[CFQ] Generating Sales with Articles and Newsletters - May 2 2006
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In This Issue:
~ Generating Sales with Articles and Newsletters
~ Marketing Tip
~ Quote Of The Day
~ Today's Recommended Resource
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Generating Sales with Articles and Newsletters
Everyone who's online today seems to be
interested in selling something, whether
it's a product, a service, or just information
or space for advertising. There's nothing
wrong with that; in many ways, the Internet
is the greatest sales engine ever invented.
What many web designers don't realize is that
it's not the bells and whistles, the fancy
Flash animation, or the great graphics that
draw customers to a website. Instead, it's
all about the content.
The Internet is, first and foremost, a
text-based technology. You read it. You may
look at the pictures, and you may laugh at
the animations, but the things that compel
you to click on them, to wonder what else
is here to inform you, or to purchase an
item are generally the words that are written
on the screen.
Instead of being seduced by the flash and
the bang, consider letting your words do the
talking for once, and generate some sales
with articles.
Using Articles To Interest Customers
One of the best ways to get people to buy
stuff from you is to get them to trust and
like you. And one of the best ways to do
this on the Internet is to write articles
and post them online for your customers to
enjoy and use.
Besides this, once you've written an article,
you have instant recognition. Even if you
didn't write it but actually purchased it
from article broker like
'Your Articles',
buy having your name on an article instantly transforms
you into an expert.
That's not the only secret of the written word.
Large companies like Hewlett-Packard and IBM know
something many small vendors don't: when you get
people to write stuff about you, you're giving
yourself instant sales mojo. When you've written
something, that's nice; but when you've been
written about, that's magic.
So here's a new idea: instead of just exchanging
links with other vendors you have a relationship
with, why not exchange mutually-admiring articles?
You post an article on your website referencing
the other vendor and talking about how well his
or her products work with yours, and they can do
the same. If you write it in all sincerity, and
he does the same, you're both going to drive extra
traffic to each others'sites.
There are dozens of methods like this you can
use to get your customers more interested. One
is using your articles to inform them about a
new product that they may not yet be aware of.
Another is to talk about a nifty item that's
just a slow mover, or to discuss one that is
coming up on a seasonal popularity boost.
Or you can just write plain old informational
articles, being certain to reference items that
you sell on your site.
For instance, if you have a gardening site and
you want to talk about the right way to plant
bulbs, you can set up links inside the article
or as a sidebar to places your reader can go
on your site to order the bulbs, special
measuring tools, or protective cloths for their
newly-planted garden.
Using Newsletters to Sell Your Products
Newsletters are very similar to articles resting
out on your site, with one exception: the
customers on your site are already there and more
likely to be in a mood to buy.
Customers reading your newsletter are those who
showed up months or even years ago, filled out a
form, and have been reading your information ever
since. The trick here is to get them to come to
your website.
Treat newsletters like you'd treat advertising
in a newspaper. Use coupons to push sales. Talk
about special deals on specific products, or
discuss items that can only be purchased on your
website.
Above all, use your newsletter to reference
further information on your website. By pushing
your newsletter readers to your website, you
have taken them one step closer to the "purchase"
button, which is what you really want from them.
And once on your website, they may rediscover
everything they liked enough about it to sign
up for the newsletter to begin with.
Finally, don't be afraid to sell a little
advertising on your newsletter. This will
generate a little more income for you, and
may result in more sales on your site as well
if you're careful to sell the advertising
mostly to vendors who already work with you.
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Marketing Tip:
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Use the phrase "invest in our product" instead
of the words buy or purchase. This makes prospects
feel they're investing in their future if they buy.
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Quote of the Day:
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"All that we send into the lives of
others comes back into our own."
~ Edwin Markham
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~ Today's Recommended Resource
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Power Pause
There Are Only 3 Problems
~ Money,
~ Health
~ Relationships
Now, in Just 3 Minutes, With Only 3 Steps
You Can Solve Your Problems
and Achieve Real Success
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Tools and Resources
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As always, drop by the website for additional tools
and resources to assist in your Internet Marketing
success!
==> ToolBox
Archived newsletters are available on the web site.
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Be sure to check out my recommended resources.
==> Karen Recommends