Leadership

Marketing and Your Websites

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:58:00 -0400

Lets put the concept of the Internet into perspective and how it relates to your website and you as a marketer

Lets begin by establishing some simple terms

A motor vehicle. A private or public means by which we travel from one place to another, like from our home to a store.
Products and services. Something we buy or sell for fun or to make a living.
A Community. A place where we hang out with friends and family, go shopping, go to church, go to school, go to work, get medical help, etc.

The Internet is made up of these things as well

A Website. A private or public means by which we travel from one place to another, like from our living room to an online book store. A website can also be a store that offers products and services.
Products and services. Something we buy or sell for fun or to make a living.
A Community. A place like Facebook where we hang out with friends and family, or a search engine like Google where we can go shopping, go to church, go to school, go to work, get medical help, etc.

The power of the Internet lies in it’s information and data collection

But lets step back in time and look at Linda, she has a nice radio she no longer wants and would like to sell it. Before the Internet, Linda would have to set it out on the front porch, purchase an ad in the classified section of the newspaper, or she could go door to door and ask her neighbors if they want to purchase the radio, among other things.

Linda might first try to think about who she knows who might like it. What is she doing? She is searching into her memory database to find some information. She remembers that John and Dave where talking about radios when they all went bowling the other night. John said he had a friend that was looking for a good used radio. That is a pretty big indicator that John’s friend might be interested.

Lets take a look at a bus. It holds a number of people who all want to go to different places. The bus is the vehicle which takes the people to town where they can all go their different ways and to the stores of their choice. The bus is like a search engine like Google where people can travel to the places they want to go just by entering some information. This information is also called Keywords or keyword phrases.

If the bus driver kept records of every place people wanted to go he would soon learn that 10% of the people went to dinner, 60% went to the mall, and 30% went downtown. This information might be of some use, but still very vague as to what the people really wanted. What type of food did the 10% have for dinner, and what stores were visited in the mall and downtown, and what products or service's did the people buy?

A search engine like google records what people want and records billions of keyword searches every month. This is very powerful because it turns the tables around. A restaurant owner might build a restaurant downtown because she knows people like to go out to eat, but after doing some community research, she might find that the community already has too many restaurants in the area she was thinking about.

Therefore, one of the first things we should do as marketers is do some research on what people are searching for related to what we have to offer. But this is not enough, because we still need a store to send people to who search for what we have to offer. You need a website.

The Google search engine is a website. Like a bus or taxi, it takes people where they want to go, but not just down the road, all around the world. We no longer reach only a few people, but thousands.

Linda has a radio to sell, if she had a website (a vehicle), she could post her radio on her website with a buy now button, do some research on the keywords people searching for about radios and write the content on her website so that people searching for the keywords and keyword phrases she wrote into her content would find her website.

We have just turned the tables from hoping someone will find us, to us finding them. When Linda remembered that John’s friend might like her radio, she could use that information and make a phone call to John who already shown interest to help her.

We might think that people are searching to find what they want, but on the Internet, we can guild them to what we have to sell. The buyer might think they are just visiting stores that happen to become available, but the opposite is really happening for the experienced marketer. A marketer who understands how to add keyword rich content to his site is sending content across the miles, perhaps continents, stepping in front of others who might be next door.

Websites and Their Characteristics

Lets take a look at the different types of website characteristics and terms.
In all of these, you can diverge into any direction to combine and change these into whatever you like. This is my list of basics as I understand it...

Capture page: When I think of a capture page, it’s intent is to capture a lead. A capture page is smaller in width, and most likely contains no other pages, or very few mainly related to a sales funnel.
Sales Funnel: A series of pages the visitor is guided through to more information or special offers and/or upsales. A person might start as a visitor, turn into a lead, turn into a customer, and turn into a repeat customer as they are guided through the pages.
Landing Page: A page where you plan an action or starting point to an action. A Landing Page can be the first page on a Capture page site. You could also have 100 Landing Pages on one site selling shoes.
Content Site: A website with the intent to share a lot of information. The hubOpus blogging platform makes for a great content site if you are great at writing and are interested in sharing your information often. It is difficult if not impossible to create a Niche site with a content site.
Niche Site: A niche is typically connected to a very specific product, service or piece of information. A niche site typically has few pages, but can be a complete website. The content on a niche site will be written to focus around one or two keyword phrases.
Blog site: Blogging will be done on a large and growing content site. Each post should be written around a keyword phrase so that each page becomes a sort of niche. A blog site should still remain focused on a single topic like Internet Marketing.
Hub site: A blog site like hubOpus or Wordpress or standard website can be a hub site. A hub is considered the center of your space on the Internet where other websites of any type can link (network) to and from.
Business site: Not a blog in my mind, but a site that serves as the head-quarters of a business. A business site can also be considered a Content site as it can contain a lot of information about your business. A blog can be attached, but is not the focus or intent.
Email: Not a website, but part of the funnel and systems needed for marketers to offer a complete service. Email, like a website is a vehicle used to connect with those who are searching for what we have to offer.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

With any site, SEO is very important. Most people can learn to write a story or report, but few people learn how to write to include keywords and phrases specific to what the content is about. If you do not learn this skill, you will struggle to get your content in front of people searching for what you have to offer. Period!

If Linda didn’t know how to reach John on the phone, she could set her radio on the front porch and hope for the best. It’s nice to hope for the best, but that kind of hope will not return favorable results.

The human condition

If we are honest about ourselves, we would agree that we like things to come to us easily (no hard work), simple to understand (don’t waste my time), and painless (either physical or emotional) don’t hurt me or use me; we want to be comfortable. Bottom line; keep it simple and don’t ask me to get up from my Lazyboy recliner.

Yet, behind our comfort zone lies the unrefutable knowledge that hard work and discipline (nothing comes easy and without some kind of pain) are required to excel or succeed. We know this, yet we approach anything new from the perspective that this time it will be easier.

Something like, "This swingset can be put together as easy as 1, 2, 3!" If you haven’t put a swingset together, then let me tell you that there are many steps and some of the poorest illustrations you will every encounter! It will not be easy even if someone says otherwise.

Now I’m not suggesting that you take advantage of people with this knowledge, but rather approach people where they are at when it comes to how they are looking into something new, like your offer. This brings me to my next point...

Conveying your offer

This should not be taken exclusively, but based on the human condition, we want to make sure we are keeping our content easy to understand which conveys a sense of painless and simple steps forward. This bring me to my next point...

Faith and Trust

This comes only after the easy and simple is believed. What you are conveying must also come across as trustworthy, and better be trustworthy! I thought a lot about this years ago when I was trying to figure out what gets a person from hearing an offer to purchasing. I came up with this phrase...

“The gap that separates the learning and the understanding can only be filled by faith. And faith is exercised only through action, where experience leads us to understanding.”

A persons decision to purchase something takes a level of trust in what they are hearing, but only through faith in their own action to purchase do they begin to fully understand what they are putting their trust into.

Another way to look at this is standing in front of an open door, but all you can see is darkness. With a little imagination and fear, you can probably see other things in the darkness as well. You look at your friend and tell them to step through the door, walk five yards and turn right, and he will see and fully understand the wonderful things you are trying to help him understand.

Your friend must first trust you before he makes his first step, but his first step is taken by faith. As a marketer, your job on a Capture Page is to say just enough to help the visitor to trust in what you are conveying, but you can do nothing to get him or her to make the step through your optin form.

You will loose more leads if you think you need to help a person understand everything there is to know beyond the dark doorway. You only want him or her to believe that you have been there, and it’s amazing - using honest, trustworthy words. But it will be his or her faith that believes this is simple and easy and/or worth their investment.

Types of people searching the Internet

There are two types of people I want to talk about who are searching for ways to make money online. Those who don’t understand at all what they’re looking for, and those who have an understanding but found out that things are not so simple and easy, and feel they have already given way too much of their time, but are not going to give up because they believe they just didn’t find it yet.

The first is the person typically searching less than two months and has not joined a program or maybe found a few things but still doesn’t understand what this whole Internet thing is about. They may have heard the phrase Internet Marketer but still doesn't know what that means. The phrase Home Business means more to them but still understand little of what that is all about as well.

Keyword phrases that might attract these people are...

work at home mom
home business job
how to make money

These people do not understand the marketing aspects to selling online. They may know that people are making money by using the Internet, but begin their searches with keywords that they understand based on their experience off the Internet. Because they know so little, they may be more skeptical to trust you, but more teachable if they do.

As a new marketer, these people know less which puts you at an advantage of knowledge about the industry you are involved with, but these keywords are also more competitive because they are shorter phrases, and called short tail keywords.

On the other side of this are those who have been in the industry just long enough to know that there is a lot to learn, and your Landing Page offer may sound too good to be true. They have learned enough to know that a lot of people are making a living online, and many are becoming financially free.

Keyword phrases that might attract these people are...

Home business opportunities online
work from home internet business
best mlm business online.

These people want to believe there is something that they just haven’t found yet, and they are going to keep trying. As a more advanced marketer, you can begin to connect with these people from a standpoint that there are mlm type programs that are good and bad. You can begin to educate them on some things that many people, even in this industry do not know, and sharing this knowledge freely - building trust.

These are less competitive keywords because they are longer phrases,
and called long tail keywords.

I hope you find this information helpful as you begin to build your online business.

Please leave a comment below...

Testimonials are more than you may think!

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:58:00 -0400

For years I have written testimonials for about every product and service I have purchased or been involved with. Why? Because I’m a nice guy? Nope! I do it for me. Well, not completely. Writing a testimonial today can offer a way to brand yourself, and in many cases get a link back to your website.

But it is in how you write the testimonial that matters more. I have had several testimonials be placed at the top of the testimonial page of a number of company’s. You can do this by over doing it just a little, you know, really ham is up about the company!

At the same time, write it so that others that read it learn that you are someone they would like to know more about, or know more about what you do.

Which brings me to the next point, it is fine to drop a word or two about what you do…

“Your product has really helped the organization of my Internet business. Helping me focus more on offering greater value to my clients.”

That’s enough, make sure this is a small percent of your testimonial.

Make it long enough to impress the reader that you cared enough to share your heart. But not too long that they wont read it. And, break it up so it looks and reads well into one or two sentience paragraphs.

Lastly, don’t forget to sign it and add your website url. Say Thank You, do not say Thanks. Thanks is for takers – shifting eyes. Thank “You” is a giver – eye contact. People want to do business with a giver, not a taker.

Thank You,
Steve Nyhof
CEO; Steve Nyhof Enterprises, Inc.
http://Steve-Nyhof.com

Leader or Follower - Choose One!

Mon, 03 May 2010 15:58:00 -0400

I like telling stories because it helps us all understand and remember a little better... Just a few years back when the economy was still going strong, we were producing over 350 house plans through my office per year.

Several of the builders we drew for seemed to have more issues than the rest, and because I hate problem areas, I worked hard at trying to find out why. Everyone of my employees just couldn't get every detail correct on these home builders plans, there was always something wrong, something they would complain to me about.

I am a nice guy, but if you are not pulling your weight, well, lets just say that I follow the three-strikes-and-your-out rule. But that wasn't it, it really wasn't the employees fault.

These two builders were always at the office over-shadowing the designers, dictating the design of the plans on CAD while my designer did as he was told.

However, what I concluded with, was that the follower mode kicks in when being lead by another. When the builder was leading the designer, the designer shut down his normal thinking skills of the big picture and all the details that go into the design, and focused completely on every word and detail the builder was communicating.

As people, we may find that if we can get someone else to do something for us, we do not need to use our minds, or work so hard. But I tell you, as marketers, if you are waiting for someone else to do something for you that you have not already learned, you will never use the full capacity of the brains God has given to you. You do yourself a disservice.

When you learned that 97% of all entrepreneurs fail, what was your response? What was your thoughts? My thought was how I might change that number, what could I do to help bring that number down. That is your job too with every new client you will work with.

If you ordered setup, we are going to setup your site and get your site working for you. However, this is going to trigger a response of non-thinking from you, and a mode of follower. You are waiting for the leader to do your work.

Don't get me wrong, that is what you are paying for. However, what I am also seeing is that when we are done, and your site is running, I am not seeing any continual growth. When setup is ordered, I am receiving more questions from these users because some are not reading any of my information or watching the videos because they think they do not need to, someone else is taking care of them.

I see others, and not just experienced marketers, but brand new marketers who do not have two pennies to rub together, give their all to making this work. I am impressed by these people that within days their sites are running with content. Diversity will always press a person to become more and to learn more. These people will become the leaders.

Again, we want to help, I am here to answer your questions, and every single one of you who have asked questions, have been getting answers. I am not always going to be long winded, that is what I am doing here. I want to help, but I want you to continue where we leave off. I want you to learn and move on, press forward.

I am purposely going to push you. I may not give you the full answer because I want you to think it through for yourself. If I help too much... "Steve, I am just not technical", then you will fail, I will loose a client, and the whole thing will be a waste of time and money for the both of us.

Those two builders were enabling me and my employees to fail because they were taking control - but I also let them. The result was that I ended up continually failing them. Kind of how the human brain works I guess. Don't let others lead you. Learn from them, study what they do, dig into their minds, but do not wait for them to tell you what to do next. You tell them what you are going to do next.

If you want to become a leader, then you will do it alone. That doesn't mean you will not have partnerships, contractors or employees, but it does mean that only you taking control of the next steps are going to exercise your brain in such a way that will make you a leader.