| #1 reason why most websites are not making money... There is a reason why most Web sites are not making any money. They violate this fundamental law of marketing: “It takes more than one contact to generate a sale.” Therefore: “The more expensive the item that is offered for sale, the more contacts it will take.” You must design a marketing program that offers a series of action steps to the prospective customer. The sooner you do this, the faster your Internet investment will pay off. Direct markets use an acronym to remind them of what every marketing campaign needs: AIDA. This stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. Attention is step one. If the visitor has arrived at your Web site, it had better grab his attention. I hope your site does this rapidly. Visitors get bored, fast. I suggest that you make a promise or offer, stated early, and clearly visible on your site within a few seconds. I also suggest that you minimize graphics. Graphics reduce download time. Let’s say that you have his attention. You must now interest him. You must find a way to present information to him that will keep him from clicking to another site. Maybe you remind him of a problem he now faces or will soon face (fear). Maybe you present an opportunity that he has not thought of (greed). Fear and greed are the buyers’ great motivators in business-related sales. You have his interest. You must now produce desire. The question is: Desire to do what? You are leading him to take action. The action you should motivate him to take is to identify himself, so that you can contact him again by automated e- mail. You must persuade him to request something: a free report, a short course, a list of specifications – something. Whatever it is, by requesting it, he sends you his e-mail address. This is the key to profitability. Your Web site should have several useful functions: to gain the visitor’s attention, to create interest, to create desire, and to generate an action step. Very few Web site designers have self-consciously applied AIDA. They are technicians and artists, not marketers. Not that many marketers understand AIDA. His action steps should not cost him any money. You want his e-mail address. Offer him something of immediate value to get that e-mail address. Offer him several things, if you can. What I’m telling you here, you probably already know. You became a member of this site because you already perceived the value of automated e-mail. But you must self-consciously think through your site’s design. Does it need a revision? Probably. Can this be done cheaply? Probably. Your biggest cost will probably be the time it takes you to re-think your site’s four-point structure: AIDA. Think carefully about what you would want from your site if you were a first-time visitor to your site. Empathize. What do you want him to do after he reads a special report? What is the next action step you want him to take? Design everything in your free reports to generate one final action step per report. I suggest that you get him to subscribe to a newsletter. Then you can contact him regularly. Another possibility: get him to sign up for a free e- mail course. For this, you should probably use a sequential or follow-up autoresponder. You can offer a course using only free one-shot autoresponders, but you must rely on the reader to click a click-and-send link to receive each subsequent lesson. He may forget. It’s usually better to have an automated system mail them at regular intervals. Your goal in sending a course is simple: you gain additional contacts with him. He requests these contacts. Assume in everything you do on your retail sales site that your number-one assignment is to get his e-mail address. If he leaves your site without having identified himself, your site has failed to achieve its most important goal. It’s nice to make a sale on your site from a first- time visitor. It’s also incredibly rare. Don’t try. Get him to order a free report. HOW TO GET STARTED:
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| Don't underestimate a forum to promote your business! Did you know that by simply participating in various forums and posting your various views and ideas, can potentially bring new growth and life to your online business? Let’s look at some of the positive aspects that forum participation can bring to your business. 1. We are all looking for traffic to our websites and if we can get it for free with little effort, that’s even better. Did you know that when you sign up as a new member at a forum, you can usually create a “signature” line that will be attached to every post that you make in a forum? This signature line can contain your website address, and as other members read your post, this will provide another route for potential customers to find your website. 2. One of the worst things about trying to advertise on the Internet is the lack of trust between website owners and customers. Everyone is afraid of being scammed. A good way of building trust with potential prospects is by giving them a chance to get to know you, and by letting some of your knowledge, honesty and integrity show in the post that you make at a forum. 3. Most webmasters on the Internet exchange links with other like sites, because exchanging links will boost your link popularity. It’s a proven fact that you get higher search engine rankings when your site has a high PR due to your link popularity. But did you know it’s even better if you have a link pointing to your site that isn’t reciprocated? Every post that you make in a forum will create a one way link pointing to your website. If you make 1000 post in a year, you have potentially created 1000 back links pointing to your site. As the search engines crawl the Internet and detect all these links pointing to your site, your website is going to move toward the top of the search engine listings. 4. Running a business on the Internet can be a very lonely occupation. There is very little interaction with other people and this can be devastating to some. By participating in forums, you will meet other people who have online businesses and who have a lot in common with you. It’s sometimes comforting to know that there are others who share your occupational frustrations, and will be there to support you if you need them. 5. It’s a proven fact that two minds are better than one. Everyone goes through learning curves on the Internet. Whether that learning curve involves starting out, building websites, search engine optimization, or the millions of other things that you must be prepared to do on the Internet to establish your business, there is someone in your favorite forum that has been there and done that. These people will be more than happy to give you free consultations. |
| Great Marketing Ideas A web site is an essential tool for marketing your business. Be sure to create professional looking business cards you can distribute that include your web address. These can be handed out when you meet people face-to-face. They can then go to your website to learn more about you and what you offer, increasing your chances of adding that person to your customer list. If you give people a way to learn more about you without obligating them to do business with you, you will surely get more customers. If you have an online business, you could try marketing it offline as well. The following is great for both types of business: Get a professional magnetic sign made and put it on your vehicle. Let the world know you own this business. Make it easy to contact you. Offer something special, like a 10% discount if you mention my car sign when you call! Don’t forget about advertising your business in newspapers or magazines designed for your niche. That’s a great place to include your web address and telephone number also. Advertise your business on your local radio station, or write/call the radio station and see if they are interested in doing an interview with you. Most people think that they wouldn’t be interested in “my little business”, but you will be surprised. These people are always looking for fresh news and announcements. Ask people for referrals. Let everyone know you are expanding your business. With an online business there are various other ways to market your business, such as announcements, leaving your signature on chat forums, search engines, PPC, paid advertising, articles, viral marketing etc. So even if your business is offline, you can promote it online using these methods also. Put flyers of your business up at colleges or ask permission to hand them out at big social events. Get creative and have fun! |
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Internet
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Powerful Internet Marketing Solutions for your business!