6 Borderline Genius Free Online Marketing Ideas for Small Business

When building a small business you want to keep your costs in check. Small businesses usually can't afford large marketing budgets like the bigger brands have, so you need to get more creative to reflect a larger profit. Many entrepreneurs get eager to try everything, especially if well funded from the start. Here are 6 genius ideas for any small businesses owner or online marketer.

1.) Emailing your Business Contacts: OK at first glance this might seem obvious, however, many people have no idea about the tremendously powerful databases they currently have waiting for them. Excited yet??? You should be!! Did you know that you can save your contact databases from Google and LinkedIn, among others? Here is how you do it - First, log into your Gmail account, then click on the Gmail drop-down menu you will see to the left and access your contacts. First, click on your contact page, then export your data.

Now with a complete database of your contacts, you can easily upload the complete contact data, including email, into most any professional email marketing software sending platform to manage and send your emails to your lists. This is an absolutely fantastic way to gain an almost immediate response. For downloading a copy of your LinkedIn connections you can log into your LinkedIn account, then click on "my network" then "connections", then click on the gear icon. From here, you can now download a full copy of all your contact, emails, and more. It is highly recommended you use a can-spam compliant email marketing software for sending. It will improve your campaign's response, and it will in many cases more than pay for itself many times over. Many email marketing companies will not allow many complaints or removes so it is recommended using proper email marketing software that allows you to grow. Remember following up with past clients is one of the best ways to gain sales.

2.) LinkedIn Networking: It's true, LinkedIn is great for generating new contacts. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network and fastest growing. A recent statistic has shown 80% of LinkedIn members want to connect with companies because those connections provide them opportunities to enhance their professional decision-making.

3.) Publish Content: Yes, writing and publishing content is without a doubt one of the most important marketing strategies you can have. Do some research and start writing about your revolutionary ideas, products, and/or services with passion. If you write it yourself it's also free! Remember to provide good content, and don't just write a sales pitch! It's important to provide great quality information that helps people and keeps them engaged in the content. Good article content gives back and your royalties are all the website traffic and sales you can receive as a result of your publication. Good places to submit your content are social media sites like LinkedIn and article sites like EzineArticles.com to mention a few. A quick Google search can open up more results tailored to your specific needs.

4.) Publish How-to Instructional Videos: Video Content and Instructional. How-to YouTube or similar educational videos on your products or services can work amazingly well. Remember you don't need to be Steven Spielberg it doesn't need to be a major production, just the raw information in a presenting way can work great. A quick Google search for free desktop, and/or webcam recording software can provide you a good headstart.

5.) Give Away Free Stuff: We all know the internet is great for free offers. Hands down one of the most powerful marketing techniques available for customer acquisition is giving away a free products or service, like software services, or free US data lists. When someone receives something for free they sometimes feel obligated to buy more and this is good for your business. With the continuing rise of social media, more companies are now concerned with "word of mouth" marketing and reputation management services are getting more and more attention. Getting your customers to say nice things about you is, according to some research more effective than traditional advertising and it's almost always cheaper. A more modern solution for online reputation management is hiring a reputation management company that offers a guarantee to produce web content on all the positive aspects of your business, product, or service.

6.) Create Blog and Comment on blogs: When posting comments on blogs, make sure their meaningful comments, and not always just self-serving. Posting great comments can open up real discussions and meaningful communication on relevant topics pertaining to your business. Many marketing blogs encourage you to post your website links and comments. The most important factor is to be relevant and informative.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9392432