Huntsville Web Design & Online Marketing by NMT

We get asked all the time for web entrepreneurial tips and resources. We hear it so often that it seems we should include a section in our newsletter called "Web Entrepreneurial Tips and Resources". Soooooo, we will, be on the look out for them!

Of course there are jillions (technical term for a bunch) of resources on the web, some free and some not so free - some accurate and some not so accurate, where one can research and understand "what's going on". Well as promised to a few folks at lunch today, here is the site I think should be at the very top of your favorites list/bookmarks (how's that for being browser agnostic) - http://www.clickz.com/.

Are you taking advantage of the internet's FREE marketing potential? There are likely vibrant community forums (with large national readerships) for the interest your business serves. Those communities are made up of lively participants WHO YOU NEED AS YOUR CUSTOMERS.

What better way to let them know about your products / website than to post a bit about it on that forum? Well ... here's where a bit of ingenuity comes in:

If you heard how great a business is from the business owner (think: used car salesman in plaid pants yelling into badly-produced local commercial) - you will will likely pay little attention.

However, if you hear from a satisfied customer who posts on the forum you are reading often, well that's another story.

Tips for Guerilla Marketing via Forum sites:

NEVER sign up and post about your site immediately if you want to be believable. Most sites indicate how many posts you have made as a member so ... again with the credibility factor ... if it looks like you are a first time poster and you post a glorious post about your business and include a link to your site - few folks will bite. DO join the group, browse the forum and make some posts about things you know/care about. Then - make your move. Seems like a lot of work, I know but it's marketing via 3rd party testimonial which is powerful stuff. Plus, if you're on a high-traffic forum, you may get 1000s of hits from that one post.

DO use a different name and email address that username "jimswidgetworld" and email jim@jimsbigwidgetworld.com - Common sense, sure, but we see it all the time and it's inneffective and insulting.

OK, now you're off to search google for "insert industry name here - forum" - SJ

Here's a youtube video that talks a bit about the FREE marketing you can leverage for your company. Warning: the guy in the video is either a Ben Stein fan or is about to fall asleep. At any rate, if you're a first timer to Flickr, this is an informative video for brainstorming how you can use Flickr (or other social networking sites for that matter) to promote your business / products for free.

So, you've heard your niece jabbering on about MySpace ... you may have even set up an account to browse. But have you ever considered the marketing potential of a MySpace page?

If you are selling products or services, MySpace can be a priceless, clever, FREE avenue for direct marketing. Imagine being able to search for through a HUGE community of folks - sorted by their interests and location - then send them a message to visit your MySpace profile (which should, of course, have great art, prominent links and teasers to your official web site)

This is shy banner advertising's outgoing little brother. Sure it's a bit time intensive, but hey ... it's FREE.

Go See Clark's MySpace Profile for a few ideas on leveraging Social Networking sites for your business.

MySpace Tips:

OF COURSE ... MySpace is all about "adding friends" - after you search for and find friends, a little courtesy and common sense goes a long way.

DO: search by interests, groups, hometowns to identify potential customers and add them as "friends"

DON'T: "add" mass amounts of random friends - unless you have a completely random products that is of interest to everyone (some revolutionary toothbrush or something) However, most businesses have more niche products and services and you'll do better to identify the most likely friends - who will see your "friend request" as usefull rather than bothersome.

DO:  FOLLOW UP: A quick personal message to your new friend after he/she adds you will really improve the likelihood they visit your profile, see your wonderful marketing message etc ... and click through to your web site.

At the end of the day, MySpace can be used as a brand-building and advertising vehicle - with potential exposure to mass, targeted customers. However, a personal touch is crucial as you are competing with millions of others on MySpace. 

Clark (See above) sends notes like this to friend s after they "add" him.

"Dearest batterman1976, I found you here and saw that you LOVE Yankee baseball. Well, I wrote a book I think you'll love as well. It's a sales book based on baseball's winningest strategies and it's called "The Perfect Pitch." I'd be pleased if you'd visit my profile and give it a look. Thanks! - Clark"

Of course it takes a minute to paste the comment / message in but ... the likelihood of that friend visiting Clark's site has gone up exponentially from a day ago when all they did was click "OK" to add him as their friend. 

 

- SJ