Every business owner knows that advertising their business is critical to running a profitable business. It does not matter whether this business is internet-based (online) or a ‘brick and mortar’ business, a business needs to regularly advertise its products and/or services. Advertising is what draws customers to any business. If customers are not aware of your business, how will they be able to purchase the products or services you offer?

What then are the ways to bring your business to the attention of your prospective customers? We will be looking at this mostly perspective of a business that is internet-based. However, the same methods can be easily used to advertise an ‘offline’ business. We will be looking at four different ways of advertising your business to get the attention of customers

Pay Per Click (PPC Advertising)

Since Google came out with their search engine in the late 1990s, PPC advertising has never been the same again. With PPC, your text advertising is displayed to online searchers on the particular search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) and you pay for each click made by the searchers. Early on PPC was a very profitable means of advertising your business. However, in recent times, it has become increasingly challenging to run profitable PPC campaigns using the search engines. Many business owners have found out that running a profitable PPC campaign is better left to professional PPC management companies,

Facebook PPC

With the introduction of Facebook PPC in 2008, PPC advertising underwent another revolution. Users have found Facebook PPC to be more relevant and profitable because of the high levels of targeting that is possible. Users can target their audience by various attributes such as age, sex, interests etc. Facebook PPC has really exploded in the last few years. As a result many online business owners are moving their PPC campaigns from Google & Bing to Facebook PPC to experience the high Return On Investment (ROI)

Online Classifieds

Based on the format of traditional newspaper classified advertising, online classifieds are also useful for generating leads for the business owner. This method of advertising has also become an increasingly popular method of advertising your business. There are various online classified advertising websites all over the Internet. You can find relevant classified websites through a Web search. Make sure to include your niche to get more targeted results.

Press Releases

Press Releases are also useful in advertising your business. Press releases are especially suitable for new product launches and/or new services. There are a large number of Press Release agencies. It is highly advised to have an expert write your first release to you so that you can have good idea how PRs are written and formatted. One great thing about Press Releases is that you can continue to receive referrals and traffic for a long time from the same Press Release. This is due to the fact that for a fee Press Release agencies will help you distribute your Press Release to a massive database of Press Release Agencies sites and other news sites.

So there you are settled comfortably in your work routine and along comes the inevitable winds of change. Your current manager leaves the company or gets promoted and suddenly a new sheriff is coming to town. We all know that any time there is a personnel change within a company, the entire system and everyone in it is going to be affected. There are steps that both the new manager and the employees can take and thought processes that can be adopted to make the transition a positive one. Having been both an employee and a new manager I would like to share what I have learned.

The incoming manager is likely to be just as apprehensive about taking over a new department as the employees are about getting a new manager. If the new manager has been promoted from within the company there may be resentment and jealousy within the department that will have to be resolved. The new manager may now be managing someone with whom they are friends. Being accused of favoritism toward an employee may be a concern. If the new manager is an outside hire, then he or she could be uneasy about working for a new company where they may not know anyone and are not entirely sure of what lies ahead for them.

From the employee’s standpoint, they have become accustomed to the way the departing manager operated. The employees and the manager found ways of functioning together that worked well for everyone. The employees may not have always agreed with their manager, but at least they knew what to expect. They may be concerned that the new boss will change procedures and they will have to learn new procedures that may not work as well. They may be worried about the management style of the new boss and how they will all get along together.

Now, let’s take a step back and look at this from a little higher vantage point. The new manager and the employees have a few important things in common… They are all human. No one is perfect. This situation is equally stressful for the employees and the incoming manager.

A new manager would be wise to begin their new position by taking time to learn everything they can about the current procedures and how the department interacts with other departments. I also recommend that they interview each employee they will be managing. Get to know them and find out what they like and don’t like about the way things have been done in the past. Be aware of the employees’ need to be respected and valued. They are apprehensive about you and the changes you might make. If not under pressure from upper management to do so, don’t make any changes for at least 30 – 60 days. Making changes too quickly can be counter-productive. If you were promoted from within the company and there are jealousy or resentment issues among those who now report to you, it is best to address those issues immediately so they do not become exacerbated and cause problems within the department.

As employees, it is easy to get seduced by the “story” of a new manger coming in and turning the whole department upside down. Thoughts of that nature lead to feelings of being victims with no control over the outcome. In most situations, it is the way we choose to think about something that creates the outcome. Think of your new boss as an opportunity for positive change and brush away thoughts of negativity on the subject. Ask your co-workers to work together to make the new manager feel welcome. I encourage you to remember that the new manager is a human being just like you. Even if they don’t show it, he or she may be feeling out of place, uncomfortable and a little unsure of themselves. Treat them with kindness and respect. If the new manager is an outside hire, offer to give him or her a tour of the building. As a group, ask the new manager to meet with you and tell you his or her objectives for the department. Find out what is important to him or her and make sure that gets done. As an employee, one goal is to help make the manager’s job easier by doing what is supposed to be done when and how it needs to be done. Keep in mind that when an employee makes a mistake, the manager is the one on the front line with upper management. Maintain your integrity at all times. Do not become a “yes” man or woman, just be honest and supportive of your manager. Help your manager to achieve his or her goals and you will have a strong advocate when it comes time for a salary increase or promotion.

In closing I will add that there is one thing we can all count on… nothing will ever stay the same. Every cell in our body, every molecule in the universe is in a constant flux. If we try to stand still, we are likely to get left behind. So welcome change, embrace it and find out what it is here to teach you.

Recommended Reading: Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Creating a successful business online requires a lot of effort and time. Even if you don’t have the large marketing budgets you can still create traffic and hits and online action to your web page and here’s how:

1) Create a website that clearly defines what you do and what you offer. Make it very easy for a consumer to know exactly how you can help them or what you can provide. Write using the terminology that your consumers use, use the right keywords and Meta tags within your site. SEO start with the main page, so make sure the copy on your core website is written effectively.

2) Write effective company articles – This is the PR for your business. It is very important that when you write your articles you spell correctly and use good grammar. In writing articles, this is all about giving the reader some information about you and what you offer.

3) Write product reviews- Aside from articles that are more on a PR Press Release or informative format it is very important that you also write product reviews or service reviews on how your product is used or how a product you sell can help the consumer. Use good copy and tell a great company story.

4) Don’t forget about your blogs – It’s easy to put up a blog, post a blog and then never write another one again. Or maybe a few months go by before you write and post to your blog. Choose a day and time in your schedule and post to your blog. A lot of companies these days are hiring writers like me to update and post to their blogs. But if you feel you have the writing ability to manage this, pick a day like every Friday at noon and post to your blogs. This is all about increasing and growing your business.

5) One Blog, Two Blog, Three Blog…More – Pick blog heading and titles that best describe your products or services. Most companies offer more than one product or service, so dedicate a blog to each of those. You can include a list of all your other blogs on each of those blogs and interlink them. But don’t just settle with one, in this case more is better. Use blog titles that are relative to your key words.

6) The Blog Website – Blogs are now coming with pages, they are created more like websites. You can create an About Us page, a Services Page, contact, whatever you desire in your web pages, and this can be in addition to your current site or possibly be your main page. Utilize it. WordPress and Blogger both have this feature available now.

7) Comments – Comments are a great way to share a thought or opinion as well as who you are. Post comments and always leave a signature about yourself. Your name, website and contact info.

Submit your site or sites – Don’t forget to submit your sites to Search Engines, Directory lists, Ezine’s, and any and all publishing services you can find. This goes for your website, blogs and blogs that you may host with Blogging providers. Your articles can be submitted to thousands of SEO friendly directories and ezines out in the web. Set a goal to do a batch each month

9) Twitter – If you don’t already have a twitter account- set one up immediately. Twitter is a great way to drive clicks to your website, web pages, squeeze pages, articles or blogs.

All these internet marketing strategies cost no money, but simply your time or maybe someone else’s time for money and you will find reasonable rates for writers to manage these blogs and write your articles for you. And don’t forget that when you submit your articles, you leave a signature with the website you want to drive consumers to. Happy Selling!