Thursday, March 11, 2010

Internet Marketing Strategy for Local Biz: Step-by-Step Guide

Internet Marketing Strategy for Local Biz: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Got an Internet marketing strategy? Well, most locally based businesses don’t. But if you are interested in attracting new customers and getting more from the ones you already have through a sound Internet marketing strategy, read on.

Why should you have an Internet marketing strategy? Because, more and more, the Internet is your customers’ primary source of information – locally and globally – making a good Internet marketing strategy more important than ever.

Without an Internet marketing strategy, you will never know what you may be missing. Without an Internet marketing strategy, you are leaving the door open for your competitors. Without an Internet marketing strategy, you have no hope of being heard amongst the clutter.

Here is where an Internet marketing strategy is most critical: Many people research a product or service on the Internet, then contact a business or go to a local store to buy. Without an Internet marketing strategy, you are not even in the running… they’ve already made up their minds. You must present the case for your products and services with an Internet marketing strategy that puts you in front of customers when they are doing the research, not after they have made a decision.  

Your Website is the Foundation

An integral part of your Internet marketing strategy is a well-written, expertly crafted website that not only sells your product or service but also advances your Internet marketing strategy.

Set yourself up for Internet marketing strategy success by developing the right website. Your website designer can help your Internet marketing strategy by optimizing your website for search engines. This involves Internet marketing strategy tools such as meta-tags, keywords, and other design features that garner you a higher rank on results pages. Also, make sure your website has a content management system that allows you to make changes as your Internet marketing strategy changes.

Link Yourself to Other Reputable Sites

 

Another Internet marketing strategy is to link to as many other reputable, high-traffic websites as you can. Search engines will see your website linked to many other websites that have a lot of traffic and will rank you higher, one of the main goals of your Internet marketing strategy.  

 

Begin Your SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Program

Search engine marketing is an integral part of your Internet marketing strategy. It involves Internet marketing strategy methods such as paid advertising on other sites and pay-per-click, where you can specify how much you will pay to come up on the results pages for a certain search term.

Finding the right keywords to bid on is critical to your Internet marketing strategy.  Google’s AdWords can galvanize your Internet marketing strategy by walking you through the process of placing pay-per-click advertising on keywords people use to find what they need.

Monitoring and Tweaking Your Internet Marketing Strategy

Internet marketing strategy requires constant evaluation. Once again, Google can help. Google’s analytics program (have your website designer set this up for you) is a great Internet marketing strategy reporting tool: You can monitor and analyze your traffic daily in order to maximize your Internet marketing strategy.

Don’t Be Afraid to Change Your Internet Marketing Strategy

 

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to incorporate new elements into your Internet marketing strategy. Your Internet marketing strategy, like the Internet itself, should be fluid and changeable.

 

Internet marketing strategy represents one of the most cost-effective opportunities for growth. With the right Internet marketing strategy, you can achieve your goals—no question about it.

 

If you want more information about any cutting-edge internet marketing strategy and skills for local biz, visit my website at http://newmarketing4dummies.com. Master the most efficient internet marketing using the same powerful educational platform that I used myself to learn and succeed as an internet marketer.
 



Personal Brandiang - Five Top Tips for Personal Branding

Five Top Tips for Personal Branding

Personal branding is how you portray yourself to the world. It is how others actually see you, not necessarily how you may want to come across. One can create a positive brand image as a successful entrepreneur, but one can also come across as a criminal—a negative brand image. To make sure your personal branding reflects what you desire, see the following five top tips on using personal branding to succeed in your Internet marketing efforts.

Focus Your Personal Branding Efforts

Everyone is an expert on something. Put another way, no one is an expert on everything. Personal branding starts with finding those certain areas of knowledge and experience that you have accumulated that are significantly greater than the Average Joe. Find those one, two, or three things to focus on for personal branding, and write and work on those. Establishing your area of expertise is the first step in personal branding.

Find Your Voice

With personal branding, you are not an everyman – by definition, personal branding means that you are a unique being with a completely fresh perspective on things. Make sure you sound like one in your blog posts and articles and on your site. Your personal branding should be compelling and strong. To define your brand, ask yourself these questions: What is it that makes me special? Why should anyone care? Why should my customers give me some of their precious time?

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

It’s not enough to show up on time for only one day. You have to do it again and again and again. Show consistency in personal branding: You have to portray the same personal branding in everything you do, from your home page to your contact form, from your emails to your webinars. Everything communicates your personal branding message. 

Personal branding may require an investment. Spend the money to have your website professionally done and even have your articles ghostwritten if necessary. If there is a chink in the personal branding armor, someone will find it, and that one chink can be your undoing. Misspellings, grammatical errors, typos… all of these detract from your personal branding.

Get the Word Out

If you’ve taken the steps above, you’re ready to launch your personal brand. Publicize your personal brand through Internet marketing.

See how far you come rise up in the Google rankings and take steps to improve your position. “Network” your personal branding by linking to other sites that portray the appropriate image and are related to your field. Comment on the work of others (only positive) to start. Make sure to identify yourself – people need to know who you are in order to become familiar with your personal branding – and provide a link to your site.

Paid advertising opportunities such as pay-per-click can be helpful in personal branding as well. If something works, consider increasing your spending on that venue to further amplify your personal branding message.

Personal Branding Doesn’t Just Come From You

Other people also participate in your personal branding. Search the Internet periodically to find out what is being said about you, and take steps to protect your personal branding by counteracting any bad information. Unaddressed complaints or accusations are highly detrimental to your personal branding. Similarly, if someone is singing your praises, it’s always nice to acknowledge this, which further helps in positive personal branding. 

If your personal branding is successful, eventually you can hire someone to do all of this for you. Just remember to monitor their work to ensure that the reputable, positive personal branding you worked so hard to create stays that way. 


 



Copywriting is Essential to Your Internet Marketing Strategy

Copywriting is Essential to Your Internet Marketing Strategy


The Internet is full of information. The tricky thing about information, though, is that someone has to produce it. Copywriting is a form of writing that sells a product or service. With the advent of article marketing, articles also now fall under the umbrella of copywriting, as do blogs and website text. Even videos involve copywriting – they need to have scripts and concepts behind them. You can’t escape it: Mastering copywriting is a vital part of Internet marketing, and copywriting is essential to the success of any Internet venture.


Copywriting is a No-Fluff Zone

The key to good copywriting is to boil everything down to only the essential. Good copywriting doesn’t tell life stories or every detail of how the product or service came to be; instead, good copywriting focuses only on what the product or service can do for the reader.

If it’s an article you are copywriting, stick to the topic at hand. Good copywriting questions itself. With every sentence and every word, it asks: “Do I really need this? Is it supporting my point? Is it helping to move my readers closer to where I want them to be?” If the answer is “no,” cut it for the sake of good copywriting.


Keep it Simple

The best copywriting is simple. Plain language is best when you are copywriting – even PhDs like it. Simplify your words, your message, and even the means of purchasing and financing your products and services, and good copywriting will naturally follow.


Write Like You Talk

The best copywriting uses a conversational style. We may not all love to read, but almost all of us like to listen to information. In your copywriting, readers should get the impression that you are relating directly to them. Don’t use the third person, and let them know that they will get something valuable by reading your copywriting. See the difference in these two copywriting examples:

“Nine out of ten doctors recommended X-Brand lozenges to relieve sore throat pain and suppress coughs.”

“When your throat burns and the coughs won’t stop, Y-Brand soothes and relieves you.”

Even better, good copywriting will give the reader the impression that you are sharing a secret or giving inside information, such as:

“Throat burning? Cough hacking? Try the secret weapon… Z-Brand. Shhh—if everyone knows there won’t be any left for you!”


Start with a Question

Good copywriting holds the interest of the reader from the opening sentence to the very last word.

An effective copywriting technique is to ask a question in the headline that directly addresses the reader, as in: “Embarrassed by dry, itchy scalp?” “Tired of waiting for your dial-up Internet service?” “Disgusted by the stinky cat litter box?” Use carefully crafted questions in your copywriting that aim directly at your target audience, and you will capture their attention.


State the Benefits and Desired Outcome

Good copywriting features a clear statement of the benefit of your product or service. Close the deal in your copywriting by showing the reader how to achieve the desired outcome by using your product or service.

Copywriting is a skill that can be learned. The more you do it, the better you get. Just make sure to get an experienced mentor whose copywriting work you respect to give you feedback on your work while you are learning. Listen to what he or she has to say.

Remember, no one is perfect; responding appropriately to criticism can improve your copywriting. Keep trying. You will get it right. Even the best writers find their copywriting skill gets better over time.

 

To read and learn more about copywriting and other essential internet marketing strategies, visit my website at http://LeliaRaynal4YourSuccess.com
 



Monday, March 1, 2010

Copywriting is Essential to Your Internet Marketing Strategy

 

Copywriting is Essential to Your Internet Marketing Strategy


The Internet is full of information. The tricky thing about information, though, is that someone has to produce it. Copywriting is a form of writing that sells a product or service. With the advent of article marketing, articles also now fall under the umbrella of copywriting, as do blogs and website text. Even videos involve copywriting – they need to have scripts and concepts behind them. You can’t escape it: Mastering copywriting is a vital part of Internet marketing, and copywriting is essential to the success of any Internet venture.


Copywriting is a No-Fluff Zone

The key to good copywriting is to boil everything down to only the essential. Good copywriting doesn’t tell life stories or every detail of how the product or service came to be; instead, good copywriting focuses only on what the product or service can do for the reader.

If it’s an article you are copywriting, stick to the topic at hand. Good copywriting questions itself. With every sentence and every word, it asks: “Do I really need this? Is it supporting my point? Is it helping to move my readers closer to where I want them to be?” If the answer is “no,” cut it for the sake of good copywriting.


Keep it Simple

The best copywriting is simple. Plain language is best when you are copywriting – even PhDs like it. Simplify your words, your message, and even the means of purchasing and financing your products and services, and good copywriting will naturally follow.


Write Like You Talk

The best copywriting uses a conversational style. We may not all love to read, but almost all of us like to listen to information. In your copywriting, readers should get the impression that you are relating directly to them. Don’t use the third person, and let them know that they will get something valuable by reading your copywriting. See the difference in these two copywriting examples:

“Nine out of ten doctors recommended X-Brand lozenges to relieve sore throat pain and suppress coughs.”

“When your throat burns and the coughs won’t stop, Y-Brand soothes and relieves you.”

Even better, good copywriting will give the reader the impression that you are sharing a secret or giving inside information, such as:

“Throat burning? Cough hacking? Try the secret weapon… Z-Brand. Shhh—if everyone knows there won’t be any left for you!”


Start with a Question

Good copywriting holds the interest of the reader from the opening sentence to the very last word.

An effective copywriting technique is to ask a question in the headline that directly addresses the reader, as in: “Embarrassed by dry, itchy scalp?” “Tired of waiting for your dial-up Internet service?” “Disgusted by the stinky cat litter box?” Use carefully crafted questions in your copywriting that aim directly at your target audience, and you will capture their attention.


State the Benefits and Desired Outcome

Good copywriting features a clear statement of the benefit of your product or service. Close the deal in your copywriting by showing the reader how to achieve the desired outcome by using your product or service.

Copywriting is a skill that can be learned. The more you do it, the better you get. Just make sure to get an experienced mentor whose copywriting work you respect to give you feedback on your work while you are learning. Listen to what he or she has to say.

Remember, no one is perfect; responding appropriately to criticism can improve your copywriting. Keep trying. You will get it right. Even the best writers find their copywriting skill gets better over time.

 

To read and learn more about copywriting and other essential internet marketing strategies, visit my website at http://LeliaRaynal4YourSuccess.com




Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Powerful Copywriting Tips-Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines

 

Powerful Copywriting Tips for Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines

 

You need customers. That's no secret, but how do you attract them and keep them coming back? The best way—which happens to be one of the most powerful copywriting tips—is to write attention-grabbing headlines. As we surf the Internet, we click on the headlines that incite our curiosity the quickest. If your headlines are boring, you're not going to get people clicking, and they're going to miss out on the great things you have to say. You might be tempted to think that this is the customer's problem, because he or she is the one missing out. Unfortunately, it's actually your problem because you're the one not making any money. Don't let this happen to you!

 

Writing attention-grabbing headlines is quite possible, but like most things in life, it requires a good deal of thought and practice. Among the many powerful copywriting tips out there, one needs to be adhered to at all costs: While the headline should grab the reader's attention, it should never be misleading. If customers feel cheated because the article has little to do with the headline, they probably won't be back – and they'll certainly tell others about their experience. You can lose both customers and profit if you are persistently dishonest. That's not a fate you want to befall your business. Remember to focus on powerful copywriting tips such as writing attention-grabbing headlines and you’ll be sure to attract a significant customer base.

 

What are your customers searching for? What interests them? Use their search terms to your advantage and make the headline interesting. If you’re doing it right, they’ll want to know more about the topic after reading your headline, but be sure to incorporate the terms they’re most likely to search for. Even the best headlines won't be found if none of the common search terms are included. Take your time writing attention-grabbing headlines, just like you would with the actual copy that the headline encapsulates. Both have value, and both can bring your company tons of revenue when you incorporate powerful copywriting tips.

 

Here then are some powerful copywriting tips for writing attention-grabbing headlines that will grab your readers attention and make them want to gobble up every word.

 

  1. Have a Big Idea—Your article has to be about something. Don’t just throw darts at the dictionary and churn out meaningless drivel for SEO purposes. Tell people something they don’t know, and make it valuable. But all of that starts with the Big Idea, which should appear prominently in the headline.
  2. Use Powerful Words—Words like free, money, happiness, love, (yes, even sex) all tend to draw the eyes of potential readers. Find a good copywriting book and find a list of the powerful words that should appear in every headline.
  3. Fewer is Better—A wordy headline turns people off. Find a way to say what you want to say using as few of the power words as possible.
  4. Polish and Perfect—Don’t write the headline and forget about. Keep tweaking it until it’s exactly the way you want it—and so it pulls in readers by the dozens.

 

For more information about cutting-edge internet marketing strategies and skills, visit my website at http://newmarketing4dummies.com

 





Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Personal Branding: A Must to Position as a Top Internet Marketer

 

Personal Branding: A Must to Position Yourself as a Top Internet Marketer

If you want to be a top Internet marketer, you have to know about (and make use of) personal branding. It's a great thing to have a product or service to sell, but what happens when you want to establish other Internet businesses, or if you decide to endorse something? If people don't know who you are, you won't have any influence over whether or not they buy from you. You can still make money online, but you won't ever be rich if no one knows your name or what you do. Potential clients need to understand what matters to you and what you stand for, and personal branding is a superior marketing strategy that can provide them with that and more in a concise and memorable package.

The top Internet marketers of today didn’t get there overnight, but now, when you hear the names of those fortunate few, you recognize them. Such recognition is a result of a tremendous amount of hard work, but also of a unique and meticulous systemization of the personal brand. These top earners have their own website and blog, and they update them regularly. They have social media profiles. They comment on other blogs and they talk about what matters to them. As a result, more and more people see their name and begin to associate it with a product or service. Personal branding isn't expensive from a financial standpoint, but it takes time and effort. However, the rewards of being a top Internet marketer are well worth the painstaking work of personal branding.

Top Internet marketers earn a great deal of money while serving as their own bosses and essentially doing whatever they please. Not surprisingly, that's a lifestyle that most people aspire to, but many falter and lose ground due to their uncertainty of how to get there. Their efforts don't seem to be accomplishing much, and they end up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Personal branding, if applied diligently and purposefully, can produce the much-coveted status of top Internet marketer. Make sure that you're paying close attention to personal branding. Don't let the competition get ahead of you because your audience isn’t sure about who you are. Your business is far too important for that. 

The basic problem is that many people—if not most—aren’t really sure what a brand actually is. And the simple truth is that you can’t brand yourself if you don’t have a brand. One way to think about a brand is that it’s your reputation. Who you are, what you’ve done, how you’ve done it and what you are doing are all parts of your brand. For this reason, your brand is organic. It is what it is because you are who you are.

For this reason, if you plan to become a top internet marketer through the use of personal branding, you must first become a top internet marketer. This, by the way, is not as counterintuitive as it might sound. If your brand is based on theoretical hype and hyperbole, your brand is essentially valueless. On the other hand, if you’ve achieved dramatic success and use your brand to help others do the same, you will accomplish even more.

The takeaway lesson is this. Personal branding is essential to become a top internet marketer. But work hard at becoming successful, and your brand will take care of itself.

 

 



Monday, February 1, 2010

Become a client magnet with Education-Based Marketing

Become a client magnet with Education-Based Marketing
 
I propose to talk to you about how to Become a client magnet with Education-Based Marketing or How to Make Business Come to You

 

 
 
There is a misconception as an Internet marketer your most important function is to promote your products and services. In fact, your main focus should be to establish
that you are knowledgeable and can be trusted.
 
So, what does I mean? Most of us don't do business with people we don't trust. Even if you have the lowest prices, if your prospect doesn't trust you, it will be difficult to close the sale. This is the basis for Education-Based Marketing.

 

This is a powerful marketing strategy that establishes trust and credibility using educational messages. It is the direct opposite of traditional marketing, which uses selling-based messages.

 

People are tired of hearing worn-out, old sales pitches.  
 
In contrast, people sit up and listen when you share important facts and expert information that help them make a good buying decision.
 
To determine your Educational Message, imagine stepping into the mind of your prospect and listening to their mental conversation at the very moment they decide to begin shopping. What questions are they asking themselves?
 
The secret to attracting qualified prospects early in the sales cycle is to find out the answers to those questions and use them as the basis for your message.

 

Educational information that helps your prospects solve problems and make better decisions is the type of information that will attract prospects.
 
How To package Your Educational Marketing Message  to Generate Qualified Prospects?

 

You need to offer your educational message for free in exchange for your prospect's contact information. This is critical. Effective marketing is not just a matter of getting the word out but more importantly, getting a response back.
 
You can package your educational message as a written special report, an e-book,
an email course, a webinar, or a training call. Give it a great title, use a number
and some words as keys or secrets. People like numbered lists and knowing things
other people don't know (i.e. secrets). Give your educational messages exciting titles
and they will attract qualified prospects. 

 

How To Deliver Your Educational Marketing Message?

 

You should develop efficient strategies and processes to give away your educational marketing message. First, identify where are your targeted customers and offer your educational message at each touch points you can reach these customers.
That could be forums, social media, search engins...
 
A crucial aspect is to Resist the Urge to Give a Sales Pitch

 

It's easy to set your small business apart using Education-Based Marketing because most of your competitors are using selling-based marketing. The beauty of Education-Based Marketing is that you give prospective customers what they want, information and advice and remove what they don't want, a sales pitch.
 
By offering helpful advice, you establish yourself as an authority because prospects see you as a reliable source of information. After you have provided some helpful information you should warmly invite your prospects to call you, visit your website, come to your store, or take advantage of your free offer to do an onsite visit.
 
So, as you have propably understood, Education-Based Marketing captures prospects
earlier in the decision process and establishes a relationship of trust, resulting in dramatically higher sales and closing ratios.
Those internet marketers that seek to develop a relationship of trust by delivering a non-threatening educational message will position themselves as their prospect's first choice from which to buy your product or service.
 
To obtain more information and many free reports about different topics in internet marketing, visit my website and leave your name and e-mail address in the opt-in boxes.
 
To your success
 
 
Lelia Raynal
#1 CarbonCopyPRO Top Earner Team