I don’t know how many of you feel the way I do but when I hear the word FREE I expect it to be free…

I cannot tell you how many times I will get an email – the subject line catches my interest, so I read further, I see that they have a FREE offer.

It looks great, and is something I am interested in. I click on the link and fill out the form only to find that it isn’t free at all, “you may use these tools for a limited time only or must pay shipping and handling” and by the way, shipping and handling is usually much more than it would cost to send.

There is nothing wrong with limited time offers or getting something for just the shipping and handling but put it up in front, be honest!! I will more than likely still be interested in what you have to offer – I don’t need to be tricked into signing on the dotted line!!

If you are a company that has been using this tactic, think again. As a possible client I have to tell you it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I am sure I am not alone. When this happens, I feel that I have been led down the wrong path, and I cannot trust the business that has sent me the offer.

Upon reading a piece of email like this, I will immediately put the company name and email on my spam list, to be banished forever (a little dramatic but true.)

I have an extremely busy schedule (as do all of you), and I do not have time to read email and take action, unless I am truly interested.

Remember: Perception is everything and you do not want to leave the wrong perception. If you are currently planning a marketing campaign, please heed my warning; be upfront and honest – no gimmicks please!

When you have gone through the time and trouble to put together a marketing campaign – be up front with what you are actually offering. Ethics and honesty are one of the most important things that a business must hold true to, or they will not build a lasting clientèle base.

Without it your business will not flourish and grow, it will eventually wither and die…

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design Providing Creative Solutions and Valuable Results TM

Well, it has taken some time, but I have finally compiled my first list of places to advertise your business on the internet for FREE.

I always look for ways to help my clients get ahead. Most small businesses are on a limited budget, the marketing funds are just not there. One of the best ways I can help you is to share a list of free advertising resources.

Of course posting your website will get your more visitors and more exposure, but it will also help you with the back-links that you need in order to rank higher in the Search engines. So it is a win – win…

I took the time to go to each website and list my own business. I wanted to see what the experience of listing on each of these websites would be. So when you get the list, you will find my notes right under the links telling you what I found when I signed up on each particular website.

I went through a lot of duds. I just threw them out – they were so confusing, or they claim to be free but really were not.

Below are some tips to make your experience when listing with all of these sites faster – and less frustrating

Type the information below into a word doc. This will make it so much faster to list your business Each website is a little different and so will need varying types of information.

• Profile information you will need to write a description of yourself showing your experience in the business you are listing and why you started or believe in what you are doing. It should appeal to your target market.
• Have pictures in a folder on your desktop – ready to go. Some of these websites allow pictures to be shown, and you will get more business if you have a picture of your product – or example of your service in the graphical form. Make sure you do not upload huge pictures directly from your camera. Size and compress them properly
• Have a picture of yourself ready to put on your profile. People like to see who they will be doing business with, and they will trust you much more.
• One login and one (GOOD) password – if you use the same for each registration it makes life so much easier.
• Refresh your information on these sites as needed.

Once you have all of these things in order you are now ready to access the links – and start submitting. Make sure the word document is opened so you can copy and paste. I have two monitors, and I love it. I can post on one and copy text from the other. I will be updating this list as time goes on – if you are on my mailing list, I will automatically send you the new updated version – no need to sign-up again!

One thing to remember – most of these websites will try and up sell you. I did not buy any extra’s I wanted to see how much traffic I get from them first. You do not want to throw away money on a website that is not getting a lot of traffic. So if you do decide to pay for extras choose wisely.

If this makes you wonder how I know that traffic is coming to my website from these submissions, I have Google analytics on the back end of my website, and it tells me where all the hits are coming from. If you do not have this on your website – how do you monitor what’s going on??

There are all types of analytic code and software, but Google Analytics is free– if you have someone else do your website, it shouldn’t cost much to have it done. If you need help let me know.

Important: Before listing your website, please make sure your website is in order, it looks professional, has all the elements needed to capture those visitors, and make sure you website is Search Engine Optimized…

I will be coming out with a Free (updated) SEO checklist at the end of the month. If you have already downloaded the list below you will automatically get the list emailed to you.

Access your list of free advertising promotion list

To Exciting Opportunities & Endless Possibilities!

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design

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