Regardless of whether it is online, or offline, operating any type of business will present challenges and periods of frustration. The source of frustration addressed in this article may be all too familiar if you happen to work at an Internet-based home business which relies on personal relationships and/or teamwork.
I am often contacted by members of my business team with a tale of woe regarding a lack of response from their affiliates. It typically goes something like..."I send out lots of emails to all of them and I very rarely get any response. What am I doing wrong".
If your particular internet business involves selling well known branded items, personal feedback is not an issue. Visitors to your website (potential customers) are primarily interested in selection, availability, and price. If it is a returning customer, then you can also throw customer service into the equation. Once the desired item is selected, your mouse does all the "talking" without any human interaction involved.
However, there are many types of internet-based home businesses where feedback and interaction are quite important and getting an affiliate or business team member to communicate with you is a definite objective. It's not at all surprising that this can be a challenge when you stop to think that what you are trying to do is initiate a dialog between two complete strangers who have never even seen each other.
Heavily branded websites like walmart.com or amazon.com are household names and carry an implied trust with visitors. However, the vast majority of websites are not well known and are found and visited as a result of searches performed by search engines. In these instances, the visitor is probably arriving at the website for the first time and human nature often dictates a sense of fear or suspicion of the unknown which is manifested by a reluctance to respond to email messages from an unknown party.
It seems that there is no pat answer as to the best way to elicit an initial email response from a person. I have tried several approaches with varying degrees of success. Individual styles will vary, but the following four points should be kept in mind:
*you need to build trust & credibility with thorough knowledge of your business and with straight forward talk about realistic expectations.
*don't over-sell or indulge in hype as many people are expecting this and it can be an immediate turn-off.
*send messages with at least one open-ended question that requires a response.
*keep the messages fairly brief, long winded messages that go on and on quite frequently will not be read.
One other thing to keep in mind is that your messages may not even be reaching the intended recipient and they have no opportunity to give you a reply. At the end of your messages you might want to ask the recipient to send you a return email just saying "got it".
We all agree that spam is a very serious problem. These days, many email providers and ISPs have appointed themselves to be the "information police" and are employing various schemes to try to recognize and block messages that constitute spam. Unfortunately, these mail filtering or blocking techniques are often very inaccurate and many messages that people actually want to receive are arbitrarily being sent off into the ozone.
I have some first hand experience with this situation. Not long ago, the ISP that my mother was using suddenly decided that she would not be allowed to receive messages from me! It took us a while to figure out what was going on, but once we did, that ISP was going to soon become history as far as my mother was concerned.
In the final analysis, all you can do is give it your best shot. Some people will respond, some won't...and the beat goes on. Remember, it's nothing personal, just human nature at work.
About the Author:
Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. Visit his website at Legitimate Home Based Business for more details.
]]>One of the first things you must do for your business is define your target market. I hear business owners tell me all the time that “anyone can use their products,” or “they don’t want to narrow down their customer base by excluding groups of people.” I understand that there is fear around excluding a portion of the population – you feel it’s money walking out the door. But, do you really want to try and be all things to all people? When you narrow your focus and choose a target market, you will be able to market your business more effectively.
Here are three reasons a target market will help your business operate more effectively.
1. Spend your advertising dollars wisely
Your ad must be seen at least 7 times before it even registers with a potential customer. If you market to “everyone,” where are you going to place your ad to ensure that enough people see it 7 times? That is, enough people who are then willing to try your products or services. That’s a lot of advertising dollars spent for simply guessing where to put your ad.
If you have defined a target market, you can identify what publications they are likely to read, or what web sites they are likely to visit and you can advertise accordingly.
2. Know your customers
Customers also want to know “what’s in it for me?” How do your products and services benefit them? By knowing your target market, you can determine what to talk about with potential customers. You will be able to discuss specifically why potential customers will be interested in your products or services.
3. Hear it from the source and meet their needs
Once you choose your target market, do some research to determine what other interests the people in your niche have. Find out where they like to hang out online and offline. Start hanging out in those places too and get to know the people. For example, if your product appeals to moms, join a few mom’s groups. When you connect with them, ask what their needs and concerns are. This is a great way to conduct your research – nothing like getting information directly from the source. You can then use that information to further develop products and services for your business.
Truth be told, I was terrified to choose a target market. I felt that I would be limiting myself. I was afraid that I would lose out on income. The truth is, because I chose a target market, I was more successful and actually gained more business. My advertising efforts were focused, and I positioned myself as someone my target market could trust with their needs. Having a target market has helped me work smarter and more effectively in my business.
About the Author:
Jenn Givler is a Business Empowerment Coach. She specializes in teaching new entrepreneurs how to get started in their business. Jenn can help you find your passion, create your business plan, and begin effectively marketing your business. For weekly business tips and advice check out her e-zine: jgivlercoaching.com/newsletter.html
Article Source: wahm-articles.com
]]>Believe it or not, it takes a long time to become an overnite success! Once you have chosen your particular home based business, the two most important things to remember are to stay focused and not to get discouraged.
I've had many active and enthusiastic business team members that were their own worst enemies because they exhibited the classic "flea on a griddle" behavior pattern and jumped around chasing one business opportunity today, and then another one tomorrow without ever putting in enough sustained and focused effort to reasonably give themselves a chance to succeed at any of them.
I can really relate to this situation since I briefly fell prey to this same "dog in a meat market" syndrome when I first started my own home based business a few years ago. I caught myself trying to chase several different opportunities at once and not being very successful with any of them.
There are so many home business opportunities (some real, some not) that it takes real personal discipline to avoid the scattergun approach...you know, throw enough against the wall and something is bound to stick. In the early going, it is really important to resist this temptation and to stay tightly focused on a single business.
Some will argue that "I don't want to have all my eggs in one basket". To those people I say, diversification is fine, but only after you have achieved solid success with your initial business. A premature attempt at diversification will quite likely cause a loss of focus and actually slow down your success rate.
If your main marketing vehicle is a website, you can fairly easily leverage your initial success and effectively promote a few other complimentary and closely related home based business propositions from the same website.
However, it is important not to go overboard and offer too many choices to visitors to your website. If you do, there is a good chance of confusing your visitors to the point where they will take no action and you have, in effect, diluted the effectiveness of your website.
Whatever you decide to do, you will need to stick with it for a reasonable length of time (give it at least one year) and put in a solid and sustained effort. Stay focused and don't get discouraged. As much as you would like it to be, starting and developing a real home based business is certainly not an instant gratification situation.
About the Author:
Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. Visit his website at Legitimate Home Based Business for more details.
]]>There has been a ton of discussion lately about stay-at-home moms sacrificing their financial health for the sake of raising their children. Whether you agree or disagree with this statement, there are a lot of moms returning to the workforce to make an extra buck and keep their foot in the corporate world.
However, it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing approach. What are some ways to successfully get you back into the working world? Take a look:
Work Part-Time
This can be one of the most appealing work alternatives for moms. You don’t have to give up all your freedom and time with your kids while earning a paycheck. That’s the misconception that many have while contemplating their next move. Not only does part-time work allow you to get your feet wet once again without diving in head first, you can pick up some new skills and start putting away some money while you’re at it.
Work-At-Home (for someone else) & Freelance
There are many ways this can happen. You can become skilled in a trade that hires home-workers such as medical transcriptionists. There are different courses out there to help you get started with such a thing. You can also become a virtual assistant or a freelancer for a business owner. The type of work would vary greatly depending on your strengths and the business owner’s needs.
Work-At-Home (for yourself)
Starting a business can be extremely scary and overwhelming but the Internet makes it easier than ever. Now don’t get me wrong: you still have to have strong business acumen and be willing to work very hard and constantly keep abreast of new marketing techniques, but you don’t need a lot of upfront capital. Domain names are cheap and there’s help out there to get started.
But do NOT get caught up in the easy-money scam. These scams prey on amateurs who might not know that it really is too good to be true. Those of us who have online businesses know that it takes time and a lot of hard work to become successful.
Volunteer
Now if you’re a mom who doesn’t care about earning an extra paycheck right now, then volunteering might be the route for you. It allows you to choose something you enjoy and believe in while honing some important business skills. Yes, volunteer work can easily be transformed into valuable assets that will work for you when and if it comes time to go back to work. It’s usually viewed upon very highly with employers.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s your decision. Some people believe that all women should work outside the home. If not, you risk financial ruin. That is a very dire picture to paint especially where there are other ways you can gain financial security. Do what’s right for you and your family. If the time is right and you feel you are willing and able to jump back into working, then go for it…and don’t let anything hold you back.
About the Author:
Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and creator of Moms Back to Work, a site that offers help and advice to moms going back to work. For resume and cover letter samples, interview advice and work options for moms, go to MomsBacktoWork.com
Article Source: ladypens.com
]]>As a publisher of ezines and newsletters, you know that customers always want more from your services. One way to provide customers a good service while increasing your search engine rankings is to place your ezine archives online. By placing these online, you are giving your readers a value-added service that will set you apart from other ezines and newsletters. Not only will this provide value to your customers, but also by placing your archives online, the search engine spiders are able to "see" your unique combination of content. Ultimately, having your ezine archives online will give you higher search rankings and additional keyword phrase variations that everyone so desperately wants.
There are some things to consider when making the decision to put your newsletter archives online.
The first consideration is whether or not your ezine model is a paid subscription or a free subscription. If your ezine is a pay subscription, you probably do not want to place all of your archives online where someone can access them for free. If you were to do this there would be no need for readers to actually pay for a subscription. However, you may want to consider placing a couple of archived issues on a website, so that potential customers and advertisers can see what it is your publication has to offer them. Then, you can keep your remaining archives in a member's only website that is only accessible to your paying subscribers.
If you offer a free ezine or newsletter, there is little reason not to offer all of your archives for free online. The reason that people will want to go ahead and subscribe to your ezine or newsletter is that they can get the issue as soon as it comes out. You may want to consider only offering archives online that are at least a few months old. In other words, do not offer this month's issue in the archive for a few more months, so that people will still want to subscribe to your publication to see it when it is first made available.
Search engine spiders love content on websites. Not only do spiders like the generic content, but they really like valuable content such as articles. Quality content is one of the primary things that search engines look for when providing rankings and the level of importance of a website. The articles that are included in your archive will boost your search engine ranking. Having a higher search engine ranking means that potential subscribers are able to find you much easier. Being easy to find and offering a service such as free ezine with archives gives potential subscribers many reasons to choose your ezine or newsletter to land in their email box over your competitors.
Having your publications placed in an online archive will automatically provide you with a good amount of keyword optimization. For example, if you are publishing an ezine that mainly talks about home improvement, there is a high likelihood that many of the articles in your publication will contain the words "home improvement". Now when a potential subscriber searches on the Internet for "home improvement," they are much more likely to be directed to your website and learn that you provide a valuable subscription on this very topic. If you do not have your archives online, chances of picking up these new visitors and subscribers are greatly diminished.
Simply put, having your newsletter archives online is probably the easiest way to increase your exposure in the search engines and the easiest way to increase your ezine's subscriber base for free. It is very inexpensive to provide your archives online, and it can improve your subscriber's experience, letting him or her feel good about the service that you are providing to them.
People may have a desire to read your publication, but your ezine can easily get overlooked due to the excessive number of publications currently arriving in the subscriber's email box. A day will come when an individual feels overwhelmed by the number of publications arriving in their mailbox each day or week. When this starts to happen, they start canceling subscriptions because it is simply too much hassle to go through and delete these newsletters and ezines every week or every month. I have found myself in that position, so I eliminated the ones that bored me and only kept one or two subscriptions that really seemed to offer me the quality content that I wanted in an easy-to-read format. It was getting to be annoying to go through my email on a regular basis to filter out the excess ezines and newsletters that I did not read anyway.
So if you want to set yourself apart from your competitors and offer this value-added service to your customers, you seriously need to consider placing your archives online. It is likely that you will be surprised at the change in your search engine rankings as well. Again, if you provide a pay subscription do consider offering a few issues in a free archive, so that you can at least show potential subscribers and advertisers the quality of the product you provide.
Follow my advice, and down the road, you will be able to generate more income from your newsletter, because you will have a much larger list of subscribers to count as your own.
About the Author:
Trey Pennewell is one of the professional writers, who lends his writing skills to the thePhantomWriters.com ghost writing team. The Phantom Writers has been creating good quality, unique articles for the promotion of their client's websites since 2001. The simple truth about marketing a product or service online is that the online marketer needs the link to their website within reach of their target audience. Reprint Articles are an exceptional tool for making that happen.
Copyright (c) 2005-2007 Trey Pennewell
]]>Every product and service you sell needs a sales letter. You need a short sales letter for all email marketing. You need a short one on your home page for your ezine, You need a longer one on your web site for your consultant, coaching, and other professional services. You need a sales letter for each product you sell.
If your web site or emails are not attracting buyers, you need this sales letter checklist:
1. Include a short sales message on your home page for your service. More like a headline-link. Always include 3-4 top benefits for each headline.
Example: Headline Links for books
"Quadruple Your Business Profits In Only Five Months. Know that you can attract high level clients and sell more packages and books than you've ever dreamed of!"
"Disappointed with Traditional Book Marketing? Tired of Pouring Time and Money Down the Drain? What If You Could Quadruple your Profits from Book Sales… and Never Have to Suffer Through Another Book Signing?"
These headlines are great beginnings to each of your sales letters you write too. Without a headline that hooks your potential buyer or client, you will not convince they must have your product or service.
2. Prepare for your Sales Letter a List of 5-10 Benefits.
Many professionals get mixed up as to what are benefits and what are features. Know that benefits sell and features explain. What will your customer experience after they buy your service? These outcomes (benefits) usually include a completion of a goal, or an understanding of a concept to help your audience do something better. The biggest benefits? Saving time, saving money, creating money, and creating great relationships. Your audience wants to know what value they will receive when they buy.
Now, list these benefits in a list from the biggest benefit to the smallest. For instance, for your book coach's ebook on how to get a book written and published, the biggest benefit is that in a short time for low money, you can finish your self-published print or ebook fast. Think what your audience wants regarding your service or products. Please your audience and you'll have no trouble becoming top in your arena.
Be sure to include visual and feeling words such as "Imagine yourself in your perfect relationship," or "See yourself..." or Feel more energetic, happier, enthusiastic...."
Without benefits bulleted throughout your sales pieces, your potential buyer won't have enough reasons to buy.
3. Prepare for your Sales Letter a List of 5-10 Features.
For a book, features include the number of pages, tips, how to's, practices, exercises and pertinent quotes. For coaching, a feature could be, “gives you email backup as an added value," or "devotes total attention to your challenge each session," or "gives you field work to move you through your process easier and faster."
It's a good idea to combine benefits and features. "Save yourself disappointment and money down the drain with my "Fast-Forward Writing Technique," or "Enjoy your life to the fullest when you follow the Five Steps to "The Easy and Fun Life."
4. Explain how your product or service is better or different than your competitors.
You always need to give your potential customer a reason to buy. Think about your uniqueness. What makes you stand out from the crowd? Study other people's web sites and their sales letters. Notice how they approach this challenge.
One of my mentors, Dan Poynter, author of the "Self-Publishing Manual," gave me the confidence to move beyond where I was and to write many books to help others like yourself to a more profitable business.Webmaster Leva Duell taught me how to write a compelling sales letter for all my products on my web site.
Think about gurus in your field, and compare yourself, your service, or your product to them. If possible, create a one-sentence sound bite that people will remember. Use this "hot-selling point" where ever you go and in all print you send. It could be a part of your signature file too.
5. Share what your product or service is not in your sales letter.
Clarify your service. If you are a coach, how does that differ from a consultant? What does a coach do vs. a service that does the job such as a ghost writer. When you share the downside or limitations, you let your visitor see the human side of you. If you have a book, you can establish more rapport with your potential buyer by saying something like, "This alone can't change your life; you will need to take some action on the steps offered within."
If you haven't finished your sales letter for your service or product, use this checklist and contact a writing coach who can help you create a sales letter that attracts new clients and customers. Your web site copy must back up your other promotion, or you will experience lackluster results.
about the Author:
Book and Internet Marketing Coach Judy Cullins helps businesses get all the clients and sell all the books they want. Author of 13 books including How to Write your Book Fast, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic, Advanced Article Marketing - Nine Mistakes and How to Solve Them, and Advanced Article Three Book Program. Judy offers 256 articles and free eBook "Book Writing and Marketing Tips" with monthly ezine subscription at bookcoaching.com. Email her at judy@bookcoaching.com or Phone: 619/466-0622 -- Info & Orders: 866/200-9743
]]>Who hasn’t let a typo slip by or misspelled the CEO’s name or printed the wrong phone number somewhere? Those marketing mistakes don’t warrant an article. In fact, just one word of how-to-fix-it advice is sufficient: proofread!
Here are a few more important marketing mistakes that just about every business manager out there makes, along with a recommended fix that will help you attract more business and get better results from your marketing, regardless of how big or small your marketing budget is.
Mistake #1: We think that marketing is something we “do.”
“We need to do some marketing.” It’s the first thing you think when you need to boost business. Problem is, when you think of marketing as something you “do,” you’re usually thinking about publicity, direct mail, flyers, email, ads and promotion. Marketing is much more than merely promotion, and it’s rarely a quick fix.
The real fix is to expand your definition of marketing. Instead of thinking of it as something you “do,” think of marketing as anything that helps or hinders the sale or use of your product or service. This includes: your location, the attitudes of the person who answers the phone, your name, pricing, policies, proposals, personality and more.
Before you write a promotional word, do a “help or hinder” once-over. Make a list of what’s helping you attract business and what’s getting in the way. Figure out what obstacles you can quickly fix or remove? What “helps” can you enhance or spotlight? Until the help-or-hinder homework is done, working on promotion is premature.
Mistake #2: We breathe too much of our own exhaust.
We are such big believers in our businesses that we can’t wait to show it off. We admire our attributes and inhale our excellence. Then we exhale it all into our marketing communications. The problem is, when you do that, your marketing is all about you. And people don’t care about you. They care about themselves.
If your marketing is going to get any response at all, the first thing it must do is connect to something prospects care about. Connect before you convince. Try this four-step exercise:
For example, Joy dishwashing liquid (descprition) has real lemon (attribute) that cuts grease and leaves dishes shinier (benefit). “What a nice reflection on you!” (Connects to what she cares about.) Connect to what people want. Not to what you do.
Mistake #3: We all look alike.
A bank is a bank is a bank. Realtors, lawyers and consultants are a dime a dozen. The list goes on. But here’s the good news: the more two businesses look alike, the more important each difference becomes, and the more impact even the tiniest difference will have on setting you apart. Why?
Consider identical twins. What’s the first thing you do when you meet a pair? You try to find a little something to tell them apart. The same is true for your business. Your prospects are looking for a point of difference—just about anything—they can use to set you apart from your competition.
To find your points of difference, start with your points of contact, or “touch points” in your company. Make a list. Business card, fax cover sheet, invoice, phone greeting, front door, home page, etc. Then look at what the competition does and ask yourself how you can do it differently. Just a little bit will make a big difference, because your prospects are looking for them.
For now, try the Help or Hinder, Connect Before You Convince and Find Your Points of Difference tools to make your marketing more meaningful and effective. Be wary, too, of unrealistic expectations, faulty research, deadly bullet points and lack of follow through-- four other common marketing mistakes.
About the Author:
Terri Langhans is the author of the book “The 7 Marketing Mistakes Every Business Makes (And How To Fix Them)” and COE (Chief of Everything) at blahblahblah.us, her speaking and marketing retreat business for companies who want to be anything but blah. For a limited time, you can receive a FREE copy of the book and a FREE Audio CD when you order the DVD of a live 90-minute workshop at The7MarketingMistakes.com/DVDoffer.htm
]]>What is a logo?
A logo is a design, graphical representation, image or symbol that represents a business or organization. Logos were initially used to distinguish and differentiate products, the logos assisted purchasers in finding the product they prefer or have come to trust (or not trust). When product selections were limited and items were marked with a logo which a consumer was familiar they would naturally assume a certain level of quality or value, even if they had not previously used that specific product from that vendor. Now many companies not only have a corporate logo, but they have a logo to represent each of their products or product lines.
The company or product logo typically appears on all printed media or websites that are associated with the company or product. The logo appears in all marketing material and media.
A logo is really more than just a graphic, a logo design is part of a larger marketing concept. Marketers take specific care when selecting a logo, and they give a lot of thought about what they want their customers to identify with the company or product logo.
Some logos are designed around color. Studies have been conducted about the psychology of color and how different colors evoke different emotions. Green is used to imply wealth or expense, a marketer might use a green logo to imply an increase in perceived value. Blue on the other hand has a calming and soothing effect. Multiple colors can be used to accent and highlight specific parts of the logo. Accented and highlighted colors should be contrasting and complimentary.
Regardless of what colors you select, be sure that you use standard pantone colors and websafe colors. Also make sure these colors can be easily reproduced in print mediums.
Logos should be simple, and not overly elaborate or complex. Newer businesses and technology companies should have modern logos, while long standing businesses may want to use a logo that emphasizes their business experience. That does not mean that an older business cannot freshen or enhance an older logo, they may just want to retain certain qualities so their logo is still recognizable. Rarely do business depart drastically from an established logo. For this reason businesses should select a logo that has longevity. Once you establish and build a strong corporate image, you will want to retain it.
Logos should be designed so that they scale easily and can be used in a variety of mediums: letterhead, t-shirts, and more. Always keep in mind that logos are part of a larger marketing concept. Promotional materials will require consistency to reinforce the company or product image.
Taglines incorporated into the logo help reinforce the underlying message in a logo and can be an easy addition. Countless memorable marketing campaigns over the years have associated slogans with a logo to hit a message home.
While logos sound complex, in truth it has never been easier to locate a logo. Professional graphic artists are abundant on the web, and can be contracted to create a custom logo, or business owners can scroll through thousands of logos in logo directories.
Logo Directories:
Logo Search - logo-search.com
Logo Maid - logomaid.com
LogoWorks - logoworks.com
Logos are the building blocks of a company or product identity. Be sure to take the time to find a logo that reflects the values that you, as a business owner, want associated with your business. Find a logo that is more than just a graphic.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll audio recording and editing software.
]]>There are hundreds of different ways to market your business both online and offline. While it's good in the beginning to test out various types of marketing, you'll eventually going to want to focus on how you market best.
Finding your strength in marketing is going to have a huge impact on your business. You'll be able to spend your time focused ONLY on what works, instead of scattered in a various directions.
Also, when focused on just two or three different forms of marketing, you are able to gain the maximum benefits from those forms. When your focus is scattered, you aren't going to benefit near as much.
Let us give you an example. Let's say you are good at writing articles, and they have proved to help your business. Not just "alright" at writing, but you can write several articles a day without problems. You spend half your time on the articles, and the rest of the time doing "busy" activities that aren't beneficial to your business. Had you spent all that time on articles, how much further would your business be right now?
Here's another example. You enjoy learning about search engine optimization, but haven't quite fully learned it just yet. Instead of learning more, you throw a few keywords on your website then move on to something else. Will just a few keywords help? Absolutely not. Instead of focusing on that form of marketing, you've only done a small part thus making it almost a pointless task.
Before going any further let us say this - there is NOTHING wrong with seeking out new forms of marketing. However, most marketing is not a "quick fix" or a "set and forget". It takes time to make any form of marketing work in your favor. But if you don't enjoy it nor focus on it, it's never going to work for you.
Also realise there are certain "basics" to any marketing plan that you are going to need to learn. Websites, newsletters, and some imvolvement in communities (we say "some" because "full" involvment is a marketing form all on it's own) are all things you must do.
Bottom line is - marketing is just like chosing your business. Success comes with passion and ability to focus. Now that you understand this, in part two we'll discuss some of the various ways to market and why focus in each are important.
About the Authors:
Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank, owners of DirectSalesHelpers.com strive to help women succeed in direct sales. For additional help with your direct sales business, visit directsaleshelpers.com
Article Source: wahm-articles.com]]>Your sales page is vital to the success of your internet marketing business but how do you get the best results from it and what mistakes should you avoid when writing your sales page?
1. Too Much Information and Not Enough Headings and Sub-Headings
One of the biggest mistakes that many internet marketer’s make when preparing their sales letters is to include too much information with not enough headings and sub-headings in their sales page. Most people who visit a website will simply scan through your web page and if you have a lot of information without headings or sub-headings then it will be difficult to scan and they will not get all the information you want them to. Headings and sub-headings help to point out the important parts of your sales page and will be noticed by your website visitor. Put headings and sub-headings in bold so that people scanning through your page can quickly pick up the important points.
2. Not Balancing Search Engine Optimization with Reader Interest
Another mistake that internet marketer’s make in their sales page is not balancing search engine optimization with reader interest. You can get two extremes on this spectrum – some webmasters focus too much on the search engine optimization of their sales page, while others focus too little. Search engine optimization helps your sales page get found by the people you want to advertise to, but once they are there you need to interest them enough and be compelling enough to encourage them to actually take action.
3. Not Enough White Space on your Sales Page
Another mistake that webmasters make when writing their sales page is to fill it with text and not leave enough white space. Endless streams of text on the internet are hard on the eyes and tend to cause eye strain and people lose interest. When writing your sales page leave plenty of room in your sales page where people’s eyes can take a rest and they will be more inclined to continue reading and take the action you want them to take.
4. Focusing on You Instead of Your Target Market
Another serious mistake that some internet marketer’s make when writing their sales page is to focus on them instead of on their target market. When someone visits your web page they are not really interested in you, they are interested in what you have to offer them. If you write too much about yourself in your sales copy then you will not encourage people to purchase anything from you, but if you are constantly pointing out how this product is going to benefit them and what they will lose if they do not purchase it then you are likely to make a lot more sales.
5. Using Flash on your Sales Page
Many webmasters love Flash and feel that it makes their website look more high tech but using Flash on your web page may actually harm the effectiveness of your sales copy. Some internet users are not able to see Flash websites, while there are others who just do not want to use Flash. By using Flash on your sales page you are already blocking some visitors from hearing your advertising message. Carefully consider the use of Flash before you use it on your sales page.
In conclusion, these are five copywriting mistakes that internet marketer’s make that you should avoid on your sales page. You should not have endless streams of text without white spaces, headings or sub-headings. You should balance search engine optimization and reader interest and focus on your target market. Carefully consider Flash before using it as many people are not able to see Flash pages and this may harm the effectiveness of your sales page.
About the Author:
Alex Edevane is an accomplished internet marketer and educator focusing on innovative and unique techniques for building a successful online home-based business.
Article Source: articlebase.com
]]>The idea of using ads metrics to boost your site's ratings is nothing new, as this is the very reason that ads metrics were designed and put into use. Studying web analytics software and ads metrics can help the user understand what is bringing visitors to his site and how to improve their existing sites exposure and ability to attract visitors. These ads metrics software tools, usually found for free on the Internet, can fill in the blanks on many questions that the webmaster might have on the originations and destinations of the visitors to his or her website.
Knowing more about where your Web visitors come from and where they go when they leave your site can help you in the effort to earn more from your web presence and your promotion efforts online. Studying the information and data that comes back from your Web analytics and ads metrics tools can assist you in making all manner of decisions regarding the promotion of your website and how to go about securing new revenue streams and sources of traffic through the use of new keywords and relevant key phrases. Through the use of ads metrics you can determine what these perfect keywords and phrases are, by seeing how website visitors came to your site and what keywords and key phrases brought them there.
Webmasters who used ads metrics tools to ascertain the most regularly searched keywords and phrases are accomplishing multiple goals and tasks by keeping abreast of how users search the web. Knowing what users are searching for and what items are high search traffic topics helps the webmaster keep his website relevant. Knowing what users look for every day and what is a popular search term and key phrase on the web will keep the struggling webmaster ahead of his competition, the main purpose of ads metrics and their use on the Internet. By defining what it is that users seek out when visiting your website you can provide more of that popular topic or item in order to attract more and more visitors and retain the visitors you already receive with better service and more prompt attention to detail. This concept of learning intimate details of what your visitors are searching for and what they searched for to reach your website can do wonders for the ads metrics efforts of your website and commercial web presence overall.
Studying the ads metrics that relates to your site can provide you with a tremendous amount of information that can help you increase in earnings, generate more traffic and convert better on the traffic that you receive. While traffic is great, nothing beats extremely targeted traffic for its ability to convert into cold hard cash. Using ads metrics to target the visitors to your site more accurately is a common focus and simple task for the webmaster to accomplish, despite the fact it is of an ongoing nature.
As Web analytics and ads metrics software programs continue to advance with new technology, the effectiveness of Webmasters and their ability to understand users and their behavior online will continue to progress as well, giving the user the ability to focus on laser targeted ads metrics analyzed keywords for maximum effectiveness at traffic generation and visitor conversion.
About the Author:
If you are interested in site metrics, check this web-site to learn more about measuring site ranking.
]]>So, you've put up your eBay listings and now it's time to sit back and let the cash flow grow. Sorry, being a successful seller on eBay isn't that easy. Selling merchandise on eBay is a business. While your choice of product is fundamental to the success of that business, customer service can be the make or break factor. eBay is an open, easily accessed community based website, sellers who don't attend to their customer base may find that they quickly no longer have a customer base.
Any buyer can immediately leave feedback concerning his/her transaction with you. In many ways this makes customer service rendered by an eBay merchant even more important than customer service in a bricks and mortar establishment. Therefore, customer service should weigh heavily on all of the decisions you make regarding your eBay business beginning with ad design and right on through the actual delivery of the product. Notice the sentence doesn't read "ending" with the actual delivery. Customer service is ongoing; it never ends.
Composing accurate and easily understood eBay ad copy is the first step to good customer service; including pictures to assist your potential customer with his/her buying decision is another way to be a good merchant. Providing reasonable shipping rates and multiple forms of payment can also go a long way in building your client list. Adding the eBay shipping calculator to your ad is a no cost tool many clients appreciate. Crafting and posting a clearly written return policy is imperative.
Without a doubt, however, the bottom line in customer service is response. Well written ads, informative pictures, shipping tools, established policies and frequently asked question (FAQ) lists can all make life easier for buyer and seller alike; they all cut down on the need for personal interaction. Still, a quick, pleasant personal reply from the merchant does more to build positive feedback than any other action an eBay seller can make. Even when a customer doesn't like the answer just getting an answer in a timely fashion can leave a good feeling with the buyer. A wise seller will also know that while it is important to have and enforce buying/selling policies; it is equally important to know when to be flexible with those policies. While compromising on an issue with a buyer may cost a seller a few cents in the short run, it can lead to increased profits in the long run. Don't allow yourself to be run over by an unreasonable customer but be open to negotiation with a buyer who may have a legitimate complaint.
All in all, as with any company, an eBay merchant must pay attention to every aspects of his/her business. Choosing the perfect product and advertising it in just the right way are essential components of any successful eBay auction. It will be difficult to maintain your success though without attentive, intelligently administered customer service.
About the Author:
If you want to learn more about buying and selling on eBay you need to come over to AuctionBullet.com. We provide many tips, tactics, articles and more to help with eBay. Learn how to make money using eBay.
Article Source: article-exposure.com
]]>How often have you started a call to a friend, family member or business associate with the phrase, "How are you?" I'm willing to bet the answer is a lot. I know I say it frequently. It's commonly used as a greeting, as a "hello."
Because "How are you?" is so commonly used, how often have you started your introductory calls with this phrase? If you do use this phrase as an opening for your introductory call, please stop immediately. It's an introductory call-killer, and this is why:
1. If you ask this question, you must be prepared for the answer. What if your prospect answers, "I'm having a lousy day. My back hurts, I have a cold, I hate my job and my wife left me yesterday"? Do you really care? Is this the reason for your phone call?
2. You lose control of the call. (This is probably the most important reason.) If your prospect does respond, "I'm having a lousy day. My back hurts, I have a cold, I hate my job and my wife left me yesterday," how are you going to get the call back on track?
3. It's a set up, a tip off to your prospect that you are making a s.ales call. It gives your prospect the opportunity to say, "I'm busy. What do you want?" (See number 2 above.)
Similar issues apply with the introductory call-killing phrases, "May I have a moment of your time?" and/or "Is this a good time to talk?"
With both of these phrases, you lose control of the call right at the beginning, before you've had a chance to say anything at all. If the prospect answers, "no," the call is over. These are also both tip off phrases. Friends, family and important business colleagues would probably not say, "May I have a moment of your time?" or "Is this a good time to talk?" Only someone making a s.ales call would use this language, and it's all too easy for your prospect to respond negatively.
I know that many of you reading this will argue, "Wendy, it's polite. It's polite to say, 'How are you?' as a greeting and it's polite to ask permission to speak." There are, however, many ways to greet a prospect - saying "hello" works just fine. It is also equally polite to simply introduce yourself and get to the point. This is not only polite, it's respectful of your prospect's time, it's more effective and it allows you to retain control of the conversation.
In order to be truly effective prospecting or selling by phone, it is imperative to control the conversations you have with prospects. You want to set yourself up to have the best possible conversation that you can have with any given prospect. While it is true that not all prospects will respond badly to the above phrases, why take the chance? Why risk blowing a lead at the beginning of the call if something as simple as not starting out with, "How are you?" can totally eliminate that possibility?
Say hello. Introduce yourself. Get to the point and say what you have to say. Then ask for what you want. This is the formula for a successful introductory call. Save the "How are you?" question for those whose answers really interest you.
About the Author:
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," is a s.ales trainer, author and s.ales coach. Her recently released program, Cold Calling College, and/or her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by visiting wendyweiss.com . Contact her at wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy's free e-zine at wendyweiss.com ]]>For years now the rush has been on to mine the Internet and find "gold." Just like miners in the old U.S. west, people flock to the Web hoping to strike it rich. Is it possible? Sure it is! However, those miners of old had to watch out for "fool's gold." You -in the days of the Internet - have to watch out for scam businesses.
Most scam business offers have five things in common. Before you decide to invest your hard-earned money in an Internet business, be sure to compare the offer to this list. The following warning signs might very well help you avoid a financial disaster!
1) No Contact Information or Limited Contact Information - Most scam artists don't want you to be able to locate them easily. After all, if you could find them easily, so could the authorities. That's why they often only give an email address (usually from a free provider like Yahoo or Hotmail) and/or a post office box. On the other hand, reputable companies DO want you to be able to contact them quickly and easily. They'll offer several ways... telephone, physical address, email, fax, etc.
2) No Verifiable References or Testimonials - Notice I said, "verifiable." Anyone can make up references or testimonials that would make you think a business opportunity is wonderful. But can you verify them? Do they list Web site addresses or email addresses for the people who supposedly gave the testimonials? Is there a way to contact the satisfied customers? If not... if you only see a reference ending with "John D. - California" - beware.
3) Phony Association Information - Many times, we take for granted the fact that someone offering a business opportunity is a legitimate company just because a Better Business Bureau or iCop logo is posted on the company's Web site. Not true! These logos can be simply copied and pasted onto the scam artist's site. There is a way to verify whether the company is a legitimate member. Click the logo. If it goes to a profile of the company (on the BBB or iCop site), you'll know this company is an authentic member of the association.
4) "Make Thousands With No Work On Your Part" - This is the biggest lie on the Internet today. Everyone loves the idea of making thousands of dollars while they sleep. Is it possible? Yes! That part isn't a lie. The statement that it will take no work on your part is the lie. Even if the company gives you a free Web site, free products to sell for 100% profit, and a free shopping cart, you still have to work - and work hard! How will people find your new Web site? You'll have to market it. That takes a LOT of work in and of itself. Beware when people tell you that their business opportunities take no effort from you.
5) Rushing You To Make A Decision - I'm not talking about the product sites that offer special discounts if you buy before a specific date. I'm talking about the business opportunity companies that - instead of answering your questions - pressure you to go ahead and buy in. I advise you not to trust anyone who is unwilling to give you the information you need to make a qualified decision. I can almost promise a scam is involved if that is the case.
The bottom line is this: Any company offering legitimate business opportunities will want to talk with you, will want to give you all the information you need, will not give a false appearance of credibility, will help you work through the financial aspects of joining the company, and will have verifiable references that you can contact. Beware of anyone who does not offer these things. By keeping your eyes open for the five warning signs listed above, you can save a lot of trouble and money.
About the Author:
Sandra Stammberger works with legitimate businesses to help them promote their biz op to thousands of interested individuals. If you have an upstanding company who is looking to recruit new signups - guaranteed - visit guaranteed-signups.net
Article Source: qualitybookslibrary.com
]]>To keep your visitors coming back, the main goals of your website are for visitor participation and benefits. Provide an interesting, beneficial and useful website and they will come back!
If your site is annoying you can be sure they will find another site to visit, never to come back to yours.
Here are some ways you can be sure to annoy your visitors: (they might not annoy all, but probably the majority)
** Frames - Chopping up a site with frames is a great way to get your visitors frustrated. These frames are very obtrusive and make navigation and reading your site much harder. They are also disliked by the search engine spiders.
** Overbearing Graphics - Not only are these blinking and flashing graphics distracting and unnecessary, they can also cause your site to download very slowly. Most people do not have the time to sit and wait for an extremely slow site, and will leave before even knowing what your site has to offer.
** No Contact Information - I cannot stress enough how important it is to have your email address and other contact info on every page. This will add credibility to your site and always give your visitors a reason to be assured that you can be reached when needed.
** Hard To Navigate -You want your visitors to be able to get around your site without trouble. Have your links all together in a place that is easily seen. Have them in the same place on every page.
** Inconsistent Page Design - I have been on some sites where after clicking on a link, I didn't even know if I was at the same site. The page was totally different and did not have any of the same information or links as the previous page. After trying to find what I was looking for and not finding it, I left. Please keep your site design uniform and consistent. This will make it much easier on your visitors.
** Spelling and Grammar – Always proofread your web pages. Designing and building a professional website is a waste of time if it reads like a five year old wrote it. With spell checker, grammar checker, dictionaries, etc. there is no excuse for poorly written web pages!
** Too Many Banners - If you want banners on your site, set up a banner exchange page for this purpose only. Do not have your homepage or other pages so loaded with banners that there isn't room for anything else.
** Hard To Read Text - Do not use fancy text or pale text on a pale background. The easiest to read is a dark text on a light background. Also, if you use a textured or print background, be sure that it is not hard on the eyes. One site I visited had a weave look background that made the text so hard to read, after a few minutes of looking around I had to leave because I was getting a headache. If you think it is easy to see get a few more opinions just to be sure!
** Music - Music used to be very common on the web. Practically every site you went to had music. More and more people started realizing that this was a major distraction and annoyance to a lot of people. If you really want music, have a choice for your visitors. Let them decide if they want the music.
** Lack of Content -You've got to have content. People visit a website to see what the site has that will benefit them. Useful, helpful, practical content can't be beat! This would include resources, freebies, tips, ideas, information, interaction, contests, etc.
One thing you can do is visit several sites that pertain to your business. Study these sites and write down what you find annoying. Write down any reasons you have for leaving the site. Take note of what you like about these sites. Incorporate all these findings into creating a sharp, clean, useful website with nothing that will chase away your visitors!
About the Author:
Terri Seymour has several years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site at seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 resell ebooks & software, free tutorials, affiliate programs, and a free ezine with bonus report: 77 Ways to Get Traffic! mailto: subscribe@seymourproducts.com
© Terri Seymour of SeymourProducts.com ]]>