Today I am kicking off what will become a weekly post on Thursdays explaining Creative Online Marketing for small to medium size businesses. This is a term that I have have coined The 4 Corners of Web Marketing. It consists of Website Design, Blogging for Business, Email Marketing, and Social Networking. Today I will give you a brief overview of what these are and how they can help grow your business by reaching new markets and customers.

Website Design
At the very minimum your business must have a website, even if this is a one page site that talks about what you do, what you’ve done, and has information on contacting you. There are many reasons why you need a site, but here are a few quick ones: 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year you are open for business to potential customers, reach customers in far off markets such as NYC, Boston, Connecticut before they reach the Cape, and generate valuable leads through your contact form.

Blogging for Business
Do you want to establish establish yourself as an expert in your field? Than business blogging is for you.

Email Marketing
Email marketing is a great way for you to keep in touch with your customers and potential customers on a weekly or monthly basis. There are many types of email marketing, for example - Quick Announcements, Email Newsletters, Catalog Emails, and Press Releases. The type of email marketing I will be discussing is very targeted and built from your website and online network, not bought from a spam house.

Social Networking
Social networks are communities of people who share interests and activities or people who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Many of your potential customers are already setup on social networks hungry for information…do you want to be in front of them?

I’ve touched on the 4 Corners of Web Marketing above and will be exploring all of these Corners in depth through this Thursday post each week. If you ever have any questions on an article, feel free to contact me or post comments below.