Jump into the New World of Small Business Marketing Using Money-Saving, Web-based Tools!

Thanks to the internet, things are changing fast. Frankly, it’s a whole different world online. From blog sites, to podcasting and even videos on YouTube. Yet all too often small business owners waste tons of cash trying to do everything the old school way, or to old school or print world standards.

That just ain’t how it works anymore. The Web is all about killer, highly targeted content that’s easy to find and understand. Make it fun, unique or funny and it’s even better. Thanks to the Web marketing has come a long way from producing beautiful, glossy 4-fold brochures, or spending thousands to get a video made in a hi-tech studio.

All you have to do is take a tour of the most popular YouTube videos to discover they are far from traditional video quality. And that’s a good thing…Because if they were really high quality they would be so large the video would never load, or it would lock up your Web browser. Arrgh!! And, because it means anyone can create and post a video in a heartbeat or three.

I bought a Flip video camera last year that’s made it ridiculously easy for me to record, format and post videos whenever the muse strikes.

The same holds true with online audio as well. It’s not about having a high-quality studio version, it’s about getting great content out there. As long as the listener can hear what you’re saying clearly you’re all set. A free account at http://www.utterli.com will get you started podcasting with nothing more techie than your phone.

Even the book world has changed thanks to the power of the Web. Nowadays, if you want to publish a book you don’t have to spend thousands on a print run, or years looking for a reputable publisher to represent you.

Instead you can have a book printed on demand (POD) for a very reasonable per book cost and little or no upfront fees. My current favorite is http://www.Vervante.com. Then you can even link your shopping cart directly to your POD publisher so every time someone places an order they print a copy and mail it. Good for you, your customers, and the environment.

Heck, before you even get to the book stage you can get your wisdom out into the world with a low-cost e-book. You don’t even need to hire to a traditional book cover designer or layout person to get your ebook ready for sale. In fact, you’ll spend a small fortune if you do.

Instead I like to use www.killercovers.com for my covers. And they can even turn your e-book cover into a print book cover for a very reasonable fee. Then I turn it all into a PDF using the free software from http://www.PrimoPDF.com

Bottom line? You can, and should, be doing all these things and more to market your business on the Web. And it really couldn’t be easier—once you let go of dated notions as to how you need to get it done.

What other tools or Website have you found that let you market your business cheaper and easier?

Please share by leaving a comment below…

[tags] Small Business Marketing, Web, Print on Demand, Online, Video, Audio, Podcasts, Books, ebooks, e-books [/tags]