There is no greater potential for obtaining international exposure for your small business than to have a successful website. (Unless you’re a hockey mom running for Vice President of the United Sates.) But potential without promotion is useless. The one thing your website does not have going for it is a storefront on Main Street that grabs the attention of passersby. Part of making your website easy to find online is making sure it’s...get ready...Search Engine Optimized. But that’s our job, and we can assure you we make SEO a priority. (We’ll even be blogging more about SEO in future articles.)
Your job in making your website world-famous is to advertise it. Nobody knows it’s there if you don’t tell them. While we can help you rope in people who are out there searching on Google or Yahoo for the service or products you offer, you have to do your part to be sure your community and those you want to reach in other communities read about your website somewhere besides a search engine listing. Here are a few ideas for promoting your website.
The easiest thing to do is to talk about it. Everywhere you go, to everyone you meet. Promote yourself. You can bet I will be. “Hi, my name is Heather McKelvey. I’m the founder of a web design company that makes getting websites really easy to do. You should check it out at thedigifix.com. Here’s my business card so you won’t forget.” It may seem silly, but I guarantee you I check out every website I see and hear about as long as I can remember the address. Get your business cards emblazoned with your web address, and hand them out everywhere.
For that matter, be sure your web address has a prominent and permanent position on every piece of printed material you produce. Stationery, advertisements, envelopes, postcards, invoices, receipts, even gift bags or shopping bags. If you hand it out, it should have your website on it. Also make yourself a signature for your email that includes your name, position, company, contact info and website address. If you don’t know how to do that, just ask. At the very least, type your website in by hand at the bottom of every email you send. You think people don’t click on those? I clicked on one yesterday from a forward I received. It’s too easy to not do it. And if you’re really feeling froggy, send an email to everyone you know announcing the Grand Launch of your new company website. You never know who might get a hold of that email and give you a call.
I’m always trying to save money, so I try to be creative with my advertising and find ways to advertise without spending a penny. But there are times when a newspaper ad, billboard, or internet advertising like Google AdWords are well-worth the expense. Also consider placing ads in trade journals of professionals who use your goods and services. Referral programs are also a good way to increase your exposure but minimize your expense; when someone refers a new client or customer to you, you reward them with some cash value good or service.
There is no end to the kinds of ways you can make your site known to the nations. Giving people a reason to visit is another story for another day. But the bottom line is, you have to tell people your website is out there if you want them to type it in their browser.
