The dot com era proved that just building it isn't enough. The chicken
and the egg issue exists -you need customers to get customers... and
attempting to launch a web site, is that issue on steroids. So, how to
get traction?
Here are Ten FREE Traction building Ideas we are trying:
1) Email Your Friends:
Find everyone you know that relates to your target market and introduce
them to your website via email... as you know them, leverage every piece
of emotional capital you have with them to encourage them to take a
look at your new site and join.
2) Ask Your Friends to Refer Others:
If you send an email to people who are your target market, clearly
articulate why it is valuable to 'THEM' (not just you) to join your
site... and then ask and make it easy for them to refer people they
know. Here's an example of an email I wrote that asks for a referral -
"Please forward to anyone that may be interested... entrepreneurs,
advisors, people with Blogs, press contacts etc! Even forwarding to four
or five contacts will make a big difference for us!
Happy New Year and thanks!
++
I've just discovered a new web service bringing potential business
advisors together with entrepreneurs and early stage businesses. For
Advisors - It's a great way to discover new deal flow and get involved
in a hot new company. For Entrepreneurs - a great way to take your
business to the next level in 2007!
The site is called Advisor Garage - http://www.AdvisorGarage.com and was recently featured in Business Week!
Please sign up and forward this email to great advisors and entrepreneurs.
++
After three or four weeks of steps 1 & 2 we found that we had begun to get a few people onboard... So now what?
3) Write a Press Release and get it OUT there...
I can almost hear a few folks swallowing and already considering looking
for the next blog... it really isn't that tough and it isn't expensive.
In fact, its FREE! Don't believe me? Consider signing up to PR Leap
(http://www.prleap.com/learn_more). Not only do they have some good
articles which explain for dummies (like me!) how to write a press
release but they also offer a free submission service to multiple
channels such as Google News, Google Search, Yahoo! Search, Topix.net,
Technorati, MSN, Ask News, Moreover, NewsNow and others. According to
their website - PR Leap is the best way to send your news release(s) to
all major search engines, newswires, and websites. And basic accounts
are free!
So what happened with us? Well we signed up, created a one page press
release (took about 30 minutes), submitted it and it was approved
earlier today. It will appear tomorrow. If you are interested, the link
to the press release is: http://www.prleap.com/pr/61185/
The basic plan (read... Free) comes with stats, so I'll let you know in a
few days if the press release was actually read by anyone and if it was
picked up by any sites, bloggers, press etc. Let's see how good PR
Leap and our press release writing skills are!
4) A Personalized Toolbar:
A great startup called Conduit (http://www.Conduit.com) offers people
the opportunity to create their own, personalized toolbar for FREE.
Conduit has a wizard embedded within their website which takes you
through the setup process step-by-step. It took about twenty minutes
and once you're done, they create a link to your toolbar download site
which you can then share through an email signature or through a click
through download on your new networking site. There are a number of
cool ways to tailor the toolbar... your branded search, create links to
particular pages on your own site, add weather, a radio and so on to
make sure its a value download for your customers.
5) Design Your Site with the Customer In Mind and Make Inviting Others Easy
If, like us, your marketing budget is measured by the quarters rattling
around in your pocket, then do your site a favor and design it so the
'Invite Others' button is never far away. No matter what page the users
happen to be on. Bold it, make it big, underline it if you have to but
referrals from happy customers are always easier to get than attracting
new customers.
6) Friends & Contacts Revisisted:
Do any of your friends know anyone in the press or people who have blogs ? Well you won't know until you ask... ASK!
7) Join Linked In (http://www.linkedin.com)
If you haven't already, consider joining linked in. Yes, its another
networking site, and you could consider them the compeitition (In your
dreams!)... but after joining you can search through the directory and
find people that may either a) be interested in joining your site or b)
encouraging others to do so. If you aren't a member already, take a
look
8) Groups & Forums:
Are there Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com) or Google Groups
(http://groups.google.com) or other online forums that include the types
of people you want to attract to your new networking site? If so, join
them but beware... most groups want members to contribute to the
discussions and no groups appreciate spam. So find the best forums for
your target customers, join and spend some time getting to know what
subjects are being discussed. Give it a week or two then jump in and
add some value... and make sure that your post includes your email and
perhaps the web address. If it is valuable, then members may check out
your new site...
One last thing, if there aren't any good groups with your target
customers... consider creating your own... and make it it feeds your new
networking site. Here's one I started and yes... I know it only has a
few members... but its more links in the internet for your website which
appears in your google or Alexa results:
http://groups.google.com/group/Harvard_Entrepreneurs_Startups?lnk=oa&hl=en
9) Write to your Existing Members:
Do you have a few members? If so, email them occassionally (Not every
day!) and remind them of the value of your site... perhaps highlight a
particularly useful tool or feature of your website. Maybe reach out to
some of the individual members and ask them if you can write about them
joining the site, a person feature if you will. At the bottom of each
of these emails... give them a few sentences (above for example) to send
on to others they know. Stress how much you would appreciate their
help and how important they are to you and your young business.
10) Drum roll... .badda badda badda... .Create a Blog!
Here's hoping that a blog is the tenth and most valuable means of
getting the message out there about a new networking site.
(Wordpress.com is FREE)
Good Luck!
Andrew
NOTE: I grant permission for every reader to reproduce on your website
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Author Bio
www.AdvisorGarage.com
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