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The Internet has become one of the most powerful tools in any small business’ arsenal. Creating and maintaining a professional website gives your customers the ability to quickly get up to speed on what your company offers, what your company stands for and more. In addition, a quality website ensures that your small business is able to reap the benefits of e-commerce, and online promotion. However, quite a few companies find that they lack the online visibility needed to make that website a worthwhile investment. How can you increase the online visibility of your company?

Create a Blog

Blogging has become one of the most recognizable aspects of Web 2.0. Everyone has a blog these days, it seems. However, blogging can be of immense value to your small business, as well. What benefits can you reap with a good blog? First, blogging gives your company a “face”; it helps your customers feel that they are connecting with someone real, and helps to create “feel” for your company. In short, it helps current and potential customers get to know you better.

Second, blogs offer you an additional marketing venue, as well as SEO benefits. If your blog is correctly formatted, tagged and keyword oriented, it can actually see as much, or more, traffic as your company website does. This can be a significant factor in increasing your online visibility.

Social Networking

Social networking has taken the world by storm. Websites like Facebook and MySpace have become the hottest virtual gathering places for consumers. However, businesses have found that social networking websites can be powerful tools, as well. These websites allow you to market to a targeted subset of consumers and even have some benefits akin to those of a blog – namely, it gives your customers a chance to interact with you and get to know you better.

Of course, you can also form business networks online, with complementary companies. These networks help ensure mutual success, by allowing you to refer customers to your allies and vice versa. LinkedIn is just one example of a business-networking website, though social networking websites can be used in this manner, as well.

Increasing your online visibility is of paramount importance. However, when you know your options and the how-to’s of the situation, you’ll find that it need not be expensive, frustrating or time consuming. With a bit of effort, you can increase your small business success.

Darryl Mobley is CEO of the Association of Small Business Marketers and he is devoted to creating financial freedom for entrepreneurs and small businesses through the power of marketing. Darryl invites you to get the FREE Report that will increase the sales and profits of your small business, “6 Ways to Double (or Triple!) Your Sales… and Beat Competition” at http://4.TASBM.com.