3 Simple and Low Cost Marketing Ideas to Create Visibility

Marketing your business is one of the biggest challenges for any solopreneur â€" it's a task we all find quite daunting, and are simply overwhelmed by all the information that's available. Below I have put together some information on 3 simple and low cost marketing ideas, which you can easily implement right away to create more visibility for your online business and web site. They all work well for me!

To help you decide which is the best strategy (or strategies) for you, I have listed the pros and cons of each one.

Create a Blog

Pros

* You can really show off your expertise by posting on a regular basis.

* Blog posts don't need to be very long â€" approx. 200-350 words.

* If you have some important information to share, you can instantly create a post â€" no waiting for your next newsletter to make your announcement!

* If you use a blogging platform such as WordPress, this is hosted on your website. Each time you post to your blog you are creating fresh content for your website, which the search engines love!

Cons

* You need to post regularly - at least once a week â€" in order for this to be an effective marketing strategy.

* You need to feel confident that you will be able to write fresh content regularly.

* It can be difficult to build a direct relationship with your reader.

Publish an Ezine

Pros

* Unlike a blog, readers sign up to receive your newsletter so you already have a connection with them.

* You can build a relationship with your newsletter reader and encourage one-on-one communication.

* You can go into more depth in your newsletter article than you can with your blog posts.

Your clients/target audience can get to know you through your newsletter.

Cons

* You have to make a commitment to publish on a regular basis, otherwise your subscribers will see you as unreliable, and may even forget about you!

* There is more work involved in putting together a newsletter than writing a simple blog post.

* You will need to subscribe to one of the ezine distribution services â€" I strongly recommend you do this and not send your ezine via your email client!

Article Marketing

Pros

* If you are already blogging or publishing a newsletter, you have your articles written.

* It is highly likely that once you submit your article to one of the article submission sites, it will be picked up and published on other article submission sites.

* Regularly submitting your articles will elevate you to 'expert' status within your field/niche.

Cons

* You have to write the articles if you're not publishing a newsletter or posting to a blog.

* It takes time to manually research suitable article submission sites and submit articles.

* In order for this strategy to be effective, you have to submit your articles regularly â€" at least once a month.

Conclusion: You can just pick one strategy to focus on, or you can do all three! Whichever one you choose make sure it's the right one for you. The key is to be consistent in your approach. If you decide to go with a blog make sure you have the time and motivation to add new posts regularly â€" at least once a week. Don't start a newsletter if you know you won't be able to keep to a regular publishing schedule! And for article marketing to be effective you need to submit articles on a regular basis.

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About Tracey Lawton

Tracey Lawton is a certified Master Virtual Assistant with many years of experience, helping professional speakers, coaches, and authors operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Visit http://www.traceylawton.com/tips.htm to subscribe to her newsletter, Virtual Solutions, full of tips for operating a more productive business and receive Tracey's 'The 7 Key Steps to an Organized and Efficient Office' special report absolutely free.


And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Need SMS Enterprise Text Messaging Services? Choose Mobile Data Service Providers and not Mobile Ope

Need SMS Enterprise Text Messaging Services? Choose Mobile Data Service Providers and not Mobile Operators

This article gives a brief comparison between SMS Service / text messaging by Mobile Data Service Provider (MDSP) and Mobile Operator (Mobile Operator) SMS Service / text messaging service. The comparison is based on the top ten factors as identified in a study done by the author in various countries including US, UK, Germany, India and Singapore. The mean score of ranking of importance of each factor as identified is provided as below.

1. Redundancy:-
MDSP: Connected to multiple operators leading to a highly reliable service.
Mobile Operator: Single operator service. No service if operator network breaks down

2. Scalability and Flexibility (in throughput):-
MDSP: Highly flexible. Ramps up throughput at a short notice
Mobile Operator: Dependent on Operator policy. Normally, does not make any change for a specific customer

3. Security:-
MDSP: Transmitted using HTTPS protocol from client application to Mobile Data Service Provider's Server with a third party certification.
Mobile Operator: Normally offer HTTP protocol with security gaps

4. Support:-
MDSP: 24X7 efficient support with clear escalation policy. Relevant people directly contactable, anytime.
Mobile Operator: Support quality poor, bureaucratic leading to high turnaround time

5. Client applications:-
MDSP: Provides a range of client applications with rich features for quick deployment
Mobile Operator: Provide URL based SMS service

6. SMS cost:-
MDSP: Low as Mobile Data Service Provider pass on the advantage of its large volume buying to its customers
Mobile Operator: Likely to be high

7. Online / real-time delivery report:-
MDSP: Ensures delivery report at the user interface
OPT: If they provide delivery reports, it is on URL

8. Level of understanding of IT back-end systems:-
MDSP: Very high
Mobile Operator: Very low

9. Business focus: -
MDSP: Only mobile data services
Mobile Operator: Mainly voice

10. Short-code compatibility:-
MDSP: Receives messages from subscribers of all operators on 4 digit short code
Mobile Operator: Can receive messages only from its own subscribers

There are several Mobile Data Service Providers, specially in Europe and Asia. They provide mobile data services / SMS text messaging services (e.g. ValueFirst Messaging Pvt. Ltd., http://www.vfirst.com) for enterprises. Typically, an MDSP provides an end-to-end mobile data services / SMS text messaging services on GSM/CDMA/GPRS networks using SMS software / applications services and products.

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About Vijay Shukla

This article has been contributed by Mr. Vijay Shukla. Vijay has over 8 years of industry experience in management consulting and providing innovative services and applications around mobile data services for large enterprise. The above article represents personal views of the author. He can be contacted at vijayshukla@yahoo.com.