ReeHart - Blogging from the Heart

Archive for the ‘Website Promotion’ Category

Did you know the human mind thinks in pictures? Try it for yourself, think of the phrase now for example targeted web traffic, what do you think of?

Maybe a picture of the last website you visited with an article on getting a heap more visitors, or maybe you see a picture of your empty clickbank account that you know might only get filled once you get a heap of visitors.

The point of all this is you do not think of a word or phrase as “text” but actually you see an image of your interpretation of that word or phrase in your mind.

In many respects the human mind is like a video player than can play videos on demand. [youtube:ed3qwsigxRc;[link:A Promotional Video];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed3qwsigxRc&feature=related] Doesn’t it then make sense to produce content that will press your visitors buttons? Pictures and better still videos will do just that.

A picture, or a video is usually the 1st thing a human eye will gravitate towards when opening a page on the internet, and even more so if the image is of a human face. Try it yourself. Open a web page containing text and a picture or a video and “watch” where you look yourself.

Entire sites have been setup,hundreds of them in fact that are dedicated to sharing video and images and they are some of the most heavily trafficked any websites get on the internet. Why? People really like watching videos and looking at pictures.

Isn’t it time you started making a major focus on video for your websites?

Now any video you create should offer very relevant and practical any useful information to your audience, and should be targeted to their needs. If you just “self promote”, then you are likely to be disappointed with the results. Remember people love watching Channel WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) !

A video can be an incredibly powerful testimonial because it can give the visitor the “proof” that the product works, as well as demonstrating potentially useful information relating to the product.

Just take a look at TV advertisements if you are ever stuck for ideas on video concepts. With the price of advertising on TV, you can bet that the concepts you see in an ad are tested and proven winners (guaranteed to “convert” as many of their targeted watchers as possible).

For example, many TV advertisements cover a format like listed below.

1. Identify the problem in the mind of the viewer.

2. “Offer” a fix to the problem.

3. Introduce other people who endorse the product (testimonials).

4. Introduce special price.

5. Introduce scarcity (available for a limited time, etc).

6. Introduce a few bonus items (2 for the price of 1, order in next 15 minutes to get a fantastic bonus, etc).

It should be no surprise if you look at the list above to come to the conclusion that many internet marketing launches follow the EXACT same model. I am hoping that if you now realize this, it may get you to spend a little more time researching the product before “buying the One Time Offer”. Because you know this information you can not get “sucked in” to the buying process.

I would recommend that if you are trying to “sell” in your video that you cover a similar format using the AIDA formula. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

So the introductory part of the video should “excite” your prospect just by seeing it, so a or a snappy picture or something to get to the problem straight away is a great start.

Once you have their first bit of Attention you have to convert this into genuine Interest. How is your product going to really benefit your prospect? Will it make their life better? Remember prospects buy on Benefits (what it’s going to do for them) and not Features, so target Benefits here.

Ok, Attention and Benefits are resolved, it’s now the time to move them to desire the product.. Badly! This is Desire, Make the offer irresistible. Perhaps some cool extra bonuses, you really want to make it a “no brainer” for them to buy. An iron clad guarantee is also good here.

Finally, the last but by no means least step is Action. You can build up Attention, Interest, and Desire, but your clickbank account balance is not going to move up until you get them to take Action.

Actually ask your prospect to buy, or leave their email, or visit the website, or anything you are trying to get them to do. Be very specific and tell them exactly what you want them to do. This step is something many marketers leave out, so make sure you not forget to add this.

Be sure that your youtube marketing efforts targets the benefits your prospect will receive. Just make the video from a prospects point of view and target the problems, interests, desires, and of course the solution and you will be well on your way to get a great response from your video.

It really doesn’t take a fortune to get your internet business ideas up and running and making you money. A lot of people think you have to have lots of capital to back an idea. Happily, that’s not the case. What it mainly takes is time, dedication, and the right idea that suits your lifestyle and interests. Just about anything that interests you from comic books and video gaming to flowers and candle making can be termed an Internet business idea and make the transformation from brick and mortar to words and graphics.

One of the most popular Internet business ideas is to become an affiliate marketer to create wealth. This type of business lets you sell other people’s products and services and you get a pre-determined percentage of the sale price.

This can be a terrific source of additional income, especially if you choose the right product to promote. Keep in mind though that even if you do manage to hook a winner, the popularity of any product waxes and wanes and it is important that you keep looking for new products to promote.

Another thing to avoid is to chase for the latest trends on the internet. For example, most people would jump at the latest business opportunity or start their own social networking site as it is the ‘in-thing’ now.

The right approach will be to start an internet business that makes use of your interests and talents. Your main aim is to leave your dead end job and workaday lifestyle.

These are just the tip of the iceberg as far as Internet business ideas are concerned. What you mainly want to look for is something that interests you, will keep your attention, won’t become a chore to do, and can help you make some cash for your efforts. Internet business ideas can be just about anything.

Do you remember the time when your first email was sent? or When the first website was set up? Do you know who was the first one to set a profile on Facebook, or the first fan page on MySpace? However this time do not lag behind and immediately Visit www.ext.com, the new online social network that is slowly transforming into the next great online community.

What is so great about EXT.com? First and foremost is, the possibility of personalizing your profile page as has never before been possible in the history of online social networking. EXT equips you with the tools you need to customize every aspect of the face you present to the ext community, to an extent that you can even embed your own HTML code within your profile page, adding features and content unique to you.

Second, by making use of EXT’s Business Sense tools, a company or group’s profile goes beyond simply being a marketing tool. The more you build your network, and the more visitors you draw to your site, the more revenue you can generate through ads. That’s right EXT is the only one to shares ad revenue with you and your business. Hence you get all the fun and money too!

Last but not the least, EXT users keep “business from pleasure” separate by creating as many separate profiles as they want. Now you can have a family profile, a business profile and a hobby profile, with as much or as little interchange between the profiles as you specify. Wish you had been one of the first with an email account or Facebook profile? History has provided you with a second chance. Join EXT today!

When running a campaign to generate increased revenues for your website, Google Adwords proves to be among the best options. However, for most beginners, this can be quite a terrifying experience especially if you lack the essential skills in properly setting your campaign. Given the right knowledge, you can bring more people to your site and have them buy your offered products or services.

The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords’ author, Perry Marshall, presents some useful pointers for beginners. Your online marketing’s success is highly probable if you exactly know the means to fine-tuning your keyword lists, carefully planning your campaign by doing test ads, and familiarizing on your target market or audience.

Are you currently in the process of getting started with your first campaign? Then you must remember these seven significant techniques in the utilization of Google Adwords:

1. Be location-specific. With Google Adwords, targeting various search networks as well as geographic locations is manageable. This means that you must accurately figure out or narrow down the areas where you want your traffic to originate as these will be the same destinations your ad will be running. Decide whether you want your campaign to run locally or internationally.

2. Start with a low budget. You don’t have to spend too much money on Adwords when you first start out, and you always have the freedom to increase your daily ad spending if you need to. Start small and then slowly increase your spending when you begin to get a high CTR on your ads.

3. Be knowledgeable on the proper use of URL. To enable others to actively track your ads, ensure that aside from the link to your HP, you also have a landing page or other destination URL that links to your site. This way, promoting a particular section of your site is trouble-free.

4. Be sure to put action keywords in your ad’s body. “Contact us today!” or “sign up now!” are words that will surely engage your prospective clients while reading your ad’s content. Further, the use of strong words maximally generates clickthroughs and propels readers to take action.

5. Be vigilant about the competition. You can monitor your ad’s progress by running simple Google searches using your own keywords. Take note of the ranking of your competitors’ versus your ads. What ads came first? If there is a huge discrepancy in the ranking, you can go check other keywords or phrases used by your competitors and adjust your ads or pattern implementation of your strategies to theirs.

6. Be sure to segregate campaigns for every keyword. To know how each word in your ad is performing, never lump all your targeted keywords into one campaign. This will give you an idea on what to exclude in your ad, and those that are to be retained.

7. Be skillful in the use of Google analytics. Google Analytics translates what viewers are clicking or what they want from your site. Proficiency in its application backs you up in your market research.

You must become effective article writer, if you want to make money with articles. Article marketing is just one aspect, but arguably the most crucial component of any online marketing campaign.

Writing copy for the internet is completely different than writing for print or radio or other forms of media. You are faced with writing for an audience who is pressed for time and who has no desire to wade through a 500 plus word article that is difficult to comprehend and is formated with long, drawn out sentences and paragraphs.

Your job must be to capture their attention immediately, get them hooked and somehow make them want to continue reading your article.

Keep in mind that when it comes to writing online articles, you aren’t writing a term paper for school. The information that you present to your audience should not be academic in nature.

Your goal is to focus on a particular need or problem that your target audience has and solve it in a creative and concise manner.

With that said, here are 5 tips to creating attention-grabbing articles:

1. Get your readers excited

Your goal here is not to win a writing contest. You are not writing to win awards so avoid the ho-hum pragmatic style. Write in a conversational tone that is effervescent and easy to understand. Utilize bold headlines and use attention-getting punch lines so that your audience remains interested and keeps reading!

2. Establish A Connection

You must make a connection with your reader. Talk to them through your article as if you are their friend. You must instill a sense of trust in your target audience. You have to make them feel as if you can relate to their problems, in whatever area you are writing about.

3. Good Content is key

You don’t want to write an article so technical that the reader has to pause and look up each work in a dictionary. You want your article to be easy to comprehend and easy to relate to. Remember - most people read at a six grade level. You must adapt your writing to that level of difficulty.

4. Avoid long paragraphs

Your article should consist of short paragraphs, containing two or three sentences only. Not only are short paragraphs easy to read but will tend to capture the attention of the reader who is time constrained and is just skimming for interesting facts.

5. It’s Not About You

The best way to establish a connection with your audience is to frequently use the word YOU through out your article. The reader will feel as if he or she is important - as if you were speaking directly to him. You will be able to effectively capture their attention by writing in this manner.

So, there you have the five basic article writing tips. It is crucial that you learn how to effectively write articles before you start mass submitting to article directories.

Always keep in mind the reason you are engaging in article marketing. You want to get targeted traffic to your website so that you can make as many people as possible aware of your services and products.

If you want to make money with articles, you need to create well-written, attention-grabbing content that will help you achieve your goal.

I have been working a bit harder to promote this site.  Sure, I don’t have a lot of time, but I thought that I would give it a go in an attempt to get more visitors to my site.

So what I have done is submit my site to as many paid web directories as I could find.  Alright, maybe not as many web directories as I could, but as much as my six dollar marketing budget would allow.

That being said, my directory submissions were limited.  I submitted my site to Web Directory One, Best Web Directory, and One Web Directory - and then my budget was done.

But as time goes on, web directories will be a cornerstone of my website promotion - and I will share the ones I use right here.