E-Class #01
You Simply Can't afford not to have an Online Marketing Strategy
Online marketing is about putting your business where your customers are looking for it.
The reality of today's marketplace is that the majority of buyers are online. The world is online. Google has all but replaced the phonebook and the newspaper as the first place people go to find the answers to the problems in their lives. Best hair salon in Ohio? Rachel Ray Risotto Recipe? Thai Restaurant in Seattle? Natural remedies for stomach flu?
What this means is that your customers are online. And what happens if they can't find you? They find your competitors. So my point here is that any business that is not currently marketing their product or service online is seconds away from being left in the dust by their competition. Not to mention losing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Just like any new strategy, online marketing sometimes raises doubt.
Something that happens when I first start working through a program with my clients is that they start to express some doubt, or fear. One of the most common things I hear is "I just don't think online marketing will work for my business. We're more of a person to person shop."
Others tell me, "I just don't have the skills or money to dominate the way my competition has," "I don't know where to start," or "Face-to-face is my business model." This gets me frustrated, and sometimes it makes me laugh, because it's just not true.
Based on my experience working with dozens of businesses just like yours, I know that shifting to an online marketing strategy will grow your business to levels you never dreamed. You may already have a website, and you may have already tried some online advertising strategies. But that's just a start. The tips and tricks of the trade I'm going to walk you through in this e-course will have such a rapid and impressive impact on your traffic and conversion rates, you'll be blown away.
You're going to save money on traditional advertising (TV, radio, newspaper) and see more return on investment using these highly customized online strategies. Plus, it's even faster and easier to get started and see results.
The bottom line is if your customers use computers, then you can make more money by taking your business online. Simple as that.
It doesn't matter if you sell a product or a service. It doesn't matter if you're a massage therapist, a doctor, an accountant or a business coach. I've seen this program work for restaurant owners, retail storeowners, gym operators and plumbers. Whether you're just getting started, trying to get your business out of a plateau or diversify your offer, this program is your golden ticket.
Internet revenue potential goes beyond 'doing what you do.'
The Internet is rich with opportunities to make money. Some businesses or services may not lend themselves well to online purchases, but that doesn't mean that they can't earn money through other online strategies. This may come as a bit of a shock, but there is more than one way to make money online. There are actually three:
- Do what you do. Sell your product and/or your service online.
- Monetize. Earn based on your website traffic (get paid for each visitor).
- Join an affiliate program. Promote other people's products and services and earn a commission off sales.
It may seem like number one is still the best option for your business. I mean, how much money could you really make promoting other people's products? Who's going to pay me for my own website traffic? The short answer is that little amounts add up to big sums for almost no work at all.
Worried you don't have the time to start a big campaign? There are lots of people out there who can help.
An online marketing program can be overwhelming - especially when you're just getting set up. You may read these e-classes each week and intend to take action, but somehow get lost in the pile on your desk. The emails are designed to make it as easy and straightforward as possible, but there's no denying it's a lot of information.
I'm not saying this to discourage you - quite the opposite. I want to encourage you to take a look at your time and see what kind of support you need to put in place to be successful.
If you have employees who work for you, you could delegate to them. Either hand over some of your current responsibilities or ask employees with specific skills to help you. Some tasks, like keyword research, can be very time consuming. Others, like website design or web analytics, can be very technical.
It's important to ask yourself what your time is worth and what it is best spent doing. Should you be writing your web copy, or researching keywords? Should you be networking with prospective customers, or creating spreadsheets of web traffic data?
Of course, you don't have to implement every strategy that I go over in this e-course. Some may work well for your business, and others may just not feel right yet. The combined power of just a handful of the tactics I will cover is enough to spark serious increases in your sales and conversion numbers. You may want to choose a few and master those before moving on - that's the approach I take.
So, are you ready to dive in? Hope so. We're going to work together each week to build your online presence and get you set up with an online marketing strategy that delivers results.
Amongst all the content available online, it can be daunting to try and figure out where your business fits in, or even where your audience hangs out. That's why next week we're going to start by finding the online niche for your business.
I'm here to provide support when you need it, so feel free to email me if you have any questions
See you next week!
