As a success-driven woman in business online, you can choose when you work, who you work for, and what you do. You are also responsible for a lot of tasks you may not be so eager to embrace, such as MARKETING your business.
With so many people using the internet these days, marketing yourself online is a must. There’s a lot going on, a lot of noise, so you need to do more than just put up a website and wait (hope) for your customers to find you.
Fortunately, online marketing doesn’t need to be daunting. Here are some simple and proven strategies you can use to successfully market your business online
* Start an opt-in email list. When people visit your website for the first time, they may not be ready to buy from you. They might be researching for a future purchase, or just seeing what you have to offer. Don’t count on them to remember you when they are ready to purchase what you sell.
That’s why it’s so important to start an opt-in email list. You can set up an opt-in list through an email list management program. Then invite your website visitors to stay updated by leaving you their email address. This gives you an opportunity to contact them regularly with your news and other information.
Take it up a notch: While having an optin box that says “free newsletter” is better than no opt-in box at all, you can dramatically increase your results by creating a compelling freebie. An ebook, audio recording, special report, e-course that you give in exchange for their contact information. Make it relevant, give advice they can implement right away and remember… fluff is for pillows not information products ;~) What I mean by that is give them some good stuff in advance and they’ll want more!
* Write and distribute articles. Write articles on your area of expertise and publish them on article directories and other online publishing sites. One of my favorites is eZineArticles.com With each article you write, you build expert status, gain credibility and add increasing value for your audience (a.k.a. you build equity in your content and expertise).
Must do: At the end of each article, include an author’s bio with a link to your website so readers can visit for more information. It’s free advertising for your business.
* Write and publish online press releases. Whenever you have business news, write a press release about it and submit to the online press release sites. This will help potential customers see that you’re running a credible business. Also, if your press release is optimized for your keywords, it may show up in the search engine results when people search for those words.
* Start a blog. Add a blog to your website to encourage your visitors to interact with you. Write informative posts on a regular basis to keep your readers coming back. Encourage them to leave comments, then reply to keep the conversation going.
* Frequent forums. Posting in forums is still an effective way to market your business. Look for forums where your market spends their time, and join the conversation. Make meaningful posts that help solve their problems and answer their questions. Be sure to add a signature with a link to your website so people can click through when they’re ready to learn more about you.
* Use social media. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube are all good ways for you to get your business in front of your target market. Research potential customers and begin to build connections with them.
* Host free teleseminars and webinars. In your presentations, teach participants how to do something new or give information that will help them reach one of their goals. At the end of each session, make a special offer for your product or service.
* Collaborate through Joint Ventures. Creating joint ventures allows you to LEVERAGE the relationships you develop with like-minded professionals in mutually beneficial ways, expands your reach to new potential clients, boosts your credibility and enables you to create a bigger impact for existing clients in ways that you could not do alone (and that’s just for starters)! Everybody wins!
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching others leap their business forward with joint ventures – it’s your turn. My next Ready to JV 2-week Intensive starts on June 15th (but hurry – there are only 12 seats in this class).
The bottom line is this… if you use a handful of these ideas consistently, each and every day, you may find that marketing your business online is much easier and more rewarding than you expected (or have experienced in the past).
These are all great strategies to use to market your business. I must admit that it is sometimes hard to find the time to market and do it consistently, but just implementing a few of these tips can go a long way. Thanks for the information.