Writing That Killer Sales Copy -To Win New Customers

Selling services or products over the Internet can be done in two ways. You can either sell through catalog style e-commerce marketing or through direct response marketing. Catalog style e-commerce marketing involves putting a range of services or products with their specifications, functions and uses before the eyes of prospective buyers. Pretty easy. The buyer makes his choices based on the information he sees.

In direct response Internet marketing, you must be able to move your reader to take action (often it is to buy your product) simply by communicating through the written word. You must be a master at writing eyeball-grabbing sales copy.

Here are three elements of great sales copy.

Firstly, your copy must have an attention-grabbing and captivating headline. It must stop the reader in his tracks so that he reads nothing else except your copy. Firstly, you write the main benefit of your product into your headline. Notice it's benefit, not feature that you must highlight. Suppose you are selling an automated blog post making software. Writing, "Introducing the World's Best Software that Makes Blog Posts to Your Blog Automatically" is writing about the feature.

Features of your product are important, but not in the headline. If you read the headline above, your most natural question would be 'How is this accomplished?' and you will likely read on. Once you get your reader thinking like that, then your headline has done its job. Now comes the body of your copy.

The body of your sales copy must be riveting and engaging. Every word must be written for the sole purpose of getting your reader to read the next sentence. Here's one simple technique to accomplish that.

Think about the old bucket system of dousing a fire. Each person in the line passes a bucket of water to the next person until it reaches the end of the line and the water is poured onto the fire. It must move the reader to read the next line and subsequently the next paragraph until he comes to the end.

To do that, your each sentence must lead on to something in the next sentence that your reader wants to know. And the last sentence of each paragraph must leave the reader with some missing piece of the puzzle such that he is compelled to read the next paragraph. Look at the last line of each paragraph of this article. They were designed to lead you to the next paragraph. (as in the first two paragraphs), you covertly challenge the reader to find out something he does not yet know. Another way is by stipulating a certain number of points beforehand (as in the fourth paragraph) then your paragraph does not cover all the points you said you would bring up. The reader then concludes there are more points in the following paragraph and reads on.

Another way to write like a 'bucket system' is by using the last line of a paragraph to 'introduce' what's in the next paragraph (as in the 5th and 6th paragraphs). Yet another way is to pose a question in the last sentence (as in paragraph 8).

Finally, great sales copy must have a clear call to action at the end. Your call to action must be convincing and compelling enough for your reader to take the action you want of him (usually it is to buy your product). Your call to action can be made more convincing by answering your reader's objection, favorably comparing the price of your product with another similar product or challenging him to make a change by buying your product instead of remaining the way he is.

ALL You Need Know About Traffic Exchanges

A traffic exchange is a membership website where the members can promote their own web pages by earning or buying "credits". Credits can be earned by viewing other members' web pages - otherwise known as "surfing for credits".

To surf for credits all you need to do is to log in to the traffic exchange and hit the "Start Surfing" button. You will then be shown a member's web page and a countdown timer. How long you will have to view the page varies from traffic exchange to traffic exchange and also depends on your membership status, but typically the timer takes 10 seconds to run down.

The more you surf, the more credits you will earn. And with some traffic exchanges you will also stand the chance of winning bonus credits and even cash prizes.

As your credits accumulate you can allocate them to your web pages, which will then be shown to other members of the traffic exchange.

Most traffic exchanges operate a "surf ratio" policy. Some traffic exchanges offer a 2:1 ratio, 3:1 or a 3:2 ratio, with a 1:1 ratio reserved for members who upgrade.

Another option for traffic exchange members is simply to buy credits. Traffic exchanges often hit you with "One Time Offers" where you can get a lot of credits at discounted rates if you buy straightaway.

As well as page viewing credits, traffic exchanges also offer "banner ad" and "text ad" impressions. Banners and text ads are shown above or below pages that you view when you surf for credits. You can get these impressions at a much cheaper rate than standard page-viewing credits.

So what are the benefits of upgrading?

2. Your "surf ratio" improves.

3. The countdown time decreases.

5. You earn more in credits or commission whenever you recruit a new member for the traffic exchange.

Yes, traffic exchanges are also online affiliate businesses and when you join one you are allocated an affiliate number. If you check your member's area you will see that there is a section devoted to promoting the traffic exchange.

Since you will be given free credits whenever you recruit someone to the traffic exchange, it makes sense to devote some space on your website or blog to promoting the traffic exchange.

You will also be encouraged to promote the traffic exchange on other traffic exchanges.

A lot of people join several traffic exchanges to gain extra exposure for their web pages, and also cross-promote their traffic exchanges in order to generate a lot of credits in the form of commission when people join traffic exchanges through their links.

2. Don't try to promote your main product with a long sales page. Keep your pages clean and simple with a basic message and either a sign up form for more info, or a "click here" button that will open up your main promotional page in a new browser window.

4. Make sure you do not run out of bandwidth - it is amazing how many times you see a "bandwidth limit expired" message instead of a member's page when surfing traffic exchanges.

5. Do NOT promote XYZ traffic exchange on XYZ traffic exchange!! This sounds unbelievable, but a number of clueless people try to get traffic exchange members to join the traffic exchange that they are surfing on and are therefore already members of! Duh!

Traffic exchanges offer website owners a cheap and cheerful method of promoting their website pages and can be very effective if you know how to work them.

10 EASY WAYS TO GET FREE TRAFFIC

In this world you only have two types of assets: Money and Time. The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is to buy it. But if you are an Internet marketing beginner you probably don't have much money to invest in traffic building.

The following traffic techniques are time consuming, but they are 100% free and will get you a fair amount of targeted traffic. If your site is properly optimized for monetization, you will soon be earning enough money to invest in buying traffic, and save your precious time to build new money making websites.

So here are 10 surefire free traffic techniques:

This tip is so obvious it will not even be counted, but it is often overlooked : submit your site to the major search engines (Google, yahoo, msn) and to as many other search engines as you can.

1. Use this proven Bummarketing technique, write 5 to 10 articles and submit them to the free article directories. Off course you must include a link to your site in the article itself or in your bio box. The articles should be optimized for a keyword your site is targeting.

2. Find blogs related to your topic and leave useful comments with a backlink to your site. In the same way you could go to answers.yahoo.com, and answer questions related to your site’s topic. Off course put a link to your site in each of your answers. Another thing you should consider, is joining the most popular forums that deal with you site's topic and becoming an active poster. Include a link to your site in your signature. Write a press release about your site and submit it to press release sites such as prweb.com. If you are not familiar with press releases, take some time to do a little research : a press release is not written like an article.

4. If you are happy with a product or service you have used, write an unbiased testimonial and trade it for a backlink to your site.

5. Start a blog on blogger.com and a blog on wordpress.com, link them to your site and submit them to the hundreds of free blog directories.

6. Try posting ads with a link to you site on all the free classified ad site you can find (such as craigslist.com). The best ones will allow you to post a live link.

7. An easy way to get a extra more free traffic is to add a link to your site in your email signature.

8. Start a page on myspace.com and on any other high page rank social bookmarking site you can find.

9. Submit a viral video to youtube.com.

10. Search your main keywords on Google and see if you can exchange reciprocal links with related websites that come up in the top results. Then submit it to all the free ebook directories you can find online. If you find a good available domain, grab it and redirect the traffic to your site.

Now all this looks like a full time job ! Invest 30mn to an hour daily in building your free traffic. Then step to your next favorite technique and within a few weeks you should be earning enough money to afford to buy traffic and concentrate your time and efforts on building your online business.

How to Make your Site Visitors Make That Vital Purchase

In his book "Practical Thinking", Dr. Edward de Bono talks about the basic thinking processes, how one understands, and the ways to be right or wrong in thinking. He said that the main purpose of thinking is not just to accumulate knowledge but also to get enough knowledge in order to act on something. He also said that, in practice, the validity of an idea does not have any bearing in being right in thinking, for being right is a feeling, a belief that one is right during the time of thinking.

To put this into practical use, you should write your ad copy so that your visitors will feel it is right to buy your products. Make them feel that it is their idea to make the purchase. By doing so, it will be easier for you to persuade these potential customers to hit that buy button.

Here, then, are some ways to create that feeling of rightness in your readers:

1. Provide the benefits of your product.

People usually buy because of the benefits, not because of the features of a product. They think, "How can this help me? What's in it for me?" By providing the benefits, you can show how your product can avoid pain. For example, you may say, "Never again be rejected when asking for a date." You can also show how your product can gain pleasure. An example, you can say, "Imagine yourself opening the doors of your dream home."

2. Use "goody-goody" words to build up the positive emotional reaction of your readers.

Words such as honesty, freedom, dignity, love and dream, convey such emotions that your readers react positively to them. For example, you can say, "Financial freedom for you." Your visitor will then have the feeling that financial freedom is possible for them, and they may want to take a look at your product.

3. Use "bad" words to elicit the negative reaction.

Using "bad" words, such as hate, weak, or debt convey the opposite. By using these words, you can heighten the negative feelings of your readers that they may see your product as a tool to avoid or end their pain. You can say, for example, "Don't you just hate your job?"

4. Assume your visitors will buy your product.

A popular line in ad copy starts with the words "Who wants to be the next". For example, by asking, "Who wants to be the next millionaire” you are assuming that by buying your product, your visitor will become a millionaire. You can also start your sales letter with the greeting, "Dear Future Millionaire".

5. Add a little humor in your sales letter.

Humor can put people in a good mood, making them to agree with you and lower their resistance to buy. This can provide that little extra push needed to close a deal.

Remember; make your readers feel that buying from you is a right decision they are about to do. Provide the benefits of your product, use words laden with emotions, and add a little humor in your ad copy. This way, you may see a drastic improvement in your sales conversion.

Why Internet Marketers Shouldn't Discount Print Advertisin

Over the years, the Internet has become the primary means of trying to sell products, services, or information for many marketers and businesses. However, as popular as the Internet is, it still may not be the most profitable way to advertise or sell.

In our modern day of high-speed technology, many seem to forget that the tried and true method of direct sales marketing through print advertising can still prove to be the most profitable way to go.

Why is this you say? It's because basic human nature has not changed, nor have human buying triggers. Having something tangible in hand that can be touched is still trusted more than words or images thrown up on a computer screen. In spite of the Internet's capability of reaching out to multi-millions of email addresses or viewers in a matter of minutes... a printed circular or flyer in hand still holds more credibility.

Think about it. When you get a printed circular or flyer that you can hold in your hand... you tend to look at it as something real that is produced by a real person whom you can identify with. You don't generally look at it as some unknown face or entity hiding behind a computer screen trying to scam you.

It seems illogical that so many marketers and businesses are unaware of, or have forgotten this old proven method of advertising and selling. Printed forms of advertising and direct sale pieces have stood the test of time, and have proven itself over and over again against everything that has come and gone.

Here's something else to think about. Most people go online looking for information, not sales offers. So the chance of them running across your online offer is slim to none. However, when a printed direct sales offer is physically placed in the hands of people, they will put forth the effort to seek out the source of the offer. It doesn't matter if it's right up the street from them or online... the printed direct sales piece established a certain form of credibility.

With direct sales, you don't have to worry about getting traffic to a web site, search engine optimization, black hat, white hat, or any of the other online techniques you see touted. People coming online to your web site after reading your printed direct sales piece are generally looking to buy the product or service offered.

The World Wide Web, or Internet should wisely be used in combination with direct sales as an extension of your advertising and sales efforts... not as your primary medium. More people who are ready to buy will find you through direct sales than they would just surfing the internet to see what's available amid the billions of web pages.

A printed advertising or direct sales piece is really much easier to produce than a web site... wouldn't you agree? All it has to do is make people aware of what is available, the cost, and where to get it. If the offer is located in a physical building, then give the address and times of operation. If it is located online, the give the web site addresses. It's just that simple.

Most internet exclusive advertisers will likely see their sales efforts pay off in a much greater way by combining print advertising and direct sales with their online methods. Once a printed direct sales piece establishes credibility, a web site would only need to highlight benefits and give access to the offer.

Now that you realize the benefits and advantages... do yourself and your business a favor, and make print advertising direct sales an important part of your financial well being.

Google's Supplemental Index

If you're not familiar with GSI, let's start with Google's own definition of their new supplemental index.

"A supplemental result is just like a regular web result, except that it's pulled from our supplemental index. We're able to place fewer restraints on sites we crawl for this supplemental index than we do on sites that are crawled for our main index. For example, the number of parameters in a URL might exclude a site from being crawled for inclusion in our main index; however, it could still be crawled and added to our supplemental index.

If you're a webmaster, please note that the index in which a site is included is completely automated; there's no way to select or change the index in which a site appears. Please also be assured that the index in which a site is included doesn't affect its Page Rank."

Although there is no direct way you can influence which pages of your site will be in the regular or supplemental index, you can take steps not to let your site get put into Google's Supplemental Index (GSI) in the first place. Google is telling webmasters, if your site is difficult to crawl or deemed to be of low quality without much to differentiate it with unique content from other sites in your niche, your site will be placed in a second rate low quality index.

However, even though it would appear that there is no direct way of influencing which of your site pages will be affected, here are a few steps that you can take to avoid getting listed on GSI. Quality is king!. If the Google crawler finds your site difficult to index or locates duplicate content, then you'll probably end up in "Supplemental Hell". So why do so many pages end up in Google's Supplemental Index?

Well, here are some reasons why?

1. Using Duplicate Content (on the same site or externally).
2. The page in question contains the same Title and META tags as other pages on your site.

3. Having loads of unrelated external links on one page or not enough internal or external inbound links.
4. Your web page no longer exists, or is orphaned with no internal links pointing to it or buried too deep to be crawled properly.

... and a few steps to avoiding it!

• Remove duplicate content from your website and keep your remaining content as fresh and unique as possible.
• If you're using PLR content - rewrite at least 30-50% of it.
• Shorten any long URL's to something simple.
• Increase relevant inbound links and use contextual linking where possible.
• Use deep-linking (linking to other pages than just your index page), but try to keep within 2-3 levels.
• Create and submit a Sitemap which will allow Google easy access to all your web pages and ensure that all your pages are indexed regularly and correctly.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of avoiding Google's Supplemental Index, but it is certainly enough to get started on.

Ways to Build Your Opt-In List

The light bulb has finally started flashing in your head and you realize that you need an opt-in list to make money on the Internet. You've read hundreds of articles on the subject and sought expert advice. You've head all the stories of people creating a profitable business with opt-in lists.

With that light bulb still flashing away you finally decide to do something about it - start a list of your own. But how do you get started? And better yet, how do you build a list big enough to generate an income from?

It can be pretty scary when you're first starting out. Do you need a web site? An opt-in form? Should you use an autoresponder service or a script on your own site? How should you format the messages? How many should you send a week? The list goes on and on.

The answers to a lot of these questions will greatly depend on how experienced you are on the Internet. If you have no knowledge of CGI or PHP, then hosting your own script may not be an option. If you don't know HTML or don't have direct access to your on-line files, then editing your pages to insert the code for an opt-in form will not be possible.

These, unfortunately, are just some of the obstacles that you will need to overcome if you want to give this 'Internet Thing' a go. Having your own web site is almost a necessity. Without one, you would only be able to promote other people's products (as they would have their own web sites for you to send traffic to through your affiliate links).

Below are three easy ways that you can use to start building your opt-in list:

• Offer a free report that contains links back to your web site or even includes an opt-in form on one of the main pages. You can also make it necessary for your visitors to fill out your opt-in form before they can access the report.

• Join some of the Fire Sales and Giveaways that other marketers are running (sometimes called Joint Ventures). Add your gift to the site and when visitors want to download your gift make them fill out your opt-in form first.


• Exchange ads with other opt-in list owners. You run an ad for them and they run an ad for you. Granted you probably won't be able to join up with someone who has a huge list (as they won't be getting much exposure in return) but if you can find other lists that are of a similar size to yours, you should be in with a chance.

• Building a profitable opt-in list won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Keep at it and be creative. Try things outside of the box; put a twist on an old idea. And most of all - be persistent.

If Only I'd Known Then What I Know Now!

Hindsight, we all know only too well, is a wonderful thing. For example, if we had only known that the ceiling on membership at a popular site was going to be subscribed so quickly - we would have joined up the minute we heard about it.

If we had only known that niche marketing was going to be so wildly popular we would have focused on that instead of MLM.

If we had only known that Google was going to change its algorithm and the rules of AdWords were going to change we would have...

Stop.

Stop, stop, stop.

In the world of Internet marketing, you can safely bet that the only constant is the rate of change! There's always news of the latest product dropping into your email inbox. There's always another promise of quick and easy money. Google will keep changing its algorithm, and new search engines are quite likely to pop up to challenge Google.

What can you do about this? Four main things:


(1) Continue To Educate Yourself.

Understand that those who rise to the top of any field - whether it's internet marketing or something else - are good at what they do. This means that they never stop learning. There are always new materials, new techniques and probably new 'experts' showing the way.

Most of us learn in three main ways: (a) from experts who specialize in a certain niche related to our field; (b) from others who are following the same path as we are, and (c) by trial and error, from our own results.

You will find that the more you immerse yourself in the world of internet marketing, the more you will be able to analyze which products, services and opportunities are right for you.


(2) Focus. Pick One System And Give It A Fair Go.

Countless people who start out on the internet with high hopes follow the same pattern. They get excited about a new product or system. They throw themselves into it and invest long hours (and potentially quite a bit of money) in getting it up and running. It might be e-books sold from mini-sites; it might be setting up an eBay business; it might be directory-type sites with text manipulators; it might be AdWords or content sites optimized for AdSense.

Then one day they get wind of another new system (probably one created by someone who claims "the gurus are angry with me for giving away all their secrets..."). Discouraged by the lack of results with the first "opportunity", they decide to let it rest for a while and try the new one. Back they go into the cycle of try-the-new-product, get-discouraged, discard-it-and-try-the-next-thing.

And so it goes on. Months pass. Perhaps years pass. They struggle to pay the credit card bills mounting from buying into every new system that comes along... with very little money coming in to offset their 'investment'. As they look back, they start muttering "If I had only known then what I know now..."

If you can recognize yourself in this scenario, the good news is this: Now you DO know better. You don't know what the next new product will be that's going to set the internet world abuzz, but you do know enough to choose a system that's right for you and stick to it.


(3) Take The Time to Plan.

Give yourself from two to four weeks to regroup. Go through all the products you have on your shelves or on your computer. Make a list. Decide which products you now know (so wise with hindsight!) to be worth keeping. Then analyze the 'keepers' and pick on the best system for YOU to use at this time. (This will depend upon your level of knowledge and which one you would enjoy most. Work with your strengths.)

Finally, devise a game plan. You are going to focus on this ONE method and devise a practical time-line to achieve results. Don't be in a rush. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see it 'take hold' so the money starts flowing in. That will give you the motivation to continue.

Clear the decks, physically as well as mentally. Put all the products that don't fit in with your plan in boxes or on disk for safekeeping. You may return to them one day, but if you've chosen the system that's right for you, you probably won't.

4. Don't Get Distracted by New Products.

Resolve to buy ONLY products or services that will save you time or money in implementing the system you have chosen. Never buy anything on impulse. Print out the sales letter, read it through, then put it aside. Read it through again the next day. Does it still seem so appealing? Check out a few forums to listen to the buzz. If a product doesn't deliver, you'll soon hear about it. If it is exceptional value, you'll hear about that, too.

Some questions to ask: "Will this help me to streamline the business I have chosen? Is it worth the money? Will it make a significant difference?" And above all, "Do I need this, or is it just another distraction?"

Resolve to make this the year you will succeed. No more pocket change. No more "If I had only known..."

You DO know.

So make it work.