June 12, 20140Comments

online-business-6-ways-increase-income-now-1 When you have an online business there are many “touch points” and you can use them to increase sales. You can use these touch points to make offers and automate the process of marketing your products.

Here are 6 ways that you can increase your sales right now.

When people subscribe, they see a page that tells them to look for the confirmation email. You can usually customize that page. Add an offer to a low-priced product there, with a discount.
After people confirm (the double opt-in procedure), they may again be directed to a page . That page will usually have the link to your free download. Add an offer there as well.
If you deliver your free download via an email, add an offer there, too.
Your autoresponders can also include product offers. For example, on one of my websites, I offer 5 tips in 5 autoresponders, spread out over 10 days. Each tip comes from a different product and I offer a discount for that product right there in the email. I’d start with a low-priced product. I’ve seen websites that go from subscribing me right to offering a $497 product and it feels pretty uncomfortable. You can go to more expensive products in later autoresponders.
When you sell a product, include a free offer for another product — one that would be a logical next step. You can bundle (zip) the product with other documents that make the offer. You can also include an offer within the product. For example, the last page of an e-book can provide a discount code for another product.
Your offer doesn’t have to be for your product if you don’t have many. You can include affiliate links to products that others sell.

Know all of your touch points

Make a diagram of how a person signs up for your email list and gets your free download plus autoresponders and product sales. You might find more places where you can make offers.

Do you have other ideas for inserting offers at touch points? Leave a comment!

by Ellen Finkelstein

How to respond to requests for information–way too many requests

Automation

General Internet Marketing

November 24, 20134Comments

I was talking with a coaching client recently and the topic of responding to requests for information came up. She gets a number of requests for help and ends up giving away too much advice for free.

internet-marketing-requests-for-information-2 Is that you? How much time do you spend in person, on social media, or via email answering requests for your expertise? For free?

So, what do you say when someone asks you for advice? For example, if you make a comment in a LinkedIn discussion group that shows that you are knowledgeable about an issue and then someone sends you a message asking for more information, what do you do?

But shouldn’t I help people?

Of course you should help people! But you need to do so in a way that isn’t damaging to yourself:

Because you can easily get overwhelmed answering all the requests for help
Because such requests rarely lead to paid work
Because you need to focus on attaining your business goals

A better way to help

by Ellen Finkelstein

A challenge to myself — 2000 subscribers by the end of the year! What’s your challenge?

Automation

General Internet Marketing

Products/Services

Selling Products and Services

November 22, 20130Comments

I’m challenging myself to reach 2,000 subscribers by the end of the year. It’s a little scary doing this publicly, so will you join me in creating your own challenge? It can be as easy or as hard as you want. I recommend something meaningful and attainable, but requiring a stretch.

And you can earn prizes!

For me, that means getting 230 new subscribers by December 31, 2013.

How the challenge works

I’m going to give 4 free webinars in December that will cover the topics that you told me (in a survey) are your main challenges. In addition, I’ll offer 7 valuable downloads that will help you accomplish your goals – guides, templates, schedules, planners, etc.

(What? You still haven’t completed the survey? Do it here, now. It takes about 5 minutes!)

I’ve stated my challenge. Now it’s time for you to state yours. Leave it as a comment. Commit to completing it by the end of January so you start 2014 with a firm basis for success!

Commit to your goal!

Your goal could be almost anything, but here are some common ones:

Attaining a certain number of subscribers
Completing a download for website visitors
Finalizing your website
Creating a marketing plan for 2014
Establishing a weekly schedule so that you aren’t overwhelmed and distracted by unimportant tasks.

Make your goal specific and measurable.

Attend 4 webinars to get the content you need

These webinars will give you the information you need to accomplish your goals!

Get the webinar details here.

by Ellen Finkelstein

Find the information you need to move forward

Automation

Deciding What Business to Do

Outsourcing/delegation

Web technology

October 20, 20135Comments

I’m responding to the survey I posted — providing those of you who filled it out with content to help you with your most pressing needs.

internet-marketing-information-to-move-forward-1 If you haven’t completed it yet, click here to complete it. Why? Well, if you read this post, you’ll see how I’m helping those who did complete it. Why not get your concerns addressed too?

Below, you’ll see the most common responses so far and the resources I have on my website to address those issues. Each topic’s content is like a mini-course; you could easily pay $97 or more for this information — on each topic!

Not enough time

Perhaps you’re working full time or have small children at home. You may just have taken on a lot. Whatever the reason, it’s common for Internet marketers and small business owners to get overwhelmed.

And after all, if you’re trying to change the world, that can be a daunting task!

If time is an issue for you, here are some posts that can help you.

The technology overwhelms me

There’s no getting around the fact that an online business involves technology. Unless you have employees to take care of all the technology, you’ll need to learn some of it yourself.

In fact, even if you do have employees to do a lot of the technology, you still need to understand it. So here are some technology tips and tools to make it easier.

That said, if there’s a specific technological issue that’s holding you back, leave a comment and I’ll try to address it.

I don’t know which marketing strategy to use

Some people spend lots of time and money trying out a strategy only to find that it doesn’t work for them. Maybe it was the strategy, maybe it was the implementation, but either way, it wasn’t successful.

This issue can be especially frustrating because we are bombarded by Internet marketing gurus telling you, “This is what I did. I know it can work for you, too.” Well, if that were true, there would be a lot more success stories.

The truth is that everyone has different skills and passions. Some people need more hand-holding than others. Some strategies work better for one niche than for others. So many variables!

This is truly an area in which it’s helpful to have personalized guidance, but still, I have some posts that can help you.