4 Items to Add to Your Online Marketing Strategy in the New Year

If you're wondering where to spend your hard-earned marketing dollars for the coming year, this article offers 4 online marketing strategies that will give you the best bang for your buck.

1) Website: If you haven't developed a business website, now's the time. There's no excuse for not having a business website in 2013. Whether you sell items online or not, websites have great marketing value. Most consumers locate and research businesses online before dealing with them personally. If you already have a website, have professional look at it to determine whether it's working up to its potential. Is it being indexed by the search engines? Does it have enough content for both search engines and customers? Are there keywords? Is there meta-data? Is there more you can add to it to make it a more effective business tool? If you can't answer these questions, hire someone who can and who can then fix it for you. A website may be the first impression your business presents to potential consumers. Be sure you have one that's maintained on a regular basis.

2) Blog: Blogs are a great addition to any online marketing strategy. First of all, they are indexed by the search engines more quickly than websites so you can use them to drive traffic to the website. Secondly, they are more dynamic. You can easily update a blog with news, updates and announcements about products, services, your business and industry. Lastly, you can use them to interact with consumers, asking and answering questions, getting feedback and more.

3) Press Releases: Press releases may sound "old school," but they work. Now, press releases can be posted online where they will stay, forever driving traffic to your website. Submitting press releases to local media outlets gets your business known among reporters who might need your expertise on a related story at some point. Consider this: If your business is lawncare, wouldn't you like to be the business owner local reporters interview when there's too much rainfall or too little rainfall?

Reasons To Take Marketing Risks In Your Business

Marketing outside the box is a mix of skill and adventure, rewards and risks, and many times, failures before success. These real life stories give synergy and reasons to take marketing risks as market competition becomes tighter.

A marketer is keenly reminded that the very nature of taking risks and entering new markets or bringing a new product/service to an existing market, also means that there are no guarantees.

1) Let Passionate Cause Drive Creativity - Dhani Jones

It began with one NFL player, Dhani Jones, who had a dear friend who loved to wearing bow ties. After his friend was diagnosed with cancer, Jones was moved to begin wearing bow ties as a reminder and to offer support. He stuck with his brand of thoughtfulness regardless of the team heat he brushed off from the sidelines, determined to use that bow tie as a positive message. Ultimately, he change people's perception of him, the perception of players and of the NFL.

2) Have Fun With Marketing Creativity - Ralph Lauren

In 1967, Lauren began designing men's neckties, branding them under the name "Polo" and selling them at large department stores. From having a brain tumor removed in the 1980's to today's famous clothing brand and collection of rare automobiles, Lauren has never stopped being "out there" creative. From the Bronx and filled with market rejections, with no previous experience and no degree, Lauren knew he had to work twice as hard as others to achieve success.

3) Listen To Positive Free Thinkers - Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was labeled dumb and scatterbrained by his early school teachers but he went on to become one of the world's genius inventors and founded General Electric; a remarkable company the world respects.

4) And Entrepreneural - Richard Branson

Best known for his adventurous spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to start his first successful business venture; Student Magazine, bought his own 79-acre Caribbean island when he was just 24 and he was knighted in 1999. He is the billionaire founder of the Virgin brand of 360 companies and growing. Today his marketing risks have established the famous Virgin Atlantic Airways.