Why Advertise My Products or Services Online?

If you have an existing product or service to sell, why advertise on the Internet? Okay, to some this may be obvious, but when you are a business owner and you have to justify your expenses or prove ROI (return on investment), this is important to understand. There are many forms of advertising, and if your budget allows, you should try most of them. There are many advantages to Internet advertising.

Target audience: If you advertise in a newspaper, only those that read that newspaper see the ad. Of those people, who are interested in your product or service? Of those people, who respond to the ad? Of those people, who actually make a purchase? Many forms of advertising reach a general audience, but not a target audience.

If you need a plumber, you may open your local telephone book and look under the heading of plumbers to find one in your area. To search for information on the Internet, I would go to a search engine such as www.google.com, type keywords such as allentown pa plumber, and get results to find a plumber in Allentown, PA. I can also use the online Yellow Pages website and click the link to view the website for each plumber.

More information: Other forms of advertising give very little information. A radio ad can be 10 to 30 seconds, a television commercial is 30 seconds, and print ads give very little information besides the contact information. If your business has a website, you can tell about your company history, answer frequently asked questions and much more. You can include pictures, directions to your location, and another means of communicating with you.

Better Communication: Having a business email address allows potential customers to communicate with you anytime. If your business is closed or your phone is busy, you can still receive email and answer it at your convenience. And everyone saves money by not making long distance phone calls. Messages will be more accurately received, since you can read and reread an email instead of misunderstanding a phone call.

Better value: Because your website reaches a larger audience, your target audience, provides more information, and gives your customers another way to communicate with you, it is a better value. It also can be a cheaper form of advertisement. Prices vary, but a radio ad for your business played on one station once on one day and once on a second day can cost over $300. A television ad requires a commercial costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, plus the air time expense. A billboard costs several hundred dollars a month. A half page ad in a newspaper can cost almost $1000 for one print in one locality.

A website can reach anyone with Internet access at any time as long as you have your website, domain name and web host and the initial cost may start at a thousand dollars, but after that, the cost is minimal for domain name and web hosting renewal and website revisions. Though you may have to reply to email, you will save time and money by answering many questions on your website. And if you sell items online with a shopping cart, you can process orders faster. Customer convenience increases sales.

Up to Date Information: Online advertising is versatile and your website (ad) can be changed anytime. If you add or delete a product from your selection, your website can be edited. If you change your personnel, contact information or other information, your website can be updated as soon as possible to give the most accurate information. Print ads cannot be changed.

It is clear that advertising your business on the Internet is a great service for your customers as well as a great value for your advertising budget. Be sure to include your web address in your other forms of advertising including your business cards, television and radio commercials and print ads. Enjoy the benefits of online advertising.

Yvette Kuhns, Power Pages Web Design, July 24, 2003

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