Top 7 Free Promotion Methods That Work

Are you tired of chasing after free classified sites and deleting FFA confirmations and safelist postings by the hundreds? Maybe it's time to adopt a new strategy. Quality instead of quantity. Of course, these free promotion methods require a little more work than an "FFA Blaster." But -- trust me here, folks -- the results are worth it! Free promotion CAN work. Here are seven winners:

1. Direct mail -- WHAT???? Isn't that a no-no online? Yes and no. Direct mail to strangers -- (SPAM) -- BIG NO-NO. But direct mail to a small group of people you already "know" is usually acceptable. I've sent mailings to publishers of ezines I subscribe to, people who've downloaded free articles from my site, and other "contacts." NOTE: make the mailing relevant to the contact. Work at building RELATIONSHIPS.
   
   
2. Publish your own ezine. NOT a five-minute clone-zine that consists of three pages of affiliate links, an article that has appeared in 10 other zines this week, and fifty classified ads.
   
   
3. Write articles for other ezines. Puh-leeeze, not another "there are three types of businesses -- sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation" articles. What have you learned in your chosen niche? What are you willing to share?
   
   
4. Referrals. If you know that contact A and contact B would benefit from an introduction, provide it. No strings attached. They will remember. (Once again, focus on building PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS online. Think of them as money in the bank).
   
   
5. Too busy or too overwhelmed to write an article? Put together a tip-list. Start with the title ___Ways YOU can ___________ or something similar.
   
   
6. Create giveaways. Are you good at creating forms, templates, or even software add-ons? Offer them to Webmasters as freebies for visitors or subscribers -- with appropriate acknowledgement of the source, of course (you).
   
   
7. Sig files. This oldie-but-goodie can act as your silent salesman every time you post a question or answer to a message board. Think you can't build a following with a short little blurb at the end of an email? Next time you get a message from a Hotmail member, look at the bottom. That single line was responsible for Hotmail's phenomenal growth. Don't tell me a sig file isn't big enough.
   
   There's one more free promotion idea that's worth mentioning--Free E-books. If you have the time and inclination to do it right, E-books represent a tremendous opportunity for free promotion.
   
   NOTE: "Doing it right" does NOT mean cutting-and pasting a dozen free articles with a hundred affiliate links. Yes, I know, some "gurus" are promoting that method...mostly the ones who sell overpriced CDs of "free" articles to cut-and-paste.
   
   There's one thing the best free promotions have in common. The EXCHANGE of benefits. The theory of win win. I give you quality content, you give me credit. In the process of communicating, I casually let you know what I do and where to find out more. I'm not screaming HEY, YOU! BUY MY PRODUCT BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SIX FIGURES ONLINE. I'm saying, Hey, friend, I'm here to help YOU make six figures online. Interested? ( If you let me help YOU make money, my profits will take care of themselves.) And what I just told you is the most powerful "secret" of free promotion. Feel free to use it.

© 2000 by Judy Wogoman, Publisher, NetNuggetz Newsletter--
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