10 Killer Ways To Jump Start Your Profits
http://marcandmartypetrizza.com/t/9821699/649011/211295582/2/
1. Offer to write exclusive articles (that means you
only submit them to one place) for high traffic web
sites in exchange for a link back to your site.
2. Create a positive online image. Tell your visitors
about fundraisers you have sponsored or that you
donate a part of your profits to charity.
3. Improve your customer service on a regular
basis. Try out new technologies that make it easier
to communicate with your customers over the net.
4. Ask your customers what they would like to see
offered by your business in the future. This type of
information can boost your sales.
5. Make sure your web host isn’t losing your sales.
If you get an e-mail from someone that told you that
they couldn’t access your site, it might be your host.
6. Allow your visitors experience to be an enjoyable
one at your web site. Provide easy navigation, good
content, fast loading graphics, search options, etc.
7. Keep changing or adding freebies to your web
site. If people see the same freebie in your ads they
will say to themselves, “been there done that”.
8. Add a directory to your web site. When visitors
submit their web site, e-mail them confirming their
link has been added and remind them to revisit.
9. Organize your marketing and advertising into a
plan. Create a list of daily, weekly, monthly and all
other future promotional plans.
10. Trade links only with web sites that your target
audience or yourself would visit. They should offer
their visitors valuable content or freebies.
Quote of the Day:
“If you want to increase your success rate, double your
failure rate.” — Thomas Watson, Sr., founder of IBM
Thank you for being a valued subscriber!
Sincerely,
Martha Petrizza
http://marcandmartypetrizza.com/t/9821700/649011/211295582/2/
P.S. Making money online is easier than you think… Start
NOW with The Home Biz Guy’s Plug-In Profit Site service at:
http://marcandmartypetrizza.com/t/9821699/649011/211295582/2/
Martha Petrizza
1012 Aquia Drive
Stafford
Virginia 22554
United States
Local Search Engine Optimization - Revisited
Roughly a year ago, local search engine optimization was all the rage - the new frontier in search engine marketing. For a while, it seemed that everyone was interested in the local search angle - even multi-national companies. However, for many companies selling products or services to the entire United States, or even globally, it seemed like a non-starter. Companies that counted on people looking for certain products or services that did not require close proximity to the company’s location were unaffected. As far as local search engine optimization goes, things have changed a bit since then - at least for some.
Some time ago, Google introduced a “geographic box” at the top of its search results. This is tied in to its mapping feature, and, when it was first introduced, the engine would display three results at the top of its search results whenever somebody entered a geographic modifier into the search box (”Atlanta widgets,” for example). The Google algorithm then has the intelligence to determine whether the query calls for results that are primarily local in scope.
Since that initial trial, Google has obviously found that its users appreciate the feature. The engine now displays ten local search results at the top of the listings for certain queries, provided that they have a geographic modifier attached. For example, if you type in “Atlanta gyms” in Google, you will see ten results alongside a map that shows the location of ten gyms in Atlanta.
It should be noted that you will not see local search results for all queries that contain a local modifier. In certain instances, it almost seems as if Google somehow “knows” when a geographic modifier really means that you only offer services in a particular area. Yeah, those guys are pretty good.
There are many resources on the Internet to turn to if you are looking for local search engine optimization for your regional website. However, many companies have client bases that cater primarily to a national or international field. Can they benefit from local search?
Yes, they can - in two ways (with a caveat for the first).
First, many customers prefer to deal with people that are local, even if the business is national, or even global. A businessperson that is looking for, say, marketing consulting, may be inclined to work with someone with an address in close proximity found through local search. It just feels more comfortable - if something goes wrong, he or she can request a meeting, rather than calling an 800 number.
Here’s the caveat - you may not want people showing up at your doorstep. Some companies invite people to show up at the headquarters and voice concerns or sing praises, but others would prefer to keep things at a distance. This is not a value judgment by any means. With many companies that deal with thousands, or even millions, of customers, it would be impossible to service every complaint with a human smile.
The second way, which seems more customer friendly (but actually isn’t), applies when a large company has many locations. This doesn’t mean that your company has “walk-in” locations that are open to the public. If you have locations in many cities, each serving a different function, you can still benefit from local search engine optimization.
Say, for example, you are headquartered in Toledo. You have distribution centers in several cities across the United States. Each of your physical locations is eligible to show up in local search results on Google, provided that you supply the engine with the proper information.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, not all searches with regional modifiers attached will bring up regional results. But based on recent happenings, it’s a good idea to make your regional presence known and consider the effects of local search engine optimization. After the years of talk about it, local search might finally turn out to be something that most companies can take advantage of.
About the Author: Scott Buresh is the CEO of Medium Blue, which was named the number one organic search engine optimization company in the world in 2006 and 2007 by PromotionWorld. Scott has contributed content to many publications including “The Complete Guide to Google Advertising (Atlantic, 2008) and Building Your Business with Google For Dummies” (Wiley, 2004).
Jeff Walker - death of this and that…
I was just reading an interesting blog post
that declared the “death of product launches.”It reminds me of the last time that product
launches were declared dead… which was in late
2006.
If you folks were around back then, you might
remember that back in October 2006 there was a
whole bunch of launches in the “Internet
Marketing” niche… there were literally five or
six launches PER WEEK that month, in just the
“Internet Marketing” niche alone.
Predictably, with that many launches in one
niche, some of them didn’t do very well… and
there were rumors of “product launch overdose”
and the “death of product launches”.
Well, Mark Twain once famously wrote “the rumors
of my death are greatly exaggerated”… and the
same was true for product launches.
In fact, the entire “product launch phenomenon”
never even slowed down - it just kept growing.
The product launches today, both inside and
outside the “Internet Marketing”niche, are
bigger than ever.
———
Just the facts…
———
Let’s look at some facts… of the top five
all-time launches (measured by total sales) in
Internet Marketing history, four of them have
happened this year.
One was in January, one in February, one in
March, and one in April.
Does it sound like launches are dead in the
Internet Marketing niche?
Now some people are saying that using total
sales (or profits) is not a good measure for the
success or failure of product launches.
I find that a bit weird, since we’re talking
about business here… are we supposed to be
ashamed of making profits?
But OK, if we aren’t going measure things by
profits, what else should we look at?
Well, how about something that I’ve been
preaching about since 2003… how about your
relationship with your clients and prospects?
Because if you’re doing things right, that
relationship is the strongest asset in your
business…
——
“The Relationship Maximizer”
——
I’ve mentioned this before - there is simply no
better way to create a strong bond with your
list than a well-executed product launch.
If you haven’t personally experienced this, you
would be shocked how well this works.
Now since I’m on the inside of sooooo many big
launches (both inside and outside the “Internet
Marketing” niche), I get to see what happens
AFTER the launch.
And the same thing happens every time - after
the launch you end up with an super-energized
and highly-responsive list. It happens every
time if you’re doing things right.
——
What about YOUR niche?
——
Of course, probably only one in a hundred (or
one in a thousand) of the people reading this
are in the “Internet Marketing” niche.
Most of them are in a niche like “learn to play
guitar” or “pet first aid” or “get more dates”
or one of a thousand other niches.
And if that’s your case, then you’re really
lucky… because those are the markets where
product launches are REALLY killing it.
I suppose the reason that I’m always focusing on
niches outside of Internet Marketing is because
that’s where I spent my first 10 years online…
I was publishing and selling stuff for stock
market investors and traders.
And that’s the market where I developed all my
product launch techniques (ie, the “Product
Launch Formula”)…
So yeah, I *knew* launches worked great outside
of the rather weird and twisted world of
“Internet Marketing”.
But here’s the big NEWS FLASH - all those
launches in all kinds of “obscure” niches keep
getting bigger - just like the “Internet
Marketing” launches.
I see it nearly every day in the results my PLF
Owners keep reporting back to me. Here’s just
one example… a few years ago, the typical
launch in the “learn guitar” market was
$6,000.00 or $8,000.00. Now lots of them are
pushing up towards the six figure range.
I don’t have the time to go into all the reasons
why I think launches keep getting bigger (hint:
Product Launch Formula is part of it… but only
part of it) - that will have to be another email.
——
The OTHER side of the coin…
——
Of course, it seems like the “death of the
product launch” people seem focused on the
Internet Marketing space.
I don’t know why people obsess about the IM
niche so much, but they do.
And these people keep wringing their hands about
the large number of launches, and the
overwhelming number of emails they’re getting
about those launches.
Well, there’s a simple answer to that - just
unsubscribe from the lists that aren’t creating
any value for you.
It’s really not that complicated. The lists all
have an unsub link down at the bottom.
(One more thing to watch for: some of those
people writing about too many launches are
actually using their rant to build a platform to
do their own launch or promote someone else’s
launch. Interesting. Nothing wrong with it at
all… it’s just clever marketing. But it’s
interesting nonetheless.)
——
The real HOLY GRAIL…
——
Here’s something that lots of people miss about
product launches (and business in general)…
it’s all about positioning.
One of the first and best lessons in business
came from an old friend of mine who owned a very
successful car repair business.
He specialized in servicing Subarus. At the time
he was one of the most successful people I knew.
But he told me that his big regret was that he
could of picked any brand… and he picked
Subarus instead of Mercedes or BMWs.
He told me that he could be charging 25% more
per hour - same amount of work, but a lot more
money.
He had a great reputation, his staff did great
work… but he could be making a bunch more
money with better positioning.
So what does this have to do with you?
Simply put, you need to continually focus on
your positioning in your market. And you will
make a lot more money and have a much healthier
business if you are positioned as a leader in
your niche.
And guess what?
Product launches are the ultimate positioning
tool. They give you instant credibility. They
give you instant name recognition. They give you
“guru status”…
——-
Oh no… I said “guru”
——-
Lots of people seem to recoil at the word
“guru”… it’s a loaded phrase in the Internet
Marketing world.
But my definition of the word “guru” is “leader”
or “market leader”… and if you’re not looking
to be a leader in your niche, then you should
probably find a different niche.
Because there is no better positioning than to
be a leader in your field.
Trust me… I have had that “guru positioning”
several times in different niches. I was a minor
guru in the investing field, I had a bit of guru
positioning in the stock market trading field…
and I suppose I’m a guru in the Internet
Marketing field.
Each time it made a serious impact on my
business. Because when you’re seen as a guru,
then it makes building a business a whole lot
easier.
——
Case Study: Eben
——
Let’s look at an example of great positioning
being built through a product launch…
Right now Eben Pagan is in the midst of a launch
He just spent four weeks or so giving away great
content and material… and he just went “live”
with his launch a few days ago.
Eben’s a good friend of mine… and about an
hour into the launch he sent a one line email to
me with an update on how it was going - the bottom
line is that it’s going very well.
This is yet ANOTHER super-successful launch.
And I can guarantee that if you ask Eben whether
product launches are dead, he would have a good
long laugh.
Eben is a good “case study”… or at least
someone who’s good to study.
You see, he has a NICHE business that’s doing
some $20 million in sales each year. His niche
is the “dating advice” market.
Eben was a lot like me… for years he made all
his money outside the “Internet Marketing”
niche. In fact, his only exposure to the IM
niche was as a customer buying IM training
products.
Then last year he decided to start teaching
stuff in the IM niche… and it was really clear
to Eben that the best way to create a business
in this new niche was with a series of product
launches.
KEY POINT: given the assets from his “other”
business, Eben could have used virtually ANY
method to create his new “Internet Marketing
Guru” business.
But by using a series of product launches (which
went with the standard progression of “seed
launch”, then “internal launch”, then big “JV
launch”) he was able to create a near-instant
seven figure business with little risk and
without spending much money.
Since Eben’s dating advice business was built on
“guru status” he clearly knew the value of
achieving that positioning in his “new” niche…
and he went after that guru positioning right
from the start.
Now clearly, Eben’s path to the very top of the
“Internet Marketing” niche is NOT something that
everyone can achieve. In fact, I would say
that’s INCREDIBLY hard to do.
But if your sights are a little lower than multiple
millions in your first year, and if you’re going
after a less competitive niche than Internet
Marketing… well, it’s still VERY achievable.
And that’s what I’ve been preaching for years…
——
Get “guru” positioning in YOUR niche…
——
Last week I was on a mastermind call with Eben.
It was just the two of us. The first 45 minutes
we brainstormed on Eben’s business, then the
next 45 minutes we focused on my biz.
Somewhere in the middle of our conversation I
said “everyone wants to be in our business”…
And that’s the truth.
Outside of being a rock star or playing
professional sports, pretty much EVERYONE would
rather be in the information marketing business.
Or more specifically, the ONLINE information
marketing business…
It’s easy to see why - it’s a business pretty
much anyone can start with almost no money or
risk, you can focus on any of ten thousand
different niches, and the sky is the limit in
terms of profits.
(Can you really start an information marketing
business with almost no money? Well, my total
investment to start my business was $35.00… in
retrospect, it would have been better if I spent
some more money initially - but times were tight
and I just wasn’t sure if the business would
work out. 
It’s been 12 years in this business for me now,
and after starting multiple seven figure
information marketing businesses, I will tell
you that there is ONE thing that you MUST do…
——
Get “guru” positioning in YOUR niche…
——
Every top marketer knows this… you need to be
the expert. You need to be the leader. You need
to be the guru.
Some people aren’t comfortable with this. But if
you want to succeed in this market, you need
to get over it.
And don’t get me wrong - you don’t need to be a
public speaker. You don’t need to be in a bunch
of videos. You don’t even need to be an
extrovert (for example: me… I’m definitely an
introvert).
But there are things you need to do to position
yourself and your business…
And Eben’s got it figured out… that’s what his
new product is about.
——
The guru mastermind…
——
OK, this email has gotten REALLY REALLY long.
But this is the part where I try to pitch you on
going to check out Eben’s new Guru Mastermind
program.
First, I want to tell you WHY I’m going to pitch
you on it.
You see, I get approached every single day by
people that want me to send out an email for
their offer… but I turn down 99% of them.
There are lots of reasons that I turn them
down… either I’m not impressed with the
product, or not impressed with the product
producer, or I don’t think it fits my list.
But one of the biggest reasons is that I just
don’t like sending offers to my list. I don’t do
it often… over the last five years I’ve
probably sent an average of six or seven offers
per year.
But this is the deal with Eben’s stuff - I was
onboard to promote this product before he even
asked me…
You see, as I’ve gotten to know Eben over the
last two years, he has delivered a HUGE amount
of value to my business.
Serious bottom-line value.
He’s done that in mastermind sessions, phone
conversations, emails… and his products.
In fact, when I was going through the big launch
of PLF 2.0, Eben was in midst of an “internal
launch” for his “Guru Mastermind” program.
He launched on March 25th and I launched on
March 27th… and since we were both going
through the same experience, we decided to coach
each other through the process.
Basically, we checked in via phone every couple
of days coming into our launches. We helped each
other with ideas, copy, and acted as overall
“reality checks”… and it worked GREAT for both
of us.
——
The insider’s view…
——
Since I helped coach Eben through his initial
launch of the Guru Mastermind, I have a bit of
an insider’s view on the product.
And here’s my opinion:
1. It’s really expensive. It will NOT be a fit
for most people. Sorry about that.
2. It’s the most comprehensive training in the
information marketing business that I can think
of.
3. The “regular folks” that I know that joined
the Guru Mastermind during his initial program
have raved about it to me. (And some of those
people are VERY demanding.)
4. It overdelivers in a serious way.
5. It’s a serious commitment - it’s hardcore
training, and Eben tells you right on the order
page exactly what he’s expecting from members in
terms of a time commitment.
And did I mention it’s really expensive?
It is. But here’s the other side of the coin…
in my first year in the information marketing
business I made less than $20k (that was 1996).
It wasn’t until my THIRD year that I started
really making a good living, and I didn’t hit
six figures until my FOURTH year.
That’s because I tried to figure everything out
on my own. Duh… not very smart.
So this is the point… I’m sure that if I had
Eben’s program back then, I would have cut that
learning curve by YEARS.
Back then I wouldn’t have had the money to take
Eben’s program. And I wouldn’t have been smart
enough to sign up for it, even if I had the
money.
Because it took me a long time to figure some
things out… like the value of paying for “top
gun” training from people who had the experience
that I sorely lacked.
So if you’re in a position to afford this
program, and you’re interested in a massive
short-cut in your business, then I highly
recommend you take a look at Eben’s program.
Here’s the link:
http://www.sixinseven.com/gmm.html
best regards,
Jeff
