Communicating Benefits and Solutions For Maximum Confidence

Copy in our marketing must communicate Benefits and Solutions, resist listing “facts”!

Gain Trust and Reliability
One of the best ways to encourage people to buy a product through your marketing business is to gain their trust and to establish a high level of credibility. Once you manage this, the products you support as an affiliate marketer will look more credible and valuable in your visitors’ eyes.

However, before you can use trust and credibility to your advantage, you must develop a basis for it. Ethical business practices, solid quality products or services, informative website content, well-written materials, good marketing, third party testimonials and other strategies are all components that work together to help elevate you to a level of trust.

From the thousands of ways you can increase credibility, do not lose sight of the importance of what to do once you have it. Ideally, a solid reputation will make it easier for visitors to take the time to click on your referral link.

The more positive exposure you gain through your various marketing activities, the easier it will be to make sales. In depth knowledge of your product or service enables you to make personal recommendations for them.

If you take a shy approach to endorsing the products, you are short-circuiting your income potential as well. Acting in this manner may allow you to earn some money, but unless you are willing to commit and commit fully to your action plan, and make a name for yourself the profits that could be yours will be going to someone else.

Select your affiliate marketing products using this criteria:

1. Would you use this product?
2. Would you recommend this product to a family member?

If the answer is yes, use the product and study it. Once you have first hand experience with the product, your website content and promotional copy about the product will have a more personal touch. There is a big difference between generic sales copy and a personal review.

And what your website visitors want to see is how the product may be useful for them; what type of experience could they expect from this product? Rather than saying, “Over 1,000 people have used our product”, and meanwhile your visitor is asking, “Who are they and did they like it?”

Choosing products that you believe in and use yourself give you the confidence to put your name on the line and personalize your offer. This is one of the fastest ways to boost your customers’ confidence and any promotion you create in this way is sure to have a good response.

People understand that although a marketer has an incentive to endorse a product, but they also know that only a few of them will go the distance be willing to risk their reputation for it.

It is up to you to decide which type of affiliate marketer you are going to be. Do you want to project the image of an insecure, frightened individual without a face and name or is the image of yourself a person who is an informed, credible and respected expert that provides beneficial, firsthand reviews of product use?

Obviously the best choice is to work and act in a way to be the credible, respected expert that provides concise, firsthand reviews.

Maximizing customer confidence starts with you, and as a marketer you want your visitors to click on your referral link and give you the opportunity to earn a commission. The more receptive you are to your visitors needs for information and solutions to the issues that concern them, the more receptive they will be to your offer.

As a marketer, your primary tool is the written word; website content, newsletters, solo ads, sales pages, auto responders, ezines, these are all written materials. Content is important to your visitors and that makes it incredibly important to learn how to use words to your advantage.

Writing content calls for you to play many roles; storyteller, educator, advocate all of these hats you may have to wear at one time or anther. The bottom line is that information rules the day if you want to have a successful online affiliate marketing business.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a pro, you will certainly need to keep your eye focused on quality. And with articles the key to whether it will deliver the goods is in the headline.

Pay special attention to the headline for any advertising piece you write, for this is where people make their decision to continue reading or to push that button with the green arrow within seconds of reaching your page. First impressions are always the strongest, so take care in handling this powerful tool and make it give the impression you want to project.

Remember this: What is the first thing your visitors see when they visit your web page? It’s the headline-and it has to get their attention and hold their attention for it to work.

And just how do you create a headline that does that? Headlines have to stop the reader in their tracks and make them think. While they are thinking the clock is ticking and with an effective headline you can keep the visitor on your website discovering the answer to the question that started them thinking.

Make your headline strong. Who wants to read a wimpy headline? Make your headline proactive. Words like “if” and “may” are not words for a headline. The headline is the domain of the power word - the kind of word that will sparks interest and drives people to take action.

The headline has to tell your customers enough to keep them interested. The headline of “Satisfaction Guaranteed”, may give the customers just enough information to motivate them to keep reading to find out what you are talking about.

There is no magic formula for winning headlines. Different situations call for different strategies. The important part is that the headline creates a compulsion to keep on reading.

Your name and your words, these are your two most powerful tools to build customer confidence and your sales via your marketing efforts.

Make the most of both of them by using quality content with strong, honest headlines that capture attention and keep your visitors reading until the very last word.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Target Your Niche or Miss Your Market

Making the Niche Marketing Connection
One of the advantages in taking the targeted niche market approach is that is affords you the opportunity to link to high traffic websites that will generate traffic for your site.

The traffic at these sites will vary, but regardless of the amount of traffic they receive, whether it is 10,000 or 100,000 visitors per year, the important thing to remember is that by linking to you or recommending your products and services you are sharing their website visitor traffic.

This is a powerful strategy and a strategy that takes time to accomplish. The reward of securing a quality link from a high traffic site to your own website is that once in place it will stay in place working around the clock and sending traffic to your website, day after day.

Be aware that there are different types of links along with linking strategies. The two most common links are:

· In-Bound Links – Are where another website points TO your website. This link has been found to be the most important. Read the finding of the study that was conducted by Fortune Interactive at the website of WebProNews.

· Out-Bound Links – Are where the link points AWAY from your website. This link has an impact on your website ranking as well, but they are not as desirable as inbound links. You can find a comprehensive report on how both inbound and outbound links affect how search engines see your site in a Google Page Rank survey from eFactory’s website.

Keep Your Linking Strategies Legal
In regards to linking strategies, there are many different theories floating around on the Internet, so you need to be careful. Here are five basic points to remember when you are considering a linking strategy:

• Consider the links you want to make with other websites carefully. Remember is it not the quantity of links located on or pointing to your site that will enhance your Page Rank, but the quality of the link that has the most impact. The links on your site should be considered as part of the resources that you make available to your visitors.
• Find and apply different types of linking strategies that adhere to the guidelines of the major search engines. Be aware of the power that is inherent in NATURAL LINKING to your site and work diligently to increase it.
• Steer clear of programs that promise you hundreds of incoming links overnight (link farms). More likely than not, a link farm scheme will adversely affect your search engine page ranking.
• When creating an outbound link, avoid using automated linking programs. In many cases, this type of software prevents the other site from receiving “credit” for the incoming link. How can you tell if this is true or not? Place your cursor over the link and hold it there. Then take a look at the status bar at the bottom of your monitor screen. If you see their link showing in the display, your software program is a winner, if a longer URL appears, there is no benefit being received by the site you are linking to.
• Since website links have a direct impact on your valuable search engine listing, the best source of information on how to implement a linking strategy for your website for the best results can be found by going directly to the source. Google offers a wealth of information that will steer you clear of potential problems when it comes to linking to another site. Read the Webmasters Guidelines.

Google webmaster guidelines are a great resource for all kinds of website “positioning” strategies!

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Niche - The Marketing Secret of Millionaires!

You’ve been encouraged to focus your attention on the keywords that apply to the products or services that you have to offer on your website.

Targeted Niche Marketing is all about finding SPECIFIC solutions to the problems of a SPECIFIC customer base.

What is a Niche?
A niche market/audience is a group of people who share a common interest, pain, desire or problem.

A niche market is a group of people who are already searching internet for a solution to a problem – and not finding good results

When your marketing website is strategically designed to delivering a clear understanding of what benefits your customer is looking to receive from a product or service, then it is easier to connect the dots to the product that provides the solution to the problem they are facing.

As simple as this may sound, there are thousands of online businesses that have yet to grasp the importance of this one principle.

No matter how great your product may be, the focus must always be on what the customer wants from that product; how it will enhance their lives and give them what they want.

It is essential to thoroughly research the concept of targeted niche marketing – where the idea is to be one thing to one group of people instead of the shotgun approach that is responsible for the failure of most affiliate marketers - trying to be “all things to all people.”

Your Niche Market Customer Base
Just as we linked keywords from your domain name, to your search engine information in your website design, to the website content, giveaways and promotions, the same approach holds true for identifying your target niche market. It is not enough to simply offer a product that solves a specific problem. In a marketplace as large as the Internet, generalization is the fastest road to oblivion.

Connecting the dots from your product or service to its prospective users is important in order to get their attention, present a solution to their problem and a means to take action. Using the advanced technology that is available to affiliate marketers to find their customer base, there is no reason why you cannot take advantage of these resources for the success of your online business.

The sharper your focus, the easier it is to hit the bulls’ eye of the target. Keep in mind that the attention span of Internet shoppers is short and your affiliate marketing competition is growing everyday.

Keys to Unlock Your Customers Wallet
Start targeting customers by using demographics, the information about the basic qualities and characteristics of your market, such as age, gender, culture, employment, industry, income level, marital status and location. For example:
Does your product cater uniquely to men?
Is the product more useful to people in a certain profession?
What you need to know is; who buys the type of product or service you have to offer?

Affiliate marketers as well as other types businesses shoot themselves in the foot by assuming that what they have to offer will appeal to everyone. Resist the temptation to fall into this pattern of thinking. Even if the product or service you have to offer is used by a diverse market, there are many different factors that you can use to identify who is the perfect customer for you and create your promotional material.

Another valuable tool to use in targeted niche marketing is called psychographics.

There is a tremendous amount of research available on the emotional and behavioral characteristics of your target market that cover everything from the thinking process behind the purchase decision, the rationales that are used to their buying histories of a certain type of product or service.

This data is collected from their areas of interest, the organizations they join, the types of products that they have consumed or the type of services they have used. Even the history of their loyalty to a certain company is tracked, from their initial contact with a company to the end of their relationship.

Where demographics profile those who need a certain product, psychographics define where the product is wanted as well. Starting with the question of who is your perfect customer you can use these tools to fill in the blanks.

Market Research Information in Action
For example, using demographic information, acne medicine manufacturers typically cater to teenagers who are most likely to experience this problem. In other words, teenagers specifically are potential customers because they need clearer skin.

Now let’s make the focus sharper using psychographics. In this example, not only do the targeted customers need clearer skin, but they want clearer skin as well.

This is an important fact, for there are some teenagers with acne who may need clearer skin, but it is not important enough to them to really want it - all of this is based around what are the priorities of the person, much like the other choices we make, from the type of work we perform to the style of clothes we wear.

The bottom line for the manufacturers of the acne medicine who wants to target this specific market as accurately as possible to generate higher quality leads, is that they must use the psychographic profile of their potential buyers along with demographic information.

With this information in hand, they can locate the websites that their potential customer visits and present their information about the benefits of using their products. For instance, there are many forums that address the common image problems facing teenagers.

The most important rule of thumb in targeted niche marketing for your affiliate business online is that less is more.

If you want to increase your earnings, decrease the customer base you are trying to reach until you have the most likely audience defined and then concentrate your efforts on satisfying these potential customers.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Like It Or Not - Words Sell!

Speaking to the Heart of Your Market
Once you have the basic content you will use for your marketing website or your affiliate marketing website, you can maximize its impact with the use of “power words”.

Power words are also referred to as “triggers” because they can motivate the reader to take action. Using them effectively can help you build customer confidence. Here are ten different benefits people want and the power word that relate to them.

1. TIME: The pace of daily life for most people makes time their most valuable commodity. When they come online to shop, they are looking for products and services that will save them time. Power words: FAST, QUICK, i.e., fast delivery, fast ordering or quick results.

2. SECURITY: Everyone wants to be sure that they will not be at risk of losing money by accepting your offer. Power words: RISK FREE, MONEY BACK, GUARANTEED, i.e., 90 day money back guarantee, risk free, guaranteed, without obligation.

3. EXCLUSIVITY: When there is only a limited amount of an item, it gives the impression of being more valuable. The more valuable your product or service appears the more people will appreciate what you have to offer. Power words: RARE, LIMITED, SPECIAL, EXCLUSIVE, i.e., exclusively for the first 100 subscribers, special offer, limited edition.

4. SIMPLICITY: People appreciate clarity and ease. Show them how your product or service will reduce their stress. Power words: EASY, SIMPLE, CONVENIENT, STRESS FREE, i.e., stress-free ordering, simple instructions, convenient to use, easy payments, etc.

5. PROOF: People like to know what other people think about your product or service. Power words: TESTIMONIAL, REVIEW, CRITIQUE, COMPARISON, i.e. buyers’ testimonial, consumer review, buyers critique, industry comparison.

6. SPECIAL OFFERS: People want to find bargains in the form of rebates, one time sales or percentage offers. Power words: SALE, DISCOUNT, REBATE, ONE-TIME, LIMITED TIME, i.e., one day sale, special discount, instant rebate, one time offer, limited time price.

7. INCENTIVES: People love getting gifts before they do business with you. Power words: COMPLIMENTARY, GIVEAWAY, BONUS, GIFT, REWARD, i.e., your complimentary subscription, order bonus, special e-book giveaway, a gift for you.

8. RECOGNITION: People want to know that you understand their concerns. Power words: YOU, YOURS, i.e. the benefits you want, the solution to your problem.

9. STATUS: People want to know how something will affect their life. Power words: ALERT, IMPORTANT, ATTENTION, i.e., important notice, attention please, special alert.

10. POPULARITY: People are always looking for new products or services that will improve their lives. Power words: NEW, FRESH, UPDATED, i.e., brand new, fresh off the press, updated report.

Of course, this list is not the “exhaustive” list of words to use. I like to research the forums, other current marketing gurus’ websites to learn what kind of “sales tactics” they are using. Don’t you agree that it is smart to learn from and “borrow” tactics from your competition?

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Regular “Touch” With Your Readers and Customers Made EASY!

Auto responders make it easy to always stay in touch with your subscribers, because you can schedule your mailing at regular intervals. Many marketers focus their attention on getting the sale, but it is even more important to contact your customer after the sale is made.

The beauty of using this system is that each of the components are affiliate marketing programs in their own right. Using these services to promote your affiliate marketing programs can have a double benefit for you. You can find affiliate programs for these services at the following sites:

Auto Responder Affiliate Programs

• AWeber
• Constant Contact
• Get Response

(This is not an exhaustive list, just the more common autoresponder programs I’ve seen used by other marketers.)

Whatever you do, make sure that you provide quality content to the visitors who have given you their valuable contact information. You can find hundreds of e-books to giveaway to your visitors at: Free E-books’ website.

Remember, your website visitors do not know you; you have to build trust with them. By giving them something valuable you can continue to build their interest in your marketing program, so that eventually, they will click your referral link and make the sale.

Once you have a few sales, it is a must to request the permission of some of your customers to display a testimonial from them.

A satisfied customers’ words underscore the benefits you have been promoting from actual experience of using the product or service.

Key point to remember: What a satisfied customer says about you is 100 times more powerful and believable than anything you say about yourself!

Testimonials from business customers that include links to their site can improve your marketing website link popularity as well as boost your credibility by reinforcing the quality of what you are offering.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Free!! - Creating “Conversation” With Your Site Visitors!

Two of the ways to interact with and create real connection with your website visitors is giving things away and/or creating content that is so valuable they want to subscribe to.

Giveaways and Subscriptions
With all of the work you have done to get visitors to your marketing website, the task now shifts to making their visit one they will remember. Your objective is for the visitor to click your referral link, and one way you encourage them to do this is to give them something that they want without obligation. The idea is to extend the reach of your website content and give them a link back to your website.

A giveaway can be real simple, like an e- book, an article, a software program, white paper or an incentive like a discount coupon.

A subscription is an item that your visitor will receive at regular intervals; newsletters and ezines are two of the most popular types of subscriptions. Choose what you will giveaway or write about with your keywords in mind. Remember that whatever you use should be related to your marketing program website.

Forums
With the “plug and play” software available through most web hosting services and from independent software vendors, you can create your own discussion group or forum for the users of your affiliate marketing product or service.

Internet users are community oriented, giving them a place where they can share and exchange information that is important to them, gives them another incentive to visit your site regularly.

Giveaways, subscriptions and forums all give you the means to interact with your website visitor while they are on your site and after they leave. The best position for these offers or signup boxes is close to the top right or left corners of your web page and designed in a way that they are easily seen.

Make sure that all of your offers are “opt-in” where the visitor gives their consent to you to send email messages to them.

In addition, in accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act, each commercial email must include a means for the subscriber to “opt-out” or cancel their request to receive email.

These three areas of promoting your marketing program serve as “lead generators” helping you to build a list of the people who are interested in what you have to offer on your marketing website.

Underlying all of these efforts is the understanding that very few people take action of any kind on their first visit to a website. Be proactive in your approach to your visitors and make it easy for them to return - encourage your visitors to bookmark your site for future visits by incorporating a link at the top of your website to do this.

When a visitor requests a giveaway or becomes your subscriber, it opens the door for you to communicate new information about your products on regular basis. However, avoid the “hard sell” approach. Remember that most people are interested in improving the quality of their lives, i.e., saving money, having more leisure time or increased income.

Focus your attention on how your product can solve a particular problem that your visitor may have.

Offering a special discount for your subscribers is a wonderful incentive to bring you visitor to your website again and (hopefully) purchase from your website.

Keep the tone of your email conversational, in the same manner you would talk to a friend. In the wording of your e-mail avoid using the word “free” that has become one of the most famous “spam triggers”. To check your email content and make sure it is free of spam triggers. To read more about spam triggers, Google spam triggers and educate yourself on what “words” trigger spam filters.

In addition to the value of each of these ideas on their own, linking them to each other may provide you with even better results. For instance, here is an example of how to link your offers together to maximize the number of people on your mailing list:

• A newsletter subscription box on your website homepage
• A newsletter subscription box on each of your website pages
• A link to your giveaway on the subscription opt-in page or confirmation e-mail
• A text link to your giveaway or subscription signup page at the end of an article on your website
• A hyperlink to your subscription signup page on the thank you page of your giveaway offer
• Your giveaway or subscription in an “exit ad”, a form of pop-up advertising that is activated when your visitor leaves your site.

If you decide to offer a giveaway and/or subscription to your visitors, you can make this task very easy for yourself if you deliver this content through an automatic mailer or auto responder.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com