Small businesses and entrepreneurial startups are pretty much bootstrapped operations these days. Even the ones which score angel financing are sitting on overturned trash cans instead of fancy office chairs, and that's as it should be. Being cheap allows you to spend money where it counts -- on things like hiring great people to get the work done. One place you can save a lot of money is through the effective use of online marketing, search engine optimization and other web tools. Check out these helpful articles to get you on your way to creating a lean, mean entrepreneurial machine.
Building a Referral Engine Using Social Media
One of the essentials for success of a small business is having a strong referral strategy. John Jantsch, the marketing guru and author of best-seller Duct Tape Marketing, explains in his book The Referral Engine how to cheaply and effectively use dozens of online (and offline) tools to create a cheering section among your customer base. You can also listen to our interview with him here.The Basics of Search Engine Optimization
The most important part of effectively using the Web for marketing is the art of being found when potential customers do a search. Here's a primer on the basics of SEO that will get you started on more sophisticated (and often free) use of Web marketing.
A core component of effective marketing for small businesses is building an email list of prospects and customers. With the proper tools and discipline you can quickly grow your list to hundreds and thousands -- and maybe even hundreds of thousands. Learn how to get started using free social media tools to gather names.
Choosing an Email Marketing Service
Sending emails to customers and prospects is an accepted part of small business marketing. But like a defendant representing himself in court, you're a fool to send out emails yourself. There is a host of choices available of companies that offer easy creation of emails with attractive templates and even more importantly, excellent reporting information. That way you can judge the effectiveness of your campaigns.