When one raises the topic of internet marketing there are usually a couple of responses. From the technically gifted, they immediately go off onto an elaborate discussion about the nuances and subtleties of the newest software or services. For the rest of us, there is usually a completely different reaction.
“Sure it sounds like something that could help me grow my business and get more new clients, but it sounds far too complicated. I wouldn’t know where to begin.” If you’re an entrepreneur, consultant, coach or small business owner, I’m here to tell you that Internet marketing does not need to be complicated and that when implemented correctly, it can fulfill the promise of making your business life a lot easier.
One of the problems is that Internet marketing covers a wide range of topics, thus it can easily overwhelm anyone who is not immersed in the topic. At a fundamental level, internet marketing is a system for 1) driving traffic to your website 2) capturing data on who is visiting and then 3) automatically communicating with these prospects to build trust, credibility and ultimately motivate them to take action. So let’s begin in the beginning.
We begin by creating some sort of offer or free report that will entice people to give you information about who they are. Although it would seem that free reports have been done to death, the reality is that they still work extremely well. The key is to make sure that your report targets a very specific group of visitors. For example “Time Management” probably won’t elicit much interest. However, “Time Management Techniques For Busy Dental Offices” is likely to stimulate high curiosity among the target audience.
A second key point is to make sure that your report has a compelling title. Remember that people won’t know about how valuable the information is until after they read the report. Thus what will motivate them to request it in the first place, will be the title. One important point to keep in mind is to emphasize the benefits that one will get from reading the report in the title.
The report is made available on a one-page website whose sole purpose for existence is to get people to sign up. This could be a free-standing one page site or just an additional page to your established website. Either is fine. The important point to keep in mind is that the internet is a very fast medium. That’s both good and bad news. The positive aspect is that people can get to your site in the blink of an eye. The bad news is that they can click off your site in the same amount of time. By offering free reports you are slowing down the process and increasing the likelihood that your visitor will remain with you for at least a couple of minutes. That’s why your page should heavily promote your report and not have the “call-to-action” hidden in some obscure part of the page.
Naturally in order for people to get the report they need to give you their contact information. I’ve found after years of testing that just asking for name and email will yield the highest response. By stating on the form that “The information you requested will be sent to the email address you provided” you will eliminate people giving you bogus email addresses just to get your free information. You can also add a page after they have signed up stating that you have additional information that you would like to send them if they provide you with their mailing address and phone number. I’ve found that around 25% of subscribers provide me with this additional information. If you think of internet marketing as following these basic steps you can start to use electronic tools to grow your business without getting overwhelmed.
Granted, doing this all alone by yourself can be frustrating and quite frankly, pretty lonely. If that describes you, this is worth reading and considering.
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