We recommend a two-pronged approach.
Your online business exists in cyberspace and
should be promoted there, but don't forget to pursue offline
marketing opportunities as well. For the best results,
select a good mix of the following methods.
Include your URL
It's so obvious that it's often
overlooked. Put your URL on everything. If you put your
phone number on it, put your URL on it, too. Include
your URL on business cards, letterheads, brochures and
any other printed material you distribute. Include it in
press releases and all advertising. Include your URL in the signature line of your
emails.
Word of mouth
Word of mouth always works to promote a
good business. It's free, it's effective, and it's
trusted. People love to share a good experience (or a
bad one). Ask satisfied customers to help you spread the
word.
Site announcement mail-outs
We can help you announce your new site
launch, or a new feature of your site, with a small,
targeted mail-out. We will make sure the brochure
reflects the professionalism of your site. Send them to
existing customers and contacts or to a targeted market
segment.
Cold calls
We hate making cold calls, you hate
making cold calls, and people hate getting them. So, why
make the effort? Because they work.
Contribute content
Share your expertise and gain visibility
for your site by contributing to appropriate
content-driven sites.
Existing customers
Don't forget to make use of the contacts
you already have by seeking new business from existing
customers.
Links
Request links to your site from other
sites. Good linking strategies are more predictable than
search engines and can drive a significant amount of
traffic to your site—if you go about it in the right
way.
Be visible
Get listed in local directories and
phone books, join the
local Chamber of Commerce, participate in trade shows.
Whenever and wherever possible, talk about your online
business—in both professional and social situations.
The Internet is a hot topic, take advantage of that
fact.
Traditional marketing methods
Invest in any traditional advertising
methods you can afford. Run newspaper, magazine, TV, and
radio ads. These methods are costly because they are
effective. Press releases and interviews can also be
very effective and are free.
Search engines and directories
Search engines and directories are
bogged down. Placement is difficult and often slow. Yet,
in our experience, this is still an important means of
generating site traffic. Before submitting your site, we
make it as search-engine-ready as possible. We
understand the tricks and traps of search engine
placement—and we submit your pages individually.
There's no other way.
Newsgroups and list groups
While posts to newsgroups or mailing
lists may generate some business, these techniques
should be used very cautiously. Join mailing
lists or newsgroups that have topics related to your
business. An indirect approach is best in most
situations. Take time to become familiar with the group,
then offer advice or information and include your URL in
your signature line. This gives people the option of
visiting your site if they are interested in more
information. Again, a word of caution, be very
careful or you will be branded a spammer. In the
long run, spam techniques will always do your business
more harm than good.
Direct e-mail
This is another marketing technique that
must be used carefully. Lists can be rented or you can
build your own. Opt-in e-mail announcements are
effective, spam is not.
Let The Webhouse assist you in
developing an effective, targeted promotional campaign
using a mix of these strategies.
Check out our site
promotion packages,
and our prices.
Theoretically, the more you
spend promoting your website, the more people will be
aware that it exists, and the more sales you will make.
But if you don't rely on the website for the bulk of
your sales, it's not necessary to throw a whole lot of
money at online promotion. Nevertheless, if you've made
the commitment to building a website, you must be
prepared to follow through on marketing and promotion.
We suggest that if you are
spending less than five hours per month on promoting
your website, you're wasting your time. But if you bring
The Webhouse on board in a strategic marketing campaign,
you will be surprised at the new business we can attract
through a well-constructed online marketing campaign.
You can sign up for a
regular monthly partnership service, or just buy an hour
here and there. The thing to remember is this: if you
build it, you've got to use it. You've got to tell
people that it exists, and that it has something to
offer them.
It takes expertise and
persistence to do this well... and The Webhouse is here
to help you do it. At a price that suits you.
Check out our site
promotion packages,
and our prices.
We will monitor your users
and their browsing patterns, and report back to you
every month. These reports will tell you which pages are
bringing in the most visitors, which pages visitors are
spending quality time on, which pages they are exiting from,
which pages they ignore, and lots more information to
help you massage your website into efficient shape.
Our reports will provide
recommendations on the strategic directions we think you
should take, based on what the statistics indicate about
your visitors' browsing habits.
Check out our site
promotion packages,
and our prices.
