If you market on the web and money is no object, you could hire an agency to create your online marketing strategy, “but for most of us [including TTOs] it’s a luxury we cannot afford,” notes Joseph Eitan, founder of Photo Paper Direct. Accordingly, he says, “‘free’ is the magic word.” There are few online marketing activities that are both free and worthy of your time, he notes, but there are a few freebies you should be taking advantage of. Here are his suggestions:

• Register with Google Maps. Google allows local businesses (big or small) a chance to register their business address and phone number in its local listings, Eitan notes. “If, for example, someone searches for a keyword together with a location, e.g. ‘nw11 plumber,’ the search results will include listings from Google Local displayed on a map next to the normal search results,” he explains.
• Upload products to Google Product Search. “To start selling products on Google Products, all you need is to prepare a data feed and a Google user account,” says Eitan. Also known as Google Base, this free service allows businesses to get specific products or services on first-page results. “In most cases these will appear just below the paid results and will include an image, title, price and direct link to the product or service,” he notes.
• Get a voucher for AdWords. Google’s AdWords is by far the biggest paid ads medium. “If you search hard enough you may come across a free voucher, which will charge your account and let you use Adwords at no cost until the funds run out,” says Eitan. “Your bank might offer such a voucher when you open an account or when you attend a Google university course (which are free and managed by Google).”

Other no-cost options, says Eitan, include social marketing and blogging. He says you might also consider the following options, which do cost money but which enable you to “test the waters” for a modest investment:

• Register with niche directories. Most industries have a few directories which will drive qualified web traffic to your site, says Eitan, but be careful “not to register with directories which offer little value or are unrelated to your industry,” which will generate essentially worthless traffic, he advises.
• Start an affiliate program. Affiliate Marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards another for each sale generated by the affiliate, Eitan explains. “You can either self-manage the program by buying an off the shelf affiliate tracking software or use a type of middleman service to link between you and the affiliate; each has its pros and cons, and each case is different,” he notes.
• E-mail marketing. Newsletters, product updates, and e-mail promotions are fantastic to keep in touch with customers or prospects and easy to manage, says Eitan. “The key is to communicate relevant messages, at the right time and at the right frequency,” he adds, noting that there are a number of web-based e-mail software providers — some such as Mail Chimp that even offer a free plan.
• Improve your search engine ranking. The most cost effective marketing channel with the lowest cost per acquisition is the natural traffic channel also known as SEO, says Eitan. “By optimizing your website in accordance with the search engine guidelines you will notice that with time organic traffic will find its way to your site,” he says. Although this channel is technically ‘free,’ it does require a lot of your time, and is thus similar to a paid service, he says, adding that Google is the best source for learning more about SEO.

Source: Karen Blakeman’s Blog

Posted February 2nd, 2010 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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