Hello,

Without having to resort to tactics like SPAM and search optimization... what other things can a host do to realy get successful advertising out there to prospects?

David

In a field as saturated as webhosting, you will have to spend some money. One example could include sponsoring some websites.

Another option could be to go after a local niche. So do some offline advertising within your city/county to gain some local clientel.

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Web Hosting Tips | Career Advice

Advertising is all about targeting. For online advertising i would suggest you to go for link exchange, register in active forums, keep on posting replies and threads regularly, create your online presence and add your signature.
For offline advertising i would suggest you to advertise on classified ads, yellow page, give away flyers and press release.

Also one can never beat word of mouth. Get your customers involved in refering your services.

Vince

Word of mouth comes from satisfied customers. There is no more solid marketing campaign than that. The word of mouth cannot be effective unless and until you have a fair number of customers who will generate word of mouth in favour of you.

You'll need people to back your company's claim of outstanding service, and there is no one better to do that than a current satisfied customer.