Thursday, November 1, 2012

Small Business Saturday is 11/24. Are you ready?

Saturday, October 27, 2012

TED Blog | 100 Websites You Should Know and Use

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Small-Business-Saturday-is-11-24--Are-you-ready-.html?soid=1110968675086&aid=EcmGgrw89K4

Friday, October 12, 2012

Google Lucky Number 7 – Differences in New Google SERP across Retail, Finance and Technology

Monday, September 17, 2012

Guide to Understanding the Searcher Experience

Good Article to bookmark...also with a nice graphic to post at your desk...

Guide to Understanding the Searcher Experience

Friday, September 7, 2012

12 Classic Personal Development Books PLUS Bonus

12 Classic Personal Development Books PLUS Bonus 70% off

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Five Hyperlocal Marketing Strategies - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Thursday, August 9, 2012

How Not To Write A Sales Letter

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Five Hyperlocal Marketing Strategies - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Great Info!
Five Hyperlocal Marketing Strategies - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Monday, July 23, 2012

Tips For Creating Powerful Headlines That Sell

Tips For Creating Powerful Headlines That Sell

You have mere seconds to capture a prospect's attention. One of the single most powerful tools you have to accomplish this task is your headline. There are several keys to a compelling, and selling, headline and a few tips to help you get the job done.

#1 Tap into Your Prospects' Emotions

According to psychologists our buying decisions are based first and foremost on our emotions. Use headlines which offer your readers a strong emotional benefit or reaction. Some possible emotions are:

For example, The 20-Minute Step that Will Make You a Business Genius taps into readers' desires to feel smart and powerful.

Other emotions you can tap into are a desire to feel:

1. Attractive
2. Sexy
3. Assertive
4. Confident
5. Energetic
6. Pampered
7. A sense of belonging
8. In control of their own destiny
9. Wealthy
10. Proud
11. Respected
12. Safe

#2 Make it Active

To compel it's important to use active language - language that shows movement and commands attention.

For example, "Stop Your Sugar Cravings Today With This Simple Step," is a fine headline however it doesn't command action nor does it really tap into any emotions. However, "Conquer Your Sugar Cravings With This Simple Step." Conquer is an active and emotionally powerful word. Readers receive the benefit of feeling powerful and in control and it commands action.

#3 Let Your Reader Know They're Important

The word YOU is a very powerful word. It let's your reader's feel as if you're talking to them specifically and interested in solving their problems, issues and helping them achieve their desires. Instead of using I, Me or We in your headlines, use You. Using the headline example above compare the two options
"Conquer Your Sugar Cravings With This Simple Step.
"Conquer Sugar Cravings with Our System"

People want to know what's in it for them and when they can assess that information in the headline, they're going to be compelled to continue reading your copy and making a purchase.

Here are three more ideas for powerful headlines:

* Make a promise - Earn $1000 a day
* Make it newsworthy - New program guarantees you'll earn $1000 a day.
* Ask a question – Do you want to ensure your financial future?

Three Simple Steps to Write Headlines That Sell

So now you have some ideas about what types of headlines sell, how do you begin to write those powerful headlines?

Step One – Get to know your audience intimately. What are their hopes, dreams, desires, and problems? Understanding your audience will help you create an emotional and powerful headline directed specifically at your audience.

Step Two – Determine how your products or services are going to make your prospects' lives better or solve their problems. For example if you sell fitness equipment and your audience struggles with feeling attractive then you can create a headline that highlights a specific benefit your fitness equipment offers to solve that problem.

Step Three – Write ten to twenty, yes twenty, possible headlines. Not only will this give you practice writing compelling headlines, it'll help you hone in on that perfect headline. And if you think you have a few winners you can always test them for conversion rates to find out which headline is more effective.

Marketing and copywriting experts consider your headline to be the most import element of any effective marketing piece. Take the time to craft a compelling, and selling, headline and you'll reap the benefits for years to come.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Intel® The Museum of Me

Thursday, July 5, 2012

5 Reasons Why Most Don't Become Wealthy

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Go Back to the Basics for Successful Marketing

Successful Marketing with Proven Marketing Tactics

Offline and Online marketing both are the result of ambition, determination, commitment, and a desire to succeed. It’s also dependent on successful marketing tactics that attract visitors, drive sales, and retain long-term loyal customers. Turbo-marketers are highly focused on advanced marketing tactics that enable them to successfully grow an online business. They are the leaders and winners in the world of online marketing and sales. The worlds of online and offline marketing can be very different, yet both rely on basic, proven strategies and tactics

The good news is that there have been many people who have tried, failed, tried again, failed again, and finally succeeded in identifying the most effective marketing tactics for an online business. Learning from the mistakes and successes of other thriving marketers gives today’s marketers the ability to come out of the gate running -- and with some ambition and hard work, move ahead of the pack to become a leader. You never really want to be re-inventing the wheel, but you can creatively apply proven success techniques to your business

Establish goals

This makes it critical to envision the success of your business and know what you want to accomplish through your marketing tactics. Goals lead to strategies and then to tactics.

Before you take the first step on your online journey to successful entrepreneurship, establish your goals and objectives. Plant them firmly in your mind and envision yourself succeeding. Starting with a positive, ‘can-do’ attitude is the best way to start any business or venture. Once you have your goals for success implanted in your mind, it’s time to get started on the journey of a lifetime

Take action

One of the first rules of online marketing is to take action.

The web is a dynamic, rapidly-growing medium where businesses are created every day. If you sit and think about what you are going to do every day and never take action, you will never get where you want to go. Marketing tactics are useless unless you take action and execute them.

This takes us to the next critical point of online marketing. You must know and understand where you want to go before you begin your journey. Without a clear understanding of where you want to go, how do you know what you need to do? How do you create tactics and take action?

Define your business

Starting your online business means understanding what your business is all about. What is it you want to accomplish? What do you need to do to reach your goals? What marketing tactics will help you succeed?

Success is heavily dependent on your ability to dissect and understand your business. You must be the expert in your niche and you must carefully evaluate what your customers want. Once you identify what they want, it is essential to determine how you can deliver those results for customers.

Basic marketing tactics

Now that you have your business firmly outlined and clarified, deploying basic tactics is next on the list. And that starts with knowing how to market what you have to offer. Basic marketing tactics include:

1. Creating a ‘brand’ or identity around your product

2. Creating a simple marketing message

3. Establishing a credible website

4. Creating a presence as an expert in a niche

5. Defining the benefits or value of what you have to offer

6. Deploying search engine optimization techniques (SEO) to attract and drive traffic

These are some of the early, basic marketing tactics that must be mastered. As your marketing plan unfolds, integration of more advanced marketing tactics will enhance your online presence and position. They will also further the growth of your business through the use of proven techniques that create a unique value proposition for the targeted audience.

Build your business step-by-step and do your homework to evaluate the most effective marketing tactics available. Learn from other successful marketers and save yourself weeks, months, and years of effort by taking advantage of proven techniques whenever possible.

The sooner you know where you want to go, the sooner you will arrive.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

9 Tactics to Create Strong Customer Relationships

9 Tactics to Create Strong Customer Relationships

There is ONE absolute in the world of marketing. No matter if it is in traditional, web or social media. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for taking care of your customers. Your goal should not be to satisfy your customers, but to AMAZE them. If you do that one thing exceptionally well, every other marketing, sales, or promotional activity will yield efficient and effective results. Offline or Online users are always searching for something of value to them. Whether it’s information, products, or services, they are looking for an answer to a question or a problem. Online marketing tactics are especially important with the increase in competition across the world wide web.

One of the most important aspects of building any business is to create a business that values and appreciates customers and potential customers. This means marketing tactics that build a strong, trusting relationship with customers are important. Building trust starts with the first encounter with your receptionist, greeter and website and continues with every single subsequent interaction.

According to Nobel Prize-winning scientist Daniel Kahneman, we experience approximately 20,000 moments each and every day. A moment is the few seconds it takes for the brain to evaluate and record an experience. These experiences can be either positive or negative and your website, headlines, content, or responses can make a huge difference in how people record the experience – and their reaction also determines what people do next.

When people visit your web site, they quickly scan the headline to see if they want to read more. They continue reading if they are engaged and intrigued and they want to learn more about what you have to say. This is a great place to start building a relationship with customers. Be sure that you say what you have to offer and do not make false promises or you’ll lose customers quickly.

It’s important to build this connection with customers and website visitors to gain their commitment and loyalty. They will also become tremendous assets as their trust grows and they promote and advertise your website to their friends, colleagues, and social network.

Relationship marketing is a valuable marketing tactic for online entrepreneurs. It has been an important part of sales in the off-line world for decades and now it has found its way to the Internet.

But building a relationship online is different than having a face-to-face discussion and opportunity to persuade potential customers to make a purchase.

Some of the most effective tips and methods deployed to begin building a positive relationship include:

1. Make every customer interaction count.

2. Follow-through on commitments and claims about products or services.

3. Offer benefits and product value that responds to the customer’s desires.

4. Treat customers as individuals who are respected and valued.

5. Listen to customers – even complaints can be a gift if handled properly and quickly.

6. Be available and accessible when customers have questions, concerns, or comments.

7. Surround your customers with valuable information by using emails, website content, social media, and other methods of outreach – but do not be invasive.

8. Make your website user-friendly and easy to navigate for new and existing customers.

9. Create a blog about your business where discussion is more casual and inviting.

Relationship-marketing is not just a fad. It’s here to stay and people want to know that they are valued and appreciated as an individual. Creating long-lasting relationships helps to ensure long-lasting customers and repeat sales. It also encourages existing customers to refer their colleagues, friends, and others to your website.

Don’t take a single customer for granted. Each and every interaction with a customer is a gift and should be valued. If it weren’t already a great “life principal”, treating people well and respecting them would be the best thing you could invent to do, to ensure marketing and sales results

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Grammatical Gaffes on the Web are the Worstest - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Print this up and save!

Grammatical Gaffes on the Web are the Worstest - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Get to Know Link Research Tools - 'Net Features - Website Magazine

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

DYR Catalog - Design Your Recognition -

I represent this company and they do a great job with award and recognition products...
DYR Catalog - Design Your Recognition

I also did the copy-writing here for the product descriptions and case studies!