How should I market my small business online?

Question

My husband and I just started a small retail business and are interested in marketing it online. Any suggestions as to the best way to start?

Answer 1

A good place to consider would be

http://www.americasbestcompanies.com/

Answer 2

we've been building downlines and advertising for small online stores since early 2002.  network's that we purchase along with over 600 landing pages and so forth for everything you can think of less adult or gambling sites is how we do it.

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Answer 3

Well why not try ebay. where you can sell everything online. (Nearly free, Very easy, products sell in minutes)

Or just setup a website(Very Difficult & Expensive, Not likely to sell many things)

Answer 4

It is extremely hard but you need to learn about SEO. Buy a book called Search optimization for dummies.

It will take years until your website is on the first page. It is like winning the lottery but you have to put a lot of work in it.

I have put my website on the source part, take a look at it, I finished making it 2 months ago and the google search keeps on flagging it as spam. It is hard. I would hire a professional.

Answer 5

Typical dilemma for start-up businesses. But, a great resource for you to take advantage of is EZ Step Marketing. If you go to http://www.ezstepmarketing.com/index_noc...  they have a free trial that you can explore.

Answer 6

As an online store, you need to focus on two things:

- get TARGETED traffic interested in what you sell (avoid traffic exchanges, traffic swarm and those poor quality traffic)

- CONVERT those visitors into buyers

You can use pay per click advertising in the search engines to reach audiences looking for your products. You can use Google Adwords http://www.google.com/adwords or Yahoo http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com

Here are some shoestring marketing ideas that can help you get the visitors you need at the least cost possible:

1. Create the best content you can with the best products you can possibly offer. Your content is your best advertisement - if visitors love your content, then they will go back and spread the word to others.

2. Make it easy for users to recommend your site. Viral marketing is very important -- and easy to tap on the Web. But give your users the tools. Get a Recommend this Site script from websites such as cgiscripts.com and similar directories of scripts. Some even go as far as giving incentives to those who recommend the site to their friends. If only 10 people go to your site, but these 10 people invite 10 more - that's additional traffic that you get for FREE!

Recommend Site Scripts (various) http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Sc...

Big Nose Bird Recommend this Site http://bignosebird.com/carchive/birdcast...

CGI Resource Index http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_an...

Hostscripts http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_an...

3. Rank well in the search engines (organic search results, not the pay per click). SEs can be a big source of traffic. The key is to create the best content in your niche. If you have good content, other websites will gladly link to you and offer your site as a resource to their audience. Check the on-page factors and be sure to get linked from authority sites in your topic area.

If you are going to read only one piece on search engine optimization, I suggest you read Brett Tabke of WebmasterWorld.com's "Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone: 26 steps to 15k a day." http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/201...

4. Send out press releases. While outfits charge as much as $650 per release, there are free press release submission places on the Web. Press releases allow you to (a) attract media attention; (b) get more back links to your website without sending each website an email request; and (c) get more visibility especially if your press release gets in Google News or Yahoo News.

http://www.prleap.com/sign_up.html

http://i-newswire.com/

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/

http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/...

http://www.pr.com/press-releases

http://www.prfree.com/

http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index...

http://www.theopenpress.com/

http://www.przoom.com/

http://www.prweb.com

http://www.newswiretoday.com/

http://www.free-press-release.com/

5. Submit articles. Write articles and submit them to websites accepting author submissions. You get exposure for your business; establishes you as an authority in your field, and allows you to get backlinks for your website. If 50 websites publish your article and it contains a link back to your website, then you easily get 50 links from a single article. The more links you have, the greater your chances for increasing your search engine rankings.

Here is a comprehensive list of where to submit your articles http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=...

6. Improve your conversion. Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article " How To Sell More on the Web: 30 Tips To Increase Conversion Rates For An Ecommerce Site " http://www.powerhomebiz.com/092006/ecomm... for tips on how to improve your conversion rates.

7. Post a link to your site for free where it is allowed (always read the Terms of Use). Examples are:

Craigslist http://www.craigslist.com

Google Base http://base.google.com

Classifieds for Free http://www.classifiedsforfree.com/...

Text Link Exchange http://www.txtswap.com/

Recycler.com http://www.recycler.com/

Yahoo Classifieds http://classifieds.yahoo.com/

US Free Ads http://www.usfreeads.com/

Answer 7

A few more details would have helped, like what kind of business is it?

I am no lawyer or expert and this is just my opinion on what i would do.

I would start putting up ads in my local craigslist that way people can get to know your business. I would also print flyers and cards and leave them at people's doors/cars/apartment building mailboxes. I would also leave postcard sized ads at convenent stores, liquor stores etc.

Answer 8

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