Many people make the mistake of thinking that a web site is finished once the new site is live online for the world to see. In reality, this is just the beginning. The advantage of a web site as a marketing tool comes from the fact that it is never done, and can be easily modified and expanded. We recommend these ten economical print and web options for you to market your business:

1. One page document overview of your business [see a sample PDF]

Having a one page document outlining your business and services can be a valuable and inexpensive way to remind current clients of your services and inform potential clients.

We will design the document so that it can easily be printed on your office inkjet printer, as well as making it available online as PDF. Once created, this document can be easily updated as your company adds or changes its services.

2. Write a new page for your site

Regularly adding content to your site has two benefits. First, you demonstrate to your site visitors that you are continually adding products, services, or information of value. Secondly, search engines favor sites that frequently update their content. At the least, you should update existing content often.

Once you provide us with the text, we can create the new page in a brief amount of time.

3. Help bring them to your door [see Google Maps integrated into a site]

A Google Local Business Search Listing can be created quickly and easily. Not only does this listing include your contact information and locate you on the map, it can also include a description of your company, accepted payment types, hours, and photos. When people search for a business, Google often clusters companies within a geographic region at the top of the page.

We frequently add Google Maps to web sites so that visitors can view the map and get directions from their location to yours.

4. Make it easy to share information [view sample]

Does your site make it easy for a visitor to share your information with a friend or sign-up to receive news on your company? If it does not, you should add these simple, yet powerful features to your site. First, by adding a "send to a friend" link to every page, you make it easy for a visitor to pass along your information to a few friends. Secondly, with the addition of an e-mail sign-up button you can collect the e-mail addresses of visitors for future use.

5. Send out an HTML e-mail

With your list of customer and web site visitors' e-mail addresses, you can send out routine announcements regarding new services or offerings of interest. We recommend that these HTML e-mails be brief to spark interest and then drive the reader to your site for more information.

6. Press release through PRWeb [view sample]

This is an excellent option to make an announcement to an audience beyond your customer e-mail list. The release includes links to your site, and may be targeted for appropriate geographic regions and market categories to maximize effectiveness. Furthermore, once a release is online, it is indexed by major search engines including Google, shown on other web sites in your industry, generates traffic to your site, and leads readers to review your past press releases.

7. Home page makeover

When was the last time your home page was improved? A "home page makeover" means refreshing the content with good headlines, edited copy, addition of an announcements box, or breaking large blocks of text into more readable sections. Additionally, we continue to find new methods to organize, present, and more effectively update the content on your site; reviewing your home page with us every few months can take advantage of these technical advances.

8. Postcards to promote products, services or events [view sample]

Although marketing continues to trend to the Internet, that does not obsolete other methods. Professionally designed postcards are an extremely cost-effective option for direct mail, handouts, and as inserts with shipments. As there is no envelope, it is seen immediately, and almost all will at least glance at it. Full-color, 6 x 9 postcards are surprisingly inexpensive to print, but quite effective.

9. Cross promotion

Have a friend with a related but non-competitive business — why not join forces? Distributing a professionally designed insert promoting one another's products or services can help you both, and the cost of the marketing piece may be shared.

10. Publish your content on other sites

Online article directories and blogs offer you a means to publish your information online. We can write or edit your articles, provide you with the most effective phrases to use as links to your web site, and identify places where you can post these articles. If you prefer, we can also make these posts on your behalf.

Please feel free to call or for pricing or to discuss which of the ten affordable ways to help your business are right for you.