10 Ways To Market Your Website on a Budget - Part One

Your website is one of the most important brand and marketing tools that you have in your business. It helps to tell the world about you and your business; it’s a way to capture leads and build your list; and it’s a way to communicate the type of clients who you love to work with and who can benefit most from what you do.

Ways to market your website on a budget (Part One):

1. Write a press release on a new offering or product that you’re launching or plan to launch and then send your press release out to some free press release distribution sites online. There are more than a few to choose from and they are very useful for getting your content picked up by search engines. Be sure that you check out which press release websites that you plan to distribute to because all of them have guidelines that you must follow. To get you started, here are a few sites that you can check out: Prlog, 24-7PressRelease, 1888PressRelease
2. Find a social media website that relates to your niche. Start with ONE, sign up, create your profile, and then make a plan for the next few months to contribute consistently to answering questions, asking questions, making suggestions, posting articles, and connecting with others on the network to start building relationships. DO NOT try to sell people when you get there, simply share your expertise and you can even invite those who show interest to visit your website.
3. Join a forum or Yahoo group. Forums and groups serve as a similar function as a social media website. What you want to do is start making connections and building relationships by responding to people’s questions and posts. When they start seeing you consistently on the forum giving valuable information, they will naturally want to check out your website to see what other goodies you might have on there.
4. Comment on blogs. First, do a search for blogs related to your area of expertise as well as blogs that attract your ideal audience. Bookmark no more than three blogs at first that you want to contribute to and then make a time once a week to comment on each of the blogs. Don’t forget to include your website address in your signature!
5. Write a set of articles that you will contribute to free article submission websites. Be sure that you also create a profile on the websites that you contribute to that includes your website URL and information about what visitors can find on your website. Also be sure that you create a clear and concise signature to put at the bottom of each one of your articles.

If you're interested in learning more ways–specific for YOUR business–and want guided support in building your brand and marketing your business, join me for the 

Unearth Your Brand Excellence Business Transformation Program >> Group Support & 1-on-1 help available to help you grow your business. The first program starts Oct. 25th. Details at: http://tiny.cc/unearthmybrand

About the Author: Lisa Hromada is Personal Branding and Online Brand Strategist who works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs and solo-preneurs who want to maximize what makes them exceptional and accelerate their business to gain more exposure, credibility, and visibility AND enjoy more free time. She uses both online and offline strategies to help you to take your resources, contacts and expertise farther. 

Start Blazing the Trail of Success TODAY by Marketing Your Brand Excellence!

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Developing a Strong Online Business Brand

Developing a strong business brand is one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge over other online marketers. When working on the internet a key first step is to establish a unique identity that will help you stand out. When you establish a unique online brand people are able to separate you from the 'noise' and better tune into your marketing message. The point of any promotional efforts you put forth is to deliver a message but if it is not heard it is useless. Capturing the attention of others must first be accomplished before any message can be delivered and establishing a unique online brand will do just that.

Here are 7 strategies to help you build and establish your own brand thus allowing you to more effectively deliver your marketing message to people all across the internet.

1. Determine What You Represent

A clear determination of what your business or products represents needs to be made so it can be conveyed to the public. The online platform you use whether it is a blog or website needs to state your objectives or mission statement.

2. Use Visual Support

The use of graphics and/or visuals needs to support not only the content they are placed in but also be consistent with the online brand you are establishing. Of course the way you use these visuals should also be in an appealing and appropriate manner.

3. Use Text to Reinforce Image

As stated above the use of text should be consistent with both your image and any marketing message you want to deliver. Inconsistencies here will only serve to sabotage your branding efforts and confuse the public.

4. Broaden Your Spectrum

On your website or blog or both, offer content that is useful and supportive of your online brand. One note here is to not restrict the scope of information you are supplying but instead offer a broad range of content. As long as whatever you are posting or publishing has some sort of relevance to your business it will serve your following a greater purpose. They will come to know that your site(s) will be a great source of a broad range of information on the subject you have focused on.

5. Support with SEO

Learn to make good use of your search engine optimization efforts by choosing the proper keywords and placing them properly within any content you are using. This is where many online marketers miss out by not taking advantage of the free traffic/exposure search engines can generate. Once again choose your keywords wisely and be sure they support the online brand you are working to develop.

6. A Network Beats Legwork

Branch out into your niche and make contact with other like minded online marketers. By exchanging links everybody benefits by collectively engaging in a commonly mutual effort of generating traffic that can be shared. Don't rule out working on joint business ventures with these people in the future either!

7. Establish a Logo

Choose a simple image that best represents what your objectives are and use it as extensively as you can. By placing this image in your email, newsletters, viral reports or other bits of content, you can continue to reinforce the brand you are creating. After a while this image will come to symbolize your business. 

The purpose of building your own unique business brand is to separate yourself from other online marketers. When working on the internet the last thing you want to do is 'fit in' since this will only drown out any marketing message you are trying to deliver. The 7 strategies reviewed above serve to give you a way to build and establish your own unique online brand. By combining the use of these strategies you will be more easily identified by the very people to whom you are marketing your goods and services. To be effective online you must first be noticed, and once you accomplish that your marketing message will be that much more effective.

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For more tips about building your business brandand to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques visit:http://affiliatequickstart.com/

Market Segmentation For Online Marketing

Marketing segmentation for online marketing takes many forms, and before you go out and craft your first online marketing campaign, you need to be sure of who exactly each campaign is going to reach out to. Online marketing market segmentation has several similarities as offline marketing.

For example, in the offline world, you will always need to search for where your target audience is already hanging out, and put your advertising dollars there. The same goes for online marketing. You need to know which websites your target customers are already surfing.

Here are some ways you can segment your market. Remember, the clearer you know who your target audience is, the better it is and easier for you to find a place to fit your ad.

1. Demographic segmentation - you can segment your audience by age, gender, education level, or socio-economic status.

2. Lifecycle segmentation - this form of segmentation understands that consumers need different products at different life stages, and you need to target just one of these stages (e.g. pregnancy)

3. Geographic segmentation - in this form of segmentation, you target specific countries, or even as small as a specific neighborhood. This is particularly important if you are a brick and mortar service shop like a barber or law attorney.

4. Job segmentation - segmenting by jobs or occupational roles takes into consideration the roles of the particular person at work. For example, you might be targeting just the purchasing managers of a particular industry.

5. Specialty segmentation - this identifies a very tightly narrow and niche audience that is facing a common issues or have a common interest. For example, you could be targeting only the people who owns a certain model of motorbikes.

The power of the Internet is that is captures the global economy, and because of this, it is best to really niche your focus and find a segment that you can really serve well. By focusing on your segment, it will be easier for you to reach out to that particular segment.

Kent Tan is a full time article writer and web content publisher. Check out his latest website about Holiday Shower Curtain reviews and Pirate Shower Curtain designs.