Guerilla Marketing on the Internet

Thanks to the internet, any business can sell to customers from around the world. All you need is a domain name, a shopping cart program, and a product or service that can be delivered through the mail, over the phone, or via email or download. The only problem is that the internet is an awfully big place and letting all those customers in faraway lands know that your site exists can be a difficult task. There are, however, several ways to increase traffic to your site without spending a lot of money.

When most people think of web advertising, they think of banner ads. Banner ads can increase traffic to your site, but most have a click-through rate of less than one percent. Unless you've got a very clever ad campaign and the money to place your ads prominently on well-known or perfectly-targeted sites, a free banner exchange program with other sites that target your demographic will generate just as many hits as high-priced paid ads.

Social networking sites can also help increase your visibility on the web, especially if you already have fans or customers who use such sites. All you have to do is set up a page for your business on MySpace, LiveJournal, or any other social networking site, ask your existing customers to add you to their friend list, and make sure to post regular updates and news to your blog. On some sites, you can stream an RSS feed from your web site to the blog, which will cut down on the time you have to spend maintaining the account. The best thing about social networking sites is that you advertise on the pages of everyone on your friend list in addition to your company page. If you can find a way to create a meme or quiz related to your company, you can get even more prominent and widespread advertising across the blogosphere.

Online forums and newsgroups can provide free advertising, but require a higher level of participation and restraint than some of the other options. If you simply join a group or forum and start posting ads, you're spamming, which will annoy readers and may get you banned from the group. It's much better to become a recognized member of the community, and only mention your product or service when the discussion presents an opportunity to do so naturally. Assuming you've chosen a forum or newsgroup that is in some way related to your business, this will happen from time to time.

One often overlooked form of free advertising is the signature file. Your email and forum signatures should always include your company name and web address. The same applies to profiles for any forum or social networking site you join, even if it's a personal account. There's no guarantee that anyone who sees the signature will click the link but at least they'll have the opportunity. Every opportunity you give someone to visit your web site is an opportunity to gain a new customer, so never pass up the chance to let people know about your site.