50 Ways to Promote Your Business Online
If you are planning to start a business then you should never neglect the power of Internet. Today no business can succeed without leveraging the power of Internet.
Therefore I wrote this article helping you to promote and expand your business online.
1. Optimize your business to rank high in search engine
If you ever think about promoting your business online, then SEO (search engine optimization) must be your first priority. Millions of people use search engine (mainly Google) to find the best products related to the product or services you are selling.
Either you can learn SEO or higher a trained SEO expert who can handle your business website and bring the targeted traffic to increase the sales.
2. Create a Facebook Fan Page about Your Business
Facebook is the number one social media website and you need to make best out of it. Create a FB Fan page advertising your business, get an image and description.
Millions of people are promoting their business effectively on FB and getting huge response for their products.
You need to increase the fan following on your Facebook page and update your page on daily basis with tips, useful content or offers so that you can increase the sales.
It will be a good idea to hire a dedicated social media manager or ask your SEO person to handle the same.
3. Create Profiles on other Social Media Platform Like Twitter and Connect it with Google plus
Social Media or Web 2.0 has expanded over the past 10 years. So you need to create profiles on other platforms like Twitter and connect it back with your Google plus profile page.
4. Build a Network between Your Website with Content and Google Plus
You need a website giving all the information about your business and connect the content with your Google Plus profile page. Visitors who come to Google+ profile page must visit your website.
5. All Your Company Employees Must Join Google Plus, Facebook with a Great Profile
Ask your employees (may be 6 to 8) to join your business page on Google Plus, Facebook etc. They need to create their own profile and spread a word about your business.
6. Have a Separate Profile for LinkedIn, Designed for Your Industry
You need to create a separate profile for your business on LinkedIn. Here you will cater to people who are interested in your business not to general public.
So profile should be more technical.
7. Get Others to Read Your Business Profile leaving Reviews and Feedback
You need to encourage readers coming to your business profile page like Google+, Facebook etc to comment and give some feedback. Do not force them.
8. Put Your Business on Google Map
Never forget to leverage the power of Google maps. Put your business on Google Maps so that others can know and accesses your business with ease. It helps to expand the business online.
9. Syndicate Business Content with all Your Profiles on Social Media
You need to build a perfect network or syndication around the web. You have to connect your main content to your profiles on every social media platform. So you can connect people back and forth.
10. Exploit Every Search Engine Especially Google
Today traffic comes to your site with search engines like Google. In fact, social media comes after search engine traffic. So you need to rank high on Google.
11. Create a Spectacular Business Profile on Google Plus
Begin with conquering Google Plus. Google Plus is a great way to introduce your business online. Create a well written profile about your business and let others read it.
12. Create Fresh Content Daily and User Generated Content too
This is extension of last point. To get traffic you need to create good content. As well as you need user generated content like comments, feedback etc.
13. Create Videos about Your Business and Upload on YouTube
You need to exploit second largest search engine after Google. YouTube is the place where you can upload 2-3 minutes videos like intro about your business.
14. Take Help of Press Release Websites
Never ignore power of press release. Press releases are paid and if you have money then you could pay certain websites like prweb to publish your business in major news paper.
15. Start Selling Your Brand on Social Media by Offering Something Free
If you want ideas to spread your business online then you need to offer something free to customers. It must be valuable to them like free downloads, ebooks or certain software.
16. HubSpot Paid Services is Best for Promoting Your Business
Hubspot really help to sell products if you are new to a business. Although it is a paid service but they can help you reaching out to your potential customers.
They offer variety of services.
17. Place Ads about Your Business on Classified Ads
Make best use of classified ads on the Internet. Some are for free and some are paid. I recommend you to go for paid one because audience is huge.
Free classified sites like OLX, Quikr can also give you good exposure. Search Google for more
18. Use Aweber for Collecting Email and Starting Sending Email Letters
Aweber is monthly paid service where you collect email addresses of people coming to your site. Once you have a collection then send your visitors email news letters informing them about your business.
Promoting your business through email marketing with Aweber or other Auto-responder is the most effective way to promote your business online.
19. Create a Groupon Promotion
Groupon promotion is also a great way to expand your business. Here you give free coupons to your new customers. You will not only promote your business but you can also attract good crowd because of discounts you offer.
20. Google Adwords and other Pay Per Click PPC Programs
This is perhaps the best choice for business owners if they want to promote their business online. Bid for the keywords and rank high your business on the search engine. Traffic is very quick but it could cost a fortune.
Google AdWords provides free coupons of $100 or less for beginners so don’t forget to use the coupon to taste AdWords.
21. Become an eBay Seller and Start Promoting Your Business
Millions of people come to eBay for purchasing different merchandise. You could become an eBay seller and create your own brand. People would love to know about your business if you are popular.
22. Set Up Amazon Store Front and Spread a word About Your Business
Like eBay you can set up Amazon store front and spread your business. Both of these websites pull millions of people every day and there is a chance to promote your business.
23. Use Flickr and Promote By Using Photos
Since the article is about promoting your business online then you need to employ every method even promoting through photos. Upload cute and funny photos about your business on website like Flickr.
24. Craigslist is Best for Spreading Awareness
Although I mentioned promoting through classified ads but Craigslist is very different. It is more popular and get you traffic that others cannot get. You can use Craigslist India if you want to promote your business in India.
25. Write a Small eBook about Your Business and Sell it on Amazon Kindle
You could write a small ebook about your business and publish it on Amazon Kindle. The book could be of few pages just intro about your business and sell for cheap price.
26. Get Sponsorship from Top Bloggers
There are top bloggers on the Internet who can help promoting your business. You need to find top bloggers in your field and contact them so that you can build a partnership.
27. Daily or Weekly Podcasting about Your Business
Podcasting has become a powerful tool when it comes to disseminating your message on the Internet. Record your videos about your business and submit to iTunes. Podcasting is becoming very popular among new marketers.
28. Run a Crowdfunding Campaign
Crowdfunding could be used to raise money as well as spreading a word about your business. If your business is great then you could raise fund as well as market it through crowdfunding.
29. Join Forums and Q&A and Start the Debate
You need to make your presence felt on all social media platforms. Forums, Group Discussions, Q & A would help you generating a debate among internet users.
You need to answer questions related to your business and take part in a debate.
30. Guest Blogging for Top Sites Related to Your Business
You could write guest post on top websites related to your business. Find all top websites and write a guest post with a backlink to your website.
31. Start a Debate on Google Hangout Session Every Week
This is yet another powerful tool to be exploited. Google Hangout is really powerful for organizing seminars online. You can debate about your business with your employees and other people on the Internet.
32. Conduct an Interview on Podcast with Gurus and Experts in Your Industry
You need to conduct an Interview or Q&A session with industry experts and gurus on podcast. You need to ask them to confess that your product is really good and people should buy it too.
33. Create a Survey with Survey Monkey and Post Everywhere
Create a survey with survey monkey about your business. You need to justify your business and get people to say it that they liked your products.
34. Create Your Free App for Your Business
How could you not create an app for your business? You can create a free app related to your business and distribute it online to your visitors coming to your website.
35. Join Clickbank as a Vendor and Use the Power of Affiliate Marketers
The other great way to promote your business is through Clickbank. Clickbank is a great website for selling products. So vendors like you can set up an account and start selling your business. You will get affiliate marketers automatically and they will promote your business.
36. Build a Partnership or Joint Venture with Successful Businesses
Partnerships and joint ventures can expand your business online quickly. You need to get in touch with people who are already successful in their business.
Collaborate with them and promote your business online.
37. Publish Reports, Infographics on Scribd, Tumblr etc
Publish reports, infographics about your business in various publications like Scribd or Tumblr. Give an artsy touch when you are working with Tumblr.
You will be able to talk to young people.
38. Be on Yelp, Bing Business Listing
Yelp is great search engine when it comes to listing small and medium size businesses. Use Yelp to list your business at any cost. Similarly use bing to list your business.
39. Hootsuite for Managing Social Media Campaigns like Twitter
Online is all about social media and you had to run hundreds of campaigns using Twitter, Facebook etc. You can manage them using Hootsuite.
40. Play Active Role in Blogosphere
Blogosphere can help you to shape your narrative. You need to put your business there. Blog daily about your business and things related to it. You will be popular instantly.
41. Use Foursquare and Check in Location You Visit
You can make use of Foursquare software and check in the locations you visit. It will help to spread a word about your business.
42. Use Research Tools Like Crazy Eggs and Google Analytics to Target Your Customer
In order to understand your customers like their demographics, age, country, income etc you need to have tools like Crazy Eggs, Google Analytics.
It gives you insight about them and you target your customers precisely.
43. Focus on Local Media and Build a Connection with Them
Never ignore the media in your city or town. You get to build a connection with them. You need them to sponsor your business through online journals and their website.
44. Article Marketing
Do not overlook the power of article marketing. You could write small articles promoting your business through Ezine articles. Still small and medium size businesses use Ezine articles. You can also write quality content on sites like HubPages and other article directory and web 2.0 sites. You will definitely get good response from these sites.
45. Tell Your Family Members and Employees to Join Online
You could bring in your family and friends to join all your social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc. Expand your business network by including your extended family and employee network.
46. Always Reply to Your Readers and Establish a Personal Touch
Your business would succeed online only if you respond to your readers and build a special bond with them. If you want to succeed online then your readers are asset and they will carry your message forward.
47. Make Your Presence in Main Stream Media
Although the article is about promoting your business online but you should never underestimate the power of mainstream media. If you get to do an infomercial about your business on a mainstream channel then it is great.
48. Try to Write for Mainstream Newspapers like TOI, IE Online
You could become a columnist and write for newspaper like TOI, Indian express and many other local newspapers. In bio you could write about yourself and your business.
49. Organize Events Related to Your Business
Events are very important for spreading your business. Take part in it and promote your business. You also get to meet people from different background.
50. Explore Offline Opportunities and bring it to Online
Last but not the least are exploring offline opportunities and try your best to bring it online. Like business card, offline advertisement etc.
I have covered almost all the ways to promote a business on internet.
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