Take Another Look at these Promotion Methods

As the world of the internet goes faster and faster, sometimes very helpful ways to promote your business may get “lost in the dust” and forgotten. This week I wanted to bring up a few alternative promotional methods you may have not thought about in a while. It is possible you haven’t even tried some of these methods and they could be the way for you to receive some wonderful connections. Once you are done reading this post, I hope it will possible stir up some new possible promotional opportunities you may not have thought about before or ones you may wish to revisit. Important to remember: know your target market and know their habits so you aren’t wasting unnecessary time and energy.

1) Banner or Button Ads –

For Banner Ads or button ads, these can be effective for promoting your business.

If you are unfamiliar with how a banner ad works:

~You will need to ask a logo or graphic designer to put together a banner or button ad for you.

~Logo or graphic designer creates a banner or button ad for you to complement your branding (such as your newsletter, website, and letterhead)

~Place them where your target market will see them and know if these are something that your target market will click on to send them to your website or blog. (**see the “things to remember” section below)

2) Other Social Networking - It seems like the bigger buzz lately on the web has been around Twitter and Facebook. And I would seem to agree those are more viable methods however, I have been reminded to give MySpace and Squidoo (individual web page focused on specific subject) another look. (Thanks to Lynn Terry and Michelle Waters).

3) Local Networking – Check out local offline networking groups such as Meetup.com, business associations (such as NAFE or FNI). You can also find those more focused on certain target markets such as Holistic Businesses or Baby Boomers). For your online business, it could be a way to connect with your local community and allow you to create possible joint ventures, cross promotion or sponsorship opportunities.

4) Local Article Marketing – You are probably familiar with online article marketing banks such as Ezine articles or Ladypens, however, you may wish to also look at local community publications to find out article submission guidelines.(Teresa’s Tip: Google search phrases such as “Wellness journals in <insert your state>”. Also, it is better to offer an article along with an ad instead of just an ad only because it lends more credibility.)

Points to Remember:

1) Know your ideal client – Hey, it seems as you are get “bet up” with this idea however, it can save you time and money if you are better focused on who your ideal client or target market is geared towards.

2) Know the habits of your customers – You can hear my Tuesday Minute Tip to help illustrate this point. This will eliminate you “spinning your wheels” in your promotional efforts.

3) Take action on these points. Nothing can be found out unless you take action.

4) Always remember: Be flexible and open to change, update and try new things. If something doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to try something else. As your ideal client’s habits change, you may need to change your promotional efforts.

As the speed of the world becomes faster and social culture changes, isn’t it amazing sometimes how things come back around again. This post is to just remind you of a few things you may not have thought of in awhile (or not at all) that could work well for your specific business and/or target market. As your customers’ habit change, you may need to change your promotional efforts.

Teresa Morrow is on Florida Board of Advisors with The WECAI Network ™ (http://www.wecai.org) and an Editor at Large at WE Magazine for Women ™ (http://www.wemagazineforwomen). She has over 15 years working with various industries to include property management, landscape architecture and financial planning firms in executive administrative positions. In 2007, Teresa started Key Business Partners, a online promotional company. She helps coaches, speakers and writers by handling all the details of online promotion efforts. She cares about her clients and is available for 20 minute free consultation. You can contact her via email at keybusinesspartners@verizon.net or visit her website at http://www.keybusinesspartners.com.

Let’s get connected:

MySpace

Squidoo

Twitter