You've heard it before; we're living in an information age. The business world is no longer driven by tangible products but on information and ideas. Internet based companies or other companies that use the Internet as an integral marketing tool that don't tap into information-based products or services could soon find themselves without customers or with lackluster sales.
Small business owners, many of whom are on a tight advertising budget, can use all the help they can get to promote their product or service. Providing free information to sell yourself and your company may seem like an oxymoron but it is in fact a legitimate marketing strategy. It allows small business owners to reach large amounts of people and establish themselves as a leading expert in their respective industries
Small business owners have several options to achieve their marketing goals:
E-books - Offer free e-books on your site to encourage traffic and repeat visitation. Your e-book can include references to your site, newsletter, or special offers. You can also allow others to redistribute your e-book and allow other sites to include your e-book in bonuses or contests.
Forums and Newsgroups - Helping other people within your industry is a great way to increase your visibility and gain credibility. You'll be surprised at how much traffic you get just from your forum posts alone. It's always important to be familiar with the forum you're participating in. Advertisements are not only unnecessary but in most cases they are unwelcome and can cause you many problems. So stick to helping people and answering questions. Most sites allow for some sort of signature that is included within all of your posts. If your information is helpful, people will want to learn more about you.
Submitting articles - Writing articles related to your area of business is one of the best ways to increase your visibility. The great thing is that many people are constantly looking for free information to enhance their own efforts and will appreciate your contributions. You'll get a great deal of traffic from the articles you submit to various e-zines. Each article should include a copyright notice and a brief biography with a link back to your own site.
Seminars - If you'd like to expand beyond the web and you're comfortable with public speaking, you can easily and quickly set up a seminar related to your industry. Many hotels offer conference room rental for affordable prices that you use and give free seminars. Announce your helpful even on the web and local newspapers. People are constantly looking for ways to improve their lives and their businesses. You can have low-cost reading material printed out and make sure you have plenty of business cards handy. You'll soon build an impressive list of prospective customers and affiliates. As you become more experienced, you can even begin to enhance your seminar and charge a nominal entry fee.
Conferences - There are all sorts of conferences out there today where organizers are looking for qualified speakers to assist their audience. You can submit informative press releases that establish yourself as an expert and include a notice you are available for speaking engagements.
E-zine - Starting your own e-zine can allow you to offer valuable information to your prospective customers. You can also build valuable relationships with other business owners looking to form joint ventures. You also have free placement for any special offers, events, and contests you'd like to promote.
The objective is to establish yourself within your industry and by doing so you can build an extensive database of qualified prospective customers. Your collection is an invaluable resource for your sales efforts and will produce majority of your sales. The key is to build relationships and produce genuine prospects, not suspects. A small business can't afford to waste time or money on "suspects" or untargeted consumers who may not have an iota of interest in your product or service.
Copyright ? 2005 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn has been helping small business owners since 2000. She is the author of the popular eBook, "how to live your dreams and achieve unlimited wealth in small business" Receive the first chapter free, when you join her bi-monthly newsletter today: how to live your dreams and achieve unlimited wealth in small business. Her site contains dozens of free downloads, articles, forums, resources, journals, and more.
You are free to publish this article as long as the content remains unchanged and copyright notice and byline is not removed from article.
quick home cleaning Glenview ..All cities have a purchasing office and/or a procurement officer.... Read More
1. There Are No "gimmes" ? They count two-foot putts... Read More
The Dynamics of Daylight Savings Time changes the way we... Read More
The modern Franchise business model and the much different business... Read More
When is the Chamber ideal for your business?Joining a Chamber... Read More
The difference between rates and wages is not always clear... Read More
Are you a home or small business owner and you're... Read More
A top executive called up me late in the night.... Read More
Success is the desire of everyman on the face of... Read More
Forget everything you've ever heard about the U.S. Small Business... Read More
Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance... Read More
Have you been searching for the perfect home-based business? I... Read More
Articles abound advising the business community how to properly screen... Read More
A thing worth doing is worth doing badly. Yes I... Read More
Office support services can range from basic data entry to... Read More
Free money! Receive up to $25,000 that never has to... Read More
I love work, I can watch it all day.I am... Read More
How to identify future solutions and opportunities?Your power page, if... Read More
So you want to start a business but you don't... Read More
Seems as though there are a lot of business closings... Read More
Are you thinking of starting a small pressure washer business... Read More
Am I the only one that does not have an... Read More
A common hazard faced by new entrepreneurs is a lack... Read More
For the employees, payday is the brightest day; they finally... Read More
Due to the over regulation in the Franchising Industry and... Read More
scheduled maid service Winnetka ..1. TargetYou are not all things to all people. Decide... Read More
Database Problems in MarketingI have been working on a direct... Read More
Continuing from the second article:6. About the aground mathematical model,... Read More
Outsourcing is the strategic use of outside resources to perform... Read More
Car wash businesses are unique to other businesses. In fact... Read More
If you own a small business, then you know the... Read More
The Customer Analysis section of the business plan assesses the... Read More
Where do you find more customers?How do you compete with... Read More
Does your small business have a banking and credit card... Read More
How far away is the person you need to meet?We... Read More
If you are the boss and you think your job... Read More
In this paper, I will:1. provide a framework for creating... Read More
Competition in the business world is often viewed as a... Read More
The FTC- Mighty Federal Trade Commission has unilaterally decided to... Read More
If you run a mobile car wash, mobile fleet washing... Read More
Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality... Read More
Pressure washing companies must look for customers in the retail... Read More
Thankfully, most of us will never find out. That is... Read More
Car Wash Crime in the Hood. Apparently not everyone is... Read More
Why? Because they have access to world class public relations... Read More
The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More
In a quest for customers and to keep those customers,... Read More
Do you sometimes find yourself just going "through the motions"... Read More
Winning small and home based businesses today must continually shake... Read More
IntroductionIt is widely recognised that Email and the Internet is... Read More
Small Business |