Often times when people start an
internet business they don't have a clue how to go about their
marketing campaign. They end up posting ads aimlessly to places that do
nothing but send them spam and waste time and money. Then, after a
couple weeks without results, they give up. It almost happened to me
and I know it happens to others everyday. So, in order to help the
newbies, I decided to give a quick overview of some of the widely used
techniques for marketing your business. When used correctly these
marketing techniques will dramatically increase traffic and sales
without emptying your bank account.
Here they are, in no particular order:
1) PPC's (Pay Per Click) - These are a
very widely used method of getting traffic to your website. Pretty much
everyone uses PPC's at one time or another. The concept is really
simple… you bid a certain amount on keywords related to your product or
service. Then when someone searches for those keywords they find your
ad (assuming you bid high enough). Finally, they click on your ad and
you pay the amount you bid. This is great because you only pay for
traffic that actually goes to your site and all the traffic is
targeted.
PPC’s may sound intimidating because
of the word "pay" but you can usually find keywords to bid on for a
very low amount. The highest bid I have on a PPC right now is 25 cents
per click which is actually considered high for some. You can also
frequently find deals where you get money put into your account just
for signing up. Then the traffic you get doesn’t cost you anything.
For a list of the top PPC's go to
www.payperclicksearchengines.com
-Note: Google Adwords is not listed in their top 10 but it should be.
Overture and Google are widely considered to be the two best. You can
find Google Adwords at
http://adwords.google.com/select/Login
2) COOPS- This one is also really
simple. You just pay a certain amount for guaranteed prospects. Usually
someone that generates very high amounts of prospects, due to their
marketing efforts, will allow you to participate in the coop for a
small fee. They are also a super time saver because you don't have to
do anything to get the prospects, except pay a little. Coops are a
really great deal when you are new because you typically aren’t real
great at getting your own quality prospects without spending a lot of
money or tons of time.
3) Article Writing- Writing articles
is another great way to generate a lot of quality traffic as well as
make a name for yourself on the internet. All you do is write on a
topic you know about and submit it to places that accept article
submissions. This one scares people at first because they don’t think
they can write. Trust me it's not as hard as you may think to find a
topic you know something about. Then just write a couple pages about
it. For example: I never used to think I could write articles but you
are reading this one right now, aren’t you?
4) Forum Submissions- Basically all
you do with this one is go to internet business forums and post answers
to people’s questions. This one is more for making a solid reputation
for yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy individual.
I have already written an article on
this so I won’t go into much detail here. The article will give you a
lot more info, you can find it at http://www.work-at-home-jobs-iowa.com/forumsuccess.html
It tells a lot about what to do and not do in the forums as well as
provide you with some good forums to get started in.
Note: Do not post ads in the forums.
The only way this technique is effective is to offer answers and advice
to people. This is also a really great way to learn a lot from the
masters just by reading the posts.
5) Link Exchanges (for search engines)
- This technique is only effective if you have your own website. You
search for sites related to yours (such as “work at home”) and then you
place a link to the website into the links page of your website. Then
you ask the webmaster to return the favor by placing a link to your
site on theirs.
Link exchanges are great for getting
your website ranked highly in search engines such as Google. Then when
people search for your keywords they find your site. This takes a lot
of time and work but is great for a huge amount of targeted traffic in
the end.
6) Ezines – Ezines are one of the best
sources of information on the web. They can make a huge impact on your
marketing success if used correctly. Most Ezines offer ad space that
you can buy for fairly cheap. Some even accept ads for free. You can
also write articles (explained above) and submit them to Ezines to get
free exposure.
The Directory of Ezines (DOE) is
well-known as the premier resource for the best Ezines. You can find
the DOE at www.directoryofezines.com
To help ensure you find quality Ezines
to advertise in you should check to see how many subscribers they have.
The more the better but make sure their list is 100% opt-in because
some will try and make themselves look more popular than they really
are. Also, make sure there aren’t too many ads to compete with. Some
Ezines will accept virtually unlimited ads. Your ad will probably never
be seen in an Ezine that allows this. I really like the DOE (link
above) because they have already checked the Ezines for quality to make
it much easier on you.
7) Word-of-mouth- Well, this one’s
easy. Tell everyone you know or meet about your business and tell them
to tell everyone they know about it too.
Here is a great article about your
circle of influence: http://www.work-at-home-jobs-iowa.com/300rule.html
8) Fliers- Post fliers in places where
a lot of people go. Supermarkets, sign poles, under windshield wipers
in large parking lots (you might want to ask the owner of the lot
before doing that), universities, anywhere else you can think of - you
get the picture. You can also just hand them out to people at large
events.
9) Ads on high ranking sites – Similar
to classifieds… there are many websites that offer space for people to
place ads. You can usually get an ad for a very good price. Just search
for websites on your topic and if they offer ad space then ask them
about it. If they are in the top 10 on the search engines for the
keywords you type in then there is a good chance they get a lot of
traffic. Your ad could be seen by thousands of people every month.
===Author Note: Get your home
business advertising here===
10) Classifieds – There are many
classified ad directories on the internet. How popular the site is will
usually determine how much you pay for an ad. Most places offer pretty
fair prices. You can also find many places to post ads offline too,
such as newspapers.
There are tons of classified sites so
it’s very easy to get confused or overwhelmed when trying to figure out
what ones to use. You should definitely do some research on the site
before you spend money to advertise there. Here are a few things to
look for – Number of visitors to the site (the more the merrier), make
sure your ad will stay visible without being pushed off the page by
other ads, and make sure the site offers value to visitors, meaning it
isn’t just full of ads and nothing else.
What NOT to do when promoting your
business – Do not send out unsolicited (spam) emails to people. All
that will do is get you in trouble and won’t produce very good results
anyway. Don’t post to FFA (free for all) sites. All you will get back
from them is a bunch of junk in your inbox so it’s not worth your time.
Also, don’t use unethical business practices of any kind. If you are
not sure about something then ask someone. Always use your better
judgment.
Well, that’s all I have for now. There
are many more marketing techniques that you can use so don’t assume
that this is an all-inclusive list. The promotion methods above are
just some of the more commonly used ways to get traffic/customers for
your business. I didn’t go into detail on any of the techniques because
this article would have turned out to be a book. If you need any more
information or help with anything send me an email and I will answer
your questions or direct you to someone that can.
Finally, please remember that any
business online or offline takes hard work and time to build. Do not
expect to be making a lot of money in a short amount of time. Put in
the effort and you will be greatly rewarded in the long run.
About the author:
Trent Brownrigg is a successful
internet marketer, webmaster and author of home business articles. He
will personally help you build your business and a secure financial
future. Visit his online
home business website for more information.
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