The internet has become a valuable communication tool in society today. The growth in its popularity has caused newspaper sales to fall dramatically the last 10 years. We no longer have to wait for the morning paper to hear and read about daily current events. In our personal life we can connect with friends and family all over the world in an instant with the internet. When the internet has advanced our ability to converse like so, why aren’t we using this tool to its fullest advantage when it comes to our businesses? When we are looking for information we go to our computer not to the encyclopedia anymore. With so many people seeking information and answers online, why not consider different ways to market your business online when your business is a solution for them?

Perhaps you already have a website for your business or company, that is a great start. But unless you know how to drive traffic to your website, how will anyone other than your existing customers find your products or service? There are many paid and free ways to market your business online. Here are three very popular, free marketing methods that can be applied to your online business or website and why they are effective ways to market your business online.

1. Article Marketing — Writing articles that are related to your business specifically can be a great way to market your business online. After reading your article the potential customer is then drawn to your website as you have information they are seeking. If they weren’t interested in some aspect of what your business has to offer they wouldn’t be reading your article.
2. Video Marketing — Video marketing is a great tool. You can look a prospect pretty much face to face and be able to share how you have the answer to what their looking for. Because it is more sensory it can be very effective. With the combination of being able to visually see and hear what you have to say, the person interested is generally going to be more attentive and receptive to what you have to offer them.
3. Social Media — Social media sites like Facebook and twitter are an extremely common way to connect with people. Using these sites allows you to update ‘online friends and followers’ instantly. Making some status posts and updates business related without being too forward leaves room for curiosity and encourages someone take a closer look at your business. On these sites you can also post links for others to check out. It is important to keep in mind that social media is exactly that, a way to socialize. It’s not purely for self selling yourself and your business.

If you want your business to be as successful as possible it’s necessary to make your business known to as many people as possible. The internet allows us to do that. Your customers can be seeking you out instead of you seeking them. It shouldn’t be a matter of if your going to find ways to market your business online but how.