Your Internet Marketing Plan

If you want to take your online marketing to the next level, then consider developing and executing a marketing plan. When you create your plan, you can make it a subset of the marketing plan below. Of course, some of the marketing techniques listed below may not fit with the type of product or service you are selling. Customize your plan, by choosing only the marketing techniques you feel most comfortable with. Some people for example prefer techniques that they can do during late night hours. Some people love techniques that involve picking up a phone, while others would shy away from those type of techniques. Some people enjoy working on techniques that are a bit harder, knowing the payoff is nice. Other people like techniques which they complete with relative ease.

PHASE I

	Major Search Engine Submissions
	Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Submissions

	E-zine Advertising
	Place free and low-cost ads in various ezines which reach your target audience.
	Classified Ad Submissions
	Free-For-All (FFA) Submissions
	Targeted E-mail
	Send email to your house list, and to targeted opt-in lists. ("permission marketing")
	Online Auctions
	To get started with online auctions, visit eBay.com, ubid.com, ebid.com, yahoo.com, and others, and register as a seller. Add products to your account, even photos, set your minimum bid and you can begin selling almost immediately.
	Submit a Press Release
	A press release, especially one based on a media hook, can be an effective way to get traffic to your site.

	Newsgroup Postings
	Find newsgroups related to your industry, or that your target audience would be reading. Then make some intelligent posts, contributing to the ongoing discussion(s). Each of your posts should have an e-signature, with a headline and hotlink to your site. Make sure you follow the Posting Guidelines for each newsgroup. Most newsgroups do not allow advertising posts. Read the newsgroup messages and get a feel for the newsgroup, and what is allowed and not allowed. Very important: Do not, under any circumstances, use blatant advertising when posting to newsgroups. (unless the newsgroup specifically allows ads and announcements) If you cross the line, people will flame you, send you email bombs, and hack your website. This is very real, so proceed cautiously. If done correctly, newsgroup postings can bring you a great deal of traffic.
	Announce on Lists
	Join "announcement lists" such as OneList.com and post announcement which to to all other list members. Use the search engines to find announcement lists.
	Announce on Safe-Lists
	You can join safe-lists, or pay a service to place safe-lists announcements for you. (Before paying a service, take into consideration that many people on the safe lists are only on it to make announcements, and rarely read the safe-list emails they receive. On the other hand, many do read the emails, especially if the subject line grabs them. They often check their safe-list email to verify that their own message has been properly sent. When doing so they often check out other interesting safe-list emails.)
	Get Product Reviews
	Ask ezine editors and editors with regular columns at large portals (like Internet.com) to do a product review of your product.
	E-signature marketing
	Develop an e-signature, and include it on all of your email messages, and all of your newsgroup postings (very effective!). Your e-sig should include an effective one-line headline, and your website URL.

PHASE II

	Industry Directory Submissions
	Submit to B2C (Business to Consumer) directories for your industry (e.g. Travel Industry Directory, Pets/Animals Directory). Also submit to B2B (Business to Business) directories. (e.g. Ink Manufacturer selling to Printing Companies; any business selling products/services to other businesses).
	Regional Directory Submissions
	If you have a local business, submit to regional directories. (e.g. Sidewalk San Diego, Seattle Happenings, Southern California Restaurant Guide, etc).
	Article Submissions
	Write articles and send them to ezine editors to be included as a feature article in their ezine. End the article with a "byline" which is a few sentences about your online business, and with a hotlink to your site. There are tens of thousands of ezines, and if you article gets included in just a handful of ezines you could find your article in front of a few hundred thousand readers!
	Newsgroup Postings
	Find newsgroups related to your industry, or that your target audience would be reading. Then make some intelligent posts, contributing to the ongoing discussion(s). Each of your posts should have an e-signature, with a headline and hotlink to your site. Make sure you follow the Posting Guidelines for each newsgroup. Most newsgroups do not allow advertising posts. Read the newsgroup messages and get a feel for the newsgroup, and what is allowed and not allowed. Very important: Do not, under any circumstances, use blatant advertising when posting to newsgroups. (unless the newsgroup specifically allows ads and announcements) If you cross the line, people will flame you, send you email bombs, and hack your website. This is very real, so proceed cautiously. If done correctly, newsgroup postings can bring you a great deal of traffic.
	Banner Advertising

PHASE III

	Enhance Your Marketing Strategy
	Incorporate one of the seven overall marketing strategies.
	Branding
	Come up with a brandable product name, and then setup a branding strategy. If you are running an affiliate program, the banners displayed by your affiliates can acting as your branding.
	ATGs and Viral Machines
	Setup ATGs (automatic traffic generators) such as postcard systems and tell-a-friend systems, and incorporate viral marketing into your marketing plan.
	JV Marketing
	Setup JVs (joint ventures) with other webmasters and ezine publishers.
	Expand Your Market
	Develop foreign language versions of your website, and of your product. Also consider developing a WAP (wireless application protocol) version of your website which can be viewed on wireless devices including cellular phones.