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.
best cleaning company Highland Park ..Here are some important points to take note of if... Read More
Before you start a business we encourage you to prepare... Read More
In a perfect world, starting a small business would be... Read More
Hi, Charles...here, Your Cap and t-shirt guy From Texas. How... Read More
Pressure washing companies must look for customers in the retail... Read More
Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows... Read More
Business card size works well for invitations to special events.What... Read More
A corporate shell could be liken to a house that... Read More
Microfiber cleaning towels have been around for about ten years... Read More
This morning, I went to take a short walk outside.... Read More
If your home business is not performing the way you... Read More
Continuing from the second article:6. About the aground mathematical model,... Read More
Service Cleaning Businesses must maintain their equipment in order to... Read More
Most small business owners seek advisors who can help them... Read More
Starting your own e-commerce business can be quite the adventure.... Read More
A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have... Read More
Before you want to build your business, you need to... Read More
Nothing can drive a business down faster than customers who... Read More
If you own a small business, you should know that... Read More
One of the biggest fears people have about starting a... Read More
That sizzling sound you're hearing may be a symptom of... Read More
How to identify future solutions and opportunities?Your power page, if... Read More
Senior citizens are generally not a large marketing segment for... Read More
The Franchise Group at the Federal Trade Commission in all... Read More
There are only a handful of car wash franchises in... Read More
high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..What are the best methods for keeping a good business... Read More
Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance... Read More
Some things in business are relatively easy to measure ?... Read More
You've probably heard the statistic that 95% of small businesses... Read More
How do you find the best business partners?Finding a good... Read More
The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) is a program that... Read More
You've always liked flowers and you think the idea of... Read More
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want... Read More
What would happen if you decided to take an extended... Read More
For many small businesses, the "S" corporation is the business... Read More
Part of the power plan is making sure you have... Read More
Company mottos can easily be printed on a business card.Sometimes... Read More
The life cycle of the typical small business is short... Read More
"Order Now!" "Your Business Will Fail If You Don't Have... Read More
It's Monday morning and Connie the Consultant sits in her... Read More
If I had $1.00 every time I heard someone say... Read More
This year, some 700,000 American businesses will be sold. Most... Read More
Treat your business as a serious, full-time business and be... Read More
So you want to start a business but you don't... Read More
Time. As a small business owner, it's the commodity you... Read More
Forget everything you've ever heard about the U.S. Small Business... Read More
If small business had no important outside audiences, it wouldn't... Read More
Winning small and home based businesses today must continually shake... Read More
Macon, GA goes after garage-gas station conversion detail/hand car washes... Read More
Purchasing a franchise has become one of the most popular... Read More
Small Business |