The exponential growth of the internet has created new-found
opportunities for millions of businesses that previously
would have never been able to compete in the global marketplace.
Yet while the low-entry and marketing costs have leveled
the playing field for many entrepreneurs, it has also
created a staggering amount of competition.
Consider this: The average person--at least those who
live in metropolitan areas--is exposed to more than 3,500
marketing messages daily. That's 24,500 messages a week
and 1.2 million a year.
To make online sales even more challenging, marketing
studies have shown that it takes nine or more impressions
for your business to be remembered by a potential customer.
This means consistent follow-up is essential. But in today's
world, this type of relentless follow up is not practical
for the average business owner.
Fortunately, there's a solution that many online businesses
are using every day--online automation.
Imagine being able to capture new leads on your website,
build customer confidence through automated sequential
responses, deliver products digitally while you sleep,
and track all your prospects and clients without lifting
a finger. For thousands of savvy online businesses, this
is a daily reality.
In today's competitive environment, automation is not
a luxury; it's a requirement for keeping a competitive
edge. In fact, the benefits of automation are so numerous,
you can't afford to ignore them.
Tips for Effective Automation
Use the following four tips to guide your decisions on
using automation effectively.
1. Build
your mailing list 24/7 with a prominent opt-in box and
a compelling offer. Your list is your
goldmine. It's critical to all your marketing and is your
most valuable asset. To capture names and e-mails, it's
essential that you make an irresistible offer. "Sign
up for my mailing list" is no longer enough. Try
something like this: "Free Special Report: How to
Dramatically Boost Your Website Traffic in 30 Days or
Less."
With auto responders (preprogrammed e-mail responses),
you can offer digitally downloaded special reports, audios,
product information, teleconference numbers, or free trials
to entice visitors to share their names and e-mail addresses.
When your prospect's data is entered, it's automatically
placed in your database and can be programmed to trigger
a well-crafted response, such as "Thank you for subscribing.
Here is a special report: The 5 Most Costly Mistakes Markets
Make With Google AdWords. We hope you enjoy it!"
Be sure to display your privacy policy below your opt-in
box as well as assurance that they can unsubscribe at
any time. And of course, never spam anyone.
2. Deliver valuable content
over time with sequential auto responder messages. A
very effective way to build trust with your prospects
is to offer a "mini-course" that delivers content-rich
and relevant information to your opt-in subscribers. For
example, if you're running a site that sells golf equipment,
you may over time send the following courses:
* 7 Tips Guaranteed to Take 10 Strokes Off Your Golf Score
* The 5 Secrets to Finding Your Perfect Golf Partner
* Your Daily Energy Booster: Daily One Minute Audios That
Will Help You Stay Energized All Day Long
These automatically distributed e-mail messages not only
provide pre-programmed content but also motivate prospects
to revisit your site for the latest offers. And, of course,
once they click through to your website, you can offer
more content delivered via audio, video and other multimedia
options, as well as offers for your products and services.
Since studies show that 48 percent of salespeople give
up after the first contact and 25 percent after the second,
this is a perfect way to make sure your follow-up stays
consistent. Best of all, after you program the series,
it will perform flawlessly for you for years to come.
3. Take payments online.
It has never been easier or more affordable to set up
an online payment system through PayPal.com or your own
merchant account. Once you set up your account, it's simple
to sell products or services online by purchasing an online
shopping cart. A shopping cart allows you to capture e-mail
addresses, automate responses, track leads and sell your
product to customers around the world 24/7. These systems
are surprisingly easy to setup, operate and maintain.
4. Track and measure your
marketing efforts. Over the years, I've
trained and coached hundreds of business owners in marketing
through my Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program. Through
a series of assessments, it's become very clear that most
businesses fall short in the area of marketing measurement.
Here are some questions to consider:
* How many unique visitors come to your website?
* How many visitors opt into your mailing list or order
your products?
* When you send e-mails, how many are opened and how many
people actually click through to your website?
The answers are important because they'll tell you what
you need to improve, such as the pulling power of your
headlines or copy or your website's navigation. You won't
know until you start measuring. Many of today's automated
shopping cart systems include ad trackers, which automatically
calculate your click-throughs and conversion statistics.
An excellent integrated shopping cart systems can be found
at:
www.EasyWebAutomation.com
Benefits to You and Your
Business
When you automate daily tasks, you have more time to focus
on growing your company. Best of all, your money-making
activities don't grind to a halt and you don't have to
hire or train any staff.
Also when your business becomes automated, your presence
becomes optional, leaving you time to actually take a
vacation while making money at the same time. With most
systems, you can quickly and easily check your sales and
orders from any web browser.
The internet is a competitive, ever-changing marketplace.
The right strategy combined with powerful and practical
automated systems gives you an edge over your competitors.
You'll attract more customers, and spend less time, money
and energy winning them over. Automation services and
software leverage the best technology available to make
you money day and night, whether you're there or not.
Mitch Meyerson is the author of Mastering Online Marketing,
available from Entrepreneur Press, with Mary Eule Scarborough
and seven other books. He is the founder of The Guerrilla
Marketing Coaching Program and three other online education
programs. For more information, visit: www.MitchMeyerson.com.
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