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Marketing Through Bartering
It's not exactly free, but it won't cost you money either
if you do it smart. It's different than a link exchange or
ad swap too, because it involves trading a product or service
for advertising.
I design websites. I'll give my clients a $100 discount if
they let me put a link box on their site. I make it as painless
as possible for them, and in return, I get good promotional
returns.
I'll often swap SEO, website, or graphic design services
for ad placements. When someone asks me for advice, and I
give it freely, they'll often express a wish to compensate
me (even when they cannot afford it). I'll ask them to give
me a backlink - since it is a one way link, it is worth the
time it took me to kindly answer their questions.
I've had offers of all kinds of barters for web services.
I traded some services on a website for 3 new windows in my
house, and a new driver side window in my car. One of these
days I'll put together a proposal for a car dealership, and
go get me a van, or for an RV dealership, and get our family
the used RV trailer we have wanted for years.
The key to bartering is that you find someone who has what
you want, who also NEEDS what you want. Get that, and you're
in business.
A LOT of people are willing to trade for advertising. And
it is also WORTH your time to trade a small service or product
in exchange for a permanent link, because that link, while
it is just a drop in the bucket, will go on working for you
for a long time. I have links on other people's sites that
I have bartered for, which are bringing me steady traffic
every month. A combination of three of them brings me a significant
percentage of my overall traffic. Those links have also been
responsible for more actual sales than many other referrral
sources also, because the sites they were on had a strong
customer loyalty, so the link was tantamount to a good recommendation
from a trusted source.
Explore your options, and keep an open mind. Be willing to
give generously of your time, especially when you are starting
out and time is all you've got, and just ask for a link in
return. You'll be surprised how fast those links add up, and
the eventual power that they have!
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