Online Presence
December 6, 2007
Tips on creating an effective online presence for your small business:
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Set up a free online directory listing for your company on Yellowpages.com, Yahoo Local.
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You can submit your business info for free to MerchantCircle.com.
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Paid listings let you input more information. Citysearch.com and Superpages.com are very popular in metro areas.
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Google Maps listing will help your prospects/ customers find your business.
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You will be asked to sign up for Google AdSense account when you create your company profile.
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Join online communities: JumpUp, FastPitch Networking, StartUp Nation.
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Post comments on relevant blogs.
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Create a blog: Blogger.com, WordPress.com. It can also serve as a website for some companies.
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Write articles providing info that your target customers are looking for. Submit lo local newspapers, E-zine articles.com.
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Write a press release: submit to online newsrooms, post it to your website. Check out PRWeb. Com, PR Newswire.com.
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Search for free press release distribution services.
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Linking matters: Create relevant content, link to other valuable content and ask for links from quality, relevant sites. Read more on Linkingmatters.com. Instead of “Read more” or “Learn more” use links that include search terms/keywords.Monitor your site traffic.
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Google Analytics is a free tool. Your web developer has to add some code to your site. Make adjustments, something is wrong if your site has a 70% bounce rate.Always include your website address on your business cards, note pads, promotional items and on your stationery, including email stationery.
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Give out business cards with a special offer printed on the back, encourage people to go to your site and sign up for special offers or your newsletter. Create a newsletter: you could start with a quarterly newsletter providing tips and relevant information.It may be easier to start with a printed newsletter and then switch to an e-newsletter.
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Do it yourself e-newsletters: Constant Contact, A Weber.
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Hire an expert and have them develop permission-based email marketing campaigns: Excerpo Mail, StreamSend.com, Icontact.com.
Realtors utilizing new technologies.
December 5, 2007
Realtors I know seem to prefer print advertising. Here is an article that caught my attention.
Times are changing!
Online Real Estate Ads to Reach $3.5 Billion by 2012
It will not be a watershed increase, but the real estate advertising market is expected to show strong growth online through 2012. According to a forecast from Borrell Associates, online real estate ads will grow from $2.6 billion in 2007 to $3.5 billion in 2012.
What is most interesting, perhaps, is that newspaper ad spending in the real estate market will decrease from $4.8 billion in 2007 to $3.3 billion in 2012.
Overall real estate in the US has been slow for the past two years, which at first led agents to advertise more in traditional publications. However, with fewer homes being sold, agents have begun to look at alternatives to traditional and are beginning to place more advertising dollars online. In 2007, researchers found that real estate ad spending dropped 3%, but even with the decrease in spending, online advertising by real estate agents increased more than 25%.
Economists believe the housing markets will continue to be slow over the next few years as fewer consumers buy their own homes and as mortgages are defaulted upon. According to the forecast, this will lead even more real estate advertisers to turn to alternative markets to reach prospective in-market consumers.
This is not good news for struggling newspapers in the US. Borrell Associates expect newspaper advertising revenue to drop more than 6% from $5.2 billion in 2006. That decline is expected to increase to 16% in 2009 and 13% in 2010 as consumers and advertisers alike turn to online portals.
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PUBLISHED BY:
eBusinessNews.info, a division of AIS Media, Inc.