The Proven System to Help You Grow a Hugely
Profitable Internet Business... Without Breaking the Bank!
One of the questions I get asked all the time is "Derek, how do I start a
successful Internet business?"
My response? There is a very specific sequence of steps you NEED to follow to
guarantee your success.
How do I know? Because it's the exact same sequence of steps that my team and I
have used to grow from a one-man company to a team of over 100 Internet
marketing experts... generating more than $60 million in sales!
Over the years, my team and I have continually tested this system, and have
proven its effectiveness over and over again. But this system hasn't worked only
for us... Since IMC opened its doors in 1996, we've seen a staggering number of
real, everyday people follow these steps to earn life-changing incomes with
their Internet businesses. And the numbers keep growing exponentially!
In this newsletter, I'm going to give you a brief overview of the eight steps
you need to take in order to start and grow a profitable online business. They
are:
- Find a hungry niche market -- BEFORE you
decide what to sell
- Write compelling salescopy that draws in
your visitors
- Design a winning site that converts visitors
into buyers
- Use the 'Net's top search engines to drive
tons of targeted traffic to your site
- Tap into secret sources of cheap (and even
free!) traffic
- Use the power of
email marketing to keep in touch with your visitors... and turn them into
buyers!
- Grow your business by selling new products
to your existing customer base
- Harness the power of affiliate programs for
hands-free traffic... and sales!
Anyone, from newbie to seasoned Internet marketer,
can benefit from going through this proven series of steps. No matter where you
are in your business, it always pays to revisit the basics and make sure you're
doing everything possible to grow your business to be as good as it can possibly
be.
Read on to review this proven eight-step system -- and discover how simple it
is!
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Step #1: Find a hungry niche market -- BEFORE you decide what to sell
======================================================
Most marketers make the mistake of looking for a "hot product" to sell
when they're first starting out online -- and they end up choosing a product
before they determine whether there's a market for it. And this is the reason
the majority of Internet startups fail!
The fact is, most people do NOT go online to buy. They go online looking for
information or to solve a problem.
What you need to do is find an untapped niche market: a group of people who are
going online to solve a common problem, but are not having any luck finding a
solution.
By doing some simple research, you can discover EXACTLY what these people are
looking for -- and then figure out a way to give it to them. That way, you KNOW
you'll have a market that's eager to buy your product -- before you even know
what it is!
Once you've found a hungry niche market and come up with a product that will
satisfy their wants, it's time to write your salescopy...
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Step #2: Write compelling salescopy that draws in your visitors
===============================================
Without a doubt, the most important part of your website is your salescopy. It's
the only contact most of your visitors are going to have with your business --
so you have to make sure it does the job of a top-performing salesperson.
A lot of people don't feel confident about writing. But don't worry! Writing
salescopy is a "science," not an "art" -- there's a specific
formula to follow that will lead your visitors smoothly through the sales
process.
You need to focus on how your product or service will solve people's problems or
make their lives better. Think like a customer: "What's in it for ME?"
A few key things to remember when you're writing your salescopy:
- Include a headline and
subheadlines that are packed with benefits
- Build credibility with
testimonials
- Offer a strong guarantee
- Pile on the bonuses
- Don't forget to ask for the
order! Never assume that your visitors will understand what you want them to
do on your site -- you have to TELL them, and then make it easy for them to
follow through with their purchase.
And remember: You want your copy to emphasize the
BENEFITS of your product, not its features. What's the difference? Features
TELL, benefits SELL.
Say, for example, you're selling low-energy washing machines.
FEATURE: They use less electricity than conventional machines.
BENEFIT: You save money with every load!
Do you see the difference? You want your visitors to have a clear idea of how
your product is going to help improve their lives -- because that is what's
going to convince them to make a purchase!
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Step #3: Design a winning site that converts visitors into buyers
================================================
Yes, it's true: You should only start building your website once you know what
you're going to sell and have written your salescopy. That way, your site design
will facilitate the sales process, rather than get in its way.
The most important thing to remember when designing your sales website is KEEP
IT SIMPLE! You only have 10 seconds when someone arrives at your website to grab
their attention -- otherwise, they're gone, never to be seen again.
Some important tips to keep in mind:
- Choose a plain, sans-serif font (like Arial
or Verdana)
- Use black text on a white background
- Make sure your navigation is clear and
simple, and include a sitemap
- Avoid using cheesy or distracting flash or
audio (using video and audio is OK so long as it supports, rather than
distracts from, your message)
- Make sure you include an opt-in form to
collect visitors' names and email addresses -- offer something useful, like
a free subscription to a monthly newsletter or a free report that's loaded
with useful information
Whether you decide to teach yourself a bit of HTML
and design your site yourself, or hire a web designer to do it for you, your
goal is not to confuse your visitors, but rather to draw them in and lead them
step by step through your sales process.
Make it EASY for them to purchase, and they will!
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Step #4: Use the 'Net's top search engines to drive tons of targeted traffic to
your site
=================================================================
Now that you've got your site built, it's time to start selling. But how do you
get traffic to a brand-new site? The answer: search engines!
Over 90% of Internet users start with free search engines when they're looking
for information online, so you want to make sure your site ranks as high as
possible in their listings.
There are two ways to use search engines to drive traffic to your site: Using
pay-per-click (PPC) programs like Google AdWords
and Yahoo!
Search Marketing, and getting ranked in the "organic" search engines.
You're going to want to start with PPC, as it's the best way to start driving
IMMEDIATE traffic to your site.
Once you have some paid traffic coming to your site, and you've figured out
which keywords are performing best, you'll want to optimize your web pages for
those keywords so that your site starts showing up in the organic search
engine results as well.
==================================================
Step #5: Tap into secret sources of cheap (and even free!) traffic
==================================================
As an online marketer, one of your most important assets is your reputation.
People need to know who you are, and why they should trust you!
So how do you "spread the good word" about you and your business to
the far corners of the Web?
Easy! You can:
- Give away free, expert content! Write a
series of short, informative articles packed with useful information and
tips, and submit them to online article directories. Include a brief bio and
a link back to your website at the end of each one.
- Issue press releases about your business.
This is a great way to announce a new product, or report on exciting
developments in your industry -- and it'll drive traffic back to your site.
- Become an active expert in industry forums.
Find out where your target market hangs out, and share your knowledge with
them by posting knowledgeable replies to their questions... and remember to
include a link back to your site in your signature!
Sending all this great information out -- with
your name and website URL linked to it -- will also help you get a better
ranking in the search engine listings, since every site that posts your content
will link back to yours. Search engines LOVE inbound links from relevant sites,
and they will reward you accordingly.
===========================================================
Step #6: Use the power of email marketing to keep in touch with your visitors...
and turn them into buyers!
===========================================================
I hear it all the time: email marketing doesn't work anymore. And when I hear
that, I just laugh... because it's not true AT ALL. In fact, according to
PostFuture, 82% of online buyers have made at least one purchase in response to
an email promotion.
It takes an average of four to seven contacts with someone before they will be
comfortable enough to buy something from you, so you need to stay in touch with
your visitors and build a relationship with them.
Email marketing is the ideal way to do this. You can show your subscribers you
really know what you're talking about and make them feel comfortable enough to
make a purchase.
Plus, you can stay in regular contact with your existing customers and keep them
informed of new products you have to offer!
===============================================================
Step #7: Grow your business by selling new products to your existing customer
base
===============================================================
It's a little-recognized fact that at least 36% of people who have purchased
from you once will buy from you again IF you follow up with them. That means
one-third of your customer base is just waiting for you to offer them something
new!
You have already cultivated a relationship with your customers -- you have put
in the time and money to get their attention, establish credibility, and close
that first sale. That's by far the most difficult part -- not to mention the
most expensive!
(Think of all the planning, advertising, and promotional activity that goes into
getting those initial sales... )
But once you've acquired those customers, you want to develop their
"lifetime value." An old marketing adage says that 80% of your sales
will come from 20% of your customers.
This means backend selling and upselling are your best bets. You can:
- Offer products that complement their
original purchase
- Send out electronic loyalty coupons they can
redeem on their next visit
- Include an offer for related products on
your "Thank You" page
- Sell affiliate products that complement your
product or service
By staying in regular touch with our customers and
letting them know about new products we have available, we were able to increase
our revenues by over 30%!
==============================================================
Step #8: Harness the power of affiliate programs for hands-free traffic... and
sales!
==============================================================
Once you have a profitable business on your hands, you should always be on the
lookout for new ways to grow it. And one of the best ways to do that is to
launch your own affiliate program.
Affiliates are people who promote your products on their web site for a cut of
the selling price. Every time they send you a buyer, you pay them a commission.
With an affiliate program, you have the power to exponentially increase your
income. Think of it... You don't have to go out and spend any money on
advertising because your affiliates do the advertising for you... and you only
pay them when they make a sale. You can't lose!
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Final thoughts
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This is a very brief overview of everything that's involved in growing a
successful online business. It's impossible to go into very much detail here, of
course, but I wanted to review the key steps of our proven system so you can
confirm whether you're following the right path in your own business-building
efforts.
If you'd like to know more about these steps -- including detailed information
on EXACTLY how to implement them, as well as scores of free and cheap resources
to help you do so -- check out the brand-new 2007 edition of my best-selling
Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet course (www.MarketingTips.com/onlineprofits).
It's packed with the hottest-performing tips and strategies that have been
exhaustively tested and retested by my team of experts -- in order to guarantee
that we're delivering the best possible information to you.
And because we've done all the "grunt" work research, it means you can
stay focused on growing your business!
I've also included a ton of bonus materials, including my private
"Rolodex" of 267 must-have Internet resources, how to use Google
AdSense to increase your profits, and much more.
You can find out more about it at www.MarketingTips.com/onlineprofits.
Be sure to check it out!
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