6 (cost effective) product marketing approaches for your site

I get nervous talking about marketing because product marketing is VERY different from product management, but I said in my previous post about social media strategy that I'd be back to talk about alternate distribution options to consider in your marketing mix, so, here goes (sorry product marketing peeps! and also, sorry Google - I'm steering away from your impressive ad products.)

• Internet marketing is built largely around shares of revenue and space. It's the potential of affiliate relationships that makes internet marketing so cost effective, exciting and versatile. I'm not going to suggest a particular network, scheme or agency but I am going to suggest thinking about the fundamental principle of identifying sites in and out of your space where you consider there to be potential for an alliance. Approach these sites offering reciprocal arrangements over display, email, product and other advertising.
• Mail-shot/direct mail is a good one as it's one of the easiest and most suitable for controlling costs. Postcard campaigns can be started with the setup costs of stationary, design, postage costs and mail lists (if required.) The beauty is you can test on small samples and extend campaigns if you get success.
• Email marketing is the other key direct marketing tactic. Again, cost effective and actually email broadcast solutions are plentiful on the web (with varying degrees of quality and sophistication.) Mail costs can be driven down with incremental hikes in volume. You can get the cost to a penny a mail and below.
• Radio advertising. I love radio (used to work for BBC Radio.) Probably the most glamorous option when you are controlling costs. Radio budgets are notoriously lean and commercial radio is hugely dependent on advertising money. Radio ads can be put together (script, music, voice-over) on a budget that ranges from a few hundred pounds to a budget of a few thousand pounds. It used to be national networks would charge you around £1,000 week, local radio is obviously cheaper. Bit out of touch but you can see the scope for experimentation here when you have an eye on controlling investment and returns.
• Newspaper and magazine ads. Like everything else I have mentioned above, these can be excellent for targeting hard to get groups. Costs vary, you'll pay £30, 000 - £50, 000 for spreads in the national papers, the cost going down based really on circulation. Local papers and smaller circulation magazines maybe be the place to experiment.
• Finally, guerilla marketing. The quirky and inherently viral nature of this type of activity make it well suited to web businesses (in my opinion.) Creating PR stunts, street 'giveaways' (with a twist, usually) are clearly not the fodder of us mere mortals, but if you have the right approach and necessary creativity the pay-off for successful executions can be huge.

Phew, finished, back to product management :) Since writing this I have found a few great posts you should read if you are pondering how to market your new product: 10 lessons from a failed startup and startup marketing requires constant expertise  and Seth Godin on why marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.

Comments

[affiliates]

That means Online marketing using offline marketing practices....?

[Carl Knibbs]

Thanks for your post. I am really just suggesting a mixture of distibution channels. I think it is possible to use a blend of online and offline when marketing 'online' products - in particluar, websites. Or, at least, I am making a case that you should always think about 'all' types of distribution that may be at your disposal. I believe there is a time a place for both, just depends what fits best with your site.

[Robert Jacksons]

I think you should also include SMS Marketing in it because it is a new upcoming sector Fort Worth Movers

[Carl Knibbs]

Thanks for the comment, Carl