By Donna Gunter (c) 2009 OnlineBizU.com
Recently I was asked in an interview to imagine that I was starting
all over again, and as a newbie, how I would fill my business in 60
days. Things have changed tremendously since I began my online
business in 1999, mostly for the better. Most of the steps, however
remain the same. Best of all, the strategies I recommend to fill your
business are the same ones that can be applied to any business, and
then applied again and again to other online ventures. Here are 8
secrets to filling the prospect funnel in your business in 60 days:
1. Success mind set. Don't gloss over this strategy -- it may be the
most important of all. If you truly want to succeed in your business
and are passionate about what you do, nothing will hold you back. This
often means that you have to step out in faith that you'll succeed,
and most importantly, believe in yourself as a success. Sure, you may
stumble, or even fall, but you must be willing to pick yourself back
up and persevere -- even without a safety net hanging under you.
Generate Easy Revenue!
2. Target market. The biggest mistake that business owners make is
wanting to sell to everyone. If you've tried this, you have no doubt
discovered that casting your net around everyone is a very difficult
task. Narrowing that group to a more manageable number will actually
serve you much better, believe it or not. If you can identify a
smaller group of hungry prospects who are willing to pay for the
solutions to the problems that keep them awake at night (or those who
are willing to pay for more information about a hobby or interest that
occupies much of their free time) AND who are reachable in groups
(associations, membership sites, magazines, newsletters, discussion
forums or lists, social networking groups, etc.), then you have made a
key discovery that will catapult your business forward.
3. Client Attraction Device. You've heard it said time and time again
that "the money is in the list." This still holds true today, as well.
Without a list of interested prospects to whom you can market, you
don't have a business. The quickest way to begin to develop a list is
to give something away. Yes, you heard me correctly. If you have
content you have already created, dig through that to see if you have
something appropriate for your chosen target market.
If not, identify a problem of your target market, and create some
content that answers one of those problems. Perhaps it's a checklist,
a Top 10 list, an ebook or special report, an audio interview, a pod
cast, a video -- do whatever is easiest for you. Just ensure that it
is in a plug and play format, i.e. don't make your prospect download
some weird software that's not commonplace to read and view this
material.
Make sure that your Client Attraction Device has some valuable content
in it. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to read a free giveway
that only serves to remind me that I have a problem and offers no
solution unless I pay for it. Don't be afraid to demonstrate your
expertise by giving "how to" information away. Trust me, if you are
truly good at what you do, there's no way that you can share
everything you know on a topic in one short information product. Your
Client Attraction Device starts your prospects on the like, know, and
trust road that is imperative for them to travel before they will
decide to buy something from you.
4. Email marketing system. You must have some way to collect your
prospect's information and a system by which you can stay in contact
with them. The best way to do this is by purchasing email marketíng
services. Do not use a free service for this, nor try to send emails
out of your Outlook program. If you want to be a serous online
business owner, invest in the most important asset in your business --
your email marketíng system.
Top Positions in the Web's Largest Article Directory
5. Blogsite. A blogsite, which is a web site/blog hybrid, is the
quickest way to build an online presence. The two most popular
blogging platforms, the fee-based Typepad and open source software
Wordpress, can be used to create a blogsite very quickly. If you want
either of them customized with a particular look or feel, that may
take a bit longer and require a greater investment. However, either
will work well to get you started, and both will permit you to enter
your email marketíng system's signup code onto a page so that you can
immediately begin to collect contact information from prospects who
have requested your Client Attraction Device.
6. Stay in touch. Whether you do this by submitting regular blog posts
or publishing an email newsletter (or both), you need to reach out and
touch your prospects at least weekly (or several times a week if you
are blogging). Give them some insights about what's happening with you
personally as well as sharing some aspect of your expertise with them
by creating a content-rich article or answering their questions. And,
don't forget to sell -- provide some product or service in each email
newsletter, or submit regular blog posts that remind your readers
about what you are selling.
Forget Expensive PPC Advertising - There is an Alternative!
7. Social networking. Never before have we had the opportuníty to
connect with others online easily and inexpensively as we do now with
social networking. Create profiles on the social networks) used by
your target market, do research to add friends/followers in your
target market, and use the status updates to be useful to your
followers, i.e. by sharing resources, asking questions, and updating
them about how you help clients/customers.
8. Drive traffic to your site. There are a number of ways to
accomplish this, but my favorite starts with writing an article. Once
it's written, I publish it in my ezine, my blog, and to my web site
and syndicate it on article directories all over the Web. Then I have
the option of making a pod cast with the content; creating a
screencast video or "talking head" video from it; writing and
submitting a press release; creating a teleclass; create a Q&A radio
show interview opportuníty; breaking up the points as separate Twitter
posts, or Tweets, and tweeting them to my followers; or sharing it on
my Squidoo lens or other information-sharing portals. The point here
is to work once and profit, profit, profit. Repurpose one article as
many ways as you can to drive traffic back to your blogsite and thus
get more and more prospects to sign up on your list and ultimately
convert them to customers.
The advent of the Internet makes it easier than ever to create and
promote an online business with very little startup capital. And, if
done correctly, the strategies will results in you filling your
business in 60 days with eager and willing prospects ready to buy what
you are offering.
No comments:
Post a Comment