The Zen Of Local Internet Promotion

The Internet is very much an extension of your efforts to promote and brand yourself on a local level. You should not look at your Internet marketing campaign as something separate from your local marketing. It should connect to it and enhance it.

Local print advertising space and media time are very expensive. You most likely don't have time to give complete descriptions of everything you can do or every product you sell. But if you can use that media to drive traffic to your web site, then you can provide them with a wealth of information. If you have a professional looking web site and use strong sales copy, you have a good shot at closing a sale. Think of your web site as your best salesman, who will take orders 24 hours a day...and who works for free.

The Internet is definitely the new Yellow Pages. It is increasingly the way people find what they need. It's the way people conduct research on local businesses with whom they are considering doing business. You need to be represented. If you don't stake your claim online and take steps to capture traffic looking for your products or services, your competition will.

Take it seriously. Get a web site up. But then take it a step further. Populate geo coordinate meta tages on your site so that people can generate directions and maps to your location. I can personally attest to doing business at particular retail locations simply because they were the only ones for which I could generate directions.

Optimize your site for the search engines. Ideally, you will discuss optimization issues with the designer of your site before your site is built. But however you have to do it, get your site optimized for the right traffic for your business.

Write articles. You've heard all this before - but that's because the classic self-promotion techniques like writing articles and books to establish credibility work. But still today, most people are too unmotivated or too unorganized to do these things. You can stand out in your field, and use the product of that action to create online promotional material. For example, you could publish a newsletter for your clients and others. You could then publish the newsletter articles to article directories online and use them to drive traffic to your site.

Look for symbiotic ways to join your online and offline marketing efforts. Give patrons to retail locations a reason to leave their email address. Encourage prospects to visit your web site and join your email newsletter for free, valuable information.

Think creatively. Implement aggressively. Measure results. And be systematic.

Internet Chat Tips – Staying Safe & Following The Rules Of Etiquette

The internet can be a great place to meet people, chat, network, swap knowledge, learn and a host of other things. But when interacting with people on the net, you should follow a few rules to keep yourself safe and keep from aggravating other people. Here are four general rules to get you started – many forums also have specific rules you should read.

Rule #1 – be careful with your contact info

When you're on the internet, you generally want to keep a level of anonymity, because you don't really know who you might be talking with or that might view your information. For example, you should be very, very careful about giving out your phone number or address to anyone you meet. Use email, IM, chat, blogs, etc, to communicate.

Rule #2 – follow the rules for promoting your product or service

If you have a product or service you want to promote, you should follow several rules for doing so. First of all, don't post advertisements in forums, other people's blogs, etc. Most forums do allow you to have a signature or profile with a link to your website. That is the polite way to promote. Also, it's generally acceptable to post a link to your website in response to a post requesting a service or product like yours.

Rule #3 – No adult material

You should not post links or otherwise distribute adult material in forums, chat groups, etc, for several reasons. First of all, it's probably against the rules. Secondly, if you send it to a minor, it's illegal and you could get in big troubles. Thirdly, it's not appreciated! Don't do it!

Rule #4 – The golden rule

Just like in non-virtual life, the golden rule goes a long way. Be kind and considerate in your dealings with others, and always treat them how you like to be treated. Don't bash people, be obnoxious, etc.

So...follow the rules, be kind, and have fun!