A 30-Second Marketing Plan

Are you planning a new website?
Do you already have a site up and running?

If so, you need to know this “30-second marketing plan”.

Web surfing is a fast-paced activity. Some surfers (including myself) surf through an average of 10 websites in a five minute span. Yikes! That leaves each site about 30 seconds to reach the three objectives EVERY business website should be after…

1. Immediately instill confidence in each visitor
2. Give an irresistible reason to stay BEYOND 30 seconds
3. Start a lasting relationship

Accomplishing all three of those objectives in that tiny time frame is essential to your success online. Here’s exactly how your website can reach all three objectives in less than 30 seconds…

#1: How to immediately instill confidence in each visitor…

The very first thing a visitor to your site does is form an opinion based on what they see. This means you MUST imprint a unique and positive image in your visitors’ minds immediately. You do that by showing off an “attractive” home page.

C’mon, “attractive?” What is this a beauty contest?

Well, sort of. You see, a HUGE percentage of visitors judge your entire business within the first 10 seconds of visiting your site. If they are presented with a handsome page that loads quickly and looks professional, they may be compelled to stick around. (At least long enough to see what’s in it for them.)

Think about it like this… How many times have YOU clicked away from a site even before it finished loading? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Me too. Web surfers looking for something in particular not only want the right info, they want it from the right source. If your site looks like it was designed by a 12 year old, you’re in big trouble.

And no, you do not need fancy graphics, java and the like. Just make sure your home page is a place that YOU would be instantly impressed by. You do this with a professional logo, a crisp, fresh look and simple navigation links.

Unfortunately, most new webmasters cannot design a website that is professional and attractive. So instead of putting up a lackluster website, their best solution may be to be buy a business site template. Here’s a site that offers low-cost and attractive templates…

http://www.templatemonster.com

Oh yeah, and if you are hosting on one of those free sites, GET OFF and get your own domain name. Free hosting will kill a website before it even has a fighting chance.

If your company won’t spring for it’s own domain name at just a few bucks a year, your potential customers will think twice before they buy from you. Scratch that – most wouldn’t even consider buying from you. Plain and simple.

If you are serious about doing business online, get a domain and a professional web hosting package. If you need help deciding on a domain name, click the domain button at that link. You’ll find a free tool to help you locate a keyword based domain that fits your business.

#2: How to give your visitors an irresistible reason to stay past 30 seconds…

Once you have pleased them with your professional look, get right to the point — give them a reason to stick around.

You do this by making it glaringly obvious how your site can help them. Remember, they probably came looking for something in particular. If they are forced to “search” for how your site may help them, it’s too late, they’re gone.

You can pull this off by displaying a few lines of text prominently, where your visitors will see it right away.

Here are a few examples…

“This site has helped thousands of webmasters design a professional website. Come inside and learn how to design your own site now.”

“Do you need advice selecting stocks? Put our 10 years of experience to work for you. Browse our past picks and current recommendations.”

And my own text which appears in the first two seconds my bizweb2000.com site loads…

“I’ve been making a living online since 1996. I’ll help you do it too…”

Sit down and think about how your site will help your visitors — then make sure you tell them right away.

#3: How to start a lasting relationship with your site visitors.

The single most effective way to hang onto your visitors is to give them a gift and get their email address in exchange.

Hey, getting traffic is tough, so you are crazy if you let them get away without at least trying to stay in touch with them. And no, you don’t have to publish a full newsletter, but offer something! Here’s a great example…

A few years ago I visited a retail site which offered a “monthly specials” email list. Sign-up was free so I took a few seconds and joined. Every month for three years I received their monthly email. Out of 35 or so I received, I probably deleted 30 without even reading them. Yet one month I noticed a product I had been looking for, and at the right price, right in the subject line. Guess what? I opened the message, clicked to the site and bought it. While I was there, I also spent $300 on a digital camera.

As you can clearly see from that example, regular email contact pays off. If not today, maybe next week – or next year. The cost of staying in touch is tiny compared to the long-term rewards.

Just offer something of value in exchange for your visitor’s contact information. And don’t ask a million questions in your sign-up form. Visitors may be interested in what you’re offering, but may shy away if they have to reveal too much information about themselves. A lead is a lead. Ask for their first name and email address only. If you scare them away, they may never be back.

As far as the logistics, use a simple follow-up autoresponder to save their name and email address. Web based autoresponders can automatically follow up with your prospects at regularly scheduled intervals. If you need an autoresponder service, this hosting package as well as many others come with autoresponders built right in.

Once your list starts to grow, you can send newsletters like the one you are reading right now, specials offers, joint venture notices and anything else directly related to what they asked for. Just don’t overdo it. Your subscribers can be your lifeline to your business if you treat them right.

One last note on opt-in lists – I understand they take time to build. But it is time well-spent. Of course, there are legitimate ways to jump-start your list building. If you don’t want to wait the standard list building time curve, consider my friend Gary Baker’s unique package. He offers fresh lists of 5,000 opt-in subscribers at just four cents each – a jump-start package that is ideal for new and established business alike.

OK, that’s it for today’s tip. You now know exactly what your site needs to do the first 30 seconds every time a new visitor arrives… Impress, inform and retain. It’s as simple as that!

See ya in a few weeks…
Jim Daniels

* Article used with permission from Jim Daniels. Jim’s free guide to website marketing and his website promotion help site show you how to get low-cost website traffic and make money online.

Differentiation — Smart Marketing Strategies for the Solo Entrepreneur
by: Terri Zwierzynski

Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can’t readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you that dreaded question, “So what makes you different?” Then, all those self-doubts creep in, and you just aren’t sure what to say. Differentiation can boost confidence–yours in yourself and that prospective customer’s confidence in you!

Dif-fer-en-ti-ate v. tr. To perceive or show the difference in or between; discriminate.

In business terms, to differentiate means to create a benefit that customers perceive as being of greater value to them than what they can get elsewhere. It’s not enough for you to be different–a potential customer has to take note of the difference and must feel that the difference somehow fits their need better. (Other words that mean virtually the same thing: Competitive Advantage; Unique Selling Proposition; or Value Proposition.)

As you are building your business, you can use differentiation to attract more customers. Once you have momentum, differentiation allows you to charge a higher price because you are delivering more value to your customers. Make a point to evaluate and adjust your differentiation methods at least annually.

The various methods of differentiating your businesses fall into four general categories:

* Price Differentiation
* Focus Differentiation
* Product/Service Differentiation
* Customer Service Differentiation

Price Differentiation

Differentiating on price is probably the most common and easily understood method. HOWEVER, for Solo Entrepreneurs, caution is in order. On the one hand, potential customers might expect a lower price from you than from your larger competition because they perceive you as having less overhead, etc. On the other hand, cheaper prices can evoke perceptions of lower quality, a less-stable business, etc. And if you compete on price against competitors with deeper pockets, you can price yourself right into bankruptcy. Be creative with this differentiator by competing on something other than straight price. For example, you might offer:

* More value–offer more products or services for the same price.
* Freebies –accessories, companion products, free upgrades, and coupons for future purchases.
* Free shipping, etc.–convenience sells, especially when it is free!
* Discounts–includes offering regular sales, coupons, etc. (see cautions above)

Focus Differentiation

For Solo Entrepreneurs, this is the most important method of differentiation, and in many ways, the easiest. Why? Because as a Solo Entrepreneur, you simply can’t be everything to everybody, so you must pick a specific way to focus your business. Once you have done that, you have an automatic advantage over larger companies because you can become more of an expert in that one field –and you can build close relationships with key customers that will be hard to duplicate. For example, you might differentiate yourself through:

* Location–take advantage your closeness to prospective customers.
* Customer specialization–be very specific about what characteristics your customers will have—for example, racing bicycle enthusiasts or companies with a spiritual conscience.
* Customer relationships–know customers really well, form partnerships with them, and get them to speak for you!
* Affinity relationships–associate your product/service with a well-known person or organization.
* One-stop shopping–offer everything your target market needs, in your area of expertise.
* Wide selection (within your niche)—although this one may seem to be the opposite of focus–the key is to be very specific in one dimension and very broad in another.

Product/Service Offering Differentiation

How much you are able to differentiate your product or service offering will vary based on what type of business you are in. For instance, if you are in a highly regulated business, your options may be limited. Explore a totally new market or type of product or service, however, and the possibilities abound. The key to successful differentiation in this category, again, is to know your customers, really, really well. Talk to them often, and you will know what they need most and be able to offer it, long before your competitors know what is happening. For example, your product or service could stand out in one of these ways:

* Quality–create a product or service that is exceptional in one or more ways. Examples: Lasts longer
* Better
* Easier to use
* Safer
* New/First–be the first one to offer something in your location/field.
* Features/Options–offer lots of choices, unusual combinations, or solve a problem for a customer in a way no one else does.
* Customization–as a Solo Entrepreneur, you may be able to more easily handle special orders than big, mass-market competitors.

Customer Service Differentiation

Have you noticed how customer service seems to be out of vogue these days? This situation makes excellent customer service a great opportunity for differentiation and another natural advantage for Solo Entrepreneurs that already know what’s important to their customers. Build your reputation on making customers feel really good about doing business with you. Works great with referral marketing, too. Examples:

* Deliver Fast–next day, or one-hour–make it faster than customers think possible.
* Unique channel–offer a service over the phone or Internet instead of in person or in their office rather than yours.
* Service-delight customers!–it may seem expensive to offer exceptional service–but it pays off in word-of-mouth advertising.
* Before/during/after-sales support–provide technical or other support to customers using your product. –You might use joint ventures to provide that support–but customers will perceive it as being from you!
* Guarantee/warranty–offer 100% money-back, or free replacement parts.
* YOU–offer yourself, your unique blend of talents and skills, to attract customers. Make sure they get access to you, too!

Keys to Successful Differentiation:

* Know your customers, really, really well.
* Pick a blend of differentiation methods that, in the eyes of your customers, truly sets you apart.
* Talk about your differentiation in terms of customer benefits.
* Tell everyone about what differentiates you–often.
* Keep your differentiation fresh by listening for changing customer needs. strategy, marketing, small business marketing, direct marketing, internet marketing, advertising

About The Author

Terri Zwierzynski is a coach to small business owners and Solo Entrepreneurs. She is also the CEI (Conductor of Extraordinary Ideas) at Solo-E.com. Terri is an MBA honors graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill. Terri has been coaching for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a senior-level coach and consultant for a Fortune 500 company. She opened her private coaching practice in 2001. Contact her at: http://www.FastLaneDreams.com.

Who Loves Networking????
by: Dorene Lehavi

Many professionals who don’t enjoy networking equate it with selling. I have heard many say, I’m a professional. I didn’t go to school to learn to sell and they didn’t teach it. It is a common belief that in order to get new clients professionals need to make cold calls and do other activities they find distasteful and uncomfortable. It would be helpful and probably a relief to understand that networking is a different story.

The purpose of a good network is much more than a basis for getting new clients. A network of connections, which has been built over time, is a source for many things, such as career management in general, a resource for information and even valuable friendships. It is not an overnight way to get new clients. It is a support system for the long run.

The main feature of a good network is that it is mutually beneficial.

Did you ever put two people in touch for something helpful to both of them? Did you ever recommend a restaurant to someone? Those are examples of networking.

Despite the way it is commonly done, networking is not about elevator speeches, nor an exchange of business cards in the hope the recipient will become or refer a client. Networking is a sincere interest in learning and understanding the needs of someone else with the purpose of you being able to help them now or in the future with a referral, some information or other helpful gesture. Obviously you hope for reciprocity.

Effective networking assumes you have good communication skills that enable you to listen well and to articulate clearly both what you do and how you can be of service. The ability to describe the client you best serve is basic. However, a conversation which includes talk about hobbies can be much more engaging than one limited to business.

When you get the hang of networking, you will note that it takes place everywhere, not solely in professional and business settings. How surprised I was to find that the owner of the gift store where I was making a purchase was a formerly practicing lawyer who gave me two referrals on the spot when our conversation led us both to reveal our career paths.

The maintenance and nurturing of networking contacts is as vital as making it in the first place. Renewing them through follow-up emails, holiday greetings, sending articles of interest, periodic check-ins, coffee meetings, invitations to play golf, referrals, etc. are all important parts of the picture.

Trade in your negative ideas that networking is a hard sell of you and your services in exchange for the idea that it is the practice of showing genuine interest and generosity to those you meet. Hopefully you will find the process enjoyable and enriching.

About The Author

Dorene Lehavi, Ph.D. is principal of Next Level Business and Professional Coaching. She coaches Professionals and Business Partners. You can get a free sample of her ebook, Stop Doing What You Hate…Start Doing What You Love at http://www.StartDoingWhatYouLove.com. Contact Dr. Lehavi at Dorene@CoachingforYourNextLevel.com or on the web at http://www.CoachingforYourNextLevel.com

dorene@nextlevelpartnership.com

Corporate Holiday Gifts – Good for marketing?

It’s that (Christmas) time of the year again. The first Christmas greeting cards arrive in your mail. Customers or businesses you do work with send you their holiday greetings. Some even send presents to you. Now you feel obligated and often that can be the reason why someone sends you presents or holiday greetings to your business.
Do you work with corporate holiday gifts to keep your customers happy and to grow your business? Are you just sitting tight and don’t do anything at all? Maybe it is time to work out a marketing strategy that includes corporate holiday gifts or at least holiday greetings send to your most important customers. So, what can you do?

1) Email Blast
Send a friendly Christmas greeting (or to be political correct: a holiday greeting) via email to all your customers. Thank them for their patronage and wish them the best for the holidays and for the next year.

2) Snail Mail Holiday Postcards
Everyone loves to get mail. Especially if it is not a bill or an invoice. Sending our Christmas Cards via snail mail is a nice way to thank you customers. You’re probably limited to local or country-wide customers as international postage would expand the cost for postage too much.

3) Corporate Holiday presents
Eventually consider to send small Christmas presents to your most important customers. A nice pen engraved with your company logo, a stress-relieving ball, or other small signs of your appreciation work OK. Having that one big customer that brings you a lot of business? Maybe it is worth it to step up a little bit. A friend of mine once received a box of fresh Salmon delivered out of Alaska to his front door in Europe. Now, that is something he still remembers. Maybe do something similar. How about Omaha Steaks? Or a DVD player?

Start taking notes through-out the year if you meet with clients or talk to them via email, IM, or over the phone. If they mention things they like or dislike it might give you a good hint of what to buy or not to buy for them. By early November you might have a good impression of how to surprise those really important customers. Plan for this early enough to avoid problems and stress when the Christmas season arrives.
Yes, sure – these efforts will cost you a little money, but the marketing effect can be quite lasting. And a good relationship with your customers will ensure that your business continues to thrive – based on an existing customer base.