In the early 90s I started a home-based educational products company targeted at homeschoolers. It was called Bright Spark Press. In 1994 I created my first website, which was an online catalog for the company. No bells or whistles. No CSS. Just very plain, table-based design.
Given that I was bootstrapping the company, I couldn’t afford to plaster direct mail advertisements all over the country. Even with a site, the infant internet wasn’t a place you could just google for the best results. You found sites mostly by having someone give you the direct URL.
I used AOL message boards and chats as a lead generator and sent people to my fledgling web site. Once I had leads, I used a local web press to print the catalog, printed labels and attached them to each catalog, hand sorted, and used bulk mail for shipments.
Having done things the “old way” (read that: the hard way), having a viable digital medium for advertising opens up a world of possibilities, especially for companies that don’t have an advertising budget to speak of.
And it is not just in the United States. Paid search in the Middle East, for example, is skyrocketing. Marketing opportunities for businesses are available worldwide.
If you’re looking at a business to reach your goals, take the time to learn all you can about digital marketing. It’s an effective and affordable way to reach your customers.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
The Internet offers a great opportunity to get costumers. Of course marketing online will be very helpful especially if our products have is global costumer.
I too remember those good old days. I remember putting an ad in a national magazine with visions of great success. I waited 8 weeks to have it published. I sold 2 and one wanted his money back. LOL we have come a long way since then. ; )
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Good advice – take the time to learn all you can about digital marketing
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What state were you in when you did Bright Sparks Press? We produced a Homeschool Marketing and Advertising Directory in the ’90s and I think I may have contacted you and put you in our directory. Let me know.
Tina, we lived in Boca Raton, Florida, then. I actually think I recall working with you on that.
Hi Alison,
I was in finance about that time and things have really done a 360 turn since then in that field. And, you are so right. I feel like things were simple and easy then, yet when you can reach out and actually touch the whole world now, how much simpler and easier is that? It’s just a different world. Sure wish I was working in my garage with a friend then, on anything internet!
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