There are so many ways to market your website. As a business owner I understand how important it is to be found by the right audience online.
Here are a few free or low cost ways to market your business online. If you’ve spent any time marketing your business online I’m sure you are already doing some of these, but there may be one or two new ones here for you.
Submit Articles: A great free way to market your business is through article submission. There are many article submission site out there that although have thousands of articles archived in their index, will provide you additional visibility to search engines…super important. Here is an example of a good article submission directory: http://www.articleblotter.com/
Free Link Submission: With the same premise as article submission this will increase your web presence and search engine ranking. In additional to link submission there are link swap services as well. Dedicate a small area or deep page in your site for links to other, quality sites and swap traffic. Search engines look for inbound linking to gauge your ranking.
Newsletters: You can start a newsletter or autoresponder service with little to no cost. With the amount of spam blocking software out there today it’s important to take time with your email formatting and ensuring that you will not be viewed as spam. When I create email newsletters for my clients there are many factors that go into the creation to assure a low spam grade. But the best advice is to watch your reporting click-throughs and open rates closely.
If you do not have a list yet I would start by sending simple emails with tips and tricks of your industry and start building. Add a newsletter sign up page to your website and a link to your email signature. Once you have a large list, you can use a database manager with reporting features to send out your emails to a larger database.
Start Blogging: Yes, blogging does take time but in my opinion it’s time very well spent. Blogs are one of the best sources of what is typically relevant user generated content which is food for search engines. Blogging is mainly a time investment. Here are some places you can go to start your blogging:
Blogger.com - Free to set up & customize.
WordPress.org - Free program to download & install on your web server.
Movable Type - Free & paid subscriptions available.
Live Journal - Free to set up & customize with an upgrade available..
Blogging on Other Blogs: The more you blog the better. Outside of having your own blog focused on your business, blog elsewhere…Active Rain is a GREAT place to start.
Craigslist : Yes, Craigslist is a place for spammers, but the traffic benefits are so high that in my mind it’s worth dealing with them (it’s also free). Craiglist listings are search engine food which will significantly help your rankings. If spamming is a concern do not post your email address, only your URL. Spammers are less likely to visit the site and pull your email.
In your email signature: This is one of those ways to market yourself that is so simple that it is very frequently overlooked. If you are not including your business in your signature line, just think about the amount of email that you send and to probably a diverse audience.
eBooks: Although I have never published an eBook I know a few consultants who have and have done quite well with it. If you are a seasoned professional and have an interesting take on your industry eBooks make it easy to publish your thoughts for sale. There are tons of free information on how to go about this process. Here is a great blog on writing an eBook: http://ebookwritingandmarketingsecrets.com/
Offer something of value outside of your product or service: Offering your audience free content of value (such as an ebook), coupons or something little to no cost to you with high perceived customer value will keep them coming back. Is your site listing properties for sale in Phoenix, AZ pull some interest rate info from Bankrate or maybe an article from the Arizona Republic. Credit the source of course!
