Really Cool “Traffic Getting” Technique …

Hey guys just a quick but important post about this traffic getting video my friend George Brown sent me earlier…

First of all… traffic getting? What does George mean by that?

Kind of a weird term I know, so I figured I best explain myself…

Well, in the words of George himself: “if you watch the video and implement the technique it will basically will get you a boatload of traffic to your website”.

Simple enough.

Watch the video, do it and get some extra free targeted traffic to your site, no matter what niche it’s in.

And it works too. George (the techniques “creator”) is using to drive almost 20,000 free visitors to his sites every month. Twenty THOUSAND! That’s nothing to sniff at.

And I’ll say this: This is one technique I’ll be using personally on this and all of my sites. It really is one of the coolest techniques for getting some extra traffic I’ve seen in a long time.

Here’s the link if you want to check it out: Click HERE to watch the free video (you do have to opt in to get in but that’s all, it’s completely free).

The video gets my highest recommendation and I highly recommend you guys check it out. Gotta run for now, the dogs need walking, NOW!

To your success,

Marketing Secrets free advertising, free traffic

What the Hell is Twittollower?

What the Hell is Twittollower? And what kind of name is that anyway? If you know what Twitter is and you give a hoot about getting a crowd of twitterers chasing you around the internet then you need to know about Twittollower.

The crazy-named thing is a truly auto pilot system for gaining followers on Twitter. Now I’m talking serious here. More followers than you may have thought possible in no time flat. Something like 2,000 new followers every month, minimum – Guaranteed.

If you don’t think that can make a difference in your marketing then just ignore everything I say from here on out. Using some sort of Voodoo magic, your nest of followers grows without you throwing out the bread crumbs. You just concentrate on creating good content without even having to look back and the flock starts gaining on you.

There’s no manually adding or deleting followers, just set it and forget it. Of course you may want to check your stats every now and then. But they continue to come, even if you don’t log in to your control panel at all. You just keep-a tweetin’ and let the magic happen. You can set your blog to automatically post your tweets and you can program an autoresponder to post to your blog, if you’re into that kind of thing. Now that’s what I call auto pilot!

If you haven’t clicked away by now (you wouldn’t do that, would you?) you can Watch The Video but I gotta warn you first. When I watched it, I almost didn’t wait until the end. It can drag on a little bit, if you know what I mean. I did stick it out though. If you want to build a massive Twitter presence, if you want thousands of followers then invest ten minutes out of your busy life to watch that video.

That’s just my advice. If it’s not for you, then no problem. But if you’re searching for ways to quickly and easily build a list then Twittollower may be right for you. If you don’t understand why having a huge list is important, then this is not for you. You have a lot more learning to do. I don’t know how long they’ll keep this open but I do know the price is going up.

If you learned anything here today leave a comment. Hey, even if you’re just cruising through, leave a comment. You can do that for me, can’t you?

To Your Success,

Marketing Secrets affiliate marketing, article marketing, make money online

Here We Are – A New Day

As the cobwebs peel away this morning it’s time to look into the future. Last night we all ushered in a New Year with great fanfare. The past year begins to fade into memory, albeit a little fuzzy memory at the moment

What will the New Year mean for you? Will the world economy’s woes drag everyone down? Will new (and old) wars escalate global tensions and freeze the masses into a perpetual state of fear? Will debatable and unproven environmental issues bring the world to a halt, while the new enviro-industrial complex strengthens it’s grip on worldwide personal freedoms?

For me, 2010 will be the best year yet. Why? Because I refuse to participate. Our futures are in our own hands and I’m taking mine to new heights in 2010. No matter what else happens to the “masses” what happens to ourselves, as individuals is up to each of us.

If you have been following the herd last year, stop. Take stock of what you have to work with. If you are reading this post then you are able to tap into the global information pool. All the world is open to you. Opportunities are everywhere but if all you focus on is doom and gloom, you’ll find it everywhere.

But if you focus on hope, on the positives, you will find it everywhere as well. Look for the good. Ask where can I help. As marketers 2010 will give you many opportunities to help the masses find what they need. The world still needs to buy. If you dig deep and find new and better ways to help them, you will be blessed with success. Even is times past of great economic turmoil there have been many who prospered. 2010 will be no different.

As a new day and a new year opens look for the good in this world, it’s there for you. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Timeless advice. Take it to heart and 2010 will be your best year yet too!

Marketing Secrets

Plans for 2010

Are you planning your new year resolutions?  Do you plan to lose weight?  Get out of debt?  Retire? Start a new job?  Begin a new relationship?  What are your plans for 2010?

Whatever your 2010 goals, write them down — put them into a tangible form whether by jotting them down on a yellow legal pad or a desktop to do list just get them into some form you can review regularly.

The New Year is a time for renewal and if you’ve kept a list from last year now is the time to measure results.  Putting your goals into a list is your first concrete step toward fulfilling them.  Whether you believe in Laws of Attraction and similar things or not just listing them and then breaking each one down into steps, step one, two etc. will do you more good than you may realize.

Reviewing your goals daily, weekly and monthly you can MOVE FORWARD to getting things done.  There are so many distractions that doing that this one simple step will take goals from a “dream” into your reality because you will be reminded to constantly take action from your steps.  As you go along and find you need to adjust steps, that’s okay as long as it keeps going toward your overall goal.

If you determine some were maybe unrealistic, change or delete them but keep your list where you can see it every day.  Ask yourself if you’ve done whatever it takes TODAY to get you closer to your goals?  If not, double down tomorrow.  Large goals are not done in a day (why put them on a to do list if they’re that easy?) but they’re accomplished through many small steps.

My own goals for 2010 fit into some of the above categories.  For online marketing I am working on a strategy focusing on one affiliate program and later in the year my own related product.  I will be using 7 or 8 domains that I have registered for this project and a system of interlinking efforts.  Efforts, not necessarily actually linking the sites together.

As the year progresses I will share what I’m doing (not giving away all my secrets of course) but what works, what doesn’t etc.  Special insider information will be shared with subscribers to my list but I will post as much as I can on the open part of this site for others to use if they wish.

One of my main goals for 2010 is to share what works and what doesn’t to help anyone who wishes to make money online stop wasting time and money on out of date, rehashed or unworkable plans.  Everyday I receive e-mails about the newest “payload”, “avalanche”, “auto-pilot”, easy and never fail plan that promises you can make money in your sleep etc.

Some of these products may actually work but the way they’re hyped by top copywriters can have you salivating of beach life bungalows while your laptop slaves away making you a fortune.  There are true ways to make this happen but there’s more to it than that.  I’ll share with you what I know and you can take it at face value or not.

Either way, I wish you great success in 2010.  If you like, please sign up to my Insiders List and I’ll send you an occasional e-mail with details you can implement into your own plans.  Add comments if you have specific questions and good luck in the New Year!

D Dean Hall

Marketing Secrets

Inch Thick Bologna Sandwiches — What?

A few years ago, actually many years ago, I stopped for lunch at a little country store between Liberty and Ramseur, NC — the kind of country place that serves the local lunch crowd with a small “orders-to-go” kitchen on the side.

While I waited for my order of chopped pork (truly delicious) to be prepared, I stepped to the side so that others waiting could be served.  The line grew fast as locals, construction workers and delivery men stopped for lunch.  These were hard working people who wanted a quick, hardy meal at a good price.

Nearly nine out of ten orders were for the bologna sandwiches.  These sandwiches were hand cut 1″ thick and slapped on white bread with condiments of choice.  My recollection of Oscar Meyer bologna slices had always been much thinner so it intrigued me to see so many people lining up for these mega sandwiches.  And for under two bucks they sold, well — like hotcakes!

They Knew What They Wanted

The owners of this little country store knew what their customers wanted. And gave it to them, efficiently and at a good price.  They didn’t have any grand illusions about what their customers ought to want or what was best for them. But by serving the desires of their hungry customers they made a very tidy profit during this lunch-time rush.

Now contrast this with a woman (I’ll call her Mary – not her real name) I met a couple of years later through some friends.  She wanted to live her dream of opening her own restaurant.  The foods she cooked were wonderful.  She had dishes that would have placed her in the top tier of fine dining nearly anywhere in the country.

Instead of the larger Fayetteville market she decided to open in Raeford, NC — a nearby farming town.  Now Fayetteville has nearly the highest percentage of restaurants per capita in the state and a population that loves to eat out.  But Raeford is a small farming town and not normally associated with fine dining.

She Thought a Good Product Was All She Needed

Mary listened to her strongest advisor, her inner self.  Even though her friends advised her that the locals, farmers, turkey plant workers and service workers just were not likely customers for her $10 gourmet sandwiches she heard only what she wanted to hear.  She knew her food was so good, and it really was, that those hungry for more than the standard fast food would beat a path to her door.

She may have planned to start small at first and then “graduate” into bigger markets.  But for Mary this was a failed dream and her investment of time, money and soul was completely wiped out.

What Went Wrong?

Why did she fail?  She did not understand her market, she did not know who she was trying to sell to.  She assumed all she needed was to open her doors and they would flock to her tables — she knew what they wanted better than they did themselves.  Her friends tried to explain that Raeford customers were more like the inch thick bologna crowd than $7 peanut & butter sandwich connoisseurs.  It just did not register with her preconceived notion of the world.

If Mary had picked a location in Fayetteville her random chances would have been much higher but not guaranteed.  If she had sampled the local crowd and catered to what the customer wanted (perhaps not so much gourmet but good food competitively priced) she would have learned what would sell.  Mary was good at preparing excellent meals but she didn’t first discover what her customers wanted.

The Go Ahead Lesson?

Find a need, no, make that a want or burning desire in your market niche.  Develop a product that fills the desire (inch thick bologna sandwiches) and give it to them.  Know who your customer is, test price points to find a balance between sales and profitability and then give it all you got.

The single biggest factor in your success is knowing who you’re selling to.  What drives their desire?  What makes your product any better than another?  Why (what’s in it for me?) should they deal with you?  Answer these questions before you try to sell them and you’re on your way to success.

How do you know the market reach of whatever you’re selling?  How much can you spend to bring in a customer and still make money?  Know these answers?  Without them how can you justify the time and money investment to go after them?

Copyright © 2009 The Marketing Gentleman

Marketing Secrets market research

My Best Wishes For a Fruitful New Year

The tribulations of 2008 are soon behind us and looking forward there will be many challenges and opportunities in 2009. How will you handle them?

Plan now to be proactive, be extra helpful. Remember we serve our customers and now even more than before we must provide value, service and advice to help add stability in these uncertain times.

Live the Golden Rule in your marketing life as well as your personal life. Be the best you can possibly be and the rewards you “earn” will follow.

Wishing you great successes,

List Building Tips new year wishes

Hard or Soft, Which Squeeze Page to Use?

Using an opt-in or “squeeze” page as it is sometimes called is a must for building your list.  You can build a list only from actual buyers (and that is one great list!) but what about those visitors who didn’t buy?  Well if you are using an opt-in page and incentive to collect their names you can change at least some of them to “didn’t buy, yet”.

The object here is to get their contact information for follow ups and continue to market to them until they do buy   The “hard” opt-in page is like a funnel that narrows the focus of attention to your purpose, collecting their contact information. You briefly describe some benefit they can achieve, the more irresistible the better, and then offer only two options.  They can either submit their information to get your benefit (and it needs to be an instant benefit) or they can click away.  This is the “hard squeeze” for you offer no other choice but sign up or go away.

The soft squeeze has a couple of choices.  The popular opt-in box on the sidebar of your website or blog is a soft squeeze, and generally has the lowest lead capture percentage.  Another is similar to the hard squeeze however you give out more helpful information and begin the informational part of the selling process by describing a benefit in greater detail or identifying a “solvable” problem and then “set the hook” by teasing about the answer.  Now they must submit their contact info to get the rest of the story about the benefit or learn how to solve that problem you so artfully brought to a focus.

Which method works best? Both under different circumstances.  The only choice we have as marketers is to set up both types and drive traffic to each one separately and measure the results.  A marketer is always testing to try and improve results, at least in major markets.  Once you have a baseline of results that becomes your “control” and you can continue to work on improvements to increase opt-ins versus visitors.  Whether you go hard or soft is completely up to you. Which works better (after testing) is up to your individual market circumstance.

List Building Tips opt-in page, squeeze page

Why Should Your Prospects Listen to You?

Have you ever stopped to look at your marketing materials from your prospects point of view?  When you decide to pursue marketing you do research, study copy writing techniques and all the other things necessary to get your idea or product “out there”.  Since you have put so much work into it, you know it through and through but you need to stop right there and ask yourself if you didn’t know anything about this miracle (product or idea) would you care?

A very common mistake marketers make is looking at marketing from only one side.  If you’re going to look at it from only one side, then choose to look at your offer from the customers side.  To reach your prospects you need to answer these five magic questions.

Who are you? – If you are going to profess some expertise and offer your super beneficial “widget” that solves all the worlds problems, or at least one specific one, then you must explain who “You” are.   If you have years of experience or a degree in a relevant field then maybe you’re worth listening to.  Perhaps you’ve overcome some significant struggle and now you can share your success story with others.  Whatever you particular reason is you have to explain that relevant point to your prospect, otherwise why should they listen to you?

What do you want? – Why are you bothering me?  If you’re hear to tell me how wonderful you are, then you can save your breath.  If you have a purpose for taking up my time then get to the point.  Make it clear that you have important information that is worth sharing.

Why should I care? – How does this apply to me, does it make a difference to me?  You have to explain why this concerns “me”, not just everyone but “ME”.  I don’t care about anyone else other myself so explain very directly why “I” should listen to you.

What’s in it for me? – If I am interested in what you have to say then how does this benefit me?  Will this help me or at least help me avoid something I don’t want?  If there is a worthwhile benefit in what you’re pitching then make it clear as a bell.  Don’t be vague or wishy-washy if it will help me then make that undeniably clear.

What do I do now? – So you may be some kind of expert, and you have a reason to tell me about it, you’ve explained why I should listen and even explained what this super widget will do for me but what do I have to do to next, what’s my next step?  It may seem obvious to you (looking from the marketer’s side) but do I fill in this form and click submit?  Do I call this 800 number and schedule an appointment?  You have to make these steps clear and simple.  Do not assume anything and explain how to respond to your “call to action”.

Whatever you are marketing, physical products, services or information, if you answer these five questions for your prospects you will now be pushing the right buttons.  They want to know who, what, when, why and what next.  Don’t make your prospects guess these questions.  Look at all your marketing materials through the eyes of your prospects, you may be surprised at what you see.

List Building Tips marketing tips