10 Free Overlooked Instant Promotion Tips
Below are 10 tips to help maximize your online promotion campaigns. It took me a year to develop some of these strategies. Save your time and sanity. Heed the good advice.
Tip 1
When using any kind of traffic always create an ad/doorway page. This filters junk traffic and targets real prospects.
Tip 2
No matter what kind of traffic you are getting, free or paid, you should use an honest, dependable banner exchange network or two on your adpage, so that you can get traffic in return.
Tip 3
Place your url in the signature of every email you own. (free emails as well). Especially in your contact email.
Tip 4
If you frequent chatrooms, create a username out of your business or website name. (i.e. get-free-hot-tips_dot_com. However, don't mention your website in chat and be careful what you say there, you do NOT want to be accused of spam.
Tip 5
If you are a message board addict or you enjoy conversation with strangers, then use it to your advantage. Make use of your signature, but follow the rules, some moderators may assume you are spamming if you don't have anything useful to say. You never want to place a link directly on a forum (unless in the links forum or with permission from the moderator), you only want to use your signature.
It is good to sign up to a network of forums, so you can hop from board to board contributing to topics without having to re- sign up. Look for forums that show you how many times a post has been viewed to see how many people have seen your post. The idea is to start conversations with others about REAL topics, so that you will always be center of attention, but to also reply to as many topics as you can. Make friends, enjoy yourself, get traffic.
Tip6
Create an autoresponder. Use this as your website's update email list and have automatic confirmation messages telling the sender when you have updates on your site. By doing this, you can collect a database of interested prospects who usually won't mind an ad or two tacked to the top and bottom of the mailing. You're sure to have a list of leads in no time. With some services you can even send an automatic follow-up email so you can promote your product or affiliate url to the prospects as well, though I'd limit the number of these because I'd be concerned about upsetting subscribers with too many unneccessary mailings.
You can even put an auto-response on your website's contact email and have automatic confirmation messages telling the sender when you will respond. Again, they probably won't mind a brief ad plugged at the top and bottom of this mailing. Whenever they email you, they'll get the message letting them know that you'll respond shortly ---with your ad(s).
Tip 7
Create an ezine. The best way to get sales is to have a list of people to mail your ads and offers to. However, this can be illegal if you don't have a proper list and are using spam tactics. So, the best way to protect yourself and get this list is by building an opt-in list of people who WANT to receive your ads. The simplest way to do so is to do exactly as mentioned above, create an autoresponder and build a list of leads. Once your list is built and you are content with the size, you can either copy and paste the emails to a text file or download them to your hard drive (Depending on the service you choose. In some cases, you may even be able to email the list from the members' area itself.) You can upload this list to your favorite mail client or group/bulk mailer program and send your mail easily. Be sure to give them a way to opt-out in EVERY email. Don't worry about articles, you can find free content all over the web.
If you don't want to use recycled content, then offer tips instead of articles! Or give your readers a chance to get involved. Let them submit articles to you for approval. Your readers will love your interactive ezine. To build readers in your ezine, put links to your ezine/autoresponder address throughout your website and forms for easy signup. Put a link to it on your ad page. Start promoting your ezine address with your website. (Message Board Signatures) Promote your ezine on autosurfs. Offer a popular free ebook with their signup. (We recommend: Free TrafficBait! Get it here: http://www.tenthousandpennies.com/dtcezine/trafficbait.htm )
Tip 8
If you offer a paid service or product, then start an affiliate program. Find a low-cost affiliate program for under $50 and include a link in every ezine mailing. Your readers will love the idea of earning extra money just from promoting your site.
Tip 9
Use Auctions. Put together an info packet with a tour of your site, a few quality (original) articles, ezine address, short links page, your affiliate program, and maybe even a free trial/sample. Label it something like 'mywebsitename' InfoPacket. Slap the title and a simple design/image on an e-box/book cover and write up a sales pitch. Keep it short and simple and under 1 penny, but no more than a dollar. If you can, make it a dutch auction (available for more than one buyer per auction). You are NOT trying to make a profit from this, your goal is to promote. Submit to high-traffic auction sites. Look for several free auctions that don't involve fees. *To juice up your offer, give it away to a few online buddies/ link partners and have them write up a nice testimonial for *this* package. Include the testimonials and their courtesy link on the auction page.*
Tip 10
Build a downline. This would work the same as an email list or a referral program. BUT, instead you wouldn't need to send articles, just ads and programs. Having a downline will build your referrals for free traffic/hits programs, free signups and even your affiliate program. There are lots of sites where you can build a free downline and not just for a particular program. The best thing to do is to make the downline building page with a link to the program and link to it from your main page.
To build your downline, entice visitors to join. To do this, give away freebies. I suggest a popular free package or ebook, one courtesy ad in your mailings, or even free guaranteed traffic.
It's fairly easy to deliver free guaranteed traffic, but you'll need time on hand. Simply join the most productive autosurf programs that you can find and create a steady flow of traffic. Once you have established an account full, allocate your credits to the different approved sites of your downline members.
Inform your visitors how many free hits they will recieve by joining your downline. Everyone loves guaranteed hits, so it should be easy enough to give away. Since they are not paying for it, you don't *have* to tell them the origin of the traffic. But if they ask, it's best to be honest. Always deliver the traffic, keep your word and keep that autosurf running!
For a great downline builder, I suggest: http://tenthousandpennies.com/optinlist
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About the Author
Article by Latrell 'G' (Publisher, The Diligent Town Crier Ezine) Her interactive ezine includes marketing and business know-how & is full of quality content such as Trial & Error tales, Free Viral Traffic, ad contests & more. Feel free to use this article as long as the content, resource box & links remains un-edited. For Your FREE Traffic Bait, visit: http://www.tenthousandpennies.com/dtcezine/trafficbait.htm For more tips & advice, join the ezine by clicking below: http://tenthousandpennies.com/dtcezine
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