This is the second installment of Tips for Marketing Through Tough Times (click here if you missed part one). Today, we’ll go over the importance of building an effective Web presence that can fit your budget.

Traditional advertising spending, which has included newspaper, magazine, and other print publications continues to decline as the readership and circulation of these mediums continues to go down.  More and more customers are moving online to find the products and services they are looking for.  Small businesses that can’t be found online and through local searches are missing out on potential business.  Getting your own web presence is also very easy.  Many companies offer Website packages that are even under $5.00 per month.  You can design your own site and include your products or services, your contact information, pricing, and where you are available.  Oftentimes you can even sell your products online using even basic packages, taking payments online and driving additional sales.

Online search engines like Yahoo!, Google and MSN have also devised ways to increase your search results, and can help you use tools to get noticed in local searches and keyword searches.  If you have extra budget, you might even want to consider making some inroads into the world of paid search marketing, which can reap big benefits when done effectively.

When you have your own Website, you have another avenue for customers to find out about you and contact you directly.  You can add your web address to your traditional networking and marketing materials as another point of contact.  As more and more consumers go online, they will come to expect your business to have an online web presence. If you don’t, they could very easily move on to a competitor who does.

Please check back next week for the third installment of Tips for Marketing Through Tough Times.