Now that you have your website, how do you market it?
April 12, 2005 - By Sun
Karma
This article is copyrighted by Sun Karma and NYConfidential. Any other use in any form elsewhere in electronic, printed, or other formats is prohibited and punishable in a court of law © 2005-2009 Sun Karma Productions LLC
1. Do you have your comp cards:? In the last article..I listed where to get you some model comp cards and model CDÂ’s. Do you have them? If not..go to Kinkos and get them to print some inexpensive versions out to you. Get them printed on laser paper (NOT the heavier kind) and save up about 50.00 for some postage. Go get you some legal size envelopes and click on the links and order you some mailing labels to agents and casting directors
Showbiz Monster
Actors Life
Showbiz Ltd
Send your comp card or headshot (with resume on the back if you have one) out to the agentsÂ…they get thousands of mails like this a day..but if they like you, they will contact you back. (DONÂ’T forget to put your phone #--I suggest getting a free voicemail # just to filter out the wierdos) on the card you mail out.
IÂ’ve got something for youÂ…IÂ’ll send you 500 free to start with!
Enter your email here and I will automatically send them to you. Your email HAS to be valid or you wonÂ’t get the download link.
2. Viral Marketing
Yes, it works. What you do is you create a one page website. (most of these places do NOT allow porn..so tone it down to a simple autoresponder or a sign up box using your mailing list (NOT YAHOO GROUP!). Advertise something..anything..a tshirt ,a coffee mug whatever from your webstore and put in on that page with a plain banner and your mailing list opt in (try café press to create your own items Join ALL of the viral marketing programs that you can. What this does is it gets your link seen by a VARIETY of people. Now open your browser and let it stay open while you gain credits..you might have to click every few minutes, but this gets your link seen. Here are some starter programs to join:
Doctor Traffic
Cash Culture
Traffic Tornado
Viral Visitors
Hit Magik
Traffic Swarm
Bizzy Surfer
Lifestyle networker
Lemming Run
Click Valet
Traffic Tornado
Simply HQ
Money Legs
ICP
Pro Hits Plus
Clickin fingers
3. Your own webstore
Sell your own products on your own webstore with café press. Branding your own items is a smart thing. Once
You have made a brand of yourself- but that mark on products that your fans and friends can buy.
YOUR OWN WEBSTORE
4. Banner Exchanges:
Start your own banner exchange. These are great for traffic for both the tradee and the trader! They also provide more ‘eye candy’ for your visitors. These can be found here:
Topsite world
Only Php Toplist
Toplist4free
aadvarkind
I Topsites
5. Get listed:
Get listed on sites. Search through Alexa and find sites similar to your own. The lower the alexa ranking, the more popular the site. There are so many sites out there, that its hard to try to get on EVERYONE of them, but here are some good ones to start with:
Elegance Talent Group
Babes.net
Team Omni
Babe Warehouse
Black cuties
Body Rockin
STX
Tradeshow Visions
Elite Models
Retro Kitten
Garage Glamour
Elite Web Models
Glamour Models
Net-Model
Urban Models
Models Central
Dream Girl Central
5. Get interviews:
A lot of websites featured models and do interviews. I suggest emailing them a request, or sometimes on their sites there will be response forms to ‘get signed up’. ANY PROMO IS GOOD PROMO. Remember that. If someone blasts you on a webboard as being ugly, etc..etc that’s promo. Work it. Having a thick skin in this internet modeling industry is a must. If you can’t hold up to high scrutiny and idiots- you are in the wrong biz. Regardless of the sourceyou will get traffic. I don’t recommend starting a rumor about yourself or being a blatant bitch or badgal just to get traffic and to get known-but get out there and MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN. Try to get interviews with some of the big online zinesÂ…
6. Contests:
Either love them or hate them, but contests are also a good way of getting exposure. Maxim Magazine has the hometown hotties contest, Smooth magazine has Smooth Girl, FHM has FHM "girls", Royal Blue Dimes has their calendar searches..they are all out there, just look for them, and enter them. Mostly all contests really do is get the magazine exposure (tons of men clicking on pretty girls pictures all day) but it can also get YOU exposure as well. Your face will get out there. Just please, please USE THIS AS A MARKETING TOOL. If you think about it that way, you are more likely to get it in perspective. Many people’s pet peeves about contests is that automatically (in yahoo groups this runs rampant) people are spamming their ‘vote for me in XYZ’ contest all over the place. Ask nicely, ask those your know, but donÂ’t spam people you donÂ’t know begging for votes. It makes you look desperate and is really not professional. You’ll have the tools you need to get where you want to go..use the tools, begging is so unladylike. Use your head instead.
7. Marketing Your Site Online
Before you start marketing your site on the Web, make sure you've created a great-looking and useful Web site that will attract visitors and keep them coming back. Our Associates Newsletter can help you add value to your Web site by helping you build links to relevant parts of showbiz.com, and giving you useful tips on building a better site. Use our tips to keep your visitors coming back for your latest recommendations.
Getting Better Ranking in Search Engines
There is no easy way to get listed near the top of a Search Results page, but taking the time to learn a few techniques and continually monitoring your placement will help. We've created a valuable resource list to help increase your chances of being listed higher in search results, and once you've gained that coveted position, there are resources here to help you keep it.
Submitting Your Site to Search Engines
Submit your URL (with title & Meta tags) to the major search engines:
Search engine optimization
AOL NetFind
--Web sites are indexed every two weeks. The spider indexes the full text of the pages it finds instead of grabbing small bits of it--no need to submit a list of keywords.
AltaVista
--Web sites are available for queries in one or two days. Do not submit a description or keywords with a URL--use keyword and description Meta tags.
Excite
--URLs are updated by Excite on a weekly basis. See "Getting Listed Help" for more information on submitting URLs to Excite.
HotBot
--An easy Add URL Form & helpful tips on improving your site's ranking.
Infoseek
--New pages submitted are available next business day. See helpful "Submitting Tips" for more information on submitting URLs to Infoseek.
Lycos
--An easy Add Your Site Now form. Re-submit when your site changes.
WebCrawler
--It may take up to two weeks to be included in the index. Submit only the main URL for your site.
Yahoo!
--The Yahoo! directory is organized by subject. Learn how to suggest your site from the appropriate category at Yahoo!
Submitting Your Site to Multiple Search Engines & Directories
Here are some online services that will submit your site to many search engines and directories for you--some have free, limited versions of their service. There are also some good PPC search engines that offer rebates and free money to advertise on their networks. These are also listed.
Website Promotion
A-ha!
Kanoodle: $5.00 free credit
Submit your site to 3000 engines
Ehance
PostMaster from NetCreations
URL Announcement Service (free limited version)
Submit It!
Listing service (free limited version)
Virtual Stampede
Quick Submit (submit to top search engines for free), and a step-by-step "beef-up your Web site" guide
Checking Your Ranking
After you've submitted your Web site to various search engines (it may take a few days or a few weeks to show up), these resources will save you valuable time by searching for your site and telling you how well it ranked on different search engines.
Position Agent
Monitors your Web site ranking on the top search engines for different keywords & they'll send you weekly reports as well as a Web page analyzer to help you improve your listing. (Free limited version.)
Improving your Ranking
Use keywords in your page content in addition to your title and Meta tags.
Avoid frames and graphic-intensive pages if you can--search engines don't like them.
Include a home page link or button on every page and the name of your site. Because of the way search engines index, some visitors may enter your site through a page that's several clicks away from your home page.
Join Banner & Link Exchanges
It certainly doesn't hurt to try these services because they are typically free. The banner exchanges usually give banner impressions in return for impressions you produce for them. The ratios for the number of impressions you'll get for the number of impressions you generate will vary from service to service.
Link Exchange
Exchange It!
Trafficx
HyperBanner Network
You can exchange links with other sites without joining a service--link to some of the top sites in your category and ask them if they'll link to you.
4. Join Newsgroup Discussions
Newsgroups are a great place to make yourself visible in your Web site's interest area and to position yourself as someone who has knowledge and interest in a certain subject area. For instance, if your Web site is about Gay Cinema, you should follow and respond to Gay/Lesbian Movie newsgroups. As your "calling card," have your URL and a sentence about your site or your slogan in your signature block of your e-mail. Here's an example:
Jane Doe
Website Name
http://www.websitename.com
http://www.yourfanclub.com
Your logo or catchy slogan here
While this is a good way to let others with similar interests know about your site, stay away from posting commercial messages when posting to newsgroups--that's a big no-no in the online world. It is considered Spam (unsolicited commercial e-mail), and your inbox may fill up with heated messages from newsgroup members. Also, keep in mind that as a member of our Associates Program we ask that you adhere to our policy against sending Spam.
5. Join Web Rings
Web Rings allow you to join groups of Web sites with similar interest areas and link together to trade visitors and drive new traffic to your site, thus allowing visitors already interested in your site's subject matter to find your site easily.
WebRing
Yahoo's list of Web Rings
6. Start Your Own Newsletter
Starting a newsletter for your site is a great way to create repeat visitors by keeping them up-to-date and coming back for more. Make sure your newsletter contains useful information, updates regarding your site, editorial, book reviews, etc., and not only a link to your site. Keep it informative and don't clutter your recipient's inbox with too many newsletters--they'll appreciate hearing from you more!
ListBot by LinkExchange
ONElist--Start a list or join a list
7. Register Your Own Domain Name
Getting your own domain name gives your site added credibility and can help you get listed higher in search results. Make sure the name you pick is a logical name pertaining to the subject matter of your site and isn't too long to remember or easy to misspell.
Snapnames
Registry Web: Discount domains
Domain maniac
Mega Clutch Domains
Dotster
Cool Domains
.FM domains
9. Additional Marketing Resources
Hits to Sales
Advice from Mindspring
PromoteOne
A step-by-step guide to promoting your site
Promotion Toolkit
Resources and information for all levels of online marketing
Recommended Reading
Some top-selling Internet Marketing books at Amazon.com
Increase Your Web Traffic in a Weekend
Getting Hits: The Definitive Guide to Promoting Your Web Site
Marketing Online for Dummies
Cyberwriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online (Without Being Flamed)
Sun Karma is a accomplished model, actress, makeup artist/stylist and writer for NYConfidential magazine and will be publishing a book on internet modeling with some articles featured on this site. Please visit her site for more details. |
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