Forum Moderators: phranque
I made a list of alternate ways to promote a site, not just in case you suddenly get a PR0, but stuff you can do now so that a PR0 might not hurt so much if it should happen.
I put the list here in an outline form - and since marketing is not my strong point to say the least - I would love to know what other ideas you may have to add.
I - Web Site Promotion
A - Online
1 - First time site visitors a - major search engine/directories (Se's and directories listed here since they are still part of an overall strategy, and listed first since it is still the easiest way to get traffic to most sites) - Google, MSN, ODP, etc., including paid listings (with AOL, Netscape and Yahoo being including with Google)
b - message board and mailing list signatures and profiles - can be done if appropriate (in an unspammy way and when allowed)
c - links from other web sites - (I've never received much traffic from this)
d - articles and other content on other sites with a link back to your site
e - ads on other sites
2 - Repeat visitors a - Newsletter- have a sign-up for one on your site
b - Add a "bookmark this site" link - never done this - does it work?
c - Start a message board on your site, and make sure it stays active
d - Update your site frequently
e - A "Tell a Friend" option - never done this either - does it work?
f - Easy to remember and type URL
B - Offline
1 - local a - Articles in local publications - these could be written about your site, or something you write, about the topic of your site
b - Speaking or teaching about the topic of your site
c - Community involvement/networking
d - signs/stickers on cars, clothing with URL, etc
e - ads in local publications - according to this thread ([webmasterworld.com ]) though, offline ads don't help increase traffic by very much
f - bill boards and other signs
(a and b could help establish you as an expert in your field, and would be easier for content/info based sites. on the other hand, e and f may be too expensive for content/info based sites. Also, if your conversion rate is low, the amount of local traffic that it is possible to get may not be significant enough to help your site.)
2 - non-local
a - Articles in national/international publications - never done it, probably not easy
b - ads in national/international print publications - most likely way too expensive for most
c - A mention of your site in national/international publication - not likely something you can have a lot of control over, but I've seen listings of links on certain topics in mag. now and then
II - Extend business beyond web site
(In many discussions about the Google issue, it has been suggested by some to have your business be more than a web site. The site I had in mind while making this list is a new one I've been working on (for what seems like forever!) which is/will be a type B affiliate site. I was planning to list some ways it could be made into something other than a web site, but I have not been able to come up with any. Maybe some one else has some ideas about this?)
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The overall strategy I'll try to use for my Type B site will be to get most of my initial traffic from SE's since, of that part of the list, it seems the most productive by far. I had been planning to add "repeat visitor" features to the site after the site was up for a while and had more traffic, but now it seems advisable to do whatever possible to get visitors to come back again, right from the start. Because of the topic of my site some of the 'offline', 'local' ideas may be useful too.
My site is non-commercial and is in a niche which has a bunch of such directories and listing places. Right now I'm getting one or two hits a day from a listing page run by one person as a hobby. While it is only a small amount of traffic it's fairly steady, seems to be different people each day and is significant when taken into account the fact I only get about 30 visitors a day for that page right now anyway. I would say about a quarter of my total traffic now comes from these directories, although it's hard to calculate right now because one of the big ones is out of action. I'm also listed in a couple of NZ specific directories which are starting to give a trickle of visitors. It's not amounting to much yet, but it only took me an hour to find and submit to them.
While I don't think that something like this is ever going to replace the big SEs, particularly for a commercial page, it can be worth looking around to see what options there are. I figure at worst it'll give me another backlink for google.
Shelley
Add a "bookmark this site" link - never done this - does it work?
hmmm... this may still work if target markets are primarily new to the web, and don't know the bookmark function, and maybe elderly targets.
(e.g. - a site based on "Something for Dummies" books, learning services "Web, Internet, and maybe computers" etc.
Add e-mail
1. attractive use of signature file: name, address, phone, fax, URL and a tag line or mission statement.
2. unsolicited emails - for awareness only. Highly recommend no sale pitch here. Create an opportunity for a response - now opting in for you the reply.
3. solicited emails (opt-in's) - develop the relationship.
I'd also recommend having somebody frequenting any appropriate Usenet newsgroups and using the site address in their signature...I get a fair amount of traffic that way even when I'm not particularly promoting anything, and it can be a very effective method of promotion if you work it well...it MUST be somebody who can make a genuine contribution on the topic of the newsgroup though...otherwise it will be seen as spamming...they have to develop a long term relationship with the newsgroup as a useful contributor...but most companies have somebody working for them who knows their stuff and can use a computer without burning the office down...it's not something a freelancer can usually do for clients though
Publicity and Media Exposure - Online and off.
Viral Marketing Strategies - Refer a friend and email this page scripts, eBooks, eCourses, free reports, white papers, branded items available for download, and other quality content that naturally encourages pass along. Can be incentivized where appropriate through affiliate programs, contests, bonuses etc.
Website announcement lists / "Site of the Day" sites
Advertising in Ezines - that target your audience.
Joint Ventures - with other webmasters and list owners far beyond the basic link exchange.
Co-Registration Networks - to generate opt-in subscribers or site registrants.
Testimonials - on other sites that include your URL
Online Networking - through virtual organizations and communities that reach your target market or the people that reach your target market.
Web Rings - these can still deliver traffic in certain niches. (especially hobby type sites and affinity groups)
Another to add - i came across a service that stuck a button on your site allowing users to click a have an icon placed on their desktop and in the start menu, linking to your site (i signed up for the free trial, but they wanted my credit card details, so i ran away).
This, of course, wont be effective for ecery web business, but it may benefit some.
Expanding on Joint Ventures:
If you have a niche site its good to develop a working relationship with related niche sites (not competitors).
Whenever your business associates are in communication with users, they may refer them to you ("i dont offer that service, but www.whatever.com covers that area very well"). This can be more beneficial than user referals as your business partners opinion can carry more weight than a random referal.
Plus it holds the benefits of you and your business associates being able to compete with bigger companies who may offer the services that you all colectively offer. You then have the benefits of a larger company (more skills, more ideas, more experience, more resources, etc) but none of the drawbacks.
Marketing came about in the 50's when there were loads of now redundant military officers hired by large companies (or so my marketing tutor once told me). So, a lot of military tatics can be employed:
If you have a small site, the guerilla approach works well, because you can compete with larger companies on a long term basis.
If you employ hit and run tatics (small one off campaigns to increase your business and decrease the competitions) without comitting lots of resources, then youre on a winner. As your business grows and expands, then your large competitors shrinks - and the feel the additional pinch of having to maintain all their outgoing expenses.
The main thing is to remember you dont need to have a large budget to conduct a successful marketing campaign - it can easily be done for free!
Thats why i love the web! ;)
JOAT
The newsletter is useful and less work than running a forum can be. Back when I first started I had to practically bribe people to sign up to the newsletter with a quarterly drawing pulled from the subscribers list.
I also had more success with sending shorter newsletters more frequently. So I moved from once a month to twice a month.
Forums are wonderful, but you will need help unless you are good at talking to yourself.
I would also echo the advice about topical directories. For many hobby sites those topical directories might actually drive more traffic than the major SE's. And it is prequalified traffic. Very nice.
Each of those few thousand of those highly targeted up-to-date newsletter subscribers are worth around 500 clicks from a search engines we reckon. But sure we had to get in search engines first to develop these lists and keep them increasing in size. Repeat visitors are gold. With search engine traffic becoming more unreliable and expensive, attention to CRM and repeat visitors is very important.
Newsletters have a major edge over forums if you have the sort of site that is appropriate. Nobody disagrees with you publically, and it works for people that dont have the Web all the time, or have low speed connections.
To us newsletter signups are in our very top group of website perfomance criteria, along with form-based enquiries and direct revenue. Search engine referalls are in the second group.
bookmark this site
This works brill for me, I run three pure information sites related to I.T, they are more of a newbie type of site, but still this month I have averaged 11 bookmarks a day for one of the sites, which I am very happy with :)
Url in sig
Another good one for me, I drop in on a few forums a day leave an informative post and then get around 30 to 40 hits just from my signature.
Writing for E-zines
When I have more time I want to try and do a few articles, have to improve my English though before hand.
Craig
Marketing came about in the 50's when there were loads of now redundant military officers hired by large companies (or so my marketing tutor once told me)
Your marketing tutor wasn't much of a student of history then. ;)
Marketing has been around since long before WWII.
The streets of ancient Rome were lined with signs advertising the wares of various merchants.
Claude C. Hopkins' classic "Scientific Advertising" was published in the 1920's
Marketing was already being taught in Universities at the turn of the century.
For example the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce [www-marketing.wharton.upenn.edu] offered their first marketing course, "Marketing Products," in 1904.
I didn't realize how effective newletters could be! I have never used one of them on my own sites before. I have never signed up for one before, so it never occured to me that other people would either.
Joint ventures with other sites are not something I had ever thought of before either. Still not sure how I would go about that with my site though.
I've never even looked at an ezine before, guess I need to.
Here is an updated version of the list:
I - Web Site Promotion
A - Online
1 - First time site visitorsa - major search engine/directories - Google, MSN, ODP, etc., including paid listings (with AOL, Netscape and Yahoo being including with Google)
b - smaller subject specific directories
c - message board, mailing list and Usenet newsgroup signatures and/or profiles - can be done if appropriate (in an unspammy way and when allowed)
d - links from other web sites
e - articles and other content on other sites with a link back to your site
f - ads on other sites, Ezines
g - e-mail - with contact info in signatures
h - online publicity and media exposure, such as press releases sent to other sites
i - Web Rings
j - Joint ventures with other sites
k - Develop an affiliate program if possible
2 - Repeat visitorsa - Newsletter- have a sign-up for one on your site
b - Viral marketing strategies - such as "Tell a Friend", eBooks, etc. - anything that encourages people to pass on information about your site to others
c - Start a message board on your site, and make sure it stays active
d - Update your site frequently
e - A "bookmark this site" option
f - URL thats easy to remember and type in
B - Offline
1 - local a - Articles in local publications - these could be written about your site, or something you write, about the topic of your site
b - Speaking or teaching about the topic of your site
c - Community involvement/networking
d - signs/stickers on cars, clothing with URL, etc
e - ads in local publications - according to this thread ([webmasterworld.com ]) though, offline ads don't help increase traffic by very much
f - bill boards and other signs
(a and b could help establish you as an expert in your field, and would be easier for content/info based sites. on the other hand, e and f may be too expensive for content/info based sites. Also, if your conversion rate is low, the amount of local traffic that it is possible to get may not be significant enough to help your site.)
2 - non-local
a - write articles in national/international publications - never done it, probably not easy
b - ads in national/international print publications - most likely way too expensive for most
c - A mention of your site in national/international publication - not likely something you can have a lot of control over, but I've seen listings of links on certain topics in mag. now and then
d - send press releases to industry related magazines
II - Extend business beyond web site
any ideas here?
he's also threatening to do a streak at a major live televised event and have his web address on his bottom ....
he's totally insane ....
If you have a web store that sells widgets, you can build traffic by requesting a review from a widget review site. They benefit by receiving a free review widget and can build content for their site. You, in return, receive a link to your site. The traffic will taper off after the first week, but the steady traffic is a bonus, I think.
I think he was refering to marketing´s entry into mainstream business and development into a more strategical and tatical form than just plain old advertising. :)
II Extended business beyond your website
1) Become an expert in your subject area and lecture on the subject.
2) Write an academic book on your subject area.
3) Business diversification - sell related products; move into other business areas.
4) Another website (the logical step after the launch and running of one successful site is do build another).
5) Franchise your product or service (not possible for all businesses).
There must be more...
JOAT :)
