3 Profitable Reasons to Advertise Your Home Business on the Net


by Eric Ackley - Date: 2007-02-12 - Word Count: 425 Share This!

When people think of internet advertising, they think of nationwide or worldwide reach. A SOHO business owner may think "Why advertise on the net? I can't service someone in Seattle if I have one little shop in Houston." However, there are ways you can use the internet to reach your local area.

More and more people are going online to find local information. Just yesterday, my daughter called from her cell phone to ask me to find electronics stores in Clarksville, Tennessee. If you had an electronics store there, and weren't on the web, my daughter wouldn't have become a customer of yours.

The first reason to use the 'net is that you can advertise locally. Craigslist has city directories for various local areas. Yahoo and MSN (to name just two) have local directories. Your ISP or city probably has a local business directory online. Check these resources out; perhaps you can put your company in a directory listing somewhere.

The second reason is you can enlarge your initial page with any specials you might run or coupons your customers can print out and redeem. This is cheaper than newspaper or radio ads, and more permanent. Restaurants can put a menu online.

Put a list of questions online that your staff is always asked, with the answers. This will cut down on the time your staff uses to answer repetitive questions. You can do the same thing offline by printing a question sheet for customers to pick up when they enter the store.

Third, you can capture your customer's email addresses to keep them informed about specials or upcoming events they would be interested in.

A fourth reason to advertise on the internet is the possibility of networking and doing joint advertising with other, non-competing businesses. Say you own a flower shop; you could advertise a joint special with a jewelry store for a Valentines Day promotion. Or, if you are a restaurant owner, advertise with local specialty stores, referring customers to each other's shops.

To start advertising on the internet, get a simple website online. You don't even need your own domain name; your ISP should give you a spot as part of your internet usage. Initially, use it to advertise your business name, location, phone number, hours, and other information.

Look for local directories you can be added to. Tell your existing customers about your website, and emphasize they can get information or online specials any time of the day or night. Track your results; you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference local internet advertising will make in your business.


Related Tags: small business advertising, local advertising, local internet advertising

Eric Ackley is your Home Income Specialist. If you need extra income, or a full-time income from home, check out http://www.information-age.biz or http://www.myworkathomesite.com for ideas and support!

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