E-Marketing Tips - Free Promotion Methods

If the search engines fail you, or you can't wait the 6-8 weeks to get a listing, then there are many other options for promoting your business online. These fall into two main categories :

FREE Strategies

PAY Strategies

FREE Marketing:

As a rule FREE marketing strategies are a bit more vague in the results they produce, however, they can be effective and they are free so utilising some of the following methods should be considered.

Blogging

Producing your own 'Web Log' is not only fun. It can provide another way of letting people know more about your products or services. Blogs also get listed in Search Engines and this can form part of your 'Link Strategy'.

Blogs which offer useful advice, are entertaining, or are controversial usually perform the best.


Podcasting

Podcasting is similar to 'blogging' but you use sound files (mp3) instead of text. This is very important if you are involved in the music industry, or any kind of public performance or speaking. You could even just do a podcast offering advice or handy hints for any industry.


RSS Feeds

Really Simple Synidcation - Allows you to distribute your content around the globe easily. Any kind of infromation can be distributed this way, and once you have created it, you can offer it up to anyone who is interested.

You can also put other people's feeds on your site, and this provides extra content.


Google Videos

Google videos is the visual equivalent of podcasting and blogging. It allows you to upload movies you have made.


Email marketing

Email marketing can take many forms. From newsletters, to offers and general updates. It keeps your website fresh in the mind of people.


There is a modicum of 'netiquette' invovled with any form of email campaigns, and the DTI website has a good guide...

Linking Strategies:

Getting links into your website from other sites can mean valuable extra traffic. Not only that, but all the websites you have links on will be registered with the search engines as well. Which means your name will appear to be 'popular'.

You should however take care to list yourself on sites that are relative to the area you are working in. If you have listings in a lot of irrelevant sites the search engines may mark you down for this.