Effective Online Promotion - Three Ways to Promote Your Products and Websites Without Going Broke

If you've ever worked with a pay-per-click advertising system, you know how quickly the costs of promoting your products can add up. Even using supposedly "free" methods can get expensive if you wind up investing in software or training courses designed to help teach you to promote your products. Fortunately, there are several different techniques you can use to get visitors to your site and to help close the sale once they're there, without breaking the bank.

1. Use Articles to Your Advantage

Using articles as a means of product promotion is often misunderstood in the world of internet marketing. After all, you likely aren't allowed to promote your product directly in an article - so how can you possibly profit from this method of promotion?

The real key to using articles to your advantage is to use them to promote your standing as an expert in your niche. For example, if you're selling a product on plucking nose hairs, don't write an article on "Why You Should Buy My Nose Hair Tweezers".

Instead, write about different tweezing techniques or offer advice on the best way to manage unruly nose hairs. This way, when readers click on the sales page link in your resource box, they'll feel confident that they're working with a real expert on the subject.

2. Incorporate Web Video

Creating a video file and embedding it on your site sounds a heck of a lot more complicated than it really is. There are dozens of programs on the market today that make it easy for you to create, edit and upload video files using a traditional video camera or a webcam installed on your computer. In fact, there are even some free options you can use to create screen capture videos to use on your sites.

But why go to all the hassle of using web video on your site? Internet marketers are fairly well indoctrinated into the long form sales letter approach that's often used to sell products, but many "outsiders" aren't. Visitors to your "Nose Hair Tweezer" sales page might be wary about buying from a long page of text if they aren't able to figure out whether there's a real person behind it or not. Using web video gives your visitors a face that they can relate to, making you much more likely to close the sale.

3. Work with Others

What's the fastest way to gain access to a list of over 100,000 subscribers? It isn't to build your own - it's to work with an established marketer with a list of this size! This type of deal - typically called a "joint venture" - involves contacting marketers whose products are complimentary (not directly competitive) to yours. Together, you can work out the specifics of a deal in which his or her subscribers receive some sort of exclusive benefit for your product, in exchange for the leg work of sending out the promotion.

If you're looking to set up this type of promotion, don't go about it haphazardly. Research potential joint venture partners and contact them with personalized messages describing exactly how their subscribers will benefit from your product. Be respectful of their time and understanding if they aren't able to help you out. Sooner or later, you're sure to find someone who's a perfect match for your product and you'll reap the rewards of working together to promote your products.