Posted by:
Daniel Levis
June 4, 2008
Issue #432
Dear Web Business Builder,
When it comes to increasing the return you get from your traffic generation investments, targeting is every bit as important as conversion.
There’s no point aiming killer sales copy at people who are ill qualified, uninterested, or otherwise unlikely to respond.
Of course, you never really know what’s going to work unless you try it.
That’s why I love working with Google AdWords. Its low minimum commitments and real time controls make it extremely flexible. Yes, there is a reason this company rakes in billions in profits each year.
There’s nothing like being able to sink just $50 or $100 (or even less) into a new traffic source today, and know by tomorrow whether it’s going to be viable or not.
It’s easy to do with the FREE tools Google gives you. You can track your cost per lead and your cost per sale in real time, and laser target your ads to increase your return on investment.
Here are three different ways to use Google AdWords to attract visitors to your site … and a whole bunch of secrets for targeting your ads more effectively.
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Posted by:
Troy White
May 27, 2008
Issue #426
Fellow Business Builder,
Never before has such foul language proved itself as a major business tool.
By now, I do hope you have heard of Gordon Ramsey, host of “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Hell’s Kitchen”.
If not, I would highly suggest watching the “Kitchen Nightmares” show sometime soon.
First, a WARNING: Thin-skinned folks need not tune in.
If you cannot handle foul language and incredibly abrasive personalities, do not watch Gordon’s show!
He is rude, loud, in-your-face, and LOVES swearing to get his point across (and everything is a point, so pretty well every sentence consists of swear words).
I am not going to go too much into Gordon’s past, but, rest assured, this ex-professional Scottish football player has a list of credentials that is long, and highly admirable.
He is now working on his 25th restaurant and many of them have multiple Michelin stars to their name (the most recognized and influential culinary ratings guide). He has multiple best selling cookbooks, 4 television shows and a DVD series, to name a few.
The story line behind a kitchen nightmare …
Gordon comes into restaurants that are almost ready to close their doors, for any one of multiple different reasons. He has 1 week to turn the business around and make it a success.
He is a no-bull guy and when he starts, there is no stopping him.
Why is this important to you?
Because Gordon’s formula for a 7-day business turnaround is one that each and every one of us should pay close attention to. If you are looking to increase your sales, the ideas below will help you see new ideas you have never thought of before. If you are struggling in your business or cash flow – go through each step below and reconstruct your business from the ground up.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
May 19, 2008
Issue #420
Dear Business-Builder,
They say that the most powerful human desire is NOT for wealth or health or food or even sex. It’s the insatiable desire to change another person’s copy.
“They” may have something there. I don’t know about you; but for me, tearing the living you-know-what out of another writer’s work is just about the most fun I can have with my clothes on.
On the other hand, feeling naked and alone while a hungry pack of copywriters eviscerates your beloved prose may well be the closest thing to hell this side of New Jersey. Or even tax court.
So, last Friday, a client sent three of his in-house copywriters up here to spend a day with my four scribes and yours truly.
Eight copywriters; one room. We had big fun.
Not only that, we learned a lot, too.
It wasn’t like it was a big surprise. I knew they were coming and had asked each of them to write an eight-page sales letter promoting a financial newsletter offered by my client and their boss. And I asked my writers to do the same.
I should also mention that I gave each writer the theme for the headline and opening copy; but the rest was up to them. Oh — and I only gave them one week to do the work … not nearly enough, considering each of them has a full schedule with their regular assignments.
And one more thing: Each writer is at a very different stage of development — from raw noob to seasoned pro.
And lucky for me, each has an open mind and is eager to improve. That’s crucial because for a copywriter, arrogance — the vainglorious assumption that you know all there is about creating winning promotions — is the kiss of death.
Wait — that reminds me of an old joke. Actually, it’s supposed to be a true story of a radio exchange that took place in October 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland between the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and Canadian authorities:
Americans: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.”
Canadians: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the south to avoid collision.”
Americans: “This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert your course!”
Canadians: “No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.”
Americans: “This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second-largest aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels.
“I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.”
Canadians: “This is a lighthouse. Your call."
See what arrogance gets you? You wind up on the rocks; that’s where scotch belongs. For a copywriter, not so much.
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Posted by:
Julie McManus
May 16, 2008
Issue #419
Dear Business Builder,
TGIF my friends and welcome back to In the ‘Net Trenches! Another week bites the dust. I hope you’re headed into a weekend full of fun and relaxation.
In last week’s issue, we talked about my five-step process for researching web sites that …
- Attract your best customer demographic …
- Speak to your prospects’ psychographic interests …
- Command a large volume of traffic …
- Attract direct response buyers …
- Are committed to your success!
This week, we’re going to take a closer look at banner ad sizing and take the mystery out of what you see on web media rate cards.
As I mentioned in previous issues, banner ads can be challenging to make work. But, in my opinion, they are worth the effort to try simply because the traffic potential is huge. If you can make banner ads work for your offers, you’ll quickly be in the money!
So, let’s get to it!
Making the switch from inches to pixels …
In your research of web media, you’ll find that websites offer many different ad sizes … all in pixels. Pixels can be confusing at first, especially if you’re making the switch from buying print media.
But after reading today’s issue, you’ll have a handy dandy little cheat sheet to take along when you start your ad negotiations!
Because today, we’ll take a look at the five most common ad sizes you’ll see on almost every rate card. And, I’ll give you the lowdown on each.
Let’s just start right at the top of the page …
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Posted by:
Julie McManus
May 9, 2008
Issue #414
Dear Business Builder,
Happy Friday and welcome back to In the ‘Net Trenches. In last week’s issue, we discussed an often overlooked opportunity for driving website traffic beyond Google and SEO. It’s paid Web media. We also took a closer look at several different types of paid media available for advertising your wares on the Internet.
Well, from that information, one big question arose. It’s simply the question of “where.” Where are you buying media? What websites are working for you?
Oh, wouldn’t you just like to know …
The inherent problem with the question of “where” is that my “where” may be very different from your “where.” And that’s simply because the products I market and my customers are likely different from your products and customers.
So rather than me taking the easy way out and making this week’s issue one big list of websites, let’s take a little closer look at my research process and see how you might make it work for you.
Web media research can be a painstaking process. It can take a considerable amount of time and testing to find the sites that will work for you. But don’t let that stop you, because once you find a few that work for your offer … finding others like them is as easy as breeding bunny rabbits.
Five steps to finding the sites that can work for you!
Step 1: Let your customer be your guide …
Knowing your customer is hands down the most important piece of information you can have when marketing your products and services online … and offline for that matter.
If you don’t have a clear picture of who your customers are, I suggest you start doing some research immediately. One excellent way to do that is by surveying your existing customers. A great tool for doing e-mail and online surveys can be found at www.surveymonkey.com.
Core survey questions should have to do with customer demographics. Demographics are simply the statistics of a population – age, gender, income level, geographic location, marital status, etc.
Armed with this information, you can then start thinking like your customers and looking for websites they might be likely to visit. A tool I like for researching a website’s demographics is www.quantcast.com. It will also tell you if a site accepts advertising and recommend other sites that have a similar demo to the one you’re researching.
Here’s an example of my demographic – rich, old, white guys that live in the United States, Canada and Europe. So when researching Web media, I think of where my rich, old, white guys might like to hang out – news sites, financial sites, political sites … I’m sure you get the picture.
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