Bootstrapping with Web 2.0

Filed in archive Bootstrapper Tips on December 10, 2007

If your business is based on line or has a strong Net component driving traffic and hopefully business to your door can be simple and inexpensive suitable for the most modest budget.

Here are some suggestions for bootstrapping your Internet business courtesy of the Relativity blog continued here. I've added a few of my own thoughts as well.

• Create a blog not just a website. Though this has been stated a ton of times both here and elsewhere on the Web, the reason for choosing a blog over a static website is basically fresh content. Readers like it. Search engines like it. Here's more on how to get started.
• Promote your content whenever possible. Websites like Digg and del.icio.us are certainly options as are simple social networks like MyBlogLog, which now includes a simple feed feature that shows every new post on your profile page. Be sure to Ping or e-mail the bloggers you link to in an article too and they may return the favor.
• Give stuff away. A good blog will be more than just one long advertisement and will also include some helpful information related to your business so this is one thing you'll be giving the reader right off the bat. Free videos, podcasts and other downloadable goodies are other options.
• Don't forget to be sociable. Social websites are a great way to promote your blog since they allow you to link with other members who may in turn visit and link to your blog. Here are two expansive lists of social networks from BootStrapMe and WebMarketCentral to get you started.