by: Shon Christopher
An opt-in mailing list can be your most solid internet marketing tool. Think of it as a foot in the door – or better yet, a standing invitation to drop by anytime. Research has shown that it takes an average of seven contacts with a prospect to make your first sale.
It’s hard to count on someone returning to your web site seven times – but if you get them there once, and convince them to join your opt-in mailing list, you have a standing invitation to contact them with your offers, at your convenience.
The trick, of course, is turning your web site visitors into opt-in list subscribers. Opt-in list building is easier than you think. There are a number of tried and true methods of list building that you can use – but don’t be afraid to think outside the box to sign up folks who drop by your web site for a short visit.
Start with a good reason for people to join your opt-in list.
People don’t join opt-in lists out of the goodness of their hearts – they opt in because you’re offering them something of value. What have you got to offer?
• Get a 10% discount on all purchases over $25 – exclusive to members of our mailing list!
• Find out about our newest products through our opt-in mailing list!
• We’ll keep you up to date on the latest developments in [insert your field here].
• Special discount prices and offers exclusively for members of our mailing list.
Get the picture? You’re not saying, “Hey, can I keep bugging you to try to sell you stuff?” You’re offering a service – “I’ll let you know when I’ve got good stuff you want to buy.”
Post the invitation to join your opt-in list prominently on your web site. Simple list building truth number one is that people can’t join your opt-in list if they don’t know about it. Put an invitation to join your email list on every single page of your site – and make the invitation enticing.
Practice opt-in list building everywhere.
Include a short invitation to join your opt-in email list as part of your email signature so that it goes out every time you email someone. If you do a presentation or event, personally invite participants or booth visitors to join your opt in email list.
Bribe people to sign up with a free gift.
Bribery is a tried-and-true fast list building technique and website promotion tool. Selling weight loss products? Put together an e-book of weight loss facts about nutrition and offer it as an incentive to sign up for your opt in list. Be creative, and watch your list grow like a weed.
Offer incentives for referrals.
Saturday 19 July 2008
Marketing Options For Cleaning Companies – Part Two
by: David Andrew Smith
Part one looked at telesales, yellow pages and other directories, using mailing lists and advertising in local papers and journals. In this article I will be considering direct selling techniques, leaflet drops and internet advertising.1. Direct ApproachYou could simply cold call on a company and hope you can get to talk to somebody. My experience of this is that it is quite a daunting task and by and large relatively unsuccessful in gaining new business. A lot of time, effort and fuel can be wasted as well as damage to ones morale which could take quite a severe battering as you experience one knockback after another. Not a technique to be recommended. However with regard to builders cleans it can be successful. What this entails is visiting any building site and passing your details, normally in the form of a business card on to the site manager. You may not be successful on that site but invariably companies will hang on to your details and may contact you at some time in the future.2. Leaflet dropsIf you are targeting domestic customers then these can be quite successful at increasing your client base. They are not to be recommended for commercial companies for reasons discussed in the first article. So I will presume that you wish to target the domestic sector. In which case you have to design a very professional looking leaflet, preferably in full colour and have it commercially printed. Do not try and print them off on your office or home printer because they will look less professional. The second and most important element in achieving success with leaflets is to target your areas very carefully. Do not necessarily aim for the most prosperous areas with the most expensive houses in, these in our experience do not provide the rewards that you might imagine they would. The middle income families are the most rewarding in terms of generating new customers. Having targeted your areas and had your 10 or 20 thousand leaflets printed use the services of specialist company to carry out the delivery for you. Under no circumstances consider doing it yourself! If you don’t believe me then try it and you will soon find out why you need professional help to deliver them. Then all you have to do is sit back and wait for the calls to come in. We have in the past worked on a ratio of one in two hundred producing a customer provided the target area has been wisely chosen.3. Internet AdvertisingThis could command several articles by itself, but for the purposes of this article it outperforms all other forms of advertising. So get a website, promote it, constantly update it and watch the referrals pour in! You could employ the services of a website designer and an SEO expert or you could do it yourself. How will be left to another article in the future.
Part one looked at telesales, yellow pages and other directories, using mailing lists and advertising in local papers and journals. In this article I will be considering direct selling techniques, leaflet drops and internet advertising.1. Direct ApproachYou could simply cold call on a company and hope you can get to talk to somebody. My experience of this is that it is quite a daunting task and by and large relatively unsuccessful in gaining new business. A lot of time, effort and fuel can be wasted as well as damage to ones morale which could take quite a severe battering as you experience one knockback after another. Not a technique to be recommended. However with regard to builders cleans it can be successful. What this entails is visiting any building site and passing your details, normally in the form of a business card on to the site manager. You may not be successful on that site but invariably companies will hang on to your details and may contact you at some time in the future.2. Leaflet dropsIf you are targeting domestic customers then these can be quite successful at increasing your client base. They are not to be recommended for commercial companies for reasons discussed in the first article. So I will presume that you wish to target the domestic sector. In which case you have to design a very professional looking leaflet, preferably in full colour and have it commercially printed. Do not try and print them off on your office or home printer because they will look less professional. The second and most important element in achieving success with leaflets is to target your areas very carefully. Do not necessarily aim for the most prosperous areas with the most expensive houses in, these in our experience do not provide the rewards that you might imagine they would. The middle income families are the most rewarding in terms of generating new customers. Having targeted your areas and had your 10 or 20 thousand leaflets printed use the services of specialist company to carry out the delivery for you. Under no circumstances consider doing it yourself! If you don’t believe me then try it and you will soon find out why you need professional help to deliver them. Then all you have to do is sit back and wait for the calls to come in. We have in the past worked on a ratio of one in two hundred producing a customer provided the target area has been wisely chosen.3. Internet AdvertisingThis could command several articles by itself, but for the purposes of this article it outperforms all other forms of advertising. So get a website, promote it, constantly update it and watch the referrals pour in! You could employ the services of a website designer and an SEO expert or you could do it yourself. How will be left to another article in the future.
Boost Your Traffic and Profits with Content
by: Robert Kleine
Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is toyour online business? In fact, content can do more to build yourbusiness and profit*s than just about any other resource orservice available. Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help buildyour traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!... 1. Boost your search engine ranking and daily visitor count byposting keyword rich articles and content on your web-site. Forexample, if your business involves offering products andservices related to fitness, posting fitness related articlesand content will attract unlimite*d prospective customers on aregular basis! 2. Generate double or even triple the number of newslettersubscribers you do currently, simply by offering content in theform of "special reports" or manuals as bonuses forsubscribing to your publication. People love freebies, so givethem what they want and watch as your results increase! 3. Create an automated cashflow by using content to formulatemulti-part email training courses with related web-site oraffiliate links "sprinkled" throughout each course. Use anautoresponder service to automate the delivery of your trainingcourse (such as a 5 part training course delivered over a 5 dayperiod). Training courses can also serve as excellent bonus offers foryour prospective newsletter subscribers. 4. One of the most important keys to a successful onlinebusiness is not JUST having a list of mailing list or newslettersubscribers... It's about building a trusting relationship withyour subscribers (ie, "cultivating" your list)... By sending informative articles (content) to your list on aregular basis you will establish yourself as an expert on yourtopic of business, as well as gain the trust of your subscribersover time. As a result, your subscribers will be EAGER to takeadvantage of your "paid" product and service offers. (Justmake sure that you NEVER take advantage of the relationship youdevelop with your list by offering products or services of poorquality just to make a quick buck!) If there is one "constant" in Internet marketing, it's this:A cultivated list of subscribers is as good as money in thebank. Write that down and never forget it! 5. Another excellent way to generate no cos*t traffic is bysubmitting ready-made articles to "content hungry" web-siteand newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. Aresource box is nothing more than a little 3-6 line "bio" aboutyou and/or your web-site - including a link to your site (or eveninstructions on how to subscribe to your newsletter)... When submitting or offering your article(s) for reprintpurposes, just make sure to specify that each article is to bereprinted "as is" with your resource box attached. ...Even one article can go a LONG way towards generating no cos*ttraffic and visitors for you. Just imagine your article beingsent out to a newsletter subscriber base of 100,000 individuals- many of whom will be reading YOUR included resource box andclicking on your URL to learn more about what you have to offer!Well there you have it, 5 sure ways to build your onlinebusiness exponentially with the help of articles and content...With the declining effectiveness of many of the onlineadvertising methods that we've relied on in past years, contentis only strengthening its position as the ultimate KEY togenerating unlimite*d traffic, subscribers, and customers!
Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is toyour online business? In fact, content can do more to build yourbusiness and profit*s than just about any other resource orservice available. Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help buildyour traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!... 1. Boost your search engine ranking and daily visitor count byposting keyword rich articles and content on your web-site. Forexample, if your business involves offering products andservices related to fitness, posting fitness related articlesand content will attract unlimite*d prospective customers on aregular basis! 2. Generate double or even triple the number of newslettersubscribers you do currently, simply by offering content in theform of "special reports" or manuals as bonuses forsubscribing to your publication. People love freebies, so givethem what they want and watch as your results increase! 3. Create an automated cashflow by using content to formulatemulti-part email training courses with related web-site oraffiliate links "sprinkled" throughout each course. Use anautoresponder service to automate the delivery of your trainingcourse (such as a 5 part training course delivered over a 5 dayperiod). Training courses can also serve as excellent bonus offers foryour prospective newsletter subscribers. 4. One of the most important keys to a successful onlinebusiness is not JUST having a list of mailing list or newslettersubscribers... It's about building a trusting relationship withyour subscribers (ie, "cultivating" your list)... By sending informative articles (content) to your list on aregular basis you will establish yourself as an expert on yourtopic of business, as well as gain the trust of your subscribersover time. As a result, your subscribers will be EAGER to takeadvantage of your "paid" product and service offers. (Justmake sure that you NEVER take advantage of the relationship youdevelop with your list by offering products or services of poorquality just to make a quick buck!) If there is one "constant" in Internet marketing, it's this:A cultivated list of subscribers is as good as money in thebank. Write that down and never forget it! 5. Another excellent way to generate no cos*t traffic is bysubmitting ready-made articles to "content hungry" web-siteand newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. Aresource box is nothing more than a little 3-6 line "bio" aboutyou and/or your web-site - including a link to your site (or eveninstructions on how to subscribe to your newsletter)... When submitting or offering your article(s) for reprintpurposes, just make sure to specify that each article is to bereprinted "as is" with your resource box attached. ...Even one article can go a LONG way towards generating no cos*ttraffic and visitors for you. Just imagine your article beingsent out to a newsletter subscriber base of 100,000 individuals- many of whom will be reading YOUR included resource box andclicking on your URL to learn more about what you have to offer!Well there you have it, 5 sure ways to build your onlinebusiness exponentially with the help of articles and content...With the declining effectiveness of many of the onlineadvertising methods that we've relied on in past years, contentis only strengthening its position as the ultimate KEY togenerating unlimite*d traffic, subscribers, and customers!
20 Ways to Explode your Blog‘s Profitability and Traffic
by: Angela Giles
1. Book Reviews on Amazon - Write a review on a book at Amazon.com. Be sure to select a popular book and make sure it is related to your niche. You put information about your blog, on your about me page within Amazon.2. Signature Files - Include your blog address in your signature file.3. Testimonials - If you have used a product of someone else's , write a great review on it. Make sure and include your signature file and photo with your testimonial.4. Register a domain name the same as your blog name. - Include an announcement on your website about your blog. 5. Ebay - Auction off an e-book on Ebay. Put an FAQ about your e-book on your BLOG. Make sure that you solicit your prospective customers to join your mailing list when emailing them. 6. Web Cast - Announce a webcast and invite other bloggers or authors in the same niche to share their expertise on your particular topic. 7. Product Reviews - Write a product review for something and include it in your blog.8. Display Blog Ads - Both blogads.com or google ad sense are good solid choices.9. Subscriptions to your email list - Put a place on your blog for people to sign up for your newsletter. Offer them an incentive for doing so like a free download or e-book.10. Give Away Gifts - Have a contest on your blog or give everyone a free gift ,for visiting your blog.11. Membership Blog - Have people sign up to be able to view your blog.12. Create and Sell your Blog - Once you have become an expert on blogs, began to sell them on ebay.13. Forums -Begin visiting forums and posting to them. Most major forums like the Warriors forum allow you to add a signature to your post.14. Write Articles - Write articles and in your resource box put a link to your blog.15. Press Releases - Write a press release on something newsworthy - include a link to your blog.16. Blog Comments - Go to other blogs that are in the same niche and make comments...include a link to your blog (if allowed)17. Traffic Exchanges - Join a blog traffic exchange, where you read other blogs. You can get some decent traffic this way.18. Blog and Ping - Ping blog aggregates, every time you update your blog. Feedshot.com is a good one.19. Submit to Directories- Submit to blog directories. There are free and paid directories.20. Web Rings - Join a webring and have a landing page where people will go. Entice people to go to your blog by writing a great review of it or offering a free gift such as an e-book or download.
1. Book Reviews on Amazon - Write a review on a book at Amazon.com. Be sure to select a popular book and make sure it is related to your niche. You put information about your blog, on your about me page within Amazon.2. Signature Files - Include your blog address in your signature file.3. Testimonials - If you have used a product of someone else's , write a great review on it. Make sure and include your signature file and photo with your testimonial.4. Register a domain name the same as your blog name. - Include an announcement on your website about your blog. 5. Ebay - Auction off an e-book on Ebay. Put an FAQ about your e-book on your BLOG. Make sure that you solicit your prospective customers to join your mailing list when emailing them. 6. Web Cast - Announce a webcast and invite other bloggers or authors in the same niche to share their expertise on your particular topic. 7. Product Reviews - Write a product review for something and include it in your blog.8. Display Blog Ads - Both blogads.com or google ad sense are good solid choices.9. Subscriptions to your email list - Put a place on your blog for people to sign up for your newsletter. Offer them an incentive for doing so like a free download or e-book.10. Give Away Gifts - Have a contest on your blog or give everyone a free gift ,for visiting your blog.11. Membership Blog - Have people sign up to be able to view your blog.12. Create and Sell your Blog - Once you have become an expert on blogs, began to sell them on ebay.13. Forums -Begin visiting forums and posting to them. Most major forums like the Warriors forum allow you to add a signature to your post.14. Write Articles - Write articles and in your resource box put a link to your blog.15. Press Releases - Write a press release on something newsworthy - include a link to your blog.16. Blog Comments - Go to other blogs that are in the same niche and make comments...include a link to your blog (if allowed)17. Traffic Exchanges - Join a blog traffic exchange, where you read other blogs. You can get some decent traffic this way.18. Blog and Ping - Ping blog aggregates, every time you update your blog. Feedshot.com is a good one.19. Submit to Directories- Submit to blog directories. There are free and paid directories.20. Web Rings - Join a webring and have a landing page where people will go. Entice people to go to your blog by writing a great review of it or offering a free gift such as an e-book or download.
Kick-Starting E-mail Profits Growth From One Single Shot!
by: Valeriu S Popescu
- by Valeriu S. Popescu Perhaps the most critical step in guaranteeing the success of your e-mail promotions is to send your messages to a targeted list of opt-in subscribers who have specifically requested to receive information on a particular topic from you. That's your "in-house" email list.Sooner or later, you'll face the same challenge: how to build a list of qualified, targeted prospects from scratch.When it comes to building an e-mail list, online marketers tend to spread on too many options. Offen, they neglect to focus on a single promotion 'til the endand exploit to the fullest potential. Here's an example. Suppose you run a newsletter and have a web page or popup window which invite prospects to subscribe. As a reward for giving their e-mail address, you offer them a bonus. That's fine -- but not enought! You are loosing money simply by leaving empty profit places in your message. Wouldn't be nice to build actually 3 different mailing lists from one "stroke"? Of course! For better understanding, I'll stick with the same newsletter example. So, clear-up your newsletter invitation and insert couple of extra carefully selected phrases. Follow these steps: Step #1 --> Insert a Newsletter Subscription Obviously, this is your primer objective. A new subscriber is a potential new source of profit. It is a common sense to tell people what to expect up front. The more relevant seems your offer to the desired relationship, the better. Step #2 --> Insert a Special Report Be smart: upload your report to an autoresponder. The trick is to provide high-quality content AND an offer that will earn you a profit! You know the rest: the autoresponder send out automatically additional reports and follow-up messages to those who get the initial report. The results: more sales and profits. Step #3 --> Insert an eCourse Each lesson of the eCourse provides at least one offer (and usually multiple offers) for the reader to consider. Many buy, some don't. But it's another automated profit system. Step #4 --> Insert a Mystery Bonus Mystery bonus? Yes! People universally love mystery. Be sure you won't let the prospects know what is all about up until they subscribe. What you need at this point: an ebook that is coded with your own affiliate links! (Psst... invite them to pass it out as an incentive!) The final results: 3 separate lists (from newsletter subscription, special report, and ecourse) and a viral marketing tool (the mystery ebook)! Everything easy to set- up and ready to upload to your web site in less than an hour of work. Not bad! Things to remember BEFORE you implement this e-mail marketing strategy: - be accurate and clear with your messages. - spell out features/benefits/advantages in your offer. - don't go only after e-mail list quantity. Your e-mail list should balance QUALITY with QUANTITY issues. - ALWAYS provide high-quality content. - implement your system ON EVERY PAGE of your web site. - always use professional sequential autoresponders to PERSONALIZE each of your e-mail messages. - test subject lines and messages until you get the highest results. - check your messages to make sure links work properly. - use high quality graphics to first-impress. - NEVER forget to 'THANK YOU' prospects once they give you their e-mail address. - ALWAYS allow prospects to self-remove from your e-mail lists. ***** Attention Ezine Publishers/ Site Owners Feel free to reprint this article is its entirety in your newsletter/ ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alterate the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note so we can take a look. Thanks!
- by Valeriu S. Popescu Perhaps the most critical step in guaranteeing the success of your e-mail promotions is to send your messages to a targeted list of opt-in subscribers who have specifically requested to receive information on a particular topic from you. That's your "in-house" email list.Sooner or later, you'll face the same challenge: how to build a list of qualified, targeted prospects from scratch.When it comes to building an e-mail list, online marketers tend to spread on too many options. Offen, they neglect to focus on a single promotion 'til the endand exploit to the fullest potential. Here's an example. Suppose you run a newsletter and have a web page or popup window which invite prospects to subscribe. As a reward for giving their e-mail address, you offer them a bonus. That's fine -- but not enought! You are loosing money simply by leaving empty profit places in your message. Wouldn't be nice to build actually 3 different mailing lists from one "stroke"? Of course! For better understanding, I'll stick with the same newsletter example. So, clear-up your newsletter invitation and insert couple of extra carefully selected phrases. Follow these steps: Step #1 --> Insert a Newsletter Subscription Obviously, this is your primer objective. A new subscriber is a potential new source of profit. It is a common sense to tell people what to expect up front. The more relevant seems your offer to the desired relationship, the better. Step #2 --> Insert a Special Report Be smart: upload your report to an autoresponder. The trick is to provide high-quality content AND an offer that will earn you a profit! You know the rest: the autoresponder send out automatically additional reports and follow-up messages to those who get the initial report. The results: more sales and profits. Step #3 --> Insert an eCourse Each lesson of the eCourse provides at least one offer (and usually multiple offers) for the reader to consider. Many buy, some don't. But it's another automated profit system. Step #4 --> Insert a Mystery Bonus Mystery bonus? Yes! People universally love mystery. Be sure you won't let the prospects know what is all about up until they subscribe. What you need at this point: an ebook that is coded with your own affiliate links! (Psst... invite them to pass it out as an incentive!) The final results: 3 separate lists (from newsletter subscription, special report, and ecourse) and a viral marketing tool (the mystery ebook)! Everything easy to set- up and ready to upload to your web site in less than an hour of work. Not bad! Things to remember BEFORE you implement this e-mail marketing strategy: - be accurate and clear with your messages. - spell out features/benefits/advantages in your offer. - don't go only after e-mail list quantity. Your e-mail list should balance QUALITY with QUANTITY issues. - ALWAYS provide high-quality content. - implement your system ON EVERY PAGE of your web site. - always use professional sequential autoresponders to PERSONALIZE each of your e-mail messages. - test subject lines and messages until you get the highest results. - check your messages to make sure links work properly. - use high quality graphics to first-impress. - NEVER forget to 'THANK YOU' prospects once they give you their e-mail address. - ALWAYS allow prospects to self-remove from your e-mail lists. ***** Attention Ezine Publishers/ Site Owners Feel free to reprint this article is its entirety in your newsletter/ ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alterate the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note so we can take a look. Thanks!
Five Myths of Internet Marketing for Independent Professionals
by: C.J. Hayden
There's more marketing hype published on the Internet in one day than P.T. Barnum generated in his lifetime. Like a worm swallowing its tail, the Internet marketing beast feeds mostly on itself. The vast majority of what appears on the Internet about marketing is designed to help you market products and services sold and delivered exclusively on the Internet.So what does that mean for the independent professional whose web presence is primarily aimed at selling his or her own personal services? You know, services delivered the old-fashioned way, by humans interacting face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice. At best, the average professional is likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Internet marketing advice available. At worst, he or she is being seriously misled by it.The problem is that marketing your own professional services is simply not the same as marketing a retail product or an anonymous business service. You can't sell corporate consulting like you do web hosting; nor can you sell life coaching the same way you do an e-book. If you try to market yourself by following advice designed for marketing Internet products and services, you're likely to make some serious mistakes.Here are five Internet marketing myths that may be hazardous to the health of your business.Myth #1 – It all starts with a great web site.Actually, the place where it starts is with a well-defined service. If you don't have a crystal clear picture of who you are marketing to and exactly what you're selling them, the best web site in the world won't get you clients. Before you even think about building a web site, you should know who your target market is, how to describe your professional specialty, and what specific benefits your work provides for your clients.The content of your site is much more important than the design. Yes, you should have a professional-looking site, but a brilliant design and dazzling graphics won't pay off anywhere near as well as a clear explanation of why a client should work with you. Useful material such as articles, assessments, and other samples of your expertise will go much further to persuade prospective clients than flash intros and interactive menus.Myth #2 – More traffic translates to increased profits.The only result that more traffic to your web site guarantees you is increased bandwidth use by your web host. Before spending money on banner ads, web directories, or pay-per-click listings to drive more visitors to your site, you need to be sure that they'll want to do business with you once they get there.Ask your colleagues and current clients to critique your site. Do they understand what you are offering? Can they see concrete benefits to your target audience? Revise your site based on their feedback. Then personally invite some prospective clients to visit and touch base afterward. Do your prospects seem more inclined to do business with you after seeing your site? If so, you're on the right track. If not, you still have more work to do.Myth #3 – Do whatever it takes to build your list.There's no question that a substantial opt-in mailing list is a valuable marketing asset, but the quality of names on your list is much more important than the quantity. Acquiring names through giveaways of other people's material, trading lists with joint venture partners, or purchasing them from a vendor rarely provides qualified buyers truly interested in your services.Absolutely, ask your site visitors and people you meet to join your mailing list and offer them something of value in return. A well-written ezine, helpful report, or informative audio are all effective premiums. But, your premium should be directly related to the services you provide and also serve to increase your professional credibility. Names acquired from promotional gimmicks or unknown sources seldom turn into paying clients.Myth #4 – Killer copy is the secret to sales.Hype-laden web copy may be effective in selling certain info-products or courses, but it hardly inspires trust. You're not going to convince anyone to hire you individually as a consultant, coach, trainer, designer, or financial advisor by offering "not one, not two, but three valuable bonuses" as if you were selling steak knives on late-night TV.Your Internet marketing persona should reflect the same professionalism as the work you do with your clients. If writing marketing materials isn't your forte, by all means hire a professional copywriter. But be sure you hire one with experience writing for professionals like yourself. The copy on your web site should inspire feelings of confidence about your abilities, and communicate your reliability and solid qualifications.Myth #5 – Just follow the winning formula and you will get rich.There's only one surefire recipe for Internet wealth I know of, and that's the business of selling surefire recipes. There seems to be an infinite number of buyers for every new get-rich-on-the-net scheme that is invented, but paradoxically, a precious few people actually making money on the web.The Internet may be a different medium for marketing professional services than making calls, writing letters, or speaking to people in person, but the same time-honored principles still apply. There is no new winning formula. The secret to landing clients is what it always has been -- build relationships and get people to know, like, and trust you.If your web site, ezine, and other Internet-based activities contribute to building long-term, trusting relationships with prospective clients and referral sources, you'll get business on the web. But if you blast your message out to anyone who will listen, aiming for a quick profit, the Internet won't bring you any more business than standing on a street corner with a megaphone.
There's more marketing hype published on the Internet in one day than P.T. Barnum generated in his lifetime. Like a worm swallowing its tail, the Internet marketing beast feeds mostly on itself. The vast majority of what appears on the Internet about marketing is designed to help you market products and services sold and delivered exclusively on the Internet.So what does that mean for the independent professional whose web presence is primarily aimed at selling his or her own personal services? You know, services delivered the old-fashioned way, by humans interacting face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice. At best, the average professional is likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Internet marketing advice available. At worst, he or she is being seriously misled by it.The problem is that marketing your own professional services is simply not the same as marketing a retail product or an anonymous business service. You can't sell corporate consulting like you do web hosting; nor can you sell life coaching the same way you do an e-book. If you try to market yourself by following advice designed for marketing Internet products and services, you're likely to make some serious mistakes.Here are five Internet marketing myths that may be hazardous to the health of your business.Myth #1 – It all starts with a great web site.Actually, the place where it starts is with a well-defined service. If you don't have a crystal clear picture of who you are marketing to and exactly what you're selling them, the best web site in the world won't get you clients. Before you even think about building a web site, you should know who your target market is, how to describe your professional specialty, and what specific benefits your work provides for your clients.The content of your site is much more important than the design. Yes, you should have a professional-looking site, but a brilliant design and dazzling graphics won't pay off anywhere near as well as a clear explanation of why a client should work with you. Useful material such as articles, assessments, and other samples of your expertise will go much further to persuade prospective clients than flash intros and interactive menus.Myth #2 – More traffic translates to increased profits.The only result that more traffic to your web site guarantees you is increased bandwidth use by your web host. Before spending money on banner ads, web directories, or pay-per-click listings to drive more visitors to your site, you need to be sure that they'll want to do business with you once they get there.Ask your colleagues and current clients to critique your site. Do they understand what you are offering? Can they see concrete benefits to your target audience? Revise your site based on their feedback. Then personally invite some prospective clients to visit and touch base afterward. Do your prospects seem more inclined to do business with you after seeing your site? If so, you're on the right track. If not, you still have more work to do.Myth #3 – Do whatever it takes to build your list.There's no question that a substantial opt-in mailing list is a valuable marketing asset, but the quality of names on your list is much more important than the quantity. Acquiring names through giveaways of other people's material, trading lists with joint venture partners, or purchasing them from a vendor rarely provides qualified buyers truly interested in your services.Absolutely, ask your site visitors and people you meet to join your mailing list and offer them something of value in return. A well-written ezine, helpful report, or informative audio are all effective premiums. But, your premium should be directly related to the services you provide and also serve to increase your professional credibility. Names acquired from promotional gimmicks or unknown sources seldom turn into paying clients.Myth #4 – Killer copy is the secret to sales.Hype-laden web copy may be effective in selling certain info-products or courses, but it hardly inspires trust. You're not going to convince anyone to hire you individually as a consultant, coach, trainer, designer, or financial advisor by offering "not one, not two, but three valuable bonuses" as if you were selling steak knives on late-night TV.Your Internet marketing persona should reflect the same professionalism as the work you do with your clients. If writing marketing materials isn't your forte, by all means hire a professional copywriter. But be sure you hire one with experience writing for professionals like yourself. The copy on your web site should inspire feelings of confidence about your abilities, and communicate your reliability and solid qualifications.Myth #5 – Just follow the winning formula and you will get rich.There's only one surefire recipe for Internet wealth I know of, and that's the business of selling surefire recipes. There seems to be an infinite number of buyers for every new get-rich-on-the-net scheme that is invented, but paradoxically, a precious few people actually making money on the web.The Internet may be a different medium for marketing professional services than making calls, writing letters, or speaking to people in person, but the same time-honored principles still apply. There is no new winning formula. The secret to landing clients is what it always has been -- build relationships and get people to know, like, and trust you.If your web site, ezine, and other Internet-based activities contribute to building long-term, trusting relationships with prospective clients and referral sources, you'll get business on the web. But if you blast your message out to anyone who will listen, aiming for a quick profit, the Internet won't bring you any more business than standing on a street corner with a megaphone.
Does Post Card Advertising Really Work?
by: Woody Quinones
You've decided to try advertising your business with post cards. The idea came to you from the post cards you receive from other businesses. You like the idea because it seems easy to do and economical. However, you've never tried this before so you question whether this method will bring you customers.Let me say this first, "All Forms of Advertising Work!" However, you have to clearly understand how the advertising medium works and realize that each form has it's limitations along with costs associated with it.At this time, I also I need to dispel a myth that has been around for as long as there has been printed advertising. Many, many business people believe that if they do a 1 time mass mailing it should be a slam dunk in sales. Let me be the first to say. "With over 36 years of selling to the public, it simply doesn't work that way!" If you plan on being in business longer than 1 day, then you must continually advertise to keep the clientele coming to you.Advertising in any medium has always been about repetition and getting your name remembered. It's called "Branding". Study businesses that use television commercials. They are constantly repeating their business message 1000's of times a day. They are the best free examples to watch and learn from. So for your business, you can conclude that the more your prospects see your name or message repeated, the easier it is for them to get to know you and what you offer. Then it becomes an easier task to get them to buy from you.So How Does Post Card Advertising Work?You create an ad on a Post card. This can be done in your favorite graphics or word program. Then use the mail merge feature in the program to insert mailing addresses automatically. In case you haven't setup your address book you would need to do this before you do a mail merge.Print out the cards, stamp them and then mail them out. If done correctly and repeated over and over again your customer base will grow. This is the simple mechanics of post card advertising.So Where Do I Get Good Addresses From?Before you can get good addresses, you must first know who it is you are wanting to target before you do your mail out. You wouldn't offer gun sales to anti-gun activists or religious material to a group of Atheists, now would you?First, go to the large search engines and do some research to find out who uses your type of product and/or services. Once you uncover who they are, you then know who your target market will be.As a side note, there are companies that do sell mailing lists that contain groups of people, organizations and businesses. It is all gathered and cataloged and based on personal interests and/or work related. You can buy these mailing lists or start your own.Secondly you have to determine how often you will be sending your post cards out. The amount of times you repeat your message, to those you target, will determine how well they remember you. Let me show you how I am targeted by companies that I do business with and that get my attention as well as my order.Example:ImpactYourArea.com is targeted by companies that make promotional products. Everyday I receive something in the mail from some company. It could be product announcements, new product samples, promotions and/or valuable insight to generating more sales.Some companies send me information at least once a month. Others 4 times a year. Then there are those companies that send me something only once a year.Of those three company types which do you think I remember more? It would be those that send me something once a month.From this example it should be clear that getting your message out repeatedly and often is how your prospects are going to remember you, your product and/or services.So What Are The Limitations With Post Card Advertising?Let's say you plan to send out 5000 post cards in a one time mailing. If you are targeting prospects that use your type of service or product, then statistically you should draw 1-2% in responses. Meaning that roughly 50 people may show some interest.That doesn't necessarily mean you have converted the prospect into a buyer. It only means they have shown an interest in your offer and are willing to take it to the next step.The next step, for them, is to find out a little bit more about your offer. These are your "Tire Kickers". Of those that responded your chance of converting them is also 1-2%.So your chances of converting prospect to buyer, from your 1 time mail out could be 4-6 buyers from your original 5000 post card mail out.Now most would say that the campaign was a failure. However, by the way this medium works it was right on target.So How Do You Increase Response Rate?Instead of sending out a 1 time mass mailing of 5000 post cards, consider sending out a smaller amount and do it in monthly increments. Repeat the mail out process once a month for 12-24 months.So How Much Should You Send Out?I would start small and build from that. This gives you the ability to spend a little at a time while measuring how each mail out converted. This keeps your advertising costs down and manageable.Start with 500 post cards a month. Only target prospects you know that would use your product and/or services. Then I would repeat the mail out to the same group over the next 1-2 years.Even if they do not buy the first or second time after they've received your card, they are beginning to get to know you and your product and/or services. As time goes by your chances of converting them to a buyer increases. There is also a good chance that those you target may pass your offer onto someone else.In conclusion, never allow the idea that advertising once will be the solution to gaining repeat business. Don't forget that post card advertising does work if you learn how to do it right and you repeat the process over and over.
You've decided to try advertising your business with post cards. The idea came to you from the post cards you receive from other businesses. You like the idea because it seems easy to do and economical. However, you've never tried this before so you question whether this method will bring you customers.Let me say this first, "All Forms of Advertising Work!" However, you have to clearly understand how the advertising medium works and realize that each form has it's limitations along with costs associated with it.At this time, I also I need to dispel a myth that has been around for as long as there has been printed advertising. Many, many business people believe that if they do a 1 time mass mailing it should be a slam dunk in sales. Let me be the first to say. "With over 36 years of selling to the public, it simply doesn't work that way!" If you plan on being in business longer than 1 day, then you must continually advertise to keep the clientele coming to you.Advertising in any medium has always been about repetition and getting your name remembered. It's called "Branding". Study businesses that use television commercials. They are constantly repeating their business message 1000's of times a day. They are the best free examples to watch and learn from. So for your business, you can conclude that the more your prospects see your name or message repeated, the easier it is for them to get to know you and what you offer. Then it becomes an easier task to get them to buy from you.So How Does Post Card Advertising Work?You create an ad on a Post card. This can be done in your favorite graphics or word program. Then use the mail merge feature in the program to insert mailing addresses automatically. In case you haven't setup your address book you would need to do this before you do a mail merge.Print out the cards, stamp them and then mail them out. If done correctly and repeated over and over again your customer base will grow. This is the simple mechanics of post card advertising.So Where Do I Get Good Addresses From?Before you can get good addresses, you must first know who it is you are wanting to target before you do your mail out. You wouldn't offer gun sales to anti-gun activists or religious material to a group of Atheists, now would you?First, go to the large search engines and do some research to find out who uses your type of product and/or services. Once you uncover who they are, you then know who your target market will be.As a side note, there are companies that do sell mailing lists that contain groups of people, organizations and businesses. It is all gathered and cataloged and based on personal interests and/or work related. You can buy these mailing lists or start your own.Secondly you have to determine how often you will be sending your post cards out. The amount of times you repeat your message, to those you target, will determine how well they remember you. Let me show you how I am targeted by companies that I do business with and that get my attention as well as my order.Example:ImpactYourArea.com is targeted by companies that make promotional products. Everyday I receive something in the mail from some company. It could be product announcements, new product samples, promotions and/or valuable insight to generating more sales.Some companies send me information at least once a month. Others 4 times a year. Then there are those companies that send me something only once a year.Of those three company types which do you think I remember more? It would be those that send me something once a month.From this example it should be clear that getting your message out repeatedly and often is how your prospects are going to remember you, your product and/or services.So What Are The Limitations With Post Card Advertising?Let's say you plan to send out 5000 post cards in a one time mailing. If you are targeting prospects that use your type of service or product, then statistically you should draw 1-2% in responses. Meaning that roughly 50 people may show some interest.That doesn't necessarily mean you have converted the prospect into a buyer. It only means they have shown an interest in your offer and are willing to take it to the next step.The next step, for them, is to find out a little bit more about your offer. These are your "Tire Kickers". Of those that responded your chance of converting them is also 1-2%.So your chances of converting prospect to buyer, from your 1 time mail out could be 4-6 buyers from your original 5000 post card mail out.Now most would say that the campaign was a failure. However, by the way this medium works it was right on target.So How Do You Increase Response Rate?Instead of sending out a 1 time mass mailing of 5000 post cards, consider sending out a smaller amount and do it in monthly increments. Repeat the mail out process once a month for 12-24 months.So How Much Should You Send Out?I would start small and build from that. This gives you the ability to spend a little at a time while measuring how each mail out converted. This keeps your advertising costs down and manageable.Start with 500 post cards a month. Only target prospects you know that would use your product and/or services. Then I would repeat the mail out to the same group over the next 1-2 years.Even if they do not buy the first or second time after they've received your card, they are beginning to get to know you and your product and/or services. As time goes by your chances of converting them to a buyer increases. There is also a good chance that those you target may pass your offer onto someone else.In conclusion, never allow the idea that advertising once will be the solution to gaining repeat business. Don't forget that post card advertising does work if you learn how to do it right and you repeat the process over and over.
Is There A Short Circuit In Your Networking?
by: Trina L.C. Schiller
Are You Really Networking?By Trina L.C. Schiller Network marketing is all about communication, and building relationships. Is that what you are really doing? How many people do you communicate with personally? I don't mean with autoresponders, or a mailing list. How many people do you chat with, or exchange dialogue with, on a regular basis? How many people are in your buddy list?Who are the people that you interact with consistently? Are they business people, friends, family, or acquaintences? Are you participating in forums and using interactive technologies to communicate with new people? Or...Are you exchanging ads and sales letters with everyone?Network marketing, networking... Is not about blasting your copy at everyone within your keyboard's reach. It's not about joining a group and sending ads to other members in place of a letter of introduction. It is not about filling member inboxes with sales pitches.If you want to network with me, tell me who you are, not what you're selling. I prefer to work with people, not products. THAT is what networking is about.Forums are a place to openly discuss topics of interest between like-minded people. Sadly though, too many people misuse them as an ad board. They join just to sell stuff to people. If I wanted to read ads, I'd surf the classifieds. Forums are a place for networking, not advertising; for joint venturing, not selling.I spend a lot of time in forums. I don't always do much posting, but I read. I learn. And I don't read ads that are posted to them. Recommendations for tools, or information, I always read, but no ads. If it's starts with a headline, it goes in the trash. Interactive web sites, such as forums and moderated discussion groups are an awesome networking tool. I've met some of my best joint venture partners this way. Participation is the best way to learn what you don't know, and share what you do know. It is WIN-WIN and it's FREE!Proper use of forums and discussion groups is one of the strongest marketing tools at your disposal. When you network with others, you discover ways inwhich you can partner with people, creating new avenues for earning potential. Selling people stuff is short term. Partnering with them is for the long haul, and when done right, far more profitable. It is easier to achieve what it is you want, when you help someone of complimentary interest get where they'd like to be.So what's the answer now? Are you really networking?
Are You Really Networking?By Trina L.C. Schiller Network marketing is all about communication, and building relationships. Is that what you are really doing? How many people do you communicate with personally? I don't mean with autoresponders, or a mailing list. How many people do you chat with, or exchange dialogue with, on a regular basis? How many people are in your buddy list?Who are the people that you interact with consistently? Are they business people, friends, family, or acquaintences? Are you participating in forums and using interactive technologies to communicate with new people? Or...Are you exchanging ads and sales letters with everyone?Network marketing, networking... Is not about blasting your copy at everyone within your keyboard's reach. It's not about joining a group and sending ads to other members in place of a letter of introduction. It is not about filling member inboxes with sales pitches.If you want to network with me, tell me who you are, not what you're selling. I prefer to work with people, not products. THAT is what networking is about.Forums are a place to openly discuss topics of interest between like-minded people. Sadly though, too many people misuse them as an ad board. They join just to sell stuff to people. If I wanted to read ads, I'd surf the classifieds. Forums are a place for networking, not advertising; for joint venturing, not selling.I spend a lot of time in forums. I don't always do much posting, but I read. I learn. And I don't read ads that are posted to them. Recommendations for tools, or information, I always read, but no ads. If it's starts with a headline, it goes in the trash. Interactive web sites, such as forums and moderated discussion groups are an awesome networking tool. I've met some of my best joint venture partners this way. Participation is the best way to learn what you don't know, and share what you do know. It is WIN-WIN and it's FREE!Proper use of forums and discussion groups is one of the strongest marketing tools at your disposal. When you network with others, you discover ways inwhich you can partner with people, creating new avenues for earning potential. Selling people stuff is short term. Partnering with them is for the long haul, and when done right, far more profitable. It is easier to achieve what it is you want, when you help someone of complimentary interest get where they'd like to be.So what's the answer now? Are you really networking?
How to Boost Your Website Traffic and Profits with Content!
by: Hans Hasselfors
Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is to your online business? In fact, content can do more to build your business and profits than just about any other resource or service available. Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help build your website traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!...1. Boost your search engine ranking and daily visitor count by posting keyword rich articles and content on your website. For example, if your business involves offering products and services related to internet marketing, posting internet marketing related articles and content will attract unlimited prospective customers on a regular basis!2. Generate double or even triple the number of newsletter subscribers you do currently, simply by offering content in the form of "special reports" or manuals as bonuses for subscribing to your publication. People love freebies, so give them what they want and watch as your results increase!3. Create an automated cashflow by using content to formulate multi-part email training courses with related website or affiliate links "sprinkled" throughout each course. Use an autoresponder service to automate the delivery of your training course (such as a 5 part training course delivered over a 5 day period).Training courses can also serve as excellent bonus offers for your prospective newsletter subscribers.4. One of the most important keys to a successful online business is not JUST having a list of mailing list or newsletter subscribers... It's about building a trusting relationship with your subscribers (ie, "cultivating" your list)...By sending informative articles (content) to your list on a regular basis you will establish yourself as an expert on your topic of business, as well as gain the trust of your subscribers over time. As a result, your subscribers will be EAGER to take advantage of your "paid" product and service offers. (Just make sure that you NEVER take advantage of the relationship you develop with your list by offering products or services of poor quality just to make a quick buck!)If there is one "constant" in Internet marketing, it's this: A cultivated list of subscribers is as good as money in the bank. Write that down and never forget it!5. Another excellent way to generate no cost website traffic is by submitting ready-made articles to "content hungry" website and newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. A resource box is nothing more than a little 3-6 line "bio" about you and/or your web-site - including a link to your site (or even instructions on how to subscribe to your newsletter)...When submitting or offering your article(s) for reprint purposes, just make sure to specify that each article is to be reprinted "as is" with your resource box attached....Even one article can go a LONG way towards generating no cost website traffic and visitors for you. Just imagine your article being sent out to a newsletter subscriber base of 100,000 individuals - many of whom will be reading YOUR included resource box and clicking on your URL to learn more about what you have to offer!Well there you have it, 5 sure ways to build your online business exponentially with the help of articles and content...With the declining effectiveness of many of the online advertising methods that we've relied on in past years, content is only strengthening its position as the ultimate KEY to generating unlimited website traffic, subscribers, and customers!
Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is to your online business? In fact, content can do more to build your business and profits than just about any other resource or service available. Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help build your website traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!...1. Boost your search engine ranking and daily visitor count by posting keyword rich articles and content on your website. For example, if your business involves offering products and services related to internet marketing, posting internet marketing related articles and content will attract unlimited prospective customers on a regular basis!2. Generate double or even triple the number of newsletter subscribers you do currently, simply by offering content in the form of "special reports" or manuals as bonuses for subscribing to your publication. People love freebies, so give them what they want and watch as your results increase!3. Create an automated cashflow by using content to formulate multi-part email training courses with related website or affiliate links "sprinkled" throughout each course. Use an autoresponder service to automate the delivery of your training course (such as a 5 part training course delivered over a 5 day period).Training courses can also serve as excellent bonus offers for your prospective newsletter subscribers.4. One of the most important keys to a successful online business is not JUST having a list of mailing list or newsletter subscribers... It's about building a trusting relationship with your subscribers (ie, "cultivating" your list)...By sending informative articles (content) to your list on a regular basis you will establish yourself as an expert on your topic of business, as well as gain the trust of your subscribers over time. As a result, your subscribers will be EAGER to take advantage of your "paid" product and service offers. (Just make sure that you NEVER take advantage of the relationship you develop with your list by offering products or services of poor quality just to make a quick buck!)If there is one "constant" in Internet marketing, it's this: A cultivated list of subscribers is as good as money in the bank. Write that down and never forget it!5. Another excellent way to generate no cost website traffic is by submitting ready-made articles to "content hungry" website and newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. A resource box is nothing more than a little 3-6 line "bio" about you and/or your web-site - including a link to your site (or even instructions on how to subscribe to your newsletter)...When submitting or offering your article(s) for reprint purposes, just make sure to specify that each article is to be reprinted "as is" with your resource box attached....Even one article can go a LONG way towards generating no cost website traffic and visitors for you. Just imagine your article being sent out to a newsletter subscriber base of 100,000 individuals - many of whom will be reading YOUR included resource box and clicking on your URL to learn more about what you have to offer!Well there you have it, 5 sure ways to build your online business exponentially with the help of articles and content...With the declining effectiveness of many of the online advertising methods that we've relied on in past years, content is only strengthening its position as the ultimate KEY to generating unlimited website traffic, subscribers, and customers!
Make Your Mailing a Home Run, Not a Strike Out!
by: Joy Gendusa
You can use great design and copy to get a better response.When you send a mailing to your customers or prospective customers you are counting on making considerably more money in new business than you spend on the mailing, right? It is obvious that if you were not going to profit from the mailing, you wouldn’t send it out.A little less obvious is that it costs almost the same amount of money to send out a very attractive mailing piece with brilliant copy which is more likely to produce a great response rate as it does to send out a boring, poorly designed piece guaranteed only to land rapidly in the trash. Why?The major part of your expenditure is in the mailing list and the postage. The printing costs are about the same for a perfect card as for a mediocre one. All right. So a good design and excellent copy is going to cost a little bit more. But only a little. You send out a postcard mailing to get a response (preferably lots of responses).The front of the card, graphic and headline, is designed to attract the reader’s interest so that they read what you have to say. In short, to attract his or her attention.The copy on the front and back of the card is designed to get the reader to respond, either by calling you or e-mailing you or visiting you or going to your web site. A response.If your card accomplishes that, it’s done its duty.How do you get it to do that?Good design. Good copy. Assuming you have sent the cards to people who are likely to be interested in what you have to sell. (There’s no point sending a postcard selling raincoats to people in the Sahara Desert. They are the wrong “public”).It is more cost effective in the long run to hire a professional to do the design and copy for your promotion instead of spending all the time yourself to learn the software. A little time spent improving the design and copy of your postcards will result in much higher ROI (Return On Investment) for your postcard mailing.
You can use great design and copy to get a better response.When you send a mailing to your customers or prospective customers you are counting on making considerably more money in new business than you spend on the mailing, right? It is obvious that if you were not going to profit from the mailing, you wouldn’t send it out.A little less obvious is that it costs almost the same amount of money to send out a very attractive mailing piece with brilliant copy which is more likely to produce a great response rate as it does to send out a boring, poorly designed piece guaranteed only to land rapidly in the trash. Why?The major part of your expenditure is in the mailing list and the postage. The printing costs are about the same for a perfect card as for a mediocre one. All right. So a good design and excellent copy is going to cost a little bit more. But only a little. You send out a postcard mailing to get a response (preferably lots of responses).The front of the card, graphic and headline, is designed to attract the reader’s interest so that they read what you have to say. In short, to attract his or her attention.The copy on the front and back of the card is designed to get the reader to respond, either by calling you or e-mailing you or visiting you or going to your web site. A response.If your card accomplishes that, it’s done its duty.How do you get it to do that?Good design. Good copy. Assuming you have sent the cards to people who are likely to be interested in what you have to sell. (There’s no point sending a postcard selling raincoats to people in the Sahara Desert. They are the wrong “public”).It is more cost effective in the long run to hire a professional to do the design and copy for your promotion instead of spending all the time yourself to learn the software. A little time spent improving the design and copy of your postcards will result in much higher ROI (Return On Investment) for your postcard mailing.
3 Simple ways to harness concept of the Free Offer for internet marketing
by: Joel Teo
One of the reason why the concept of free stuff online works really well has a lot to do with the nature of the internet where people go online to find free information and share music online. Many good internet marketers have learnt that offering free things to their website visitors can help make them more money online and this article highlights three simple strategies that successful internet marketers have used. Free Ebooks Giving away a free ebook to visitors to your website can help establish you as an expert and help you increase the number of subscribers to your newsletters. Ebook software today allows the creator of the ebook to get the email address and name of the person reading the ebook and build his mailing list. Another way people use these free ebooks is to embed their affiliate links and product links into them so that readers of the ebooks will click on them and thus get more website traffic to their websites and make money when these get converted into sales. Other ebooks writers today allow readers to access the first three chapters free so as to whet their appetite and then make the reader pay for the rest of the information. Free services Most people are quite unaware of this business model online. Add lots of resources to your website and let it become an advertising portal where other advertisers pay to place ads on your website. Simple things that you can provide for your website visitors can go a long way in getting them to come back. For instance, adding rss feeds related to the content of the website also increases the chances of people returning to your website. Another way that most people are doing today is starting online forums and allowing people to join them for free. By helping others, you get paid from contextual advertising on your website. Free information and pre-selling This concept amount internet marketers was first made popular in a large way when Ken Evoy started talking about pre-selling in the area of affiliate marketing. The idea behind this concept is simple. Simple focus on a keyword rich niche and just give your website visitors information on the niche without any trace of sales copy and embed your affiliate links in the webpage. You make money from visitors that purchase from your merchants from your links.In conclusion, the concept of the free offer is here to stay on the internet and internet marketers have used it to great success. Learn from them and use these strategies to increase your online profits today!
One of the reason why the concept of free stuff online works really well has a lot to do with the nature of the internet where people go online to find free information and share music online. Many good internet marketers have learnt that offering free things to their website visitors can help make them more money online and this article highlights three simple strategies that successful internet marketers have used. Free Ebooks Giving away a free ebook to visitors to your website can help establish you as an expert and help you increase the number of subscribers to your newsletters. Ebook software today allows the creator of the ebook to get the email address and name of the person reading the ebook and build his mailing list. Another way people use these free ebooks is to embed their affiliate links and product links into them so that readers of the ebooks will click on them and thus get more website traffic to their websites and make money when these get converted into sales. Other ebooks writers today allow readers to access the first three chapters free so as to whet their appetite and then make the reader pay for the rest of the information. Free services Most people are quite unaware of this business model online. Add lots of resources to your website and let it become an advertising portal where other advertisers pay to place ads on your website. Simple things that you can provide for your website visitors can go a long way in getting them to come back. For instance, adding rss feeds related to the content of the website also increases the chances of people returning to your website. Another way that most people are doing today is starting online forums and allowing people to join them for free. By helping others, you get paid from contextual advertising on your website. Free information and pre-selling This concept amount internet marketers was first made popular in a large way when Ken Evoy started talking about pre-selling in the area of affiliate marketing. The idea behind this concept is simple. Simple focus on a keyword rich niche and just give your website visitors information on the niche without any trace of sales copy and embed your affiliate links in the webpage. You make money from visitors that purchase from your merchants from your links.In conclusion, the concept of the free offer is here to stay on the internet and internet marketers have used it to great success. Learn from them and use these strategies to increase your online profits today!
Tool Talk: All About Internet Marketing Tools
by: David Riewe
Who doesn't want inexpensive internet marketing tools? In this day and age when advertising your business online is the way to go, it's a must that you avail of internet marketing tools at the lowest cost possible. How can you avail of them? How can you make the most out of these low cost internet marketing tools? These low cost internet marketing tools aim to better your website and promote them thoroughly. Read on to know more about them: 1. Software There is software specializing in internet marketing. These programs are affordable internet marketing tools. They attract traffic, communicate your site to anyone online, harness and trim down your keywords, track your site visitors and create links to other sites. Of course, the phrase "low cost" emphasizes that you must not spend exorbitantly. Watch out for internet marketing tools that do nothing but suck your budget. 2. Website packages Take note of low cost internet marketing tools that do the following: hosting and designing your site, getting your domain, offering technical help, configure and upload your files, campaigning for your traffic. These are available in website packages that you can avail of anytime. Choose a package caters to your site's needs. 3. Mailing lists Notice that when you visit the Bulk Mail folder of your email, you read nothing but website promotions. That's email marketing? It boosts your business like no other. Don't worry about spamming. There's such a thing as "safe lists" that make your mails spam-free. 4. Data Submitters This is a money-saving internet marketing tool that works like magic. Have a data submitter of your own and amass tremendously huge hits! 5. E-books Integrate an e-book in your site for people to download. At such a cheap price, you keep people clamoring for more and visiting your site in the process. That's one affordable internet marketing tool for you. 6. SEO tools Internet marketing is not complete without the standard SEO tools. Search engines remain as the major powerhouse in marketing so never leave this part out. Generate traffic through this effective low cost internet marketing tool! Here's a reminder: when you see the low cost internet marketing tool banners online, never get persuaded easily. Study the package deals; analyze the contents and benefits before deciding if you want one.
Who doesn't want inexpensive internet marketing tools? In this day and age when advertising your business online is the way to go, it's a must that you avail of internet marketing tools at the lowest cost possible. How can you avail of them? How can you make the most out of these low cost internet marketing tools? These low cost internet marketing tools aim to better your website and promote them thoroughly. Read on to know more about them: 1. Software There is software specializing in internet marketing. These programs are affordable internet marketing tools. They attract traffic, communicate your site to anyone online, harness and trim down your keywords, track your site visitors and create links to other sites. Of course, the phrase "low cost" emphasizes that you must not spend exorbitantly. Watch out for internet marketing tools that do nothing but suck your budget. 2. Website packages Take note of low cost internet marketing tools that do the following: hosting and designing your site, getting your domain, offering technical help, configure and upload your files, campaigning for your traffic. These are available in website packages that you can avail of anytime. Choose a package caters to your site's needs. 3. Mailing lists Notice that when you visit the Bulk Mail folder of your email, you read nothing but website promotions. That's email marketing? It boosts your business like no other. Don't worry about spamming. There's such a thing as "safe lists" that make your mails spam-free. 4. Data Submitters This is a money-saving internet marketing tool that works like magic. Have a data submitter of your own and amass tremendously huge hits! 5. E-books Integrate an e-book in your site for people to download. At such a cheap price, you keep people clamoring for more and visiting your site in the process. That's one affordable internet marketing tool for you. 6. SEO tools Internet marketing is not complete without the standard SEO tools. Search engines remain as the major powerhouse in marketing so never leave this part out. Generate traffic through this effective low cost internet marketing tool! Here's a reminder: when you see the low cost internet marketing tool banners online, never get persuaded easily. Study the package deals; analyze the contents and benefits before deciding if you want one.
10 Choice Ways To Give Your Subscriptions A Boost
by: Ken Hill
1. Swap an ad.Use ads that you've tested and that have proven to be effective in getting you more subscriptions.You'll be able to get a greater response from your ads because you've already fine tuned them before swapping.2. Write articles.You'll be able to get more new e-zine subscribers that enjoy your writing and that are interested in the topics you write about.3. Swap an article.You could swap exclusive articles, or you could swap one of your reprint articles if you don't have the time write a new exclusive article. 4. Swap a "thank you" page recommendation. You'll be able to successfully get more new subscribers through the other e-zine publisher's recommendation of your e-zine.Only recommend e-zines that offer valuable content to their subscribers. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot by recommending something that is sub-par. 5. Swap a recommendation in your welcome message.Swap your recommendation with a publisher that offers a bonus, and delivers it in her welcome message.Her new subscribers will be looking for her bonus in her welcome email, giving her recommendation of your e-zine more exposure.6. Swap an ebook ad or recommendation.In addition to getting more subscribers, if the ebooks are brandable you can both earn money by offering each others' ebooks.7. Promote your e-zine on the back of your business cards.You'll be able to let your "real world" customers and prospects know about your e-zine.You'll also be able to get more new sign ups from the networking events that you attend throughout the year.8. Include an ad for your e-zine in your catalogs andbrochures.You'll be able to let your customers on your mailing list know about your e-zine.You'll also be able to get more new subscribers that have proven themselves to be interested in your products by requesting your catalog or brochure.9. Publish testimonials for your e-zine.Increase your subscriptions by posting testimonials on your site that share the benefits of joining your e-zine.10. Purchase e-zine advertising.You'll be able to get your ad for your e-zine in front of people interested in what your e-zine has to offer. Purchasing e-zine advertising is also a very good choice if you don't have enough subscribers yet to begin swapping ads.
1. Swap an ad.Use ads that you've tested and that have proven to be effective in getting you more subscriptions.You'll be able to get a greater response from your ads because you've already fine tuned them before swapping.2. Write articles.You'll be able to get more new e-zine subscribers that enjoy your writing and that are interested in the topics you write about.3. Swap an article.You could swap exclusive articles, or you could swap one of your reprint articles if you don't have the time write a new exclusive article. 4. Swap a "thank you" page recommendation. You'll be able to successfully get more new subscribers through the other e-zine publisher's recommendation of your e-zine.Only recommend e-zines that offer valuable content to their subscribers. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot by recommending something that is sub-par. 5. Swap a recommendation in your welcome message.Swap your recommendation with a publisher that offers a bonus, and delivers it in her welcome message.Her new subscribers will be looking for her bonus in her welcome email, giving her recommendation of your e-zine more exposure.6. Swap an ebook ad or recommendation.In addition to getting more subscribers, if the ebooks are brandable you can both earn money by offering each others' ebooks.7. Promote your e-zine on the back of your business cards.You'll be able to let your "real world" customers and prospects know about your e-zine.You'll also be able to get more new sign ups from the networking events that you attend throughout the year.8. Include an ad for your e-zine in your catalogs andbrochures.You'll be able to let your customers on your mailing list know about your e-zine.You'll also be able to get more new subscribers that have proven themselves to be interested in your products by requesting your catalog or brochure.9. Publish testimonials for your e-zine.Increase your subscriptions by posting testimonials on your site that share the benefits of joining your e-zine.10. Purchase e-zine advertising.You'll be able to get your ad for your e-zine in front of people interested in what your e-zine has to offer. Purchasing e-zine advertising is also a very good choice if you don't have enough subscribers yet to begin swapping ads.
Branding, control and results - Submit Articles in Your Own Name
by: Andy Beard
Article distribution is currently booming on the internet. Authors do it for a number of reasons.- It is a good way to be picked up by the search engines.- The backlinks from your resource box can help your search engine position.- You have the possibility of secondary traffic if your article is picked up by a popular website or ezine.Various products and services have become available that help you distribute your articles to the 100s of article directories and mailing lists.a) Software that speeds up maunal submission, or can in some cases do this automatically. b) Services that distribute articles in your name c) Services that distribute articles on your behalf, but in their own name.The Double Edged SwordMany people pay a premium rate for article distribution on their behalf, without the worry of having to join various article directory sites as a member, giving their own email address, and receiving lots of emails from various Yahoo groups.Unfortunately what they don't realise is that often this devalues their work.1) In the author section on many sites, the name of the distribution service will be shown, not that of the original author. 2) Author sections of many article directories are a unique marketing venue. Many visitors will visit the author profile before reading an article all the way to the bottom. Most profiles could have one or more websites listed. 3) Within RSS feeds from the article directories, the distribution service might be shown in the byline, not the original author.4) Many article directories allow an author to change or modify their resource box. If an article was submitted using an account owned by a 3rd party distribution service, that avenue will be closed.Complete ControlFor authors who want complete control of their branding, either submit manually, or use article submission software. You will receive more emails, but can always have a special email address for this purpose. Googles Gmail service I find is an excellent choice. Article Announcer and Article Submitter Pro are two examples of such software.Limited ControlUse an automated submission service that ensures you are the author. There are services that signup for members to directories on your behalf, using a username and password of your choice. One such service is Article Marketer.The InconvenienceYou will have to confirm your membership to many distribution points, and some will continue to send emails containing articles from other people. Yahoo groups normally allow you to select a digest mode, or to not receive emailed articles at all. Most of this is a one time effort, although you will have to be on the lookout for important messages on the email account you use.The Massive GainThey are your articles, and you should gain maximum benefit from them.Using article distribution is much like a varient of Pareto's 80/20 rule. You potentially gain 80% effective results compared to manual distribution, for 20% of the work.However if your method of article distribution doesn't give you all the possible credit for your articles, rather than 80% effectiveness, you might only be getting 60% or less.Managing your own article distribution with tools such as Article Announcer or Article Submitter Pro gives you complete control to achieve your 80/20 goals. A service such as Article Marketer which gives you full credit, and reasonable control, might be 70% effective, for 10% of the work.Refining your processes, and only using the most effective method where it benefits you the most, you can maximise your return for the work invested.I use a combination of service and software for my own distribution.
Article distribution is currently booming on the internet. Authors do it for a number of reasons.- It is a good way to be picked up by the search engines.- The backlinks from your resource box can help your search engine position.- You have the possibility of secondary traffic if your article is picked up by a popular website or ezine.Various products and services have become available that help you distribute your articles to the 100s of article directories and mailing lists.a) Software that speeds up maunal submission, or can in some cases do this automatically. b) Services that distribute articles in your name c) Services that distribute articles on your behalf, but in their own name.The Double Edged SwordMany people pay a premium rate for article distribution on their behalf, without the worry of having to join various article directory sites as a member, giving their own email address, and receiving lots of emails from various Yahoo groups.Unfortunately what they don't realise is that often this devalues their work.1) In the author section on many sites, the name of the distribution service will be shown, not that of the original author. 2) Author sections of many article directories are a unique marketing venue. Many visitors will visit the author profile before reading an article all the way to the bottom. Most profiles could have one or more websites listed. 3) Within RSS feeds from the article directories, the distribution service might be shown in the byline, not the original author.4) Many article directories allow an author to change or modify their resource box. If an article was submitted using an account owned by a 3rd party distribution service, that avenue will be closed.Complete ControlFor authors who want complete control of their branding, either submit manually, or use article submission software. You will receive more emails, but can always have a special email address for this purpose. Googles Gmail service I find is an excellent choice. Article Announcer and Article Submitter Pro are two examples of such software.Limited ControlUse an automated submission service that ensures you are the author. There are services that signup for members to directories on your behalf, using a username and password of your choice. One such service is Article Marketer.The InconvenienceYou will have to confirm your membership to many distribution points, and some will continue to send emails containing articles from other people. Yahoo groups normally allow you to select a digest mode, or to not receive emailed articles at all. Most of this is a one time effort, although you will have to be on the lookout for important messages on the email account you use.The Massive GainThey are your articles, and you should gain maximum benefit from them.Using article distribution is much like a varient of Pareto's 80/20 rule. You potentially gain 80% effective results compared to manual distribution, for 20% of the work.However if your method of article distribution doesn't give you all the possible credit for your articles, rather than 80% effectiveness, you might only be getting 60% or less.Managing your own article distribution with tools such as Article Announcer or Article Submitter Pro gives you complete control to achieve your 80/20 goals. A service such as Article Marketer which gives you full credit, and reasonable control, might be 70% effective, for 10% of the work.Refining your processes, and only using the most effective method where it benefits you the most, you can maximise your return for the work invested.I use a combination of service and software for my own distribution.
How To Profit From 2 Tier Affiliate Programs And Build A Sub-Affiliate Army In The Next 24 Hours Without Spending A Penny On Advertising!
by: Cory Threlfall
Before I get into depth with this article I first want youto have a good understanding of what a '2 Tier' affiliateprogram is and there advantages. Then from there I'll go on to explain how you can start recruiting Sub-Affiliate's by simply locating the Super-Affiliate's within your Niche market.First... lets define what a '2 Tier' affiliate program is.A '2 Tier' affiliate program is simply a program that isdesigned to work on a 2 tier payment structure. And what Imean by that is that you'll get paid on both the 1sttier(you) and 2nd tier(your sub-affiliates) of the programyou choose to promote.Now, with that said, let's go a little deeper into what the advantages of a '2 Tier' affiliate program are so that you'll be able to visualize in your head why these programs are being considered the most Powerful programs on the Net and more importantly... how they can put Profits in your hand, on Auto-Pilot, 24/7/365 with little effort on your part.Lets first talk about the advantages and for the purpose ofthis article I'm going to give you three of the main ones:1) - you get paid 'Higher' commissions on your 1st tier(usually between 25% - 65% depending on the vendor)2) - you have the ability to 'Recruit' sub-affiliates(your2nd tier) to promote the program for you3) - and you can form 'Joint Ventures' with other websiteand/or list owners within your specified Niche marketIs the 'Light-Bulb' starting to flicker inside your head?Are you starting to see WHY these programs are so Powerfuland Versatile?I certainly hope so.Now that you see the main advantages to these programs yourprobably asking yourself... "well, where can I find acomplete listing of these programs so I don't have to spendalot of time looking for them on the web?"Well... it just so happens that I know of a few Topaffiliate directories that have a complete searchabledatabase full of '2 Tier' affiliate programs in whatevercategory you are looking for.I will list two of the of Top affiliate directories for the purposes of this article that I use to locate these programs:- 2 Tier Affiliate Directoryhttp://www.2-tier.com- Associate Affiliate Directoryhttp://www.associateprograms.comI think these two directories alone will keep you busy.There are many affiliate directories out there on the WWW,but these two I find are the most popular and have the bestselection.Now that you have an idea of what '2 Tier' affiliateprograms are, there advantages and where to locate these programs on the web lets talk about 'How' you can start recruiting some Sub-Affiliate's within the next 24 hours by simply locating the Super-Affiliate's within your Niche market via the search engines.In order to do this exercise properly you're going to needtwo Very important webmaster tools. These tools are Free soyou don't have to worry about paying anything up front orany monthly subscription fee's for there use.The 1st tool you need to get is the 'Google Toolbar'. Thistoolbar is used to gauge a websites PR(Link Popularity)within the search engines. Generally, a website with a PRof 5 or higher are the types of websites you want to findand are where the Super-Affiliate's usually reside.Click the link I've provided below and install the toolbar.- http://toolbar.google.com/And the 2nd tool you need to get is the 'Alexa Toolbar'.This toolbar is used to gauge a websites overall TrafficRanking. You'll want to find websites with a trafficranking of 50,000 or lower. This is where you'll find theSuper-Affiliate's.Click the link I've provided below and install the toolbar.- http://download.alexa.com/Now that you have those two tools installed on yourcomputer you Now have the ability to find Super-Affiliate'sthrough gauging their websites overall 'Traffic Ranking'and 'Link Popularity' which brings use to the next step..."Locating the Super-Affiliates".A 'Super-Affiliate', just so you know, is simply awebmaster who has a high traffic website and/or a largetargeted mailing list and has the ability to sell more in aday then you could in a month.Generally, and this is just a guideline I use whencontacting these webmasters, I look for websites with atleast a PR of 5 and a Traffic Ranking of 50,000 or less.This way, if they don't have a large mailing list they atleast have a high traffic website or Visa-Versa.This next step is where the fun begins because we'll be using search engines to locate the Super-Affiliate's and for this exercise lets go to the all famous 'Google' search engine at -- http://www.google.comNow... once the page loads simply type in the Keyword or Keywords or Keyword Phrase that targets your particular Niche market you are targeting within the search form Google provides.For the purpose of this exercise lets use the keywords 'internet marketing'.By now you should be looking at a page full of listingsunder the Keywords or Keyword Phrase you targeted, which in this case was 'internet marketing'.Now, simply start clicking on the links that you thinkmight make a good 'Sub-Affiliate' to the program you arerecruiting for.By using the two toolbars you installed earlier you'll nowbe able to identify if this website is a Super-Affiliate by the websites overall 'Link Popularity' and 'Traffic Ranking' by using the guidelines I stated earlier.If you like the web stats you see and you think they would make a suitable sub-affiliate to your program all you have to do from this point is look for the webmasters contact details listed on their website and send them a propositon to join your program.If you can't find there contact details on there websiteyou can usually find them by using the 'Alexa' toolbar.Just click on the 'Alexa' button in the upper left cornerof your browser. This will bring you to there main page. You'll usually find there contact details listed mid-way down.And if you're worried about being accused of 'Spamming',well... you don't have too simply because your not sendingthem an Unsolicited Advertisement, your sending them aBusiness Propositon.There's a BIG difference.Before we move on to the last segment of this article Ifeel at this point its time to reveal to you a Powerful tool I've been using successfully along with many other Internet marketer's that will completely 'Automate' all of the tasks we have done so far through this entire exercise.The tool I've been using along with many others and is specifically designed to locate Super-Affiliate's iscalled... The Super Affiliate Generator(A.K.A. 'SAG').The reason I didn't reveal it to you sooner is because I wanted you to gain some hands on experience using the web to locate these Super-Affiliate's.If you wish to read up more on this Powerful tool simplyclick on the link I've provided below.- http://compactURL.com/bfwkNow lets go on to the Final segment of this article... 'Joint Ventures'.'Joint Ventures' are simply an collaboration or partnershipundertaken by two or more entities(webmasters) for a mutual gain, usually profit sharing.Who make the best JV partners and Why?Ezine/Newsletter owners make the best JV partners simplybecause they have already done all the work and have builthighly targeted mailing lists. Some have Large lists andsome have Small lists. Point being... they're highlytargeted to whatever Niche market you're targeting.How do '2 Tier' affiliate programs work in this kind ofarrangement?They work just the same as recruiting website owners, but instead you're strictly contacting list owners with highly targeted lists and propositioning them to join your program for a share of the profits.Where can you find these Ezine/Newsletter owners?You can find thousands of them on the WWW throughEzine/Newsletter directories, but I'll only list just a fewTop resources to save you the hassle.- Ezine Universehttp://www.ezine-universe.com- Ezine Hubhttp://www.ezinehub.com- Go-Ezineshttp://www.go-ezines.com- Netter Webhttp://www.netterweb.com- Ezine Searchhttp://www.ezinesearch.comThese directories have large searchable databases full of thousands of Ezine/Newsletters that target any category you are looking for to promote your program(s). And these are only a few of whats available to you on the Net.Well... there you have it in a nut shell.I just revealed to you some of the most Powerful marketing technique's being used online today by many of the Top internet marketers and how they are able to build there Sub-Affiliate army's and generate loads of Free targeted traffic to there websites without spending a penny on advertising.And... the best part about this is... you can start doing the same within the Next 24 hours.
Before I get into depth with this article I first want youto have a good understanding of what a '2 Tier' affiliateprogram is and there advantages. Then from there I'll go on to explain how you can start recruiting Sub-Affiliate's by simply locating the Super-Affiliate's within your Niche market.First... lets define what a '2 Tier' affiliate program is.A '2 Tier' affiliate program is simply a program that isdesigned to work on a 2 tier payment structure. And what Imean by that is that you'll get paid on both the 1sttier(you) and 2nd tier(your sub-affiliates) of the programyou choose to promote.Now, with that said, let's go a little deeper into what the advantages of a '2 Tier' affiliate program are so that you'll be able to visualize in your head why these programs are being considered the most Powerful programs on the Net and more importantly... how they can put Profits in your hand, on Auto-Pilot, 24/7/365 with little effort on your part.Lets first talk about the advantages and for the purpose ofthis article I'm going to give you three of the main ones:1) - you get paid 'Higher' commissions on your 1st tier(usually between 25% - 65% depending on the vendor)2) - you have the ability to 'Recruit' sub-affiliates(your2nd tier) to promote the program for you3) - and you can form 'Joint Ventures' with other websiteand/or list owners within your specified Niche marketIs the 'Light-Bulb' starting to flicker inside your head?Are you starting to see WHY these programs are so Powerfuland Versatile?I certainly hope so.Now that you see the main advantages to these programs yourprobably asking yourself... "well, where can I find acomplete listing of these programs so I don't have to spendalot of time looking for them on the web?"Well... it just so happens that I know of a few Topaffiliate directories that have a complete searchabledatabase full of '2 Tier' affiliate programs in whatevercategory you are looking for.I will list two of the of Top affiliate directories for the purposes of this article that I use to locate these programs:- 2 Tier Affiliate Directoryhttp://www.2-tier.com- Associate Affiliate Directoryhttp://www.associateprograms.comI think these two directories alone will keep you busy.There are many affiliate directories out there on the WWW,but these two I find are the most popular and have the bestselection.Now that you have an idea of what '2 Tier' affiliateprograms are, there advantages and where to locate these programs on the web lets talk about 'How' you can start recruiting some Sub-Affiliate's within the next 24 hours by simply locating the Super-Affiliate's within your Niche market via the search engines.In order to do this exercise properly you're going to needtwo Very important webmaster tools. These tools are Free soyou don't have to worry about paying anything up front orany monthly subscription fee's for there use.The 1st tool you need to get is the 'Google Toolbar'. Thistoolbar is used to gauge a websites PR(Link Popularity)within the search engines. Generally, a website with a PRof 5 or higher are the types of websites you want to findand are where the Super-Affiliate's usually reside.Click the link I've provided below and install the toolbar.- http://toolbar.google.com/And the 2nd tool you need to get is the 'Alexa Toolbar'.This toolbar is used to gauge a websites overall TrafficRanking. You'll want to find websites with a trafficranking of 50,000 or lower. This is where you'll find theSuper-Affiliate's.Click the link I've provided below and install the toolbar.- http://download.alexa.com/Now that you have those two tools installed on yourcomputer you Now have the ability to find Super-Affiliate'sthrough gauging their websites overall 'Traffic Ranking'and 'Link Popularity' which brings use to the next step..."Locating the Super-Affiliates".A 'Super-Affiliate', just so you know, is simply awebmaster who has a high traffic website and/or a largetargeted mailing list and has the ability to sell more in aday then you could in a month.Generally, and this is just a guideline I use whencontacting these webmasters, I look for websites with atleast a PR of 5 and a Traffic Ranking of 50,000 or less.This way, if they don't have a large mailing list they atleast have a high traffic website or Visa-Versa.This next step is where the fun begins because we'll be using search engines to locate the Super-Affiliate's and for this exercise lets go to the all famous 'Google' search engine at -- http://www.google.comNow... once the page loads simply type in the Keyword or Keywords or Keyword Phrase that targets your particular Niche market you are targeting within the search form Google provides.For the purpose of this exercise lets use the keywords 'internet marketing'.By now you should be looking at a page full of listingsunder the Keywords or Keyword Phrase you targeted, which in this case was 'internet marketing'.Now, simply start clicking on the links that you thinkmight make a good 'Sub-Affiliate' to the program you arerecruiting for.By using the two toolbars you installed earlier you'll nowbe able to identify if this website is a Super-Affiliate by the websites overall 'Link Popularity' and 'Traffic Ranking' by using the guidelines I stated earlier.If you like the web stats you see and you think they would make a suitable sub-affiliate to your program all you have to do from this point is look for the webmasters contact details listed on their website and send them a propositon to join your program.If you can't find there contact details on there websiteyou can usually find them by using the 'Alexa' toolbar.Just click on the 'Alexa' button in the upper left cornerof your browser. This will bring you to there main page. You'll usually find there contact details listed mid-way down.And if you're worried about being accused of 'Spamming',well... you don't have too simply because your not sendingthem an Unsolicited Advertisement, your sending them aBusiness Propositon.There's a BIG difference.Before we move on to the last segment of this article Ifeel at this point its time to reveal to you a Powerful tool I've been using successfully along with many other Internet marketer's that will completely 'Automate' all of the tasks we have done so far through this entire exercise.The tool I've been using along with many others and is specifically designed to locate Super-Affiliate's iscalled... The Super Affiliate Generator(A.K.A. 'SAG').The reason I didn't reveal it to you sooner is because I wanted you to gain some hands on experience using the web to locate these Super-Affiliate's.If you wish to read up more on this Powerful tool simplyclick on the link I've provided below.- http://compactURL.com/bfwkNow lets go on to the Final segment of this article... 'Joint Ventures'.'Joint Ventures' are simply an collaboration or partnershipundertaken by two or more entities(webmasters) for a mutual gain, usually profit sharing.Who make the best JV partners and Why?Ezine/Newsletter owners make the best JV partners simplybecause they have already done all the work and have builthighly targeted mailing lists. Some have Large lists andsome have Small lists. Point being... they're highlytargeted to whatever Niche market you're targeting.How do '2 Tier' affiliate programs work in this kind ofarrangement?They work just the same as recruiting website owners, but instead you're strictly contacting list owners with highly targeted lists and propositioning them to join your program for a share of the profits.Where can you find these Ezine/Newsletter owners?You can find thousands of them on the WWW throughEzine/Newsletter directories, but I'll only list just a fewTop resources to save you the hassle.- Ezine Universehttp://www.ezine-universe.com- Ezine Hubhttp://www.ezinehub.com- Go-Ezineshttp://www.go-ezines.com- Netter Webhttp://www.netterweb.com- Ezine Searchhttp://www.ezinesearch.comThese directories have large searchable databases full of thousands of Ezine/Newsletters that target any category you are looking for to promote your program(s). And these are only a few of whats available to you on the Net.Well... there you have it in a nut shell.I just revealed to you some of the most Powerful marketing technique's being used online today by many of the Top internet marketers and how they are able to build there Sub-Affiliate army's and generate loads of Free targeted traffic to there websites without spending a penny on advertising.And... the best part about this is... you can start doing the same within the Next 24 hours.
10 Common Direct Mail Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
by: Avery Manko
Successful direct mail does not need to be elaborate full color printing or creative design. The major factors contributing to a successful direct mail program are in the planning and implementing of the program. Avoid the following common blunders when developing your next mailing.1. Ignoring the most important factor in direct mail success: the list.Not spending enough time and effort upfront when you select your list can lead to wasting money and time. In direct mail, a mailing list is not just a way of reaching your market: it is your market. Get your ad agency or list broker involved in the early stages to help you identify and select the best list.2. Not tracking or testing. Many marketers seldom test one mailing piece against another. As a result, they repeat their failures and have no idea of what works.3. Giving up too easily. Marketers need to be patient with mailings. Prospects may need to see your name several times before they take action.4. Not having an offer. A well-thought-out offer is essential in a successful mailing. A prospect needs something to which to respond. Studies have shown that the most impactful word is “free.”5. Too verbose. Get to the point quickly. Prospects are too busy to read and interpret lengthy (and sometimes boring) content. 6. Saving the best for last. Saving the strongest sales pitch for the end and hoping to build to a climatic conclusion will ensure disaster. A typical prospect reads for only a few seconds before deciding whether to continue reading or throw your mailing in the trash.7. Poor follow-up. Your mailing will yield greater results if you phone your prospects soon after the mailing. In addition, slow fulfillment of literature requests will destroy the initial interest that you worked so hard to build.8. Not using the magic words. “Free gift”, “no obligation”, “details inside”, “limited time only” are examples of cliché phrases that still get results.9. Starting with the product – not with the prospect. You or your product is not important to the prospect. The reader only wants to know, “What’s in it for me?”10. Creating and editing direct mail by committee. The fewer people who are involved the better. Copy re-writes and graphic design changes can cost money and time and typically have little effect on the results of the mailing.
Successful direct mail does not need to be elaborate full color printing or creative design. The major factors contributing to a successful direct mail program are in the planning and implementing of the program. Avoid the following common blunders when developing your next mailing.1. Ignoring the most important factor in direct mail success: the list.Not spending enough time and effort upfront when you select your list can lead to wasting money and time. In direct mail, a mailing list is not just a way of reaching your market: it is your market. Get your ad agency or list broker involved in the early stages to help you identify and select the best list.2. Not tracking or testing. Many marketers seldom test one mailing piece against another. As a result, they repeat their failures and have no idea of what works.3. Giving up too easily. Marketers need to be patient with mailings. Prospects may need to see your name several times before they take action.4. Not having an offer. A well-thought-out offer is essential in a successful mailing. A prospect needs something to which to respond. Studies have shown that the most impactful word is “free.”5. Too verbose. Get to the point quickly. Prospects are too busy to read and interpret lengthy (and sometimes boring) content. 6. Saving the best for last. Saving the strongest sales pitch for the end and hoping to build to a climatic conclusion will ensure disaster. A typical prospect reads for only a few seconds before deciding whether to continue reading or throw your mailing in the trash.7. Poor follow-up. Your mailing will yield greater results if you phone your prospects soon after the mailing. In addition, slow fulfillment of literature requests will destroy the initial interest that you worked so hard to build.8. Not using the magic words. “Free gift”, “no obligation”, “details inside”, “limited time only” are examples of cliché phrases that still get results.9. Starting with the product – not with the prospect. You or your product is not important to the prospect. The reader only wants to know, “What’s in it for me?”10. Creating and editing direct mail by committee. The fewer people who are involved the better. Copy re-writes and graphic design changes can cost money and time and typically have little effect on the results of the mailing.
Niche Marketing : The Power Of Articles
by: André Anthony
If you haven't considered the power of articles as part of your niche marketing strategy, then you should.Articles are a great way to drive targeted traffic to your web site, no matter what your niche market may be.When you provide good information that people want and can use, your reputation and credibility will increase exponentially, making your site visitors more likely to buy your products and services or those you recommend to them.We've all heard the mantra "Content Is King". Based on that premise there is nothing more versatile than using keyword rich articles to :* Boost your search engine ranking* Increase your daily visitor count* Provide viral marketing opportunities* Attract unlimited prospective customers* Build a trusting relationship with your customers and subscribers* Establish yourself as an expert in your niche marketHere's some of the things you can do with the articles you write :* Post keyword rich articles and content on your web-site for better search engine placement.* Compile a number of them into an ebook related to your niche and sell it.* Use them in the form of "special reports" and "manuals" with your product and affiliate links embedded in them, which you can offer as free gifts for your visitors, subscribers and customers and bonuses for your products and services.* Create multi-part email training courses to build that all important mailing list.* Set up your own Ezine and use them for content to establish your bona fides with your subscribers and customers.* Allow your visitors to use them, with your "resource box" attached, in their free ebooks which they can then distribute to their visitors, subscribers and customers.* Submit them to "content hungry" web sites and newsletter publishers, with your "resource box" attached, to generate more visitors to your web site from their lists.* Submit them to Article Directories, which rank highly on the search engines to provide inbound links to your niche web site.* Monetise them on your web site with keyword-related, context ads. like Google Adsense, Affiliate Power Ads. or TrafficShowcase.* Contact offline print publications and offer them your articles - some of them pay for this sort of copy so you could make some extra income and establish yourself in a new niche as a freelance writer.I think you'll agree that there aren't many forms of promotion with this level of versatility. And the great thing about the strategy is - it's free! All it takes is time.With the cost of paid advertising spiralling ever upwards, can you ignore the power and versatility of using articles as a major part of your niche marketing strategy?
If you haven't considered the power of articles as part of your niche marketing strategy, then you should.Articles are a great way to drive targeted traffic to your web site, no matter what your niche market may be.When you provide good information that people want and can use, your reputation and credibility will increase exponentially, making your site visitors more likely to buy your products and services or those you recommend to them.We've all heard the mantra "Content Is King". Based on that premise there is nothing more versatile than using keyword rich articles to :* Boost your search engine ranking* Increase your daily visitor count* Provide viral marketing opportunities* Attract unlimited prospective customers* Build a trusting relationship with your customers and subscribers* Establish yourself as an expert in your niche marketHere's some of the things you can do with the articles you write :* Post keyword rich articles and content on your web-site for better search engine placement.* Compile a number of them into an ebook related to your niche and sell it.* Use them in the form of "special reports" and "manuals" with your product and affiliate links embedded in them, which you can offer as free gifts for your visitors, subscribers and customers and bonuses for your products and services.* Create multi-part email training courses to build that all important mailing list.* Set up your own Ezine and use them for content to establish your bona fides with your subscribers and customers.* Allow your visitors to use them, with your "resource box" attached, in their free ebooks which they can then distribute to their visitors, subscribers and customers.* Submit them to "content hungry" web sites and newsletter publishers, with your "resource box" attached, to generate more visitors to your web site from their lists.* Submit them to Article Directories, which rank highly on the search engines to provide inbound links to your niche web site.* Monetise them on your web site with keyword-related, context ads. like Google Adsense, Affiliate Power Ads. or TrafficShowcase.* Contact offline print publications and offer them your articles - some of them pay for this sort of copy so you could make some extra income and establish yourself in a new niche as a freelance writer.I think you'll agree that there aren't many forms of promotion with this level of versatility. And the great thing about the strategy is - it's free! All it takes is time.With the cost of paid advertising spiralling ever upwards, can you ignore the power and versatility of using articles as a major part of your niche marketing strategy?
There’s More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) than Meets the Eye
by: Joy Gendusa
All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, “I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible.” This is wrong think.When it comes to marketing ROI, you have to realize that the term means Return On Investment and the return is measured in dollars (or your local currency). Let’s say you spend $2,000 to get out a bulk mailing of 5,000 pieces and you get 10 calls as a result. Doesn’t look like much. But of these 10 calls you close 6 and get immediate sales of $12,000. That’s marketing ROI! And that’s not even taking into account the future sales to those 6 new customers. It could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The same simple mathematics apply to any other marketing efforts: radio ads, press releases or articles in magazines, print ads, yellow pages, web site, etc. Obviously you need to keep track of response from each marketing campaign you do so that you can weed out unsuccessful campaigns and strengthen successful ones.Case in point:Jeff Lee, CFO of a very successful consulting company, Measurable Solutions, has adopted a successful small business marketing strategy based on direct mail marketing. Key elements are mailing out a newspaper and full color postcards. The design is done in house and the printing and mailing is done by a specialized postcard printing company. In his own words... “We get our best response from mailing out a newspaper and back it up with postcards. Depends on the postcards. Some postcards have pulled better than others.“The professionalism of the postcards is something that is effective: it gets attention, it keeps the image that we want to keep, it creates the reach, it creates the response and keeps our leads in a very high range.“We probably average around 7,500 post cards per week. Out of 7,500 post cards we’ll get in an average of 15-20 leads. Of the 15-20 leads at least a third of them come to our introductory seminar. So say 5 or 7 people show up and they pay $1,700 a piece. Off of that we close a further $30-40,000 for services.“The money we have put into the postcards is like a drop in a bucket compared to what we get back. We know that the more promotion we send out, the more return we’re going to get. It always works.” That is excellent marketing ROI. Measurable Solutions spend about $2,275 for 7,500 full color post cards. That includes printing, postage, mailing (including the mailing list). From that they get between $8,500 and $11,900 in immediate response for an introductory seminar and an additional $30-40,000 follow-up sales. Spend $2,275, earn $40-50,000. You don’t need to have majored in advanced math and rocket science to work that one out: that is what is meant by marketing ROI! Results of direct mail marketing vary from business to business but the principle holds and always works: if you send out enough promotion, you will make sales and maximize your marketing ROI. Don’t worry about response rate if your marketing ROI is high.
All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms of response rate: in other words, “I sent out 10,000 pieces of direct mail and only got 39 responses which is terrible.” This is wrong think.When it comes to marketing ROI, you have to realize that the term means Return On Investment and the return is measured in dollars (or your local currency). Let’s say you spend $2,000 to get out a bulk mailing of 5,000 pieces and you get 10 calls as a result. Doesn’t look like much. But of these 10 calls you close 6 and get immediate sales of $12,000. That’s marketing ROI! And that’s not even taking into account the future sales to those 6 new customers. It could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The same simple mathematics apply to any other marketing efforts: radio ads, press releases or articles in magazines, print ads, yellow pages, web site, etc. Obviously you need to keep track of response from each marketing campaign you do so that you can weed out unsuccessful campaigns and strengthen successful ones.Case in point:Jeff Lee, CFO of a very successful consulting company, Measurable Solutions, has adopted a successful small business marketing strategy based on direct mail marketing. Key elements are mailing out a newspaper and full color postcards. The design is done in house and the printing and mailing is done by a specialized postcard printing company. In his own words... “We get our best response from mailing out a newspaper and back it up with postcards. Depends on the postcards. Some postcards have pulled better than others.“The professionalism of the postcards is something that is effective: it gets attention, it keeps the image that we want to keep, it creates the reach, it creates the response and keeps our leads in a very high range.“We probably average around 7,500 post cards per week. Out of 7,500 post cards we’ll get in an average of 15-20 leads. Of the 15-20 leads at least a third of them come to our introductory seminar. So say 5 or 7 people show up and they pay $1,700 a piece. Off of that we close a further $30-40,000 for services.“The money we have put into the postcards is like a drop in a bucket compared to what we get back. We know that the more promotion we send out, the more return we’re going to get. It always works.” That is excellent marketing ROI. Measurable Solutions spend about $2,275 for 7,500 full color post cards. That includes printing, postage, mailing (including the mailing list). From that they get between $8,500 and $11,900 in immediate response for an introductory seminar and an additional $30-40,000 follow-up sales. Spend $2,275, earn $40-50,000. You don’t need to have majored in advanced math and rocket science to work that one out: that is what is meant by marketing ROI! Results of direct mail marketing vary from business to business but the principle holds and always works: if you send out enough promotion, you will make sales and maximize your marketing ROI. Don’t worry about response rate if your marketing ROI is high.
Are your Articles Creating an Avalanche of Traffic?
by: Scott Patterson
One of the most popular ways to market an online business is by writing web articles. Unfortunately because of this growing popularity, many webmasters are discovering that it is getting more difficult to get ezines and directories to publish their work. As a result, this hurts their web-traffic and ultimately their bottom-line.So how can you ensure that your articles will reach the maximum amount of potential web visitors?The s*cret is to market your articles like you would with every other facet of your online business. It is important to be proactive and build momentum on your articles. Below I list a few simple ways that you can do this:Submit to Article DirectoriesThe best place to initially submit your articles are to Article Directories. Since many publishers of websites, blogs, and ezines frequent these sites, your article will be quickly exposed to people who have a large amount of traffic.Contact Article ListsAfter submitting to article directories, you should then submit your work to article lists. If you are not familiar with them, article lists are newsletters on Yahoo and Topica that allow you to email your article directly to publishers of web content. When a submission comes from an article list, publishers are more inclined to trust the article and use the material. Search through Ezine DirectoriesOnce you have submitted your article to directories and mailing lists, you should then focus on contacting individual publishers. The first group you should contact are the publishers of ezines that are related to your topic. You can locate these individuals on ezine directory websites. Most of the time these sites will list contact information and whether the publisher accepts articles. Then all you have to do is email each one and ask them to publish your article. Contact Individual WebsitesAnother great place to submit your articles are to the individual websites related to your topic. Since these sites focus on providing valuable information to their readers, you can easily persuade them publish your work. To avoid wasting a lot of unnecessary work, you should only contact sites where the readers would have an interest in the topic of your article.Email Old PublishersAfter writing a few articles, you will notice that they are used by many webmasters and ezine publishers. A great way to quickly get out a new article is to contact them and see if they want to publish your content. Usually these individuals are more likely to use your article, because they have already shown trust in your writing.Give the Article to your AffiliatesIf you run an affiliate-program, you can help your affiliates by giving them your articles as a way to help promote your site. When you contact your affiliates, let them know that they can substitute your link with theirs in the resource box of the article. That way, they are given a monetary incentive to use your web article.Create an Article RSS FeedIf you have enough articles, you can create an RSS Feed that people can use for their website. Then every time you create an article, you post it on your RSS feed and the subscribing websites have new content for their visitors. By utilizing RSS feeds for article distribution, you can easily expose your article to thousands of potential website visitors.Getting your article to the maximum amount of publishers is an important step to getting an avalanche of web-traffic. Instead of writing just one article and sitting back waiting for people to come, it is important to continuously market your web articles. If you make it a point to build on the work of each article, your daily website-traffic will steadily increase.
One of the most popular ways to market an online business is by writing web articles. Unfortunately because of this growing popularity, many webmasters are discovering that it is getting more difficult to get ezines and directories to publish their work. As a result, this hurts their web-traffic and ultimately their bottom-line.So how can you ensure that your articles will reach the maximum amount of potential web visitors?The s*cret is to market your articles like you would with every other facet of your online business. It is important to be proactive and build momentum on your articles. Below I list a few simple ways that you can do this:Submit to Article DirectoriesThe best place to initially submit your articles are to Article Directories. Since many publishers of websites, blogs, and ezines frequent these sites, your article will be quickly exposed to people who have a large amount of traffic.Contact Article ListsAfter submitting to article directories, you should then submit your work to article lists. If you are not familiar with them, article lists are newsletters on Yahoo and Topica that allow you to email your article directly to publishers of web content. When a submission comes from an article list, publishers are more inclined to trust the article and use the material. Search through Ezine DirectoriesOnce you have submitted your article to directories and mailing lists, you should then focus on contacting individual publishers. The first group you should contact are the publishers of ezines that are related to your topic. You can locate these individuals on ezine directory websites. Most of the time these sites will list contact information and whether the publisher accepts articles. Then all you have to do is email each one and ask them to publish your article. Contact Individual WebsitesAnother great place to submit your articles are to the individual websites related to your topic. Since these sites focus on providing valuable information to their readers, you can easily persuade them publish your work. To avoid wasting a lot of unnecessary work, you should only contact sites where the readers would have an interest in the topic of your article.Email Old PublishersAfter writing a few articles, you will notice that they are used by many webmasters and ezine publishers. A great way to quickly get out a new article is to contact them and see if they want to publish your content. Usually these individuals are more likely to use your article, because they have already shown trust in your writing.Give the Article to your AffiliatesIf you run an affiliate-program, you can help your affiliates by giving them your articles as a way to help promote your site. When you contact your affiliates, let them know that they can substitute your link with theirs in the resource box of the article. That way, they are given a monetary incentive to use your web article.Create an Article RSS FeedIf you have enough articles, you can create an RSS Feed that people can use for their website. Then every time you create an article, you post it on your RSS feed and the subscribing websites have new content for their visitors. By utilizing RSS feeds for article distribution, you can easily expose your article to thousands of potential website visitors.Getting your article to the maximum amount of publishers is an important step to getting an avalanche of web-traffic. Instead of writing just one article and sitting back waiting for people to come, it is important to continuously market your web articles. If you make it a point to build on the work of each article, your daily website-traffic will steadily increase.
Marketing: Are You Scaring Customers Away?
by: John McCabe
"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in marketing. It was Saturday afternoon, and started like a typical telemarketing call. Heavy accent, reading a script. I told him Patty wasn't home, I'm her husband, he could talk to me.At this point, one of two things happens. Either they hang up and try again later, or they read me their script. This guy launched into his script...As part of a new promotion, he wanted to give me $500 in free merchandise certificates. All I had to do was cover $4.95 in shipping, and I didn't need to give him a credit card number to pay it.Radar on, full scam alert!I told him I wasn't interested in participating, and that I wanted off of his calling list.Legitimate telemarketers know that the magic words in the USA are 'take me off your calling list'; they usually rattle off a toll-free number and move on.Not this guy.He badgered me for another five minutes about why I didn't want the free certs. I told him I didn't trust him. He said if I didn't trust him to just hang up. So I did...The phone rang with the speed of electronic redial. "Why you hang up on me?" he demanded. "Don't you want the five hundred dollars worth of certificates?" I told him no. "You don't deserve them anyway..." he snapped before hanging up.Did a little research...--- Sidebar ---If you want to learn what I learned about this outfit, do a Google search for "Consumer Rewards Network" in quotes. Very interesting angle they're working.--- Sidebar ---Fast forward to Monday morning. The phone rings. Heavy accent on the other line..."Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"After going through the usual routine, he launched into his pitch. I cut him off, told him we weren't interested. When he asked why, I described some of my research and explicitly told him "don't call this number anymore".Why am I telling you this long-winded tale?Here's the lesson...Don't work so hard trying to convert lookers into customers after they say no.There's a well-known axiom in sales training that says most sales are closed after the fifth time the prospect says no. That's true. It's also true that, outside of organized crime, beating a prospect over the head is not a legitimate sales tactic.Court your customers like you would a new boyfriend or girlfriend. "Date" them for awhile, offering smaller products and occasional surprises. Go for the long term relationship.Don't cross the line from suitor to stalker.What do you think would happen if you walked up to a stranger and said "marry me"? Odds are, they'd say no and run the other way. What if you did the same thing with this person again and again?Do the words "restraining order" ring a bell?And yet many home business people try to do the same thing.Especially guilty are network marketers fresh off a big training event. These events are meant to fire up the troops, and they work big time. Distributors hit the ground running with evangelical zeal. Everyone needs their deal, and they just won't take no for an answer.Wake up, people!Sometimes 'no' is the right answer!Some people are just not cut out to be in business for themselves, and that's a good thing.I need someone to cut my grass. And fix my car. And ring up my groceries. And draw up my contracts. And heal me when I get sick... And on it goes.Take the easy way. Look for the ones that express interest, whether that's by buying a trial order or signing up for your mailing list. Cultivate the relationship. Long-term business success is a lot more like farming than hunting.Come on too strong, too fast and be too persistent, and you'll end up sounding like that phone scammer I started this article with. And like his outfit, you may also learn the legal meaning of cease and desist. If you stay in business that long...
"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in marketing. It was Saturday afternoon, and started like a typical telemarketing call. Heavy accent, reading a script. I told him Patty wasn't home, I'm her husband, he could talk to me.At this point, one of two things happens. Either they hang up and try again later, or they read me their script. This guy launched into his script...As part of a new promotion, he wanted to give me $500 in free merchandise certificates. All I had to do was cover $4.95 in shipping, and I didn't need to give him a credit card number to pay it.Radar on, full scam alert!I told him I wasn't interested in participating, and that I wanted off of his calling list.Legitimate telemarketers know that the magic words in the USA are 'take me off your calling list'; they usually rattle off a toll-free number and move on.Not this guy.He badgered me for another five minutes about why I didn't want the free certs. I told him I didn't trust him. He said if I didn't trust him to just hang up. So I did...The phone rang with the speed of electronic redial. "Why you hang up on me?" he demanded. "Don't you want the five hundred dollars worth of certificates?" I told him no. "You don't deserve them anyway..." he snapped before hanging up.Did a little research...--- Sidebar ---If you want to learn what I learned about this outfit, do a Google search for "Consumer Rewards Network" in quotes. Very interesting angle they're working.--- Sidebar ---Fast forward to Monday morning. The phone rings. Heavy accent on the other line..."Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"After going through the usual routine, he launched into his pitch. I cut him off, told him we weren't interested. When he asked why, I described some of my research and explicitly told him "don't call this number anymore".Why am I telling you this long-winded tale?Here's the lesson...Don't work so hard trying to convert lookers into customers after they say no.There's a well-known axiom in sales training that says most sales are closed after the fifth time the prospect says no. That's true. It's also true that, outside of organized crime, beating a prospect over the head is not a legitimate sales tactic.Court your customers like you would a new boyfriend or girlfriend. "Date" them for awhile, offering smaller products and occasional surprises. Go for the long term relationship.Don't cross the line from suitor to stalker.What do you think would happen if you walked up to a stranger and said "marry me"? Odds are, they'd say no and run the other way. What if you did the same thing with this person again and again?Do the words "restraining order" ring a bell?And yet many home business people try to do the same thing.Especially guilty are network marketers fresh off a big training event. These events are meant to fire up the troops, and they work big time. Distributors hit the ground running with evangelical zeal. Everyone needs their deal, and they just won't take no for an answer.Wake up, people!Sometimes 'no' is the right answer!Some people are just not cut out to be in business for themselves, and that's a good thing.I need someone to cut my grass. And fix my car. And ring up my groceries. And draw up my contracts. And heal me when I get sick... And on it goes.Take the easy way. Look for the ones that express interest, whether that's by buying a trial order or signing up for your mailing list. Cultivate the relationship. Long-term business success is a lot more like farming than hunting.Come on too strong, too fast and be too persistent, and you'll end up sounding like that phone scammer I started this article with. And like his outfit, you may also learn the legal meaning of cease and desist. If you stay in business that long...
How Nearly Going Broke Taught Me The Value Of Niche Marketing
by: André Anthony
If you want to learn how effective Niche Marketing can be, I suggest you "don't" take the route I did.Back in 1983 I started a company offering general Electronics Subcontract Assembly services to just about anyone who made Electronic products.By 1985 my company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and I was perilously close to losing my home because of a large overdraft pledged against it.Why did this happen?Well Electronics Subcontract Assembly is a huge, highly competitive market place with lots of heavy hitters. Being a little naive at the time, I thought that my little three man company could carve out a big enough slice from such a huge market to make a very comfortable living - I was dead wrong.We did get work, but only the jobs the big boys didn't want. The work was labour intensive and even with our tiny overhead we couldn't make enough profit to sustain the business adequately. We could never get the big, lucrative contracts because we weren't considered big enough to handle them.By December '84 I was desperate. Sales for the previous four months had been abysmal and cashflow almost non-existent. My Bank Manager was on my back demanding that I reduce the business overdraft or he would call it in. My suppliers were baying at my door to be paid. As if that wasn't bad enough, during the first week of 1985 my biggest customer suspended production for six months on a games gizmo we were making for him.Things were so bad I was seriously considering bankruptcy to get out from under this financial nightmare. Fortunately I'm a bit pig headed about giving in too easily so despite all the problems I hung on, and I'm glad I did because fortune suddenly smiled on me.What happened?A couple of weeks into 1985 a business acquaintance came to see us with a sample cable and asked if we could make 5 up for him. The cable was for an IBM PC. At the time I knew nothing about making cables and even less about PCs, but I had his sample to work from so I took the job.When our now customer came to collect his finished order, he mentioned that there were a few other Dealers in the PC market who would probably be interested in having us supply them with these cables - he even gave us a mailing list.I was more than a little sceptical, I have to admit, but I had nothing to lose so I went for it. I wrote a short, snappy sales letter, scraped together the money, mailed out to the 100+ dealers on the list and crossed my fingers.48 hours later we had our first order for 10 cables, within 7 days we had 11 more orders for 10 cables each.That one small mailing brought us an amazing 12% initial response - and it just kept going from there with week after week of repeat orders.Pretty soon after that, my wife Maxine joined the business and set up a telephone sales desk and customer service system. By that time we were averaging about £1000 a week and that was from just the one cable type.At that point I dumped the subcontract work and focussed on the cable business.Once Maxine took over the sales function she immediately followed up with the companies who hadn't responded to our initial mailing. That brought in another 26 new customers. Within six months we were supplying most of the major Dealers and Distributors in the then burgeoning PC market and our cable sales had quadrupled.Inside a year in this niche business we were selling thousands of computer cables of all descriptions, including highly lucrative custom formats, and we were being asked to provide advice on how to design cables for specific applications - we had arrived - we were now the acknowledged experts - customer loyalty rocketed and by 1988 our turnover reached £400,000+ with gross profits of 50% or more.Now I'm the first to admit that luck played a hand in turning my company's fortunes around, but the experience taught me my most valuable lesson in business - you have to focus on a specific, under-served market niche if you want to be really successful in business.I have applied this premise to four other businesses since then and, with one exception, all have been successful.My advice? Find yourself a small, focused market niche (the Internet is full of them) where you can carve a reputation for yourself and become an expert in the field - like I did.
If you want to learn how effective Niche Marketing can be, I suggest you "don't" take the route I did.Back in 1983 I started a company offering general Electronics Subcontract Assembly services to just about anyone who made Electronic products.By 1985 my company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and I was perilously close to losing my home because of a large overdraft pledged against it.Why did this happen?Well Electronics Subcontract Assembly is a huge, highly competitive market place with lots of heavy hitters. Being a little naive at the time, I thought that my little three man company could carve out a big enough slice from such a huge market to make a very comfortable living - I was dead wrong.We did get work, but only the jobs the big boys didn't want. The work was labour intensive and even with our tiny overhead we couldn't make enough profit to sustain the business adequately. We could never get the big, lucrative contracts because we weren't considered big enough to handle them.By December '84 I was desperate. Sales for the previous four months had been abysmal and cashflow almost non-existent. My Bank Manager was on my back demanding that I reduce the business overdraft or he would call it in. My suppliers were baying at my door to be paid. As if that wasn't bad enough, during the first week of 1985 my biggest customer suspended production for six months on a games gizmo we were making for him.Things were so bad I was seriously considering bankruptcy to get out from under this financial nightmare. Fortunately I'm a bit pig headed about giving in too easily so despite all the problems I hung on, and I'm glad I did because fortune suddenly smiled on me.What happened?A couple of weeks into 1985 a business acquaintance came to see us with a sample cable and asked if we could make 5 up for him. The cable was for an IBM PC. At the time I knew nothing about making cables and even less about PCs, but I had his sample to work from so I took the job.When our now customer came to collect his finished order, he mentioned that there were a few other Dealers in the PC market who would probably be interested in having us supply them with these cables - he even gave us a mailing list.I was more than a little sceptical, I have to admit, but I had nothing to lose so I went for it. I wrote a short, snappy sales letter, scraped together the money, mailed out to the 100+ dealers on the list and crossed my fingers.48 hours later we had our first order for 10 cables, within 7 days we had 11 more orders for 10 cables each.That one small mailing brought us an amazing 12% initial response - and it just kept going from there with week after week of repeat orders.Pretty soon after that, my wife Maxine joined the business and set up a telephone sales desk and customer service system. By that time we were averaging about £1000 a week and that was from just the one cable type.At that point I dumped the subcontract work and focussed on the cable business.Once Maxine took over the sales function she immediately followed up with the companies who hadn't responded to our initial mailing. That brought in another 26 new customers. Within six months we were supplying most of the major Dealers and Distributors in the then burgeoning PC market and our cable sales had quadrupled.Inside a year in this niche business we were selling thousands of computer cables of all descriptions, including highly lucrative custom formats, and we were being asked to provide advice on how to design cables for specific applications - we had arrived - we were now the acknowledged experts - customer loyalty rocketed and by 1988 our turnover reached £400,000+ with gross profits of 50% or more.Now I'm the first to admit that luck played a hand in turning my company's fortunes around, but the experience taught me my most valuable lesson in business - you have to focus on a specific, under-served market niche if you want to be really successful in business.I have applied this premise to four other businesses since then and, with one exception, all have been successful.My advice? Find yourself a small, focused market niche (the Internet is full of them) where you can carve a reputation for yourself and become an expert in the field - like I did.
What Is Education Based Marketing
by: Trey Ryder
Selling-based marketing is built around a selling message, sometimes called a sales pitch. The sales pitch is often delivered using methods that reach out to prospective customers, such as telephone selling, direct mail and door-to-door sales. Education-Based Marketing is built around an educational message, which replaces the sales message. The educational message is commonly delivered to prospective clients through educational means. These include written materials, media publicity (articles and interviews), advertising, seminars, newsletters, audio and video tapes, and Internet web sites. Frankly, you can educate your prospective clients using any method through which they can get your information and advice. Typically, your Education-Based Marketing program works like this: You create an educational message, which you first put into the form of a written handout. Then you offer your handout to prospects who are interested in your services. Prospects call your office to get your free written materials. You respond by sending the materials and inviting prospects to an upcoming seminar. In addition, you keep prospects educated through your educational newsletter. You put your message in front of your prospects through paid advertising, articles in newspapers and magazines, and interviews on radio and TV. In addition, you communicate with people on your mailing list and invite them to attend your seminar and bring their friends and associates. Selling-Based Marketing Creates These Problems: 1. Prospects go out of their way to avoid you because they are tired of selling and sales pressure. They don't like to be approached by salespeople who have something to sell. 2. Prospects don't think they can trust you because all of us have been burned by salespeople who gave us "inaccurate" and even false information in their eagerness to earn a commission. 3. Prospects are defensive and protective because they expect you to try to pressure them into buying something they don't want or need. Education-Based Marketing Provides These Solutions: 1. You give prospective clients what they want, information and advice -- and you remove what they don't want, a sales pitch. 2. You maintain your dignity because you never make any effort to sell. 3. You establish yourself as an authority because prospective clients see you as a reliable source of information. 4. You don't seek out prospects; instead, they call you. 5. You reach prospects during the first stage of the decision-making process, often before they call your competitors. 6. You identify even marginal prospects who suffer from phone-call fear, but who aren't afraid to call for your free information. 7. You prove that calling your office is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it's a positive experience. 8. You save money because you don't need expensive brochures. 9. You receive calls from qualified prospects who are genuinely interested in your services and you screen out people who are not your prospects. 10. You establish your credibility and make a positive first impression by offering helpful information rather than a sales pitch. 11. You save time by answering common questions in your materials and seminars, rather than answering the same questions over and over. 12. You begin to earn your prospect's loyalty because you've made an effort to help him, even if he doesn't become your client. 13. You know precisely how well your marketing works because you can count the number of prospects who respond -- and the number who go on to become clients. 14. You gain a competitive advantage simply by using this method because few, if any, of your competitors currently use it. 15. You benefit from the synergy of several educational methods that reinforce each other. 16. You earn a true profit, rather than just creating more work and more overhead. Now you understand why the American Marketing Association featured this innovative method on the front page of its national publication, MARKETING NEWS. Now I invite you to profit from this unique method.
Selling-based marketing is built around a selling message, sometimes called a sales pitch. The sales pitch is often delivered using methods that reach out to prospective customers, such as telephone selling, direct mail and door-to-door sales. Education-Based Marketing is built around an educational message, which replaces the sales message. The educational message is commonly delivered to prospective clients through educational means. These include written materials, media publicity (articles and interviews), advertising, seminars, newsletters, audio and video tapes, and Internet web sites. Frankly, you can educate your prospective clients using any method through which they can get your information and advice. Typically, your Education-Based Marketing program works like this: You create an educational message, which you first put into the form of a written handout. Then you offer your handout to prospects who are interested in your services. Prospects call your office to get your free written materials. You respond by sending the materials and inviting prospects to an upcoming seminar. In addition, you keep prospects educated through your educational newsletter. You put your message in front of your prospects through paid advertising, articles in newspapers and magazines, and interviews on radio and TV. In addition, you communicate with people on your mailing list and invite them to attend your seminar and bring their friends and associates. Selling-Based Marketing Creates These Problems: 1. Prospects go out of their way to avoid you because they are tired of selling and sales pressure. They don't like to be approached by salespeople who have something to sell. 2. Prospects don't think they can trust you because all of us have been burned by salespeople who gave us "inaccurate" and even false information in their eagerness to earn a commission. 3. Prospects are defensive and protective because they expect you to try to pressure them into buying something they don't want or need. Education-Based Marketing Provides These Solutions: 1. You give prospective clients what they want, information and advice -- and you remove what they don't want, a sales pitch. 2. You maintain your dignity because you never make any effort to sell. 3. You establish yourself as an authority because prospective clients see you as a reliable source of information. 4. You don't seek out prospects; instead, they call you. 5. You reach prospects during the first stage of the decision-making process, often before they call your competitors. 6. You identify even marginal prospects who suffer from phone-call fear, but who aren't afraid to call for your free information. 7. You prove that calling your office is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it's a positive experience. 8. You save money because you don't need expensive brochures. 9. You receive calls from qualified prospects who are genuinely interested in your services and you screen out people who are not your prospects. 10. You establish your credibility and make a positive first impression by offering helpful information rather than a sales pitch. 11. You save time by answering common questions in your materials and seminars, rather than answering the same questions over and over. 12. You begin to earn your prospect's loyalty because you've made an effort to help him, even if he doesn't become your client. 13. You know precisely how well your marketing works because you can count the number of prospects who respond -- and the number who go on to become clients. 14. You gain a competitive advantage simply by using this method because few, if any, of your competitors currently use it. 15. You benefit from the synergy of several educational methods that reinforce each other. 16. You earn a true profit, rather than just creating more work and more overhead. Now you understand why the American Marketing Association featured this innovative method on the front page of its national publication, MARKETING NEWS. Now I invite you to profit from this unique method.
Do Guaranteed Signups Work for MLM Internet Business Opportunity Promotion and Advertising?
by: Joe Borowy
Buying Guaranteed Signups is one of the most popular advertising methods available for MLM Internet business opportunity promoters. They offer a very cost-effective way of building a downline for any MLM program. For newer MLM Internet business opportunity promoters who have little experience in internet business advertising, Guaranteed Signups can seem like a heaven-sent, cost-effective way to guarantee their success. In my earlier experiences with MLM Internet business opportunities, Guaranteed Signups were unheard of (this was over 5 years ago) among MLM Internet business opportunity promoters. Whether or not they were around at the time, I don’t even know. But one thing is for sure. They have grown to become of the biggest advertising methods for MLM Internet business opportunity promoters.At first glance, whether you’re a MLM Internet business opportunity newbie or an experienced and successful Network Marketer, Guaranteed Signups grab your attention and interest like few other advertising methods will. Just the thought of getting dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of new prospects placed in your downline makes you start dreaming of the potential wealth.At some point in researching Guaranteed Signups, most people become skeptical, thinking that something this great is way too good to be true. And they are certainly right to be skeptical. I mean, how can a company recruit this many targeted people to sign up for your MLM Internet business opportunity, and still make profit on the low price paid for them? It seems unlikely that they would be able to deliver this kind of service to your MLM Internet business opportunity.So…Do these Guaranteed Signups work or not?To be brutally honest, they do sometimes work, but the vast majority of the websites that sell these are scams. What they do is use information harvesting programs, similar to the ones spammers use. They harvest thousands of names and email addresses, and they simply fill their orders with these. Most of the sites you will find searching on Yahoo and Google are of this variety. There are some ways to utilize this marketing method and advertise your MLM Internet business opportunity with it. One good way is to find Paid To Read sites that have a member base that gets paid for visiting sponsors’ sites, reading emails, and sometimes, signing up for programs! This guarantees you that you will get real people, who are generally familiar with MLM Internet business opportunity programs to sign up for your program. Personally, I have had some success with this, but I have had far greater responses from other websites who sell Guaranteed Signups. Among all the scams in this industry, there are some honest businesses that provide real Guaranteed Signups to your MLM Internet business opportunity. These sites are well established and generate these signups through splash pages and targeted advertising, rather than incentive. The best website I have come across is Apache Leads. I recommend them to all my website readers at www.successforfreedom.com and all of my mailing list. You can visit their website at Apache Leads and browse through their services. They not only sell Guaranteed Signups, but they also sell numerous other services to advertise your MLM Internet business opportunity. Among these, is a new form of Guaranteed Signups, called Guaranteed Paid Signups, or Guaranteed Signups with Paid Upgrades. They sell large orders of these signups, with which they will guarantee a certain number of paid upgrades in your downline! This is tremendous for jumpstarting your MLM Internet business opportunity. It does require a bit of a hefty investment, but has proven to be well worth it! The bottom line is this: Guaranteed Signups can be a great way to market your MLM Internet business opportunity. But watch out. There are too many scams out there with this industry. Only buy them from reputable sites like Apache Leads and sites that are incentive based. Be careful and good luck with your MLM Internet business opportunities!
Buying Guaranteed Signups is one of the most popular advertising methods available for MLM Internet business opportunity promoters. They offer a very cost-effective way of building a downline for any MLM program. For newer MLM Internet business opportunity promoters who have little experience in internet business advertising, Guaranteed Signups can seem like a heaven-sent, cost-effective way to guarantee their success. In my earlier experiences with MLM Internet business opportunities, Guaranteed Signups were unheard of (this was over 5 years ago) among MLM Internet business opportunity promoters. Whether or not they were around at the time, I don’t even know. But one thing is for sure. They have grown to become of the biggest advertising methods for MLM Internet business opportunity promoters.At first glance, whether you’re a MLM Internet business opportunity newbie or an experienced and successful Network Marketer, Guaranteed Signups grab your attention and interest like few other advertising methods will. Just the thought of getting dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of new prospects placed in your downline makes you start dreaming of the potential wealth.At some point in researching Guaranteed Signups, most people become skeptical, thinking that something this great is way too good to be true. And they are certainly right to be skeptical. I mean, how can a company recruit this many targeted people to sign up for your MLM Internet business opportunity, and still make profit on the low price paid for them? It seems unlikely that they would be able to deliver this kind of service to your MLM Internet business opportunity.So…Do these Guaranteed Signups work or not?To be brutally honest, they do sometimes work, but the vast majority of the websites that sell these are scams. What they do is use information harvesting programs, similar to the ones spammers use. They harvest thousands of names and email addresses, and they simply fill their orders with these. Most of the sites you will find searching on Yahoo and Google are of this variety. There are some ways to utilize this marketing method and advertise your MLM Internet business opportunity with it. One good way is to find Paid To Read sites that have a member base that gets paid for visiting sponsors’ sites, reading emails, and sometimes, signing up for programs! This guarantees you that you will get real people, who are generally familiar with MLM Internet business opportunity programs to sign up for your program. Personally, I have had some success with this, but I have had far greater responses from other websites who sell Guaranteed Signups. Among all the scams in this industry, there are some honest businesses that provide real Guaranteed Signups to your MLM Internet business opportunity. These sites are well established and generate these signups through splash pages and targeted advertising, rather than incentive. The best website I have come across is Apache Leads. I recommend them to all my website readers at www.successforfreedom.com and all of my mailing list. You can visit their website at Apache Leads and browse through their services. They not only sell Guaranteed Signups, but they also sell numerous other services to advertise your MLM Internet business opportunity. Among these, is a new form of Guaranteed Signups, called Guaranteed Paid Signups, or Guaranteed Signups with Paid Upgrades. They sell large orders of these signups, with which they will guarantee a certain number of paid upgrades in your downline! This is tremendous for jumpstarting your MLM Internet business opportunity. It does require a bit of a hefty investment, but has proven to be well worth it! The bottom line is this: Guaranteed Signups can be a great way to market your MLM Internet business opportunity. But watch out. There are too many scams out there with this industry. Only buy them from reputable sites like Apache Leads and sites that are incentive based. Be careful and good luck with your MLM Internet business opportunities!
How are you promoting your website?
by: terry cinnamon
Hi my name is Terry Cinnamon, and here is an article that i think will help a lot of you out there, who are confused on how to market their product either because your new to marketing on the internet or because the things you have tried havent been working.This atricle shows you how!The Electric Money Tree Organization is going to explain here, exactly how you can generate a huge income which flows in every day for the rest of your life with minimal effort on your part by using that much-hyped tool the Internet. And as society becomes more accustomed to the Internet the following principle will only become more efficient. Probably you’ve heard about all the money that can be made on the Internet. Maybe you’ve tried Internet Marketing and been unsuccessful. I very much doubt that anyone reading this has been successful because most of the talk about how you can make your fortune on the Internet is hype to take your money. This hype is spread by those who are seeking to profit from the hopes and naivety of entrepreneurs new to the Internet by selling them bogus but expensive marketing tools.Lets be precise here: What you want and need is a way of bringing in large volumes of visitors to your site, most of whom are interested in buying your chosen product.The following are the most common methods offered to the aspiring entrepreneur and NONE of them work. We thought it best to share them with you first of all.What Doesn't Work?(This list could save you a fortune in wasted advertising money)Mass Mailing Programs: These are programs which you load into your computer and which then enable you to mail thousands of addresses per night with a sales letter. They do not work because you cannot ordinarily obtain good addresses. (See below) You have to buy the program to learn this of course.Mass Mail (Spam) Lists: These are sold cheaply by the million for use with the programs above. People do not realise that not only are the addresses random rather than targeted-by-interest but they are all mailed thousands of times by everyone who purchases either the Mass Mailing Program or lists. Results: Expect one per ten thousand with a good letter and appealing, cheap product. And your ISP will shut down your Web Site.Opt-In Lists: These rented mailing lists are much more expensive and hardly any better than those above. The names on the lists have allowed incoming mail in a certain subject in return for some other benefit. This does not mean they are interested in buying anything and they usually get 500 offers per day. You never see the names but have to trust the list owner that the names exist and are mailed. You have no recourse following a negative result. And a negative result is what you will get.Banner Advertising: For a set (and hefty) fee your advertisement appears a certain number of times on the screen of a number of computer users. (Allegedly) The ad can be slightly targeted but, again, there is no reason to suppose the viewer wants to buy anything. Banner ads do not give a cost effective return for anyone other than the person who sells the banner space.Affiliate Programs: These are where you recruit and set up people to sell your product for you on the Internet. The system has part of an idea which works and which we will examine elsewhere, affiliates in principle are a very good thing, but normally it involves other people trying, hopelessly, to do what you cannot - find clients on the Internet. You end up with a large recruiting bill and lots of affiliates doing nothing. (Unless you know how to sell on the Internet and can tell your affiliates. See below.)News Groups: There are tens of thousands of news groups on the Internet where people meet to exchange ideas on all manner of subjects. Some are concerned with marketing. If you post an advertisement on a news group which is not related to your business the members get really cross and do not buy - they shut you down. If you post to a group which accepts marketing your ad is buried under thousands of other ads which people post and no one ever reads. Expect zero results.www.pro2010.com/139/invite.htmlSo What Does Work?Targeted Emailing: This is similar to direct mail by post with one vital exception - The % take-up rate is lower. Delivery is cheap but the rental lists are still quite expensive. Rental prices are coming down and there are now some "fair" lists around. This will improve as the Internet gains acceptance amongst the population and people become more used to buying directly from an email approach. The advantages are that return on investment is already much higher than snail-mail and it is much quicker and more amenable to automation.Internet Two-Step Is Currently By Far The Best Way To Sell Effectively Using The Internet.This is how it is done: You have to use a web page as a sales brochure and run it like "Two-Step" in a conventional mail order business. We call this - strangely enough - "Internet Two Step". Using this secret, known only to a few marketing professionals, is how you can make your own fortune and keep the money rolling in for the rest of your life.What Is Conventional "Two Step"? In conventional mail order there are two ways to sell a product: Either "Off the page" or "Two Step". Off The Page involves a large and expensive advertisement in a magazine or newspaper. It includes the order form and asks for payment with order after "selling" the product. The disadvantage is the size of ad-space, and therefore expense, required to explain and sell a product. The advantage is that with low cost products, say under £20, it "pulls" well and avoids the immense amount of administration and expense necessary to handle many thousands of enquiries.Two Step is where a much smaller, cheaper ad is used to attract the potential client’s interest and he is asked to telephone for free details. The disadvantage is that there is a great deal of expense and administration involved in collecting names and sending out a sales brochure to each enquirer. The advantage is that the ad is much cheaper. With conventional media it’s a case of "Horses for courses."How Does "Internet Two Step" Work? First you set up a web page as your "sales brochure". The Internet is extremely well suited to this use with full color display and also sound and movies available. An Internet web site can be immeasurably more appealing and effective as a sales tool than can a printed brochure. Your potential market for the right product is the entire civilised world and you can offer your web page in translation to reach everyone. You doubtlessly know it is possible to collect money over the Internet by credit card. Be aware that many people still prefer to send cash or cheque so you might offer this facility with a "print out" order form if your product is appropriate. The hurdle which stops most businesses is that, having put up their Web Site Brochure, they then try to use the Internet to drive clients to their site: This is difficult to do cost effectively as you have seen above so do not try. Instead, run the same type of ad in conventional media that you would use to attract enquiries for "Two Step" but ask the reader to visit your Web Site instead. A huge number will if your ad is right. You gain the same advantage of a far lower advertising spend and combine it with zero brochure production and distribution costs. You also obtain a much higher conversion rate on enquiries because a well designed site sells the product better than a brochure ever could. Once your site is set up you just have to get an advertisement in front of your target audience and the orders will flow in as fast as you can process them. And orders can be processed automatically with the right product and set-up.A few (pounds or dollars) invested in advertising can bring in tens of thousands of (pounds or dollars) worth of orders. Internet Two Step is the future of mass marketing and you are among the first entrepreneurs to learn of it. Use it well and MAKE YOUR FORTUNE.Taking That Vacation....The beauty of the Internet combined with the power of computers is that just about everything can be automated. Running a shop you have to be there or get a headache employing staff.Running a direct snail-mail program you spend all your time chasing mailing houses and fretting over delivery and responses. There is also masses of work to handle a successful response - orders to process, cheques to bank and orders to ship. There is more work than an outsider would credit.Selling from a web site, however, is a different animal entirely. Yes, you do have to get the site set up in the first place and complete the following once-and-for-all tasks:Choose the right productDesign your Web SiteArrange to accept payment by credit cardArrange for the automatic despatch of the information-based productPublish your sitePlace your advertising and recruit your affiliates When this list is completed you have little else to do because the advertisements or affiliates bring the visitors to your site. The site sells and ships your product automatically. You can check your bank account over the Internet from any beach in the world. You can even re-book advertising from your deck chair.Do you know a better way to make money?
Hi my name is Terry Cinnamon, and here is an article that i think will help a lot of you out there, who are confused on how to market their product either because your new to marketing on the internet or because the things you have tried havent been working.This atricle shows you how!The Electric Money Tree Organization is going to explain here, exactly how you can generate a huge income which flows in every day for the rest of your life with minimal effort on your part by using that much-hyped tool the Internet. And as society becomes more accustomed to the Internet the following principle will only become more efficient. Probably you’ve heard about all the money that can be made on the Internet. Maybe you’ve tried Internet Marketing and been unsuccessful. I very much doubt that anyone reading this has been successful because most of the talk about how you can make your fortune on the Internet is hype to take your money. This hype is spread by those who are seeking to profit from the hopes and naivety of entrepreneurs new to the Internet by selling them bogus but expensive marketing tools.Lets be precise here: What you want and need is a way of bringing in large volumes of visitors to your site, most of whom are interested in buying your chosen product.The following are the most common methods offered to the aspiring entrepreneur and NONE of them work. We thought it best to share them with you first of all.What Doesn't Work?(This list could save you a fortune in wasted advertising money)Mass Mailing Programs: These are programs which you load into your computer and which then enable you to mail thousands of addresses per night with a sales letter. They do not work because you cannot ordinarily obtain good addresses. (See below) You have to buy the program to learn this of course.Mass Mail (Spam) Lists: These are sold cheaply by the million for use with the programs above. People do not realise that not only are the addresses random rather than targeted-by-interest but they are all mailed thousands of times by everyone who purchases either the Mass Mailing Program or lists. Results: Expect one per ten thousand with a good letter and appealing, cheap product. And your ISP will shut down your Web Site.Opt-In Lists: These rented mailing lists are much more expensive and hardly any better than those above. The names on the lists have allowed incoming mail in a certain subject in return for some other benefit. This does not mean they are interested in buying anything and they usually get 500 offers per day. You never see the names but have to trust the list owner that the names exist and are mailed. You have no recourse following a negative result. And a negative result is what you will get.Banner Advertising: For a set (and hefty) fee your advertisement appears a certain number of times on the screen of a number of computer users. (Allegedly) The ad can be slightly targeted but, again, there is no reason to suppose the viewer wants to buy anything. Banner ads do not give a cost effective return for anyone other than the person who sells the banner space.Affiliate Programs: These are where you recruit and set up people to sell your product for you on the Internet. The system has part of an idea which works and which we will examine elsewhere, affiliates in principle are a very good thing, but normally it involves other people trying, hopelessly, to do what you cannot - find clients on the Internet. You end up with a large recruiting bill and lots of affiliates doing nothing. (Unless you know how to sell on the Internet and can tell your affiliates. See below.)News Groups: There are tens of thousands of news groups on the Internet where people meet to exchange ideas on all manner of subjects. Some are concerned with marketing. If you post an advertisement on a news group which is not related to your business the members get really cross and do not buy - they shut you down. If you post to a group which accepts marketing your ad is buried under thousands of other ads which people post and no one ever reads. Expect zero results.www.pro2010.com/139/invite.htmlSo What Does Work?Targeted Emailing: This is similar to direct mail by post with one vital exception - The % take-up rate is lower. Delivery is cheap but the rental lists are still quite expensive. Rental prices are coming down and there are now some "fair" lists around. This will improve as the Internet gains acceptance amongst the population and people become more used to buying directly from an email approach. The advantages are that return on investment is already much higher than snail-mail and it is much quicker and more amenable to automation.Internet Two-Step Is Currently By Far The Best Way To Sell Effectively Using The Internet.This is how it is done: You have to use a web page as a sales brochure and run it like "Two-Step" in a conventional mail order business. We call this - strangely enough - "Internet Two Step". Using this secret, known only to a few marketing professionals, is how you can make your own fortune and keep the money rolling in for the rest of your life.What Is Conventional "Two Step"? In conventional mail order there are two ways to sell a product: Either "Off the page" or "Two Step". Off The Page involves a large and expensive advertisement in a magazine or newspaper. It includes the order form and asks for payment with order after "selling" the product. The disadvantage is the size of ad-space, and therefore expense, required to explain and sell a product. The advantage is that with low cost products, say under £20, it "pulls" well and avoids the immense amount of administration and expense necessary to handle many thousands of enquiries.Two Step is where a much smaller, cheaper ad is used to attract the potential client’s interest and he is asked to telephone for free details. The disadvantage is that there is a great deal of expense and administration involved in collecting names and sending out a sales brochure to each enquirer. The advantage is that the ad is much cheaper. With conventional media it’s a case of "Horses for courses."How Does "Internet Two Step" Work? First you set up a web page as your "sales brochure". The Internet is extremely well suited to this use with full color display and also sound and movies available. An Internet web site can be immeasurably more appealing and effective as a sales tool than can a printed brochure. Your potential market for the right product is the entire civilised world and you can offer your web page in translation to reach everyone. You doubtlessly know it is possible to collect money over the Internet by credit card. Be aware that many people still prefer to send cash or cheque so you might offer this facility with a "print out" order form if your product is appropriate. The hurdle which stops most businesses is that, having put up their Web Site Brochure, they then try to use the Internet to drive clients to their site: This is difficult to do cost effectively as you have seen above so do not try. Instead, run the same type of ad in conventional media that you would use to attract enquiries for "Two Step" but ask the reader to visit your Web Site instead. A huge number will if your ad is right. You gain the same advantage of a far lower advertising spend and combine it with zero brochure production and distribution costs. You also obtain a much higher conversion rate on enquiries because a well designed site sells the product better than a brochure ever could. Once your site is set up you just have to get an advertisement in front of your target audience and the orders will flow in as fast as you can process them. And orders can be processed automatically with the right product and set-up.A few (pounds or dollars) invested in advertising can bring in tens of thousands of (pounds or dollars) worth of orders. Internet Two Step is the future of mass marketing and you are among the first entrepreneurs to learn of it. Use it well and MAKE YOUR FORTUNE.Taking That Vacation....The beauty of the Internet combined with the power of computers is that just about everything can be automated. Running a shop you have to be there or get a headache employing staff.Running a direct snail-mail program you spend all your time chasing mailing houses and fretting over delivery and responses. There is also masses of work to handle a successful response - orders to process, cheques to bank and orders to ship. There is more work than an outsider would credit.Selling from a web site, however, is a different animal entirely. Yes, you do have to get the site set up in the first place and complete the following once-and-for-all tasks:Choose the right productDesign your Web SiteArrange to accept payment by credit cardArrange for the automatic despatch of the information-based productPublish your sitePlace your advertising and recruit your affiliates When this list is completed you have little else to do because the advertisements or affiliates bring the visitors to your site. The site sells and ships your product automatically. You can check your bank account over the Internet from any beach in the world. You can even re-book advertising from your deck chair.Do you know a better way to make money?
Marketing Hat for Graphic Designers or Wannabe’s
by: Joy Gendusa
Many people think that the quality of any graphic design is determined by how aesthetically pleasing it is: Although making the card look good is important, this couldn't be further from the truth. The only true measure of any design, at least commercially, is "How well does it pull?". By pull we mean what type of response does it elicit? Does it pull in calls, or pull people into the store? In essence, does the design accomplish what it set out to do?From this fact it is not a reach to come to the conclusion that the merit of a graphic designer is based on the performance of his or her designs. You may be able to put together the most beautiful ad that the world has ever seen, but if it doesn't make the phone ring it isn't worth the paper that it is printed on.By giving clients designs that are not only attractive but, more importantly, that get them the response they need to turn a profit, you are making it much more likely that they will be willing and able to come back to you for future services. In short, if the ad doesn't make your client any money, you don't make any money in the future.The following text is a breakdown of the different actions to take and ways to make sure that your beautiful design is also a big time moneymaker for both you and your client.Chapter 1: “BE” the Target MarketThere is a monkey loose in your office and you can't seem to get any work done. The only solution is to catch the little distraction and FedEx him back to the jungle that he came from. Question: How do you catch a monkey? You have to get into his head, think like him. You have to “BE” the monkey to find out what is going to bring him close enough for you to catch him.What does an annoying monkey have to do with Marketing Design? Keep reading.Every potential customer is like the monkey. They are going to do whatever they want unless you can persuade them to listen to you. You have to get into their head, think like them, “BE” them. A monkey is a simple animal so you can probably get his attention with the stereotypical banana.Human beings on the other hand are extremely complex. Then you add in the fact that the mailing list is targeted and it can get quite challenging. Following are a few examples: 1) Product = Wrinkle Reducing Eye Cream.Who do you need to “BE”? Probably a woman over the age of 40. Try it. Pretend you are a woman over 40 with crows feet (wrinkles around the eyes, for all you guys) and they are getting worse and worse each day. Did you do it? Are you her? Good.Now, how bombarded with advertising is this woman over 40 that you’re being? Just think about it. PLENTY! So how are you going to communicate to her in an ad to get her to respond?You may have a headline that pushes the button of how upset she is about those crows feet like, “Crow’s Feet Getting Worse as You Age?” You may want to show a before and after shot. 2) Product = New Golf Ball that goes farther and straighter than the competition.Your target market is Senior Citizen golf enthusiasts in the state of Florida. So what is the number one benefit of this particular product for that target market? To answer that question you should use three things: • Reasoning• Experience• ResearchIn this golf case, in particular, I can tell you from others’ stories that the older the guy, the straighter the ball goes. Practice makes perfect and older people have generally had much more practice. Also, as people get older they start to lose strength over all. This means that they will start to lose distance on their shot. It is relatively easy to tell that the distance factor is going to be the biggest benefit and therefore should be the focus of the ad. Sometimes it's really easy, most times it's not. 3) Product (Service) = Refinancing.This example has you trying to determine the biggest benefit of refinancing a mortgage for families with a household income of $75k, revolving debt of $15k and 2+ children. Sound complicated? It can be. Maybe the benefit is getting cash to pay off their debt, maybe it's paying for college, or even lowering their monthly payments. There is no real way to tell just by looking at the situation. Now you are going to have to do some research.Chapter 2: Research the Target MarketResearch can be as in depth as actually phoning some of the people in the target market and conducting surveys, or it is often as simple as talking to your client about his experiences with past customers. Start with the easiest action and survey your client. Here are some good questions to ask:1. What do your top five customers have in common? By this I mean, what do your top five customers' orders have in common. Do they all purchase a certain add on? Is there a service that none of them take advantage of? This will help tell you what a "good customer" actually is to that client.2. What is the most-often-stated benefit of your service?Is it product? Is it service? Is it price? Ask them, they know and you need to know for obvious reasons.3. What do they think is the most beneficial part of their service to their customer?Many companies have already done the research, or have been doing it long enough to just give you the information out right.It is not always obvious what is going to be the benefit that is going to pull the most response. Use your three assets (Reasoning, Experience and Research) to get as close as possible. As time goes on you will build up your experience, but in the beginning you will need to rely more heavily on your Reasoning and Research. And the easiest and fastest thing you can do is to “BE” the target market. Now back to the targeted family that we want to refinance their home. Pretend you are a family man or woman with a household income of the $75k with revolving debt of $15K and you’ve got two kids! Kids can be pretty expensive. So, why would you like to refinance?Chapter 3: You Want the Customer to do WHAT?Since you've now figured out what the customer needs to hear to be interested, next you need to figure out what it is you want from them. What are you trying to accomplish? Sometimes it is as simple as getting them to go to your website for more information. Other times you are looking for them to pick up the phone and actually place an order. Whatever it is that you want them to do you need to state it clearly on the promo piece.For example, if you want them to call and talk to a representative, the card should very clearly say "Call today and speak to one of our representatives for more details." This simple statement tells the customer exactly what you want them to do. It even tells them when to call - "today". Believe it or not, people like to be told exactly what to do in advertising. You should make it easy as possible to make the requested action. The more your prospects have to think, the less likely they are to actually act.Another key part of the call to action is supplying the proper accompanying information along with the request. In this case, the phone number should be prominent and be the closest element to your call to action. Common sense would seem to tell you that as long as the phone number is somewhere on the promo they will find it and give you a call. The reality is that if the number isn't right there for them to see, your response rate will drop considerably.Make sure that the call to action is bold and easy to understand. And keep any important contact information in close proximity to the call to action.These are the three most important steps that a graphic designer needs to take to make a piece that will be aesthetic and pull at the same time. Pull = a call, a walk-in, a buy, a response – all for more money in their door. Which, by the way, gets you remunerated for your services and is actually your exchange for a job well done. Their customers buying means your customers are pleased and wanting more of your services. And it’s a happier, prospering world.
Many people think that the quality of any graphic design is determined by how aesthetically pleasing it is: Although making the card look good is important, this couldn't be further from the truth. The only true measure of any design, at least commercially, is "How well does it pull?". By pull we mean what type of response does it elicit? Does it pull in calls, or pull people into the store? In essence, does the design accomplish what it set out to do?From this fact it is not a reach to come to the conclusion that the merit of a graphic designer is based on the performance of his or her designs. You may be able to put together the most beautiful ad that the world has ever seen, but if it doesn't make the phone ring it isn't worth the paper that it is printed on.By giving clients designs that are not only attractive but, more importantly, that get them the response they need to turn a profit, you are making it much more likely that they will be willing and able to come back to you for future services. In short, if the ad doesn't make your client any money, you don't make any money in the future.The following text is a breakdown of the different actions to take and ways to make sure that your beautiful design is also a big time moneymaker for both you and your client.Chapter 1: “BE” the Target MarketThere is a monkey loose in your office and you can't seem to get any work done. The only solution is to catch the little distraction and FedEx him back to the jungle that he came from. Question: How do you catch a monkey? You have to get into his head, think like him. You have to “BE” the monkey to find out what is going to bring him close enough for you to catch him.What does an annoying monkey have to do with Marketing Design? Keep reading.Every potential customer is like the monkey. They are going to do whatever they want unless you can persuade them to listen to you. You have to get into their head, think like them, “BE” them. A monkey is a simple animal so you can probably get his attention with the stereotypical banana.Human beings on the other hand are extremely complex. Then you add in the fact that the mailing list is targeted and it can get quite challenging. Following are a few examples: 1) Product = Wrinkle Reducing Eye Cream.Who do you need to “BE”? Probably a woman over the age of 40. Try it. Pretend you are a woman over 40 with crows feet (wrinkles around the eyes, for all you guys) and they are getting worse and worse each day. Did you do it? Are you her? Good.Now, how bombarded with advertising is this woman over 40 that you’re being? Just think about it. PLENTY! So how are you going to communicate to her in an ad to get her to respond?You may have a headline that pushes the button of how upset she is about those crows feet like, “Crow’s Feet Getting Worse as You Age?” You may want to show a before and after shot. 2) Product = New Golf Ball that goes farther and straighter than the competition.Your target market is Senior Citizen golf enthusiasts in the state of Florida. So what is the number one benefit of this particular product for that target market? To answer that question you should use three things: • Reasoning• Experience• ResearchIn this golf case, in particular, I can tell you from others’ stories that the older the guy, the straighter the ball goes. Practice makes perfect and older people have generally had much more practice. Also, as people get older they start to lose strength over all. This means that they will start to lose distance on their shot. It is relatively easy to tell that the distance factor is going to be the biggest benefit and therefore should be the focus of the ad. Sometimes it's really easy, most times it's not. 3) Product (Service) = Refinancing.This example has you trying to determine the biggest benefit of refinancing a mortgage for families with a household income of $75k, revolving debt of $15k and 2+ children. Sound complicated? It can be. Maybe the benefit is getting cash to pay off their debt, maybe it's paying for college, or even lowering their monthly payments. There is no real way to tell just by looking at the situation. Now you are going to have to do some research.Chapter 2: Research the Target MarketResearch can be as in depth as actually phoning some of the people in the target market and conducting surveys, or it is often as simple as talking to your client about his experiences with past customers. Start with the easiest action and survey your client. Here are some good questions to ask:1. What do your top five customers have in common? By this I mean, what do your top five customers' orders have in common. Do they all purchase a certain add on? Is there a service that none of them take advantage of? This will help tell you what a "good customer" actually is to that client.2. What is the most-often-stated benefit of your service?Is it product? Is it service? Is it price? Ask them, they know and you need to know for obvious reasons.3. What do they think is the most beneficial part of their service to their customer?Many companies have already done the research, or have been doing it long enough to just give you the information out right.It is not always obvious what is going to be the benefit that is going to pull the most response. Use your three assets (Reasoning, Experience and Research) to get as close as possible. As time goes on you will build up your experience, but in the beginning you will need to rely more heavily on your Reasoning and Research. And the easiest and fastest thing you can do is to “BE” the target market. Now back to the targeted family that we want to refinance their home. Pretend you are a family man or woman with a household income of the $75k with revolving debt of $15K and you’ve got two kids! Kids can be pretty expensive. So, why would you like to refinance?Chapter 3: You Want the Customer to do WHAT?Since you've now figured out what the customer needs to hear to be interested, next you need to figure out what it is you want from them. What are you trying to accomplish? Sometimes it is as simple as getting them to go to your website for more information. Other times you are looking for them to pick up the phone and actually place an order. Whatever it is that you want them to do you need to state it clearly on the promo piece.For example, if you want them to call and talk to a representative, the card should very clearly say "Call today and speak to one of our representatives for more details." This simple statement tells the customer exactly what you want them to do. It even tells them when to call - "today". Believe it or not, people like to be told exactly what to do in advertising. You should make it easy as possible to make the requested action. The more your prospects have to think, the less likely they are to actually act.Another key part of the call to action is supplying the proper accompanying information along with the request. In this case, the phone number should be prominent and be the closest element to your call to action. Common sense would seem to tell you that as long as the phone number is somewhere on the promo they will find it and give you a call. The reality is that if the number isn't right there for them to see, your response rate will drop considerably.Make sure that the call to action is bold and easy to understand. And keep any important contact information in close proximity to the call to action.These are the three most important steps that a graphic designer needs to take to make a piece that will be aesthetic and pull at the same time. Pull = a call, a walk-in, a buy, a response – all for more money in their door. Which, by the way, gets you remunerated for your services and is actually your exchange for a job well done. Their customers buying means your customers are pleased and wanting more of your services. And it’s a happier, prospering world.
How To Put The Profit-Producing Power of Couponing To Work For You...
by: Thom Reece
Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business.Because coupons "pull in the business" they have gained remarkable acceptance and popularity among astute marketing managers. A simple explanation for their acceptance by advertisers is their overwhelming acceptance and use by the consuming public. In fact, Advertising Age (the Bible of the advertising industry) reports that 87% of all shoppers use coupons.Another independent marketing research firm, the A.C. Nielson Co., reveals that 95% of all shoppers like coupons. And 60% actively look for coupons.A recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "In a Pinch, Snip.", states that coupon use rises, as the economy in any given area slides. 54% of shoppers surveyed said they had already stepped up use of coupons, and even more are expected to do so.It's very easy to see why coupon advertising is sweeping the country. Regular use of good couponing strategy will provide a steady stream of new customers and high quality sales leads.Savvy marketers cite these reasons for heavy reliance on couponing:A. Coupons have the effect of expanding or increasing your market area. We know that consumers will travel far to redeem a valuable coupon.B. Coupons will entice new customers that have been shopping at your competitor. It's a proven fact that consumers will break routine shopping patterns to take advantage of a good coupon offer.C. Coupons attract new residents when they are actively in the market for products and services.D. Coupons will re-activate old customers. Those customers that have been lured away by your competitor will start buying from you again when you give them a good reason to do so.E. Coupon advertising provides the opportunity for additional profits through sale of related items. (Business owners often forget this.) When you offer a special "deal" on a coupon to invite a customer to do business with you, you have to remember that this same customer will probably end up buying additional items that carry a full profit margin.In addition, you also are being given the opportunity to "sell-up" to a more profitable product or service. You would not have had this opportunity had it not been for the coupon getting the customer through the door in the first place.F. Coupons build store traffic which results in additional impulse purchases.G. Coupons are measurable and accountable Don't overlook that couponing is the most measurable and accountable form of promotion.It's simply a matter of counting the number of coupons redeemed to judge the effectiveness of the offer. Wise use of this consumer feedback will guide you in creating future offers that improve your results.Understand that the media delivering the coupon has very little to do with the response. Publications simply deliver your offer to a specific audience. It's up to you to determine what offer produces the best response from that audience. You do this through methodically testing various offers. Savvy use of this "coupon testing" technique will give you the specific knowledge you require to greatly improve all of your advertising response, your sales, and your profits.How do you go about creating a coupon promotion that will work for YOU? Here's what I like to call...THOM'S TWELVE TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COUPONING:TIP#1...MAKE A SOLID OFFER!* OFFER DISCOUNTS..."$50.00 OFF!", "60% OFF!", (percentage discounts are only good when they are high percentages and the value of the product or service is well known.)Dollars Off discounts work best.* OFFER BONUSES..."Buy One/Get One Free!", or "2 Free with Each Case Ordered!", "Free Batteries When You Buy One Super Flashlight", or "Free Drop Cloth with Each Gallon of Super Paint", etc.* OFFER PREMIUMS...Offer premiums for a presentation, for a trial order, for a subscription, for a demonstration, for a new customer referral, for an order amounting to $xxx or larger", etc.* OFFER FREE INFORMATION..."FREE booklet", "FREE brochure", "FREE estimate", "FREE details", "FREE samples", "FREE trial", "FREE consultation", "FREE quote", etc.TIP#2....USE BOLD, COMMANDING AND SPECIFIC HEADLINES!* "Save $50.00 on Any Portable TV....This Month Only!"* "FREE BROCHURE...'Beauty Secrets for Career Woman'!"* "Free Catalog Saves YOU 70% on Office Supplies!"* "Rent Two NEW RELEASE Video Movies--Get One FREE!"* "Buy One Dinner Entree--Get One FREE!"* "Buy Five Cases of Copier Paper--Get the Sixth Case Absolutely Free!"TIP#3...USE LINE ILLUSTRATIONS OR PHOTOGRAPHS.* Illustrations work best when you show products in-use.* Illustrations enhance credibility, aid understanding, and create desire.TIP#4...USE YOUR LOGO IN YOUR COUPON.* Use of logo: builds company identity and awareness in the marketplace, enhances your image, lends credibility to your offer, and improves response.TIP #5....MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF WHITE SPACE.* Don't clutter. Don't cram.TIP#5...SELL THE BENEFITS.* Save time, save money, increase profits, protect your family, improve your standard of living, be happier, improve your health, increase your income, increase your comfort, more convenient.TIP#7....APPEAL TO THE SELF-INTEREST OF YOUR CUSTOMER.* Your customer is only interested in what you can do for him or her. Your customer will only buy the benefits-of-use of your product or service. Let me say that again...your customer is only interested in the benefits of use of your product....not the product itself.TIP#8...MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE 18 MOST POWERFUL WORDS IN ADVERTISING.* free, now, new, how to, save, guarantee, money, easy, simple, you, proven, love, results, discovery, fast, amazing, sex, profit.TIP#9...ALWAYS UP-SELL.* Offer extras when a customer requests information or places an order. Always suggest related items. Point out the added features and benefits of a higher priced item and then show the customer specifically how these features will make his life easier, safer, etc.TIP#10...SPREAD YOUR SPECIALS AROUND--CONSIDER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN IN A RETAIL STORE.* Set up product displays so that you force your customer to walk the entire expanse of your store. Your "impulse" buys will increase dramatically when you expose your customer to more products by well planned placement of "sale items".TIP#11...CAPTURE YOUR CUSTOMERS NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER. DEVELOP AN IN-HOUSE MAILING LIST FOR ON-GOING DIRECT MARKETING USE.* Your customer list represents your most valuable asset. Your greatest potential for sales and profits lies in the customer database. To ignore this potential is pure folly.TIP#12...DON'T STOP AFTER THE SALE.* Create a planned program of continuous follow-up to your customer list.* Use ride-alongs, invoice stuffers, new catalogs, new product brochures, special sale flyers, preferred customer sales and discounts, customer appreciation events, more coupons. Keep your customers coming back to YOU!
Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business.Because coupons "pull in the business" they have gained remarkable acceptance and popularity among astute marketing managers. A simple explanation for their acceptance by advertisers is their overwhelming acceptance and use by the consuming public. In fact, Advertising Age (the Bible of the advertising industry) reports that 87% of all shoppers use coupons.Another independent marketing research firm, the A.C. Nielson Co., reveals that 95% of all shoppers like coupons. And 60% actively look for coupons.A recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "In a Pinch, Snip.", states that coupon use rises, as the economy in any given area slides. 54% of shoppers surveyed said they had already stepped up use of coupons, and even more are expected to do so.It's very easy to see why coupon advertising is sweeping the country. Regular use of good couponing strategy will provide a steady stream of new customers and high quality sales leads.Savvy marketers cite these reasons for heavy reliance on couponing:A. Coupons have the effect of expanding or increasing your market area. We know that consumers will travel far to redeem a valuable coupon.B. Coupons will entice new customers that have been shopping at your competitor. It's a proven fact that consumers will break routine shopping patterns to take advantage of a good coupon offer.C. Coupons attract new residents when they are actively in the market for products and services.D. Coupons will re-activate old customers. Those customers that have been lured away by your competitor will start buying from you again when you give them a good reason to do so.E. Coupon advertising provides the opportunity for additional profits through sale of related items. (Business owners often forget this.) When you offer a special "deal" on a coupon to invite a customer to do business with you, you have to remember that this same customer will probably end up buying additional items that carry a full profit margin.In addition, you also are being given the opportunity to "sell-up" to a more profitable product or service. You would not have had this opportunity had it not been for the coupon getting the customer through the door in the first place.F. Coupons build store traffic which results in additional impulse purchases.G. Coupons are measurable and accountable Don't overlook that couponing is the most measurable and accountable form of promotion.It's simply a matter of counting the number of coupons redeemed to judge the effectiveness of the offer. Wise use of this consumer feedback will guide you in creating future offers that improve your results.Understand that the media delivering the coupon has very little to do with the response. Publications simply deliver your offer to a specific audience. It's up to you to determine what offer produces the best response from that audience. You do this through methodically testing various offers. Savvy use of this "coupon testing" technique will give you the specific knowledge you require to greatly improve all of your advertising response, your sales, and your profits.How do you go about creating a coupon promotion that will work for YOU? Here's what I like to call...THOM'S TWELVE TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COUPONING:TIP#1...MAKE A SOLID OFFER!* OFFER DISCOUNTS..."$50.00 OFF!", "60% OFF!", (percentage discounts are only good when they are high percentages and the value of the product or service is well known.)Dollars Off discounts work best.* OFFER BONUSES..."Buy One/Get One Free!", or "2 Free with Each Case Ordered!", "Free Batteries When You Buy One Super Flashlight", or "Free Drop Cloth with Each Gallon of Super Paint", etc.* OFFER PREMIUMS...Offer premiums for a presentation, for a trial order, for a subscription, for a demonstration, for a new customer referral, for an order amounting to $xxx or larger", etc.* OFFER FREE INFORMATION..."FREE booklet", "FREE brochure", "FREE estimate", "FREE details", "FREE samples", "FREE trial", "FREE consultation", "FREE quote", etc.TIP#2....USE BOLD, COMMANDING AND SPECIFIC HEADLINES!* "Save $50.00 on Any Portable TV....This Month Only!"* "FREE BROCHURE...'Beauty Secrets for Career Woman'!"* "Free Catalog Saves YOU 70% on Office Supplies!"* "Rent Two NEW RELEASE Video Movies--Get One FREE!"* "Buy One Dinner Entree--Get One FREE!"* "Buy Five Cases of Copier Paper--Get the Sixth Case Absolutely Free!"TIP#3...USE LINE ILLUSTRATIONS OR PHOTOGRAPHS.* Illustrations work best when you show products in-use.* Illustrations enhance credibility, aid understanding, and create desire.TIP#4...USE YOUR LOGO IN YOUR COUPON.* Use of logo: builds company identity and awareness in the marketplace, enhances your image, lends credibility to your offer, and improves response.TIP #5....MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF WHITE SPACE.* Don't clutter. Don't cram.TIP#5...SELL THE BENEFITS.* Save time, save money, increase profits, protect your family, improve your standard of living, be happier, improve your health, increase your income, increase your comfort, more convenient.TIP#7....APPEAL TO THE SELF-INTEREST OF YOUR CUSTOMER.* Your customer is only interested in what you can do for him or her. Your customer will only buy the benefits-of-use of your product or service. Let me say that again...your customer is only interested in the benefits of use of your product....not the product itself.TIP#8...MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE 18 MOST POWERFUL WORDS IN ADVERTISING.* free, now, new, how to, save, guarantee, money, easy, simple, you, proven, love, results, discovery, fast, amazing, sex, profit.TIP#9...ALWAYS UP-SELL.* Offer extras when a customer requests information or places an order. Always suggest related items. Point out the added features and benefits of a higher priced item and then show the customer specifically how these features will make his life easier, safer, etc.TIP#10...SPREAD YOUR SPECIALS AROUND--CONSIDER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN IN A RETAIL STORE.* Set up product displays so that you force your customer to walk the entire expanse of your store. Your "impulse" buys will increase dramatically when you expose your customer to more products by well planned placement of "sale items".TIP#11...CAPTURE YOUR CUSTOMERS NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER. DEVELOP AN IN-HOUSE MAILING LIST FOR ON-GOING DIRECT MARKETING USE.* Your customer list represents your most valuable asset. Your greatest potential for sales and profits lies in the customer database. To ignore this potential is pure folly.TIP#12...DON'T STOP AFTER THE SALE.* Create a planned program of continuous follow-up to your customer list.* Use ride-alongs, invoice stuffers, new catalogs, new product brochures, special sale flyers, preferred customer sales and discounts, customer appreciation events, more coupons. Keep your customers coming back to YOU!
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