Having a website is just part of the job. Marketing and promoting your website is key to get the word out. The following are 10 tips to help you market your website!

1. Business Cards:
- Business cards are essential to any business. Announce your URL website address on your cards to gain additional customers and to keep your current customers. Hand them out whenever you’re providing a service or delivering a product.

2. News Releases:
- This is a great tool to utilize. Press releases can be sent via e-mail to facilitate delivery. Write a business news press release to area newspapers. State why your business would be of interest to readers. Remember to state why your business will help people save time, money, etc., indicate the benefits.

3. Search engine optimization:
- A fantastic strategy if done correctly, will improve the volume and quality of traffic to any website with the right marketing tactics. Using key words and quality content will ensure that your website show up many times during searches. Using appropriate tags, titles, descriptions and keywords are important.

4. Newsgroups:
- Join relevant newsgroups that are of interest and relate to your website theme. Participate in newsgroups without sounding as if you’re advertising. Provide useful information that others may benefit from and remember to include your URL in your signature. Visit http://groups.google.com/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for newsgroups to announce your website.

5. Include a signature file to all your emails:
- Make a short signature file no more then 5 or 6 lines. Keep it short, sweet but useful. Most of the popular e-mail programs offer this option.

6. Link development:
- An important technique to add to any website promotion involves searching for websites that attract visitors that may also be interested in your website. Write the website owner an email and offer to trade links with that website. As time goes by, these mutual links can represent a significant portion of your total website traffic.

7. Banner advertising:
- There are many great affiliate programs to join that allow you to advertise their banners on your site. A great sub-affiliate program to join is the Internet Marketing Center. With the IMC sub-affiliate program, you have the opportunity to recommend the IMC Affiliate Program to your visitors, customers, subscribers, opt-in e-mail list etc… and recruit an army of sub-affiliates, and for each sale that one of your sub-affiliates make, you earn a percentage of their sales!

8. Email Newsletter:
- Provide an opt-in form within your website which will allow your visitors to subscribe. Publish your newsletter periodically and include information that is relevant to your audience. For example, products, services, discounts, current info on your website, etc.

9. Article Writing:
- Writing articles for your website is an important part of the entire website promotion process. Let your readers get to know you first and foremost. Be yourself as you write and your personality will shine through. Engage your readers with your writing and provide the type of information that will benefit your readers. Provide basic, real, useful information as well as resources to go along with the information you’re writing. What are your interests? Will it interest your readers as well?. Mention a product that they absolutely must have and why it will be beneficial. Submit your articles to article directories for that added exposure.

10. Marketing/Advertising:
- Decide who your main customers are. Find out their age group, demographics, etc. How much money do they make? What are their interests? A detailed profile of your customer base will allow you to focus on the type of people who will be your main customers and purchase your products/services.

- Advertise and target the type of media that will allow you to market without breaking the bank so to speak. Each media type has its own target audience. Target newspaper, magazines etc. which will focus on a specific segment of the population. Match your main customers with the kinds of media they are currently using. For instance, “flyers” delivered door-to-door could also lead to prospects about your business. Although the return of people actually seeing your advertising is lower then other advertising avenues, this is a cost effective method. You should advertise in flyers around seasonal peaks and ebbs. Choosing the right time to place an ad on flyers is important, if you want to get a higher exposure rate. Flyers can be designed on your computer or at a printer location. Distribute them to specific areas which you’ve identified as potential business. Remember to monitor the response rate of “flyer” distribution.

- Consider placing an ad in the “local community paper” and don’t forget the classified section. Rates are cheaper for as long as you run the advertisement. Many papers are now hip to home based businesses and have advertising displays which are quite cheap. Check your local community paper for details.

- Also, consider “brochures” that are professionally prepared which are invaluable for trade shows, networking events, mailings, promotions and seminars. It should give enough information, but peek the curiosity of obtaining a call or a website visit from a potential client. Take the time to prepare an informative brochure that is professional and shows you as an expert in your field. Remember to also include your website URL in all your brochures.

- Lets not forget, “thank you cards”. When you receive business from clients, be sure to knowledge them by sending a “thank you” card. Offer a discount if they recommend you to friends and neighbors and remember to send those referrals a “thank you” card as well. Your efforts will be remembered.

- Last but not least, “word-of-mouth advertising” spreads twice as fast as conventional advertising methods. When you give the very best to please a customer, they will spread the good word for you. When closing a business deal, make sure to provide them with brochures, business cards, etc. and ask that they refer you to their friends, families and neighbors. Word-of-mouth is a very cheap and effective method of advertising.

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