Update: MySpace.com is no longer a prominently used platform, and Friendster.com no longer exists.
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 websites. 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, 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 website 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 websites 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 nightclub 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 website, 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 websites 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 website 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.
