I recently got an email from a client of mine with the question, “How do I promote my website”? As I began to write a response to them, it became very clear to me that this is a great topic for a blog post. Keep in mind that the gentleman is a photographer so my answers are specific to his trade, but whatever you do, you can probably just substitute the photography references with what applies to your field.
So, here is my response to the client.
1. Keep blogging! I noticed you have picked it up recently. Keep it up! Adding CONTENT to your website is the single most effective way to move up the “charts” of a Google search. Google loves content, keep feeding the beast!
2. Every time you go on a shoot, or shoot for fun, throw up a couple of photos and write a blog post on it. Use keyword rich content that describes the photos, that way – if someone is searching for like keywords, your post has a good chance at getting in front of them – at the very moment they need your services!
3. Change your email address from nonmemoarableemail@yahoo.com to YourName@YourSite.com (this is done in your email settings with your web host). You just add the new email address as a forwarding address to your main email address. You want people to associate YOU with http://www.yoursite.com/ every time you “touch” them in an email.
4. Create an email Signature that has your name, website address (as a clickable link), and your business phone number. Use the sig for every email you send.
5. Have a Facebook Fan (aka Like) page for your Business and get all your current FB friends to “Like” your business. How To Set Up a Facebook Fan Page ß Video
6. Have a contest – Free photo shoot, free photo lessons, or whatever – and ask people to “Like” your Facebook Fan page and enter to win.
7. Use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to call attention to projects you are working on, and offer hypertext links to blog articles you write. But follow the golden rule – Don’t JUST shamelessly promote your business – Engage others, be interested in what THEY have to say, support other local businesses, and create “community” by being legitimately interested in others. How To Use Twitter for Business (Video)
8. Does your business card have your web address on it? It should!
9. Do you have a LinkedIn profile? You should, and it should have a link back to your website. More kick ass info on beefing up your LinkedIn profile ß Video
10. Get some Recommendations on your LinkedIn Profile – Business reco’s are the most important.
11. Do a Google search for “photography directories” and “Business directories” and make sure to create a profile for your business in as many of the free directories as possible, some of the paid ones are good, too. Make sure you include your website, with a CLICKABLE link back to your site. This gives you promotion on the directory site, AND a LINK BACK to your own site. LINK BACKS are second to “Content” in the eyes of the Google search algorithm.
12. Read other people’s blogs. Make comments & include a link back to your website. BUT, …VERY Important – don’t “spam comment”. If you write something like, “nice article” and your only intent is to get the link back, your comment will be most likely deleted. You have to leave good, quality comments and show you really cared about the article, and that you are not just there to get the link back.
13. Do a press release and use a site like http://www.prweb.com/ to promote it for you. Make sure to have a clickable link back to www.YourWebSite.com in the press release
14. Start a YouTube Channel and encourage your sphere to subscribe to it.
15. Do “How To” videos on photography related things, post the videos to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo.com, Metacafe.com, MySpace.com, Dailymotion.com, Veoh.com, HowTo.com, 5Min.com and any other video sites you can. Make sure to include a link back to your site in every video description, use good keywords – and keyword rich words in the Title.
16. Take your video’s from #15 and embed the YouTube video in a Blog article on your Blog. Then add text to further describe the video and encourage visitors to watch the video
17. Go Old School #1 – Slick, glossy postcards with a killer example of your work, contact info, & your web address can drive traffic and get you more work.
18. Go Old School #2 – Good ole fashion print advertising in something like a local paper or magazine with a killer image, contact info, and web address for more examples can drive traffic. Offer something for free, or reduced rate.
19. Go Old School #3 – Real life NETWORKING! Get involved with Networking groups in [your city/town]. Twitter is a great way to know what’s going on around [your city/town].. So are the Groups feature on LinkedIn. Show up at events, shoot them for free – post the photos online, Tweet about it, Facebook update about it, write a blog post on the event, and say nice things about some of the people you met at the event. Offer links to their sites and help them promote their businesses. Send a Tweet, FB, or an email to them to let them know about your coverage of the event and link to your blog article. They’ll remember you, and repay you with referrals in spades!
20. Eat at new restaurants, go to new stores – meet the owners. If you are pleased with their services, tell the owner you are going to write a blog article on how good they were. Give them a business card (with link to your site) and encourage them to check back in a few days to read it. When they read the nice things you said about them, they will be indebted to you, REMEMBER YOU, and send you referrals! If you Don’t have anything nice to say – don’t ever slam another business in a public forum – Everyone loses! Just don’t say anything at all.
21. Monitor what people are saying about YOU, and your business. Set up a “Google Alert” for your biz so you know anytime your business is referenced online.
This should be enough to get you started! Let me know if you have any specific questions! Thanks,
Steve Schwartz
Owner – Amazing Video Tours
704-288-5705
www.AmazingVideoTours.com <– My Primary Website
www.avtmarketing.com/blog <– My Blog (we can design a WordPress Blog for you, too!)
www.Facebook.com/amazingvideotours <– Join My Custom Facebook Fan Page
www.twitter.com/amazingvidtours <– Follow Me on Twitter!
www.flickr.com/photos/amazingvideotours/sets/ <–My Real Estate Photography
Of course, I used my my standard email signature to close the email, even though my client is a close friend. You NEVER know who your emails might get forwarded to, and it makes sense to make your contact info easy to find. Good Luck!
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