Is the web a generative media?

Can the world wide web create a completely new brand presence or does it merely reinforce previous ones?

The vast majority of sites are found by search engines. When people search on a term, they already know that term. They may be looking for a topic, or they may be looking for a brand or term they’ve seen before. But either way, they’ve already encountered the situation or your product before and they aren’t new.

So as a new name, how can you get established and break thru this barrier? How can you create generative buzz that gets your word out to new customers? How can you create a market for a product that has never existed before?

Well here’s 3 sure-fired ways:

1. Ezine placement - Perhaps the easiest way is to get seen by people checking their email. Find people that are likely to match your target consumer and buy space there.

2. Media coverage - Online or offline, media coverage is the #1 generative branding available. Coverage in general media, on the front page of say, cnn.com, is a sure-fired way to get serious attention to your new product.

3. Buy adspace - Avoid PPC, go for impressions. Get your name out and buy space where people will see your ad, even if you aren’t relevant to them. This is a financially risky approach, since in order to capture a new audience you have to reach outside of your established niche. But sometimes it’s the only way to get your name out.