What is a small business owner to do? You have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of competitors around world. How do you make yourself known amid all noise and confusion? One thing is for certain. You may or may not have a budget for marketing and promotion but you want to get most bang for your buck.

Stretch your budget by developing a low cost public relations campaign that you can handle in house. Publicity is a much more powerful tool than advertising and a successful campaign lends credibility to you and your company.

Use following tips to take advantage of many opportunities to make yourself known in on-line and off-line world. Think creatively and you'll come up with even more ideas to propel your public relations campaign ahead.

1) Write articles such as customer case studies, book reviews, how to advice, editorials, etc. and develop a snazzy by-line that drives readers to your web site. Submit your articles to directories, newsgroups, e-zines, web sites and off-line newsletters and magazines. You'll be astonished at how far one article can reach and how it can convert readers to loyal, long-term clients. If you need guidance with this technique consider signing up for "Expert Articles" teleclass held by Dr. Rachna D. Jain. E-mail Dr. Jain at Coach6-46006@autocontactor.com for more information.

2) Speak for free at your local Chamber of Commerce, trade associations and clubs. Ask sponsoring organization to hand out your business cards and brochures to all attendees prior to event. Collect business cards and hold a prize drawing at end of your speech. Use business cards to send out "thank you for attending" e-mails after event and ask for permission to add recipient to your newsletter list. Build this list and communicate regularly.

3) Approach local and national radio shows covering your target audience and offer to appear as a guest. You will need to craft a pitch letter that can be sent via e-mail to producer of show. Make your pitch exciting and spend a great deal of time on benefits listeners will derive from your segment. To find radio stations search brs web-radio site at http://www.radio-directory.com/.

By F. Terrence (Terry) Markle

This interview is with Michael Murray, author of a top selling ebook titled “Autoresponder Basics.” Michael is also involved with many excellent affiliate programs.

Terry: Michael, this is a real pleasure to talk about your experience and business on Internet. To start off, how did you get involved with Internet?

Michael: I’m disabled and I always figured I’d get a job with computers. In 1996, my dad got Internet hooked up and I loved it. At time, I was 13 and a big fan of Goosebumps (the popular book series back then). I would search for information on it. When I was 16, I started seeing lots of “Get Rich Quick” schemes and fell into it and wasted a lot of money. Fortunately, I learned through trial and error right way to make money online.

Terry: That is an interesting beginning. What led you to develop your top selling ebook "Autoresponder Basics"?

Michael: For a couple of years, I only promoted affiliate programs. I didn’t have my own product. I was in very competitive Internet marketing niche and there was already an overload of information. People were writing “How to Make Money Online” ebooks who weren’t even making a dime themselves! I didn’t have anything new to say about subject. I became a critic of other people’s work and wrote honest reviews about it to my email list. They would save money by buying only quality products. My reviews led people to ask me how to use autoresponders. They realized need to “build a mailing list” but had no idea how to technically do it. I did some research and discovered that a lot of good guides existed about email marketing techniques and list building strategies. However, guides all assumed you knew how to use autoresponders. That was a bold assumption. After some encouragement from a fellow marketer, I researched and wrote “Autoresponder Basics.”

Terry: Great! You benefited on an opportunity to develop a product that people wanted. What types of products/services do you believe sell well on Internet?

Michael: First, information products (i.e., ebooks, tapes, videos, coaching, seminars, etc.) are #1 item to sell online. Information products have low overhead and high markups. To sell information products successfully, you need a tightly targeted niche market to sell to. You need not only a niche but also a sub-niche. My ebook is perfect example. I chose a specific subject in a niche that very few other people were marketing.

Terry: Sounds straightforward. Find a market niche and pursue it. In your pursuit, what well-known Internet marketers helped you most with your business?

Michael: Terry Dean was biggest help. I have almost all his products. He taught me importance of email follow-up. Yanik Silver, Jim Edwards and Stephen Pierce have great products that have educated me.

Terry: It is very important to have guidance from a qualified coach. What is your opinion on best way to market products/services?

Michael: The best way to market your own products is through joint ventures. The JV is a partnership formed to share risks and rewards. For example, one person develops a product and another sells it for a percentage of profits. This is usually 50% or higher. If I have an ebook on car repair, I’d go to other car websites and ask them to put a link to my website on their website.

Terry: The implied message is to use JVs to your advantage. Do you advertise in an ezine?

Michael: Yes! Paid ezine advertising is a great way to make money quickly. However, I would not sell a product in ad. Instead, I would give away a free report in ad and get prospects onto an email list. Sell to list.

Terry: That makes sense. Build your list! Is it important to have a lot of money to spend when starting a marketing business?

Michael: No! The only thing you’ll need is a good autoresponder. A website is a good resource but not mandatory if you have a good autoresponder.

Terry: OK! With regard to follow-up sales, how important is it to sell a back-end product/service?