Attract Targeted Visitors To Your Website

Posted: 26th June 2010 by admin in web traffic
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You began your online business in order to make money, right? Well, it’s probably apparent you’ll have a greater chance of making more money from individuals who are interested in the kinds of products and services you sell.

Let’s use the example that you run a website that promotes a product or service, which helps people lose weight. So, the types of people you want to find and visit your website are those who are interested in becoming thinner. Conversely, if a visitor to your website isn’t particularly interested in losing weight (but is instead searching the Internet because they’re interested in video games or gardening), then it’s unlikely that they’re going to convert into a paying customer.

This is the concept of a “targeted visitor” – a person who is already in your website’s topic before they find your website and see the products and services you offer.

It’s not hard to see why the most successful web business are those who get traffic comprised of individuals who are already interested in the products or services offered by that business. So it’s essential to your success that you build you individual website pages to contain and focus on the individual keywords that relate to your products and services.

In addition, it’s likely that your appearances on a given search results page won’t be limited just to pages on your own website. The search engine is likely to find and list many “external” resources, too. These will include marketing-type materials that you may publish through other websites.

Go ahead and type a generic search term or phrase into your favorite search engine. Chances are that near the top of the natural search results there will be links to external aggregations sites like YouTube and EzineArticles. This is something that you want to emulate as well.

So in order to make sure you’re driving the greatest number of targeted visitors to your website as possible, you first need to create a site in which each web page is focused on the particular keyword terms and phrases that you’ll identify. Second, you’ll support this by creating promotional materials (again, using the relevant keyword terms and phrases), and making sure these are properly distributed on the Internet.

Finally, once your website is live, make sure to submit your web address directly to the major search engines. Each search engine has a page that permits you to do this:  Click here for Google’s submission link,  click here for Yahoo’s submission link and click here for Microsoft’s submission link.  The search engines would eventually find your pages, of course, but using these quick submission forms helps the process move forward more quickly.  There are software programs that can automatically submit your sites to multiple search engines.  Also SEO companies can assist you in growing your web traffic organically.

BP Coffee Spill

Posted: 15th June 2010 by admin in Satire
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This parody is funny.  The real spill in the Gulf is sad.

Getting Customers to Remember Your Brand. Three Impressions Every Week.

Posted: 9th June 2010 by admin in Advertising, Branding, Marketing
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Society is flooded with so much advertising these days that we face the danger of not being noticed by our prospective customers.  When  I looked on Google to find out how many messages the average consumer is exposed to on a daily basis, the range was from 547 – 5,000+ (Source: Google Answers). Will your customers know who you are without an ad staring them in the face to remind them?

In other words are you trying to rely completely on direct response to your ads (short term), or are you creating a broad and lasting awareness in the minds of your target audience?  Without a strong attempt to brand yourself you will need to constantly advertise your goods and services.

By branding, I’m referring to the act of exposing prospects to your name, logo, tag line, etc. on a frequent basis, and to the extent that people are already aware of you when they are ready to purchase a product or service that you offer. (NOTE:  I offer a complimentary e-book – “The Basics of Branding.” see sidebar for details.)

For best results a business needs to expose each prospect to the same ad impression at least three times within a week. By running a very strong campaign over the course of a month you can easily create a very lasting effect on the people you would like to have as your customers. One thing to aware of, consumers are bombarded with so many messages, they tend to block out some messages. Consider this when planning your marketing strategy.  There are many different formulas that media buyers will use to determine how many billboards, radio spots or online  pre-video rolls to purchase to reach the consumer effectively.

It is important to maintain continuity through use of the same logo, business name, or tag line in all your promotions so your targets are receiving the same impression with each exposure, regardless of the exact mode of delivery.

Radio, television and outdoor are by far the most effective means of brand creation available. These formats can be reinforced with online marketing, direct marketing and social networking.  The former creates awareness while the latter hopefully creates “brand ambassadors.”

You want people to be aware of your name, logo, or tag line and associate this awareness with your products and services well before they even need what you have to offer. What can you start doing right now to see that your prospective customers are exposed to the same message at least three times over a seven-day period?

Marketing Tactics Begin with End Result in Mind

Posted: 3rd June 2010 by admin in Don Macleod, Marketing
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Successful marketing tactics begin with the end in mind. After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you expect to know how to get there? That makes it essential to understand exactly what the customer wants and anticipate their needs long before they begin a search for a product or service.

But how do you really know how to visualize the future?  What can you do to turn your small business into a huge business with high profits, high conversions, and high profits?

Start by knowing your customer.

This is the #1 marketing tactic that every marketer must know, believe, and understand. It’s not enough to have a general knowledge of the market and the customer. It’s vital to know the audience and relate directly to their needs. It’s about anticipating their next move and then their next move after that.And it’s about appealing to their emotional needs.

Understanding the customer begins with a clear picture of who they are and what key characteristics they share. It is those key characteristics or idiosyncrasies that make them the best prospects for your product or service. That’s why they are so important to your future success – because they have a need for what you have to offer.

Once you are able to clearly identify the customer and what they want, it’s essential to craft and create a message that speaks directly to them. A general message about a product and the features it offers is never enough.
Customers want to know “what’s in it for me”.

They are seeking value and looking for benefits or products. Your message must clearly articulate the benefits and advantages of what you have to offer. The message must appeal directly to the customer’s needs and appeal to him in a very unique way.

What are most customers looking for in terms of benefits?
People are always looking to save both time and money. If they can find a product that saves time, fills a need, and is appropriately priced, they will buy it. They’ll even pay more for a product if they truly believe it offers significant or multiple benefits over other similar products. They’re not as interested in features as they are benefits so focus the message towards their emotional buying needs. And don’t be afraid to highlight multiple benefits of a product to really engage the customer.

In today’s fast-paced world and advanced technology, people are always looking for the best and the fastest. They are also looking for ease of purchase. Marketing tactics must respond to this need and your message must be emotionally appealing and soundly convincing.

Back it up!

But just as importantly, be sure you can back up your claims of benefits and value to the customer. It’s not just a customer you want to attract. It’s a ‘repeat customer’ that can help your business soar too. Provide the customer with quality products and follow-up to make sure they are satisfied. Learn from your customers and use that valuable knowledge to anticipate the next need that will surface from customers.

Proactively create a marketing plan that integrates multiple marketing tactics to help ensure optimal success. Deploying effective tactics will quickly result in higher conversions and more sales. And with more sales, you’ll have a thriving business that grows exponentially as word spreads virally about your products and service.

Don’t under-estimate the value of utilizing proven, successful marketing tactics when it comes to marketing your products. Know where you want to go before you start the journey. Start with the end in mind.
Envision success and visualize the sale. Take advantage of tried and proven tactics to create a successful business and a secure future.

Success awaits those who can see ahead of the crowd.

A Memorial Day Tribute

Posted: 30th May 2010 by admin in Don Macleod
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I would like to thank my dad, my uncles, cousins and friends who all served their country. I remember my family members and friends who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Also, to the millions of current and former military personnel, thank you for protecting democracy and the United States of America. You make us all safe and proud.

Write Effective Copy For Your Website

Posted: 26th May 2010 by admin in Copy Writing
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Having great website content is a must in today’s crowded Internet arena. You always need to write well, and present a lot of information in a manner that will not only allow people to learn, but give them a benefit for visiting your site. This latter part is very important: what is the benefit to the visitor?

But first you need the visitor to not click away immediately from your website. Look at your own behavior when you are surfing the web. If you don’t see something that catches your eye immediately, you are probably going to leave that site. You need to plan your website content so that it catches your prospective visitors’ eyes. You need to hook them at first glance.

In particular, you need to answer four basic questions when writing web copy. First, why are your visitors at that website and why should they be there? Are they in need of a product or service? Do they fit a particular demographic that needs your help?

Second, what should they do? Should they buy your product or service? Should they call you? Provide your visitors with a road on which to travel instead of telling them that they should get to a destination by their own terms.

Third, answer why your visitors should even do anything. Should they buy a product or service to get themselves out of a financial rut? Should they buy something from you so that they can enjoy life better?

Finally, what should they do next? Should they go out and buy things, save money, ask for more help? What should they expect from you?

Remember these four basic questions when you set up your copy. You will need maintain consistency in your look and tone, moreover, so that when people read through your copy, they will feel comfortable and not have their brains scattering all over the place, what with the multitude of ideas that you present.

Those are the basic four questions you need to ask when writing copy. In addition you need to practice targeting: this means that you have to fashion your statement so that visitors of a specific demographic and with specific needs can have these same needs filled by the products and services that you provide. You need to know your target market. When you know your target market, you can step into its shoes better. You will know where to look for it online. This includes going to the proper online forums and mailing lists in order to see what your target market wants, how much money it’s willing to spend for certain products and services, and the language that it speaks.

It is this language and attitude that is especially important for you. You need this information in order to get a profile of your market, and know what your prospective customers should be like. When you have this profile, you can better make web copy that is targeted toward the needs and tastes of this target market. So now that you have the target, you can start sharpening weapons: you can outline your plan for making that precious web copy.

Remember: you need to catch attention within seconds, so get straight to the point. Keep your tone even, and make sure that it adheres to the tastes of your target market. This will make you appear as though you are engaging them in convincing, enlightening conversation. Moreover, don’t beat around the bush: be straightforward and easy to understand. The key is to talk to your target market and meet its needs, and to be in this specific mindset at the very beginning.

Research In Advertising

Posted: 19th May 2010 by admin in Advertising, Research
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Research in advertising is done in order to produce better advertisements that are more efficient in motivating customers to buy a product or a service. The research can be based on a particular advertising campaign or can be more generalized and based on how advertisements create an effect on people’s mind. Lots of approaches are involved to go about conducting an advertising research like economical, psychological, demographics and sociological.

When designing an advertisement for a particular product many things should be researched like where it should be displayed, whether the advertisement can be printed in newspapers or magazines or broadcast on tv or radio or published on the Internet. Many methods are undertaken to collect relevant information. The research itself is of two kinds, syndicated and customized. Syndicated research is a single research done by the company that is available to other companies as well. Customized research is research based on certain criteria and is done for a particular company and its results are available to only that company.

Pre-testing or copy testing is a type of customized research that determines the in-market efficiency of an advertisement before it is released or before the final production. The more the pre-testing is done the more likely that it will be a successful advertisement and each pre-testing should be applied number of times. This can done by studying the level of attention the customers have, motivation, brand linkage, communication and entertainment. Flow of emotions and flow of attention are broken down and studied individually. The results are applied on the advertisement that is still being developed to recognize the weak points and replace them. A reliable feedback loop can guide the researchers, client and the agency to work in harmony. Tests should be applied during the storyboard stage of ad making. This is an early stage and the results are highly predictive. During this process images are selected and used as integrated campaign print ad.

Post-testing or ad tracking studies are either syndicated or customized. Studies are done over a period of time or continuously. The in-market research is done to understand a brands linkage, performance, awareness, and preference along with product attitudes and usage. They are done by, conducting interviews either on phone or Internet. Testing the finished advertisement provides the confidence and gives an idea whether it is following the strategy.

All the above studies should facilitate the client’s advertisement development make the end product easier to achieve. The study should contain rational information having not only surface knowledge but also provide deep in-sight that will open window to a customer’s mind. The customer, too, should provide precise information based on facts and not based on imaginary thinking and self-delusion. He should be able to explain the role of advertisement in the whole marketing plan. Working in vacuum doesn’t get the desired result.

The basis is to provide in-depth understanding about the consumers for improving on the advertisement techniques and other marketing decisions. The traditional methods of qualitative and quantitative techniques have been improved to analyze the information with good insight.

The rapidly changing likes and needs of the customers are difficult to track, but should be studied in order to increase the quality of advertisement. The changes are because of the huge number of options offered to them by the market.

8 Types Of Headlines That Sell

Posted: 12th May 2010 by admin in Advertising, Copy Writing
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This is a continuation of discussing the importance of writing great headlines. Headlines are also your subject lines in your emails. (Six Tips For Writing A Great Headline).

There are effective ways on how to infuse your visitors the sense of urgency your page is trying to convey. Since the most crucial part of your site is the part where the visitors land, headlines are very vital to bring to them your point at the most immediate time possible.

Writing the best headline is not too complicated as many marketers would think; it can be simple if you will follow the right process. Rather than thinking of how you should write your headline, think of what it should say to your visitors. To help you think about a possible headline, listed here are the types of headlines to choose from:

1. News Headline. If your service or product proposes something newsworthy, publicize it on your headline. You”ll naturally use this to present your new product or an enhancement on your existing product. You can make use of words like Now, New, Introducing, Just Released, Finally, At Last or Announcing to make your News Headline more appealing. For example: Finally! A New Diet Pill that Can Work For Just Seven Days!

2. Benefit Headline. Features do not sell but benefits do. To compose a winning benefit headline, you must be overly familiar with your market. This will let you offer them a compelling and powerful benefit driven headline that will easily entice your audience. Research on every little benefit that your prospects are looking for on a product or service. En example of a benefit headline is: Cleans and Whiten Your Teeth…

3. Guarantee Headline. These are headlines which present appealing benefits and guarantee results. If your product or service gives powerful guarantee, let your would-be customers know it by showing it on your headline. For example: Whitens your Skin in just 10 days… Money Back Guarantee!

4. How to Headline. There are many “How Tos” present either in books or sites so you wouldn’t be wrong on this type. Try placing “how to” on your headline and it will really be enticing for your prospects to know what solutions, information and advices you have for their problems. For example: How to Win Back Your Husband…

5. Testimonial Headline. This type of headline utilizes testimonials of customers for the headline. Your customers will sell for you since they will be talking of the benefits they gain from your products. For Example: I Earn A Lot By Just Purchasing this Self-Help Book

6. Question Headline. You must be cautious when using this type. You must be well informed of your market or you may blow your chances of winning them by this advertising drive. The good types of question headlines are those that encourage your prospects to be involved. For example: Have You Turned Your First Date into Disaster?

7. Command Headline. The type of headline which instructs your costumers on what they will do. The command must encourage action through benefit offerings that will really help them. Most effective headlines must start with action verbs. For example: Stop Your Financial Problems!

8. Reason Why Headline. This headline will give your prospective costumers particular reasons why they need to read your sales letter, your website or your ad. These headlines are effective since they include specific numbers and facts. For example: Easy and Fun Ways to Earn $500 From Home.

You can model your headline from the types listed above; but be sure to sizzle your headlines to compel your prospects to read your site. Move beyond the usual and create your headline at a different angle. Add up some new attention grabbing terms and see your sales surge up!

Sponsorships In Your Marketing Mix

Posted: 2nd May 2010 by admin in Sponsorship
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There isn’t a great issue over which fairs better between sponsorship and advertising. Both are marketing tools that strategically apply to different situation. There are however usual times when a business is faced with choosing between both tools. These times usually are a point of exposure as to which tool can give more and help increase a brand’s visibility. This arena is where sponsorship takes over. The main focus of this article will be sponsorships.

What sponsorship accomplishes better than advertising is in the establishment of qualitative attributes. These attributes include brand image towards consumers, generating awareness, and consumer’s choice of such brand. On these attributes, sponsorship has more lead on enhancing them, which advertising falls short of.

Sponsorship’s winning features

With sponsorship, as compared to advertising, the following feature it builds includes the following:

• credibility – refers to the integrity that sponsorship builds

• exclusivity – the form of differentiation that sets clients into high status

• image enhancement

• relevance to lifestyle

• prestige that it offers

There are other points that make sponsorship a winner; and these are also quantitative benefits that are not available through advertising. The first of which is having a live audience for product and brand circulation. Sponsorship provides opportunities for on-site sales and sampling, customer feedback, surveying, sales-force interaction and product testing – all of which involve the participation of an audience. Through live product presentations, the exposure is greater and the promotion of brand and product names is at a rapid pace.

As with interaction, product sampling is another plus to sponsorship. Events that are sponsored allow people to have on site trials on products. This way, awareness of a certain brand name or service is heightened. Examples on-site trials include food sampling, test driving, official clothes worn in the event, etc.

With sponsorship, an organization’s name becomes associated into a sponsored event’s actions unlike that of advertising. This means that sponsorship is able to surpass the medium of media and place itself in the environment where everyone can see it, For example, when sponsorship is incorporated in movies; the audience has no escape in seeing the brand or logo being promoted because it is part of the film. They can’t just eliminate a scene like changing a channel on TV; they have to sit through the film and take in everything that comes with it.

Lastly, sponsorship provides entertainment to its client. How? This is done through the events that are sponsored. When the word “event” comes to mind, it is always a happening that does not come everyday. It is a break from the everyday routine that clients have. With advertising, nothing is disrupted from normal life. Everyone is accustomed to see bill boards, ad placements and commercials.

With sponsored events, the setting is different and the aim is to provide an avenue for people to interact with the business through a social activity. Events also make great places to have informal sales and networking; and with the chosen venue, which is most often a hospitable one, the event becomes desirable and unique to lounge in.

For more information about sponsorships visit Sponsorship.com
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Struggling at Affiliate Sales – Click Here!

Write a Great Headline Everytime

Posted: 24th April 2010 by admin in Advertising
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Writing an effective copy headline is a challenge if you know you”re going to issue a call to action in the end, and that action is something that people will be initially reluctant to do like subscribing to an e-newsletter or buying a product. If you want your readers to do something, you need to convince them right away and starting with the very first word of your headline. One more, writing email subject lines are very similar to writing copy headlines.  The same principles can apply.

Offer Something Right Away
If you have something to offer to your readers, something they need and in exchange for what you”re going to ask them to do, make it immediately clear with your headline. When people start reading something online and they aren’t actively seeking information, they want to know what they”re going to get if they continue reading and they want to know what it is right away.

Make It Urgent

People are generally prone to take action if they know they”re running against time. Create a sense of urgency with your headline by telling your readers that your offer only stands up to a certain date or that you”re fast running out of stocks. You can also make it a do-or-die offer; if they let this opportunity slip them by, it’s gone forever.

Take care, however, when using this type of headline as it comes with certain responsibilities. Make sure you withdraw your offer at the stated time. If you”re going to extend the deadline, you better have a good explanation ready so as not to lose your credibility.

Keep It Simple and Powerful

Online copies have to be simple and as headlines are a part of the copy, it stands to reason that they have to be simple as well.

Don’t bother using long and difficult words. They won’t make a difference if no one comprehends them. Aim for powerful words instead. These words inspire action and call strong images immediately to mind. “Make Your Business Live Longer” as a copy headline can be improved, for instance, if you replace passive-sounding words with forceful ones. “Make Your Business Survive” has greater impact compared to the previous headline, don’t you think?

Keep It Short

Yet another requirement for online copies is brevity and naturally, headlines must follow the same rule. As a rule, online readers scan what they read and consequently, they”ll be able to understand a five-word-headline more quickly than a ten-word one.

For a good copy headline, try to lessen the use of particles, prepositions, linking verbs, and other words that won’t make a difference to your readers.

Don’t Try Too Hard

Naturally, funny and witty headlines are better but trying too hard could backfire on you. If there’s no way to make a headline funny or clever then leave it simple. If you manage to get your message across then you’ve done your job.

Use Numbers

They”re easier to recall and they sound more impressive. Instead of simply headlining a copy with “Tips for Gardening”, you can substantially improve it just by adding a digit. “6 Tips for Gardening” encourage people to read more because they know they have six (more than one’s many!) tips to look forward to in a single article.

Review and Revise

You may think you’ve made a perfect headline upon typing the last word, but give it a minute or two and you”ll be able to view it more objectively. Good luck on writing those headlines.

I use a fantastic tool from the Advanced Marketing Institute.  It is called the Headline Analyzer.  It’s free and very effective. Click this link to visit the Headline Analyzer.

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