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Business: Getting Started
Marketing and branding are my favourite subjects in SL and I hold my secrets so close to my chest it almost hurts. But I like seeing good businesses succeed, which is why I am passing on my knowledge to you. Once you have made your product or decided on the service you wish to provide, it’s essential to market your business. You could have the best idea in the world, but it means nothing if no one knows about it. I see so many beautiful buildings and great products that have no visitors and no exposure and it is a real shame, especially when marketing and advertising is so simple and, in many cases, completely free. In this chapter I will not be telling you how to make money in SL as such, but I will be showing you how you can build a successful SL business. This can, of course, amount to making money.
Basic marketing The aim of marketing is to make people aware of what you do, where to find it, how to get hold of it and from whom they get it. There are two main ways of marketing your business. First, you need to make the most of what you already have and second, you have to reach out to get your message across the grid. It’s easy to overlook the basic marketing tools you have in SL. If you make the most of the following to present your business you are halfway to successfully marketing your business: Q Your avatar: Your avatar can greatly contribute to the way your business is perceived. You should carefully consider how you look, the way you conduct yourself, the people you associate with, the places you frequent and the groups you belong to. The same principles apply in RL and a lot of this is common sense. If you are trying to establish a recruitment agency, you are more likely to be taken seriously if you wear a business suit than hot pants. However, if you are marketing hip or urban products, such as clubbing gear, then cool casual
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