MARKETING IDEAS and TOOLS
Business Card Design Ideas
Brochure Design Ideas
Die Cut Business Cards
Scented Business Cards
Cheap Business Card Ideas
Unique Business Cards
Unique Brochure Ideas
Cheap Advertising Ideas
Business Card Layout
Promoting a Home Based Biz
Competitive Advantage
Email Marketing Tips
3 Ways To Spend Less
Selling With Color
Promotional Magnets
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Differentiate Yourself
Information Marketing
Building Customer Loyalty
Getting Customer Feedback
Testimonials
How to Define a Niche
Discovering Niches
Finding New Customers
Indirect Benefits
The Consumer's Perspective
Promotional Marketing
Pricing Products and Services
Viral Marketing Magic
Marketing Mix
STARTUP IDEAS and STRATEGIES
Home-Based Startup Ideas
Business Idea Brainstorming
Virtual Assistant
Internet Researcher
Event Planner
Wedding Consultant
Telecommuting Strategies
Freelance Job Strategies
WEBSITE MARKETING
Build Traffic to Your Website
Domain Name Ideas
5 Ways to Increase Traffic
Scavenger Hunts
Talking Avatars
Promote Your Web Page
Autoresponders
Internal Links
Link Exchange Tips
Viral Marketing and Email
Attract Your Target Market
Market Your Website Offline
KEYWORD TIPS
Keyword Competition
Keywords and Meta Tags
Prime Spots for Keywords
Keyword Phrases
AFFILIATE MARKETING
How To Get Started
Residual Income
Affiliate Agreements
ONLINE BASICS
Choosing Domain Names
Domain Name Extensions
Website Design Strategies
Learning HTML
Understanding HTML Colors
Are Your Colors Web-Safe?
How to Accept Payments
Bandwidth: Doing The Math
Find The Right Web Host
Publish Your Website
MARKETING YOURSELF
Resume Tips
Create a Buzz With a Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a great way to get people interested enough to create a buzz. That buzz is a key component in viral marketing. For an online scavenger hunt, you can have clues that take the visitor from website to website.By involving several sites, it helps create that much more interest. Also, with each site giving away a prize, you can give your visitors a real incentive to join in the fun. And pass along the word to others!
You can design a scavenger hunt so that people can participate individually. However, having teams can be an even better strategy. This way people aren't only encouraged to "tell a friend" - they have to in order to build a team!
You may attract more interest by offering several smaller prizes instead of, or in addition to, a single "grand prize". It's also a great opportunity to introduce your products to new customers.
Give everyone who participates an incentive even if it's just a free trial offer, free subscription, or free samples. It not only helps create more buzz, but also creates goodwill. And more customers.
Scavenger hunts can vary in how they're set up. Clues can lead to answering a question, or locating something.
You can expand on that and have all of the clues lead to solving a riddle, or identifying something. That "something" can be a person, a place, an event - anything. It could even be the identity of a "Mystery Prize".
Plan your scavenger hunt to coincide with an event that interests people. You can even work the whole theme of the hunt around it.
Capitalize on something people are already talking about. Holidays and news events are two examples.
Viral marketing isn't something you do. It's a process that happens when people spread your message. They have to want to, be given an incentive to, or both. That's why scavenger hunts can be such an effective marketing tool.
Nancy Richardson
CreateYourMarket.com publisher
Need a writer?
Quick Tips:
Enclose a business card promoting your website with each piece of outgoing mail.
Ask customers who frequently do business with you for a testimonial.
Promote your website URL offline on everything from bumper stickers to your answering machine message.
Want to reach the highest percentage of your target market?
Advertise in specialty publications including newspaper supplements devoted to a specific topic.
Marketing is crucial, but it doesn't always have to be serious.
Some of the most effective advertising campaigns rely on humor. Don't be afraid to make your customers laugh!