I had the opportunity to attend the Conversion Conference, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL last week. Here are some of my thoughts:

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What’s the magic word when it comes to success online? It starts with a “T” and ends with a “C”. Just seven little letters – have a guess? Yes – it’s Traffic.

Almost everything we as marketers do is with the sole purpose of getting traffic to an online property. In fact, it almost seems to trump the next step in a website visit which is conversion – but I’ll touch on that later.

Now there is a plethora of ways to get traffic to a website. You have facebook ads, fan pages, tweets, sponsored tweets, mass emails, email lists, video marketing, article marketing, cpv, ppc, seo and I KNOW I’m missing many more.

So you get people to your site in any number of ways. But let’s say that Visitor A is not quite ready to buy your product or service just yet. Off they go from your site – if they clear their cookies or history Visitor A may not even remember who you were. But you are smart; you have an email capture form in place. Before they excited out, Visitor A opted in to your acquisition email sequence because you offered an awesome ebook, bonus or coupon code.

Now in that email sequence you sent them 10-12 emails. Here are the basics of the information you included:

About your business and why you started it.

Valuable information and tips.

Social Proof. This is what others are saying about you. Such as testimonies you have received, positive reviews you have online or even awards your company wins.

A 4 Day Sale Sequence. You can learn more about this in Jeremy Schoemaker’s Email Conversion Guide found here: http://www.shoemoney.com/email-conversion-guide

Surveys. Don’t be afraid to ask people how you can improve as well. Honest customer feedback is invaluable and can offer real insight to increase sales.

Coupons and special discounts.

Why this many emails? Because it takes anywhere from 5-12 interactions with a company for a person to transition from contact to customer.

Now – here is where the headline, The Odd Place People are Searching for You, comes into play.

Time goes by. Let’s say a whole year. Visitor A finds a need for your product or service. But how can they easily find you again?

Guess where Visitor A searches to find your company. No, they don’t have the time to go to Google and wade through thousands of sites to find yours. Visitor A has no time for Facebook so they are not your friend nor did they Like your fan page.

Here is where they are searching for you: Their Email!

Visitor A thought your content was valuable. You offered them tips that answered questions and saved them some time.  You gave them a coupon code that didn’t expire because they trusted you with their email. Visitor A liked all the testimonies they read about your product or service in email 7.

How do I know people search this way? Because every day I see sales come through a system called the PAR Program (www.parprogram.com). Sales by people from links from emails sent over a year ago. Pretty impressive isn’t it!

People remember when you provide value to them and it’s much easier to search their email accounts to find you. That is why it’s so important to build that relationship through a trusted email list.

Now, I said before I’d touch on conversion. Many times we are so focused on getting traffic to the site that we totally bypass the fact that the landing page has to convert.

Here’s the kicker, a visitors first contact with a website does not necessarily result in a sale taking place immediately. People may just be looking for information – still on a reconnaissance mission.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an automated system that takes this off your hands, puts your visitors into an acquisition email sequence and once they buy then put them automatically into a retention sequence. This retention sequence then keeps them coming back and purchasing more!

That is what the PAR Program does, it stands for People Acquisition and Retention. It’s an automated system that takes an email contact to a repeat buying customer. You can also track how much each individual person is buying from you. How much a facebook, twitter, linked, google plus user brings you – exactly who is purchasing and reveals your buying demographic for further targeting.

I want to invite you to check out the PAR Program and sign up for your free personal demo at www.PARprogram.com.

Happy Marketing!

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You have a business. The business has a website. Great, the basics are covered. Now what I really want to hear is you are collecting email addresses to build a customer based list. Right? Yes. Excellent. If you answered NO to that question stop reading this now get a sign up box set up. I can tell you by experience, I believe the most beneficial way to create online sales is from a trusted email list!

Ok, so back on task. You have a potential customers’ email address. Perhaps even their first name. Now what? This is one of those subjects you don’t always learn about in online marketing school. There is a ton of information on collecting email addresses, getting people to sign up to your list by offering white papers, ebooks or even coupon codes. But what is the next step.

If you have an opt in form on your site, have a list and are not doing anything with it – allow me to outline a plan of action for you.

Step one, depending on how old your list is you need to make sure they still want to hear from you. Offering them a nice little gift to start receiving your valuable and timely information instead of a “sorry I haven’t written in awhile” works much better.
Tell them you are going to send them an email a week, month, 3 days or whatever and that if they don’t want to receive your info to simply opt out.

Awesome, your list is now prepped and ready for some great information. You are ready to sell sell sell – right?? Wrong. You haven’t talk to your list; they want to know you again. So we are going to set up an email sequence that engages your current list and welcomes any new subscribers to the wonderful world of your business.

Now, I do want to tell you that all of this information comes from Jeremy Schoemaker’s webinar on Email Conversion (You can watch it here: http://www.shoemoney.com/email-conversion-guide). But this isn’t just about an ad that converts into a single sale. The whole subject is converting an email address into a customer.  Which is how he introduces his PAR (People Acquisition and Retention) Program. (http://www.parprogram.com). A marketing teams dream system!

You see, the whole point of the email address you collect is taking those letters to a paying customer. If you don’t have a plan in place for that – your business is losing out on not only a first sale – but a repeat customer!

To do this, you do the opposite of what you may think your next step should be. You aren’t going to fill your email sequence with “Buy this” or “Buy that now” messages. They are going to be filled with . . . (drum roll please) information. Info about you and why you started your business or why your product was created. Valuable tidbits that makes your customers life easier. Answer their questions – help them. Tell your email subscribers about all the wonderful things people are saying about you. What awards have your received? Make them proud to be associated with your company, product or service.

Now this isn’t without its purpose. Today’s social age demands that engagement with the customer. If you aren’t willing to put in that time, then it’s time to retire on the beach and sip Bahama Mama’s all day. What? Not there yet? Then get writing some excellent content for your list.

To save you some time, this can all be automated in your email sequence. Want some really excellent news, if you use the PAR Program, you will also be able to tell exactly who your customer is. If they have a facebook account, Twitter or linkedin profile. Want to know how to target your customer? Use the demographics tool and you will know who makes up the majority of your list. Can I say insight to your marketing campaigns?!

You will also be able to tell, how much money each person is worth, what the average facebook users are worth and so on. This is major marketing insight!

I want to encourage you to do a few things that will help increase your sales. One, make sure you are giving your visitors to your site a chance to become customers if they leave before buying. Do this by getting a newsletter sign up box live. Not just a box, a “gift-if-you-sign-up-box”. Give them a coupon code, ebook or some other valuable info.

Next, let your email list know you. I bet you are pretty passionate about your business, why you started it and that other people have said some nifty things about you. Let your list know. People want to engage with who they are going to give their money too.

Finally, check out the PAR program at http://www.PARProgram.com. If you really want in-depth information on your customers, including their social profiles, how much they are worth to you and to put an excellent email sequence on auto pilot then sign up for your free demo!

Happy Marketing!

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We promise you’ll spend less time in line!This billboard from King Soopers caught my eye as I was driving down 76. The only statement was “We promise you’ll spend less time in line.” I’ll be honest, I had to get off the next exit and buzz back around to snap the picture going close to 75 mph, so forgive the blurry image. (I actually had my daughter snap the picture while I drove – safety first people!)

The reason I just had to have this stellar images is because it really exemplifies an excellent marketing point – Identify and Solve your customers problems.

I started thinking about the statement – I hate waiting in lines. Hate it! There are reasons why I don’t want to go to certain stores – most of it has to do with if I have to wait too long in line to check out.

This billboard didn’t promote King Soopers. It didn’t shout out their qualities like “Fresh Local Produce” or “Shiny New Stores”. They used that advertising space to identify their customers problem then assure them it wouldn’t be an issue when they shopped there.

I find it’s much easier to promote ourselves, promote our business and what we think we have to offer our clients. But do we really identify with their needs, problems and headaches. How can you give them a solution?

Here’s a word we don’t hear much in marketing but should be considered in your various advertising messages: empathy.

Here’s a quick definition: : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for empathy

So here is how you can work that little magic into your messages:

What are questions your customers are asking? Provide simple and easy to understand answers.
What headaches are you easing with your services or products? Address the problems your customers are having and how you solve them and make their lives better and happy.
How do they feel? Start a message touching on a feeling such as frustration, fear, worry and end with how they will feel after contacting you: excited, calm, care-free.

Find your customers needs and meet them. Sometimes marketing is as simple as that!

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I have to come clean, I love gardening. Love it. The quiet time outside in the mornings watering the plants really helps me align my day and get a perspective of what needs to get done.

Now, I’m not a master gardener by any means. One year, I demolished my whole section of carrots because I thought they were weeds. Now I am pretty careful of what I pick from the ground.

The problem is, I’m not always sure what a weed is and what isn’t. So to err on the side of caution, I tend to just let everything grow. And at times, I do feel like I’m just watering the weeds.

I’ve learned though, that despite the growth of green tangled vines laying about, after a while I can see which ones will bear vegetables and which will go about overtaking my garden and just giving me a headache.

It’s at that time I know which weeds to pick and which plants to leave in the soil to bear fruit so to speak.

This same principle applies in business. Sometimes you may feel like you are just watering the weeds in your business. And it’s true, some clients or partners will turn out to be just that. Weeds will drain you of your time and resources.

Others will prove to be a very fruitful relationship. This will promote more growth and help you to achieve your success related goals.

Here’s the thing, in the beginning you may not be sure which partnership is a weed or a fruit bearing plant.  I’d recommend watering both. Nurture the relationship and give to all your clients with as much gusto and quality as you are capable of.

As soon as you can see a weed though – be prepared to pull it. Let me tell you, I might not know everything about gardening, but I know a weed stays a weed and will only produce more weeds.

You want your business to flourish and grow. Pull the weeds and move on. After all, good plants produce fruit and soon you’ll be able to recognize the difference.

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