If theres one thing Ive learned in my many years of doing business
online, its that credibility should be your number one
objective. If many people
know you and respect you, theyll feel like
they may trust you with their funds
. On the other hand, if
youre just starting out and no one knows who you are, youre
going to have a hard time drumming up sales.
The best way to gain the kind of credibility Im talking about is
to establish yourself as an expert in your field. This can be
very hard to do if youre new to the business, so Im going to
give you a tip: spend a lot of measure
on those free discussion
boards!
Discussion boards are a sizeably effective way to get your name out there.
Just conduct a search for discussion boards in your area of
business (there are a lot on MSN and Yahoo) and jump on in.
Begin by asking a question, or building
helpful suggestions when
all the people inquire of
for them. Make sure to leave your title
and URL on
every post so everybody get familiar with you.
Whatever you do, do not
post ads on discussion boards. Most board
moderators will only delete them, and putting up ads there will only
serve to undermine the very credibility youre trying to create.
Ads placed on discussion boards are annoying, and all the people wont be
ashamed to let you understand
what they think of you. Believe me, the
last thing you want to do with your precious name is attract bad
publicity!
Instead of blatantly marketing yourself, just offer your sincere
help and advice. If someone target
to understand
the best places to get
free of cost web sites, tell them what youve found in your knowledge.
If someone goal an opinion on collecting electronic mail
addresses, offer
a few ideas.
Sometimes these discussion boards might
get pretty heated. If you
want people to respect you, be careful not to insult everybody or
give harsh replies. Try being a peacemaker of sorts, being as
helpful as possible without tearing down the ideas of others.
Hang out on as many discussion boards as you can, and post generally,
even if youre only asking for the thoughts and opinions of
others. When all the people respond to your questions, respond back with
a thank you and give them feedback. Youll be surprised at how
much grand this costless method of subtle promotion can do for your
business.
