Craig Newmark of craigslist will give some website marketing strategies (I’m sure of it!)
We recently featured Craig Newmark of craigslist on StartupNation Radio. He told us all how he gets 10 million people to visit his web site monthly.
Even though Craig hung out with the Sloan Brothers for the entire show answering questions from live callers, we just couldn’t get to every question. So here’s one that is particularly interesting and we thought it’d be cool for the entire StartupNation community to listen in on the dialogue and contribute to it as well if you are so inclined.
I know that Craig is a regular visitor to StartupNation.com and this blog (check out the first comment to the blog entry I just linked to), so it won’t be long before Craig himself chimes in on this conversation!
Here’s the question posed by StartupNation community member Frank Felberbaum.
I am a memory expert with company that provides memory training to business and industry. I am one man operation with agents that market for me but I do most of the marketing & sales. I have been in business for 26 years with over 150 major corporate clients. I have just written my first book, The Business of Memory…Fast-track Your Career With Supercharged Brainpower published by Rodale June 2005. I have also made two PBS specials on Memory with Alan Alda on Scientific American Frontiers. In addition, I founded the Memory Training Institute in Geneva, Switzerland where I trained over 200,000 people in 30 countries. I have done well, but I want to expand using technology in the form of a website. What type of website should I have designed and what is the best way to get traffic on it. Who should I contact to develop my site and what is the cost. The only tangible product I have is my book. I do, however, want to develop a range of memory related products(tapes, video, cards, etc.)to be marketed on the site in addition to my consulting services. I am also the coach & trainer for most of the mental athletes who compete in the U.S. Memory Olympics. I have gained much publicity from that too. I am also in the early stages of developing a radio show on memory. What do you advise me to do to enlarge my wonderful business and career into another dimension vis website marketing? I look forward to your response. Thank you!
Frank Felberbaum
President
Memory Training Systems
We’ve got some pretty smart people in the StartupNation community. Thanks for your contribution Frank!
Whaddya’ say Craig?
March 6th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
I know Craig from a long time ago, when Craigslist was actually just an email list. I think one of the things that sets Craig apart from the crowd is his integrity.
He started that list for his friends, and he still runs Craigslist like something that he is doing for his friends, to be of service. I am overjoyed that he managed to keep the site feeling like a friendly local hangout through the arrogance and the hype of the dotcom era. Not all of us were able to do that. I respect Craig and here’s to Craigslist!
Not sure what Craig will say, but following his example I would advise your listener to make his website a valuable place to visit for potential clients, and to create a path from interest to whatever end goals he’d like to accomplish that is respectful, value filled, and makes sense the whole way.
JB
March 7th, 2006 at 9:19 am
I think the potential of the radio show could help determine what the website will be. In other words, before diving into web development, take the comments and input from listeners to help form the concept of the site. Take a page from StartUp and incorporate the ideas from the listener base to mold future endeavors.