How can we build buzz?

(FSB Online) -- Dear FSB: I am chief content officer at Chillibreeze.com. It is a small content development startup founded by Ralph Budelman of Chicago. Based in Bangalore, India, it caters to the content needs of a global clientele.We have a unique business model. All of us, including our CEO, work from home. We have a network of 2,000 Indian writers, scattered around the world. Most of our writers are stay-at-home moms, who have given up lucrative careers so they can get more time with their families. To date we haven't marketed our company actively. We have a website that is ranked high on search engines and is bringing clients to us. However, as we expand, we would like to market ourselves more.

What marketing channels would be best for us? We are looking for low-cost, high yield options. How can we reach our target audience: those who want to outsource their content development to India? And while we aren't looking for venture capital, we are open to strategic collaborations with bigger companies. How can we get the ball rolling on that?

- Nishi Viswanathan, M.D., Austin, Texas

Dear Dr. Viswanathan: For great ideas on how to market your business, read everything Seth Godin has written, particularly Purple Cow and All Marketers are Liars. Also check out his blog at allmarketersareliars.com.

A good way to spread the word about your business is to identify a handful of influencers in your industry and to approach them directly. These may be writers at major publications or CEOs of important companies. Be bold. Go to jigsaw.com and look up their contact information. Send them an e-mail telling them that you have an important service that will help them to do their work. It may pave the way to a future deal.

Starting a blog will also draw attention to your business. Go to Gazelles.com and check out the article "Blog, Wiki, Squidoo." Given your writing skills, you might also consider creating and selling a book that establishes you as an authority in your field. It can be a valuable calling card in your industry.If you are serious about marketing, you will want to develop a strategic marketing communications plan that covers the next 30, 60 and 90 days and beyond. It should identify your target audiences; specify what you will offer to each of them; detail how you will brand your products for those potential clients; describe your message to them; indicate where those audiences go for industry news, information and resources; set out an agenda for reaching out to both the media and potential customers; and identify the metrics you will use to evaluate your results.

4 ways to market your business online

If you are serious about marketing, you will want to develop a strategic marketing communications plan that covers the next 30, 60 and 90 days and beyond. It should identify your target audiences; specify what you will offer to each of them; detail how you will brand your products for those potential clients; describe your message to them; indicate where those audiences go for industry news, information and resources; set out an agenda for reaching out to both the media and potential customers; and identify the metrics you will use to evaluate your results.

Be sure to market your firm to the professional services industry, including medical and high tech firms. Develop a robust web campaign that targets organizations that have a high need for technical documentation, marketing materials, web copy, white papers and other materials that you and your team have the skills to produce. You may want to consider investing in advertisements on other sites, getting listed in business directories such as business.com, inclusion in keyword searches and other ways of spreading the word. You might also reach out directly to the vice presidents of marketing at mid- to large-sized companies that spend a large amount of money creating content.

A good public relations campaign is also essential. Use some of your copywriters to create press releases about your company that you can release through free news services, such as prweb.com. If you can catch the attention of industry trade publications, the publicity will be invaluable.