Let’s face it: if you have a product to sell, traditional means of advertising will not get you nearly as far as it used to. With the majority of young adults in America using the internet to replace TV, radio, newspaper, and magazines, online advertising is the best way to alert the public to your product or service.

You might find yourself thinking that your business cannot be conducted online, seeing as you can’t ship your product and need clients to physically come to your location. Consider though that the customer has to know your business exists to go to it, and that internet advertising can benefit even the most traditional of businesses. Whether you are selling hand-crafted ceramic knick knacks, promoting a new Thai fusion restaurant, or writing general alerts on how to recognize fraudulent insurance companies, the internet is the place to get it done.

Business Schools recognizes the rampantly growing trends of internet marketing and have entire programs tailored to online business and online marketing. As an entrepreneur promoting your own business, the more you can learn about online advertising and selling, the better.

How can I advertise my business online?

There are hundreds of strategies and services out there for drawing web-surfers from any demographic to your website.

Some of the leading online marketing strategies include the standard ‘Ads’ which pop up in the margins of ad-hosting pages, but trends are showing that the in-your-face ad and hard sell approaches are gradually diminishing and giving way to some of the following advertising offshoots.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – SEO is the process of including key searchable terms that are relevant to your target audience. Variation of titles, headings, and web addresses will make your site more easily searchable and will give you more hits.
• Social Media Networking – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and similar sites are rife with potential customers. Keeping a consistently update Twitter feed and Facebook page which feature promotionals for your business will boast your profile and help hold regular patrons and customers. Additionally, customers will automatically be reviewing and recommending your product or service just by following or liking your social media page.
• Blogging – Though blogging is typically seen as more casual than professional, blogs can give you a place to create both a public and personal image, post articles, and track followers. For information on both marketing and blogging, check out the leading marketing blogs.

Sources

SEO: Free Beginner’s Guide
Web Marketing Trend for 2010