Xavier Nelson’s latest article titled “Simple Methods To Market Your Online Business For Less And Pocket More” discusses marketing methods such as traffic exchanges, online forums, and news letters.


Xavier Nelson’s latest article titled “Simple Methods To Market Your Online Business For Less And Pocket More” discusses marketing methods such as traffic exchanges, online forums, and news letters.

Xavier Nelson’s article is reprinted here:

3 Simple Methods To Market Your Online Business For Less And Pocket More

Written by Xavier Nelson
Sunday, 12 March 2006

Even if you just decided today that you want to explore earning a living online, you have probably already discovered pretty quickly that it is not as easy as many people will have you believe.

Just like any other business, marketing online requires a combination of time and money to allow you to truly successful, along with a whole bunch of determination, desire and focus.

Business can get expensive. If you are like most people starting an online business you may quickly find your savings tapped and your credit cards maxed. That is, unless you know how to market your online business for free – or nearly free.

There are many ways to market your business, but not all methods deliver the same results to every business. While you learn your way around the online business world it makes sense to start with the cheap or free methods of marketing before spending a lot of money on a system that will not work for you.

Magic Bullets, no matter what anyone tells you, don’t exist. There is no overnight wonder that will magically make you successful, but with perseverance and determination you can achieve the success you desire.

Here are three methods for marketing your business for little or no cost. Some will work better than others and some will take longer to show results. Here are some of the main Pros and Cons for each of these three methods, but keep in mind there are many other ways you can keep your costs down while promoting your business.

MARKETING METHOD ONE: TRAFFIC EXCHANGES

Traffic exchanges are very popular for new online businesses. They can be free or charge a monthly fee. The way they work is that each member views other members websites, usually for a specified period of time, to build credits. Their sites will then be displayed to other members depending on the number of websites they have viewed.

PRO: Usually free. Lots of traffic quickly.
CON: Traffic is not targeted, so they usually work better for businesses that appeal to a wide audience. Viewing other members websites is time consuming. In many cases, if you are working in a specialty area or niche, you may find the results not as exciting, as most people using these exchanges are also looking to drive traffic to their own sites, and you will find a huge number of people are focused on Internet Marketing themselves. The good thing is that some other exchanges are starting to show up that are focusing on specific niches, so do some research and you may stumble across a valuable tool to use.

MARKETING METHOD TWO: ONLINE FORUMS

This method can really and truly help you, not just market your own business, but also to learn more about what your target audience is looking for, as well as help you with your own research and learning-curve for any new niche you are working with.
Forums are online communities that discuss specific topics. There are forums (or discussion groups) on just about any topic you can think of. You can find these by doing a search for ‘forum’ and your topic. Or you can go to Google and search the Groups for your key word or phrase. Forums are usually free to join.

Most forums do not allow commercial solicitations. The focus is on exchanging information. Be prepared to add useful comments to the discussion and follow the posted rules. You may be allowed to attach a signature to your comments. Put your website in the signature to attract the search engine spiders and send visitors to your site. Develop a reputation as an expert on your topic and give free advice when possible to build credibility.

PRO: Targeted traffic. Builds credibility. Depending on the forum, it may even help your search engine ranking and help you drive additional traffic back to your site through the better visibility on the search engine, along with the traffic from your posts.
CON: Have to be careful not to be labeled as “spam”. Must spend time answering questions and posting comments. Depending on where you post and what you say you may or may not see a lot of traffic initially.

MARKETING METHOD THREE: NEWSLETTERS

Start your own newsletter right away. While this does not bring traffic to your site it does take advantage of the visitors who do come. The code for collecting emails can often be obtained from your host provider for free or an autoresponder service which is free or paid depending on your service.

Have a place for visitors to enter their email address and name. You might even want to consider having a spot for signups on every page of your site, or create specialized reports or offer a free resource, such as an eBook, audio or video recording or a software, that will help your visitors with their problem.
Send them a free report or email once a week with tips or news about your topic. This will permit you to build a relationship with prospects as well as grant you permission to contact them again with your offer. It often takes up to seven contacts before a prospect will buy, so don’t let them leave without getting their email!

PRO: Permits you to contact interested prospects again. Builds relationship with customers and potential customers. Your ezine or newsletter is one of the best ways for longterm growth and success.
CON: Effort is needed to provide quality information on a regular basis. Does not attract new visitors in many cases, but once you have established yourself with your readers as someone that cares about their needs, you may just find yourself surprised as to how many people will tell others and share how helpful your information has been to them.

Each of the marketing strategies outlined above are proven to work. What works best for you and your business will depend on various factors such as; what your business is, what time you can spend marketing and what information you can provide. Start using two or all three of these methods and you will be creating a solid marketing foundation for your business.

There are many other methods out there, but with a solid foundation in a few core areas, you can really start to see the difference pretty quickly. Make sure to have a solid foundation in place before you move on to try other methods.

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Xavier Nelson is an Entrepreneurial Consultant dedicated to helping you succeed with your business.
Make sure to visit his site at http://special.businessinformationconnection.com/traffic for more information on driving targeted traffic to your site and helping your business grow.
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