The Web Design Business Kit Chapter 6 - Market Your Business

Write A Report

Write a report devoted to making and saving money with a Website, and give it away for free. It’ll be another great lead generation tool.

Once the report’s finished, take a small ad in the local paper, do a post office box flyer drop, send targeted direct mail, and shoot out a Media Release promoting your report. You’ll soon have some very hot prospects on your doorstep!

Here's another idea. Include a Tips Sheet as part of the free report. Then use this Tips Sheet as the main part of your media release, which you write like a Top Ten list: “The Top Ten Ways to Avoid Being Ripped Off on the Internet!”

That sort of release, backed up by some research, will almost always get a run in relevant media.

Classified Ads

Advertising in newspaper classifieds is very cheap and can work quite well. Worth a try.

Telemarketing

Phone marketing can also work well. Try it and see.

Guest Speaking

Fantastic! Guest speaking is free, and generates real interest on the spot. You’ll be perceived as an expert, you’ll learn the techniques required for public speaking (which are a huge advantage), and you’ll be exposing yourself in the nicest possible way to your potential market.

Brochure

Printed brochures can be good, but only once you’ve established your business. When you’re starting out, it’s much more cost-effective to demonstrate your professionalism in other ways that require a smaller initial outlay. Our research tells us that fewer than 20% of an audience will read your brochure.

Newsletters

Newsletters are great! They’re cheap and they’re easy. Use a desktop publisher with some decent paper. I can produce a great-looking newsletter for about sixty cents a copy.

For some reason, people seem to attach more credibility to the printed word than they do to an electronic message. For this reason, newsletters can help build recognition and improve perceptions of your credibility within the market, especially if your newsletter’s continued regularly, over a long period of time.

Networking

As we’ve discussed before, networking is a must-do. Join the local business groups, go to the lunches, attend the charity golf days. Remember, however, to keep a close eye on the amount you spend on these events, and closely analyze the return you make.

Prepare A Video Or CD

Describing your business and the benefits you provide in a video or CD is a great idea, right? No. People won’t watch the video, nor will they look at the CD. You’d think they would, and both these media provide a great way to demonstrate your expertise, but people just don’t look at them. Why not? Because it’s too easy to procrastinate.

Think about it. If someone dropped off a video to your office, would you find time to look at it?

Sponsorships

Sponsorship opportunities usually require you to provide cold hard cash and/or services. The impact of these kinds of arrangements is very difficult to measure, as sponsorship rarely provides an immediate response.

Public Relations

Love it, love it, love it! It’s free if you do it yourself, and the impact can be enormous if you get your story covered on a decent TV show, radio program or newspaper feature.

PR has the benefit that it doesn’t have to be particularly well-targeted if it gets to one million people in your city and doesn’t cost you anything! PR is excellent, so let’s take a closer look at this form of promotions.