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There has been a lot of buzz recently about use and misuse of Twitter and its so-called demise in the making. Quite frankly, I’m sick of the offenders; you know, those who follow 978,456 people for the sole purpose of trying to sell them on making more money online or getting rich overnight. Or those who proudly proclaim that they have found a way to ‘game’ the system.  So I’m going to go against all the Kings and Queens of Twitter and all those so-called marketing experts out there who say it is imperative to ‘FOLLOW EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS YOU ON TWITTER’. My advice… Just say NO!

Here are some things to ask yourself before choosing to follow someone on Twitter:

• Do you know this person, company or group?
• How do you know them?
• Are they reputable?
• Do they abuse Twitter (or other social networking-type sites)?
• What is their ratio of following to followers?
• Are their tweets and/or profile/bio legit, offensive, etc.?
• Will following them tarnish your reputation or cause someone to cringe when they see this person on the list of people you are following?
• Are their tweets insightful, offer good ideas, etc.?

At the end of the day, it sure feels better to be a leader – not a follower.  What that means is never, ever feel obligated to follow everyone who follows you. Always think about your reputation and credibility. There are some real losers on Twitter. You follow them and they might just bring you down, too. And there is a higher purpose – Twitter itself! Let’s not foster a reputation of it being a low-quality, spam ridden site that has little value. I LOVE Twitter, and very much want to see it succeed. So how do we do our part to help secure its future? One tiny step…

Twitter Quid Pro Quo? Screw That. Just Say NO!

Tags: following people on Twitter, should you follow everyone who follows you on Twitter, Twitter, Twitter abuse

I’m a BIG believer in social media and outreach via social networking sites – which is why I’m constantly taking about Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg and Facebook and the value they hold for entrepreneurs. But something I haven’t covered is how to know whether or not your efforts are truly beneficial – measuring the ROI. Without knowing your exact offering or what you have going on, it is difficult to ascertain what tools are most suitable for measuring the ROI surrounding any social media/PR efforts or targeted campaigns you might be engaged in or considering. Regardless, whatever investment is made should accomplish the following and, with social media, should be highly targeted:

1. Exposure/Engagement - Identifying and capturing qualified/targeted prospects
2. Influence - Moving prospects along the sales continuum from sales to purchase
3. Action - Once prospects convert to customers, are they staying with you? Are they buying more/different products/services? Are they willing to refer others to you?

Here is one of my favorite graphics from Don Bartholomew (Principal of Acumentics Research - a social media and public relations research and measurement consultancy) that summarizes the above methodology:

Keep in mind there is no single tool available to measure and track social media efforts. Using available applications such as Google Analytics, you can easily track traffic increases related to specific campaigns, customer engagement and interaction, demographics and other related trends and search patterns. Unfortunately, mainstream tools fall a little short at measuring the true impact of social media. So you would want to add-on other measurement tools. One that comes highly recommended for Google Analytics is located here. And there are others (with specific dashboards – not so much add-on): Radian6, Nielsen BuzzMetrics, etc. Most social media sites will also email stats to you – so get proactive and ask for what you need.

Now don’t get confused or try to categorize social media into a class all its own. Social media/PR campaigns are similar to other types of traditional marketing campaigns – when done right. You identify a target market or markets and create an offer to attract them. Via the Web, this can be done using an effective landing page that explains the offer without a lot of “fluff” and providing a simple, clean call-to-action. What is it you want the visitor/potential customer to do? Spell it out quickly or lose them! If you’d like to learn about the differences between social media and traditional marketing, I highly recommend this post from Microgeist.

Prior to launching any campaign, you should measure your Web site traffic using Google Analytics and conversions for the product/service you are selling (if any). This information will be used as a baseline. Throughout your social media/PR campaign, you’ll want to measure and keep a tally of the traffic coming to your Web site, particularly the landing page and the click-through (call-to-action) to check conversion rates and measure against the baseline. It’s also important to keep a running score of any and all direct or indirect sales (purchases via the Internet or inquiries (phone calls) referring to the campaign). When the campaign ends, you will be able to compute ROI by analyzing traffic stats, trends, click-throughs, comments left on blogs, sales increases and so on, and comparing the actual time spent on the campaign to the monetary results.

Again, none of this is new - you’re just using social media (i.e. blogs, microblogging, forums, online commentary, online networking sites, bookmarking, videos, photo sharing, etc.) as inbound (often viral; two-way marketing) marketing tools instead of the traditional outbound marketing (often called one-way marketing) - . The most important aspect is the strategy you put together before starting and understanding that efforts should be extremely targeted.

Tags: Acumentics Research, BuzzMetrics, Digg, Don Bartholomew, exposure engagement influence action, Facebook, how to measure social media, LinkedIn, Nielsen, Radian6, ROI from social media, Twitter

Last week I wrote about an intriguing FedEx envelope that arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a colorful package of chocolate covered grasshoppers with a mysterious number attached. After my gag reflex subsided, I was pleased to discover that I was the lucky recipient of one of only 5,000 of these babies. I was named one of the 5,000 most influential people in the US! Now I don’t know how the numbers were determined, but this small town Web-girl feels good (thanks Jonathan, David and Siamak).

If you missed the post or the Internet buzz that followed, this was part of a genius viral marketing campaign brought to life by the guys over at Grasshopper (previously GotVMail). Personally I loved everything about it – particularly the fact that it targeted entrepreneurs and more importantly, delivered a valuable message.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of speaking with Grasshopper’s Ambassador of Buzz, Jonathan Kay. When asked why the name Grasshopper was chosen and what was behind this campaign, Kay was quick to point out that, “Grasshoppers have an uncanny ability to take large leaps, do really well for their size and are always on the move – just like entrepreneurs. We believe that entrepreneurs can change the world; fueling growth and creating jobs. This campaign was not about promotion – it was about bringing attention to the economic situation.”

A noble purpose, an unforgettable campaign and taking a moment to acknowledge the “little guys”…well done in my book.

Here’s more from Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, David Hauser:

Why grasshoppers? What do they say about your brand and the image you are trying to create for your company?

Grasshoppers match our brand exactly, which is rare when you can tie in so directly with a campaign. As we thought about it the more it made sense that entrepreneurs do things differently and eating a grasshopper is different in the US.

What has been the response to this particular campaign? How’s the buzz factor?

Response has been excellent. It has been easier to measure online, like via Twitter and blogs, but we have also heard comments about grasshoppers at cocktail parties and events. Another major success factor of this campaign has been the video which has inspired many and continues to get passed around.

How will entrepreneurs united – Entrepreneurs Can Change the World movement - help turn this economy around?

The first step is reminding current entrepreneurs why they do what they do. The second step is getting others to create the jobs they always wanted and finally getting the attention of government and those who can make massive social change to provide the support entrepreneurs need. If this video can start the movement, get people thinking and talking, then we have made a step in the right direction.

What do you offer entrepreneurs?

An advanced phone number, right now, but that is not who we are. We are here to empower entrepreneurs to succeed in whatever form that takes.

And what one piece of advice do you have to offer first-time entrepreneurs?

Now is the time to go out and execute on your idea, create the dream job you have always wanted and turn this economy around. In times of turbulence there is tremendous opportunity. Seize it now.

Tags: chocolate covered grasshoppers, David Hauser, entrepreneur, Grasshopper, Grasshopper.com, Jonathan Kay, Siamak Taghaddos, Twitter, viral marketing

Over the last ten years or so, the world has become obsessively digitized with once manual activities being replaced by Internet-efficient apps, platforms and processes. Even the hands-on intensive restaurant industry is starting to experience the first wave of a Web revolution. One such start-up to recognize the opportunity and take advantage of this new reality is Bite2Eat.com. Recently featured in Globes, the company’s technology efficiently connects restaurants with their customers, translating online orders into phone calls that establishments can respond to the traditional way. Already being dubbed “The Facebook of Restaurants”, Bite2Eat.com is one we should all be keeping a close eye on. Here’s more from the co-founder and CEO, Jay Bailey:

Please tell us about your start-up Bite2Eat.com. What makes it unique? And how does it fit into the marketplace?

Bite2Eat.com is a restaurant portal where restaurants can give us their menus to digitize, at no expense to them, and quickly be able to take delivery and take-out orders from new customers on the Web. There are certainly companies in this space, but we found that most of the focus is on the larger cities and larger restaurants. We’re going after “the long tail” of the medium-size cities and restaurants, many of whom have never considered this approach or were afraid of the expense/complexity. A big piece of our business strategy is to use minimally disruptive techniques — orders are sent by fax or phone — so there’s little to fear from the technology.

We also introduce a social aspect called Buddy Orders, where you can save the usual steps (in an office, dorm or family setting) of having to dig up a menu, pass it around, mark it up, call in the order, etc. With a Buddy Order, the initiator opens an order and uses his Buddy List to send an invitation to his friends. They click on the link to see the menu and join the order. Finally, we developed an automatic voice system that does all the phone ordering without a call center; it read the orders (yes, we’re always tweaking the pronunciations) to the restaurant, while providing a way to talk to the customer directly with the touch of a key.

How do you promote a business such as this? What markets are you targeting?

Bite2Eat.com is targeted at a broad, national population, specifically those hungry folks who are actively online. So naturally, we’re using Google AdWords to connect to people searching Google for, say “Mexican food in Little Rock”. In addition, though, we’ll certainly be looking to market to office managers (who typically compile manual “Buddy Orders”, students who order and eat together in dorms, etc. Eventually, we hope that even products like groceries would be a niche we could handle.

What’s the business model behind Bite2Eat.com - is this something that is advertising driven or is this a subscription service?

We take a commission of every order we send to a restaurant. Unlike some of our competitors, we actually bill the restaurant for this sum at the end of the month; we didn’t think it was right to keep the lion’s share of the order all month and only pay out at the end of the month. It’s a cash-flow problem for them. We’d prefer to have people focus on ordering. So while some restaurants in our lists don’t yet have menus and therefore feature some Google Ads, it’s not a significant part of the business. Eventually we do plan to help restaurants do promotions on the site and via newsletters.

Did you write a business plan? How did you fund the launch of your business? Are you currently seeking investment?

Yes, a one-pager with highlights and a longer one. I’m not a big fan of massive plans for start-ups because the facts on the ground tend to change so quickly and often that it’s almost dishonest to present “The Plan”; from the time of the initial meeting/reading until the funding hits the bank account, it’s sometimes radically different. Naturally, you need the fundamentals, but I’d always include plenty of “options” and “ideas”. We got initial funding from angel investors. Just enough to get the site finalized and bring in the first batch of 750 restaurants. We’re currently ready to do another round with individuals or VC’s so that we can launch the marketing and PR efforts.

What advice can you give others looking to start their own businesses?

Look to outsourcing. The original Bite2Eat.com plan called for an office and about 10 people on staff. By outsourcing big pieces of the business that I manage closely, we actually cut our projected costs down easily by half. It lengthens the runway and gives you the flexibility to add, change or adjust staffers without major upheaval in the ranks. If we had opened up a full-blown office, we’d have gone bankrupt long ago. The virtual office (my partner Marc Fischman, the CTO, works from cafes) eliminates SO much overhead.

Also, as I mentioned above, be ready to make radical changes to the plan. As long as the core is there and you believe in it, just buckle your seat belt and swerve. We changed major parts of the plan, and we’re better for it.

Finally, the adage that it take three times the time estimate and twice the money is, well, quite accurate. If you run out of start-up funds, you’ll find yourself shut down or giving away a large chunk of the company for an investor who knows you’re desperate.

If you had to start all over again, what are some things you would do differently?

Oh, it’s too early to tell. The outsourcing was the right move. I’d probably have tried to raise more, earlier, so that we don’t have to drop what we’re doing now to visit and make the pitch to investors. Also, I’d essentially create an exercise where I make the top five assumptions about the company, and do a devil’s advocate thing where I (and the team) try to punch holes in it, as if I’m another company trying to compete for the same funding and trying to talk the investor out of it. We were a little too optimistic in the beginning about some of the things that simply sounded right before thorough analysis and some experimentation/testing.

What are the long-term plans for Bite2Eat.com? For you personally? Will you start other businesses?

We certainly have a few years to grow this to the size and scope we plan. Once it’s all running fairly smoothly we can have capable staff running it day-to-day, I think I’d like to do another (or, if the revenues are good enough, help fund a few!). I’m really, really enjoying working from home, for all the usual reasons. I have trouble seeing myself returning to a standard office/management position with all the overhead required in time, money, focus, etc.

Tags: Bite2Eat, Bite2Eat.com, Buddy Order, Globes, Google, Google AdWords, Israel startup, Jay Bailey, Marc Fischman, order food online, restaurants

I had the pleasure of attending Community 2.0 this week in San Francisco where I met some pretty cool people working in the online community space (more about this later). When I arrived home today, I was pleasantly surprised to find a FedEx envelope sitting on the counter. I couldn’t remember ordering anything before I left so naturally I was intrigued. Let’s just say, I was flabbergasted when I opened the parcel. Inside was a small package of chocolate covered grasshoppers. Again, I had no idea what was going on and trying to recover from a nasty flight, I really didn’t think twice about it (other than the fact that I was a tad insulted being a vegetarian and all).

After I unpacked and got caught up on email, I went ahead and bit the bullet (NOT the antennae) – Googling “chocolate covered grasshoppers via FedEx”. What I discovered left me smiling, excited and feeling so reenergized by the passion that is the world of entrepreneurship. This short clip from Fox News explains why I received this unique package:

Why it is a great honor to be listed as number 1,394 on a list of 5,000 people deemed to be most influential, what matters even more to me is that fact that entrepreneurship is still alive! This little package of candy-coated Orthopterans proves it. And beyond that, it goes to show that even the little guy can grab a piece of the pie – that it doesn’t take a Pepsi or Monster.com to create something so truly brilliant, it is worthy of being called a masterpiece. This is precisely what Grasshopper.com has initiated – a masterpiece of a viral buzz campaign. They knew that if they took something wild, added a little mystery and intrigue and caused people to go online in search of the answer to WTF, they would succeed.

So let me ask you, do grasshoppers buzz? They do now! Check out Grasshopper.com and join the Entrepreneurs Can Change the World movement. Continue Reading »

Tags: chocolate covered grasshoppers, Entrepreneurs Can Change the World, FedEx grasshoppers, Grasshopper.com, Monster, viral campaign, viral video

It’s been a few weeks since I played around on Google. So I jumped on over to their list of Hot Trends and was surprised to see several related to the Christmas Tree Shops. Christmas Tree Shops? For those of you not familiar with this retailer, their tagline is “Don’t you just love a bargain?” It’s the kind of place that your mother drags you when there is nothing better to do on a Tuesday afternoon. And it’s the kind of place that your mother literally gets lost in for three hours as you sit outside in the parking lot twiddling your thumbs - watching scores of people come and go.

But there’s a reason that the Christmas Tree Shops is hot right now. People are getting back to basics and looking for bargains! And if you can score a niche around bargain hunting, you might be on your way to entrepreneurial stardom! Here are some ideas to set your process into motion:

Coupon clipping service – Yes, there are countless coupon clipping services out there – but if you find the right niche…

Second-hand shop – Consider opening a second hand shop with items you have picked up at garage and estate sales, through the classifieds, eBay, etc.

Global bargains – Start a Web site that specializes in bargains or bargain hunting from around the world.

Bargain boutique – Offer people cash for their unwanted, almost new or never worn clothing and turn around and sell it for a healthy markup.

Tags: bargain boutique, bargain hunter, bargains, business ideas, Christmas Tree Shops, coupon clipping service, Google, Google Hot Trends, help people save money, hot trends, second hand shops

Lately I’ve noticed an endless number of Twitter apps popping up on the horizon. You might be asking yourself why. Why are people spending time, money and resources in creating applications for a site that is pale in comparison to a Facebook or a Google? Because Twitter rocks! I know I sound like a broken record, but if you are not using it – why the hell not? What are you waiting for?

I happen to think that Twitter is going to be HUGE – with mass, colossal potential. So my best advice is watch out world! There’s a new contender playing for keeps! And entrepreneurs need to be in on the game! Get yourself signed up and check out some of the apps below:

1. Twitterific: Always on the go? Got an iPhone]? Than this app is for you.
2. Twitterfeed: If you’re a blogger, you’ll want to check this one out. With Twitterfeed, you can directly feed your blog posts to Twitter and other microblogging platforms.
3. Twtpoll: Polls and surveys have always been at the center of an entrepreneur’s arsenal. So why not facilitate the power of Twitter with Twtpoll?
4. Trackthis: Are you an eBay seller or buyer? Do you do a lot of business-related shipping? Track all your packages via Twitter using Trackthis.
5. Twuffer: This is another relatively new app on my list – and it’s a real timesaver. Twuffer enables you to create a list of future tweets and schedule when you want them to go live to the Twitterverse. Just be careful not to overtweet or spam the service.
6. Twitterhawk: First things first… this is not a free app. But it is really clever and worth it for some small businesses. Twitterhawk allows you to monitor selected keywords on Twitter and then send responses. Here’s the example given on the company’s Web site: You open a coffee shop in Queens and you are trying to get the word out. “As part of your advertising efforts, you could setup TwitterHawk to search for things like “coffee near:Queens within:8mi” (of course you could simply search world wide if you are global).” From there you send targeted responses.
7. TwitPic: Want to tweet a pic of your product? Go for it with TwitPic.
8. Twist: This is a relatively new app for me, but I’m loving it! If you’ve ever wanted to know what’s hot right now on Twitter – track in-the-moment trends – try giving Twist a test drive.
9. Twazzup: This supercharged tool allows you to search all of Twitter and return relevant results (similar to a Google search), so that you can generate leads, listen to your customers, track trends and so on. Much more powerful than Twitter’s internal search feature.
10. Qwitter: It’s great to know who is following you on Twitter, but it’s even more important to know who has stopped following. With this handy app, you will be alerted when someone stops following you and what your last tweet was they could have possibly made them jump ship.

Tags: best Twitter apps for entrepreneurs, Facebook, Google, iPhone, iPhone apps, Qwitter, Top 10 Twitter Apps, top Twitter applications, Trackthis, Twazzup, Twist, TwitPic, Twitter, Twitter Applications, Twitter apps, Twitter for iPhone, Twitter for small businesses, Twitter rules, Twitter spam, Twitterfeed, Twitterhawk, Twitterific, Twitterverse, Twtpoll, Twuffer, Urban Dictionary

Most people are unaware that when one of the most successful Web sites on the planet first launched it specifically targeted the college market. I’m talking about Facebook - that grandiose social networking site that makes daily headlines and even has your grandmother talking. Started on the grounds of Harvard, Facebook now claims more than 200 million active users from all over the world. It’s one of those rare, great success stories - a recognizable company that built a name for itself starting with the college crowd. Our featured start-up hopes to do the same. Here’s more from Patrick Aievoli, founder of theCampusCenter.com:

Please tell us about your start-up theCampusCenter.com. What makes it unique? And how does it fit into the marketplace?

PA: theCampusCenter.com is a safe academic alternative to other social networking sites that are prevalent today. It includes an open source research center, Web applications, a learning module system and it is major-centric. In other words students can form study groups with other students in their same major from around the world. They can share information and links with each other while still being watched over by their university.

The difference is that the schools can administrate the site themselves, and therefore keep a close eye on what is going on via the social network. And it is given to them for free.

Today almost all educational institutions are struggling to make ends meet. The only way to correct this today is to look towards alternative revenue streams. Tuition has topped out, endowments have suffered from Wall Street and fundraising is almost impossible. Educational institutions have got to look at who is generating revenue and try to figure out how to re-invent themselves, as revenue generators not cost centers. Every dime has to be accounted for today.

What theCampusCenter.com does is very simple, it uses a social network structure to monetize usage and share that revenue with educational institutions in the form of grants, scholarships or technology donations.

A school today will spend a ton of money on their website and not look for ROI. We give them the website for free and share the revenue with them. House Representative Jimmy A. Eldridge of Tennessee recently passed a bill in his district to allow ads on and inside school buses in order to generate revenue for the school districts instead of just raising taxes. This is the same model that we have. We provide eight revenue streams for each school to capture lost revenue and turn their websites into generators. If you look at President Papadakis of Drexel he figured that out 15 years ago. And under his tutelage Drexel has tripled its endowment. We provide a similar solution at no cost and give back at a sliding scale of revenue generation for each university.

How do you promote a business such as this? What markets are you targeting?

PA: You promote this kind of a business by using the environment where these students are the most likely to be – the Web. You Twitter, you email and you blog. We also will be setting up ambassadors at colleges to introduce the product to the campus.

We are targeting the second tier colleges across the country. The first tier colleges have huge endowments and can weather this storm. But the second, third and fourth tier schools are finding it tough. And it is going to take a long time to get back that endowment money that was lost in this “Great Recession”.

What’s the business model behind theCampusCenter.com–is this something that is advertising driven or is this a subscription service?

PA: The business model is multi-tiered and transparent. We have eight streams of revenue generation structured to monetize the social networking feature of the site. Remember every school can have its own version customized for their needs. We built it that way with a customer management system that is flexible and basically vanilla.

Did you write a business plan? How did you fund the launch of your business? Are you currently seeking investment?

PA: I wrote numerous business plans, and met with numerous educational and business executives to see what the true needs of academia were and where they needed to go. I have personally funded this entire endeavor and have no debt whatsoever. We are a 100% debt free and solvent. We are currently seeking investment seed funding and are on the table at a couple of VC firms across the Northeast.

What advice can you give others looking to start their own businesses?

PA: My first advice is very simple save and plan. It takes a lot of sacrifice and passion to create a dream into reality. Surround yourself with bright people. Our CTO is the smartest person I have ever met. Way smarter than I am and his attitude is extremely positive. He never says we can’t do something. His answer is always “it’s a computer it does what you want it to do”. Very rare from a programmer.

If you had to start all over again, what are some things you would do differently?

PA: I would believe in myself more for starters. On our team we have a gentleman who has been in the educational technology business for 40 years. We hit it off in the first five minutes and he has been with me through thick and thin for 3 years, as has my Chief Creative Officer for 9 years. He is probably the best designer on the planet! We don’t always agree but at the end of the day we work it out.

What are the long-term plans for theCampusCenter.com? For you personally? Will you start other businesses?

PA: We will not stop until theCampusCenter.com has immersed itself into the educational landscape. I am passionate about education for all. Every child in this country and the world should have access to the best information available and it should be for free. There are ways of doing it you just have to see through the forest and accept that the landscape has changed. Years ago you couldn’t address a professor by his first name. You stood when you spoke in class. Today it is much more relaxed and I think more Socratic. I’ve always believed that the teacher shouldn’t be the person with the desk it should be the brightest person in the room. If that happens to be a student then so be it. We need to listen and converse with each other not pontificate. Open discussion is what is needed and the Web makes that possible. Who knows where the next Einstein will come from? The Web makes that all possible.

My father made sure I didn’t work with my back that I worked with my brain. I hope I have made him and my mother proud.

theCampusCenter.com is just one of seven businesses that I have in the works. They are all Web based and we will roll them out one by one over the next five to seven years. I’m too young to stop now.

For more information or to discuss theCampusCenter.com in greater detail, feel free to email Patrick Aievoli at patrick@theCampusCenter.com.

Tags: campus, college, college market, Drexel, Facebook, featured startup, Harvard, Jimmy A. Eldridge, Papadakis, Patrick Aievoli, social networking site for college students, starting a business, theCampusCenter, theCampusCenter.com, Twitter, Wall Street

I came across a question on LinkedIn yesterday that I thought would make a perfect piece here on Babeofbusiness.com. Someone asked what books folks recommended on writing business plans, evaluating the viability of ideas, coming up with market strategies, etc. – the technicalities of starting a small business. Below is a list compiled from the responses posted by LinkedIn members. You can find most of these on Amazon.com. I’ve also included links for your convenience. Please add to this list by placing your comments below. I’ll update it on an ongoing basis.

Best Books on the Technicalities of Starting a Business

Reality Check - Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki
Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston
Incorporating your Business - Michelle Cagan
Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore
Fast Track Business Growth - Andrew Sherman
Competing in the Third Wave - Jeremy Hope
Origin and Evolution of New Businesses – Amar V. Bhide
Four Steps to the Epiphany – Steven Gary Blank
Beyond Entrepreneurship - James Collins
The High Performance Entrepreneur - Subroto Bagchi
Go Kiss the World - Subroto Bagchi
High Tech Start Up - John L. Nesheim

Tags: Amar V. Bhide, Andrew Sherman, Beyond Entrepreneurship, books for entrepreneurs, books on starting a business, Competing in the Third Wave, Crossing the Chasm, Fast Track, Founders at Work, Four Steps to the Epiphany, Geoggrey Moore, Go Kiss the World, Guy Kawasaki, High Tech Startup, Incorporating Your Business, James Collin, Jeremy Hope, Jessica Livingston, Jim Collins, John Nesheim, LinkedIn, Michelle Cagan, Origin and Evolution of New Businesses, Reality Check, startup books, Steven Blank, The Art of the Deal

Small business owners often shy away from advertising because of the associated high costs. It’s true that buying ad space in high profile magazines or listing your business in the yellow pages come with hefty price tags. But you don’t have to go to such elaborate lengths to achieve effective results on a limited budget.

DISCLAIMER – WARNING - IMPORTANT

Before you can reap the rewards of advertising, you need to understand the basic ‘rules of the road.’ For starters, use one message consistently across all platforms. Remember to infuse your piece with action words (strong, pleasing verbs – often unusual ones) and calls to action. Intrigue your audience with a compelling opening line – a vivid thought provoker. Make them quiver with curiosity – so much so that they just cannot help picking up the phone, visiting your Web site or stopping by your retail shop or office. Always end the ad with a solid closing line which refers to the opening line – like a circle coming to full closure.

Test an ad in a small market and in one medium before delving in too deep. To measure the success of the ad, include a coupon or code. You’ll want to tailor your ads for each respective market, too. Test, test, test.

To sum up the post, here are some affordable, effective ideas to jump start your efforts:

• Advertising on invoices – offer a deal that’s too good to pass up

• Advertising on blogs that offer complementary products or services

• Print up some advertising stickers and ask to place them on bags at local stores in exchange for advertising at your place of business (or Web site)

• Consider giving away free samples as opposed to advertising – quite often the former is cheaper than the latter

• Place in ad upside down or sideways – a real attention grabber

Remember to advertise where your prospects are most likely to look first – consider the entire sales cycle (i.e. many customers now research products online before buying them at a local store). And make sure your message is as compelling as possible.

Tags: advertising, advertising ideas, advertising on a shoestring, cheap advertising ideas