Archive for Newsletter Article
If not, my new “Marketing Your Website” page gives them to you.
And if you’ve already been through my course, you’re ahead of the class anyway.
Here are the questions:
- I have a website, but I don’t think anyone’s visiting it. How do I find out?
- How can I market my business online?
- How should I market my website offline…in the real world?
- What is Twitter and how can it help my business?
- I have a Facebook account. Can’t I just post links about my business there?
- I have a LinkedIn account. How can I use it to market my business?
- I’ve never heard of SlideShare. What is it and how can it help my business?
- Should I start a blog?
- How do I get people to come back to my website over and over again?
- How do I get my site to rank #1 in Google?
Have I left off any? If so, let me know and I’ll add them ASAP!
Directories are one source of these links, but there are a few tips to keep in mind as you search for directories.
2) Search for Niche directories. These are directories geared toward your industry. Here are a few ways to find them:
- Check the incoming links for your competitors and see if any of the urls are directories that you may want to be listed in as well.
Reminder… type: link:
www.url.com in Yahoo! (this should
be your competitor’s website address)
Note: You probably shouldn’t pay to be listed anywhere
- Think about offline publications in your industry. Is there an online equivalent? See if they have a directory or if your company is listed on their companion website.
- Search for your target keywords. Are there any directory pages among the top search results. If so, you can benefit from their rank by getting listed in their directory.
- Search the search engines for relevant niche directories by entering “pet store directory” and “Richmond Directory.”
You may also find a directory for a certain part of the city, such as “Shockoe Bottom” a popular area in Richmond, VA.
3) When you submit your website, make sure you can select a category that suits your business.
4) Give submitting your home page a second thought. It may be possible that a different landing page may work better.
These tips, provided by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin, authors of Search Engine Optimization: An Hour A Day should be very helpful as you build quality incoming links to your website.
Are you taking advantage of your face to face time with clients and prospects? It is just as important to market your website offline as it is online.
In my special report, that I hope you’ve had a chance to read, I mentioned 2 ways to spread the word about your website offline:
- Print the website address on business cards, flyers and coupons.
- Announce it at meetings and to other organizations.
Here are 6 other ways to market your website offline…
But before I begin the list, I have to remind you to always ask for permission to add someone to your mailing list.
Don’t do what many retailers do and just ask for your customers’ email addresses without telling them what you will do with them. Explicitly ask for their permission to send them emails.
Okay, here’s the list…
- Place a sign and a sheet of paper near the checkout area of your store.
- If you are at a speaking event or conference, place a sheet of paper at your booth or table.
Don’t forget…Make sure that anytime you present opportunities for people to sign up for your list that you provide them with an enticing, irresistible offer:
An example of this could be a free gift, raffle entry, discount or a free trial.
…back to the list…
- Place the link to your website on handouts, emphasizing the irresistible offer.
- If customers call your business, request their email address when they call. Tell them you would like to send them a survey about your customer service. In the survey, request explicit permission to add them to your email list.
- Add a field for email address and a checkbox requesting permission to email them–about your great products, services and useful information–on forms, applications, bills, receipts and invoices.
- Mention your offer on your telephone hold message
So there you go…a total of 8 ways to market your small business website offline. Take advantage of any opportunity you have to engage customers and prospects and encourage them to visit your website to see more of what you have to offer.
I hope that you welcomed 2009 with excitement and anticipation of the great things to come. I know I have. I have big plans and exciting ideas that I can’t wait to share with you in the coming months.
In particular, I spent many hours during the holiday, while driving to Philadelphia and back, listening to business-related podcasts on my iPod.
If you’re not familiar with the term, a podcast is really just an audio file (.mp3) that you can play on an mp3 player (like an iPod) or your computer.
I find podcasts on iTunes and other business websites. I recently realized that I haven’t even listened to music on my iPod in months…how strange is that?
What I want you to know is that podcasting can be an excellent way to connect with people, build your list of subscribers, drive traffic to your website, develop reusable content, generate income, share your knowledge and truly make a difference in people’s lives.
I’m not exaggerating; a podcast can do all of those things.
Some of the podcasts I’ve listened to lately have resulted in a complete paradigm shift and have taken me in a direction I would not have even known existed 6 months ago.
From a personal perspective, what I’ve observed is that great podcasts:
- Have an engaging host or duo (some podcasts feature 2 hosts) who make you feel like they are talking directly to you
- Provide practical information that you can put to use right away
- Leave you waiting for the next episode with a lot of anticipation
- Answer questions from listeners
From a business point of view, great podcasts:
- Take a moment to tell you about a great offer that you can receive by signing up for their list
- Don’t hard sell
- Direct you to their website or blog for downloads related to the episode
- Truly build a community of listeners
Podcasts can be transcribed. These transcriptions can be:
- Reworked into articles for article marketing
- Reworked into multiple blog posts
- Combined to create an eBook
- Sold for $5-$7 along with the audio file
- Bundled with other products
- Included as free bonuses for other products
- Distributed in waiting rooms, trade show booths or at presentations
Here are 2 transcription services that I’ve heard podcasters mention:
The sky is truly the limit. If you already have regular speaking engagements, you should really consider making digital audio recordings of them.
You may or may not want to post them on iTunes, but you could post them on your website, transcribe them or sell them.
Many people would rather listen than read…and the truth of the matter is that with everyone’s busy lifestyles these days, many times it’s easier to listen to something on the go, rather than make time to read it.
Check out these websites and listen to a few podcasts in your field or areas of interest:
Here’s another resource if you’re ready to jump right in and start recording:
- Audacity – Free Audio Recording and Editing Software
Let me know if you have audio ready to go and just need it uploaded to your website or iTunes. I’d love to help!
What is this flaw? Building a business model that requires you to solely trade your time for money.
Why is this bad? Well it’s not really bad depending on your goals and lifestyle needs or desires.
Trading your time for money means:
- You have to do work/be actively involved in order to make money
- Where you do your work may be limited
- Your income relies on you – it’s all active income
If this suits you, then stop reading.
However, if it doesn’t, let’s explore how selling products could change the picture.
Selling products means:
- You can make money while you’re sleeping or on vacation – creating a passive income stream
- You can possibly educate your customers – who may later purchase your services
- Your business is easier and more profitable to scale
These benefits are not exhaustive. There are many more.
Think about what types of products could you sell to accompany your existing services?
- eBooks
- audio/video recordings of lectures, workshops or interviews
- audio/video/online training
- workbooks
- reports
- whitepapers
- checklists
- membership websites
Another benefit to selling products in addition to your services, is that you can develop products that allow potential customers/clients to…
- Get to know you and trust you as an expert
- Enjoy your offerings at a price point that is comfortable
for them at any point in their life
Get started today and try writing a short eBook. This guide, How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook, will help you get started and take you step by step through the process of
writing and selling your eBook.
