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November 2007 > New Ways to Promote Your Business Online
New Ways to Promote Your Business Online
Chances are your business already has a website that provides some basic information on the products and services your company sells. But is that the only way you're promoting yourself online? If so, it may be time to take advantage of many of the latest online solutions to reach out to customers and prospects – tools you may be surfing through in your leisure time but that can be leveraged to set your business apart from your competitors.
Here are five ways you may not have thought of to get your company noticed online, quickly and inexpensively.
Build buzz in the blogosphere: A better way to do the blog thing
Bloggers have become an increasingly important segment of the media, and reaching out to blogs and their readers can be an effective way to generate and track word-of-mouth related to the products or services your company sells. The best blogs passionately command reader loyalty, turning them into major influencers and opinion makers within their respective markets. As a result, a mention or recommendation from a key blog can help generate interest from your key constituencies. For example, restaurant owners are finding that mentions in "foodie" blogs can have a bigger impact than reviews in local newspapers. To find out possible blogs to target, search through Technorati, which indexes and monitors conversations taking place in the blogosphere.
Get socially networked: Not just for teens
You've probably heard about social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook,
but there's more to this phenomenon than just places teenagers go to mix up with
online friends. Businesses can turn to social networks as a way to engage with
potential customers and connect with contacts in much the same way they might
in face-to-face networking. There are an increasing number of social network
sites that may appeal to your target audience – for example, LinkedIn and
Ryze are about business
networking; Inc. magazine is starting
IncBizNet as
a place for entrepreneurs; Maya's
Mom is for new parents. The key to using social networking
is to become an active part of the network you're working in, since social networkers
are more likely to look to their peers for information, not to ads.
Go virtual
Virtual worlds – such as Second
Life, Active
Worlds, There and Moove –
are online communities with their own economies and trading systems. Residents
log in to control digital representations of themselves (also called avatars),
which they use to wander through the site's landscape and interact with other
residents. You can go to these sites to create an online version of your business
to post promotions and other information and connect with customers and prospects
in new, attention-grabbing ways. For example, a Seattle-area realtor recently
created a Second Life version of a luxury home listing so potential buyers could
log in to go on a virtual tour. Other companies are using Second Life to hold
online job fairs, press conferences and customer meetings.
Debut on YouTube
Think YouTube is just for watching Mentos-Diet Coke fountains and following the
tribulations of Miss South Carolina? Think again. Video can be an extremely effective
way to demonstrate your expertise and enhance your reputation. For example, YouTube
has a how-to
and DIY (do-it-yourself) section where you can post instructional videos
or other helpful information. If you're a plumber and you can save customers
a service call by showing them how to change the washer on a leaky faucet, who
do you think they'll call when there's an expensive emergency? Be sure to add
a link to your video on your website.
Sponsor a Meetup
It's no secret that you can boost your sales and increase your word-of-mouth
by reaching out to influential consumers who are passionate about the interests
that may relate to your company's product or service. So where do you find these
people? Look into Meetup,
a site that helps people find others who share their interests and form lasting
groups that regularly meet face-to-face. It is possible to become a MeetUp sponsor
and buy text ads relevant to the members of specific groups. But you can go a
step further and lend your expertise to a relevant group of people who share
a similar passion. For example, a seller of digital imaging solutions might become
part of a local professional photographers meetup, or a natural foods caterer
could become part of an organic foods group. And if you can't find a group that
relates to your business, you can always go to MeetUp to start your own.
By the Numbers
The percent of companies who plan to advertise on social networking channels, such as MySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook, in 2007.
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