Search Engine Internet Marketing | Email Marketing

Search Engine Marketing - How Effective Is It?

2009-10-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Search Engine Marketing is possibly the most credible form of advertising!

In the majority of cases, for a search engine user to find your website they need to go into their favourite search engine and type in keywords for what they are looking for. Due to the accuracy of results provided by search engines these days, there is a very good chance that an internet searcher will find the type of business they are looking for within the first two pages of their favourite search engine, especially if they are using Google, Yahoo or MSN.

When a business uses television advertising, newspaper advertising, or any other type of form of advertising,
they are targeting a very broad range of consumers, and many viewers of these mediums have no interest in the product they are viewing. There are advantages to this; after all if an advertisement is well designed, it may create a need (or want) in consumers which will entice them to go out and buy that product or service. Television advertising is the best medium for creating needs that weren't previously there as television stimulates the consumer through both visual and sound to capture the consumers' attention; a main reason why television advertising is so expensive as a marketing option.

Unlike most forms of marketing, the internet gives you the opportunity to provide considerable information to the consumer.

If your website is well organised and laid out, with out overwhelming the consumer with too much information, it can provide the information needed to sell your product or service.

The information on your website should cater both for the people looking for a brief overview of what you offer, as well as a more detailed overview for those people that like to drill down into detail. Unless your website is purely an information website where people want to spend considerable time reading through everything, then you should avoid going into lengthy detail. If you have too much information, people will often lose interest altogether and will likely close your website and start looking at your competitors.

I strongly recommend that if your website is not bringing in the business that you would like, you make it a priority to have a professional company like Quantum Web Solutions analyse your website and give you advice on how to improve it, and start generating more business for you.

Why is this so important? Because in today's ever evolving internet market, more and more consumers trust the internet and search engine results before other advertising mediums to bring them the product or service they desire. If you are not positioned well, then you are missing out on valuable business.

Marketing With Newsletters - Is Your Client Newsletter Boring Your Customers to Death?

2009-03-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Are you making this dreadful newsletter marketing mistake?
The typical client newsletter is one of the most mind-numbing, agonizingly boring pieces of mail ever sent to consumers.
The main reason is that most companies think what they do is incredibly fascinating to their clients. So based on this false assumption, their newsletters cheerfully discuss the latest equipment purchase or the new back office operation and how Mary Sue has moved from Payroll to Marketing. While this might be riveting stuff internally, I can assure you that your clients just don't care.
If you're making this newsletter marketing mistake, don't worry. It's not your fault. No one ever taught you the system, until now...
4 'Set in Stone' Rules to Publishing a Winning Client Newsletter:
Rule #1: Never make your business or company the focus of your client newsletter. This concept is difficult for most business owners to wrap their minds around. Read my words: Our clients don't care about how our business operates! The sooner we accept this fact, the sooner we will be sending them something that they actually want to read.
Rule #2: Focus on article content that people grab hold of and actually use in their lives. That means you must provide appealing and interesting content that is relevant, useful and engaging. The goal is to create involvement. The more time they spend with your newsletter, the more likely they'll take action.
Rule # 3: Be consistent. If you tell your customers to expect a newsletter from you every month, you better do it. And ask yourself: How often do I want my customers and prospects to think of me? While daily would be wonderful, it's not going to happen. Following a monthly newsletter schedule is perfect. They will expect to receive it just like they do their favorite magazines.
Rule #4: Never forget that a client newsletter is a marketing tool. Within your compelling content weave client testimonials and the names of people who have referred your company. Have contests that give away free services or gift cards to create further goodwill between you and your clients. And always, always, always have a compelling offer just for them.
Follow these rules and you will have a winning client newsletter that will get you more sales. But, you have to keep in mind that...
You Must Take a Long-term View on Using Newsletters as a Marketing and Customer Relations Tool.
Be aware that the results will not happen overnight. In fact, it will take several months for your customers to develop the 'habit' of looking for it.
But over time, your clients will come to expect getting your newsletter. And they will hound you if you missed sending them an issue! You will definitely see the desired results with the payoff being client retention and more purchases from you.
Client newsletters that include the four rules listed above will build relationships with your customers and create a sense of reliability and professionalism. You'll be sending literature that your clients will look forward to reading every month.
And since your rivals don't understand my newsletter success system, you will create a powerful marketing machine that will blow your competition out of the water.

5 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

2009-03-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

Email marketing is the number one way to reach your target audience, but only if you play by the Internet marketing rules. Like anything, if you make mistakes, you can alienate customers, lose business or just plain old waste your time. Avoid these mistakes and watch your sales grow.
5 email marketing mistakes you don't want to make
1. Not having a marketing plan. It's like going on a road trip without a map. Make sure you have a strategy in place before you launch each and every marketing email. Decide on a theme that matches with your business goals and will help you achieve them. Create articles, promotions, tips, and offerings that are line with the strategy.
2. Gathering emails without permission. In a race to build their list, many email marketers try dumping in emails for everyone they come in contact with. The problem with this is that it can quickly get you flagged as a spammer for emailing people who haven't opted in to your list. It's more about quality than quantity. You want to market to people that are interested in your products and services rather than trying to ram it down their throat.
3. Veering off topic. Send emails and include content in your e-newsletter that are of interest to your subscribers. This ensures that you'll keep your current subscribers happy and attract new subscribers.
4. Too much of a sales pitch. The format for e-newsletters is the perfect combination of information and marketing. Don't make the mistake of making your newsletter a big fat promotion and lose sight of its true purpose-to share content, position yourself and your company as an expert, and stay in constant contact with your customers and prospects .
5. Off-time launches. If you send your e-newsletter at the wrong time or on the wrong day of the week, it can easily wind up in the deleted folder. Statistically, open rates and sales are higher when you send your email promotions and e-newsletters on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am. If you have subscribers in different time zones, send between 10 am and 2 pm.
If you play by the email marketing game rules, you'll be a winner! Avoid making these common email mistakes and you'll win more sales and boost your business-quickly and relatively easily.

Explore Import Export Business Opportunity

2009-03-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

A large number of goods come into and depart the coasts of every country. Most of the daily utilities that you buy from your local provision stores each day may have come from overseas nations. They come from all over the globe to meet the demand for that product in your nation. If you are an entrepreneur and you are keen to expand globally then there is no better thing to initiate than export import businesses.
Export import trading is one of the quickest growing fields that entrepreneurs are getting involved in because small money is required to initiate and continue the business. Remember that there are literally millions of items out there that people desire and want and they will buy those items at a significant mark up. By being smart and appropriately managing the products that you trade, you can simply turn an export import firm into a great business opportunity.
How does exporting importing work? Well, let's have a glance at some of the methods that you can consider to get into a great business opportunity:
Discover perfect markets - Let's say you come across an item like specialized body kits for a particular car. You make out that there's a big fan club for this car but you haven't observed any of these body kits in that region, then there is an opportunity to sell it in that market.
Discover the geographical requirements - Remember that not all exporting is just nation to nation. You can also trade products between states. So pay consideration to what products people around you or people abroad are demanding and try to discover a provider for those products. Keeping your ears and eyes open can truly help you out to capitalize on demand.
Discover what other countries need - Export Import is not just about trading from other parts and distributing those goods in your region. You can also discover items that others require that may be produced in your region at a very competitive cost. You can start shipping those items abroad. Again, it is all about canvassing marketplace to discover what people are looking for.
Export Import is one of the greatest business opportunities. It is simple to establish and for the most part often only needs you to effectively manage your customers and manufacturers, without even having to actually receiving the products. All you have to do is control the distributors and those that desire to buy them.
Find an item, fill a gap - that is what the export import trade is all about. If you are already identified a product you can make rapid earnings on by importing and then selling, you have already taken your initial step towards export import success.

How to Brand Yourself As an Authority in Online Network Marketing

2009-03-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

How many leads have you generated marketing your company replicated website? Go check if you need to...I will wait. Not many, right? What a surprise. Here's why; It's not because you suck at driving traffic. Although that may be part of the problem, it's because you are missing a simple but vital fact of human psychology and the network marketing industry.
People don't want to join a business, they want to follow a leader. It's part of human genetics and it is undeniable. You're long term success as a network marketer is completely dependent on your ability to brand yourself.
You need to present yourself in such a way that others are drawn to you. You're products, your compensation plan, the endorsements of your company DO NOT MATTER. People only buy from people they view as a valuable resource. This is a concept that has been present in business and marketing for decades.
Effective business people do not "pitch" products or business opportunities or anything upfront. Instead they give valuable information that benefit their potential customers, thus branding themselves as the authorities they are. Later, when that customer has a problem they go to that person who has given them value and the person effectively relates his products or services to that particular need.
This is in no way meant to deter you or scare you away from the benefits you came to this industry for. Instead it is meant to empower you to become the leader you must become to achieve the desired result. Make no mistake about it. It takes hard work and determination.
With that said, technology has been able to automate this process through systems and blueprints by successful leaders. Search out these systems and leaders and approach them with a thirst for knowledge and abundance.

How to Market in a Really Bad Economy

2009-03-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

Eight marketing ideas to help your small business during a bad economy.
Even if your company is doing well during a down economy, you need to make plans for customers who may start cutting back. They key is to shift your marketing from image-oriented marketing to direct response, measurable advertising.
If your business is already feeling the effects of a weakening economy here are some strategies you can use to market in a bad economy.
1. Place your focus on more direct forms of revenues versus "image advertising." It's time to show good, measurable results. Coupon redemption programs and the use of promo codes can be very effective. When the economy is down everyone is looking for bargains. With coupons and promo codes you also get to track what's working and what isn't.
2. Learn more about your customers needs. Surveys don't have to cost anything. If you have an email list, you can build a quick survey to send out using Survey Monkey. It's free and easy. You can also put the survey on your web site and offer something free for people to take the survey. Since you may not be able to advertise everything during a bad economy, it's smart to know where to put your money.
3. Call in favors from your vendors. You need to get the biggest bang for your buck. I'm not suggesting hitting up your vendors for such large discounts that it places an undue strain on them. However, get what you can while keeping your relationship good and making sure they stay in business to serve you throughout the downturn.
4. Not all customers are created equal. See who has purchased the most from you and make sure you stay close to them. As your best customers, they should be entitled to any perks you can afford.
5. Stress ROI. All of your campaigns need to convey how your customer will profit from your product. And you need to be as certain as possible that your advertising campaign will pay for itself. When you start a business you obviously need to watch your pennies. However, don't abandon this practice as you grow your business.
6. Test. Test. Test. Segment your list and try different subject lines, headlines and sub heads. Try different offers. The key is to find the one combination that hits the sweet spot and use that one. This point brings us back to the importance of measuring your results. With limited funds when starting a business you need to know which message gets you the best results.
7. Try to "convert" everyone that comes to your web site. By convert I mean capture their name, company, email, and phone number. Get this valuable marketing information by offering your visitors valuable content. Reports and videos are great things to use. Think about any content and information that would help your customer or prospect succeed - especially in a bad economy.
8. It's time for family values. When hard times hit, people tend to go back to the nest. Try to position your product in warm, fun, family-oriented scenes. Even if your product doesn't quite fit that image or is more business oriented, every product will affect someone. The image could even be a coming together of office workers around your product. "Paint the picture" how your product makes a warm, positive impact on someone or something.
While no small business likes bad economic times it can be an opportunity to sustain revenue, build brand awareness and brand loyalty, and strengthen ties with your customers.
Professional Experience: I have have been in the computer industry since 1976. Starting as a data processing recruiter, I moved to account management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) for four years and EMC Corporation (EMC2) for two years before starting MindIQ in 1986. During my term as CEO, I have grown the business four different times, bringing to market several products and getting our company included in the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies.
I also now run a small sales and marketing firm. We deliver sales copywriting, marketing consulting and Internet Marketing expertise.

How to Write a Call to Action That Works

2009-03-11T00:22:00.000-07:00

In any marketing piece, the call to action is, arguably, the most important part. A snappy headline may grab the readers' attention while the body of the message outlines why they absolutely must have the advertised product, but it is the call to action that tells them how to get it.
Writing an effective call to action does take practice, however, there is a S.U.R.E. way to remember the basics:
Specific - Tell your reader exactly what you want him to do. For example, instead of saying "buy our widget" say "call us now on 1300WIDGET and you can be widgeting away in just three days!"
Urgency - Add a sense of urgency to your call to action. Using terms like Act Now, Call Today and Limited Offer will instill a notion that this offer really must be taken up now.
Reinforce - Reinforce the reasons why the reader simply must have this product. State the benefits again in abbreviated form. For example: "Call us today on 1300ALIENCRAFT and experience your very own extraterrestrial adventure."
Entice - Offer something extra to entice the reader to take action. It may be a free report or extra month's membership - whatever it is, ensure that it is something that the reader will value. In the case of our space buffs above, the enticement may go something like:
"Remember, the first 200 to order receive a free working replica of the First Contact space craft that landed at Parliament House in 2008."
Futuristic fairy tales aside, implementing the S.U.R.E. system will help you to write calls to action that motivate your market and get your products moving. A surefire way to success!
Carol Dorman, owner of Quill Writing Services, also publishes Communicate, the monthly newsletter for small business owners who want to raise their profile and increase their profits by harnessing the power of words.

How to Develop a Kick-Butt Unique Selling Proposition Or USP

2009-03-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

If you're wondering what the guy's in the brown trucks and shorts have to do with anything, then take a closer look at the chapter title. I said USP not UPS!
In the realm of business in general and for businesses in niches in particular creating and having a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is what may give you that edge you need over your competition. In the world of marketing, there are very few direct response copywriters who are as well know as Jay Abraham. His definition of what a USP should do is explained in his own words:
"A USP is that distinct and appealing idea that sets you and your business, or practice, favorably apart from every other generic competitor."
If you go online and look up the definition on "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia", you will find this short explanation and a reference to one of the pioneers in marketing and identifying a company's USP, Rosser Reeves. The definition is as follows:
In his book "Reality in Advertising," Rosser Reeves (Chairman of the Board at Ted Bates & Company) gives the precise definition as it was understood at his company:
1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the customer: "buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit."
2. The proposition itself must be unique - something that competitors do not, or will not offer.
3. The proposition must be strong enough to pull new customers to the product.
Reeves also wrote that a USP does not necessarily have to be a verbal message. It can be communicated both verbally and visually. For example, a classic Clairol advertisement showing a picture of a model and just the headline, "Does she or doesn't she?" implied the USP, "If you use Clairol products, people won't even notice that you dyed your hair."
However, Reeves warns against forming a USP based on what he calls "The Deceptive Differential" - a uniqueness that is too small or too technical that customers cannot observe the differences in actual practice.
Reeves is also the creator of these two very famous USP's:
"Fast, fast, fast, relief"- Anacin "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands." - M&M's
One of the greatest examples of a powerful USP is one that changed an industry and took a struggling business owner having challenges surviving in a very competitive market to standing out above the rest; that is until the others caught on. If I were to write the words: "Fresh, hot Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less or it is FREE", would you be able to tell me what company this referred to? The answer is of course Domino's Pizza.
Clearly Tom Monaghan of Domino's changed the way in which the likes if Pizza Hut, Papa John's and any other mom and pop store does business to this day. Now the suggestion to create a USP for you personally or your company does not have to have such a dramatic effect on other businesses as Domino's had.
If we go back to the definition for a minute, can you ask yourself what you could do as an individual that would give you the distinction you need over your competition? What appealing idea or service can you adopt that sets you, your business, or practice apart from the generic competitor and more importantly what is the favorable impression that is left? Why should I or anyone else do business with you as opposed to anyone else? If you can answer these questions through your USP, then you have found a powerful marketing message that should be exploited.
It is not enough to just proclaim that if you are the best, the least expensive, or are number in customer service, everyone proclaims that. Your promise in your USP must also be delivered otherwise the USP is meaningless and just a catchy slogan. Domino's promised you the pizza in thirty minutes; they never said it was going to taste good! Jay Abraham further states that, "It is critical always to fulfill the "big promise" of your USP."
Since many big companies can spend literally millions building brand recognition, you as a relatively small business owner must strive to forge your own identity. In the scheme of things it really does not matter since the BIG business and marketing lesson here is to remember, the USP is the nucleus around which you will build your success, fame, and wealth, so you better be able to state it clearly.
If you can't state it clearly, your prospects or customers won't see it either. Whenever a customer may need the type of service or products you may have to offer, your USP should bring you or your company immediately to that prospects mind.
Another critical question your USP must ask and answer is this:
"Why should I or anyone else do business with you or your company, above any and all other options, including doing nothing, or whatever I'm doing now?"
Clearly your USP must inspire some sort of change in behavior if your target customer has been purchasing a similar product or service other than yours. The buying habits of many people are pretty regimented, sometimes your compelling reason for them to do business with you may not be the same reason the customer is buying now. How do you come up with something that reaches your target customer?
Start With Asking Your Existing Customers
I will get into the direct marketing science of ferreting out the bias in your customer list later on in this book; right now let's just get some simple answers to some simple questions. If you have been in business for a while and have developed some sort of customer base, then take about ½ hour and either get on the phone or send out a letter with a few questions specifically designed to help you find out what exactly is it about your goods or services that brought these customer or clients into the door in the first place.
If you do not have a customer/client list, then shame on you for letting future business get away without capturing contact information. If you ask some good probing questions to your customers, then you may be able to determine a common thread as to why they chose to do business with you as opposed to the other people in the yellow pages.
Could you start by just going down your list of major sales over the last one to three months and listing all your big or repeat customers? Most of your customers will welcome your questions and will assist you in your data mining. Your good or repeat customers know why they bought from you; go ask them for God's sake! Compile your answers and see if there is a common thread. While you're at it, get them to send you a testimonial. Another critical topic when it comes to marketing your business we will get to later.
There is a wealth of valuable information contained in what your customers will tell you. Some of the answers you get from your customers will yield great positive information, and some may cause you to go as far as to fire someone. Don't waste the information you gather, use it to craft your USP to attract other like-minded customers to your business.
One of the easiest ways to create a marketing USP is to make a list of features of your goods or services. Turn these features into tangible benefits, what the feature will do for you. Next, rank the benefits from most important to least important. One of the top two benefits will be your USP. With this exercise, you may even come up with a second USP.
Another important ingredient in a strong, powerful USP is to make the message in your USP a deeply felt emotional connection with your target market that tells people instantly why they should consider doing business with you. Whatever your USP ultimately ends up being, the message MUST be specific, meaningful, and concise.
Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition
Sometimes in order to determine your USP, you must look at how you and your company are positioned in the market place. Positioning your goods or services is all about making what you are offering different from, and more importantly, more valuable than your competitors' goods or services and hammering home that belief into the minds of your targeted market. What you do with your positioning is that you create a unique and positive identity for your goods or services therefore making your goods and services distinguishable from what every other competitor is offering.
When you stop and think of the mountain of junk mail, print advertising in newspapers, and the endless television commercials, we are literally numbed to advertising and endless pitches for products or services. Like I mentioned earlier, since you are dealing with targeted customers with previous buying habits, your positioning and message must be strong enough to break through and convince or persuade them to change their buying habits.
The lesson here is that by positioning your goods and services as superior in quality, the prospect is forced to re-examine their decision and beliefs as to why they are using the goods and services of your competitor. By positioning yourself as the obvious choice, you are staking your claim to the higher ground forcing your prospect to pay attention to what you or your marketing message is saying.
Think about it, everyone wants to believe they are getting the best value for their money. When you plant that seed of doubt that your targeted market may not be getting their money's worth, you have opened the door just a crack and it is up to you to take advantage of that opportunity.
In reality, there may be very little difference at all between your goods and services and those of your competitor, however if you fail to express and communicate clearly why you are unique and make that connection to your targeted market, you and your competitor may as well just merge your operations. By positioning yourself or your company as the obvious choice through your USP, it makes what you are offering to your customers more valuable and will lead to more business.
The old saying of "perception is reality" certainly holds true in business and when establishing a powerful USP the perception you are trying to project, should be followed with the reality that you will deliver on your bold USP. Also remember that you can not be all things to all people, but you can certainly be the one to choose from or simply the obvious choice for a great many of them. You also cannot do business operating under the "greater fool" principal. Consumers are smart and will not fall for false promises more than once.
Your USP is also one of the starting points in all your communications with your prospective customers or clients. Your actions must match the USP or again, all you are doing is selling snake oil and you will find that despite your best efforts, your business will die on the vine because you will in essence be marketing a lie.
The congruency of your USP with the customer experience will fortify your positioning in your business. That congruency must also be translated by everyone who comes in contact with your customers. If the mission statement of the company and company policies are not in line with your USP then you will have different people pulling in different directions all the while expecting or hoping for the same results: increased revenue. Can you really expect to be successful if this is the case?
Let's take the company FEDEX as an example of this. If their USP that is so clearly identifiable as "Guaranteed Overnight Delivery" were compromised by just one pilot who decided that maybe he could wait just another day to fly the plane into their sorting facility, would that cause some problems? You're damn right it would cause some problems! What this guy would have done was to make that clearly defined USP of FEDEX and turned in into the joke they call the U.S. Postal Service.
As a business owner you must make certain that the USP you develop for your business is both company policy and congruent with the rest of your marketing as well as your staff training and posture. If you are going to work to develop a great USP and begin to see what a difference it can make in driving more business to your front door, don't you think your insurance that your work is not sabotaged is to make sure your staff understands what is expected?
The real good news that comes from developing a solid USP is that in many cases your marketing will become much more focused and refined. You will stop spending money on image ads that for lack of a better word; suck! We will also get into the concept of the "message to market match" and how this will also help define your USP later on.
As an exercise, try and quickly and as concisely as possible answer these five simple questions:
1. What does your business do?
2. For whom is your business for?
3. In your opinion, what is the biggest benefit to doing business with you?
4. Prove your claim; to what do you attribute that benefit?
5. How will your customers perceive this benefit, relative to the competition?
In another article found online at Entrepreneur.com here are some more closely related strategies to help you uncover your USP and use it to power up your sales:
· Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Too often, entrepreneurs fall in love with their product or service and forget that it is the customer's needs, not their own, that they must satisfy. Step back from your daily operations and carefully scrutinize what your customers really want. Suppose you own a pizza parlor. Sure, customers come into your pizza place for food. But is food all they want? What could make them come back again and again and ignore your competition? The answer might be quality, convenience, reliability, friendliness, cleanliness, courtesy or customer service.
Remember, price is never the only reason people buy. If your competition is beating you on pricing because they re larger, you have to find another sales feature that addresses the customer's needs and then build your sales and promotional efforts around that feature.
· Know what motivates your customers' behavior and buying decisions. Effective marketing requires you to be an amateur psychologist. You need to know what drives and motivates customers. Go beyond the traditional customer demographics, such as age, gender, race, income and geographic location that most businesses collect to analyze their sales trends. For our pizza shop example, it is not enough to know that 75% of your customers are in the 18 to 25 age range. You need to look at their motives for buying pizza-taste, peer pressure, convenience and so on.
Cosmetics and liquor companies are great examples of industries that know the value of psychologically oriented promotion. People buy these products based on their desires (for pretty woman, luxury, glamour and so on), not on their needs.
· Uncover the real reasons customers buy your product instead of a competitor's. As your business grows, you'll be able to ask your best source of information: your customers. For example, the pizza entrepreneur could ask them why they like his pizza over others, plus ask them to rate the importance of the features he offers, such as taste, size, ingredients, atmosphere and service. You will be surprised how honest people are when you ask how you can improve your service.
If your business is just starting out, you obviously won't have a lot of customers to ask yet, so "shop" your competition instead. Many retailers routinely drop into their competitors' stores to see what and how they are selling. If you're really brave, try asking a few of the customers after they leave the premises what they like and dislike about the competitors' products and services.
Once you've gone through this three-step market intelligence process, you need to take the next -and hardest- step: clearing your mind of any preconceived ideas about your product or service and being brutally honest. What features of your business jump out at you as something that sets you apart? What can you promote that will make customers want to patronize your business? How can you position your business to highlight your USP?
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If you are serious about your business, you must also become a serious student of marketing. Because in the grand scheme of things, no matter what business you are in, you are ultimately in the marketing business. If you fail at the marketing of your business, then no matter how well your product or service may be, you are not going to survive if you do not attract enough people or customers with MONEY for your business to survive.
One shortcut that may help in this search for the ever elusive USP may require some creativity and perhaps some soul-searching. If you can't find your own stride, start to analyze how other companies use their USP to their advantage. You could even play prospect and see how their sales process works. But if all you do is go through the exercise of studying the ads and marketing pieces of other like companies, you should be able to gather enough information to get pointed in the right direction. If you take this exercise serious enough you will also learn a great deal about how companies distinguish themselves from competitors.
So as you have read so far, if you really want to take your business to the next level, having a powerful USP is one thing that you will need to develop. The longer you wait, the longer it will be before you start to grow your business in a big way.
You must remember in the end that every potential customer or client you will come into contact with will want to know what is in it for them if they are to do business with you. If you cannot clearly convey to them the benefits, there is a very good chance they will move on and take their business and their money somewhere else.
If you haven't figured it out yet, the possibilities for building a distinct and appealing USP is unlimited. It is almost always best however, to develop a USP that profoundly addresses an obvious void in the marketplace that you can honestly fill. This alone will separate you from the rest of the "me too" businesses in your market.
The other fact you should be aware of is that since you are reading this, you have an advantage over your so called competition because very few business owners or businesses know how to develop a USP that is effective. They follow the crowd like lemmings and do what everyone else is doing and then they wonder why their businesses do not stand out from the rest of the crowd. The point is to focus on the one niche, need or gap that is most sorely lacking, provided you can keep the promise you make.
Is it any wonder and no surprise that most businesses, lacking a USP, merely just get by. The failure rate is very high, the owners are apathetic, and they end up getting only a small share of the potential business. In some instances, if it were not for a great location, they would have very little business at all. It's crazy to operate any business without carefully crafting a clear, strong, appealing USP into the very fabric of the daily existence of that business.
By this time you have probably figured out that the need for a vibrant, meaningful USP is a vital element in your marketing and positioning of your business entity. At the end of this chapter, I will give you two exercises you can work to develop your own USP that should compliment the information already written in this chapter. Before we get to those exercises, you should have an idea on how to effectively integrate the USP you will develop into your sales material as well.
As I mentioned before the congruity of your USP message must be relayed by staff and should also be carried by outside sales forces if your business utilizes there services. Your positioning statement must not just be contained in all your marketing, it should be an integral part of your sales presentation when the sales force calls on prospects. Everything they say and do should clearly reinforce your USP. They should be able to explain the USP to the customer in a clear, concise statement.
Throughout the sales pitch, your sales associates should refer to the USP benefits or advantages, showing the prospects why it's vastly superior to take advantage of your USP rather than your competitor's USP, if that business even has one.
I would not suggest you simply have your salespeople try this approach on the fly. I suggest a more formal training session where they are forced to verbally express the USP you have crafted in 60 seconds or less. They must be able to clearly express how this USP benefits the client or prospect they are speaking to give compelling reasons for these benefits. Try furnishing your prospects with plenty of examples of how you honestly deliver your USP.
Talk to your staff as I mentioned already. Write specific scripts, hold contests, and reward people who distinguish themselves in promoting your USP. Set many examples so that your staff can see the USP in action. This is a great start and your staff may follow your wishes when you are around, but when you are not, will you be able to count on your people doing the right thing when do one is looking?
One great remedy to see if your USP policies are being followed is to hire mystery shoppers or callers to test if the company USP is being followed while you are out of the office for the day or away on vacation. If you have developed the script and have trained your staff, then you should be able to structure some questions for the mystery shopper that should elicit the responses your USP training was meant to answer. One of two things will happen; you will either be very pleasantly surprised, or you will have to fight the urge to fire everyone in your office. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I think this issue has been beaten up and about the head and shoulders and the importance could not be more emphasized. It is NOT a function to ignore because it is such a vital ingredient to your business success. If you read this and do nothing, you are relegating your business to the ranks of the "me too" lemmings that all look the same and offer no compelling reason to do business with you.
Here are a couple of exercises that you can try if you are having a difficult time in crafting a USP. This exercise was suggested in an article by Jay Abraham:
With paper and pen, prepare a one-paragraph statement of your new USP. At first, you will have trouble expressing it tightly and specifically. It may take two or three paragraphs or more. That's okay. Ruthlessly edit away the generalities, and tenaciously focus on the crispest, clearest, most specific promise you could possibly hold out. Then, rework it and hack away the excess verbiage or hazy statements until you have a clearly defined, clearly apparent Unique Selling Proposition a customer can immediately seize upon. And then, integrate your USP into every marketing aspect of your business, such as display advertising, direct mail, and field selling.
To summarize, here is a brief outline for reference you can use at any time when you are developing a USP for any new or niche business you may have.
What is a Unique Selling Proposition or USP?
Very simply stated, your USP is what differentiates your product, goods, or services from your competition's products, goods, or services.
What a USP looks like:
It is one sentence.
It is clearly written, so that anyone can understand it.
It should be believable.
It is composed of one benefit that is unique solely to your company or product.
Develop a USP using one or more of the following strategies:
Focus on a niche. In other words, before you develop the USP, find your target market. Answer the question: Who exactly are you selling to?
Fill a void. This is similar to finding a niche. Look for a void in the market and fill it with your USP.
Concentrate on easing "pain" or giving "pleasure" in your USP.
State how your product, goods, or services will solve a problem.
Look at your competition.
Tell the customer what they are going to get, answer the question: What's in it for them?
Make it "measurable". Time and price are measurable qualities.
Final tips:
1. Sit down with a piece of paper:
a. Brainstorm
b. List all the benefits your company or product can offer
c. Prioritize those benefits in order of what is the strongest, and most unique to your business.
d. Write one sentence that conveys the first benefit on the list.
2. Every employee should know your USP and be able to state it. (Especially if you are a small business.)
3. Your marketing campaigns, your marketing plan, and your business plan should surround your USP.

Flat Fee MLS Listing - What is It?

2009-03-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

Homeowners cringe when they learn that listing their home for sale with a real estate agent will cost them 6% of the home sale price. On a $300,000 home, that's $18,000. How long did it take them to earn this amount of money at their job? Better yet, how long did it take them to save this amount of money? More and more, homeowners are asking why they need to spend so much to simply sell their home?
One of the major advantages that listing agents have over an individual selling their home on their own is the advertising exposure they are given with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). In today's buyer's market, it is essential a home is exposed and advertised to as many potential sellers as possible.
By listing your home for sale with a Flat Fee MLS Listing service, you get both advantages - You still sell your home by owner and you are able to advertise your home for sale on the MLS just as a listing agent would advertise. Instead of a listing agent representing you in the sale of your home and charging you 3% for this service, you represent yourself and pay a flat listing fee.
The traditional 6% commission is a combination of the listing agent's commission and the buyer's agent's commission, both typically 3%, for a total cost of 6%. With a flat fee listing you pay no commission to the listing agent. Instead, you pay them a flat fee. On the buyer's side you'll still have to pay the represented buyer's agent a commission, but this is typically at most half of the total commission you'd pay under the traditional model, or up to 3%. This commission is set by you upfront. For unrepresented buyers you'll pay no commission at all!
Only a licensed real estate broker who is a member of the MLS and pays the MLS dues and fees is able to list a property on the MLS. An individual can't simply post an "ad" in the MLS, like placing an ad in a newspaper. There are thousands of MLS associations across the country. When listing in the MLS, one generally chooses to list in the MLS that represents the area where their property is located. However, properties in one area are sometimes listed in an MLS that represents a different area. For example, someone trying to sell a weekend beach home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina may want to advertise their beach home in the Triad MLS which covers an 11 county area around the Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem area to gain exposure to a metropolitan area whose residents are likely to use their vacation area.
Flat Fee MLS listings are also known as Limited Service (LS) listings because the home seller does not receive the same level of service as a full service listing would provide. They are saving by purchasing only what they need.
For those willing and able to handle the ins and outs of their real property sale, Flat Fee MLS listings provide the exposure they need at very reasonable expense

Easy Way to Set Up Your Global Trade Business

2009-03-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

What is an easy way to set up a winning business from scratch and have fun doing it? If you have guessed export import business , then you are right. Not only does it need small investment to establish, but it presents the charm of working with customers from all over the globe.
Currently, almost everything is accessible either in superstores or by order over the World Wide Web. It is, of course, probable to clench great deals if you make a personal trip, but this can be quite time consuming and can also be difficult due to language barriers.
People like their shopping to be as effortless as possible, that's why they do not mind paying more for their purchases. Exporters and importers play a vital role in the supply chain.
Export Import trading is a business that can be run without much of difficulty from one's residence. You require very small preliminary fund to establish. Just a PC, way in to the internet and a good judgment is all you need. There are few great advantages to working for yourself and probably working from home.
Networking is of vital importance to succeed in export and import business. You must have a sound base of contacts built up in order to successfully move items.
This is still effortless online than offline because you can speak to anybody in the world from the ease of your house via Voice over IP (like: Skype/ Google talk) or email. You can surf online shopping portals and commercials and even make orders on your credit card from the ease of your own residence. You can promote and trade your goods online with ease. Actually, in some trading processes, you can purchase and wholesale without even having to receive or ship the items yourself! As with any trade it is of supreme importance to handle your cash flows, maintain detailed flawless accounts and truly offer outstanding customer service. An unhappy consumer will not return and might disparage your service to their associates or even the online web, something that can be disastrous for businesses.
You must have a business map before you start. You require to do you home work well regarding what you desire to buy and sell , how much you need to sell it for, in what amounts and what mode of money you are looking to make. You have to select which nations you would like to trade with, what methods of payments will you use and what are the overseas regulations? Research is primary to this process. Don't let the homework put you off! Every business enterprise requires groundwork and you all be thanking yourself when your trade takes off.
You have to take a decision on what level your business is going to run on, are you going to work by yourself, as an organization or a limited company or even bigger entity? Are you thinking of starting small and then growing as time passes?
You need to look into the market trend and come to a decision regarding items you are going to trade. This depends on what your concerns are (it is simple to advertise something you can ramble about!), what you are well-informed about and, of course, what is accessible. If you purchase in bulk, you can make good money, provided you make sure that you are playing your cards right on the marketing front. If you truly plan well and make the true associates, you will be winning and with any luck you can build adequate earnings to cover up your travel expenditure and make a quality living too.

Internet Search Engine Marketing Get Traffic to Your Web Site

2009-03-03T01:28:00.000-08:00

Lets start off with the Domain name. If you are planning on starting your own web site and have not chosen a domain name as of yet and want to get targeted traffic from the search engine marketing then consider a good keyword domain that is related to your web site topic. This simple technique has proven to work with search engine marketing for indexing (position) and overall keyword weighting. Now there are other factors to get considered by search engines like properly preparing your meta tags in the html. The meta tags that still hold importance to search are Title Tags, and Description Tags. Keyword tags do not hold the same importance like it use to. Another important factor is on page keywords, these are relevant keywords found on the body text of your website and choosing the proper keywords with relevance, keyword weighting (4-7%), as well as keyword proximity will be the difference between your website getting listed page 40 or page 2 or even page one in search engines.

Another important internet marketing puzzle piece for search engines is link building. This is the process were you get your website links listed on other important websites. There are different ways do accomplish this - reciprocal links and one way linking. Reciprocal linking involves you trading links with other webmasters, be sure that your website topic is relevant to link partners site. The other link building option is one way linking; this process involves you submitting your site to directories in the proper categories. Which is better? Research has shown that one way linking holds more importance to internet marketing In search engines that reciprocal. How many links should I drop? Never stop dropping links. You should continuously do link building it shows your site as importance to search engines. Remember when submitting links to have you text link contain important keywords relevant to your site.

The work involved for Search Engine Internet Marketing is extensive and to be honest hard if not done correctly. Organic search is a process and takes time so be patient and try to collect as much information as possible when entering this field before getting started.

Now there are internet marketing paid options that deliver traffic to your site faster than the initial process of search engine optimization. Don’t shy away from paid options because if you want to be successful online you really should consider FREE and PAID internet marketing for you internet business website. Some paid options include PPC or paid per click. This process is very fast way to get targeted traffic to your website by bidding on PPC keyword text ad placement in search engines. The more you are willing to bid the higher your placement will be in search engines. This option can run you a few dollars a month to a hundred dollars a month or even a few thousand a month depending on what you are selling and marketing and the size of your internet marketing budget. If your PPC campaign is not done correctly your budget be gone before you can blink so be sure to research this option before you jump in.

Another paid option, which has taken the internet by storm, is Million Pixel Home Page internet marketing. These NEW search engines marketing explosion is returning high amounts of traffic for a fraction of the total cost of PPC. Reports are showing great click through rates, increase in sales as well as overall increase in website for those sites that are participating. The cost is affordable and is a one-time payment in which the Million Pixel Home Page webmasters keep your website link on line for at least 3 years. This type of internet marketing will pay for itself time and time again. These Million Pixel Pages create traffic by creating buzz with unique SEM techniques that get visitors in and visiting your site and besides people seem to love them. It has been proven and it really works.

Remember the lifeline to your websites is traffic, with out it you website will never be discovered and never succeed. The above options are proven methods you should consider. Research all option before jumping in, the more you know the better.

How to an Email Follow Up Series

2008-04-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Marketers the world over use follow up autoresponders to

increase sales. But, many struggle to write a compelling

message series. Don't let that keep you from your share of

the profits! Print and follow these instructions; you'll

soon be following up with finesse.

(Examples in this article use the fictional product "Green

Garden Lawn Fertilizer". Any similarity to actual products

is unintended and coincidental.)

Message 1 - Big Benefits:

Many of the sales resulting from your follow up series will

come after the very first message. Keep this message short.

Just take 500 or so words to flesh out a handful of your

biggest benefits. For example, part of the Green Garden Lawn

Fertilizer company's first message might read:

"A Lush Lawn: Green Garden Fertilizer will give you a

lush lawn in just 2 weeks! Density will increase up to 50%..."

"No More Brown: Watch your lawn become 3-5 shades

greener with regular treatments"

Message 2 - Establish a Need:

Use your second message to explain why your product is necessary.

First, lay out the situation leading to a need for your product.

Then, show that your product will meet that need. For instance:

"Lawns across the country are looking dull. Homeowners water

and mow to no avail. But, not those who use Green Garden

Fertilizer! They've created lush, beautiful lawns"

Message 3 - Tool Talk:

In your third message, show the lead how he will go about

actually using your product. Detail any tools or supporting

material that you offer. In the case of our fictional Green

Garden Fertilizer, part of this message might read:

"This treatment is a cinch: Simply attach the included

diffuser to the end of your garden hose, creating a

sprinkler. Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes each week.

You will see an improvement after just one treatment!"

Message 4 - The Wildcard:

Customize message four for your unique product. Try one

of these ideas:

Have a customer case study? This is a great place

for it.

Selling complimentary products? Detail one of

them here.

Selling a real-world product? Explain shipping

/ tracking now.

Have a bricks and mortar office? Invite the

prospect to visit. Include directions.

Are you personally a visible part of your brand?

Include your bio here.

Message 5 - Questions? Comments?:

Your lead may be waiting to purchase until you explain one

particular thing. By asking outright, you can speed the

sales cycle to a close.

Start the fifth message by asking your prospect if he has

any questions. Give him several ways to reach you, and

include your hours of operation and time zone.

Take the rest of the fifth message to answer some of the

questions your prospects ask most often. For instance:

"Are you excited about the lush lawn you'll have with Green

Garden Fertilizer? I hope so! Let me go over some questions

our customers have asked in the past"

Message 6 - Testimonials:

With your sixth message, show off your satisfied customers.

Choose several of your best testimonials, and list them here.

Look for quotes from customers who are obviously excited about

your product, but that still sound believable. For instance,

choose:

"I'm thrilled with my Green Garden Fertilizer! Just two weeks,

and my lawn looks better than it has in years."

Instead of:

"Green Garden Fertilizer is miraculous! It turned my back lot

into a rolling meadow in days - and that lot is PAVED!"

(The testimonials in this article are made up examples. All of

your testimonials, however, must be real. Fabricating

testimonials is illegal.)

Message 7 - Last Chance:

Your final message serves as one last reminder of your product.

Briefly reiterate its most impressive features. Then, throw in a few

testimonials or a very short case study. Round out this message

with your contact information. Our example product's final

message might read: