Advertising
The idea that advertising is the best way to get out a business’s message is so embedded in the minds of entrepreneurs that it often is fruitless to try to change their minds. But I’m going to try. Advertising is effective – no doubt. But it is most cost effective at the point of saturation. That is to say: advertising works best when it reminds you of a product or service that you’re already aware of, rather than to make you aware of a product or service that you’re unfamiliar with.For small businesses, web-based techniques are the best way to kick-start a marketing campaign into action. You can get a lot more out of a strong SEO program than you can with any print ads or, god forbid, television spots. Chances are you don’t have the budget to create a good looking piece. And the population today is far too savvy to pay attention to second-rate local advertising. All you have to do is watch cable TV for a while, and wait for the poor broadcast-quality ad to appear. I’ll wager that it’ll be for an exterminator or a car dealership.
Having said that, there is of course a time and a place for quality advertising, whether it’s in local papers, sponsorship, or even online.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
And perhaps online advertising is the most important aspect to discuss. Much has been made of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising - PPC programs, like Google Adwords or Yahoo! Search Marketing, place your impression (name, website address, and brief description) at either the top of a search result, or on a sidebar to the right of your screen. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad. As explained on Wikipedia:
With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. When a user types a keyword query matching an advertiser's keyword list, or views a webpage with relevant content, the advertisements may be displayed. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to or above the "natural" or organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a webmaster or blogger chooses on a content page. Content websites commonly charge a fixed price for a click rather than use a bidding mechanism.As far as advertising goes, PPC is the most sensible choice. But it should not be seen as a substitute for organic ranking.