It never ceases to amaze me when I am looking for information about a particular business and discover that I can’t find their website. And then, it shocks me even more when I learn that they don’t have a website at all. In this day and age, owning and running your own company website is remarkably affordable and there is no excuse for a business of any kind not to invest the relatively small amount of money each year to maintain one.

This goes without saying for online business, but offline ones should get proper websites as well. Many restaurants, for example, could benefit from having even a modest web presence. On the website, such basic information as a phone number, address, and hours of operation could serve greatly to increase interest and to drive customers to your front door. Without this, people may not be bothered to find you and will simply go to “the next guy” instead.

Owning your own company domain and website also allows you to have a more professional-looking e-mail address on your business card. Instead of having yourbusinessname@hotmail.com, you can have yourname@yourbusinessname.com. That looks much more legitimate than having a Hotmail or Gmail account as your primary point of contact. Add in a Twitter account and a Facebook page too!

Just make sure that when your website goes live that it contains all the vital information that a customer may want to know. It helps to have a “menu” or a list of available products and services, even if you choose not to list the prices on your site. Hours of operation are very important too and, above all else, make sure that your phone number and address are clearly visible, prominent, and accessible.

I wouldn’t exactly call myself a seasoned veteran of trade shows, but I have been to more than a few in my day. And, as you can imagine, they’re not all the same. More specifically, there is a distinct difference in how the booth babes conduct themselves when you are at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and how they conduct themselves at Computex Taipei (Taiwan).

This could be partly a cultural thing and the phenomenon may extend into other similar shows in and around those regions, but my observation is thus: They wear skimpy, tight, or revealing outfits at both shows. That much is understood and the debate as to whether this is appropriate can be reserved for another day. However, at CES, the girls are more than happy to have their pictures taken as-is. Their clothing usually has a prominent company logo and that’s good enough for them.

At Computex Taipei, on the other hand, the girls will typically reach for one of the company products before they are willing to have their pictures taken. Their outfits have similar prominent branding as the girls who work at the Consumer Electronics Show, but it seems that they have been told to maximize the promotional value by holding a company product as well, posing with it.

The amount of attention that these girls receive at the shows is similar at both locations, as you’d probably suspect, but it makes you wonder if having the physical product in hand actually adds any marketing value to the companies who hire them. What are your thoughts?

If you’ve been watching the e-book reader market evolve these last couple of years, you’ve probably noticed that the Amazon Kindle is still largely the most popular of these devices. The Apple iPad almost falls into a different category altogether, but its success needs to be considered as well.

With this in mind, how can alternatives like the Kobo eBook reader and the Barnes & Noble Nook compete? One major difference between these two offerings and the Kindle is that they are much more accessible in the real world. You can walk into a B&N store and try the Nook. You can’t, for now, walk into an “Amazon” store to try the Kindle.

That hands-on experience can win over a few people who are sitting on the fence and it seems that Amazon is recognizing that the competition could be taking away some of its potential customers. So, how is the online retailer combating its lack of real world retail presence? By partnering with existing retail stores!

There’s word that the Amazon Kindle will be sold at Staples stores soon and this may open the door to other “real world” retail experiences for the Kindle in the future. How can you apply this to your own business? If you have an online-only storefront, it may be worthwhile to consider how you can bring a real “hands-on” experience to your potential customers.

This could be by partnering up with existing stores, as is the case with Staples and the Kindle, or it could be setting up a kiosk or booth occasionally in high traffic areas. This way, real people can see your real products, rather than just an image on a computer screen.

Sometimes, the best kind of advertising is the kind that you never really see. It’s not always about landing a 30-second spot in the middle of the Super Bowl or taking out a full page ad in the Sunday newspaper. Those can help, to be sure, but they can also be very pricey endeavors with potentially limited returns.

No, sometimes the best kind of advertising comes in the form of networking and forging the right connections with the right people. Regardless of the industry that you’re in and the profession that you have, you are intimately interconnected with other industries and other professions. The key is to tap into these relationships in the best way possible.

For instance, let’s say that you are a real estate agent. As a realtor, it is a fantastic idea to forge a strong business relationship with a banker, a mortgage broker, a building inspector, a lawyer, a general contractor, and other people who may be of interest to your clients. In like manner, the person approaching the mortgage broker for a pre-approval may also be looking for a real estate agent. That’s how the two-way referrals can work in the favor of all parties involved.

Absolutely, you should consider several different advertising and marketing strategies to best promote your company, along with its products and services. However, don’t forget about the incredible power and value that some good networking can provide as well.

When it comes to marketing your company, along with its products and services, you want to have a certain air of respectability and legitimacy about what your business can do. You want to be perceived as “real” and “trustworthy,” above all else.

One way that you can almost nullify all of your efforts is to use a “free” email address as your primary point of contact. If your company email address is of the @hotmail.com or @gmail.com variety, you move down several notches in the respectability scale, especially if this email address features prominently in any of your marketing material.

Even if you choose not to have an official website at your own domain (but you should), you should have an email address as your own domain. Something similar to support@yourcompany.com would work just fine. This email can be managed through the import function in Gmail, for instance, for ease of use. You can also integrate it with desktop software like Microsoft Outlook.

It is very important to have your own web domain, if only for this purpose. It’s a very small investment — generally between $5 and $20 a year, depending on the TLD extension — for a huge leap in respectability and legitimacy.

With so many different advertising opportunities in both the online and offline realms, you have many different options when it comes to spending your marketing budget. As such, it is in your best interest to spend wisely, reaching your target demographic as much as possible. For instance, let’s say that you have a product that appeals to teenagers.

It likely would not make much sense to take out a full-page ad in the local newspaper, since teenagers are more likely to get their news from sources other than a printed newspaper. Taking out an ad on the radio may not be as effective either, as they may be more inclined to listen to their iPods or stream music from Pandora. Even television ads may not hold as much weight as they have in the past, thanks to services like Netflix and Hulu.

So, what can you do to reach this demographic? It is worthwhile to consider reaching a little outside of the conventional realms. Regular banner ads on the Internet may work, but having video ads inserted before YouTube videos may be even better. This advertising model is increasing in popularity. Similarly, you could offer free wallpapers and other content through channels like Xbox Live. Facebook advertising may work too.

These strategies likely would not be nearly as effective with the senior population, by contrast. Just because you hear that a certain form of advertising is on the rise, is a good value, and is something you need to do right now doesn’t mean that you should necessarily explore that option. Keep your target audience in mind and where their habits may lead them.