Businesses with a tangible product to sell have access to some handy tools on the Internet that can make service industry business owners quite jealous.

Case in point: Froogle.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Froogle is Google’s answer to online bargain searching. If a determined fashionista uses Google’s product search to locate designer sunglasses, suddenly 10 of the best online prices from various sellers appear. The listings are displayed according to certain featured vendors and individuals who are selling that specific product. So how does one get into this amazing database? Just fill out a form. And – drum roll – it’s free!

Branching out: eBay.

Yes, that’s right, I said it – eBay. No, it’s not just a garage sale; it’s a huge community of buyers and sellers. For a quick way to market your store, try listing a couple of items from last season’s inventory at a low price. Take advantage of the ad copy and make sure you brand it with your store name, logo, and information about your store location and main website (be sure to check eBay’s rules so your ad does not appear to be “spam”). If the first sale generates a new loyal customer, you may experience repeat sales from that person to your company website, to other eBay listings, or even to your local storefront.

Feature your featured.

Always remember to really showcase those special products – the ones that you most want to sell right now. Here are several ways that you can push the product into the spotlight:

• Feature a bold photo and description of the product on your homepage with a direct link to the page where it is purchased.
• Add new products to a “Featured” section of your site.
• Send an email newsletter to your subscribers describing these great items.
• Send all of your subscribers a coupon toward that special item, good for a limited time.
• Send out press releases to media websites in your area and in your genre/industry announcing the latest inventory.

Whether you are a clothing salesman or a real estate agent, you can always benefit from the power of the Internet. And you may have noticed a growing trend in web promotion with do-it-yourself tools like blogs and networking web sites. These kinds of tools can greatly benefit your business with minimal investment. In fact, most of them are free to use, so your only investment is a little time.

Quick and easy ways to expand your web presence:

+ Start a blog. (like this one!)

This benefits you by building content for your website, building up your image and showcasing your expertise, and providing an extended presence of your company that links back to your main website.

There are even free tools to help you do this. Try a membership-based blogging community such as Google’s Blogger.com and Wordpress.org, or you can opt to install your own great blog software (Wordpress is also available for download), giving you some more freedom to manage and publish directly to your own website. If you sit down for a few minutes and jot out a brainstorm list, I bet you can come up with quite a few topics to write about. Remember, this is your blog about your business. You can write in any style that you want, about almost any subject matter, as long as it somehow relates to your business and your industry. Here are some examples:

• An event planner writes about the importance of serving appetizers and offers quick and easy recipes that save her customers’ money.
• A building contractor describes two popular types of flooring and their advantages.
• A sports shop describes its latest featured product.
• A real estate agent provides stress reducing tips for a smooth and successful move.

You may choose to keep your blog entirely professional by posting “news of interest” pieces about your business and industry. In fact, it can greatly enhance the value of your web site content to post articles related to your “key phrases”. This can get you noticed by search engines.  Others choose a more personal approach to blogging, feeling that it makes their business seem more human and therefore closer to its customers.

+ Join Networking Web Sites

You may have heard of MySpace.com, Friendster.com, and LinkedIn.com. These are all still popular member-based web sites that are free to join and participate in.

While many of their members might be young people just chatting with friends, all of these sites also have business networking opportunities.

For example, MySpace.com is known for its popularity with musicians and music-lovers. Therefore, a music-related business such as a guitar retail shop or a local night club could benefit from having a presence there.

“One of our photographer customers once told me that he sold a $1000 print solely from a connection he made on MySpace, ” said Kimberly, a customer service representative at Webii.

Remember that your profile is just another quick and easy way to represent yourself on the Internet, in a place where many different people already hang out. And by including a link back to your own web site, you encourage targeted traffic to your business, from people who already know a little about you and are interested to learn more.

+ Link Requests

This practice has been encouraged by search engines for years, and it is still valuable. Find web sites that relate to your business, or that share common interests (like charities in your local city). Find out what it takes to become a recognized partner with a link presence on each site. This can bring more traffic to your web site and will help strengthen your ranking in the eyes of Google and others. This should be an ongoing effort. The more links into your site from relevant resources, the better.

Most people recognize that a website is rarely just graphics and text. It really has to say something. It has to reflect the principals of a business, the mission of an organization, and sometimes it even has to convince someone to become a customer. So naturally most business owners cringe at the thought of preparing information for a new website.

Relax! Putting together content for your website is easier than you think. We share a few tips to help you over this hurdle, so you can get your “meat” well-done.

1: Interview Yourself

An interview is an ideal format to start with.

Even better than thinking of your own questions, have a friend or family member interview you. Chances are, you have friends who are actually interested in learning more about what you do. You may be surprised how many great questions they can ask when given the opportunity.

Or, try asking a local college student studying journalism to prepare a 1-hour interview about you and your business. Maybe they can incorporate their efforts into a school project or use it as a highlight on their resume.

Have someone record the interview on paper, with a voice recorder, or – best of all – have someone type out all the questions and answers into a laptop computer during the interview, so you have it readily awaiting you in a document that you can email straight to your website developer.

2: Define Your Nemisis

Can’t think of a good way to describe your business? Having trouble defining your business’s values and the ways that it stands out from others?

Think of the exact opposite of what you want your business to be. Think of your worst competitors, and the companies that give your industry a bad name. Then, start describing them.

List out several bullet points that convey why those “bad apples” are the wrong choice. Bad customer service? Dishonest tactics? Inexperienced in their field?

Once you have the general points listed out, think of more detailed experiences that you have heard about from customers of those awful providers. What were their complaints? How would your company avoid that situation?

3: Just Do It

Stop thinking about how difficult it is to write about your business. Stop procrastinating and putting this at the bottom of your list. As the weeks go by, you are entering the overplanning stage.

Writing for your website is certainly easier than running a marathon, right? Unlike a marathon, there is no profuse sweating involved, and no torn ham strings.

So buckle down, and just start writing. Set aside 1 or 2 hours in one day to sit down and make notes. Chances are, your initial brainstorming will lead to additional thoughts and pretty soon you will have several pages of notes. Remember, no one is grading you. And after you have the first draft completed, you can likely enlist the help of others (including perhaps your website designer) to fine tune the format.

4: When All Else Fails, Hire Help

Did you know that there is an entire race of human beings who actually write stuff for a living? Yes, that’s right, a professional copywriter, marketing consultant, or website content firm can take all of the worry away in one fell swoop.

Concerned about cost? It doesn’t hurt to ask. And in comparison, you have to wonder, is all the time that your website goes unlaunched or stays stuck with a placeholder page losing you more money than it will cost to get good content done in a matter of days?