The following is a guest post is from one of my favorite online marketers, Jessica Swanson of Shoestring Marketing. I’m sure you will find this article extremely informative and filled with great advice.

There are several steps that you must take to effectively market your business. If your ultimate goal is to be a master marketer and catapult your business to the top, then you must understand, memorize and implement every single one of these important marketing secrets.

1) You Do Not Need To Spend Money In Order To Make Money.
Nowadays, there are hundreds of places to market your business for zero-cost. In fact, I have utilized over 200 different free marketing platforms! The best news is that many of these free marketing platforms work better than paid marketing platforms. So, take heart in the fact that you can truly market your business for no-cost and reap huge rewards in the process.

2) Create Your Brand.
You and your business need to stand out from the crowd; ultimately, you want to be unforgettable. That being said, it is vital that you “create your brand.” You must take the time to create a memorable name, tagline, and logo for your business. Then, showcase your “brand” EVERYWHERE! As an example, I am Jessica Swanson, “The Shoestring Marketer.” I use this tagline in all of my social networks, emails, reports, press releases, ebooks, signatures, websites, business cards, etc. Whenever I have a chance to showcase my “brand,” I seize the opportunity!

3) Set Up Your Business Foundation.
Every business needs a solid foundation before marketing begins. Without question you should have a landing page with an opt-in form, business website, email autoresponder campaign, professional picture of yourself, testimonials and free samples (i.e. a special report, ebook, e-course, audio class, etc). It is vital that all of your marketing efforts point back to a solid business foundation.

4) Determine Your Niche.
If you are going to be highly successful, it is important to find a niche within your industry. For example, “marketing” is a huge industry with intense competition. It would be next to impossible for a new business owner to break into the general marketing industry. In my case, I found a niche within the marketing industry that was underdeveloped and needed exposure: free marketing. In most cases, the smaller the niche, the more successful you will be.

5) Declare Your Expertise.
No matter what business you are in, you must become an expert within your niche. Remember that when people make a purchase or request a service from you, they are interested in solving a problem. If you can effectively communicate to your customer or client that you are an expert who can help them solve their problem, they will be much more likely to do business with you and your company. So, flaunt your expertise and show your clients that you truly can help them!

6) Tap Into 5 Marketing Platforms (at first).
When you first launch your marketing campaign, you may be tempted to join dozens of social networking sites, utilize several different free classified sites, and traffic exchanges, while juggling press releases, articles and blogs. Always remember that if you become a “Jack of All Trades, Master of None,” you will be overwhelmed and ineffective. Instead, pick five marketing platforms that resonate with you and become an expert marketer using these. (I suggest Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and Article Marketing.) As your business (and profits) grows bigger, you can add more. However, rest assured that you can achieve a great deal of success utilizing nothing more than five powerful platforms.

7) Be Consistent and Patient!
This is the most important piece of advice for anyone launching a marketing campaign. Good marketing doesn’t happen overnight. In order for marketing to be effective, your prospective customers must see your offer again and again. So, make a promise to yourself that you will be patient and consistent in your marketing efforts. Those that do, realize huge rewards in their business!

Again, all seven steps are crucial to your business success. If you understand and effectively implement these shoestring marketing secrets, your business will quickly rise to the top!

Are you currently using or plan on using any of the methods mentioned in this article? Do you feel these tips can be beneficial to your success? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

___________________________________________________________________________

Jessica Swanson, “The Shoestring Marketer,” has helped entrepreneurs, all over the world, explode their businesses using cutting-edge, proven, NO-COST internet marketing strategies. To receive your FREE Marketing Kit, which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, just like you, learn the exact techniques for marketing their businesses for NO-COST, visit: Shoestring Marketing Kit

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: affiliate marketing • home based business • internet marketing • resources and tools • social networking

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!