Web Marketing For Local Business...

Hello and welcome to the Web Marketing For Local Business Mini Course and Newsletter. Over the next few days I'll be sharing lots of information on how to use the massive leverage the Internet gives you to boost the profits of your local business.

We'll cover topics including -

• The "Most Wanted Response" you website should be focused on that could triple your income (or more) over time

• How to get hundreds of highly targeted visitors to your website every month from Google, Yahoo and the other major search engines without spending a fortune on advertising

• How to "super-size" your potential market while zooming on the exact people who are interested in buying from you

• How you can offer your customers an ongoing stream of exciting (and extremely profitable) new products and services without ever having to create, stock or deliver anything yourself

...and much more.

So, please sit back, grab a cuppa and let's get started with today's article...

Your Most Wanted Response - Let's Discuss The Single Biggest Mistake Most Website Owners Make...

Probably the single biggest mistake most small business website owners make if it's not building a website that is merely an online brochure, is trying to sell a product or service on the first visit and not building a list of future customers.

It amazes me that so few business owners treat list building with the urgency it requires. It's been proven that over 98% of people who visit a website for the first time will leave without buying anything or taking any action that results in a profit to the owner. 

By capturing your visitor's name and email address when they arrive, you have a chance to build a long-term relationship with her and eventually turn her into a customer over time as she comes to like and trust you.

The bottom line is this -

Instead of trying to make a one shot sale, focus your marketing efforts on getting your visitors to opt-in to a mini course, your newsletter, offer a Free Report or some other offer where they have to give you their name and email address to access more information.

Once you've got your interest pre-customer onto a list, continue to follow up regularly with quality, free information and offers related to your prospect's area of interest. Using this two-step system will give you multiple chances to make many sales to people who know and trust you, instead of only having one shot with a person who doesn't know you yet or care who you are.

You'll see that all the best Internet marketers use mini courses, free eBooks or some other bonus or "ethical bribe" to encourage visitors to opt-in to a series of follow up messages - you should be doing the same thing because it flat out works.

By building a list of prospects who are interested in your area of expertise, products or services, you are creating a real asset. As smart marketers say - the money is in the list. Or more accurately, the money is in the relationship you develop with the people on your list.

Business is all about relationships. It's not about products and services. It's about building relationships with people one at a time and solving their problems. Do this and you will prosper...miss this key point and you will never be as successful as you could be.

In fact, marketing genius Dan Kennedy says that the only real asset a business has, and the asset that gives you virtually unlimited leverage, is your customer list. Everything else depends on having a loyal list of repeat customers - without this, you ultimately have no business. 

Your most difficult sale will be the first sale to a new prospect. Buying from you is high risk to somebody who has never dealt with you before, and research shows that existing customers are at least 5 times easier to sell to than somebody who you don't have a relationship with.

Having a list of prospects and customers who know and like you, set up in an email autoresponder system such as Aweber to automate most of your follow-up, is one of the surest ways of setting up auto-pilot streams of income from your web business you'll ever find.

Building a customer list is your #1 priority - start today...

If you haven't given list building the attention it deserves, I urge you to get started today. By capturing your website and in-store visitors names and email address (and their physical address too if at all possible) you could double or triple your profits over time as you follow up with your customers and prospects.

You simply cannot invest time more effectively than by building a list of passionate people who are interested in the benefits they will receive from the products and services you offer. It's a no-brainer.

Action Steps

• If you haven't done so already, use an autoresponder system such as Aweber to get your ezine started and/or create a Mini Course today

• Create a Free Report or some other "ethical bribe" to entice your visitors to join your Newsletter list or subscribe to your Mini Course and offer this to start building your list

• Spend time each week creating new content and articles to send to your list of subscribers. The ratio of content:product recommendations should be something like 80:20. At least 80% good quality, pitch-free content and 20% PRE-selling (or outright selling) product recommendations

• Get on the Newsletter lists of the top people in your market including your direct competitors (if they offer such a thing) and "spy" on them to get ideas for content, see what products they are recommending to their subscribers, and generally learn how your competitors are monetizing their sites...then do something similar yourself, but do it better

Keep adding to your Newsletter or Mini Course messages and eventually you will have a large archive of quality content that will educate and entertain your readers and help them to get to know and like you.

Tomorrow, we'll look at how to get hundreds of additional highly targeted visitors to your website each month for free by making one small change to your website content.

This simple but very effective change (that most people don't get right) results in thousands of extra search engine visitors to my sites each month...and I'll share it with you right here in a couple of days time.

Until then,

Warmly,

P.S. If you'd like help in getting started on building an email list and setting up your automated follow up system like the one we've discussed in this message, please give me a call on 5543 3212 or email me by using this contact form and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.