Thursday, May 25, 2017

3 Ways Home-Based Business Owners Can Compete With Large Corporations

Field of Dreams was a film from the late 1980's starring Kevin Costner. It involved him building a baseball field. It nearly bankrupted his farm but the basic theme through out the film was 'build it and they will come.' Unfortunately business is not this simple, especially when you are trying to start out in business. You need to let potential customers know that you are there. Larger companies, or those with extensive financial backing can do this by advertising in newspapers, on the radio and on television. A home-based business owner will not have this budget but this doesn't mean that they cannot compete in ways that they would never have been capable of before. The Internet has changed everything and it is a great leveller for all businesses. If you run a home based business then you need to investigate all of the major forms of Internet advertising. I outline three tools below that all business owners must utilise starting today in order to be successful. Utilise the latest social networking tools - Social networking tools like Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have revolutionised the way that we do business in the last 5 years. These tools give those businesses, even a one-person entrepreneur working from home, the opportunity to appear at the top of the Search Engine results, access to tools that can quickly and easily spread a message across the entire world in almost no time at all. This has never before been possible. Learn the basics of Search Engine Optimisation - These days, people are more likely to get on Google to search for business information. The white pages or yellow pages have become almost obsolete. You need to design your website so that it appears at the top of search engines. You need to work out what words people are searching for and you need to make sure you use these words, both on the website and in any links that go back to your website from other sites. Learn how to implement the latest in Pay Per Click Advertising - Pay per click advertising is also an important tool for home-based business owners that must be combined with other marketing tips. You can make it so your advertisement appears at the top of search engines or on Facebook and, if it's compelling enough, people will click on it. Pay per click advertising allows you to laser target your advertising because, if done correctly, you know that only people who are genuinely interested in your product or service will see your advertisement. Get online, utilise these three tools, and you should be able to ensure that you are regularly seen by potential customers without the costs associated with mainstream media advertising. Hamish Jones is the founder of Greenlight Communications, as specialist agency that helps customers create conversations with their clients and prospective customers. Become a Fan on Facebook to get great advice on how to grow your business online.