Saturday, February 28, 2009

International Marketing for Your Business Via the Internet

By Rick Jenkinns

More and more businesses are taking advantage of the economical savings and ease of use that the internet offers in marketing their business. The internet offers many marketing advantages such as low to no cost advertising, worldwide distribution and the ability to target specific audiences

One of the main reasons businesses are looking to the internet for their marketing needs is the affordability factor. The internet is constantly evolving in a direction that makes it more feasible to reach larger numbers of people for less. While there are costs incurred through website hosting and internet access, these fees are minor when you consider how many people can be reached. Websites can be marketed for low costs, or even for free in many cases, via participating in forums related to your type of business, posting links to your website on other websites, or exchanging links with other businesses and organizations.

The ability to reach prospective customers anywhere is another great advantage of marketing your business online. Traditional target market research is not only time consuming but also can be costly and then your marketing methods are only reaching a limited audience through print media, radio and local TV campaigns. Now with the internet, you can drastically increase that reach across the globe, targeting your market niche in other countries that might not otherwise ever hear about you and your business.

The realization that you can reach customers around the world is mind boggling and you must see the major advantage to marketing your business online now. Regardless of where you live and operate, your business has the ability to reach those who have an interest in the products you sell or the services you provide no matter what their proximity to you is. This makes it possible for you to do business with customers anywhere in the world.

One of the best advantages of online marketing is that it is always available to anyone with internet access. Many working people have a difficult time shopping, especially for unusual items that are not easily found locally, simply due to time constraints. Working 9 to 5 and then going home to take care of home and family leaves little time for the average person to find that needed item or that perfect unique gift. The internet allows people to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The internet is always open. Comparison shopping before the internet, was time consuming to say the least. You would have to travel from store to store to compare prices or make numerous phone calls but then not be able to see the product in person. Now, with online marketing a shopper sit in the comfort of their own home and can compare right on their screen the different products available. They can compare prices and shipping options too and then place their order right online. It doesn?t get much easier than that for the consumer or for the business owner.

In case you have not realized it, your competitors are likely already marketing their businesses online. After reading this article, you should realize that it is very important to learn about online marketing, and to begin promoting your business on the internet as soon as possible. The more your competitors are marketing themselves to the world, the more likely they are to capture your potential customer base, and keep them loyal to their products and offerings. If you want to keep up with your competitors, or hope to get ahead of them, you need to start marketing your business online now. - 17943

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