Since hiring a high-powered advertising firm is not in the cards for most business owners, coming up with creative ways to market on a budget is an essential part of any business plan. Don't be intimidated by the hype surrounding the extravagant advertising budgets during the Super Bowl. Not everyone needs to spend millions for a thirty second ad. The Internet offers an inexpensive and effective way to get your name out there and get your products in the hands of customers.

Don't Let Your Marketing Efforts Fall on Deaf Ears

With a limited budget, it's critical that each and every dollar you spend gets your message directly to your target audience. By narrowing down your market to the niche group most likely to respond, you'll see a higher return on your marketing investment.

For example, if your company sells books about hiking in the Pacific Northwest, you want to find those consumers who not only like to read, but are also interested in the outdoors, and planning a vacation in the near future. Sound impossible to target that selectively? It's actually surprisingly simple.

Find Your Niche and Stay There

The Internet has opened a whole new world of marketing opportunities, in which potential customers are actively seeking new information on specific topics. Blogs, public forums, content rich niche sites, and news groups offer the perfect opportunity for business owners to connect with customers on a personal level.

Say Joe and Sandy are interested in hiking. They've probably subscribed to an email list, or visit a good website, or participate in a forum on that topic. And they're always looking for new places to explore, or useful information on hiking gear and outdoor equipment. Simply by being a member of these online communities, they've expressed an interest in your product.

And you, with your great book on Pacific hiking trails, have some fantastic information to share. Here's the important thing to remember -- this is not about simply pitching your book to potential customers. It's about providing sound information, sharing your opinion and having a conversation. And it's possible to have this conversation with the exact type of customer you want to reach!

Article marketing has risen to the forefront as an inexpensive, and extremely effective, way to get your message out in front of your niche. The process is simple -- write informative articles in your area of expertise. Submit them to an article distribution service, and select the exact category and subcategory you hope to reach.

For example, to promote that great book you wrote, you might write an article titled "10 Great Hikes in the Pacific Northwest," and submit it to the "Outdoor Recreation" and "Travel Destinations" subcategories. The key here is to find the categories that connect most directly with the type of people you want to reach!

You article is distributed to content publishers, newsletter editors, email lists and news groups in your exact target market. Joe and Sandy get that email, or read that newsletter, and can't wait to get more information on those trails you talk about. So they visit your website, and buy your book.

It's really that simple to reach your target market...no expensive market surveys, no complicated advertising schedules, just your message out there in front of the people who are already looking for that information.

This exposure has a second important benefit. When your articles are published, with your About the Author information, you automatically build a growing number of backlinks to your site. Those backlinks help to raise your website's page rank, which is the primary way that Google and other search engines determine your search engine results.

When your page rank goes up, your site is more likely to be listed near the top of the search engine results for your niche market. So the next time someone googles "hikes in the Pacific Northwest," that person is more likely to find YOUR book on YOUR website.

Thousands of authors are using article distribution services to maximize their marketing potential. It's the affordable way to get your message out to your exact target market, and watch the traffic rise. Connect with your customers today!