| 16. Office Stationery & Merchandising Materials | | | | cost to you), but will also provide you massive |
| It is extremely important that your website is included | | | | credibility. Stories about you in the media are far more |
| on ALL your office stationery so that customers can | | | | believable, powerful and attractive than any ads you |
| see it over and over again. That way they are more | | | | could possibly run. People will trust and respect you |
| likely to remember it. If you've just had your letterheads | | | | instantly. |
| printed, you can always add your website address on | | | | A media release (also called press or news releases) |
| your wordprocessor, when printing your | | | | should provide enough details to be informative, but it |
| correspondence. For brochures, business cards etc, | | | | should leave out just enough information to be |
| consider having small labels printed up. Your office | | | | tantalizing that the media person calls you to find out |
| stationery should include not only your website | | | | more. |
| address, but also your email. Consider adding your | | | | Your media release should feature the following: |
| details to: | | | | The Headline |
| - Letterheads | | | | This is 90% of your release. Your headline will do |
| - Business Cards | | | | almost all of the work in attracting attention to you. |
| - Flyers | | | | The Summary |
| - Brochures | | | | This is the first part of the media release and should |
| - Labels | | | | tell your story briefly. |
| - Packaging | | | | Credentials & Quotations |
| - Merchandise bags | | | | Insert quotes from other people and include the |
| - Catalogs | | | | person's credentials |
| - Invoices | | | | Call to Action |
| - Fax headers | | | | What do you want the person reading this release to |
| - Display units | | | | do? You want them to call you for an interview. So |
| 17. Pay per click (PPC) | | | | provide your contact details and write a very brief |
| Pay per click advertising is when an advertiser (you) | | | | outline of why you would be an interesting person to |
| pays for each qualified click that sends a search | | | | interview. |
| engine user to the advertiser's web page. PPC | | | | For more information about writing media releases visit: |
| requires you to bid on keywords or phrases that relate | | | | 24. Radio advertising |
| to your business. The best known pay per click | | | | You may have shied away from radio advertising, |
| services are Google AdWords and Overture. | | | | thinking the cost would be well over your budget and it |
| Generally you can bid from as little as a few cents per | | | | may very well be if you were to advertise on |
| visitor. However, the more you bid the higher up in the | | | | commercial radio stations. But have you considered |
| search engine your advertisement will appear. Pay per | | | | community radio stations? There are hundreds of |
| click is a great way to deliver targeted and qualified | | | | them around and the great thing is that they will reach |
| visitors to your website at a very reasonable price. | | | | your local market. For community radio stations in your |
| It is a good idea to experiment with different PPC | | | | area, visit your local yellow pages or search on the |
| search engines to find the one that works best for | | | | internet. |
| you. In addition, you will need spend time testing your | | | | 25. Print advertising |
| keywords and ads. | | | | Writing the Copy |
| For more information check out: | | | | When it comes to print advertising, you have to get to |
| Google Adwords - | | | | the point--fast. Your headlines should motivate readers |
| Overture - | | | | to want to read on to learn more about your product, |
| 18. Visitor Exchanges | | | | price and offer. Effective headlines address a pressing |
| There are many websites popping up on the net that | | | | customer need or desire. The reality is that people |
| are known as Traffic Exchange, Click Exchange, | | | | care more about themselves--and what you can do |
| Visitor Exchange or Surf For Hits programs. People | | | | for them--than about your business. You'll get a much |
| become members of these sites with the goal of | | | | higher response rate when your headline quickly |
| generating free traffic to their site. | | | | answers the question, "What's in it for me?" |
| The way it works is quite clever. | | | | In the body of your copy, offer an incentive for the |
| You visit another member's website and in exchange | | | | reader to call you or come to your store. You may |
| someone visits the website of your choice. Most of | | | | want to offer a discount or a free giveaway |
| these programs work on a 2:1 ratio. This means that | | | | Placing the Ad |
| for every two sites that you visit, someone else in that | | | | Newspaper ads are very effective for businesses |
| same Start Page program will visit your site. | | | | that market their products and services locally. Not |
| Simple concept, isn't it? | | | | only can you reach a large number of people in a |
| The great thing about these programs is that you will | | | | specific metropolitan location, but you can also target |
| receive all of this traffic to your website, without having | | | | prospects via their interests (in the sports, lifestyle and |
| to spend a dime! | | | | business sections, for example). |
| One of the biggest benefits from these programs is | | | | Advertising costs depend on a number of factors, |
| the ability to develop a downline of people that will | | | | including the size of the ad, where it's placed, the day it |
| generate 1,000's upon 1,000's of click thru visits to your | | | | runs and so on. Call and request a media kit from the |
| site over time! In other words, you receive credits for | | | | newspaper or magazine so you can determine what |
| the credits they chalk up for themselves! | | | | advertising steps you can take that will fit with your |
| For more information go to: | | | | marketing budget. |
| 19. Articles | | | | Consider placing print advertisements in local |
| Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free | | | | publications, national publications,industry publications, |
| publicity. Getting an article published is free. The | | | | target market specific publications, yellow pages, local |
| publicity you receive by having your article published in | | | | directories, special catalogues |
| a newspaper, magazine or website can be worth | | | | 26. Postcards |
| thousands of dollars in equivalent advertising space. | | | | If looking to target potential customers, don't overlook |
| Well written articles yield better results than | | | | postcard marketing. Postcards achieve almost a 100% |
| advertisements and earn you respect from customers, | | | | readership, while being simple to use and inexpensive. |
| who see you as an expert in your field. | | | | Postcards: |
| The best articles are "tips" or expert pieces. People | | | | - keep your name in front of customers |
| are looking for guidance and will purchase from the | | | | - generate a high return on investment |
| experts who show them how to solve their problems. | | | | - are flexible, informative and creative |
| Your article should include the following elements: | | | | - have high impact and low cost |
| (a) The Headline | | | | Postcards can be used to: |
| This should be attention grabbing and use power | | | | - generate website traffic and sales leads |
| words and phrases, such as "How to ..." "10 Ways that | | | | - promote new specials or company awareness |
| ...", "Do you want to ..." | | | | - announce new products, websites, store locations |
| (b) Lead Paragraph | | | | - thank customers |
| The first couple of sentences should tell your readers | | | | - use as a discount offer /coupon |
| why they should read the whole articles. Show them | | | | Repetition is the key to effective marketing efforts |
| the benefits they will gain or the pain that they will | | | | and postcards offer an inexpensive way of doing it. |
| avoid by reading the article. | | | | 27. Word of mouth / Testimonials |
| (c) Body Copy | | | | Word-of-mouth marketing truly is one of the best |
| This is where you inform the reader how to do | | | | ways to promote your business. The three most |
| something that will enrich their business or personal | | | | important things you can do to start the process of |
| lives. Use short sentences and provide step-by-step | | | | increasing your business through word-of-mouth |
| directions that they can easily follow. | | | | include: |
| (d) Conclusion | | | | (a) Diversify your networks by becoming visible and |
| At the end you will want to summarise the topics you | | | | active in the community. Participate in various |
| covered and briefly review the main points. Since you | | | | networking groups and/or professional associations. |
| have helped your readers they will most likely want to | | | | (b) Set up a contact list of businesses that are |
| know more. This is your chance to make your sell by | | | | complementary and noncompetitive to you. For |
| making them an offer with a call to action. | | | | example: a lawyer, an accountant, a financial planner |
| (e) Resource Box | | | | and a banker. All of them have clients with overlapping |
| The resource box should supply the reader with the | | | | similar needs. They can all work with and refer each |
| following information: | | | | other easily. Another good example is a florist, a |
| - Your name | | | | photographer, a travel agent and a jeweler. A referral |
| - Company name | | | | for one of them becomes a referral for all of them. |
| - Contact information | | | | (c) Building your business through word-of-mouth is |
| - Website details | | | | about cultivating relationships with people who get to |
| - How to order your product, etc | | | | know you and trust you. People do business with |
| If writing an article seems too daunting for you initially, | | | | people they have confidence in. It's not what you |
| you can hire a ghost writer to do this for you - | | | | know, or whom you know, it's how well you know |
| generally at a very reasonable price. If you need | | | | them that counts. If you go into this process |
| someone to help you with this, you may wish to check | | | | understanding this one key point, you will have a better |
| out: | | | | opportunity to build your business through |
| Once your article is written you will need to submit it to | | | | word-of-mouth. |
| various publications on-line and off-line. For a listing of | | | | 28. eBay |
| Australian printed publications, including the editor's | | | | If you sell products (as opposed to services) in your |
| details, you may wish to buy "The Australian Writer's | | | | business, one of the best marketing tools you can use |
| Marketplace", available from most bookshops. | | | | is eBay. eBay is a community where individuals and |
| For a listing of on-line magazines (e-zines), visit: You | | | | businesses can buy and sell a vast range of new and |
| can then contact the editor of each magazine and | | | | used items at fair market prices. |
| offer them your article. | | | | The main reasons why you should sell on eBay include: |
| If you don't have a lot of time to submit your articles | | | | - You can sell little or lot of practically anything from |
| manually, you may wish to consider using article | | | | antiques to cars. |
| submission services by companies such as: | | | | - Gain access to the millions of eBay buyers |
| Submit Your Article - or | | | | worldwide. |
| The Phantom Writers - | | | | - Feel safe with policies and protections of the |
| For a small fee they will submit your article to | | | | Community. |
| thousands of publications. | | | | - Sell as an individual, small business, enterprise, and |
| 20. Webrings | | | | more! |
| One of the more interesting ways to add some | | | | For more information visit: for selling globally or for |
| targeted traffic to your site is to join webrings. A | | | | selling within Australia. |
| webring allows visitors to surf through sites that are | | | | 29. Viral marketing |
| related in one way or another. They are free of | | | | On the Internet, viral marketing is any marketing |
| charge to the owners, members and visitors. | | | | technique that induces Web sites or users to pass on |
| Webrings deliver targeted traffic day after day and | | | | a marketing message to other sites or users, creating |
| once they are set up they tend to stay set up with | | | | a potentially exponential growth in the message's |
| little further maintenance | | | | visibility and effect. One example of successful viral |
| Each webring is created and maintained by a person | | | | marketing is Hotmail, a company, now owned by |
| known as a ringmaster. This person accepts site | | | | Microsoft. Their strategy is simple: |
| submissions and validates that the site meets the topic | | | | (a) Give away free e-mail addresses and services, |
| of the webring. For more information visit: | | | | (b) Attach a simple tag at the bottom of every free |
| 21. Ezine Advertising | | | | message sent out: "Get your private, free email at and, |
| One of the best, cheapest and most targeted way to | | | | (c) Then stand back while people e-mail to their own |
| promote your product or service is through ezines | | | | network of friends and associates, |
| (electronic magazines). Ezine ads reach people who | | | | (d) Who see the message, |
| want what you have to offer. As Ezines are generally | | | | (e) Sign up for their own free e-mail service, and then |
| based on a theme or particular interest and their | | | | (f) Propel the message still wider to their own |
| subscribers have requested to receive them, you can | | | | ever-increasing circles of friends and associates. |
| be sure that they are going to be read. | | | | Some viral marketing strategies work better than |
| Prices for advertisements vary depending on the | | | | others. Below are basic elements you should try to |
| popularity of the ezine and the actual location of your | | | | include in your strategy. |
| ad. Top position ads generally cost more than those | | | | (a) Give away products or services |
| found mid-way or at the bottom. Most ezine publishers | | | | Most viral marketing programs give away valuable |
| will also send solo ads (advertisements about your | | | | products or services to attract attention. Free e-mail |
| product/service) to their subscribers. However, this is | | | | services, free information, free "cool" buttons, free |
| generally more costly. | | | | software programs etc |
| To get the most of your ad, ensure you develop a | | | | (b) Provide for effortless transfer to others |
| killer title or headline and that the ad is straight to the | | | | The medium that carries your marketing message |
| point. | | | | must be easy to transfer and replicate: e-mail, website, |
| The best way to get started advertising in ezines | | | | graphic, software download. From a marketing |
| would be to contact the editors of various ezines and | | | | standpoint, you must simplify your marketing message |
| check their rates, publication dates and number of | | | | so it can be transmitted easily and without degradation. |
| subscribers - go to or for a comprehensive listing of | | | | Short is better. |
| ezines. | | | | (c) Scale easily from small to very large |
| 22. Publishing an Ezine or Newsletter | | | | To spread like wildfire the transmission method must |
| Whether you are the CEO of a multi-national | | | | be rapidly scalable from small to very large. Ensure |
| corporate network or a stay-in-your-pyjamas | | | | you have enough resources, such as mail servers and |
| entrepreneur, one of your primary business objectives | | | | staff that will be able to handle the increase in |
| should be to develop long-term relationships with | | | | business. |
| everyone you communicate with - website visitors, | | | | (d) Exploit common motivations and behaviors |
| prospects, customers, employees, suppliers, service | | | | Clever viral marketing plans take advantage of |
| providers etc. And one of the best methods of building | | | | common human motivations such as greed, the desire |
| strong relationships is through your own Ezine | | | | to be cool, hunger to be popular, loved, and understood. |
| (electronic magazine) or Newsletter. | | | | (e) Utilize existing communication networks |
| If you've been marketing on the Internet, then you | | | | Each person has a network of 8 to 12 people in their |
| know it may take several contacts with a prospective | | | | close network of friends, family, and associates. A |
| customer before closing a sale. What better way to | | | | person's broader network may consist of hundreds or |
| make those contacts, without spamming... In addition, | | | | thousands of people. People on the Internet develop |
| you can eventually make a nice income selling sponsor | | | | networks of relationships, too. They collect e-mail |
| advertising and classified ads. | | | | addresses and favourite website URLs. Affiliate |
| To publish an effective Ezine will take some time to | | | | programs exploit such networks, as do permission |
| develop and there are thousands of resources on the | | | | e-mail lists. Learn to place your message into existing |
| internet that will help you - simply go to your favourite | | | | communications between people, and you rapidly |
| search engine and type in "ezine publishing" or "ezine | | | | multiply its dispersion. |
| publishing articles". | | | | (f) Take advantage of others' resources |
| In the meantime, here are some tips to get you started. | | | | The most creative viral marketing plans use others' |
| (a) Give your readers quality content - not rehashed or | | | | resources to get the word out. For example, affiliate |
| well-worn articles that have been published hundreds | | | | programs place text or graphic links on others' |
| of times already. | | | | websites, authors give away free articles, news |
| (b) Write your own articles whenever possible or hire | | | | release can be picked up by a large number of |
| a ghost writer to help you. Talk to your readers as you | | | | publications as they form the basis of articles seen by |
| would normally talk. Be yourself and let your sense of | | | | hundreds of thousands of readers. |
| humour and uniqueness show through in your writing. | | | | 30. Joint Ventures |
| (b) Ensure the ezine has been properly edited, you | | | | A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more |
| have checked your spelling, grammar and formatting. | | | | businesses work on a project for a set period of time. |
| Ensure all the links are working | | | | Joint ventures can be long-term or short-term. With |
| (c) Personalise each issue for your subscriber. If your | | | | joint venture you can: |
| email software allows it, include a field so that your | | | | (a) Build long lasting business relationships. |
| ezine is addressed to your subscriber by their | | | | (b) Increase your credibility by teaming up with other |
| firstname. | | | | reputable, branded businesses. |
| (d) Don't publish too many ads or too many affiliate | | | | (c) Get free or discounted products and services. |
| links | | | | (d) Set up most joint venture deals with little or no |
| (e) Ask for feedback to help you improve your ezine | | | | money. |
| (f) Stick to publishing a text ezine rather than HTML. | | | | (e) Gain new leads and customers. |
| (g) Publish your ezine regularly and on time. | | | | (f) Offer your customers new products and services. |
| 23. Media Releases | | | | (g) Get rid of your extra inventory. |
| Having a story written about you and your business | | | | (h) Find and create new distribution channels for your |
| will not only bring you lots of new customers (at no | | | | products. |