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Do you all remember the small shop round the corner? Most localities all over the world will have a small hole-in-the-wall affair that we used to frequent when we were young; the quintessential small business selling a cornucopia of basic and quaint items. In the burgeoning markets of today’s global economy, it can be seen that many of the booming businesses now had such humble starts and many of such small business have grand dreams of making it big. Many examples throughout the business world have shown us that it is from these struggling beginnings that big empires were establishing. But getting there is a hard and tedious process. So how do the one who made it, make it? Apparently there is a simple answer to this question – Search marketing strategies. What are search marketing strategies? In simple terms, developing a product and using the internet to sell it with a carefully designed plan-of-action is what is known as search marketing strategies. It has to take the mostly limited budget of the business into consideration and strategize, so that it is more perceptible and accessible to the consumer who is looking for it. Many escalating businesses have used search marketing to endorse and improve the visibility of their products and have reaped great benefits from them, like, Foneshop, Adrian flux insurance services, Garlik and many more. When competing with an already established company offering the same or similar kind of services or products, the competition would already be stiff. To hold their own in such cutthroat arenas smaller, up and coming businesses need to come out more innovative and stronger strategies like search marketing which caters to a larger consumer pool. Research statistic indicates that search marketing has reduced the cost of per acquisition. In spite of having such strong support for search marketing, awareness towards the apparent benefits of search marketing has not spread far and wide. Studies show that nearly two thirds of British small businesses do not endorse their products and services online. adCenter marketing estimates that these small businesses waste their selling potential on invisible websites and other online services. According to experts, search is the main activity on the web next to email and since search is indicative of people’s interests that is where the business needs to be. Search marketing has two types, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine management. The first one deal with constructing features into a website that will make it appear closer to the natural search listings. So that when a potential customer types in “organic rice”, the SEO will make sure that the product endorsed will appear closer to the top of natural search listings. The SEM , in the other hand, will make use of advertisements having the key words related to the search. However the company with the SEM model will get paid only when a user clicks on their ad. The amount the businesses pays will depends on how much the bids are for the keyword that users are likely to enter. Usually the higher a keyword bid, the higher the amount paid. The average cost per click ranges from 10p-20p to as much as a £3. This mode of payments makes it easier for both the businesses and the company who can perceive as a fair compensation. This cost effective medium is more targeted that rampant general advertizing as it focus on specific and potential customers and also it covers lot more geographical areas and time zones. Since the leads are more specified and polished it increases the chances of a buy. The company usually caters and optimizes their strategies according to the initial response which is a good plan of action as it takes into consideration market research which is crucial for any business development. Understanding the market and zoning down on the high traffic areas for customers on the internet highway allows for better selling. It is a practical yet wily way to divert the traffic to one’s endorsements. Let us not forget our local corner shop, which can also benefit from the search marketing techniques by aiming it ads towards local customers in their geographical vicinity. Yet, old-fashioned small businesses have certain misgivings towards anything to do with technology and the internet, they have misgivings which stop them from taking that crucial step forward when it comes to novelty in marketing; too complicated, expensive and time-consuming are common impressions regarding this. They prefer to remain in their comfort zone, while the search marketing tools makes them prime candidates for becoming bigger and more established business. Maybe it is time they gave it a thought. About the Author Mike Greaves is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of AdWords , adCenter and Search Engine Optimization .
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