www.eRaffle.com ...your winning ticket!

On eRaffle.com, anyone may "raffle" an item and everyone has the chance to win. Whether it is a expensive violin, an autographed baseball, or a bicycle - eRaffle.com is your winning ticket!

Additionally, customers and businesses are brought together in an exciting and unconventional market dynamic.

Let's be honest, most businesses do not have the time, money or experience to compete on the internet. And potential customers buy from those few companies that achieve high rankings within search engines.

Traditional brick and mortar businesses spend a lot of money advertising though media like newspapers, or on the radio and television, and by offering coupons and promotions. Unfortunately, businesses never really know the effectiveness of such marketing efforts.

On the other hand, potential customers search for products and services through the yellow pages or by word of mouth, sometimes paying a premium.

eRaffle.com is changing this traditional business dynamic.

Business owners can now save thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising costs annually - and pass these savings on to new customers - members of eRaffle.com. Businesses may now advertise to a large customer base wanting to learn of varying products and services.

Customers want to pay less while learning of other buying options. Wouldn't it be great to learn about companies by entering free eRaffles.

Most people would gladly spend a few minutes to learn of a business simply by entering a raffle, especially if the raffle was free. This equates to effective marketing exposure for businesses. And a fun marketing experience for everyone - especially for eRaffle winners.

The magic of eRaffle is that all businesses, locally, nationally and internationally, are now able to offer their products and services to a dynamic and captive market - eRaffle.com. With a substantial savings to businesses, products and services can be eRaffled for free or at market value, creating excitement and interest for potential customers. And, yes, individuals may eRaffle items for a fair market value. Whether a person eRaffles an antique lamp or a car dealership eRaffles a new vehicle, eRaffle.com is your winning ticket!

A decision to become an eRaffle Merchant reflects discernment, with a desire to spend less on marketing and advertising and to more effectively promote your product or service.

This document is a discussion that instructs as to how you maximize your exposure on eRaffle.com. Use the following ideas for the benefit of your company. eRaffle.com will bring exposure unlike other advertising initiatives. However, like any solid program, harnessing the power of the eRaffle platform to gain maximum results should be your desire.

eRaffle.com is an ideal venue to promote your company directly to consumers. Along with your eRaffle business account, you have received promotional "tickets" to offer to your customers or potential customers that come to your establishment. These tickets are simple and powerful. Everyone likes to receive something, if only as a reminder to them that you are eRaffling a product or service for free! This is a critical key to the effective promotion of your company on eRaffle.com.

As an eRaffle merchant, by posting an eRaffle campaign, your intention should be to tell your EXISTING base of customers that you have a free offering. Why do this? Because your captive customers, those who have trusted in you and your company, are the very people you want to return for additional sales. Reward them. Whet their appetites with something exciting. Keep your business name in the forefront of their purchasing decisions. Remind them about your company.

When you tell these buyers that you are raffling something of value to them, not only will they remember you and your store, but they will visit eRaffle.com to reinforce this relationship.

Secondly, by targeting your captive customers, you create goodwill and increase the likelihood that these very customers will spread your message by word of mouth to others. This is the best form of marketing possible - make the most of it! Consider what the following company might say to an existing customer:

"Thanks for visiting The Little Gym. We are pleased to tell you that we are eRaffling a six week class for FREE! Get your free ticket on eRaffle.com and give your child another unique experience with motor skill development!"

It should be obvious that you want those who are potential customers to know of your eRaffle campaign as well. Promote this raffle. You pay too much for advertising on the radio, in print, on television and with flyers and coupons.

As you have prospects come to and through your doors, some will make a purchase and many will not. Grab their attention with an intriguing offer to win your product or service for free! Consider what this company might tell a potential customer:

"Thanks for stopping by today. We appreciate your visit to Creekside Grooming. Please accept this reminder (hand them the eRaffle ticket) about our company. We are raffling a free grooming for your cat or dog on eRaffle.com. It is free to become an eRaffle member and you may get a free ticket to win this grooming session. We also list our pricing and product listing on eRaffle.com for your convenience. We hope you win."

No one can refuse to at least consider your offer for a free product or service. Everyone likes to win - and winning your product or service is no different. The result is that you get the added and repeated exposure. Powerful!

eRaffle.com is a marketing platform that is interested in bringing you "exposure, exposure, exposure." Exposure is what business owners desire.

So take the "tickets" provided by eRaffle.com and use them to expose your company to the marketplace. This is a valuable tactic as eRaffle.com exposes your company to captive and future customers. Consider the following strategy.

eRaffle.com employs a key marketing concept referred to as "Cross Pollination of Marketing" or CPM.

This strategy is counterintuitive to traditional advertising. You see, with traditional advertising, you spend thousands of dollars hoping that potential customers will "stumble" upon your business.

You hope that the expensive yellow pages ad will be noticed among all other ads. You hope the one time mailer to 10,000 homes for $750.00 will be seen by someone. You hope that the $400.00 weekly newspaper ad will be seen. You hope. You hope and you hope. You spend good money and HOPE for exposure.

With the "Cross Pollination of Marketing" strategy, you are handing an advertisement directly to existing and potential customers. You are saying, "Look at me! Look at our offer! Look at us again next month to see our next eRaffle campaign." Like attracting bears with honey, you know for certain that you are promoting your business and that the recipient of your message is listening and seeing. You can measure this marketing effort.

And as bees pollinate from one flower to the next, you also know that other businesses owners are promoting their establishments as well. As Golden Corral is giving "eRaffle tickets" to their customers (about 500 to 800 a day) and their customers visit eRaffle.com to receive a free ticket to win a buffet, you know that many Golden Corral customers will also view your promotion on eRaffle.com. You receive the DIRECT and INDIRECT exposure of the marketing efforts of Golden Corral. This Cross Pollination of Marketing is powerful - exposure, exposure, exposure.

As a result of the eRaffle marketing strategy, owners of businesses are no longer marketing alone, but together - directly and indirectly drawing potential customers to your eraffle campaign, drawing people to view your business again and again and again.

Consider this simple fact. Over 50% of those who view the eRaffle website are repeat visitors. Yes, these people want to see what is being eRaffled on eRaffle.com again and again and again. Which means exposure, exposure and more exposure for your company. AND, the average time a person is on eRaffle.com is close to 7 minutes.

eRaffle members are seeing ALL offers available on eRaffle.com. You know that people are not only viewing the promotion of Golden Corral, but they are also looking at your eRaffle campaign as well. Time spent on eRaffle.com by eRaffle members means exposure, exposure and more exposure for your company. Powerful!

Given the power and effectiveness of promoting your own eRaffle campaign, it pays to embrace the Cross Pollination of Marketing strategy. Your attempt to drive people to view your offer will help to create a crescendo of curiosity, as all businesses lure people to know what is being offered. This creates exposure, exposure and more exposure!

Using Other Marketing Tools

Become savvy with the eRaffle marketing platform and incorporate the following strategies into your traditional advertising methods:

Email - email your customers that you are offering a product or service on eRaffle.com. Ask them to share this FREE offer with others.

Tickets - hand out the "eRaffle tickets" to your visiting customers and prospects. Insert the tickets in your mailers, invoices or correspondence sent to your customers or prospects.

Phone - Be sure to promote your eRaffle campaign by phone. Incorporate a simple script that you are eRaffling a product or service for free. Ask them to visit eRaffle.com for further details. This is simple and does not require a lot of time or training.

Signs - get a sign from eRaffle.com and promote your association with eRaffle.com.

Banners - get a banner from eRaffle.com and promote your association with eRaffle.com in your business or outside your business.

Tent display - Ask your eRaffle sales representative to have a tent display outside of your business for a day.

Website - If you have a website, create a link or button on your site telling your visitors that you are an eRaffle merchant. Tell them you are eRaffling a free product or service on eRaffle.com. Have the very link go to your eRaffle campaign.

If you do not have a website, you at least have a web presence on eRaffle.com. Many businesses do not have a website; yet, they refer people to their eRaffle campaign for the very information that a traditional website offers. With eRaffle.com, you now have a web presence without the cost or effort.

Networking - As you speak with your contacts, be sure to tell everyone that you are an eRaffle merchant. Like recommending a good movie or a good restaurant, promote what you are doing on eRaffle.com. If you are part of a business networking group, promote your offering. Encourage your fellow BNI members to tell others about your eRaffle campaign.

eRaffle Campaigns - post eRaffle campaigns on a frequent basis. Keep your product or service and company name in front of eRaffle members. Consider this fact. For the cost of an eRaffle Merchant account and the cost of posting an eRaffle campaign each month for a year, you pay what a local newspaper will charge you for ONE ad. Use this savings to your advantage as you purposely decide to offer free products and services to the captive and curious eRaffle membership as a means of promoting your company.

Traditional Advertising - While most business owners agree that the cost of advertising is expensive, many agree that it is important to use print, radio and other advertising to brand a business. Consider promoting your offer on eRaffle.com within your other advertisements. If you send out a newsletter, promote your eRaffle campaign. If you advertise in the newspaper, include your eRaffle promotion. In your radio spots, tell listeners they can win your product or service for free on eRaffle.com. State in your yellow pages ad that you promote your company on eRaffle.com.

eRaffle.com is a unique, exciting and dynamic marketing platform that will bring exposure to your company. Be proactive with the eRaffle website. Promote yourself. Use the platform to bring you nothing but exposure, exposure and more exposure.

eRaffle.com ...your winning ticket!