This show was originally taped at www.talkshoe.com on January 5, 2009 before my quadruple by pass heart surgery, thus my absence from the blog. I am doing great and resuming the show on March 16, 2009 to tell you about getting your e-mails opened with the First Two Words of your subject line—OR NOT!
This show can be heard archived at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960
Or on the MondayMorningMarketeer unique radio channel at:
www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com
Free Advertising for Your Business
So you hear me say often that in this current economic downturn you must not put your head in the sand like an ostrich and hide but spread those beautiful ostrich plumes and let the world know just how wonder a product or service you have. So here in 2009 are some free ways to stay in the eye of your prospects and suspects and additional ways to turn suspects into prospects.
1. Craigslist
Craigslist has gotten a bit of a bad rap because it does not really monitor its ads and you may be placing your ad beside a bogus or misleading one. However, a well written ad linked to a great website that is reputable can help consultants and service professionals to get the word out about their businesses. Even larger businesses are beginning to use Craigslist even though sometimes just to post want ads for employees.
2. Local Online Directories
Google Local and Local.Yahoo.com
If I have said it once, I have said it several dozen times. When you put in your business name, your town or city, does your business come up? If it does not you have not gotten your local Google on or yelled out on Yahoo about your business.
You can’t go wrong with free business listings from the two biggest websites on the internet. They will show your ad to people who search from your community automatically. Yahoo has an option to upgrade to a paid premium listing as well.
Ever searched for heating or air conditioning locally and used the first people that popped up in your area, then you have been influenced by Yahoo or Google.
3. MerchantCircle.com
Circle is a combination of a business listing site with business reviews. Even if you don’ t have a website you can take advantage of their free listing which will have a good chance of showing up in the first page or two. The free package also allows businesses to upload photos, coupons, and create a business blog (wow!). You can actually design a mini website, then you can ask your satisfied customers to review your business. There is nothing like third party endorsement and a good testimonial.
Barter Advertising
4. Mom Packs
A group of moms in business who work together to build our businesses for each other. Their mission is: To Support Our Mutual Goals of Success through an Innovative Free Advertising Partnership.
The Mom Pack includes sharing all kinds of advertising opportunities, both on and offline, through information swaps, link exchanges, or quite literally a packet of advertising pieces enclosed into an order shipment. Although the Members’ Agreement with Mom Pack is that you do not charge a fee for an actual Mom Pack, you can charge exact shipping fees to mail a single Mom Pack to someone that requests one from you. Generally, Mom Packs are not shipped out, but passed out at events, craft fairs, expos, doctors offices, markets, hair salons, with orders and many more places.
For businesses that target moms and are run by moms, the Mom Pack ‘community’ is a great way to help moms promote other moms. http://www.mompack.com/
5. AdGridWork
AdGridWork is a brand new contextual advertising service that is 100% free. All that is required is that if you place an ad on their network, you must place ads on your own site for someone else in the network. Since it is ‘contextual’ they will monitor and only serve relevant ads on your site and only display your ads on relevant websites.
• It's 100% free. Thats right folks: Free Advertising. No payments. Ever.
• Increase your traffic. We have thousands of sites on our network all ready and waiting to freely advertise your website or product.
• We have attractive advertisement blocks AND text links. Most people are blind to the traditional AdSense ads. Our free ads are fresh, simple and appealing to the eye.
• Promote to a targeted audience. You can define exactly what types of sites you want your free advertisement to appear on.
• Registration and setup is a snap. Our service is completely user-friendly.
http://www.adgridwork.com
6. AdLeaf—Another barter advertising site:Adleaf Free Advertising
An Adleaf is a text advertisement that shows the advertisement placed by members in the Adleaf network. In exchange, your advertisement will appear in the websites of members who also participate in the Adleaf network. In this way, the Adleaf community help each other promote their website or blogs. An Adleaf is very similar to the text advertisement that Google AdWords or Yahoo Overture network offers. The difference is that you don't have to pay to advertise! You are simply converting your existing web traffic to free advertising impressions.
7. Wikipedia
Visitors do not need specialized qualifications to contribute, since their primary role is to write articles that cover existing knowledge. This means that people of all ages and cultural and social backgrounds can write Wikipedia articles. Most of the articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. Anyone is welcome to add information, cross-references, or citations, as long as they do so within Wikipedia's editing policies and to an appropriate standard. Substandard or disputed information is subject to removal. Users need not worry about accidentally damaging Wikipedia when adding or improving information, as other editors are always around to advise or correct obvious errors, and Wikipedia's software is carefully designed to allow easy reversal of editorial mistakes.
8. Linked In—Set up a LinkedIn Profile for Your Business and Join Some Groups
Very often when prospective clients google a person or business, their LinkedInProfile is on the first page of the Google Results, so make sure your profile is a good one. Please listen to Developing Your On Line Profile right on MondayMorningMarketeer.
9. Twitter—Set up a Twitter Account and Develop Followers
This is a much overlooked advertising phenomena. It’s like mini doses of avertisment that are like silver bullets that get into the armor before most prospects that follow you even know they are there. It’s a great way to keep your customers updated on new deals, new products, new services, new successes.
10. Facebook—Set up Facebook and Invite Friend
Every major company out there has a Face Book account, Ellen just recently announced that she has 80,000 followers. That’s Ellen Degeneres by the way. Just be careful to decide, do you want all your nieces and nephews on Facebook as your friends or do you want to use it for business. If you are using it for business, keep it uncluttered with wild stuff. Some of your friends who are not in business may write less than professional things on Your Wall.
So here are ten ways to get some free advertisement for your business but not one of them will work unless you actually use and pursue them. So what are you waiting for,? Pick a couple and get busy.
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer™ 412-628-5048
Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960
Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
Or on its unique radio channel at:
www.positivelypittsburghlivemgazine.com
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