This is quite an ambitious article. Here I will try to sum up how to achieve what is the over-riding purpose of all businesses. Nevertheless bear with me. Sometimes it's good to get back down to basics!
I would say the best way to win customers initially, and to keep them afterwards, is to offer them a good product at a good price. I would define a good product as one that meets the customer's needs and a price that does not prohibit the customer from fulfilling this need. If you carry on doing this, then your customers will become repeat customers. If they do not become repeat customers then you have broken this rule.
This is not to say that advertising is unnecessary. It goes without saying that you have to get the word out in the beginning and this is where a good press release and a top class newsletter can be of assistance. Press releases are good to lure new customers while newsletters are good for retaining old ones.
The best thing about newsletters is that they are cheap and serve several purposes. They keep your customers up to date with product developments, special offers and new services. They also serve the purpose of answering frequently asked questions and offering discounts to repeat customers.
Where newsletters are concerned, offering a bonus gift or a special discount to new or repeat customers should form a key component for maximum effectiveness. And never forget coupons! They may seem old fashioned but customers still tend to keep their eyes open for coupons to redeem at their favorites stores for their favorite products. In addition, coupons are a great way to track customer habits.
When compiling a newsletter be sure not to short-change the readers. The newsletter must in fact contain newsworthy items. Don't just serve up warmed-over information.
There is too much information around anyway so don't risk alienating your customers by wasting their time on old news or information taken from another source. Offer your customers hot and usable information that will save them time and money and help them make the right decisions in their life and business as these relate to your products and services. They must feel that if they do business with you they will always get the latest news and be informed about the latest innovations. And make your customers feel as though they are party to privileged or exclusive information. This is critical to retaining your customers.
Do not make the mistake of writing newsletters that are all about you and your firm. No one really cares about you and your business. The harsh fact is that they care about themselves. The technique of persuasive copywriting and repeat business is to make your newsletter all about the person who is reading it. If you newsletter makes the reader feel you are reading their minds, then you have excelled in the fine art of customer marketing
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Customers Buy When They Feel Good
Prospective customers will not buy unless they feel good about you, your company and your product or service. Here are 4 simple ways you can stimulate their good feelings ...and motivate them to buy.
1. Personalize Your MarketingProspects are more likely to buy from you when they feel you are talking directly to them about their unique needs. Look for ways to make your sales message more specific to the needs of prospective customers.For example, subdivide your targeted market into several more narrowly defined niche markets. Then customize your sales approach so it appeals to the specific interests of prospects in each niche market.
Tip: You can narrow the appeal of your web site without losing its effectiveness with your broader market. Just create customized web pages for each niche market you target. Then add a link to each of these specialized pages on your home page.
2. Emphasize Good FeelingsProspective customers usually base their buying decision on how they feel about your product or service. Get them excited about using it and they won't hesitate to buy.One way to get them excited is to convert the benefits provided by your product or service into a vivid word picture. Put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.
For example: If you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent lifestyle without debt.
3. Confront Buyer SkepticismA prospective customer will not buy if they have any doubt that you will deliver exactly what you promise. Here are 3 of the many ways you can confront and overcome skepticism in your customer's mind.* Use testimonials. They prove you've already delivered satisfaction to other customers. To be effective, they should describe a specific result your customer got by using your product or service.
For example, "In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, felt years younger and still continued to enjoy my favorite foods".* Provide specifics. Convert general statements into specific descriptions. Instead of "quick and easy", explain exactly how quick and how easy. Also, reduce round numbers like "15 pounds" into specific odd numbers like "13.7 pounds". It sounds more authentic.* Tone down your claims. A bold claim creates doubt in your prospect's mind and jeopardizes the sale. Avoid using any claim that sounds exaggerated - even if it is true. Reduce any bold claim to a more believable statement.
4. Eliminate The Need To Make DecisionsTry to structure your selling process so prospective customers do not have to make decisions. Every decision they have to make interrupts the buying process. It diverts their attention away from the action of completing the sale.This can be especially hazardous when customers have difficulty making a clear choice among several options. Some will avoid the risk of making a wrong choice by making NO choice ...and you lose a sale you already had.That's why you should promote only one product or service each time you advertise.
You can use separate promotions for each product or service. But limit your prospect's decision to only "Yes, I will buy" or "No, I will not buy". Don't risk losing them over a "Which One" decision.Tip: Sometimes you can successfully combine 2 or more related products or services into a special combination offer. But limit your customer's decision to "Yes" or "No". Don't include an option to buy the items separately.Prospective customers must feel good about you, your company and your product or service before they will buy. Start using these 4 simple tactics to stimulate their good feelings and motivate them to buy.
1. Personalize Your MarketingProspects are more likely to buy from you when they feel you are talking directly to them about their unique needs. Look for ways to make your sales message more specific to the needs of prospective customers.For example, subdivide your targeted market into several more narrowly defined niche markets. Then customize your sales approach so it appeals to the specific interests of prospects in each niche market.
Tip: You can narrow the appeal of your web site without losing its effectiveness with your broader market. Just create customized web pages for each niche market you target. Then add a link to each of these specialized pages on your home page.
2. Emphasize Good FeelingsProspective customers usually base their buying decision on how they feel about your product or service. Get them excited about using it and they won't hesitate to buy.One way to get them excited is to convert the benefits provided by your product or service into a vivid word picture. Put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.
For example: If you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent lifestyle without debt.
3. Confront Buyer SkepticismA prospective customer will not buy if they have any doubt that you will deliver exactly what you promise. Here are 3 of the many ways you can confront and overcome skepticism in your customer's mind.* Use testimonials. They prove you've already delivered satisfaction to other customers. To be effective, they should describe a specific result your customer got by using your product or service.
For example, "In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, felt years younger and still continued to enjoy my favorite foods".* Provide specifics. Convert general statements into specific descriptions. Instead of "quick and easy", explain exactly how quick and how easy. Also, reduce round numbers like "15 pounds" into specific odd numbers like "13.7 pounds". It sounds more authentic.* Tone down your claims. A bold claim creates doubt in your prospect's mind and jeopardizes the sale. Avoid using any claim that sounds exaggerated - even if it is true. Reduce any bold claim to a more believable statement.
4. Eliminate The Need To Make DecisionsTry to structure your selling process so prospective customers do not have to make decisions. Every decision they have to make interrupts the buying process. It diverts their attention away from the action of completing the sale.This can be especially hazardous when customers have difficulty making a clear choice among several options. Some will avoid the risk of making a wrong choice by making NO choice ...and you lose a sale you already had.That's why you should promote only one product or service each time you advertise.
You can use separate promotions for each product or service. But limit your prospect's decision to only "Yes, I will buy" or "No, I will not buy". Don't risk losing them over a "Which One" decision.Tip: Sometimes you can successfully combine 2 or more related products or services into a special combination offer. But limit your customer's decision to "Yes" or "No". Don't include an option to buy the items separately.Prospective customers must feel good about you, your company and your product or service before they will buy. Start using these 4 simple tactics to stimulate their good feelings and motivate them to buy.
Monday, February 18, 2008
How Pay-Per-Click Advertising Can Help You Get Targeted Traffic for Little Cost.
Do a search on Google or Yahoo, and you'll notice a different type of listings ({Pay-Per-Click ads) set around the organic results. These "sponsored results" are paid ads that appear when people search using keywords in the ads.
There are also special search engines, like Miva, Enhance, and GoClick, where all the listings are paid for.
Pay-Per-Click advertisers look for keywords that they believe their target market uses to search for them online. Then they bid on those keywords with PPC programs, like Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN AdCenter.
How Pay-Per-Click Advertising Will Help You Grow Your Business Online
Pay-Per-Click advertising programs will help you grow your business online in 3 main areas:
1. PPC ads show up immediately, so you can drive traffic to your site right away, even if your website isn't indexed by the search engines yet.
2. Test your keywords and use the best ones to boost your organic search results. PPC is a great testing tool because you can run several ads simultaneously. If you run identical ads for different keywords, you'll see very quickly which keywords work best. You can then use them to beef up your website for the organic search engines!
3. You can use PPC to test everything from your product offerings and price points, to your ad headlines and salescopy... and find out exactly how to appeal to your target market. Now that you know what pay-per-click advertising is and how it will help you grow online, the question is: how do you get started? Lets first take a look at what affects the position of your ad…
What Affects the Position of Your Pay-Per-Click Ad?
In free search engines like Google and Yahoo, the position of the ad in the sponsored listings depends on two factors:
The amount bid for the keyword
The ad's relevance to the keyword searched. Pay-Per-Click ads with more click-throughs are considered more relevant and rise in the listings.
In the paid search engines, the bid price alone determines the ranking in the listings.
The pay structure is what makes PPC so effective for small businesses. With PPC you pay only for results. No matter how many times your ad is displayed, you pay only when someone clicks on it. And by watching your results carefully, you can determine how well each ad is converting and if it's worth continuing.
However, keyword bids have been rising every year because competition for the top continues to heat up, especially as more large businesses and corporations get into the game.
That's why it's getting tougher every year to run an effective PPC campaign. But if you know the right strategies, you can still keep your costs down and your conversion rates UP!
How to Keep Pay-Per-Click Costs Low by Bidding Smart:
Know how much a single visitor is worth to you and keep that in mind when you're setting your bid
Bid on lots of cheaper, highly targeted keywords and phrases, and don't forget misspellings!
Go for second or third place instead of first. First place is often much more expensive.
Test ads on the smaller search engines where the cost per click is lower. Some good engines to try include: LookSmart.com, Kanoodle.com, Search123.com, and 7Search.com,
Check the specialty PPC search engines that cater to specific markets atPayPerClickSearchEngines.com .
There are also special search engines, like Miva, Enhance, and GoClick, where all the listings are paid for.
Pay-Per-Click advertisers look for keywords that they believe their target market uses to search for them online. Then they bid on those keywords with PPC programs, like Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN AdCenter.
How Pay-Per-Click Advertising Will Help You Grow Your Business Online
Pay-Per-Click advertising programs will help you grow your business online in 3 main areas:
1. PPC ads show up immediately, so you can drive traffic to your site right away, even if your website isn't indexed by the search engines yet.
2. Test your keywords and use the best ones to boost your organic search results. PPC is a great testing tool because you can run several ads simultaneously. If you run identical ads for different keywords, you'll see very quickly which keywords work best. You can then use them to beef up your website for the organic search engines!
3. You can use PPC to test everything from your product offerings and price points, to your ad headlines and salescopy... and find out exactly how to appeal to your target market. Now that you know what pay-per-click advertising is and how it will help you grow online, the question is: how do you get started? Lets first take a look at what affects the position of your ad…
What Affects the Position of Your Pay-Per-Click Ad?
In free search engines like Google and Yahoo, the position of the ad in the sponsored listings depends on two factors:
The amount bid for the keyword
The ad's relevance to the keyword searched. Pay-Per-Click ads with more click-throughs are considered more relevant and rise in the listings.
In the paid search engines, the bid price alone determines the ranking in the listings.
The pay structure is what makes PPC so effective for small businesses. With PPC you pay only for results. No matter how many times your ad is displayed, you pay only when someone clicks on it. And by watching your results carefully, you can determine how well each ad is converting and if it's worth continuing.
However, keyword bids have been rising every year because competition for the top continues to heat up, especially as more large businesses and corporations get into the game.
That's why it's getting tougher every year to run an effective PPC campaign. But if you know the right strategies, you can still keep your costs down and your conversion rates UP!
How to Keep Pay-Per-Click Costs Low by Bidding Smart:
Know how much a single visitor is worth to you and keep that in mind when you're setting your bid
Bid on lots of cheaper, highly targeted keywords and phrases, and don't forget misspellings!
Go for second or third place instead of first. First place is often much more expensive.
Test ads on the smaller search engines where the cost per click is lower. Some good engines to try include: LookSmart.com, Kanoodle.com, Search123.com, and 7Search.com,
Check the specialty PPC search engines that cater to specific markets atPayPerClickSearchEngines.com .
Ideal Way Of Income With The Work From Home Jobs,by ayokunmi.
A personal computer and internet at home has made a leap from a traditional office job to legitimate work from home jobs. This new trend of work is being practiced by lots of people.
Today, there are companies that offer legitimate work from home, as it benefits both the employers and employees. Many opt to work at home in order to save more time and to be inclined with their family than going to the office.
Working at home reduces much stress when compared to office jobs. Always maintain a separate room that should be quiet and peaceful. A computer, internet access and a comfortable chair are the essentials for a home job. Before stepping into an online home job it is necessary to do a complete research on the particular job you are planning to do.
There are a number of legitimate online jobs available in the network market. The search should start from home forums that contain all valid information on home opportunities. Contacting freelance websites is another way of finding a job at home. Certain companies ask for the bio-data enabling you to find out the scams.
Homemakers are eager to make extra money due to the rising costs of living. Find out the most passionate interests in you, this interest would be the success to your job. There are several jobs available according to one's passion. There are steady assignments for work at home typing jobs, such as paid surveys. An ideal decision before starting a legitimate home based business should be made after a thorough research. Legitimate home based jobs can be differentiated from get quick rich schemes, as there is genuine work to be done for earning money. The good part is there is no boss to bother you, as you are the only boss.
Work at home scams are works that do not exist properly or with extremely poor quality. Scams exaggerate their activities. Today, home business scams are the most prevalent scams. If you are person who is cunning, enough to find out the prospective of an ideal home based job you will be more successful. Moreover, you should be able to find out the scams because a person cannot cheat you unless you fall for it. Therefore, it is better to be crude enough to notice the ditch that is intelligently closed with catchy comments.
Typing can be considered as the most renowned among the multitude of online works that are available. Typing is a skill that can be easily learned without any strenuous effort, as the speed increases one can earn more money that you have ever imagined of. Typing jobs include data entry, medical transcription etc. Typing jobs will vary, as certain jobs will also need online training before starting. Such training might well be expensive and may also contain a hidden scam somewhere.
Therefore, it is ideal to seek the advice of someone who is already well set in this field. Another important fact is that it is better to jump into jobs that are preferably of your taste rather than copying others. If your boss will never authorize legitimate work from home jobs, why not go online for your very own favorite job? .
Today, there are companies that offer legitimate work from home, as it benefits both the employers and employees. Many opt to work at home in order to save more time and to be inclined with their family than going to the office.
Working at home reduces much stress when compared to office jobs. Always maintain a separate room that should be quiet and peaceful. A computer, internet access and a comfortable chair are the essentials for a home job. Before stepping into an online home job it is necessary to do a complete research on the particular job you are planning to do.
There are a number of legitimate online jobs available in the network market. The search should start from home forums that contain all valid information on home opportunities. Contacting freelance websites is another way of finding a job at home. Certain companies ask for the bio-data enabling you to find out the scams.
Homemakers are eager to make extra money due to the rising costs of living. Find out the most passionate interests in you, this interest would be the success to your job. There are several jobs available according to one's passion. There are steady assignments for work at home typing jobs, such as paid surveys. An ideal decision before starting a legitimate home based business should be made after a thorough research. Legitimate home based jobs can be differentiated from get quick rich schemes, as there is genuine work to be done for earning money. The good part is there is no boss to bother you, as you are the only boss.
Work at home scams are works that do not exist properly or with extremely poor quality. Scams exaggerate their activities. Today, home business scams are the most prevalent scams. If you are person who is cunning, enough to find out the prospective of an ideal home based job you will be more successful. Moreover, you should be able to find out the scams because a person cannot cheat you unless you fall for it. Therefore, it is better to be crude enough to notice the ditch that is intelligently closed with catchy comments.
Typing can be considered as the most renowned among the multitude of online works that are available. Typing is a skill that can be easily learned without any strenuous effort, as the speed increases one can earn more money that you have ever imagined of. Typing jobs include data entry, medical transcription etc. Typing jobs will vary, as certain jobs will also need online training before starting. Such training might well be expensive and may also contain a hidden scam somewhere.
Therefore, it is ideal to seek the advice of someone who is already well set in this field. Another important fact is that it is better to jump into jobs that are preferably of your taste rather than copying others. If your boss will never authorize legitimate work from home jobs, why not go online for your very own favorite job? .
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