More than 70 percent of Australians regularly use the internet as a valuable research tool when looking for suppliers and products. So, how do small to medium businesses effectively gain access to this potential pool of customers?
Many SMEs are already advertising online and using search marketing to promote their businesses. It helps to increase traffic, leads and sales by placing your ads in front of customers, online, at the very moment they’re interested in your products or services.
Craig Wax, managing director of Yahoo! Search Marketing, Australia and New Zealand, suggests the following reasons why small businesses should consider search marketing:
1. Search marketing is easy, fast and flexible. Using a simple step-by-step process, your advertising campaign will be online within minutes rather than days, allowing you to enjoy more immediate results.
2. You will have complete control over budget and costs. Small business owners can achieve a higher return on investment from a small budget because you only pay when a potential customer actually clicks on your ad.
3. Small businesses can choose where their ads appear. A Sydney-based small business specialising in tropical fish can use search marketing to market its business online to a specific region (such as Sydney) and only to users interested in buying tropical fish.
4. Search marketing campaigns are highly measurable. You can measure your campaign results, and easily adjust your campaign to ensure you obtain the most interest from potential customers online.
