Sunday, November 23, 2008

Budget Advertising Online

By Don Bethune

Everyone can have a website these days, but it takes talent to get a lot of traffic without spending a lot of money. It is not all about traffic, but the right kind of traffic. It all starts with a well thought out marketing strategy.

There are many ways to increase traffic to your start up website. You are only limited by your money, time, and creativity. In order to be successful in your advertising there are some steps you need to take before begining.

The best rule of thumb to successful internet advertising is to remember that quality trumps quantity any day of the week. What this means to you, is that by focusing your marketing efforts on those customers that are more likely to by your product than those who might just be passing through is a much wiser investment.

Don't spend your precious time trying to sell your home-made beef jerky to vegetarians. While they may applaud your enthusiasm and original use of spices, they are not too likely to purchase from you. Similarly, you wouldn't want to advertise to traffic on office supply sites; its just too random for some people. Knowing your audience will save you time and money, and that is the goal.

Once you have narrowed down the type of person that is more likely to purchase from your website, the next step is to locate them. Fortunately for you there are hundreds of websites that collect listings of just such people to help you focus your advertising campaign and get more website traffic.

Websites that generate lists are fairly easy to find as they have a very specific purpose. A reputable mailing list website will have lists separated by purchase history, major life events, and publicly available data. Most lists carry an address guarantee. If the address is wrong, you can get your money back.

Even though email lists are a very cheap and effective way to increase traffic, but some precautions are also needed. In order to conform with the spam laws you must include a unsubscribe link near the bottom of the message. That simple link will keep your messages legal! Usually, however, your list will contain more potential buyers than unsubscribers.

Mailing lists have been proven to be the most quick and effective way to increase website traffic. It is the best method to put your name and brand in the minds of your potential customers and is the best way to maximize your return on marketing investments. - 15615

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