As a copywriter I’ve recently gotten involved in the internet marketing business, and found a lot of conflicting advice about marketing online and SEO. I’ve found that when you’re into marketing your online business, you need to break it down to these simple steps.

OK, is your business promoting your own products/services or someone else’s? If it’s your own products, then you might need more promotional activity in appropriate media types, whereas if it’s someone else’s products (affiliate marketing) you can choose just one or two avenues of traffic to focus on.

Say you want to promote your small or home-based business online, what avenues could you use? How about these:

Google Adwords – first use their free keyword analyser tool to find most searched for keywords. (Too busy? Just contact me).

No budget? Use keyword phrases in your website content. Keyword phrases or “keyword rich content” are fancy names for the words that your target market is looking for.

Some marketers figured out that they could charge megabucks to optimise your website with keywords and meta-tags (those hidden codes)… this is something I do as part of any website copywriting project, and it doesn’t cost the earth.

Another low-cost way to promote any business (bricks and mortar, online store, or affiliate site) is to have an email marketing system. These days it has been made easy with automated email marketing hosts, such as www.emailmarketer.com.au by Online Visions. In my research these guys have a great deal for novice Australian users. Some of the others do not charge the small set up fee ($49) but then they charge more per month + charge per email, which really adds up. (Please mention Power of Words if you join up)

www.hotfrog.com.au
www.ourbrisbane.com/power-words
www.truelocal.com.au
www.startlocal.com.au
www.moretonbayregion.com.au
www.businessbrisbane.com.au

Forums and Blog Comments

If you are a specialist in a certain field, why not make contact with people in forums? Select some Australian forums with likeminded individuals, where you can post answers to people’s questions or post your own ideas or questions. You usually are allowed to put a ‘signature’ (see manage profile) so your small promotional line can go automatically in each comment. Instead of silly icons, try uploading a small photo of yourself, so people can relate to you. In others’ blogs you can post a comment with a hyperlink to your site. Forum and blog posts are a great way to make contact with potential clients or suppliers.

http://businesswomenunite.net/powerofwords
(also check out the groups and people there)

http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/forums/
(also check out the great articles)

Also seek one forum which relates to your career.

I hope that I was able to help you with the minefield of internet marketing. Please let me know if you would like me to write some keyword and sales driven copy for you.

by Jennifer Lancaster, Copywriter