Internet Marketing On A Budget

Its easy when caught in the maelstrom of the Internet or even when considering a website for your business to feel that you're a very small fish in a very big pond, and that in order to compete with the large corporate giants that now dominate the Internet as they do our high streets you need very deep pockets.

Naturally as with any new business venture opening up an online shopping website requires a degree of investment, but unlike most marketplaces the Internet offers opportunities, many of which are free that can help you not only attract customers to your website but that also assist in the day to day running and development of your eCommerce business.

Google lead the way in their own inimitable fashion by providing a host of resources that can help business owners large and small navigate their way through the online minefield. These include their shopping index where you can list your products to be browsed by those that use their search engine, to Google Analytics, a comprehensive online statistics package that records and interprets data associated with the use of your website such as visitor numbers, keywords used to find your site and so on. These kinds of tools are fast becoming industry standards and more often than not require minimal or no investment at all depending on your particular requirements and expertise.

For those more technically savvy and familiar with the Internet there are many other opportunities to increase your brand awareness and lure customers to your business. The words 'social networking' may send you into an eternal coma or perhaps prompt you to torch your local Internet caf, but they do mean something tangible. For every possible interest, hobby, activity or curiosity there is a host of social networking websites associated that offer potential opportunities to channel targeted visitors back to your business.

I myself am an avid wildlife photographer and as such regularly browse the numerous websites available to me on the subject, from industry news to equipment review sites and online galleries where I can post my very own photos for critical review and analysis by like-minded individuals. With every post or participation I have the opportunity to drop my own websites name or address in. This is word-of-mouth from your keyboard, the single most effective form of advertising we know of.

Recent years have seen the proliferation of RSS, "Really Simple Syndication" a technique which enables frequently updated content from one website to be published on another. Typically an RSS document, often referred to as a "feed" contains a summary of content, such as a news headline that is linked straight back to the original website to which the full article is published.

You may perhaps have an RSS feed on an industry related website which headlines the launch of a new product. As interested viewers click on your headline to read more they are instantly deposited upon your website... I could go on, there are numerous opportunities available to us on the Internet and as we become evermore tied to it they can only increase.

2007 was certainly a sign of things to come, as a record breaking year for the UK's eCommerce industry it saw 15% of all retail sales made online, up 54% from 2006, and despite recent fears in the economy 2008 promises to continue this trend. For retailers there has never been a better time to start selling online.

Is 2008 the year for your business to go online?

If so for more information and advice on selling on the Internet contact Sitemakers Ltd.

Tim Neal is head of Internet marketing at Sitemakers Ltd, an emerging brand in the world of eCommerce. Sitemakers continue to develop their successful eCommerce solution LiquidShop. Check out their online videos from retailers using LiquidShop today at http://www.sitemakers.co.uk