7 Infallible Ways to Increase Visibility, Traffic, Leads and Buzz!

A few years ago I led the marketing and business development efforts at top online publisher, Early To Rise. While I was there, I also wrote several articles for their ezine focused on marketing, entrepreneurship and business building. Below is one of those articles, but I recently updated it for this publication. The tactics are proven, powerful and worth mentioning again!

Whether you're talking about the articles you include in your e-zine or about your sales message, one thing is certain: Content is king. The written word has the power to educate and inform... as well as create buzz about your website, product, or service. That's one of my main tasks for my consulting clients - to circulate their e-zine articles through multiple delivery channels. Reaching potential subscribers thereby increasing readership and, ultimately, revenues.

I am a firm believer of leveraging all content - marketing and editorial. By circulating it in multiple channels - online, e-mail, print, direct mail, and so forth - you can reach your prospects through whatever medium they prefer. And for those who like to receive their information through more than one medium, your message is re-enforced every time they see it in another channel. I strongly encourage you to take this multi-channel marketing approach with your own online business.

Here are seven of the best and most cost-effective channels I've used at top publishers and for my consulting clients:

1. Paid Search Ads (Pay-Per-Click) Google and Yahoo are the Titans of the paid-search ad world, with nearly 70 percent of market share. But there are other search engines that have a loyal following, such as Bing.com (with 16 percent market share), AOL.com (with 9.6 percent), Ask.com (5.1 percent), Infospace.com (1.1 percent), and Lycos.com (0.9 percent). Pay-per-click (PPC) ads with any of these search engines is a cost-effective way to target prospects looking for your specific product and get broad exposure. You create a text ad, then bid on keywords (the words or phrases your target audience will be searching for) to determine your ad's placement. PPC paid search ads are perfect for acquiring new customers. That's because leads that come in this way are searching specifically for your information (via targeted keywords). This makes them highly qualified prospects.

2. Organic Search Results (Search Engine Marketing) Search engine marketing (SEM) has a nominal cost. Annual fees with search engine networks or directories typically range from $25 to $95 per year. Some consumers give organic search results more "credibility" than paid search ads. And because they "trust" the results of an organic search more, they are more likely to click on an organic link. A survey by Jupiter Research illustrated that 80 percent of Web users seek organic search results. Their rationale is that organic results are un-biased. The marketer didn't pay for that ad space. So the link's appearance in the search results is based purely on various search algorithms and Web crawlers. Your goal should be to balance your online presence with both paid ads and organic search results. You should also optimizes all your efforts by (among other things) making sure keywords are in all the right places. It's important for your writers/editors to work with your search marketers. This includes title tags, URLs, meta keywords, meta descriptions, and body content.

3. Banner Ads Running banner ads on other websites can be another cost-effective part of your online marketing mix. The pricing model for this is typically CPM - a specified price for every 1,000 impressions/views you receive (usually between $3 and $10).Your media budget for banner ads will vary by:
-website
-ad unit size/type (300 x 250 typically performs best)
-location on website (home page, inside pages)
-whether the ad is targeted to a specific page or is on every page of the site
-the time of year the ad is running

Online ad networks are a cheaper alternative. Their CPM usually ranges between $2 and $6, and they have a wider reach. Some networks to consider: Advertising.com, ValueClick.com, and FastClick.com. You can find a full list of sites here:
www.imediaconnection.com/resourceconnection/adnetwork.asp. If you're interested in how to get the best pricing for online advertising, check this out !

4. Reciprocal Ad Swaps or Editorial Contributions Some of your best resources will be your fellow publishers. This channel often gets overlooked by marketers who don't give it the respect it deserves. In the work I do for my clients, I spend a good portion of my time researching synergistic publishers and websites. I look for relevant connections between their publications (print and online) and my clients.

Swapping ads or providing guest editorials will save you money on lead-generation initiatives and give you added exposure to an external list source you might not otherwise have been featured in. Since you won't be paying for access to the other publisher's list of subscribers, you can get new customers for free. If you're writing an article, you can simply use an Editorial Note section for your byline and include a link to your newsletter sign up page. If you're running a text ad, then simply have content and link to your squeeze page. The only "cost" is allowing the other publisher to access your own list. It's a win-win situation. This technique also opens the door to longer-term joint venture opportunities.

5. Co-Registration Co-registration - or "co-reg" - is the practice of referring leads, subscriptions, or memberships in conjunction with another registration transaction, and usually happens after the fact.Co-reg ads use a CPL (cost per lead) payment model. You pay for the leads you capture. Your text ad and a small image of your publication appear on a webpage on another publisher's website after a primary transaction occurs. Your ad shares the page with other publishers looking to build their own e-mail lists with free subscriptions to their e-letters or free e-reports.

To make this work, I've found that you need to send special introductory "bonding" e-mails to the people who sign up for your newsletter before they get added to the general circulation. This helps them remember that they signed up for your e-letter. (So when it shows up in their inbox they won't think it's spam.) And it helps increase the potential that those subscribers will convert to paying customers.

6. Direct Mail Direct mail is still a consumer favorite - and another good way to get your sales message out. It can be especially effective used in concert with another effort, such as an e-mail campaign.

A recent survey published in DM News indicated that 70 percent of respondents preferred receiving unsolicited correspondence via mail vs. e-mail. As with any marketing medium, though, you can end up paying a lot. The most costly direct-mail packages are magalogs and tabloids (four-color mailers that look like magazines). However, 6 x 9 postcards, tri-fold self-mailers, and simple sales letters are three low-cost ways of taking advantage of this channel. Although 100 percent ROI (return on investment) is what you should aim for, many direct mailers are content with 80 percent. This lower figure takes into consideration the lifetime value of the names that come in from this channel, because they are typically reliable buyers in the future.

7. Print ads This is another channel that's gets a raw deal. One reason is because it can be costly. To place an ad in a high-circulation magazine or newspaper, you could shell out serious money. But you don't need a big budget to take advantage of print ads. If you don't have deep pockets, consider targeted newspapers and periodicals.

Let's say you're selling an investment report. Try using the Internet to research the wealthiest cities in America. Once you get that list, look online for local newspapers in those communities. These smaller newspapers hit your target audience... and offer a much cheaper ad rate than some of the larger, broad-circulation publications. You end up getting quality rather than quantity.

I once paid for an ad in a local newspaper in Aspen, CO that had a flat rate of less than $500. My ROI on this effort turned out to be more than 1,000 percent. How's that for a positive response rate!

The seven marketing channels I've just described can help you reach more customers... and eventually add dollar signs to your bottom line.

It's not too late to start this New Year off with a marketing bang. By leveraging the seven channels of multi-channel marketing, I'm confident you will be amazed by the results.

Internet Marketing Quick Tip: Optimize Your PPC Efforts With Site Targeting

If you're finding that the Yahoo, Google or Bing universe is too broad and vast for your niche products (or ad budget), consider testing a campaign on smaller pay-per-click ad networks such as Miva.com, Kanoodle.com, Avertising.com (formerly Quigo.com) or AdBrite.com.

Each of these networks allow PPC site targeting as well as have specialized publishers/websites in their network. In my experience, since their universe is smaller than Google or the other 'top 3' search engines, you find yourself the big fish in a small pond - increasing your click thru and conversion rate and reducing your overall cost per lead (CPL).

Of course, it goes without saying that having great copy both in the text ad and landing page is crucial to success in most ANY ad network. Advertising.com, for instance, has some heavy-hitters intheir network, like major cable and broadcast new channel websites. Since the universe is smaller, you will likely have less competition, thereby a lower bid price.

This will help you stretch your ad dollars longer than on a more competitive platform such as Google Ad Words. It's worth running a test: take the same ad and pick the same keywords, yet run the campaign in two different ad networks such as Google and Advertising.com. After 2 weeks, review the results. You may be pleasantly surprised!

[Editor's Note: To learn more great ways to save big with online advertising, click here now!]

What Does Customer Lifetime Value And A Hair Salon Have In Common? More Than You Know…

Sometimes business lessons can occur in the weirdest places and at the most unexpected times.

A few weeks ago, I went to my normal salon for hair coloring. I’ve been going to this place for over a year and consider myself a loyal customer. I have even referred friends and neighbors to this salon. The staff are usually friendly and attentive. And the atmosphere is comfortable yet sophisticated, similar to a New York hair salon, which originally had attracted me to them.

After showing my hair stylist (who’s also the owner) a picture of the color I wanted and reiterated the color should be in the same palette of 'bronze, copper, caramel, and amber', he proceeded to color my hair. Let me preface this by saying my natural hair color is light-medium auburn brown, but back in September my hair had gotten very blonde, so I wanted to go back to my natural color.

After touching up my roots then adding a ‘temporary’ wash color, he took the towel off my head and unveiled the results. You can see he was so proud of himself, which was very short lived. The expression on my face spoke a thousand words. “I hate it”, I said. “It’s not what I wanted…it’s not what was in my picture…it’s not bronze, amber or caramel”. My hair was almost plumb red. I mean, really, really red with no trace of a brownish color.

My stylist kept saying, “Let me blow it dry and you’ll love it.” The frown remained on my face and he finished blowing it dry. “Nope, I don’t like it”, I proclaimed. He then said, “Step outside with a mirror and see the real color in the sunlight, the lights in here are dim and making the color look darker.” So I walked outside with a mirror to the back alley behind the salon, looked at my hair, and the color was still plumb red ... just a brighter appearance with the sunlight above me.

I came back inside the salon and said, “Nope, it’s not what I wanted.” My stylist then added, “Well, it’s only a temporary wash in color, it will fade to the color you want in about 6 weeks.” To which I replied, “There’s no way in hell I’m walking around 6 weeks with a plumb red head.”

So he then said he could try and offset the redness and monotone color with some honey-blonde highlights (or 'foils').

Foils are done. Hair finally looked good. I was happy with the final result as the added highlights did reduce the drastic red color. And the highs and lows with the color looked beautiful.

Then I get the bill: Not only did my stylist charge me for the horrendous temporary ‘wash’ that he used which screwed up my hair, but he also charged me for the foils that were only needed to correct his initial botched up hair color job.

When I inquired about the charges, I was told that: (A) I actually got a discount on the foils because instead of getting charged for a ‘full foil’ I only got charged ‘per foil’ which turns out to be slightly cheaper and (B) that it was my option to get the foils as I could have just waited the 6 weeks and my desired color would have eventually shown through with oxidation and hair washings.

Needless to say that was the last time I went to this salon. In addition, I’m telling practically every person I know about this event and never referring business to them again.

But I left thinking, "Could this business owner be so short sighted that he couldn’t do the right thing and eat the cost of the foils? I mean, didn’t he ever hear of the saying, ‘the customer is always right’?"

And on top of that, doing the simple math and looking at the bottom line, is it really worth saving a few hundred dollars (the cost of the foils) in the short-term and losing a loyal customer as well as referral business – which will certainly impact my life time value (LTV) – in the long-term?

I could have easily spent thousands of dollars per year, every year, in this salon until who knows when.

What a dumb decision on his part.

As business owners it’s important to listen to your customers and do the right thing. Don’t be shortsighted. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Think of the big picture and life time value of each customer as well as referral business. Extending a little ‘good will’ can go a long, long way.

Here’s a great article I wrote a few years ago while I was VP of Marketing at Early to Rise that validates this very point. Happy Reading!

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The 5 Faces of Your Customer

By Wendy Montes de Oca
One of the most profound business books I ever read was Permission Marketing by Seth Godin.
The ideas in the book were very innovative at the time. The Internet and e-mail marketing were still young, and, like the Wild Wild West, most marketers and business owners were still trying to “wrangle it in” and figure out how to leverage the Web’s possibilities… and, more important, turn those possibilities into profits.

In a nutshell, the book explained “how to turn strangers into friends and friends into customers.” The principle behind this is to first understand the difference between cold (or interruption) marketing - like those annoying phone calls you always seem to get during dinner asking you to subscribe to the local newspaper… and permission marketing – where the prospect is actually giving you permission to contact them by “opting in” to receive your messages.

To help you get the most out of your Internet marketing, I have expanded on Mr. Godin’s “stranger/friend/customer” concept and added two key components: multi-buyer and advocate. And I’ll show you how you can leverage each of these segments to help grow your business.

Leveraging Your Customers Throughout Their Life Cycle

You may think that a customer is someone who buys from you – period. But that’s a very limited view. From the instant you “meet” your customer… until he’s become a VIP buyer who’s spent hundreds or thousands of dollars with your company… you should be interacting with him in different ways. Treating him properly every step of the way will create a true win/win situation. Your customer will continue to enjoy satisfying experiences with your company, and your company will enjoy the positive effect this relationship will have on its bottom line.

Here are the five stages a customer can go through during his life cycle, and how you can make the most of each one…

Stage 1: Stranger
The stranger or “prospect” doesn’t know you. Your job is to get her attention. You have only a few seconds to get her to react – whether it’s by asking her to click on your ad or open your e-mail message. Which means that your copy for the ad headline or e-mail subject line is critical.
Once you’ve captured her attention, your #1 goal is to have this stranger “opt in” to receive your messages, giving you a chance to continue to bond with her. This is also the time to start to build trust. Show your creditability. And explain what you can do for her (fill a desire, answer a need).

Stage 2: Friend
The friend has demonstrated an interest in your initial promotion and has opted in to receive more information from you. This gives you an outstanding opportunity to introduce him to your philosophy, your company, and your mission, and to re-enforce how you can help him.
During this stage, it’s best to send a series of introduction e-mails (anywhere from 5 to 7) and withhold your new friends from your general mailing list. You don’t want them (the newest names on your list) to start receiving promotional messages BEFORE they receive some of your editorial messages.

I recomment to my clients to sent introductory e-mails (autoresponders) to subscribers. Each e-mail should be comprised of articles that present the core philosophies of the client. This gives subscribers a chance to “warm up” to the 'guru', expert contributors, as well as the format of the newsletter, and the topics typically addressed. Only after they are warmed up should you start sending promotional e-mails.

Stage 3: Customer/Client
The customer (or client) is someone who has bought into your philosophy and purchased a product (or service) from you. Many companies make the mistake of ending the customer relationship at this point. But after reading this article, you’ll know better… you’ll know that getting the customer is only the beginning. Keeping him is another story. You don’t want to put all your eggs into one acquisition basket while having few or no retention efforts. Good retention strategies entail ongoing communication (both promotional and editorial), outstanding customer service, quality products, and fulfilling your promises. Of course there will always be things outside of your control (like losing customers to market conditions). But the idea is to be proactive and not reactive. Keep the “80/20 rule” in mind – which states that 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers.

Stage 4: Multi-Buyer
The multi-buyer is a customer who is tied into your brand and demonstrates product loyalty with your company. Multi-buyers have purchased several products from you, and are not afraid to spend money. These folks are your best list to roll out new products to or test higher price points. If you are thinking about creating a “VIP” or “Lifetime” product, you’re going to want to advertise to this list. Multi-buyers will have a high lifetime value (LTV) for you, and will likely purchase cross-channel. In other words, they will buy from you no matter how you contact them – whether via banner ads, e-mail marketing, direct mail, or telemarketing.

Stage 5: Advocate
This segment of your customer database is your holy grail. Your list of advocates is made up of the most satisfied and loyal of your customers – and contains your best “unpaid” employees. Advocates will do your advertising for you by telling friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances about your products and services. And in today’s Net-based environment, advocates are a major force in getting your name in the blogsphere and social communities… and spreading your marketing message virally.

So how do you create advocates? Well, advocates are not created, they’re cultivated over time. The advocate must, of course, believe in your products and services. But for this special group, the customer experience goes deeper… to an emotional level. The advocate feels personally touched by your service, product, or guru. Because of you, her life is changed – and she’s busting at the seams to help others as she has been helped.

Your advocates are people you want testimonials from. People you can invite to be in BETA test or focus groups. And people to get feedback from to help develop future products. Even better, this group can help you make more money in the future. Some of my best JV (joint venture) partnerships have been with my clients' advocates – people who understand their core values, respect their business, and have a company or product that’s synergistic to my clients.

You want to treat these folks like the VIPs they are and invite them to special events or let them be the first to receive discounted offers. You may even consider creating affiliate marketing or referral programs to “formalize” this group’s verbal recommendations.

Always keep in mind that the effort does not stop at the sale. Since it costs more to obtain new leads than to retain existing customers – now, more than ever – you have to know how to optimize the five stages of the customer life cycle.

Don't SPAM Your Fellow Social Network Community Members!

Ok, you decided to implement social media marketing. You have been actively engaging in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other popular sites. You carefully accept friend, follower, and fan requests. Then it hits you like a ton of bricks ... you’ve just been spammed by a ‘friend’!

Facebook and LinkedIn publish your email address on your user profile page for all your ‘friends’ to see. And many ‘social marketing barracudas’ use this personal information and decide that it’s fair game to now send you unsolicited, unwanted and un-opted in emails that are typically promotional in nature OR trying to get you to hire them for their services.

Remember, if you didn’t ‘opt in’ to receive someone’s promotional-type communications to your personal or business email address, than those emails are spam - plain and simple.

Don’t engage in this abusive practice.

If you wish to correspond with a fellow social network community member, use social marketing etiquette and either post to their wall or send them a direct message thru the social media community platform. For instance, Facebook has a way where you can ‘direct message’ friends so it’s private to that reader and not a public post for all to see. This way, you’re not invading this person’s privacy and sending correspondence to their ‘personal’ email address.

When I receive messages of this nature I not only pay them no creed as the user is typically inauthentic and desperate for business -- but I also un-friend the person immediately. So it’s a lose/lose situation.

This is a blatant disregard to the social community members as well as just bad marketing.

‘Can Social Media Marketing Work For Me?’

I get many questions from clients asking me how to leverage social media for bonding and sales.

I believe, like any marketing tactic, you must first evaluate if this ‘channel’ is right for your business. Depending on your target market and mission, social media may not be for you.
If you determine that social media is a viable channel to at least test, then there’s little tricks for optimum results:

Engagement. It’s all about creating a community, interacting with your ‘triple F’s’, that is, Friends, Followers and Fans, and cultivating a cyber-relationships. Post insightful, thought provoking, and powerful editorial. Ask probing questions. Exchange witty and fun comments. With social media marketing, it’s all about relationship building and bonding.

Friend and Guru. You want to come across as both a friend AND expert. This can be accomplished by posting quasi-personal information or photos of your life and letting your triple F’s take a little peek into your world. It’s also posting strong messages, articles or recommendations that are relevant to your field … you’re expertise.

Marketing and Advertising. Uploading banner ads, offering free reports to encourage sign ups, having text links to squeeze pages or promotional pages are all creative ways to try and monetize your social media efforts. It’s also a good idea to implement a special auto responder series or segmented social media conversion plan to help expedite the sales process.

One-on-One Time. When you can, make an effort to respond to individual posts as well as send direct messages to individual followers. As a question. Convey birthday wishes. Discuss sports, family or other interests. Share a funny story. Personal communication goes a long way. People feel extra special through direct dialog. It will help them remember you above the many others they may be following on Twitter or FaceBook.

Which leads me to my next question that I get asked a lot, ‘which is better, Twitter or FaceBook?’

Personally, I like the diversity and flexibility FaceBook offers as opposed to Twitter. Twitter posts are limited to small amount of characters which makes bonding harder. In addition, I’ve found FaceBook followers more loyal than Twitter. Many people on Twitter follow people just to get that reciprocal follow and build their following. It becomes more about reciprocation, than about relevance. And since many of your Twitter followers may not be ‘relevant’ or targeted (i.e. ideal prospects), conversion may never occur or take longer than average. For all these reasons I’ve found in my own experience that FaceBook triple F’s are of better quality than Twitter.

But your experience may be completely different…so I suggest you test both social media platforms for yourself and monitor your followers (who they are) as well as conversions.

Good luck!

Profit Makers and Breakers: 10 Things Every Business Owner Should Know

In my career, I've seen many businesses make good and bad decisions.

I was just talking with my husband yesterday and we were discussing one company that mad a monumentally bad decision that may have not directly affected revenues, but it affected employee morale and team dynamic ... which indirectly affected their bottom line, as employees started to resign.

Looking at various scenarios - whether it's for companies I worked for, or clients I consulted, or when launching my own firm - my decades of real-world experienced combined with an MBA, helps me look at business decisions in a different light and analyze them from different vantage points.

Here are some profit makers and profit breakers for most ALL businesses: large, small, start-up or staple. See if any apply to your company!

Profit Breaker #1. Keeping the 'Corporate Cancer' On Board. Ok, you know the person, the one who may appear to be a high performer, but also has a high level of being insubordinate, outspoken, defensive, and has blatant disrespect for their peers. They respond to most every management decision with hesitation and resistance. They don't work well with others and often is alone in their cube or office 'looking' busy. C-Level management is aware of his or her bad reputation with team members and fellow coworkers, but turns a blind eye, as they're not the ones in the trenches with this individual ...they don't realize the true disruption this person is making to the team and hence is ok with them staying on board because this person seems to be 'a work horse'.

Solution: Cut the 'dead weight'. This person has to go and the sooner the better. It's similar to a 'corporate cancer' which will only spread and affect other areas of the business entity. It needs to be removed with expedience. It may be difficult to carry this out, and you may get some push back from the higher ups. But if you present the '3 R's' (Reasons, Remedy attempts, and Reoccurrence of bad behavior over a specific time period) human resources will see the light and support your decision. Before you actually fire this person, make sure all your ducks are in a row and you've detailed specific moments of their disruptive behavior and your attempts to work with them on correcting it. Of course, working with them will never be a solution because of the innate characteristics these types of people typically have: strong-willed and defensive. So termination is really inevitable. You have to look at it this way, what management message are you sending to the team by keeping someone on board that behaves so badly without any repercussions? Once you remove this person, a huge weight will be lifted from the team and you'll almost immediately see a change for the better with the employee morale and production turnout. You will find a better version of this person without the attitude.

Profit Maker #2. Leverage Content: Develop A Free Report, EZine, eAlert or eBulletin. No matter what business you're in, you need a strong, sure fire way to bring in leads (prospects). Creating free content is a great way to give something and get something in return. You're writing about something you are passionate about ... you're area of expertise. You're offering free, powerful editorial content. And in return, you're asking for an email address from the reader. Creating this type of content isn't just good for acquisition efforts, it's also good for branding and establishing you as an expert within your niche. You can then leverage your free content to build your list (prospect database). Your list is your key to future sales. Growing and cultivating your list through editorial is a proven business model from top online publishers. It's a great way to bond with ... and cross-sell to ... your readers. And this helps create a loyal following, a community if you will, of like-minded followers. From there, the sky is the limit!

Profit Breaker #3. Limited Products or Services. No matter what you're selling, whether it's products or a service (i.e. copywriting, freelancing, consulting) you should always have a variety of price points for customers at every level. Offering front-end products and back-end products gives you room to bring in a customer at a low level and up-sell them. Having only one pricing model or product/service excludes people by interest level and price threshold.

Solution: Think about your target audience and different ways you can serve them. Pick a high, middle and low pricing structure to capture sales at all levels. Then, create products/services that fall into each of the pricing categories. Try not to turn away any reasonable business. Of course, you'll always get the person who wants it all for practically pennies. But losing them is no real loss, as they were probably not a serious prospect anyway.

Profit Maker #4. Market Smarter, Not Harder with SONAR. There are many 'creatively strategic' ways to increase visibility, traffic, sales, leads and buzz. Leverage internet marketing for its speed, reach and cost efficiency as well as look at 'old school' marketing for your local efforts like classified ads, flyers and bulletin boards. Don't be afraid to seek guidance from a professional. Check out my SONAR Content Distribution Model TM for some great, proven, and easy ways to market your company for practically nothing!

Profit Breaker #5. Being Penny Wise and Pound Foolish. It's wise to be cognizant of your finances, but don't make decisions that may save a few bucks now, but will cost you growth and returns down the road. I know one business owner that let the marketing department go - the team that would help bring in new business and create ways to retain current clients - but kept non-revenue generating positions such as several web programmers. When what they should have done was downsize marketing keeping at least one or two people, but also downsize the web team and other areas of the company that weren't profit centers, such as accounting or human resources.

Solution: Have vision and foresight. Realize that it's ok to take calculated risks. When reviewing your numbers, evaluate if the reward is greater than the risk ... and the odds of reaching the reward are stacked in your favor. Look at the big picture and allocate funds and resources accordingly. Also, have a realistic timeline for growth, prospect acquisition and customer conversion. It's not a seller's market anymore. The economy is tough and consumers are watching every nickel they earn and spend, therefore conversion time may be longer than a few years ago. Bonding with your prospects and customers right now is crucial for sustainable profits.

Profit Maker #6. Mix and Mingle. Networking and relationship cultivation are extremely important whether you're an entrepreneur or work for a corporation. Creating a contact list of people that can be influential or beneficial to your business is always a good thing. Take time to go to industry events when possible and attend the social functions. This is where people loosen up and deals are made. Don't be the guy or gal in your room checking emails. Get out there and build relationships. Today's cocktail buddy may be tomorrow's business partner.

Profit Breaker #7: Not Doing Competitive Research Or Market Surveillance. Whether you're a start-up business or seasoned company, it's always advantageous to keep abreast of your competitors. This will help you devise creative and strategic ways to either break into new markets or expand in your existing market. It will also help you with product development, marketing, pricing strategies, and customer service.

Solution: If you're a start-up company, I highly recommend that you research the market you're considering and the audience you want to target BEFORE you launch your business. If you're an existing business, I recommend doing market research at least once per year to make sure you're a leader and not a laggard within your niche. Clearly define what will make your product stand out ... your "USP" (unique selling proposition) ... in the marketplace. Understand your target audience and how to create messages and products that will resonate with them. Don't try and guess what your prospects are thinking. Infiltrate relevant forums. Do keyword research. Find out exactly what your target audience wants. This will ultimately save you time and money down the road with marketing and product development efforts.

Profit Maker #8: Pursue Joint Ventures and Affiliate Marketing Opportunities. Many clients I work with always push affiliate marketing aside as an afterthought effort. Big mistake. Having a carefully thought out affiliate marketing plan in place as soon as possible is a great way to bring in revenues fast. Don't have any products yet? Not a problem. You're mission is to find out other affiliate marketers that have products that you actually believe in and sell them to your list (subscribers, customers, clients). By selling someone else's relevant products to your list you (A) have an instant product line with no overhead and (B) can start creating cash flow without necessarily having your own products developed yet. One caveat is that if you're selling someone else's products, make sure that they don't conflict with a product that you 'may' be thinking about creating for your own list. Because if you do, it will be harder for your own list to make the transition to your product, if they already have product loyalty to your affiliate. So be strategic when thinking about affiliate products to sell to your list. Pick out products that compliment, but are not potentially competitive.

Profit Breaker #9: Not Listening To The Experts! I always tell my clients, heck, I even have verbiage in my consulting proposals that reads, "Full cooperation and support from Client regarding marketing recommendations and/or strategies, swiftness in response to market demand, and a streamlined approval process is needed for best results."

As a consultant, I can't help a client's business if they don't listen to me and implement my recommendations. If your employee or consultant gives you their expert opinion, and you don't listen, then don't wonder why you're not getting optimum results. I hear this all the time from marketing professionals and freelancers. The boss feels that since they're 'footing the bill' they call the shots ... even the decisions that the boss has no expertise in. (Although, some bosses truly believe they excel at most everything and try to do it all!). They just can't seem to let go of the reigns and trust the employee or consultant to do their job. But keep one thing in mind: Every decision has a consequence.

Solution: Bosses, business owners, managers -- be open minded and let go. Sometimes you need to believe in, trust, put your ego aside, and listen to the experts. You know, the people YOU hired with the proven experience, performance, and track record coming out of their wazoo. I know it's hard for you to hand over the controls, but it is critical for ultimate success. You have to believe in the person you hired and their years of experience. If you've done your 'due diligence' before you hired them, then you should take comfort in knowing you've hired the right, capable person to lead your business to greatness. If you don't listen to the expert, then you must be accountable - for better or worse - for 'going rogue'.

Profit Maker #10: Embrace Online Marketing. Online marketing is a quick, cost-effective way to expand your reach and market share. Its immediacy, broach reach, and ability to target specific customers is second to none as far as marketing channels. And there's so many tactics to choose from: online PR, email marketing, banner ads, text ads, search engine marketing, social media marketing, viral marketing ... and the list goes on. If you have a business where you have been sticking to offline tactics such as direct mail, print ads, or even grass roots marketing, then I urge you to test some low-to-no cost online marketing tactics. Put your toe in the water. You may not think Internet marketing is applicable for your particular business or target audience, but you just have to think outside the box. I always say, if you're a creative and strategic thinker, you can whip up some really interesting ways to leverage this channel for profits.

Prospecting for Clients: What Every Freelancer Should Know

I get literally dozens of emails per week from potential clients (prospects) inquiring about my consulting services.

Some are serious, valid business owners or entrepreneurs who understand that they are at a point where they need expert guidance to help them take their company to the next level. They understand that hiring a consultant is a calculated decision that requires a financial resources and they are prepared to make such a commitment. It is strategic decision that they know will pay off if they follow the direction of the consultant.

Other prospects are simply ‘phishing’. They’re not phishing for personal or financial information, like many Internet con artists out there. They’re phishing for marketing information … as much as they can get for free. They’re not really serious about hiring a consultant, they just play the game of asking for a proposal and seeing how much information they could get gratis.

In tough economic times like we’re currently experiencing, a freelancer or consultant needs to be on their guard. They need to balance their professional proposal writing and prospect relationship management without giving away the farm.

You want to be friendly, professional, courteous, and knowledgeable, but not give specific recommendations until the prospect is a client.

Quick story…

A business owner emailed me and told me he’s heard about me in the industry. That he was aware of my stellar reputation and believes I could help save his company, which was drowning.

He told me he had resources put aside for consulting services but wanted to discuss the details further with me. So I did what I always do with inquiries: follow up by email promptly and schedule an initial conference call to discuss business objectives, resources, past marketing performance, and more.

After our more than 1-hour conference call where we discussed his needs and some ‘high level’ services I thought would be ideal, he asked me to send a proposal outlining our discussion. I prepared a detailed proposal including:
-Bio (more information about me to familiarize the prospect about my qualifications and experience)
-Testimonials (illustrating feedback that highlights my work ethic and performance)
-Objectives (reiterating the prospective goals)
-Overview (my personal synopsis of the client’s website with ‘high level’ recommendations for improvement)
-Potential barriers for entry (identifying the prospect’s deficiencies)-Deliverables (my recommended services to correct said deficiencies)
-Disclaimer (clearly illustrating important verbiage about what is and isn’t covered as well as setting prospect expectations)
-FAQ’s (for information purposes, being proactive to questions prospect may have)
-Costs (rates for a variety business solutions, if prospect doesn’t identify a specific marketing budget)
-Legal information (including contract terms, payment terms, and other important clauses)
-Closing statement (expressing my gratitude for his inquiry and providing contact information).

This is my standard proposal template that is then customized for each prospect. It’s very comprehensive and satisfies virtually all prospects.

Several days later I followed up with an email to see if the prospect had any questions or needed a follow up call to discuss anything that was in the proposal.

I received an email from the prospect saying he needed more information, a ‘marketing blue print’ of what I would do -- this would help him better consider me with the other consultants bidding for the job.

I replied that my proposal was as detailed as it could be. That I identified areas needing improvement as well as deliverables to correct deficiencies. I then mentioned that I was providing a ‘proposal’, not a marketing plan with specific tactics, which is something I would certainly provide once he was a client. I also mentioned if he had concerns about my work performance, to please see my testimonial page, which features many well-known companies that were ecstatic with my services and demonstrated my competency and performance history.

He responded that what he needed was specifics, not high level information. That he did need tactical approaches, now.

My response, after much thought, was that I wouldn’t be a smart business woman if I virtually gave marketing plans out for no cost, they involve time and research. I reiterated that my proposal did answer all his questions but that tactical details would come when he was a client after more thorough market research and the creation of a strategic marketing plan.

He thanked me for my proposal and told me he was evaluating several proposals and would be in contact if he decided to move forward.

Now at first thought, you may be saying to yourself: in such a competitive environment did you make the right decision, you may have gotten the job if you gave specifics?

But after awhile in the professional service industry, you learn how to read people. You can weed out the good from bad prospects. You see, once the prospect mentioned he wanted a ‘marketing blue print’, that was a red flag. Legitimate prospects that ask for my time, know that my time is valuable and are happy to compensate me accordingly for my services. I knew this particular prospects wasn’t serious about hiring me, rather he was desperate and phishing for free information.

I still, however, gave him the benefit out doubt and offered as many conference calls as he needed as well as an in-person meeting (he was local) to give him a level of comfort. But I just couldn’t provide a marketing plan for free. I certainly don’t think he gives free product to consumers, so why would he expect that of me?

The reason: Desperate times calls for desperate measures. And some people feel that they can take advantage of freelancers because the odds are in their favor.

My viewpoint: Stay true to yourself. Listen to your gut. Look at every prospective opportunity with hope, but keep it real.

Your experience and reputation will speak for itself and the RIGHT customers WILL find you. They always do.

Social Marketing Success Secrets

Social marketing can be fun, build awareness, and be lucrative ... you just need to know a few key elements to help monetize the names and best leverage the interactive relationship you're engaging in.

First, I'd like to explain the flow of information with social media marketing:

Social media marketing is 'pull' marketing. People are getting pulled to your profile page by the information you're posting. This marketing channel is passive and the profile visits are organic. Visits are also uncontrolled by the marketer/publisher. The opposite is 'push' marketing. This would be more targeted and aggressive messages such as email marketing (direct response), where you're pushing your message out to someone who's opted to receive it. These messages are more controlled by the marketer/publisher.

Some may argue that by friending or following (F/F) someone you've sort of opted in to receive their messages that are being pushed (posted) to them. I disagree, as not everyone will be on your profile page every second of the day or maybe not even for that week. Individuals follow many people and checking your page on a frequent basis is unreliable. The frequency of visits lies in control of the F/F, which makes it more 'pull' marketing. With email marketing or enews ad sponsorships, it's a more controlled environment. You're 'pushing' a direct message to your recipient. Sure you're competing with other messages in their in-box, but chances are if you have a good subject line, your email will get opened and read ... way better odds than a profile page visit.

The reason I bring this up is because although many people get excited when they see they have a 500 friends or 1,000 followers, it's more of an ego thing. It goes back feeling popular and wanted. But these F/F's aren't subscribers - that is, they're not people who've opted in to receive a free newsletter from you. Subscribers have given you their email address, and in the publishing industry, email addresses are one of the most important things you can get from a person aside from their mailing address. The email address is the foundation of your list ... of your lead generation efforts. This helps with list building and gets you leverage when coordinating JV, affiliate marketing and editorial deals with other publishers. It also adds names into your sales funnel for email marketing efforts, which ultimately, will help you monetize those names turning a subscriber into a paying customer.

Can a friend or follower be converted into a paying customer without being a subscriber?

Sure, but it's harder to bond with someone when the marketing messages are limited, passive and relying on the prospect to visit your profile page. You're also dealing with maximum character counts and other limitations as with FaceBook or Twitter that will impact the effectiveness of your marketing message.

So I like to advise clients to use social marketing as a tool to assist with, and compliment, their other online marketing efforts and not to put all their eggs in one basket. But there are things you can do to help maximize your returns with social marketing:

Bonding. The whole purpose of social media marketing is to 'connect' with like-minded individuals with a common interest. People follow or friend (F/F) someone because of a psychological reason: they feel like they're getting one step closer to their subject of interest albeit guru, celebrity, or idol. They also feel they're getting the 'real' deal: the inside scope, unedited, raw comments straight from the horse's mouth. So your goal should be to post engaging somewhat personal messages for your F/F's. Don't just upload links to promotions or newsletter issues or basically spam your F/F's. Upload thought provoking comments and interesting informational nuggets. Depending on your list size, pick a few random names a week and send them a personal message through the social media platform. Engage in a one-one-one conversation. Interaction with your F/F's will help develop and cultivate a relationship that will result in bonding. I've found success asking questions and talking to (not at) your F/F's. That's what will keep them coming back to your profile page as well as visit your website for other products you may have or to sign up for your free newsletter.

Branding and Free Advertising. Incorporate your brand (image, logo, tag line) or promotional messages either in the background of your social media profile page or with the use of text or banner ads on your social media profile page. Make the text ad or banner ad eye-catching and link to your website home page, squeeze page (name collection page), or promotional landing page (the link will be determined by your goal and message copy). FaceBook has areas on individual (as opposed to Fan pages) designated for this such as Text boxes, Notes tab, Links, and Profile Badge. You can also upload banner ads. And Twitter allows personalization via their 'Settings', 'Profile' and 'Design' tabs.

Conversion. Remember, although you have F/F's names or links to their profile messages, you don't have direct access to them in a way that will help your business bottom line. For my clients I put together a social media conversion plan, which is a strategic plan to incent F/F's to sign up for the client's newsletter, which allows for the F/F to then move to 'subscriber' status. Moving to subscriber status helps magnify the bonding efforts and also allows the individual to receive targeted messages from the client - whether it's through an auto responder series, ads in the enewsletter, or solo email marketing messages - either way, it's a more effective and expedited way to get those F/F's into your sales funnel for monetization.

Incorporating the above will help you get the most of your social marketing efforts to help grow your business. And if you read other blog posts (http://musclemarketing.blogspot.com/2010/05/you-can-measure-social-media-you-just.html), you'll now know how to measure those results through the '3 O's'.

8 ‘Insider Secrets’ to Profit Acceleration

Many people often ask me, "How did you do it?"

That is, how did I leave the comfort of a nice, corporate job (and salary, I might add) -- as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for the Internet's top online publisher -- and launch a new business during a tough economy. And … on top of that … launch a new business on the heels of becoming a mom and taking care of my newborn son and busy household.

Well, in all honesty, starting my own business wasn’t the initial plan. Shortly after my maternity leave was over, my husband and I soon realized that daycare was not a viable solution for us.

You see, I loved my job and didn’t want to leave, making my decision all the harder. But there was no other option, since working from home two days a week wasn’t something being offered. However, as luck would have it, on my last day in the office when I was emailing many industry friends to tell them I was leaving, several people started emailing me back asking me now that I was “available” would I be interested in freelancing for them? “Heck yea!”, I thought. These folks all worked with me over the years in one capacity or another and were all aware of my outstanding reputation for honesty, integrity, timeliness, results, and most importantly: nearly 20 years of direct response marketing experience.

Hence, my “second birth” … the “birth” of my new consulting firm.

Now, launching new business always lends itself to some apprehension. But launching a business during a volatile economy makes it a tad bit more intimidating. However, my business didn't only survive, it thrived. And going on almost two years later, it is still flourishing with several long-term clients (in excess of 6 - 12 months, which in consulting time is almost unheard of), many new clients, and lots of client referrals.

My company has also expanded: from a single person operation to a team containing some of the brightest and most talented individuals in the industry.

In a nutshell, I had taken a company with $0 cash flow and catapulted it to more than a six figure revenue generator in only 10 short months after start up. And you know what … the revenues are still coming in strong.

So, back to the original question, "How did I do it?"

Well, timing sure wasn't on my side. However, I owe the success of my business to a few critical drivers that I'm going to share with you. You can take these principals and apply or adapt them to your own business efforts as you see fit.

1. Market Smarter, Not Harder. This is a no-brainer. Any start up entrepreneur will tell you they have little to no marketing budget. So how do you build your brand and create awareness? It's being a strategic AND creative thinker. And it's also taking something most companies have (that's content) and leveraging it. Using a systematic approach I developed called the SONAR Content Distribution Model TM. SONAR is simply taking your content and disseminating the release of it on the Web in a strategic and synchronized manner. The platforms you're releasing it to is targeted, highly visible, and free. This helps create a momentum in traffic, buzz, and then you help monetize that traffic though lead generation (or sales) via your website. I’ve mentored many clients and former employers of this strategy; written several articles about this; as well as held a 2-day teleseminar; and a book is on the horizon. The main reasons: it’s easy, it’s cheap, it works!

2. Relationship Cultivation. Networking, and tapping into your network, is key when launching a new business OR gaining market share with an existing business. I happen to have a very strong Rolodex of friends, colleagues, and professional acquaintances that helped create a good foundation for my launch efforts. They either hired me, referred me to their colleagues, or advertised my services to their newsletter lists. Always keep relationships open. Touch base with your network. Offer assistance (gratis) if they have questions – not just to those that can be advantageous to you, but anyone in your network that seeks guidance. There are many people that only help out those they feel can do something for them in return, something they see immediate “value” in. Keep an open mind and see the bigger picture. Share your knowledge. People will reciprocate the gesture and it could lead to a multitude of benefits.

3. Strong Work Ethic/Reputation. People that know me ... that I worked for ... or worked with me know my experience – they know what I bring to the table. They also know that I am easy to work with and am committed to virtually any project on my plate. I can multi-task without missing a beat or deadline. It's a strong work ethic that helps people remember you and helps build your reputation in whatever niche you're in. My reputation speaks for itself. And that doesn't just help with new business or referrals, but also helps with getting testimonials from those I've worked with. Those testimonials are invaluable as a marketing tool on your website and in collateral material. Prospects can get a good idea of what to expect from those few "sound bites" about your work. To check out what people are saying about me, click here.

4. Leveraging Social Media. I have fully utilized social media. It's cost effective and casts a wide net. Where else can you get your message out to community of like-minded individuals for zero advertising cost? I've had the most success with LinkedIn.com and other social networking sites, as well as social bookmarks, user generated content sites and doing free press releases (that get picked up by bloggers and online news aggregators). For LinkedIn, which is a professional networking community, I joined several "groups" where my target client would be and started writing relevant and useful articles. Soon, people started contacting me (on average 5 per week) with requests for proposals. I actually had so much success with LinkedIn I spoke on the subject matter at the SIPA Mid-Year Marketing Event in Miami. If you're interested in a copy of that presentation, please contact me.

5. Contribute Content. I happen to enjoy writing and enjoy sharing my knowledge on my blog and newsletter, Precision Marketing. In addition to syndicating my blog's content on the Web, I also reached out to relevant marketing newsletters and magazines and asked about being an editorial contributor or guest author -- providing strong, valuable editorial. I also speak at industry conferences. From these efforts I've gained exposure for my business, built credibility, and got leads.

6. Business Basics. Create a strategic plan. Determine where you want to be in 1 or 2 years and what tactics you're going to do to achieve your goal. Go over your break-even point per month and how many clients/customers it will take to maintain or exceed that point. Keep little overhead. Establish a "true" home office. Share office space. Rent space or time at a business office center. Or get a "virtual office". When you're just starting out, cash flow is vital. If you need to outsource work, look into college interns related to the field you're in or bid out jobs in places like elance.com or ifreelance.com.

7. Confidence is Crucial. I don't just talk the talk, I walk the walk. I can back up everything I say by my experience. Bottom line: I'm extremely good at what I do and I make people money. I know it and the people I've worked for know it (at least the ones that take my advice and implement my recommendations). Confidence comes, however, with being in the marketing world (mostly in New York City) for nearly 20 years. It also comes with being an accomplished professional. Once you have several successful tenures under your belt you know your worth and can set a value for your time. Find your inner strength, but remain humble. Also, realize that there's a fine line between being confident and cocky. Confidence is self assured. Cocky is obnoxious. Be tactful, not tacky. Know the difference and become your own advocate. This is conveyed in all that you do and is transparent to your customers, subscribers and prospects. Despite the oxymoron, you can be “powerfully subtle”.

8. Balancing Act. Any start-up business can be a drain on your life and family. A lot of time and effort goes into launch, maintenance, and client relationship management. Then of course there's the administrative functions like daily accounting, record keeping, and invoicing. Many entrepreneurs try to take on the full weight of the business and burn the candle at both ends. But it doesn't have to be that way. Make sure you set specific time for your work and time for your family. When work is done, leave it in the office (even if your office is another room of your house). Make sure you find balance in mind, body, and soul. The business will be taken care of during business hours. Enjoy time with your loved ones and soon you all can reap the rewards of a successful company.

After all, you work to live, not live to work!

Buzzworthy: Wanna have fun AND earn profits? Then this is for you!

My friend and colleague, Bob Bly, has a new book coming out titled, How to Write and Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit: Your Guide to Writing and Publishing Books, E-Books, Articles, Special Reports, Audio Programs, DVDs and Other How-To Content.

And the timing couldn’t be better. Many people nowadays are looking to either change careers or start earning a second income. Bob’s book covers in detail how you could make serious money writing and selling information … even better … this could be done in your spare time and in the comfort of your own home.

You’ll discover how to:
· Come up with ideas for saleable how-to books, articles, reports, and seminars.
· Research, write, and publish effective, practical how-to instructional materials in a variety of formats.
· Build your reputation and a loyal following in your field.
· And earn $100,000 a year or more!

But don’t just take my word for it. To read FREE book excerpts, click here now: http://howtowriteandsellsimpleinformation.com/excerpts.php

This is definitely worth checking out. Happy reading!

Some Of The Best "Brand Marketers" May Surprise You...

Now, when you think "Kim Kardashian", I'm sure the last thing you think of is a marketing genius. But she, and many other women in Hollywood, are creating business empires as well as global brand awareness of themselves and their hocks all while proving to be quite savvy when it comes to marketing.

Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears are dominating their specialized fields (i.e. acting, singing, dancing, etc.) as well as the retail market place. And their strategies including multi-channel and brand marketing.

Of course one can’t leave out the “queen of all media” when discussing marketing brilliance. Oprah truly exemplifies “multi-channel marketing” with her print, web, radio and television efforts culminating to die-hard fans that span the globe. In addition to her popular TV show, her webpage (OprahStore) generates sales from clothing and other items for pets, baby, and home. In addition, her show transcripts and DVDs are for sale. The later, which is repurposing her “content”, is something I discuss in my SONAR Content Distribution Model TM.

A recent article in Life & Style cited that Jessica Simpson’s business is projected to hit the “billions” by 2011-12 between her record and ticket sales, clothing, shoes, handbags, fragrances, skin care, hair extension line, and endorsements.

And a recent panel discussion on ShowBiz Tonight addressed how some of these women use their brand management power to go from obscurity to household names. Case in point: Kim Kardashian, who after a salacious sex tape leak had turned an unfortunate situation into a very fortunate situation.

Ms. Kardashian is not only drop dead gorgeous but also one of the most searched women on the Internet – with 49 million search results and 4.6 million Twitter followers. Ms. K’s skincare line, Perfect Skin, even has 7,000+ followers on Twitter … all showing how the Internet (social media, SEM, SEO) has been used to capitalize on her fame. “Brand management” has helped Ms. K obtain lucrative endorsement deals for bathing suits, diet products as well as compensation for personal appearances, modeling, and more.

So how did they do it?

No doubt these mavens have some smart business people around them complementing their own gut intuitions.

But what has also helped was their ability to create and distribute their “brand message” and their “USP” (unique selling proposition) through multi-channel marketing platforms.

They also, either by their own vision or with the aid from their marketing "team" work on product development and product “funneling” (i.e. apparel, fragrances, endorsements) to make sure they cover a variety of selection and price points (another critical key to success, if you read my July 27 Blog Post, Give Your Customers What They Want: The Importance of Product Development, Front-Ends and Back-Ends).

Finally, they deliver their “brand message” through multi-channel marketing platforms, such as infomercials, print ads, TV ads, radio ads, and Web (social media and search engine marketing).

So the next time you think Hollywood is full of vapid, plastic people. Just remember that although some of these folks aren’t MBAs or marketing junkies, they have demonstrated some innate marketing insight to help increase market reach, generate social awareness, increase website visibility, and encourage both sales and lead generation ... ironically the same goals as “genuine” marketers.

9 Hot Ways to Build Your List...Fast!

Whether you're an entrepreneur, corporation, or publisher - the power of the "lead" is critical in growing your business. Leads, also known as prospects, are typically the entry level point of the sales funnel. A popular business model by many online publishers is to bring in leads at the free level (i.e. free report, free newsletter, free webinar), then add those names to their "list" and usually over the course of 30 - 90 days (the bonding time) that lead will convert into a paying customer. This practice is known as lead generation, name collection or list building efforts.

Today, I'm going to share with you some proven online marketing methods I've used and had great success with at some of the top publishers in America. And bonus ... many of these tactics are little or no cost!

Here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Teleseminar or Webinar. This is a great way to collect names. Promote a free teleseminar or webinar to prospects (that is not your internal list). Remember, this is for lead generation, not bonding. So your goal is to give away valuable information in exchange for an email address. The trick is to promote the event in as many places as possible without incurring advertising costs.

2. Co Registration. Co Reg is another way to collect names, but involves a nominal fee. Co Reg is when you place a small ad on another publisher's site after some sort of transaction (albeit a sales or lead gen offer). So for instance, after someone sign s up to AOL Travel eNewsletter, a Thank You page comes up with a list of sponsors the reader may find interesting as well - other free eNewsletter offers. The text ad is usually accompanied by a small graphic image representing the sponsor. The key here is to pick publishers and Co Reg placements that are synergistic to your publication and offer. Another important note is to make sure you follow up quickly to these names so they don't forget who you are. I suggest a dedicated autoresponder series. Co Reg efforts can cost you around $1 - $3 per valid email address.

3. Affiliate Partnerships. This includes JVs (joint ventures), affiliate marketing, guest editorials, editorial contributions, and reciprocal ad swaps. This tactic is extremely effective and cost efficient. The key here is having some kind of leverage then approaching publishers that may want your content or a cross-marketing opportunity to your current list (note: this only works if you have a list of decent size another publisher will find attractive). In exchange for content or revenue share efforts, you and the other publisher agree to reciprocate either eNews ads or solo emails to each other's lists, thereby sending a message to a target, relevant list for free. Well, if you agree on a rev share, it's free as far as ad costs, but you are giving that publisher a split of your net revenues.

4. Content Syndication. I've written about this many times, but can't stress it enough. Content is king and you can leverage it via my SONAR Content Distribution Model TM . SONAR is a cost effective, yet powerful, method of repurposing and synchronizing content (albeit text, audio, video) distribution into various, targeted channels. And it allows companies, publishers, entrepreneurs ... basically anyone with content on their website ... the ability to ultimately turn traffic into sales. SONAR represents the following online distribution platforms:

S Syndicate partners, content syndication networks, and user generate content sites
O Online press releases
N Network (social) communities
A Article directories
R Relevant posts to blogs, forums, and bulletin boards. SONAR works hand-in-hand with your existing search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing (SMM), and search engine optimization (SEO) tactics.

5. Search Engine Optimization. In order to drive as much organic traffic as possible to your website you need to make sure your site is optimized for the correct keywords and your target audience. Once you optimize your site with title tags, meta descriptions, and meta keywords, you need to make sure you have revised your site to harness the traffic that will be coming. That means adding eye-catching email collection boxes to home page, relevant banners, and obvious links to get to product pages. You don't want to miss any opportunity to turn traffic in to sales or free newsletter subscribers.

6. Media Buying. To compliment your "free" online efforts, you may want to consider targeted, low cost media buys (paid online advertising) in the form of text ads, banner ads, blog ads, or list rentals (i.e. eNews sponsorships or solo emails). You're paying for the placement in these locations, so you must make sure you have strong promotional copy and offer for the best results possible. If you're thinking about buying online ads and want to make sure you get the best rates around, then check out my new ebook, Muscle Media: The Complete Guide to Buying Online Ads For Less.

7. Pay Per Click (PPC). Many people try pay per click only to spend thousands of dollars with little results. Creating a successful PPC campaign is an art - one that I've had success with. You must make sure you have a strong text ad and landing page and that the ad is keyword dense. You must also have a compelling offer and make sure you do your keyword research. Picking the correct keywords that coincide with your actual ad and landing page is crucial. You don't want to pick keywords that are too vague, too competitive, or unpopular. You also need to be active with your campaign management which includes bid amounts and daily budget. All these things - bid, budget, keywords, popularity, and placement - will determine the success of the campaign. And most campaigns are trial and error and take anywhere from 3-6 weeks to optimize.

8. Viral Marketing. Make sure you have a "forward to friend" feature in your eNewsletter to encourage viral marketing. It's also important to have a content syndication blurb in your newsletter, this also encourages other websites, publishers, editors and so forth to republish your content as long as they give you author attribution and a back-link to your site. In addition, the SONAR model above incorporates viral buzz in its strategy, so deploying SONAR will help you increase your website visibility and reach.

9. Polls. Incorporating a poll on your website, or having a poll on another site or eNewsletter (via a media buy or ad swap) is a great way to build your list. It's important to spend time thinking about your poll question - something that a hot topic, controversial, and relevant to the locations you're placing your poll. You want to pull people in with your headline and make the poll entertaining. Your answers should be multiple choice and have an "other" field which encourages participant to engage with your question. I've found this "other" field as a fantastic way to make the poll interactive. Many people are passionate about certain subject matters and won't mind giving you their two cents. Then to show appreciation for talking the poll, tell participants they are getting a bonus report and free eNewsletter subscription (which they can opt out of at any time). And of course, make sure to mention - and link to - your privacy/anti spam policy.

After you kick off your list building efforts, make sure you start tracking them so you can quantify the time and resources spent. This involves working with your webmaster on setting up tracking URLs specific to each website you're advertising on. It also means looking at Google Analytics for your website and corresponding landing pages to see traffic and referring page sources. When deploying social media or SONAR tactics, it's important to look at which sites are linking back to you. You can check this with several free back-link tools such as http://seopro.com.au/free-seo-tools/link-checker/ , http://www.iwebtool.com/backlink_checker , http://www.backlinkwatch.com/index.php . As well as set Google Alerts for related keywords to your marketing efforts. You'll then be notified when someone republishes your content as well as general buzz about you.

Online Advertising For Less: When SEO, SEM and Social Media Marketing Just Aren't Enough

Using no cost online marketing tactics, like search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and social media marketing are all good strategies, but they’ll only get you so far. And they won’t create you the voluminous traffic needed to really see substantial results, fast.

Any successful online marketer will tell you, the key to a balanced marketing mix is having a variety of tactics that fit your budget and business objectives ... from no cost SEO and SEM ... to paid advertising with banner ads, blogs, text ads, display ads, newsletter sponsorships, email marketing and more.

Plain and simple: When you really want to increase your Web exposure … and sales … you need to cast a broader net using targeted online advertising.

But the question is, how do you leverage this powerful platform without spending a fortune?

The answer is learning the ‘insider secrets’ to buying online ads for less.

Below are some “must know’s” before doing your next online media buy or dealing with account executives:

The Art of the Online Ad Deal
In the process of putting together your online media buy (or “insertion order” as the official agreement is referred to), you will be required to analyze many proposals from different website, blogs or ad networks. You’ll need to ascertain if the rate you are being quoted is cost effective and comparable to industry rates. This is where the “Media Tracking Matrix” spreadsheet comes in handy. I recommend sorting this sheet by ad rate, lowest to highest. So you can see instantly which contenders are out of budget or not.

Keep in mind that when online account ad executives start quoting you advertising rates, many drivers can influence that rate such as the following. And you should be aware of these factors in order to make sure you get the best possible ad rate:

1. Seasonality. Most Web traffic typically drops during summer months as well as major holidays. Use this knowledge to your advantage and try to get lower rates during these times. You can also pause your ad if it happens to be running during a holiday and have it turned back on after the holiday.
   
2. Exclusivity. Find out if your ad is get 100% of the rotations or is sharing that ad space with other advertisers. For instance, one banner ad on a website may rotate and have 5 different messages each time you refresh. This is known as being “fixed ad placement” or “shared ad placement”. If you’re told you have shared placement, find out how many actual impressions YOU will receive.
   
3. Site Targeting. Will your ad be ROS (run of site), by channel, by page? Typically, you can drill down your banner ad or advertising message down to a specific page. But the lower your drill the more you will pay for that targeting. The higher you go, the less you pay. ROS is the highest level, so it’s usually the cheapest. Next is usually ROC (run of channel), that is, running your ad within targeted sections of a site. Then there are also specific pages or demographic targeting. Your goals and budget will determine which placement is best for your needs.
   
4. Remnant Space. Check with the account executive to see if they have any remnant space (space that they’re having difficulty selling for any reason) or last minute specials. With more popular and high traffic websites, you can get some great deals on remnant space. Make sure to find out the Terms and Conditions.
   
5. Termination Right. Make sure your insertion order has a “termination right” or “out clause” (typically 24 – 48 hours). This way, if you see after a week your ad isn’t performing, and you tested other ads, you can end the campaign without penalty and only pay for impressions served.

For more proven, powerful, and money saving ideas for online advertising as well as to boost your ad’s performance, visit http://www.precisionmarketingmedia.com/products.html. In Muscle Media: The Complete Guide to Buying Online Ads for Less, you’ll learn the tips and tricks to negotiating effective and cost-efficient online media buys. You’ll also learn…

• How to create a high-performing (low cost!) media plan
• Proven techniques for developing powerful online ads
• Best online ad networks (based on unbiased, hands on experience!)
• Suggested media allocations for your online marketing mix
• Marketing analysis and reporting tips
• Media ‘cheat sheet’ with the critical questions you need to ask on your next media buy
• Business negotiations 101 (and other tips) when dealing with online account executives
• The top questions to ask when coordinating JV, affiliate or publishing ad swaps
• The best free web tools for online advertising
• And much more!

The key to a successful online media campaign is knowing what to buy, where to buy it, how to gauge performance, and ultimately how to get the best rate that suits your budget.

The big misconception by many marketers and small business owners alike is that media buying, whether it’s online or offline, is expensive.

That is not always the case -- especially if you’re educated about the entire media buying process. So get informed and don’t be afraid to test online advertising. With the right ad in the right place … you’re poised for optimum results!

Give Your Customers What They Want: The Importance of Product Development, Front-Ends and Back-Ends

Whether you're launching a new business or you're established, product development should be an active part of your strategic business plan.

However, many companies - large and small - oftentimes neglect product development due to internalized myths such as:

·We don't need extra products
·We don't have the time to develop extra products
·We don't have the money to develop extra products

First, let me say if your products are relevant and useful, I believe you can never have too many products. One thing you need to constantly do is "ask" your list (i.e. subscribers/customers/clients) what they want. You can do this in many ways, such as simple and brief surveys or questioners. You can also take the 'idea' of a product and test offer it to your list.

For instance, if you're thinking about offering a copywriting coaching service, start out by measuring internal sentiment. Create a simplified version of this product which has the "essence", like an eBook called, "50 Hot Copywriting Tips". Price it attractively, and promote it to your file. If your file responds well to the eBook, they'll likely respond well to a more comprehensive version of the eBook, whether it involves multi-media components (such as workbook, DVD, CDs) or a personal coaching element. So your eBook would be your "front-end" product (low price point), your kit would be your "mid priced" product, and your personal coaching would be your "back-end" product.

This leads me to my next point - pricing levels. Many companies make the mistake of either having many front-ends products, and no back-end, or visa versa. Here's my belief: Front-ends are relatively easy to create and involve little cost. So there's the myth-buster of "not having time" or "not having money". If it's an eBook, there's little overhead, outside of the gathering of information (editorial time), production and graphics design. And you're saving money by fulfilling it digitally to customers.

However, the product line shouldn't end there. Your customers are going to look for more comprehensive information. And that level of detail will mean a higher price - which they'll be willing to pay for. So if you're not offering them a mid or back-end product - you're actually doing a disservice to your list. They will go to your competitors to buy that information. So why not make sure you have a well-rounded product list with varied price points?

Here's a sample of pricing levels:
1. First level - free newsletter

2. Second level - paid reports, paid newsletters ($1 - $99). Front-End

3. Third level - Bundled products, kits, membership sites ($100 - $499). Mid-Priced

4. Fourth level - Conferences and events ($500 - 999). Back-End

5. Fifth level - Premium service, upscale events ($1000 - $2,999). Back-End

6. Sixth level - Lifetime value clubs, VIP products ($3,000+). Ultra Back-End. This is ideal for your true multi-buyer, loyal, advocate customers ... the Golden Goose!

Now, keep in mind, the aforementioned may not be your business model. You may sell a service or retail item, as opposed to contextual-based infoproducts. But it still gives you an idea about pricing structure and product variety.

Also, if you read last week's issue, you'll know that content is king. So recycle it. Repurpose it. And repackage it. You can take articles, blog posts, webinars, bonus materials, conference transcripts, etc. There's many sources of content that can be re-used for creating product.

What About Going Outside Your List?

If you have a product and not sure how viable it is on the global platform, you can do a few things to test product viability...

1. Use PPC ads to see if there's general market interest. That is, use a "quick and dirty", watered down version of your "real" product. For example, a free or paid (i.e. under $10) eBook. Create up to 5 ads on Google Ad Words. Run them for about 2-3 weeks. Each ad should be different in tone and pitch. Because you don't want poor copy to influence your results. Based on ad clicks and conversions (i.e. leads or sales), you'll have a good idea if there's general interest in your product/idea.

2. Go to eBook market places like ClickBank.com and see what's hot, what's in demand. You can search topics to see what's the most popular.

3. Do your research in related blogs, chat rooms, forums. See what people are talking about within your niche or product genre.

4. Do keyword research. Using Google's free external keyword search tool, check and see what the actual keyword search volume is on your relevant, targeted keywords related to your audience and product.

My suggestion is start out with the 3-2-1 approach. That is, 3 front-end products, 2 mid-priced products, and 1 back-end product. From there, you will define and refine your product development based mostly on demand.

If you're in need of assistance in product development or testing your product's viability, you can contact me at wendy@precisionmarketingmedia.com .

Find Out The Secrets For Buying Online Ads For Less

Any online marketer will tell you, the key to successful Internet marketing is having a balanced marketing mix, that is, having a variety of tactics that fit your budget and business objectives ... from no cost SEO and SEM ... to paid advertising with banner ads, PPC, blogs, newsletter sponsorships, email marketing and more.

If you're a newbie to online media buying then do I have great news for you!

Discover the best ways to get the most bang for your buck when buying online advertising. Check out my new .pdf eBook -- Muscle Media: The Complete Guide to Buying Online Ads for Less. It’s jam packed with 25-pages of proven, powerful, money saving ideas to buy online media and boost ad performance.

It also contains "must know" insider tips and tricks including:

-Creating a high-peforming (low cost!) media plan
-Proven techniques for developing powerful online ads
-Best online ad networks (based on my personal, unbiased, hands on experience!)
-Suggested media allocations
-Reporting tips
-Media ‘cheat sheet’ with must ask questions for your next media buy
-Business negotiations 101
-Free web tools
-And much more!

Special Limited Time Offer

With every eBook purchase you’ll also receive as a complimentary gift, my comprehensive media performance ‘direct response tracking’ template to help you monitor and track your online campaigns.

Visit http://www.precisionmarketingmedia.com/products.html now for details.

Building Revenues with Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing has been a viable way to help build ancillary revenues by having someone else market your products. It's generally cost effective and could involve little work.

You can go about this through affiliate networks, such as Commission Junction or LinkShare, or simply start an Affiliate program on your website and track sales and commissions with affiliate software, such as DirectTrack. Software costs could range any where from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars ... depending on how robust you'd like your features.

But before you start, make sure you know the critical elements to help grow your Affiliate program:

1) Promotion. This is where you're promoting your program on targeted locations as well as recruiting affiliates to market your program. You'll want to make sure you list your program on all the top affiliate directories, networks, forums, associations, bulletin boards, websites, listings and blogs. You'll also want to leverage free classified sites such as Craig's List as well as social media sites like LinkedIn. And of course, don't forget to create a powerful news release on the program's launch.

2) Site Awareness. It will be hard to promote your program to a site that doesn't have a decent web traffic rank or web traffic (visits). If your site has poor traffic, a professional Affiliate marketer will look at it as a lost opportunity. It will only make his job harder. So make sure to deploy SEO/SEM tactics to improve your site's presence before you start your Affiliate program.

3) Online Store. Make sure you know which are your best selling and most universally appealing products. Those are the ones you'd want to have in your affiliate program. You should also have varied price points. You don't want to pick prices too low, as after the affiliate split, there won't be anything left. And you don't want to pick prices too high, as since most of these leads are cold, it will be a harder sell. A good range is $69 - $300.

4) Affiliate Rewards. Decide if you're going to pay out per lead (CPL) or per sale. Decide if you're going to have a flat commission rate OR a tiered system. Do your competitive research and see what other, similar affiliate programs are paying out. Some of the best performing programs on the Web are offering 25% of the product price.

5) Analytics. Make sure you have a robust reporting system. You'll want the ability to track underperformers and super affiliates, and reward OR incent accordingly. You'll also want to know which creatives are performing the best and worst, and of course, how many sales and leads are coming in as well as how long the lead is staying on the file and their life time value (sales).

6) Keeping In Touch. Top affiliate programs often have a newsletter or ongoing communication to keep their affiliates engaged...up to date on latest products being offered, special sales incentives, updates to program terms, and other newsworthy notes.

Affiliate marketing can help with most all of your online marketing objectives ... lead gen, sales conversions, web traffic, branding and buzz. Not having one could be detrimental to your business.

If you need assistance with setting up your affiliate marketing plan, you can contact me at support@precisionmarketingmedia.com.

What's after your website launch?

You've finally got your website up and running...now what?

Mastering natural search ranking has proven to be a fundamental part of the online marketing mix. And it's critical in getting targeted, organic traffic to your website.

Search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) - the ability to increase your site's visibility in organic search listings and refine the content structure on the site itself - are critical for market awareness and customer acquisition. According to WebProNews, 66.3 percent of searchers click on organic listings before they click on a sponsored link. Even more important, a recent study by CreativeWebsiteMarketing.com indicates that most people who buy online start with a search engine.

Don't let your site get lost on the World Wide Web. Here are five simple ways to help boost your website's traffic and optimization...for free:

1. Create online buzz about your site, product, or service.
You can do this by generating online press releases. There are services on the Web, such as PRWeb.com or Free-press-release.com, that do this for free or at a nominal cost. Another idea is to post comments to high-traffic blogs, bulletin boards, chat rooms, or forums.

Do a Web search for top blogs or news forums that are related to whatever it is that you're selling. Go to each site, one by one, and post a comment. (Start a new topic or reply to an existing one.) This helps in two ways: One, you create buzz in the marketplace. Depending on your tactics, your message can even go viral. Two, you get a "back-link" to your site that helps when the site is indexed by search engine spiders.

An important note: Your post should be relevant and genuine. Your comment should be relevant to the question you're replying to, have some sort of value to the readers that view it, and be in the proper area/subject matter on the forum you're posting to. Stay away from posts that are blatantly self-serving. These posts are viewed as spam by forum webmasters and could get you banned from the forum, or at least be deleted.

2. Quality inbound link program.
Set up a reciprocal link page or blog roll (a listing of URLs on a blog, as opposed to a website) that can house links from industry sites. Contact these sites to see if they'd be willing to swap links with you - a link to your site for a link to theirs. Again, relevance is key. Search engines shun link harvesting (collecting links from random websites that have no relevance to your site), so these links should be from sites that are similar in nature to your business.

3. Give Web searchers great content and a link back to your site.
Upload relevant, useful content to sites that make such information available to other sites that want to publish it, such as eZinearticles.com, ArticlesBase.com, ArticleDashboard.com or ArticlesFactory.com. These sites should be targeted to your audience. This is a great way to increase market awareness as well as establish an inbound link to your site. There is also a syndication opportunity, as third-party sites may come across your article when doing a Web search and republish your content on their own websites. As long as third-parties give your site editorial attribution and a link, getting them to republish your content is just another distribution channel for you to consider.

4. Website pages should be keyword rich and related to your business.
Make a list of your top keywords and variations of those words, and incorporate them into the copy on your site (avoiding the obvious repetition of words). Your strongest keywords should be heaviest from the top of your webpage to bottom. Make sure your title tags (the descriptions at the top of each page) and meta tags are unique and chock full of keywords.

5. List your site in online directories by related category or region.
This is an effective way to increase exposure and get found by prospects searching specifically for information on your product or service by keyword topic.

With organic online marketing, since it's free, you're trading expediency's for cost. So it could take weeks to months for your site to be indexed by search engines and for it to start gaining traction in the SERPs.

Profit Partners: Maximizing JV and Affiliate Relationships

The current economic environment is making many marketers look at lost cost ways to drive sales and be a strategic and creative thinker. Now is a great time to look to your competition for opportunities to help grow your list and add extra revenues to your bottom line for little or no cost.

If my clients tell me they want to grow their list or increase revenues WITHOUT spending money on advertising, my advice is focus on leveraging their marketing and editorial relationships with our fellow publishers and aggressively pursuing ad swaps, guest editorials, and joint ventures (JV) or cultivating new relationships. And for the clients that don't have a marketing team, I lead this initiative for them. The idea is to develop synergistic relationships that are mutually beneficial - to look for areas of deficiency in your competitors and think of ways your company can fill the void.

Some tips to keep in mind when looking for potential "profit" partners:
· Do your homework. Find out, in advance, who will be at industry events that you'll be attending. (Check the program for speakers, vendors, and participants.) Sign up for their e-newsletters. Read their promotional e-mails. Maybe even purchase some of their products.
· Look at EVERY opportunity as a way to maximize your company's brand. When you go to industry events, don't eat dinner alone in your hotel room. Go to functions. Mingle. Network. Have a genuine conversation with a potential partner... then, if there's a synergy between your two companies, exchange business cards.
· Before you contact a potential partner, get familiar with his products and target audience and figure out how your company may be able to dovetail with his product line or marketing efforts.
So, once you've made the connection, now what?

Reciprocal Ad Swaps

Assuming you both have e-newsletters, you can test the waters and see how your lists will react by doing an advertising swap. In other words, you run an ad in his e-newsletter and he runs an ad in yours.

To make sense out of the results of that test, you have to know your "opportunity cost" - the "cost" you will incur for running an outside ad to your list instead of your own ad. If you normally sell ad space in your e-newsletter, this cost could simply be the flat rate fee you typically charge. Or, if you know the average revenues an issue brings in, you could calculate the potential "missed opportunity" of letting another ad run to your list on a given day.

You should also agree to share important information with your partner. Before his ad runs in your e-newsletter, point out any creative issues. (Perhaps the copy is too inflammatory for your list. Perhaps it's too competitive.) Provide your partner with your e-newsletter's sent and deliverability sizes, open rate, and ad click rate. Exchanging performance data is critical to a long and mutually beneficial relationship. It has to be a win/win situation for the partnership to work.

Whether your goal is to attract names for your e-list (lead generation) or to make sales, reciprocate in kind. If your partner is letting you do a name collection ad to his list, for example, let him run the same kind of ad to your list. But first make sure his list is approximately the same size as yours. If it's substantially smaller, you may want to hold off on an ad swap with that publisher until he builds his subscriber base. You don't want the initiative to be one-sided.

Guest Editorials

You can also look into doing guest editorials in other publishers' e-newsletters - with an editorial note or byline that links to your offer. This is a great way to get introduced to a new list with the "implied" endorsement of the publisher. His endorsement gives you credibility. And if you provide his readers with good, solid, useful information, they will bond with you quickly.

This is a soft-sell approach that may or may not yield results on its own. But when coordinated with either a dedicated e-mail (if your partner is on board with a revenue split) or an e-newsletter ad the same week, your conversion rate (the number of people who go on to buy your product) will dramatically improve.

Joint Ventures (JVs)

JVs are a quick and cost-effective way to make money with your list even if you have not yet developed any products. With a JV, you have an instant product line with no overhead costs. Your partner will supply the products, fulfill orders, and provide customer support. All you have to do is promote the products to your list and split the net revenues with them. For an even a more turnkey approach, you can sell e-reports through sites like Clickbank.com, where everything is automated.

To determine the viability of a potential JV product, there are several strategic marketing variables to consider. I like to think of them as "PPPGS":

P = Product quality
P = Price point
P = Performance (when promoted to your potential partner's house list, as well as to outside lists)
G = General market demand
S = Subscriber interest (when promoted to your list, as determined by feedback, surveys, etc.)

Remember - you're looking for long-term partners, not one-hit-wonders. So carefully select the people you approach, making sure their products make sense relative to your business...and, together, you can reap the unlimited profit potential of reciprocal marketing!