My 2¢ Worth

ore than a few people have been asking me to print articles on search engine placement. Well good articles on this subject are hard to come by.

herefore I have decide to write one myself. I began the rough draft today. Look for it soon in a future issue of Web Sm@rts.

ther than that, work is still progressing on the new Web site I told you about last week. I'm still not at liberty to give any details. All I can say is, stay tuned...

Feature Article

The Proper Bait

by: Bob Osgoodby Tip of the Day

Every year about this time, we make our annual pilgrimage to the waters of the Atlantic to go striped bass fishing. Loading the boat with all the essentials, such as something cool to quaff and piles of sandwiches, we grab our rods and reels and sally forth.

But wait - did we forget something? Sure did - we need to have bait. What are they biting on this time of year?

Fortunately there is a bait shop on the way out, so we tie up to the dock and go inside. There we talk with the owner who tells us they are biting on several different kinds, so taking his advice we buy several. At first we each use a different kind, and if they seem to favor one bait over the other, we all start using the one that is attracting the fish.

Hmm - sounds familiar doesn't it. We do the same thing when trying to lure customers into our online offers. Like in fishing, you need the essentials in your business. Our web site and email programs can be compared to the fishing equipment, but we have to have the proper bait. This is where your advertising comes in. Your ads are your bait, and you will need to use different ads to attract different customers.

Writing ads is a skill you must master if you wish your online business to prosper. There has been a lot written about writing effective ads. Sometimes what might be considered a bad ad by the pros is one that actually works. Why you might ask? Different styles appeal to different people, and you have to realize, that while the web might provide a level playing field for entrepreneurs, the likes and dislikes of potential customers are vary widely.

While "Glitz", and exaggerated earnings claims might appeal to some, to others it is a turn off. Wild claims about earnings potential might gather some prospects, but will be an automatic "click away" for others who prefer a low key approach. You must experiment with different ad copy, and keep records of what is drawing.

There are many ways to do this, and some suggest that you have multiple web sites geared towards ads that are running. In your ads, you point your visitors to different sites and by keeping statistics, you can see which ads are working.

But here is the dilemma. Depending on any number of factors, visitors could be coming from places other than your ads, and the results might be misleading. If, for example, a search engine picks up one site and not the other, you will obviously have more visitors to the site that has been indexed.

Bluntly, hits to your web site don't really count - sales do. Your first job however, is to get visitors to your site. This is done through a variety of methods, including advertising, the use of search engines and email. Once you get them there, you must then sell them on your product.

On our web sites, we have an "after sale" questionnaire and we simply ask them how they found us. Now these people have decided to do business with us, and their answers will most likely be truthful. We then log this information, which helps us determine what advertising is working.

Ads that don't appear to be pulling, we modify until we start seeing positive results. One of the best places to test your ads is in ezine publications that are highly targeted toward your potential customers. I don't recommend ads in publications that are not targeted to your prospects. Unless you have a very generalized product, the return you get in these will most likely be minimal. More importantly, you won't get sufficient information to determine if the actual copy is working.

Many people have been advertising in the same ezines for years. Remember that there is some "thrashing" that occurs, and some people drop off the subscription list for the publication, but others are added. This gives you a constant new group of people who will read your ad every time it is published.

Experienced online entrepreneurs will even keep the same copy year after year if it is pulling. It usually takes 5 to 7 exposures anyway until they receive "brand identification". When someone is willing to "bite", if they have the proper ad, they will remember them. To land your customers, like in fishing, you must have the proper bait.

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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

E-mail Button Link

If you would like to enable your visitors to launch their E-mail program with a button to send you a message, paste the following code in your HTML document where you would like the button to appear.

<form>
<input type="button" value="E-mail Us"
onClick="location.href='mailto:your-name@yoursite.com'">
</form>

This is the button just created with the code above.

You can customize the fields in red to reflect how you'd like the button to read and to your own E-mail address.

* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *

Second Article

Online Marketing Faux Pas

by: Scott F. Geld Marketing Blaster, Inc.

You are aware that it is important to market your online business and search for creative ways to do so, but you must also guard against using tactics that are not effective and that may hurt your business. Here are some tactics that you should NEVER use:

Mass Emailings

You may have been encouraged to buy and use Email lists with tons of addresses for an Email campaign. This offer probably came to you via an Email you didn't sign up for. Don't be tempted to buy unsolicited Email lists, even if the seller tells you that the names on the list are targeted towards your business offerings. Sending unwanted Email to people who have not indicated a desire to receive information from you is considered "spamming". It's annoying and intrusive, and usually sends the receiver running in the other direction whether they have an interest in your products and services or not. The bottom line is that you risk losing potential customers and damaging your reputation.

Email campaigns are an effective way to bring in new business, but only if they are targeted to 'qualified' prospects. Send your advertising only to those people who signed up to your mailing list.

Using Search Engine Software

Some software applications work very well to submit your Web site for a listing in the search engines. But, unfortunately a lot of these programs are not effective. Often you'll find that the software submits your Web site to irrelevant listing engines. Worse than that, some of these software applications cause your site to be banned from the popular search engines (just the ones you want to be listed with), because of multiple attempts and incorrect submissions.

A better way to get listed with the search engines and directories is to go to the site, read all the submission guidelines, and then submit your site individually to each search engine. Yes, it takes longer, but in the long run it is less expensive and more effective. The extra time is well spent.

Irrelevant Postings

You can attract visitors to your site by posting to relevant forums and message boards; however, if you just haphazardly post messages to every bulletin board, forum or discussion room you find, you will quickly upset the memberships. Your messages should be relevant to the type of products or services you promote, and they should be the type of messages that are permitted in the forum. For example, if you sell fine china, posting to a forum about gardening is a real stretch. You'll alienate a lot of people and you won't sell a thing.

Like traditional marketing strategies, good Internet marketers know that only tried and true methods really work. Make sure that the messages you send about your business are welcomed by the receiver. To do otherwise is a waste of your time.

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Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and direct links starting at just $5: www.MarketingBlaster.com

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