Posted on: 14 February, 2002
Author: Kevin Nunley
Could you use more sales at the moment? Yeah, pretty ... can, right? Well, one great way to go about it issimply to promote your own name. By getting your name out there,a certain ... Could you use more sales at the moment? Yeah, pretty mucheverybody can, right? Well, one great way to go about it issimply to promote your own name. By getting your name out there,a certain familiarity amongst prospects will grow and when thetime comes that these prospects need your services, likely you'llbe the first one they call.No doubt you have heard of viral marketing. Just like a commoncold, it involves having people pass an idea or product from oneperson to the next.Unlike a cold, a marketing virus is a wonderful thing to catch!My biz-tips are a simple kind of viral marketing. I writethem for Marketing Tips Daily at memail.com, but they almostalways get picked up by other editors who send them to theirreaders who send them to their list. You may be reading this tipyears after I wrote it. Amazing, isn't it?I write the article once, then enjoy the benefits as one personpasses it to another. It's not unusual for one million people aweek to see these articles.Look for ways you can give your product, service, or idea amarketing virus.* Give people a free service they can use. Your web address andphone number are included in every product they send to others.Free email accounts (like hotmail) and online greeting cardsare great examples.* Start a joke that pertains to the news or common experiences inlife. If it's in an email, it can include your name. Jokes getpassed around at an unbelievable rate. Some humor expertsbelieve there may be as few as 7 people who come up with most ofthe jokes we hear. They start them on their viral tour,eventually reaching millions.* Perhaps the most effective method of viral marketing issimply being kind and helping people. Help folks for freewhen you can and give paying customers more than they askedfor. You may be surprised at how fast customers tell theirfriends...and in these days of email, that can be a LOT ofpeople.* Create a series of books, pamphlets, or TV commercials. Aseries makes people want to tell others so they can get in on theprogression.Another great way to market your name is with business cards. Itworks a lot like viral marketing in that your card gets passedaround instead of just a verbal mention. Let me give you anexample:Recently I opened a new music venue in Salt Lake City. It's asmall place where local bands can play and fans of all ages canget in for cheap.Right away people were coming in telling us what a "cool" ideathe venue is. I found myself passing out business cards rightand left. Some customers wanted to remember our web siteaddress. Others were musicians wanting our phone number forlater reference.In the process of taking to people and handing out cards I metseveral folks who could be of help to us. One, a designer withterrific ideas for our decor, wrote her name, number, and sloganon the back of one of my cards and handed it back to me.Have a wad of cards handy when you find yourself in a group.Don't try to sell, just pass out your card with an invitation tocall or email.Collect other people's cards, organize them, then call a weeklater to pick up the conversation again and...this time..do someselling.If you're a bit on the shy side, like I am, hold a drink. A sodaor bottle of water is fine. It can make talking to peopleeasier. In restaurants, clubs, and many meetings, holding adrink is perfectly acceptable and often puts the other person atease as well.Repeatedly running your advertisements are another way to ensureyour name runs rampant in the business community. Have you everrun a one time ad and then wondered why you didn't get muchresponse?Advertising and marketing almost always takes repeated use towork properly. Once in a while you will get a product or servicethat sells with the first ad, but most take time to sink in withcustomers.There's an old newspaperman's joke that dates back more than100 years that illustrates how ads work.1. The first time a man looks at an ad, he doesn't see it.2. The second time, he doesn't notice it.3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it.The joke continues on until the sixteenth time has him thinkinghe'll buy some day and the twentieth time he sees the ad heinstructs his wife to go out and buy the product.So, you can see that throwing your name around is the best way toget people to notice you and eventually buy your product orservice. Don't get discouraged if your efforts aren't recognizedimmediately, it might just take a few more tries. Article Tags: More Sales, Viral Marketing Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com