Photo by DewCon

1.) Start a blog.

A blog should be about your business but personal and unique. Write about your day to day experiences, something new you learned, funny business stories or frustrating business stories. The most important thing is to provide interesting content that entice people to follow you.
www.blogger.com
www.wordpress.com
Check out our previous entry about blogs in the La Crosse area.

2.) Write something!

Write a press release about your business, an article about your business field or a “how to” article. Include important keywords and a hyperlink to your website.
www.24-7 press release.com
www.1888pressrelease.com
www.ezinearticles.com
www.web-articles.info
www.ehow.com

3.) Exchange links with other businesses.

Ask other businesses with websites to link to you and you can link to them. This is most effective when the business is in a related field but does not compete with you. For instance, if you sell dog supplies you could ask for a link exchange with a local groomer.

4.) Submit your business

Submit your business to Local Google, Local Yahoo and Local MSN.
This is an easy way to be on the first page of Google, Yahoo or MSN (Bing). It only takes a few minutes and verification from the search engine.
www.google.com/local/add
http://listings.local.yahoo.com/
https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx

5.) Participate in forums.

Become an active participant in a forum that is related to your field. Spend a half hour a day (or every 2 days) starting threads and commenting on discussions with your URL in your signature. With active participation, you become a trusted expert in the forum – which can lead to networking and customers!

6.) Make a video and upload it.

The video can be silly or serious – but make sure it is related to your business. Upload it to different video submission sites. The title of your video should be words that people are actually searching for. For example, if you have a video on how to use a dog harness – using the title “Sarah’s fantabulous voyage through space and time using a dog harness” would probably get fewer hits than “How to use a dog harness”.
www.tubemogul.com (allows you to upload your video to many different video submission sites)

7.) Talk to the media.

Suggesting stories (or forwarding your press releases and articles) about your business field to a local journalist can often get you free press. Politely hint that you are available for an interview!

8.) Submit your services to free classifieds.

www.craigslist.com
www.olx.com
www.wi-classifieds.com
http://lacrosse.oodle.com/

9.) Offer something of value

Offer something of value: a tool, information, a report, or a newsletter for free.
Create something of value that your potential or current customers would find useful and then provide it for free! If you continue to offer free information or tools, people will return to your site and maybe even mention it to their friends or colleagues.
For example, if you sell heartworm medicine for dogs, offer a free calendar that will remind the pet owner when to give the medicine. Or, offer a monthly newsletter that has the latest tips to keep your pet healthy and happy.

10.) Add your website URL to everything

Add your website URL to every marketing piece you have. Simply add your URL to the marketing strategies you are currently doing. Put the URL on your blog, articles and press releases, forum signature, video description, classified ads, free tools, newsletters, receipts, signs, packaging, voice mail, uniforms, pens, stationary, etc. and watch your website traffic grow!

Interested in online marketing but don’t have the time? Coulee Creative has created successful newsletters, blogs, and other internet marketing strategies for many clients. Our expert marketing team is ready to make your business grow.

Contact Jared Chelf at jared@couleecreative.com or call 608.498.4781

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