Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Tips on Advertising on the Web
Want to advertise your business on the Web but don't havethe budget? Maybe you can do it for free. Some local newspapers arestarting online business directories where companies can listthemselves--with brief write-ups and contact information--and thecost for inclusion is zip.
A case in point: the Business Directory located on the In JerseyWeb site (http://www.injersey.com), an onlineservice of the Asbury Park Press and The Home News &Tribune. A plus for users is that the directory is searchableby business specialty or location--so customers seeking, say, apayroll service in Brick Township or a children's clothing shopin Marlboro can quickly get directed to the right business (maybeyours).
Check it out, and if your local paper doesn't offer asimilar service, ask them to take a look at In Jersey.
Flower Power
Send a cyber birthday bouquet--or flowers for an anniversary, aholiday or just for fun--and do it for free at (ahref=http://www.virtualflowers.com>http://www.virtualflowers.com).The recipient gets an e-mail message inviting them to take a lookat their flowers by visiting that site, a cyberstore erected byJenny's Floral Studio in Ontario. Once there, they see gorgeousimages of sunflowers, say, or roses.
This site ranks high for its cleverness in building traffic withminimal expense--Jenny's owner, Tanya Wolff-Molson, claims 3.5million hits monthly. (And, of course, some of those visitorsdecide to buy real bouquets.)
Test Drive
Try it, don't buy it." That's the new wave ofsoftware marketing taking hold on the Web, where more softwaremakers are offering free downloads of fully functional programs. Arecent check found Norton, Quarterdeck, Starfish and Corel alloffering "trialware" versions of major programs. The onlyhitch: The programs are "timed"--after 30 days, mostexpire and won't run until you type in a password that'syours upon payment for the program. Still, a good tip is ifyou're interested in a program but want to know more beforebuying, visit the manufacturer's Web site.
An even better tip: Once you've bought software, make apoint to visit the company's Web site often. Why? That'swhere you'll find "patches" and "bugfixes," which are plentiful these days as makers rush productsto market without ironing out kinks.
Most software makers' sites can be found just by pointingyour browser at www.COMPANY-NAME.com. When that doesn't work,Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) orany other search engine will locate what you want.
Site Unseen
What if you put up a Web site and nobody comes? An antidote isoffered by WebPromote (http://www.webpromote.com).Offering Web site marketing packages that start at $185, WebPromotesubmits your site for listing to the top 100 search engines (suchas Excite, Magellan and Yahoo), Web yellow pages, bunches of"What's New" sites, and more depending on the packageyou choose.
Couldn't you do this yourself? Sure, but WebPromote does allthe time-consuming grunt work for you. Once you're listed, willvisitors flock to your site? There's no guarantee--but you canbet that if you're not widely listed, there will never betraffic jams at your site.
Contact Sources
In Jersey, (908) 922-0770, info@injersey.com;
Jenny's Floral Studio, fax: (519) 332-2310, jenny@webpromote.com;
WebPromote, (847) 918-9292,manager@webpromote.com.
