The first paragraph of this article provides a brief summary of the content. It discusses the common challenges faced by web marketers in promoting their websites and the importance of distinguishing between advertising and promotion. It emphasizes the power of personal email as a promotional tool and provides strategies for effectively using this medium to build brand awareness without resorting to spam.
Web marketers often find themselves stuck in a repetitive cycle of using the same promotional strategies such as search engines, newsletters, and email ads. However, these methods can often lead to a slow and gradual increase in website traffic, which can be disheartening. Many web business owners may even abandon their efforts due to the psychological strain of a slow start.
To invigorate your website and boost your confidence, it's crucial to focus on driving traffic to your site immediately to raise awareness of its existence. This may not directly result in sales, but it's a crucial step in letting industry leaders know that you're online and ready to compete. This requires a promotional strategy, not an advertising program.
Promotion and advertising are often conflated, but focusing solely on advertising can limit your results. Advertising is subject to rules, such as those against spam, and people are becoming increasingly resistant to ads due to their ubiquity. Advertising aims to make a sale, while promotion aims to build awareness. Promotion first engages the person you're communicating with before subtly shifting the focus back to you.
One effective way to promote your site without the negative connotations associated with advertising is through personal email. This doesn't refer to email newsletters, ads, or discussion groups, but person-to-person email. You can send free emails to people you don't know, as long as you're offering something of value or potential value. A blatant ad is simply spam and won't win you any friends.
The first step is to create a comprehensive list of companies or websites related to yours. Then, carefully plan your approach to inform these companies of your existence. You need to have a feature on your site that might benefit them, which becomes the angle you'll use.
Here are some strategies to consider:
Create a links page. Set up your links first, then inform other sites. While you can't link to hundreds of websites, you can email them, ask for more information about their company, and tell them that you'll consider linking to them.
Feature a related company. Write a monthly or weekly feature on a related company that's doing something new or exciting. Email a large selection of companies, tell them that you might like to feature them in the future, and ask for more information.
Promote a product. If you feature, review, or promote any type of product, you have a great opportunity to contact hundreds, if not thousands, of companies for information.
Every company loves to talk about itself and be recognized as an important player in their industry. Even if your site is small, companies will value the exposure you can give them. Your carefully constructed emails will not only stroke their ego but will also let them know who you are. You might develop a correspondence relationship with some, and those that benefit from your features will often help you in return.
So, start sending those emails, but remember, it's not about you, it's about them!
