Are you a small business owner working, striving to create more profits during this “New Economy”? You may be having to do more with less, many small business owners I speak with today are doing just that…downsizing – meaning they are having to take on more and more of the day to day work.

You may have decided you MUST make your Internet presence better OR create an Internet presence just to keep your bottom line…the bottom line.

You certainly can make a bare-bones site that consists of a sales page and a thank you page, but you should setting up a full “sales system” on your site. Doing so will help increase your response rate and build a prospect list.

Here are the parts of your website and sales process:

Squeeze page (with autoresponder and freebie).
The squeeze page is an email-capture page that prospects see before they see the sales letter. The idea is to get your prospects on your list so you can contact them via email – repeatedly to develop a relationship and later close the sale.

People aren’t going to join your list without reason. That’s why you need to offer them a freebie to “bribe” them to sign up for your FREE offer. You should write a report that would be valuable to your prospect and “show off” your expertise in your market place. Once they get your report, you send them a series of emails (via an autoresponder like AWeber) that helps you establish a relationship and continue to “promote” your expert status in your market place’

Sales page.
This is the page that persuades your web page visitors to buy your product or service.

Upsell page. (Optional)
Once your prospects click on the “buy” button, they’re usually taken to the payment page. As a way of creating more profit, you can direct them to an upsell page instead, which sells your prospects on adding more to their order.

Example: You may offer your prospects the opportunity to buy add-ons or an upgrade that if not purchased NOW will cost more in the future.

Thank you page and Download.
Once your new customer has completed his purchase, he should be forwarded to your thank you and download page (provided you are selling/offering a product that is digital).

Here you thank him for his purchase, remind him of what he bought, how much money was saved by purchasing now and perhaps offering a FREE newsletter sign up.

In the next web page building or small web site episode, I will cover the design and copywriting elements of a web page or web site you will want to consider.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

1. Use A Proper Domain Name
You want others to take your “Content Authority Site” seriously! Using a proper domain name helps others to easily remember the site. People talk about what they are reading on the Internet and share that information with their friends.

You really want a .com URL (mycontentsite.com). This tells everyone who is reading your articles that you are serious about what you are doing and writing about. A .com URL also lets the search engines know that you serious.

2. Comment On Other Blog Sites
You want to be perceived as an “authority” on your market’s subject. Take time to search out other content/blog sites that have a similar subject theme as yours and add constructive – well thought out comments on others sites.

You should also have a “signature line” that will direct readers and search engines back to your site.

Note of caution – don’t “spam” other sites just to get your authority site linked to.

3. Encourage Comments On Your Own Articles
You want to create a herd of loyal readers and one powerful way to do this is to encourage comments on your articles and posts. This begins to create the feel of “community” and will draw others to your site and articles.

When a new reader comes across your content site and sees comments on your articles, the new reader will infer your content is good

4. Write Several BASE Content Articles
Your purpose should be to have other readers and even some other content sites to view your articles as substantial, with authoritative content. Write several (3 – 5) tutorial style articles to “show case” your unique expertise.

Your tutorial, authoritative article will have long-term appeal and staying power on the Internet.

5. Submit Your Articles to EzineArticles.com
Your marketing efforts can be multiplied by submitting your articles to EzineArticles.com. This is not a FAST traffic strategy, but an article published on EzineArtiles.com will drive traffic back to your site for years to come.

The other benefit you receive by publishing on EzineArticles.com is your articles become available for other people to republish your content article on their blog, content site, website or newsletter.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

The Title of an article or an email Subject Line (think Title here) gives you the opportunity to:

1. distill the subject matter of what you are writing into a single sentence and

2. entice your audience to read the information you have written.

<–Side Note–>
Dan Kennedy gives the observation that when you are browsing through a book store,the titles of the books usually give you a good idea of what the book is about AND the better the book title, the better idea you have of what the book is about.
<–End Side Note–>

5 Quick Tips To Make Your Title Magnetic

1. Keep it Simple – A short title is an effective title. Keeping your title short, simple and easy to understand helps your reader to quickly know your subject. Short titles are also good for the search engines – if you’re doing any Internet marketing, you can get favorable search results by keeping your titles short.
2. Capture Attention – Your GOOD title separates your article from the chaff and clutter that is all around and magnetically draw readers to your article.
3. Meet a Need – Most people who search the Internet are looking for an answer to a need, or looking to eliminate pain. An effective title will draw people to your content because your title tells them your article has something they need to know.
4. Use Key Words – Your market segment normally uses certain words to identify what they are interested in; on the Internet these are called KEYWORDS. Key Words are the words people use when they are searching for a solution to a problem – OR – looking for information on a specific subject.You can leverage the search engines by using the Key Words in your article title or email Subject line.
   
5. Devote 80% of Your Time to the Title – Your TITLE is the most important element of your article! A magnetic and compelling title can be the difference between success and failure of your article or marketing piece.Most of the top direct response marketers devote 80% to 90% of their time on the titles or headlines of a letter or and article because the title is the “capture” element of the entire piece.

The TITLE is your opportunity and sometimes your only entrance into your market. Using these simple tips will help you write titles that magnetically “draw in” your readers and your market.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

While skimming through a publication I get from Qwest, I came across an article that was interesting and gave validation to the Internet / website marketing strategy I’ve used for the past several years.

Here it is: “SIMPLICITY” The NEW Competitive Advantage.

With all “stuff” to do and navigate through – AND – all the Internet “clutter and clamor” the one thing all website owners and webmasters really need to pay attention to is the number 1440. 1440 is the number of minutes we all have each day – no more – no less.

Life has become so complicated and time stressed that people are looking for simple – less complicated.

If we want to cut through the “stuff”, cut through the “clutter and clamor” on the Internet, a smart strategy is to simplify our presence on the Internet.

Think about it this way:
How many times have you made it to a website that was so FULL of “stuff” that you were overwhelmed with all the options and choices and simply CLICKED the BACK button? I have many times!

Here’s a thought for action – Take some time and ask yourself this question:

“What about my website is really necessary?”

By simplifying, how much of your customer’s or reader’s time can you give back?

Write down your observations and thoughts and start “simplifying”!

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Titles are very important from many different aspects, here’s just a few:

Grabbing Your Loyal Readers Attention
Good article / post Titles impact the way your readers interact with your site. A good title can intrigue, yes motivate them enough to “slow down” their WIADD (Web / Internet Attention Deficit Disorder) and cause them to actually read some of the fantastic content you labored to post.

Grabbing Search Engine Attention
Google in the search “big dog” and with Google you can find just about any kind of information you want. One of the interesting things about “search results” is there is very little information for the reader (searcher) to go on. There is a title, a brief excertp and of course the URL. Using a GOOD title is the key to getting search engine (SE) clicks.

Grabbing RSS Readers Attention
This is very similar to search engine attention in that TITLES have the ability to capture the attention of anyone who follows your WordPress (or blog) site via an RSS subscription.

Grabbing The Power of SEO Attention
When a person gets into the area of search engine optimization (SEO) there are so many factors to consider that a large book wouldn’t cover it all – AND – SEO factors change on a regular basis. The Title of your page – more specifically – your page TITLE TAG is the most important consideration. Your TITLE TAG gives you the ability to tell the search engines what your page is about – and the search engines read it. – How cool is that?

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

What kind of information do you need in a hurry?

We spend a big chunk of our time looking for phone numbers, names and other important information.  Using a phone directory is cumbersome.  Putting them on your outlook means you have to re-boot your computer and then “look” for that information.

Here’s a neat trick:  tear out sheets from your notepad and label each as kitchen, bedroom and living room.

Kitchen sheet:  jot down the following telephone numbers:
·    supermarket
·    butcher’s
·    pastry shop
·    utensil stores
·    take out pizza and other delivery shops
·    drug store
·    Oriental grocery

Bedroom sheet:
·    dry cleaner’s
·    doctors and dentists
·    walk-in clinic
·    shoe repair shop
·    alteration shop
·    department store
·    Catalog order stores, etc.

Living room sheet:
·    professional house cleaners
·    plant shop
·    local home centre
·    florist
·    bookstore
·    eyeglasses
·    airport

Or if you prefer to use your cell phone, use its memory feature.

The point here is to keep track of the important informaion you repeatedly have to look for and write down that information on papers (on enter into your cell phone) that you always looked for in the past.

Saving just a little bit of time can give you that quick little victory you need to move on and develop additional ACTION habits!

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

In the previous “anti-procrastination” article, I looked at ways we may procrastinate…a little self-evaluation.

Another way to help start the ACTION process is to ask yourself: “What goals have I not met because of procrastination?”

Let’s take two typical examples:  You promised your editor you’d get that article done by a certain due date.  On the day the article was due, the editor calls you.  You tell your editor sheepishly that you didn’t have time to do it, and you say something like, “My son was sick for days and I couldn’t concentrate” knowing full well your editor was generous with the deadline date.

Result?  You took one step farther away from your goal of becoming a professional writer, and two steps farther away from developing a good relationship with an editor who picked you from the 25 writers who applied for the assignment.  You can be sure your name has been taken off the “writer” list.

Second example:  You delayed lobbying for your colleague’s promotion especially because he was the best man for the job.

Result?  The job went to someone less deserving; second, your colleague resigned to take up another offer.

When you measure the consequences of a missed opportunity because you procrastinated, ask if the consequence was worth the delay.

In our fast-paced society, people tend to think of time as precious and valuable.  Expressions such as “time is of the essence,” “time means money,” “you missed the train”, “you missed a window of opportunity” reinforce the value of time.

So, install a permanent calculator in your brain and calculate the dollar value of that missed deal.

The article you didn’t submit could have cost you $150.00, and possibly thousands of dollars in future writing assignments.

Your colleague’s resignation from the company wiped off an important asset from your company – and the “lost” revenue from his efforts.

If we make it a practice to apply a dollar sign to each of our procrastinations, we’d probably resolve to procrastinate less.

You can have excuses, OR you can have results.. but not both!

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

The human brain knows no limits when it comes to thinking out ways and strategies in dealing with all kinds of problems, but if these strategies and plans are NOT acted upon, they really hold no meaning – they’re like empty blueprints camouflaged in sparkling rhetoric.  And rhetoric comes cheap these days.

One way to help start the ACTION process is to ask yourself: “In what ways do I procrastinate?”

Sit down with pen and paper – get ready to write.

Writing down all the ways you KNOW you procrastinate will help you focus and identify them more clearly.  Here are some common ways people procrastinate:

• paying bills
• not discussing the complaints you’ve received about a member of your team for fear of hurting his/her feeling
• repeatedly postponing a dental appointment because you’ve got better things to do (or don’t like dentists)
• not returning the call of your son’s teacher because you know what the problem is and you’re fed up
• not discussing your resentment about your spouse spending too much time at work or with their friends
• not getting that hair cut, that dress dry-cleaned, that donation mailed
• not visiting a sick relative (or close friend) in the hospital
• not calling your doctor about that persistent numbness in your right arm
• not having the car’s squeaking brakes checked
• not sending that overdue thank you note

Remember – you procrastinate because you yourself choose to procrastinate.  Eliminating procrastination requires action and changing habits.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

“The principles always work if you work the principles”, Jack Canfield

Perhaps this is too simplistic a statement. I believe this can be applied to DOING instead of just THINKING. (Taking ACTION!)

Once you accept that procrastination is your weakness, the next step is to eliminate this weakness. Your desire not to procrastinate anymore should be sincere.  You need to demonstrate that determination through small daily actions.

Mea Culpa-Take Responsibility

You’ve accepted the fact that (a) you’re a procrastinator, and (b) you have a sincere desire to change.  Now tell yourself that if you fail to achieve a particular goal or a given task, it’s because you procrastinated.

Mea culpa.  Admitting guilt is a giant step.

<–Side Note–>
Wikipedia: “Mea Culpa”: Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that
translates into English as “my fault”, or “my own fault”.
To emphasize the message, the adjective “maxima” may be
inserted, resulting in “mea maxima culpa,” which would
translate as “my most [grievous] fault.”
<–End Side Note–>

There is a huge difference between admitting guilt and being too hard on yourself.  Admitting guilt is taking ownership of your actions.

Being too hard on yourself is unjustified self-blame. This can also lead to thinking about “how” this failure happened…continuing the delay – er – uh – more procrastination.

A good approach is the admit to yourself the failure and then continue from where you left off.

Take ACTION!

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com

Procrastination is an expensive habit! You could effectively call procrastination “a thief and a robber”!

Have you ever stopped to calculate the dollar amount amount of something that was not done because of procrastination?

It all points to the generally accepted idea that time is money. This alone can serve as a strong motivator not to procrastinate again, or at least to try not procrastinate!

STOP Procrastination NOW!
1. Everything starts and ends with the self (it’s really MY fault!)

If someone said to you that you were a procrastinator, your immediate reaction would be to defend yourself. “It’s his fault”, “My mother was like that too”, “I was forced to do something I didn’t want to do”.

Some people like to blame their misfortunes on others. But the truth is, you are equally at fault. You procrastinate because you yourself choose to procrastinate.  The sooner you accept that, the better you’ll be able to overcome procrastination.

Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com