Marketing Guides

Archive for September, 2009

Good Article Marketing Means Much More Traffic To Your Website

Recently the concept of marketing your website with articles has gained popularity. Many site owners are having articles written and published on various article directories. The reason is simple traffic.

Why Article Marketing?

The demand for quality content online never ceases. Smart webmasters realize that by providing this quality content and giving permission for other webmasters to republish their articles results in an excellent opportunity to expose their website to their target audience.

Each article that you write and distribute gives you the chance to plug your site or newsletter in the about the author section. You can typically link directly to your site and sometimes even can use HTML and link your primary keywords in the anchor text. This gives you some nice relevant backlinks. Its not uncommon to receive thousands of unique backlinks for each article submitted as over time your article will continue to be picked up for redistribution by other webmasters.

That’s why article marketing is so popular its a winning situation all around. Other webmasters can add your quality articles to their sites for free and you get exposure and links. Everybody is happy.

But I cant Write!

Writing a good article is actually surprisingly easy especially if you are already an expert on your topic. Articles only need to be about 300 500 words and be well written and without spelling and grammatical errors. Even if you are trying to write about a topic that you are not as familiar with you have options.

Many webmasters outsource the creation of articles. If you visit any web freelance site such as elance.com you can usually find someone to write articles for you on any topic for between 10 to 40 per article. As with anything buyer beware. Its best to give a prospective writer a small assignment first of only a few article to get a feel for the quality of their writing. Remember the articles that you submit are representing you and your website. Quality matters.

How and Where to Submit Articles?

So you have written your article checked it for spelling and grammar and its ready to go…now what? You need to distribute your article to Article Directories Article Announcement Lists and you can even submit your article directly to industry specific sites.

Many article marketers find that using an article submission software can speed up the time it takes to submit your articles. Article submission software also can help with the “where do I submit to?” question as well. The article submission sites and announcement lists come pre loaded with directories and other sites that accept submissions. You can also add your own sites to the list.

I highly recommend using an article submission software package to submit your articles. The time savings alone is substantial. Personally I use the article submission software to submit to the “basic” directories portals. Then I go to Google and type in my topic and “submit article”. Usually I will have tens or even hundreds more sites that cater specifically to the niche I am promoting. I then submit to those niche sites as well. This technique is not something I see being widely done however so there’s a good tip for you!

There are also article submission services such as the one at Article Marketer that will submit your article to a variety of article banks. This is a very quick hands off way to recieve additional attention for your article.

The traffic from articles submitted to niche sites as well as the directories is substantially higher than the traffic from articles submitted to directories alone.

There you have it. Marketing your website with articles is a great way to get traffic links and expose your website to new visitors. Its easier than it sounds even for those that think they cant write. Just try it! Chances are you will be adding Article marketing to your standard internet marketing box of tricks.

For more useful tips hints please browse for more information at our website:
http://www.writingfastcash.com
http://www.articlemarketing.reprintarticlesite.com

About the writer:  Gareth Parkin is the cofounder of Ideasbynet the UK’s largest online source of promotional gifts and promotional items. He has taken the UK gift market by storm by the application of modern business thinking and the latest search engine marketing techniques. For more details on promotional gifts visit ideasbynet.com

Getting To Know Potential Clients

I received an email earlier this week from an agency which sent me a list of questions to find out more about my business and practice before they have a conversation with me or any PR agency. It got me to thinking. Im asked all the time what processes I have in place to find out more about potential or new clients aside from reading whats on their websites or clips from a search engine. When evaluating potential or new clients there are several questions you should ask to gain information about them. These questions can help you delve a bit deeper into their business without revealing proprietary information which the client may or may not want to disclose.

1. How long do you want your PR campaign to be?
2. What are the products/services you offer?
3. Who is your target customer?
4. What is your target geographic area local regional national international?
5. What products/services do you offer in terms of industry trends?
6. What makes your product/service unique?
7. Who is your direct competition?
8. Who do you consider to be 1 in your industry?
9. What makes you better than your competition?
10. Why should customers go with your product/service over your competitions?
11. Do you have any celebrity or other significant clientele endorsements?
12. Have you ever donated your services?
13. What magazines have you advertised in and were there results?
14. What are the Top 25 media outlets print radio TV online youd like to be in?
15. What do your customers read/watch/listen to?
16. What is your press release approvals process and who is the primary contact for approvals?

Once youve retained the client it helps to get to know the executives of the company by speaking with them individually and learning about them on a personal level. By doing this youll get to know WHO makes the company tick and also create additional pitching ideas. These are also good questions to ask when youre in a networking environment; they allow for ongoing conversation. Questions from the ordinary to the ridiculous you might want to ask them include:

1. Please tell me about your family. Single married married with kids etc.
2. Do you have any pets?
3. Are there any causes you strongly believe in? If so why?
4. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
5. Do you belong to any online/offline networking groups?
6. What was your very first job?
7. What media do you read watch or listen to?
8. Who do you admire?
9. What sports board or card games do you play?
10. Whats your ideal vacation?
11. If you won the lottery what would you do with the money?
12. Whats the best advice youve ever been given and who gave it to you?

Of course there are many more personal questions you can ask if you think hard enough. Just dont cross the line in getting too personal.

So thats usually a good start for me to get to know the company and the major players in it. If you have any additional questions youd like to add please feel free to comment below

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Jocelyn is an accomplished communications professional with more than fourteen years experience in the entertainment consumer new media and nonprofit industries. She is responsible for securing interviews media placement and full PR campaigns.

Since cofounding JBLH Communications the client roster includes; Play Clay The New York Comedy Expo The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research FoundationBrain Surgery Worldwide and The Child Center of NY.

You may also find articles by Jocelyn at the TalentZoo.com website under Very Public Relations.

Getting The Most Out Of A Trade Show Or Event

Any event whether it is a trade show or local arts/crafts show takes deliberate planning to be a success. From preshow promotion to postshow followup every detail counts. To help you make your trade show a complete success weve put together some great tips. These tips can be used by any business regardless of size or what you are selling.

How much time and money do you expend making one sales call? Most small business owners would not be able to answer that question and yet they are working hard every day to reach out to as many people as they can hoping that one or two might jump at an offer. I would venture to say that once you calculate your hourly rate for those who don’t typically bill by the hour for their time and figure in how much time you are spending to identify and reach out to prospects as well as how much money you are spending to market to them you will be shocked at what it costs to gain a new customer.

Comparatively you will find the expense of a sales call at a trade show can be a fraction of the cost associated with making direct sales calls. A trade show is the ideal setting to introduce your products and services to your target audience. If the trade show or event has been carefully selected to enhance your business product/service you will have a captive audience. Statistics show on average it takes only one followup to close a lead that was generated at a trade show exhibit. Having exhibit space at an event can bring you a lot of inquiries leads referrals and sales but only if youve taken the initiative to preplan your event.

Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of a trade show or event.

Advertise your appearance:

If you opened a store in a shopping mall would you advertise and promote your business get people in the door? Of course you would! Well while the type of advertising might be different the same is true of a trade show. Send letters email and postcards to both existing clients and prospects. If the event producer provides you with printed or electronic flyers of the event put them to good use. If they don’t provide this type of media as a general course of promoting the show ask them if they would send you what they’ve prepared. Consider including teasers in your mailings such as coupons discounts or prizes and let the recipients know they can be picked up at your exhibit.

Design your exhibit:

If you’ve never attended a trade show or event before it is very important to know how you will set up your exhibit beforehand. Whether you are a “newbie” or a seasoned exhibitor periodically take a look at your display and ask yourself Does my exhibit have extraordinary eye appeal and stopping power?”

You want to build your display around your product but you should avoid a lot of clutter on your table. You also want to create a way to capture names and contact information for the people that will stop by to talk with you. Finally make sure you have a brochure and business card easily accessible on your table so someone can get your company information if you are busy speaking with another prospect.

Try to get someone to work with you at your exhibit:

Having an extra person at your exhibit will be very helpful especially when you have a number of people that are interested in what you are selling. There are some key things to remember about staffing your booth though:

• Make sure your staff knows the product and can answer typical questions they may be asked. Prepare a 30second description of what you do and make sure everyone knows the script. Make sure the description is concise and lets prospects know how your product or service can solve a particular problem for them.
• Choose a person or persons who will be enthusiastic when talking about your product or service.

During the event greet visitors the right way:

Whatever you do dont sit down! I know your feet get tired and at the end of the day you can barely stand but dont do it. Also dont look bored cross your arms read or eat at your exhibit table. You should take time for a break and if you have someone working with you you can take turns with breaks throughout the day. As a little side note do NOT take off your shoes during a break. You will not be able to get them back on and if you do your feet will hurt even more.

Enough with the donts here are some dos. Do make sure your table is manned at all times. Smile and look approachable. Finally engage visitors in conversation so you can make sure they are properly qualified as a prospect.

Qualify qualify qualify your leads:

Did I mention that you should qualify your leads? This step is very important. You want to engage a visitor in conversation so you can qualify their interest in whether they would like to buy now or later. Use lead sheets to keep track of potential customers. To qualify the leads ask predetermined questions and make note of the answers. Remember to ask if it is acceptable for you to follow up with them and find out how they would like you to make the contact phone email mail. Code the sheets to place a level of priority and make notes of any specific requests.

Bring the right materials:

As mentioned earlier you should have some sort of brochure that explains the benefits of your products and services. You should also have a good supply of business cards. There are companies online that can help with your printing needs like vistaprint.com and The Print Place. Finally would you like to give away a gift basket as a door prize? Get creative:

• Wine Basket
• Tickets to a Show
• An American Express Gift Certificate
• Themed Basket
• Bonsai Plant

Don’t Forget Another Must Evaluate/Debrief:

After each show day assess the leads generated and sort them for follow up. Schedule time during the days after the show to follow up with your qualified leads. For less urgent leads try sending a simple “Thank You” note for stopping by your Booth. Invite them as Special Guests to visit your business or offer incentives. Save the mailing list. Give some time and follow up again. They just may be ready to do business.

About the writer:  As founder of Eagle Soars Marketing Anne Lazo has over 23 years experience in the field of marketing. She manages the entire creative process for clients from identifying the concepts and selecting the design team to writing copy and supervising production and delivery of marketing material. Under Ms. Lazo’s direction Eagle Soars Marketing has been helping clients build their businesses by providing the highest quality communication materials.