Anybody with millions of dollars in their advertising budget can run a huge and effective marketing campaign, but how do you run an effective marketing campaign online for free?

First off, none of these marketing techniques are new by any means, but they do sometimes get overlooked. So without further adieu, I present my top 5 effective marketing tips online.

1. Get involved

Build it, and they will come. The famous quote from the movie “Field of Dreams” goes half way to accomplish the task of marketing online. It takes more than just a unique or well-designed site to garner quality traffic. It also takes time and effort. That effort come from writing posts, commenting on similar sites, participating in forum discussions and writing guest posts for other sites. I wish it were as easy as flipping a switch, but to effectively market yourself online, it takes participation.

2. Reciprocate

You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. It is not hard to find others who are either in the same boat or similar boat as you in regards to development online. Team up with a few like bloggers and help each other out in ways that are mutually beneficial. Swapping posts, comments, ideas and strategies are very effective marketing techniques to use. Guest posts and comments will direct people towards your site, hopefully capturing the audience of another blogger. Not stealing their audience, but hopefully appealing to them as well.

3. Give credit

When someone helps you out or you get an idea from another blogger, send them a link and quick note stating that they made an impact on you. You’ll be surprised what happens in return. I have this on a number of occasions and still receive hundreds of visitors a day as a result. People like to be recognized and usually are willing to mention that to others. Its simple, yet effective.

4. Give freely

I can’t stand ebooks that cost money. In the world of light speed information exchange, trying to make a couple bucks off of an ebook seems ridiculous to me. In my perfect world, all of that would be free. Unless that ebook is a service that goes beyond the digital covers of its confines, give it away. When you talk about your tips, tricks, techniques, experiences and opinions freely, people listen. You might as well become that authority on the subject and beat out the person who is charging for it. I would rather effect change in 1,000 people’s lives daily than make $20 by selling information people can find for free.

5. Admit mistakes

All publicity is good publicity, right? Well, it is if you know how to use it to your advantage. When you make a mistake, handle it in the right way. Usually the right way to deal with a mistake is to admit fault and offer a solution or experience. If you deny or try to cover up your mistakes, it will normally lead to more bad publicity than you desire. People will understand that you are human and will quickly move on if you allow the subject to rest by dealing with it.

Conclusion

I know you were probably expecting some Digg or Stumbleupon gaming techniques or how to make money beating the lemming to the gold mine. But effective marketing online begins with principles and strategies, not gaming schemes to get traffic. What good is traffic that is here now and gone tomorrow?

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