Are You Using Cross-Links Effectively?Don't discard the humble cross-link--it's brought me some major clients. Cross-links to other web sites can be a fantastic two-way marketing tool. (Shel Horowitz's Frugal Marketing Tip, April, 1999) How did I become an international business? My first marketing client from outside the U.S. found my website about a year and a half ago. Since then, I've had a total of three clients from England, one from Cyprus, and recent inquiries from Lebanon and Germany. The first international client, and also the fellow from Cyprus, both followed the same link to my website. It was a link from a service that distributes press releases (and I have a reciprocal link from my site. Together, these two gentlemen have spent over $1000 US on my services—and have allowed me the cachet of claiming that I have a international business (and yes, I've gotten some nice press out of this, as well as something good to put in my speaker/author bio, etc. Not bad for a little two-person shop located in a rural town with a population of 4500, two hours drive from the nearest major metropolis. Needless to say, I believe there's a right way and a wrong way to do link campaigns. Last time I checked, there were over 190 sites linked to mine. By now, I suspect it's over 200. Links are a good thing in and of themselves, and they also help your ranking in some search engines. Plus, as the search engines get overcrowded and return thousands of hits on a search, more and more people are looking for links from sites they trust, and following those rather than struggling through 30 pages of search result. But I don't just link randomly. A link, in my opinion, should have purpose and relevance. Your site should benefit from every link you put on. Here are a few things to go after: Incidentally, I actually visit sites before agreeing to link to them (other than from my authors). And I've turned down several link requests that either didn't feel appropriate or didn't provide added value for my readers. For instance, I avoid linking to sites that only sell product and don't offer any information. Linking is just one of many co-marketing options to hold down your marketing cost and increase your return. Dozens more, including how to do direct mail for under a nickel an envelope, are explored in my 384-page book, Marketing Without Megabucks: How to Sell Anything on a Shoestring. If you haven't gotten your copy yet, the ridiculously low price of $20 gets you the book, the 22,000-word update (via e-mail), and shipping to the U.S. or Canada. (Add $3 for a paper copy of the update). Shipping options to other countries are explained at my website, http://www.frugalfun.com—you can also preview the book and read excerpts there. If you'd rather order by phone, call 877-FRUGALFUN toll-free from the U.S. or Canada, or 413-586-2388 from elsewhere. Thank you reading this back issue of Shel Horowitz's Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips, published every month since May, 1997; please click here to view the complete archives, grouped by subject. Shel is an internationally known copywriter and marketing consultant, author of Grassroots Marketing Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and several other books, and creator of the Frugal Marketing web site. Please click here to contact Shel.
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