If you're still only doing traditional marketing and advertising, you're probably starting to get a little stressed out, right? Times are tight. Budgets are thin. Advertising spending in the U.S. has dropped by 4.1% in 2008. Magazine advertising is down by 7.5%. Newspapers are down 11.8%. The only place where spending increased in 2008 was Online, which experienced 4.6% growth. Either companies are having success only here or trying to throw together an approach to Internet marketing for business. Either way, what's your business' Internet strategy?

Internet Marketing for Business

Internet marketing for business is becoming the norm for smart marketers these days. E-mail campaigns, social media, affiliate marketing, Google AdWords (pay-per-click advertising), Search Engine Optimization (SEO)...these tactics and more are all part of the new media mix. What's the big deal? There are two fantastic reasons to dip your toes in the waters of Internet marketing.

Measure your Business' Internet Strategy

The first check in the "pro" column for a business Internet strategy is the ability to measure it. You can track costs and revenue down to the penny using free tools like Google Analytics. Whether you want to gain subscriptions, leads or sales, Internet marketing for business can be tracked. And if you can track it, you can improve performance and meet goals. Everyone loves reporting solid numbers to the company brass, especially in down economies.

Big Results with Little Investment

The second boon to Internet marketing for business is the bang for the buck. There's no need for the big tools of yore. The aforementioned Google Analytics installs in just five minutes and can provide insights to everyone from the Webmaster to the marketer to the designer. It's free. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are also free and very much a part of internet marketing for business. Constant Contact will run your entire e-mail marketing campaign and even teach you how to incorporate e-mail marketing into your business' Internet strategy for $15 a month. You get the picture. You can access insights to drive your business forward for little to nothing.

What other compelling reasons can you think of to start the ball rolling on your business' Internet strategy?