Value Add Marketing and Advertising Campaigns

When you launched your business web site you had goals. Doubtless, one of those goals was to expand your marketing and advertising programs and create a vehicle for online advertising. There are many ways you can reach your prospective clients. Some of them are more expensive than others. You can hire an ad agency, develop an affiliate advertising program, or you can use free advertising to sell your products and services and get more visibility for your company.  

Here are a few ideas that will connect you to your prospects by leveraging your web site to add value and provide useful information for your prospects:  

1.    Provide a link that allows a site visitor to opt-in to a newsletter or email about discounts or new products or services. Before you do this, there are a few cautionary notes. It is against the law to spam clients. You cannot capture and use an email address without telling the client you will use their address. You cannot sell email addresses to others without client permission. You must provide a simple and intuitive way for recipients of your email advertising to opt-out if they no longer wish to receive advertising or program information.

2. Write articles, white papers, or eBooks and post the links on your web site. Allow prospects to download some articles for free. You may also wish to sell lengthier publications, or you can give away all articles but require the reader to provide contact information in order to get the download. Then you can target the contact for future email messages.  Always include your company name and contact information in the header and footer of the document and at the end of the document. Provide a statement of ownership to protect your intellectual property.  

3.    You should also explore the opportunities provided by free article sites and online informational and/or encyclopedic sites. You can publish for free on these sites but you should always target publication by adding value and providing information. Don’t write your content like an advertising agency might. Don’t write content that appears to market your product. If you do, you are less likely to get published on the site and less likely to attract readers. You are going to get clients if you offer valuable information as a loss leader. Give them value and they will seek you out to buy the product or service or to further research your company. By providing an additional opportunity to find you and contact you, you get another chance to sell the client! 

4.    Advertise monthly audio conferences or podcasts on your web site and via your email distribution list. Use standard video creation tools to create product videos or short videos about a topic that provide knowledge and demonstrate your company expertise. But don’t give it all away. You want to give your client a taste of the product or service or your staff expertise, and leave them wanting more.  

With ingenuity and forethought you can use your web site to launch an effective online advertising program that will add value, impress clients and beat the competition!