"Prime the Pump" Published by Bob Osgoodby Submitted: 23 November,2001 Anyone who has a well, knows you have to "Prime the Pump" before you get any water. In order to prime the pump, you have to give it a little water so you can then pump out a lot. Well, the same is true in business - any business, but especially so on the web. Assuming you have a good product that is reasonably priced, how do you market it to turn a profit. Some believe that if they "throw up" a web page the world will beat a path to their door. Others follow the no cost advertising route. If you were walking down a dimly lit street, and someone you never met, walked up, and offered to sell you a valuable watch for $15. What would you do? If you're like me, you'd say, "thanks, but no thanks". Why do some people think they can do it on the web and it will work. In order to succeed in business on the web, you must become known, and you are competing with some "heavy hitters", who have very deep pockets for advertising. The web does one thing however for the small entrepreneur - it creates a level playing field. There are plenty of niche markets where you can advertise at a very low cost. Let the "heavy hitters" spend their megabucks and forget it - you are not going to compete in their arena. While they are spending their advertising dollars on ads that reach hundreds of thousands with a minimal return, you can target your market and maximize yours. How do you get known? First - throw away the free email account. Second, get your own domain. There are companies competing with Network Solutions, and you can register your web site for as low as $13.50 - and then get a "no frills" web site for about six bucks a month with your own email accounts. Have we reached the bottom of your pockets yet? If so, you may wish to consider another line of work. Next - find a few Ezines or Newsletters that have a decent circulation in the market you wish to target. Remember 5,000 subscribers that are in your target market, are far better than 100,000 that are not. Finally, place an ad in those that match your business. Forget one time ads; they don't work. Get your ad in their face for at least seven issues - the more the better - they will get to know you. If you can't afford a minimal advertising budget, you're not really in business. That is called a hobby. Are there some free ads that work? Sure, but you can bet your life they can't be submitted "by the thousands", so forget the automatic submission software - you're just wasting your money. Have you "primed the pump"? If so, you can expect to get some water. Like any good business, if you reinvest your earnings in additional advertising, soon your cup will overfloweth. About the Author Bob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter Visit his Web Site at http://adv-marketing.com/business to subscribe. As a bonus, get 40,000 FREE E-Books from Larry Dotson, when you visit http://www.ldpublishing.com