This article will show you how to successfully
build a sales website for your Local Business, supercharge
your Yellow Pages advertising, and get your telephone
ringing off the hook with new customers...
By Rocky Tapscott
Contact
Me
A sales website is just
that, a 2 or possibly 3 page website designed to sell
a product or service, or to get a prospect to call you to
make an appointment or ask for more information.
It acts
like a 'soft' introduction - giving prospects the
information they need in order to decide whether they
should call you or someone else.
Your website is like a
giant Yellow Pages ad - except you can say far more on
your website than in the limited space available in the
Yellow Pages...and for far less cost.
Your website is out there,
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, telling
your visitors about your products or services in a way
that no other advertising medium can.
A sales website typically
consists of a sales letter home page and an order page.
It's goal is to get the order or make a sale on the first
contact with your visitor.
There are millions of Sales
websites on the 'net that are never seen because their
owners have no idea of how to get traffic to them.
On the Internet, traffic is
king. If you don't have traffic, or visitors to your
website, you have nothing. It's like owning a billboard in
the middle of the desert, nobody will see your wonderful
advertising message because nobody is just driving by.
In the offline world,
location is paramount. If you have a position on a
prominent street corner, popular street or busy shopping
mall, you will no doubt get some walk in traffic if your
store is at lease a little bit appealing.
But on
the Internet, if you don't drive traffic to your website somehow, you have nothing.
So, how do you drive
traffic to a sales site?
I'm glad you asked.
There are several ways to
do this. In this report, we will discuss three.
The
first one is by using Pay Per Click Search Engines
Pay Per Click Search
Engines like Findwhat,
Overture
and Google
Adwords allow
you to buy your way to the top spot in the search results
of millions of web surfers who are potentially looking for
what you sell.
Typically, the top spot in a search
engine for any particular search term will get up to three times the number of
click-throughs (to the merchant's site) as the third or
forth listing, however the top spot is often extremely
expensive to buy.
One way to avoid paying a
huge premium for being listed first in a pay-per-click
search engine and increase the chances of local customers
and prospects selecting your website is to have a Compelling Description
that includes your the name of your local area for your website that
entices the visitor to overlook the top few listings
and read your message instead.
Local search is still in
it's infancy, and the Yellow Pages still is the first port
of call in most people's minds when they are looking for
local products or services, but that will change significantly
over the next few years.
You can be at the forefront of
this new wave by preparing NOW.
We will discuss this
further when I share a strategy on how to combine your
Yellow Pages ad with a website and create a powerful
marketing system that will leave your competition in the
dust in a few moments, but for now lets continue with our
review of Pay Per Click search engines.
Here's an example - I
just typed
'marketing information Brisbane' into a pay-per-click (PPC)
search engine and the
top listing came back with this description -
Tools &
Techniques to Build a Successful Ecommerce Strategy.
However, the forth listing
said this -
Brisbane based Marketing expert
shares an easy, step-by-step strategy that will bring 1
million+ free visitors to your website! To make the money
you want, you need to dramatically increase your web site
hits. Be part of the top 5% of websites making a huge
profit!
Which description is more
compelling? Which one makes you more likely to click
on the link to find out more information?
The second one, of course...
Especially if you live near Brisbane - this is the link
you will explore because it offers you exactly what you
are looking for.
The first advertiser paid
24 cents per Click-through - that means 24 cents for every visitors that came
to his site - and they could be based in Guatemala or
Turkey.
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Realistically, these people aren't potential
customers for this Business, but the advertiser paid 24
cents for every one that came to his site, only to click
away when they realised he was not what they were looking
for.
The second advertiser only paid 14 cents per
Click-through - that's 40% less, and he will get fewer
clicks (that he has to pay for!) and attract more highly targeted
visitors to his website.
Once you start driving a significant amount
of traffic to your site using Pay Per Clicks, this 10 cent
difference in the price of your visitors and weeding out
the ones who are unlikely prospects will make a substantial difference to your
bottom line.
And many more high
potential customers are
likely to visit your site if you have a great, well thought
out, local based description - something that motivates searchers by
telling them that you offer exactly what it is that they
are looking for.
A compelling description
will drive traffic to your
site like crazy and save you a
fortune
But it has to be laser focussed or it will bring
in visitors (that cost you money) who aren't really in the
market for what you are selling - that equals wasted
marketing dollars
For example -
-
This site offers
Beaudesert residents a one-stop-shop for all their hair
care needs - Perms, Style Cuts, Trims and Hair Care
Products - also member discounts available only on the
Web.
-
This Free Service offers
small Business owners based in the Brisbane area a way to share leads and customer
databases, increasing sales without taking customers away
from each other.
-
Free Report reveals how
to make $500 per day trading the US Stock Market...trade from
anywhere using your computer and dial-up Internet
connection
A description like this is
a powerful headline that gives your listing a far better chance
of being noticed by a targeted prospect, a
prospect who is thinking about what you sell right
now, so use them to
send your Click-through rate through the roof.
Pay per clicks are a very
effective way of finding targeted visitors quickly and
easily. They are one of the best marketing mediums you can
use to drive targeted visitors to your website.
Putting
the Yellow Pages to work for your Business - and how
to
stand head and shoulders above all of your competitors
Now, lets return briefly to
our discussion about how you can use the Yellow Pages to
promote your Business and in particular your website.
(This is really another way to drive traffic to your
website, so I guess it's strategy number 4)
The limited space you can
afford in your Yellow Pages ad is a great place to promote
your website. Offer a FREE Report in your Yellow
Pages ad that compels people interested in what
you sell to visit your website and read it BEFORE they call you or
anyone else.
This small change to your
Yellow Pages advertising can bring huge rewards. For
example, here's the type of Yellow Pages ad I am talking
about.
Warning -
Don't Call Any Plumbing Contractor Until You Read This
FREE REPORT!
Our FREE REPORT lifts the
lid on many of the scandalous practices that some of today's
most well known plumbing contractors are using to separate
you from your hard earned money.
It makes compelling reading
for anyone considering engaging a plumber for any work
around their home or office.
Armed with this information,
you'll never get ripped off by an unscrupulous plumber
again
To access
this Free Report, please visit - www.theplumbershotline.com/freereport
The Plumbers
Hotline - Phone 07 55432004 24 Hours
|
The Yellow Pages ad above
stands out from all of the 'me-too' type ads and virtually
cries out to be acted upon - if you were about to hire a
plumber, wouldn't you like to know how
some of the countries most well known plumbing contractors
are ripping
off their customers BEFORE you became a victim?
Once people visit your
website, you have plenty of time to explain to them the
traps to watch out for and questions they need to ask to
protect themselves.
Of course, you then make a compelling
offer to them that makes you the only logical
choice in your local area for whatever it is that they are looking for...by
the way, if you aren't sure how to do this, Make
Your Words Sell is a great resource for learning how
to write great web copy and make powerful offers.
No matter what Business you
are in, you can write a FREE REPORT full of useful
information that will benefit your prospects and advertise
your Report in your Yellow Pages ad.
When your prospects
go to your website to read your Free Report, you have
plenty of time to make a compelling case
to them why you are THE person
to call in order to fix their problem NOW!
You live in their local
area, you understand their problems and needs, you have
helped them by giving them great information that will
make or save them money or avoid making some sort of
mistake - how can they not call you? You're the
local EXPERT that tells it like it is. You're not
out to rip them off, you care...
All of the other Yellow
Pages ads are trying to sell them something straight off the page - this
is very hard to do in the limited space available - your
website is the best place to do this.
Plus, your tiny Yellow
Pages ad can't be changed for a whole year! If it sucks,
there's nothing you can do about it until next year.
That's too long to wait.
If you find a better
strategy that works during the year your ad is running,
you can change tack on your website instantly, make the
message longer, shorter, more compelling, add some
bonuses, whatever, rather than having to wait for months
to reap the benefits of this new method that you have
discovered.
A website is infinitely
more flexible for getting your message across than simply
using the Yellow Pages and hoping for the best.
Now you
can use both to full advantage by combining them into a
powerful two-step marketing message that will have your
telephone ringing off the hook...
This Yellow Pages tip is a
great off-line strategy that can bring a stream of
information-seeking visitors scurrying to your website to
read what you have to say - it is just another weapon in
your arsenal of tools for finding customers interested in
what it is you sell and having them raise their hands so
you can find them easier.
Hey, why just use this
strategy with the Yellow Pages - try it with all of your
advertising!
Place small Classified and
Display ads in local media directing people to your Free
Report (or Reports - you could have several different
Reports on separate pages of your website, each promoting
a different product or service) along side your regular
ads and see which ones pull the best response - you'll
never know until you test it...it could just be a
goldmine.
Try it and see.
The
second way to drive traffic to your site is by placing ads
or
submitting articles to other Publishers Ezines or
Newsletters
There are
literally thousands of ezines (online magazines or
Newsletters) circulating on the web that are always
looking out for good content that relates to their
readership.
Many people who send out regular ezines never
write any of the content - they rely solely on articles
submitted by others. They are also
always looking for advertisers to place ads in their
ezines.
If you have
specialized knowledge on any topic related to your
Business, this is a great way to get people to visit your
website. Write 500 to 1000 word articles and send them to
ezine publishers for inclusion in their ezines or online
Newsletters.
Writing and
submitting articles to these publishers offers anyone with
knowledge on a particular topic the chance to write
articles and submit these for publication.
At the end of
each article, you are permitted to put a 'Resource Box'
that contains a small ad for your website, your name and
your URL.
If people like
your article, they will often follow the link to your site
looking for more information. Ezines are often passed on
from one person to another, so this offers you a huge
potential market for your product or service.
Placing ads in
ezines can be extremely profitable if the target market is
chosen well and the ad is appealing to that particular
audience.
In fact, it can be one of the highest leverage
advertising you can do for your Business. Many extremely
profitable web marketers use this as their main source of
lead generation because it works!
But where do
you find a directory of ezines to place your ads in?
The original
Directory
of Ezines is still the most popular source for
researching where to place your advertisements on the
Internet. This publication, originally created by Ruth
Townsend and now owned by Charlie Page, offers a
comprehensive listing of the most popular and profitable
ezines to place your ads in for maximum results.
Charlie's
customer support is great and they help you all the way
with guidance on where to place your ads, how to write
them for maximum sales and advice on other aspects of
online advertising - truly a great resource.
If you build a
sales website, you really need The
Directory of Ezines as a reference to find the best
ezines to advertise your product or service.
I subscribed
as a lifetime member...the bonuses you get are worth so
much more than the membership fee - they are a great
example of how to make a compelling offer.
Charlie holds
your hand along the way to get you started and even writes
some ads and submits them for you to show you how to do
it, and you get the most up to date directory of ezines to
advertise in to boot...a great deal any way you look at
it.
He also has
free content you can use for your website and newsletter
and he will even write your ezine for you for a modest
fee.
Check it out
if you are interested - Directory
of Ezines.
The
third, and over the long term, by far the least costly and
most profitable way to attract visitors to your site is by
building a Theme Based Content Site.
A Theme
Based Content Website, done correctly, acts like a
funnel, bringing in visitors free from the search engines.
It takes more time to create one of these, but rather than
spending money every week or month on buying leads, they
find you at NO COST!
We will
discuss building one of these sites in the next part of
this special report. If you can't wait, Go
To This Article Now.
For now, lets
discuss...
What do you want your visitors to see when they get to
your site?
The first thing your
visitor MUST see is a compelling, benefit
laded headline. They are thinking - what's in it for ME!
They don't care about you or what you are selling. They
just want to know how you can improve their lives.
If your headline doesn't
grab them by the neck and scream 'read me', they're
gone, usually forever.
You have about 5 seconds to
capture your readers attention, or else you'll never see
them again.
The
Internet offers instant gratification. If you don't
capture the imagination of your prospect immediately, there are plenty
of other sites that will, along with their wallets, you can be sure of it.
So your headline is
critical in getting your visitor to read the rest of your
information and sales letter.
Depending on what your
product or service is, you should be able to adapt some of
the ideas below to create a powerful headline for your
sales site.
Powerful
Headline Ideas
Work
less, Earn More Money With This Proven Franchise System
Don't buy
a ___________ before you read this FREE Report
Advice to
Business owners who aren't making enough money for their
efforts - BY A BUSINESS OWNER
You can
laugh at money worries, if you follow this simple plan
The 5
Deadly Mistakes 99% Of People Make When Protecting Their
Homes Against Termites
Does your
child ever embarrass you?
Why
Am I Selling My Home For $30,000 Below Market Value? Local
Agents have told me that my home is worth $330,000, but I
don't want that much. I am prepared to sell to the first
genuine person with $300,000 cash this weekend!
(This
headline works like crazy with anything - cars,
your Business, collectables, anything! When people call
for an appointment, arrange for everyone to arrive at the
same time and watch the feeding frenzy happen -
truly magic!!)
Amazing
New Diet Book Reveals A Revolutionary Technique To Lose
Weight Rapidly...A Technique So New, Your Doctor Doesn't
Even Know About It!
SPECIAL
REPORT - How To Lose weight fast, without missing out on
the foods you love
REVEALED!
The Sneaky Little Secret Banks Use To Turn Their
Accounting Problems Into YOUR FAULT! (What you discover
here could be the most important news you read this year!)
They
Laughed When I Said I Made My Living Trading The Stock
Market, But When Showed Them My Trading Statements, They
All Wanted To Know More
Study these
headlines, and then adapt them to your Business, product or
service. A great headline will grab your readers interest
and virtually force them to read further, looking for the
answer to their problem. You have their attention, don't
lose them now!
Next, a blatant sales
effort right off the bat will lose a large proportion of
your visitors pretty quickly as well.
The Internet is all about
finding information, it's not about getting sold. Tell me,
when was the last time you went on the 'net to get sold
something?
Probably never.
You search the web for
Information - Free Information.
Sidebar
-
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take you step by step through the process I used to build
a profitable SBI Website in just 39 days. It's valued at
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I'll
also send you my
three part How
To Set Up Your SBI Website To Run On Autopilot So You Can
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I'll share the three biggest mistakes I see SBI'ers making
with their websites and how you can avoid them.
Many
people leave a vast amount of money on the table by not
paying attention to these three fundamentals. I see it all
the time in my work as a Solo Build It! Certified
Webmaster, and you'll never make these mistakes once you
know about them.
Here's
what one reader said...
Thanks for your
email and for part 2 of the mini course.
After searching
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have quickly realized that Solo Build It, is for real.
I was looking at
buying various software packages and putting them all
together to build a first class site, but I finally
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and running will be well worth it in the long run.
Thanks for your
help and for all of your support.
Donna
Price
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And
another...
The ebook is really
great. There is so much junk out there about
internet marketing, I really did not think I was going to
find anything online that was actually useful, so thanks.
Susanne
Runion
www.vitamins-herbs-nutrition.com
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Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time. And
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Sidebar
That is what you need to
provide on your sales site. Just enough information so
that visitors get an idea of what it is you sell and how
it will benefit them enormously to own it, but they
are compelled to learn more by either buying your product
or calling you to make an appointment for your service.
If you offer FREE
information in your description (which you should), you
better have some there for them to read that's relevant to
their search query, or they will be gone in a few seconds.
Start your letter by posing
the questions your reader is asking themselves right at
that point.
For example, adapt some of
these questions to your audience -
-
Are
you sick of diets that don't work and leave you feeling frustrated
and miserable?
-
Would
you like to make safe, consistent profits from trading the
Stock Market?
-
Are
you looking for the secret of successful relationships?
-
Is
the only person making really good money from your
Stock trading your Broker?
-
Are
you sick of working for a boss who is incompetent, has no
people skills, doesn't appreciate your efforts and treats
you like a dog? (I can relate to this one!)
-
Can
you see the benefits of creating a powerful, romantic
relationship with your spouse?
Whatever your target market
is, think about the problems they are facing on a daily
basis and bring them right out into the open - make
their problems big and bold and force them to focus on the
pain of the problem right up front..
Most people walk around all
day focusing on their problems. Your message will really
hit your visitor between the eyes and make them sit up and
listen if you address the exact problem they are thinking
about at that moment and then offer them a painless
solution.
Sit down in a quiet place
and think about the top 10 problems your prospects are
facing. Write them down and turn them into questions like
I have done above.
Remember - make the
problems they are already thinking about at that moment big and bold so
your visitors have to focus on them right there and
then.
Then, tell them how you can
solve their problems for them
Give them just enough
information in your sales letter so that they know what to
do, but not how to do it. Then the only
logical solution is for them to call you to set up an
appointment or buy your product right there and then.
Now what you offer must be
suitable for their needs and of excellent quality, or you won't have a happy customer, and
the whole idea is to create happy customers who will not
only buy from you in the future but tell their friends
about you and get them to buy from you as well.
You are the expert who
knows how they are feeling and can help them out of
whatever their current problem is - you have instant
credibility with your readers because you told it like it
is and offered them a solution.
99% of Businesses focus on
finding new customers, rather than keeping the ones they
already have happy and coming back.
And all the profit in
your Business is in the repeat sales you make to your
existing customers - they already know and trust you, so
why do most Business owners just keep looking for new
customers and neglect the ones they already have? Crazy!!!
So this initial sale, order
or appointment should be the start of an ongoing
relationship with your customers, not just a one time,
make a few bucks meeting.
To achieve this, you have
to not just meet your prospects
expectations, you
have to astound them
Here's an example -
Recently I wanted to purchase a digital camera.
I looked
in some of the large department stores and nothing really
caught my attention. I didn't have a clue what I wanted,
and nobody was able to help me decide.
Then I went into a Kodak
Express store and asked the shop assistant this
question, "What is the best VALUE digital camera in
this price range? (around $500)
She showed me a camera that
had all the features I needed (because she explained to me
what I needed...I didn't know the first thing about
digital cameras) and it was reduced that week by $200,
making it an exceptional buy.
She explained how to use
the camera and then wrapped it up, then she handed me a Bonus
Coupon for $50 off several Kodak Express services on
my next visit, then as I started to walk out the door, she
handed me three DVD's as well!
Isn't that an incredible
deal?
I have since told several
of my friends about the service and the offer she gave me,
and I'll be back as a happy, satisfied customer to spend
more money in her store.
Is that the sort of service
and offer you make to your customers each time they visit
your Business so they want come back again
and again?
If not, you had better start working on some
offers that astound them and make them want to keep giving
you their money again and again, rather than spending all
your time and effort chasing new customers every day.
Your off-line offer has to
be great, but even more so on your website. If it's
not compelling, open for a limited period of time and
restricted to just a few people, they won't buy.
Take a look at some of
these great sales sites. Read through the sales copy
carefully and
see how the words make you feel. It's hard not to whip your
wallet out and buy whatever it is that they are offering,
isn't it? I'll wait until you come back...
Write
a Book Now
Learn
to write a book in 14 days or less - this sales page
converts a high percentage of visitors into purchasers,
can you tell why? This is a great example of benefit laden
sales copy - model your site on this one - it will pay off
handsomely.
Online
Option
Learn
the secret of trading the Stock Market from a true
master...doesn't this sales letter make you curious as to
what Stephen's trading system is? If you have an interest
in the Stock Market, it is very compelling.
Make
Your Site Sell
The
original 'Bible' for building a website that sells - this
sales page is tested and proven; model the words, themes
and methods used here
for your sales website.
Make
Your Words Sell
Another
great sales page. If you want to write web-page copy that
sells, this is indeed a great reference manual.
The sales copy on
this site is excellent as well and uses all of the
techniques outlined in the book that they have for sale.
Great,
your back with me. Some food for thought there, isn't
there?
Now
that you have read through the web pages above carefully,
model them for you own sales website. Make
Your Words Sell is also a great resource to help you
write compelling web (or offline) sales copy.
Notice
how they all end with a powerful offer, use testimonials
to build trust, offer a money back guarantee, and include
a call to action - buy now - today! These critical
elements are all required on your sales site if you want
to make money on the Internet.
By
modelling these great sites, you will be well on
your way
to success with your website
Then,
drive traffic to the site by using Pay Per Click advertising,
ezine advertising or articles, or the third method,
building a Theme Based Content
Site which we will now discuss in more detail.
The
downfall with a sales website is that usually, if you
don't get the prospect to buy straight away, they're gone
forever.
Research
has shown that most people need repeated exposure to a new
idea, product or service before they will part with their
money (up to 7, 9 or 12 exposures in some cases). A one time sales
message isn't usually enough to make them act and purchase
whatever it is that you are offering.
What
you need to do is to build an ongoing relationship with
your visitors. To do this, you need to capture their email
address and correspond regularly with them. In this way,
you will eventually earn their trust and they will be
happy to follow your recommendations and buy your products
or services.
A
sales site usually doesn't have enough content to persuade
people to give you their email address - it's just a sales
pitch.
People who are getting sold something usually have
their guard up and resist anything that makes them feel
uncomfortable, so the chances of them giving you their
email address are slim.
This
is where the second type of website comes into play - a Theme
Based Content Site.
Many Business owners are starting
to realise that the best way to find targeted
visitors is to have them find you through a
search engine. They are using a Theme Based website to
attract a growing stream of visitors, then sending them to
their sales site (or that of their partners) where the
sales process takes place.
Long
term, this is by far the best option for driving a
steadily growing number of prospects to a sales website.
You are not putting your hand into your pocket every month
paying for advertising - the traffic is FREE!
The
main goal of a content site should be to provide
information that is interesting to your target audience
and to capture your visitors email address,
so that you can build a relationship with them and offer
them products and services over and over again...
There
are many tools available to create a website.
If
you have no knowledge of HTML (hyper text mark-up language
- the source code of the internet), FTP (file transfer
protocol), JavaScript, autoresponders, etc. etc., your
best alternative is probably Solo Build It! (SBI),
SBI
is an all in one design, hosting, search
engine submission, newsletter publishing and reporting
package that lets you get on with writing your sales message,
and takes care of all the behind the scenes technical
stuff that you don't want (or need) to know.
If
you DO know a little (or a lot) about all of these facets
of building web pages, then Solo Build It! is still a far
better alternative than building a site from bits and
pieces cobbled together from ten different vendors - it's
a system of integrated tools that all work together to
optimise your effectiveness and minimise the time you
spend on the technical aspects of your site, and lets
you focus on where the money really is - in the
marketing...
We
will discuss Solo Build It!, what it is, and what it does, in much more
detail in the next part of this Report.
If
you would like to discuss anything in this first part of
the Report or would like more Free and Obligation
Free information on building your own website, please phone me
on 07 55432004 or email me by using the Contact
Form. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for visiting,
take
care, and best wishes,

Former
SBI Certified Webmaster
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