John Wanamaker once said 'Half the money on spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.' The world of advertising and marketing has completely changed by the invention of internet. There are now many ways a business can promote itself online without incurring any cost. In the world of free online marketing, John Wanamaker's dilemma no longer exists.
One of the ways in which a business can promote itself for free is through the use of business network websites. Business network websites are websites that let companies connect directly with potential partners, collaborators, suppliers and customers. Users can search for a specific type of companies by location or search for companies (manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers) of a given type of product or service. This makes it very easy for anyone to find the company they want. Their networking technology usually allows users to communicate directly with the companies via online messages, emails, instant messages and maybe even live chat. Their platform is designed so you can do two things:
1. search and find companies that might be your target suppliers, partners or customers
2. contact and connect with the companies you are interested in
The benefit of such networking facility is obvious, you can actively seek out suppliers, partners and customers to expand your business opportunities as opposed to waiting for them to find you. You can find and connect directly with suppliers who might be able to supply your business at lower cost and you can find and connect directly with potential customers to create new sales for your business.
Usually such websites are free to use with the option for the user to upgrade to a premium account for an annual fee. The premium account will come with features not available in the basic account, features that will give the user a competitive edge.
For smaller businesses these free networks allow them to create a dedicated page to promote their information, products, services including photos, prices, videos and more. Their pages on these websites will appear on all search engines, essentially giving them a second 'website', where people can reach them. This significantly increases a company's online presence and gives them direct exposure to high quality search engine traffic - people who are looking for exactly the type of products and services they are offering. This highly targeted audience adds immense value to a business because they have already shown a genuine interest in the products and services so would most likely commit to a purchase. This is as good as it gets as far as advertising goes. Therefore it is a no brainer that any business should take advantage of this type of websites out there to promote themselves, their products and services and use them to connect with new customers.
No comments:
Post a Comment