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4 Easy Steps to Successful Web Site Marketing
by Charlie Cook
Published on this site: May 4th, 2007 - See
more articles from this month
4 Easy Steps to Successful Web Site Marketing
Marilyn is a psychologist who called to find out how to
increase the 'sales' from her web site. She's determined to
use her web site to build a tele-consulting business so she
can give up the commute from New Jersey to her Manhattan
office.
She had a professional-looking web site that was getting a
good number of visitors, but very few of them were calling
her, much less signing up for her services.
Why not? Why weren't prospects visiting her web site and
then immediately picking up the phone? And what could she
do about it?
Website marketing is about attracting attention; moving
people to become prospects, to try your products and
services and to sign up for your top end services or buy
everything you sell. For many it can seem complex and
overwhelming but it's simply a matter of helping people
move from point A to point B to point C.
Every web site and business owner wants their prospects to
become high paying clients, but most web sites don't
provide prospects with pathways to follow from point A to B
and to C, to become mid-level or super clients.
Let me explain...
Imagine that you're opening a new restaurant in a
three-story building. The first floor is the lobby or
waiting area. Moving up to the second floor, customers can
order individual items from your menu a la carte; the
prices range from $5 to $19. Customers who move up to the
third floor can enjoy a spectacular view and a 4 course,
fixed price dinner served with wine for $70.
You're ready to open the doors and start making money.
There's just one problem. The architect for your building
didn't include any staircases or elevators. People can't
move from one floor to the next.
Of course, no one would build a restaurant like that but in
fact, that is how many online and consulting business are
structured. One of the biggest marketing mistakes people
make is not providing prospects with options for moving
from point A to B to C. In many cases the pathways don't
exist or the doors to the stairs aren't obvious.
Ready for your web site marketing to generate more paying
customers and or super clients?
Want to make it easy for prospects to become super clients?
Marketing pundits will tell you that to get prospects to
buy your top end services, you first need to get them to
buy your $29 product, then your $200 product, and then
these customers will be ready to spend thousands.
It's true you need to create simple and obvious pathways
for prospects to follow to become clients, but don't take
this linear pathway idea too literally. While some
customers will follow it, others won't. Give your prospects
multiple ways to try out your products and services.
Structure your web site marketing pathways with the
following in mind:
- Your first marketing goal is to get people in the door
so they can get to know you. The best way to do that is to
give something away for free. Offer prospects something
they want. If you are opening a restaurant, free beer or
wine would be a start. Online, free reports, online
courses, or audio and video files can be successful offers.
Or if you sell products, contests, and special offers work.
- Once you've got a prospect interested, the temptation is
to try to make a sale right away. Don't. Take a deep breath
and count to three. Rushing the sale can kill it. Your
prospects will become paying clients when they know you,
trust you and are sure you can help them.
You've gotten their attention with your free offer. Now
educate them about the core areas where you can provide
assistance. Give prospects a sample of your best goods.
Finally, explain the solutions you offer in terms of their
problems and how you solve them.
- Your freebies will attract three basic types of
prospects: people who like freebies and aren't buyers;
people who have limited budgets but will buy your entry and
mid-level products; and people who have unlimited funds and
may buy one of your entry-level products or may jump right
to your top end services.
- You'll make the most money from people who buy
everything you sell or who spend tens of thousands of
dollars on our services, so how can you get more people to
become these super clients?
Every web site and business owner wants their prospects to
become high paying clients. The more you give away, the
more prospects will move from testing your free stuff to
immediately becoming your best clients.
imagine if instead of just offering free peanuts in the
lobby of your restaurant, you offered a sampling of the
best appetizers served on the top floor along with wine to
match. More people would be likely to become high-end
spenders on their first visit, assuming your building has
stairs or a high-speed elevator. Yes, your freebie will
cost you more but you'll make a lot more if you can
motivate prospects to spend two to three times more.
Does your web site marketing provide paths for prospects to
become super clients? Take a minute to answer these
questions:
- What do you do to attract prospects, e.g. to get them in
1.the door?
- If you sell pricey products or services, do you have a
low-cost way for people to get hooked on buying from you?
- What pathways do you provide to move first-time
customers to become second time customers and spend more?
- Do you provide enough for free to entice some prospects
to immediately become super clients?
Ready to make your web site marketing sell and get all the
super clients you can handle? Use these 4 simple steps to
market your web site and get your prospects in the door so
they can become loyal clients.
Charlie Cook - helps small business owners and
marketing professionals attract more clients and be more
successful online. Sign up to receive the Small Business
Marketing Ideas eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and
grow your business' at: http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
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