Using Software to Generate Traffic

First, be clear that none of the links in this article are sponsored links and I do not recommend the products. In fact, I prefer that you do NOT buy them. I am linking to them only for your reference and for the sake of helpful content in this article. Please also notice that I did not give the links valuable anchor text…

It seems like every time a new traffic generation technique comes to light, software is quickly developed to automate the manual process. The software makes it super fast and easy to do what used to be tedious and take valuable time.

Using software to make tasks more efficient is not a questionable task - it is actually preferred. If you disagree, stop using Word Press, Type Pad, Blogger, Front Page, or even Outlook for that matter. The issue is not whether or not using software is ok. Rather, the problem with using software to generate online content is that the resulting product is usually almost unreadable and certainly does not add value for the reader. In effect, using software to generate online content is SPAM.

4 Controversial Methods to Generate Traffic

With the popularity of blogs and forums, it is easy to see why businesses want to be involved in them. And search engine algorithm criteria have been identified that allows for web owners to proactively manage their sites ratings.

1. Blog Automation Software
2. Article Spinning Software
3. Reciprocal Links
4. Traffic Exchange Programs

Blog Automation Software

People are more likely to find you online if you are active. That means you have to post frequently and regularly on your blog, comments on others blogs, and in forum discussions to be successful. This can take hours each day. Blog automation software works in various ways but, basically, it mixes your content, keywords, some ads, and maybe even some videos and posts them to your blog at predetermined intervals.

The advantages of blog automation software (here’s one) are that it is time effective and potentially increases your traffic. The software makes the posts for you, and save hours of valuable time. You can post a generic message and your company contact information on thousands of blog posts with the click of a mouse. The hope is that web surfers will stumble across your blog and then become subscribers.

The main disadvantage to blogging software is that widespread blog posting will probably be considered spam, and you will be ignored. Using blog posting software puts your credibility in question by potential customers because most automated posts are immediately recognizable as unreadable refuge.

Article Spinning Software

Article spinning software takes pre-purchased Private Label Rights (PLR) material and “spins” it into an unrecognizable copy. The program substitutes words with synonyms, so that it does not sound like the same article. Sites that use recycled articles are most often looking for traffic coming from random search hits over regular subscribers. Here’s an example.

Content is king on the internet and article spinning software helps you generate quantity without quality. Successful websites need to have new content on a consistent basis to be attractive to viewers and search engines and some web owners believe focusing on quantity over quality will get the desired results. If you are truly going for numbers and keyword-laden content generation then article spinning software might be for you.

The main benefits of using software to generate articles are that it saves you time and money. Software can generate hundreds of versions of the same article in seconds. This prevents you from having to do it manually, which will cost you hours of your time. If you do not do your own writing, hiring someone else to write original articles will cost you money.

There are huge drawbacks to article spinning. Search engines look negatively upon duplicate content. Spinning technology touts that it can avoid the search engine spiders that are looking for content that is the same as what is already on the web. No one knows for certain what the components are in the search engine algorithms, but most experts agree that duplicate content is a big no-no. Another drawback is that they readability of spun articles is usually not very good. Often the original PLR article was not well-written, so re-writing it further makes it even worse.

Basically, if you want repeat visitors do not use article spinning software.

Reciprocated Links

Reciprocal links are links exchanged between sites that do not usually add value to the readers. These are usually added to the “links” page. I do not have a huge problem with these as there is usually nothing dishonest about them. Reciprocal links are typically clearly labeled as such. I prefer to only links to sites that are related to the originating site. Reciprocal links carry less weight with search engines than they used to but still seem to offer some benefit to a site’s link popularity.

There is a lot of software made to generate and manage reciprocal links. Text linking software (like these) available online will generate reciprocal links and allow you to manage them. I am not opposed to organic reciprocal links but would never recommend reciprocal link software.

Traffic Exchange Programs

Traffic exchanges (here’s one) occur when people view each others’ web pages to get higher traffic counts. There are traffic exchange programs – fee-based and free – that provide a place to connect with other web owners looking for traffic.

Traffic exchange programs coordinate web owners seeking additional traffic (more traffic looks better to search engines). Participants visit others’ sites and receive visits in return based on a pre-determined program plan.

One of the drawbacks to traffic exchanges is that they diminish the meaning of your traffic stats. The page view numbers are not real searchers looking for information or products but are simply visitors whose sole intent is to rack up page views, thus increasing the popularity of the site. People (including me) question if there is a true benefit to traffic exchange programs.

Increasing Traffic Volume is Not the Answer to Sales Lead Woes

If you can increase your lead generation rate from 5% of traffic to 15% of traffic now then all future increases in traffic volume will be more valuable.

Traditional wisdom says that to get more business, you need more traffic. The logic is sound enough and basically true but is based purely on numbers - only accounting for quantity (number of site visits and/or page views) with no no thoughts given to how visitors are treated once they arrive. Having more people come to your site does not necessarily mean you will receive more qualified sales leads.

Do Not Depend on Traffic Alone

Simply getting more people to visit your site should not be your goal. Change the way you think about your site and change your focus. Just for a while, do this:

STOP Asking: “How do I get more people to visit my site?”

START Asking: “How do I sell to more of my current visitors?”

Many sites are excellent at generating traffic but have low lead generation rates and low conversion rates. You cannot just get them in the door, then leave them there.

Once the potential customer is on your site, your work has only just begun. You must create a site that is void of unnecessary content and is focused on a clear message. Then, you must tactfully, graciously, and effectively guide them through your purchasing process. If you do not, they will leave without making a purchase or bookmarking your site for later visits.

Get More Sales Leads from Current Traffic

1. Use Accurate Keywords
   

When designing site menus and writing page content, use keywords that accurately describe your products to your customers. In a small way, what I am saying here is, “don’t try to be everything to everybody.” Define your customers first and write for them. That is, speak to the people you want to buy and they will. Use keywords that describe precisely what they want because those are the keywords that keep their attention on the page and start them thinking, “this place has what I am looking for.” Not only will the correct keywords increase qualified leads but they will often decrease unqualified leads. Using accurate keywords and keywords phrases is beneficial to your SEO efforts as well.

2. Give Value - Lots of Value
   

Give your visitors (potential customers) an attractive, well-designed site that is intuitive and full of unique content. Not only will this get people to link to your site and recommend it but they will bookmark it and think of it as a resource - and you will become the expert and the source. People like buying from experts. Think pdf’s, white pages, images, unique articles, videos, etc.

3. Show ‘Em Fast

Within several seconds of entering your site, your visitors should know exactly what you do, who you are, and how to buy. Much longer than that, and you have lost them. This one requires attention to details and feedback - listen carefully and drop your ego. You will understand what I mean by that statement only after you design and site you think is great only to hear people say, “I don’t understand how to…”

4. Give Contact Opportunities
   

Do not reinvent the sales process. Give multiple contact opportunities on every page with clear calls to action so interested leads know how to become customers.

It’s About What You Give To Those You Receive

Capturing a qualified lead takes a proactive approach on your part. You cannot expect the efforts you have made to increase traffic to carry you through till the end of the sales process. On top of getting visitors to the site, you need to show them want they want and tell them how to get it.

Increasing traffic volume is important and almost always desirable but you will benefit in the long term from emphasizing the importance of your lead generation rate. Again, increase your lead generation rate now so each incremental increase in traffic volume will be more valuable.

Why are many of your qualified sales leads not converting into sales?

Why Leads Do Not Turn Into Customers

Perhaps you are trying to convert the person on the other end of the phone into a customer. Or maybe you run an online business and are trying to turn your browsers into buyers. No matter where your business is conducted – online or offline – the following six points might be some of the hidden reasons why you are not selling as much as you can.

1. You did not ask for the sale

Many sites do not ask for the sale regularly throughout the sales process. People (site visitors) should not have to dig around your site to find out how to buy. Salespeople should understand this concept.  I personally do not like direct methods of asking for the sale (e.g., “Are you ready to sign up?”) and prefer more subtle methods - guiding methods - with suggestions such as, “I only need a credit card to get your order into production.”

2. The leads feel like they are being sold

Many customers turn off as soon as they sense a sales pitch so focus on what you can do to solve each customer’s problem. It sounds “canned” but helping people get what they want is truly, as Zig Ziglar put it, the way to get what you want. Sell benefits over features don’t be afraid to give your company’s qualifications and experience and provide examples of your services or product in action. This is especially true online. 

3. Working with you (or your salespeople or systems or whatever) is too difficult

For offline sales, you need to salespeople and systems that are ready to serve. Knowledgeable salespeople backed by systems and support that help them answer customer concerns, solve customers’ problems, and generally break down barriers are musts to maximize your conversions from leads to customers.

Along the same vein, your e-commerce site needs to lead visitors through the decision and buying process and right through the payment process. If your site does not accept payments online but is meant for generating sales leads, design it to support your salespeople and customers with information that will guide them through the buying process.

Map your online and offline sales processes – and run them by a third party for unbiased feedback. Cut fluff and add features that help make it easier for the potential customer to do business with you. 

4. Your inquiry response time stinks

You need to contact your sales leads as soon as possible (really - ASAP) after receiving an inquiry. The longer they wait to hear from you, the more likely they are to go elsewhere. I cannot stress this enough.  It difficult to reply to customers immediately but there are automated systems that will help you and you should take advantage of them. If nothing else, check your email often (without becoming a slave to it) and respond by phone or email to inquiries as soon as you get them.  You will be amazed at how much sales leads appreciate an exceptionally fast response. Sales leads show appreciate with money.

5. You have not convinced your lead that they need your product or service

That is, you may not have not showed them a solution to their problem. When you contact a lead, customize your response to show them how your business will meet their needs. Clear away the stuff that will not pertain to them and just give them what they need. Keep it short and succinct. If there is not enough information to do this, ask what you need to ask to find out how to help them best. Never be afraid to ask questions. that will help your clients.

6. The lead has a question that has not been answered

Some sales leads have hesitation(s) they may not not be able to put into words.  An example of such a hesitation might be based on a customer’s lack of industry-specific knowledge and his hesitance to display his weaknesses at the bargaining table. These unmentionable questions are tough to learn but through diligent questioning and your dedication to creating solutions for customers you will learn over time what these questions are so listen carefully and respond to them.  Provide information on your website to alleviate concerns as you uncover them and make sure your salespeople are aware of customer concerns and have the knowledge, training, and tools they need to respond to them.

If you have any questions about the above or would like to discuss your lead conversion rates email me at chris@leadoptimize.com.

Hello, Mr. Denny. How is Your Personalized Customer Service?

Have you ever bought something from a salesperson that not only remembered your name, but where you went to college, and that you are an avid hockey fan? This type of personalized customer service feels great and, if handled properly, will drive the repeat business you crave.

Existing Customers Getting More Attention

Personalized customer service occurs in all size companies across all industries. Many companies are now placing more emphasis on establishing a solid relationship with existing customers, rather than trying to get new ones.

Technology and Your Personalized Relationship with Customers

The internet has revolutionized the business/customer relationship. Businesses that are online are capable of providing excellent personalized customer service and building positive customer relationships through regular online communication and immediate responses to customer inquiries.  Salespeople can give regular updates on products that might be of interest to the customer based on their preferences. In addition to generating new business, company websites can also be used to update and inform customers on a regular basis and individual online accounts with passwords allow for personalized content.

Businesses can use technology to store customer preference information in electronic files for future reference and they can find new information through careful online research. Accessing detailed customer information is easy and valuable to companies wanting to build personalized customer relationships. Next to the old fashioned style of sales, which is every bit as important as it has always been, technology is the best means to “know your customers” in detail.

Who is a “Good” Customer?

Philip Harper has written an article called “How to Delight Your Customers: Get Personal”. In his explanation of how to delight your customers, he stresses the importance of identifying the “good” customers.

What makes a customer a “good” customer? Someone who loyally purchases from your company, and understands the benefits associated with your product or service. You do not want to pour expensive resources into disloyal customers that only buy your product when it is on sale, usually buy from your competitors, and when they do buy, consistently complain.

After you know who your good customers are, nurture their loyalty by giving them personalized customer service and paying attention to their requests. Customers appreciate one-on-one service that is not too in-your-face and makes them feel more like they have a friend within the company or “know a guy.”

Optimize Personalized Customer Service

What should a salesperson do to optimize his personalized service efforts?

1.      Maintain a file of customer activity including detailed transaction history, a record of customer contact points, and customer responses to marketing initiatives.

2.      Decide which customers to target based on the analysis of customer activity files.

3.      Use customer targeting tools and zero in on personalized direct marketing by finding ways to start conversations with customers.

4.      Build a personal relationship with customers and develop and maintained them through personal service and initiatives such as loyalty programs, rewards programs, and reactive or proactive customer service programs.

5.      Pay attention to privacy (always important online and off line).

6.      Measure outcomes to test effectiveness. Use profit margins and market share and other such as conversion rates, retention/churn rates, same customer share rates, and customer acquisition costs.

Personalized Purchases

Caring enough about your customers to remember the little details about them will begin to build a relationship. People often have a sense of obligation in a relationship and this business/customer relationship is no different. Be genuine and truly look out for your customers and they will return the favor by personalizing their purchases.

Have you ever carefully researched an item, decided to buy, then could not find out how to buy the company’s product through their website? In frustration, you probably gave up to purchase the product elsewhere. You have just witnessed that company’s biggest sales mistake. Many businesses have flashy websites with all the best marketing but with one major flaw – no clear call to action. I usually call them contact opportunities because you are really giving the customer another opportunity to contact you.

What is the “Call to Action”?

The call to action is defined in its simplest form as “an activity requested of a customer.” The activity can be purchasing a product or service, taking a survey, signing up for a newsletter, or any other desired action.

An interested visitor has read all about your product’s benefits and features, but now what? The call to action tells the visitor about the next step.

Why is the Call to Action Important?

In online marketing, the call to action can make or break your marketing effort. It is your prime opportunity to increase the conversion rate on your site. Having an effective call to action can improve your conversion rates by 25% or more.

Many times, people visit sites with the intention of “just looking”. Virtual window shopping can turn into a purchase through an attractive and effective call to action. A large chunk of visitors want to be sold on something.

10 Tips for Writing the Perfect Call to Action

1. Focus your page’s content by clearly identifying your objective
2. Write your copy in a way that is friendly and conversational
3. Tell people about your product versus trying to sell your product
4. Place a call to action at the top and bottom (and middle) of every page of your site
5. Center the call to action on customer action - that is, tell the customer what to do
6. Make the call to action easy to find and understand
7. Tell the customer what you want so the customer can decide if they want to do business with you
8. Add trust builders such as guarantees and…
9. Consider placing a well-worded testimonial near your call to action
10. Make key action words stand out and easy to use by making them hyperlinks
11. Bonus: Don’t use “click here” as your hyperlink. In fact, don’t use “click here” if possible

Writing Your Call to Action

You can easily write an effective call to action by answering these two basic questions:

• What action do you want your visitor to take?
• What will happen if they do it?

Good Call to Action Examples:

Contact us to enroll.

Call now. Operators are standing by.

Here is a passionate viewpoint as to why “click here” is not an effective call to action in high performance email marketing, written by Stefan Pollard.

Your Call To Action - Ask for the Sale to Improve Conversions

There is a lot of discussion about how to best draw in tire kickers so that they make a purchase and become customers. Studies have proven that you need to ask for the sale – repeatedly – throughout the sales process and it is important to ask tactfully, and in a non-harassing way.

For an in-depth look at web-specific marketing and sales techniques that focus on increasing conversion rates, read “Encourage Sales Conversion & Reader Response through a Clear Call to Action,” by Jeffrey Smith.

Companies world-wide are finding that a business blog is an inexpensive and very effective way to engage, entertain, and communicate with customers and potential customers.  Organizations involved in every product and service, across every industry are using this accessible communication medium.

Business blogs are hot. And, why shouldn’t they be? They are easy to develop, easy to use, easy to manage, and exceptionally effective for communicating with customers (and even vendors and employees) about new products, new services, company goals, and on and on. They are even excellent for creating a relationship with your customers in a personal and interactive way.

Lay Down the Goals

Before beginning a business blog, it is imperative that business drivers first look at the overall goals they wish to achieve with a business blog. Decide them, share them, and communicate them clearly to keep all of the blog creators and writers focused and on track. Here are three common purposes for business blogs:

• Help make the company more visible
• Open a virtual door to show the public what happens behind the scenes
• To provide valuable insight into the industry, which will contribute to the greater good of the field

Six Notable Business Blogs

Business blogs are great because they are a highly effective way to communicate and change the company’s image. Here are six examples of this tool in action:

1. Kodak:

The blog, named “A Thousand Words” is a place where like-minded photography enthusiasts can get together to share personal photos and talk about Kodak’s products and services. The company itself peppers in information about new information, and employees at all levels post about features and other news.

2. Southwest Airlines

Called “Nuts about Southwest”, this site is used as a tool to get information out to the public. It is about their airplanes, airports, employees and customers. They encourage input through customer comments. They also use their blog to gain traffic on other pages within Southwest’s site. For example, a recent photo captioning contest created a buzz on the blog, with lots of cross linking to their contest-dedicated site.

3. Chrysler

Chrysler uses their blog as a marketing/PR tool. Posts are written by the company and are of article quality. The site feels well-planned and conservative, which seems appropriate for the brand. The posts include new commercials, employee volunteer activities, newly designed products, and future industry trends, to name a few.

4. Adobe

The Adobe blog is a great example of how a company blog can be used to explain a regrettable product decision to customers. In this post by Scott Byer, he explains how Adobe will not be releasing an anticipated version of software because its development transfer to Mac was found to be dysfunctional. This is what many users needed to hear, and while it created a lot of angry folks, many also appreciated the honesty. Comments on this post are interesting, and range from thankfulness for the direct and honest approach, to anger over the message.

5. Whole Foods Market

The high-end grocery chain Whole Foods Market has had to put a “temporary hold” on CEO’s John Mackey’s corporate blog. The day before the blog was put on hold; a public apology to stakeholders was made by Chairman, CEO, and co-founder John Mackey for “anonymously participating in online financial message boards.” There is a lot more to the story, including internal investigations, and a FTC complaint about a company merger, and the blog was used as a media outlet for the distribution of information.

6. Technorati

The changing of the ranks, as well as company layoffs, were recently detailed to the public when web indexer Technorati’s CEO Dave Sifry decided to “hand over the reigns” as the CEO of the company, and take the Chairman of the Board seat. Eight staff members were laid off as well, with a description of how difficult the decision was to lay of “valued team members.” That’s an honest business blog.

The 6 deadly sins of corporate blogs

These common mistakes can undo any positive impact made by the blog phenomenon. Be careful and plan it out before jumping on board.

1. Having no human touch
2. Feigning human touch
3. Blogging for the wrong reasons, the “look at me” factor
4. Using the blog as a press release only to announce things
5. Not allowing comments on posts
6. Irregular and rare postings

In a way, these are all related to the most common mistake businesses usually make with their blogs. Businesses commonly have trouble releasing that super-professional edge their websites, brochures, and other literature maintain. Blogs - even business blogs - are not brochures. A business blog is a place where businesses can openly treat customers like people.

If you start or run a business blog, do these things:

• Let a few other people write posts
• Post some funny pictures every now and then
• Talk about how “cool” your new [equipment, software, tool, service, whatever] is.

Read closely. Fake testimonials are legal. False testimonials are illegal.

Did you know there are professional testimonial writers? They take the company’s or product’s most desirable attributes and expertly weave them into a lovely story about how Company XYZ’s product changed their (er, someone’s) life. Chances are the testimonial writer has never used the product or service. Just take a peek on any freelance writing job board and you will see job postings for testimonial and review writers for all types of online businesses. Is this the modern day shill?

In the court cases I found on the FTC site (in PDFs so large you would be mad if I linked you to them) the end decision regarding the legality of a fake testimonial was based on whether or not the fake testimonial accurately depicted the experience of the average customer. That is, they basically asked if the content of the testimonial was false.

Of course this practice is controversial. Is it ethical? Is it even legal? Are there varying degrees of its rightness, or is that just justifying lying to the public?

What are testimonials for, anyway?

Probably one of the oldest sales tools in the book, testimonials are supposed to be first hand accounts of fellow customers that tried the product or service and can vouch for its quality and value.

The ethics of writing fake testimonials or reviews are hazy. Here is a look at both sides of the issue.

For: Why using fake testimonials is OKAY

Of course, a business that uses fake testimonials is using them as marketing content. Fake testimonials are used in different ways. Here are some key points regarding the justification of fake testimonials:

• By editing or supplementing a testimonial, you are making it easier to read.
• You are combining a sampling of common customer comments, succinctly writing the testimonial in a tight quote. Nothing wrong with creatively editing comments, right?
• You are writing a testimonial, and then running it by the customer to save the customer time.
• The reality is, businesses do not publish the bad feedback. So using real positive comments to use as testimonials in advertising is not a realistic look at the overall business anyway.
• Many businesses use fake testimonials as a mean to an end. Using fake personal recommendations when a business is first starting out will hopefully draw in more clients that will then provide real comments, thus eliminating the need for fake testimonials.
• Using testimonials is helpful to a site’s conversion rate. They are confidence builders.

Against: Why using fake testimonials is WRONG

Here are a few alternative viewpoints about why using false testimonials is unethical.

• Potential customers like to see that other people just like them enjoyed a product they are considering purchasing. The problem is that there are so many fakes out there that it takes away from the real ones.
• If your product or service is not good, you cannot fake it for long without the word getting out on the street.
• People are smart. Because there is so much garbage, unless you can prove a reputable speaker is providing the comment, it is likely that the comment will be ignored.
• Many people see fake testimonials as false advertising. If you are found out, your business might be deemed untrustworthy.
• Using made up customer recommendations carries across mediums. We all know about fake testimonials on TV infomercials. Many of us carry that same disdain for fake testimonials into cyberspace.

Tips for successfully using testimonials to sell

1. If you can, give the person’s name and business contact information when publishing a testimonial. Many business owners claim that when they do this, the customer is often contacted by potential customers prior to making a purchase.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask your existing customers for testimonials you can use. You will be surprised to find that your satisfied customers can provide more diversely written testimonials than you could! You can use them to help gain buyer confidence without feeling like you are being less than truthful.
3. Always ask for permission from your customers when soliciting real testimonial comments.
4. The best value in a testimonial comes from one with credibility, from someone with authority and some type of expertise in the industry. Your credibility and conversion rates will most likely go through the roof.
5. Buyers tend to prefer the “product review”, like that used on Amazon and other huge e-commerce sites. There is a feeling of being uncensored, which people want to read over the formulated, staged comments.
6. If you feel strongly against using fake testimonials, consider having a Marketing Code of Ethics within your site that details your commitment to only providing factual information through your marketing efforts.

The Saga Continues…

In conclusion, I’m forgainst it.

There is little-to-no-point to sum this one up. This is one of those debates where the truth will not set you free because you’re going to make up that truth anyway and then you’ll probably write a little blurb from little “Johnny Doe of Wichita” saying how your point of view set him free.

If you want to read on…An ongoing dialogue on this topic is going on right now at Grow Your Own Writing Business. Lillie Ammann’s blog, “A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye” has a lively discussion regarding writing ethics.

Additionally, some interesting academic text on business ethics for the online world.

Generating sales leads online is a process. I have written about closing tactics a few times before and should probably highlight it more often but I don’t want to kill the horse, so to speak.

This post is spurred (I am sticking with the horse metaphor) by a short series of articles from Geoffrey James at BNET about closing rules in which he discusses the process of selling and the various points at which a great salesperson “closes” another component of the sale.

Myth: Every sale has a single, all-important point where the deal closes. Truth: Some extremely simple sales processes have a defined close point, but complex sales processes (i.e. almost all B2B sales) have a series of points where the prospect makes a decision, even if it’s just the decision to let you pitch, rather than pitch you out. According to closing guru Linda Richardson all sales go through four phases, each with its own type of close:

1. Initial. The “close” is moving from a cold-call into the sale cycle.
2. Developmental. The “close” is gathering information to define a solution.
3. Culmination. The “close” is the asking for the next step or for the business.
4. Follow-up. The “close” is ensuring that the relationship goes forward.

Your job is to make certain that all those “closes” take place in a timely manner.

Geoffrey’s discussion is centered around the off line parts of a sale - once the sales lead had been generated - but getting the sales lead online has similar steps. There is not one point at which the lead is “closed.” A website needs to be designed with various “closes” in mind. Sites I design using the Lead Optimize process begin by looking at how people arrive at a particular site or page, how they are engaged in the content, and why they would make the decision to contact you for your service or product.

Removing Barriers

Going further, just like in off line sales, to generate leads you have to remove barriers. For instance, imagine you are on a site with an excellent offer and you are ready to fill out the contact form when your momentum is broken by the offensive length of the form. Or, even worse, let’s say it has a “clear form” button exactly where most sites put their “submit form” button. Will you fill it out again? It better be a good offer.

Generating sales leads online requires a smooth transition from one close to the next. With each close, you should be building positive momentum - drawing the customer further into your process and closer to working with you. Failure to close any part of the process will probably result in the loss of that sales lead. Know your process, know your customers, keep the momentum, and remove all the barriers. Let me know if I can help.

Online newsletters are a highly effective tools that businesses use to communicate with their customers about current news, resources, and other valuable information. They are excellent for promoting new products, selling new ideas, distributing information about changes, and for generating excellent sales leads from the targeted group of readers who signed up for the newsletter.

Ways to Promote Your Newsletter

How can you effectively promote your newsletter to get people to subscribe? Here are 11 newsletter promotion ideas to help you develop a wide readership for your newsletter.

1. First and foremost; write quality content on your site and/or blog and carry that quality into your newsletter. A newsletter should be useful and contain information that your reader will find valuable. Spend time writing good content, and you will have a better chance at maintaining longtime subscribers. Here is a great site that offers tips on how to write a killer newsletter. Brian Konradt of LousyWriter.com wrote an information-packed article called “How to Write a Better Business Newsletter.”
2. If your website offers a free e-book, manual or other type of freebie, use the download opportunity to offer visitors a chance to sign up for your free newsletter. If they are interested in the content of your giveaway, they will most likely be interested your newsletter too, since the material is probably similar.
3. Get the word out! People will not sign up for your newsletter if they do not know about it. Make the link to your newsletter – and the sign up – obvious throughout your site.
4. Add a link and sign up message to your email signature and business cards.
5. Market your newsletter by submitting it to eZine and newsletter directories. List it on as many directories as possible for maximum exposure.
6. Participate in forums and message boards. Use the signature box to promote your newsletter, by linking to your capture page. Every post you make will be drawing people into your newsletter sign-up.
7. Write content for other newsletters in exchange for a byline and link to your own. Do this with publications that your target market reads.
8. Ask for newsletter sign-ups. When you are out promoting your services or otherwise conducting business, tell people about your newsletter and its features, and ask them to subscribe.
9. Ask for referrals in your newsletter or marketing communications. Existing newsletter readers might know of someone who could benefit from the material published in your newsletter.
10. Swap ads with other newsletters. Look for publications with an audience similar to your own and ask the publisher if they are interested in swapping ads.
11. Write reviews and testimonials about other products and services. When you do this on most sites you are given the opportunity to include a link under your signature. Use the byline to advertise your newsletter.

Why Your Newsletter is Important

Newsletters are a fabulous way to…

• Create a buzz about your industry and business. People like newsletters because they read up on something of interest without having to make a financial commitment.
• Share relevant information about your business without making a hard sales pitch.
• Generate more, qualified, sales leads.
• Spark brand recognition.
• Introduce yourself and your staff to potential customers.

Rob Willmann has written a handy article about how to grow your subscriber list called “How to Create Viral Marketing Tools to Promote Your Newsletter”.

Conclusion

Your newsletter can be a low-cost instrument that you can use to generate more customer leads and sales. Businesses only reap the rewards of a newsletter when it is well-managed. By strategically planning the promotion of your newsletter, you will take advantage of this highly effective tool. There are many more newsletter promotion ideas out there so get creative and do some searching.

RSS won’t kill the online newsletter. It is simply a different way to get information. Yeah, the headline is a little dramatic.

Think about the many ways people like to retrieve the news. Some people want news events emailed to them as they happen, others like to pick up the paper off the stoop and fold it, touch it, and drink coffee with it. Still, others like to access the newspaper’s website online. It is a matter of personal preference. I personally do look at RSS feeds often, although I am subscribed to hundreds. I use them as a reminder of a site I liked - like bookmarks I actually sift through.

What is RSS? It is a format used to syndicate web content like blogs, news alerts, product updates, and press releases – automatic syndication of content. RSS stands for Rich Site Summary/Really Simple Syndication. I think sometimes it is so popular because it makes distribution easier for publishers as opposed to making life easier for readers. It has become popular through a “push” strategy instead of a “pull” strategy.

In this day and age of information overload there are hundreds of ways to receive information. While RSS and newsletters may in some ways be conflicting, there is enough room for them to coexist peacefully - at least for now - and to even work together for the optimal benefit of your company.

From a quick survey, here are some reasons why newsletters might be preferred to RSS:

1. You have to be proactive to get the information in a RSS feed, it doesn’t just sit in your inbox like an email does. In a world of burnt-out multi-taskers, asking them to proactively read your articles is probably asking too much.
2. RSS feeds require that software be installed. Because a software installation is required (however simple), a large chunk of users that don’t know how to do it are wiped out.
3. Information overload. A newsletter is a snapshot of information that a quick synopsis of all the news that “fit to report”. RSS, on the other hand, includes everything and it is too easy to let it get out of control.
4. People tend to do what they have always done. Newsletters have a loyalty factor – nearly 82% of business professionals prefer to get their information via newsletter, according to E-Marketing.
5. People have short attention spans. Emailed newsletters are the easiest to get to, with the least barriers in getting the information. That is, they arrive anyway.
6. Checking email is part of people’s everyday routine so receiving an emailed newsletter is just like receiving any other emailed message, and is more likely to be read.

There are, however, many advantages to using RSS feeds instead of newsletters:

• Most attractive to your reader is that they will avoid the spam that is so annoying, and cumbersome, in email inboxes.
• RSS provides in-the-moment breaking news updates to people that have expressed an interest in your business.
• E-newsletter authors love RSS feeds because their newsletters go directly to an interested group that has subscribed to their newsletter because they WANT TO READ IT.
• Using RSS to distribute a newsletter is cheaper, too. You won’t need to pay for emailing lists because subscribers come to you.

Of course, there is also the case that newsletters will be used less frequently as readers’ preferences change. If the tendency is for readers to have information sent to them in-the-moment, then that quality in RSS will make newsletters less popular – and thus a less effective method of communication for the masses – in the future. For more about if RSS will replace email content distribution, check out Kent Thompson’s thought provoking article. An in-depth look at the pros and cons of RSS vs. email information distribution can be found in this provocative article by Robin Good. Lastly, this interview with Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome on the topic is interesting.

For now, Newsletters and RSS feeds are both great ways to keep your customers, employees, and vendors abreast of the latest news in your company. Utilizing a smart combination of both methods of delivery – emailing and RSS feeds – will take advantage of technology and use it as a tool to help you communicate better. From the publisher’s (yours) standpoint, it is easy enough to use both. So, use both. 

RSS KILLS NEWSLETTERS!

nah, too dramatic for my tastes.