Internet Marketing Made Simple – Page 23

How To Build a Perception

One of the keys to building a loyal tribe is to make your tribe members feel special. Here’s how…

Create a special name for your members. For example, members of the popular site WeddingBee are referred to as “bees” on the site’s forum.

It seems like simple thing, but psychologically it’s very powerful. If you need proof of this, just look at sports teams. People tend to associate very powerfully with their favorite sports team, going so far as to wear the merchandise and refer to themselves by the team name (e.g., “I’m a Buckeye” or “I’m a Cowboy”). You can help create group cohesiveness and build bonds by giving your tribe members a relevant name too.

Next idea…

Give your tribe special perks. You want your tribe to get benefits that no one else gets. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Give members exclusive discounts. For example, you may offer a 25% discount to the general public on a product, but your tribe members (e.g., subscribers) get a 40% discount.

Another example is that the public doesn’t get any discounts at all, but your tribe members do.

Provide exclusive rewards to members, such as free products or bonuses that the general public can’t access. For example, you might send your list members a valuable freemium from time to time. This item should be something that’s not available anywhere else, as the exclusivity will make it seem more valuable (and your tribe will feel more special).

Offer members access to password-protected areas of your site. Let’s suppose you have a forum set up on your website. You may give the public access to the majority of the forum. However, your tribe will get special access to a private area of the forum, where you share your best information.

Another example is if you have special password-protected posts on your blog. The public will see most of your posts, but occasionally they’ll encounter posts where they can see the title and maybe a teaser, but only tribe members will have the password to access the post.

The key to this strategy is that the public should be able to see that the secret area exists. This will arouse their curiosity, which results in them being more likely to become tribe members too.

Create a private or secret Facebook group. Again, you’ll want to “advertise” this group on your website to help arouse curiosity and to get more people signing up to your list.

Offer a service that’s only available with an invitation from you or another member of your tribe. For example, let’s suppose you create a web-based app (such as a meal planning tool), and give your tribe access. Additional access for others is only available by invitation, which makes current tribe members feel special and powerful, and it creates scarcity and desire in those who aren’t yet members.

Consider sending “membership cards” in the postal mail. Getting something in the mail from an online business is somewhat rare, so tribe members will feel special. Even better is if you include a handwritten thank-you note.

Make members feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves. For example, you might raise money for a relevant charity. What the group does together is more than any individual could have done by themselves, so it helps bond the group.

Now the third component of building a tribe…

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How To Build Platform

The first thing you need to do is build one or more platforms where you can communicate with your tribe. These platforms may include:

A mailing list.
A popular blog.
A social media page.
A forum.
A Facebook group.

Keep these keys in mind:

Owned platforms are better than third-party platforms. This means you should prioritize building platforms you own (e.g., a mailing list, blog, etc.).

The reason is simple – since you own the platform, you get to make full decisions about what you’ll do with your contacts. Even if you’re using a third-party service like an email service provider, these services will let you download your list because you own the list (not them).

Now compare that to a third-party platform like Facebook. You don’t “own” the contacts. Indeed, Facebook even makes you pay in order to reach all your Page followers. There’s no way to transfer these followers to another platform directly (e.g., you can’t download a list and transfer it elsewhere). And if Facebook decides to change their rules, ban you, or anything else… you’re out of luck because the followers don’t belong to you.

Which brings us to the next point…

Prioritize your email list. Not only do you own your list, but it also gives you a way to reach your audience any time you want.

Yes, a blog is good because it’s an owned platform. You can and should build a blog, as it will help you generate traffic, build relationships and close sales.

But here’s the problem: in order to be truly effective, a blog requires people to remember to come back and visit. This means they need to be subscribed to your blog, or they need to follow you on social media where you announce new blog posts, or something similar.

Now, once a reader has been visiting for awhile and really appreciating the quality of your content, they will remember to come back. But getting them to that point is the problem.

And that’s where a mailing list comes in. If you focus on getting people onto your mailing list, you don’t need to worry about them remembering anything. You can contact them at any time to build relationships and promote offers.

Keep in regular contact with your tribe. Think about some of the offline relationships you have, like your best friends. How did that relationship develop?

One big key is that you and your friend interacted on a regular basis. It may have been someplace where you saw this person regularly, such as school, work, church, a hobby group or some other organization. You developed a relationship because you talked on a fairly regular basis and got to know one another.

The same goes for your business tribes. You can’t build a relationship if you’re not interacting with them at least weekly (or perhaps daily, depending on your niche and audience). So, be sure you make it a point to interact regularly.

Stay in touch across platforms. Even though your goal is to focus on building your mailing list, obviously not everyone is going to join your list. That’s why you should put your secondary focus on other platforms (like your blog and Facebook page), and update these regularly as well. That’s because this frequent contact and interaction on other platforms can help persuade a prospect to join your mailing list.

Now the next component of building your tribe…

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How To Use Case Studies

Case studies provide the proof your audience needs to help them make the decision to buy. Follow these steps and tips:

Choose a good subject for your case study. This should be someone who’s willing to follow-through and complete the case study. This person should also be part of your target market. For example, if your target market mainly consists of middle-age women who’ve yo-yo dieted throughout their lives and now struggle to lose any weight at all, then that’s who should be doing your case study.

Provide lots of “before” data and measurements. You want to provide measurable results, so show your audience where your case study subject started.

For example, if you were doing a weight-loss case study, then you’d offer baseline data such as starting weight, measurements for the arms, legs, bust and waist, and information about the subject’s current diet and exercise.

Offer a live case study whenever possible. For example, do a short case study during a live webinar. Or provide frequent updates on social media, blog or newsletter. This makes your platform more “sticky,” as people will subscribe or visit frequently just to see the next installment. (Naturally, you should be sure the case study will end favorably if you pursue this strategy.)

Show proof that the product or strategy works. Again, provide plenty of data, pics, videos and other proof of how the product or strategy delivered results for the subject.

For example, if this is a traffic case-study, then provide screen shots of traffic logs (preferably multiple screenshots that show how traffic changed during the course of the entire case study). You might also provide screenshots that demonstrate whether this traffic resulted in new subscribers or sales.

Bottom line…

You can use coupons, contests and case studies to jump start your sales. If you really want to see good results, then use all three of these tools together!

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How To Use Contests

There are two types of contests you can use to energize sales:

Contests for affiliates.

This gets affiliates promoting and your market buzzing (due to the large number of people promoting the offer).

For example, you might hold an affiliate contest in conjunction with a product launch. You’d give prizes to the top five or so affiliates who produced the most sales. You might also give random-draw prizes away, where any affiliate who produced at least one sale is eligible to win. (This encourages even your smaller affiliates to promote.)

Contests for prospects.

These contests build your list and also get your market buzzing (depending on what type of contest you run).

For example, you might run a contest where prospects need to write a short essay or create a video that explains what they would do if they won the product.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Contest Around Your Goals.

Decide what you’d like to achieve (such as build a list, grow your social media platforms or generate sales), and then create a contest that supports that goal.

TIP: If your goal is to jump start sales, then run an affiliate contest and prospect contest simultaneously.

Step 2: Choose Suitable Prizes.

Prizes for prospect contests should include your own products (not cash). That way you’ll attract a targeted audience.

Prizes for affiliates should be cash or other really attractive prizes (such as Amazon gift certificates). You don’t want to offer something too specific like a gadget, because if someone already has the item then they probably won’t bother promoting.

Step 3: Craft Your Contest Rules.

Consult with an attorney as necessary to be sure your contest is lawful where you live.

Step 4: Consider Your Timeline.

Be sure your contest is short enough to create urgency, yet long enough to get buzz going in the niche. A good guideline is to run a contest for one week.

Step 5: Capture Prospects on a Mailing list.

Then be sure to follow up with them after the contest ends to boost sales.

Take note: if you want a random-draw contest to go viral AND you want to build your mailing list effortlessly at the same time, then you may consider using a tool like Rafflecopter.com. This is a tool that helps you run viral contests by giving your contestants a chance to win by joining your list, and extra entries (chances to win) if they complete other tasks such as posting about your contest on their social media platforms.

TIP: Offer everyone who didn’t win the contest a consolation prize such as a limited-time discount coupon on your most popular products.

Now the third method for jump starting sales…

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How To Use Coupons

Limited-time coupons help spur sales. Here are five different types of coupons you can put to use:

Dollar-off discount coupon.

This is one of the most popular types of coupons. E.G., “Get $10 off when you order now!”

Take note that as with all coupons, this type of coupon works better if you put a limit on it. Here are the different types of limits you may impose:

Good for a limited time. The shorter the duration before the coupon expires, the more urgency you create. That’s why you’ll see flash sales that are good for 12-24 hours.

The problem with flash sales is that part of your audience may never even see the coupon before it expires – and these people may have bought if they saw it. That’s why you may consider a coupon with a longer duration, such as two days, three days, or even up to a week.

TIP: If you’re launching a new product, then offering a coupon that expires in a week is a good idea. That’s because people typically need to gather information about a new product and decide if it’s for them. They may not have time to properly make a buying decision if you offer a coupon that expires in 12 hours.

On the other hand, you can offer coupons with short durations (hours or a couple days) on existing products and low-cost products. If a product is low-cost and thus doesn’t require an extensive buying process, the prospect will use the coupon without even giving it much thought. This in turn creates a high conversion for you!

Good for a limited quantity. The idea here is to create a coupon code that only works for X number of customers. What the “x” represents depends on the product and the audience size – ideally, you want something that will sell out in a few days. For example, you might offer $50 off to the first 200 customers.

Note that you may put conditions on your coupon, such as “Get $10 off when you spend at least $20.” Or you may simply offer the coupon for one particular product (e.g., “Buy the Whiz Bang product and get $10 off!”).

Next…

Percentage-off discount coupon.

Instead of offering a specific dollar-off coupon, here you offer percentage off. E.G., “Get 25% off when you order now!”

You can offer this coupon in three ways:

This coupon is only good for a specific product.

This coupon is good for any purchase in your store.

This coupon is good only if buyers spend a certain amount.

Take note that you can make this promo even more effective by offering discount tiers – the more someone buys, the more money they save.

E.G., Buy at least $25 and get 20% off. Buy at least $50 and get 30% off. Buy at least $75 and 40% off.

As with all coupons, this one works best if you create a sense of urgency by installing a rapidly approaching expiration date. (That goes for the rest of the coupons we discuss below.)

Buy one, get one free coupon.

For example: buy one app, get a second one of equal or lesser value for free.

This particular coupon works great on consumables or other products or services a customer will purchase often (including months of membership in a membership site). It also works great for products where the customer may give the product to a friend. And, as mentioned in the example above, you can simply offer a freebie of matching value on any other product in your store.

Buy one, get one at a discount coupon.

This is similar to the previous coupon, except the customer gets a discount on the second product. E.G., “Buy one at full price, get the second one at half off.”

Buy today, get a matching credit on your next purchase.

The idea behind this coupon is to get your customer back into your store to purchase something else in the future.

E.G., “Buy a product worth at least $25, and get a 100% matching credit to use on a future purchase!”

You can use coupons to jumpstart sales on a variety of occasions, including:

Holiday and event sales.
Flash sales.
Product launch sales.
Business grand-opening sales.
Product retirement sales.

Here’s the next idea for jump starting sales…

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How To Implement An Idea

Even the best idea in the world is worthless if you don’t implement it. Use these steps to start turning more of your ideas into a reality…

Draft a detailed plan of exactly how you’ll implement your idea. An idea without an implementation plan is like a ship without a rudder – it will blow whereever the wind takes it. You’ll implement your idea more quickly and easily if you create a detailed plan.

Brainstorm possible obstacles and challenges, and determine how you’ll overcome these challenges. Many people give up on ideas because they expected everything to go smoothly, and they didn’t know what to do when they encountered a problem. That’s why you’ll want to try to foresee challenges and how you’ll overcome them.

Ask experienced people for feedback on your plan, and tweak it as needed. For example, you might ask an experienced person if you can take them to lunch and pick their brain.

Create a schedule with firm deadlines to keep you on track as you implement your idea. A goal is just a wish if it doesn’t have a deadline. That’s why you’ll want to attach deadlines to your plans, and then create a work schedule that will keep you on track to implement your ideas and achieve your goals.

Outsource key tasks in order to produce great results more quickly. The faster you can get your idea off the ground, the sooner you’ll see if you need to tweak it to make it work. That’s why you’ll want to outsource whenever possible.

Remember, coming up with a great idea is only 1/3 of the process. You’ll need to validate and then implement your idea in order to see great results!

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How To Validate An Idea

You’ve got yourself a pretty good idea, but you’re not sure if it’s viable or has profit potential. Walk through these steps to validate your idea…

Do market research to see if similar ideas (both in and outside of your niche) are profitable. If you’re fairly inexperienced with marketing research and product development, then it’s a good idea to pursue ideas that have already proven to be popular.

For example, if you have an idea for an app, see if similar apps are already selling well. The key is to create something that’s better than what’s already on the market by improving on the existing product’s weaknesses. As the saying goes, “build a better mousetrap.”

Need a real-life example of this? Just check how technology gadgets change and improve very rapidly. For example, look at how the smart phone evolved. Every year, companies making phones offer more features (e.g., while touch screens are standard now, it wasn’t all that long ago when they were downright revolutionary).

Create a “lite” version of your product to test the waters. Let’s suppose you want to create an expansive 15-module video training course. This would take a lot of time and money to develop. So, what you do to test the idea is create a one-video overview of the topic. If there is a big demand for this lite version, then you can invest in creating the entire course. (And as a nice bonus, you now have the lite version to use as a lead magnet or tripwire.)

Promote a similar affiliate product to see how your audience responds. If your audience snaps up an affiliate product, then they’ll snap up a similar product that you create too.

Craft a “faux sales letter” that presents your ideas. Then use pay per click marketing to quickly send traffic to test the idea. Note that there is no product yet. Instead, the “order” button should lead to an opt-in page telling people to join the list to be notified when the product is released. You can get a sense of demand based on how many people click your “order” button and join your list.

Gather together a focus group to get feedback on your idea. These people should be a good representation of your target market. Talk to an experienced coach or mentor to see what they think of your idea. Just be sure it’s someone you trust (someone who won’t steal your ideas).

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How To Generate An Idea

Ideas are everywhere, if you know where to look for them. Check out these ways to generate your next big idea:

Brainstorm. Set aside 20 minutes to brainstorm. Even better is if you can brainstorm with a friend or business partner.

The key to a good brainstorming session is to make it a rule that you cannot censor your ideas or judge them as you generate them. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind without judging whether the idea is a good one, viable, etc.

Putting aside judgments during a brainstorming session helps open up your creativity, which in turn can lead you to some surprisingly good ideas.

Ask your audience what they want. Your audience has been thinking about their problems for a while, and they may have some good ideas about how to solve them. That’s why you’ll want to ask them what they want, what features they want to see in a product, how they’d improve existing products on the market, what types of new products they’d like to see, and so on.

Be sure to ask open-ended questions in order to get the best answers. E.G., “What sorts of fitness apps would you like to use? What features would these apps include?”

Use keyword tools. This gives you a way to take a peek inside your audience’s heads, as it tells you what your audience is already searching for.

In order to get the most insightful results, you can search for very broad keywords. For example, searching for something broad like “marketing” or “gardening” will give you a long list of audience searches with those words along with related searches. This will help you discover solutions you’d never thought of before.

TIP: If you want to generate ideas that aren’t in any specific niche, then you’ll want to search for even broader keywords. For example, input words like “how to” and “secrets of” and “get rid of” into a keyword tool, and you’ll get a list of ideas and niches you never even knew existed.

Next…

Pay attention to what others are talking about. This includes reading blogs, blog comments, forums, newsletters, social media groups, industry news, and similar content.

Take note that some platforms (mostly blogs and forums) have keyword or “tag clouds,” which shows you which words come up repeatedly in discussions. This will give you some idea of what topics are most popular in your niche. You can then read these topics to see if you can uncover any fresh ideas for products or services.

Another thing you’ll want to do is read the product reviews in your niche. That’s because customers will sometimes share what they would have liked to have seen in a particular product. You can read these reviews on sites like Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and similar sites. You can also read them on review blogs.

NOTE: Some reviews are written by shills. These shills are either competitors who are trying to make a product look bad, or they’re shills for the product creator (so they’re trying to make a product look good). Point is, take reviews with a grain of salt. Focus on patterns, such as multiple people suggesting that a product would be better if it possessed a certain feature.

Attend niche meetings, expos and other events. This will give you a fresh perspective and ideas for products and services to meet needs.

For example, if you’re appealing to people who own horses, then attend a horse expo in your area. You’ll want to walk around and view all the vendor booths, which may spark some ideas for products. You’ll also want to spend time talking to the attendees.

For example, if you’re sitting next to someone waiting for a demo to start and you see them carrying a product or reviewing literature on a product or service, ask them about their opinion on it. This is an informal way to get more information about how people in your niche view the current solutions.

Here’s another idea…

Become a part of the target market. One way to truly understand your market’s problems, wants and needs is to spend a good amount of time doing exactly what they do, using the products that they’re using, and so on. In other words, become a part of your target market.

For example, if you want to know more about what bodybuilders go through every day and how they feel, then spend a couple months training as a bodybuilder. Eat like they do, train like they do. Soon you’ll understand their problems and frustrations, and you’ll get a better idea of how to solve them.

Now the next step…

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How To Produce High-Quality Work

The third habit of successful people is to use the following steps and ideas for producing high-quality work in less time:

Do productivity “sprints” when you feel like you’re lagging. Set a timer for 20 minutes and challenge yourself to see how much you can accomplish during that time. Don’t worry about quality during the exercise – the point is to get as much done as possible. You can then go back and edit your work later to make it higher quality.

Get an accountability partner to help keep you focused and on track. Be sure this is someone who will call you out if you fail to complete your day’s to-do list.

How often you touch base with your accountability partner depends on how much you need to do and how much motivation you need to get it done. You may be fine with touching base once per week. Or you may want to touch base daily. Either way, the point is to tell your partner your goals for that time period (such as one week), and then touch base at the end of the week to report on your progress.

This works because if you don’t get your to-do list done, you’re going to be embarrassed telling your partner that. You also don’t want to lie to the person.

Delegate and outsource low-value tasks in order to free up your time to focus on high-value tasks. If you’re outsourcing, consider this an investment. That’s because a skilled professional likely can complete a task faster and better than you. In turn, this frees up your time to focus on high-value tasks that you’re good at.

For example, maybe you’re not much of a writer. Perhaps it takes you a long time to create even a simple piece like a blog post, and the end result doesn’t read nearly as smoothly as you’d like. Maybe you’ve even noticed that your content doesn’t get the engagement and results you’re seeking.

The solution: hire a skilled freelance writer to do your blogging for you. You’ll get better results (which means more money in your pocket), which makes it a great investment. But the big thing is that it frees up your time to focus on other ways to grow your business.

Gather your resources and materials ahead of time. You may set aside time at the end of each day to prepare for tomorrow’s tasks. That way, you can jump right in the next day.

For example, if you need to make phone calls tomorrow, then gather all your phone numbers tonight. In the morning you can jump right into calling people (rather than rummaging around looking for numbers).

Produce quantity first and worry about quality later during the editing phase. This applies whether you’re doing productivity sprints or not. In all cases, get the first draft done, and then later edit it.

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For example, if you’re creating a blog post, then write first and edit later. This helps open up your creativity (as you’re not second-guessing and editing yourself as you go). It also makes the whole process go faster. That’s because writing and editing are two different tasks, so it goes faster if you focus on just one of those things at a time. Developing good work habits and routines will help you stay on track with your business goals and start enjoying more success!

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How To Prepare a Workspace

The second habit of highly successful people is to prepare a workspace that lends itself to good productivity. Review these ideas:

Set aside specific blocks on your calendar that are designated work time. That way, you won’t schedule appointments or anything else over these daily blocks of time. Take note that these blocks of time should be treated as seriously as anything else on your calendar (like doctor’s appointments).

Get rid of physical distractions by turning off the TV, your phone, and other similar devices. Better yet, make it difficult to turn them back on. For example, put your phone in a room across the house. That way, you won’t mindlessly pick up your phone and start scrolling, as you’ll need to make a conscious effort to get up and get your phone.

Get rid of online distractions. You may use an app such as GetColdTurkey.com to avoid social media and other distractions. If these sorts of distractions still prove to be too much for you, then whenever possible you may simply disconnect yourself from the internet while you’re working.

Ask friends and family not to interrupt you during your work time (if you work from home). Ask them to treat your work time just the same as if you left for work, in which case they should only interrupt you if absolutely necessary. If you have children, you may need to ask your partner to watch the children during specific times (and return the favor later so that your partner can do what he or she loves too).

Create a comfortable workspace that you love. If you enjoy being at your desk, then you’ll find it easier to stay there and get your work done. This means you may do things like decorate your work space with things you love, such as pictures of your family.

NOTE: While it may seem like a relatively small issue, keep in mind that creating a comfortable workspace also means being sure the physical environment – such as the temperature – is comfortable for you. If you’re working in a room that’s too hot or too cold, your productivity is going to suffer. So, be sure the room is as comfortable as possible in all ways so you can focus on your work.

Here’s the next habit of highly successful people…

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