Staying awake at night wondering how to pump up your sagging Internet sales
After all, your reports say youre driving the right audience to your site. AND your sales pitch appeals to these visitors. AND you sell high-quality product(s)/service(s).
But few visitors are buying. Why
Consider How Your Site Appears To Visitors
Consider the possibility that your web site is turning visitors away. Forever!
Internet visitor turnoff happens every minute of every day. How do you minimize it
Well, suppose youre a customer in a real store. You want to buy a light bulb. But the store is so big that three employees cant give you directions to the right aisle. Maybe you cant even find someone to give you directions! Is this how your site navigation appears to visitors
Another example: Based on the length of the checkout lines in the supermarket, you know its going to take at least 15 minutes to give away your money. Will you walk out Your web site visitors can just click out of your site!
Hey, My Site Is Perfect!
You say these real store situations dont apply to your site Do you think youre objective
With a wee bit of effort, you can create a money magnet web site! Check out this list of tips for keeping visitors at your site so they WILL buy or contact you.
Ten Tips Plus One Bonus Tip
1. Use a popup to ask if your prospects visit satisfied their reason for clicking to your site.
A few visitors find this annoying. Others will be happy to comment. Trial a popup, and remove it if it is unpopular. Success depends on how quickly visitors can answer your questions.
2. Survey past visitors.
3. Ask ten people in your target audience to test drive your site.
4. Click on the home page. Where does your eye go first Is this location the FIRST item you want visitors to see
5. Test the site using several different browsers. Your software might give you this option. Sometimes theres a flaw you wont see in your own browser.
6. Encourage your visitors to contact you and make it simple for them to do so.
Turnoffs are addresses like webmaster@site.com, email@site.com, and customerservice@site.com. The address should contain a persons name.
7. Your sites purpose needs to be clear and easily understood by the visitor.
If you want a customer to contact you for more information, say so. If you want a customer to buy, say so. Keep visitors guessing and theyll exit quickly. And PERMANENTLY.
8. Check out the structure, copy, and look of your competitions sites.Take advantage of other peoples web knowledge.
9. If your site has links, check them often. Theres nothing worse than a visitor clicking on a link and getting an error message. This includes internal as well as external links. Again, the software used to build the site checks for certain links. Use it regularly!
10. If you have a FLASH intro or other cutesy gimmicks, remove them. Why risk losing visitors who might be offended These gimmicks are way different than the popup question mentioned before. The popup is a feedback mechanism. Gimmicks are more than annoying -- theyre unprofessional.
BONUS Tip:
Consider revising site design based on your findings from the previous ten tips.
Most people start with a small site and then add pages gradually. Sometimes the site size gets out of hand, or the site loads slowly, or it navigates like a boat taking on water.
Find the problems and change the design!
Happy web site creation and revision. Make your site a money magnet!
Copyright 2005 Valerie Mills
Valerie Mills,a copywriter/designer specializing in direct mail and web advertising, has written sales letters, web sites, and brochures for the finance, self-help, and technology areas. She also audits sites for usability, sales appeal, structural integrity, and readability. In addition, using her experience as an educator and corporate trainer, Valerie has written several articles and a parents guide to coach kids of all ages about money and personal finance. Contact Refer to web site
In todays world, online advertising is KEY to the success of your business. Your initial approach is what draws the curiosity that ultimately leads to the sale of your product. And of course, you only get one opportunity to make a first impression, so lets learn how to make it a great one!
Following are important, to-the-point guidelines for advertising your online business . . .
First, define your target market. Target the prospects youd like to reach as you think about the following categories:
- Gender
- Age
- Profession
- Education level
- Household income level
- Family size number of children
- Behaviors / Importances (1. Price 2. Location 3. Quality 4. Warranties 5. Customer Service 6. Brand name)
One you have your market targeted, heres generally how you go about selling online:
1. Attract a prospects interest with an intriguing first sentence (avoiding OVERLY sensational headlines).
2. Focus on solving the readers problem or on making something easier for them.
3. Give them a reason to buy at that moment with an added bonus or incentive
Now, here are the on-line marketing methods that can be pursued, utilizing the guidelines youve just learned!
#1 Pay-per-Click: This method allows for you to pay for any visitors that are sent to your website. You will expect to pay more to get towards the top.
#2 Cost-per-Action: This method allows you to pay only for those prospects which request further information.
#3 Free Classifieds: Use bolding, highlighting, ad placement, and most IMPORTANTLY, remember that a picture is worth more than a thousands words.
#4 Discussion Groups: Subscribe and participate in discussion groups. Not only will you receive information, it will be free promotion!
#5 Chat Rooms: Engage in only the busiest rooms, listen, and then put your two cents in.
#6 Bulletin Boards: Create a noticeable page.
#7 Put your URL on EVERYTHING: The easiest way to be proactive and direct those prospects not surfing the net, is to publish your URL on stationary, letterhead, business cards, checks, envelopes, etc.
#8 Follow-up emails: Most importantly, after any contacts or leads come your way, be CERTAIN to reply to emails DAILY.
Perfect practice makes perfect, and repetition will make your approaches perfect!
As an added bonus, I hold a weekly drawing for free products when you request more information from my website. So, go ahead and visit, and you will automatically be entered!
Hayley Keller is a home business builder and independent marketing executive who has literally researched hundreds of home-based business opportunities before understanding the value of businesses with solid foundations and products that actually work, making advertising a joy!Questions or comments Hayley can be reached at: .