Archive for the ‘Home Business Promotion’ Category

Easily Create a Lead Capture Page That Converts Like Crazy

Most people have no idea how to create a lead capture page that converts visitors into leads. Unfortunately many lead capture pages are slopped together without compelling ad copy and the key triggers that get people interested in an offer.

In this article you will discover why certain landing pages convert like crazy while others don’t. You will also learn some pin point accurate techniques to make your next lead capture page project a huge success.

One major problem that people run into creating capture pages is how to write compelling copy. If you are a beginning copy writer or someone who has trouble with skill than it’s important to study copywriting or hire someone to help you with the process.

Here are a few tips to help you out with lead capture page copy writing:

#1 - It is important to use a of compelling sales points with powerful psychological triggers. Most people who create a sales page miss either one or both of those elements.

#2 - Concentrate on building enthusiasm with a little bit of hype BUT make sure to clearly explain what solution you are providing and for whom you are providing it for. If I don’t have a specific problem that you’re solving you are not going to convert traffic into leads.

#3 - Sprinkle in psychological triggers, such as “Proven to Work”, “Revealed”, and “Insider Secrets”. These buzz words will compel your visitors to continue reading your copy and raise the perceived value of your offer.

#4 - Make sure your lead capture page has a smooth flow. If the copy looks amateurish and it doesn’t slowly grind forward you won’t break down your visitor’s resistance to the sale, or opting in to become a lead.

#5 - Personalize your copy by using your name, location and even a picture of yourself throughout your page. This not only builds credibility but also lets people know that there is a real person behind the offer they are reading on the website.

In addition to careful copywriting, there are other important things you must take into consideration when writing a lead capture page that converts. For instance, it is important to build a compelling case for a limited time offer.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to invent fake deadlines and constantly revise them each week. However, you will want to make sure that you constantly urge the reader to act immediately by inserting a number of “calls to action” along the way.

Here is an example of a “call to action”:

“Don’t Wait… I’m Only Planning On Giving Away 50 Copies of My “Internet Cashflow” Report Before I Pull It Offline For Good - Grab Your FREE Copy NOW Before It’s Too Late!”

As you can see, I’m creating a sense of urgency or “call to action” to get my prospect to act quickly and make a decision. Not only does this call to action build perceived value for my offer but it also gives the prospect direction on what I want them to do.

Creating a quality lead capture page doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process either and sometimes less is more. Rather than building a compelling case with multiple triggers and calls to action over the course of 1000+ words, you may want to simply condense that all into a compelling headline and one paragraph of the “benefits” of your offer.

You will find that you can sky rocket your opt-in rates with this technique unless the visitor a) doesn’t see any benefits from taking you up on your offer and b) suspects that you will spam them or sell their email address and information.

Both of these problems are easy to overcome though by doing a few small things. First, in your headline simply state the exact benefits they will receive for joining or “opting in” to your list. In your first paragraph of copy, give them a compelling reason to join now (i.e., the price might go up, the list might become private, grab a copy of my amazing report).

Now, to overcome the second problem, simply include a short line under your opt-in form that explains that you will not spam them or sell their email address and name. This is known as your “terms and conditions” or “privacy policy”.

Here is an example “Privacy Policy” I like to use:

“Please Note: I respect you privacy and your information will only be used to deliver the materials relating to my incredible limited time offer (No Spam – EVER). All contact information must be accurate or valuable materials will not be delivered.”

You can even put your phone number and name in your privacy policy to help with the credibility of your promise not to spam or sell the prospects information.

In closing, creating a lead capture page that converts like crazy isn’t as hard as you might think. Simply exercise some of the techniques outlined in this article to put yourself on the fast track to lead generation and opt-in list building success.

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Article Marketing Explained…

Every year, millions of people start up a website in hopes of striking it rich on the Internet. Unfortunately many of these website never get a chance to make any money simply because of a lack of quality traffic. If you want to avoid the “no traffic” blues than article distribution is the #1 Internet marketing tactic that can bring you in a consistent volume of high quality traffic. The best part is, this strategy is easy, efficient and doesn’t cost much money.

So what is article distribution?

Article distribution is an Internet marketing technique that is used by many online entrepreneurs simply because of the incredible SEO, branding and linking benefits. Article distribution involves the use of websites that are known as article directories. Article directories are websites that host a large collection of articles. To make finding and reading those articles easier, most article directories place each of their articles into categories. Popular categories include education, business, automobiles, and travel.

In each article, the writer is able to create a link to one of their websites in what is known as the “About the Author” box. That link is often accompanied by background information on the website in question or the entrepreneur who wrote the article. Each time one of your links is clicked, internet users will be directed to your website. This connection will increase the amount of traffic your website sees and it may also help to increase the amount of profit it generates.

Although article distribution is a nice and easy way to generate website traffic, it is one that needs to be done correctly. Otherwise you may essentially end up wasting time.

The first step in using article directories to your advantage is to focus on a topic that you would like to write about. For the best success, you will want to write on a topic or an issue that is, in one way or another, related to the website readers will be directed to. Any article may increase the traffic that your website sees, but if you rely on internet sales, you will need to go a step further. For instance, if you are selling a service, such as a bookkeeping service, you may want your article to focus on the benefits of having a quality bookkeeper.

Once you have determine what the main topic or focus of your articles will be, you will then need to examine how you will write them. If you find yourself having a difficult time figuring out what to write, you may want to think about creating yourself an outline. An outline will act as a guide for you. An
outline will not only help you know what to write, but it will also help to ensure that you do not leave out any important information.

Once you have created an outline, you can start writing. When doing so, it is important that you keep your content interesting and easy to read. Be cautious of using technical words that many internet users will not understand. Although your first thought may be to create informational articles, you want to be cautious of providing too much information. You need your readers to click on your links, to get to your website. If your article is too informative, they may already have found what they needed, thus the needed for visiting your website may have been eliminated. You will want to leave your readers wanting more information.

After your article has been compiled and thoroughly proofread, you will want to submit it to the article directories of your choice. Although you might assume that your job is done after this point, it isn’t or at least it shouldn’t be. Article distribution is a great way to generate traffic, but it needs to be done on consistently if you want to see real results. In fact, you may want to set a goal for yourself, like submitting at least five articles a month or even more. This will help to ensure that your readers are always given new, updated information to read and absorb. Plus, the more articles you distribute the more links you will create.

Need help writing articles? Check out Instant Article Wizard and discover how to pop out content rich profitable articles in less than 15 minutes a day!

Easily Create A Marketing Plan For Your New Website

A marketing plan is essential for any type of business and opening a new website on the Internet is no different. By putting together a marketing plan you will have the road map in place that can guide your website from obscurity to a hot destination in the least amount of time.

Below are several key things to remember while you develop your marketing plan to bring traffic to your website.

#1 - Establish your objectives and targets.

After you have built a website for your on line business, you need to establish goals in terms of how much you want to earn from that business. This will help you figure out the volume of traffic needed to make the necessary sales you desire. Your objectives and goals will guide you in deciding the level of promotion and the right type of advertising you need to bring in the desired traffic.

#2 - Establish your advertising budget

This is a very important step simply because there are so many techniques and strategies for driving traffic to your website. Some techniques are affordable while others are expensive and by establishing an advertising budget you can outline what tools and services will give you the most bang for your advertising dollar.

#3 - Invest in the necessary tools.

One tool that every website needs is an auto-responder. An auto-responder will allow you to capture information from people visiting your website and follow up with them via email in a consistent manner. If your website doesn’t have the lead capture function that an auto-responder provides than you are not maximizing your existing traffic and missing out on potential sales. (The best auto-responder available is Aweber. CLICK HERE to learn more about this vital service.)

#4 – Develop short term and long term advertising strategies.

The quickest and easiest way to generate traffic and leads for any business is pay per click (Otherwise known as PPC) advertising because it can bring you immediate results. While pay per click is a “short term” strategy to get your website listed in the search engines you also want to optimize your website for the organic search engines as well. Since pay per click costs you money and the organic searches are free, obviously you want to make the gradual switch from pay per click to organic as your website grows and becomes more developed on line.

Besides getting listed in the organic search engines, you will also want to write and publish articles on line, create a blog that you make daily posts on, and participate in forums that relate to your industry.

By following these simple steps you can develop a marketing plan for your website. With your new marketing plan you can minimize wasteful spending and give your new website the best chance at success.

Tap Into The Power Of Viral Marketing For Your Home Business

Advertising is the key to success for any home business, as people can’t turn into customers if they don’t know you exist and don’t know how you can meet their needs. Traditional advertising, such as print media has been around since the invention of the printing press and broadcast media soon came after the birth of radio. But despite all the years of using these types of advertising, the internet has cast a new light on how to successfully market a business without spending a fortune.

While the cost of Internet advertising may seem cheap considering the number of potential customers it can reach for businesses that only offer a local product or service advertising globally just may not make sense. If your business is located in Iowa and your advertising appears in England or in Africa, chances are the return on your advertising investment will not be what you expected.

While internet businesses can gain tremendously from internet marketing, it can get expensive over time depending on the type of advertising venue you choose. The best advertising you can hope for is to have others send your message to their friends, free, without being asked and without complaining. This is known as viral marketing.

The use of viral marketing has been growing and simply involves having internet users distributing your advertising message of their own free will. One of first and most successful uses of viral marketing was when companies such as Yahoo began offering free email accounts. A brief advertising message appears at the bottom of every Yahoo email sent, usually including a link for the advertiser. Then whenever people signed up for the free email service, every email they sent out contained an advertisement.

Talk about viral marketing! Unfortunately your business probably doesn’t have the capability to give out free email accounts but you can come up with other great ideas to virally get your message to the masses. Try giving away an eBook you write that shares useful information about your product, service or industry and of course has your advertisement tagged throughout the copy. Another idea is to create an online ezine that people could subscribe to and share with others.

Whatever idea you come up with just remember that people love free stuff and if what you give away has value then your prospects don’t mind recommending others to your business or website. This means massive exposure for your business and you don’t have to spend a dime.

5 Hot Strategies for Increasing Your Website Traffic on a Budget

So you decided to start an online business. The website is up and you’re ready to rock but seem to be missing just one thing… Traffic! While there are many ways to drive traffic to a website, some of the best techniques don’t require a deep pocketbook and can bring your website some incredible results.

Discover 5 easy to implement strategies for increasing your website traffic on a small budget:

1. Offer free reports, eBooks or videos.

Giving away some freebies and including your website URL in those freebies is an effective and low cost way of building traffic to your website. All you do is write some useful short reports that someone coming to your website would be interested in reading (of course the reports will link back to your website). Then you offer your freebies on your website where your visitors must leave their email address and name before they are able to access your materials. This strategy not only builds credibility with potential customers but also helps you build a targeted opt-in mailing list that you can market to in the future. I suggest using an auto-responder service like Aweber to easily ad opt-in forms on your website and capture your prospects information.

2. Blog.

Blogging is an awesome way to bring traffic to your website. On your blog, you can discuss your products and services as well as answer any questions your potential customers may have. Of course, since it’s your blog you can also add banner advertisements and text links back to your website too. By blogging regularly, you will have fresh content that will get your website indexed by search engines which is a free source of incredible traffic. The best part is that blogs are free and anyone can easily set one up using applications like Blogger or WordPress.

3. Publish your own newsletter.

Having your own newsletter where you offer free tips and content on a regular basis can help to not only bring in new visitors but also keep people coming back for more. Your newsletter will contain quality content and news about your industry as well as links to your website. If your content is good enough your newsletters can easily spread all over the Internet. (Again, I suggest using an auto-responder service like Aweber to publish and manage your newsletter.

4. Join forums and message boards related to your niche or website.

Forum marketing is quite possibly the best free way to drive massive amounts of targeted traffic to your website. All you need to do is find online forums that relate to your product or service and then join in the conversation. While you don’t blatantly make posts advertising your website, you are allowed to create what’s known as a signature file that will go at the bottom of every post you make. It’s this signature file that you can put a link back to your website, along with a catchy ad about what you offer. The more posts you make the more exposure and back links your website gets.

5. Exchange links with other websites in your niche.

To execute this strategy all you need to do is go to your favorite search engine and conduct some searches for keywords related to your website. If you can find some top rated websites that compliment instead of compete with your product or service, send them an email or give them a call and ask to do a link exchange. If the services compliment each other and don’t compete you should be able to form some quality partnerships and links back to your website.

In closing, there are literally hundreds of free and low cost ways to start driving traffic to your website. The most important thing is to start executing one of these strategies today and not put it off until tomorrow. With a little bit of work, anyone can turn their website into a high traffic selling machine if they are consistent about executing new traffic strategies on a daily basis.

How To Get The Most Out Of A Networking Event

Networking events take place all over the country. From small towns to big cities, networking is a part of any business model on the planet. Perhaps the biggest part of networking is convincing yourself to be social and not just a wallflower. The next time you attend a networking function consider the following tips to help you become more successful and bring in more business

What to do before a networking event.

Before you attend the event write down what your strengths, attributes and special skills are. This way you will know exactly why someone should be interested in what you have to offer. Keep these strengths in your head in order to boost your confidence and remind yourself of why people should be talking with you and listening to what you have to say.

Another great idea is to picture the room in your mind and picture yourself shaking hands and talking with people. By visualizing everything you will be doing it can really help even they most shy individual. Visualization is a powerful tool used by many successful people whether it is in business, sports or entertainment.

What to do when you arrive at a networking event.

When you finally show up make sure you have a confident posture, a controlled walk, a smile on your face and a firm handshake to those you meet. And never forget to make lots of eye contact. Then be sure to use the immediate environment to start a conversation such as the venue or the host. This will help you to find a common bond and to keep the conversation going. Always start with small talk before you get down to business.

What to do during a networking session.

When you need to get down to business have some questions prepared to ask people in order to find out what their needs are and if your services will help people. You don’t have to be pushy, rather soft sell yourself and build interest. This will make people more receptive to be helped by you.

Talking is only half of the event. When it comes your turn remember to repeat the individuals name back to them, actively listen to what they have to say and keep a mental database of as many details you can about the person to whom you are talking. If possible always get a business card and don’t be afraid to ask for it. The best time to ask is usually after they have talked about what they do and then you can offer yours in return.

What to do after a networking event.

Then when you return home be sure to write out information on the back of the card or a sheet of paper that can be stapled to the card. This way you can maintain and build and rapport for a future meeting, email or phone call.

Everyone likes a person who remembers them. Within twenty-four hours be sure to email everyone you met and say you enjoyed meeting them. It’s also good to mention a detail you remember and suggest that they keep in touch with you.

By incorporating these simple tips and strategies into your next networking event not only will you enjoy yourself more but also bring in more customers to your business.

Important Things NEVER To Do In Your Home Business

There are some things you should NEVER do in business if you want to succeed. If you are already a successful business owner you might be well aware of these things but for aspiring home based entrepreneurs than these tips could save you time and money.

The first thing you never want to do is to skimp on advertising and marketing. Without proper advertising your home business will never get noticed. If you don’t get noticed how can you expect to make any sales?

Here is an example:

Let’s say you have a small home business that publishes how to audio CD’s and you just came up with a new product. Your business is new and practically unknown. Although you have a website and a small advertisement in the local newspaper you still aren’t making more than a handful of sales.

The reason is because only a small area is going to be aware of your company and your new product. A single local newspaper ad only has so much reach and you have a product that could be sold all over the world. A better form of marketing for you would have been to advertise in several larger newspapers, buy billboard space in a heavily trafficked area, or create a Google adwords and Yahoo search marketing pay per click campaign. Although these strategies might cost a bit more you are able to reach a much larger customer base which means more eyes checking out your product.

The second thing you NEVER want to do is let your guard down with your home business competition. If your business has a competitive market (and most of them do) you want to definitely keep your competition close at all times.

Here is an example:

Let’s say you are a member of a health and wellness network marketing company. This is a very competitive industry with thousands of companies and distributors vying for new customers. You always want to be aware of what others are doing to build there businesses. You can learn from other people’s failures or successes so use them to find out what you should be doing but more importantly what you shouldn’t be doing.

Finally, the third thing you NEVER want to do is jump into a home business without doing thorough research. You want to be sure you know all of the details about the business opportunity you are involved in. You want to know financial details as well as information about your competition. When you take the time to research a specific business you insure success for yourself. You wouldn’t want any surprises popping up and you want to be able to set yourself up so that your business operates as smoothly as possible.

In the end,
starting a home business isn’t an easy thing to do. But if you make an effort to follow the above guidelines on what never to do in you will create a solid base for future success. Be sure not to jump into any business decisions without research and well thought out planning. Care for your business like you would your children. Give it what it needs to grow and you will be pleased with the end result.

Do Free Replicated Home Business Websites Really Work?

There are numerous offers on the internet that promise to provide you with a free website from which you can make a ton of money, selling their products or services. That’s right, at no cost to you, the company will accept you as a distributor for their products and give you a website and any sales that come from your site will result in a huge commission check. On top of that, if you can recruit more people to accept their free website, then you can receive a commission on their sales as well.

All of this is free and sounds good on paper, but when reality sets in you will soon learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch, or website. Yes, most of these companies will give you a free website, a replication of their own site and it will be configured with your name or company name on the landing page. It will also track the visitors that place orders through your site and yes, they will pay the promised commission. The challenge for you is getting visitors to your specific website.

This is when the free website begins to cost money. For sake of argument, consider a company sells health products and you are now a health product distributor for its brand. Chances are, you have joined a group of more than 100 other websites selling health products for the same company and you all have the same title on your website. A person searching for the company name may end up with a choice of 50 or more sites with the same name as a result of their search, and research shows that most user only look at the first 10, and in rare cases 20, of the top search results.

The odds of a search making your site one of the top searches is extremely low so you will have to become involved in network and online marketing just to make your site standout. Additionally, if you did manage to recruit others into the program, you have added to the competition. Print advertising that includes your specific website name may work, but most internet savvy users know that anything past the “/” (forward slash) in a site name is usually meaningless.

Your site’s name for tracking purposes is for instance, www.supervitaminsales.com/yourname and people only type in supervitaminsales.com, they will end up at the company’s main website. You did the advertising and will receive none of the financial benefit because the sale did not come from your site.

In the end, don’t buy into the hype of free. If you want to become a successful home business owner or network marketer it’s important that you get you own online presence that you have full control over.