We live in an advertiser's world. Logos, slogans, shock treatment and bug spray tell the stories of our youth and our future. We get bigger, older, uglier and more powerful every day if we can only force out the message that we have something to offer. What does it take to climb to the top? Hard work? Luck?
Let's forget all the past articles written about corruption with this horror or that. Let's kill the bad taste about the persuaders utilizing viral marketing techniques and spam advertising just to sell you some form of bogus Viagra or "legal" performance enhancing drug that's most likely a placebo anyways. Let’s ignore all the rumors and gossip about the Google Adsense and PPC marketing campaigns.
So what’s left?
Back in the day, we called it DIY (Do It Yourself.) There was a magazine called Maximum Rock and Roll. It was the wannabe rock star’s dream come true. To tell the truth, I am not sure if it exists any more. But none the less, it was the DIY approach to touring as a band, going gig to gig, cross country and town to town that helped many aspiring musicians find careers. The DIY system served as the needed push for the poor musician trying to catch a bone.
So what I am getting at here is this:
1. Advertising can cost a lot.
2. There are no guarantees.
3. It can be very stressful – Because it costs a lot and may not work.
And like the rock star, most advertising campaigns fail.
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A few years ago when my company was in its infancy, I spent over $10,000 with a local press company on an ad campaign. No only did it fail, but to my disappointment I received absolutely zero, nothing, nada, zilch… for my hard earned dollar. And at that time in my career, that was a lot of money.
I tell you, that was the last time I would give it up to a high risk campaign that relied on someone else’s production. So I started to study Internet based marketing. And what I propose is a simple DIY guide to Internet based marketing that has proven to be successful for next to nothing out of the pocket. Now this system is meant for the small office with little of no funds for advertising, but can also supplement a conventional marketing campaign with the press or other media formats.
The Point
I have discussed SEO in past articles. See Business Street June and July 2006, Search Engine Woes and the Dramatic Dance for more information on that subject. This DIY effort is about pure self gratifying, good old fashion PR and get out the megaphone ‘cuz I am coming to the party.
But first things first... You have got to have some time on your hands, you have got to be a visionary, and you need to have some skills. Do you like to write? Do you like to create? Because if you do, you can make your business successful with a solid Internet marketing campaign that won’t cost you much at all.
Take for instance this website called Valley411.com, it ranks #1 on MSN and Yahoo for Fresno Movies, it ranks high up for Fresno Night Life, Fresno Concerts, Fresno Events and many other phrases for Fresno, the Central Valley and surrounding cities. The site is only a year old and it averages close to 2500 page views each day.
That seems like quite a bit of traffic for a small regional market like the Central Valley. The best part is that the traffic to the site has grown each month since the sites development. Over 1300 different key words on various search engines found Valley411.com last month and the owners spent almost nothing on conventional marketing. A small advertisement in Business Street here and there served as a good supplement.
The Method
Valley411.com is a website that needs traffic to sell its product, just like any business, store or market. Valley411.com makes its money by selling advertisements. Besides that, Valley411.com is completely free. Free job board, free forum, and free entertainment based news. If you want Business, stick to Business Street or go to BusinessStreetOnline.com. If you want entertainment, go to Valley411.com.
We have put together a campaign that revolves around content. That is the important thing. The content that we put up is real and the traffic that we get is real traffic from people searching for the content. The method is derived from a simple point to point and news relates to news process that helps advertise the market in general. Sure, you may think that it helps the competition as well, but the main thing is that it helps build a demand. Sounds complex doesn’t it. But in reality it is very simple.
Online Forums
I don’t believe there can be too much competition. Competition helps promote the market. If we create the need for our competitors then the need for our market too will grow. So what do I do? I advertise my systems in a reciprocal method on other entertainment based news systems and forums.
Let’s clarify. I write articles about the market. I utilize free services that exist online in order to promote myself and my sites. I talk about my competition and utilize free forums to discuss topics with interested people. Forums exist on almost any topic and are a great medium to learn from. They also can be utilized to teach people about the services you offer. And every bit you post on a forum, if done appropriately, can help in advertising your products and services.
The Internet is an awesome resource. There are so many DIY tools out there, we as consumers, business owners and marketers just need to be made aware of them.
Newsgroups and Syndication
I have over 500 pages of work published on websites all over the world. And each time someone reproduces one of my articles, my websites gets a little bump in page rank for a specified topic. There are loads of article syndication services out there where you can borrow from other or contribute yourself. If you contribute, and have something valid to say, others will pick up your article and reproduce it, giving you and your organization credit. Instant FREE advertising is the result. Is it starting to come together a little?
I can teach any of you how to become a published writer. And if you really want to be famous, if you really want to make a statement, if you really want to advertise your goods, wares or services, without spending a fortune, learn to harness the world of the Internet and its Do It Yourself resources.
