When trying to promote a business for minimum cost many small business owners find it difficult to decide what internet marketing tools and services will deliver the best return on investment. With many oversold and poor quality (no return) products on the market it is difficult to decide which tool or service should be employed. This article gives some relatively low cost options to consider, ranked from cheapest to most expensive

Google+ Local

Particularly important for any business with a local customer base and free to claim and set up. If a prospect types in a location based term into a search engine (eg builder in ‘location’) they are presented with a list of up to seven companies which match the criteria at the top of page 1. Google+ local is a simple way to effectively achieve a Page 1 ranking on the search engines for the main business website. A click on the Google+ Local listing takes the prospect direct to the business website.

Contact System (CRM)

Many businesses have customer contact details scattered across the business. Past customers can soon forget the product / service a business supplied and move onto another supplier the next time a product or service is required. It is vital then to stay in touch, not with pushy sales messages but with relevant information of value to the contact. Customer information must be pulled together in one place which facilitates ongoing communication with the minimum of effort. There are many good customer contact (CRM) systems available on the market for a small monthly cost.

E Newsletter

With customer contacts in place they may be communicated with on an ongoing basis with information designed to build a relationship over time. Communication may be via E-mail or direct mail or ideally a combination of the two. The objective is to stay front of mind when an opportunity arises and / or to up sell and cross sell.

Social Media

Many would say Social media free but in reality it can be expensive in real terms given the time which needs to be invested to achieve any meaningful results. Each social media channel should be carefully research before making a time commitment but every business should at least have a Linked In presence.

Website

A website prime objective should be to deliver sales opportunities. It should also be the hub for information prospects and customers may be pointed to by E-Newsletter or other means. Great graphics, technology and layout are nice but if a website does not convert it has failed. There are many low cost DIY website build packages available. Our personal preference is Wordpress with inclusive hosting and support.

There are many internet marketing tools and services available on the market many of which are free or available at low cost. The challenge is to pick the tool or service which will deliver the best return on investment. With these in place the challenge is to then continue to deliver appropriate marketing messages on an ongoing basis. If it is possible to find an adviser with experience of internet marketing and the many tools and services available for little or no cost then that can certainly help.