Advertising?

Your Local Online Advertising Options

And remember… when you’re ready we’re here to help too!

Just started your blog? Or maybe you’ve had one for awhile but now it’s time to get serious. In any case, we probably don’t need to convince you of the benefits of having a blog. For example, creating more awareness for your business and developing a relationship with prospects… maybe generating leads too!

But how do you get more people to read your blog?

Exposure is critical to building readership… which will eventually result in sales. It really will. So let’s start with the basics. You need to get your blog to show up in search engine results. You also want prospects to stumble upon your blog. What’s an easy and cost effective way of doing this? List your blog with the best blog directories.

Listing with blog directories creates links to your blog. Google and other search engines really like these links because it says your blog is important. The more important your blog the higher up it will show in search results. Not to mention, the best blog directories have tens of thousands and even millions of visitors every month… some of which are potential readers (prospects!) for your blog.

Here are three blog directories that we recommend:

• BlogCatalog is a blogger community and directory which makes it easy for visitors to find, save, and organize favorite blogs… and it attracts millions of visitors every month.

• Blogs.com has a team of editors on the lookout for the best blogs and posts to feature on their site. Maybe your blog will get featured too!

• Blogged is a blog social network and directory with 100+ plus categories to choose from. Its editors will rate your blog and users can “follow” your posts with the click of a button.

Other blog directories to submit to include: Best of the Web Blogs, BlogFlux, Bloggeries, EatonWeb, and BlogTopList.

It only takes a few minutes to submit your blog. You’ll register with the blog directory, type in your blog’s URL, choose categories that your blog fits, and provide helpful keyword tags to make it easy for directory searchers to find you. That’s it.

Best of all, most blog directories offer free blog submission.

In a few cases, you may be asked to pay a fee but even then it’s affordable (e.g., $35 per year)… and some offer advertising opportunities that may make sense for you to consider.  But don’t be surprised if the blog directories ask that you link your blog back to them. Why not as they need promotion too.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s start marketing your blog!

There was a time when all you had to do was get an ad in the Yellow Pages, hand out some flyers, and your local marketing was good to go. Not anymore. These days, you also need to promote your business on the Internet. And boy is that confusing… where do you begin?

Well at the beginning of course. And I don’t mean just having a website. I mean getting your business listed with the local search engines and online directories. Why? Because this is how today’s consumers search the Internet to find local businesses like yours.

Get started by making sure your business is listed with the following:

• Major Search Engines: I’m talking about  Google, Yahoo, and Bing local search. Each lets you submit your business information so that you show up in their local search results. And you’ll also show up in online maps (e.g., Google Maps and MapQuest).

• Online Yellow Pages: Yes, it’s the online version of the tried and true Yellow Pages. These online directories generate millions of visitors every day looking for local businesses. Check out YellowPages.com, Yellowbook, and SuperPages.

• Local Search Engines: These search engines include Local.com, LocalPages, and GenieKnows. Each focuses on generating search results and user reviews of local services and products.

• Local Directories. There are a number of local directories that focus on helping businesses get more exposure on the Internet. How about MerchantCircle, InsiderPages, and Best of the Web Local? Definitely worth considering.

• City Guides: These websites are more about “what’s great” and “what to do” in your local area, and user reviews and popularity are important factors in determining which businesses get the most attention. Yelp and Citysearch are good examples.

It’s easy and (mostly) free to get your business listed. Just click on the “List Your Business”, “Add Your Business”, or a similar link to get the process started when visiting one of these sites. Of course, there are quite a few local search and online directories to list with. So you may instead want to use services such as Universal Business Listing, iBegin.com, and Localeze. They’ll do the submitting for you at little or no cost… plus save you a ton of time!

When submitting your business information, don’t forget to include the same descriptive keywords and compelling copy that you use on your website. For example, what you do and where you do it… such as “accountant, San Francisco”. This will improve the chances of your business showing up in the right search results and sending qualified prospects to your website.

What if you don’t have a website? Then start with the Online Yellow Pages, Local Directories, and City Guides. They’ll create a business listing for you that’ll include the name and description of your business, phone number, and street address. And if you’re willing to pay ($25 to $50 per month), you can also add photos, special offers, and more!

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get the phones ringing!

I’ve got a riddle for you. What type of online advertising is free, will establish you as an expert, and can improve your website’s popularity with search engines… all while making it easy for others to drive traffic to your website. The answer: article marketing. So why aren’t you doing it? You should be!

What exactly is article marketing? It’s simple. You write an article and then submit it to article directories, websites, and blogs that are looking for quality content. They post your article, including your bio and a link to your website… and then good things start to happen!

How to get started?

• Write about what you know. Make writing easy. Write about topics that you’re interested in and have plenty to say about. Just make sure your articles are related to your business or industry. That way when readers check out your website they’ll know they’ve come to the right place. And no selling please! Your articles are for educating and informing with your reader’s interests in mind. So when writing articles, think coach and teacher… not salesman.

• Keep it keyword rich. You want to make it easy for the search engines to find your article. No surprise right? Make sure your article title includes keywords you care about. It’s also a good idea to sprinkle keywords into the article text… but always remember it’s about engaging your readers not over-stuffing keywords.

• Have a compelling article title. The headline of your article is the only thing that most people read. So make it compelling. That way they’ll have no choice but to read on. How do you do that? Make your article title provocative. Try writing it in the form of a question that draws readers in. Or phrase it as if you’re going to let them in on a little known secret. You get the idea!

• Write articles often. Get in the habit of writing lots of articles. Volume counts… as one or two won’t do. That’s why it’s so important to write about what you know and like. Look for ideas in your favorite magazines and blogs. And from conversations with your prospects and customers. The good news is that your articles don’t need to be long. Figure 300 to 600 words. But you do need to write at least two articles a month (or more!)

• Don’t forget your bio. Besides your article title, your bio is the most important part of your article. Why? Because it’s where you get to brand yourself and include your website’s URL. This is where the selling happens so definitely add a few sentences about you and your company. The goal here is to get prospects to read about you and visit your website.

When you’re ready… start with publishing to the article directories. It’s easy and free. Go ahead and submit to all the top article directories such as: EzineArticles, ArticlesBase, Buzzle.com, SearchWarp, GoArticles, and IdeaMarketers.  Just search “article directories” to find more.

And keep a look out for blogs and websites in your industry that want guest authors (you can be one!) Having your article show up in a popular blog can mean thousands of dollars of exposure for your business.

Happy article writing!