Welcome to Business advertising
Sunday, September 7, 2008
No Budget Advertising
The rules of the game have changed.
In fact the rules have changed a lot - in YOUR favor!
What is the game? What are the old rules and what are the new rules? Keep on reading. You'll be glad you did!
As a web designer, my job is - very simplified - to create and post information in its various forms on the internet.
A very basic yet profound definition of the internet is: A worldwide communications network. There are other - more technical - definitions but the term "worldwide communications network" is the most practical for its intents and purposes.
As a business owner or a marketing professional you have goods or services and need to communicate that fact to the world - or the portion of the world that would have an interest in what you have to offer (your target audience).
You may have guessed it by now. The name of the game is: Advertising - also known as "the business of drawing public attention to goods and services" or "the public promotion of some product or service".
The old rules of the game state:
1. There is no such thing as free advertising.
2. Only big corporations can afford big advertising campaigns.
3. The more people you reach, the more expensive the advertising.
I could probably go on but let's leave it at those 3 rules to keep things simple. It is important to understand that for the mainstream media these rules are pretty much still in effect and that most decision makers in organizations are so conditioned to this set of rules that they automatically transfer them to any and all types of media - including the worldwide communications network!
However a good number of fairly young organizations apply a new set of rules - some with tremendous success. The new rules of the game simply state:
On the worldwide web.
1. ...advertising can be free.
2. ...anyone can afford advertising campaigns because they are either free or very inexpensive.
3. ...you can potentially reach as many or more people than with the mainstream media.
It seems that the younger generation has it easier to understand and play the game by the new set of rules because they don't have to overcome the obstacle of unlearning the old set of rules.
Few people seem to grasp the fact that something that comes for free or for next to nothing can have a great value. Perhaps another drawback is that playing the game has become so incredibly easy that some people don't take it seriously. Here is a short list of how to play the game:
1. Have plenty of relevant and frequently updated content on your website. This will not only help your search engine rankings but will also increase your credibility and exposure within your target audience.
2. Post relevant content on blogs. Vertical and horizontal online content generates traffic. It's as simple as that.
3. Write press releases and submit them to online and mainstream media outlets. On the internet, you are the publisher! You are no longer depending on the media, hoping they'll pick up your press releases.
4. Create and post audio - or even better - video content. People love web video! There are plenty of video sharing sites out there which host, index and share your video for free. Take advantage of it. "Air" your own TV style commercial - absolutely free!
5. Run email campaigns. A great way to directly contact your target audience with announcements, promotions and special offers. Unlike traditional direct mail campaigns, this doesn't cost you any postage AND your email managing system lets you track the success of your campaign (number of email opens, click through rate etc.).
6. Write and submit articles and/or e-books on your subject. Share (and automatically promote) your expertise! Search engines are constantly crawling the web for content. Make yourself available so your potential customers can find you.
7. Make all of the above interesting from your target audience's point of view. You already know your target audience. What are their needs and wants? Where do they hang out? What appeals to them? These considerations will largely determine your writing style, use of keywords and the look and feel of any visuals. Have fun!
In fact the rules have changed a lot - in YOUR favor!
What is the game? What are the old rules and what are the new rules? Keep on reading. You'll be glad you did!
As a web designer, my job is - very simplified - to create and post information in its various forms on the internet.
A very basic yet profound definition of the internet is: A worldwide communications network. There are other - more technical - definitions but the term "worldwide communications network" is the most practical for its intents and purposes.
As a business owner or a marketing professional you have goods or services and need to communicate that fact to the world - or the portion of the world that would have an interest in what you have to offer (your target audience).
You may have guessed it by now. The name of the game is: Advertising - also known as "the business of drawing public attention to goods and services" or "the public promotion of some product or service".
The old rules of the game state:
1. There is no such thing as free advertising.
2. Only big corporations can afford big advertising campaigns.
3. The more people you reach, the more expensive the advertising.
I could probably go on but let's leave it at those 3 rules to keep things simple. It is important to understand that for the mainstream media these rules are pretty much still in effect and that most decision makers in organizations are so conditioned to this set of rules that they automatically transfer them to any and all types of media - including the worldwide communications network!
However a good number of fairly young organizations apply a new set of rules - some with tremendous success. The new rules of the game simply state:
On the worldwide web.
1. ...advertising can be free.
2. ...anyone can afford advertising campaigns because they are either free or very inexpensive.
3. ...you can potentially reach as many or more people than with the mainstream media.
It seems that the younger generation has it easier to understand and play the game by the new set of rules because they don't have to overcome the obstacle of unlearning the old set of rules.
Few people seem to grasp the fact that something that comes for free or for next to nothing can have a great value. Perhaps another drawback is that playing the game has become so incredibly easy that some people don't take it seriously. Here is a short list of how to play the game:
1. Have plenty of relevant and frequently updated content on your website. This will not only help your search engine rankings but will also increase your credibility and exposure within your target audience.
2. Post relevant content on blogs. Vertical and horizontal online content generates traffic. It's as simple as that.
3. Write press releases and submit them to online and mainstream media outlets. On the internet, you are the publisher! You are no longer depending on the media, hoping they'll pick up your press releases.
4. Create and post audio - or even better - video content. People love web video! There are plenty of video sharing sites out there which host, index and share your video for free. Take advantage of it. "Air" your own TV style commercial - absolutely free!
5. Run email campaigns. A great way to directly contact your target audience with announcements, promotions and special offers. Unlike traditional direct mail campaigns, this doesn't cost you any postage AND your email managing system lets you track the success of your campaign (number of email opens, click through rate etc.).
6. Write and submit articles and/or e-books on your subject. Share (and automatically promote) your expertise! Search engines are constantly crawling the web for content. Make yourself available so your potential customers can find you.
7. Make all of the above interesting from your target audience's point of view. You already know your target audience. What are their needs and wants? Where do they hang out? What appeals to them? These considerations will largely determine your writing style, use of keywords and the look and feel of any visuals. Have fun!
Labels: No Budget Advertising
# posted by gopi @ 9:49 AM 
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