Still not convinced you should be advertising online?
How about a refresher course for those of you a little more advanced?
Here’s seven of the most important reasons WHY you should be advertising online.

1. Go Where Your Customers Are. Consumers are using the Internet to research products and services more than ever. Google estimates that 97% of consumers are searching online prior to making a purchase.. even if they purchase offline! If you’re not there to be found… how are your customers going to find you?

2. Your competitors are already there. Do a Google or Yahoo search for your business and see what pops up. If you’re a hair salon, how many “sponsored links” do you see for hair salons right in your neighborhood? Not only are your direct competitors advertising online; but other companies may be targeting your potential customers. Make sure that these potential customers are finding you as well.

3. Online advertising is not expensive . Your message can reach a huge audience immediately, and typically at a lower cost than other media. One of the most cost effective forms of advertising is CPC or Cost Per Click. Your ad or message may be displayed to 1,000’s of people, however you only pay when that ad is clicked!

4 No budget is too small. Provided you already have a basic website, you can begin marketing it with a minimal investment. A good starting point is to determine what your average sale amount is? That will give you a starting point of how much you may want to invest for one new customer.

5. Results are Immediate. If you’re like most small business owners looking to grow and obtain more revenue; you’d rather not wait for it to happen! Within minutes of launching an online advertising campaign or test, you will begin to get traffic and responses. Remember, the internet is “on” 24/7 365 days a year!

6. The internet is local. True, the web is “world wide” and millions of people are using it every second, but you can control who sees your advertising! There is little need to worry about wasting your advertising dollars on the Internet masses.

7. The web does all the work. While you do still have to spend the time deciding who you’re going to target, and how you’re going to do it; for the most part, the internet does the rest. You have many tools available to you and your message can be delivered to very specific audiences in even the narrowest niche. Not only can you target geographically, but you can zero in on potential customers based on their demographic profile, online behaviors or special interests.

Just as with any marketing strategy, your online marketing will need to be tested and optimized. The tools are readily available to everyone, and for the most part, they are very user friendly.

Remember back to the days before you began your business; you had visions of what you would sell, to whom you would sell, and how you would sell. That’s the starting point for any new online marketing campaign; and a good reminder to those more experienced!