Many small business owners get caught in the trap of using the same old marketing mediums that might have worked well a decade ago, but simply don’t cut it nowadays. For example, using flyers to market your business isn’t going to get you much of an ROI or return in investment. Less than 1% of the people who see your flyer will actually contact you for more information, and only a small percentage of those people will end up buying from you. When you factor in the time and money you spend on designing the flyer and having it printed and distributed, the odds aren’t great that this type of one-off marketing technique will even recover your costs, let alone bring a windfall of new sales your way.

Studies tell us that small business marketing strategies like flyers or newspaper ads won’t work for small businesses. This is because a person has to see your business in front of them at least 7-9 times before they feel confident enough in you and your company to purchase from you. Unless you can afford to consistently put a big splashy advertisement in the newspaper, a classified ad in there every couple of months isn’t going to do you much good.

Internet marketing is the way to go for small businesses. Marketing using the power of the Internet allows you to build relationships with your prospective clients through methods like newsletters and blogs where your readers get to know you slowly over time, building trust in you and your business.