There are many places on the internet where you want to consider marketing your business. Depending on which internet marketing technique you choose, it will determine where you post your content. However, there are certain sites that get a huge amount of traffic, and you'll want to consider using them if you want to get as much traffic as possible. This will influence which marketing techniques you use, but again, it can dramatically increase your traffic and sales. The best part is that you can promote for free.
1. Google
Google is the number two site on the internet according to Alexa, as well as the top search engine. This site is also very business friendly as it offers plenty of opportunities to promote your business including Places, Mobile, Books, Google+, Pages, Sites, and Sitemaps. There are others. You'll find access to everything you need within the Webmaster Tools, as well as Google for Business.
2. Facebook
The number one social network, the promotional opportunities on this site are almost endless. Includes pages, groups, events, your status, profile, games, and integration with your business websites and many others. If you want a social presence, start here.
3. YouTube
Number one in video. Build your presence by creating a search engine optimized profile and then submitting your videos. Participate in the community by commenting on and replacing to other videos. The best part of this site is its keyword research tool, which is different from Google's even though Google owns this site.
4. Yahoo
Yahoo is the top content network. Post your articles to Contributor, join groups and post ads, articles and other content, and participate in discussions. Answers is a great way to connect with your audience and find out what your potential customers want in products and services.
5. Amazon
Want to write and sell books? Welcome to the largest and most visited bookstore in the world. Create an author profile and advertise all your books and Kindles from one page. Write lists, reviews, and guides to promote yourself. You'll also find forums groups on just about any topic.
6. eBay
This is the largest auction site on the internet. They offer 50 listings for free, so you can post your products for sale here. They no longer accept digital products, so you'll have to convert them to physical products. This is easy to do with Kunaki.
7. Windows Live / Bing
If you market on MSN, here's an opportunity to connect with your audience. MSN users tend to be more responsive to offers than those who use Google or Yahoo, probably because they see fewer of them. Submit your sitemap to Bing as it drives results for both MSN and Yahoo.
8. Craigslist
The number one classified site, it was started as a way for those who wanted to attend events in San Francisco. It's now the largest jobs board available online. Post your free classifieds, as well as press releases in community, and be sure and check out the forums.
9. Twitter
If you enjoy microblogging, or you want to try it, then go to Twitter. Build a profile that brands your business and then post interesting tweets. This is a great site for observing trends and connecting with your audience. Although time consuming, it can also be profitable.
10. Blogspot
Need a blog? Blogspot is a service of Google and number one for blogging even though WordPress is the most popular blogging platform. Earn money from AdSense, as well as create search engine friendly blogs that will get indexed by Google. It's also business friendly, unlike WordPress hosted, which does not allow commercial activity.
11. LinkedIn
If you market business to business, then start here. This is the top business social networking site, and you'll find plenty of people here. Brand yourself by creating a solid profile with your achievements, as well as create a page to showcase your business. Participate in groups on just about any topic and connect with your audience, and do not forget to post interesting statuses.
12. Pinterest
Pinterest is an image site that allows you to create "pins." Far more than just an image sharing site, you may include links to your products and services as long as they contain images. Comment, share, follow and get involved. Make sure you use hashtags as these will help you pins get found.
It is beyond the scope of this article to tell you everything you can do with these sites, but it will get you started. The most important thing you can do is create effective profiles on each of the sites that allow it and make sure you include keywords that accurately reflect your business. This will help you with branding, as well as targeting your traffic.