Marketing Offline Eco-Friendly Business

[trafficguru]

Hi Guys,

I am launching an offline green business that is geared towards consumers. At launch the service will be available to people from a particular area only. After a few months, it will branch out to people from other areas of the US. What are some online marketing suggestions that will give me the most bang for my buck?

Thanks!

[AmyBrown]

In no particular order:

Local SEO
Participation in relevant communities (both demographic and topic)
JV with related but not competitive business
Encourage reviews on review sites like Angies List and Yelp
Twitter
Facebook
Article marketing
Press Releases
Video marketing
Affiliate model - if feasible

I'm sure there's more. Best of luck with your new business!

[JohnMcCabe]

You can add pay per click ads targeted to the area you want to reach...

[kennethtang]

Build a site/blog for your business area. Have informative articles on it that is relevant to all prospects/customers regardless of geographical area.

Create an AR series for your present target area and another one for the new target area. For the new target area AR, just inform potential sign ups that they'll be able to access/download informative reports/articles/etc about your area of specialty that's of interest to them.

Let them know "we'll be in XXXX soon! And we'll give you a hooller when we get there...plus get a free YYYY on us during our (name your launch event here, if any)"

Do some local SEO for the present area as well as the new target area. Maybe some PPC, classifieds, JVs (here you can offer participating partners' customers the same reports/articles you have in your AR series). Get as many sign ups as you can, especialy for the new area.

When you're ready to expand to the new area, plan a small event for the launch, do a local PR campaign if feasible, shoot an announcement to the area list, bring some of your local present customers over to the event and have a blast!

Just some ideas for you ...

Kenneth

[AndrewCavanagh]

With "green" issues and businesses being so popular in the media you should be able to get covered by local media (newspaper, radio, TV) by doing some offline press releases.

You just have to make a sexy story that involves your business.

What kind of business is it?

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[Marklouis]

HI friend,

Here are some tips,

Online advertising

Internet advertising sales isn't as confusing as many small business owners think. Just like in the brick-and-mortar world, the goal is to acquire new customers as cheaply as possible. It's the same with online businesses; only the methods are different. And just like in the offline world, knowing where to place your ads will determine the success or failure of your ad campaign.

Displaying your ads in front of motivated purchasers is the best way to improve your online sales opportunities. Following are some sales tips for online advertising.

Keyword advertising is the easiest and cheapest way to target your ad buys. Buying keyword advertising with Goggle or Overture lets you target customers effectively and even before you start preparing for the advertisement.It a great option for companies that don't have extensive advertising resources.

E-newsletter advertising is another inexpensive but effective way of reaching targeted customers. There are thousands of e-newsletters published every week and on many subjects. Try to find at least five different e-newsletters that speak on topics related to your products.

Banner or button ads are still an option, as long as you advertise on sites that your potential customers are already visiting. Look for sites that offer tips and advice about the products / services that you sell and approach them to see if they are willing to sell advertising space on their site.

Hover ads are used to display a message on your web page. Hover ads are used by more and more site owners instead of the pop-up window. They are preferred because as pop-up blocking software cannot block the new hover ads. More and more browsers and toolbars block pop-up messages, but hover ads are still displayed, and get more attention as well. Instead of opening a completely new browser window when someone enters (or leaves) your site, the Hover Ad will appear in the same browser window. It can be scheduled as per your convenience.

Thanks and Regards,
Mark

[Angel Anderson]

Originally Posted by AmyBrown

In no particular order:

Local SEO
Participation in relevant communities (both demographic and topic)
JV with related but not competitive business
Encourage reviews on review sites like Angies List and Yelp
Twitter
Facebook
Article marketing
Press Releases
Video marketing
Affiliate model - if feasible

I'm sure there's more. Best of luck with your new business!

I ageee 100%

[Traffic-Bug]

If you are using online marketing methods, then you need to have atleast a web presence, otherwise how would you send traffic that orignates from press release, twitter etc. You have only said it is offline business. That means you dont have a website as of now.

One idea is to buy ad placements on green energy sites and alternative energy sites through PPC or CPM model.

[Dave777]

Study, network and learn from the following bible of Green resources! Brainstorm and borrow the best ideas into your green concept. Endless untapped niche green opportunities and marketplaces few are going after...
Think about all those Green niche marketplaces & possibilities... Blogs, PLR, Domain names etc...

Dave

[tanya7zhou]

Get in contact with Andrew Cavanagh he has already posted something on this thread, post number 5 I think. He knows quite a lot about working with small businesses and staff. That guy can point you in the right direction.

There are other guys on this forum if you look around, who have already delved into this subject, you will gain more info.

God bless your projects