Now, it may not happen a lot, but every so often an Internet entrepreneur comes up with a business idea that is so totally unique that it doesn’t fall into the usual search engine request categories. Particular startups, niche products or other distinctive items you might be promoting may easily make their way to the top of search engine results, but if consumers aren’t looking for them yet, that’s not really going to help, is it? So, what is a marketer to do?

Of course, there are ways to attract consumers that don’t depend on search traffic. Options like writing articles, social media marketing, email blasts, blog posts and so forth, can garner interest in a new product or service without relying on organic search engine requests. However, you shouldn’t give up on gaining traffic through SEO efforts –just realize that you have to be a little crafty about it.

When you’re selecting keywords for your new, unique product or service, try using those that apply to markets that are similar to yours. Although they may not correlate directly to what you’re selling, they’ll get you into search results for things that people are actually searching for and extend your reach to potentially viable consumers. Even if there isn’t already a product on the market that you can hitch your services to, most likely you can find something that is similar enough that you would still be relevant to the folks doing the searching.

In cases when you can’t really find a product or service out there that is similar enough to yours, change your focus and think instead of your target market. What other kinds of things are they searching for? Think of their demographic aspects – age, gender, income, location, etc. – and redirect your efforts toward relatable content that will attract their interest. Once you get their attention, you can then introduce them to your cool, one-of-a-kind product or service that they don’t even know they need … yet.

Don’t be discouraged if your product or service fails to amass a huge search volume. Think outside of the search engine box and use that clever brain of yours to come up with marketing ideas that are just as unique as your super awesome product.

As you know, social media is huge with Internet marketers and everyone who’s anyone has a solid foundation in the top three communities: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Folks are diligent about maintaining their profiles, updating their statuses or feeds, and staying as current as possible to be an active member of the online communities. What a lot of those people forget about is the power of video.

Go into any eating establishment with a television to see what we’re talking about. Although they’re surrounded by friends and fried food, people are drawn to the screen and will crane their necks to see what’s going on, even if they can’t hear the audio or don’t really care about the content. Maybe it’s the flashing lights or maybe it’s because television was their babysitter – whatever it is, people love a video. Don’t you think it’s high time you take advantage of that fact?

With an inexpensive video camera and YouTube, creating and uploading your own videos is impossibly simple and there’s no better time than the present.

Maybe you could write a how-to video for one of your products. Perhaps put together a showcase of your company’s employees and skills. You can even do an introductory video of yourself and what services you provide for your clients. The point is to interact with your potential customers and create a relationship that goes beyond just buyer and seller.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Make your content entertaining, engaging and informative.
• When you upload, make sure you make your video public so that it’s searchable.
• Be sure to put your video in the correct category.
• Use appropriate tags.
• Watch out when using music or other material that isn’t yours; copyright infringement is serious business.
• Respond to any and every comment you get. This conversation has to be a two-way street.
• Write a concise, accurate description of your video so your target market can find you.
• Make friends with other users in your field or target market to widen your reach.

Now that you know a little more about making your own YouTube video, write that content, have a great time shooting, smile for the camera and good luck. Once you get started with YouTube videos, you’ll see that it’s not only another effective way to use social media as a marketing tool, it’s also a lot of fun. Here’s to going viral!

Have you ever thought about creating a contest on your website to attract customers and clients? It’s a great way to garner interest in your company and to get visitors coming back to your website to see what new offerings you have after the initial contest is over.

Online contests are becoming more frequently used as marketing tools that help Internet businesses gain an edge over their competition and enhance their business reputation at the same time. You can promote your contest in social media by Tweeting or posting Facebook updates about it and thereby drive increased traffic to your website.

Contests are a great way to create a buzz about your company and generate excitement for your clients and customers. And because it’s your contest, you can create rules that will keep participants coming back again and again. You can either allow multiple entries at a rate of one per day or have fairly quick turnaround between contests so that even those folks who don’t win will return over and over to see whether they have another shot at getting a prize.

You can also use contests as a way to grow your client list and marketing contacts by requiring that they respond to consumer surveys or provide their email addresses prior to entering.

From a simple blind drawing of participants names to randomly select a winner to requiring a submission of some sort such as a short essay on, “Why I Am the Best Person to Win the Jackpot,” there are tons of different contest ideas and ways you can offer a shot at a prize. We suggest you find something that works with your field of interest and remember that the more you ask of your contestants the better the prize needs to be.

And, perhaps the best part of using an online contest as a marketing tool is that besides the prize, it’s practically free!

Training executives for promoting their business via social media outlets is becoming a huge focus for many companies. Social networking communities hold great potential for marketing, branding and building your company image. In fact, many companies are hiring employees expressly to manage their social networking media for them.

As this popularity grows and more and more people turn to social networking communities as a top vehicle for communication and information, it’s vital that businesses become involved in them and use the potential of the interaction within those networks. Part of that involves training your employees on how to promote themselves and your company through social media, and how to keep their communities in check while making sure to not blur the lines between business and personal networks.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Make sure that your employees are savvy in social networking. Introduce them to the top three networks and give them brief rundowns on how each works.
• Take care to warn them about mixing business with pleasure. For example, your customers shouldn’t be given access to your employees’ photos of their beer chugging adventure at Oktoberfest.
• Help your workers get their professional accounts started by providing examples of appropriate profiles.
• Give your employees samples of suitable status updates they can use on their accounts to promote your business.
• Create a series of Tweets for employees to send out with links to your website.

With 90 million users on LinkedIn, 175 million on Twitter, and over 500 million on Facebook, social networks are insanely popular and are becoming a top resource for businesses from every industry across the board. In the past few years, the widespread use of these communities has changed the face of business and people are including their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter links in their email signatures, on their websites and even on their business cards.

By making sure your company and your employees are well versed in the social media game, you stay current in the online conversation and up-to-date in the ever expanding world of social media marketing.

For most Internet start-up businesses, there isn’t a lot of extra cash lying around to spend on marketing. Luckily, there are many ways entrepreneurs themselves can promote their products and companies online without dropping lots of dollars.

Facebook:            Create a Facebook profile for your company then develop a Fan Page for each of your products.

Twitter:            Update followers on the latest news at your company or provide helpful tips and hints, 140 characters at a time.

You Tube:            Like having your very own TV station, You Tube lets you post your own informational or instructional videos online.

Linked In:            Stay connected to business contacts and clients and make new ones in your industry.

Newsletters:             Keep your client base updated on your business and product offerings while keeping your name and company on their radar.

Blogs:            With regular blog postings you can develop an online community centered on your company’s industry while updating readers on your offerings and products.

Articles:             Establish your expertise in your area by writing and submitting articles to online websites that promote your industry.

Take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer. From social media communities to a customized blog for your company, there are tons of ways you can freely promote and market your products to old and new clients alike!

If you’re not promoting your business on Facebook, then you may be missing out on a chance to contact a large number of people every day. Facebook has turned into one of the most popular social networks on the Internet and it’s an outstanding place to market your products and services. When you post your ad on Facebook you’ll see a boost in the amount of activity on your website almost immediately.

One way to market your business on Facebook is via social ads. You can use social ads to contact individuals based on their gender, age or interests. It’s also an excellent idea to incorporate pictures into your ads since images attract more attention than plain text.

You can create a Facebook group or fan page to market your business. By doing so, you can invite friends, family, colleagues and associates to become a follower of the page or join the group. You can use the invite task on Facebook to ask all everyone you know to join and ask them to invite their acquaintances, which will generate untold followers and a lot more publicity.

Word of mouth via Facebook is another way you can reach the world with your message. Try to become friends with as many people as possible, and join groups that relate in some way to your product or business. That will help you connect with others online and they will then be more apt to purchase from you. Selling to a friend is typically easier than selling to stranger.

Marketing your business takes time and persistence. It also requires you to use every tool at your disposal. Facebook is just one of many ways you can reach your target audience, bring added traffic to your website, and thus improve your SEO results.