As a Denver Small Business, you want to get the most for your advertising dollars. You also want to reach Denver metro consumers in the most effective manner possible. A logical question to ask is - "Why not advertise in the Denver Post?". Historically, local newspapers have been one of the primary places for small businesses to advertise. That has obviously changed.

The World Has Gone Digital

Classified ads were one of the economic engines that drove newspapers. People used to look for employment, cars, used goods - just about everything was in the newspaper classifieds. Unfortunately for newspapers, websites like craigslist, ebay, monster.com, hotjobs.com.... offer a more user friendly way to view these classifieds online. Lost revenue from classified ads has been a major blow to local newspapers. The Rocky Mountain News is no more, and the parent company of the Denver Post, Affiliated Media, filed for bankruptcy in January.

Should You Advertise in the Denver Post Online?

I generally view advertising on major media platforms like television or newspapers as being best for branding. However, even small businesses can have some success with highly targeted campaigns.

According to a recent study featured in Website Magazine by comScore on behalf of the Newspaper Association of America, 57 percent of survey respondents said that the local newspaper website was the top online source for local information. That's great, but the most interesting quote from the study to the Denver small busines owner looking to advertise online was this:

Respondents trusted newspaper advertisers much more that television advertisers or portal advertisers. The study looks promising for advertising in local newspaper websites (like Denverpost.com - but you also have to keep in mind that the study was apparently commissioned by the Newspaper Association of America, and the results certainly were friendly to that organization.

Despite that, for businesses that already have a strong online presence with the major search engine platforms, advertising in DenverPost.com may make sense.

How to Advertise in the Denver Post Online

If you're considering advertising in the Denver Post Online, one of the first places you should start looking at is their online advertising section. Here are some highlights according to their marketing materials for advertisers:

• 250,000 unique online visitors per day on average
• Banner Advertising Available - home page or section
• Sidebar Advertising Available - home page or section
• Expandable Banners
• Sliding Billboards
• Talking Spokesperson
• Video
• Much More

The advertising vehicles at DenverPost.com are pretty much endless. Unfortunately rates aren't provided

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

Denver small business owners need to investigate search engine advertising first. Once they have fully explore online ad platforms like Google AdWords and Microsoft AdCenter, then it may be time to consider other forms of advertising - like advertising with the online version of the Denver Post.

While newspapers were extremely slow to react to online competition, it now appears that they are trying extremely hard to have a sustainable online presence. The online ad offerings at the DenverPost were much more extensive than I had anticipated. The 250,000 unique visitor count each day (assuming it is close to accurate) represents a lot of local traffic. The Denver small business owner who is able to deliver a targeted message to this group could get a big boost in lead generation.

I stumbled upon a recent post over at Small Business Search Marketing recently. The post cited a study by Hitwise which indicates that one word searches jumped by 17% in 2009. Keep in mind, these are one word searches that people actually clicked on.

One word search phrases like "olympics" are on the rise.
(Screenshot from a Google Search on 2/26/10)

What are one word search terms?

A one word search term is when someone goes into a search engine and types just one word - say "shoes". You usually don't want to bid on one word search phrases because the person doing the searching is searching on very general phrases and is usually very early in the buying process.

Let's say you're running an online ad campaign for your Denver based running shoe store. You want highly qualified traffic to click on your ads and be delivered to your website. You'll want to bid on terms like "Brooks Beast" or "Asics GT-2140". You don't want to bid on terms like "shoes" - people that type in shoes could be looking for anything from snowboots to sandals. You don't want to waste money on their clicks.

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

When you're putting together an online advertising campaign for your small business, you'll want to bid on very specific keywords using exact match or phrase match. You may use broad match for longer keyword phrases. Only in very rare instances would you bid on a one word keyword phrase.

This past week, the Metro Denver Economic Development Council released its Industry Cluster Study which takes a look at job growth potential for the region within specific industries. The study covers the advantages that each of the industries below have when it comes to job growth:

• Aerospace
• Aviation
• Bioscience
• Broadcasting and Telecommunications
• Energy
• Financial Services
• Information Technology Software

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

While the industries covered in the repot are extremely large industies in the Denver metro region, Denver small businesses that have contracts with businesses in these industries will want to take a look at the report. It is a good idea for Denver small business owners to keep track of the emerging trends of the larger industries within the region. These businesses - and their employees - may represent opportunities for Denver small businesses.

Google Analytics Access Tutorial Video

The video below is provided by Google and provides the details on how to give an external party access to your analytics account. You'll obviously only want to provide access to someone trustworthy to help in the management or analysis of your account. Note that the video is kind of small and hard to see. The narrator also goes through the steps very quickly. I recommend expanding it to full screen (button on the bottom in the lower right with the four arrows pointing outward).

I also provided text directions following this video if you'd find that a bit more helpful.

Adding A Google User to Analytics (Text)

In case the video went a bit too quickly, hopefully the screenshots and text below will make it more clear.

1) Log into Your Analytics Account and Click on "User Manager"

2) Select "Add User"

3) Add Users and Access Levels

You must provide access to a user with a Google Account. You can then provide that person the ability to either view reports, or they can be an account administrator.

4) Select Website Profiles and Finish

Select the desired web profiles from the list on the left that the user should have access to, and click the "Add" button. When you are finished, click the "Save Changes" button.

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

While this blog post is largely a tutorial, the one thing the Denver small business owner needs to be aware of is that they need to be using analytics software. If you're marketing your small business online, you need to have methods to measure the results so that you can continually improve upon your website and your online marketing efforts. Google Analytics is free software from Google which will provide you incredible insight about where your online marketing is succeeding, where it is falling short, and how you can improve your marketing.

While many of the clients that I meet with may not be sure exactly how online marketing works, they've all heard of Google. Most use Google as their default search engine.

It should come as no surprise that the place where you want to start advertising your Denver small business online is with Google. Googe AdWords to be more specific. Google has by far the highest volume of search. According to a recent report by Efficient Frontier referenced in Search Engine Land, Google receives 75% of all paid search clicks and dollars.

Screenshot of the Google AdWords Signup Page
Most Denver small business owners should start their online advertising activities with Google Adwords

For most Denver small businesses who are advertising online trying to find customers, you're fishing from a small pond. You're searching for a narrow geographic region (just Denver metro) for narrow keyword phrases that relate specifically to your business. In order to maximize your reach, learn the most about your online advertising campaign's potential, and get more clients, you need to be working with Google AdWords.

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

I have used and continue to use the other paid search platforms (Yahoo, Bing). I also use Google's AdSense products to allow ads to appear on other websites. Far and away though, when a Denver small business is just beginning to advertise online, they need to be using Google AdWords. Google Adwords provides the largest reach, which means you'll get more data and have the ability to modify your online advertising campaign to get more clients.

Only after you've mastered your Google AdWords campaigns should you move on to advertising online with different search engines.