The Internet has its own peculiarities concerning marketing. Print advertising has established rules, fixed formats. Limitations of space and target audiences are broadly defined. Expenses must be carefully weighed in order to judge the best use for tight advertising budgets. However, online advertising sets its standard a little closer to the frontier. Products and services are themselves rapidly transforming as a result of the Internet, and as a result, the ways of pitching them are too. Adaptability and creativity are the new watch words in an economy increasingly interested in niche and media savvy audiences.
Blogs
Transparency is one of the great advantages of advertising online. This is essentially when an ad is not overly intrusive. Blogs are often full of advertising in the form of unobtrusive links. This is particularly appealing to prospective customers who are younger and tend to find traditional advertisements distasteful. Through a blog link advertisement, readers still feel like they are getting worthwhile information from the blog source without unfair bias. This, of course, is not entirely true. Often, blogs are only written to attract readers to the website and click on strategically placed links. Many companies hire professional bloggers who understand keyword selection and Internet traffic patterns. This can be an inexpensive way to draw attention to your business because the bloggers are paid on a per-click basis, which means no money has to be floated up front from an advertising budget. What you pay is directly related to results and, best of all, it is after the client has already visited your site.
Google AdWords
Because so much research is now conducted through search engines, placing advertising strategically alongside search results can really boost sales. Google AdWords is a popular and easy to use system that allows you to buy placement on a Google search page based on a string of key words. When someone conducts a search through Google with words you have selected as relevant to your business, a small ad will appear to the right of the normal hits under the heading "Sponsored Links". This ad will provide a direct link to your company website. This service is based on a per-click fee and varies in amount depending on how competitive the key word might be.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the writing of content on your personal website so that key words are repeated several times in the exact same order. This is a way of making your website more relevant to a search engine, and therefore moves your site up in the listings. The closer to the top, the more visibility you will get from prospective clients. The trick is to include these keywords without sounding artificial, as well as to retain substantive content. Many content services exist which employ experienced SEO writers who can provide strong, journalistic content while still meeting your advertising needs.
