Studies show that consumers are increasingly turning to the Web for information on products and services before opening their wallets. By using a well-coordinated combination of integrated Internet marketing techniques, some of which cost nothing, you can ensure that your business pops up when potential buyers search for what you’re selling. Here are five secrets to developing a powerful integrated online marketing strategy:

1. Optimize your Web site for the search engines. “Search engines don’t discriminate between large companies and small companies,” notes Paul Gillin, a Framingham, Mass.–based consultant and speaker and the author of The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media. In fact, small businesses sometimes have an advantage with the major search engines because their sites are more likely than a large company’s to be written in basic HTML. More robust sites often use complicated content management systems that make them harder for Google to search and rank, Gillin says. “By doing things like using simple page titles combined with frequent use of the right keywords, small businesses can zoom up the ranks in very specific Google searches,” he adds.

   Lisa Wehr, president and CEO of OneUpWeb, an integrated Internet marketing company in Traverse City, Mich., says the title tags in the HTML coding of a Web site are especially critical because search engines use them to rank a site. Be sure your site’s title tags contain the two or three keywords that your potential customers are most likely to type into a search engine, Wehr recommends.

2. Launch a blog. A blog is among the creative integrated marketing communication techniques offering the greatest marketing benefit, Gillin says. It’s simple to set up, inexpensive to maintain, and flexible in that you can incorporate photos and audio/video content. By posting frequently and including keywords relevant to your business, you’ll get your blog indexed on a regular basis and, as a result, get a high ranking on the search engines, says Jonathan Fields, a marketing consultant in New York.

3. Write once, syndicate widely. When you create a piece of valuable, high-quality content, Gillin suggests that you repurpose it in as many ways as possible, so it reaches a broader audience. “Nothing that you write, photograph, or record should be used just once,” he says.

   For example, you can take your blog entries and include them in your e-newsletter or post them on your Facebook page. Offer a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed so customers can subscribe to your blog. Provide myriad ways for users to access the information in exchange for their name and email address.

4. Use social networks. Establish a corporate presence on Facebook and other social networking sites. Social networking helps you build a community of potential customers that you can leverage in many ways. For example, Facebook lets you conduct polls. Your business can also use the platform to distribute news about your company or invite customers and prospects to events, such as a workshop.

5. Use pay-per-click advertising judiciously. Paid search can be costly unless you’re careful, Wehr points out. She recommends that you be as specific and descriptive as possible when choosing keywords — but choose a lot of them. By using a bevy of narrowly focused keywords, you will pay less per click because those are unlikely to be in high demand. The broader base will also drive more traffic to your Web site’s topic-specific landing pages, making it more likely that people will buy from you, Wehr says.

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