April, 2007

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Archive for April, 2007

What’s Your Favorite Small Business Marketing Tool?

By Charlie Cook | April 30, 2007

If you could pick only one way to market your business, what small business marketing tool or technique would you pick?

This seems like an easy question to answer, but then when I started to think about having only one tool to recommend to people to market their small businesses it gave me pause. There are a bunch of ways to market your business which would be on the top of my list including:
– Making it rain referrals
– A web site
– Direct mail
– Free seminars
– A free report
etc.

I’m sure you have your own list of small business marketing ideas you use, but is there one that you like above all others?

My hands down favorite is using articles to market my business.

Why do I think articles are the top small business marketing tool.

1. When you write an article it helps to focus your own ideas.

2. The act of writing forces you to think about how to create a conversation with your prosects. If you can get your prospect’s attention in an article, and get a virtual conversation going, when you need to do it in person, it will be easy.

3. Every article your write helps to position you not just as another competitor but as “the expert”.

4. Each time you distribute your article on the internet you generate both traffic and links back to your web site.

5. When others use your articles on their sites or in their publications, it’s like an instant recommendation or your expertise.

6. Compared to advertising writing and distributing articles as part of your small business marketing strategy provides a huge return relative to the cost.

7. It works!

Yes, articles are my top small business marketing strategy, one that I’d recommend to anyone to use to market their business.

– Charlie

The Google Adwords Hoax or the #1 Web Site Marketing Money Waster

By Charlie Cook | April 26, 2007

Do Google Adwords work?

The answer is yes and no. Google’s elegant Adwords system makes it easy to set up and test ads but most web site owners never make a profit from their ads. For most people Google Adwords are the number one website marketing money waster.

Why?

Once a prospect clicks on your Google Adwords ad, they’re linked to your site. Then what happens? In most cases a whole lot of nothing. They visit your site or your landing page and then they leave. They leave without buying anything or even leaving you their contact information.

The result of your Google Adwords campaign? For most people, it’s another advertising black hole. A whole lot of money goes into it and it doesn’t generate much in the way of business. That’s not to say it can’t work.

I have one web site marketing client that relies primarily on Google Adwords to generate leads and sales. And their business is booming. But it costs them plenty, more than most people realize to generate a lead. When I first started working with them their per lead cost was over $75 dollars.

That’s right they were paying for more than $75 worth of Google Ads just to get one person to fill in their opt-in form on their site. Now, they’re absolutely delighted that I’ve helped them reduce it to less than $25 per lead. Why does this work for them? Google Adwords works for them because they close enough of their leads to make a huge profit.

Will Google Adwords work for you? To make them work you need to determine your per lead costs, conversion rates and the value of a new client. If it’s less then you’re paying for your Google Ads, then you need to either stop or discover how to increase your conversion rates so a higher percent of visitors to your site or landing page become buyers.

Don’t be hoodwinked by this website marketing hoax. Don’t assume Google Ads will automatically start bringing in business. They won’t – unless you know how to convert site visitors into highly profitable clients.

– Charlie Cook
Web Site Marketing That Gets Results

Marketing Your Small Business With A Blog

By Charlie Cook | April 24, 2007

This past week the Startup Journal (a Wall Street Journal web site) covers 10 small business blogs. Associate Editor Sarah Needleman provides a synopsis from each including this marketing blog. If you’re looking for ideas on how to use your small business blog to grow you site, look at the list at the StartUp Journal Site >
– Charlie

How Do You Automate Your Online Info-Product Business

By Charlie Cook | April 24, 2007

“I have an e-book that I want to market on the internet, however I do not know any companies that set up the e-book system on the website (digital download). Can you recommend any companies? Who did you go with for your books? Also, did you set up your own affiliate program, or did you get help from a company?”
– Chris M

There are already easy to use comprehensive shopping cart and delivery systems online. Here’s the link to the ecommerce service I use for everything from building my opt-in email list, to broadcasting my newsletter, to processing orders, to providing digital downloads of purchased books, to managing my affiliate program. Use this link >> https://www.marketingforsuccess.com/shopping.html

– Charlie
Web Site Marketing That Works

How Do You Know If Your Marketing Blog Is Working?

By Charlie Cook | April 11, 2007

If you have a blog and are regularly writing posts you want your efforts to generate results. Right? How can you tell if your blog is working?

A well planned and well written blog should do the following for your small business marketing. It should generate:

– Interest in your products and services
– Position you as the expert
– Familiarity and trust
– Virtual relationships with prospects
– Qualified leads
– Sales

If your blog isn’t doing this for your business – your missing some of the basic steps involved in using your blog to enhance your small business marketing. First start by writing about topics that wil attract your prospects like a magnet. Then give them straight no B.S. advice that they can take to the bank.

Do this and they’ll want to read every blog post and they’ll subscribe to your blog RSS feed and you’ll have their attention and their loyalty – two big steps towards converting them to customers and clients.
– Charlie
Small Business Marketing That Generates Sales

Should You Do Your Small Business Marketing On Your Own?

By Charlie Cook | April 9, 2007

“I’m better off if I figure out how to market my business on my own, right?” – asked by a prospective marketing coaching client

Are you better off trying to come up with the best way to market and grow your business on your own? What do you think the answer is?

Obviously I’m beyond biased since I make my living from helping people improve their marketing but let’s take a look at other areas of skill and knowledge.

If you wanted to pay the least amount of taxes but be in full compliance with the law would you do it on your own or would you get expert accounting advice?

If you wanted to become a master carpenter, would you be better off on your own or apprenticing for a master craftsman, someone who had been at it for decades?

If you wanted to even be considered for the Olympics would you train yourself or find the best coach you could afford?

You get my point?

No matter how bright, determined or hard working you are it always makes sense to find and work with a mentor. If you want to see your business take off the simple secret is find someone who is successful, find someone who has made all the mistakes before and pay them to show you how to take your business to the top.

Succeeding with your small business marketing isn’t obvious and it only makes sense to avoid reinventing the wheel and learn from an expert.

– Charlie Cook

Who Needs A System To Market Their Business?

By Charlie Cook | April 2, 2007

What’s the benefit of using a small business marketing system?

If you live in an area where it rains sporadically but you want to keep your lawn green you may have or have considered installing an automatic sprinkler system. When you have one, your lawn and shrubs get the amount of water they need every week and keep growing.

Your business is the same. Without a small business marketing system the flow of your leads and sales is beyond your control. Install a simple system for growing your business and instead you could have a constant flow of new business every month. Isn’t that what you want?

The Insider Secrets to Highly Effective Marketing gives you a simple system for growing your business so that you generate more leads and sales each month with less wasted effort. Use this link to discover a business building system that works for you >>