Marketing your
business is one of the biggest challenges for any solopreneur – it’s a
task we all find quite daunting, and are simply overwhelmed by all the
information that’s available. Below I have put together some
information on 3 simple and low cost marketing strategies, which you can
easily implement right away to create more visibility for your online
business and web site. They all work well for me!
To help you decide
which is the best strategy (or strategies) for you, I have listed the
pros and cons of each one.
Create a Blog
Pros
-
You can really
show off your expertise by posting on a regular basis.
-
Blog posts
don’t need to be very long – approx. 200-350 words.
-
If
you have some important information to share, you can instantly
create a post – no waiting for your next newsletter to make your
announcement!
-
If you use a
blogging platform such as WordPress, this is hosted on your
website. Each time you post to your blog you are creating fresh
content for your website, which the search engines love!
Cons
-
You need to
post regularly - at least once a week – in order for this to be an
effective marketing strategy.
-
You need to
feel confident that you will be able to write fresh content
regularly.
-
It can be
difficult to build a direct relationship with your reader.
Publish an Ezine
Pros
-
Unlike a blog,
readers sign up to receive your newsletter so you already have a
connection with them.
-
You can build
a relationship with your newsletter reader and encourage one-on-one
communication.
-
You can go
into more depth in your newsletter article than you can with your
blog posts.
-
Your
clients/target audience can get to know you through your
newsletter.
Cons
-
You have to
make a commitment to publish on a regular basis, otherwise your
subscribers will see you as unreliable, and may even forget about
you!
-
There is more
work involved in putting together a newsletter than writing a simple
blog post.
-
You will need
to subscribe to one of the ezine distribution services – I strongly
recommend you do this and not send your ezine via your email client!
Article Marketing
Pros
-
If you are
already blogging or publishing a newsletter, you have your articles
written.
-
It is highly
likely that once you submit your article to one of the article
submission sites, it will be picked up and published on other
article submission sites.
-
Regularly
submitting your articles will elevate you to ‘expert’ status within
your field/niche.
Cons
-
You have to
write the articles if you’re not publishing a newsletter or posting
to a blog.
-
It takes time
to manually research suitable article submission sites and submit
articles.
-
In order for
this strategy to be effective, you have to submit your articles
regularly – at least once a month.
Conclusion: You
can just pick one strategy to focus on, or you can do all three!
Whichever one you choose make sure it’s the right one for you. The key
is to be consistent in your approach. If you decide to go with a blog
make sure you have the time and motivation to add new posts regularly –
at least once a week. Don’t start a newsletter if you know you won’t be
able to keep to a regular publishing schedule! And for article
marketing to be effective you need to submit articles on a regular
basis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the author:
Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey
Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an
efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient
and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at
http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com
Submission guidelines: You are welcome to publish
this article in your opt-in newsletter or on your website provided it is
published in it's entirety, including the resource box. Please
email me of your intent to publish this article.
