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Creative Ways To Improve Your Online Business
Table Of Contents
Increase Your Target Markets
3 Ways To Generate Profitable Business Ideas Anytime
What's Stopping Me From Deleting Your E-zine?
9 Sure-Fire Ways To Increase Your E-zine's Readership
Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected
Cross Promote Online For Maximum Profits
How To Increase Your Online Sales Anytime
The Secrets Of Chat Room Marketing Exposed
Survey Says
10 Ways Writing Articles Can Improve Your Business
Give People A Reason To Link
Increase Your Target Markets!
Are your products or services geared towards only one
target market? You can increase sales and profits by
increasing your target markets. Below are some creative
ways to increase your target markets by using your existing
products and services you're selling right now.
REDESIGN
You can increase your target markets by redesigning your
products and services. For example: you're selling a book
called "Internet Marketing Tips For Accountants" You
could rewrite part of your book and call it "Internet
Marketing Tips For Lawyers". You've now increased your
target markets by redesigning your book.
ADD-ON
You can increase your target markets by adding on other
product or service with your main one. For example: if
you're selling a football magazine you could add a free
football when someone buys a subscription. You're now
targeting people who want the football magazine and those
that want to play football out in the yard. Sometimes they
buy stuff just to get the freebies.
TEAM-UP
You can increase your target markets by doing a cross
promotion with a similar non-competeing businesses. For
example: your business sells tennis rackets and you find
another business to cross promote with that sells tennis
balls. You could combine your racket and their balls in
one package. You are now targeting people that need
tennis rackets and balls.
3 Ways To Generate Profitable Business Ideas Anytime
All businesses are created first by ideas. Then once you're in
business you need ideas for marketing, advertising, solving
problems, product development etc. The difference between
success or failure could be one just one idea. That's all!
Below are three ways to generate profitable business ideas.
1. Communicating regularly with other business people can
generate many ideas. There are many resources online and
offline to meet new business people lie; seminars, chat
rooms, discussion boards, trade shows etc. Sharing your
knowledge, asking questions, and taking in new information
will stimulate your mind. Your brain will begin to put all this
information together to create profitable business ideas.
2. If you're not much of a communicator, try reading. Reading
can also stimulate your mind. Read business books, magazines,
e-books, web sites, journals, e-zines, newspapers etc. Your
brain will generate profitable ideas by absorbing and
rearranging this information on a regular basis.
3. Don't have a lot of time to read? You could listen to
business audio books, seminars and courses. Listen to
them in the car, while your doing house work, working in
the yard, or exercising. Also, tune in business related radio
stations. This will help you save time and generate
profitable business ideas at the same time.
There are a few extra tips that will help improve these idea
generation strategies. Take short breaks to brainstorm about
the information you absorbed. Keep a notepad and pen
handy to record your ideas so you don't forget them. All
businesses need profitable business ideas to stay ahead of
competition and survive.
What's Stopping Me From Deleting Your E-zine?
I'm subscribed to over 50 e-zines. I don't have time to read
them all. I usually root though my e-mail box, read the e-zines
that look interesting and delete the rest. Does this sound like
you?
When I send out my own e-zine "The BizReport Newsletter",
I always try to put an appealing headline in the subject line
than just the name of my e-zine. My sales and readership are
always higher compared to the issues I don't use an appealing
headline. Which issue would you read first?
Subject Line 1:
The BizReport Newsletter
Or
Subject Line 2:
The BizReport Newsletter - FREE Internet Marketing Course!
I think all of you would honestly pick subject line number two.
Here are three types of appealing e-zine headlines that I have
used to great success:
A "Freebie" Headline
Use a headline about a freebie you are offering in your e-zine.
People love to get free stuff. The freebie should be related to
your e-zine's topic. Keep the freebies coming and your
subscribers will keep reading!
Examples:
FREE Online Marketing E-book!
NEW! Free Autoresponders!
A "Content" Headline
Are you publishing an interesting article? Use the article's
title
in your e-zines subject line. People won't delete your e-zine if
they know you offering appealing content.
Examples:
5 Sure-Fire Ways To Attract New Customers Now !
Increase Your Credibility With Web Site Awards!
A "Contest" Headline
Use a headline about a contest or sweepstakes you're holding
in your e-zine. The prizes should be something of interest or
value to your subscribers. Your subscribers will open your
e-zine to see how to enter.
Examples:
Win A $1000 Worth Of Advertising!
Would you like to win a trip to Hawaii?
9 Sure-Fire Ways To Increase Your E-zine's Readership!
You Have Won!
Hold an ongoing prize drawing in your e-zine. The prizes should
be something of interest or value to your subscribers. Most
people who enter will continually read each issue for the
results.
100% Original
Give your subscribers content they can't read anywhere else.
I'm not saying all your content has to be 100% original, but a
portion of your e-zine should have original information. People
will usually read information they haven't read before.
Was I Right?
Give your subscribers a quiz or a series of trivia questions.
Publish the correct answers in your following issue. The people
who participate will want to see if they were right.
Read All About It!
Supply news stories related to your e-zine's topic. People want
current and up-to-date news. If you can be their first source,
they will become loyal readers.
The Polls Are In!
Hold an interactive poll in your e-zine. Ask subscribers a poll
question. Have them e-mail their vote or opinion. People love
to give their 2 cents worth. They would also like to read the
results in your next issue.
Become A Jester :)
Give your subscribers a little humor now and then. Don't be so
serious, tell them a joke. If they associate your e-zine with
being happy they will want to read every issue.
The Information Free-way
People love to get free stuff. Tell readers were to get free
stuff online or offline. It could be software, services, sample
products, e-books etc. The freebies should be related to your
e-zine's topic. Keep the freebies coming and your subscribers
will keep reading!
Mini-Yahoo
Tell your subscribers about Web sites related to your e-zine's
topic. The web sites should be interesting and helpful. Become
your readers miniature "Yahoo", you know how many readers
they get.
In Our Next Issue...
Get your subscribers excited about your next issue. Tell them
about upcoming articles, prize drawings, freebies etc. If they
know what's in store for them, they won't want to miss reading
your next issue.
Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected
Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact
with a number of other business people. They could be
lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. These
people are important to your business in more ways than
one. Yes, you may have hired them, or they bought your
product or service. You can also gain their business
knowledge, experience, ideas, and advice. How do you do
this? Stay Connected! Network! Networking is when two
or more different businesses stay in contact on a regular
basis to build and improve each others business.
Consider all the benefits you'll gain from talking to other
busines people:
-Knowledge or information that you didn't have before
-Advice on how to solve a current business problem
-Leads to a new business project or opportunity
-Joint ventures and cross promotion deals
-Learn important skills that you didn't have before
-Constructive criticism that improved your business
-Brainstorming that sparks a profitable business idea
-Encouraging and motivational statements
Their are many ways to meet business people. Join business
clubs and associations. Participate in online business related
forums, e-mail discussion groups, and chat rooms. Go to
business expos and trade shows. There are other ways use
your creativity to come up with more.
If you have the time, start your own networking group. You
could hold meetings at a local seminar room, at a park , or
at your own business building. If you want to hold meetings
online use a private chat room. Publish a print or e-mail
newsletter to keep members informed of meeting time and
dates.
Keep all your business associates' contact information all in
one place. Have it organized by business type or profession
for easy finding. So when you need some advice on a new
marketing campaign you can call that marketing expert you
met at that trade show in Ohio a couple of weeks ago.
Networking is a surefire way to build a successful business.
I have used it countless times and will continue too. I have
also met a lot of business people who are now some of my
closest friends.
Cross Promote Online For Maximum Profits
Cross promoting is when two or more businesses promote
their products or services together. I try to find businesses
that have the same target audience, but are not in direct
competition with my business. Doing cross promotions
with other businesses increases your profits, sales, and
beat your competition.
You can find businesses to cross promote all over the
Internet. Participate in e-mail discussion groups, online
forums and newsgroups that deal with your target audience.
Subscribe to e-zines that deal with your targeted audience.
Note on your Web site or e-zine that you are interested in
cross promoting your products and services. Search in
your favorite web directories and search engines to find
targeted businesses.
Cross promoting has many benefits. Save money by
sharing the advertising and marketing costs. Save time
when both businesses share the workload. You can offer
your customers new products and services. Get referrals
from the other business' clients. Receive valuable
information from the business.
Once you find a business you would like to cross promote
with simply e-mail them your proposal. Tell the business
owner the benefits of the cross promotion. Explain to him
or her why it would be a win/win situation for both of your
businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about their
business, Web site, products and services. Using all three
methods above will greater your chance for a profitable
cross promotion. Good Luck!
How To Increase Your Online Sales Anytime!
Hold a discount sale on your web site. Use the sale to get
rid of excess inventory, gain new or repeat customers, and
increase your sales. Most businesses pick a theme for their
sale, like a Halloween Sale. Below are six unique sales
themes you could use:
Nobody's Visiting Today Sale
Every online business has low visitor and sales day through
the week. My days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.You
could sell your products or services for cheaper to increase
and sales on your slow days. You could have this advertised
right on your web site.
Time Of The Day Sale
Periodically , pick out a time of the day like 5 to 7 pm to
lower your prices. With online sales you need tell people
the time zone. Announce your scheduled times ahead of
time in your e-zine. This will give people enough time to
plan when they will visit your web site.
Product Or Service Of The Day Sale
Each day offer different product or service at a lower price.
This will draw people back to your web site everyday. This
is a high traffic generating sale. If you don't have a lot of
products and services you may want to run the sale weekly
or monthly.
Niche Group Sale
Hold a sale for a niche groups of people. Students, senior
citizens, single people etc. This really works if your
introducing a new product or service for the first time to a
new target audience. Announce your sale in a targeted
e-zine, e-mail discussion groups, message boards, etc.
Holiday Or Seasonal Sale
Offer lower prices on holidays and during seasonal changes.
These type of sales let your visitors and customers know
your no scrooge. Be creative and go as far as decorating
your web site. You could upload holiday and seasonal
graphics. Change the color of your text to match. Get in the
spirit!
Get More For Your Money Sale
Give customers more products or services for their money.
People relate these kind of sales to getting a bargain or
saving money. You could offer a buy one get one for half
off sale, a buy two get the third one free, two for the price
of one sale, etc.
The Secrets Of Chat Room Marketing Exposed
Chat Room Marketing is the use of online chat rooms to
promote your product or service. Chat rooms are usually
broken into categories. Find the right chat room where your
targeted audience would gather. Create a chat room profile
with your ad, business info, or signature file in it. Announce
to everyone in the chat room something interesting or free
that's offered on your web site. This will draw visitors to
your web site. Always be aware of chat room rules before
engaging the visitors in a sales pitch that could be considered
SPAM.
Send electronic messages to target people in the chat room
that would be interested in your products or services. Start a
conversation with them. After a few moments indirectly
bring your sales pitch into the conversation. This is a great
way to do one-on-one selling electronically. Do not directly
SPAM them with your messages.
~Marketing With Your Web Site's Chat Room~
Just having a chat room on your Web site can create an
online community and bring visitors to your Web site. Host
a free online seminar in your chat room about a subject of
your expertise. Use a chat room to meet with current
customers if they have any questions or problems. Regularly
schedule free events in your chat room. Schedule experts to
speak in your chat room.
Host other people's chat rooms as an expert. Charge for
doing this to earn extra money or just do it for free to gain
publicity. Make sure your spelling and grammar is correct
when chatting, so people understand what you are typing.
Use some chat room emotions and acronyms to help people
understand you're typing.
Use " :D " to show your laughing
Use " :) " to show you are smiling
Use " BTW " which means "by the way"
Use " FAQ " which means "frequently asked questions"
Use " IMHO " which means "in my humble opinion"
Use " LOL " which means "laughing out loud"
Use " TU " which means "thank you"
Marketing your products or services in chat rooms is a
more personal way to gain new customers. Prospects are
actually communicating with you instead of reading your ad.
You may even make a few friends along the way.
Survey Says!
Do you have a list of e-mail addresses of your customers or
prospects? Do you have a list of e-zine subscribers? If you
have their permission, send them an e-mail survey to conduct
market research. See if customers are satisfied with your
products or services, or see if they enjoyed their visit at
your web site.
You can learn things you didn't know about your business by
surveying. Maybe your customers buy your main product just
to get the free gifts. Your visitors may think it's to hard to
navigate through your web site. You may find out that most of
your customers make over $100,000 a year. By knowing this
type of important information you can improve your web site,
products/services, advertising, and marketing.
3 Popular Types Online Business Surveys
Customer Satisfaction Surveys - what did you like or dislike
about our product or service, what can we improve or add,
how satisfied are you with our customer service, etc.
Web Site Feedback Surveys - did you find it to easy navigate
through our site, did you find the information you wanted, what
did you like or dislike about the site, how did you find our
site, etc.
Demographic Surveys - what's your gender, age, income,
occupation, marital status, etc.
Sometimes people don't want to take the time to fill out a
survey. To encourage them to fill out the survey offer them
a freebie if they fill it out. Some ideas are free ebooks, free
advertising, free reports, free internet services or a free
e-zine. Hold a free online contest or sweepstakes and ask
visitors to fill out a survey before they enter.
If you don't yet have an e-mail address list you could post
your survey on appropriate newsgroups, forums and e-mail
discussion lists. You could also upload survey software to
your web site or use a free survey service on the internet.
To find such services just type in the keyword "survey" in
your search engine of choice.
10 Ways Writing Articles Can Improve Your Business
1. Submit them to e-zines and web sites for publishing.
Include your resource box at the end of the article to get
free advertising.
2. Combine your articles into a free e-book. You can place
your business ad in the e-book. Give it away to visitors and
allow them to do the same to multiply your advertising.
3. Create an article directory on your web site. People will
visit your web site to get the free information.
4. Submit your articles to print publications that pay for
submissions. You can make extra income getting paid as
a freelance writer.
5. Combine a few of your articles together into a free report.
Give away the free report as a bonus for buying your main
product or service.
6. Publish a book with all your articles. Make extra money
selling the book from your web site.
7. Give people an instant article directory. Tell visitors they
can instantly add a free article directory to their web site
by linking to yours. All those links can add up to a large
amount of traffic to your web site.
8. Post your articles in related online communities. This can
give you free advertising in newsgroups, forums and e-mail
discussion lists.
9. Allow people to include your articles in their free e-books.
Your article could end up being in 20 to 30 e-books in no
time. You won't even have to promote the e-books.
10. Let people access your articles by autorepsonder.
Include your full page e-mail ad with the article.
Give People A Reason To Link!
Have you ever visited a web site and they ask you to link to
their site...and that's it?! They give you no reason to link.
I have to be honest, I won't link to a web site unless I get
some kind of benefit. If you want people to link to your web
site give them something in return. The following are some
reasons I might link to another web site:
The web site offers a reciprocal link in return. It must draw
the same targeted visitors as my web site. They agree to
give me the same kind of link (banner, text, graphic, etc) in
return. The link must also be in the same position on their
web site as it is on mine.
The web site gives away free stuff for linking. They may
give me a free membership in their online club or association,
offer me a free ad in their ebook, submit my site to thousands
of search engine and directories, free e-mail consulting, etc.
The web site is a useful resource for my visitors. It must
attract the same targeted visitors as mine. The site might
have a free online service I could offer my visitors. They
may offer a free e-mail course I could give away to my
visitors.
The web site offers a free affiliate program. The product or
service must be something my visitors would purchase. The
affiliate program must supply online stats and proven ads.
If you give them a reason, you'll increase the number of
people that link to your web site.
The End
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