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Traffic Conversion by Doing the Unexpected

Techniques for traffic conversion are well known in the Internet marketing community, but most that are used are basic. They work well, but not spectacularly. What you need is to find a new twist on traffic conversion.

Perhaps what you need isn’t something different, but a different approach. You might find that taking an unexpected route is just what your site needs to increase buyer response.

Replace “want” with “fear.” Sure it’s great that a viewer wants your product, but desire isn’t as strong as fear. Make your sales copy emphasize the scarcity of the product and how terrible it would be to miss out. 

“You can spend hours trying to make those purchased templates look like a custom website but you’re stuck with a few colors and choices. Meanwhile, marketers with XYZ Web Page Super Package are up and running in an hour with the look of expensive graphics.” 

Now the reader pictures the competition making money while he’s still fighting with fonts. That’s fear – fear of being left out.

Long sales copy works only if it’s not boring.  In an effort to create the typical long sales letter, inexperienced writers just repeat the same information with little variation. This isn’t the time to “do it yourself.”

Professional writers know how to get that same information across in fresh ways so that each section of the sales letter is familiar, yet not repetitious. If you don’t have the skill do to that, then hire a professional copywriter. What you pay for a good sales letter is a direct investment in traffic conversion. Consider it a one-time expense for endless traffic conversion opportunities.

Raise the price. But wait, if sales are falling, why would charging more be better? You may have under-priced your product, which gives it a lower value in the viewer’s perspective. Add another section or package with a second information product.

Change the cover design. Add new delivery options so that a buyer can choose eBook, CD or MP3 audio product formats. These small changes give you a reason to bump up the price. And don’t get chicken by going from $9.95 to $12.95. Take the price up to $17 or $27 and hype the promotion.  You can do a limited time discount - “Order now to get the product for $12.95 because in 48 hours, the price goes to $17!”

Make a Limited Time Offer.  Create urgency by offering a one time purchase to a limited number of buyers for a short time. This plays to fear (“what if I miss it”) and scarcity (“I want it before someone else gets it”). 
Then take it off the market at the end of the offer. Nothing discredits you more than repeated “limited time” runs. Remove the product, make a few changes or updates and add something else to the package. Then - and only then - can you bring back the product without losing face and buyers.

12 Top Traffic Conversion Secrets

Getting viewers who click and pass on is no more productive than window shoppers at the mall. You make money online when you capture that traffic and convert the “lookers” into “buyers.” Sounds simple, right?

Well, it is if you pay attention to the details. Here are 12 traffic conversion secrets that even a newcomer to Internet marketing can do:

1.    Refine your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). What makes your product different, special, better or more desirable? That’s the USP. Now get the answer to that question down to one or two concise sentences.

2.    Sound friendly, not slick. Your sales copy needs to sound like one friend excited to tell another friend about a great buy. Avoid sounding like a high-pressure infomercial.

3.    Ask for help. Give the viewers a reason to interact with you by asking for their opinion on a survey or product rating. You get useful information and keep them thinking about your product longer.

4.    Simplify the offering. If you have three different products to sell, use three websites. Don’t make the mistake of trying to offer too much at once. This might work for major retailers, but they already have a brand and a following.

5.    Leave some open space. Prepare a sales page that’s easy to read with wide margins. You don’t have to fill every inch. Leaving some white space helps the reader to better focus on the copy.

6.    Brag openly. If your product has a good rating or endorsements from satisfy buyers, then let them brag about the product for you.

7.    Cast with plenty of bait.  In your sales letter and squeeze page, put out the “bait” for your offer over and over.  Don’t skimp on bait. Better too many offers than not enough to convert that buyer who is still uncertain.

8.    Find problems.  Even after your sales page is complete, keep thinking about other problems that your product can solve. You might get a hint of new ways to promote your product by asking buyers how they use the product.

9.    Use moderate highlighting. Yes, highlights draw visual attention but too many highlights or excessive colors frustrate online readers.

10.    Package deals are popular. After presenting your USP, sweeten the offer with a package including several free items as part of the “Buy Now” deal. Limited time offers create a sense of urgency for the buyer to act.

11.    Ask for the order. An old principle of sales that must never be ignored - ask for the order, ask again then ask again. You can’t ask too many times.

12.    Say “Thank you.”  Have a gracious, personal sounding, “Thank you” email with the order confirmation. It never hurts to show good manners and buyer appreciation!

The Importance of Quality Resource Boxes and How to Write Them

If you thought that your job as a copywriter ends when you have written the last word of your article, you’re dead wrong. When you’re trying to attract people into your website through the use of articles you submit to article directories, it’s never enough that you leave links in your body. Oftentimes they are not clicked at all. The best way to generate leads is to develop the most compelling resource box.

What’s a resource box? It comes in different names, such as Author Bio or Author Box. It’s found right after every article. This is a portion where you can freely promote yourself, your business, and capture their attention without having to fear of getting disapproved by the article directory because it sounds like a press release. You can make use of the resource box to add at most 3 links to different pages of your website. You can further establish your credibility as you can describe your professional background and your experience related to your chosen topic.

Writing a resource box, however, is a challenge. Like developing your own article, you need to come up with something that’s interesting and informative using such limited characters. To fully maximize your resource box, here are some important items that you shouldn’t do without:

1. Write your name and title.

Though your name may be stated even before the article, it should still be added in your resource box. It will give your reader time to relate your title to the overall gist of your article. They can associate the copy to a particular person.

2. Develop your sales pitch.

This is usually a one-liner or 3 sentences that encompass the unique features and benefits of your products and services. You can very well give your readers all of the reasons why they need to visit your website.

3. Add the URL of your website.

You may already have text links in your body, but just to be sure, add the complete URL of your homepage in your resource box. Don’t be scared of not getting clicked. As long as you can provide a very impressive sales pitch, your readers are still going to click on your link.

4. Know what kind of response you want from your readers.

Do you want them to visit your website? Perhaps you have some ebooks that you want them to download? Are you asking them to fill out a form? In the end, you should be perfectly clear of what you want your readers do to your resource box.

Before you develop your resource box, make sure you have already read the guidelines of the article directory. This is the safest way of getting their approval and getting published in the World Wide Web.

How to Write Quality Articles Fast

To write articles as a hobby is one thing; to develop marketing copy for your business is another. Perhaps you know how powerful articles can be when it comes to not only generating leads for your business but also increasing your inbound links and, hopefully, your ranking in the search engines.

However, writing articles can take some time. If you are considering massive website campaign through article submission, you may end up spending all your day just producing articles. How do you speed up the process? Here are some of the fabulous ways:

1. Select your topic.

This shouldn’t take long. In fact, 30 seconds is already enough. After all, you don’t have to look far for inspiration. You simply have to look at subjects related to your chosen niche. You can talk about some pressing issues, newest technology available, another trend coming up, or even share your personal insights. The most important thing is you can back everything with facts.

2. Do the enumeration.

Whether you like it or not, lists are always better. Readers, on the other hand, love this technique. All you have to do is to develop top 10 advantages of your products, 5 excellent features of your business, or 3 best ways to become successful, to name a few.

3. Create an outline.

An outline goes a long way especially if you’re pressed for time. It basically gives you a guide on the overall structure and content of your article. Just so you don’t have to spend so much time on this one, you can perhaps develop a general outline during your spare time. You can simply customize it so it will fit the theme and goal of your article.

4. Discuss each of your important points briefly.

You don’t have to spend too much time on each of your main points. You can perhaps write two or three sentences about it, provide an example or a quote, and you’re done.

5. Keep your important online tools within “reach.”

Browsing through the Internet to do research can take up a lot of time, more so when you have to actually open them. When you’re writing, ensure that all of your needed websites have already been opened. This way, all you have to do is to type in your search keywords.

In the end, you shouldn’t sacrifice speed with quality. If it will take you hours to stress a very important point, so be it. You can simply make up for the extended time later.

Report Writing In 5 Easy Steps

One of the greatest challenges among Internet marketers is how they can come up with reports that are related to their chosen niche. They can come in the form of ebooks or online guides. Either way, they try to solve a particular problem that’s pressing in the industry or is causing so much confusion and concern among their targeted customers.

Writing a report is a very effective means of attracting your customer base. You can give them away for free, and they would surely grab it as it’s always timely and solution-driven. But how do you exactly come up with what to write? Most of all, how can you produce the most well-received report? Heed to these tips now:

1. Pick your niche.

Before you even write a report, make sure you already have a clear idea about your topic. Your subject will tell you where to look for information, what kind of data you will put in your report, your manner of presentation, and, most of all, the people who will be interested in reading it.

2. Look for common problems people face.

Once you’ve already identified your niche, it’s high time that you look for an issue or a problem that you would like to tackle and perhaps even solve. Fortunately, you have variety of sources. The World Wide Web is filled with message boards, newsgroups, and blogs, to name a few, that will give you an idea of questions individuals usually ask about your niche.

3. List the questions.

Why do you need to list down the question? You can actually place them all in your head, if this technique doesn’t overwhelm you. However, you must realize that relying on your memory may not do you good, as there’s always the possibility that you will forget about it. Your list will make it sure for you that you won’t definitely lose such a fabulous idea.

4. Select the best question.

When you already have the list of the common questions of your target market, it’s time to choose the best question to answer. You will know which of them is by simply taking note how many are actually asking about it.

5. Write your report.

Since you’ve already gathered all the required info, it’s high time that you proceed to writing your report. Keep one thing in mind: don’t lose that question. Every point that you make should deal with it. You should be able to provide workable answers in your report. Thankfully, you have many sources too for your answers. You can go back to the reference materials you utilized in gathering the questions. You may also read other people’s reports about the subject. Just so you don’t bore your readers, keep everything short, simple, and accurate.

How to Write Visitor-friendly Copy

The most gifted writer is not the person who can produce the most eloquent article to his intended readers. The best ones are those who can produce magic out of simple words.

Here are some of the best techniques on how to write the most compelling and visitor-friendly copy for your online business:

1. Imagine that you’re talking to a friend.

Assume as if your targeted readers are sitting in front of you, waiting for what you’re going to tell them. This way, you’ll be able to come up with a copy with informal tones. Being conversational in your article will also allow your readers to relate to you and, of course, to the message embedded in your article.

2. Write shorter paragraphs and sentences.

Long sentences and paragraphs are very annoying. They’re also painful to the eyes. Permit them to find relaxation and peace while arousing their interest through your articles. Don’t forget to utilize line breaks or creating white spaces between paragraphs. This will allow their eyes to rest before proceeding to the rest of your copy.

3. Use subheadings.

Internet readers basically don’t have all the time in the world to read everything you have said in your article. What’s important is they can obtain the information they are looking for in your copy. Bullets come in handy at this point. Not only do they provide a good means of presenting your article, in which it doesn’t appear too crowded with words, readers can easily find some interesting facts in an instant.

4. Utilize the power of bullets and lists.

You can blabber all you want, but the most important thing is you can stress the most important points of your article. These will provide reasons for your readers to check on your website or read more of your articles. Most of all, they will let them know that they’re not actually wasting their time reading your copy.

5. Proofread your articles.

It may sound so petty to you; but misspelling, grammatical errors, and wrong punctuation may make your article sound incomprehensible and sometimes outrageously funny. Make sure that you can send your message across the clearest way possible to all of your targeted readers.

6. Get rid of too much keywords.

If you’re writing for your audience, then write naturally. Don’t force keywords into your articles, more so when they no longer relate to your overall topic.

5 Steps To Easily Writing Sales Letters

There are a lot of people who believe that the power of sales letters has already faded. It didn’t, and, in fact, it is becoming to be one of the major sources of marketing leads for different online businesses. There are just some techniques that you have to adhere to if you want to ensure that you can not only capture the attention of your targeted customers but transform them into regular patrons:

1. Know what you want to accomplish from your sales letter.

It should be very clear to you the intent of your sales letter. Do you wan to introduce a new product to your existing customers, or are you trying to market your business to your target market. When you know what you want to accomplish, you can then write your sales letter to be able to fulfill your goal.

2. Write a powerful headline.

Eighty-five percent of sales letters are rejected because of poor headlines. To ensure that your customer can continue reading your letter, give him a good punch with a very powerful headline. There are many ways on how you can make one. Use powerful words or those that denote call to action on the part of your reader. You may also state in a question and provide an answer in the body of your sales letter.

3. State the benefits of your products.

Your products may have the most advanced features, but if your customers can’t find any good use to them in their lives, they won’t still buy it. Thus, even before you start enumerating what sets your products apart from the others, describe to your readers first the benefits your goods can offer to them. You can do a little research in this area. You can perhaps talk about an ongoing issue in your chosen field that’s affecting the quality of life of your targeted customers and position your product as the perfect alternative.

4. Always be polite.

You can be proud of your company and your products, but you don’t have to be brash. You can develop informal tones in your sales letter, but always do it in a professional manner. Don’t forget to use polite words all throughout the sales letter, not only in your salutation.

5. Enumerate the best features of your products.

What makes your products different from those offered by your competitors? At this point, you don’t have to enumerate all of the features. You can simply select those that are truly unique. They can become your selling points. Of course, products are never perfect, and a little honesty in your sales letter will go a long way. Nevertheless, learn how to downplay them.

How to Write an E-mail Course

Why would you spend time e-mailing people? Do you know that 100 percent of Internet users have at least one e-mail address? Definitely, if you’re trying to reach to every targeted customer, you know that sending an e-mail is one of the best ways to go.

But with the numerous messages that your intended audience can receive every day, you have to do something to make yours stand out and something worth their while. Here are various tips on how you can write a truly effective e-mail course:

1. Provide as many choices as you can to your readers when it comes to the format.

E-mail users can either choose between HTML or text layout. When you’re going to develop an e-mail course, it’s always best if you can offer two options to them. This way, you can increase your chances of being read.

2. Format the words that you want to emphasize.

When you’re going to emphasize some words or phrases, make sure that you can change their format. They should appear completely different from other texts. Eyes always go to portions that seem to be a little bit off in the page. Two common methods for emphasis include the use of bold or italics. You can also change its color or set its size to something bigger. Nevertheless, it’s very important that you don’t overuse these devices. Otherwise, they’re going to be so annoying.

3. Separate your paragraphs with white lines.

Whether you’re writing a long or short e-mail course, make sure that you can provide white spaces between paragraphs. This is to prevent straining the eyes of your readers and allow them to go on until they can reach the end of your e-mail.

4. Focus more on your content.

More than the format of your e-mail, you should ensure that your content is worth reading by your customers. Provide excellent articles to them, not just product updates or marketing announcements. Your e-mail should not sound so much of a sales pitch if you don’t want to scare off those customers who don’t like hard-core sellers.

5. Keep everything simple.

Addition of flash and images should be kept to a minimum. They don’t only make it very difficult for e-mail users to load your e-mail course, but they don’t really add so much magic. Include them only when they’re truly necessary. Or else, don’t waste your time on them.

How to Create High-Converting Squeeze Pages

If you have been implementing the Internet marketing strategy called list building, you definitely have worked on your squeeze pages. These are websites that will give you your opt-in leads.

It’s therefore very essential that you will be able to present an attractive and attention-grabbing squeeze page if you want to ensure that you can build a massive list for your business.

Here are some tips on how you can create high-converting squeeze pages:

1. Be highly detailed with your description.

One of the greatest challenges in developing a squeeze page is the fact that you have to convince your intended customers that your products are worth checking out to and that they should subscribe to your mailing list even if they can’t practically see your product. It’s vital therefore that you will be able to describe your products as detailed as possible. You need to emphasize the benefits they can achieve from your products and in subscribing to your mailing list. Most of all, don’t forget to enumerate the interesting features of what you can offer to your targeted customers.

2. Keep everything simple.

In the end, what’s really important is the message you want to convey to your targeted customers. If you can do it in 2–3 pages, there’s definitely no need for you to create more than that. It’s also going to be helpful if you can simply make your website simple and very easy to navigate. When it comes to website design, squeeze pages aren’t demanding at all.

3. Add testimonials from your past customers.

If you have a group of people who have tested your products, you can ask for their testimonials and place them in your squeeze page. They will surely help you when you’re building your credibility with the use of your opt-in list. As long as you have their permission, you can add their full name and photo.

4. Add numerous opt-in boxes all over your squeeze page.

You don’t have to actually finish your entire page before you encourage your readers to add their full name and e-mail address. It’s thus a good idea to add the opt-in box in every paragraph break or when you have stressed very important points. There are others who don’t need much convincing and would definitely like to sign up even before you have written the last word.

A squeeze page can definitely do wonders for your business, especially in establishing your customer base. Do it right and you can watch your profits and customer relationship improve tremendously.

How to Improve Your Ebay Listings

Selling items on Ebay is a great way to earn some part time cash in your free time. There are so many buyers and so many different things you can sell that just about anyone can get started selling on Ebay.

With Ebay you have to lure people in with your auction title and then hopefully make a sale through your auction description. If any one of these elements is poorly done, you will have a hard time making any money with your Ebay auctions. To actually make money some serious money with Ebay you need to spend some time working on and improving your auction title and description.

Your auction title, picture, and price are the first things that people see when they are browsing through the auction listings. Setting the right price for your item is actually very easy to do. By paying a $10 monthly subscription fee you can have access to Ebay’s market research tool. This tool will allow you to determine the average sold price and buy it now price of just about any item.

The market research tool tells you exactly what price you should start your auction at and exactly what price you should sell set your buy it now price. You absolutely can experiment with higher price points but the market research tool gives you a good idea of what prices you will be able to charge.

You must always include a picture with each and every auction you list on Ebay. Studies have shown that no matter how enticing your offer is, your listing is much less likely to get clicked on if it doesn’t have a picture. Many ebayers don’t like to visit auctions that don’t have a picture because of the number of scams which exist on Ebay. By having a quality picture of your item you offer assurance that you have the item in your possession and are therefore not a scammer.

Before you include a picture in your listing, it’s a good idea to take a look at what sellers offering similar items are using for their listings. Always make sure that your picture is crisp and clean looking and the detail of the item is clearly visible.

Your auction title tells potential buyers exactly what it is that you have to offer. You basically have just a couple of words to grab their attention. When writing your auction title, avoid using all capital letters. Instead, capitalize the first letter of every word and then capitalize trigger words like “free” or “new.” Try to avoid using symbols in your listing title except for a few exclamation points. If possible, try to create an aura of mystery surrounding your auction rather than just listing what it is you have for sale. The more curious people are, the more likely they are to click on your auction.