SitePoint.com

ArticleBot · Jul 6, 2004, 21:24

This is an article discussion thread for discussing the SitePoint article, "How to Market Your Business on a Shoestring"

Jul 6, 2004, 21:24

Well Done, Great Article, lots to be learnt.
<a href="http://www.sitescene.net">Sitescene</a>

Jul 6, 2004, 21:37

Excellent!!! Just what I needed! I think everyone starting ANY type of business should read this!

Dontom · Jul 7, 2004, 00:44

Andrew, another excellent article again :)
I guess this is a description of some of the steps you used to start your business?
Keep on writing,
Thomas

Olate · Jul 7, 2004, 00:47

Yeah. Some good ideas there. Nice work :)

baztorres · Jul 7, 2004, 01:28

Article was very good. Has given my some kind of direction now on how to market.

smadeira · Jul 7, 2004, 09:01

Great article... Exactly the same steps you need to find a salaried job these days. Everything is about the network.

kajax101 · Jul 7, 2004, 10:11

Another great bit of content from this guy...I was actually quite interested in a Blog post that he made http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=175679

Discussing the promotional benefits of writing articles and distributing them.

hamnet · Jul 7, 2004, 15:15

A very valuable article! It shall be useful in "re-launching" my company and injecting it with a much-needed set of marketing practices. Thanks for another great article, Andrew.

DougD · Jul 7, 2004, 15:42

Very good article. I am pretty good at being creative in marketing, but it usually costs me a bit of money. There were some great ideas in the article that I am planning on implementing right away!

Jul 8, 2004, 01:05

Excellent article. This is definitely the way to go when you have no start-up money!

You need to develop some routines though, juggling this kind of work and getting stuck into complex project work can be hard: especially given that the promotional and sales stuff will probably not be something that talented web designers are naturally good at.

Being able to quickly write up proposals, knowing how to quickly phone around your contacts and being clear about what you want from each call (like a lunch appointment, or a chance to show a 10 minutes presentation) could help.

Andrew, how might this develop into a repeatable, efficient sales channel? How have other people gone implementing this? And, how do we use the web to greatest effect at this phase of building a client base?

**aneitlich** · Jul 8, 2004, 10:49

Paul,

Next article will focus on putting marketing on "autopilot." Thanks for suggestion.

Best,

Andrew

Jul 8, 2004, 10:58

Fantastic article! You are really in same line as Joel, Eric Sink and other enterprenurs who gives no nonsense practical advice. I am going to forward this article to all my friends who wants to build a company! :)
JD

Jul 9, 2004, 00:46

you are in luck

Widow Maker · Jul 9, 2004, 12:46

Seen the charitable approach before, and it does work :)

Excellect article, one i'll be coming back to again and again :)

Well done

BusinessEmpire · Jul 9, 2004, 15:14

Great article. This is much needed information as I am starting a whole new business.

Jul 10, 2004, 08:29

Good article. I realized that is about marketing first. I am not the most technical savy person, but I know enought to get by. You want your clients to rely on you for expertise and explain things in non technical terms.

jasonlotito · Jul 11, 2004, 22:05

I can't believe you didn't mention issuing press releases. It's free to do, free advertising, and it really does work. If you really do have something new and unique, or are doing something traditional in a different way (or basically, you company is doing something), issue a press release!

MickoZ · Jul 15, 2004, 21:15

I am used to always be on top in everything I do... I like it. That is what I find fun, it is like a game. But in the other hand I really liked that quote of your:

"At times you will want to give up (don't!)."

It is simple, but it actually give me a big slam in the face. Since I am used to be in the top players, but that now I am confronted with new challenge, I wonder if I can keep it up. I guess sometime when you feel bad, you feel un-motivated, you just have to tell yourself to not give up. In the long run it pays. I know, I remember some of the time where I had an hard time achieving something, and I gave so much effort, that I ended up being in top again. That is often the key to success. You might have talent, you might be smart. But when you plays against as smart people or you get challenge up to your skills, you will see that you will need to do that little effort.

All that said: thanks again! ;-)

Jul 16, 2004, 09:14

Good article and generally very motivated - Exactly what new businesses need to hear, so for that I'm sure alot of people will get an instant buzz from this one.

I can add that you must have good instinct and a nose for where the money is if you're going to be good at running your own show in the long run. Having run my own business for 13 years I think one of the most important aspects of being successful is constantly assessing yourself - it promotes self motivation.

;-)

Creative Director >>

Aug 13, 2004, 13:29

I feel really motivated to pursue my business again. Thanks for your great advice. Cheers!

Sep 21, 2004, 20:40

Awesome article! Encouragement was exactly what this new web business owner needed to stand straight again. It's so easy to feel drowned in the SEO mumbo jumbo when you are just a small fry, trying to nail your target audience and get the right presence on the web. My creativity capabilities weren't in question here, but after reading this article I realized that I needed to focus my efforts and now I can clearly see WHAT it is that I need to focus on. Hurrah for Andrew!

gator-girl · Nov 9, 2004, 04:45

Great article. Anyone considering doing their own business should read this.

Cartman · Nov 11, 2004, 10:38

Wow, some great ideas there, I especially like your networking example. I'm going to try some of these strategies for my ticket broker site and see if I can't increase my sales!

PrintingGuru · Nov 12, 2004, 13:13

That was cool!!! I learned lots of ideas for our business... they should always post this kind of stuffs in the future for references at least...

Jul 6, 2004, 21:24	#1
ArticleBot SitePoint Articles Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 0	Article Discussion This is an article discussion thread for discussing the SitePoint article, "How to Market Your Business on a Shoestring"

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Jul 6, 2004, 21:24	#2
Anonymous SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Well Done, Great Article, lots to be learnt. <a href="http://www.sitescene.net">Sitescene</a>

Jul 6, 2004, 21:37	#3
Jake SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Excellent!!! Just what I needed! I think everyone starting ANY type of business should read this!

Jul 7, 2004, 00:44	#4
Dontom SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 52	Andrew, another excellent article again :) I guess this is a description of some of the steps you used to start your business? Keep on writing, Thomas

Jul 7, 2004, 00:47	#5
Olate SitePoint Addict Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: UK Posts: 289	Yeah. Some good ideas there. Nice work :)

Jul 7, 2004, 01:28	#6
baztorres there is no box Join Date: May 2004 Location: UK - London \ Surrey Posts: 376	Article was very good. Has given my some kind of direction now on how to market.

Jul 7, 2004, 09:01	#7
smadeira SitePoint Zealot Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 187	Great article... Exactly the same steps you need to find a salaried job these days. Everything is about the network.

Jul 7, 2004, 10:11	#8
kajax101 SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: London UK Posts: 53	Another great bit of content from this guy...I was actually quite interested in a Blog post that he made http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=175679 Discussing the promotional benefits of writing articles and distributing them.

Jul 7, 2004, 15:15	#9
hamnet SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Saskatoon, Canada Posts: 53	A very valuable article! It shall be useful in "re-launching" my company and injecting it with a much-needed set of marketing practices. Thanks for another great article, Andrew.

Jul 7, 2004, 15:42	#10
DougD I LOVE THIS SITE ! ! ! Join Date: May 2000 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 672	Very good article. I am pretty good at being creative in marketing, but it usually costs me a bit of money. There were some great ideas in the article that I am planning on implementing right away!

Jul 8, 2004, 01:05	#11
Paul Minty SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Excellent article. This is definitely the way to go when you have no start-up money! You need to develop some routines though, juggling this kind of work and getting stuck into complex project work can be hard: especially given that the promotional and sales stuff will probably not be something that talented web designers are naturally good at. Being able to quickly write up proposals, knowing how to quickly phone around your contacts and being clear about what you want from each call (like a lunch appointment, or a chance to show a 10 minutes presentation) could help. Andrew, how might this develop into a repeatable, efficient sales channel? How have other people gone implementing this? And, how do we use the web to greatest effect at this phase of building a client base?

Jul 8, 2004, 10:49	#12
aneitlich SitePoint Columnist Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sarasota FL Posts: 191	Paul, Next article will focus on putting marketing on "autopilot." Thanks for suggestion. Best, Andrew

Jul 8, 2004, 10:58	#13
JD SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Fantastic article! You are really in same line as Joel, Eric Sink and other enterprenurs who gives no nonsense practical advice. I am going to forward this article to all my friends who wants to build a company! :) JD

Jul 9, 2004, 00:46	#14
ds SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	you are in luck

Jul 9, 2004, 12:46	#15
Widow Maker Non-Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 1,807	Seen the charitable approach before, and it does work :) Excellect article, one i'll be coming back to again and again :) Well done

Jul 9, 2004, 15:14	#16
BusinessEmpire SitePoint Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 287	Great article. This is much needed information as I am starting a whole new business.

Jul 10, 2004, 08:29	#17
Anonymous SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Good article. I realized that is about marketing first. I am not the most technical savy person, but I know enought to get by. You want your clients to rely on you for expertise and explain things in non technical terms.

Jul 11, 2004, 22:05	#18
jasonlotito SitePoint Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 22	I can't believe you didn't mention issuing press releases. It's free to do, free advertising, and it really does work. If you really do have something new and unique, or are doing something traditional in a different way (or basically, you company is doing something), issue a press release!

Jul 15, 2004, 21:15	#19
MickoZ SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada, Qc Posts: 50	I am used to always be on top in everything I do... I like it. That is what I find fun, it is like a game. But in the other hand I really liked that quote of your: "At times you will want to give up (don't!)." It is simple, but it actually give me a big slam in the face. Since I am used to be in the top players, but that now I am confronted with new challenge, I wonder if I can keep it up. I guess sometime when you feel bad, you feel un-motivated, you just have to tell yourself to not give up. In the long run it pays. I know, I remember some of the time where I had an hard time achieving something, and I gave so much effort, that I ended up being in top again. That is often the key to success. You might have talent, you might be smart. But when you plays against as smart people or you get challenge up to your skills, you will see that you will need to do that little effort. All that said: thanks again! ;-)

Jul 16, 2004, 09:14	#20
fatboy SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Good article and generally very motivated - Exactly what new businesses need to hear, so for that I'm sure alot of people will get an instant buzz from this one. I can add that you must have good instinct and a nose for where the money is if you're going to be good at running your own show in the long run. Having run my own business for 13 years I think one of the most important aspects of being successful is constantly assessing yourself - it promotes self motivation. ;-) Creative Director >>

Aug 13, 2004, 13:29	#21
Vin SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	I feel really motivated to pursue my business again. Thanks for your great advice. Cheers!

Sep 21, 2004, 20:40	#22
Christine Wagenfuehrer SitePoint Community Guest Posts: n/a	Awesome article! Encouragement was exactly what this new web business owner needed to stand straight again. It's so easy to feel drowned in the SEO mumbo jumbo when you are just a small fry, trying to nail your target audience and get the right presence on the web. My creativity capabilities weren't in question here, but after reading this article I realized that I needed to focus my efforts and now I can clearly see WHAT it is that I need to focus on. Hurrah for Andrew!

Nov 9, 2004, 04:45	#23
gator-girl SitePoint Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States Posts: 1	Great article. Anyone considering doing their own business should read this.

Nov 11, 2004, 10:38	#24
Cartman SitePoint Zealot Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Mount Laurel, NJ Posts: 116	Wow, some great ideas there, I especially like your networking example. I'm going to try some of these strategies for my ticket broker site and see if I can't increase my sales!

Nov 12, 2004, 13:13	#25
PrintingGuru SitePoint Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 35	That was cool!!! I learned lots of ideas for our business... they should always post this kind of stuffs in the future for references at least...