Harvesting Leads from Yahoo Groups.
By Isaiah Hull
You may use this article for reprint if it remains unaltered and includes the author information and resource box. - Isaiah Hull
Harvesting Leads from Yahoo Groups
If you own an internet business or you're involved in an affliate program and you're having trouble getting traffic to your website or gateway, consider Yahoo Groups as an option to expand your visibility. You can sign up for dozens of these groups tonight--some which have subscriber bases of over 10,000 people--and then submit your ad to them immediately.
Before you begin, you'll need to determine what approach you're going to take for this. There are two ways to generate traffic through Yahoo Groups: 1) by submitting your ad to groups that are specifically looking for ADS; or 2) by providing a free service, such as a business advice article, a free ebook, or anything else you can think of that might help someone in you shoes - and then adding your resource box at the bottom, giving a link to your website or product. I personally would suggest doing both if you want to get the best results. There aren't that many groups that allow shameless promotions - and the ones that do are generally saturated with them.
Your next step is to get a text-editor/writing program that allows you to format your documents by characters-per-line (I would suggest getting the free trial version of textpad- http://www.textpad.com). Once you have this text-editor setup, type or copy-and- paste your ad, article, or whatever else you're going to use into the text-editor and then format it for 55 characters-per-line (most submission forms require you to use 55-60 characters-per-line; if you do not, they'll reject your submission out-right).
Once you have done this, you'll want to sign up for a Yahoo email account if you do not have one already. This is free and you can do it easily by going to Yahoo.com and filling in your information.
Next you'll want to head to http://groups.yahoo.com , where you'll find a directory of Yahoo Groups. You will want to find groups that coincide with whatever product or service you are selling. For instance, I sell marketing and business-building tools. When I go to Yahoo Groups, I go to Business & Finance and then to Marketing.
You should have a pretty good selection for whatever you plan to market. There are hundreds of groups and--as I mentioned earlier--some of them have over 10,000 members currently. Sign up for as many of these groups as possible.
Just click on the group. Click to sign up - and then fill in your information. Make sure you have all of the boxes filled in and then submit the form. For most of the groups, you will receive an email in your inbox immediately. Others will take a few days.
Your next step is to read all of the new emails in your inbox. Check out the rules list for all of the new groups you just signed up for. Make sure your article, service, or whatever you're posting conforms to all of the rules. Now go back to your groups. You should see a list of groups you're in with "Post" next to the group name. Begin posting it to each individual group, making sure you follow the rules. Also make sure it includes your resource box.
Now you wait. The submission process can take a while. Most posts have to be manually reviewed by group editors/moderators, while others will go up immediately. Sometimes you'll receive a letter from the editor, saying whether it was posted or rejected and sometimes you wont. Once you start receving the submission responses, that means people can now read your article or ad.
Congratulations - you just advertised to an ENORMOUS group of targeted potential leads for no cost whatsoever.
Now sit back, relax, and watch the hits accumulate on your website.
Isaiah Hull publishes Work At Home Right Now, a fresh and informative newsletter about making money on the internet and using proven methods to increase your site’s traffic and profitability. If you’re looking for time-saving and money-saving tools, as well as honest business advice, come by and subscribe at http://www.workathomerightnow.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isaiah_Hull
Friday, December 08, 2006
Get Your Visitors To Voluntarily Give You Their Contact Information
Get Your Visitors To Voluntarily Give You Their Contact Information.
By Keith Thirgood
If you listen to a group of website designers and developers you will notice a sound coming from them that sounds suspiciously like a Mantra. "Content is king. Content is king."
If you believe what they pitch, all you need to do to succeed is to find a way to make your website "sticky". The idea is that your visitors will not be able to resist coming back, over and over, until they buy.
It's a great theory. But a little observation combined with a little knowledge of human behaviour puts the lie to their nice little theory. Look at your own behaviour. How many websites have you bookmarked in your browser? I have over 500.
Of these, how many do you remember why you bookmarked them? I know with my own, I'm lucky if I can remember 50% of them. And of the sites I do remember, I only regularly visit 5 or 10 sites. That's 5 or 10 sites out of 500. Those other sites were all "sticky" too. What happened to them?
Real life is what happened. Your target market doesn't have the time to revisit all of the sites that interest them. So what happens to the "sticky" site you've invested so much time making so? It gets forgotten by all those people who should be your clients.
There's a simple way to remedy the situation. Capture your visitors' e-mail address so that you can keep up a regular dialogue with them.
Now you have two questions: How do I capture my visitors' addresses, and what do I send them?
The answer to the first is found via the answer to the second. Offer them something they'll value, on a continual basis. This newsletter you are reading is an example of one of the most common items you can offer. People are on the Web searching for valuable information. If you offer to deliver it to them on a regular basis, many of your visitors will volunteer their contact information.
Newsletters work well for products and services that have depth and dimension to them. I could write on marketing issues for years and not risk running out of things to say. Nor do I put my business at risk by "giving away the store."
The drawback to producing a newsletter is that you must commit time to writing it on a regular basis. This proves to be difficult for many people. Some go to sites that offer free content for newsletters. Others hire professional writers to write or edit their material for them.
The advantage of the content sites is that their product is generally either free or very low cost. The disadvantage is that the content may not fit your market's needs.
The advantage of hiring professionals (Like Capstone: shameless plug) is that their material can be sharply focused on your target's needs. The disadvantage is they cost more.
Newsletters are not the only tool. Some businesses might find contests appropriate. Every month a contest form is e-mailed out to participants with a link back to the server for prospects to register their entry. This sort of contact tool can grow a database rapidly, depending upon the prizes and the target audience.
Periodic "special reports" can be offered. Contact is less frequent than with a newsletter, but the need to keep a regular schedule is diminished.
Another tool may be periodic "industry alert" or "industry news" bulletins. These don't demand the writing skills of newsletter producers, however they do require you to be up-to-date with the latest developments in your industry. (Or your target market's industry.) An e-mail alert can be simply formatted and consist of mostly bullet points, interspersed with comments.
Or for certain industries and businesses, people will sign up simply to receive notice of your latest special. I receive e-mail announcements from about 15 different companies whom I've given permission to send me their sale announcements. (But don't abuse your prospects using this privilege. You'd better send them *real* sales announcements, not just sales material.)
One of the beauties of regular e-mail contact is that it all can be automated! Through the appropriate use of autoresponders and listservers, your effort is reduced to just creating the e-mail that's to be sent. Maintenance is handled by the software.
You can set these systems up yourself, although it's often easier and more successful to have professionals (shameless plug #2) do this. There are some services out there, offering free listservers and autoresponders, but you pay for them by allowing other peoples' advertisements on your e-mail. For a professional business, this is not a very good option.
Some ISPs provide listservers and autoresponders as part of their basic business service. (Our own ISP provides these for free.) Most other ISPs charge extra for these items, or don't carry them at all and expect you to buy your own.
Keeping in regular touch with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of your prospects is good marketing in my books. If you want to make your web presence more effective, there are few things you can do that will return so much on such a small investment.
Keith Thirgood, Creative Director, Editor Thrive-on-Line
Capstone Communications Group Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330 Subscribe to Thrive-on-line http://list.capstonecomm.com/mail.cgi?f=list&l=thrive_on_line
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Thirgood
By Keith Thirgood
If you listen to a group of website designers and developers you will notice a sound coming from them that sounds suspiciously like a Mantra. "Content is king. Content is king."
If you believe what they pitch, all you need to do to succeed is to find a way to make your website "sticky". The idea is that your visitors will not be able to resist coming back, over and over, until they buy.
It's a great theory. But a little observation combined with a little knowledge of human behaviour puts the lie to their nice little theory. Look at your own behaviour. How many websites have you bookmarked in your browser? I have over 500.
Of these, how many do you remember why you bookmarked them? I know with my own, I'm lucky if I can remember 50% of them. And of the sites I do remember, I only regularly visit 5 or 10 sites. That's 5 or 10 sites out of 500. Those other sites were all "sticky" too. What happened to them?
Real life is what happened. Your target market doesn't have the time to revisit all of the sites that interest them. So what happens to the "sticky" site you've invested so much time making so? It gets forgotten by all those people who should be your clients.
There's a simple way to remedy the situation. Capture your visitors' e-mail address so that you can keep up a regular dialogue with them.
Now you have two questions: How do I capture my visitors' addresses, and what do I send them?
The answer to the first is found via the answer to the second. Offer them something they'll value, on a continual basis. This newsletter you are reading is an example of one of the most common items you can offer. People are on the Web searching for valuable information. If you offer to deliver it to them on a regular basis, many of your visitors will volunteer their contact information.
Newsletters work well for products and services that have depth and dimension to them. I could write on marketing issues for years and not risk running out of things to say. Nor do I put my business at risk by "giving away the store."
The drawback to producing a newsletter is that you must commit time to writing it on a regular basis. This proves to be difficult for many people. Some go to sites that offer free content for newsletters. Others hire professional writers to write or edit their material for them.
The advantage of the content sites is that their product is generally either free or very low cost. The disadvantage is that the content may not fit your market's needs.
The advantage of hiring professionals (Like Capstone: shameless plug) is that their material can be sharply focused on your target's needs. The disadvantage is they cost more.
Newsletters are not the only tool. Some businesses might find contests appropriate. Every month a contest form is e-mailed out to participants with a link back to the server for prospects to register their entry. This sort of contact tool can grow a database rapidly, depending upon the prizes and the target audience.
Periodic "special reports" can be offered. Contact is less frequent than with a newsletter, but the need to keep a regular schedule is diminished.
Another tool may be periodic "industry alert" or "industry news" bulletins. These don't demand the writing skills of newsletter producers, however they do require you to be up-to-date with the latest developments in your industry. (Or your target market's industry.) An e-mail alert can be simply formatted and consist of mostly bullet points, interspersed with comments.
Or for certain industries and businesses, people will sign up simply to receive notice of your latest special. I receive e-mail announcements from about 15 different companies whom I've given permission to send me their sale announcements. (But don't abuse your prospects using this privilege. You'd better send them *real* sales announcements, not just sales material.)
One of the beauties of regular e-mail contact is that it all can be automated! Through the appropriate use of autoresponders and listservers, your effort is reduced to just creating the e-mail that's to be sent. Maintenance is handled by the software.
You can set these systems up yourself, although it's often easier and more successful to have professionals (shameless plug #2) do this. There are some services out there, offering free listservers and autoresponders, but you pay for them by allowing other peoples' advertisements on your e-mail. For a professional business, this is not a very good option.
Some ISPs provide listservers and autoresponders as part of their basic business service. (Our own ISP provides these for free.) Most other ISPs charge extra for these items, or don't carry them at all and expect you to buy your own.
Keeping in regular touch with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of your prospects is good marketing in my books. If you want to make your web presence more effective, there are few things you can do that will return so much on such a small investment.
Keith Thirgood, Creative Director, Editor Thrive-on-Line
Capstone Communications Group Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330 Subscribe to Thrive-on-line http://list.capstonecomm.com/mail.cgi?f=list&l=thrive_on_line
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Thirgood
Experience the Strange and Twisted World of Internet Cafes
Experience the Strange and Twisted World of Internet Cafes.
By Jesse S. Somer
Being a novice of the Internet and realms of technology in general, the idea of hanging out in an Internet café scared me about as much as it used to when I first sat in front a computer trying to figure out how to turn the thing on. Pictures of super-obese, nerdy, snotty-nosed tech-heads filled my head as well as visions of stagnant, sterile rooms crammed with blue screens flashing the latest comic heroes and teen idols. Well, I just went on a trip to several countries around the world and I ventured into this unknown sector, as I wanted to keep in touch with people back home. Although I admittedly didn’t visit many of these cafes (I needed a break from the computer worlds of school and work), the few I did see were quite different from what I expected.
First stop was a café in Prague, Czech Republic. This was hidden down an alley but was next to restaurant so it seemed safe enough. I paid the equivalent of just over $1.00 U.S. for a half hour on the machine-not too bad eh? Now I don’t know if I was attacked by an evil spirit or just had something with my brain that day, but for some reason it took 25 minutes to just get into my hotmail! First of all, the keyboard was different, and in weird ways I tell you. If you hit the Y key it came out as a Z and vice versa. I was surprised later in London that their keyboard was also different from the ones’ back home. I thought keyboards were universally the same around the planet! I finally got into my hotmail, sent a one sentence email and left. Looking around me as I departed I saw that most of the people using computers were so-called normal folks like myself, mainly backpackers and tourists, but also businessmen etc. If I had more patience that day it probably would have been a nice atmosphere to be part of, I saw that they served coffee and tea, but as I was in a beautiful foreign place I needed to get out under the Sun amidst the real action.
My other main experience in the public Internet world was to be in the North of London in a suburb called Neesdon or ‘Sneezdon’ as the Aussie mates I met up with liked to call it. Here, the Café was totally different from the previous one and I assume –I don’t like to assume-that like people, each café is an individual entity with both positive and negative traits as well as bonuses and letdowns. This ‘café’ was in the back of a mobile (cellular) phone shop and was just a tiny room with a handful of computers that no one else seemed to be interested in, everyone looked more focused on phones, but I have a weird feeling they might have been dealing something else ‘under the counter’ that was sparking hot interest.
We paid 1 pound (approx. $1.75U.S.) for an hour. Three of us walked in and we sat down at two computers, I think this was probably disallowed but again no one was paying any attention to us. My friend said he had been to this particular café a few times previously as he was living in the area for a year, and had seen and experienced some undesirable situations. One day he believes he saw a cannabis deal go down, and on another occasion a drunken man came in and told him he didn’t like the look of him and would he go outside for a fight? The confrontation dissipated with the use of calm communication but you can imagine that this type of Internet café would be rated poorly on a world standard. So, beware where you enter the virtual world my friends, reality may just arrive to smash you in the face!
In the end, I think like all things in life these Internet cafes need to be approached with optimism and hope, as one never truly knows what there is to offer in a new experience. I imagine that there is a multitude of different types of cafes-some you may even deem as cool places to gravitate. If strange and twisted is what you look for, or a common normality, I believe both can be found in the cafes of the future.
By Jesse S. Somer M6.Net http://www.m6.net Jesse S. Somer is a weird and twisted Internet writer who hopes to show others that the Internet is becoming a daily reality for many humans, so dive in!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_S._Somer
By Jesse S. Somer
Being a novice of the Internet and realms of technology in general, the idea of hanging out in an Internet café scared me about as much as it used to when I first sat in front a computer trying to figure out how to turn the thing on. Pictures of super-obese, nerdy, snotty-nosed tech-heads filled my head as well as visions of stagnant, sterile rooms crammed with blue screens flashing the latest comic heroes and teen idols. Well, I just went on a trip to several countries around the world and I ventured into this unknown sector, as I wanted to keep in touch with people back home. Although I admittedly didn’t visit many of these cafes (I needed a break from the computer worlds of school and work), the few I did see were quite different from what I expected.
First stop was a café in Prague, Czech Republic. This was hidden down an alley but was next to restaurant so it seemed safe enough. I paid the equivalent of just over $1.00 U.S. for a half hour on the machine-not too bad eh? Now I don’t know if I was attacked by an evil spirit or just had something with my brain that day, but for some reason it took 25 minutes to just get into my hotmail! First of all, the keyboard was different, and in weird ways I tell you. If you hit the Y key it came out as a Z and vice versa. I was surprised later in London that their keyboard was also different from the ones’ back home. I thought keyboards were universally the same around the planet! I finally got into my hotmail, sent a one sentence email and left. Looking around me as I departed I saw that most of the people using computers were so-called normal folks like myself, mainly backpackers and tourists, but also businessmen etc. If I had more patience that day it probably would have been a nice atmosphere to be part of, I saw that they served coffee and tea, but as I was in a beautiful foreign place I needed to get out under the Sun amidst the real action.
My other main experience in the public Internet world was to be in the North of London in a suburb called Neesdon or ‘Sneezdon’ as the Aussie mates I met up with liked to call it. Here, the Café was totally different from the previous one and I assume –I don’t like to assume-that like people, each café is an individual entity with both positive and negative traits as well as bonuses and letdowns. This ‘café’ was in the back of a mobile (cellular) phone shop and was just a tiny room with a handful of computers that no one else seemed to be interested in, everyone looked more focused on phones, but I have a weird feeling they might have been dealing something else ‘under the counter’ that was sparking hot interest.
We paid 1 pound (approx. $1.75U.S.) for an hour. Three of us walked in and we sat down at two computers, I think this was probably disallowed but again no one was paying any attention to us. My friend said he had been to this particular café a few times previously as he was living in the area for a year, and had seen and experienced some undesirable situations. One day he believes he saw a cannabis deal go down, and on another occasion a drunken man came in and told him he didn’t like the look of him and would he go outside for a fight? The confrontation dissipated with the use of calm communication but you can imagine that this type of Internet café would be rated poorly on a world standard. So, beware where you enter the virtual world my friends, reality may just arrive to smash you in the face!
In the end, I think like all things in life these Internet cafes need to be approached with optimism and hope, as one never truly knows what there is to offer in a new experience. I imagine that there is a multitude of different types of cafes-some you may even deem as cool places to gravitate. If strange and twisted is what you look for, or a common normality, I believe both can be found in the cafes of the future.
By Jesse S. Somer M6.Net http://www.m6.net Jesse S. Somer is a weird and twisted Internet writer who hopes to show others that the Internet is becoming a daily reality for many humans, so dive in!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_S._Somer
Eight Steps to Ruining Your Internet Business
Eight Steps to Ruining Your Internet Business.
By Margaret Helms
You may not realize that there is a technique to failure. For those of you who can not fail properly, just follow these simple steps and I personally guarantee you to be a total wash-out.
1. Know hype as your friend: Earn $10,000 per hour while drinking lemonade and getting a massage. Gotta go for that one. It’s a real bargain at $29.95.
2. Never research a program: For those who simply cannot accept hype as their buddy, fear not. Having no reliable information about a company works almost as well.
3. Never spend money: Hey, this is all free. If I wanted to make an investment, I’d open a store on Main Street with a $6,000 lease payment every month, $50,000 in inventory, and shell out $10,000 every two weeks in payroll. Yep, that’s how I’d do it. But I sure won’t spend $200 on an effective lead generator.
4. Do not take your business seriously: Who cares? I’d rather be playing free cell.
5. Get as many site hits as humanly possible: Use every advertising source available. So what if BuckHunter103 visits my site on banning all firearms in the world. My hit counter is spinning!
6. Have no plan: Flailing blindly in the dark is sure to waste lots of time and leave you discouraged. A must for failing.
7. Work as little as possible: Work is the ultimate enemy of failure. Where’s that darn free cell bookmark?
8. Quit: If you’ve followed my plan so far, and it still seems you’re on the verge of success, there’s only one thing left to do. QUIT!
Over 90% of internet business owners have followed this plan and failed miserably in just a few short days or weeks. Are you next?
Margaret Helms is a freelance writer and successful business owner.
For a free subscription to her business tips newsletter, visit:
http://www.profitlandslide.com/biztipspop.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Helms
By Margaret Helms
You may not realize that there is a technique to failure. For those of you who can not fail properly, just follow these simple steps and I personally guarantee you to be a total wash-out.
1. Know hype as your friend: Earn $10,000 per hour while drinking lemonade and getting a massage. Gotta go for that one. It’s a real bargain at $29.95.
2. Never research a program: For those who simply cannot accept hype as their buddy, fear not. Having no reliable information about a company works almost as well.
3. Never spend money: Hey, this is all free. If I wanted to make an investment, I’d open a store on Main Street with a $6,000 lease payment every month, $50,000 in inventory, and shell out $10,000 every two weeks in payroll. Yep, that’s how I’d do it. But I sure won’t spend $200 on an effective lead generator.
4. Do not take your business seriously: Who cares? I’d rather be playing free cell.
5. Get as many site hits as humanly possible: Use every advertising source available. So what if BuckHunter103 visits my site on banning all firearms in the world. My hit counter is spinning!
6. Have no plan: Flailing blindly in the dark is sure to waste lots of time and leave you discouraged. A must for failing.
7. Work as little as possible: Work is the ultimate enemy of failure. Where’s that darn free cell bookmark?
8. Quit: If you’ve followed my plan so far, and it still seems you’re on the verge of success, there’s only one thing left to do. QUIT!
Over 90% of internet business owners have followed this plan and failed miserably in just a few short days or weeks. Are you next?
Margaret Helms is a freelance writer and successful business owner.
For a free subscription to her business tips newsletter, visit:
http://www.profitlandslide.com/biztipspop.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Helms
E is for Everything ?
E is for Everything ?
By Philippa Gamse
This article was originally published in three installments in the "Foundry Trade Journal", 2001.
Just this week, a member of my audience asked me the following:
"Why would a local company, with a large investment in trained, professional sales people need a Web site?"
Great question! And you might be thinking the same. . .
Maybe you already know many or all of your potential customers, maybe you have very defined processes and production cycles that don't change very quickly, maybe you're suspicious of the Internet "hype" - especially now that so many e-companies are falling by the wayside.
But we also know that the Internet isn't going away. 407 million people are now estimated to have access - that includes 167 million in N. America, and 113 million in Europe. Younger people increasingly spend more time online than watching TV. And the April edition of this magazine has an e-commerce focus . . .
The true challenge now - which personally I also see as a great opportunity, is to understand all the ways in which using the 'Net can help your business, and from this to strategise the best investment of time and money.
So if it's here to stay, how can the Internet benefit your business - and what's currently going wrong?
There are some key elements that prevent many Web site owners from maximizing the potential of their Internet-based activities:
1. Tunnel vision on sales and new business: it takes at least five times the time and expense to acquire a new customer as it does to keep a current one. Your Web site can be a great tool for providing ongoing customer service and support - and achieving significant cost savings to boot!
Most people access the Internet for information on products and services that they either use now, or are considering buying. So, your Web site can be a great place to provide ongoing customer support for your products. If you're worried about giving away trade secrets to your competition, place these in a password-protected area.
The best way to build your content is to compile a list of questions that your customers most often ask. These may be sales related, but can also cover operations, quality assurance issues, etc. If you don't already know the questions, have your receptionists and sales people keep a note pad for a week. Then, put the questions, together with the answers, on your site.
This provides a 24 hour a day, seven day a week availability of service for your customers, whether your office is open or not. And, it can save significant costs in terms of telephone support time.
2. Not "asking for the business": I know this sounds obvious, but how many sites have you seen where it's quite unclear what the site wants from you? Every page of your site should have a strategy, and be clear about inviting visitor interactions to achieve your goals.
Many times when a new client comes to me for e-business strategy consulting, I ask them a few seemingly simple questions: "Who are your markets? What do they want from you?" and "What do you want from them?"
Sounds easy enough. But often, there are visitors to your Web site that may be different from your traditional customers - and sometimes, you either currently offer or could create new products or services that they'd buy.
Thinking through all the possible audiences for your site, and all the ways in which you might interact with them is really crucial in creating your Web strategy.
Then, so is knowing who you expect to be looking at each page of your site, and what you want them to do. This might include requesting a catalog, asking for technical support, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Include clear text links and invitations to the visitor - and make it really easy for them to contact you.
Too many pages online provide great content, and then just tail off into nothing. Don't let yours be among them!
3. Under-utilising e-mail: e-mail is a powerful tool when used appropriately (and an awful one when not!) It can be used for marketing, customer service, public relations, in-company memos, business research . . . and much more. Look at your real-world communications - could e-mail save you time and expense?
E-mail marketing can be done without the costs of design printing, and postage associated with traditional direct mail. It's almost free of charge!
It can be used to send notices of new products, or upgrades to existing ones. It can keep your customers informed of news and events in your company, and around the industry. If it's offering brief, valuable content, most of your contacts won't object to receiving it - although of course if they do, you must take them off your mailings. But, with a few subtly embedded links to key pages in your Web site, it can be a great traffic generator.
Your own database of your customers, prospects and other contacts is the best place to start - and take every opportunity to nurture that. Ask visitors to your Web site to sign up for your newsletter, product alerts, or other materials. If you buy any lists, be very careful that they're bona fide and you won't be accused of spamming recipients.
And whatever you do, answer your e-mail! Lack of e-mail response is always one of the biggest customer service complaints around e-business.
So, consistently mine your customer list. Send them targeted, relevant e-mails, and grow your business relationships electronically!
Let's say it again - the Internet isn't going away. Today's challenge lies in understanding how to use it to maximise your market reach, optimise the efficiency of your operations, and achieve the best overall return on your online business investment.
(c) 2000, Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.
Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philippa_Gamse
By Philippa Gamse
This article was originally published in three installments in the "Foundry Trade Journal", 2001.
Just this week, a member of my audience asked me the following:
"Why would a local company, with a large investment in trained, professional sales people need a Web site?"
Great question! And you might be thinking the same. . .
Maybe you already know many or all of your potential customers, maybe you have very defined processes and production cycles that don't change very quickly, maybe you're suspicious of the Internet "hype" - especially now that so many e-companies are falling by the wayside.
But we also know that the Internet isn't going away. 407 million people are now estimated to have access - that includes 167 million in N. America, and 113 million in Europe. Younger people increasingly spend more time online than watching TV. And the April edition of this magazine has an e-commerce focus . . .
The true challenge now - which personally I also see as a great opportunity, is to understand all the ways in which using the 'Net can help your business, and from this to strategise the best investment of time and money.
So if it's here to stay, how can the Internet benefit your business - and what's currently going wrong?
There are some key elements that prevent many Web site owners from maximizing the potential of their Internet-based activities:
1. Tunnel vision on sales and new business: it takes at least five times the time and expense to acquire a new customer as it does to keep a current one. Your Web site can be a great tool for providing ongoing customer service and support - and achieving significant cost savings to boot!
Most people access the Internet for information on products and services that they either use now, or are considering buying. So, your Web site can be a great place to provide ongoing customer support for your products. If you're worried about giving away trade secrets to your competition, place these in a password-protected area.
The best way to build your content is to compile a list of questions that your customers most often ask. These may be sales related, but can also cover operations, quality assurance issues, etc. If you don't already know the questions, have your receptionists and sales people keep a note pad for a week. Then, put the questions, together with the answers, on your site.
This provides a 24 hour a day, seven day a week availability of service for your customers, whether your office is open or not. And, it can save significant costs in terms of telephone support time.
2. Not "asking for the business": I know this sounds obvious, but how many sites have you seen where it's quite unclear what the site wants from you? Every page of your site should have a strategy, and be clear about inviting visitor interactions to achieve your goals.
Many times when a new client comes to me for e-business strategy consulting, I ask them a few seemingly simple questions: "Who are your markets? What do they want from you?" and "What do you want from them?"
Sounds easy enough. But often, there are visitors to your Web site that may be different from your traditional customers - and sometimes, you either currently offer or could create new products or services that they'd buy.
Thinking through all the possible audiences for your site, and all the ways in which you might interact with them is really crucial in creating your Web strategy.
Then, so is knowing who you expect to be looking at each page of your site, and what you want them to do. This might include requesting a catalog, asking for technical support, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Include clear text links and invitations to the visitor - and make it really easy for them to contact you.
Too many pages online provide great content, and then just tail off into nothing. Don't let yours be among them!
3. Under-utilising e-mail: e-mail is a powerful tool when used appropriately (and an awful one when not!) It can be used for marketing, customer service, public relations, in-company memos, business research . . . and much more. Look at your real-world communications - could e-mail save you time and expense?
E-mail marketing can be done without the costs of design printing, and postage associated with traditional direct mail. It's almost free of charge!
It can be used to send notices of new products, or upgrades to existing ones. It can keep your customers informed of news and events in your company, and around the industry. If it's offering brief, valuable content, most of your contacts won't object to receiving it - although of course if they do, you must take them off your mailings. But, with a few subtly embedded links to key pages in your Web site, it can be a great traffic generator.
Your own database of your customers, prospects and other contacts is the best place to start - and take every opportunity to nurture that. Ask visitors to your Web site to sign up for your newsletter, product alerts, or other materials. If you buy any lists, be very careful that they're bona fide and you won't be accused of spamming recipients.
And whatever you do, answer your e-mail! Lack of e-mail response is always one of the biggest customer service complaints around e-business.
So, consistently mine your customer list. Send them targeted, relevant e-mails, and grow your business relationships electronically!
Let's say it again - the Internet isn't going away. Today's challenge lies in understanding how to use it to maximise your market reach, optimise the efficiency of your operations, and achieve the best overall return on your online business investment.
(c) 2000, Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.
Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philippa_Gamse
Build and Maintain Websites For Profit
Build and Maintain Websites For Profit.
By J. Stephen Pope
Even with limited knowledge and experience, you can build and maintain websites for profit. Here are just some ways you can do so.
1. Develop Websites for Local Businesses
Approach local business persons and sell them on the necessity and financial benefits of having a professional website. Local advertising may get you started as well, but expect to get a large portion of your business from referrals.
Charge your clients for the initial design and setup of the website. Work with them to develop a theme for their site based on their unique advantages over the competition. Keep the site simple to start with so that the cost of producing it is not prohibitive to the business and you can complete it profitably in a short time.
In this business, you can also make money on the maintenance and ongoing support of the website. Charge recurring monthly fees for such services needed as web hosting, updates and improvements to the site`s content, search engine optimization and submission, increasing traffic, traffic analysis, mailing list production and maintenance, and much more.
You don`t have to be a master Internet programmer to provide needed, additional services. There are many free and low cost sources of scripts and other resources available to you on the Internet. Offer your clients (and charge extra for) flash introductions, animated graphics, syndicated content, traffic counters, submission forms, chat rooms, pop-up windows, autoresponders, and more.
2. Sell Websites on the Internet
Build web stores, search engines, shopping portals, and other websites and sell them on the Internet.
Some develop sites from templates sold by others. Others build websites from scratch. These websites have been sold on the Internet as turnkey businesses through eBay and other websites.
Another option is to take existing free services and resell them. For example, you could take advantage of free web stores available to you on the Internet. Register a suitable domain name, obtain free or low cost web space, and host that free store at your domain on your web space. Promote your website and increase traffic. Finally, sell your website to the highest bidder on eBay. Be sure that either your Reserve Price or Opening Bid is high enough to make it profitable to you. You will need to transfer the domain name to the buyer.
3. Become an Internet Marketer
Build your own unique website based on a niche theme that has a sufficient market. Then tie in your content with appropriate affiliate programs and your own as well as other peoples` products and services.
To increase commissions and sales, you will need to regularly maintain your site by updating content, increasing targeted traffic, adding appropriate products and services, et cetera.
These, then, are just a few ways that you can profit financially from building and maintaining websites.
For further information and resources about making money from building and maintaining websites, please visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/webmstrbus.html
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Stephen_Pope
By J. Stephen Pope
Even with limited knowledge and experience, you can build and maintain websites for profit. Here are just some ways you can do so.
1. Develop Websites for Local Businesses
Approach local business persons and sell them on the necessity and financial benefits of having a professional website. Local advertising may get you started as well, but expect to get a large portion of your business from referrals.
Charge your clients for the initial design and setup of the website. Work with them to develop a theme for their site based on their unique advantages over the competition. Keep the site simple to start with so that the cost of producing it is not prohibitive to the business and you can complete it profitably in a short time.
In this business, you can also make money on the maintenance and ongoing support of the website. Charge recurring monthly fees for such services needed as web hosting, updates and improvements to the site`s content, search engine optimization and submission, increasing traffic, traffic analysis, mailing list production and maintenance, and much more.
You don`t have to be a master Internet programmer to provide needed, additional services. There are many free and low cost sources of scripts and other resources available to you on the Internet. Offer your clients (and charge extra for) flash introductions, animated graphics, syndicated content, traffic counters, submission forms, chat rooms, pop-up windows, autoresponders, and more.
2. Sell Websites on the Internet
Build web stores, search engines, shopping portals, and other websites and sell them on the Internet.
Some develop sites from templates sold by others. Others build websites from scratch. These websites have been sold on the Internet as turnkey businesses through eBay and other websites.
Another option is to take existing free services and resell them. For example, you could take advantage of free web stores available to you on the Internet. Register a suitable domain name, obtain free or low cost web space, and host that free store at your domain on your web space. Promote your website and increase traffic. Finally, sell your website to the highest bidder on eBay. Be sure that either your Reserve Price or Opening Bid is high enough to make it profitable to you. You will need to transfer the domain name to the buyer.
3. Become an Internet Marketer
Build your own unique website based on a niche theme that has a sufficient market. Then tie in your content with appropriate affiliate programs and your own as well as other peoples` products and services.
To increase commissions and sales, you will need to regularly maintain your site by updating content, increasing targeted traffic, adding appropriate products and services, et cetera.
These, then, are just a few ways that you can profit financially from building and maintaining websites.
For further information and resources about making money from building and maintaining websites, please visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/webmstrbus.html
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Stephen_Pope
Best Lead Method ?
Best Lead Method ?
By Silke Stahl
One of my Guest writers says in her article at The Stork News site that it is the ad that is most important, if the SL fails you, it is down to your ad.
I have always found this to be the case with all ad methods and it annoys me when people who fail because THEY did it wrong blame the method, whether it is SLs, FFAs, Free Class Ads, PPCs or anything else.
My primary biz opp leads in two main ways:
the first is using a gateway which lets them join for free - offers the biz opp straight;
the second offers them a free pack including a book, cassette, tape, and some other goodies, and backends the opp.
I have found that for class ads and PPCs the gateway offering the opp works best from an ad, while when using Safelists or an opt in list, offering the pack gets a better response.
A third method we use is a "lifestyle" approach - rather than promote the biz opp direct, we approach from the angle of changing your lifestyle, giving you more time, and follow with some example "testimonies".
This has pretty much remained the tertiary method for most people in my company and downline and has never gained the reponse rate the other two methods use.
I guess this is down to the difference between someone who is looking for a biz opp and goes to the search engines or scours the ads, and someone who has joined a SL or list to promote something else and then sees the value of what's being offered along with the freebie.
I have also heard back from people who have seen the freebie pack and realise what a great tool it is, and signed up so they can lead with it.
Just goes to show there is no end of methods that can be found to make success for yourself if you keep an open mind.
I think people who join and use Safelists are more open minded that a lot of people who market on the Net - those who just surf the TEs for credits for example, most of who don't think about what they are doing and don't think about WHERE to direct those hits.
Building an opt-in lists works great - I have five programs I use now - six if you include LSN which is technically a downline builder, and find they work best if you get to know your downline and offer them ways to promote, even better programs.
Sticking people on an autoresponder seems to be the worst method - there are lazy people who just do that and expect the whole thing to self automate.
I have an autoresponder at my site that sends prospects a series of emails so they get all the info, but each one includes my own email address so they can contact me personally anytime.
One of my own maxims:
In Network Maketing, the NETWORKING alays comes before the MARKETING.
Keep the faith!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com
her business opportunity: http://Silke247.Opportunity.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
By Silke Stahl
One of my Guest writers says in her article at The Stork News site that it is the ad that is most important, if the SL fails you, it is down to your ad.
I have always found this to be the case with all ad methods and it annoys me when people who fail because THEY did it wrong blame the method, whether it is SLs, FFAs, Free Class Ads, PPCs or anything else.
My primary biz opp leads in two main ways:
the first is using a gateway which lets them join for free - offers the biz opp straight;
the second offers them a free pack including a book, cassette, tape, and some other goodies, and backends the opp.
I have found that for class ads and PPCs the gateway offering the opp works best from an ad, while when using Safelists or an opt in list, offering the pack gets a better response.
A third method we use is a "lifestyle" approach - rather than promote the biz opp direct, we approach from the angle of changing your lifestyle, giving you more time, and follow with some example "testimonies".
This has pretty much remained the tertiary method for most people in my company and downline and has never gained the reponse rate the other two methods use.
I guess this is down to the difference between someone who is looking for a biz opp and goes to the search engines or scours the ads, and someone who has joined a SL or list to promote something else and then sees the value of what's being offered along with the freebie.
I have also heard back from people who have seen the freebie pack and realise what a great tool it is, and signed up so they can lead with it.
Just goes to show there is no end of methods that can be found to make success for yourself if you keep an open mind.
I think people who join and use Safelists are more open minded that a lot of people who market on the Net - those who just surf the TEs for credits for example, most of who don't think about what they are doing and don't think about WHERE to direct those hits.
Building an opt-in lists works great - I have five programs I use now - six if you include LSN which is technically a downline builder, and find they work best if you get to know your downline and offer them ways to promote, even better programs.
Sticking people on an autoresponder seems to be the worst method - there are lazy people who just do that and expect the whole thing to self automate.
I have an autoresponder at my site that sends prospects a series of emails so they get all the info, but each one includes my own email address so they can contact me personally anytime.
One of my own maxims:
In Network Maketing, the NETWORKING alays comes before the MARKETING.
Keep the faith!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com
her business opportunity: http://Silke247.Opportunity.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
Are You Searching For An Important Email ? Here's Your Big Time Saver !
Are You Searching For An Important Email ? Here's Your Big Time Saver !
By Bill Parks
You received an email from a friend a few months ago with directions to an up-coming seminar. Now that email is buried under months of other email messages.
How do you find it?...
Well... You can scroll through all your previous emails looking for the message...
But there's an easier way for You!
Email 'clients' as they're called, or programs provide shortcuts to finding your important email. Each provides "Advanced Find" methods so you can search by subject, name, email address of the sender, or by any of your folders you've set up to store your important emails. (i.e. trash, sent, friends, family, keep, print ), or even by date.
"Wait a minute, while I count my email folders... OK, I'm back!... Right Now I have 62 file folders for emails I want to keep for future reference. With all these folders it's hard to find any particular email."
Have you ever had this problem?... If you have... Hold on... Because, Help for You is right on your computer!
While in your email files, go to Edit or Tools. In one of them, depending on your email program you'll see one of the following:
Find Search Messages Find Messages Messages In This Folder Advanced search.
It varies whether you're using Netscape, Eudora, or Outlook Express... and the version.
Click around until you find the "Search Window." It will pop up. You can search different email folders with different search parameters. It's a lot easier for you than looking through your hundreds or thousands of emails for something that's important to you.
Here's some examples of how to find previously sent or received email messages, using a variety of popular email software and platform configurations. Check Yours... It can be your 'Big Time Saver.' It's worth spending a little time discovering how this works.
Outlook Express 5.02 - Macintosh: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find", or "Advanced Find." Set up your search parameters for the email you want to find.
Netscape 7.0 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Tools" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to "Search." Pick "Search Messages" from the resulting submenu. A search window will open. Set up your search requirements for whatever you remember about the email you want to find.
Netscape 4.7 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Edit" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to and select "Search Messages." You'll see a search window open with pull down buttons so you can set the search parameters you want. You can keep adding more search buttons by clicking on '"More." If you know several things about the email you're looking for... You'll save your time and frustration.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Windows: Under "Edit" on the Eudora menu bar, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu. Enter your search information.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Macintosh OS 9 and OS X: Under the "Special" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Search" from the resulting submenu.
Apple's Mail program for Macintosh OS X: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu.
You may want to spend some time working with this... Because it can be Your Big Time Saver when you need to find your most important email.
Bill Parks... Computer Consultant, specializing in Filemaker Pro database design. Publisher of "Information Age Products Ezine" and "Bill's Business Boosters Ezine." http://www.Build-UR-Business.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Parks
By Bill Parks
You received an email from a friend a few months ago with directions to an up-coming seminar. Now that email is buried under months of other email messages.
How do you find it?...
Well... You can scroll through all your previous emails looking for the message...
But there's an easier way for You!
Email 'clients' as they're called, or programs provide shortcuts to finding your important email. Each provides "Advanced Find" methods so you can search by subject, name, email address of the sender, or by any of your folders you've set up to store your important emails. (i.e. trash, sent, friends, family, keep, print ), or even by date.
"Wait a minute, while I count my email folders... OK, I'm back!... Right Now I have 62 file folders for emails I want to keep for future reference. With all these folders it's hard to find any particular email."
Have you ever had this problem?... If you have... Hold on... Because, Help for You is right on your computer!
While in your email files, go to Edit or Tools. In one of them, depending on your email program you'll see one of the following:
Find Search Messages Find Messages Messages In This Folder Advanced search.
It varies whether you're using Netscape, Eudora, or Outlook Express... and the version.
Click around until you find the "Search Window." It will pop up. You can search different email folders with different search parameters. It's a lot easier for you than looking through your hundreds or thousands of emails for something that's important to you.
Here's some examples of how to find previously sent or received email messages, using a variety of popular email software and platform configurations. Check Yours... It can be your 'Big Time Saver.' It's worth spending a little time discovering how this works.
Outlook Express 5.02 - Macintosh: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find", or "Advanced Find." Set up your search parameters for the email you want to find.
Netscape 7.0 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Tools" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to "Search." Pick "Search Messages" from the resulting submenu. A search window will open. Set up your search requirements for whatever you remember about the email you want to find.
Netscape 4.7 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Edit" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to and select "Search Messages." You'll see a search window open with pull down buttons so you can set the search parameters you want. You can keep adding more search buttons by clicking on '"More." If you know several things about the email you're looking for... You'll save your time and frustration.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Windows: Under "Edit" on the Eudora menu bar, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu. Enter your search information.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Macintosh OS 9 and OS X: Under the "Special" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Search" from the resulting submenu.
Apple's Mail program for Macintosh OS X: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu.
You may want to spend some time working with this... Because it can be Your Big Time Saver when you need to find your most important email.
Bill Parks... Computer Consultant, specializing in Filemaker Pro database design. Publisher of "Information Age Products Ezine" and "Bill's Business Boosters Ezine." http://www.Build-UR-Business.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Parks
An Introduction to Viral Marketing
An Introduction to Viral Marketing.
By Silke Stahl
Viral Marketing is the hot topic at the moment, but many don’t really understand what the term means. As this is an internet based business, and therefore Internet Marketing, we need to look at it in internet terms.
You know when someone sends you a joke on email and it’s a good one you want to pass it on. From your mailbox you open your list of friends names and post the joke on to everyone you know, or everyone on your “joke list”, a list of people you pass jokes on to.
Next time you do this, have a scroll down the email to see the list of people it has come from at the head of each mailing. Each person who sent the joke on will have sent it to everyone on their “joke list”. You’ll see quite a few names you’ll recognize, some of who will be on your own list.
This is “Viral” – the joke has been passed on like a virus – from person to person. Everyone they come in contact with has passed it on to everyone else they know.
The trick with viral marketing is to duplicate that process with your products and the business opportunity itself – pass your store’s website URL on to everyone who cleans their house or takes nutritional supplements, or who might, and get them to do the same with everyone they know.
Also, a lot of people who start using the products are going to want to get the products at wholesale. So they want their own store. So they sign up under you! And you get the commission not only on what they buy, but on anything people they know buy from them, and for anyone who signs up under them, who will be in your second line!
So, just as you send a joke you get to your “joke list”, you need to get the biz opp to anyone who has a biz opp list. Congratulations, you have just been introduced to Listbuilding!
Marketing tools
Why use marketing tools? A lot of people on the Net aren’t looking to join a program, they are already in one. It doesn’t matter that ours is better than theirs, if they never look at the opp and consider it, they ain’t gonna signup.
What we can give them however is a way to market what they are already selling. So we offer them our marketing tools. In doing so, they join our downline for that program, and so does anyone else they sign up. This gives us marketing methods to get our biz opp out to people who DO want to see it!
Listbuilding
Remember the analogy earlier about the joke list? What you have there is a list of people you send jokes to. How did you build that list? Your list of friends who you send jokes to. How did you get on the list of someone else, the person who sent you the joke?
What you need to build for your biz opp is what is known as an “opt in” list. This is a list of people who have chosen to join your list to receive information from you.
Building a list is vital for many reasons.
SPAM is the first and foremost – it is illegal to send spam – unsolicited email to people who haven’t asked for it and didn’t want it. Junk mail.
Despite the legal ramifications, look at the basic logic. Why send your biz opp to someone who doesn’t want to see it? Why send a letter to someone who will just bin it without even opening it? Why send an email with a link to your site if the person receiving it doesn’t want to know so won’t even go look at it?
You may have the best biz in the world and sell the hottest products but if you can’t get people to it, you aren’t going to make a sale!
So we use listbuilding tools so that you have people to send your biz opp to! These are known as VLBs – Viral List Builders.
And a great way to advertise your VLB is on a Traffic Exchange program – a TE, Surf Exchange, Surf 4 Hits, etc. (What’s in a name?)
Once you have a list of people who opted in to hear from you, and you have made initial contact and built up a relationship, then you can show them a biz opp that works for you, and then help them build their own business.
Congratulations - you've just become a mentor!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
By Silke Stahl
Viral Marketing is the hot topic at the moment, but many don’t really understand what the term means. As this is an internet based business, and therefore Internet Marketing, we need to look at it in internet terms.
You know when someone sends you a joke on email and it’s a good one you want to pass it on. From your mailbox you open your list of friends names and post the joke on to everyone you know, or everyone on your “joke list”, a list of people you pass jokes on to.
Next time you do this, have a scroll down the email to see the list of people it has come from at the head of each mailing. Each person who sent the joke on will have sent it to everyone on their “joke list”. You’ll see quite a few names you’ll recognize, some of who will be on your own list.
This is “Viral” – the joke has been passed on like a virus – from person to person. Everyone they come in contact with has passed it on to everyone else they know.
The trick with viral marketing is to duplicate that process with your products and the business opportunity itself – pass your store’s website URL on to everyone who cleans their house or takes nutritional supplements, or who might, and get them to do the same with everyone they know.
Also, a lot of people who start using the products are going to want to get the products at wholesale. So they want their own store. So they sign up under you! And you get the commission not only on what they buy, but on anything people they know buy from them, and for anyone who signs up under them, who will be in your second line!
So, just as you send a joke you get to your “joke list”, you need to get the biz opp to anyone who has a biz opp list. Congratulations, you have just been introduced to Listbuilding!
Marketing tools
Why use marketing tools? A lot of people on the Net aren’t looking to join a program, they are already in one. It doesn’t matter that ours is better than theirs, if they never look at the opp and consider it, they ain’t gonna signup.
What we can give them however is a way to market what they are already selling. So we offer them our marketing tools. In doing so, they join our downline for that program, and so does anyone else they sign up. This gives us marketing methods to get our biz opp out to people who DO want to see it!
Listbuilding
Remember the analogy earlier about the joke list? What you have there is a list of people you send jokes to. How did you build that list? Your list of friends who you send jokes to. How did you get on the list of someone else, the person who sent you the joke?
What you need to build for your biz opp is what is known as an “opt in” list. This is a list of people who have chosen to join your list to receive information from you.
Building a list is vital for many reasons.
SPAM is the first and foremost – it is illegal to send spam – unsolicited email to people who haven’t asked for it and didn’t want it. Junk mail.
Despite the legal ramifications, look at the basic logic. Why send your biz opp to someone who doesn’t want to see it? Why send a letter to someone who will just bin it without even opening it? Why send an email with a link to your site if the person receiving it doesn’t want to know so won’t even go look at it?
You may have the best biz in the world and sell the hottest products but if you can’t get people to it, you aren’t going to make a sale!
So we use listbuilding tools so that you have people to send your biz opp to! These are known as VLBs – Viral List Builders.
And a great way to advertise your VLB is on a Traffic Exchange program – a TE, Surf Exchange, Surf 4 Hits, etc. (What’s in a name?)
Once you have a list of people who opted in to hear from you, and you have made initial contact and built up a relationship, then you can show them a biz opp that works for you, and then help them build their own business.
Congratulations - you've just become a mentor!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
10 Secrets To Online Success (It's All About The Customer).
10 Secrets To Online Success (It's All About The Customer).
By Todd Jamieson
You've got your web site online. You're on top of the search engines. You have killer web site copy. Now all you have to do is wait for the sales to roll in right? Well … not exactly.
In the last five years of working with all types of businesses, the most common mistake companies make is believing that their web site will do all of the work for them. Sure, a web site will definitely help productivity but it can never replace the human element of your business. Potential customers are still looking for some type of bond that brings them into your company, something that still makes them feel important and like an individual - they are looking for real people with real knowledge. And the reason why people choose to buy from you is because of you.
One of the most overlooked aspects of web sites is online customer service and ultimately your email correspondences. Think about it: if a "sales prospect" called your business would you leave them waiting a day or more before replying? Now, unless you work for a bank or just don't want the business, you would never do that. But as crazy as it sounds, this is what many companies are doing. Sabotaging their own success simply by putting off returning emails to clients.
Here are a few basic rules I personally go by and suggest you adopt:
1. Develop a sorting mechanism in your email program so that you can answer your "sales oriented" emails first and then others later.
2. Answer sales oriented emails in under ½ day if possible (even a simple return email "I am working on it" will suffice in some cases).
3. Answer non-essential emails within 1- 2 days.
4. When you respond to any email, make sure you include at least the following information 1) Your name + your company name, 2) your title, 3) address, 4) telephone (with area code), 5) your return email, 6) your web site and 7) lastly make sure your subject line makes sense!
Also consider the following:
1. The web is now used more than the yellow pages when people are looking to buy a product.
2. It is very probable that your potential customer also contacted your competition.
3. Like your first sales meeting with a prospect, make your email stand out. Tell them what makes you different.
4. Your prospect probably gets SPAM emails on a regular basis..
Make sure that the subject line is not confused with SPAM or your email may never even get read!
5. Make your subject line short and don't come across as a used sales car person. A simple subject such as: As per your request at ABC.Com is usually sufficient.
6. Do not send files larger than 500k (1/2 a mb) - as a lot of people are still on dial-up.
Following these simple steps will maximize the benefits of your web site. In today's fast moving economy, the old cliché "you snooze you lose" is more real than ever. And remember the web is no different than any other medium when it comes to building rapport/relationships with your clients. Have fun, stand out from the crowd and you will be surprised by the results.
(c) Todd Jamieson 2004
About the Author:
Todd Jamieson is Founder and President of EnvisionOnline.ca, an Ottawa-based web development and consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Bishop’s University and has over ten years experience with Internet and database technologies. Jamieson has worked as Project Manager on more than 200 web sites, web applications and Internet e-business initiatives for small and medium sized enterprises. He is also actively involved in a number of other small businesses and is Associate Director of Exploriem.org, Professional Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Organization. He lives in Ottawa with his spouse, Erin.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Jamieson
By Todd Jamieson
You've got your web site online. You're on top of the search engines. You have killer web site copy. Now all you have to do is wait for the sales to roll in right? Well … not exactly.
In the last five years of working with all types of businesses, the most common mistake companies make is believing that their web site will do all of the work for them. Sure, a web site will definitely help productivity but it can never replace the human element of your business. Potential customers are still looking for some type of bond that brings them into your company, something that still makes them feel important and like an individual - they are looking for real people with real knowledge. And the reason why people choose to buy from you is because of you.
One of the most overlooked aspects of web sites is online customer service and ultimately your email correspondences. Think about it: if a "sales prospect" called your business would you leave them waiting a day or more before replying? Now, unless you work for a bank or just don't want the business, you would never do that. But as crazy as it sounds, this is what many companies are doing. Sabotaging their own success simply by putting off returning emails to clients.
Here are a few basic rules I personally go by and suggest you adopt:
1. Develop a sorting mechanism in your email program so that you can answer your "sales oriented" emails first and then others later.
2. Answer sales oriented emails in under ½ day if possible (even a simple return email "I am working on it" will suffice in some cases).
3. Answer non-essential emails within 1- 2 days.
4. When you respond to any email, make sure you include at least the following information 1) Your name + your company name, 2) your title, 3) address, 4) telephone (with area code), 5) your return email, 6) your web site and 7) lastly make sure your subject line makes sense!
Also consider the following:
1. The web is now used more than the yellow pages when people are looking to buy a product.
2. It is very probable that your potential customer also contacted your competition.
3. Like your first sales meeting with a prospect, make your email stand out. Tell them what makes you different.
4. Your prospect probably gets SPAM emails on a regular basis..
Make sure that the subject line is not confused with SPAM or your email may never even get read!
5. Make your subject line short and don't come across as a used sales car person. A simple subject such as: As per your request at ABC.Com is usually sufficient.
6. Do not send files larger than 500k (1/2 a mb) - as a lot of people are still on dial-up.
Following these simple steps will maximize the benefits of your web site. In today's fast moving economy, the old cliché "you snooze you lose" is more real than ever. And remember the web is no different than any other medium when it comes to building rapport/relationships with your clients. Have fun, stand out from the crowd and you will be surprised by the results.
(c) Todd Jamieson 2004
About the Author:
Todd Jamieson is Founder and President of EnvisionOnline.ca, an Ottawa-based web development and consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Bishop’s University and has over ten years experience with Internet and database technologies. Jamieson has worked as Project Manager on more than 200 web sites, web applications and Internet e-business initiatives for small and medium sized enterprises. He is also actively involved in a number of other small businesses and is Associate Director of Exploriem.org, Professional Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Organization. He lives in Ottawa with his spouse, Erin.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Jamieson
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