As a small business, you’re probably already aware of the importance of your website as a great marketing tool. However, if you want to increase traffic and potentially generate more sales, you might have also thought about doing some advertising. The question is, do you go online or stick with the tried-and-trusted medium of print?

Online Vs Print Advertising

Although expensive, print has traditionally been one of the most effective mediums in which to advertise products or services. However, it looks like the internet is now taking over. The internet has many advantages over print advertising; it is cheaper, reaches a larger audience and can be more versatile. This makes it ideal for small businesses that want maximum exposure for a minimal cost.

Google and Online Advertising

Google are the undisputed leaders of online advertising, pioneering the ‘Pay Per Click’ method of advertising. This advertising method allows small business to explicitly target their ideal clients and – as the advertiser only pays for the customers who have actually clicked on their online advert – it is also an affordable way of advertising for smaller companies. However, online advertising certainly doesn’t end with Pay Per Click.

Advertising on Social Networking Sites

Arguably the most popular websites in the world today, social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace are also massively popular with advertisers. They offer a huge audience of young web users, rendering them ideal for advertising new music, films, beauty products and fashion.

Because they boast such potent advertising power, social networking sites are constantly looking for new ways to offer space to potential advertisers. Myspace is currently in the process of testing Community Builder, a new advertising platform that will maximise the potential of their advertising space.

Myspace Community Builder

Myspace’s Community Builder has been designed to let advertisers build and manage their own brand profiles on the site. MySpace had previously let advertisers promote their brands by featuring profiles on the site, but it had handled both the creation and the updating of these profiles on behalf of the advertisers.

The site’s Community Builder platform is different, as it will allow advertisers to have more control over their own profiles, allowing them to update content and features without Myspace’s involvement.

By making a Myspace profile for their products, advertisers can attract Myspace users to visit them online and perhaps even add their product or service as a MySpace friend. Having a Myspace profile for a product or service also allows Myspace users to interact with the brand by playing videos, entering competitions, and listening to songs.

The Future

There are a number of other websites who are keen to build on the success of internet advertising, so small businesses who are looking to advertise their products or services online will soon have more options than ever to do so.