How Do I Know What To Market From My Website?
When building a website there are many things you must take into consideration. You have your web hosting, web design, aquirement of products and services to market, marketing of those products and services, etc. and ALL are very important.
What I would like to do with this article is explain how you should decide which products and services you need to market from your website.
First thing to consider is what type site are you planning to build(market) and what are your hopes and plans for your online business? There is a key word here...."PLAN." If you don't have a "PLAN" get one! You're wasting your time otherwise. If you think you are gonna just "poke around" aimlessly in the dark and build a successful internet business FORGET IT. It's very, very unlikely to say the least.
Do you want to have a very narrow, focused site that is only designed to get visitors to buy one or two products or join one program, possibly yours? Or do you want to have a website that offers lots of, quality, up-to-date content and market an array of information, products, and services for the visitor to choose from?
Regarding the website that only markets one program and/or one or two products and services... these are usually brief, to the point, and try to close the sale or sign-up the prospect right away. They may make you want to go back once or twice to look closer but they generally don't encourage regular return visits. You get a domain and market your product, service, or afilliate program OR you could market someone else's product, service, or affiliate program. If you do a site like this you have to be able to convey excitement and command folks to take action NOW. A great deal of your traffic will be a one time visitor. If you miss the sale the first time, many of your visitors WON'T be back. These sites are quite often of the "hard sell" type.
On the other hand you could build a much larger site that offers lots of free content, encourages regular return visits, and offers multiple programs, products, and services.
It's really up to YOU...both have advantages and disadvantages, and you can be successful with either type.
But before you actually start to build the site you must decide which one is right for you.
If you choose the single program site you are going to need the absolute best copy writing possible, whether that's from you or you have to hire a professional copy writer. If it's any less than "top notch" you'll fail...PERIOD. And one more thing...the first draft probably won't be sufficient. You're gonna need regular tune-ups from time to time. There are only two things you want to do with this website... get the sale and/or recruit.
If you are relatively new to online marketing and do this type of site it is my best advice to tell you NOT to use a new affiliate program of your own. I know that's contrary to what some are teaching, but to be perfectly honest you won't have the credibility or knowledge to make folks want to buy your products or join your programs if you are new to online marketing. There are some really good, credible opportunities available currently from solid, well known, credible companies. No need to get involved with a flimsy, "fly-by-night" program that does not have a good reputation. And no need for you to create an inferior product, service, or program before you have the knowledge and skills to do a REALLY good one.
If you do an already established program you just market, Market, MARKET! (ie. make sales and sign-up recruits.) However if you are doing your own affiliate program I can assure you that you'll be doing MANY things besides marketing, and most of those things don't directly pay you money.
After you have some experience and have gained some knowledge start all the affiliate programs you want to start, but don't let it be your first project online. Get some expertise first!
The second type site I mentioned is a larger site that offers free content to visitors and promotes multiple products, services, and programs. One of the main benefits of these kind of sites is that they promote return visits and an ongoing business relationship.
A large site with lots of free content will draw visitors back regularly. These sites usually offer resources that are of value to small business owners and cause the visitor to drop in regularly, maybe even DAILY! Add a free ezine subscription to that and you have the perfect ongoing business relationship. Your chances of getting sales and sign-ups from this type site are greatly improved, because your visitors are coming back to your site regularly and your ezine allows you to email your visitors that subscribe regularly with updates, additions, and changes.
When it comes to actually choosing which programs, products, and services to promote, here is my very best advice. STAY AWAY FROM GET RICH QUICK FOR DOING NOTHING SCHEMES!! Think credibility! Promote programs that sell software, books, web hosting, technology products, and other reputable services that work. Look for full names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc. When it comes to references, look for references that give a name, website, and/or email address. I just don't believe a program that uses "LB from Virginia made $10,000 after joining this program" as a testimonial. And I would encourage you not to believe it either.
For a visitor to look deeply into your site and consider buying or joining they have to believe in you and they have to believe in your product, service, or program. Folks nowadays have their "scam radar" on high alert at all times, and rightfully so! Be honest and straightforward. If you can't promote your pogram honestly and believein it yourself, get a new one right away. Or else you will surely fail AND ruin your reputation at the same time.
Internet Marketing Strategies
Three Step Formula
By Shelley Lowery
Developing a successful internet marketing strategy is an essential part of your online success. In order to succeed, you must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following:
A great product
A website specifically designed to sell
A killer marketing strategy
Each step plays an important role in your overall strategy and must be developed to its fullest potential. If even one step fails, your chances of success will be minimal.
Developing Your Product
Your first step will be to develop a great product. You're probably thinking that's easier said than done, but it's really not. The absolute best product is one that you can develop yourself and deliver over the Internet. With today's technology, there is absolutely no reason why you can't create your own product. The knowledge you have within your own mind is extremely valuable. Everybody is good at something, has a special talent or some specialized knowledge. Use this knowledge to create a product.
The key to developing a great product is exclusiveness. Your product should be unique and not be in competition with hundreds of other similar products. You must give your potential customers exactly what they want. Develop a high-quality product that fills a void to increase your chance of success.
Another consideration of great importance is your target market. Keep in mind, the Internet is a global marketplace. Develop a product with a large geographic target and a wide appeal. A great product will fulfill a need or desire and provide instant gratification.
Here are a few of the top sellers:
Software
Information
Private sites
Internet services
Before you develop your product, do some research -- find out exactly what people want and develop your product accordingly.
The most important consideration when developing your product is quality. Your product should not only deliver what you promise, but should go above and beyond the expected and overdeliver. Your customers satisfaction is of the utmost importance.
Developing Your Website
Once you've developed a great product, your next step will be to develop a great website. Your website must be specifically designed to sell your product.
Everything within your website should have one purpose -- getting your visitor to take action. Words are the most powerful marketing tool you have. The right words will turn your visitors into customers. The wrong words will cause them to click away and never return.
Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your product, your website and your marketing strategies all depend upon your words. Fancy graphics don't make sales -- words do.
Every word, sentence and headline should have one specific purpose -- to lead your potential customer to your order page. Write your website copy as if you are talking to just one person. Identify a problem and validate that one visitor's need for a solution. Continue to write and explain why your product is the solution to their problem. Tell them exactly what your product will do for them -- why it will solve their problems and how. Pack your copy with benefits and more benefits. Write to persuade -- that's the bottom line.
Developing Your Marketing strategies
Your marketing strategy is the final process of your plan. Your plan must include both short-term and long-term strategies in order to succeed.
Short term marketing strategies are those that bring you a temporary boost in traffic. Although these techniques are very important to your over-all plan, they are only a temporary traffic source and must not be solely relied upon.
Short term marketing strategies include:
Purchasing advertising
Bulletin Boards
Search Engines
Long term marketing strategies are those that bring you a steady stream of targeted traffic over time. These strategies will continue to produce results even years down the road.
Long term marketing strategies include:
Opt-in Lists
Freebies
Content
By creating and implementing a balanced marketing strategy, using both short-term and long-term strategies, you will drive a steady stream of targeted traffic to your website.
If you use this simple formula when creating your Internet marketing strategy and excel at all three, you can literally guarantee your success.
Developing Your Product
Developing your own product to market on the Internet isn't as difficult as you may think. Today's technology has opened a whole New World of opportunity for even the smallest homebased business owner. The knowledge you have within your own mind is all you'll need to develop a successful product.
Everybody is good at something. You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist in order to create your own product. If that were the case, most of us would fail. Maybe you have a special talent or some specialized knowledge. Use this knowledge to create a product.
Researching
Before you begin developing your product, make sure you've done your homework. Research the market to determine exactly what people want and develop your product accordingly. If your product doesn't have a market, it won't be successful.
Your product should not only fill a void, but should also be unique. The less competition you have, the better. If you enter a market in which you're competing against hundreds of other products similar to yours, your chance of success will be minimal. Develop a high-quality product that fills a void and provides people with exactly what they want.
Another consideration of great importance is your product's delivery method. The best form of product delivery on the Internet is automated. Internet users want the product they order as soon as their purchase is complete. This can be accomplished in a number of ways depending upon the type of product. For example, if your product is software or information, it can reside on your server and be instantly downloaded via a link. If your product is a private site, you can provide instant access as soon as your customer's payment has been processed.
Not only does instant product delivery benefit your customer, but it will also benefit you. By completely automating your product's ordering and delivery process, you can spend your time performing more important tasks, such as making more sales.
Brain Storming
The most difficult part of creating your own product is deciding upon the product itself. First of all, you'll need to decide what type of product you would like to develop.
Some of the top Internet sellers include:
Software
Information
Private sites
Internet services
Once you have determined the type, then you can focus your attention on the subject matter.
If you would like to develop a software program, but aren't capable of writing it yourself, consider hiring a professional. If you would be interested in developing a desktop software program, simply visit a Search Engine and search for "software developers." If you would like to develop a software that resides on a server, search for "scripting services." Although this type of product will be the most expensive to develop, it can be very profitable.
Information is a big seller on the Internet and is also the most inexpensive to develop. Your information can be in the form of a report, an ebook or even a private site.
Internet users are starving for information, as that is what the Internet is all about. They have a sincere desire to learn and will search for the information they desire. The best form of information is "how-to" information that teaches or informs in regard to a specific subject. Even if the subject is very unique, the Internet is a great market for even the most niche products.
If you'd like to develop a product that is very inexpensive to create and has a great profit margin, then an informational product is your best bet. Most informational products are compiled into a downloadable file better known as an ebook. In order to compile your files into an ebook, you'll need to purchase a compiler. Prices start at around $25. You can find a complete list of compilers here:
http://www.web-source.net/web/Ebooks/Compilers/
For further information on creating an informational product, you may read the article entitled, "How to Create, Sell and Distribute Your Own Informational Product." http://www.web-source.net/info_products.htm
Here are a few subjects to give you some ideas:
Recipes
Cooking
Sewing Tips
Gardening
Canning
Makeup and Skin Care
Weight Loss
Self Improvement
Health and Fitness
Child Development
Teenagers
Romance
Dating
Relationships
Divorce
Single Mothers
Single Fathers
Teenage Mothers
Teenage Fathers
Home Decorating
Home Remodeling
Home Maintenance
Plumbing
Carpentry
Small Appliance Repair
Home Buying
Auto Mechanics
Auto Buying
Home Finances
Home Business
Computers
Internet
Internet services are also very profitable. However, this type of product requires more of your time. In addition, you must be an expert in a given field in order to provide a quality service.
Here are a few popular Internet services:
Web/Graphics Design
Copywriting
Software Development
Marketing Consultant
Publicist
Search Engine Optimization/Submissions
Alternative Products
If you'd rather not develop your own product, you may want to consider selling someone else's product. You can find hundreds of great affiliate programs here:
http://www.associateprograms.com/
If you would be interested in selling some of the top name brand items, the following website will provide you with hundreds of legitimate drop shippers. These companies will allow you to sell their products on your website and even ship them to your customers. (There is a $39.95 per year fee for this service)
http://www.worldwidebrands.com/
Summary
Developing your own product is an essential part of your online success. Take your time and make sure you do your homework before you begin. No matter what product you develop, quality is of the utmost importance. Provide your customers with exactly what you promise and more -- over-deliver.
If you develop a quality product that fills a void and provides Internet users with exactly what they want, your product will be a success.
Designing Your Product's Website
Designing a website specifically designed to sell your product is an essential part of your success. Everything within your website should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitor to take action.
Creating a professional website specifically designed to sell will take a great deal of time and effort, as there is much more to take into consideration than just the design. You must look at a much broader picture and plan each step very carefully.
Every part of your website must be strategically designed, from your overall design to your sales copy; each will play a very important role. Your visitor's first impression will almost instantly determine whether or not you're going to make a sale.
Your website should be simple in design with the navigational links placed at the top, left or right side of the page. It should be designed in standard HTML with no Flash or fancy plug-ins and very few graphics. Unless your graphics specifically pertain to your product or enhance your site, you probably shouldn't include them. Your site should load very quickly and each additional graphic will add additional load time. In addition, there should be no banners or outside links of any kind -- nothing that will distract your visitor's attention.
You must specifically design your website to rank high in the Search Engines. This involves much more than just including META tags. Your design, text, title and image alt tags all play a very important role in determining how your website will rank.
Title - Your "Title" should contain your most important keyword or keyword phrase that you think potential visitors will use when performing a search. Instead of capitalizing the first letter, type it in lowercase, as most people type in all lowercase letters when searching.
Description - Your description should contain your most important keywords and describe your product in detail. You want your potential visitors to know exactly what you're offering. Your description should be less than 200 characters.
Keywords - Select the most appropriate keyword and keyword phrases, in different variations, that you feel your potential visitors will use when performing a search. The more targeted the better.
You can find a variety of tools to assist you in creating an effective list of keywords here: http://www.jimtools.com
You can also download a great little freeware program called, GoodKeywords http://www.goodkeywords.com . This program will assist you in developing a list of targeted keywords for your website. In addition, it also includes a site popularity tool that enables you to check your site's popularity.
Heading tags - Search Engines pay close attention to the text displayed within the "Heading" tags. Place your most important keyword phrase within a "Heading" tag.
Graphic Alt tags - Place a readable sentence containing your keyword phrases within your graphic "Alt" tags.
Text - All of your keywords and keyword phrases should appear throughout your text. If any of the keywords you placed within your META tags do not appear within your text, the Search Engines will ignore them. Your keyword phrases should appear at least three times within your text, but no more than seven.
Another consideration of great importance is the use of "Tables." If you'd like to set up your website using tables, try to place your "Heading" text above your "Table" code. If this isn't possible, make sure you include your keyword phrases within your top left "Table cell" to assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engines.
One final note, always place your most important information above the fold of your web page. This is the top portion of your web page that is visible when your page is first loaded, without scrolling. This is the most important part of your entire page -- use it wisely.
Your website is your product's storefront and will play a very important roll in determining your success. Take your time and do your homework before you begin. You may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Writing Effective Website Sales Copy
A professional looking website is a very important part of making sales. However, without effective sales copy your website will be useless. Words make sales, not fancy websites.
Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your product, your website and your marketing strategies all depend upon your words. You must learn how to write persuasive words specifically written for your targeted customer. You must feel your customers needs and write your copy with passion, excitement and benefit.
Your text should be written in a black, legible font with a light background. Avoid using fancy fonts or backgrounds that will make your text difficult to read. When you begin writing, write in small blocks of text with a space between each block. There is nothing that will make your visitor click away faster than a sea of black text, so make sure you use plenty of white space.
Begin your sales letter with a powerful headline that demands attention. This headline is the most important part of your entire sales letter. If it doesn't grab your potential customer's attention, they won't bother to read the rest of your letter. Your headline should be displayed in a larger bold font and demand your potential customer's attention to intrigue them to read on.
Use subheadings (headlines) throughout your letter to capture the attention of those who just scan your text. Your subheadings should provide highlights of each section of your sales letter and be displayed in a larger, bold font.
Once you've captured your potential customer's attention with your powerful headline, you should now direct their attention to your introduction. Write a brief paragraph about your product to let them know exactly what you have to offer them. Keep your introduction brief and to the point with no filler content.
Once you've written your introduction, continue to write and tell your potential customer why your product is the solution to their problem. Tell them exactly how your product will benefit them. Identify a specific problem and promote your product as the solution. This can be accomplished with the use of questions that identify a specific problem that your product will solve. Ask your potential customer questions that you know they can identify with -- feel their needs.
Every word, sentence and headline should have one specific purpose -- to lead your potential customer to your order page. When writing your sales copy, direct your words towards one specific person. Use words like "you" and "your" rather than "them" or "their." Write as if you are speaking with just one person -- one on one. Write to persuade, that's the bottom line.
Use the following formula when writing your website sales letter:
A - Attention - Use a powerful headline that demands attention
I - Interest - Intrigue interest and create curiosity
D - Detail - Provide details about your product or service
A - Action - Call for action
Many Internet users are apprehensive when it comes to making a purchase on the Internet. You must put their mind at ease by displaying your full name, company name and contact information. In addition, you must completely remove their risk. Provide your potential customers with a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. This will put their mind at ease by building their confidence in you and your product. In addition, include some of your testimonials within your sales letter. Make sure you don't create a separate page for your testimonials, as they most likely won't be read. Place your testimonials throughout your sales letter to ensure their visibility.
Studies have shown that long sales copy out-sells short sales copy. However, some visitors do prefer a short sales letter. To accomodate both types of preferences, you can provide both. For those visitors who prefer a short sales letter, provide them with an opportunity to click through to your sales page throughout your sales letter.
When writing a long sales letter, keep in mind that with each additional click, you will lose a percentage of your potential customers. Have you ever read a sales letter page that forced you to click through several pages to continue reading the sales letter? Many Internet users find this very frustrating and just click away. Try to keep your sales letter all on one page for the best results. Your visitors would probably much rather scroll through a long sales letter than click through and load another page. Their time is very valuable -- accomodate them.
Once you've written your sales letter and packed it with all of the benefits your product has to offer, your next step will be to "call for action." Ask for the order and provide an easy ordering process. Continue to reassure your potential customer by reminding them of your personal guarantee and lead them to your order page.
For potential customers that still aren't convinced, provide them with free bonuses just for purchasing your product. Many times, you will find that your customers purchase your product just for the free bonuses.
Your final step will be to close your sales letter with a PostScript. When your visitor scans your sales message, chances are, they'll read your headline, subheadings and your PostScript message. Place your most important benefits within your P.S. message. It will get read.
Write your words so that they seamlessly flow together from your beginning headline through to your order page. Pack your copy with all of the benefits your product has to offer and keep it simple. The simple, well designed sites with great copy make the sales.
Accepting Payment Through Your Website
If you're doing business on the Internet, accepting payment through your website is an absolute must. If you're not processing orders online, you're losing a great deal of money in lost sales. Studies have shown, you can increase your online sales by up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. With today's technology, processing your customer orders online can be as simple as pasting a code within your web page HTML.
Preparing your website to process orders online isn't as difficult as you may think. There are basically two options. The first option is to set up a merchant account. This entails either making arrangements with your bank or using an online company. The second option is to use a third party credit card processor. This option requires no merchant account and usually entails setting up a form or placing a link on your order page.
Merchant Accounts
If you'd like to set up a merchant account, keep in mind, you will also need a shopping cart system and access to a secure server. Many web hosts will provide you with both. If yours doesn't, this professional web host does: http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=h4p
The following websites can provide you with a merchant account:
Total Merchant Services (TMS)
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/web/jump.cgi?ID=2332
This outstanding company comes highly recommended by Corey Rudl -- author of the #1 selling online marketing course, "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet."
The TMS Merchant account, for Internet transactions, will enable you to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. They offer two merchant processing software packages to choose from. The first package is the TotalPay powered by Authorize.Net Virtual Terminal. This package will enable you to authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions from any computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser. This package ordinarily runs $995, but for a limited time is being offered for only $287. The second package is the TotalPay powered by Authorize.Net Virtual Terminal that includes the Total Merchant Manager Shopping Cart. This package includes everything the first package includes, plus all of the following:
Customizable Shopping Cart System
UPS Shipping Module
Links to Virtual Terminal
Free Initial Installation
Their discount rate is 2.4% and $0.35 per transaction fee. Monthly fees include a $10 monthly statement fee and a $10 gateway fee that includes secure, online, real-time credit card and e-cheque processing and only applies to merchants processing transactions through their Internet payment gateway.
Third Party Credit Card Processors
If you'd rather not have your own merchant account, third party credit card processors will process your credit card orders for you. There are usually no monthly fees. They charge a "per transaction" fee and send you payment for all of your orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee. A reserve fee is withheld to cover and charge backs you may have. If you have no charge backs within a period of time, your reserve will be refunded to you. Each company has their own guidelines in regard to reserves.
The following websites will process credit card orders for you:
=> iBill
http://www.ibill.com
IBill will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB and online checks. They also offer a telephone billing service (900 toll phone number). There are no setup fees. They charge 12%-15% per transaction fee for credit card and check purchases and 20%-30% per transaction fee for phone purchases. Services available for US and non- US merchants.
=> PayPal
http://www.paypal.com
PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email address to securely send and receive payments online. You can also accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own website, or as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> ClickBank
http://www.clickbank.com
ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus cards and electronic checks.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that they'll enable you to run an affiliate program. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> Revecom
http://www.revecom.com/
Revecom will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB credit cards in real-time. They also offer Check Processing in Real-time and recurring billing. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 3.95% + $1 fee per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. They also offer recurring billing and a free shopping cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 5.5% + $0.45 fee per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
If you're just starting out, you may want to use one of the third party credit card processors, as this is the easiest route for new Internet businesses. Each company provides you with step by step instructions to assist you in getting your website set up to accept credit cards. The great thing about third party credit card processors is that they handle everything for you. You don't have to hassle with processing your credit card payments or charge backs, as all of this is taken care of for you.
If you're serious about your online success, you must have the ability to process your orders online. With today's technology, even the smallest homebased business can now accept credit credits almost instantly. Visit one of the websites mentioned above and get your website set up today. Your success depends upon it.
Setting Up Your Affiliate Program
If you're marketing your own product on the Internet, you can dramatically increase your sales with an affiliate program.
An Affiliate program will enable you to recruit an unlimited number of individuals to sell your products. The key to obtaining affiliates is to offer a nice commission for each sale. The higher the commissions, the more affiliates you'll recruit.
There are thousands of affiliate programs on the Internet. In order to be successful you must sell your affiliate program just like your product. In other words, your affiliate letter should be written like a sales letter. You must persuade your visitors to join your affiliate program by packing your affiliate sales letter with benefits. Tell them exactly what your affiliate program will do for them, how much commission they will receive and make the sign-up process simple.
One Tier Verses Two Tier
One tier affiliate programs pay commissions on one level. For each sale an affiliate makes, they will receive a commission. For example, if you offer your affiliates 30% commission and your product sells for $39.99, for every sale your affiliate makes, they will receive a $12 commission.
Two tier affiliate programs pay commissions on two levels. Affiliates will receive a commission for each sale they make and for each sale their recruits make. Two tier affiliate programs usually divide the commissions over the two levels. For example, if you want to give your affiliates a total of 30% commission for each sale, you would offer 20% commission on their first level sales and an extra 10% commission for second level sales. If your affiliate makes a $39.99 sale, they would receive a $8 commission. If one of their recruits makes a sale, they would receive an additional $4 commission.
Increasing Affiliate Sales
Nobody knows more about your product than you do. Provide your affiliates with banners, sample ads, articles or anything that will assist them in making sales.
To further increase sales, create an ebook that is directed towards your target audience and allow it to be freely distributed. This ebook should be packed with valuable information and, at the same time, used as a sales tool for your product. Customize a copy of your ebook for each of your affiliates and allow them to freely distribute it. You can customize the ebooks yourself or purchase an ebook compiler that enables your affiliates to customize your ebook themselves. Not all compilers will allow customizations. I highly recommend Ebook Edit Pro. You can find it here: http://www.ebookedit.com/
To keep your affiliates motivated, set up an opt-in list to enable them to subscribe and receive new promotional methods, sales letters and articles to assist them in making more sales. This will not only increase their sales, but it will also enable you to keep in contact with your affiliates and introduce new products.
Setting Up Your Affiliate Program
When you're ready to set up your affiliate program, there are basically two options. The first option is to purchase an affiliate software program. Affiliate software will track your affiliate sales and enable your affiliates to view their stats. This option requires that you run your affiliate program and you are responsible for accepting payment and sending out commission checks.
The second option is to use a third party affiliate tracking company to run your affiliate program for you. These companies will track your affiliate sales, enable your affiliates to check their stats and send out commission checks for you.
Affiliate Tracking Software
AssocTRAC- A great affiliate tracking software that features real time tracking of stats. It tracks both visitors and sales for each associate to determine not only the quality of visitors, but also if your sales copy is turning visitors into buyers. It includes an easy sign up process that instantly creates accounts for associates so they can be up and running within five minutes. An autoresponse email message is instantly sent out with linking instructions and other detailed information. This powerful software tracks through the use of cookies and CGI scripts.
http://www.marketingtips.com/
Pro-TRACK - A great affiliate tracking software that will enable you to keep track of sales and which affiliate the sale originated. Although the standard version won't compute any sales data (owners manually keep track of sales), it is an excellent way to track and compensate your affiliate sales. The Pro version will not only track where your sales originate, but also provide you with the statistics you'll need to track how well your affiliate program is doing.
http://www.affiliatesoftware.net/
Affiliate Tracking Companies
ClickBank - This Company will not only enable you to accept credit cards, but they will also run your affiliate program. Over 60,000 affiliates can choose to sell your products for you. ClickBank enables any web seller to automatically pay sales commissions to affiliates. They will bill your customers, pay you, and pay your affiliates a commission. They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees.
http://www.clickbank.net/
ClickXchange - Lets you create your own affiliate program to allow others to send paying customers to you. Your business can reach new customers by being featured on thousands of affiliate sites. They have over 120,000 affiliates already interested in participating with your affiliate program.
http://clickxchange.com/
Take your time and select the best affiliate option for your business. If you're just starting out, you may want to use one of the third party affiliate companies, as this is the easiest route. You won't have to worry about anything, as everything is taken care of for you. This will enable you to concentrate on making more sales and developing new products.
If you're marketing your own product on the Internet, you can dramatically increase your sales with an affiliate program.
An Affiliate program will enable you to recruit an unlimited number of individuals to sell your products. The key to obtaining affiliates is to offer a nice commission for each sale. The higher the commissions, the more affiliates you'll recruit.
There are thousands of affiliate programs on the Internet. In order to be successful you must sell your affiliate program just like your product. In other words, your affiliate letter should be written like a sales letter. You must persuade your visitors to join your affiliate program by packing your affiliate sales letter with benefits. Tell them exactly what your affiliate program will do for them, how much commission they will receive and make the sign-up process simple.
One Tier Verses Two Tier
One tier affiliate programs pay commissions on one level. For each sale an affiliate makes, they will receive a commission. For example, if you offer your affiliates 30% commission and your product sells for $39.99, for every sale your affiliate makes, they will receive a $12 commission.
Two tier affiliate programs pay commissions on two levels. Affiliates will receive a commission for each sale they make and for each sale their recruits make. Two tier affiliate programs usually divide the commissions over the two levels. For example, if you want to give your affiliates a total of 30% commission for each sale, you would offer 20% commission on their first level sales and an extra 10% commission for second level sales. If your affiliate makes a $39.99 sale, they would receive a $8 commission. If one of their recruits makes a sale, they would receive an additional $4 commission.
Increasing Affiliate Sales
Nobody knows more about your product than you do. Provide your affiliates with banners, sample ads, articles or anything that will assist them in making sales.
To further increase sales, create an ebook that is directed towards your target audience and allow it to be freely distributed. This ebook should be packed with valuable information and, at the same time, used as a sales tool for your product. Customize a copy of your ebook for each of your affiliates and allow them to freely distribute it. You can customize the ebooks yourself or purchase an ebook compiler that enables your affiliates to customize your ebook themselves. Not all compilers will allow customizations. I highly recommend Ebook Edit Pro. You can find it here: http://www.ebookedit.com/
To keep your affiliates motivated, set up an opt-in list to enable them to subscribe and receive new promotional methods, sales letters and articles to assist them in making more sales. This will not only increase their sales, but it will also enable you to keep in contact with your affiliates and introduce new products.
Setting Up Your Affiliate Program
When you're ready to set up your affiliate program, there are basically two options. The first option is to purchase an affiliate software program. Affiliate software will track your affiliate sales and enable your affiliates to view their stats. This option requires that you run your affiliate program and you are responsible for accepting payment and sending out commission checks.
The second option is to use a third party affiliate tracking company to run your affiliate program for you. These companies will track your affiliate sales, enable your affiliates to check their stats and send out commission checks for you.
Paying For Traffic
If you've been struggling with your website traffic and your sales aren't what you had hoped for, then maybe it's time to start paying for traffic.
Pay-per-click Search Engines provide an extremely effective means of obtaining highly targeted traffic to your website. The concept is simple. You bid on targeted keywords for as little as .001 per click and receive targeted traffic to your website.
The key to using this technique effectively is to focus on one specific product and select highly targeted keywords. This will help you to weed out all of the window shoppers and attract your specific target audience.
Viewing Search Terms
Most pay-per-click Search Engines will enable you to view exact "search terms" that have been used to perform searches. Use this to your advantage. You can find out exactly what "search terms" are being used for your target market and place your bids accordingly. Try to create a list of as many relevant keywords as possible. The more keywords you bid on, the more traffic you'll receive.
When bidding on keywords, keep in mind that in order to be successful, you don't have to be listed at the top. Although receiving a listing in the top three positions will produce major traffic through Goto.com, most of the time, you must have a large advertising budget to compete.
Before placing your bid, perform a search to find out how much your competitors are paying per click. Try to place your bid so that your listing will appear on the first page to increase your chance of success. By selecting highly targeted, less popular keywords, you'll not only attract a more targeted audience, but you'll also obtain a higher listing for less money.
Your Ad Copy
Your headline and copy are the most important part of your entire strategy. Your headline must grab your potential customer's attention and force them to read on. Your copy should tell them exactly what you have to offer and convince them to visit your site. Try to avoid attracting freebie hunters by mentioning free stuff within your ads. By weeding out those potential visitors expecting to get something free, you will attract a more targeted audience of potential buyers. There is no need to pay for visitors that weren't interested in buying anything in the first place.
Your listing should lead your potential customer directly to your product with no other distractions. In other words, if your product isn't on your main page, then don't direct your potential customers to your main page and make them search for your product. Direct them to your product's page.
Reveiwing Your Reports
Once your campaign begins, make sure you take the time to review the reports provided by the pay-per-click services. These reports will provide you with information in regard to how well each of your keywords are performing and enable you to adjust your keywords or change your bids accordingly.
To increase your traffic even further, don't just stop with one pay-per-click Search Engine -- try several at time. The more streams of traffic flowing to your site, the better.
Here is a list of some of the top pay-per-click Search Engines:
http://www.overture.com
http://www.Bay9.com
http://www.Win4win.com
http://www.Findwhat.com
http://www.7search.com
Visit http://www.payperclicksearchengines.com for a complete list of over sixty pay-per-click Search Engines and reviews.
If you're serious about your business and you're ready to drive a stampede of targeted traffic to your website, then give the pay-per-click Search Engines a try. They're well worth the small investment.
Purchasing Advertising
If free advertising ventures aren't providing you with the response that you had hoped for, maybe it's time to consider purchasing some advertising.
If you really want to build your business online, you must be willing to invest a portion of your profits back into your business. There are several advertising opportunities available on the Internet that will enable you to purchase targeted advertising very reasonably.
Ezine Advertising
Ezine Advertising is one of the most effective forms of advertising on the Internet. Not only is it effective, but it can also be very inexpensive depending upon the size of the publication.
The key to using ezine advertising effectively is to target your audience and track your response. You must test the effectiveness of both your ad and the publication in which you're advertising. This will enable you to determine which ads are pulling the most response and which publications are providing you with a high response rate.
When selecting an ezine to buy advertising, there are a few factors that should be taken into consideration:
1. Select an ezine that targets your potential customer. In other words, if you were selling health products you wouldn't want to advertise in a "marketing" ezine. You would want to advertise in an ezine that focuses on health.
2. The size of the publication really isn't a factor in determining your ad's success. Smaller publications will many times have a higher response rate, as they may have a higher percentage of subscribers that actually read the publication.
3. Before buying advertising in a publication, make sure you subscribe to a few issues. You want to ensure that the publication contains quality content and see how their ads are displayed. If they're running 15 or 20 ads each issue, your ad's response rate will most likely be low. Try to select a publication that runs only a few ads each issue and places them in the center of the publication.
4. Contact the ezine publisher to make sure that they never run two ads for similar or the same product. This will increase your response rate immensely.
The Directory of Ezines provides a complete online searchable database of ezines that accept advertising. This directory contains all of the information you'll need to know to effectively place your ads. There is a $39.95 per year membership fee. http://www.directoryofezines.com/
If you're looking for a low cost alternative for purchasing ezine advertising, Ezine Ad Auction will enable you to bid on ad space in targeted ezines.http://www.ezineadauction.com
Pay-Per Programs
Pay-per programs include, pay-per-click, pay-per-lead and pay-per-sale.
Pay-per-click programs will enable you to advertise to your target audience and only pay for results -- you pay a set amount for each visitor that is sent to your website. The most popular pay-per-click program is the pay-per-click Search Engines. You can learn more about pay-per-click Search Engines here:
http://www.payperclicksearchengines.com
Pay-per-lead programs will enable you to only pay for leads. These leads may be potential customers that fill out a registration form, enter a sweepstakes, or download a free product trial.
Pay-per-sales programs are simply affiliate programs. You pay your affiliates a set commission for each qualifying sale.
You can find a number of Pay-Per programs here:
http://www.clickaffiliate.com
Another form of a pay-per-click program is pay-per-click banner ads. There are several companies online that will place your banner within their network and charge you a set fee for each click through.
Here's a few to get you started:
Value Click
http://www.valueclick.com
I-Clicks
http://www.i-clicks.net
PennyWeb
http://home.pennyweb.com
Opt-In Email Marketing
Another powerful advertising method is opt-in email marketing. There are many Internet companies that will allow you to purchase targeted lists of individuals who have chosen to receive commercial email messages. Although this form of advertising can produce a good response, it can be rather expensive. Make sure you have fully tested your sales copy and have a good response rate prior to purchasing this type of advertising. In addition, make sure you only deal with a reputable company, as there is a very thin line between "opt-in" and "spam." Some of these companies may use unethical means of obtaining email addresses. The only company I can recommend is PostMasterDirect.com.
Before purchasing any "major" advertising, make sure you have fully tested your ad copy. Take your time and plan your advertising carefully for the best results. Your success depends upon it.
Building an Opt-in List
Developing your own list of targeted potential customers is the absolute most important marketing strategy you can use.
No matter what strategies you're currently using, if you're not collecting the email addresses of your potential customers, you're literally guaranteeing your failure.
Opt-in lists provide you with the ability to create a targeted list of potential customers in which you can advertise on a continual basis. You will have a direct line of communication, which will increase your sales considerably.
The key to creating an effective opt-in list is to provide your subscribers with quality information. The best way to do this is to provide them with a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly ezine. An ezine is a newsletter or publication that is sent to subscribers who have chosen to receive your publication.
For further information on creating an ezine, download the free ebook, "Ezines: A Complete Guide to publishing." http://www.web-source.net/free_ebooks.htm
In order to build a database of potential customers and start collecting email addresses, you'll first need to set up a mailing list. This mailing list must enable your visitor's to submit their information and subscribe them to your list.
There are many free list services that will enable you to set up a mailing list. However, they are not recommended. They will not allow you to personalize your messages with your subscriber's names and they require your visitor to reply to a confirmation message.
For a complete guide to setting up your own opt-in list system, read the article, Creating, Managing and Building Your Opt-In Lists.
http://www.web-source.net/optin_lists.htm
If you'd rather not have to set up your own system, here are some good scripts you can run on your server:
1-2-All Broadcast
http://www.12all.com
A complete list management system including HTML or plain text newsletters, MySQL database, personalization features, automatic removal links and more.
AutoResponse Plus:
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=autoplus
Complete list management including unlimited lists, HTML or plain text mailings, MySQL database, customizable auto-personalization of messages, automatic removal links, unlimited folow-up autoresponses and more.
Building Your Subscriber Base
There are many powerful ways to build your subscriber base. However, for this article, we will only focus on the "best" ways.
Your Website
Place a subscription box on every page of your website. Make sure you don't overlook this powerful means of gaining new subscribers. Your visitors will enter your website from many other pages other than your main page. They may never even visit your main page, so make sure your subscription box is visible on every page of your website.
Incentive Subscriptions
This powerful means of obtaining subscribers entails offering your visitors a free gift in return for their subscription. This free gift may be a free ebook, software, or report. This method of obtaining new subscribers will increase your subscription rate immensely.
Download free ebooks that you may use as incentives here: Free eBook Sources
Writing Articles
Write informative articles and allow them to be freely published. By writing articles, you can significantly increase your subscriptions. The key to using this method effectively is to include your subscription information within your bylines.
For further information in regard to writing articles, read the article, "Write For Publicity."
http://www.web-source.net/write.htm
Free Ebooks
Create a powerful free ebook and allow it to be freely distributed. Place your subscription box on each page. Your ebook will have the potential to be viewed by millions of Internet users.
For further information on creating an ebook, download the free ebook, "Ebooks: A Complete Guide to Self Publishing."
http://www.ebookstarter.com/
Creating and developing an opt-in list is an absolute must. You must take every opportunity to promote your publication and gain new subscribers. The more subscribers you have, the more sales you'll make. Make sure you don't overlook this powerful method of making sales.
Customer Follow-up
Following up with your customer, once you've made a sale, is an important part of providing good customer service. Not only is it an important part of developing a good relationship with your customer, but it will also enable you to introduce your new products.
Although sending out a personal message to each of your customers may not be possible, you can provide your customers with the illusion that your message was personally sent. By using autoresponders, you can eliminate the need to manually respond each time you make a sale.
Autoresponders
Autoresponders are one of the best promotional tools on the Internet. They were designed to automatically respond to any email message sent to it with an automatic response. The more advanced autoresponders will enable you to set up a series of autoresponse messages to be sent out at a specified time.
You can use autoresponders to send all of the following:
Thank you messages
Welcome letters
Order confirmations
Autoresponders can eliminate many of your routine follow-ups. However, they cannot eliminate your customer's support requests and your future mailings.
Customer Service
In order to develop a good relationship with your customers, you must provide them with quality customer service. Let them know that, should they have any questions or problems, they are free to contact you. Provide them with all of your contact information to make the process simple. Even if you can't personally assist them, make sure that you have a good customer support group ready to help. Reply to their support requests as quickly as possible and assist them until the problem is resolved.
Your customer service is one of the most important factors in determining your customer's satisfaction. Even if you have a great product or service, if your customer support isn't good, your sales will suffer.
For every dissatisfied customer, you can expect to lose one hundred new customers. Why? When one customer has a bad experience with your company, you can be certain that they'll tell everyone they know about their bad experience. It will travel through the grapevine and ultimately cost you sales.
Follow-up with your customers and ask them how they like your product or if they have any questions. This is a great way to not only provide good customer service, but to also obtain feedback about your product. By listening to your customers, you will know exactly what they want, what they're having problems with and how you can develop a better product.
Mailing List
The best way to follow-up with your customers is to set up a mailing list. No matter what mailing program you use, make sure that it will allow you to send personalized messages. Your customers need that personal touch. They don't want to feel as if the message they received was sent to an entire list. They want to feel as if it was personally sent to them.
By following up with your customers and providing great customer service, you are creating a life-long relationship. Satisfied customers are more apt to purchase your new products in the future. Treat them with the utmost respect and go above and beyond the expected.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.
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