Internet Marketing for Less than $500/Year

by Marcia Yudkin

Published by Maximum Press, 2000
ISBN: 1-885068-52-2

OK, so this book is overtly aimed at the US market, but even so, if you still want to run your own business on the web and have only £338 to spare (at the current exchange rate) then you’ll still find plenty of good advice here! Marcia Yudkin is a regular writer and columnist on creative Internet marketing techniques and this book presents a refreshing approach to the usual guides that have a website as the central premise of generating revenue from the Internet.

The beauty of the Internet is that it has opened up 'a level playing field' for business, whether you are a one-person business or a multi-million dollar (or pound) corporation. This book provides guidance on how you can create a strategy to make a profit from the Internet without spending a fortune and the techniques covered can equally apply to marketers with a bigger budget as well as a shoestring.

However, as the title indicates, this book is directed at the individual or small business who wants to take advantage of the opportunities created by the Internet. The approach that is outlined here requires quite extensive research and the ability to spot opportunities, as well as some good writing skills and, of course, an expert knowledge of whatever product or service it is you’re trying to sell.

Yudkin begins by providing a few short success stories created from the kind of techniques she reveals throughout the book. And to convince the sceptics, she lists the benefits of going online and why many fears of taking the plunge can be unfounded. The main section of the book falls under the heading ‘schmoozing for profit’ which describes the method of online networking that can open up new opportunities, build relationships and produce profitable sales.

Using newsgroups, bulletin boards, e-mail and the like form the core of the techniques covered and Yudkin provides valuable guidance on how to work these tools successfully and avoid ‘soliciting’ or other bad online etiquette. She does includes some coverage of creating and marketing a low-cost website to generate leads and many of the principles she extols should be applied to any size website if it wants to get noticed and used.

The final section of the book offers useful advice on avoiding trouble and even danger on the Internet. Ranging from such hazards as aggressive Internet users, and personal security, to legal issues of copyright, libel and privacy, as well as maintaining computer security are all covered here with some sound advice.

Apply the techniques listed in this book to your own business model and any marketer trying to get the most from the web will find something of value here, from simple self-promotion to more advanced ‘guerilla marketing’ techniques. Yudkin’s style is easy to read and you feel that you are in the hands of an expert who has tried and tested the principles outlined in the book. Supported by numerous web references, frequent ‘fast facts’ panels and a ‘members only’ website, this is an essential title to read and refer to as part of your Internet marketing bookshelf.

Further information: http://www.maxpress.com