Google Small Business Online Marketing Guide - Manual (Page 10)

Online marketing can make your head spin. There are countless options, experts, trends
and changes. That’s why we created this Tip-a-Day feature. Bit by bit, following easy-to-
take steps, you can start marketing your company online or step up your current efforts.
10
Tip a Day: Map Your Path to Online Success
AdWords
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY / SUNDAY
WEEK 1
Get a website. This may
take more than 30 minutes.
If you want a basic site, get
started with a template
from an online website
development tool.
Claim your Google Places
listing. Put your business
on the map with free Google
Places (http://places.google.
com/business). Easily add
photos, coupons.
Survey your customers.
Put together an online
survey and find out what
your customers think
about your products,
your customer service
or whatever else you are
curious about.
Offer freebies. Offer a
free bonus with an order
to anyone who buys from
you. If you sell to other
businesses, a free special
report can boost your
credibility and drive sales.
Get social. Use social
media sites to connect with
prospects or customers in
your target demographic
by sharing information and
engaging in conversations.
Create a banner ad. Use
Google’s AdWords display
ad builder to create your
ad (www.google.com/
displaynetwork); then place
it using an ad network.
WEEK 2
Start a blog. Blogs are a
great way to demonstrate
your expertise and start
conversations with all
kinds of visitors – who may
become great customers.
Simplify the shopping
process. Many sites make
it difficult for shoppers to
complete basic tasks. Have
others test your site and
fix what they point out as
stumbling blocks.
Test paid search. Set up a
Google AdWords account
(www.google.com/adwords)
and create a search ad.
Include prices, special offers
and unique selling points.
Review your “About Us”
information. Does yours say
who you are and what you
do in easy-to-understand
language? If not, change it.
Add on-site product
reviews. Let your customers
rate your products or solicit
testimonials from
past customers.
Use your email signature to
sell. Don’t let your emails go
to waste. Include the URL of
your website or sales page
in your signature (sig) file.
WEEK 3
Begin an affiliate program.
To start an affiliate program,
you will need tracking
software or outsource
it to a third party like
Google Affiliate Network
(www.google.com/ads/
affiliatenetwork).
Launch an email
newsletter. Update your
customers with important
company news and industry
events. Online email services
can help you get started.
Know your customers.
Google Analytics
(www.google.com/analytics)
can help you measure your
program response and
track your Flash, video and
social networking sites and
applications.
Add site search. Help
visitors find what they’re
looking for by adding a
search function like
Google Site Search
(www.google.com/services/
websearch.html).
Sell the benefits. Look
at how you describe your
products or services. Does it
say how it solves a problem?
Remember: People buy
results not products.
Get listed. Like the phone
book, online directories
can help categorize your
products and make it so
others can easily find
your business.
WEEK 4
Build a forum. Offer advice
and tips to build trust and
generate sales. Set up your
own message board with
standard software or try
a hosted forum service.
Add a sitemap. Sitemaps
help make sure the search
engines look at every page
of your website. You can also
submit an XML Sitemap to
Google (www.google.com/
webmasters).
Use clear navigation. Step
back and look candidly at
your site. Can first-time
visitors find the information
they’re looking for?
If not, change it.
Record a video. Use short
(two-minute) videos to
explain how to do a task that
relates to your business.
Post your video on YouTube
(www.youtube.com).
Get involved. Get active
in your small business
community – your chamber
of commerce, local events
or other networking
opportunities. Online
networking services can
help you network and
plan meetings.
Make an e-book. Combine
several of your articles into
an e-book and give it away.
You need a word processing
program that turns a
document into a PDF,
or use an online self
publishing service.