Once you’ve found the right way to package your expertise, the best way to quickly get access to the largest possible market is by using the Internet to promote and deliver it.

However increasing competition and the sheer volume of email promotions means that Internet marketing is no longer as easy as it was a few years ago.

In some ways the fast access and low entry costs have made it too easy for people to look to the Internet as a way of distributing products.

Many people have believed the hype claiming that the Internet is an easy way to riches and they therefore haven’t taken the same time to research the market and test their proposition that they would have done if the market was more difficult to enter.

That said, with the right proposition and effective marketing…

Online channels remain a very attractive way of reaching the widest possible market quickly and at relatively low cost.

Here are some of the key ways of using online marketing to promote your expertise:

• Website: The core of the online presence for any business is usually its website. But many have been disappointed with the results of their investment in their website presence because they either did not have clear objectives for it or they used it in the wrong way. While one aim of a website is to provide information, the key objective should usually be to capture contact details of visitors so that you can keep in touch with them.
• Building an Email List: The lifeblood of any online business is building a list of email addresses for customers and prospects. A few years ago, people would happily provide their email addresses without too much being offered in return. Now people are looking for a good reason why they should give up this information. A good free report or white paper, possibly linked to an newsletter subscription can still do the trick.
• Ezine or Newsletter: When you have someone’s email address, you need to keep in touch with them providing regular valuable information if you want to build a relationship. This may be a regular newsletter or it may be an occasional mailing, depending on circumstances. But it needs to cut through the overload of other emails people receive if it is to be effective.
• Search Engine Optimization: In the past, many websites have relied for traffic on high placings for searches with keywords in Google and other search engines. While this is still important – especially for local businesses and those in clearly defined niches – it is a fast changing field where it can be hard to stay at the forefront.
• Pay per Click Advertising: You have greatest control over your promotional activity when you purchase advertising but this can be expensive for people who have not built up the right expertise.
• Social Marketing: Currently the fastest-growing source of website presence and traffic is ‘social marketing‘ using popular sites such as ‘Facebook’ or bookmarking sites like ‘Digg’ and a rapidly growing range of alternatives.
• Joint Ventures: In many cases, building relationships with other businesses and websites that already have access to the customers you want is a fast way of building your own prospect and customer base.
• Blogging: Thousands of people have set up blogs and made one or two posts then abandoned them. But those people who have taken the time to understand the right processes have used blogs to build an effective web presence, a growing reputation and a good source of free traffic. Blogging is an ideal way for a specialist to build a reputation and expertise in a niche.
• Forums: Forums are communities that have sprung up all over the web in areas of specialist interest and they are an extremely valuable way for people to make contacts, develop their knowledge and even win business.
• Podcasting and Video: Podcasting, which is a way of distributing your audio recordings via the Internet, and online video are still in their early days of development. Since the advent of ‘YouTube’, a high proportion of Internet activity is video-related. The business potential is still largely untapped and, for those in at the start, it could be a very effective way of building your reputation.
• Teleseminars and Webinars: Teleseminars are similar to live seminars but held over the telephone so are accessible to people anywhere without leaving home. Webinars follow a similar concept but have the added benefit of allowing people to follow along on their computer screen. Both are highly effective ways of delivering content easily to a large audience and can be used to promote your business, deliver a paid-for service and/or to create new products for sale.
• Online Articles and Press Releases: There are many online article directories that allow you to easily publish articles in your area of expertise. And there is also a growing number of specialist sites such as ‘Squidoo’ and ‘Hub Pages’ that even allow you to earn revenue from your content, as well as promoting your expertise. Articles and online press releases have the added advantage of generating traffic for your website.

While online marketing is much more competitive than it used to be, it is still a fast and easy way to reach a global market quickly at relatively low cost.

In the next step, we’ll look at the often-overlooked importance of offline marketing.

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