Sponsor Someone Else’s Web Site or Portal

One of the keys to successful promotion is finding ways to get in front of prospective customers. With enough money, you can force your way in front of them. If you’re like most businesses, however, it’s not that easy. You’ve got a budget you’ve got to stick to, and it never quite seems to be enough.

Rather than trying to go to them, why not let prospects come to you? In other words, find out where your prospects go when they are looking for information related to what you have to offer, and be there! One way to do this is to sponsor a web site or portal.

A principal advantage of this approach is that you can take your time and review information about a site’s visitors before you select which sites you sponsor. As a result you have complete control, and can literally choose the prospects you want to reach.

Start by determining exactly whom it is you want to reach. If you are a consumer-oriented company, how old are your typical prospects? Are they male or female? Are they married or single? If you sell other businesses, what sort of company is your best prospect? What is the typical title of the person who makes or exerts significant influence over the buying decision?

With this information in hand, put yourself in your prospects’ shoes. Think about where they go when they are looking for information related to what you have to offer. If you sell supply chain management systems, for example, you may be able to sponsor the e-commerce portal on E-Commerce World (ecomworld.com). Many sites such as this allow companies to pay to sponsor e-mails, pages, or whole sections of the site. Doing so not only gets your message front and center before your prospect, it can also lend an air of credibility.