developing a marketing plan

[sugar]

Hello again Fastlane:

I would be grateful if the experienced ones on here can share what some of their start-up costs were when they started their site. I of course have an idea of the basic things, but figure it might be useful to possibly hear some unanticipated things that are not coming to mind.

Regards.

 

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[aptohosting]

We started with around $3,000 per month on adverts. Most of this went towards forum sponsorships, and the other part went towards adwords. We rely on the most effective form of advertising "word of mouth". As you get more clients, they will start the viral marketing and your marketing costs will slowly decrease.

Let me know if you want to get any thing started online (e-business, blog, community, etc)

Thanks
Tom C.
www.aptohosting.com

 

[australianinvestor]

Here's something out of left field you might want to look at before spending. Google "means-ends chains" or "laddering". It will help you frame your product correctly so you end up spending money on the right kind of marketing. It can help you tie into the right consumer values/emotional states so you can design your marketing to hit the right spot.

Question your process for marketing the site. Design it deliberately, and don't just blindly follow the "create site, SEO, buy ad words, submit to search engines" kind of routine. That is a common approach, but your market and product might work better with a different method.

Daniel.