By Michael Fleischner
Do I have your attention? Anyone trying to make a living online is interested in one thing, improving conversions. As an Internet marketing veteran, I’ve seen plenty of web sites and blogs miss one their biggest opportunities for growth. The answer is actually quite simple, making the most of your list.
Maybe you have your own email list of fifty-thousand names or more. Perhaps you have a small list of just a few dozen prospects who have emailed you questions or comments. Regardless of where you begin, having a list is only part of the equation. The most successful marketers I know utilize their list in a variety of ways to build relationships and sell products that are a win-win for both buyer and seller.
The first way to utilize your list is through an auto responder sequence. If you’re not using an auto responder, I advise you to search for auto responder services online. Popular services like Aweber only charge around twenty dollars per month, allowing you to send unlimited messages. These messages should position you as an expert, provide purchase ideas, and continually provide value.
The second way to use your list effectively is to provide pre-notification of product launches. There are many super affiliates that use their list in this manner, generating tens of thousands of dollars per month. Once you know of an affiliate product being launched within a six to eight week period, map out a pre-launch communication plan that reaches out to individuals prior to launch. This may include access to product information, downloads, videos, etc., to build anticipation around launch day. When launch day comes, create a sense of immediacy and scarcity – purchases will ensue.
The third way to leverage the power of your list is through referrers, building an even larger list that you can communicate with. Are you asking those who sign up for your list to refer your company, products, or services to others? Make your emails easy to forward and encourage referrals. This is a great way to reach individuals who are more likely to value your content and accept your offers.
The final method for leveraging an email list is to communicate on a regular basis. Your auto-responder sequence should integrate a series of messages spread out over time. By continually staying in front of your list and utilizing the content that you have to provide value, these individuals will stay engaged and have a higher propensity to purchase from you.
The time to start building your email list is now. In parallel, be sure to focus your energies on leveraging that list using the proper techniques. Having a great list is fine but unless you utilize it properly, you’ll never see the true value inherent in the list itself.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Friday, October 22, 2010
HERE IT IS AT LAST — THE SECRET TO MARKETING C.J. Hayden, MCC
Well, that got your attention! Isn't that what every independent professional is really looking for -- that one magic formula that will take the effort out of marketing and bring you all the clients you need, forever?
Searching for this marketing silver bullet, they read articles and books, take seminars and home-study courses, and hire consultants and coaches. And in the process they learn about many, many so-called marketing secrets.
These "secrets" to marketing consist of supposedly surefire approaches like search engine optimization for your website, publishing articles online, social networking, joining a leads group, sending postcards, and running pay-per-click ads. There are of course many more, and each of them is being touted by someone as the ultimate solution for marketing your business.
Trying to sort out the truth in these conflicting claims leaves you with three basic possibilities:
1. All of this is nonsense; there is no secret to marketing.
2. One of these approaches probably really is the secret, but since you have no way of knowing which one, you'd have to try them all.
3. All of these probably are secrets for some people at some times, but none of them may be right for you.
No matter which of these points of view you take, the result is that none of these secrets are ultimately very helpful.
For many years, I've said that the real secret to marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently.
That word "effective" can make this a bit tricky. You have to know what is effective in order for this secret to work for you. If you were to choose a set of completely ineffective things to do, this approach would fail.
But by "completely ineffective," I mean ideas like running a Yellow Pages ad to market a management consulting business, or networking on Facebook in order to make more contacts with doctors, or sending out direct mail letters to attract psychotherapy patients. When the marketing tactics you pick are that far off base, no amount of consistency will make them work.
If you choose a set of activities that have any level of effectiveness, they will work if you do them consistently. Cold calling will work if you make enough calls. In-person networking will work if you attend events regularly and follow up with the people you meet. Public speaking will work if you speak to audiences of a decent size on a regular basis.
With consistency and persistence, you can make even the most mildly effective marketing approaches pay off in the long run. But that qualifier "in the long run" is the catch. You don't want to wait that long. No one does.
Is there another layer to this secret that will make it all happen faster? Yes. Choose a target market that needs your services and can afford to pay for them, craft a message that market will respond to, choose a set of simple, effective approaches to reach that market, follow through on each approach, and spend enough time on your marketing to produce results.
Notice your emotional reaction to reading those words. They're not very exciting, are they? It sounds like work.
It would be much easier if the secret was something like search engine optimization, where you could pay someone else to do all the work and the clients would simply appear. Or joining a leads group, where you could show up at a weekly meeting and the other members would hand you business. Or running pay-per-click ads, where you would never have to talk to people before they became your clients. But of course none of these approaches really work that way.
Don't blame yourself for wanting to avoid hard work. It's human nature to look for the easy way out. But if you spend all your time searching for the effort-free way to market, you will end up making your job much harder. Every time you try another new way to market but then don't follow through on it, or give up too soon to see results, you waste time and money, and lose momentum. By trying to avoid work, you actually create even more.
So instead of looking for a magic formula to avoid the work of marketing altogether, find ways to make it easier on yourself. Here are four suggestions that will help.
1. Choose a target market you enjoy spending time with, and whose issues and goals you care about.
2. Get help with crafting marketing messages if messaging isn't your strong point.
3. Use role models, recommended advisors, or a trusted system to identify only the best marketing approaches, then do what they advise.
4. Use the support of a buddy, coach, or success team to help you follow through on your plans, market consistently, and break through fear and procrastination.
Note that if the above are ways to make marketing easier, doing the opposite of any of these will make it harder. Refusing to choose a target market, for example. Or spending time and money marketing with an off-target message. Or trying flavor-of-the-week marketing tactics no successful person in your field uses. Or not doing enough marketing because it's scary. Or trying to do everything on your own. Or continuing to chase after silver bullet solutions.
The secret to successful marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently. The secret behind this secret is finding ways to make the process easier. And the secret behind that secret is to stop looking for another secret and get to work on implementing the first one.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Searching for this marketing silver bullet, they read articles and books, take seminars and home-study courses, and hire consultants and coaches. And in the process they learn about many, many so-called marketing secrets.
These "secrets" to marketing consist of supposedly surefire approaches like search engine optimization for your website, publishing articles online, social networking, joining a leads group, sending postcards, and running pay-per-click ads. There are of course many more, and each of them is being touted by someone as the ultimate solution for marketing your business.
Trying to sort out the truth in these conflicting claims leaves you with three basic possibilities:
1. All of this is nonsense; there is no secret to marketing.
2. One of these approaches probably really is the secret, but since you have no way of knowing which one, you'd have to try them all.
3. All of these probably are secrets for some people at some times, but none of them may be right for you.
No matter which of these points of view you take, the result is that none of these secrets are ultimately very helpful.
For many years, I've said that the real secret to marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently.
That word "effective" can make this a bit tricky. You have to know what is effective in order for this secret to work for you. If you were to choose a set of completely ineffective things to do, this approach would fail.
But by "completely ineffective," I mean ideas like running a Yellow Pages ad to market a management consulting business, or networking on Facebook in order to make more contacts with doctors, or sending out direct mail letters to attract psychotherapy patients. When the marketing tactics you pick are that far off base, no amount of consistency will make them work.
If you choose a set of activities that have any level of effectiveness, they will work if you do them consistently. Cold calling will work if you make enough calls. In-person networking will work if you attend events regularly and follow up with the people you meet. Public speaking will work if you speak to audiences of a decent size on a regular basis.
With consistency and persistence, you can make even the most mildly effective marketing approaches pay off in the long run. But that qualifier "in the long run" is the catch. You don't want to wait that long. No one does.
Is there another layer to this secret that will make it all happen faster? Yes. Choose a target market that needs your services and can afford to pay for them, craft a message that market will respond to, choose a set of simple, effective approaches to reach that market, follow through on each approach, and spend enough time on your marketing to produce results.
Notice your emotional reaction to reading those words. They're not very exciting, are they? It sounds like work.
It would be much easier if the secret was something like search engine optimization, where you could pay someone else to do all the work and the clients would simply appear. Or joining a leads group, where you could show up at a weekly meeting and the other members would hand you business. Or running pay-per-click ads, where you would never have to talk to people before they became your clients. But of course none of these approaches really work that way.
Don't blame yourself for wanting to avoid hard work. It's human nature to look for the easy way out. But if you spend all your time searching for the effort-free way to market, you will end up making your job much harder. Every time you try another new way to market but then don't follow through on it, or give up too soon to see results, you waste time and money, and lose momentum. By trying to avoid work, you actually create even more.
So instead of looking for a magic formula to avoid the work of marketing altogether, find ways to make it easier on yourself. Here are four suggestions that will help.
1. Choose a target market you enjoy spending time with, and whose issues and goals you care about.
2. Get help with crafting marketing messages if messaging isn't your strong point.
3. Use role models, recommended advisors, or a trusted system to identify only the best marketing approaches, then do what they advise.
4. Use the support of a buddy, coach, or success team to help you follow through on your plans, market consistently, and break through fear and procrastination.
Note that if the above are ways to make marketing easier, doing the opposite of any of these will make it harder. Refusing to choose a target market, for example. Or spending time and money marketing with an off-target message. Or trying flavor-of-the-week marketing tactics no successful person in your field uses. Or not doing enough marketing because it's scary. Or trying to do everything on your own. Or continuing to chase after silver bullet solutions.
The secret to successful marketing for independent professionals is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do, and doing them consistently. The secret behind this secret is finding ways to make the process easier. And the secret behind that secret is to stop looking for another secret and get to work on implementing the first one.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
10 Ways to Avoid Online Dating Scams
Online dating scams have been hitting the headlines with increasing frequency recently, causing not only heartache but a pain in the pocket.
In earlier issues, we explained how scammers try to strike up online relationships then, claiming to be stranded in another country or in desperate need to visit a sick relative, ask the victim to help pay for an airplane ticket.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
In earlier issues, we explained how scammers try to strike up online relationships then, claiming to be stranded in another country or in desperate need to visit a sick relative, ask the victim to help pay for an airplane ticket.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Why the U.S. Has Launched a New Financial World War -- and How the Rest of the World Will Fight Back
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Finance is the new form of warfare -- without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts.
What is to stop U.S. banks and their customers from creating $1 trillion, $10 trillion or even $50 trillion on their computer keyboards to buy up all the bonds and stocks in the world, along with all the land and other assets for sale in the hope of making capital gains and pocketing the arbitrage spreads by debt leveraging at less than 1 per cent interest cost? This is the game that is being played today.
Finance is the new form of warfare - without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts. It is a competition in credit creation to buy foreign resources, real estate, public and privatized infrastructure, bonds and corporate stock ownership.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Finance is the new form of warfare -- without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts.
What is to stop U.S. banks and their customers from creating $1 trillion, $10 trillion or even $50 trillion on their computer keyboards to buy up all the bonds and stocks in the world, along with all the land and other assets for sale in the hope of making capital gains and pocketing the arbitrage spreads by debt leveraging at less than 1 per cent interest cost? This is the game that is being played today.
Finance is the new form of warfare - without the expense of a military overhead and an occupation against unwilling hosts. It is a competition in credit creation to buy foreign resources, real estate, public and privatized infrastructure, bonds and corporate stock ownership.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Counter Punch/ by Michael Hudson
Friday, October 8, 2010
44 WAYS TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR PROSPECTS C.J. Hayden, MCC
You know you need to follow up with prospective clients, but you often find yourself putting it off. "I already called them three times," you think. Or, "They never answer the phone anyway." Or, "I hate hearing no." Or, "I don't want to bug them." Or, "What do I say that's new?"
It's only natural to resist placing phone calls to prospects who didn't return your last call, never seem to be there, may not be ready to buy, or might say they're not interested. But here's the good news. Calling prospects on the phone and asking them to hire you is not the only way to follow up!
Yes, you can call your prospects on the phone, but you can also email them, send a letter or note by postal mail, fax them, overnight them a package, send a text message, or instant message them online. And those are just the different communication channels you might use. The type of messages you deliver can be much more varied than simply asking prospects to do business.
Consider the following 44 ways that you can follow up with your prospects via any communication channel you choose, in order to build a relationship, remind them of what you do, and present yourself as a valuable resource and expert in your field. Many of these follow-up approaches can also be used with potential referral sources and networking contacts.
1. Ask if they have new questions about what you last discussed.
2. Tell them about a book, article, or website that might help with what you talked about.
3. Send a personal note with a copy of your brochure.
4. Point them to a vendor who can solve one of their issues you don't address.
5. Prepare a personalized marketing kit for them focused on their unique issues.
6. Tell them about an upcoming event that addresses an issue you think they have.
7. Invite them to an event where you are a speaker, organizer, or sponsor.
8. Attend an event where you are likely to run into them.
9. Send a nice-to-meet-you or good-to-see-you note with your business card.
10. Call or email to ask what's new in their world.
11. Leave a brief benefits-oriented commercial on their voice mail.
12. Ask them to meet you for coffee, a drink, or lunch.
13. Invite them for golf, tennis, a bike ride, or a walk in the park.
14. Invite them to a concert, play, reading, or art opening.
15. Offer to stop by their place of business.
16. Send a letter summarizing what you last talked about and suggesting next steps.
17. Ask for a meeting so you can prepare a detailed proposal for them.
18. Send them an article (or link to one) that you have written.
19. Send them an article someone else has written about a topic relevant to them.
20. Send them a present -- chocolate, cookies, flowers, a plant, a bottle of wine, or a book.
21. Send them a birthday card.
22. Send them a joke or cartoon about their industry or your field.
23. Send a postcard reminding them what you do.
24. Tell them about a special offer available if they act now.
25. Offer them a free sample of what you can do for them.
26. Send an announcement about a new development in your business.
27. Send a copy of your newsletter or post from your blog and invite them to subscribe.
28. Send a link to a print or audio interview with you about your work.
29. Send a link to a video where you share helpful tips or a client success story.
30. Refer them a prospect for their own business.
31. Watch for their posts on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and comment on them.
32. Post something useful to a message board where they are members.
33. Post a comment on their blog.
34. Invite them to visit your updated website.
35. Make them a free offer that will subscribe them to an autoresponder series.
36. Give a free teleclass or webinar and invite all your prospects.
37. Invite them to an open house, reception, demonstration, or free workshop.
38. Host a networking breakfast or brown bag lunch and invite several prospects.
39. Offer to give a talk or brown bag lunch for their organization at no charge.
40. Write a white paper or case study and send it to all your prospects.
41. Ask the person who introduced you to contact them and mention you again.
42. Introduce them to a colleague of yours they might like to know.
43. Volunteer for an organization where they also serve.
44. And of course, you can always ask if they are ready to start working with you.
Following up consistently is one of the most productive marketing activities there is, but it won't work if you don't do it. The next time you realize you are avoiding follow-up, pull out your prospect list and choose an approach at random from the suggestions above. It matters much less how you follow up than it does that you follow up.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
It's only natural to resist placing phone calls to prospects who didn't return your last call, never seem to be there, may not be ready to buy, or might say they're not interested. But here's the good news. Calling prospects on the phone and asking them to hire you is not the only way to follow up!
Yes, you can call your prospects on the phone, but you can also email them, send a letter or note by postal mail, fax them, overnight them a package, send a text message, or instant message them online. And those are just the different communication channels you might use. The type of messages you deliver can be much more varied than simply asking prospects to do business.
Consider the following 44 ways that you can follow up with your prospects via any communication channel you choose, in order to build a relationship, remind them of what you do, and present yourself as a valuable resource and expert in your field. Many of these follow-up approaches can also be used with potential referral sources and networking contacts.
1. Ask if they have new questions about what you last discussed.
2. Tell them about a book, article, or website that might help with what you talked about.
3. Send a personal note with a copy of your brochure.
4. Point them to a vendor who can solve one of their issues you don't address.
5. Prepare a personalized marketing kit for them focused on their unique issues.
6. Tell them about an upcoming event that addresses an issue you think they have.
7. Invite them to an event where you are a speaker, organizer, or sponsor.
8. Attend an event where you are likely to run into them.
9. Send a nice-to-meet-you or good-to-see-you note with your business card.
10. Call or email to ask what's new in their world.
11. Leave a brief benefits-oriented commercial on their voice mail.
12. Ask them to meet you for coffee, a drink, or lunch.
13. Invite them for golf, tennis, a bike ride, or a walk in the park.
14. Invite them to a concert, play, reading, or art opening.
15. Offer to stop by their place of business.
16. Send a letter summarizing what you last talked about and suggesting next steps.
17. Ask for a meeting so you can prepare a detailed proposal for them.
18. Send them an article (or link to one) that you have written.
19. Send them an article someone else has written about a topic relevant to them.
20. Send them a present -- chocolate, cookies, flowers, a plant, a bottle of wine, or a book.
21. Send them a birthday card.
22. Send them a joke or cartoon about their industry or your field.
23. Send a postcard reminding them what you do.
24. Tell them about a special offer available if they act now.
25. Offer them a free sample of what you can do for them.
26. Send an announcement about a new development in your business.
27. Send a copy of your newsletter or post from your blog and invite them to subscribe.
28. Send a link to a print or audio interview with you about your work.
29. Send a link to a video where you share helpful tips or a client success story.
30. Refer them a prospect for their own business.
31. Watch for their posts on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and comment on them.
32. Post something useful to a message board where they are members.
33. Post a comment on their blog.
34. Invite them to visit your updated website.
35. Make them a free offer that will subscribe them to an autoresponder series.
36. Give a free teleclass or webinar and invite all your prospects.
37. Invite them to an open house, reception, demonstration, or free workshop.
38. Host a networking breakfast or brown bag lunch and invite several prospects.
39. Offer to give a talk or brown bag lunch for their organization at no charge.
40. Write a white paper or case study and send it to all your prospects.
41. Ask the person who introduced you to contact them and mention you again.
42. Introduce them to a colleague of yours they might like to know.
43. Volunteer for an organization where they also serve.
44. And of course, you can always ask if they are ready to start working with you.
Following up consistently is one of the most productive marketing activities there is, but it won't work if you don't do it. The next time you realize you are avoiding follow-up, pull out your prospect list and choose an approach at random from the suggestions above. It matters much less how you follow up than it does that you follow up.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Using Online Pharmacies: Recommended Practices And How To Spot Fakes
Using online pharmacies may help you save money -- and can certainly save time by delivering your medicine straight to your home.
But the fact is that many online pharmacies, especially those overseas, do not meet the USA's strict quality control regulations, and some of them are downright crooked - either selling phony or unapproved drugs or sometimes selling nothing at all.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
But the fact is that many online pharmacies, especially those overseas, do not meet the USA's strict quality control regulations, and some of them are downright crooked - either selling phony or unapproved drugs or sometimes selling nothing at all.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wall Street Mega-Banks Employ 'Undercover Brothers' to Rip Off Minorities with Payday Loan Scams
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
The big banks are using middlemen to exploit lower-income people without tarnishing their own brands.
All the major banking institutions say the right things about race and equality. They all have diversity programs. A few financial industry leaders, like Robert Rubin and Jamie Dimon, even support socially liberal causes. Yet the banking industry covertly uses payday lenders as a "front," a way to prey on minority neighborhoods without getting their hands dirty.
It's a classic Rigged Game: The banks deny normal credit to lower-income people, then profit from usurious forms of alternative credit (or as it's known in economic circles, "fringe banking"). Fortunately, efforts to draw attention to these practices are beginning to have having some effect.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
The big banks are using middlemen to exploit lower-income people without tarnishing their own brands.
All the major banking institutions say the right things about race and equality. They all have diversity programs. A few financial industry leaders, like Robert Rubin and Jamie Dimon, even support socially liberal causes. Yet the banking industry covertly uses payday lenders as a "front," a way to prey on minority neighborhoods without getting their hands dirty.
It's a classic Rigged Game: The banks deny normal credit to lower-income people, then profit from usurious forms of alternative credit (or as it's known in economic circles, "fringe banking"). Fortunately, efforts to draw attention to these practices are beginning to have having some effect.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet/ Blog For Our Future/ by RJ Eskow
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
How Distress Scam Storylines Aim To Win Your Sympathy
You know the sort of thing: someone tells you a story of despair and asks for your money
to help put things right.
All too often these are con artist tricks -- and they succeed because they sound like they're real.
Or, because you're not sure, the crook knows that you'll hand over the money because you have a conscience.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
to help put things right.
All too often these are con artist tricks -- and they succeed because they sound like they're real.
Or, because you're not sure, the crook knows that you'll hand over the money because you have a conscience.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
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