Want to stand out from your competitors?  Internet marketing is the way to do it.

Stand Out With Internet MarketingInternet marketing is powerful.  That’s the bottom line.  It does not matter if you are an international brand like Coke, or a local business that sells knotty alder cabinets, your business can profit from Internet marketing.  Most large companies are aware of this, and make internet marketing a priority.  ”Yes, but, they have the money to invest in such a campaign.” is a common response that I hear from small business owners.  They usually follow it up with some like, “I don’t have the money to do that.”

Well, let’s think about this for a minute… If you know how to do it your self, you are only going to be investing your time, and not money.  However, the opportunity cost is there, so maybe paying someone to do it for you is worth it.  If you’re going to invest $500 a month in an Internet marketing campaign for six months, but that campaign is going to bring you 3 new customers a month for a few months, so let’s say ten new customers, you’re most likely going to get your money back, plus some.  Plus, let’s not forget the brand exposure a business can receive.

My case and point is, small businesses need to be actively engaged in Internet marketing.  Your competitors most likely are.

So what is Internet Marketing?  Here is a quick overview:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization, or better known as SEO, is exactly what it sounds like.  It is the optimization of your website so that search engines can find your site, know what it is about, and properly index and rank your site.  This helps your search engine rankings increase, meaning higher traffic flow to your site, leading to more customers.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Pay-Per-Click Internet marketing is where you pay for ads to be shown.  For example, with Google, you can design a campaign, targeting certain keywords, with ads for your business.  Once the campaign is established, you bid for your ads to be displayed, and Google will display whichever ad they think will make them the most money.  Depending on your budget, you can make a really good campaign, and get a lot of traffic, but remember, your paying for every time you ad is clicked.

Social Media

Social media seems to be the king right now.  Facebook, Twitter, and other sites offer a place for you to market your business for essentially no cost.  You simply set up an account, do some footwork to establish a following, and start marketing your brand.  Social media is very powerful and if done right, can bring huge success.

An effective Internet marketing campaign will encompass SEO, PPC, and Social Media.  If you do it right, you can greatly increase your business.  Regardless, it’s something you almost have to do to be competitive today.