Im starting out. How can I spread the word?

H

hostmything

New member
First and foremost, hello everyone!
A few years ago, I began getting involved in the hosting scene, mainly on the server side of things. Now, I am taking my skills and starting a new venture.

I currently have a massive client base of 5 clients, of which I've obtained locally ;)

Now my question is, how to spread the word? I've heard about forum advertising, and I've researched ad campaigns, but it all seems either too expensive or not really worth the time. How should I go about building up a client base from scratch? Any suggestions?

Much appreciated!
 
Being on sites like this should help. Not just posting in the ad section but if you help people, answering questions and what not. This can help you out a lot. i know I have actually tried hosts just because they are on sites like this and appear to be nice and helpful.

I have actually book marked some hosts I have found on this site recently because they seem nice. I do not need a host at the moment but if I do I will look at them again.
 
Work on SEO rank or get someone who knows who to get you ranked to do it for you. Forum ads, paid advertising only goes so far you haveto really developa pretty diverse marketing campaign anymore. You need to have decent mobile site and be on all the major Social media sites twitter being the most important, that and LinkedIn for business networking contacts
 
word of mouth is underestimated as getting your name out there.
Make sure you mention it to friends and family at different gatherings.

Let them now that you got into the business and tell everyone you know that they should spread the word.
If they have trust in you they will mention your name to their friends when they are in need of hosting.

Try it :) You might be surprised
 
Still pretty new myself, really just finishing up dedicated hosting site since I have been doing it for the people I have designed sites for only so far. I am hoping to get mine going through word of mouth by those I have designed for and have been hosting for awhile. We shall see, good luck to you!
 
1. Participate in relevant forums.

2. Join social NW sites like twitter, facebook, linkedIn and build fans and followers to whom you can advertise your products easily.

3. Comment on relevant blogs with some useful info.

4. Make an USP and take your time to make it popular

5. Help solving with regards to any hosting related issues faced by members who might turn into your customer one day.
 
Make sure to engage with the web hosting community. Don't be shy - the best way to spread the word is just by being out there and visible.
 
Also, look for a niche. There are dozens of generic hosting companies, try to find a hole in the market and advertise to those customers. HIPAA Compliant, ffmpeg hosting, etc
 
A niche that might be good is arcade site hosting. There used to be a lot of arcade site hosting companies but no a days I hardly see any. I remember a few closed down a few years ago.
 
Word of mouth is a great way to get your name out there. Treat your customers good and provide a great service and good word should spread.

I've found my company being recommended to others on yahoo answers from one of my clients.

It's always great to see someone recommending us since that means were doing something right.

Chad
 
Thanks all for the suggestions. I actually via word of mouth picked up a few long term clients that were simply looking for a place to move their website. :D

I have 300 dollars towards Google Adwords, so I think Ill give that a shot for a month as well. Spend maybe, 5-10 dollars a day on an adword campaign. Ill see how successful that is... Hey, maybe Google will surprise me.
 
hostmything said:
Thanks all for the suggestions. I actually via word of mouth picked up a few long term clients that were simply looking for a place to move their website. :D

I have 300 dollars towards Google Adwords, so I think Ill give that a shot for a month as well. Spend maybe, 5-10 dollars a day on an adword campaign. Ill see how successful that is... Hey, maybe Google will surprise me.
Click to expand...

Make sure you target the right keywords in Adwords, though. Better to compete against other small hosting companies rather than the giants like Hostgator and Godaddy.
 
You can get started right on this forum! Put a link to your site in your signature, get involved in this community and try posting your services in the ad portion of the forum.
 
Keep going local local local for a larger client base. You have 5 local clients now, expand that into the next area and then the next until you have a good decent sized client base.

Then heavily push online marketing (posting on forums etc...) - heck do this while pushing in local clients. Eventually word will spread and you will have a nice profitable venture.
 
Posting on forums, getting involved with communities helps. Posting regular adverts and press releases, some flyer advertising and personal letters to web developers etc that all works.

Getting some SEO work done on the site and getting traffic is another plus
 
bunnykins said:
Being on sites like this should help. Not just posting in the ad section but if you help people, answering questions and what not. This can help you out a lot. i know I have actually tried hosts just because they are on sites like this and appear to be nice and helpful.

I have actually book marked some hosts I have found on this site recently because they seem nice. I do not need a host at the moment but if I do I will look at them again.
Click to expand...

That´s probably one of the best advices somebody can offer. Be nice, help other people and get a customer base by providing a good service.

Good luck!
 
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