Читать книгу Low-Budget Online Marketing - Holly Berkley - Страница 20

Using new technology or doing something truly innovative online will almost always get attention. You don’t need top directors and famous faces to make a campaign like bmw Films work for your small business or company. Just follow the same formula. For example, a really great Flash movie, photo, animation, or even urban legend can start a buzz about your product or company. Think about the types of emails that get forwarded around the world and back — all those silly pictures, jokes, and funny movie clips. Imagine tying in some kind of marketing message and watching your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors forward the message out to their email lists.

An amazing graphic artist I used to work with created a clever animation with his new company logo and contact information discreetly located at the bottom. He forwarded the cute cartoon to his friends and family hoping they would find the animation clever enough to forward on to their email lists. It worked! His animation quickly spread around the Internet, and when it eventually reached people who were in need of graphic design, they were able to trace the animation back to its owner and give him a call.

Any time you can get word of mouth or get friends to email each other about your website, product, or service, the results are invaluable. Efficient, low-cost online marketing is about quality, not quantity. That’s why I am firmly against any sort of email spam or purchasing of email lists. Build your own email list with people who are actually interested in you and your product. (See Chapter 5 for ideas on how to build your email list.) And always give people a way to unsubscribe from your list.

Unlike online marketing theories of five years ago, smart marketing is no longer about how many people are on your email list or how many people come to your website, but about how those people respond to and feel about your website, company, and product. Spam cheapens your company brand and takes away consumer trust in your business.

Use your existing email list, no matter how small, and simply suggest that recipients forward your message to friends and family. Or entice them by a message such as, “Give your friends and family 10 percent off by having them sign up to join our list.” These are two quick ways to gain access to a new audience without having to buy a list.