Archive for June, 2009
Blogging helps you gain credibility
When creating a business online it is extremely important to build and market your online brand. In fact, if you have a business, it is a necessity in this day and time to be online with that business, no matter what your business is, because that is where people are going to find information. And the first step in marketing your business online is creating your online brand. This is what starts you off on the right foot in gaining credibility.
One of the best ways to create and to monitor your online brand is by creating a business blog. What it does is it helps you establish your credibility by demonstrating your expertise, and it helps boost your visibility in your niche, which helps you become known. And the more visible you are, the more credibility you actually have, because when people see you everywhere, they think: oh, this person knows what they’re doing; they’re an expert in what they’re doing, so I believe them.
Now of course, it does boil down to what you’re putting out there too. You have to make sure that what you are putting on your blog is excellent content, that it reflects what you do for a living, and you are providing ways for people to contact you and get more information.
Keep in mind that a blog is a place to share and to go deep into what you do so people get a better sense of who you are. And by doing that you’re constantly demonstrating your expertise, you are establishing yourself as a thought leader in your field. This helps build trust with that community of readers who then very often become fans of what you do. A fan is much easier to convert to a client or a buyer, so you want to make sure you’re controlling the conversation about you, and the best way to do that is on a blog, because it’s your content put out on your schedule about your expertise, and all of that is going to build this body of content that gives you massive visibility and credibility.
It is a process and yes it can take some time to complete and begin seeing results, but once you do you will continue to reap the benefits in your business for years to come. One of the pros of the Internet being a "forever" forum where information is permanent once put out there is that you can benefit from your information being available for all time. This will help to strengthen you brand and build your business in the long term.
Attract People to your Website
A very common perception is that if a website is setup, it will attract visitors and generate sales. This is, however, not true. Your target audience needs a reason to come.
If you want to use your website to promote something, you will need to publicize your website, and attract visitors to it, otherwise there will be no visitors. It’s just that simple. A website is merely a passive form of marketing, much like a public signboard displaying the products and services you have to offer.
Some of the ways in which you can generate traffic are:
1. You can offer some sort of freebie. You could give some form of free content or information. Original, interesting and relevant content is always considered to be of significant value.
2. Another option is to offer your website readers a free subscription to an electronic magazine. Add value by giving a free gift along with the subscription.
3. You can also offer a directory of interesting ebooks and ezines for free, inviting contributions and reviews from others. If the content of these books is of significant value, then people will continue visiting your website.
4. A free ebook or software download as a gift to your readers also makes an attractive incentive to get them to visit your site often. You can outsource the content of the ebook or your software creation, if you want. You may include advertisements for your products and services in the items, too.
5. You can also hold classes or seminars online, and the live interaction will attract a large audience to your website. These can be organized in your website’s chat room and it will also serve to position you as an expert about any topic relevant to your field.
6. Another important money-spinner is to hold free contents with prizes of interest to your visitors. The promise of prizes will attract a large audience, and ensure that people who enter the contest come back to your website in order to check the results of the contest.
7. Giving away free downloads will also attract a large number of visitors and ensure that they keep on visiting your site regularly. You may even create a listing or directory of downloads. If the software is one that you have created, you can include your advertisement inside it and let other people distribute it as well.
8. You can also consider giving away free services from your website will attract a large number of customers as well. These can be search engine result collation, unique mail addresses, and proofreading and similar services.
9. Offering inexpensive service as a consultant in your field is another good way to attract others. Give valuable advice to your potential customers, and they may think about returning to you for their future purchases.
10. Creating an online club generates a feeling of community and also helps to promote your website, where the online club might have its discussions.
It is extremely important to remember that the Internet is used by many as a free source of information and that readers are not always interested in buying. Thus, you have to gain their trust by giving them good advice, tips and other info.
People who trust you often end up happy clients down the road. They even come back for repeat purchases and send their friends!
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Increase your Web Conversion
So you have got some traffic to your site, but you are still not making any money. How frustrating is this? It can be very frustrating. You have spent significant time building your traffic only to find out that your landing page or website is simply not converting.
Well, the good news is, simple tweaks to your site can make a big difference. Increasing your conversion rate is a fantastic way to make more money with the same amount of effort. In fact, you should be always trying to improve your conversion rate if you want to make more cash.
So how exactly do you go about increasing website conversion? Firstly, have a really good look at your site and what you have built. The first thing you need to do is ask yourself, would I buy from my own site. If you say, ‘maybe’ then you need to dramatically improve your site.
Look carefully at the heading of your site – the first words that people read. Look at each individual word and think carefully about what it is saying. Are you considering the emotional aspects of your reader? Have you actually thought about what emotional attachment your reader has to the problem they are trying to solve? This is ‘key’ to a good heading and you need to consider it carefully.
Secondly, look at your graphics and layout. Does it look professional? It is critical that your site looks professional for it to sell. Amateurish sites simply do not perform. If you cannot design your own site, then get someone to do it for you.
Thirdly, are your instruction to buy really clear? You need to S P E L L it out. Humans need to be led by the hand to show them how to buy, so it is important you be very obvious about how to buy.
Lastly, have you used your name, photo and profile? Including your name and photo adds a lot of credibility and allows the reader to engage with you on a personal level. You need to use your page in a similar way that you would if you were face to face with your potential customer.
Apply these principles and you will improve your conversion rate dramatically. If you are serious about your website and making money online, you must Increase Website Conversion if you want to work smart and make more from the same amount of effort. If you do not focus on improving your conversion rate you will simply always be trying to build traffic and go nowhere.
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