Website Promotion Blog

Whether you've been working on line for one month or one year, I'm sure you're already sick of hearing people tell you that all you need to do to be a successful Internet Marketer is “Take Action”, and that if you'd only “Overcome Your Analysis Paralysis”, you'd be living on easy street within a matter of months.  These marketers toss these two phrases around like they're magical fairy dust.  Sprinkle a little “Take Action” here, and a little “Overcome Analysis Paralysis” there, and in the blink of an eye, you'll be vacationing on some tropical island while your websites magically rake in the cash on autopilot.

But what these so-called Gurus fail to realise is that even magical fairy dust needs a little help every now and then.  Sometimes, you have to say the magic words, too.  Instead of merely telling people WHAT to do, their magic would be a lot more effective, if they told you HOW to do it.  So I've got 8 tips for you that will help you Overcome Analysis Paralysis so you can Take Action.

Admit to yourself, and everyone around you, that you're in this for the money – It's not a crime to want to make your living online.  And it's not a crime to want a better lifestyle for you and  your family.  It's time to admit that that's what you're trying to do.  Once you have it set firmly in your mind that you intend to be successful at Internet marketing, then you need to let those around you know your intentions, too.  Because, for one thing, if you truly want to be successful at this, you need to dedicate every spare minute to learning the business.  Every time you take a weekend away from your computer with the excuse that, “Oh, well, I'm just playing around anyway”, all you're doing is undermining your chances for success.

Another reason you need to admit to yourself that you're in this for the money is so you'll quit wasting time on all those projects and website that are NOT making you money and put that effort into those that are.  If a website or a product isn't making you any money, then it's useless to you.  Either fix the problem or move on.

Draw the line on Information Overload – It's true that information and marketing methods change quickly in this industry.  Technological advances change the way we go to market almost every day and it's important to keep up the pace.  However, it's also important that you be able to sort out the information you need for your business model from the information that will only be wasting your time.  Of course, in order to do that, you're going to have to know where you're going with your business.

For example, you may have decided that you want to use Twitter to promote your website.  If you've already decided that, then, when you come across that ebook that tells you how to use Social Media to market your site, only take the information about Twitter and throw the rest of it away.

There comes a point when you have too much information.  Give yourself too many options and you end up choosing none.  Think about how much easier it is to chose a red crayon out of that box that only has 16 crayons than it is to chose a red crayon out of that box that has 128.  When you limit your options, you're forced to take the best, straightest path toward your goal. 

Quit Thinking About It – This isn't rocket science.  Yes, there is some knowledge and skill involved.  However, the earth isn't going to go spinning out of orbit if you make a mistake.  We've all made our share of mistakes and we've all got our share of non-productive websites hanging out there in Cyberspace.  But you won't learn if you don't try.  So, go ahead, if you have an idea, try it out.  If it doesn't work, you can always go back and change it.  You can even start all over.  The point is, you're moving toward your goal instead of standing still in one place.

There is no “Easy” way out – Anyone who tells you their method is easy isn't telling you the whole truth.  It may have been easy for them – when they did it.  At one point, though, that person had to spend quite a bit of time and energy, and maybe even money, developing that method.  Just like you will have to do should you decide to try to make that YOUR method.  So just stick with your plan because there is no easy answer, no matter what they tell you.

It's not necessarily WHAT you know – Remember that old saying you used to hear around the water cooler, when we all worked in an office that actually had a water cooler – It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know?  Well, the same goes for Internet Marketing.  Yes, you do need a certain amount of knowledge.  But you also need to make contacts.  The time will come, if it hasn't already, when you'll venture into the realm of product creation.  Nearly everyone does.  There are thousands of marketers out there creating horrible products every day and they're making money hand over fist because they've teamed up with someone who is well respected in the industry and their product has received that person's endorsement.  Your product could be ten times better than theirs but if you don't have the backing of one of the well known names in the industry, you'll only make a fraction of the money they do.

How do you meet these people?  It depends on what your product is, but generally you can find them in forums related to your niche.  And if you've done your market research, you've probably seen their blogs.  It's time to start getting to know who can help you and where you can find them and then get out there and start networking.

It's not all about skill, either -  Realise that there is a certain amount of luck involved in this business.  It's still relatively new, and it's very unpredictable.  Millions of websites are created every day.  You may put up 10 of the best sites on the Internet next week and only one of them might be seen.  But that one could be the one that sets you on that path to easy living that you've been dreaming about. So don't ever give up.  You never know when it's going to be your lucky day.

Let someone else reinvent the wheel – When you look back through the history books you don't see any mention of the name of the person who invented the wheel.  You see Goodrich and Goodyear and Michelin.  But they didn't invent the wheel.  They make money SELLING the wheel.  So quit worrying about all the bells and whistles, concentrate on the necessities and Keep It Simple Stupid.  Just get that site up so it can make you some money!

Do what you do best – If you're having trouble finding a niche that works for you, think about what it is that you do best.  What do you know how to do that you could teach to others?  What do you know that other people would be willing to pay to find out?  You don't have to teach people how to make money on line.  You can teach them how to grow tomatoes, you can teach them how to bake the perfect cake, you can teach them how to repair the brakes on their car, you can teach them how to solve a Rubik's cube.  The possibilities are endless.  And by choosing a niche that you're already interested in, you enthusiasm for the subject will shine through and attract even more traffic to your blog. 

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about that fact that most small business owners don't realise that their biggest company asset is their existing customer base.  When asked what their most valuable company asset is a lot of owners will say their office or their fleet of vehicles or their computer system.  But your company wouldn't have any of those things if you didn't have customers.  In fact, you wouldn't even have a company without customers.

While it should always be your goal to expand your customer base, the customers that you already have are far more valuable than you think.  Experts agree that it's 5 times more difficult to get a new customer than it is to sell to an existing customer.  Think about it.  On those days when you need extra cash, who do you contact?  Generally, you contact someone who has already done business with you because you've already established a relationship with them.   You don't have to try to sell them on your product or service because they've done business with you in the past and they already trust you.

Lessons from "Bricks and Mortar Businesses"

And that's the key word – Trust.  The average customer will visit your website at least 7 times before he develops enough trust in you to purchase your product or service.  During those 7 visits, he's checking you out.  He's looking for quality information that will answer all of his questions.  And he's looking for a chink in your armor.  He wants to make sure the information you're providing is accurate and that you're quoting him a fair price.  After all, when it comes to parting with our hard earned cash, we all want to make sure we're getting the best value for our investment.

But it's also been proven that, once this customer does buy from you, if you've delivered the goods as promised, and maybe even over-delivered, he will continue to buy from you whether you have the lowest price or not.  He's already established a relationship with you through your informative website and he already trusts you because you provided exactly what he was looking for, at a fair price, in the past. 

In the offline marketplace it's much easier to understand the process of establishing a relationship and building that trust with your customers because you deal with them face to face.  And it's also much easier to recognise those repeat customers are an asset to your company because you see them physically walk into your shop every week. 

Your Dentist probably sends you a reminder card every so often to tell you it's time for a checkup.  And insurance agents are known for sending out birthday cards.  You've probably got a magnet on your refrigerator from the pizza delivery company and maybe a florist or your local vet.  And the next time you have a toothache or feel the urge for a pepperoni pizza, those are the people you're most likely to call.  You've dealt with them before, you liked their service or product, and you've developed a relationship with them to the point that they send you a birthday card every year. 
 

These offline business owners all recognise that their most valuable asset is you – their repeat customer.  Your insurance agent probably passes out business cards to people he meets on the street in an effort to obtain new clients.  But even though you've already purchased his product, he's sending you a birthday card because he knows that if he maintains and strengthens his relationship with you, in the future you'll come to him with even more insurance needs.  As long as he maintains that relationship with you, it will be 5 times easier for him to sell you an expensive, high end policy than it will be for him to sell an inexpensive, basic policy to a stranger off the street.

But how do you go about developing a relationship with buyers you never see or speak to?   You can't just hand them a refrigerator magnet and you have no idea if they like pizza anyway.  And as for birthday cards, you have no idea where these people live.  Some of them could live in another country.

This is why it's so important that you understand that your website is also one of your most valuable company assets. Your website is the only interface you have with your online customer base and obviously it's doing it's job because it is selling your product. Now you also need to assign it the task of maintaining and developing that customer relationship.  Because remember, it will be 5 times easier for you to sell something to a person who has already bought something from you.

Ok so how...

One of the things that you can do to maintain that relationship with existing customers is to make sure you provide fresh information on your website on a regular basis. When your customers see that you stay on top of current trends in your marketplace they'll start coming to you first for their information.  If they never see anything new on your site, they may think you've gone out of business!

Providing new information is nice, but to develop a strong relationship you need two way communication.  When a customer walks into your shop, you exchange information and have a conversation.  Your website needs to do the same thing and it's very easy to do.  All you need is email.  It's very easy to use, it can all be automated so you rarely have to touch it, and it's far less expensive than paying for postage.

You probably already have the email addresses of the customers who've already done business with you. If not, you need to immediately place an opt-in form on your website. Preferably in a prominent place so no one will miss it - above the 'fold' so they don't have to scroll to find it.

Once you have these email addresses, you can start communicating regularly with your customers.  You can tell them about new products or about a special offer or sale you might be having.  But you can also get to know your customers on a more personal level, and that's what strengthens your relationship.  Send them an email every now and then and tell them a funny personal anecdote or give them a quick tip that has nothing to do with your business. 

And then, go one step further and invite them to respond. You can use survey software or if your website is a blog, you can allow comments on your posts.  In your email, ask your customers a question and then ask them to respond on your blog.  For example, “Hello, Mr. Smith.  You recently purchased our new XYZ Widget, and we're curious to know what you thought of it.  It's a new product for us and we're wondering if it's something more of our customers would be interested in.  We'd really appreciate your opinion and if you have a second, maybe you could stop by our blog and leave us a comment.”

You've just let your customer know that you value his opinion, and that you think others would, too.  Of course he'll stop by your blog and comment.  And Mr. Smith has now become one of your company's most valuable assets.