The final step to setting up an online presence for your business is to consider marketing.
Like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), it is not simply enough to build a site and then expect customers to turn up on your virtual doorstep. With a well optimised site, you may well be generating enough customers through the online search engines to not require marketing. If not, it's time to up the ante.
Marketing can be done in a number of ways from the very basic to significant investment. From experience, my clients initially feel reluctant to spend additional money, beyond site development, to reach potential customers.
There are a limited number of ways to reach the first page of search engine search results yet this can be achieved with a minimal budget. My aim is that for every dollar spent on marketing, the minimum return will be $5.
I offer various marketing services which will be detailed shortly (May 2010) in a case study based on a client's experience of internet marketing, once I have completed my SEO Case Study. I will cover basic to advanced marketing, the cost of each, and the return they generate.
One thing to keep in mind is that SEO and Internet Marketing rarely product instant results - unless you are using pay-per-click advertising. They often start to produce results 3-12mths after work has begun so it is important to decide on your marketing strategy and get it rolling asap!