In This Chapter

In the previous chapters, we discussed search engine marketing, articles, publicity, advertising, and affiliates as ways to generate traffic to your website. These are the top strategies and work very well for a wide range of web-based businesses. However, there are other marketing techniques—online and offline—that you should also consider.

The new kids in town, social media sites, are proving to be very effective, as are the old workhorses of marketing: direct mail, trade shows, networking, and speaking. This chapter provides you with a basic overview of each.

Direct mail is perhaps the world’s oldest marketing method. There is evidence that letters were used hundreds of years ago to get in touch with potential customers and persuade them to use a particular merchant or make a purchase.

In this age of online marketing, you might think that direct mail isn’t that effective anymore. Think again. Direct mail works well these days specifically because so many companies are running online campaigns. An old-fashioned direct mail piece faces less competition, and therefore has a better chance of gaining the attention and interest of the customer.

Direct mail can take several different forms. The most common are:

Direct mail is still one of the best ways to directly contact a prospective customer.

Can you use direct mail to actually sell products offered on your website? You can. However, you’re essentially setting up a separate mail order business that works in conjunction with your web-based operations. That’s a big undertaking, and I would advise you to build your success online before you enter the riskier world of mail order.

The best way to use direct mail is to generate traffic, not orders.

What you want to do is mail something to potential customers to encourage them to visit your website. Then your website can take over the task of building relationships with those visitors and turning them into customers. It’s a lot easier to persuade someone to visit a website than it is to get them to buy something based on what they’ve received in the mail.

Before you think seriously about a direct mail campaign, you need to understand that only a small percentage of people who receive your mailer will respond to it. In fact, that number will likely be less than 5 percent. (In marketing lingo, we call that the response rate.) If you sell low-priced items, then the cost of creating and mailing 1,000 postcards to get 50 new visitors might not be worth it. However, if you sell high-value products—such as expensive subscriptions or equipment—then one sale could pay for the cost of the mailing many times over!

So how do you use direct mail to generate lots of traffic to your website?

There are three elements of a successful direct mail piece:

The mailing list refers to the people who are going to receive your mailing. I have a lot of experience creating direct mail, both for my own business and for major clients, and I can confidently report that you’ll get a much higher response rate if your list is well targeted.

If you’re selling custom embroidered running shoes, for example, then “exercise enthusiasts” would be a targeted list. “Runners” would be a better list because it’s more targeted. “Runners who have purchased shoes online”—an even better list! See what I mean?

How do you find such lists?

The easiest way to find a new list is to work with a list broker. You can find one by searching www.yellowpages.com

How much does it cost? Mailing list fees can vary considerably, from 50 cents to up to $5 per name and even higher depending on the quality of the list. The good news is you don’t have to pay the broker a commission. The list owner takes care of that.

The next step to direct mail success is the compelling offer. (Remember that from Chapter 16?) It’s not enough just to announce the existence of your website to your mailing list. You won’t get too many visitors that way. You need to also make a compelling offer to entice them to go to your website right away. That could be in the form of a free giveaway of some kind, a special discount, or other motivating incentive.

The final component to a winning direct mail campaign is the copy and design. Your letter, postcard, or other type of direct mail piece needs to gain attention and motivate the reader to drop what they’re doing, visit your website, and take advantage of your compelling offer.

Direct mail copy and design is not for amateurs. I suggest you find a professional—at the very least, an experienced copywriter—who has experience and a track record of success in this area. (See Chapter 10 for tips on finding good freelancers.)

“But I’m just going to send out a simple letter,” I hear someone saying. “Can’t I write that myself?” You can. Many of the basics of web copywriting as explained in Chapter 10 are also applicable to printed marketing communications like direct mail.

However, if your budget allows, seriously consider hiring a professional copywriter who knows all the tips and tricks of writing an effective direct mail letter. Sure, you’ll spend a few hundred dollars—but you’ll likely get a much higher response to your mailing in return.

Last month I volunteered to do a 45-minute talk at a writers’ conference on the topic of getting lucrative corporate projects. There were approximately 75 people in the audience. By the time I shut off the PowerPoint projector, more than 60 participants had signed a sheet to receive my website’s e-mail newsletter. It gets better. When I returned to the office, three new customers had placed orders on my website for the how-to guides and home study courses I sell.

Speaking is an extremely effective strategy for promoting your website, especially if you target a well-defined niche market that gathers together in some way at association meetings, conferences, workshops, summits, and other events.

How does speaking work as a marketing strategy for promoting your website?

Your first step is to create a short presentation that potential customers would be interested in. For example, if your website features information and resources on nutrition for kids, then you could create a simple presentation called “Six Healthy Eating Tips for Kids Who Love Sweets.”

Then you need to find meetings, conferences, and other events that your potential customers are likely to attend. It’s conceivable, for example, that Today’s Parent magazine might sponsor an event like Today’s Parent Expo—an ideal venue for your presentation.

Next, you do some research to find the person responsible for event planning. The best place to start is to check the event’s website. If that doesn’t work, pick up the phone and ask to speak to the person responsible for booking speakers.

Once you get in touch with a meeting planner, you’ll find that most are eager to talk to you. At smaller organizations, such as local chapters of professional associations, the meeting planner is a volunteer. They want to fill the event schedule with great speakers and topics with as little hassle as possible. So they’re going to be open to hearing your pitch.

I suggest you prepare a one-page overview of your presentation in advance so you can e-mail it to the event planner immediately once they indicate an interest. Your one sheet, as it’s called in the event planning industry, should include the title of your presentation, an overview of the topic, and a bullet list explaining what audience members will learn.

There are many different types of presentations you can do. Here’s the rundown:

Does speaking make you nervous? Join the club! Most web-based business owners feel the same way.

If you’re apprehensive about doing a 45-minute talk all on your own in front of a live audience, here are a couple of ideas for sticking your toe in the water. First, try to get an invitation to speak on a panel. That way, your presentation will be short and you won’t be all alone on stage. Second, consider joining Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org). It’s a self-help organization that helps people learn to speak effectively before groups. Many professional speakers learned their craft at Toastmasters.

I’ll never forget the first time I spoke in front of a group to promote my web-based business. The presentation went fine. But on the drive home I realized that I had actually done little to promote my business. I didn’t pass around a sign-up sheet for my newsletter. I didn’t even invite audience members to visit my site!

Don’t waste a speaking opportunity like I did. You want to provide a valuable presentation to the group. But never forget that it’s all part of promoting your web-based business.

Here are some tips on doing just that:

Speaking is one of those marketing tactics that works better the better you get. Keep at it. Constantly improve your presentation skills. Hone ways to get more audience members to sign up for your e-mails and visit your website.

Trade and consumer shows date back to medieval times. Yet they are more popular today than any other time in history, which is amazing when you consider how “old school” this marketing strategy is.

Today there are trade and consumer shows for every conceivable type of business and interest, from wedding shows to carpentry shows to sports memorabilia shows to wine and cheese shows. Tradeshow Week (www.tradeshowweek.com), the publication for that industry, lists more than 8,000 annual trade shows in North America alone. And there are thousands of other smaller specialty shows.

The basics of using trade shows to promote your web-based business are relatively straightforward:

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? And for the most part it is. However, each of those four steps requires a lot of work.

Finding a potential trade show to participate in is the easiest step. There are plenty of directories and online resources you can access to search for trade or consumer shows that your potential customers attend. Check out www.tsnn.com, www.biztradeshows. com, or http://directory.tradeshowweek.com/directory.

Once you find a show, it’s a little like placing an advertisement in the Yellow Pages. The event organizer is going to try to sell you on a lot of upgrades such as more floor space, a prime location, a premium listing in the show directory, and so forth. My advice? If you’re new to trade show exhibiting, start with the basics: a standard booth and nothing more. Exhibiting at trade shows is time-consuming and expensive. You want to start simply and try a couple of shows first to see how it’s working for you.

Trade show organizers will rent you the space only, and sometimes also table and chairs. It’s up to you to dress up your booth with signage, product samples, and other decorations that will gain the attention of passersby and encourage them to visit.

Your final step, of course, is to work the show.

If you learn just one thing from this section, I hope it’s this: get some help! Trade shows are grueling. Many shows, especially consumer shows, run 12 hours a day—and most show guidelines require that your booth be manned continuously. If you plan on taking any bathroom breaks, you need someone to fill in for you. Hire a temporary assistant or a high school student to assist you. (And here’s a bonus tip: wear comfortable shoes! Twelve hours on your feet in dress shoes or heels is not fun.)

Here are some additional tips for successful exhibiting:

As I said earlier, trade shows are expensive. It’s not uncommon for an exhibitor, even with a modest-sized booth, to invest thousands of dollars for just a two- or three-day show. Is it worth it? The only way to know for sure is to test it. Try a local show in your area. See if it generates enough traffic to your site to justify the time and expense.

Are there meetings, shows, conferences, and other events where your potential customers gather? If so, then attending these events and networking can be a great way to make people aware of your web-based business.

For example, say your website sells coaching programs, teleclasses, and how-to guides on the topic of work-life balance for female executives. You could attend monthly meetings of the local Women Executives League and schmooze with people who could become customers of your website and spread the word to their friends and colleagues about it.

Networking can be very effective. However, it is also time-consuming. You have to dress appropriately, travel to the meeting, meet people, chat, and perhaps even vol unteer at the event to give yourself a higher profile. It’s a lot of work. However, many web-based business owners—especially those who sell high-value products and programs—swear by this technique.

It’s a myth that networking is only for those who are naturally sociable and can effectively “work the room.” The fact is, anyone can attend a meeting, conference or any other event, meet a few people, and talk about their business. You don’t have to be a shark. Just be yourself. Say hello to the people you run into and when you’re asked, “So, what do you do?” answer by giving them a brief blurb about your business.

Here’s an example of what I say:

Pretty simple, isn’t it? Even I can comfortably handle an interaction like that. And I’m definitely on the shy side when it comes to new social situations.

Look for any opportunity to say hello to someone new. Introduce yourself to everyone at the table or in your row. If you notice someone standing alone, walk up and introduce yourself.

And always have business cards available that you can exchange. (Make sure your website address is on them!)

When I started my own business over 15 years ago, networking was still done primarily at live events, such as meetings and conferences. Not anymore. These days it’s possible to meet in networking situations with dozens of potential customers or clients every week by utilizing the online water coolers—and without ever having to put on a suit!

For example, WhitePaperSource is a forum that brings together those who have an interest in white paper marketing—everyone from writers and designers to consultants and marketing managers. I’ve met dozens of people on that forum who have either become customers of my site, ForCopywritersOnly.com, or have helped my business in other ways.

If you’re new to online water coolers, here’s my suggestion: find two or three blogs, forums, or discussion boards that your potential clients are active in. Familiarize yourself with the topics and guidelines. Then start participating. You’ll not only meet potential clients but add new colleagues and friends to your network as well.

Following is a recipe for generating traffic to your website by networking at forums, blogs, discussion boards, and other online water coolers.

It only takes a half hour or so each week to network with your potential clients on blogs, forums, and discussion boards. I schedule an hour each Friday afternoon and always see a boost in website traffic on that day.

Have you “linked in” yet? How many followers do you have on Twitter? Can I be a friend on your Facebook page? If those questions seem a little strange to you, you’re not alone. Even those who have some experience with social media sites have a difficult time keeping up with the latest Web 2.0 trends.

Social media sites are simply websites where people can meet and interact in a variety of interesting ways. As a small business owner, you can use social media to gain the attention of those potential customers who enjoy these sites and are active in them.

A friend of mine who has a very successful web-based business recently used social media sites to help promote a new series of online seminars. In addition to all the usual ways of marketing such events—e-mailing, advertising, working with affiliates, etc.—he also created Facebook and Twitter pages. He says many sign-ups came directly as a result of those social media sites.

The advantage of using social media sites to reach potential customers is also their disadvantage: interactivity. You have to be active on them on a fairly regular basis—at least weekly—in order to get any results. And that takes time.

My opinion? I think social media sites are here to stay and I believe they are an effective marketing technique for the web-based business owner. You can’t beat the costs—you can set up special pages on, and participate in, most social media sites for free.

Here is a list of popular social media websites:

As with traditional and online networking, I suggest you schedule an hour each week for social networking. Give it a try. You might find that it not only attracts lots of potential customers directly to your site, but also gets people talking and spreading the word about your website.

Social media sites are all about building a community of people that could eventually become customers of your website. So focus on meeting people and building relationships rather than doing any hard-core promotion on these sites. My friend Ed Gandia got over 800 “followers” on his Twitter page in just a few weeks, many of whom were potential customers for his products and services. To get similar results from an advertising campaign would have cost him a small fortune.

The Least You Need to Know