In uncertain economic times, it’s perhaps not surprising that many business owners feel nervous about spending money on advertising. However, these times are precisely when we should all kick our marketing up a gear and tell the world that we’re still here and working!
And the best thing is that we can boost our marketing efforts without knocking the wind out of any already-stressed budgets. Here are some low-cost ideas you can use online:
1. Website: In this era of ‘Googling everything’ when you’re in business you simply must have a Web presence. There are a few ways of doing this so that your budget doesn’t scream “She’s gonna blow!” while still presenting your business at its best.
• Build your own website. If you’re good with the technical side of things, this may be ideal. And with the range of templates, images and technologies available, there is no reason why your website should look anything less than professional.
• Hire a website designer. If, like me, you’re the ‘technically challenged’ type, investing in the services of a professional is definitely worth it. Now, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional design. There are many excellent designers who will build you a simple yet effective website for under $1000.00.
• Start a blog. If your budget simply doesn’t stretch to hiring a website designer, then starting a blog may be the answer. Blogger.com and WordPress.org are the most popular blogging platforms and have loads of features to make them user-friendly and appealing to visitors.
2. Search Engines: The ‘Big Three’ search engines are Google, Yahoo and msn. All of them offer free website submissions and pay-per-click advertising. Have you seen those little ads on the right hand side of Google when you search? They’re pay-per-click ads and are a very cost effective way of getting your site seen by a targeted audience. This is because you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Of course the best search engine advertising is making it to the first page of a search but whole books have been written on that subject.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)—Google it!
3. Online Directories: As well as search engines, many people use online directories to find what they’re looking for. Yellow Pages, True Local, dLook are some of the main ones but there are thousands. Choose several that are related to your business and get listed. Most have free and paid options.
4. Newsletter: Keep in touch with your customers and prospects with an online newsletter or ‘ezine’. Of course, before you send out a newsletter, you need a list of people to send it to. And the people on the list must want to be on the list—otherwise it’s SPAM. So make it easy and desirable to subscribe to your newsletter.
• Add a subscription form to each of your web pages and include a link to it in your email signature with every message you send out.
• Offer your subscribers something of value as a gift for subscribing
• Keep the content fresh and relevant to your target market
5. Article marketing: Leverage that valuable content you’re creating for your newsletter by having your articles published. Google “free articles” and you’ll see a list of directories that allow article submissions.
These directories provide content to publishers, bloggers and webmasters, which means that your articles may be picked up and published in multiple places all over the Net.
One of the conditions of publication is that your resource box must be included with the article. The resource box contains your business information and website address. So from one little article you can gain lots of free traffic to your website.
6. Forums: Online networking is a fun way to connect with other people who share similar interests. It also provides marketing opportunities. While you mustn’t blatantly advertise, most forums allow you to put a website link in your signature. You can also demonstrate your expertise by offering information and advice where appropriate.
7. Joint Promotion: Joining forces with a complementary business for a promotion can reap big dividends. For example, a florist may collaborate with a wedding stationery supplier and cross promote each other’s businesses. This means that both businesses are exposed to two sets of prospects within the same target market.
8. Facebook, Twitter and all that Web 2.0 stuff: Also called Social Media, these sites offer even more opportunities to connect with likeminded ‘Netizens’ and share your greatness. Takes a bit of savvy to make them work but once you get your head around them they can be very powerful tools for your business.
So don’t be afraid to crank up the marketing. Your customers need you!
© Carol Dorman 2009
Carol Dorman, owner of Quill Writing Services, also publishes Communicate, the monthly newsletter for small business owners who want to raise their profile and increase their profits by harnessing the power of words. Subscribe today at http://www.quillwritingservices.com.au and receive a free copy of her report: How to Convince your Target Market to Buy from You.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment