The Internet Sales Cycle Finally Explained

Most new online business owners think that Internet marketing is their magic pill to making more money. I have news for you...It's not magic. It's a process. But once you work that process, it can work like magic!

Here's the Internet Sales Cycle Broken Down into 5 Simple Parts

1. Collect Leads. The absolute best way is to get leads online is to write unique, original articles that position you as the expert in your specific niche. And, it's not that hard. All you have to write is a simple 500-word "how-to" or "top tips" article that will solve your prospect's pain. Wonder what a "how-to article" is? You're reading one! Then, you want to submit your articles to the top websites, ezines and article directories that your targeted audience is reading. This way, you will be able to drive more website traffic and build your list.

2. Get Them into Your Sales Funnel - And Build Your List. Once you've written your article, you need a way to get prospects into your "sales funnel." The best way to make this easy is to offer a special report, e-Book, e-course, checklist, audio, video or anything else your heart desires. You will not charge for the product. Your goal is to get names now, and make sales later. You will put this information at the end of your article in what we call the bio box.

In the bio box, you can promote your: - Website - Products - Services - Specific "call-to-action" that leads them to the special product you offer For an example just read my bio box at the end of this article. Most people make the mistake of trying to sell high-priced products and services in the bio box.

Getting visitors on your list should be your number one objective! Why? Up to 99% of your first-time visitors will not buy from you. They'll take a quick look and then they'll click away. If you did not capture their names and email addresses, you will have lost them forever.

3. Follow Up. Marketing studies have always shown that your prospects need to be exposed to your message at least 7 times before they'll take any action! That's why you need to build and maintain relationships with your list. This is where ezines, e-course and auto-responders work like a charm. They will follow up for you automatically.

4. Close the Sale. Your ezine, e-courses, special reports and aut oresponder messages should drive readers to what you have to offer. However, don't forget to provide useful content and information. That's why they gave you their names and emails and that's why they'll stay on your list.

Here are two reasons why you shouldn't make the mistake of trying to sell from the actual email:
1) You don't have the room in an email to fully explain what you're selling and demonstrate its value to the prospect.
2) It can turn people off who aren't ready to buy yet. You'll instantly lose those prospects from your list.

The idea of the email is to get them excited about your offering and to get them to click. Once they click, then they should be taken to a sales page that you set up specifically for that product or service you're promoting. It's there that the prospect will get the full scoop on how great your product, book or service is, why they need it, how much it costs and how to order.

5. Upsell, and Upsell. Again Here's the biggest mistake I made when I started to sell my first information product online, "The A to Z Article Marketing System." It was the only product! I didn't even have a membership club in place. So once people bought my product, I had nothing else in my funnel to sell them. I had to work extra hard at finding new prospects all the time.

It's been said for ages: "It is easier to sell an existing client a new product than to find a new client." That's why you need to continue turning (churning has a bad connotation) out valuable new products and programs that your customers will eat up like crazy. You can simply create new products by recycling the articles you used to collect leads.

Now, you have it -- the Internet sales cycle broken down into five easy parts. Now, you should see the missing links in your own Internet sales cycle. Have patience, keep learning and don't stop writing. You'll begin fill in these gaps, and start to see the magic of article marketing work for you.

This post provided by Eric Gruber who uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for entrepreneurs who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, Eric is sharing the exact roadmap, broken into 5 easy-to-follow steps that thousands have used to launch and build their businesses online with articles. And, he's giving this knowledge for FREE, with his new e-Book at: http://www.BroadcastYourArticles.com/freebook

Marketing Made Simple in Tough Times

As the number of small businesses continue to expand, and the economy tightens, it's important to consider how best to manage your marketing costs. The key to success is leverage - stretching all of your marketing efforts to produce a greater return. When times are tough, consider these marketing tips:

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1. Use business cards as promotional material. Consider putting a coupon on the back of your business cards. For about $25 you can get about 500 cards and they are easy to distribute.

2. Use your customers to promote your products and services. Do you ask for referrals? Are you giving your customers promotional materials to give to friends and family? Consider how you can engage your customers to help you be successful.

3. Host an event. Consider a low cost way to attract new customers to your products or services. Generate a promotion, offer a product or service for free. A good example is a photographer who holds and open house and raffles off one of his paintings. Think about how you can draw a crowd.

4. Find affiliates. Look for complimentary businesses who you can partner with. Is there a store near your's that can promote your services? Can you find affiliates online who would like to sell your products and services?

5. Promote in your local neighborhood. Print up fliers or post cards and distribute them in your neighborhood. If you have an online business, consider submitting your business for local listings on Google and Yahoo.

6. Develop an email list to promote your products and services to. Offer some free information online in exchange for an email address. Email promotional offers and campaigns.

7. Keep marketing. When times are tough, keep marketing. Just because you're short on cash doesn't mean you should stop marketing. Marketing is your key to success in both the short and long term.

Thing about new and creative ways to promote your business. Focus on communication vehicles, touch points, and using your customers to help promote your products and services.

As Social Media Grows, Effective E-mail Thrives

Over the past two years, the rapid adoption of social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace has transformed the way many consumers interact on the Web.

Some customer segments, especially younger ones, now spend an increasingly large percentage of their online time on these sites and primarily use them to communicate with their peers. These same consumers, according to a recent report from JupiterResearch, are apparently spending less time in their e-mail inbox and may be paying less attention to the messages they receive there. This shift is causing some to question, perhaps prematurely, the future of e-mail as the dominant social networking tool.

In his report, The Social and Portable Inbox, David Daniels quantifies this shift in alarming detail and, according to Jupiter, it may not be isolated to younger segments. Nearly one-quarter of e-mail users reported using social networking sites in this way. Fifty-three percent of respondents age 18 to 24 reported doing so, and 42% of those 25 to 34 also reported using social sites instead of e-mail for personal communications. The reason for doing so was consistent across segments: Too much irrelevant messaging in the e-mail inbox.

I believe that e-mail marketers who ignore social media, especially those that target younger audiences, may be missing a real opportunity. As it turns out, the social sites are excellent places to share information with friends, family, customers and prospects — the trick is to communicate with them openly, honestly and in a human voice. If relevance is the key to e-mail marketing, authenticity is the key to marketing in social media. Social initiatives that leverage messaging interpreted by audiences as fake or overly promotional will never get off the ground and, worse, may negatively impact brand equity. Marketers who are able to add value to the conversations within the social sites and who can forge honest, genuine communication streams that empower users to interact with a brand on their terms, however, will be well positioned to benefit from the social shift.

Is e-mail dead? Far from it. The future of e-mail looks quite bright. Daniels acknowledges that e-mail specifically remains the primary reason that consumers connect to the Internet. For many customer segments, e-mail is still the social networking vehicle of choice, and it shows few signs of abating. Publishers who deliver highly relevant communications through the e-mail inbox increasingly command premium CPMs from advertisers who realize excellent returns from their investments. The recent sale of Daily Candy to Comcast for a whopping $125 million is just one of a myriad of signs that e-mail is alive and well. The social networks are helping to foster new conversations online, for sure, and I believe they can be extended and enhanced through e-mail - a ton of transactional e-mail messaging is already coming from the social networks in the form of updates and such things.

Consumers haven't given up on e-mail; they've just given up on bad, irrelevant e-mail. So, while launching engaging, authentic social media messaging programs is an excellent idea for many online marketers, the other near-term imperative is to allocate the resources required to drive truly relevant, timely email messaging based on data intelligence. Incorporating demographics, click-stream data, e-mail response history and other behavioral factors are good places to start.

The era of batch and blast is officially over. With the conversation spilling out of the inbox, it's no longer good enough.

Nicholas Einstein is director of strategic and analytic services at Datran Media.

Doing Nothing... Not An Option for Effective Marketing

When thinking about the next marketing program, I often ask the question, "What if we do nothing?" The answer is almost always that doing nothing is not an option. But the one thing it helps us all do is to get clear about our desired result.

Many marketing campaigns fail because the outcome is not fully articulated. In fact, when I ask Managers what they are trying to accomplish with their marketing program, many still say, "branding" or "to generate leads." Although I applaud the quick response, it's simply not enough.

When planning a marketing campaign, get perfectly clear on what you want to accomplish by when. If it's leads your after, how many? what qualifies a lead? how will you measure? who will determine lead quality? by when?

The more you think about the type of outcome your looking for... with greater detail, the easier it is to define the marketing initiative, tactics, and budget for your marketing campaign. Keep these questions in mind when planning the next campaign:

1. What are you trying to create? (leads, sales, etc.)
2. How do you know when you've achieved your goal?
3. What qualifies as a lead, sales, etc.? (purchase w/o refund?)
4. How much time is associated with your campaign?
5. What are you looking for in terms of activity (2% open, 1% click, etc.)
6. How much do you want to generate (revenue, ROI, etc.)
7. How will you measure effectiveness?

By keeping these questions in mind, and focusing on the results you wish to achieve with detail, you will find that developing an effective marketing campaign is easier than you might think. Marketing requires attention to detail and specific outcomes to be defined. Happy marketing.

Are You Making This Dreadful Newsletter Marketing Mistake?

The typical client newsletter is one of the most mind-numbing, agonizingly boring pieces of mail ever sent to consumers. The main reason is that most companies think what they do is incredibly fascinating to their clients. So based on this false assumption, their newsletters cheerfully discuss the latest equipment purchase or the new back office operation and how Mary Sue has moved from Payroll to Marketing.

While this might be riveting stuff internally, I can assure you that your clients just don't care. If you're making this newsletter marketing mistake, don't worry. It's not your fault. No one ever taught you the system, until now.

4 'Set in Stone' Rules to Publishing a Winning Client Newsletter:

Rule #1: Never make your business or company the focus of your client newsletter. This concept is difficult for most business owners to wrap their minds around. Read my words: Our clients don't care about how our business operates! The sooner we accept this fact, the sooner we will be sending them something that they actually want to read.

Rule #2: Focus on article content that people grab hold of and actually use in their lives. That means you must provide appealing and interesting content that is relevant, useful and engaging. The goal is to create involvement. The more time they spend with your newsletter, the more likely they'll take action.

Rule # 3: Be consistent. If you tell your customers to expect a newsletter from you every month, you better do it. And ask yourself: How often do I want my customers and prospects to think of me? While daily would be wonderful, it's not going to happen. Following a monthly newsletter schedule is perfect. They will expect to receive it just like they do their favorite magazines.

Rule #4: Never forget that a client newsletter is a marketing tool. Within your compelling content weave client testimonials and the names of people who have referred your company. Have contests that give away free services or gift cards to create further goodwill between you and your clients. And always, always, always have a compelling offer just for them. Follow these rules and you will have a winning client newsletter that will get you more sales. But, you have to keep in mind that...

You Must Take a Long-term View on Using Newsletters as a Marketing and Customer Relations Tool.

Be aware that the results will not happen overnight. In fact, it will take several months for your customers to develop the 'habit' of looking for it. But over time, your clients will come to expect getting your newsletter. And they will hound you if you missed sending them an issue! You will definitely see the desired results with the payoff being client retention and more purchases from you.

Client newsletters that include the four rules listed above will build relationships with your customers and create a sense of reliability and professionalism. You'll be sending literature that your clients will look forward to reading every month. And since your rivals don't understand my newsletter success system, you will create a powerful marketing machine that will blow your competition out of the water.

This post provided by David Gruttadaurio. David was sick and tired of wasting money on marketing that didn't work. So he searched for a profit-producing, client-retention & referral-generating tool until he found newsletter marketing! Now go to http://www.NewslettersMadeForYou.com & get his FREE "Profit Exploding Newsletter Secrets Report" that reveals how to reclaim tons of money that should be sitting in your bank account now simply with newsletters.

Using Google to Reach Local Customers

Google does a lot of things that can help local businesses market themselves and become more visible to potential customers. They recently announced a partnership with NBC that will have Google distributing ads on NBC channels while addressing local markets.

The classic local marketing tool from Google though, is still Google Maps and local search. This is especially true as more and more people use the Internet to shop.

Google has just made it easier to get your business listed (and keep it listed) by posting some official guidelines for quality listings. The new guidelines read as follows:

- Represent your business exactly as it appears in real life. The name on Google Maps should match the business name, as should the address, phone number and website.

- List information that provides as direct a path to the business as you can. Given the choice, you may want to list individual location phone numbers over a central phone line, official website pages rather than a directory page, and as exact of an address as you can.

-Only include listings for businesses that you represent.

-Don't participate in any behavior with the intention or result of listing your business more times

than it exists. Service area businesses, for example, should not create a listing for every town they

service. Likewise, law firms or doctors should not create multiple listings to cover all of their

specialties.

-Use the description and custom attribute fields to include additional information about your listing. This type of

content should never appear in your business's title or address fields.

Google is also now offering a re-inclusion request option that will give businesses sort of an opportunity to appeal if their listing is removed. If that happens, and you are unable to get back in, remember that other sites have local search and map features too. Not that I'm condoning spamming those, which is one reason that you will not be allowed in Google in the first place. Either way, make sure not to look past your local audience.

Post provide by Chris, a content coordinator and staff writer for SmallBusinessNewz and the iEntry Network.

More on CAN-SPAM: Stay Out of Trouble

The CAN-SPAM Act has now been law in the US for more than four and a half years, yet many marketers misunderstand the law, how it applies to their business, or fail to know where the law falls short of best practices.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has moved to enforce some key measures of the Act by going after those that egregiously use e-mail for fraudulent or deceptive activity, yet spam hasn't abated. Major Internet service providers (ISPs) continue to block 80% to 90% of the e-mail reaching their networks as spam or phishing, much of it actually being CAN-SPAM compliant! This is why marketers should not only seek to comply with the law, but understand how listening to the wants and needs of each subscriber is the best action they can take toward optimizing their e-mail program.

First, do no harm. Follow CAN-SPAM by providing a clear and easy way for your subscribers to opt-out of your e-mail messages, then honor those requests as quickly as possible. The recent FTC rulings say that you can't require the recipient to visit more than a single Web page or provide a password or any other information to unsubscribe, so do some checking to ensure your unsubscribe mechanism is compliant. However, don't forget that the Act also does explicitly permit you to provide a menu of subscription choices to your subscribers, such that they may opt-out of your promotions, for example, but stay subscribed to your monthly newsletter.

Companies who provide this type of profile/subscription page see fewer complete opt-outs since they've provided their subscribers with a way to opt-down.

Second, avoid temptation. CAN-SPAM allows marketers to send unsolicited e-mail messages…but don't do it! The Act says as long as you provide a notice of advertising or solicitation, your physical mailing address, and a working reply address or other internet mechanism to manage opt-outs that this is an accepted practice, but it will damage your brand, e-mail reputation, and in turn the ROI from your e-mail channel.

The best practice for deliverability and optimizing the return from e-mail is to send only to those that raised their hands and gave you explicit approval to send them e-mail. CAN-SPAM calls it affirmative consent, and with it, you still have to provide your physical mailing address and an unsubscribe mechanism, but you can do away with that notice of advertising or solicitation, which should aid your ability to avoid content-based spam filters.

Last, leverage your transactions. CAN-SPAM allows you to send transactional or relationship messages without offering an unsubscribe mechanism. The first e-mail you send to a subscriber or new customer is often as a result of something he or she has done, such as made a purchase or subscribed to your publication. This first welcome e-mail is often the most opened or clicked communication a marketer ever sends and can include commercial information, provided that the e-mail subject line is non-commercial (for example Welcome to Widget Co., Order Receipt Enclosed), and that the transactional information precedes the commercial or advertising information.

Even better is if you can make that ad relevant to the product the customer just bought. In fact, learning to plan and optimize each communication with each individual subscriber is the ultimate key to a thriving e-mail marketing program.

Marketing Without Money

Hello All,

Happy Friday. A colleague recently asked me how he can market his small business with little or no money. Sound impossible? Not at all. Keep in mind that marketing isn't just about advertising and trade shows... it's about communicating your message - brand, product benefits, etc. - in all you do.

I suggested three things that could be done immediately to being marketing without money.

1. Change your voicemail. Add you company tag line, mention a new product, or let your caller know about a recent offer. This can be done at zero cost and helps to market your company, products and services.

2. Ask for a Referral. The purpose of marketing is to sell. Why not cut to the chase? After each sale, ask for a referral. Your customer usually knows at least one other person who can benefit from your service.

3. Write a letter. Do you have a short list of prospects that you've been trying to reach but no marketing materials? No matter.... generate a handwritten not that specifically addresses your prospect's pain points and how you and your business can alleviate them. For less than 50 cents, you've created a powerful marketing piece that can generate significant results.

Marketing doesn't have to cost a lot, or anything for that matter. Keep it simple and think about those ways in which you're currently communicating with your prospects and customers. Can you turn these communications into marketing opportunities?

CAN-SPAM Updates You Should Know About

A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission approved a new rule provision under the CAN-SPAM Act that clarified opt-out and other legal responsibilities for “multiple sender” e-mail messages — those messages that contain advertisements from numerous parties.

Before the ruling, many senders were unclear about what was required in such situations. A strict reading of the law would have it that each entity whose products and services were advertised in an e-mail should pool and process their opt-out files before deployment of every campaign and that each message should contain an unsubscribe link for each and every marketer.

In a nutshell, the FTC's new ruling says that it is acceptable for a single marketer to assume full CAN-SPAM responsibility for a message, without the need for an onerous, pre-deployment, multiple-marketer scrub, and a confusing multiple opt-out link process for consumers. As long as one of the marketers assuming compliance responsibility is one of the advertisers in the message, is identified as the sender in the “from” line, and includes a way to opt out from its own list, it is OK for that marketer to be the sole entity responsible for compliance.

The clarification should come as a sigh of relief for the many firms who previously went through the difficult multiple opt-out processes or avoided including third-party ads in their messages altogether. Now, the door has been opened for senders of all sizes to start monetizing their lists to the fullest.

Publishers and editorially focused senders aren't the only organizations that can benefit from selling ad space in their e-mail newsletters. Retailers can include offers for complementary third-party products. For example, credit card companies can help sell rental cars, hotels and high-speed broadband connections; or automakers can pitch lifestyle magazines. The possibilities are really endless.

But hold no illusions — nothing in the e-mail space comes easy, and there remains significant challenges to maximizing the monetization of e-mail programs. The debate about metrics transparency that has consumed the online advertising world lately is no less relevant to the e-mail space. In an era where advertisers demand total accountability, how could they possibly invest heavily into a channel, such as e-mail, when there's no guarantee their ads are going to be rendered and viewed? The list they're buying may be blocked or placed as spam into junk folders. However, hope remains in the form of services that can help e-mail get delivered.

Post provided by Jordan Cohen, senior director of industry relations at Goodmail Systems.

Improve Rankings with Effective Web Site Copy

An effective search engine optimization copywriter develops website content from scratch. SEO copywriters help to get high visibility for a website by striking upon the most appropriate keywords.

The creative text developer makes use of different words in order to create attractive quotes for the website describing the area of specialization, services provided by them, who are the potential viewers and more. The texts that the SEO copywriter develops are unique because these professionals are well aware of the profit motives of the company. If the content lacks attractiveness and marketing punch, it might affect your website adversely. High visibility is important to secure new business opportunities, and this is possible only when your website appears high enough on the list to be seen by potential customers, no matter how great your products and service actually are.

SEO copywriting is a process of writing keyword rich text that attracts more traffic to the site, thereby increasing the profit of the company. The content of website should be:

• Easy to read and understand
• Keyword rich
• Original content, avoiding repetition, grammatical errors and misspellings
• User friendly approach for high traffic

Search engines use complex algorithms to find, index, and display relevant information to web searchers. One of the primary ways in which search engines rank websites is by evaluating a website's content and its importance to the search term.

The primary function of SEO copywriting is to produce content that will produce the required results when run through these search engine algorithms. In order to maintain a good ranking in different search engines, you must ensure that the content written is effective and resourceful. So it is always better to ask for the services of SEO copywriters who will help you to get high visibility. These professionals not only have extensive experience in writing the content for search engines, but also have the expertise to research what type of content will work best to place your website at the top of search results.

Internet users show a marked preference for concise writing with bullets and low word count. For a higher ranking, the website must also satisfy the search engines. SEO copywriters help your website get high visibility by meeting all the optimization requirements. There is no better option than professional SEO copywriting for websites to attract the right customers, enhance the popularity of the website and consequently make the business a huge success.

Customer Referrals Rank On Top

Would you like to tap into the most valuable source for leads? You might be surprised to discover that you are climbing over the low hanging fruit in an effort to get to the top of the tree. In your haste to shout your message to the masses, you could be shouting over the heads of the potential business that is already in a queue at your door. Slow down and reflect for just a moment. Then tap into the most valuable source for leads.

According to the survey results by the Chief Marketing Officer Council, most valued source of leads is from customer referrals.

54% Customer Referrals

14% E-Mail or Direct Marketing

8% Internet

7% Events

7% Leads from Vendors

3% Third Party Lead Generation Organizations

8% Other

Would you agree that the best leads come from the referrals of satisfied customers? Is it surprising that customer referrals were ranked as four times more powerful and valuable than E-Mail or Direct Marketing campaigns? Customer referrals were ranked nearly seven times more likely to result in sales and new business than leads derived the Internet.

Customer referrals are a means of providing immediate credibility. With the increasing ability for consumers to share personal expression on the Internet, Blogs, E-mail, and word of mouth, the ability to communicate has enhanced the voice of the customer. In business-to-business transactions, a customer referral is more likely to lead to an appropriate contact with a relevant message, which is far more powerful and likely to result in success than a cold call from a third party lead generation. Events and trade shows can be a powerful platform to market a brand, but fall short in delivering valuable leads.

With all of this insight, how did the same channel executives, distributors, resellers, and channel representatives respond to the survey by Chief Marketing Officer Council with regards to tactics for generating new leads in the coming year?

14% Plan to use Direct Marketing and E-mail campaigns

13% Plan to use Sales Brochures and collateral

10% Plan to focus on Tradeshows for lead generation

8% Will use Seminars to generate leads

7% Will rely on Print Advertising

7% Plan to use Public Relations and Article Placement

7% Plan to use the Internet and Online Advertising

6% Will revert to Telemarketing

6% Plan to invest in Internet Search Engine Marketing

5% Plan to engage customers in User Group Gatherings

4% Plan to rely on Yellow Page Advertising

4% Will experiment on the Internet with Blogs and Social Networking

3% Will use Online Directories

The results of the survey regarding lead generation tactics for new business acquisition are hardly surprising. Very little has changed in the planning and tactics as conveyed by the survey response, and yet, the contrast in comparison to the most effective and valued leads is staggering. Even though 54% of respondents acknowledged that the most valued leads are based on customer referrals, the first mention of leveraging this goldmine occurs in the 4% of respondents that plan to engage customers in user group gatherings.

Fortunately, it would appear relatively that fourteen percent of respondents believe the most valuable lead generation comes from Direct Marketing or E-mail, and fourteen percent plan to use this tactic for lead generation in the coming year. However, even though only seven percent believe that the best leads come from trade shows, there are ten percent planning to take this tactic, and another eight percent who will augment this activity with seminars.

Although only eight percent believe that the highest chance for success comes from leads acquired by the Internet, there is a staggering number of diverse plans to leverage this channel of communication. The tactics include seven percent Internet and Online Advertising, six percent investing in search engine marketing, four percent using blogs and social networking, three percent using Online Directories, and another three percent experimenting with webcasts. The Internet provides an exciting vehicle to be creative, showcase the brand, and communicate to a very large audience. However, is it targeting the most valuable audience by engaging the most valuable leads that come from customer referrals?

As you can see, the tactics are not groundbreaking or unusual. On the contrary, the approach to market is contrived on establishing a brand, shouting a message to the masses, and hoping that the merit is recognized by the appropriate lead. The Internet, Trade Shows, Brochures, and Advertising, provide effective, if not innovative vehicles for spreading the slogan. While it may be necessary to invest in these channels of communication to maintain competitive placement, there remains untapped opportunity for higher rates of success when tactics engage customer referrals.

Stop what you are doing right now and imagine how referrals from satisfied customers could generate valuable leads and grow your business. It does not matter what kind of business you are in, or what responsibilities you have in the organization. Every member of an organization contributes directly, or indirectly, to customer satisfaction. Your actions may results in testimonials, endorsements, or positive word of mouth. If you could harness the power of customer referrals, your sales force would blossom with representation from independent trusted advocates.

So, how do you encourage and empower customers to grow this incredible pipeline of valued referrals? You ask them, of course. However, before you make such a bold request, your customers must know that you are fully engaged and obligated to their aspirations. When customers are assured that you are a trusted advocate, committed to customer satisfaction, they have the confidence to share referrals and recommendations.

Once customer confidence is established and the relationship is mutually rewarding, then it is just a matter of creating the appropriate opportunity for referrals to occur. This can be as simple as asking for referrals, or as formal as creating gatherings for existing clients and potential prospects to meet and exchange experiences. Introducing existing clients to potential prospects demonstrates immense confidence in your own relationship with your customers, because you are not fearful of losing the mutually rewarding relationship. Group gatherings and communications creates a unique opportunity to endorse your customers, grow their circle of influence, and for them to provide a third party endorsement of your efforts.

There are many ways to empower customer referrals by engaging individuals in group gathering or discussions, leveraging the Internet or Advertising, or by collecting a powerful collage of testimonials. The tactics for getting the most out of this goldmine pipeline are as diverse as the markets and customers in them. It all begins with recognizing the most valuable source for leads, acknowledging the value of these resources, and creating specific action items in a plan to unleash these untapped opportunities. Actively and effectively mining the most valuable source for leads will give you an advantage over 95% of your competition.

Post provided by John Mehrmann, author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity. The book that is changing everything by reawakening personal values in business as a competitive edge.

Use Press Releases for Maximum Exposure

While online marketers are racing to adopt today's newest social media techniques, many are missing opportunities in a tested, traditional marketing channel: press releases. Traditional press releases are designed to be picked up by journalists and turned into articles. Most people think of online press releases the same way. But with just a little work, they can also become a powerful way of improving your company's ranking in search engine results.

Search engines like Google use links from authoritative sites as a key factor in determining the rankings of their results. Since press releases are published on many authoritative sites and can include lots of links back to your site, they're a great opportunity to improve your site's search-engine rankings.

Very few marketers are taking advantage of this opportunity. Data we collected from over 11,000 press releases show that 99.5% of press releases aren't optimized for the Web.

How do you make sure you're press releases are optimized?Here are a few tips:

First, make sure your releases include links back to your site. When press releases are published by wire services and news agencies, these links will drive potential customers back to your site. More importantly, the links will give you credit with search engines and improve your ranking in their results.

Second, when you publish links, make sure you're linking from relevant keywords. For example, if your company sells custom built homes, the links back to your site should go from keywords like “new homes” and “custom built homes.”

Linked words are important because they help search engines determine what your site is about. When you link from descriptive phrases like “custom built homes,” you'll improve your rank in the results that users get when they run searches on those terms.

One last link-related tip: Make sure you put links to your site near the top of your press releases. News agencies and wire services tend to break press releases into multiple pages when they publish them on the Web. You want to be on the first page because that's the one that counts the most with the search engines.

Link structure is the key to optimizing your press releases for search engines, but don't forget the basics.

Be certain to include your company's contact information, e-mail and Web address in the press release. When reporters find your press release, make sure they know how to get in touch with you.

Also, don't forget to include an “about your company” section. Many people who look at press releases are used to scanning for this particular section of the release to learn more about the companies or organizations mentioned. Make it easy for these people to find what they're looking for. There's no reason not to.

This might seem basic, but it makes a difference. With the right tweaks, you can turn your press releases into powerful online marketing tools.

For more information, visit Hubspot.com