It seems as if the first thing startup business owners want to do is advertise. However, that is oftentimes not the best use of time and money.

In fact, some experts who have created multiple startup companies have argued that advertising is the most overrated aspect of the startup experience. As the thinking goes, if a startup business idea is good enough, the customers will find you — and not the other way around.

While this is not always a viable rule for all startups, you should remember that your number one focus should be your startup business itself and not the advertising and marketing campaigns. If you don’t offer a great product or service, chances are that the advertising and marketing won’t matter.

In the early stages of a startup, nearly all of the money, time and effort you are expending should be directed on the startup business itself. Only at the point at which your startup is perfected should you really start pushing the advertising and marketing buttons.

And in the best case scenario, you won’t have to advertise because the customers will already be coming in by the dozen.

Advertising isn't always a wise use of money (Image: Flickr)

uSocial.net is one of the many companies trying to cash in on the Twitter craze. This company is offering a variety of Twitter-related marketing services. In fact, the demand for the service has been so fierce that the uSocial.net moved up their launch date.

Said uSocial.net spokesperson Serena Adamson: “Although the initial launch date is only a few weeks away, we saw no reason why we shouldn’t launch immediately. We want to begin letting people reap the benefits of Twitter marketing now, so we’re going to make it active in just two days.”

According to their website, uSocial.net will provide 2,500 Twitter followers within two weeks for $147. For 5,000 Twitter followers, the price is $267. For $497, you can get 10,000 Twitter followers.

uSocial.net offers additional Twitter-related marketing services including a service that will send out three tweets per day with a personalized message.

We will attempt to contact uSocial.net to learn more about their services.

uSocial.net Screen Shot

Redneck Bank is unlike any bank you’ve ever seen. See for yourself at RedneckBank.com. At first glance the website looks like it may be a joke but it’s actually very real. In fact, it’s generous rates have people flocking to this startup online bank.

Redneck Bank (Image: Screen Capture)

Redneck Bank is basically a branded website that is actually a part of the Bank of the Wichitas, a bank that has been around for more than 95 years. Technically, it’s the company’s Internet Banking Division.

With so many online banks battling for business, the company obviously decided to use a gimmick to attract customers. And as you’d see on the website, the gimmick is done amazingly well. As their motto states, RedneckBank.com is “where bankin’s funner”.

The lesson to learn from Redneck Bank is that gimmicks do work. If you have a startup business that is entering a competitive niche, having a gimmick that allows your business to stand out can be a very good business plan.

We’ll try to contact someone with Redneck Bank to see if we can get an interview and learn more about the planning that went behind the website’s creation.

If you have a startup online business but you don’t have much of an advertising budget, there are still ways to bring a healthy amount of traffic to your website. It takes more elbow grease than simply purchasing traffic, however this type of free traffic is much more valuable than traffic brought to you by other means.

Here are five tips for bringing free traffic to your online startup business:

5. Link Exchange. Find websites that are in the same niche as your online startup company and ask whether they would be interested in exchanges links. You’ll be surprised the positive responses.

4. Start a Blog. It’s fast, easy and free to start a blog. You can blog about your startup specifically or simply about the niche and then place advertisements to your website.

3. Be Social. From social bookmarking to social networking, there are tons of free sites out there that allow you and your website to be seen.

2. Join Communities. Find a blog or a website that has a lot of traffic and is related to your niche. If the rules allow, add a link to your website in your signature and be active in the community.

1. Master SEO. Concentrate on search engine optimization. A good placement in Gooogle, Yahoo, AOL or MSN can be worth thousands of dollars per month in advertising.

Search Engine Optimization

One of the most powerful ways to create buzz for a startup business is by utilizing the power of the ever-growing YouTube community. A hit YouTube video can bring the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars in advertising to your startup.

YouTube Tips for Startup Businesses (Image: Flickr)

How do you create the necessary buzz to end up with a highly viewed YouTube video? Here are five proven tips:

5. Alert your current customers. Whether its providing a link in a newsletter or posting the video on your website, don’t forget that current customers can get the ball rolling just as well as those who stumble upon the video who aren’t yet customers.

4. Be active in the YouTube community. Simply posting a video and sitting back while waiting for the hits to rack up doesn’t usually work. Make friends, join channels, comment on other videos and do whatever you can to widen your reach within the YouTube community.

3. Create a series of videos. With millions of videos competing for viewership, it never hurts to have multiple videos to help cast a larger net. If one video makes viewers want to seek out the other videos in your collection, that’s even better.

2. Avoid commercialization. Don’t make your YouTube video as if it is a television commercial. Viewers get instantly turned off if the commercialization is too obvious.

1. Think excitement. Excitement sells on YouTube. Viewers typically surf YouTube to be entertained. The more entertained and excited they are, the better the chances of your video getting passed along to their friends.

If you have an online startup businesses, it’s become a virtual necessity to have a presence on the top social networking sites. Even brick and mortar companies should jump on the social networking bandwagon. Social networks are becoming more and more popular and they are an relatively easy way to build your customer base.

Here are the top five social networking sites to target for startup businesses:

5. YouTube
The YouTube community is huge and active set of million of users. With a hit video, you can go from startup to bigtime in a short period of time.

4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is sometimes referred to as the “adult social network site” — and for good reason. It is built like any number of social networking sites but it’s geared toward a much more professional crowd.

3. Twitter
Twitter just continues to grow and grow. With a number of celebrities and high profile business people joining the Twitter craze in recent months, Twitter is a currently a must for any new business.

2. MySpace
Once upon a time, MySpace was regarded as the only social networking site businesses should care about. While it has lost some steam in recent months, MySpace is still a great place get noticed.

1. Facebook
Currently, Facebook is the most popular social networking site in existence. Getting a Facebook page for your startup business is a very smart move.

Facebook Logo (Image: Flickr)

In this week’s Monday Media Marketing Minute, I will share the worst thing I see happening in marketing plans and marketing in general.  I am shocked that people are doing this one thing. Are you an offender?

Listen in and find out.

By the way, the Monday Media Marketing Minute is changing & moving. I’m making it into a video minute & it will be hosted at http://www.thepowerpublicist.com

Can’t wait to see you there!

Trade shows. They can be boring or exciting. And yes, your feet can kill you after standing all day waiting for a potential customer to turn in your direction.

Exhibiting at trade shows brings new leads, the chance to meet up with clients and catch up with old contacts. However, in addition to sales and seminars, trade shows present many excellent publicity opportunities.

Follow the 8 tips below to ensure a successful and beneficial trade show experience:

1. Make sure the show is right for you. Not all trade shows and events have your customer coming through the door. Make sure you know exactly who is attending and that they are your target market.
2. Make a deal before you commit. Event organizers can – and do give booth discounts. Well organized events, at minimum, provide a list of attendees after the event so exhibitors can follow up. More organized events provide participant contact information before the event, as well as after. Other value-added benefits to inquire about include: being included in participant email distributions promoting the event, as well as an advertisement in the event show guide.
3. Write pre-show press releases which include a booth number. Get a list of the media attending from the organizer before the show and send a press release to them. Make follow up calls to the media and set up appointments at the booth for reporters to see what you’re offering. Smart companies work weeks, and sometimes months ahead, establishing strong relationships that can pay off big, long before the show is under way.
4. Research the competition. By finding out about other booths and what they have to offer, you can better strategically implement ways for you and your display to stand out. Use research results to brainstorm ways to make your booth and its products or services unique and appealing. In addition, some of your most qualified event leads come from networking with other exhibitors.
5. Make attendees work for their freebie. Giveaways are common at trade shows. But you can make your giveaway work for you by asking people to fill out a short survey to get it. Make the survey industry related and then announce the results at a press conference at your booth at the end of the tradeshow.
6. Speaking of giveaways, make yours meaningful to your business.. Don’t give something away for free just for the heck of it. Who cares if you collect 10,000 names because you ran a really cool promotion giving away a free iPod. If you’re a personal chef, what does an iPod have to do with your business? Nothing! Therefore, you’ve just collected 10,000 NON-qualified leads. Instead, as a personal chef you could try, “Fill out this survey to get your free copy of the special report “More Time and More Money: Using a Personal Chef to Get out of the Kitchen and Save Money on Your Food Budget”
7. Have business cards handy. Give out business cards to anyone interested in your work. This way, they will have your contact information at hand if they decide to pursue your services, or they can check out your web page if they are still considering.
8. Follow up potential leads in five days. Put your follow-up plan in place BEFORE your event. If you do not have a follow-up plan, then you’re wasting your time. Most of your sales will come after your event. At minimum, your plan could consist of a “Nice to Meet You Note with a Special Trade Show follow-up offer,” and adding your new prospect to your ezine.

The success of trade shows depends on exhibitors making the most of them. Many exhibitors don’t comprehend the enormous potential for publicity at trade shows, conferences, association meetings, and expositions. They spend a fortune to be at the shows, but they don’t capitalize on the publicity opportunities, which can impact their sales for the year.

image credit: *dans, on Flickr

Want more tips like these? Today is my birthday, and as part of the celebration, I’m giving away some gifts. Visit http://www.ThePowerPublicist.com grab birthday goodie bag that will help you with your publicity!

Well, the reports are out.

The National Small Business Association is reporting (based on its 2008 Year-End Economic Report) that things are looking pretty bleak for small business owners this year. And those surveyed are pointing to the recession as the reason why their profits and growth will be extremely limited in 2009.

And according to a recent Gallup poll, almost half of small business owners say their revenues decrease last year - and are expexting more of the same by cutting their spending this year.

So so you want to join all these small businesses?

I didn’t think so. And although you need to be realistic in what’s going on out there, I am sure businesses can thrive in a recession.

But you can’t do the same things you did before. They’re just not going to work - and could actually hurt you.

There’s plenty of evidence that businesses which market wisely, compared to those who continue with the same strategies used prior to the recession, will be the ones do well. Penn State’s research, for example, showed that firms who had a strategic marketing plan with an entrepreneurial spirit had a competitive advantage.

So stop with the doom and gloom already - and start creating a great marketing plan.

Image credit:  gothicburg, on Flickr

I was recently asked how a startup could compete with established brands in their area.  Good question.

But the answer isn’t that complicated. You don’t compete with them.

You’re not alone thinking it’s about competing in this marketing place. I used to think that way too.

But then I realized (after a few years), the more I tried to be a competitor with the established PR firms in my area, the less business I got. It was because I was so focused on my competitors, I forgot about the one thing that makes my company different: ME.

The only way to survive in business is to start focusing on what makes your business YOUR business. And I can tell you this:

• It’s not price.
• It’s not the products or services you offer.
• It’s not that fancy office you may be sitting in

It’s you: your vision, your intellectual property, your way of attacking the problem that makes your business stand out.

And, by the way, that really is your brand.

Image credit: Jean&Vic on Flickr