One of the keys to building a profitable infoproduct business is to create a sales funnel full of offers. That way, you always have another product to sell to new prospects, as well as offers to promote to your existing customers.
This process requires two steps:
Coming up with potential product ideas.
Researching these ideas to ensure they’re profitable.
You can’t even get to the second step if you’re stuck on the first step. And that’s why over the next couple pages we’re going to focus on how to come up with all the potential product ideas you need. Take a look…
Browse Infoproduct Marketplaces
With this method, you come up with product ideas at the same time as you research them. The idea here is to enter your keywords into marketplaces such as Udemy, Amazon and ClickBank to see what’s selling in your niche.
Take note: look at tables of contents and sales letters, as each chapter/section may provide you with a product idea. For example, maybe a dieting book includes a chapter (or even just a subsection within a chapter) on the topic of high intensity interval training. That’s a product idea for you right there, as you can create report or video on this topic.
Next…
Read Product Reviews
While you’re still in the marketplaces (like Amazon), take time to read the product reviews on popular products. Many times, the audience will share ideas of what they would have liked to have seen inside a product, and each of these ideas can then become a potential product idea for you.
Check Out Your Competitors’ Content
Not only should you see what your competitors are selling on their websites, but you’ll also want to check what they’re writing about on their blogs, in their newsletters, and on their social media pages. Don’t forget to also check out their videos (especially on YouTube) as well as their webinars.
Use Keyword Tools
Still another way to generate product ideas is by using keyword tools like WordRecon.com or WordTracker.com. Simply enter in your broad keywords (like “weight loss” or “gardening”), and the tool will return a list of related phrases your market is typing into search engines.
For example, if you’re searching for online marketing, you might discover that people are looking for “tips for picking a niche” – that’s a potential product idea for you.
Check Your Existing Content
If you’ve been working in your niche for a while, then you already have content on your blog, in your newsletter archives, on social media and perhaps elsewhere. It’s time to check your traffic logs, shares and other activity to see what’s popular.
For example, if you have an article with ten tips on your blog, you could expand each of those ten tips to create a new report.
Another idea: think about how you can combine multiple popular pieces of content to create something new. For example, if your traffic generation articles about Facebook advertising, Facebook groups, and creating Facebook pages are all really popular, that may give you an idea to create a definitive guide to generating traffic on Facebook (both free and paid).
See What Your Market is Asking
You can start by checking your own inbox to see what sort of questions people ask you in your niche. If you have a community (such as a forum or blog), take note of what questions come up repeatedly in your audience. The answers to these questions may give you ideas for products.
For example, if people on your dieting blog keep asking you the best way to shake off those last stubborn 10 pounds, that may give you an idea for creating a product just for people who are almost to their weight-loss goal, but having troubles crossing the finish line.
Another way to find out what interests your market is to visit question and answer sites such as Quroa.com, Yahoo! Answers, or even JustAnswer.com. Every niche question you see on these sites may potentially give you an idea for a product.
For example, you may see a gardener asking a question such as, “What is the best way to get rid of tomato worms?” This simple question can give you multiple product ideas, including:
A report on how to get rid of tomato worms.
A video designed to help people identify common garden pests and how to get rid of them.
A “recipe book” full of organic gardening sprays that gardeners can use to get rid of various pests.
Point is, don’t limit yourself to just the exact idea you see in the question. Do some brainstorming off the original question, and you’re bound to come up with some additional great ideas!
Now the next tip…
Ask Your Market
Another way to come up with potential product ideas is to simply ask your market. This doesn’t have to be a formal survey (though it can be, if that’s what you’d like to do). Instead, you can just post on your blog, on your social media pages, and even in your newsletter asking people what they want.
The key here is to ask open-ended questions (no multiple choice) in order to get as many ideas as possible.
E.G.,
“What is your biggest challenge [in the niche]?”
What [niche] topic would you like to learn more about?
If you walk through all these steps, you should be able to come up with dozens of potential product ideas. As an added bonus, you can use these same methods to brainstorm up ideas for content to write about in your newsletter! In both cases, be sure to research your product ideas to ensure your audience wants them.
That’s it for this time. I’ll see you in the next issue!
One really good way to drive traffic to your lead page is by guest blogging on highly related websites. For example, you can offer “Part 1” of an article on the blog, and then in your article byline you can encourage people to get “Part 2” of the article (or an expanded report or video) by joining your list.
Now the whole key to this strategy depends on creating a blog post that people really want to read. If you can’t get your audience’s attention and it, then they’re never going to even read down far enough to see your links and calls to action.
So, with that in mind, check out these tips for creating guest blog posts that your audience really wants to read…
Complete Your Research
When you’re using guest blogging to drive traffic to your website, there are three types of research you need to complete. Specifically:
Research the prospective guest-blogging opportunity. Make sure you’re publishing on a popular, high-quality blog. If it gets a lot of traffic and the traffic is engaged (e.g., they comment on the content, share it on social media, etc.), then that’s the type of blog that will give your content a good amount of exposure.
Research the blog to see what the owner publishes. Take some time to browse the archives to see what type content the owner seems to like. For example, if the owner likes tips articles with GIFs, then you may consider sharing information in that format too.
Research the audience to see what they like. Finally, be sure to do your regular market research to see what your audience really wants to know about. If people are buying content on a particular topic on sites like ClickBank.com and Amazon.com, then it’s a pretty good bet that they’ll read about that same topic on their favorite blog.
Here’s the next tip…
Create a Fresh Angle
Chances are, you’re sharing information about a topic that others have covered before, right? So, what you need to do is offer this information in a fresh, unique way.
Most writers offer “step-by-step” information. You can do something similar, except create a formula around the step-by-step process. For example, if you’re teaching people how to write a sales letter, you might create a five-step formula around the acronym S.A.L.E.S., where each letter of the acronym corresponds to a step. E.G., Step 1, SHOWCASE Benefits, Step 2, AGITATE the Problem… and so on.
Capture Attention With Your Title
Your article title is one of the most important parts of your article. If the title doesn’t capture attention and arouse interest, then no one is even going to read the rest of your article. That’s why you need to create an intriguing benefit-driven title.
For example: “5 Weight Loss Tips” is a descriptive, but boring title.
Let’s rewrite it to showcase a benefit: “5 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Drop the Fat Fast.”
The key here is to figure out what your audience wants and how that overlaps with what your article is about, and then highlight that benefit in the title. Whenever possible, use powerful words such as: surprising, you, new, amazing, fast, easy, quick, simple, how to, proven, secret, revealed, discover, guaranteed (and similar words).
Choose Simple Yet Bold Graphics
If the blog you hope to publish on includes graphics in articles, then you’ll want to add value by inserting graphics too. Be sure to choose simple, relevant graphics with bold, eye-catching colors.
For example, you might include a picture of a dog in a dog-training article. A cute puppy with a brightly colored ball on a white background is going to be more effective than a picture of multiple dogs on a busy background (as it takes the viewer a few seconds to decipher what all is going on in the picture).
TIP: Be sure to include a benefit-driven caption alongside the graphics, which will help pull skimmers back into your content.
Next…
Create Engaging Content
The last step is to make sure you create content that keeps your reader hooked and reading right to the very end (so that they see your links and call to action). Check out these tips:
Employ a Conversational Tone
No one wants to read a dry, textbook style content. Instead, use a light, friendly, conversational tone. This newsletter is a good example of using a light tone to engage readers. Notice how I don’t use college-level words in this issue, when “everyday” words will do. If your readers need to haul out a dictionary to understand what you’re saying, then you’re going to lose your audience.
Engage Readers on an Emotional Level
People are going to be more willing to keep reading if you engage them emotionally in some way. For example:
Tell a story about someone’s niche mistake or how they overcame a problem. This arouses interest and builds rapport, and perhaps even motivates/inspires readers.
Share a really unique tip, fact, case study, example or other piece of information. If you make the reader say “wow,” you can bet they’ll keep reading.
Arouse curiosity. For example, you may build anticipation in the article introduction to hook readers and keep them reading. E.G., “In just moments you’ll discover a crazy-simple way to create your next infoproduct – it won’t cost you a cent, and you won’t have to create it yourself either! Curious? Read on…”
Next…
Utilize Plenty of White Space
Use short paragraphs and sentences (rather than a wall of text). Again, look at this newsletter as an example of content that’s easy to consume since it’s formatted for easy readability.
The key to making the most of your guest blogging opportunities is to create engaging, high-quality content. If your readers like what they see in the blog article, then you can be sure they’re going to click on over to your lead page. Now let’s switch our attention to Offers…
One of the big keys to growing your list is to offer an enticing lead magnet. If you don’t offer something that’s both valuable and in-demand, no one is going to even bother joining your list.
Many marketers tend to think of reports or ebooks when they think about lead magnets. And while those are often good options, and I include them in this list, they are by no means the only option. Indeed, I encourage you to think about what other types of lead magnets you can provide. People are so used to seeing reports and ebooks as lead magnets, that offering anything else is often a very welcome change.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at 17 different lead magnets you might consider offering, along with examples of each…
Discount Coupon
One of the benefits of offering a deep discount as a lead magnet is that you’re attracting buyers. Tire kickers don’t tend to join a newsletter just to get a coupon. (However, you may be attracting people who only purchase discounted offers – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.)
For example: “Join now to get 50% off [Specific Product]!”
Ebooks/Reports
One of the keys to offering an ebook or report is to avoid calling it an “ebook.” That’s a word that tends to have a low-value connotation. Instead, refer to it as a guide, white paper, special report, blueprint, system, or similar.
E.G., “Download this proven weight-loss system now!”
Videos
Videos tend to have a higher perceived value than regular text content. This is particularly true when you make full use of the video format, such as by demonstrating how to do something (versus a slide-show video or plain talking head video).
For example, you might give dog owners a video that shows them exactly how to teach a dog to sit.
Audios
Audios tend to have a higher perceived value than text. And again, this is particularly true if you offer a lead magnet where having an audio is particularly beneficial. For example, you might use an audio to teach people a foreign language, or to provide a guided meditation.
Membership Sites
You can offer access to a “vault” site, an ongoing monthly membership site, or a fixed-term site. It’s best to offer either a fixed-term membership or ongoing membership, because this gives you an opportunity to deliver ongoing content via email. In turn, this lets you build relationships and promote products.
Webinars
The advantage of a webinar is that you not only have a high-value live event, but you can then offer the recordings.
E.G., “10 Tips for Repairing Your Marriage and Falling in Love All Over Again.”
Courses
The idea here is to offer a multipart course by email, which helps train your prospects to open their emails (and lets you showcase your really good content).
E.G., “The Five-Step System for Crafting Cash-Pulling Sales Letters” (where each step is one “lesson” in this course).
Access to a Group
Here you offer access to a forum or Facebook group, which might include peer support and/or group coaching.
For example, you might offer dieters access to a private Facebook group where you do weekly challenges, offer group-coaching, and let members encourage and support one another.
Apps/Plugins/Software
Here you offer some sort of software to help people accomplish a task faster and easier. One benefit is that the more useful your app is, the more people will use it. In turn, they’ll see your links and calls to action often.
For example, you might offer an app to help runners track their miles/times to determine how well they’re progressing over time.
Worksheets
Here you can help people get clearer about problem, or help them decide what steps to take.
For example, “The Home Buyer’s Worksheet: How Much House Can You REALLY Afford?”
Templates
Here’s another tool to help people get a job done faster and easier, as people just need to fill in the blanks.
E.G., “The Ultimate Sales Letter Template.”
Swipes
Here’s where you provide a list of ideas or other items for inspiration. For example, you might offer a collection of sales letter headlines, which will inspire copywriters and help them come up with their own headlines.
Checklists
Here you offer a set of steps to help people complete a process or achieve a goal.
E.G., “The Career-Builder’s Checklist for Landing the Perfect Job.”
Cheat Sheets
This is a one-page summary that includes as many steps, tips and ideas as possible about a narrow topic.
E.G., “The Facebook Ad Cheat Sheet.”
Planners
Here’s where you teach people how to do something within a specific timeframe.
E.G., “The 30-Day Guide to Starting Your Own Home-Based Business.”
Mind Maps
A mind map is a non-linear way of presenting information, which some people find to be more useful than a typical list of steps. This works best for multistep or complex processes.
E.G., “The Home Seller’s Mind Map.”
Process Maps
This is a map that leads people through a step-by-step process, including what to do at different decision points.
E.G., “How to Decide Whether to Outsource.”
Gear Lists
Here you provide a list of gear or resources that someone in the niche might need.
E.G., “The Definitive Gear List for Membership Marketers.”
As you can see, there are many different types of lead magnets you can use to build your list. As always, do your research to find out what your audience wants, and then create a high-quality product that’s irresistible to your target market.
If you’ve looked around your niche, you’ve probably noticed that there is an awful lot of free content floating around. In fact, people are giving away for free the exact types of content that you want to sell. Which begs the question, how do you create content that people pay for when they can get it elsewhere for free?
The answer, quite simply, is to offer something that no one else in your niche offers. That’s what you’re about to find out how to do inside these five surefire methods for creating content your customers will happily pay for…
One of the best ways to create unique content that people will happily pay for is to personalize this content with your own experiences, case studies, examples, personal stories and so on. Even if someone else includes a case study or their personal experience in their content, it will be completely different than the ones you’re sharing – thus your content stands out as unique.
For example, let’s suppose you’re teaching people how to lose weight. Instead of just offering a step-by-step guide, tell the story of how, exactly, you personally lost 45 pounds and kept it off. Within your story, you can provide the steps that the reader needs to take in order to achieve similar results.
Create Unique Formulas
A second way to create something that customers will really value is to develop unique formulas and systems around how-to processes. So, instead of merely saying “Step 1 do this, Step 2 do that,” you create a related acronym where each letter corresponds to a step of the process.
For example, let’s suppose you’re creating a guide that shows people how to restore the upholstery of a classic car. If you can create a seven-step guide, then you can create those steps around the word R.E.S.T.O.R.E.
E.G., Step 1 (the “R”) might be “Remove the Existing Upholstery.” Step 2 (the “E”) might be “Evaluate the Seat Condition.” And you’d continue on with the rest of the letters in the word “restore” to complete your seven-step process.
Are there other people who will have similar guides out? Sure. But you’ll be the only one with a memorable and unique “formula” or “system” built around an acronym, which makes your content more valuable.
Next…
Solve a Specific Problem
This is actually a two-step process:
#1: Establish yourself as an expert for a very specific problem in your niche.
#2: Create paid content solving that specific problem.
Once again, there are a lot of people in your niche who are putting out similar content. But if you can establish yourself as the “go to” guy or gal for a specific problem, then people will happily pay for your expertise.
For example, maybe you sell dog-training information. You might take one specific problem or issue – such as fear aggression – and establish yourself as the expert. If you want to carve out a smaller niche, you might even address fear aggression in small breeds. Smaller yet in order to really stand out from the competition? Try fear aggression in Pomeranians.
You then put out a lot of content on that specific issue in order to establish your expertise. You brand yourself based around that issue. You develop top-of-mind awareness on the issue, so that you become the go-to person in your niche for that specific issue.
Part of this process involves blanketing your niche with content, which includes:
Blogging.
Guest blogging.
Developing a strong presence on social media.
Creating videos and podcasts on the topic.
Publishing lead magnets.
Contributing to Facebook group discussions.
Co-authoring content with other experts, which further establishes your expertise.
And similar. When someone searches for the specific problem in your niche, your name will start to show up repeatedly. And in time, you’ll become THE expert on the topic. When you then put out a paid product on that same topic, buyers will flock to it because they know you’re the top expert in the field!
Here’s the next idea…
Add Value to the Content
Most everyone publishes how-to information. You can add value to your content by also providing the tools people need to make a process faster, easier, and/or better. These tools may take the form of one or more of the following:
Checklists.
Worksheets.
Cheat sheets.
Templates.
Swipes.
Planners/calendars.
Recipes.
Gear lists.
And similar.
For example, if you’re creating a resume-writing course, then you might offer tools such as resume template, a cover letter template, and a list of “power words” to include in the documents.
And finally…
Create Engaging, Readable Content
You can have some of the most useful content in the world, but people won’t even get around to reading it if the text is boring, poorly written and/or difficult to read. That’s why you want to be sure to create engaging, readable content. People value this sort of content more highly, meaning they’ll also be willing to pay for it.
To that end, keep these tips in mind:
Use simple language. Don’t try to impress anyone with big words or convoluted sentences, as that will make your content harder to read.
Make sure there is plenty of white space. For example, turn lists of items in a paragraph into a bulleted list, which makes it easier to read.
Engage readers with relevant stories. If you can engage their emotions and imagination with a story, you’ll keep them reading to the end.
Use curiosity to keep people reading. E.G., “In just a moment you’ll discover a writing device that virtually guarantees your readers will hang on your every word!”
Utilize a friendly, conversational tone. If it helps, imagine you’re writing to a good friend.
It’s unlikely that you’re going to be able to create a product on a topic that no one has ever talked about before. In fact, you’re likely to find that not only are there a lot of paid products on the topic you want to write about, but there is a lot of free content available too. Don’t let this discourage you. People will happily pay for your content if they can easily see some advantage in doing so – and if you apply the five ideas you just learned about, you’ll provide that advantage and get more people happy to pay for your content!
Go ahead and put all these ideas into action. Meanwhile, keep an eye on your inbox for the next issue of “Three to Thrive!”
One big key to building your business is to create plenty of compelling content. This includes free content (such as blog posts and lead magnets) as well as paid content (including courses, reports, videos and more).
Now here’s where a lot of marketers make a mistake: they attach weak titles to their content. In turn, they’re not getting the clicks and reads (or in the case of paid content, they’re not getting the sales).
See, everyone knows you need to create compelling titles to get the clicks. It’s not a secret. But very few (VERY few) actually get this right.
Here’s the secret: you need to start a title swipe file collection, and then use these titles as models and inspiration for your own titles.
Let’s use my newsletter title as an example: “How to Create A Monthly Newsletter That Your Subscribers Can’t Wait to Read.”
Now let’s take this title and use it to create titles in other niches:
“How to Start A Weekly Group Run That People Can’t Wait to Join”
“How to Knit a Sweater That You Can’t Wait to Wear”
How to Throw a French-Themed Dinner Party That Your Guests Can’t Wait to Attend”
“How to Create a Homemade Board Game that Your Family Can’t Wait to Play”
How to Write a Romantic Novel That Your Fans Can’t Wait to Read”
No one would ever know that those five examples titles were based on the original title. They use the same structure/format as the original title, but they do so in an entirely different context. Likewise, when you use swipes from different niches, you’ll be able to create clever, compelling and unique titles.
Let me give you another example. There’s a classic headline that goes like this: “How a New Discovery Made a Plain Girl Beautiful.” Let’s adapt that to a couple different niches:
“How a New Discovery Turned My Slow Metabolism Into a Fat-Blasting Furnace”
“How a New Discovery Made a Stubborn Dog Into the World’s Best-Trained Houseguest”
Now another example with a classic title: “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Let’s swipe it and use it to create titles in other niches:
“How to Feel Great and Look 10 Years Younger”
“How to Extend Your Drive and Shave Strokes Off Your Golf Game”
One more example: “Are You Making These Cooking Mistakes?” Let’s adapt:
“Are You Making These Dieting Mistakes?”
“Are You Making These Housetraining Mistakes?”
Once again, you can see how no one would know the titles are derivatives of the original, as they’re used in a completely different context.
Point is, it’s easy to take just about any title in any niche and use it to create something compelling for your niche. But the question is, how and where do you find these titles? Check out these ideas:
Check Your Inbox
Both your regular email and your spam folder and chockfull of titles. If you don’t have enough flowing in, then subscribe to popular newsletters across a variety of niches. You can then swipe any titles that grab your interest.
Do a Google Search
Your first step is to search for headline swipe files. Plenty of people have compiled them, and many of them are free.
Your second step is to run a search for a variety of niche keywords, and then read the titles of the search results. Swipe any that grab your attention.
Note: as always, you can do this step in your own niche as well as other niches. For example, if you’re in an online marketing niche, you might check out everything from marketing to weight loss to golf niches.
Read Popular Blogs
Once again, the key here is to scan titles on blogs both inside your niche as well as outside. For example, if you’re in a dog niche, you might search for copywriting blogs (which are sure to have plenty of awesome examples). And as always, you can scan dog blogs too to pull out catchy titles.
Scan Social Media Pages
Be sure to follow popular social media pages. These could be pages in your niche, popular pages outside your niche, or even news sites. The advantage of pulling titles from social media is that you’ll get some idea of how effective the title is based on how many likes, views, shares and comments the content gets.
Here are the top social sites to scan:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Here’s the next idea…
Search Viral Sites
Some sites curate viral content and attach new titles to them, which makes them good places to go for swipes. One such place is Upworthy.com.
Browse Marketplaces
Don’t forget to look at paid products for title swipes. For example, you can search for niche keywords on sites like ClickBank.com and Amazon.com. Or you can simply browse Amazon’s bestsellers in nonfiction to gather plenty of ideas.
Flip Through Magazines
Still another way to get ideas is to flip through magazines at the newsstand. Be sure to look at the titles for the articles (especially the articles on the cover), as well as the headlines for the paid ads inside the magazine.
You just discovered how to build a swipe file, and then how to use this swipe file to create your own compelling and clever titles for your content.
Now here’s one important key: be sure your titles match your content. As soon as people start reading the content, they should get some sort of elaboration on the title, and by the time they’re done they should have a payoff (meaning the title delivered on its promise). If you fail to do this, you’re going to end up with angry readers who’ll simply click away whenever they see your name.
So, your next step is to start your swipe file. Go ahead and create a folder on your computer and start collecting compelling titles. Yes, you can swipe my titles too (provided you use them in different niches/contexts). J
So, with that in mind, let’s jump right into the first key, as you learn how to create a monthly newsletter that your subscribes can’t wait to read. In order to do this, you need to do three things:
Create an exciting title and theme.
Generate compelling headlines and content that delivers.
Make your content visually appealing and easy to read.
Let’s look at each of these three in more detail…
Create an Exciting Title and Theme
Seems like everyone and their brother has a mailing list, which means you won’t get a lot of sign ups if you have a “run of the mill” newsletter. For example, if you tell people to “sign up to learn how to train your dog” that’s not very original. You won’t stand out. And people aren’t going to hand over their precious email addresses for something they’re probably already getting elsewhere.
Instead, you need to create a unique theme and title that catches people attention, gets you standing out from your competitors, and makes people want to join.
How?
One really good way to do this is by creating some sort of proprietary formula or system that you promise to share within your newsletter.
Let’s take the example of the very popular P90x workout system. Their fat-loss system was pretty much the same as everyone else’s. However, what set them apart is that they gave a fresh name to their system: they called it the Science of Muscle Confusion™.
No one else in the industry was using that exact name, which made the workout system stand out and get a lot of attention (even from notable figures such as Michelle Obama and Sheryl Crow). While that’s an example of how they named a program, it’s a great illustration of how you can name your newsletter.
I’ve done the same thing with my own newsletter (as well as courses and other content). For example, you’ll see that I often develop a system around an acronym (such as my S.P.E.N.D. more system, which teaches marketers how to get their customers to spend more money with them).
Another way to develop something that stands out is to combine two associated words. For example, my “Earncome” site is a combination of “Earn” and “Income.” Likewise, my “Businessentials” course is a combination of “Business” and “Essentials.’
Finally, you can use alliteration to stand out. This newsletter you’re reading now is an example (Three to Thrive). And as with all of these examples, the name matches the focused theme. Instead of talking about everything related to online marketing, this newsletter focuses on the three keys your business needs to thrive.
One final note: once you select your title and theme, then be sure to include this information on your opt-in page. You’ll also want to set expectations on this page, by letting people know what sort of content they’ll get and how often. E.G., “Each week you’ll get a fresh newsletter teaching you how to [get some good result], plus I’ll share with you my favorite resources for [making this process quicker/easier/faster!”
Now the next point…
Generate Compelling Headlines and Content
Your awesome theme and newsletter title compelled people to sign up. Now your next challenge is to get them to open and read your content. You do this by creating compelling headlines (AKA subject lines) followed by content that delivers on those headlines.
Here’s the key: don’t create click-bait titles that don’t match the content. This will disappoint and even upset subscribers, who will stop reading your newsletter and likely unsubscribe.
Instead, create intriguing titles, and then be sure your content creates a payoff.
For example, a title might be something like, “The weird fat-loss trick you’ve never heard of before…”
When readers open up and read the newsletter, they indeed better be reading something that they’ve never heard about before.
Let’s suppose the “trick” isn’t entirely new. In that case, your title might be something like this: “The weird fat-loss trick that really works…”
If your content then shares a trick that is a little “weird” (maybe something not commonly used), but it’s proven to work, then you’ve got good content that matches a compelling title.
You can take this tip and put it to work for you ASAP. Take note that we’ll be talking about how to create compelling content in length in future issues of this newsletter.
So, let’s move on and look at the third key to creating a newsletter people want to read…
Make Visually Appealing Content
The third key to creating a newsletter that your subscribers really want to read is to create visually enjoyable content. Here are tips for doing this:
Utilize White Space
Use short paragraphs, bulleted lists and similar elements to create more white space in your newsletter. This makes it visually appealing and easier to read.
Insert Graphics
Good graphics break up content, which makes it easier to read. They also add value to your content and make it more visually appealing.
Use a Polished Layout/Design
Don’t just send out a plain-text newsletter. Instead, use a responsive layout and HTML to create something that’s visually appealing. Many email service providers offer free templates so you can do this quickly and easily, no tech experience required.
If you’re looking to create a newsletter that people really want to read (and what marketer doesn’t?), then you need to implement the three keys you just learned about. Namely:
Create an exciting title and theme for your newsletter.
Generate compelling headlines and content that delivers on your headlines.
Make your content visually appealing and easy to read.
If you do these three things, you’ll be well on your way to building a responsive list of eager readers who open (and read!) everything you send them!
If you’ve read the other Trafficome guides, then one thing you’ve seen me say multiple times is that you need to test, track and optimize your ads and traffic campaigns for maximum conversions. Now inside this guide you’re going to learn how to do the testing and how to polish your copy for better results.
2. 4 Ad Copy Factors to Test to Get Better Results
You don’t want to purchase a big ad buy until you’re sure your ad is going to get good results. To that end, test the following:
The Headline
This is the most important part of your ad since it’s what gets the viewer’s attention, so a small tweak to the headline can have big impacts on your conversion rates. Be sure to showcase your biggest benefit in the headline.
The Call to Action
Be specific with your call to action. Instead of something generic such as “click here,” include a benefit (e.g., “Click here to claim your free weight-loss report!”).
The Graphics
If you’re placing an ad that includes graphics, then be sure to test different types of graphics. Also, be sure your graphics are oriented towards the text of your ad. For example, if a smiling person is looking to the side, then that’s where your ad copy should be located.
The Benefits
Your body copy should outline the offer and its main benefits. Remember though that the ad’s job isn’t to sell the product. Instead, its job is to get people interested in enough to click on your link.
3. How to Refine Your Ad Campaigns
In addition to the ad copy as detailed above, here are the other factors you should test to refine your ad campaigns:
Test the venue. For example, is there a certain niche site that delivers a far better response than other niche sites?
Test placement. If you have the option of where your ad will appear on a website or inside a newsletter, then test and track different locations/positions.
Test keywords. If you’re using pay per click marketing, be sure to test different keywords.
Test the audience demographics. If you have the ability to choose your audience (e.g., using Facebook ads), then test different demographics, interests and behaviors to see which segment of your audience responds the best.
TIP: You can and should write different ads for different segments of your market. Be sure to test and refine your ad copy as well.
Test timing. What day of the week is best when it comes to your audience response? What time of the day?
Here’s the next tip…
4. Placing Offline Ads? Do This
You need to track your offline ads just as you track your online ads. To that end, be sure to use unique URLs or unique coupon codes in your ads so you can track response. Be sure these codes or URLs are similar enough that they’re not what is causing changes to your conversion rate.
E.G., if you use coupon code AMAZINGDEAL in one ad, and in another ad you use coupon code OFFER in order to track your ads, chances are you’ll skew results towards the AMAZINGDEAL coupon code.
5. The Testing and Tracking Campaign Checklists
Use this mini checklist to set up your testing and tracking campaigns:
Decide which variable to test.
Design a test where you hold ALL other variables constant.
Determine what testing tool you’ll use to track results.
Develop your two versions of the campaign (with the ONLY difference being the variable you’re testing).
Don’t stop the test too early – keep going until you can state your results with confidence.
Design a new test where you put your last test’s winner against another version.
Next…
6. Optimize Your Landing Pages
Another big component that will affect your conversions is whether you have a high-response landing page (such as a sales page, registration page, or opt-in page). To that end, do the following:
Be Sure Your Page is User-Friendly
It should be responsive and easy to access. Don’t put hoops between the user and the page’s goal, such as extra steps in the checkout process.
Create a Polished Design
Not only should your site function well, it should also look really good too. Aim for a simple yet professional design that reflects your brand.
Refine the Sales Copy
Track and test your headlines, bulleted list of benefits, the way you position your offer, and your call to action.
Which brings us to the next point…
7. 3 Simple Tricks for Creating a More Powerful CTA
Your call to action (CTA) has a relatively big impact on conversions, so be sure to put these tips to use:
Insert Your CTA Above the Fold
You may have multiple CTA buttons, but be sure at least one of them appears near the top of the page (above the fold).
Use a Color That Stands Out
In other words, don’t make your button the exact same hue as the other colors on the page. You want to make it “pop” by using a color that clearly stands out from the rest of the page.
Utilize Specific Copy
For example, don’t use a generic label like “sign up.” Instead, use copy for the CTA that tells people what will happen when they take action. E.G., “Watch Video” or “Get Started On the Path to a Leaner You.”
8. Give People a Good Reason to Act Now
Another factor that’s going to affect your conversions is whether you give people a good reason to act now.
For example:
Watch this video now for free before we starting charging for it…
Your choice: you can do nothing, and wake up tomorrow with the same traffic numbers. Or you can download this guide to discover the secrets of getting all the traffic you need for free!
Become a charter member today – and do it now, while you can still get a 50% discount!
Only 38 seats remain, so register for this webinar now before all the seats are gone!
Spend extra time brainstorming and then testing benefit-driven, curiosity-arousing headlines and titles on all your content, because it will make a big difference with your conversion rates. This includes:
Blog articles (including guest blogging).
Email subject lines.
Titles for your products (both free and paid).
Headlines on sales page.
Headlines on lead pages.
Headlines on other landing pages (such as contest registration pages).
Ad headlines.
Here’s the next tip…
10. Showcase Your USP
Your USP (unique selling proposition/point) is what makes your offer different and better than similar offers.
For example, when I (Jimmy D. Brown) teach people how to use PLR content, my USP is that I’m the one who started the entire PLR industry, so I know what I’m talking about. No one else can make that claim, which makes it very powerful.
Whenever possible, your USP should show up on your landing pages and sales pages. As space permits, it can also appear in ads, blog posts, videos, social media content and similar.
11. Focus on Benefits
Your prospect isn’t really interested in you, with the exception that they’re interested in how your qualifications make you the better choice. As such, don’t talk about yourself – instead, talk about the customer, their problems, and the solutions to their problems.
TIP: Here’s a quick way to make sure you’re focusing on the prospect: be sure most of your content refers to “you” rather than using words like “I” or “me.”
Here’s the next tip…
12. The #1 Secret of Connecting With Prospects
Before you write a single word of your ads, blog posts, emails, social media blurbs and other content, the first thing you need to do is profile your audience. The more you know about them, the easier it will be for you to craft content and ads that really resonate with your readers.
To that end, do your market research and surveying to find out the following:
What are your basic audience demographics (age, gender, income, where they live, marital status, etc.)?
Where does this audience get their niche information? (E.G., What blogs do they read? Who do they follow on social media?)
What sort of products/solutions has your market tried?
What do they like about these products?
What do they dislike about these solutions?
What are they looking for in a similar product?
What are their biggest niche challenges?
Here’s the next tip…
13. Boost Conversions With This Essential Tip
In order to move people to take action, you need to connect with them on an emotional level. They need to feel something (positive or negative) when they read your content. To that end, you can tell stories to connect emotionally, get them to feel the pain of their problem, and get them to imagine the joy of the solution.
14. Help People Without Hyping
You’ve no doubt seen your fair share of hyped-up ads and sales letters. And you’ve probably been turned off and even assumed the marketer is lying. Your market feels the same way about hype, which is why you want to avoid it.
Instead, create ads and sales letters that focus on how you can HELP people without hyping the solution.
For example: You’ll discover how to make better food choices so that you lose weight naturally and safely, and keep it off for good.
Compare that to a hyped-up example: Now you too can shred the fat faster than ever and drop three clothing sizes in just two weeks!!
15. Use Multimedia
Many people prefer to watch rather than read ads and content. That’s why you’ll want to test video ads and video sales letters.
TIP: You can provide both text and video content together. The video can provide the in-depth details, while the text highlights the main points. Be sure to avoid mentioning specific parts of the offer, such as pricing or bonuses, in a video sales letter. If you change the offer later, then you’ll have to change the video too. It’s much better to provide these details in the text part of the sales letter, because changing them is quick and easy.
Here’s another tip…
16. Aim for Congruency and Consistency
This is a tip that’s important for all ad writers and content marketers, but it’s especially important if you’re hiring other people to write some of your content. The bottom line is that your ads, articles, landing pages and other content should be congruent and consistent.
For example, when someone clicks from your ad to a landing page, it should be a smooth transition with content written in the same general voice and writing style, sharing the same types of information.
17. Create Engaging Content With Active Language
Whether you’re crafting a short ad or a 2000 word presell blog post, you’ll want to avoid using passive language. Typically, you create passive language by failing to pair an action with a specific person or other subject performing that action. You’ll find that reading passive language is tiresome and tedious, which will turn a lot of readers off and get them clicking away.
For example: “the web conversions can be optimized using these tips” is a very passive phrase. Question is, WHO is optimizing conversions?
Here’s how to rewrite that phrase to be more active and answer the “who?” question: “You’ll optimize conversions using these tips…”
You just discovered tips for optimizing your conversions, including how to test, what to test, and how to polish your sales copy. Your next step is simple: put these tips, tricks and strategies to work for you!
Throughout these Trafficome Guides, we’ve been focusing mainly on online advertising and marketing strategies. However, there are some offline “old school” ways to market your business that are still quite effective. And that’s exactly what you’re going to be learning about in this Offline Marketing Guide. So without further ado, let’s get started…
A press release is a powerful way to market your business, mainly because it doesn’t look like an ad. People read these releases without having their “ad defense shields” up, which creates a warm, open audience. However, this also means your press release cannot in any way look too promotional. To that end, you need to create a press release that shares news. Here are five ideas:
Write about a grand opening or launch. If your business is just launching, write a press release about it. Likewise, if you’re launching a new product, share this news in a press release.
Share news about a sponsorship. For example, if you’re sponsoring a local dog rescue event, share this news in a press release.
Offer tips. For example, if you’re in a gardening niche, you might share timely information about how to prepare a garden for the fall.
Link to current news. Let’s suppose you’re in a dieting niche, and a popular diet drug just got pulled off the market. You can comment on this news and perhaps offer safe weight-loss alternatives.
Share partnership information. If you’re partnering with a big name in your field, write about it.
Next…
2. How to (Softly) Promote Within a Press Release
As mentioned, you can’t create a press release that looks like an ad, or no one will publish it. Instead, what you need to do is softly promote your business. This involves two steps:
Quote yourself in the press release. As you share information, use your full name and business name to position yourself as an expert. E.G., “Expert dog trainer John Doe from Sit-Stay Training offers these tips…”
Insert your link in the last line of your press release. E.G., “To learn more great tips for training your dog, go to yourdomain.com…”
Next…
3. Two Ways to Distribute Your Press Release
There are two main ways to distribute your press release:
Send it directly to media. You can do this yourself, or you can outsource this task to a service that will send your release directly to the media. If you do it yourself, there are places that sell the contact information of media outlets around the country (which saves time so you don’t need to look up the info yourself).
Distribute it using an online service. This is where you place the press release online, and then media goes to these sites to pick up releases in their niche. This isn’t as effective in getting you ink, but the advantage is that you can optimize your release for the search engines and get found by your target market. One such service is PRWeb.com.
Here’s the next tip for offline marketing…
4. Offer Yourself as a Guest Expert for the Media
Your local media and talk radio are always looking for experts on certain topics. That’s why you’ll want to write to the producers of these shows to introduce yourself, explain your qualifications, and present a clip of yourself talking on a niche topic.
For example, you might send your introduction out to the producer of a morning local news talk show. You might even pitch ideas for segments they could do where you could contribute. (Be sure to watch the show several times first so you get an understanding of what types of information and experts they bring onto the show.)
If you do land a guest expert slot, generally you’ll be introduced by your name and company, and you may get a chance to share your web link as well. As always, don’t be aggressively promotional, because this is news (not an ad).
5. Give Local Talks to Organizations
Another way to get in front of your target market is to offer yourself as a guest speaker for a local organization. For example, if you’re serving a gardening market, you can offer yourself as a speaker at a local gardeners’ club. You can promote yourself by creating an informational handout that includes your web link along with a call to action to get more information. (This link can point to your lead page.)
6. Set Up Your Own Local Talks
Still another way to get in front of a local audience is to offer a free workshop. You can rent a hotel conference room for a morning, or you can do a joint venture with a local related retail shop. For example, those in a weight loss niche can swing a deal with a local fitness supplement store to do a free talk in the store (which gives them plenty of foot traffic).
7. Create a Postcard Campaign
The idea here is to send out postcards to your own prospects and customers, if you’ve collected their mailing information. Alternatively, you can buy a targeted list of mailing addresses. Either way, you can use a postcard mailing service to print and ship these postcards. Companies such as VistaPrint.com, Click2Mail.com, and even the USPS.com can help you with this process.
8. Do a Joint Mailing
You’ve seen those envelopes full of offers from different retailers? Now you can do the same thing in your niche. Handpick a few related marketers and ask them to split the cost of a mailing with you. You can do this with one or two others, or a dozen. It all depends on your goals and how much you want to invest in the campaign.
9. Attend a Niche Event
If you live in or near a big city, then you surely can find niche events going on all year long, such as expos and trade shows. You can do three things at these events:
Be a guest speaker or give a demo. You’ll need to contact event organizers to find out how they select speakers. This will give you the most publicity.
Rent a booth at the event. To save money, you can rent a booth with someone else in your niche.
Network at the event. These events are good places to find potential joint venture partners, and networking face-to-face at an event is a good way to build relationships.
10. Give Away Advertising Specialties
Advertising specialties are physical products that have your branding and URL on them. Examples include calendars, pens, mugs, shirts and more. The advantage of these items is that your marketing message stays in front of your audience because they’ll regularly use your branded product.
You can give these items away individually to prospects you meet at your local talks and events. You can mail them to your online subscribers who request them. You can also talk to big event organizers in your niche about including your product inside a swag bag/goodie bag.
To get started, search for “advertising specialties” in Google, and you’ll find dozens of companies that that will create these items for you.
11. Placing Newspaper Ads
Another way to get your message in front of a local audience is by placing a newspaper ad. You can place a display ad in a targeted section of the newspaper, or you can place a classified ad.
TIP: Save money by calling the newspaper to ask about remnant advertising. These are unused ad spots that the newspaper will sell to you at a big discount, sometimes as much as 80% off the list price.
Here’s the next tip…
12. Get Involved in the Community
The idea behind this strategy is to sponsor local charities or other organizations. For example, if you’re in a sports-related niche you might sponsor the local Little League. Or if you’re in a pet niche, you might sponsor a dog rescue event.
There are two ways you benefit from this:
Your business name (and often link) is listed in all promotional materials as a sponsor.
You can send out a press release announcing your sponsorship, which generates free publicity.
Next…
13. Place Ads on Bulletin Boards
This is a bit of a “guerilla advertising” method, but depending on what you’re selling it may work quite well for you. The method simply involves you placing flyers on local bulletin boards. For example, many grocery stores have a bulletin board in their entry way.
TIP: If you have a business of interest to tourists and travelers, then talk to local hotels about getting your flyers or brochures in their lobby, as well as your ad in their “hotel services” book.
Here’s another idea…
14. Purchase Ads in Free Publications
Many times you’ll see free publications (such as niche newspapers) available in the entry way of grocery stores and other retail stores. These publications tend to get a wide distribution since they’re free to consumers. If you can find a publication in your niche, then you can test advertising in these free newspapers and magazines.
15. Look for Creative Ad Opportunities
Time to think outside the box. For example, ever notice that at small cafés they sometimes put down placemats with advertising on them? That’s another venue for you to consider.
TIP: You can pitch these ideas to local restaurants, and then recruit the advertisers. This gives you the opportunity to place a free ad, since the other advertisers will defray the cost of printing the placemats.
Here’s the next idea…
16. Network at Meet Ups
The website MeetUp.com lets anyone find groups of people with a specific interest who meet up offline on a regular basis. If you can’t find a suitable meet up in your niche, then you can create one.
Depending on what you’re selling, you can simply network at these meet ups with potential customers. These meet ups may also be good places to meet potential joint venture partners. For example, you can join an entrepreneur’s club to network with likeminded people.
Another idea is to offer yourself as a guest speaker at these clubs. For example, if you’re serving a fitness market, you might join a fitness meet up and lead a group exercise class. You can then handout flyers with weight loss and exercise tips, along with a call to action to visit your site to get more information.
TIP: It’s a good idea to attend meet ups to get a feel for the group culture before you offer yourself as an expert. That way, you can tailor a talk to match the group’s “vibe” and expectations.
Next…
17. Do Joint Ventures With Brick and Mortar Stores
As mentioned above, you can do a joint venture with a retail shop, where you give a free talk or demo (and the shop gets free foot traffic and publicity for hosting the event). That’s one idea, but there are plenty of other ways to do it.
For example, you can offer a bookstore free bookmarks (with your advertising embedded).
Another example: you can offer a veterinary office a free tips booklet on dog health, which includes both your advertising and the vet’s advertising. The vet will distribute these booklets to their clients and you’ll both get exposure.
One more example: you can provide branded coffee sleeves to a bakery or coffee shop.
For more information on how to land joint ventures, see the Joint Venture Guide.
While your market is really connected and engaged online, they still live in the offline world. And that means you can reach more deeply into your market by using some of the offline advertising methods you just learned about. As always, be sure to test and track your offline campaigns to ensure you’re getting good results before you invest additional resources into it.
Placing a highly targeted paid advertisement can deliver high-quality traffic (and a lot of it, depending on the venue). This makes paid advertising a great place to test and track your ads, products, sales letters and more.
The key to success with this strategy is twofold:
You need to write a compelling ad.
You need to place this ad in a highly targeted location.
We’ll discuss both of these steps across the 17 tips and insights below. Let’s start with tips for crafting a compelling ad…
Whether you’re placing a Facebook ad, pay per click ad, newspaper ad or something else, here’s the main thing to remember: your ad’s #1 job is to get the click.
In other words, you don’t have enough room in your ad to sell the prospect on purchasing a product, joining your list or anything else. Generally, you only have enough room to get someone interested enough to click on your ad (at which point your landing page takes over and sells the offer).
To that end, a good ad should have these components:
A compelling, benefit-driven headline that gets attention.
Body copy that holds attention and increases interest by presenting further benefits.
A call to action that gives people a good reason to click on the ad.
Depending on the venue, you may also have some sort of professional graphics in your ad, which should help make the ad “pop” and get attention.
You’ll learn more about these issues throughout this guide. Which brings us to the next point…
2. 3 Surefire Tips for Creating Compelling Headlines
The headline is the most important part of your ad, which is why you’ll want to put these tips to use:
Focus on Benefits
Your headline should present your offer’s top benefit (or benefits). E.G., “Weight Loss is Easy and Fun When You Know This Secret…”
TIP: The word “secret” also arouses curiosity, which is another important factor to include in headlines whenever possible.
Next…
Be Specific
If you’re sharing any sort of data, be specific and precise. E.G., “How I Lost 33 Pounds” is more credible than a rounded number (e.g., “How I Lost 30 Pounds”).
Speak to the Audience
You might address the audience directly (e.g. “Attention Allergy Sufferers”), or identify them with relevant statements or questions (e.g., “Do your eyes hurt due to allergies?”).
3. How to Build a Swipe File
Need inspiration for your ad headlines, body copy and calls to action? Then start building a swipe file of effective ads. This is where you use other peoples’ sales copy for inspiration (NEVER directly copying).
You can find these swipes in your email inbox, on social media, in sales letters, and in publications. Look both in your niche as well as outside of it for inspiration. You can also purchase swipes files that others have created.
For example, a headline like “Would You Like to Have a Photographic Memory” can easily be adapted for another niche. E.G., “Would You Like to Have a Perfectly Trained Dog?”
4. Crafting Calls to Action That Really Work
Your call to action is where you tell your prospect what to do next and how to do it.
E.G., “Claim Your FREE SEO Consultation – Click Here to Get Started.”
Point is, don’t assume your prospect knows what to do next. For the best response, tell them what you want them to do.
5. 8 Different Types of Paid Advertisements
When you start looking for paid advertising opportunities, you’ll see the following options:
Banner ads or other graphical ads on websites.
Text ads on websites.
Video ads on websites.
Text ads embedded in email newsletters.
Graphical ads in newsletters.
Solo email ads.
Pay per click advertising.
Sponsored content ads (e.g., you sponsor a contest, a blog post, etc.).
Note that ads on websites stand by themselves, or they may rotate with other ads. In the case of rotating ads, you’ll usually pay per impression.
Which ad is right for you? Ideally, you’ll want to test all these different types of ads to see which one gets a good response.
6. What to Look For in an Ad Platform
When it comes time to pick an ad platform, the #1 one thing you want to look for is whether you’re able to get your ad in front of a narrowly targeted market in order to get high-quality traffic.
Let’s suppose you’re selling low-carb dieting plans for women. Advertising this on a general weight loss site means you’re putting the ad in front of people who may not be interested (such as men, or those who don’t want to do low carb).
What to do instead? Seek out targeted platforms, like a weight-loss-for-women site or even a low-carb site.
Likewise, if you’re using something like pay per click marketing, use target longtail keywords (e.g., “low carb diets for women”).
TIP: Yes, you can and should test platforms with wider audiences like the example mentioned above. But the key is to TEST them… and move on if you’re not getting good results.
Next…
7. How to Find Niche Ad Sites
If you plan on testing ads on niche sites, then obviously your first task is to find these sites. Start by checking well-known sites to see if they accept advertising. After that, run a Google search using your niche keywords (e.g., “dog housetraining”) alongside words such as this:
E.G., “Low carb buy advertising” (without the quotes).
8. What to Ask Before Placing an Ad
If you’re posting on a niche site, look for answers to the following questions (and ask the site owner if you don’t see the answers):
It’s best if you place ads on niche sites directly, as generally that will give you direct contact with the owner and provide the lowest rate. However, you can also use an ad broker or ad networks. Here are examples of these types of sites:
As always, be sure to start with small ad buys, and scale up only once you’ve confirmed it’s a high-quality venue.
10. 4 Keys to a Successful PPC Campaign
If you’re using a pay per click platform (such as Google Ads or Microsoft/Bing Ads), then keep these keys in mind:
Use Targeted, Longtail Keywords
High volume keywords look enticing because you can get a lot of traffic, but you’ll want to focus on low-volume longtail keywords, as this will give you higher-quality visitors.
E.G., “tips for housetraining a poodle” is more specific than the general keywords “housetraining.”
Set a Budget
Start with a small budget, and scale up only once you start seeing good results with the platform.
Test and Track Your Ads
The only way to know if your ad is working is to test the keywords as well as the ad itself (headline, body copy and call to action).
Be Sure Your Landing Page is Compelling
When people click on your ad, the page they land on should be congruent with the ad and also compelling. Again, test and track this page to optimize conversions.
Next…
11. The #1 Tip for Getting Better Ad Results
If you’re struggling to get good results with your ad campaigns and traffic strategy, then here’s what to do: hire a professional to create and optimize your campaigns. You can search Google for a freelance copywriter who also does optimization, ask your colleagues for recommended copywriters, or post a project on a freelancing site such as upwork.com.
12. How to Choose an Audience for a Facebook Ad
Yes, your ad copy and graphics are very important when it comes to placing a Facebook ad. However, the biggest advantage of placing an ad on Facebook is that you can choose a very narrow audience.
That’s because Facebook lets you target your audience according to the following characteristics:
Demographics. This includes gender, location, the language the audience speaks, where they live, age and similar demographics.
Interests. Facebook lets you target audiences based on the interest they’ve shown in certain types of Pages, books, movies, apps, etc. For example, if you’re selling copywriting information, then you can target people who’ve shown an interest in copywriting in general, as well as specific things like Joseph Sugarman’s copywriting books.
Behaviors. You can target based on the device someone uses to visit Facebook (such as an iPhone), or on activities such as previously visiting y our website or interacting with your Page.
As always, choose an audience that’s as narrow as possible in order to get the best results. E.G., “Men living in the United States, ages 18-30, who’ve shown an interest in weight lifting/bodybuilding and weight loss.”
13. How to Find Solo Email Opportunities
Here are two ways to find email advertising opportunities.
The first method is to search Google for your niche keywords alongside words like “solo email ads.” E.G., “dog training solo email ads” (without the quotes).
The second method is to search Google for “solo email advertising,” which will turn up sites like 10 Dollar Ads: https://www.10dollarsoloads.com/.
Either way, be sure to do thorough due diligence so that you’re not buying an “ad” that’s actually being spammed to a list.
14. 7 Really Big Sites To Place Your Ads
No matter what niche you’re in, you can probably find a targeted audience on the following sites:
15. Approaching Site Owners to Inquire About Advertising
Even if a website doesn’t directly solicit advertising, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to place an ad. You can approach the site owner directly and ask them if you can purchase ad space. Alternatively, you might suggest swapping ads on your respective sites.
How do you do this sort of joint venture? Check the Joint Venture Guide inside this Trafficome series for more information!
16. Where to Place Offline Ads
While we’ve been mainly talking about online advertising, you can find targeted advertising in offline media too. This includes:
Your local newspaper.
Targeted free publications in your area.
Magazines.
Radio.
TV.
Mailed flyers/postcards.
Some of these may sound expensive, but you may be surprised at how affordable they are. For example, if there is a local talk radio program that’s directly related to your niche, then call the station to inquire about rates.
See the Offline Advertising Guide for more information about marketing your site via offline venues.
17. Optimizing Your Ads
As mentioned multiple times throughout this guide, you need to track and test your ads in order to get good results. See the Optimization Guide for complete information on what tools to use, what exactly to test, and how to optimize your response rates.
Here’s one more tip you won’t find in that guide: keep a close eye on your ads, and re-evaluate from time to time. Paid advertising may seem like a “set it and forget it” proposition, but audiences change and what they respond to changes too.
For example, you may have really good results with an ad for a couple months, perhaps because the ad is so novel that it gets everyone talking. But once it becomes “old news,” you may start getting poor results. That’s why you’ll want to always monitor every campaign on a continuous basis.
Paid advertising can deliver high-quality traffic to your site, but only if you know how to create a good ad and place this ad in the right venues. Use the tips you just learned to start boosting your paid ad results today!
One of the advantages of SEO (search engine optimization) is that it works nicely alongside your other content marketing strategies, such as blogging. In other words, as long as you’re already creating content, you might as well optimize it to attract traffic from the search engines.
Check out these 17 tips and insights for doing exactly that…
In the not-too-distant past, people simply filled their content with keywords, which helped them get found whenever someone inputted those keywords in a search engine. Today that sort of tactic would get you penalized.
In order to optimize your pages for the search engines, you need to understand what they want. Namely, they want to provide a good experience for their visitors. To that end, you need to create your content (and your pages as whole) for your humans FIRST. Secondarily you should do things like include keywords if (and only if) you can do it naturally, without hindering the human’s good experience.
Keep that in mind as you read the rest of these tips…
2. Give Google Fresh Content
One of your priorities should be to publish fresh content regularly (such as weekly), as Google tends to favor newer content over older content (with all else being equal). Publishing frequently also keeps the search engines coming back to your site and crawling it often.
3. Create In-Depth Content
Google prefers long content over short content, which is why you’ll want to regularly publish in-depth articles and other information.
Now here’s the catch: your readers don’t always have the time to go through a 1500-word article. That’s why you’ll want to format your content so that skimmers can quickly get the gist of your article. This means highlighting important text with bolding, headlines, italics, bulleted list, graphical captions, and similar emphasis.
Take this guide as an example: you can skim down the 17 bolded points to get an overall idea of the guide’s highlights.
4. How to Research Your Keywords
Your first step is to determine what sort of words your audience is inputting into the search engines so that you can include these keywords naturally into your web pages.
In order to uncover these keywords, you can use a keyword tool of your choice. Examples include WordTracker.com, MarketSamurai.com, and WordRecon.com.
Aim for longtail keywords. These are keywords that don’t get a lot of volume, but they also don’t have a lot of competition. Even better, they tend to be very targeted.
For example, “weight loss” is very competitive, yet it’s not clear what someone wants. A better keyword would be something like, “weight loss tips for women over 40.” This word is more specific, which generates a higher quality traffic.
5. 7 Places to Insert Your Keywords
Once you know what words to include in your web pages, then insert the only when you can do so naturally. Here are places to include them:
Article title.
Body of the article.
Page title.
The URL.
Meta description for the page.
Alt-text for images.
Navigation menu.
Next…
6. Create Topic Clusters On Your Blog
One search-engine-friendly way to organize the content on your blog is by creating topic clusters. This is where you have an in-depth pillar post on a broad topic (typically a high-volume keyword), and then you create several related articles based on low-volume keywords. You then link these topic clusters together, typically with a “wheel and spoke” linking structure.
For example, if your pillar content is about how to train a puppy, then your subtopics might include how to housetrain a puppy, how to socialize a puppy, how to curb specific problem behaviors (such as inappropriate chewing), various articles on obedience training (e.g., teaching the puppy to “sit”) and so on.
Which brings us to the next point…
7. How and When to Link Internally
Whenever you create topic clusters, you should link the relevant content together. For example, the subtopics should all be linked to the pillar post. In addition, any related subtopics should be linked to each other, where appropriate.
Let’s go back to the puppy training example. If you had a post about teaching a dog “down” (lay down), you might mention that it’s sometimes easier to teach this command from a “sit” position. You can then link to your article on how to teach a puppy to sit.
8. Which SEO Plugin to Install
If you’re using a content management system like WordPress (WP), then have the option of installing a plugin that helps you optimize your site for the search engines. If you run a search for SEO plugins, you’ll find that you have a lot of options.
This plugin will help you analyze your content in terms of readability and SEO so that you can write SEO-friendly text, it will help you create a sitemap, and it helps you with your linking structure. In short, it fine-tunes your WP blog to be as search-engine-friendly as possible.
9. How to Get External Links
Google likes to see other high-quality sites linking to you, because it’s like getting a “vote” from another site. The more “votes” you get from established authority sites, the more favorably Google will rank your pages.
The key to this strategy is to naturally acquire links from high-quality sites. If you get links from low-quality sites, they won’t do anything positive for your rankings. That’s because people used to buy links from link farms and other questionable “bad neighborhoods” online. Now when Google sees this sort of behavior, they ignore the links at best or penalize your site at worst.
So, how do you get high-quality links from established authority sites?
One example: you might create viral content that other sites link to. Or you might do an interview with an authority site in your niche, which results in a link back.
Point is, don’t buy or swap links, as these are going to be low-quality links. Instead, acquire them naturally by focusing on creating unique, high-quality and practical information that your people in your niche are sure to love.
10. Create a Responsive Website
As mentioned earlier, Google’s goal is to give their visitors a really good experience. Since so many people search online using phones, tablets and other devices, part of providing a great experience is to create a mobile-friendly blog. This includes the following:
Install a responsive theme. This is a theme that automatically adjusts to give the visitor the best experience based on the device they’re using. For example, images will adjust to fit the screen, whether that screen is a phone or a big desktop.
Space links out. It’s hard for people on phones and other small devices to tap on a link if that link is near another link. As such, you can make your blog more mobile-friendly by spacing out links so they’re easier to tap.
Here’s a related tip…
11. Design an Accessible Website
Another way to provide a great experience for visitors (and boost your SEO rankings) is to make sure your site is accessible to everyone, including those who are disabled. This includes people with visual, auditory, cognitive and physical (motor) impairments.
For example, people who are blind or have low vision often visit websites using assistive devices such as screen readers. You need to be sure that your website coding is readable and accessible to those using these devices.
Another example: people with motor issues may be unable to use a mouse to navigate your site, so they use their keyboard instead. If they can’t reach every part using only their keyboard, then your site isn’t accessible.
Where to start? Get an accessibility audit so that you know which parts of your site need improvement. Many web development companies offer these audits at low cost or even for free.
12. Be Sure Your Site Loads Quickly
Still another SEO factor is how quickly your site loads. Slowly loading sites tend to get ranked lower in the search engines, which is why you want to optimize your page speed.
Again, a good place to start is by doing page-speed audit. There you’ll be able to uncover issues such as images that aren’t optimized, bloated code that’s slowing down the site, scripts that are running when they shouldn’t be, and similar.
13. Use Minimal Topics/Categories
If you’re like most blog owners, then you may create categories on the fly, as needed. What happens is you end up creating categories that are very similar to each other, meaning that you have many of the same articles appearing in those categories. Problem is, this creates duplicate content when WordPress creates a page listing all topics in a category, and Google doesn’t like duplicate content.
Here’s what to do instead: plan out your categories ahead of time, and be sure they’re not too similar to each other (so that you don’t have the same articles in each category).
For example, a copywriting blog with topic categories of “Sales Triggers” and “Psychological Triggers” are too similar. Pick one and discard the other to avoid duplicate pages.
14. Create a Google-Friendly Linking Structure
Another thing you’ll want to plan is how to create an SEO-friendly linking structure. One way to do this is have your main topic AND the keywords of the subtopic as part of the URL. Like this: YourDomain.com/Main-Topic/Keywords-Subtopic
As you know, you should be linking articles internally to related pages on your site. Another thing you’ll want to do is link to other relevant pages on other peoples’ websites. That’s because linking to relevant, high-quality content provides extra value to your visitors. As you know by now, Google’s goal is to provide a good experience for their searchers, and providing this sort of value is one way to create a good experience and help win Google’s favor. Just be sure to use this strategy sparingly, as you don’t want to send your visitors away to other sites.
16. 3 SEO Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Get (and keep) your good rankings by avoiding these mistakes:
Stuffing Keywords
More is NOT better when it comes to including your keywords in a blog post. In fact, Google will consider this spamming and penalize your page (or site as a whole). That’s why you’ll want to include your keywords in a natural way (i.e., sparingly), one that provides a good experience for readers.
Acquiring Links Quickly
If you get inbound links fast, Google will suspect you’re buying them, swapping them, or acquiring them through other artificial means. Focus on getting links naturally as discussed above.
Hiring a Questionable SEO Company
If an SEO company promises you #1 rankings in a short amount of time, walk away. Chances are, they’re going to get your site ranked for a keyword that no one cares about. If you outsource SEO, give your business to a company whose team is realistic about SEO.
17. Keep Yourself Updated
The SEO landscape is constantly changing, and the average business owner finds it difficult to keep up with these changes. That’s why you’ll want to stay updated and informed by following experts who make it their business to keep abreast of these changes. Here’s one such site: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/.
While it can take time to start getting good results from your search engine optimization efforts, it’s well worth the investment. That’s because your efforts can bring traffic to you for many months (or longer), especially if you work to maintain your rankings. And if you focus on longtail keywords, then you’ll see a lot of high-quality, targeted traffic coming in.
To that end, be sure to put these 17 tips to use ASAP to start bringing Google traffic to your site!