Archive for February, 2010
Converting Online Visitors to Clients/Customers
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Smart business owners know that high conversion rates are essential. In order to sell products and services, website traffic needs to convert to customers. So what are the key tactics to improve conversion rates? Here are three smart ways to convert online visitors to customers.
If you’re using a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign then make sure you’re sending each advertisement through to a unique sales page designed with those keywords in mind. That way each sales page can be fine tuned to convert that particular prospect.
Test and track everything. Testing and tracking results is a business owner’s single biggest conversion tool. You may have a perfect textbook sales page, but if it isn’t converting then it doesn’t matter how pretty it is. Test your headline, test your call to action, test your testimonials, your price, the colors you use, your font and size. Test everything and fine tune your page until it’s receiving the conversion rate you want.
Build a relationship with your prospects. The best way to convert visitors to customers is to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Give them something, or many things, for free. Give them books, audios, videos, monthly access to new content limited to members; give them an online workshop, seminar or course. Giveaways are an exceptional way to get your customers to do one thing – sign up for your opt-in list.
Why is your opt-in list so important? Because it gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with your prospects and turn them into customers. It gives you the permission and the opportunity to connect with them weekly (or more frequently) and provide them with valuable content, promotions and maybe even more giveaways.
Your opt-in list is a list of pre-qualified prospects. By signing up they’ve already told you they’re interested in what you have to offer. This makes your opt-in list process critical to your conversions and increasing your conversions. Take the time to craft advertisements that send people to a custom landing/opt-in page, just like we suggested in #1. And as mentioned in #2, take the time to test and track your results. Sometimes changing a few words in your opt-in offer can make all the difference between a list of 1000 and a list of 10,000.
Increasing your conversion rate can make all the difference in your business. It’s a strategy worth paying attention to, right? With the average customer making two to three purchases annually, a conversion increase of only a few percentage points can equal a better business for you.
Content Marketing for Solopreneurs: Solve writer’s block with an idea catcher
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Linda Dessau of You Talk, I’ll Write shares her knowledge about how to keep track of all your inspirations in this guest post. We all need help with our writing – blogs, newsletters, email and more – Linda is the expert. Don’t miss signing up for her video – 7 Secrets of Content Marketing Success.
For solopreneurs who have decided to implement a content marketing strategy, there’s nothing more disheartening than writer’s block. After all, content marketing is no quick fix—it requires consistent effort to deliver the high-quality content that you will get you noticed and remembered by the people who will use and refer your services. The pressure is on!
One of my favourite tools to help with writer’s block is the idea catcher. An idea catcher is—literally—a place to catch your ideas as you think of them, so that even if you don’t have time to develop them in that moment, they’re not lost. When you’re sitting at your computer, an idea catcher might be a file, an online journal or mind mapping program, or a “draft” post saved in your blogging account.
When you’re away from your desk, carry a small notebook or audio recorder with you at all times, and have somewhere to store your notes, such as a folder or an “idea inbox” on your desk.
Key benefits of the idea catcher include:
- Awareness. You’ll start noticing ideas more when you have a mechanism in place for capturing them (result: more creativity)
- Choice. With a pile of ideas to choose from at any time, you can select the one that has the most juice for you in that moment (result: higher quality articles)
- Abundance. Ideas tend to multiply, with one idea sparking another, so that even if you don’t develop them all, you will have thought of more topics than you would have otherwise (result: you have more fun, get better results, and stick with it)
Aside from always having an idea catcher at the ready (and I mean always—I even have a waterproof pencil and notepad in my shower) here are three other things you can do to generate more ideas every day:
- Feed your mind with information—not just about your area of expertise, but whatever interests you. You’ll be amazed at the connections you can make and the articles that can come out of it.
- Get out and experience more from life. Try new things, meet interesting people, travel and support the arts. You will have more to offer and share when you get home.
- Fuel your body for creativity by getting enough sleep, rest and water. When you are rested your brain functions at a higher level and tasks flow more easily. Drinking water will hydrate your body and your mind, essential for creative work, but just being near flowing water can also inspire creativity.
Once you have multiple idea catchers in place and implement these feeding techniques, your writing will take on a new rhythm and sense of ease. Leave the struggle behind and start filling your idea catcher—you’ll be thankful for those gems the next time you’re staring at a blank screen.
Linda Dessau is the founder of You Talk, I’ll Write and the Idea Generator blog. She ghostwrites and edits content for newsletters, blogs and social media. Her clients are coaches and others who want to build trust, relationships and credibility while growing a service-based business. Feeding your idea catcher every day is only one of her 7 Secrets of Content Marketing Success—you can discover them all when you sign up for the free video.
12 Tips for Blog Traffic
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Blogging is one of the best marketing ideas for many solopreneurs and can become the cornerstone of your marketing plan. Here are a dozen ideas for getting more traffic to your blog:
- Post entries on your blog as frequently as possible. Search engines will rank you much higher if there is frequent new content. Several times a week is a minimum.
- Include a place on your blog for people to subscribe. The best blogs allow the reader to get posts through either an RSS feed or by email.
- Use tags on every post. Tags are labels that the search engines use and that will help your posts be found on blog directories. It’s hard to tag too much.
- Submit your blog to blog directories. Here’s a list of 20 “essential” directories from Loren Baker.
- Use guest posting. Have others add content to your blog and write original content for others. Readers of the other’s blog will check out what you have on your blog.
- Comment on other peoples’ blogs. Whenever you do, make sure to leave the URL for your blog. When people comment on your blog, be sure to answer them.
- Create community & conversation. Include calls to action in your posts, ask questions and request comments.
- Use share buttons to the bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious and StumbleUpon. Each of those sites will provide a widget or plugin for the share button. Submit your very best posts yourself.
- Post on Twitter when you have a new post on your blog. An application such as Twitterfeed.com can automate this process.
- Be sure to use an application to post your blog feed to your Facebook profile or fan page.
- Craft your post titles carefully. Use plenty of keywords, especially at the beginning of the title. Numbers also rank well in titles.
- Spread the URL for your blog offline in all your marketing literature and online in your email signature.
Promote Your Business With Podcasts, Online Radio Shows and Videocasts
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Part of promoting your online business is getting in front of as many people as possible. While you are there, give them something interesting to read, listen to or watch that will direct them to your website through a link. One of the ways that people like to hear about new sites is through podcasts.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a multimedia tool that people can follow. Think of it as audio or video information that you can listen to or view on your computer, iPod, mp3 player or any other multimedia enabled device. It’s like having your own radio show on your website.
Podcasts can be syndicated using RSS (really simple syndication). This is the same process that people use to keep up with blogs and websites. The RSS feed allows them to receive updates when changes are made on the site so they don’t have to visit every day.
Creating your Podcast
There is software available to help you create your audio and video files. You can embed code for them on your website so others can view them.
Beyond the technical aspects, the purpose of the podcast is to present interesting information to your readers in a new and unique way. People browse the Internet to find useful items. They like to read, but would admittedly like to watch or listen as it is a more convenient way to get the same information.
So what will make your podcast stand out? Use engaging dialogue, present relevant topics and use visually appealing props and sets for video casts.
Going Viral
For one, don’t forget the keywords. You want people to be able to find your podcasts when they use their search engines. Even if you are using mainly audio, include keyword optimized titles, tags and links in your podcasts.
Submit your podcasts to directories. Use every avenue to get yourself in front of the public. That includes creating press releases to announce your podcasts if you are introducing them for the first time. Optimizing your press releases and submitting them to free press release sites keeps people finding them even after you are through using them.
Let your existing customers in on the new podcast. Use your email list to keep them in the loop as you unroll your podcast project. Give them links directly to the podcast so they can view it and hopefully pass the link on to others.
Your podcast can be turned into a radio show with regular guest spots. Interview other business owners in your niche and notable online personalities who would be of interest to your readers. A recurring show can increase your traffic and your following.
Want to get people to your website? Create a podcast. Turn it into a radio show or recurring video cast to create a following and gain more traffic to your business.
Use Affiliate Programs To Get Your Business Noticed
Posted by: | CommentsWebsite promotion gets the word out about your online business. If you are already making sales, using other, more advanced promotion methods can increase your targeted list of potential buyers and hopefully sales too. Affiliate programs are designed to do just that.
The idea behind affiliate programs is simple. You use other businesses and websites to promote your products on their website. They are doing the legwork while you reap the benefits. But, they also get a commission when people click on their link and head on over to your website.
For the business owner looking to increase their visibility among their target market, starting an affiliate program is a win-win situation. For one, your affiliates (those are your promotion partners) are not paid unless they fulfill your agreement. Some affiliate programs pay per lead, click or per sale. Each link is coded so that you know which affiliate link has been used to access your website.
Secondly, when you achieve those leads, clicks and sales through affiliate promotion, your business is getting exactly what it needs. Here’s an example: Let’s say that you are trying to build your list. If five affiliates each have ten people click and sign up on your website – that is fifty more names for your list. But, these are not just any names. They are people from your target market who are already interested in your type of product since they accessed you through a related site.
To get the desired results from your affiliate program, you have to put in some work. It all begins with choosing the right businesses to advertise your products for you. In reality, if you choose poorly, then you haven’t lost any money but you have lost time and energy and most of us don’t have that to spare when we are trying to grow a business.
Look for businesses that have at least two things in common:
• Lots of traffic
• Great reputation in your niche industry
What you want is to put your product in front of people who have made their business a success. It is a smart choice to get companies with similar interests involved in your venture. You don’t want them to be in direct competition, but if they operate within the same niche, you can be pretty sure your products will interest their visitors too.
Offering top notch tools in your affiliate center will attract just the kind of people you want to promote your website. Include graphics, website content, brandable reports and eBooks, banners and other nifty items to help them to help you make your business an even bigger success.
Affiliate programs are one way to promote your website and leverage the power of others to do it. By working with your affiliates and giving them the tools and knowledge necessary to be successful, you’ll not only promote your business more, but also increase sales.
Here are 6 effective strategies to guarantee targeted website traffic.
John Panico of
Entrepreneurs report over & over that they know Twitter should help their businesses, but they just aren’t getting anywhere with it or they are too intimidated to begin.
Our conversation turned out to be a probing inquiry into what it really takes to be in business these days. I expected to talk a lot about social media – all 3 of us agree on the value of that. But what we really focused on is what I would call Business Success 101 – who you really must be to succeed as a solopreneur, traits to cultivate, steps to take to get your business started, what it takes for small business growth and more. John and Dennis really were interested in the two areas that I think most solopreneurs struggle with – entrepreneurial mindset and marketing. I even outlined for them what it takes to have a great marketing plan. I hope you’ll stop by 





