Essential Marketing for Content Creators
Proven Techniques and Resources

With a less than ideal economy facing all of us content creators, now is the time to re-evaluate how and where we're utilizing our marketing resources.  This article is a snap shot at some of the most effective marketing strategies along with some great resources for implementation.

Marketing techniques have always evolved as technology changes, but in this most recent age of information, marketing has splashed into a whole new world of possibilities.  Never before has it been so easy for marketers to reach a specific demographic with their product.  Yet, with these new possibilities comes the challenge of finding the way to best use these largely untested media.

Website Marketing
One of the earliest media that marketers became aware of is the website, but websites are still regarded largely as passive investments.  This is an unfortunate and false assumption; websites have proven themselves to be, if used creatively, extremely productive in drawing customers to the checkout line.  Some ways to better utilize the potential of a website is to take advantage of companies that now offer research on the demographics of those visiting your site.  This will help marketers to better structure websites to grab the attention of those customers that may actually make a purchase.  Personification has also proven helpful – avatars are one such technique that seems to be working.  Whatever you do, don't be satisfied with a drab and infrequently updated website.

Email Marketing
Of course, email is another medium that marketers have tried to crack.  When emailing potential clients or customers, it is important not to overwhelm them with constant messages.  Rather, email's strength is its ability to cultivate a more specific relationship.  Marketers who focus on providing information specific to a customer's interests have experienced higher follow-through rates.

Cell Phone Marketing
And then there are the ever-present cell phones.  This relatively new medium is still largely a mystery, but with the prevalence of cell phones and the dependence with which people have embraced them, marketers are looking into serious ways to grab hold of their advertising potential.  Cell phones carry a wealth of information about each person using one, and marketers hope to be able to research and use this information in the future.  Further, now that cell phones are linking to the Internet, graphic advertisements are becoming a realistic possibility.  Some companies have already purchased ads on webpages, and others have rented text message numbers which people can text for more information.

Social Network Marketing
What about social networks?  Marketers are only now beginning to get involved in what is basically a very specific demographic gathered in one place.  A marketer's dream!  But how can marketers utilize this fantastic opportunity?  Simply creating a presence on an appropriate network is a good way to start.  Internet communities are notorious for spreading information around, and positive buzz should not be taken lightly.

Viral Video Marketing
There are also viral videos.  With the popularity of short, sharable videos online, marketers have suddenly found a willing audience for commercials.  Creating videos for Internet viewing can be comparatively cheap but extremely far-reaching as the video may be transferred from person to person.  Interesting and entertaining videos are an easy way to promote the company's name and product.  Videos also promote a greater sense of relationship between the customer and the company.

Marketing Through Blogging
Blogging is another relationship building tool that can be used to foster a feeling of direct human-to-human communication.  When used effectively, blogs can further a company's authority on a subject or product – but be careful not to use a blog just for company propaganda.  The strength of a blog is that people trust them.  Creating an accessible company blog could produce greater company accessibility overall.

A Wealth of Potential
So, there you have it.  Marketers are sitting on a wealth of potential.  Creativity in making the new electronic media work in a unique way for each company can produce dramatic results, and those companies who have found their niches can testify to the power of the new media.

Resources: Website Demographics
For further information about your website visitors' demographics, Webtrends, Omniture, and Google can provide help.  Some other places to look are Compete.com, Quantcast.com, and Alexa.com, which can also give important website related information on demographics and competitors.  Pardot is also useful for information on making a website most relevant to those most likely to make a purchase.  Some companies benefit from greater instances of impulse buying when their customers don't have to pay right away – look into Bill Me Later.  For help with avatars, check out Oddcast and SitePal; and for customer-based recommendations, ATG.com (formerly known as CleverSet) is a good place to go.  YaBB, Vanilla, and phpBB, along with Forum-Software.org, can assist in the creation of website forums.  Also make sure to look at SpyFu.com to stay up to date on what kind of money your competition is exhausting.

Resources: Email Campaigns
If email is the preferred marketing campaign, check out email-marketing-reports.com.  For graphic advertisements to be accessed by cell phone, look into AdMob, Third Screen Media, and Nokia Ad Business.  Skweezer.net can let you know how your images and websites display on cell phones.  Some companies that deal in short text codes are Cellit Mobile Marketing (Chicago) and Movo (Florida).

Resources: Online Communities
If you are interested in becoming a part of an online community like LinkedIn, simply get involved!  If you're a little more ambitious, Ning can help you set up your own network. For blogging, Google's Blogger and Movable Type can get you started.  Tumblr.com can also be helpful if you're too busy to blog.  For stats on the popular blogs, check out BlogPulse and Technorati.  Finally, visit getsatisfaction.com to see how customers are criticizing companies, and look at SearchEngineLand.com to stay abreast of rankings on Google and Yahoo.

As DVPA grows, we'll begin to implement more and more of these techniques and will update this article with our success stories.  Let us know what type of marketing has best served your business and we'll include your perspective in future updates, as well.