Five Unstoppable Tactics For Demonic Viral Marketing.

Does marketing your start-up company petrify your checkbook? Tri-media advertising does wonders for corporate brand building but it's not the only way to spread the good word. With non conventional promotion, you avoid costly tri media expenses and create an almost demonic cult-following for your new product or service. All you need is a bit of unconventional thinking.

Let's get down to brass tacks.

Since 1999, I've been launching successful start-ups. Most were pure online initiatives, but two are click-and-mortar hybrids. Today, each business unit makes enough to pay the utility bills, indulge in fancy dinners, and fly off on exotic vacations. Just key my name in google and you'll have an idea of my different passions.

Skyrocketing my pursuits to niche dominance doesn't take a Ph.D degree. Allow me to bare my secrets:

1. ESTABLISH A PRODUCT-CENTRIC ONLINE COMMUNITY. eGroups, yahoogroups and google groups allow the establishment of virtual families where people of like minds converge. WIth just a group of twenty active participants, you create a massive product buzz that eventually snowballs into unstoppable viral marketing.

My earliest endeavor revolved around business NLP, mind advancement and dating. Coaching was my passion and TV advertising would have cost a bleeding arm. I tackled the challenge by deploying an eGroup account and posting free self-help articles. At the 10th post, curious websurfers began signing up and participating. They left comments, added suggestions and invited other friends to jump in. The forum then grew exponentially and I witnessed a living, organic group of 8000+ members. People traded stories, joked, passed on tips and even flirted outrageously. For me, this meant a goldmine of targetted advertising: I would post one product announcement every quarter to a community already avid on the subject!

2. GIVE THEM FREE LUNCHES. Everybody loves a freebie; I snap up product samples at the mall or grocery store. When I get home and try that free shampoo sachet, I'd eventually come back and buy a bottle at a bloodcurdling $19.95. Mall owners were on to something!

Free eBooks, articles and mp3 recordings are hot downloads on the web. To target the army of freebie addicts, I jumpstarted Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Audition. Every month saw me marching out armadas of pdfs and mp3s. They were my eager footsoldiers, poised to strike at at freeware download sites.

So how did this benefit me? Each pdf and mp3 is armed with a resource segment containing my URLs and services. As these marketing warriors circulate the web, they stir up a storm of awareness... and direct traffic to my sites.

3. GIVE LIFETIME MONEY BACK GUARANTEES. What would do if you saw a product that trumpted "Unlimited Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee?" Of course you wouldn't think twice about buying it. There's no risk on the part of the buyer... after all the product can be returned ten days-- or ten months after purchase. Let your confidence in your product show by backing it up with unconditional guarantees.

4. TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY. Avoid canned responses. Reply immediately. Offer solutions, not qualified excuses. Throw in value-adding surprises such as unannounced freebies and 24/7 tech support. Friendly gestures might cost a bit of money, but it goes a long way in building warm customer relationships. You want to create friends out of your clients.

5.PRAISE THE COMPETITION. You may be the best at what you do, but if you bad mouth the competition, you cast a pall upon your reputation. Share the glory with others by giving praise and credit where they're due.

In my businesses, I prominently advertise the competition on my websites. I empower my clients with CHOICE. Don't worry about lost sales; customers will naturally appreciate your impartiality and quickly realize that you're after their welfare.

Business isn't always about making money. It's about nurturing relationships and building social networks. Once word of your superb business practices spread, revenue will follow.

Five Tips for Link Trading

Link trading is a great, free way to promote your small or home-based business.  However, many links pages are crowded with inappropriate or disorganized links, taking away from the professionalism of the website.  Here are a few tips to make your links page work for you:

1.  Place your links page at the end of your website.  Believe it or not, I've actually seen links pages placed high on the site map.  The first thing you want your clients to see is your services, not the services of another company.

2.  Don't trade links with online gambling or game sites, unless it truly relates to your business.  For example, if you are a financial planner, yet include links on your site for online gambling, it takes away from the professionalism of your site.

3.  Don't trade links with competitors.  While you want to keep the links on your website relative to your business, you don't want to lose business.

4.  Trade links with companies that can provide useful information or services to your target audience.  Your clients will appreciate the information, and your business will gain a reputation for excellent customer service.

5.  Organize your links page.  Links that are crowded too closely together look unprofessional, as do links that are in no particular order.  Organize your links into categories using headings and lines or dividers to separate the categories.  Do not list categories with links to other pages that actually contain the useful links.  This detracts from your site and uses extra bandwidth.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you will build a professional links page that boosts your business and offers you a great reputation for professionalism and customer care.

Fishing For Leads - The 5 Steps

If you have a new experience everyday, you will lead a fulfilling life.

I had one during my summer holidays, when I went out fishing for mackerel. After the trip, I had an epiphany – I felt I was now able to explain easily, in 5 steps, how small companies can effectively increase their business.

We start with an anecdote, which captures the essence of the 5 steps, and hopefully will help you land next year’s profitable catch.

The first thing that I noticed when I got onto the small boat at the harbour in Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, was the cleanliness and order of the boat. The skipper in charge had all of the rods, upright, with their lines neatly tucked away, in holders. The holders were made out of piping, about 30cm long, which had been welded to the side of the boat.

A simple, inexpensive aid had made me sit up and pay attention. This skipper thought about his customers, and this device left a strong impression. We then got a very short lecture on safety, checked we had our life jackets on, and off we went. About 12 of us!

Finding your target market
About 12 minutes later, the skipper stopped the boat, and told us we should find some mackerel here. He explained that the lures on the hooks looked just like what mackerel wanted to eat. It certainly was not something I would have fancied!

He explained that through his experience and the help of a little sonar gadget on his boat, that he knew there was a shoal of fish below. We all slung our rods over the side and dropped our lines.

Reeling in the sale
Now I don’t know about you, but this was totally new to me. I wound up the line frantically, as soon as I felt a tug, and hey presto, there were three fish dangling off the hooks. I started flailing about, one jumped off before I even got it in over the side, and when I was trying to reel it in the final bit I lost an other one. The one that I got in, I lost down the gutter when I finally got it off the hook.

The skipper explained to me, that once a fish took the bait, I should give a quick tug on the rod, to make sure it was firmly hooked. I should then take my time, to reel it in. Secure the rod in the holder, with the fish hanging over the bucket and deal with them one by one – I did, and I ended up with 20 fish, which delighted me, as I had set a target of 10, since my friend had caught 9 on his first time

1. So what are the lessons for marketing – if you are still with me, and have not already got most of them, here they are in business speak;

2. Set goals and targets that are realistic, and based on some valid foundation or research.

3. Have simple procedures set up, to make it easy to operate and for your customers to conduct business with you.

4. Speak in your prospects language, about what they want – it’s a bit like the fish bait, unlikely that strawberries and cream will catch many mackerel!

5. Once you know what your prospects like, find out where they are, do some research and target them accordingly – as in our example, not much point in putting down shark bait in a shoal of mackerel.

Once you get your customers attention, or have a lead, qualify it, and ensure you follow up at all time to close the sale.

Again the use of a good sales process is essential here.
The bottom line, if you know what problems or desires your customers have, and you can solve or fulfill these, while providing value for money, you will always be a winner.

And if you don’t know the answer to that question, go ask the people who have already bought from you – they do!

Fishing & Lead Capture - Part Three of Three

In parts one and two we overviewed fishing for leads, then went into detail on baiting, presenting and setting your hook on new leads for your business.

Of course, the purpose of your lead generation is to sell a product, service, or opportunity. That's your number one priority - to make contacts and turn them into customers.

You've gotta land that fish.

Now that you have set the hook with subscription confirmation and delivered the bait you promised on your lead capture page ...

How do you get him in without snapping the line?

Well, you have to get your emails read - or all the previous effort is wasted.

Consider the subject of each email as a headline. If it's not interesting enough to be opened you will probably lose your fish.

Keep your (head)line tight. Short and sweet, and usually presenting a benefit - a darn good reason to open the email.

If you don't keep the line tight he will throw the hook - and throw your email in the trash.

Some fish fight harder than others. Many potential customers are quite defensive. Why should they trust you? They don't even know you. To earn their trust, and to have the best chance of landing your fish, use high quality line - VALUE.

Give of yourself. Give of your time. Give something of value to earn the respect and trust of your subscriber - and don't allow any slack in your line.

You offered the right bait.
You set the hook with confirmation.
You keep your (head)line tight so they don't throw the hook (in the trash).
You use strong line by providing valuable information.

...and you keep reeling up the slack.

You use your email to guide your customer to the sales page - and ultimately to the sale.

You can't force it or something will break - the line (reads but no clicks), the hook (thrown in the trash) - something will go wrong and you will go hungry.

Guide, offer, help, inform, entice...

Closer and closer he gets until you finally grab the net. ...and the net profit.

Above all, treat your lead with respect. There is a person behind that email address.

Do you prefer a mailbox full of ads? ... or useful information and related links?

Do you prefer an honest review? ... or a hard sales pitch?

When you DO offer a product, service or opportunity ... offer something of value - not junk for easy money. Your reputation won't stand up to it.

Treat your lead, your subscriber, your new friend like a person. Give them a good reason to do business with YOU.

... and stop treating them like fish.

Ok, so maybe fishing and lead capture don't have THAT much in common after all.

Sorry. My bad.

Fishing & Lead Capture - Part Two of Three

In part one we skimmed over the basics of fishing for leads, and turning them into customers. Now let's break that down and get into a little more detail.

Bait & Presentation

Traffic isn't all that easy to get. You will have to either pay for, or work hard for traffic to your website. You don't want to waste it, do you? Of course not.

When a visitor hits your page, you don't want him to just look around and swim away, right? No. You want him to buy. However, that doesn't happen often enough on just one visit. So, you need a way to stay in touch with your visitor so you can pull them back from time to time. Getting him to opt in to your mailing list is a great way to keep in touch.

But how do you get someone to give up their contact information to you when they don't yet know and trust you?

Well, while your visitor is at your site... while the fish is in your pond - offer the right bait.

What type of fish are you after? ...and what do they eat?

You know your niche better than I do.

What are YOUR visitors interested in?
What are their biggest problems?
What keeps them awake at night?
What do the want the most?

Find the right bait, then present it in the right way and I guarantee they will bite.

Through a joint venture, a little search time, or some desktop publishing, locate or create a product that your visitors will bite on.

...and setup a lead capture page using this product as your bait.

Fishermen know what bait to use for different fish because of experience, their own or someone else's shared wisdom.

Take a look around. Someone else may be selling in your market. Who am I kidding? Someone else IS selling in your market. Find them. How are they fishing for new leads?

A little research will reveal what the fish are biting on at any given moment. Find or create it something similar, then bait YOUR hook and start fishing.

Good baits - Nearly anything related & free.

Viral software, articles and ebooks
Prizes (contests)
Product samples
Valuable tips
etc...

The right bait STILL must be presented in the right way. Portal sites, link & banner farms - they have their place, but the best way to present you bait when fishin' for leads is with a simple lead capture page.

You've seen them many times already, I'm sure of it. A basic page with few graphics, some well written copy, bullet points and a subscription form ... that's about all it takes. You may have to experiment a bit with your presentation, but once they start biting - you know you're on the right track. At this point, make only minor changes (one at a time) and test, test, test.

When they do start biting, you better learn to set the hook with a subscription confirmation to ensure your email gets delivered ... and delivered only to those who actually want it.

Confirmation can and probably will lead to a few "big one that got away" stories, but your list will be better... more responsive.

On your 'thank you' page, remind your visitor to confirm their subscription. Nothing fancy, just a little something like this...

"In order for me to send your (bait)... please
remember to confirm your request.

The confirmation email should be in your inbox
very soon. This step, though a bit inconvenient,
protects us both from unwanted email issues.

Also - please white list my domain.com and
email@mydomain.com to ensure receipt of the
information you requested."

Set that hook - get on your reader's list of acceptable publishers, because you want your email to get through every time you send mail. You want ALL subscribers to receive ALL email. It's not likely that it's going to happen, but it's still a great target.

It's also a good idea to test your emails to ensure they won't be eaten by filters.

You can use software for this, or one of the many autoresponder services that have spam testing features built right in.

Now ... we've baited, presented and set the hook - and I am worn out.

Let's rest up a bit and land that biggin' in part three. Don't miss it.

Fishing & Lead Capture - Part One of Three

"Those worms are good enough to catch the sunfish around the edge, but you gotta use some liver and cast out to the middle to catch the big cats."

The ol' fella was right - good advice for that place and time. I caught more catfish that day than I had all summer.

Fishin' and lead capture. They're not so different.

Right bait... right place... BAM! You get a strike - someone drops their contact info into your autoresponder form to get some of that sweet smellin' bait you've offered them.

Then you set the hook - and verify their subscription.

To protect yourself, your business and your subscribers, always use a subscription verification to make sure they are actually interested in reading your material.

Some will confirm. Some will not. But that doesn't mean the trip is over.

You keep on fishing.

...and eventually you get another strike.

Once you get the hook set (receive confirmation of a new subscriber), it's time to real in your fish - deliver your lead to a sales page for your product or service.

You can't just lift your rod, crank the reel like a lunatic to drag the fish to the boat. You could easily break the line and lose your new lead.

You have to use a little finesse.

Let him take some slack (give up some great, free information), and allow just a little room to run.

Ease him in - guide him and reel up the slack as you go.

Show your lead - your new friend - that you can be trusted. Don't lose ground by sending junk in an effort to make money.

Closer and closer he gets until you have EARNED his trust - and his business.

Then you hold him up by the ankles and pose for a picture. (just kidding)

This is the first in a series of three articles devoted to the exciting art of lead capture and list marketing.

In part two we will talk more about your bait, presentation and setting the hook. Don't miss it.

First Impressions Count – Even To A Search Engine

Before you think about submitting your site to a search engine, you need to be prepared. Don’t think that because you have your domain name registered and a ‘under construction’ page up that you are ready.

Don’t even think about submitting your site to a single search engine until you are ready to receive guests or visitors. The worst thing in the world (I think so anyway) – is to follow a link to a website and only find a ‘under construction’ message or a front page with lots of links with ‘coming soon’ as a reward for my click.

Why did I come to your site? I want to either find out something interesting, look at something, download something or buy something – not to be told to come back later when you are ready – to tell the truth, I don’t think I would bother coming back. Even when you tell me to come back because I’ll remember and think “been there before, it was a waste of time, full of coming soon stuff”.

If you have a blog – don’t leave the messages saying ‘Just testing’ or ‘congratulations and welcome to your new blog’. Don’t even think about writing ‘Welcome to my blog, over the next coming few days I will be…’ Just remember, the internet has no concept of time, but humans do. If I come to your site and find a ‘Welcome to my blog…’ post with lots of promises, but you don’t deliver, why should I trust you with my time? My money? My business? The truth of the matter is, I won’t.

I’m not going to go through a whole list of things that tend to put visitors off staying on a site – but here are a few of them:

Broken links (always check your links before you upload to a site)
Awful color schemes (Yellow and Red? – Try pastel colors)
Tiny fonts – I like to be able to read without pushing my nose to the monitor.
Difficult navigation – I want consistency and clearly labelled links

That should give you a bit to think about...