When you start planning your business, you have a business plan that will help map out where you see your sales going from one year to the next. With online businesses you can do this through website statistics. These are measurements of various activities on your website that directly relate to your business.
Site Statistics
One of the things that you want is traffic. Without traffic you won't get any sales and your business won't grow. Your marketing plan outlines how you will proceed with getting that traffic. But, it is not foolproof.
You won't know if your efforts are working unless you measure it. That is where statistics come in. What do you measure? Here are a few examples:
- Unique visitors (how many different people visit your site) - Keyword analysis (which keywords bring in traffic and which don't) - Conversion rates (how many visitors go from reading to buying items) - Web page analysis (where visitors go when they are on your site) - Page views (how many people visit each unique page on your website)
These are just a few of the stats that you will be interested in knowing. When you first begin marketing your site, statistics can help you find out if you are on the right page. Do the keywords you use drive traffic?
Statistics are gathered on a monthly basis but it can take a few months to see trends. Trends are a measure of the way that your current plan is taking shape. Because of the lag time, it's not wise to make changes to your plan for several months to give it time to work or not work. When a business is in start-up mode, it will take that long to get an accurate measure of sales.
Site stats give you a starting point. Without some way to measure your business efforts it is like shooting in the dark - you don't know if you've hit or miss. Looking at all the statistics together gives you a better idea of what to change first in an attempt to improve your business.
So, if you have not instituted a way to measure vital information pertaining to your website business, it is time to do so. There are software tools (both free and paid) that can help you compile these statistics. You can also hire companies to measure that information for you and analyze the data to anticipate the next more that you need to make. But, for small businesses, using software to compile the data and your own brain to analyze it will suffice.
Every person has bought at least one product that didn't do what the advertising said that it did. That's what we get for watching late night infomercials. If you want your online business to be around in three years, build relationships through integrity.
Integrity
It's a word that some business owners know nothing about. They would promote any product or service to get a quick buck. What happens after the customer pays their money is immaterial to them. Their websites pop up one week and disappear when the heat gets to be too much, only to resurface under another name.
There is a reason for that. They know what people are looking for, but instead of trying to provide it, they exploit it for the money.
Integrity in business means keeping your promise. It may not seem like it, but readers scrutinize website businesses. It could be because there is no physical body to put with the company that the eyes watch a little closer. The result is the same though: if you don't come through you will lose readers and sales.
One area where readers learn to mistrust is use of their personal information. If they opt-in for an email newsletter, don't sell their names to mailing lists and by all means, don't spam them. This is not the way to get what you want from your readers.
Test, Test, Test
Are you selling products on your website? There are a lot of variables with that especially if it is a physical product. Before you offer a new product, always test market to see if it is going to garner a demand. No market means no money.
With digital products testing comes in the form of knowing that the advice inside will work for the person buying it. If you sell an eBook about how to set up your own affiliate program in one day (example only) then every customer should be able to duplicate your process.
The same goes with affiliate marketing. Only upsell affiliate products or services that you know are legitimate and deliver what is promised. What is the money going to help if your online reputation is shot?
Truthful Content
Before readers become customers, they will visit your site over and over. They are reading your content. Be sure that everything you write is truthful and unique. There is enough bad information floating around and you can't build a relationship of trust on false information.
You don't have to make big boasts to get readers to keep reading, just make good on what you do offer them. This builds a relationship of trust that can benefit you and your readers for years to come
What do you have in that bag of tricks? If you want to draw and keep members, give them the best that you have. After all, this is your business and you want it to appeal to as many people as possible.
What can you give to your customers that will keep them coming back? If you have an affiliate program, then you are already learning about that. An affiliate program that doesn't have much to help the affiliates to promote the product won't do much business.
People are looking for gadgets, software, services and more to help make their lives a little easier. Let's use the example of a fitness membership site. To get people to join, you offer them content on eating well and how to get started with an exercise program.
If you are working on a multilevel membership site platform, the members will get even more tools to help them when they upgrade. On level 2, they have access to an online nutritional guide that contains the information for thousands of foods. Also, there is a recipe finder and programs to help them track their progress.
On level 3, maybe they gain access to video and audio media. Here, they can listen to audio recordings of motivational speakers (like you) that they can download and listen to while they walk. Video media can be full-length exercise videos for home workouts or working out anywhere they happen to be.
Now, if we shift gears to a business membership site, the level of tools still needs to change with the membership. Maybe they gain access to brandable products that they can use and promote on their own website. Instead of charging $10 once for a special report, you are getting $29.95 per month for access to a new one every month.
Tools that you can use include:
- Brandable digital products (eBooks, special reports) - Podcasts - Blogs - Affiliate WebPages - Videos and transcripts - Audios and transcripts - Software tools - Private coaching packages - eCourses and workbook materials
This is only the beginning. As you gain knowledge and new skills in your niche, so do your members. You are only limited by what you can create. And, when your tools accomplish great things for your members, they will be glad to give you a testimonial which further promotes your business.
The tools and resources that you offer on your membership site are what the members have signed up for. Don't skimp on quality or quantity.
People are interested in a variety of things. As a business owner, you want to find the people who are interested in your product or service. To help you in that process, choose a niche before you do anything else.
Part of selling a product is in knowing who you are going to sell it to. The worst thing to do is to have a great product that no one wants. Before you do all of that work, start off defining your niche.
Do Some Research
Yeah, no one wants to hit the books (or in online business - the search engines), but it is necessary if you want to be successful. Just like you would research keywords for your articles, blog posts and other areas of search engine optimization, research is important for narrowing down the best niche for your product.
Where do you start? Some have a product and then look for the niche. Others have decided on a niche that they would like to pursue, but don't have any idea of a product or service to offer. In both cases, see who is interested, if there is any interest at all.
Let's say that you have decided to do something with pets. Well, there are tons of pet species. Maybe you like dogs. Even then, there are still hundreds of dog species that people all around the world have as pets. Since you know that you want to pursue dogs, choose a specific dog. Is there interest in pugs? How about schnauzers? Who will you look at, those who already have that specific type of dog or potential owners of the breed?
That last question is important because of how you market your product. If you have a special dog collar or a pet bed, the target market will be people who already own that particular dog. Offering content on your website about how to get a schnauzer to sleep in their bed won't necessarily interest someone who wants to buy a dog but hasn't decided on a schnauzer.
Join a Niche Forum
Are there a large number of schnauzer owners out there? If so, is your product unique? Find places where schnauzer owners hang out online and investigate. Don't just ask questions like a reporter or an investigator, but get involved to find out what they really want.
Use your research information to fine tune your product or service and your marketing plan for building your list. You don't want your marketing plan to hit too general an audience or the wrong focused audience. Choose a viable niche first to help develop a successful list and increased chance of profit later.
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