Small Business Websites
Publicity for Small Businesses Websites
Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures
Promoting your internet business or website can be done in two ways; publicity and advertising. Advertisements are things you create, control and pay for. Publicity is something another person says or writes about you when you have done something noteworthy, interesting or good.
The fact is, publicity can be very effective compared to advertising.
For example, if a friend gave you a rave review of a product that they bought and loved (publicity), it will be more convincing than if it came via a commercial (advertising).As the owner of a small internet business, you should learn to use publicity to benefit yourself.
The following are some strategies you can use to create good publicity for your internet business or website.
Search engines
Users will have more confidence in a site if they find it in a legitimate way, like through a search engine query. A good ranking in normal search engine results is good publicity, and can be more effective than sponsored listings or pay per click results. To enhance your rankings with search engines, use common search engine optimization strategies. However, don't over-do it. Search engines will penalize you for over-optimization.
Tell-a-Friend Scripts
In internet lingo, 'word of mouse' is the equivalent of 'word of mouth'. Few marketing strategies are as effective as a recommendation from friend. Most likely, you have seen those 'Send this page to a friend' forms or links next to news items and articles. You should incorporate them to your website's pages to make it easier for visitors to recommend your site. However, it is not necessary for you to learn how to create them or run them on the site. There are services on the internet that provide these scripts at no cost.
Testimonials
People tend to trust a business more when they realize that other people have the services and products and find them useful. Be sure to include the email address and name of the individuals giving the testimonials. If you don't, it will appear phony and the effect will backfire. Ask satisfied customers to allow you to post their views and contact information.
Press releases
One of the most cost effective ways of generating credibility and publicity for your business is through a successful press release. When drafting a press release, ensure that you follow some common sense guidelines, like making your information unique and timely. Present it in an attractive and easy to read format, use quotes from prominent people, create a catchy headline and write in third person. If you are feel your writing is not good enough, you can hire a copywriting service to do it for you.
Writing articles
You can promote your website by writing articles to be posted on e-zines and sites that offer free content to publishers of e-zines. This will set you apart as an expert in your field, which will in turn result in a solid customer database. Your article should offer useful, value adding and unbiased advice. At the end of your articles, make sure you include a brief bio with your name, the business name, a brief tagline and a link to your website.
Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.
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