12-Step Marketing Plan
by Lynn Terry, author of
Self-Starters Weekly Tips
Networking
Email Discussion Groups and Discussion Boards are a great place to meet potential clients! Join the conversations, use proper ‘netiquette', and include a professional and compelling signature line with every post!
Press Release
Submitting a Press Release, both online and offline, can earn your website some serious exposure! Is your product or service unique? Do you have an interesting story to tell, or something newsworthy related to your business?
See: Press Release Templates & Examples
www.morebusiness.com emplates_worksheets/press/
Website
If you don't already have a website, its time to get started! With all of the free resources available, you can publish your own site relatively quickly!
See:
www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/archives/buildyourownsite.htm Newsletter/Ezine
Publishing a Newsletter can be one of the most profitable aspects of your online business. This allows you stay in constant contact with your clients (for repeat sales) and potential clients (to encourage them to return to your site and purchase). You can then promote your website through the many newsletter directories available online for increased exposure.
Download the Ezine Builder Master Class (free) here:
www.webservicenetwork.com/ebooks/newsletterpromote.exe And be sure to sign up for Subscription Rocket to gain thousands of new subscribers!
Write Articles / Reviews
If you're looking for a powerful way to get FREE publicity and build your credibility at the same time, then writing articles may be your answer. This article is jam-packed with great tips and information and excellent resources to set you on the road to publishing your work right away!
www.webservicenetwork.com/articles/WriteForPublicity.htm Also, try submitting to these article mailing lists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WriteitPublish_Announce/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aabusiness/ E-books
Ebooks can provide the Internet marketer one of the best promotional tools online. With its vast variety of uses, just one quality ebook development and distribution can produce an on going viral marketing tool that will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and multiply itself by leaps and bounds. Your ebook can literally be viewed by millions simply by giving it away.
See:
www.webservicenetwork.com/articles/ViralMarketingEbook.htm For the absolute best resource on publishing your own Ebook, grab this free download:
www.webservicenetwork.com/ebooks/SelfPublishing.htm Start Your Own Affiliate Program
Consider a fast-moving, high-sales Affiliate Program for your product! An Affiliate Program puts thousands of people to work for you as your Personal Sales Team - and you don't have to pay them until they make a sale! My personal recommendation would be to list your product at ClickBank - it is by far one of the most popular programs to use, with an exceptionally high success rate. Put them to work for you today & increase your sales dramatically this Holiday Season!
Pop-up Windows
Used correctly, Pop-up windows have proven to dramatically increase newsletter subscribers and/or purchases (great place to post your special offers!). Place the script on the front page of your site, and be sure to use cookies so that the window only opens once per session for someone viewing your site.
Note: If your visitor subscribes, they are then taken to a ‘thank you' page for confirmation - this is a great place to add links to make back-end sales! If you need the pop-up window code, email me and I will send it to you!
Testimonials
Publishing your clients personal testimonials on your website increases your credibility to new clients. When you receive a compliment from a client, ask permission to publish it on your site! Offering them a link in return is a great incentive.
Writing Testimonials can be a Powerful Advertising Technique! Be sure to send your testimonials to vendors when you are pleased with a product or service, and include permission for them to publish it (along with your byline). You can also publish Product Reviews and Testimonials in your own Newsletter or on your website - using your affiliate links!
Search Engine Optimization
Make sure you have Meta Tags embedded in your web pages which include keywords and a website description. Your content also matters! Make sure that the content on your webpage is rich with keywords and relevant information... also look at image names and "alt tags" - these can be used to optimize your site for Search Engine placement as well! Be sure to exchange links with reputable sites that are complimentary to your target market - Getting listed on high traffic sites is a major plus! (Forget FFA and Free Classifieds!). You might also consider Pay Per Click options.
See:
www.webservicenetwork.com/payperclick.htm Create Your Contact Lists
Consider everyone that you know, that you have done business with in the past, or that has requested information from you... Send an email out to your contacts, and invite them to view your new website, subscribe to your newsletter, etc. DO NOT continue to send email - it might be considered "spam" - just a friendly invitation or announcement would be advised.
You might also consider the "Follow Up" approach. Example:
"Hello, we haven't spoke in awhile. How are things going for you these days?" etc etc
... and end your Follow-Up email with a compelling Signature Line!
Online Auction Sites (eBay)
Listing products on the online auction sites is also a great marketing tactic! While you cannot blatantly promote your website on most auction sites, you can create a Profile (or About Me) page and add that link in your auction description. Also, if you are selling products that you offer on your website, this is a great opportunity to reach a wider market and gain new contacts. Don't Forget your Signature Lines in the correspondence with potential bidders - along with you Follow Up emails to winning bidders!
For more information on getting started & making the most out of it, see:
www.WebServiceNetwork.com/ebay.htm About the Author
For those of you who don't already know me personally, I am a 29 year old single mother of two awesome kids and I work from my home office full-time as the owner of Web Service Network . I have been in business since late '96, when I opened a storefront in Murfreesboro, TN, but I have since resorted to the beautiful Center Hill Lake and operate from my home office.
