So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed?
You mustcreate a niche for your business. A niche is something that makes your business different from your competitors. To compete with other businesses nowadays (especially online) you need something that nobody else can copy. One of a kind!
First you must know who your competitors are. Is your business the onlyone of its type? I doubt it. If so, it won't be for long. Do you know your exact target audience? If not, you will have to find out this information before creating any kind of niche. Below are two ways to come up with a competition eliminating niche.
1. Just Ask! The first way to come up with a niche is to think like your target audience or customers. Know their exact needs, wants, goals, problems and interests. There're two ways to do this: The first way is toput yourself in their shoes, think like them. The second way is to give them polls and surveys to find out what they're thinking. Pick a niche that none of your competitors are using. If you can't find one that your competitorsaren't using pick one to improve.
2. Just Think! The second way to come up with a niche is to useyour brain power. Ask yourself questions like: How can I set myselfapart from my competition? What could I offer that they can't? Imagineor daydream that your business is on top of all your competitors. Whatniche put your business at the top in your head?
Now, if you keep askingthese questions your mind will eventually start shooting out more ideasthan you can handle. One of those ideas may be the niche you'researching for. Now that you have your niche that's just half the battle. You must testit. Does your niche appeal to your target audience? Will it attractpeople away from your competition? If it does, you're done, until yourcompetition comes up with a better niche.
If your niche doesn't, thanrepeat the process above and test a new niche until it works. If youwant to eliminate your competition and be successful you will use thisprocess several times in your business life.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
How To Draw Visitors To Your Web Site By holding online contests.
Holding a contest or sweepstakes can draw a lot of traffic to your Web site. You can announce your site to hundreds of Web sites that list free contests and sweepstakes.
Send out a press releases about your contest or sweepstakes. Ask entrants to your contest or sweepstakes if they would accept offers from your business in the future by e-mail.
The prizes should be something your target audience would need or want.
Try to be as original as possible with the prizes you are offering. Always offer more than one prize, a grand prize and runner-up prizes. Use your products or services to give away as prizes. Make sure your prizes have some value, nothing cheap. Give enough information about all the prizes, so people will be interested in entering.
Make it easy for people to enter your contest or sweeps- takes. I feel the easiest ways online are from an entry form on your Web site or by e-mail.
Capture as much info. as you can when they enter your contest or sweepstakes like: Company Name First/Last Name Street Address City, State, Zip Day/Evening Phone Number E-mail Address Web Site Address Purchasing History Survey Questions Give your contest or sweepstakes a professional look and feel.
Provide an "Official Rules" Web page for your contest or sweepstakes. Include a time period of how long your contest or sweepstakes will be held. Tell visitors how you will deliver the prizes. Include pictures of the prizes on your site. Tell visitors who will judge your contest. Check out other contests and sweepstakes Web sites to get more ideas.
Send out a press releases about your contest or sweepstakes. Ask entrants to your contest or sweepstakes if they would accept offers from your business in the future by e-mail.
The prizes should be something your target audience would need or want.
Try to be as original as possible with the prizes you are offering. Always offer more than one prize, a grand prize and runner-up prizes. Use your products or services to give away as prizes. Make sure your prizes have some value, nothing cheap. Give enough information about all the prizes, so people will be interested in entering.
Make it easy for people to enter your contest or sweeps- takes. I feel the easiest ways online are from an entry form on your Web site or by e-mail.
Capture as much info. as you can when they enter your contest or sweepstakes like: Company Name First/Last Name Street Address City, State, Zip Day/Evening Phone Number E-mail Address Web Site Address Purchasing History Survey Questions Give your contest or sweepstakes a professional look and feel.
Provide an "Official Rules" Web page for your contest or sweepstakes. Include a time period of how long your contest or sweepstakes will be held. Tell visitors how you will deliver the prizes. Include pictures of the prizes on your site. Tell visitors who will judge your contest. Check out other contests and sweepstakes Web sites to get more ideas.
6 Ways To Keep Your Online Customers
1. Stay In Touch
Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer
them a free e-zine subscription. Ask customers if they want
to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your
Web site. After every sale follow-up with the customer to
see if they are satisfied with their purchase.
2. Friendly Web Site
Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web
site. Have a "FAQ" page on your Web site to explain
anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill
out an electronic survey to find out how make your Web
site more customer friendly.
3. Easy And Free Communication
Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer
as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers
contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink your e-mail address so
customers won't have to type it. Offer toll free numbers for
phone and fax contacts.
4. Teach Your Employees
Make sure employees know and use your customer service
policy. Give your employees bonuses or incentives to practice
excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with
each individual customer, each one has different concerns,
needs and wants.
5. Impress Your Customer
Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank
you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail them online greeting
cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts
to customers who make a big purchase.
6. Be Nice
Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please,
Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be polite to your customers
even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to
your customers should you make a mistake. Admit your
mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a big way.
Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer
them a free e-zine subscription. Ask customers if they want
to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your
Web site. After every sale follow-up with the customer to
see if they are satisfied with their purchase.
2. Friendly Web Site
Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web
site. Have a "FAQ" page on your Web site to explain
anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill
out an electronic survey to find out how make your Web
site more customer friendly.
3. Easy And Free Communication
Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer
as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers
contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink your e-mail address so
customers won't have to type it. Offer toll free numbers for
phone and fax contacts.
4. Teach Your Employees
Make sure employees know and use your customer service
policy. Give your employees bonuses or incentives to practice
excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with
each individual customer, each one has different concerns,
needs and wants.
5. Impress Your Customer
Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank
you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail them online greeting
cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts
to customers who make a big purchase.
6. Be Nice
Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please,
Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be polite to your customers
even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to
your customers should you make a mistake. Admit your
mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a big way.
Monday, November 24, 2008
10 Things You Should Try To Barter For Before Buying
1. Information Products - it could be ebooks, "howto" videos, cassettes, magazines, newsletters, paide-zines, courses, etc.
2. Advertising Space - it could be banner ads, ezineads, ebook ads, magazine ads, newspaper ads, tvads, fax ads, online classified ads, etc.
3. Web Hosting - you could offer a free advertisementfor their web hosting service on your site in return forfree or discounted hosting.
4. Software - it could be for tax software, web siteauthoring software, accounting software, newslettersoftware, graphic design software, etc.
5. Writing/Editing - it could be for web site content,promotional articles, press releases, e-zine articles,promotional ebooks, etc.
6. Accounting/Bookeeping - you could offer a nocost advertisement in exchange for their accountingand booking services
7. Consulting - it could be market consulting, legalconsulting, computer/software consulting, businessconsulting, etc.
8. Copy writing - it could be for brochures, businesscards, classified ads, sales letters, product packages,banner ads, promotional products, etc.
9. Merchant Accounts - you could offer no costinsert ads in your product packages in exchange forthe option of accepting credit cards.
10. Internet Access - you could offer a no costpop up ad on your web site in exchange for free ordiscounted Internet access.
2. Advertising Space - it could be banner ads, ezineads, ebook ads, magazine ads, newspaper ads, tvads, fax ads, online classified ads, etc.
3. Web Hosting - you could offer a free advertisementfor their web hosting service on your site in return forfree or discounted hosting.
4. Software - it could be for tax software, web siteauthoring software, accounting software, newslettersoftware, graphic design software, etc.
5. Writing/Editing - it could be for web site content,promotional articles, press releases, e-zine articles,promotional ebooks, etc.
6. Accounting/Bookeeping - you could offer a nocost advertisement in exchange for their accountingand booking services
7. Consulting - it could be market consulting, legalconsulting, computer/software consulting, businessconsulting, etc.
8. Copy writing - it could be for brochures, businesscards, classified ads, sales letters, product packages,banner ads, promotional products, etc.
9. Merchant Accounts - you could offer no costinsert ads in your product packages in exchange forthe option of accepting credit cards.
10. Internet Access - you could offer a no costpop up ad on your web site in exchange for free ordiscounted Internet access.
Monday, November 10, 2008
FOUR ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO GAIN LIFETIME CUSTOMER
4 Alternative Ways To Gain Lifetime CustomersCopyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
You will always have more people that turn downyour offer than actually buy. They might not havebought because of your price, payment options,or any other possible reason. You will just end uploosing all these potential lifetime customers.However, there are many ways you can minimizethe loss of these prospects.
One way is to accept barter offers for your product.Maybe the person can't afford to buy your product.They may have something you could use in yourbusiness or personal life. If the barter deal isn't fairenough, either of you could add in some cash. Youmay not make money but, they might buy otherproducts you offer.Another way is to include a negotiation offer at theend of your ad copy. Tell your reader if there issomething they don't like about your offer, theycould contact you and negotiate a different buyingoffer. They may not like your price, guarantee,shipping methods, payment options, etc.
You cangain a potential lifetime customer by being flexiblewith your offer and negotiating instead of loosingthem.A simple way to attract lifetime customers wouldbe to give people a freebie. The freebie should berelated to the other products or services you sell.You may not be getting paid for the freebie, butyou will get a lot more people using one of yourproducts because it is free. If they are impressedby your free product there is a high chance they'llbuy your other products in the future.
The last way is to sell your product at the price itcosts you to produce or buy it. You will usuallysell more products at a lower price than yourcompetition which equals more potential lifetimecustomers. You will break even in cost but you'llmake your profit from the upsell and backendproducts your sell your lifetime customers.
You will always have more people that turn downyour offer than actually buy. They might not havebought because of your price, payment options,or any other possible reason. You will just end uploosing all these potential lifetime customers.However, there are many ways you can minimizethe loss of these prospects.
One way is to accept barter offers for your product.Maybe the person can't afford to buy your product.They may have something you could use in yourbusiness or personal life. If the barter deal isn't fairenough, either of you could add in some cash. Youmay not make money but, they might buy otherproducts you offer.Another way is to include a negotiation offer at theend of your ad copy. Tell your reader if there issomething they don't like about your offer, theycould contact you and negotiate a different buyingoffer. They may not like your price, guarantee,shipping methods, payment options, etc.
You cangain a potential lifetime customer by being flexiblewith your offer and negotiating instead of loosingthem.A simple way to attract lifetime customers wouldbe to give people a freebie. The freebie should berelated to the other products or services you sell.You may not be getting paid for the freebie, butyou will get a lot more people using one of yourproducts because it is free. If they are impressedby your free product there is a high chance they'llbuy your other products in the future.
The last way is to sell your product at the price itcosts you to produce or buy it. You will usuallysell more products at a lower price than yourcompetition which equals more potential lifetimecustomers. You will break even in cost but you'llmake your profit from the upsell and backendproducts your sell your lifetime customers.
TEN WAYS TO GET AVALANCHE OF SALES
1. Utilize holidays to increase your visitors or sales.You could give away free electronic greeting cards,hold discounts, send customers holiday cards, etc.
2. Become well known by speaking or chatting atseminars. The seminars could be held offline, ina chat room, by telephone or via e-mail.
3. Start a free ebook club on your web site. Peoplecould sign up to receive a free ebook from you eachmonth. Just include your product ad in the ebooks.
4. Give away your products or expertise to internetbusiness newbies. Just ask them in return to placeyour link on their web site.
5. Trigger your visitors to buy your products by usingcolors. You should totally relax and think about whichcolors would compel prospects to order.
6. Let your past offline customers know about yourweb site. When they visit and sign up to your e-zineit will remind them to shop at your online store.
7. Create a long term relationship with your entirecustomer base. You can stay in touch with themthrough an e-zine, with greeting cards, etc.
8. Repeat the 3 most powerful or appealing benefitsthroughout your ad copy. Repetition can brand yourproduct's benefits quicker in your prospects mind.
9. Give your new customers surprise free gifts. Thiswill increase their loyalty and give you more word ofmouth advertising.
10. Make your long ad copy interesting enough sopeople click through to the next web page. If it's not,they won't take the time to click and read more.
2. Become well known by speaking or chatting atseminars. The seminars could be held offline, ina chat room, by telephone or via e-mail.
3. Start a free ebook club on your web site. Peoplecould sign up to receive a free ebook from you eachmonth. Just include your product ad in the ebooks.
4. Give away your products or expertise to internetbusiness newbies. Just ask them in return to placeyour link on their web site.
5. Trigger your visitors to buy your products by usingcolors. You should totally relax and think about whichcolors would compel prospects to order.
6. Let your past offline customers know about yourweb site. When they visit and sign up to your e-zineit will remind them to shop at your online store.
7. Create a long term relationship with your entirecustomer base. You can stay in touch with themthrough an e-zine, with greeting cards, etc.
8. Repeat the 3 most powerful or appealing benefitsthroughout your ad copy. Repetition can brand yourproduct's benefits quicker in your prospects mind.
9. Give your new customers surprise free gifts. Thiswill increase their loyalty and give you more word ofmouth advertising.
10. Make your long ad copy interesting enough sopeople click through to the next web page. If it's not,they won't take the time to click and read more.
Friday, October 24, 2008
WAYS TO PERSUADE YOUR WEB VISITORS TO GIVE YOU THEIR EMAIL
1.Ask visitors to subscribe to your e-zine. It's agood idea to also give them a freebie when theysubscribe.
2. Have them sign-up to get access to downloada free ebook. The subject of the ebook shouldbe related to your target audience.
3. Give your visitors a free membership insideyour member's only web site. Have them sign-upto receive a user name and password.
4. Hold a free contest or sweepstakes at yourweb site. Ask them to give you their contactinformation to enter.
5. Offer your visitors free consulting via e-mail.Have them fill out a web form to e-mail you withtheir questions.
6. Hold an interactive poll on your web site. Askyour visitors to e-mail you their vote or opinion.
7. Ask your visitors to sign-up for a chance toget a web site award. Have them e-mail you theircontact and web site information.
8. Have visitors fill out a survey on your web site.Give them a free gift as an incentive to completethe form.
9. Offer a free online service from your web site.Have visitors fill out their contact information tosign-up to the free service.
10. Ask visitors to sign your guest book. Tellthem they will get a free gift in return.
11. Offer a free affiliate program for your visitors.They will have to sign-up in order to receivemarketing materials and commissions.
12. Allow visitors to submit a free classified adon your web site. Require them to give a valide-mail address in order to post an ad.
13. Give people who visit your web site a freecourse sent via autoresponder. Just ask them tofill out their contact information to receive the freecourse.
14. Offer your visitors free software to download.Have them sign-up to get an access code to unlockthe software.
2. Have them sign-up to get access to downloada free ebook. The subject of the ebook shouldbe related to your target audience.
3. Give your visitors a free membership insideyour member's only web site. Have them sign-upto receive a user name and password.
4. Hold a free contest or sweepstakes at yourweb site. Ask them to give you their contactinformation to enter.
5. Offer your visitors free consulting via e-mail.Have them fill out a web form to e-mail you withtheir questions.
6. Hold an interactive poll on your web site. Askyour visitors to e-mail you their vote or opinion.
7. Ask your visitors to sign-up for a chance toget a web site award. Have them e-mail you theircontact and web site information.
8. Have visitors fill out a survey on your web site.Give them a free gift as an incentive to completethe form.
9. Offer a free online service from your web site.Have visitors fill out their contact information tosign-up to the free service.
10. Ask visitors to sign your guest book. Tellthem they will get a free gift in return.
11. Offer a free affiliate program for your visitors.They will have to sign-up in order to receivemarketing materials and commissions.
12. Allow visitors to submit a free classified adon your web site. Require them to give a valide-mail address in order to post an ad.
13. Give people who visit your web site a freecourse sent via autoresponder. Just ask them tofill out their contact information to receive the freecourse.
14. Offer your visitors free software to download.Have them sign-up to get an access code to unlockthe software.
UPBEAT YOUR SALES THIS WAY
1. Email each visitor a satisfaction questionnaireafter they purchase. This will allow you to improveyour order system, customer service, site, etc.
2. Give a percentage of your profits to a cause yourcustomers would like. It could be a charity, school,environmental improvements, etc.
3. Take harsh criticism the right way and improveyour online business. Don't get down in the dumps,improve the situation so it doesn't happen again.
4. Try bartering before you buy services, suppliesand equipment for your business. You can use theextra money you save on advertising your business.
5. Give away a follow-up email course on an auto-responder. Include your ad with each lesson. Peoplewill buy quicker when they see your ad repeatedly.
6. Make sure your classified ads don't sound likean ad. Don't ask people to buy anything or theywon't click, give something away instead.
7. Give your free bonus products extra perceivedvalue. Don't use the phrase "free bonuses" use thephrase "you will also get".
8. Keep your visitors on your web site longer. Thelonger they stay, the greater chance they will buy.Just hold a treasure hunt contest on your web site.
9. Make sure you're always creating new productsand services or improving old ones. Most productsor services won't stand the test of time online.
10. Split the cost of online advertising and marketingby sharing a web site with a similar, non-competingbusiness. You would both put up half the cost.
2. Give a percentage of your profits to a cause yourcustomers would like. It could be a charity, school,environmental improvements, etc.
3. Take harsh criticism the right way and improveyour online business. Don't get down in the dumps,improve the situation so it doesn't happen again.
4. Try bartering before you buy services, suppliesand equipment for your business. You can use theextra money you save on advertising your business.
5. Give away a follow-up email course on an auto-responder. Include your ad with each lesson. Peoplewill buy quicker when they see your ad repeatedly.
6. Make sure your classified ads don't sound likean ad. Don't ask people to buy anything or theywon't click, give something away instead.
7. Give your free bonus products extra perceivedvalue. Don't use the phrase "free bonuses" use thephrase "you will also get".
8. Keep your visitors on your web site longer. Thelonger they stay, the greater chance they will buy.Just hold a treasure hunt contest on your web site.
9. Make sure you're always creating new productsand services or improving old ones. Most productsor services won't stand the test of time online.
10. Split the cost of online advertising and marketingby sharing a web site with a similar, non-competingbusiness. You would both put up half the cost.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
10 WAYS TO INCREASE SALES BY PROMOTING YOURSELFCopyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
People will feel more comfortable purchasing yourproducts if you give them a little information aboutyourself or business. The information could be yourprofile, employee profiles, overall business history,education credentials, awards you've won, etc.Below are 10 ways you can use to promote yourself.
1. Teach a free chat room class on a subject relatedto your business. You could install a chat room onyour web site or use a free one from another web site.Before the class starts tell them a little about yourself.
2. Publish a free e-zine. Use some of the extra spacein your e-zine to write about yourself or business. Thiscould be called "A Note From the Editor".
3. Publish a section on your web site called "AboutUs". With your information you could also includepictures. This shows people your not hiding behindyour business.
4. Write an article on your area of expertise. Includea resource box at the end of the article. You can addinformation about yourself in the resource box. E-mailthe article to web sites or e-zines that accept articlesubmissions.
5. Create and giveaway a free ebook. In the ebookinclude a section called "About The Author". Also,include an advertisement for your business.
6. Participate in online communities like newsgroups,discussion boards, e-mail discussion lists and chatrooms. You will meet many people and in return theywill get to know you.
7. Donate your time, products, or services to charities.You can list the charities you've contributed to on yourweb site. This will show visitors that you and yourbusiness care about others.
8. Promote yourself offline; teach a free class offline,speak at business seminars, join a business club orassociation. Assemble fundraisers for charity. Theseare just few ideas to promote yourself offline.
9. Offer free consulting to your visitors. You could doit via e-mail or phone. They will get to know you andfeel more comfortable buying your products.
10. Publish information about yourself and businesshistory in your ad copy. While people are reading itthey begin to trust you and your business. Don't overdo it though, you want to keep them interested inyour product.
People will feel more comfortable purchasing yourproducts if you give them a little information aboutyourself or business. The information could be yourprofile, employee profiles, overall business history,education credentials, awards you've won, etc.Below are 10 ways you can use to promote yourself.
1. Teach a free chat room class on a subject relatedto your business. You could install a chat room onyour web site or use a free one from another web site.Before the class starts tell them a little about yourself.
2. Publish a free e-zine. Use some of the extra spacein your e-zine to write about yourself or business. Thiscould be called "A Note From the Editor".
3. Publish a section on your web site called "AboutUs". With your information you could also includepictures. This shows people your not hiding behindyour business.
4. Write an article on your area of expertise. Includea resource box at the end of the article. You can addinformation about yourself in the resource box. E-mailthe article to web sites or e-zines that accept articlesubmissions.
5. Create and giveaway a free ebook. In the ebookinclude a section called "About The Author". Also,include an advertisement for your business.
6. Participate in online communities like newsgroups,discussion boards, e-mail discussion lists and chatrooms. You will meet many people and in return theywill get to know you.
7. Donate your time, products, or services to charities.You can list the charities you've contributed to on yourweb site. This will show visitors that you and yourbusiness care about others.
8. Promote yourself offline; teach a free class offline,speak at business seminars, join a business club orassociation. Assemble fundraisers for charity. Theseare just few ideas to promote yourself offline.
9. Offer free consulting to your visitors. You could doit via e-mail or phone. They will get to know you andfeel more comfortable buying your products.
10. Publish information about yourself and businesshistory in your ad copy. While people are reading itthey begin to trust you and your business. Don't overdo it though, you want to keep them interested inyour product.
10 WAYS TO OUTSELL YOUR COMPETITION.
The keys to outselling your competition is to compareyour product to theirs. When you find the differencesbetween products, use your findings to improveyour product. Below are 10 things you can compareand improve upon to outsell your competition.
1. Price- Can you offer a lower price? Can you offera higher price and increase the perceived value ofyour product? Do you offer easier payment optionsthan your competition?
2. Packaging- Can you package your product moreattractively? Do the colors of your package relate toyour product? Can you package your product intoa smaller or larger package?
3. Delivery- Can you offering cheaper shipping? Doyou have a high enough profit margin to offer freeshipping? Can you ship your products faster?
4. Benefits- Can you offer more benefits than yourcompetition? Are your benefits stronger? Do youhave believable proof that supports your claims?
5. Quality- Is your product built and tested to lastlonger than your competition? Can you improve theoverall quality of your product?
6. Performance- Can you make your product fasterat solving your customers problem? Is your producteasier to use than your competitions?
7. Features- Can you offer more product featuresthan your competition? Do your features support thebenefits you offer?8. Availability- Is your product always available ordo your have to backorder it? Can your productsuppliers drop ship to your customers?
9. Extras- Do you provided free bonuses when yourcustomers buy your product? Are your bonuses morevaluable than your competitions?
10. Service- Do you offer your customers free 24hour customer service? Can you provide free productrepair? Does your competition make their customerstalk to a machine?
1. Price- Can you offer a lower price? Can you offera higher price and increase the perceived value ofyour product? Do you offer easier payment optionsthan your competition?
2. Packaging- Can you package your product moreattractively? Do the colors of your package relate toyour product? Can you package your product intoa smaller or larger package?
3. Delivery- Can you offering cheaper shipping? Doyou have a high enough profit margin to offer freeshipping? Can you ship your products faster?
4. Benefits- Can you offer more benefits than yourcompetition? Are your benefits stronger? Do youhave believable proof that supports your claims?
5. Quality- Is your product built and tested to lastlonger than your competition? Can you improve theoverall quality of your product?
6. Performance- Can you make your product fasterat solving your customers problem? Is your producteasier to use than your competitions?
7. Features- Can you offer more product featuresthan your competition? Do your features support thebenefits you offer?8. Availability- Is your product always available ordo your have to backorder it? Can your productsuppliers drop ship to your customers?
9. Extras- Do you provided free bonuses when yourcustomers buy your product? Are your bonuses morevaluable than your competitions?
10. Service- Do you offer your customers free 24hour customer service? Can you provide free productrepair? Does your competition make their customerstalk to a machine?
Monday, October 13, 2008
10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas
1. Solve an existing problem for people.
There arethousands of problems in the world. Create a productthat can provide a solution to one of those problems.
2. Find out what's the current hot trend. You can findout what the new trends are by watching TV, readingmagazines and surfing the net. Just create a productthat's related to the current hot trend.
3. Improve a product that is already on the market.You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Justtake a product that's already out there and improve it.
4. Create a new niche for a current product. You canset yourself apart from your competition by creating aniche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller,or quicker than you competitor's product.
5. Add on to an existing product. You could packageyour current product with other related products. Forexample, you could package a football with a teamjersey and football cards.
6. Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have abook that's out of print and is no longer being sold.You could change the title, design a new front cover,and bring some of the old content up to date.
7. Ask your current customers. You could contactsome of your existing customers by phone or e-mailand ask them what kind of new products they wouldlike to see on the market.
8. Combine two or more products together to createa new one. For example, you could take a brief caseand add a thermos compartment inside to keep adrink hot or cold.
9. Survey the people who visit your web site. Youcould post a survey or questionnaire on your web site.Ask visitors what kind of products they would like tosee on the market.
10. You could create a new market for your existingproduct. For example, if you're selling plastic bottlesto a pop company, you could turn around and sellthose bottles to a fruit drink company.
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
There arethousands of problems in the world. Create a productthat can provide a solution to one of those problems.
2. Find out what's the current hot trend. You can findout what the new trends are by watching TV, readingmagazines and surfing the net. Just create a productthat's related to the current hot trend.
3. Improve a product that is already on the market.You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Justtake a product that's already out there and improve it.
4. Create a new niche for a current product. You canset yourself apart from your competition by creating aniche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller,or quicker than you competitor's product.
5. Add on to an existing product. You could packageyour current product with other related products. Forexample, you could package a football with a teamjersey and football cards.
6. Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have abook that's out of print and is no longer being sold.You could change the title, design a new front cover,and bring some of the old content up to date.
7. Ask your current customers. You could contactsome of your existing customers by phone or e-mailand ask them what kind of new products they wouldlike to see on the market.
8. Combine two or more products together to createa new one. For example, you could take a brief caseand add a thermos compartment inside to keep adrink hot or cold.
9. Survey the people who visit your web site. Youcould post a survey or questionnaire on your web site.Ask visitors what kind of products they would like tosee on the market.
10. You could create a new market for your existingproduct. For example, if you're selling plastic bottlesto a pop company, you could turn around and sellthose bottles to a fruit drink company.
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
10 WAYS TO CATAPULT YOUR SALES
1. Swap endorsement advertisements with otherweb sites. Endorsement ads usually pull more salesand traffic than regular advertisements.
2. Outsource part of your workload to save timeand money. You can spend more of your time andmoney promoting your business.
3. Include a signature file on all the e-mails you sendout. Provide your business name, phone number,e-mail and web address,etc.
4. Use pictures or graphics on your web site thatsupport the product you're selling. They could giveyour visitors a clearer vision of your product.
5. Create a friendly, long term relationship with allyour customers. Practice good customer serviceand follow-up with them on a regular basis.
6. Create strategic alliances with other web sites.You could exchange banner ads, sell each other'sproducts as backend products, cross promote, etc.
7. Increase the perceived value of your product toskyrocket your sales. Add on free bonuses, after-sale services or an affiliate program.
8. Give customers a discount on their total orderto increase sales. You could give them a discountfor ordering over a set dollar or product amount.
9. Allow your visitors to reprint the content on yourweb site. Just ask them in exchange to include yourresource box and a link to your site.
10. Provide a free contest or sweepstakes at yourweb site. It's a fact, people like to win things. If youcan fulfill that need, people will visit
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
2. Outsource part of your workload to save timeand money. You can spend more of your time andmoney promoting your business.
3. Include a signature file on all the e-mails you sendout. Provide your business name, phone number,e-mail and web address,etc.
4. Use pictures or graphics on your web site thatsupport the product you're selling. They could giveyour visitors a clearer vision of your product.
5. Create a friendly, long term relationship with allyour customers. Practice good customer serviceand follow-up with them on a regular basis.
6. Create strategic alliances with other web sites.You could exchange banner ads, sell each other'sproducts as backend products, cross promote, etc.
7. Increase the perceived value of your product toskyrocket your sales. Add on free bonuses, after-sale services or an affiliate program.
8. Give customers a discount on their total orderto increase sales. You could give them a discountfor ordering over a set dollar or product amount.
9. Allow your visitors to reprint the content on yourweb site. Just ask them in exchange to include yourresource box and a link to your site.
10. Provide a free contest or sweepstakes at yourweb site. It's a fact, people like to win things. If youcan fulfill that need, people will visit
Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guyhttp://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-21778
ARE YOU MAKING ANY OF THESE MISTAKES WHEN TRYING TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS
You don't properly identify your product or service’s universe.
Most business owners make the mistake of not identifying their universe when starting a business. What's worse is that many business owners never take the time to learn about their universe and learn the hard way, that it may not be large enough to support their business. There is a simple way to properly identify your universe and learn if it's profitable prior to implementing your marketing strategies.
2. You don't target your market within your universe.
Not targeting your market is probably a business' greatest mistake. How could you attract the maximum number of customers if you don't know who wants or needs your product or service? If I ask 10 business owners who their specific market is, I would get answers like: "anyone who breathes."
You should only address your target market and NO ONE ELSE. Why should you advertise or market to the masses, when you can focus your energy and marketing budget on only those who wants or needs your product or service. Before implementing any marketing strategy, ensure that you know who your intended market is, and how you can approach them. There is a simple method for accomplishing this, but before I tell you, let's proceed to the next customer attraction mistake.
3. You don't take the time to create your Unique Selling Proposition.
Your Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Advantage as some may call it is a statement or slogan you can create that tells your prospective customer what’s different and unique about your company, that they should do business with you instead of the competition.
I always hear things like: "We have great customer satisfaction" or, "We're the best." What exactly does that mean to the prospect? These statements are not only vague, but totally overused in the business world. Your USP can make the difference between your company making $100,000 or $1,000,000 every year.
I'll give you one great example of a company that went from nothing to something in no time flat. Have you heard this one? "When it definitely, positively needs to be there overnight--Guaranteed." Yes, FedEx has come a long way, but that USP in a time that no one guaranteed overnight delivery, paved the way for the company, and is now a multi-billion dollar company. How about, "Your pizza delivered hot and fresh in 30 minutes or less--or it's free. "Dominos went from number 7 in the United States to number 2 within 7 months. Was it the USP alone? Maybe not, but it had a lot to do with it. There is a simple way to create your own USP. I'll show you that and more.
4. Your company does not portray a professional company image.
Let me ask you a question...who designed your company's brochure? How about your web site? Whether it's something as simple as your business card, letterhead, yourself, your team, your office, your product or service, you need to portray the most positive, professional image imaginable.
I recently went to a networking meeting and met a Financial Planner who handed me a very slick and professional pocket folder. Within the folder were print outs of services he offered. The printouts seemed to come from his inkjet printer, and the sell sheets illustrated clipart images of animated individuals. The paper was ordinary 80 lb. white, non-glossy. Here's the problem--this is a person who's image should say, "Let me handle your finances, and I'll make your rich!" Instead, the message I perceived was, "I can only afford the slick pocket folder, but I was too broke to finish the job."
Why would I want to give him any business? He's probably a Genius when it comes to investing and making me money, but I'll never know this because he misrepresented his abilities. I don't know if you're aware, but your prospects base 55% of their decision on physiology. If you don't portray the right image, your prospect may judge you negatively.
This does not mean that you must only look professional, you should also look honest, clean, intelligent, humble, energetic, down to earth, or any way that will make your prospect feel comfortable and trustworthy.
Consider this in all aspects of your business. If you try to cut corners, you may lose more than you can possibly imagine.
5. You don't calculate and learn the Life Time Value of your customer.
I can't begin to tell you how often I run into business owners who don't even know what LTV is and how it drastically impacts their marketing plan and their ability to attract customers. The Life Time Value of a customer is the amount of money your customer will spend on your product or service over the lifetime of dealing with you.
For example: A customer buys a cup of coffee and donut at their favorite coffee shop every morning on the way to work. He spends $2.00 every time. Let's say he does this for three, four maybe five years before he either moves, loses his job, or finds another coffee shop. How much money is that customer worth? $2 x 5 business days x 50 working weeks x 5 years = $2,500.
$2,500 on coffee and a donut alone. It's a sure bet that he will spend additional funds on other wants and needs in his customer lifetime. Each industry has a cycle. Each has it's own LTV. You can make the same calculation for your business. If you don't know this information, there is a very easy way to find out. Once you know, you'll be able to optimize your marketing efforts with strategies that will double or triple customer attraction, without increasing expenses. I'll show you exactly how, in many different ways.
6. You don't take advantage of free publicity.
Did you know that you can advertise for free in major newspapers across America? I'm sure you've heard of press releases. It's a way to get your company's products or services publicized to your target market. The problem is, that most businesses do it all wrong, if at all. There is a way to get your stories published completely free in as many relevant periodicals you wish.
There are thousands of publications locally and nationwide that will publish your information--if you do something that not many business owners know how to do. You must educate your prospect. You must also make it timely, and something of interest to the readers of the publication. What you must NOT do, is make it look like a sales letter. Once you have a good story, you can submit it to press release services through out the nation, or submit it directly to the publication.
Press releases is just one of dozens of great free ways to get your name out there. I've listed another dozen effective ways to take advantage of free publicity on the Internet and off, within this site.
7. You don't create irresistible offers.
Most business owners think that offering a five or ten percent discount to try their product or service is enough to attract customers. What you don't know is that you don't have to lose money to make money. You can create irresistible offers by simply removing the risk to doing business with you, offering a guarantee of any type, and making it easier for them to do business with you. If you are going to give a discount as an enticement, then you should make it a heck of an offer. Offer 15%, 30% or even 50% off. If you know your LTV, you'll feel confident offering any type of discount if you choose to do so. There's a specific formula you should follow when making irresistible offers. Once you learn this very simple formula, you'll know exactly what to offer, when and why.
8. You haven't created and implemented a systematic referral system. Everyone knows that referrals, or word-of-mouth advertising is the least expensive, yet most powerful way to attract more customers. However, most business owner use the wait-and-see approach to getting referrals.
The number one mistake? You don't ask for referrals! You should have a referral system in place so that every time you attract a new customer, you'll automatically attract 2-3 more. A good referral system will do just that--it will multiply the number of customers you attract by simply asking. We'll go over many variations of referral systems, and how to best implement them.
9. You don't have an effective tracking system for all your marketing and advertising efforts.
Do you know how may of your existing customers came to you because of your yellow page ad? How about how many came from your newspaper ad, or direct mail piece? It's easy to track responses on the Internet, but not as easy in the real world. If you're not tracking, you're throwing away a lot of money. Whether it's Internet Marketing, or traditional marketing, tracking your responses will help you understand which ads are working, and which are not. Which media is working and which has got to go.
Tracking is the first step. You must also have the right tools to do so, and then have to decipher your results and figure out what's working and what's not. Whatever is working you keep. What ever is not working, you get rid of...it's as simple as that. How do you what's working or not? I'll explain it all to you very soon.
10. You don't constantly educate yourself, and your prospective customer.
How can you educate your prospect without first educating yourself? I don't mean that you should go back to school. What I mean is that you should learn as much about your product or service as possible. Most importantly, you must know how to attract the maximum amount of customers as possible because without customers, your knowledge will fall on deaf ears. How can you constantly educate yourself on harnessing the power of maximum customer attraction? You simply enroll as a member of the HowToAttractCustomers.com community.
Most business owners make the mistake of not identifying their universe when starting a business. What's worse is that many business owners never take the time to learn about their universe and learn the hard way, that it may not be large enough to support their business. There is a simple way to properly identify your universe and learn if it's profitable prior to implementing your marketing strategies.
2. You don't target your market within your universe.
Not targeting your market is probably a business' greatest mistake. How could you attract the maximum number of customers if you don't know who wants or needs your product or service? If I ask 10 business owners who their specific market is, I would get answers like: "anyone who breathes."
You should only address your target market and NO ONE ELSE. Why should you advertise or market to the masses, when you can focus your energy and marketing budget on only those who wants or needs your product or service. Before implementing any marketing strategy, ensure that you know who your intended market is, and how you can approach them. There is a simple method for accomplishing this, but before I tell you, let's proceed to the next customer attraction mistake.
3. You don't take the time to create your Unique Selling Proposition.
Your Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Advantage as some may call it is a statement or slogan you can create that tells your prospective customer what’s different and unique about your company, that they should do business with you instead of the competition.
I always hear things like: "We have great customer satisfaction" or, "We're the best." What exactly does that mean to the prospect? These statements are not only vague, but totally overused in the business world. Your USP can make the difference between your company making $100,000 or $1,000,000 every year.
I'll give you one great example of a company that went from nothing to something in no time flat. Have you heard this one? "When it definitely, positively needs to be there overnight--Guaranteed." Yes, FedEx has come a long way, but that USP in a time that no one guaranteed overnight delivery, paved the way for the company, and is now a multi-billion dollar company. How about, "Your pizza delivered hot and fresh in 30 minutes or less--or it's free. "Dominos went from number 7 in the United States to number 2 within 7 months. Was it the USP alone? Maybe not, but it had a lot to do with it. There is a simple way to create your own USP. I'll show you that and more.
4. Your company does not portray a professional company image.
Let me ask you a question...who designed your company's brochure? How about your web site? Whether it's something as simple as your business card, letterhead, yourself, your team, your office, your product or service, you need to portray the most positive, professional image imaginable.
I recently went to a networking meeting and met a Financial Planner who handed me a very slick and professional pocket folder. Within the folder were print outs of services he offered. The printouts seemed to come from his inkjet printer, and the sell sheets illustrated clipart images of animated individuals. The paper was ordinary 80 lb. white, non-glossy. Here's the problem--this is a person who's image should say, "Let me handle your finances, and I'll make your rich!" Instead, the message I perceived was, "I can only afford the slick pocket folder, but I was too broke to finish the job."
Why would I want to give him any business? He's probably a Genius when it comes to investing and making me money, but I'll never know this because he misrepresented his abilities. I don't know if you're aware, but your prospects base 55% of their decision on physiology. If you don't portray the right image, your prospect may judge you negatively.
This does not mean that you must only look professional, you should also look honest, clean, intelligent, humble, energetic, down to earth, or any way that will make your prospect feel comfortable and trustworthy.
Consider this in all aspects of your business. If you try to cut corners, you may lose more than you can possibly imagine.
5. You don't calculate and learn the Life Time Value of your customer.
I can't begin to tell you how often I run into business owners who don't even know what LTV is and how it drastically impacts their marketing plan and their ability to attract customers. The Life Time Value of a customer is the amount of money your customer will spend on your product or service over the lifetime of dealing with you.
For example: A customer buys a cup of coffee and donut at their favorite coffee shop every morning on the way to work. He spends $2.00 every time. Let's say he does this for three, four maybe five years before he either moves, loses his job, or finds another coffee shop. How much money is that customer worth? $2 x 5 business days x 50 working weeks x 5 years = $2,500.
$2,500 on coffee and a donut alone. It's a sure bet that he will spend additional funds on other wants and needs in his customer lifetime. Each industry has a cycle. Each has it's own LTV. You can make the same calculation for your business. If you don't know this information, there is a very easy way to find out. Once you know, you'll be able to optimize your marketing efforts with strategies that will double or triple customer attraction, without increasing expenses. I'll show you exactly how, in many different ways.
6. You don't take advantage of free publicity.
Did you know that you can advertise for free in major newspapers across America? I'm sure you've heard of press releases. It's a way to get your company's products or services publicized to your target market. The problem is, that most businesses do it all wrong, if at all. There is a way to get your stories published completely free in as many relevant periodicals you wish.
There are thousands of publications locally and nationwide that will publish your information--if you do something that not many business owners know how to do. You must educate your prospect. You must also make it timely, and something of interest to the readers of the publication. What you must NOT do, is make it look like a sales letter. Once you have a good story, you can submit it to press release services through out the nation, or submit it directly to the publication.
Press releases is just one of dozens of great free ways to get your name out there. I've listed another dozen effective ways to take advantage of free publicity on the Internet and off, within this site.
7. You don't create irresistible offers.
Most business owners think that offering a five or ten percent discount to try their product or service is enough to attract customers. What you don't know is that you don't have to lose money to make money. You can create irresistible offers by simply removing the risk to doing business with you, offering a guarantee of any type, and making it easier for them to do business with you. If you are going to give a discount as an enticement, then you should make it a heck of an offer. Offer 15%, 30% or even 50% off. If you know your LTV, you'll feel confident offering any type of discount if you choose to do so. There's a specific formula you should follow when making irresistible offers. Once you learn this very simple formula, you'll know exactly what to offer, when and why.
8. You haven't created and implemented a systematic referral system. Everyone knows that referrals, or word-of-mouth advertising is the least expensive, yet most powerful way to attract more customers. However, most business owner use the wait-and-see approach to getting referrals.
The number one mistake? You don't ask for referrals! You should have a referral system in place so that every time you attract a new customer, you'll automatically attract 2-3 more. A good referral system will do just that--it will multiply the number of customers you attract by simply asking. We'll go over many variations of referral systems, and how to best implement them.
9. You don't have an effective tracking system for all your marketing and advertising efforts.
Do you know how may of your existing customers came to you because of your yellow page ad? How about how many came from your newspaper ad, or direct mail piece? It's easy to track responses on the Internet, but not as easy in the real world. If you're not tracking, you're throwing away a lot of money. Whether it's Internet Marketing, or traditional marketing, tracking your responses will help you understand which ads are working, and which are not. Which media is working and which has got to go.
Tracking is the first step. You must also have the right tools to do so, and then have to decipher your results and figure out what's working and what's not. Whatever is working you keep. What ever is not working, you get rid of...it's as simple as that. How do you what's working or not? I'll explain it all to you very soon.
10. You don't constantly educate yourself, and your prospective customer.
How can you educate your prospect without first educating yourself? I don't mean that you should go back to school. What I mean is that you should learn as much about your product or service as possible. Most importantly, you must know how to attract the maximum amount of customers as possible because without customers, your knowledge will fall on deaf ears. How can you constantly educate yourself on harnessing the power of maximum customer attraction? You simply enroll as a member of the HowToAttractCustomers.com community.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL INTERNET HOME BASED BUSINESS
Creating a successful internet home based business is not as hard as you might think.
An online business is not much different than an offline business, other than the fact that it is cheaper to operate due to low overhead. Another big plus is you can run it from your home in your underwear if you like.
To run a successful business online or off you need a plan or a blueprint for success. I am going to share with you a simple 5 step guide that will allow anyone to establish a successful internet home based business. These 5 keys are essential to winning the internet game. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! There are a ton of crooks out there that are trying to take your money with "get rich quick" promises. Let me tell you from personal experience it just does not happen, unless you hit the lottery or a rich relative dies.
Let's get started building your internet home based business empire, shall we?
1. RESEARCH
This is vital to any business and an internet business is NO different. If you already have a product or service then you are one step ahead of the game. If you do not have a product then think about the things that you have an interest or a passion for. It is always easier to market items that you have an interest in. If you have some ideas then it is time for some keyword research. For you internet "newbies", keywords are the words that people use to search for items and information over the internet.
You can use a free tool from Overture at inventory.overture.com - notice that there is NO http or www in that URL. This handy little tool will tell us how many times a keyword has been searched for on the web in the last month. I am an example person so I will give you one. If you are interested in "health and fitness", then type that into the Overture keyword search tool and it will show you all the other related keywords for "health and fitness" and tell you how many times they have been searched for in one month.
Preferably, you want a keyword that is highly searched for because that means it is in demand. The only drawback to that is it could also be a highly competitive market. What we want to look for are keywords that are heavily searched for, but have very little competition. How many times a keyword is searched for is equal to the demand factor in a supply and demand ratio.
So next you need to go to Google and do some more research. Don't you just love research! After you have pulled up Google, type your main keyword into the search box and find out how many results you get for that keyword. You can equate this number to supply factor in our supply and demand ratio.
The higher the supply (search results=number of competing sites) compared to demand (the number of times a keyword is searched for) the harder it is going to be to become successful in that market. That does not mean that is can't be done it is just going to be tougher. Ideally we want a lower ratio of competing sites vs. keyword search results.
2. KEYWORD DEVELOPMENT
After you have decided on a niche, it is time to build a set of keywords. Let me be straight forward here, the most important thing you will EVER do for your internet home based business is build a set of relevant and targeted keywords. Keywords are how people will find you on the internet. Over time you will want to have an arsenal of around 1000 keywords established for your niche. In the beginning, approximately 100 will be sufficient to start.
You will need to think of every imaginable keyword or phrase that someone would type into the search engines to look for the products or services that you are selling. Use the Overture Keyword Search Tool to see how many times those keywords have been searched for. Use misspellings and abbreviations for your keywords as well. Not everyone is a perfect speller!
I can't stress the importance of keyword development enough. I know it is the most boring part of starting an internet business but it will be the cornerstone of it. If you slack off on this you will be setting your business up to fail, simple as that!
3. CREATE A WEBSITE
If you are going to be marketing goods and services on the internet, then you need a website. I know there are some programs on the web that say you can make money selling this or that by using Pay Per Click Advertising. They're right, you can, but you can sell a whole lot more if you have your own site!
That does not mean that you have to build a huge, expensive web site, but you do need a site. Not just any kind of site, your site needs to be a content rich-information super site. People get on the internet looking for information! So if they want information, what should you give them? I hope you answered information, because if you didn't we need to start all over. After you have found your niche and built your keyword list, it is time to develop a theme for your site.
When you develop your site, you need to keep in mind the people that will be coming to your site. You want to provide an atmosphere that will keep them coming back. The goal is to provide as much relevant content and free information as possible to attract visitors that will become repeat visitors. They need to feel like they are being provided a great service and that your site can be used as a reference for their hobby, career, or lifestyle.
Back to an example, if your site sells health food; don't just have ads for health food products on your web pages! Fill your pages with articles about health food and the importance of a healthy diet. You might want to have a section on physical fitness. Write or find product reviews on health foods and supplements so customers can compare and get educated on products.
If they view your site as a resource they WILL come back time and time again. They will begin to look at you as an expert and trusted partner and will buy the products you recommend. They will tell their friends and family about how they found this great site that has all of this powerful information about health, health foods, and supplements. The key is to provide relevant content and then intertwine your products into that content. You want to make a soft sale and not come off like a pushy salesperson.
The key to remember here is that you can sell more with your own site and make the site a content - rich information highway. Content is King on the internet, it always has been and always will be.
Kill'em with content.
4. FIND AFFILIATE PRODUCTS THAT COMPLIMENT YOUR OWN.
Now that you have your website up and running and are selling a few of your own products, it is time to diversify. There are literally thousands of affiliate programs offered on the internet today. All of the big boys have them; Amazon, Blockbuster Video, Overstock, and even Bass Pro Shop. For those of you who don't know what an affiliate program is, it is nothing more than promoting other peoples' products and services. You get paid if your promotion turns into a sale! Pretty simple stuff really.
What you need to do is find some affiliate products that are relevant to your niche and offer them on your site as well. There are two really good reasons for this. The first is that it will increase your sales and help make you more profitable. Second, it will help diversify your portfolio, so to speak, by providing other avenues of income. When one product starts to slide you have other income sources to fill the void.
To put it bluntly, all of your eggs are not in one basket!
You can find affiliate programs at sites like http://www.cj.com and http://www.clickbank.com. They are affiliate networks and work as a middle man between the company and their affiliates. They help put potential affiliates looking for products to promote together with companies that need products promoted.
Weaving in relevant affiliate products can boost your profit and help diversify your income streams.
5. PROMOTE, PROMOTE, AND PROMOTE SOME MORE
The last key to a successful internet home based business is promotion. There is not a business around online or off that can survive without promotion. Let me dispel the myth that you can build a web site and put it on the internet and that magically thousands of people will begin going to it. It does not happen so don't expect it to!
There are tons of ways to advertise your website too much for me to discuss it in great detail in this article. Below are some ways that I generate traffic to my web site that I am sure will work for you.
- Pay Per Click Advertising - The quickest and most predictable way to generate
traffic to your site.
- Articles - Write articles pertaining to your niche and submit them to article directories and ezine publishers. This is a great way to establish your reputation and get targeted traffic. Another plus with articles is that it can help you get incoming links to your site; the search engines love incoming links.
- Linking Strategies - Reciprocal linking plays a huge role in page rank with the search engines, especially Google. Reciprocal links can also be a great way to get traffic from other sites that are similar to yours in content.
- Ezines - Advertising in Ezines are an excellent way to get your website in front of a large, captive audience.
- Forums - Getting involved in forums that are related to your niche is another cheap and effective form of advertising.
- Develop Your Own Opt-in List - The money on the internet is still in the list. It will be very important that you develop your own list of willing people to send information to. You never want to spam, but those people that willingly provide you their emails to be sent a newsletter or other free promotional materials are invaluable to your online success.
This simple 5 step guideline is the same one that I have used to create more than one successful website. I am certain that it will work for you too. Just remember that building a successful internet home based business takes a solid plan that is well thought out. Each of these 5 keys are vital to your profitability and by implementing them effectively you will be successful.
Creating your own internet home based business can be gratifying and profitable. Good luck on the journey!
About the author:
Mark Williams has researched and reviewed hundreds of internet home based businesses. He is a fulltime online marketer that can help you find a work at home opportunity. Visit his site for home business ideas: 'http://www.straighttalkonbiz.com'
An online business is not much different than an offline business, other than the fact that it is cheaper to operate due to low overhead. Another big plus is you can run it from your home in your underwear if you like.
To run a successful business online or off you need a plan or a blueprint for success. I am going to share with you a simple 5 step guide that will allow anyone to establish a successful internet home based business. These 5 keys are essential to winning the internet game. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! There are a ton of crooks out there that are trying to take your money with "get rich quick" promises. Let me tell you from personal experience it just does not happen, unless you hit the lottery or a rich relative dies.
Let's get started building your internet home based business empire, shall we?
1. RESEARCH
This is vital to any business and an internet business is NO different. If you already have a product or service then you are one step ahead of the game. If you do not have a product then think about the things that you have an interest or a passion for. It is always easier to market items that you have an interest in. If you have some ideas then it is time for some keyword research. For you internet "newbies", keywords are the words that people use to search for items and information over the internet.
You can use a free tool from Overture at inventory.overture.com - notice that there is NO http or www in that URL. This handy little tool will tell us how many times a keyword has been searched for on the web in the last month. I am an example person so I will give you one. If you are interested in "health and fitness", then type that into the Overture keyword search tool and it will show you all the other related keywords for "health and fitness" and tell you how many times they have been searched for in one month.
Preferably, you want a keyword that is highly searched for because that means it is in demand. The only drawback to that is it could also be a highly competitive market. What we want to look for are keywords that are heavily searched for, but have very little competition. How many times a keyword is searched for is equal to the demand factor in a supply and demand ratio.
So next you need to go to Google and do some more research. Don't you just love research! After you have pulled up Google, type your main keyword into the search box and find out how many results you get for that keyword. You can equate this number to supply factor in our supply and demand ratio.
The higher the supply (search results=number of competing sites) compared to demand (the number of times a keyword is searched for) the harder it is going to be to become successful in that market. That does not mean that is can't be done it is just going to be tougher. Ideally we want a lower ratio of competing sites vs. keyword search results.
2. KEYWORD DEVELOPMENT
After you have decided on a niche, it is time to build a set of keywords. Let me be straight forward here, the most important thing you will EVER do for your internet home based business is build a set of relevant and targeted keywords. Keywords are how people will find you on the internet. Over time you will want to have an arsenal of around 1000 keywords established for your niche. In the beginning, approximately 100 will be sufficient to start.
You will need to think of every imaginable keyword or phrase that someone would type into the search engines to look for the products or services that you are selling. Use the Overture Keyword Search Tool to see how many times those keywords have been searched for. Use misspellings and abbreviations for your keywords as well. Not everyone is a perfect speller!
I can't stress the importance of keyword development enough. I know it is the most boring part of starting an internet business but it will be the cornerstone of it. If you slack off on this you will be setting your business up to fail, simple as that!
3. CREATE A WEBSITE
If you are going to be marketing goods and services on the internet, then you need a website. I know there are some programs on the web that say you can make money selling this or that by using Pay Per Click Advertising. They're right, you can, but you can sell a whole lot more if you have your own site!
That does not mean that you have to build a huge, expensive web site, but you do need a site. Not just any kind of site, your site needs to be a content rich-information super site. People get on the internet looking for information! So if they want information, what should you give them? I hope you answered information, because if you didn't we need to start all over. After you have found your niche and built your keyword list, it is time to develop a theme for your site.
When you develop your site, you need to keep in mind the people that will be coming to your site. You want to provide an atmosphere that will keep them coming back. The goal is to provide as much relevant content and free information as possible to attract visitors that will become repeat visitors. They need to feel like they are being provided a great service and that your site can be used as a reference for their hobby, career, or lifestyle.
Back to an example, if your site sells health food; don't just have ads for health food products on your web pages! Fill your pages with articles about health food and the importance of a healthy diet. You might want to have a section on physical fitness. Write or find product reviews on health foods and supplements so customers can compare and get educated on products.
If they view your site as a resource they WILL come back time and time again. They will begin to look at you as an expert and trusted partner and will buy the products you recommend. They will tell their friends and family about how they found this great site that has all of this powerful information about health, health foods, and supplements. The key is to provide relevant content and then intertwine your products into that content. You want to make a soft sale and not come off like a pushy salesperson.
The key to remember here is that you can sell more with your own site and make the site a content - rich information highway. Content is King on the internet, it always has been and always will be.
Kill'em with content.
4. FIND AFFILIATE PRODUCTS THAT COMPLIMENT YOUR OWN.
Now that you have your website up and running and are selling a few of your own products, it is time to diversify. There are literally thousands of affiliate programs offered on the internet today. All of the big boys have them; Amazon, Blockbuster Video, Overstock, and even Bass Pro Shop. For those of you who don't know what an affiliate program is, it is nothing more than promoting other peoples' products and services. You get paid if your promotion turns into a sale! Pretty simple stuff really.
What you need to do is find some affiliate products that are relevant to your niche and offer them on your site as well. There are two really good reasons for this. The first is that it will increase your sales and help make you more profitable. Second, it will help diversify your portfolio, so to speak, by providing other avenues of income. When one product starts to slide you have other income sources to fill the void.
To put it bluntly, all of your eggs are not in one basket!
You can find affiliate programs at sites like http://www.cj.com and http://www.clickbank.com. They are affiliate networks and work as a middle man between the company and their affiliates. They help put potential affiliates looking for products to promote together with companies that need products promoted.
Weaving in relevant affiliate products can boost your profit and help diversify your income streams.
5. PROMOTE, PROMOTE, AND PROMOTE SOME MORE
The last key to a successful internet home based business is promotion. There is not a business around online or off that can survive without promotion. Let me dispel the myth that you can build a web site and put it on the internet and that magically thousands of people will begin going to it. It does not happen so don't expect it to!
There are tons of ways to advertise your website too much for me to discuss it in great detail in this article. Below are some ways that I generate traffic to my web site that I am sure will work for you.
- Pay Per Click Advertising - The quickest and most predictable way to generate
traffic to your site.
- Articles - Write articles pertaining to your niche and submit them to article directories and ezine publishers. This is a great way to establish your reputation and get targeted traffic. Another plus with articles is that it can help you get incoming links to your site; the search engines love incoming links.
- Linking Strategies - Reciprocal linking plays a huge role in page rank with the search engines, especially Google. Reciprocal links can also be a great way to get traffic from other sites that are similar to yours in content.
- Ezines - Advertising in Ezines are an excellent way to get your website in front of a large, captive audience.
- Forums - Getting involved in forums that are related to your niche is another cheap and effective form of advertising.
- Develop Your Own Opt-in List - The money on the internet is still in the list. It will be very important that you develop your own list of willing people to send information to. You never want to spam, but those people that willingly provide you their emails to be sent a newsletter or other free promotional materials are invaluable to your online success.
This simple 5 step guideline is the same one that I have used to create more than one successful website. I am certain that it will work for you too. Just remember that building a successful internet home based business takes a solid plan that is well thought out. Each of these 5 keys are vital to your profitability and by implementing them effectively you will be successful.
Creating your own internet home based business can be gratifying and profitable. Good luck on the journey!
About the author:
Mark Williams has researched and reviewed hundreds of internet home based businesses. He is a fulltime online marketer that can help you find a work at home opportunity. Visit his site for home business ideas: 'http://www.straighttalkonbiz.com'
7 GREAT EMAIL HABIT FOR THE BEGINNING INTERNET ENTERPRENUER
If you are just starting out as an Internet entrepreneur then you have a lot to learn about doing business online. One such thing you need to concentrate on is your e-mailing habits. E-mail is your way of communicating with people and potential customers, so developing good e-mail habits early on is very important.
Habit #1 Respond Quickly
Always respond as quickly as possible to an e-mail. Don’t respond so quickly that you do not answer the questions or write properly, but respond as fast as you possibly can. One to two days maximum.
Habit #2 Grammar and Spelling
As a beginning Internet entrepreneur you cannot risk losing customers because you can’t write properly or spell. Fortunately, spellchecker and grammar check will help you with this. Be sure to use it with every e-mail.
Habit #3 Appropriate Subject and Format
Make sure the subject heading is filled in and gives the reader some clue as to the content of the e-mail. Then, make sure the format of the e-mail is similar to that of a real business letter. Lastly, don’t forget to keep it short and sweet. When you write a long drawn out e-mail you will lose people’s attention.
Habit #4 Address Recipient
Always address the recipient of the e-mail. You don’t have to start out with Dear Recipient, but their name should definitely be addressed. This gives a more professional look to your e-mail, which is just what you are trying to accomplish as a new Internet entrepreneur.
Habit #5 Provide Contact Information
Always provide your contact information in your e-mail following your signature. This way individuals will be able to visit your website, call you, fax or e-mail you without having to ask you for this information or do any extra research. Make it easy.
Habit #6 Cases
Don’t use all upper case or all lower case. Type correctly, just like you would write. You would never send a business letter in all caps or all lowercase, so don’t send e-mails this way either. Some people will interpret this as either screaming or whispering, respectively, and some might think it is just unprofessional. Avoid this and type correctly.
Habit #7 Previous Messages
When you respond to someone and are answering their questions be sure to include the previous e-mail so they may see exactly what you are replying to. Frequently, people send e-mails and when you reply without the previous e-mail attached they have no idea what you are responding to. The best thing is to copy parts of the previous e-mail and paste it in your e-mail with your response. Or be very specific when answering questions, such as restating them, for the convenience of your reader. If not, you will waste your time and theirs and not be perceived as a professional.
Habit #1 Respond Quickly
Always respond as quickly as possible to an e-mail. Don’t respond so quickly that you do not answer the questions or write properly, but respond as fast as you possibly can. One to two days maximum.
Habit #2 Grammar and Spelling
As a beginning Internet entrepreneur you cannot risk losing customers because you can’t write properly or spell. Fortunately, spellchecker and grammar check will help you with this. Be sure to use it with every e-mail.
Habit #3 Appropriate Subject and Format
Make sure the subject heading is filled in and gives the reader some clue as to the content of the e-mail. Then, make sure the format of the e-mail is similar to that of a real business letter. Lastly, don’t forget to keep it short and sweet. When you write a long drawn out e-mail you will lose people’s attention.
Habit #4 Address Recipient
Always address the recipient of the e-mail. You don’t have to start out with Dear Recipient, but their name should definitely be addressed. This gives a more professional look to your e-mail, which is just what you are trying to accomplish as a new Internet entrepreneur.
Habit #5 Provide Contact Information
Always provide your contact information in your e-mail following your signature. This way individuals will be able to visit your website, call you, fax or e-mail you without having to ask you for this information or do any extra research. Make it easy.
Habit #6 Cases
Don’t use all upper case or all lower case. Type correctly, just like you would write. You would never send a business letter in all caps or all lowercase, so don’t send e-mails this way either. Some people will interpret this as either screaming or whispering, respectively, and some might think it is just unprofessional. Avoid this and type correctly.
Habit #7 Previous Messages
When you respond to someone and are answering their questions be sure to include the previous e-mail so they may see exactly what you are replying to. Frequently, people send e-mails and when you reply without the previous e-mail attached they have no idea what you are responding to. The best thing is to copy parts of the previous e-mail and paste it in your e-mail with your response. Or be very specific when answering questions, such as restating them, for the convenience of your reader. If not, you will waste your time and theirs and not be perceived as a professional.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
BEST SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
When looking for the best small business opportunity you should
consider an internet based business. We have found the internet
to offer great small business opportunities that can be run from
anywhere in the world.
The internet never sleeps...Hundreds of millions of people are
buying products and services online right now...And you could be
getting a huge share of that money once you learn the secrets!
This is the ultimate work at home...set your own hours... learn
while you earn profession.
In truth, making money online is not any different from making
money in the real world. To do it, you need to have in demand,
high quality products to sell and an effective method for
marketing those products. When you have the right products and
marketing programs the Best Small Business Opportunity
can be started on the internet by anybody. Here's why!
Running an internet business offers many advantages over a
traditional brick and mortar business.
-- It's easy to start
-- You can run it anywhere in the world
-- It is inexpensive to operate
-- You do not need a college degree
-- No employees required
-- Low overhead
-- You can grow your business painlessly
-- Information is readily available for training
-- There are numerous support forums for help
-- Virtually any product can be sold online
Now let's assume that when you are searching for the best small
business opportunity that you do want to start an internet based
business. Let's also assume that you have no idea what do next.
Where do you start? What would your product line be?
About the author:
Jeff Schuman's small business resource website has the best of everything to help you run your own small business='http://www.sites-plus.com/best-small-business-opportunity.
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