| |
| |
|
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:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Internet Marketing Strategy:The Advertising Co-op The advertising co-op is an Internet marketing strategy that should bring sustained financial success.Benefits from a well run advertising co-op include:(1)Responsive highly targeted advertising(2)Low costHow An Advertising Co-op WorksMembers of the same program pool their money to pay for advertising. Silver Surfers: Successful Online Marketing to Seniors If you are marketing to an older audience, don't discount the value of a website. People over 50 account for more than 50% of discretionary spending in the United States, and they are going online to buy. Sneak Up On Your Competition Dear Internet marketers: After going through a couple of months of frustration, I finally came up with ways to "sneak up" on my competition. I thought I would save you a lot of time, money and hard work and share, my experiance with you. Learning More About Your Customers to Achieve Maximum Online Profits! Knowing about the people who buy your products or use your services on the internet is extremely important. If you know what your customers like, dislike, want and think, then you know exactly how to update your site and adapt it. How to Explode Your Database Marketing And Back-End Sales To Increase Your Bottom Line Profits Set up multiple simultaneous marketing campaigns with database marketing automation email software that get results exploding your internet business marketing while growing multiple optin lists, prospects consistent follow, increasing Back End Sales, and bottom line profits.When you don't follow up your prospects or customers with additional information, you are allowing valuable customers and prospects to skip from your grasp, go to your competitors, and satisfied their needs, at the expense of what should have been you're your profits. How To Pull Massive Profits From Resale Rights Instantly What's in your name?I'm not trying to be funny here, this basic question holds the key to you making much more money with your resale rights business than you probably realized.May I ask again then: "what's in your name"?If you look at it, the main difference between your name and everyone's else is well, it's different. Stitching Up a Niche I am a great admirer of businesses that serve and market to one or a small number of niches. It's such a great business model and one of the fastest ways to grow a business. Seven Easy Steps to Boost Your Professional Image With Adobe Often-overlooked commands can boost sales and project a more professional image. Adobe Acrobat Distiller is one of today's most effective tools. What is Article Marketing? Simply put article marketing is advertising your web site through the use of articles. This choose of advertising is preferable over others for the simple fact that it's free. Web Marketers - Get Some Professional Help! There is lots of freelance help available on the internet, from writers, editors, proofreaders and other professionals in the writing industry to software developers, graphic designers, web designers and all manner of other technical and business specialists.Thanks to the increasingly popular outsourcing exchanges, such as Elance. Website Sales: 10 Stimulating Words That Make People Buy There are certain mesmerizing words that when used effectively can make people buy from you and increase your sales.Here are these website sales magical words:1. New Product Launch Checklist Launching a new product or service is an exciting time and it is possible to overlook something in the rush to get that product or service to market. I developed the following checklist to make certain that I didn't make the same mistake twice. 10 Deadly Joint Venture Profit Killing Mistakes 1. Not sending out another mailingSending another mailing (to the subscribers who haven't bought) will often bring 50% or so of the previous response. Educate Yourself to Succeed in Internet Marketing More and more people are considering the World Wide Web as a great opportunity to offer their products and services to a new, bigger market or even as a chance to create entirely new businesses online.Even if the perspective to reach millions of potential customers is surely exciting, the truth is that internet marketing is more difficult than it may seems and if you don't have a sufficient experience you will usually waste a lot of time and resources doing things that don't produce the results you expect. Creating Multiple Streams Of Income Part 2 Over my years of experience in doing business on the Internet I have noticed two things that prevent most people from making any kind of money with a part time business.First most people are led to believe, or come to their own conclusion, that what ever happens on the Internet should happen fast, including building and becoming successful at business. Targeting Online Customers Although generating online traffic is an important goal of any website, attention should always be directed to the very first and most important issue in website marketing: targeting online customers. It's important to remember that the definition of your online customers always comes from your customers' basic needs and preferences. Breakin It Down I've recently begun working with individuals one-on-one who are truly interested in earning an income from the internet in the comfort of their own home. A common complaint I hear from them is that they are constantly overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information that they are bombarded with each and every day. Writing An Effective, Profit Producing Ad One of the biggest challenges for most Internet Marketers is writing effective ad copy. This is hardly surprising. Cut Out the B.S. in Your Internet Marketing Are you getting disgusted with your results as an internet marketer? Staying up until two in the morning looking for that information that will give you that extra edge over everyone else out there? Slowly changing your goal of working for yourself into a dream again instead of the reality you once knew it to be?Think of the last great idea you had and never used. What made you give up on it? Not enough time? Not enough money to get it up and running? Did you think it just would' nt work? One more question. How To Make A Lot Of Money On The Internet Doing Nothing "You can make a lot of money on the Internet doing nothing!" That's the number one Internet marketing myth.It's an urban legend, of course.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 Indexadvertisements.com |
