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Online Marketing Faux Pas
by Scott F. Geld
You are aware that it is important to market your
online business and search for creative ways to do so,
but you must also guard against using tactics that are
not effective and that may hurt your business. Here are
some tactics that you should NEVER use:
Mass Emailings
You may have been encouraged to buy and use Email lists
with tons of addresses for an Email campaign. This offer
probably came to you via an Email you didn't sign up for.
Don't be tempted to buy unsolicited Email lists, even if
the seller tells you that the names on the list are
targeted towards your business offerings. Sending unwanted
Email to people who have not indicated a desire to receive
information from you is considered "spamming". It's
annoying and intrusive, and usually sends the receiver
running in the other direction whether they have an
interest in your products and services or not. The bottom
line is that you risk losing potential customers and
damaging your reputation.
Email campaigns are an effective way to bring in new
business, but only if they are targeted to 'qualified'
prospects. Send your advertising only to those people who
signed up to your mailing list.
Using Search Engine Software
Some software applications work very well to submit your
Web site for a listing in the search engines. But,
unfortunately a lot of these programs are not effective.
Often you'll find that the software submits your Web site
to irrelevant listing engines. Worse than that, some of
these software applications cause your site to be banned
from the popular search engines (just the ones you want to
be listed with), because of multiple attempts and
incorrect submissions.
A better way to get listed with the search engines and
directories is to go to the site, read all the submission
guidelines, and then submit your site individually to each
search engine. Yes, it takes longer, but in the long run
it is less expensive and more effective. The extra time is
well spent.
Irrelevant Postings
You can attract visitors to your site by posting to
relevant forums and message boards; however, if you just
haphazardly post messages to every bulletin board, forum
or discussion room you find, you will quickly upset the
memberships. Your messages should be relevant to the type
of products or services you promote, and they should be
the type of messages that are permitted in the forum. For
example, if you sell fine china, posting to a forum about
gardening is a real stretch. You'll alienate a lot of
people and you won't sell a thing.
Like traditional marketing strategies, good Internet
marketers know that only tried and true methods really
work. Make sure that the messages you send about your
business are welcomed by the receiver. To do otherwise is
a waste of your time.
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Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for
MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic
and direct links starting at just $5. For more info:
http://www.MarketingBlaster.com
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