February 23, 2005
3 Strategies to Market Your Business Even When There's No Money
Many small and home based businesses know they need to market and yet, have little or no money to do so. Sadly, many use this as a reason not to market. Even on a limited budget you can promote and gain visibility for you and your business.
The following three strategies have proven extremely effective for countless businesses as they can for you.
1. Press Releases - Very effective and they offer a great deal of credibility when published. You must have a well written release that is pertinent to the media source you are sending it to. You can distribute press releases both online and off.
A quick Internet search under media resources in your city will bring up radio, television, newspapers and magazines in your area. To find online resources do a search under "free online press release distribution." Numerous listings will come up. Be sure to utilize the free services when on a limited budget.
There are services you can pay for if you are so inclined. Two excellent resources for both free and paid are www.prweb.com and https://arrivenet.com/.
Prior to writing a press release, determine the following:
-Who is your target market?
-What is your target media?
-Who is the contact person at the media outlet?
-What is the timeframe for submission?
-Do you have an attention-grabbing headline?
-Do you know the who, what, when, where, why, how?
-Do you have good quotes, research and technical date if appropriate?
February 21, 2005
How to Organize your Marketing
"I hate sales pitches!" You may have felt this way yourself or heard others say it. If it's such a common response, what's the best way to organize your marketing to attract new clients and customers?
While getting all aspects of your marketing right can be complicated, the simple truth is that you can attract many more clients and be far more successful by doing just one thing.
To get the attention of your prospects and gain their trust and their business, base your marketing on the way your prospects make buying decisions. Just as a sweater needs to fit its owner, your marketing needs to fit your prospects.
Mirror Your Prospects' Decision Making Patterns
How do your prospects make purchasing decisions? A research study by Enquiro and Marketing Sherpa found that 86% of Internet users begin a search using Google. Of these, 63% scan the search results, looking for key phrases in order to determine which sites to visit.
If your target market doesn't find the key phrase they are looking for, they won't contact you. It doesn't matter how long you've been in business or how happy your clients are; if your marketing message doesn't match the language your prospects use, tens of thousands of people will n/ever find you. This is true even if they need and want your products and services.
Continue reading "How to Organize your Marketing"February 17, 2005
Search Engine Optimization the Easy way
Over the years search engines have become "the" way in which people navigate the Internet. Searches are conducted by the millions each day on websites such as yahoo.com, msn.com, google.com, excite.com and others. Some of these sites are structured as true search engines and others are organized as directories however most utilize similar methodologies for identifying sites to be listed ad the ranking with which they are displayed.
Directories vs. Search Engines
Both Search Engines and Directories start with a a basic search input text box to allow you to search for the information you want. The primary difference in a directory is that as a user you may also choose to browse the sites listing in a organized format by category. Many such directories (Yahoo.com for example) charge a fee to be listed in their directory.
Search engines alternatively display listings based upon your search text input in combination with a placement algorithm which varies from search engine to search engine. They do not normally categorize your search results nor can you drill through categories to reach the desired information or site.
The difference here is relatively minor one as the goal of every website is to present it's message to as many relevant users as possible in the shortest period of time. Both directories and search engines are the primary method to accomplish this and to succeed ion this area placement is the key.
Who is at the top and why?
Placement is the order in which site listings or links are displayed on each directory or search engine. There are two primary types of placement those being paid and free. Although paid listing are becoming more and more prevalent and are normally presented prior "free" listings, for the purposes of this article we will discuss only the "free" type of listings and their placement.
Continue reading "Search Engine Optimization the Easy way"February 16, 2005
A Couple Of Basic But Killer Internet Marketing Techniques
There are many simple, infallible ways to earn income, and one of the surest ways is through marketing your business on the internet. When you learn basic internet marketing techniques, you'll wonder why you haven't already jumped on the bandwagon. When you think about it, the only things you'll need to make money is a vision of what you want out of life and the wisdom and energy to put your ideas into motion.
Basic internet marketing techniques can teach us how to acquire wealth, and an important factor is to provide something the public needs (or think they need) whether it is a product, a service, information or something else entirely - there are many choices.
Every business has a goal of making money, and every business has something to sell. You will need knowledge and a product before you begin your internet marketing. You may need at least a small amount of capital to start your business, although the outlay could be relatively small if you are selling information or services as opposed to a tangible product.
You will need to develop a web site for advertising and informational purposes; if you have the ability to do it yourself, so much the better. If you don't then consider one of my business partners Plug-In Profit Sites, they are an excellent way to start out in online business.
Continue reading "A Couple Of Basic But Killer Internet Marketing Techniques"Relationships Are A Vital Part Of A Network Marketing Business
Heavily branded websites like 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 consequence of search results provided by search engines.In these instances, the visitor is probably arriving at the website for the first time and human nature often dictates fear or suspicion of the unknown.
If someone is shopping around for the best price for a particular item, say a Cuisinart food processor, they would probably go to a site such as Ask Jeeves (at ask.com using the Smart Search for Products feature) and quickly obtain a list of sources and prices for the desired item. The "yes/no" purchase decision has already been made and it is simply a question of who to buy it from.
In the case of network marketing, it is of critical importance to build a sense of trust with your team members.Network marketing is very definitely a relationship business and each relationship typically starts out with two complete strangers sitting at their respective keyboards.
The team building aspect of network marketing is of vital importance to the success of each individual member and to the team as a whole.Two key elements of team building are trust and confidence and these factors play a very large role, particularly for new team members.
Continue reading "Relationships Are A Vital Part Of A Network Marketing Business"Pay Per Click Advertising Can Be Very Risky Business
Click fraud is an unfortunate byproduct of the pay per click advertising business.Many people with an online business spend large amounts of money on pay per click advertising only to discover that many of the people clicking on their ads weren't really interested in their products or services.
Bogus "visitors" to a pay per click ad represent click fraud. This is a serious scam that threatens the viability of the pay per click advertising business which has become enormously profitable for all of the major search engine operators, namely Google, Yahoo/Overture, and MSN.
Click fraud has different forms, but the end result is generally the same.Advertisers are billed for fruitless traffic generated by someone who repeatedly clicks on an advertiser's ad without any intention of ever buying anything.
The search engine advertising market is currently about $3.8 billion per year and estimates vary widely on how much click fraud is actually going on.Clearly, the search engine operators would like to downplay the extent of this problem.Some industry experts claim that a little click fraud exists but that it is overblown by advertiser paranoia, while others estimate that ten to twenty percent of all clicks are false (made by someone with no legitimate interest in the ad itself).
Virtually everyone involved with pay per click advertising sees click fraud and knows it's there, but no one is quite sure what to do about it.
Continue reading "Pay Per Click Advertising Can Be Very Risky Business"February 15, 2005
Need a New Idea? Try Changing Your Perspective
One definition of creativity states that creative people look at the same thing everyone else does, yet they see something no one else does.
But even creative people (which includes all of you, of course) can run into roadblocks every now and then. Sometimes it's not possible to see something different. Sometimes you've just been staring at a problem for so long it's now impossible to look at it in any other way.
So what do you do in these situations?
Why not try changing your perspective?
Consider this: A friend of mind who does needlepoint has a design that's mostly black. Rather than simply stitching the design on white canvas with black thread, she's using a black canvas and is stitching the negative aspects of the design instead of the positive.
She changed the way she viewed the problem. And now she has a really cool-looking needlepoint design that's different from most other ones out there.
Or what about this: An art teacher has her students turn a photograph or object upside down and paint what they see -- not a picture but an arrangement of shapes.
Continue reading "Need a New Idea? Try Changing Your Perspective"Seven Deadly Newsletter Sins (and How to Cure Them)
Newsletters can be great communication tools, but they take work. Here's a quick list of common problems newsletters run into and how to fix them.
1.The snooze-letter -- a newsletter so boring it puts readers to sleep.
Cure: Find out what your readers want to know and write about it.Keep the tone lively.Don't know what readers want? Ask!
2.Audience too broad - a newsletter with a broad audience (customers, employees and distributors, for example) may meet no one's needs very well or might meet one group's needs while ignoring the others.
Cure: Different audiences = different information needs = different newsletters. Your newsletter will be better read if it provides information that's relevant to the specific audience.
3.Too long - Most folks are strapped for time. They won't tackle a long newsletter.
Cure: Keep your newsletter short. (1-2 pages an issue )
4.I have a friend.... - Everyone has a friend, relative, spouse, or whatever who knows something about marketing and/or communication. Doesn't mean they know anything about newsletters. The results include poor writing, poor design, poor targeting, and poor performance.
Cure: Use people with newsletter experience.
Continue reading "Seven Deadly Newsletter Sins (and How to Cure Them)"Successful Network Marketing Depends Upon These Three Factors
Network marketing has many aspects, but promotion, persistence, and patience are three key elements which are critical to achieving successful results.
PROMOTION is the lifeblood of network marketing.Whether you are using online methods or offline methods, or a combination of both, you must constantly strive to get your offering in front of a targeted audience.
There are thousands of published sources that deal with specific methods of network marketing (both online and offline), but the key point to be made here is that you must have an active promotion campaign designed to bring in a steady stream of new prospective downline members.
PERSISTENCE is a key element in network marketing success. You've gotta "just keep on keepin' on", even though frustation levels can be quite high at times.
After you have been at it a while, and have a downline large enough to provide reasonably accurate statistics, you will probably find that about 95% of your downline members are dormant and do nothing at all.Its easy to get down in the dumps or take it personally when you encounter so many "do nothing" people.
Continue reading "Successful Network Marketing Depends Upon These Three Factors"February 10, 2005
Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits
What is Upselling?
It means pre-selling any additional features of your products and services even before your customers make a purchase.
For example, let's say you're selling a computer with a 15" monitor for $600.
You can tell your customers that they can upgrade to a 17" monitor for only $100 more.
That's upselling! The trick is to pre-sell your customers on any additional features and upgrades for your products and services available and get more money out of the first sale.
Below are ten upselling strategies you can use to increase your profits.
1. Deluxe Upsell-You could sell a basic product and tell people for a little more money they can receive the deluxe edition.
2. Money Upsell-You could offer people the rights to sell the product they are buying from your business. You could charge an extra $30 dollars to get the reproduction rights.
Continue reading "Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits"February9, 2005
Public Relations-A Free Lunch?
Seems like everyone is looking for the proverbial free lunch these days, particularly when it comes to marketing communications. Well, I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but there's no such thing. However, there are ways to stretch your budget and marketing public relations (PR) is one of them.
By MARKETING PR I mean publicity that is directed towards your marketing target audience and carries marketing messages. (It's not the same as investor or employee relations.) Marketing PR can generate inquiries, economically extend the reach of your advertising and direct mail programs, boost your company's credibility and enhance its standing as an expert.
There are three basic marketing PR tactics for you to consider:
NEWS RELEASES Does your company bring new products or services to market? Improve existing products or services? Publish literature? These are all great subjects for news releases. Send releases to editors at relevant publications. One release a month is a good goal.
CASE HISTORIES These can highlight your company's problem solving abilities. And well-written case histories are in demand -- by readers and editors alike. You can work with a single publication to place a case history or broadcast it to many publications.
Continue reading "Public Relations-A Free Lunch?"February7, 2005
If You Don't Like The Weather...Just Wait Ten Minutes
This old saying which addresses the variability of the weather in Montana is also applicable to the volatile market dynamics for an online business.If there is one thing that is certain about the future of online marketing, it is that it will continue to constantly change.
A generation in Internet marketing seems to last 12 months or less and therefore it is very important for online marketers to reassess their marketing plan frequently.It wasn't too long ago that popups and banner ads were all the rage and now they're about as welcome as a telemarketer or a lawyer.
In earlier times, just getting traffic to your website could spell success. That just is not the case today. In the current environment, Internet marketers have many tasks before them including increasing traffic, maximizing traffic quality, and improving conversion ratios.Much simpler said than done, but the key element is to understand that we are dealing with a dynamic marketing landscape where change is almost a continuous process.A successful Internet marketing campaign will always be a work in progress.
A dynamic internet marketing campaign will be a continuous process of monitoring and analyzing, followed by tweaking and experimenting, followed by measuring the impact (more monitoring and analyzing) of the changes made.
Continue reading "If You Don't Like The Weather...Just Wait Ten Minutes"How Research Can Triple Response and Double Sales
It is fascinating to study what makes the difference between a person who owns a corner store that stays a corner store or a person who owns a corner store that becomes Wal-Mart.
It's the research.
Sam Walton researched his market, his competitors, and discover that Smalltown, USA was being overlooked.
Whether you are building your sales presentation or simply looking to put together your collateral material, everything is more powerful with research.
The more knowledgeable you are about your industry and the trends going on in it, the more strategic you can be in taking market share.
Research, carefully orchestrated, can be the difference between a company that thrives and dominates their industry and one that fails.
Research on your industry can dramatically improve everything, from your marketing approach to your sales paradigm to your tactical executions.
Wouldn't it be great to have an ad that says: "The five things you better know before you buy XYZ."
Continue reading "How Research Can Triple Response and Double Sales"February3, 2005
Don't Let Your Business Cards End Up in the Trash
Business cards are such wonderfully creative little marketing products. Most of them, unfortunately, end up in the nearest trash basket. Nobody wants to be bombarded with a big sales pitch. If you meet someone and within two minutes you are promoting your own business or stretching out that business card, your card will more than likely end up in the trash.
Fact is, people do business with people that they feel comfortable with and with whom they feel that they can trust. Start by making the other person you are talking with feel important by asking questions about them. If you are talking to a business owner, ask them for their business card (they may respond later by asking for yours)and make them feel important by showing true, genuine interest in their service or product. If they ask you about your business, instead of saying "I'm a stockbroker", you might say instead, "I help people create financial success". This will leave a far more positive and appealing impression of what you do. Then, once again direct the subject back to them. They will remember the good feeling they had with you.
Next, take their business card and write a nice thank you note letting them know that you enjoyed meeting them. A preprinted card with your picture and business name is a good reminder of who you are. Again, don't make a sales pitch. Personalize your envelope with a big stamp and handwritten lettering. All of this extra effort creates true networking which is far more profitable than throwing thousands of business cards in the trash.
Continue reading "Don't Let Your Business Cards End Up in the Trash"February1, 2005
6 MUST Have Strategies To Make Big Bucks with Big Ticket Items
Strategy #1: Change Your Mindset
That's right, change your mindset! It's probably the number one most important strategy when selling Big Ticket Items. Plenty of people are uncomfortable selling items that are priced above the $500 - $1000 mark.
It's the intangibles which make Big Ticket marketing tougher to come to grips with for many business people. They have questions like:
Will my customers accept a product priced this high?
How can I put a value on information?
Who's going to buy an island for one million dollars?
It's a lot easier to value a low ticket item like an E-book at $17 or $49 or $197. There are already books available that have prices in a similar range.
So how do you start the switch in mindset?
The best thing to do is to find a Big Ticket product that you believe in and just try marketing it to your list of customers!
That's what Joel Christopher did. He wanted to attend a particular seminar but it cost $1000. In those days, that was a lot of money for Joel. But the organizer told him that if he sold 3 seats he could get in free and earn affiliate commissions on every seat sold.
Now, Joel wasn't sure whether his existing list would accept a Big Ticket Item at that price. But he decided to go for it! He wrote up an email and sent it out. And, much to his surprise, he sold 2 seats in less than 2 days!
And that was a key turning point for Joel. His mindset was shifted.
Continue reading "6 MUST Have Strategies To Make Big Bucks with Big Ticket Items"