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Cheryl
writes: What do you think is the very most effective way to promote any online business when you are on a limited budget? What has been the most effective for you? Sorry I know thats 2 questions but they seemed to go together LOL. My name
is Cheryl Hovey & I am a new member. Cathy's
reply: I think the very most effective form of free online advertising is interacting with others via forums and discussion lists. Also writing articles and talking to people in chat rooms has been very effective for me. While I have been able to get visitors using all kinds of free advertising (including start pages and FFA's) forums, discussion lists and articles have brought in sign ups. My sales ratio among those I have personally talked to is much higher than among those who just see the site. I group these things together, even though they may not seem related, because they are not like "advertising" where you have to write an ad. These methods are more like free publicity where you get to display your expertise in front of a group who is interest in what you are talking about. For example, if you go to a busy business forum you have access to a large group of people who are interested in learning about business and eager to pick up tips and shortcuts. For me this is ideal. I give away tips, ideas and feedback and if people like what I have to say, they will click through to my site which is included with my signature. People actually get a sample of what I offer at my site before they ever see it. It is the same with writing articles to submit to business related ezines or meeting people in a business chat room. Someone who is subscribes to a business ezine or enters a bussiness chat room is already targeted to some extent for me. The people that run these things give me a steady stream of prospects who are naturally interested in what I am offering. Many online marketers never realize the full potential of free publicity. The truth is there are forums, discussion lists, ezines and chat rooms that relate to just about every topic you can think of. Any product or service with wide public appeal can certainly find places online where interested prospects gather. For example, someone who is selling women's clothing could frequent women's forums or write an article about why it is so much better to buy clothing online. Someone who is selling nutritional supplements could visit health forums and answer questions like "What can I use for this problem?" Someone who is selling web hosting could let small business owners know that their prices are the best by posting the fact regularly in a business forum. It takes persistance and creativity to use these methods to their fullest potential, but it's worth it. While it involves a little extra effort, it won't take anything out of your budget. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. :) Look
for more tips inside this web site. Not a member? Join
Today! Cathy
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