[admagic]

As some may have noticed, we started off talking about adwords, ended up going all over the place.

But this deserves a thread all its own.

I have a firm few that the best model for any business is the direct marketing model.

You attract people to a list either by sale or sign up

You build a relationshop with the list

You then promote offers and you choose when the customer buys!!

The question begged is how you form that list

COnventional wisdom is wait till they buy.


No serious marketer disputes theidea that selling to ex customers is easier than new. Thats a given

But heres the point

It is my view, that in any market there are lots of ways of going around the competition to get them on the list in the first place

I gave an example on the other thread , where to sell diet pills or potions,, a good way in is to use adwords to target a popular book

And believe me books are a great way to do this!

I have done that in the investment products market, getting a lot more clicks than any regular targeting of a keyword would by targetting a popular newspaper..., for htat product even the best adwords guru would struggle to make money direct

However there is more than adwords to consider... a lot of exprressions are so uncompetitive you can get them for free.

Believe it or not one expression in "low gi" foodwas so uncompetitive I get organic traffic for free, and clearly all those people are interested in dietting. That traffic would cost me a fortune on adwords.

If you want to target toys for kids......

For sure you can get organic rankings for a specific toy...

Here I am saying think broadly....

For example you may be able to get organic traffic on web2 for things like "colouring book" now chances are the kids are too young to search for that themselves so it is parents doing the searching

So get them to sign up for a weekly colouring book free, and you create a list of parents who you can promote toys at the appropriate time.

It isnt just about selling information ...but information is often the best hook for product or service sales.

So think..

In your market...what can you offer. to go around your competition.

For many expressions, competition is so weak you can get organic rankings easily.

It can work in almost any business.

I noticed the other day, that even some terms like "search engine submission" have got pitifully low competition and who wants to
submit a website except for someone who owns one.

And Im not going to give it away, but if you think out the questions people ask who are thinking of a website for the very first time, there are expressions searched with no competition at all....when they start thinking domain and url.

All those people are targets for web hosting, SEO , web marketing.
could use that traffic


So you dont have to sell your product against hot competition to build your list...there are cheaper and faster ways.

Be creative!

One of my local dry cleaners has done well out of offering a stain removal guide for signups.

And I know a restaurant that does well out of a competition for a free meal every week ... that says throw yourbusiness card in the box to enter the draw!!...a great bit of listbuilding.

Competitions are great for this!

Once you have a list you have them!!

[LinkingClever]

Great ideas, thanks!
Jay

[Indizine]

I have already started my campaign of this exact strategy, so will see what comes of it. Have to say, I get work very often through indirect discussion on related or unrelated topics, so it does work, and the conversion is higher than a normal enquiry from advertising because you have established the relationship so you have removed that barrier already.

[admagic]

mods, this thread probably belongs on the marketing thread: it is no longe about ppc

[RayB]

It's moved - I'll have a proper read of it later - looks like a cracking post and thread