Spencer Powers
It seems that everywhere you look today someone is starting a
new Internet based business. With the resurge of online commerce
pulling in thousands of new start-ups, competition levels are at
a new high. The owner of one online based design company is well
aware of the difficulty of standing out in what seems to be a
completely saturated market, and has done something drastic
about it. The 29 year old entrepreneur has tattooed his company
website address, bsleek.com ( http://www.bsleek.com ), on his
forehead.
After reading about a publicity stunt done by GoldenPalace.com
when they paid a man $1999.00 dollars to tattoo their website
address on his forehead, bsleek.com owner Stephen Allen decided
he could do the same thing, but due to a tight budget, instead
of paying someone else to adorn their forehead, he'd do it
himself. When asked about the method behind his madness, he
responded, "I started marketing my company on a shoestring
budget and the business was growing at a turtle's pace. I needed
to do something drastic to get the word out about my company. At
first I was really scared about the idea. I thought that
everyone would think I was crazy - and I was right! They do
think I'm crazy, but it's great because when someone meets me
they tell all their friends about me and they tell their friends
and they tell their friends and so on and so on. It has been a
marvel in viral marketing".
The logical question that arises when examining this method of
advertising is - has he gone too far? Is this marketing
brilliance or complete lunacy? I think the answer is that it's a
combination of both. Yes, Allen will be bound to finger pointing
and endless conversations explanation about the tattoo for the
rest of his life, but on the bright side, he'll have no shortage
of traffic to his web site based on the public's curiosity.
Since being permanently branded traffic to his site has gone
through the roof. He went from a 2 man company to a 10 person
team in less than a year.
With the Internet making it easier for anyone to start a
business these days, people will have to start thinking outside
the box and coming up with new methods of advertising. After
seeing the recent gain in popularity of Google Earth which gives
people a bird's eye view of our planet, Target decided to
strategically place big red "targets" on rooftops around the
globe. The press alone they have received for this has been
worth its weight in gold. Allen has also been enjoying the media
attention he's been receiving for his innovative approach.
Whether you think he's crazy or consider him a pioneer who's
leading the way for a new generation of marketers, you must
admire his passion to stop at nothing to make his business a
success.
About the author:
Spencer Powers is an Internet marketing expert and is VP of
Marketing for Daterade.com ( http://www.daterade.com ), and
WittyShirts.com ( http://www.wittyshirts.com ).
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