05 Feb 08 A Customer’s Life: The Hunt For Help
When someone has a problem, need or desire, their first stop on the internet is usually Google. For example, if a business owner is looking for a way to process credit cards for payment online (and they have no knowledge of this area), a trip to Google and a search for “credit card processing” will return a link to Authorize.net as the first non-sponsored response.
Why?
There are quite a few reasons, all of which are covered under the umbrella term of SEO, or Search Engine Optimiztion, and SEO is something an online business cannot afford to ignore. SEO basics can be learned relatively easily, but to do it well (and with good results) is something that takes a specialist’s touch. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to improve your search engine placement.
- Your keywords should be well chosen…you may not want to compete for search results with the keyword “credit card processing”…try to choose keywords with less competition that are still relevant.
- Your url and website title should include your keywords.
- You should use “header” tags on your page (<H1>), making sure your keywords are included in the header.
- Backlinks, or links to your page on other pages, are also vitally important to your search engine performance.
All of this sounds simple if you understand basic website construction, and it looks like Greek if you don’t. However, even if you use a freelance web developer, there are some things you can do to optimize your SEO.
- Make sure your keywords are included in your page or post titles.
- If you’re using a blog, make sure you leave comments on other blogs in your niché, linking back to your website. (In some cases, these will count as backlinks. In all cases, it increases the chance of the blog owner linking to your website…as long as your comments are useful.)
- Become active in online forums that are relevant to your keywords, making sure your forum signature contains a link to your website.
- Actively seek out link exchanges with relevant websites.
These are very simple, basic steps anyone can take to improve their search engine results ranking. Are these steps enough? Not in the slightest. But if you’re new to the concept of SEO, they are a start.
Popularity: 8%
Tags: search engine, SEO, SERP
04 Feb 08 Sales May Not Be What You Think It Is
Most people have an image of “sales” as the process of convincing someone to conduct trade with you, whether you’re selling a product or providing a service…and that’s the wrong way to look at it.
Effective sales is the process of solving problems.
In 1938, the Dr. Roy Plunkett discoverd Teflon while working for Du Pont. Full-scale production of Teflon took another ten years to get going, and even then it was only for industrial applications. Then, in the early 1950’s, a Frenchman named Marc Gregoire (who was using Teflon to prevent his fishing lines from sticking) heard his wife complaining that there was nothing like Teflon to keep her pots and pans from sticking.
Gregoire formed the Tefal company to make Teflon coated pans in 1955, and it would be hard to find a kitchen that doesn’t contain at least one today.
When he started selling his product, did he advertise the industrial uses? Did he spread the word about the new process? No, he focused on how his wife’s idea solved a problem.
- Problem: Washing pots and pans is hard work.
- Solution: Teflon pots and pans make it easier and faster.
He sold over a million in the first year alone.
When constructing your sales pitch, explain why buying from you will solve a problem for the customer. Yes, this seems like very basic advice, but spend some time watching television, listening to the radio and paying attention to internet and email marketing. You’ll be amazed by the number of ads you see or hear that don’t address this simple aspect of sales.
No one knows what problems you can solve for customers better than you…so tell them.
Popularity: 4%
Tags: problem solving, Sales
01 Feb 08 Why Does Email Marketing Work?
On Wednesday, I talked about the question “Why use email marketing?” The simple answer was “Because it works.” However, that leaves the question “Why does it work?” unanswered.
There are a variety of factors that contribute to the overall success of email marketing, with one of the biggest being the fact that an email marketing campaign using an opt-in list is reaching a very targeted audience.
If someone signs up for your email newsletter, decides to opt-in to your list in order to take advantage of a free offer or bonus or just to simply sign up as a user on your website, they have already shown interest in what you have to offer, and more importantly, have already taken action on their interest.
This is why email marketing is its most successful when you build your list from visitors to your site. Look at it this way…if you’re selling vacuum cleaners, which group of customers is going to have a higher purchase rate: the group you saw on cold-calls, going from door-to-door trying to drum up interest, or the group that drives to your store, walks in, looks around, and asks if you can send them more information?
I would be willing to bet you would say the second group, and when someone opts-in for your email marketing, that’s exactly the group you’re talking to. They’re already interested in your product or service, or they never would have arrived at your site to opt-in to begin with. If they haven’t made a purchase yet, then your task isn’t to sell them on your offer, it’s to sell them on you.
This is where we come back to the phrase you’ve already seen repeatedly here (and will probably continue to see quite a bit)…in your email marketing, you have to offer the customer something of value…in this case, quality content. The first time a potential customer opens your email and thinks “Why did I sign up for this thing?”, you’ve lost them. The reaction you’re shooting for is “I didn’t know that! I’m glad I signed up for this!” Also, if you can provoke the second reaction from your recipients, there’s a good chance they will forward your marketing message to their friends.
And that’s the kind of marketing you can’t buy.
I don’t mean to imply that this is the only type of email marketing that works; there are those who see a nice return on their investment when purchasing an opt-in list of email addresses to use in their efforts, and it can pay off if you’re looking for a quick infusion of customers. However, you will see a smaller ROI for that method than you will if you build your list over time, so that you’re not going door-to-door in email marketing.
As with most things in business, sometimes the slow way is ultimately the best, but with an estimated ROI of over fifty dollars for every one dollar spent on email marketing, the only bad choice is to make no choice.
Popularity: 7%
