Hi All,
Yes, yes I know it's been months since I last posted. Think I've got nothing better to do? I write for a living so it's not that I couldn't be bothered, it's just that I'm always busy writing for my clients.
It's been an amazing year for me. I've been working on so many projects for so many clients, I don't have time to sleep! But alas! Something has to give, and I'm afraid it has to be my free advice. You wouldn't believe how many people call me on the phone for advice about marketing their products or services. Well sorry guys, it all takes time. And as you're all aware, time is money.
I'm still making myself available to you but be prepared to pay for my time in future, unless you're a newbie. I'll still help you get going if you're completely new to Internet marketing, and as always, there will be no charge.
For everyone else, here's some advice to help you sell more:
Ways to Sell More Products or Services Online
The Internet is responsible for changing the way most people now do business. Global markets are now easily accessible to even the smallest of businesses, regardless of what they sell. Also, with more and more people now buying goods and services online (online spending reached $172 billion in 2005 – Forrester Research), potential customers are not very difficult to find. To survive and prosper, online or offline, every business simply needs to make sales and profits. It’s the life-blood of any business. Many marketing strategies developed to increase sales offline can also be adapted and applied online, although most online marketing techniques are either impractical or totally ineffective in an offline business.
The Internet has thrown up many challenges for the marketers of today, not least, is the question of exposure. How do you get your products or services in front of willing, buying customers? Learning how to succeed in business on the Internet inevitably takes time and effort. Below are few tried and tested methods, which can help to increase sales of your products or services online.
Set up your own affiliate program There are so many people on the Internet willing to sell your products for you, for a commission, that you just can’t ignore this avenue. But, for an affiliate program to work effectively, it has to be set up properly. You will have to supply your affiliates with all the tools they’ll need to promote your products.
First and foremost is a good quality written sales letter that they can use to attract interested prospects. Ideally, this letter should be a duplicate of your own sales pitch or website sales letter. Next, create banners that they can put on their website and most importantly, at least from the affiliates point of view, is a sales tracking system like, ‘yourcart.com’.
Established and successful affiliates generally have their own way of marketing other people’s products, and the more commission you’re willing to offer them, the more effort they’ll expend in promoting your goods and services. Some affiliates have their own lists of prospects and some have the ability to generate new lists for new products.
In simple terms, if an affiliate has a list or can access a list of 50,000 prospects, and can expect to convert just 3%, they’re going to be looking at the possibility of generating some 1,500 sales. If your product is valued at $97 and you offer your affiliate 50% commission, you can expect a return of $72,750.
Now, imagine if you had just six affiliates, with access to similar prospect lists, promoting your one $97 product. 6 x $72,750 = $436,500. It’s easy to see why affiliate programs are so popular on the Internet, and it’s no surprise to learn that some marketers can bank $millions each year by utilizing this tried and tested marketing method. Focus on back end sales Ensure that your website has an email capturing script installed. From each prospect you need to acquire two basic elements of information. Their first name and email address. When you have made a sale to your customer, it is always advisable to follow up with an email thanking them for their purchase. And, have another, perhaps similar product ready to sell them. If they were happy with their original purchase, chances are they will buy from you again.
This is the ‘back end’ sale, and more often than not, this is where the real profits are to be made.
To effectively capture the name and email of all your website visitors, you’ll have to give them a reason for giving up this information. It could be to obtain a free report, a free ebook or a free subscription to your newsletter. This is how you build your own list.
Next, you could offer your prospects a high value product at a break-even price. The object is to gain their confidence. Then within 2 -3 weeks of the sale, offer them a similar product with a much higher ticket value.
Always stay in touch with your customers by email if you want to continuously make sales. Autoresponders are undoubtedly the best method to achieve this line of communication.
Seek out joint ventures
Many Internet marketers have made a small fortune by promoting other people’s products and services, in return for their own products being promoted by others.
A good example would be a printer ink supply business promoting a printer supply or printer repair business and vice-versa. Or a ladies fashion business promoting a jewelry or cosmetics business. Whatever you sell, there is likely to be a related product that you can promote on your website in return for that business promoting yours.
Simply contact the webmaster of a site that sells products related to yours and propose a mutually beneficial deal. There’s not many Internet business owners who will refuse a 50/50 split of profits for just sending out an email to their list or for listing your products on their website.
Offline marketing opportunities
Just because your business is online, you can’t afford to ignore offline promotion opportunities. Place ads in your local press or other publications, where your potential customers will most likely see them. Offer them discounts for buying your products or services online, and remind them that they can conveniently visit your website anytime day or night to purchase the products they want at prices they can’t afford to miss.
Think about renting a suitably targeted mailing list and sending out a mailshot outlining the benefits and convenience of shopping at your online website, and the savings they could make compared to their local High Street stores.
Testimonials
Give some of your products away to prospects in return for their testimonials and endorsements. If you can get people to say good things about your products or services and highly recommend them to others, you’ll build credibility.
Credibility and trust are considered by many online marketers to be two of the most important aspects of converting browsers into buyers.
Freebies and bonuses
So many online businesses give away free samples of their products, free ebooks, free tips or free advice, that you really can’t ignore the value of the word “free”. People like to get things for free, so always add something for free to the product you want to sell them.
Free bonuses are perceived as added value and works every time. The Internet business that includes freebies and bonuses with its offer will outsell any similar website with no freebies on offer every time.
One of the best possible freebies you could give your prospects is a specifically written ebook all about the benefits of your products or services. It must be informative and interesting and it must have real or perceived value. Ensure the ebook contains links to all your website products, and tell your prospects it would normally cost say $27 or $37 to buy.
Allow your prospects to give it away or sell it with full resell rights. This will start a viral marketing campaign and will help bring visitors to your website from all over the Internet.
Peace of mind guaranteed
Before a customer buys something from you, they will want to know if they can return it, if for some reason it proves to be unsuitable. Their whole buying decision may rest entirely on this one ‘peace of mind’ benefit. Always, always offer your prospects a full ‘no-quibble’ money-back guarantee.
The longer the guarantee, the more comfortable they’ll be in buying your products. Also, the longer the guarantee, the less likely you are to make refunds. Can you remember what you bought 90 days ago?
Hope this helps. Till next time
BFN
Bill Knight
www.knight-writer.co.uk
