Marketing your business is one of the most daunting task.
You know your service "the best", but how do you get the word out and compete with lots of major players?
Many competitors turn their products into commodities and will almost give away their services just to get the business. It’s pure numbers over quality! And if you try to play their game, you will loose.
However there are many sub niches of communities online all looking for your product, a better product and service. Focus in on one of these and tailor your marketing plan around them! That way you’re not left wasting bullets by shooting in the dark.
Discussion Forums
People like to congregate in groups. It’s our nature. Start Googling around different sub-niches for discussion forums. A huge group for Affiliate Marketing, for example is Warrior Forum. Also, Don’t forget related groups in LinkedIN, Facebook, and Twitter.
Start Blogging
Just like people gather in groups they also like to read about things happening in their industry. Start blogging daily on big events or include tips on how to make the most of your product or service. And they Love Success Stories. Give them all they want.
Build An Email List
Offer a coupon or some type of helpful information in return for a user’s email address. Follow up with them regulatory but don’t SPAM them. Offer them the ability to share with a friend (if doing a coupon code) and you’ll be amazed at the amount of traffic this generates.
Social Media Daily
Everyone is on social media. Make sure to build your company pages for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Focus on your personal profile. Connect with people in your target niche and start providing them value. Even if it’s just an inspirational quote or and experience, give them something memorable that will make an impact.
YouTube Tutorials
Show people how to benefit from your product and publish it to your YouTube channel. They rank high in SERPS (search engine results page) and will provide you with people interested in your brand. The more videos the better, but aim for one a week.
Simple SEO
This is a no-brainer. While it’s not as effective as it was a couple of years ago, make sure to verify your site in Webmaster tools, have unique meta descriptions on all your pages, as well as proper heading and lists. AND, don't use query strings in your URLs. Use the article name as part of your url.
Use http://active-technologies.com/content/market-your-web-hosting-business-....
Don't use http://active-technologies.com/=node/2064/
Press Releases
Make sure to keep the buzz going around your business every month! A press release is very important even if you don’t pay for distribution. If you have the $250 or so to spend, go to PRWeb.com for one of their pages. But nothing else, make sure to post it on related forums and chamber of commerce sites.
Feel free to go out on your own. There are many other ways you can get the word out without buying expensive advertisements. As long as you can produce content / help people out, they’re going to start talking about your business!