Is PPC the Answer?

At this point it is impossible to surf the web for too long and not encounter some type of PPC. Some of you may be wondering, "what is PPC, and how do I know whether or not I'm encountering it?" PPC is 'Pay Per Click' advertising, and it allows you to market to thousands of potential customers, but only pay for the customers who are enticed into clicking on your link/ad.

For some businesses, PPC advertising works great, and they have been able/continue to grow a fairly large customer base as a result. Is there criteria? Is there a list of qualifiers I can provide you so you can compare it to your business model, and make that decision? Unfortunately, the answer is no. This is basically a trial and error method of marketing.

We advise that you begin very conservatively. Don't overburden your advertising budget with astronomical costs(remember not every click will convert into a sale) which may produce no ROI. When sampling this method of online marketing ensure that you utilize the tools provided by the host. This will afford you the luxury of choosing the exact demographic you are hoping to sell your product.

We recommend a small control advert over a period of at least 3 months. After the 3 months have concluded, go back and study the data. You will discover very quickly if it is a venture you want to continue.


http://www.smartgraymatter.com/

Shoestring Marketing with FaceBook

All business owners understand the importance of marketing. It is what connects your potential customers with your product or services. Great, so we all accept the fact that we need to market our business, yet how do we do it without putting a considerable dent in our budget?!

One thing you must consider if you are a small business struggling with maintaining the cost of your previous advertising campaigns is social media. These days, the social media world offers you loads of options for marketing your business without the hefty price tag of traditional marketing methods.

Take a look at FB for instance. This super popular social media platform allows businesses to create fan pages for free(for the time being) and collect fans by the thousands. All without paying a single red cent. However, if you do find a surplus in your margins, and you are interested in some low cost direct marketing FB also features PPC services similar to Google adwords.

Not only does this afford you the luxury of publishing your brand to as many fans as you can attract, it also gives you the ability to connect with them in a personal way. Isn't rapport building one of the very first things we teach in sales classes? If your business doesn't have a FB fan page, then you are missing a great opportunity to score some very economic local exposure.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=142765