Market Smarter Not Harder

Everybody and their sister has advice on marketing. Me included. But after three years on the Internet, I can say what does and doesn't work when you have a zero budget to market.

To market smarter not harder, you have to consider what is in your best interests.

Should you:

==> Create an Ezine?

No and I give my reasons for this in my article "No Time For Ezine" which can be read at:

http://www.agoodread.com/articleezine4.html

Once you read the article, you will understand why I think creating an ezine is a complete waste of your time. How do I know? I've been there, done that.

==> Join Lists?

Only a good idea if you are joining lists which are your target market.

This means being very choosy about the lists you join; otherwise, you will be wasting your time receiving, reading and deleting useless (read that as non-productive) emails.

You can find these lists at:

http://www.yahoogroups.com
http://www.topica.com
http://www.smartgroups.com
http://www.freelists.org

Use each group's search engine to bring up lists which pertain to your product or service and only join the ones with a SUBSTANTIAL subscriber base.

Lurk (meaning don't post) for awhile to get the "gist" of what is allowed and the interests of the group members.

Then write posts filled with useful information and include a signature line using only two lines (your name and website URL). Since these are your future customers, don't tick them off by making your signature line longer than your post.

Usually, the list members will click over to your site. They might not become customers right away - the first time they click over - but, your continued posts showing your integrity will win them over in time.

==> Start Your Own List?

A good idea because this is not the same as publishing a ezine. A list does not require the same amount of commitment unless it gets huge. But, this is easily remedied by having "moderators."

By starting a new list, you get to advertize your site. Not once but many, many times and the following will explain how.

Most free group sites let you include a "Homepage Address" on the List Description page. You, of course use your site's address where you've put a page on your site explaining in more detail what your list is about with another link for subscribing.

On your site's explanation page, you give the reasons why you want to further a person's interest in the subject matter (i.e., to increase their knowledge, etc.) Remember though, this new list is not a ploy to further your own self interests (read that as sales c**p) so keep that off this page.

Once you get subscribers for your new list, never use the members email addresses for any purpose! You will lose credibility and could even be banned from ever using a group site again should anybody report you as a "spammer."

The members should also be allowed to post freely to your list. Hey, you can get great ideas on what people want from a product or service like yours - think of it as your own personal "think tank" organization :-)

Now here's where the real marketing begins to increase visitors to your site - you will announce this new list to thousands of people. How?

Through announcement lists on the same free groups servers you used to start a new list. People "opt in" to these lists because they don't want to go searching for what interests them as the announce list comes right through their email.

Most of the owners of these lists do not like signature lines included but if you've put up that page on your site explaining your list in further detail with a hyperlink to subscribe, the announce list owners will click over to it and subsequently, approve your post.

But if the announce list owner has a really strict rule, do as s/he wants and abide by it because you know the list group webpage explaining what your list is about has your site URL on it. Sneaky - maybe, but effective.

Now I am assuming here that your menu items on your web site will intrigue people to go further (click on other links) after they reach your detailed list subscribe page.

Some of these announcement lists you can send your list information to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ListAdvertise
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AAnnounce
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Announce-Lists
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GetMoreSubs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ListBuilding
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lists_For_All
http://www.topica.com/lists/mailman

Most of these lists allow you to keep posting every week, bi-monthly or every month. Which means you are not only putting your list (site) continually in front of the old members eyes but the new members as well.

If you set up your email client correctly by using your "bcc" attribute so people are not aware you are cross-posting, then you really are "marketing smarter not harder!"

By © Judith Tramayne-Barth

About the Author

If you don't have time to produce your own free ebooks, why not see what Judith Tramayne-Barth's "A Good Read Art & Book Club offers at agooread.com

jtb@agoodread.com
http://www.agoodread.com