For Entrepreneurs: Leveraging Growth with Online Marketing Strategies Featured on Kauffman...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Online marketing offers savvy entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand their customer base, increase brand awareness and strengthen their customer relationships. The trick is crafting an online strategy that is targeted and efficient. This month, Kauffman eVenturing(TM) (www.eVenturing.org),

a Web site for growth-oriented entrepreneurs operated by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, features a new collection of articles to help entrepreneurs evaluate different aspects of online marketing, from search engine optimization and key word advertising to blogging, online publishing and using eBay as a distribution channel.

"Many entrepreneurs are using online marketing as part of their marketing mix to gain cost-effective access to new customers," said Judith Cone, vice president of Kauffman Foundation's entrepreneurship initiatives. "The Internet provides entrepreneurs with flexibility to try out different marketing strategies and adapt quickly to changing customer needs."

The articles, written by online marketing gurus and entrepreneurs, provide insights on how business owners can take advantage of the latest online strategies to level the playing field and compete more effectively with their larger brethren.

Following are some highlights:

--"The Rise of the Participant Economy" by David L. Sifry, founder and CEO, Technorati, Inc., the leading blog search engine, highlights the explosive growth of the blogosphere -- which doubles in size roughly every 200 days -- and its impact on empowering consumers and companies with a goal of building concrete two-way relationships with their customers.

--"What MySpace Means for Marketers" by Zachary Rodgers, deputy managing editor for the ClickZ Network, a publisher of interactive marketing news, information and commentary, highlights marketing opportunities on MySpace, which he calls the "undisputed juggernaut of social media." As one of the most trafficked properties on the Web, MySpace is of particular interest to record producers, entertainment companies, cause marketers and book publishers seeking to reach teens.

--"Developing Online Publications" by Todd Smart, founder and president of BeTuitive Publishing, specialists in custom e-newsletters and blogs, guides entrepreneurs on how to create stand-out online publications that serve their target audience and marketing objectives, and how to measure their success.