10 Winning Ways To Promote Your Online Business

By Kristie Tamsevicius, author of the ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Creating and Marketing eBooks.

You've got your website built, it's got all the gizmos and gadgets, and your website is "live" on the server. Now what? How do you get customers to your site? You can register with the search engines and directories. There are several good services out there to choose from. How else can you market your website to make it stand above the crowd? Here's some tips I've picked up along the way.

1. Write A Newsletter.

Newsletters are one of today's best marketing tools. They have great pass along value; if someone likes your newsletter it's easy for them to email it to a friend. It is a credible source of information. The key to doing a good newsletter is to give your readers information they can use. Make it worth their while to read. Be careful not to make it one big ad for your company. That will turn people off.

Newsletters let your readers get to know you. When people trust you they are much more likely to BUY!! Lastly make sure you only send your newsletter to people who want it. People are very turned off by spam. The last thing you want to do is turn off a potential client.
Want to promote your new newsletter? Write a paragraph describing your newsletter and submit it to a newsletter announcement site. Here's one to try: http://www.list-city.com/. If you are interested in writing a newsletter the foremost authority on newsletters is Mershon Bell, at http://www.mershonbell.com./

2. Submit An Article To Other Newsletters And Ezines

Subscribe to their newsletter before you pitch your article to them. When you pitch the author, tell him why your love his newsletter before you ask him to publish your article. Tell him why your article will interest his readers. Keep your article short and the self promotion minimal. Offer to promote their newsletter in turn for them promoting yours. Be sure to thank folks who do publish your article. A little thanks goes a long way!

3. Newsboards And Email-Discussion Groups

Post a paragraph about your products and services and items of interest on your site at newsgroups. Listz is a great newsgroup directory. Dejanews is a top rated newsgroup you shouldn't miss!

4. Links On Your Web Pages

Links are a very cost effective way to increase traffic to your site. Sites you link to should be sites you like, complement your services, and add value to your site. Don't just add links for the heck of it. This will junk up your site and you'll lose the credibility of your visitors. Reciprocating links are a fantastic way to drive traffic to your website. Be nice: don't link to someone's site without their knowledge. A recent survey of ten ezine publishers shows that 80% of their traffic comes from links in other newsletters or at other websites. Many major search engines ranks sites according to the number of sites linking to yours.

5. Give Aways

What "gift" can you give readers who come to your site. Is there a fun quiz for them to take, a helpful article they can read, a bit of humor, a quote, a great book you read, or resources they can use? Make sure that visitors feel rewarded when they visit your site. Change the "gift" now and then. Give them a reason to keep coming back to see what's new and tell their friends about your great site.

6. Email Signature

An Email Signature is a few lines of text that goes at the bottom of emails you send. It acts as your online business card. A good signature will be brief, list your name, company name, what your business does and why it's better. It should also include all ways for people to reach you including e-mail address and your URL. Be sure to make it a hyperlink so folks can click right over to your website!

Here's your chance to mention new products, or your newsletter. Keep it fresh so it captures your readers attention. Use borders to make it visually exciting! Use your imagination, play with the characters on your keyboard. Here's a few ideas for you:
~~~~~~~~~
*~*~*~*~
<><><><>
************
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
'''''''''''''''

7. Banner Exchanges

This is a great way to advertise your site! And many of them are FREE! Here's some to try: TrafficX, Link Buddies, Smart Clicks.

8. FREE LINK PAGES: Free Link Pages

List a link to your site for free on a link page! Try Link Booster.

9. Free Advertising

Take advantage of free classified ads. These are a great way to BE SEEN. Most ads are free with upgrades available for a fee. A hassle free guide to ezine advertising is The Directory of Ezines.

10. Teleclasses

Offer a free teleclass to visitors. Know someone who's a real expert in their field? Ask them if they'd teach a teleclass with you. Renting a telebridge is pretty inexpensive. This is a powerful tool for attract potential customers. You can offer a follow up coaching group on the subject.
This is a great way to add more value, get closer contact with potential customers, and even make some money!