Newspapers Are For Burning.

In many households, including mine (and maybe yours), newspapers are subscribed to out of habit and embedded tradition. However, most of the editions stack up unread and end up in the recycle bin, or in the fireplace.

There is no way, if you have been in business longer than a week, that you do not know about internet advertising. Have you ever tried it? Got any results?

As owner of several stores, my original thoughts on internet marketing all centered around having a great website. Eventually I had several. The shops had websites, but it seemed that only our existing customers visited them.

I had no idea how to drive traffic to the sites, and the professionals I consulted with only knew about web site design and advertising, not marketing.

You see, there is a huge difference between advertising and marketing.

What I learned is that having a great web site is a form of advertising. But it's like advertising in the middle of a newspaper which is never opened. If no one goes there, what's the sense?

It takes marketing to get new customers to your website.

If you advertise, and the business traffic doesn't pick up, it's time to learn about marketing or to hire an agency to handle the problem.

How's traffic on your websites? Is anyone finding them? Have you considered hiring a professional internet marketing company to help out?

Before you hire a marketing company to handle your online presence, ask yourself a few questions:

1. How many thousands of dollars will you spend on marketing each year if you contract with an agency? (Not advertising, just marketing)

2. Do you know the difference between marketing and advertising?

3. Are you willing to trust the future growth of your business to "professionals" who are not specialists in your industry?

4. If you do not market your business, what will happen?

5. How can you grow your business on a tight budget?

6. Are you willing to learn a new skill set which can easily save you thousands of dollars and get new customers for your business?

Internet marketing can be easily learned. It is not rocket science, and several online training courses are available for small business owners who want a do-it-yourself solution to promoting their businesses.