Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure without spending any money?
You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think of creative ways you can get your products or services in front of, or in the hands of, your prospects. And that last part is critical. It is only valuable marketing if it is targeted at the people you have identified are most likely to buy your products or services.
1) Share Your Knowledge
If you have specialized knowledge or expertise related to your business, think of ways to share that knowledge. Consider writing a regular column for a website or publication that targets the same customers you target. Become a regular contributor to a magazine or radio or TV program.
2) Create Information Products
Package and distribute your knowledge in the form of an Ezine, Newsletter or Special Report. Build your contact list and distribute this valuable information on a regular basis. Use this as an opportunity to market your products and services and be sure to Include special offers or bonuses to recipients who act by a certain date.
3) Offer Seminars and Do Presentations
Do you offer a professional or personal service? Consider booking yourself for speaking engagements where you can provide valuable information in your area of expertise to groups of people. Make sure the groups are representative of the types of customers or clients you believe are most likely to benefit from your services. This tactic serves several marketing purposes.
First, it gets you out in front of your prospects. In marketing this is called generating awareness and it is the first step toward making a sale.
Second, it allows people the opportunity to get to know you and/or your services. And with a service business, where clients are buying ìyouî (that really is what they are buying when they purchase your services) it is crucial that they understand the services you provide and that they get to know you. People like working with people they like. Given the choice between hiring two people with the same skills and services, most people will choose the person they like or feel the best chemistry with.
Make sure to give attendees a special offer on your products or services at the end of your presentation. Give the offer a deadline to create urgency for them to take advantage of the offer on the spot.
4) Give Something Away
Find a way to give away samples of your products or services. Is there an association or group meeting or any other event that is looking for donations to be given away as door prizes?
Why not donate a package of your services or products? You will gain exposure (a free advertisement by the group leader) among the entire group when your package is either auctioned off, or announced and given away in front of everyone. You are also giving the person who wins the package the chance to sample your products or services at no risk.
You could further leverage this marketing by offering the winner an incentive to refer others to you. The winner might also be a great person to provide feedback to you, or a testimonial regarding how they felt about your product or service, that you can use in future marketing.
Yes, there may be a hard cost associated with the product you are giving away, or a time cost associated with the time you are donating, however when you weigh that cost against the number of people who are being exposed to your products or services, usually it is well worth it. And it certainly is cheap (and usually more effective!) in comparison to buying an ad.
My advice is to incorporate this sort of activity into your operational budget and simply consider it a cost of doing business.
There are all kinds of ways to generate exposure of your products and services without paying for advertising space. Yes, sometimes this does involve giving away product or service, but I don't consider that a hard marketing cost. I have found that the benefits always outweigh the cost of my time or my products.
The trick is to target well, or in other words, locate where your prospects congregate or what media they read or view, and then find creative ways to get yourself, your products or your services, in front of them in those places.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
4 Easy Ways to Boost Sales
Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales for little or no new expense ...and without making major changes in your selling process.
1. Focus on What Your Customers Really Want
Your customers really don't want your products or services. They don't even want what those products or services do for them. What they really want is to gain the specific feeling they get after buying and using your products or services.
Keep this in mind when you create web pages, sales letters and other selling presentations. Emphasize the feelings produced by using your product instead of talking about what your product is - or how it works.
Tip: Convert the benefits delivered by your product or service into vivid word pictures. Then put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.
Example, if you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent life style without debt.
2. Keep Communicating With Your Previous Non-Buyers
You've heard it before - but I'll say it here again. Most prospective customers will not buy the first time they see or hear about your product or service. You're losing a lot of sales if you do not persistently follow up with those prospects.
Your follow up procedure can be as simple as periodically contacting them with a new offer. Or it can be more complex like distributing a newsletter or providing updated product information.
Tip: You cannot follow up with prospects if you don't know how to reach them. Set up a system for collecting the names and contact information of all prospects who do not buy from you.
Example, offer a special report, a list of sources or some other valuable information your prospects cannot get anywhere else. Deliver it only by email or postal mail so you can get their contact address.
3. Encourage Questions
Questions from prospects may be a nuisance. But answering them can be very profitable.
Prospective customers only take time to ask questions when they have a high level of interest in your product or service. Providing a satisfactory answer to a prospect's question often leads directly to a sale.
Invite prospects to ask questions when in live selling situations. And make it easy for them to ask questions when they are not ...such as at your web site. For example, list a phone number or email address where you or someone else can answer their questions.
Tip: Include a Questions and Answers page on your web site with answers to frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer individually.
4. Make Buying Easier
Every non-essential action in the buying process is an opportunity for the customer to reverse their decision ...causing you to lose the sale.
Look for ways you can make your buying procedure easier and faster. For example, many marketers use a multi-step shopping cart to get online orders when a simple online order form would do the job with just 1 or 2 quick clicks.
Tip: Don't ask for unnecessary information during the ordering process. Instead, send a personalized "thank you" message after the sale and include a brief request for the information.
These 4 selling tactics may not be new to you. But are you using all (or any) of them? If not, they can easily boost your sales ...for little or no new expense - and without making major changes in your sales process.
1. Focus on What Your Customers Really Want
Your customers really don't want your products or services. They don't even want what those products or services do for them. What they really want is to gain the specific feeling they get after buying and using your products or services.
Keep this in mind when you create web pages, sales letters and other selling presentations. Emphasize the feelings produced by using your product instead of talking about what your product is - or how it works.
Tip: Convert the benefits delivered by your product or service into vivid word pictures. Then put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.
Example, if you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent life style without debt.
2. Keep Communicating With Your Previous Non-Buyers
You've heard it before - but I'll say it here again. Most prospective customers will not buy the first time they see or hear about your product or service. You're losing a lot of sales if you do not persistently follow up with those prospects.
Your follow up procedure can be as simple as periodically contacting them with a new offer. Or it can be more complex like distributing a newsletter or providing updated product information.
Tip: You cannot follow up with prospects if you don't know how to reach them. Set up a system for collecting the names and contact information of all prospects who do not buy from you.
Example, offer a special report, a list of sources or some other valuable information your prospects cannot get anywhere else. Deliver it only by email or postal mail so you can get their contact address.
3. Encourage Questions
Questions from prospects may be a nuisance. But answering them can be very profitable.
Prospective customers only take time to ask questions when they have a high level of interest in your product or service. Providing a satisfactory answer to a prospect's question often leads directly to a sale.
Invite prospects to ask questions when in live selling situations. And make it easy for them to ask questions when they are not ...such as at your web site. For example, list a phone number or email address where you or someone else can answer their questions.
Tip: Include a Questions and Answers page on your web site with answers to frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer individually.
4. Make Buying Easier
Every non-essential action in the buying process is an opportunity for the customer to reverse their decision ...causing you to lose the sale.
Look for ways you can make your buying procedure easier and faster. For example, many marketers use a multi-step shopping cart to get online orders when a simple online order form would do the job with just 1 or 2 quick clicks.
Tip: Don't ask for unnecessary information during the ordering process. Instead, send a personalized "thank you" message after the sale and include a brief request for the information.
These 4 selling tactics may not be new to you. But are you using all (or any) of them? If not, they can easily boost your sales ...for little or no new expense - and without making major changes in your sales process.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Steps To Getting Highly Motivated Prospects
With the many ways to advertise, it is easy to sometimes be in a rush to just get something out somewhere. But, no matter where you plan to advertise, there are several basic fundamentals that will help create advertisements that are effective and profitable. Here are three that will get you headed in the right direction.
1. First on the check list is; is your unique selling position (USP) clear and provoking?
You need to find out what makes your business different from that of your competitors. From that, you can develop a strategy based on the strengths or even weaknesses of those differences. Actually, good marketers identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) and develop their strategy from those factors. Here is an example of a USP that stems from a companies weakness:
We are #1, so we work harder to get the job done
In this example, a weakness was used to let customers know that they will do what it takes to get the job done. Customers know that they are not #1 so the service and pricing will be competitive.
Having a USP is extremely important in setting you apart from your competitors. It is what gets you into the minds and eventually the wallets of your customers and prospects.
2. Effective Headings and Ad Copy
In developing effective headings and ad copy, it is essential to live by the adage, Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Better know as AIDA.
This simply means that you grab the attention of the prospect or customer with an compelling headline or graphic, you keep them reading with an interesting ad copy which creates a desire and ends with a powerful call to action .
When developing AIDA it is important to keep in mind that all purchases revolve around basic human wants and they fall into two categories; the desire to gain, and the desire to avoid lose. The latter which is usually the most effective. This is an entire article in itself, but if you focus on those two principals, you will be on your way to an effective ad campaign.
3. It doesn't matter what you say if your not saying it in the right place.
Just as important as what you say, is where you say it. Where and when you place your ads will have a tremendous effect on the results of those ads. Knowing little facts, such as, the following will give you a much more effective campaign:
Full page ads get better response on the right hand pages.
Larger ads work better than smaller ads.
If placing smaller ads, they are generate more response if lower on the page and closer to the outer margins.
In direct mail, buyers are more responsive to mailings received mid-week than on Mondays, Fridays, or weekends.
Seminars and lectures work better during the second and thirds weeks of the month.
Those are just a few simple facts that will create better response for you. Being a student and learning all the intricate details of advertising will be time well spent in regards to the success of your campaigns.
Okay, so those three simple steps will help you create more effective and more profitable advertising campaigns. Advertising can be costly if the little details are not given proper attention , but highly profitable if you do your homework and create the most compelling ad and place it at the right time and place.
1. First on the check list is; is your unique selling position (USP) clear and provoking?
You need to find out what makes your business different from that of your competitors. From that, you can develop a strategy based on the strengths or even weaknesses of those differences. Actually, good marketers identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) and develop their strategy from those factors. Here is an example of a USP that stems from a companies weakness:
We are #1, so we work harder to get the job done
In this example, a weakness was used to let customers know that they will do what it takes to get the job done. Customers know that they are not #1 so the service and pricing will be competitive.
Having a USP is extremely important in setting you apart from your competitors. It is what gets you into the minds and eventually the wallets of your customers and prospects.
2. Effective Headings and Ad Copy
In developing effective headings and ad copy, it is essential to live by the adage, Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Better know as AIDA.
This simply means that you grab the attention of the prospect or customer with an compelling headline or graphic, you keep them reading with an interesting ad copy which creates a desire and ends with a powerful call to action .
When developing AIDA it is important to keep in mind that all purchases revolve around basic human wants and they fall into two categories; the desire to gain, and the desire to avoid lose. The latter which is usually the most effective. This is an entire article in itself, but if you focus on those two principals, you will be on your way to an effective ad campaign.
3. It doesn't matter what you say if your not saying it in the right place.
Just as important as what you say, is where you say it. Where and when you place your ads will have a tremendous effect on the results of those ads. Knowing little facts, such as, the following will give you a much more effective campaign:
Full page ads get better response on the right hand pages.
Larger ads work better than smaller ads.
If placing smaller ads, they are generate more response if lower on the page and closer to the outer margins.
In direct mail, buyers are more responsive to mailings received mid-week than on Mondays, Fridays, or weekends.
Seminars and lectures work better during the second and thirds weeks of the month.
Those are just a few simple facts that will create better response for you. Being a student and learning all the intricate details of advertising will be time well spent in regards to the success of your campaigns.
Okay, so those three simple steps will help you create more effective and more profitable advertising campaigns. Advertising can be costly if the little details are not given proper attention , but highly profitable if you do your homework and create the most compelling ad and place it at the right time and place.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Essential Tools for the Affiliate Marketer
What does it take to become a successful Affiliate Marketer? What are the ingredients of an affiliate marketing success story? Is there a shortcut to Affiliate Marketing glory? All these questions play around in the minds of affiliate marketers who want to make it big in this business. Although affiliate marketing is touted as one of the easiest and most effective ways to earn money online, it is not as easy as it sounds. The wise affiliate marketer plans every action and executes it the best way he can. He should also maximize the potential to earn by utilizing the right tools necessary for a successful Affiliate Marketing business. We have consulted some of the most successful affiliate marketers in the business and below are the top three necessary tools for a successful affiliate marketing business.
Tool #1: Your Own Website
The most important and indispensable tool in Affiliate Marketing is your own website. The first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. Your website is the jump off point of all your marketing efforts. Thus, you must first build a user-friendly website, which will appeal to your prospects and encourage them to click on the links to the products and service you are promoting and make a purchase. Therefore, you must first concentrate your efforts in building a website that will cater to what your prospects need.
The most important thing you should consider is that almost all web users go online to look for information, not necessarily to go and buy something. Above all else, make your website full of original, relevant and useful content. People will love articles that are appealing and helpful. Keep in mind that, in the internet, content is still king and good quality content will not only build your credibility, it can also help you achieve a higher search engine ranking. By posting relevant and useful articles, you establish yourself as a credible expert in the field, making you a more trustworthy endorser of the product or service you promote. Establishing a good reputation is a good step in building up a loyal consumer base.
Tool #2: Incentives
Competition is extremely tight in the internet world. You must always be one-step ahead of your rivals to ensure that you capture a significant share of your target market. Therefore, you must use every possible means to encourage people not only to visit your site but also to click and proceed to the websites of the products and services you are promoting. Building an opt-in email list is one of the best ways to gather prospects. Offer a newsletter or an e-zine. Better yet, offer incentives to your prospects to encourage them to subscribe to your newsletters. You can present free softwares, access to exclusive services and other freebies that will be helpful to your prospects.
Tool #3: Link Popularity
The importance of driving highly targeted traffic to your website cannot be emphasized enough. The all-important web traffic is at the top of the list of the most important entities in the internet world. Attracting people to your site should be the first step you should carry out. Do everything to achieve a high search engine ranking. Link Popularity is one of the factors that search engines use to determine search engine rankings. Therefore, to enhance your link popularity, you must launch an aggressive reciprocal link campaign.
One of the best ways to do this ñ at no cost at all ñ is by submitting articles, with your website's link at the resource box, to e-zines and free article sites. You will not only gain exposure, you will also have the opportunity to advertise for free, just include a link back to your site. The more sites you submit your articles to, the better your link popularity is. Make your articles original, relevant and useful so that more websites will pick it up and post it.
These are but three of the many tools that an affiliate marketer can use to maximize earning potential. The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination, creativity, resourcefulness and determination. You can always explore other ideas and adapt other strategies, which you think might help you become a high rolling affiliate marketer.
Tool #1: Your Own Website
The most important and indispensable tool in Affiliate Marketing is your own website. The first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. Your website is the jump off point of all your marketing efforts. Thus, you must first build a user-friendly website, which will appeal to your prospects and encourage them to click on the links to the products and service you are promoting and make a purchase. Therefore, you must first concentrate your efforts in building a website that will cater to what your prospects need.
The most important thing you should consider is that almost all web users go online to look for information, not necessarily to go and buy something. Above all else, make your website full of original, relevant and useful content. People will love articles that are appealing and helpful. Keep in mind that, in the internet, content is still king and good quality content will not only build your credibility, it can also help you achieve a higher search engine ranking. By posting relevant and useful articles, you establish yourself as a credible expert in the field, making you a more trustworthy endorser of the product or service you promote. Establishing a good reputation is a good step in building up a loyal consumer base.
Tool #2: Incentives
Competition is extremely tight in the internet world. You must always be one-step ahead of your rivals to ensure that you capture a significant share of your target market. Therefore, you must use every possible means to encourage people not only to visit your site but also to click and proceed to the websites of the products and services you are promoting. Building an opt-in email list is one of the best ways to gather prospects. Offer a newsletter or an e-zine. Better yet, offer incentives to your prospects to encourage them to subscribe to your newsletters. You can present free softwares, access to exclusive services and other freebies that will be helpful to your prospects.
Tool #3: Link Popularity
The importance of driving highly targeted traffic to your website cannot be emphasized enough. The all-important web traffic is at the top of the list of the most important entities in the internet world. Attracting people to your site should be the first step you should carry out. Do everything to achieve a high search engine ranking. Link Popularity is one of the factors that search engines use to determine search engine rankings. Therefore, to enhance your link popularity, you must launch an aggressive reciprocal link campaign.
One of the best ways to do this ñ at no cost at all ñ is by submitting articles, with your website's link at the resource box, to e-zines and free article sites. You will not only gain exposure, you will also have the opportunity to advertise for free, just include a link back to your site. The more sites you submit your articles to, the better your link popularity is. Make your articles original, relevant and useful so that more websites will pick it up and post it.
These are but three of the many tools that an affiliate marketer can use to maximize earning potential. The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination, creativity, resourcefulness and determination. You can always explore other ideas and adapt other strategies, which you think might help you become a high rolling affiliate marketer.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Effective Tactics Every Business Should Implement
Do you remember your first day as a business owner? You were probably just like the rest of us... pretty darned happy and bit on the proud side. Yeah, back then we thought we could conquer the world. Now we're too busy conquering our own little corner of the world to pay a lot of attention to the rest of the world... unless it's to learn a few tips from successful marketers just like us who have made it big. Tips just like these... that will apply to every market - regardless of the product or service - are a great motivators to try something new. Yeah, you never know when the next idea will be worth a million dollars!
1. Create a Special Offer
A special offer is exactly that... an offer that is special. Normally, customers would not be able to purchase this product or combination of products, and once the products are gone... sorry!
You don't have to go out and order a bunch of new products to put together a special offer. It don't take a whole lot... just use what you've got. Grab a few items that are related, group them together, discount the price, and your customers will be excited to be getting a good deal. Think about it from your standpoint... you've sold three or four items rather than one. Yeah, combination offers are winning deals for everyone!
2. Address the Small Customer Groups
Niche markets are everywhere, right under your nose! Within the customer audience that you serve right now are groups of people who share common traits. Think about it... maybe you have a group who speaks Spanish, a group of teens, and a group of middle class family men and women.
Evaluate these classes of people, and discover the unique needs and desires they share. That will set you up to customize your advertising campaign directly to them. It's not hard to take your current ads, and make a few changes to adjust to the niches. They'll be impressed that you understand THEM, and the increase in your profits will be the best thanks you can get.
3. Set Up a Winning Referral Program
Successful marketers develop the ability to turn their customers into advocates. Often, they don't even have to directly ask customers to refer them to others. Their willingness to go the extra wins customer loyalty and support. Naturally, satisfied customers refer their friends and family to the place that will take good care of them.
Quality service and is the first step toward referrals, but you can easily take it one step further. Studies show that every satisfied customer tells three people about you. What would happen with a little incentive added to the picture? Yeah, a lot more. Give customers who refer friends a thank you - whether it's a discount, special gift item, or a simple thank you card - and watch the referrals spiral!
You can get two birds with one stone by implementing customer surveys. A few quick questions about what the customer does and doesn't like about your product, followed by a request for the names and addresses of friends and family who would benefit from the product, and you're all set to go with the contact information of a prospective customer!
1. Create a Special Offer
A special offer is exactly that... an offer that is special. Normally, customers would not be able to purchase this product or combination of products, and once the products are gone... sorry!
You don't have to go out and order a bunch of new products to put together a special offer. It don't take a whole lot... just use what you've got. Grab a few items that are related, group them together, discount the price, and your customers will be excited to be getting a good deal. Think about it from your standpoint... you've sold three or four items rather than one. Yeah, combination offers are winning deals for everyone!
2. Address the Small Customer Groups
Niche markets are everywhere, right under your nose! Within the customer audience that you serve right now are groups of people who share common traits. Think about it... maybe you have a group who speaks Spanish, a group of teens, and a group of middle class family men and women.
Evaluate these classes of people, and discover the unique needs and desires they share. That will set you up to customize your advertising campaign directly to them. It's not hard to take your current ads, and make a few changes to adjust to the niches. They'll be impressed that you understand THEM, and the increase in your profits will be the best thanks you can get.
3. Set Up a Winning Referral Program
Successful marketers develop the ability to turn their customers into advocates. Often, they don't even have to directly ask customers to refer them to others. Their willingness to go the extra wins customer loyalty and support. Naturally, satisfied customers refer their friends and family to the place that will take good care of them.
Quality service and is the first step toward referrals, but you can easily take it one step further. Studies show that every satisfied customer tells three people about you. What would happen with a little incentive added to the picture? Yeah, a lot more. Give customers who refer friends a thank you - whether it's a discount, special gift item, or a simple thank you card - and watch the referrals spiral!
You can get two birds with one stone by implementing customer surveys. A few quick questions about what the customer does and doesn't like about your product, followed by a request for the names and addresses of friends and family who would benefit from the product, and you're all set to go with the contact information of a prospective customer!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Steps to Marketing Your Business to Success
Do you often find it difficult to make time for your marketing activities? Or do you find that when you do market, it's not consistent enough to bring you the results you want? Marketing your business is as important as what it is that you do. If you embrace that, you will stop struggling so much and reach a whole other level of success!
Before my business evolved into what it is now, I was trading my time for money. As a webmaster, I charged by the hour. As a writer/editor, I charged by the hour. As a public relations and marketing consultant, I charged by the hour. Do you see the problem here? There are only so many hours in the day, right? And if I wanted to pay the rent, I needed the majority of them to be billable hours, which left little to no time for marketing. As you can imagine, I struggled to get clients.
But I don't struggle anymore, and here's why: it's called passive income - multiple streams of passive income - that enables me to work with fewer (but more of my ideal) clients one-one-one, and gives me much more time for marketing and growing my business with a lot less effort.
Here are 3 steps to implementing this model into your business:
1. Use the funnel method of marketing. I talk about this constantly, but it's such a powerful model (that actually works) that I want as many people as possible to embrace it. If you set your business up within this system, it will automatically do your marketing for you. And it's the best kind of marketing - the "set it and forget it" kind!
2. Stop trading time for money... and start creating products that will bring you passive income. You can create products from knowledge you already have, in a way that is easy to package and deliver, such as an eBook. Taking your expertise and bottling it actually allows you to help more people than you ever could one-on-one, and it lets those prospects who might not be able to afford your rates an option of still working with you, just in a different form.
3. Raise your fees. Once you start offering products, and start bringing in passive income, raise your one-on-one fees. Now don't gasp! What will raising your fees do? It will allow you to gracefully let go of some of those less than ideal clients and let you work with more of those whom you are best suited to serve. The increase in fees will, at the very least, offset the loss of revenue from the clients that have dropped off, but ultimately you will bring in more revenue by taking your business to a higher level of quality and commitment. It will also give you more time to create more products!
Structure your business around this model and you will enjoy working with more of your ideal clients and customers, create more income by way of packaging your knowledge into products, and give yourself more time to spend building your business to the highest vision of it you can imagine.
Before my business evolved into what it is now, I was trading my time for money. As a webmaster, I charged by the hour. As a writer/editor, I charged by the hour. As a public relations and marketing consultant, I charged by the hour. Do you see the problem here? There are only so many hours in the day, right? And if I wanted to pay the rent, I needed the majority of them to be billable hours, which left little to no time for marketing. As you can imagine, I struggled to get clients.
But I don't struggle anymore, and here's why: it's called passive income - multiple streams of passive income - that enables me to work with fewer (but more of my ideal) clients one-one-one, and gives me much more time for marketing and growing my business with a lot less effort.
Here are 3 steps to implementing this model into your business:
1. Use the funnel method of marketing. I talk about this constantly, but it's such a powerful model (that actually works) that I want as many people as possible to embrace it. If you set your business up within this system, it will automatically do your marketing for you. And it's the best kind of marketing - the "set it and forget it" kind!
2. Stop trading time for money... and start creating products that will bring you passive income. You can create products from knowledge you already have, in a way that is easy to package and deliver, such as an eBook. Taking your expertise and bottling it actually allows you to help more people than you ever could one-on-one, and it lets those prospects who might not be able to afford your rates an option of still working with you, just in a different form.
3. Raise your fees. Once you start offering products, and start bringing in passive income, raise your one-on-one fees. Now don't gasp! What will raising your fees do? It will allow you to gracefully let go of some of those less than ideal clients and let you work with more of those whom you are best suited to serve. The increase in fees will, at the very least, offset the loss of revenue from the clients that have dropped off, but ultimately you will bring in more revenue by taking your business to a higher level of quality and commitment. It will also give you more time to create more products!
Structure your business around this model and you will enjoy working with more of your ideal clients and customers, create more income by way of packaging your knowledge into products, and give yourself more time to spend building your business to the highest vision of it you can imagine.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
How To Edit For Mass Appeal
Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think.
Every one of us is constantly sorting, distorting, and generalizing what we perceive, just to stay sane.
As a result, different people see the world differently. You probably want to appeal to as many of them within your target market as possible. Here are three simple tips you can use when it comes to editing your web copy.
1 - An idea can be made to appeal to more people if it is expressed in both a positive (moving toward), and a negative (moving away from) fashion.
Look how it's done in this famous lead..."TWO YEARS FROM NOW, your business could easily be worth 2.5 to 25 times what it's worth today...Or you could fall into the list of business also-rans... " Some people are motivated by the desire for gain, and others by the fear of loss. With a statement like this, it doesn't matter which, you're speaking their language either way.
Another great example of this is in the life insurance industry. Rather than try to force a square peg into a round whole, the insurance companies came up with the idea of "cash value". Now the sales pitch could be re framed to appeal to both types of people. Those that moved toward pleasure could be sold on the idea of early retirement, and those that moved away from pain could be sold on the more traditional idea of income protection.
2 - The second idea is internal versus external frame of reference. Some people do things because they see others doing them. Some people want to relate things to their own experience. The former is impressed by testimonials and success stories, while the latter is moved by deductive reasoning, analogy, and metaphor. You can see this requires two very different kinds of selling.
Here's another way to look at internal versus external orientation. The internally directed person values a sense of achievement while the externally directed person values recognition. Two sides to the same coin.
So you might say in your copy, "Picture the smiles of appreciation your family will reward you with when they begin to enjoy the new lifestyle this knowledge can afford you. Imagine the sense of achievement, and how confident you'll become!"
The first sentence appeals to an external bias, while the second one targets an internal bias.
3 - And the third tip is to use phrases that appeal to multiple modes of perception in your copy. Like everyone else, you perceive the world with a bias toward seeing (visual), hearing (auditory), or feeling. Naturally your copy will reflect this bias. By going back through it and editing it to include all three biases, you will connect with more readers.
I am a very visual person, so I might write something like, " You've got a clear view of it in your mind's eye now, don't you? Suddenly, it appears you'll make your decision." I might go back and edit this passage to include a mix of the modalities. Perhaps..."This is really resonating (auditory) with you now isn't it? You've grasped () all of the important points and you can see (visual) your choice."
By understanding people's patterns of perception, and how they view the world, you can make more of them feel comfortable when they arrive at your website. Your sales message will click with more buyers, and you'll see more sales!
Every one of us is constantly sorting, distorting, and generalizing what we perceive, just to stay sane.
As a result, different people see the world differently. You probably want to appeal to as many of them within your target market as possible. Here are three simple tips you can use when it comes to editing your web copy.
1 - An idea can be made to appeal to more people if it is expressed in both a positive (moving toward), and a negative (moving away from) fashion.
Look how it's done in this famous lead..."TWO YEARS FROM NOW, your business could easily be worth 2.5 to 25 times what it's worth today...Or you could fall into the list of business also-rans... " Some people are motivated by the desire for gain, and others by the fear of loss. With a statement like this, it doesn't matter which, you're speaking their language either way.
Another great example of this is in the life insurance industry. Rather than try to force a square peg into a round whole, the insurance companies came up with the idea of "cash value". Now the sales pitch could be re framed to appeal to both types of people. Those that moved toward pleasure could be sold on the idea of early retirement, and those that moved away from pain could be sold on the more traditional idea of income protection.
2 - The second idea is internal versus external frame of reference. Some people do things because they see others doing them. Some people want to relate things to their own experience. The former is impressed by testimonials and success stories, while the latter is moved by deductive reasoning, analogy, and metaphor. You can see this requires two very different kinds of selling.
Here's another way to look at internal versus external orientation. The internally directed person values a sense of achievement while the externally directed person values recognition. Two sides to the same coin.
So you might say in your copy, "Picture the smiles of appreciation your family will reward you with when they begin to enjoy the new lifestyle this knowledge can afford you. Imagine the sense of achievement, and how confident you'll become!"
The first sentence appeals to an external bias, while the second one targets an internal bias.
3 - And the third tip is to use phrases that appeal to multiple modes of perception in your copy. Like everyone else, you perceive the world with a bias toward seeing (visual), hearing (auditory), or feeling. Naturally your copy will reflect this bias. By going back through it and editing it to include all three biases, you will connect with more readers.
I am a very visual person, so I might write something like, " You've got a clear view of it in your mind's eye now, don't you? Suddenly, it appears you'll make your decision." I might go back and edit this passage to include a mix of the modalities. Perhaps..."This is really resonating (auditory) with you now isn't it? You've grasped () all of the important points and you can see (visual) your choice."
By understanding people's patterns of perception, and how they view the world, you can make more of them feel comfortable when they arrive at your website. Your sales message will click with more buyers, and you'll see more sales!
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