Ping Me! Okay, not me - but ping these

When it comes to getting traffic to your blog, Laura Childs is one lady I would listen to -

Check out her recent post concerning "pinging" your blog to get more traffic to it. This is one case where "more is better". There are several comments from interested readers (including yours truly) who want to know more - Who, What, When, Where, and How!

Just click on the title -

Avoid Marketing Stagnation Using 3 Basic Methods

by John Magruder

You joined an online marketing program, placed some ads, and then thought, now what? The majority of new marketers pause at this point, and many never come back.

Some years ago, I attended a “bump school” ski lesson in Breckenridge, Colorado. My instructor emphasized keeping the weight down hill on the skis, leaning forward. He said if you fall, better to fall forward, not backward or sideways, but FORWARD. The forward weight, and even the forward fall, indicates advancement. With the earnest determination needed to ski bump runs, stay forward, stay alive in your marketing efforts! Will your business stagnate at this critical time? No! Now commit to sustained focus in your marketing education. Commit to sustained action that becomes second nature. Lock your ON switch in place! Often finding myself in this dynamic, my web business excites me, seeming more like play.

What simple, powerful tools can you use to maintain the forward dynamic?

1) Start a newsletter

When you first hear that statement, you might think, “Well that’s fine for experienced marketing professionals. I would not know where to begin to create a newsletter or get a list of people to send it to.” I understand. But do not let these thoughts deter you. You CAN start or obtain a newsletter! With a little searching and reading, learn how. An ongoing email series that you offer as a “marketing tips” newsletter, for example, attracts interested subscribers. Cliché by now, the fortune in the follow up rings true. Your prospects need inspirational, repetitive exposure. Time and time again I see responses from prospects after several contacts.

2) Get your own website

Most affiliate marketing programs provide referral pages to receive responses from advertising. Your own website enables you to compete with successful internet business owners. It gives you the ability to develop a mailing list, the core of your marketing success. Developing link popularity, many website owners use link exchange or partner directories, linking to similar websites. This not only increases traffic through the added links, but also improves search engine ranking.

3) Add content to your website

Content consists of useful information that people want to find on your website, often in the form of articles. Web marketers constantly publish informative articles they would love placed on your website. This provides a win-win situation because their articles attract visitors to your website, and bring more people back to the authors’ websites as the articles include their links. Ideally, publish your own articles and develop credibility and popularity in your service.

You now have a complete package. These tools provide the basics to manifest your marketing goals. A website with valuable content attracts visitors interested in your offers, and brings newsletter subscribers. Increased sales give you more time and money to enhance your website content. Improving website content and popularity again feeds back to more sales and a larger subscriber base. This way, successful internet marketers grow their businesses! With patient focus, implement and build with these tools. Maintain persistence and attain your goals!

About the Author
John Magruder is a successful SFI Team Leader and a Member of the Wealth Online Website system,
www.Discover-Your-Business.ws

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Marketing

How To Write Sales Letters That Deliver

by Lisa Packer

Tired of sending out sales letters that generate anemic response? You could blame your list, or decide you just didn’t send out a high enough volume to get the replies you were looking for. Or, you could face the truth: Your sales letter just didn’t have what it takes.

Here’s how to make the next one better:

1. Ditch the “professional” tone. Too many businesses think they need to sound professional and businesslike in their sales letters. They come across as reserved and dignified. And they get no response.

People buy on emotion, and if you want them to buy your product or service (or even become a lead you can follow up on) you must tap into their feelings. And no, “boredom” doesn’t count.

2. Paint a vivid picture. Let your prospect see herself enjoying the benefits of your product or service. Show her how her life will be transformed. Don’t just tell her your widget saves her time. Help her see herself spending that time doing something she enjoys.

3. Remember its not about you. It’s about your prospect, and what’s in it for her/him. Don’t tell her about your mission statement. Don’t tell him about your company history. Tell her what’s in it for her if she takes you up on your offer.

4. Ask for response. People won’t call if you don’t ask them to. Tell your prospect what it is you want him to do -

"Call for a free quote"
"Visit our web site"
"Come in today and stock up"
"Send in this coupon"

You get the point.

Following these steps will turn an anemic response into a robust, healthy one. And that will make your whole business feel better.

About the Author:
Lisa Packer, author of "How To Dramatically Increase Your Business... Without A Blockbuster Budget" and "7 Ways To Get A Pay Raise From Your Web Site" is an independant Copywriter and Marketing Consultant. Find out how to get these two reports, plus more helpful articles like the one you just read at:
Dramatic Copy - The Right Words Make A Dramatic Difference.




Copywriting

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Boosting Web Site Conversion Rates: A Commonly Overlooked Key to Online Marketing Success

Copyright Marty Foley, ConvertMoreTraffic.com

A common myth is that the best way to sell more from a website is to increase traffic. While it's certainly true that no site can succeed without traffic, and increasing it is a good thing, it's not the most efficient, least expensive way to crank in more sales from your web site.

A smarter approach is to increase the value of existing site traffic, by boosting conversion rates.

If your web site exists to make you money, its success largely hinges on how well it motivates visitors to act. Really, what good is even a million visitors to your web site per day, if it doesn't effectively prompt enough of them to take the action(s) you want them to take?

"Conversion rate" is a very simple measurement of this, referring to the percentage of visitors who take a desired action.

For example, if 2 out of 100 visitors buy, you simply divide 2 by 100 to calculate the conversion rate, which in this example is .02, or 2%. This is about average for most sites, although some enjoy much higher conversion rates (which you should aim for).

"Conversion rate," "conversion ratio," and "response rate" are all similar terms used to guage how well a site motivates visitor action. "Sales conversion rate" is also similar, although it more correctly refers to just one type of visitor action: purchasing.

Desired visitor actions may include - but are not limited to - purchasing, subscribing, registering, initiating a lead or inquiry (by email, phone, etc.), downloading a product sample, clicking a link to another page in the sales process, visiting another site through an affiliate link, etc.

Don't Overlook Potential Sales-Killing Bottlenecks

When seeking to boost conversion rates, don't myopically focus only on your sales letter, as many do. Other areas of your site can also have a major impact on conversion rates. Especially online shopping carts or order forms.

If you focus solely on your sales letter and neglect other areas of your site, you could be overlooking sales-killing bottlenecks that are costing you dearly!

Benefits of Boosting Web Site Conversion Rates

By improving conversion rates, your web site will generate better results, without spending more time or money to increase traffic. For example, with the same level of existing traffic, better conversion can reward you with:

More leads.
More subscribers.
More initial sales.
More repeat sales.
More repeat visitors.
Reduced web site and shopping cart abandonment.
Happier visitors and customers.
Less business lost to competitors.
Greater market share.
Greater credibility with your target market.
More positive word of mouth.
Reduced customer acquisition costs.
Reduced customer service costs.
Greater lifetime customer value.

Similar benefits can be gained in email marketing. Improved conversion brings greater profits - from the same size subscriber list.

What's more, resources invested in improving conversion usually bring longer lasting results than those invested in building web site traffic or email list size.

More Helpful Resources...

Marty Foley's "Convert More Traffic" private members site helps web sites generate more traffic and turn more of it into buyers, leads, and higher profit:
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