We’ve already discussed building your business web site. Every team did a credible job of it, and some teams did an excellent job.
There are at least two other ways to “advertise” your product or service on the Internet:
1. Pay-per-click advertising arrangements with search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and AltaVista.
2. Product placement “ads” on popular web sites such as Flickr, Facebook, and YouTube.
Pay-per-click Ads
When you make an arrangement of this sort with a search engine, they place your advertisement where they think it will most help your business. For example, advertisements for cosmetics may be placed on a blog or web site that appeals to women. Advertisements for Taiwan organically grown tea may be placed on a blog or web site belonging to a Taiwanese—especially if the site is devoted to health or environmental issues.
Try this:
Go to your favorite Internet search engine and key in some words for a search. For example, you may key in “furniture.” Once you’ve hit the “Search” button and you see the page that comes up, you’ll see the words “Sponsored Links,” at the top and along the side of the page. Those are the pay-per-click ads.
Something like 20% of the Internet clicks are for sites located at the top or side of the first page.
With pay-per-click ads, your business doesn’t pay for the advertisement unless someone clicks onto the advertisement. When he does that, four things happen:
1. The visitor learns more about your product or service.
2. Your business pays a set amount for each person who clicks onto your ad.
3. The search engine receives some of the money you paid for the advertisement.
4. The owner of the site or blog gets some of the money you paid for the advertisement.
Remember that, in a pay-per-click ad, you can’t give the target consumer enough information for you to make a sale. Use the nudging technique to direct the visitor to your business web site. That’s where you’ll make the sale.
What is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive; and consumers are targeted in unexpected places. The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging, and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral.
Guerrilla marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, PR stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to guerrilla marketing now use cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience.
YouTube
If your television commercial is entertaining enough to “go viral,” then do it. The only way to make sure that someone will put it on YouTube is to do it yourself.
Of course, when you put it on YouTube, you’ll have to sign up for a YouTube account. Play it smart; sign up in the name of an individual—not the name of your business.
Photo Sharing Sites
Flickr is one example of a photo-sharing site, and it doesn’t cost you anything to use it. Photo-sharing sites are supposed to be used only by individuals—not businesses—but you can get around this restriction.
Here’s how:
1. Have someone in your business open a personal account with Flickr or some other photo-sharing site.
2. Upload a lot of pictures that would interest your target consumer. Include some pictures of an ordinary person using your product, and show that he/she is happy with it.
Suppose you were marketing a fashionable style of clothing. You might insert a picture of someone wearing your brand on this page. Since you also see this person in other photos, this doesn’t look like an advertisement.
When the viewer clicks on the thumbnail photo to view the full-sized photo, he’ll also see whatever comments the photo sharer has to make. That’s your opportunity to mention the name of the brand. If you say any more than that, it will look like an advertisement.
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Social Networking Sites
Facebook is one of many social networking sites. I mention Facebook only because you’ve all heard of it. I also mention Facebook because it’s a fantastic tool for guerrilla marketers. If you play it right, Facebook can be the most effective use of your online advertising campaign.
Start a fan site for some aspect of your product. Fan clubs for various products are nothing new. For many years, there have been clubs devoted to cars such as Volkswagens, Barracudas, and 1957 Chevrolets. There have been fan clubs and other named clubs devoted to organic foods, certain clothing styles, and even certain computers (such as Apple Macintosh) and computer software products (such as Photoshop.) There are even clubs devoted to homemade, pin-hole cameras! I’ll be you’ve never heard of pin-hole cameras.
If people can get excited about it, a fan club can be built around it.
Some Internet sites even give advice on how to use Facebook to advertise your product or service. According to one such site, here are a few avenues for guerrilla marketing on Facebook:
I. Tools for Guerrilla Marketers
1. Profile Page
2. Groups
3. Pages
4. Events
5. Notes and Photos
6. Messages
7. Marketplace
8. Share / Posted Items
9. Networks
10. Mini Feed and News Feed
III. Tools for Application Developers
11. Profile Box
12. Mini Feed
13. News Feed
14. Invitations
15. Facebook Notifications
16. Email Notifications
17. Application Directory
That’s quite a few, isn’t it? For more information, you can go to the following web site: http://www.insidefacebook.com/2007/12/09/inside-facebook-marketing-bible-24-ways-to-market-your-brand-company-product-or-service-in-facebook/
Now it’s your turn!
In your advertising campaign, include pay-for-click ads and guerrilla marketing. Show how you will design this campaign. The more realistic you can make it, the better you will learn—and, the higher your grade will be.
Remember, if your guerrilla marketing campaign looks “too much” like an advertising campaign, sites such as Facebook, Flickr, or YouTube may close your account. Try to disguise your ad campaign as “just another person who is doing social networking and file sharing.”
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