14. Offer A Digital Game Or Tool That Carries Your
Message
Games are another thing that is very popular on the
internet. I.m not talking about intensive multi-player games that take place in
a virtual world, just simple games that people can play at their desk on a
break at work. If you or someone you know has any experience using Macromedia.s
Flash, this can be an excellent way to get your businesses name in front of a
lot of eyes. Like everything else, if you do not know how to do it yourself,
all you have to do is look around and you will find someone who is willing to
do it for you. This is another area where being creative will serve you well.
The game doe not have to be an entirely new idea, but the more unique it is,
the more interest, and traffic, it will generate. Do a search for “flash games”
and you will see thousands of games that people can play without any
downloading or programs to install. You can also see that all of the games are
not entirely unique. Some are simply a twist on an older classic game, but
there has to be something different for it to work for you. The internet
probably does not need another version of Tetris, but a Tetris like game with
different shaped animals instead of blocks might get you some attention. If
your game catches on, there are quite a few sites that will advertise your game
for you, and some that will even host a copy of your game on their site. When
someone decides to play your game, you can put an advertisement about your
business that they can see while they are waiting for the game to load. One
great example of using a free game for marketing is Peerflix. They created a
game called “Paparazzi” that made fun of celebrities. The idea went viral and
was quickly picked up by Entertainment Weekly, E Online, and most of the game
sites. Within 90 days of the games launch, it had logged over 2 million unique
visitors. The great part for Peerflix is that nearly 5 percent of those
visitors made their way over to the main part of the website, which was the
reason they created the game in the first place. Another option is to offer a
free tool or resource that people will find useful. While some of these options
might cost you a little more to develop and host, if they get exposure and
become popular, they are an excellent way to get people visiting your site
repeatedly. Calendars, organizers, and reminder services are all ways to get
your businesses name in front of your potential customers. Quirky screensavers
are another great program to offer. Every time the user.s computer sits idle
for a few minutes, your message pops up on the screen. The trick is to put your
message in a place where it can be seen, but it should not be the focal point.
People are not interested in downloading your advertisement, but they will
accept the advertisement as a small price to pay for something of greater
value. If your program works well and is seen as useful, users will tell other
people about it, they will write about it on their blogs, and they will link to
your program from their websites. That is what going viral is all about. The
great part about both of these options is it gives you repeated visibility.
Marketing experts have determined that on average it takes being exposed to
something at least 7 times before people will act on it. The more often people
see your message, the more likely they are to do something about what they see.
Advertisers and politicians put their message in as many places as possible so
people will get exposed to it multiple times. That is what gets people
attention.
