Small Business Advertising: Marketing Ideas for the Information Age

Is your marketing plan keeping up with the times, or are you stuck in the advertising dark ages?

Only a few short years ago, a small business with some money to spend on advertising typically went off in search of an ad agency to produce magazine and newspaper ads, radio spots, maybe even a television commercial. Today, though, those forms of advertising are dying relics of an age that’s passed.

Largely driven by consumer demand, more and more businesses are finding their way online, and instead of spending their advertising dollars on paper and ink, they’re spending it on pixels.

A recent study conducted by WebVisible, in conjunction with Nielsen Online, shows consumers are turning to the Internet in search of local businesses, while decreasing their usage of traditional print methods.

The use of search engines to locate local businesses rose 71% in the last two years, while the use of Internet yellow page directories rose 46%. Email in the form of newsletters or other offers has also increased.

In response to the increase in searches, businesses are putting their money where the customers are, though not in as great of numbers. Consumers might be turning to Google 71% more often, but small businesses are only increasing their Internet advertising by 32%. The same is true for Internet yellow pages directories, with an increase in use by small businesses of only 11%.

What this means for your small business is tremendous opportunity to place yourself in front of your customer, while your competitors are still clinging to the old way of doing things.

It can also mean a significant savings, since Internet advertising is generally less expensive than more traditional forms. Many of the most common practices for optimizing search engine placement cost very little to no money at all, while actual advertising using either banner ads placed on other sites, or pay per click ads on Google or Yahoo! is also very reasonable.

Even Internet yellow page advertising, probably the closest thing to offline advertising you will find online, is much less expensive than it’s offline cousin.

If you’re struggling to find ways to advertise your business in a terrible economy, the answer might just be as close as your desktop.

For less than the cost of a single magazine ad, InAreaCode.com offers the best in <a href=”>small’” DESIGNTIMESP=26402>http://inareacode.com”>small business advertising</a>. By combining an <a href=”Internet’” DESIGNTIMESP=26403>http://inareacode.com”>Internet yellow pages directory</a> listing with unlimited space for additional ads, articles, press releases, and whatever else is of value to your customers, InAreaCode.com is how small businesses advertise today.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Yellow Page Advertising Space

With the cost of yellow page advertising rising every year, small business owners need every advantage when it comes to getting the most out of their advertising budget. Make your yellow page advertising work harder for you with these five tips.

1. Focus on the benefits. You might have the largest car lot in town, but that won’t matter to your customer unless you can translate it into a benefit for her. When writing your ad, be sure to look at it from your customer’s point of view while asking yourself, “What’s in it for me?” A large collection of cars means your customer is sure to find the perfect car for her needs at a price that matches her budget.

Even better – take that one step further and tell her the benefit of the benefit. That great price that fits perfectly well within her budget? Now she can afford to buy her son that baseball glove he’s been wanting. All because you own the largest car lot in town.

2. Focus on your customer. Instead of saying how great your business is or how well trained your staff is or how many dentists make up your practice, make the ad about your customer and her needs. Address her concerns, her anxieties, her questions. Talk to her about her life, not your business.

Too many yellow page ads are all about the business. By using the word “you” more, you’ll make your customer feel like she’s important, and she’ll be more likely to buy from the business that is interested in her.

3. Sell to women. Women make or influence 85% of all purchases. You can’t afford to forget that. Even if your business is selling men’s clothing, women are involved in the decision making, and should be considered when designing your ad.

4. Make a great offer. Yellow page advertising doesn’t have to begin and end with a phone number and a website. Give your reader a reason to call or stop in, like a free consultation or a discount on their first purchase. Just make sure it’s something you can continue to offer. A print yellow page ad lasts far longer than the single year printed on the cover. Many people continue to refer to old phone books for several years, and you don’t want to alienate a potential customer just because you ran out of personalized golf towels.

5. Offer a guarantee. Be careful with this one. You want to build a relationship with readers and earn their trust, not make them cross-eyed with exclamation points and unbelievable hype. If you guarantee to beat any advertised competitor’s price, then say so. Just don’t say it in 48 point red caps.

The InAreaCode.com family of sites offers the best of all ]yellow page advertising], combining an Internet yellow pages directory with a website where business owners can post unlimited ads, coupons, press releases, and other valuable information for their customers.

Five Effective Online Advertising Strategies For Your Small Business

Did you know that 83% of consumers conduct research online before making a purchase locally? Are your potential customers finding you, or are they finding your competitor? Here are five effective online advertising strategies you can use to increase your visibility and your profits.

1. Search Engine Optimization – Assuming your business has it’s own website, search engine optimization (SEO) can help your site rank higher in search results, which is essential if you want to be found online. If your site doesn’t show up on the first page of the results, chances are your customers are not finding you.

SEO is not complicated, but it can be confusing for those who don’t have the time to study the methods various search engines use to rank web sites. It is possible to spend a small fortune with very poor results. Before embarking on any SEO journey, enlist the help of a qualified professional. Be sure to check references and ask for proof of results before agreeing to work with any SEO firm.

2. Pay Per Click – Pay per click advertising works by driving potential customers to your business’s website through ads placed on other sites and in search engine results pages. Each time a potential customer clicks your ad, you pay a fee to the PPC network. The amount of the fee varies and will depend on the popularity of the keywords you target, and the competition among advertisers for that keyword.

It is worth noting that pay per click can be a risky business, since the advertiser pays regardless of whether or not a sale is actually made. It would be wise to consult an expert before beginning any pay per click advertising program.

3. Affiliate Programs – Whether you sell a physical product (think car parts or power tools) or provide a service, offering an affiliate program can be a good way to improve your sales. Affiliate programs essentially provide a business with a stable of sales people who all work on straight commission. When your customer makes a purchase through an affiliate link, the affiliate earns a small percentage of the total sale.

Affiliate programs are typically managed by an affilate manager who is in charge of providing promotional materials to affiliates, and who is available to answer any questions and handle any commission disputes that might arise. You can choose to host your own affiliate management software to track clicks and sales, or you can join an affiliate network like Commission Junction or Share A Sale to avoid any technical hassles and to take advantage of their existing network of affiliates.

4. Banner Ads – Banner ads refer to any ad space you buy (or rent) on a website. Ads can vary in size from very small to nearly full screen. Some ads pop up or under an open web page, some have moving graphics, some are interactive and change depending on the movements of the mouse pointer.

Banner ads can be purchased on individual web sites for a set period of time, but unless you can easily target the sites your potential customers are reading, this can be tricky. Banner advertising can also be sold through advertising networks. Similar to affiliate networks, advertising networks manage the technical details for you in exchange for a fee. Some popular advertising networks are Value Click Media and BlogHer.

4. Internet Yellow Pages – Internet Yellow Page Directories are increasing in popularity as more and more consumers turn to the Internet first in their search for local businesses. One recent study commissioned by comScore showed that Internet Yellow Pages gained in popularity in 2009, with 21% of respondants citing Internet Yellow Pages as their primary source of local business searches online.

The InAreaCode.com family of sites offers small businesses Effective online advertising at a price they can afford, and without the risk of pay per click or SEO. Business owners can post unlimited ads, coupons, press releases, and other valuable information for their customers. By taking advantage of In Area Code’s already high page rank, small businesses can be assured that their Internet yellow page ad will be seen by more potential customers than with any other form of Internet advertising.

Business Owners: An Extra Hand When You Need it!

Hi! My name is Mary Lutz. I’m a virtual assistant. Some of you may be asking, “What is a virtual assistant?” Let me explain.

A virtual assistant is basically an office assistant, but not an employ in your office. Virtual Assistants are business owners and entrepreneurs, just like yourself. Virtual Assistant’s typically work from their home, via the Internet and offer a wide range of services. Most virtual assistants (VA’s) specialize in only a few areas of service, so some business owners may find it most useful to sub-contract two or more VA’s.

The benefits of sub-contracting a virtual assistant are:

• No hourly wage or salary to pay
• Money isn’t wasted on idle time…you pay for only the time the VA is actually working on your project
• Your business doesn’t have to pay for employee benefits like insurance or worker’s compensation, or vacation

The name of my business is Professional Virtual Business Solutions, or ProVBS for short. I specialize writing services: short articles for blog posts, articles and reports on a wide range of topics, recipes, food articles, and much more. If you need a writing service not listed, please request a quote.

I also specialize in setting up blogs and websites using WordPress and WordPress Theme customization, including customized header graphics.

So, business owners, be sure to think of ProVBS when you need an extra hand!

Five Local Internet Marketing Techniques You Can Use To Get Your Business Back In The Black

If the failing economy has you looking for less expensive, more profitable marketing options, the answer is as close as your computer monitor.

A staggering 82% of consumers use search engines to find local businesses on the Internet, and 50% turn to the Internet before resorting to more traditional advertising media like newspapers and yellow page advertising.

If you’re asking yourself “How can I get my business found online?” then the answer is “Local Internet Marketing.” Here’s how you can get off to a great start.

1. Build a blog. If your company has no Internet presence at all, this is the place to start. If you currently have a static site that hasn’t been updated since your nephew quit to move to Namibia, this is still the place to start. Search engines love a frequently updated site, and your customers will love the feeling of community that surrounds a blog. Best of all, you don’t even have to hire a web designer–most blogs are easy enough for even the most frazzled business owner to tackle.

2. Social media. You’ve probably heard the term a million times, but what does it really mean to you? It means getting out there and making contact with your potential customers in the places they congregate, like Facebook. Consider placing highly targeted Facebook ads for an inexpensive and very local advertising campaign.

3. Pay Per Click Advertising. Getting your company name in front of consumers searching for a particular keyword is what pay per click is all about. If you want to be listed at the top of Google’s search results page for the phrase “Reno pizza parlor.” all you have to do is pay for it. Be careful, though. You can lose your shirt if you don’t keep a careful eye on the number of clicks versus number of sales.

4. Content marketing. Content marketing is nothing more than providing useful information to your customers in the form of freely available content. Content can be anything from articles to instructional videos. Done correctly, content marketing can drive massive amounts of traffic to your website, increase your search engine rankings, and improve your credibility. Best of all, it can be done with very little upfront costs.

5. Internet yellow page directories. A survey conducted by Active Media Research found that 49% of respondents felt search engine and directory placement offered excellent or very good results in terms of online advertising. Search engine placement can be considered somewhat passive. There are things you can do to indirectly influence your placement, but you cannot directly change where your business ranks among the competition.

However, you can purchase ads in directories, including Internet yellow page directories, which will allow local consumers to find your business more easily.

The InAreaCode.com family of sites offers the best of all advertising worlds, combining an Internet yellow page directory with a blog where business owners can post unlimited ads, coupons, press releases, and other valuable information for their customers. Local Internet marketing is a breeze when you don’t have to worry about web design or SEO, and can instead spend your time managing your business.