| |
| |
|
Internet Marketing Information |
|
Marketing - All About Focus
Marketing would appear to be the great buzz word of the decade. Every self-respecting business team talks about it, yet many of us aren't even sure what it is, and even more are uncertain of how they should be doing it. In Marketing -the next level we looked at some of the most important definitions, and pointed out that marketing is simply about bridging the gap between the producer and the consumer. It's not about what you're trying to sell, it's about who you're trying to sell it to, what they want from you, and how to give it them. It really is that simple. This is all very good in theory, but one of the main problems with marketing is that while it makes complete sense when reading about it, applying it to the real world can often prove to be a different matter. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do so is to focus on the consumer. How to attract new customers to your product and website is the constant quandary of many businesses, small or large. But the fact is that no matter what method you use to do so, it's a hard, slow and often expensive process. Logically, we can therefore assume that we should, and indeed must, apply some of our energies to retaining existing customers. The question is why we lose so many potential customers before they've even had a chance to reach for their wallets. There could be many reasons for this. Some may no longer require what you're selling, some may simply forget about you, and inevitably, some may feel (rightly or wrongly) that you don't provide what they need or want. While there is little that you can do if they genuinely have no need for the product or service you're selling, everything else is completely under your control. Why Are You Losing Customers? If, for example, a customer did use your product in the past, but no longer has any need for it, then something must have changed. Is it perhaps new technology that you're not keeping up with, a gap in your product, or incompatibility with other software? Identify what's changed, and if possible, address those needs. If the reason is a competing product, then go after the product's features with a vengeance, and build on them. Don't constrain yourself by only providing the bare basics of what the consumer wants. Give them what they could use, and show them features that they've never even thought of before. While no-one in their right mind goes shopping for a new car based on the stereo and seat linings, the fact is that sometimes these add-ins may prove to be the make-or-break features in choosing their purchase. Throw them in. On the other hand, if the potential customer doesn't even realise what you're offering, then you're doing something very wrong. Have you ever come across a site with the make-or-break fact that persuades you to buy the product, hidden away four clicks into the web site? I certainly have, and it's far from rare. Realistically, chances are that a large number of your website visitors won't go beyond the front page, so don't hide the juicy details buried in the depths of your site. The most important sales facts should be plain to see from the moment your main page loads. A book may not be judged by its cover, but a website certainly is. Catch their attention the moment they arrive, entice them in with tasty titbits, and you've got them. Sell The Benefits, Not Just The Features I've said it many times before, and I'll say it many times yet. You have to sell the benefits of your software, and not just it's features. A long feature list looks great to the person who's thinking about buying the software, but until they realise that they need or want it in the first place, it'll barely even register. Take an imaginary graphics file viewer as an example. If the front page for the product is one long feature list, with an impressive 60+ supported formats on display, that's all very well and good. But will the three-second-a-site visitor be interested? Probably not. They're not looking for what the software is capable of, they're looking for what the software can do for them. If however you sell the fact that the file viewer can SAVE TIME AND MONEY, ALLOW YOU TO ACCESS YOUR COLLEAGUES FILES and VIEW ALL YOUR EMAIL ATTACHMENTS, then you're far more likely to grab their attention. Feature lists are for shareware sites and magazine reviews. People want benefits and solutions. Again, it goes back to the consumer. Once you know what they're looking for, spoon feed it to them in just the right way, with all the information and details they need, and a little bit of icing never goes amiss either. As for the people who click on the features list, chances are that they don't need convincing that they may have a use for the software, they're looking for more reasons to buy it. They're looking for as many facts as possible to satisfy their wallet, boss, spouse or conscience. Give them what they want. And remember not to go for too blatant a sales pitch. People are strange, and although the average person loves to buy things, they hate being sold to! The difference? Make them want what you're selling, don't just shout BUY at them! Satisfy their needs, meet their requirements and show them that you're the answer they're looking for. Never forget that you're not selling to objects. You're selling to people. In order to reach them, you have to start thinking like one of them! Spend time finding out how your existing customers use your software, what made them choose your product, and why they continue to use or enjoy it. See if any patterns emerge, and use this information to focus on your strengths and also your opportunities. Then apply what you've learnt to your product literature, your banner ads, your email signature, your advertising campaigns and above all your website. Be seen, be sold. Copyright 2005 SharewarePromotions Ltd Dave Collins is the CEO of SharewarePromotions Ltd., a well established UK-based software and shareware marketing company. Are your software sales slow? Find out how to promote your software across the web and multiply your sales level at http://www.sharewarepromotions.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Internet Marketing Going to be Essential for Web Marketing Success - Promotion World (press release)
Joint Effort Marketing Named Second Best Video SEO Company by topseos.com for ... - Press Media Wire
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Using An Autoresponder To Manage Your Email Campaigns Automatic RespondersWhether your e-business is planning to launch an email marketing campaign or simply in need of handling demanding email inquiries, rapid email response to inquiries is a customer service essential. Ideally, customer email inquiries should be answered within a 24 hour period. Website Sales: Using Direct Response Secret To Get Your Prospects To Buy - Now I'd like to let you in on a little secret that most webmasters don't know:"In order to make money from a web site it must be a Direct Response Web Site!"Sites That Make Money Are.. The Deadly Itch! It is a story about Manku, a blind man who was lost in a maze of wealth. It is a story about each of us. How To Win The Marketing War, Capture Your Prospects Mind As a marketer you are engaged in a "War" with competitors where the ultimate prize is capturing the mind of prospects and claiming their purchase dollars.What you are about to read shows you how to create a powerful, automatic weapon for that war that generates relentless, repeating sales. Website Marketers Enemy No. 1 There comes a time in your efforts to market your website that you realise that it's no longer enough to tell your family and friends to visit your website - you need to get some people who will pay you in cash rather than compliments. You need to start approaching other website owners and start building an online network of contacts. Chasing New Business? As well you should. New business is what makes the world go round. Online Sales : 10 High Decibel Tricks To Magnify Your Sales Online sales is like a fine art and you have to learn the ropes on how to convert traffics to buyers.Below are online sales secrets to help:1. Internet Marketing And Public Speaking: Ten Tips For When The Twain Shall Meet Internet marketing and public speaking? Not quite ham and eggs, is it?Those two phrases are rarely found in the same sentence. After all, many people decide to do their marketing in cyberspace so they'll never be required to deliver a sales presentation or a speech. Secrets to Business Success on the Internet Secret Number One: The Key Is A Niche MarketIdentifying a viable niche is an important asset as you're creating a new Internet business. The target should be a certain facet of the population that has very specific needs you are able to satisfy. The Facts You Should Know About Internet Marketing I wakeup this morning and see my lovely wife. She was sleeping and looking like angel. Capture Names - They Are Like GOLD Nuggets!! A landing page is used to capture people's details when they come to your website.It helps to sort out the serious lookers from the curious!If people come to your website and they aren't really that interested in what you have to offer, then they probably won't give you their details to have a look at the inside. Hispanic Web Marketing - An Emerging Strategy Major marketers in the United States have recognized the importance of the Hispanic Market since the early 1990's. Back then, only Fortune 500 companies with multi-million dollar marketing budgets started targeting this promising vertical segment through Hispanic TV, radio, and print advertising. Find Your Niche - the Internet Marketers Goldmine If you haven't heard the word 'niche' being batted around by Internet Marketers then you haven't been listening. Finding a niche has become the antidote to competing in overly saturated online markets. Internet Marketing Success Requires a Plan (Part I) The days when you could just slap up a Website and wait for the money to roll in are long gone. Success today depends on knowing your target audience and having an effective strategy to reach them. Heres A Quick and Simple Way To Find Hot Niche Markets "Here's A Quick and Simple Way To Find Hot Niche Markets"In This Article You'll Learn.. Yanik Silver Asked Some Questions That Peaked My Curiosity It's so simple! I wish I'd discovered it a year ago!There are a few marketers that stand out from the crowd. One of the hippest guy's on the internet scene these days is Yanik Silver. Article Submitting: How To Study A Publisher's Website There are many websites that will host your articles on the Internet. Some small, some large, some with guidelines, some without, some support streams of topics, some have a limited focus, some charge a fee and some are free. Scam And Scheme Free Advertising For Your Business Web Site Since I own my own business web site and have looked for many ways to advertise cheap and for free, I have noticed how many sites there are out there that will try to get you to either join or buy advertising in one form or another. There are sites out there that will promise you the moon if you either join their "viral marketing" scheme or site that will cause your email box to become inundated with email ads from others who have fell for this. 4 Ways In Which You Can Achieve Critical Mass Critical Mass Website Promotion is the elite goal rarely attained by website marketers in any industry. Reaching critical mass and getting targeted website traffic on autopilot (meaning you don't have to promote your site for 6 months and the traffic NEVER declines) is the Holy Grail of internet marketing. Internet Marketing On A Budget Establishing a web presence on the internet is based on two factors when you are on a budget, your willingness to devote time to your marketing efforts, and knowing the true facts of what really works in the world of internet marketing. There are many site promotion companies that promise to generate traffic for your site, but if you are a business on the Internet, you want more than just hits; you want potential customers to visit your site.
|
| Home | Cell Phones | Watches | Make Money | Work at Home | Web Hosing | Free Traffics | Free Classified Ads | site map |
| © 2006 |
