Now, I wouldn’t be telling you about this have I not noticed something strange…

In addition to receiving the product I have ordered, I also found a packing certificate, candy, a magazine, and a catalog inside the same box.

Yes, you heard me right… I said candy.

Here is a picture I took right after pinching myself:

The packing certificate was an unusual one. It had two signatures of the members of my “personal shipping team.”

By the way, I had no idea I had my personal shipping team!

The packing certificate contained important information such as Frequently Asked Questions related their return policy.

Here is a picture of the area which had the signatures:

It might be difficult to see, so here is what it says:

Packing Certificate from your Personal Shipping Team

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you! We’ve done our best to make sure that the shipment has reached you on time and in perfect condition. We look forward to assisting you again soon.

Packed by _________________   Double-checked by _________________

And of course the magazine that I did not order. Yep, they also sent me a free copy of the “M” magazine with Willie Nelson on the cover.

Here is a picture of their products’ catalog and the “M” magazine:

Alright, by now you are probably asking yourself, “Why is he telling me all this anyway?”

I’m telling you all this because this is a great Stick Strategy in action…

You see, it’s good to get customers, but it’s even better to keep them. First impression is very important. Depending on how you position yourself after that very first sale, your customer will either never come back or will buy from you again and Again and AGain AND AGAIN… you get the picture.

Surprise Candy In The Box

In this particular example, I received candy with my purchase… when was the last time this happened to you?

It never happened to me before, so I’m going to remember this company just for this reason alone.

They surprised me with something small and insignificant (cheap candy that I did not expect), which made a big impact on me and separated them from dozens of other e-commerce stores selling the same kind of products.

At this point I don’t know much about the other products that they offer and their quality, but when I need audio equipment in the future, I will make sure to check them out first.

Packing Certificate from “my Personal Shipping Team”

I know, in the back of my mind, that someone out there must be putting the product I’ve ordered into a box, putting the right postage information, and sending it to me. However, I never found out who they are and I’m not even talking about getting a piece of paper personally signed by them.

Are saying that someone actually cares about my order and makes sure it is packed correctly. Plus, there is even another person who double-checks?

Do you smell Utopia?

If you have not noticed it already, this is another genius Stick Strategy in action.

Or like some marketers say, “Sticking the sale.” Meaning, over-delivering to minimize the refund rate.

I think this is much more long term strategy than just “sticking the sale” because it separates you from the competition and let’s the customer know that you really care. This will increase your Value Per Customer turning, for example, a $50 purchase into hundreds of dollars in future purchases.

Free Magazine and Products Catalog

Free candy wasn’t enough, so they decided to include a free magazine?

I have no idea if they included a free magazine along with the products catalog on purpose or just because they could.

But, what I know is that almost everyone likes “looking through magazines.” You probably have heard that exact phrase being used by others. That’s exactly what you will most likely to do with the Products Catalog after you are done “going through” the magazine.

There are no scientific tests that I know of which test this, but what I’m saying is that the customers are more likely to open the Products Catalog if came with a magazine (or something similar). Keep in mind that I’m assuming all this and it may not work every single time.

Plus, if you are like me, you will not throw away the magazine immediately. You will put it on the coffee table so that you can read it later. Guess what’s going to happen with the Products Catalog? You are right, it’s most likely to stay with the magazine.

2 Stick Strategies and The Rule of Reciprocity

I’ve just shared a couple of good Stick Strategy examples in action. Hopefully these assisted you to take another look (shift your perspective) at how you deliver your products.

If you’ve read Cialdini’s book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” then you probably know that these are also good examples of The Rule of Reciprocity in action. (Chapter 2 – Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take.. and Take)

It’s one thing knowing it, but it’s another to actually put it into action.

I told about the candy in the mail to a pretty known marketer and what surprised me was the fact that he tried to see how he can implement it in his business. He contacted his warehouse shipping team to see if this would be possible and how. Within a couple of days I got an email from him saying this would be really easy to do.

It’s exciting to see an entrepreneur putting information to action almost immediately.

If you got any ideas after reading my story, then I urge you to implement as soon as possible. After all, that’s the fastest way to find out if something is going to work for you or not.

You Have No Idea How “Sticky” Candy Can Get… is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. 10 And 1/2 ‘Forbidden’ Up-Selling Strategies

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

People don’t want to be managed. They want to be led! Ewing Marion Kauffman, Founder Marion Labs and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO

People want to be led — not managed, manipulated, or forced to do things only because they need a paycheck.

Team Management is associated with:

• Planning and budgeting
• Organizing and staffing
• Controlling and problem solving
• Producing a predictable outcome

Team Leadership is associated with:

• Establishing direction
• Aligning people
• Motivating and inspiring
• Producing change

Source: Macoby, M. (2000). Understanding the difference between managment and leadership. Research and Technology Management, Jan-Feb, p. 57-59

“Think of some of the colloquial terms that describe many managers and administrators who are not leaders: control freak, compliance, custodial, policies and procedures, bureaucrat, dominating or dictatorial, nitpicker, blamer, manipulator, self-centered, and so on.

It is no wonder entrepreneurial leaders are winning the race to attract and keep the best talent.”

Source: Timmons, J. (2009). New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century. p. 308

Team Management vs. Team Leadership is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. How To Lead Teams Effectively
2. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems

Let’s get back to the call between Paul Lemberg and Rich Schefren:

A very important question to ask whenever you stumble upon an opportunity:

“Is this going to move me in the direction that I want to go?”

Rich Schefren says:

Opportunist just says: How do I bring the next revenue stream. It may provide you with income, but it will not (less likely to) provide you with equity. Strategy starts with goals Opportunities are still fine, they can help you get to your goal, but strategy STARTS with a GOAL

Myth:

Even if you are very good at working smart, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to work HARD.

If you’re strategic enough, you can bypass work, but if you always act in an opportunistic way and not in a well thought out strategic way, then you never get to that point where work comes optional.

There are a lot of people who make a lot of money, but the day they stop making money is the day they stop working. When they stop working, they stop making money. This is not the recipe of life of fulfillment The key distinction between working hard and working smart is that you put thought into your work.

Most of us just seek on the next opportunity that comes along and say: “Oh, that will add to my monthly income!” and we just jump on it without actually looking whether its going to drive us towards our main goal.

Strategy comes from inside out. This means that you’ve got a vision, you’ve got goals, and you focus all your action to get to your goal. That is what’s going to be the difference between working hard and working smart.

Working hard:

“I’m just going to do more” “Oh, there is something. I can do that.” “There is something else that I can do also.” “Let’s do that and add to our bottom line.”

People are looking at the wrong place. They are looking at the outside as suppose to inside.

A very important question to ask whenever you stumble upon an opportunity:

“Is this going to move me in the direction that I want to go?”

If you missed the Part 1 of this post, here it is: Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Marketing? (Part 1)

Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing? (Continued) is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing?
2. So, What Internet Marketing Really Is?
3. WARNING: Affiliate Marketing May Be Illegal!
4. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#18]
5. How To Stop Procrastination and Analysis Paralysis (Part 3)

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

A Key Concept to leading teams effectively is to… “match the correct style with the situation and team needs — there is no objectively right or wrong style.”

First of all, let’s define leadership…

Leadership is the process by which an individual influences others in ways that help attain group or organizational goals.

3 Factors Effecting Team Leader Effectiveness

1. Organizational culture, which includes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) and expectations that are shared by members of an organization and are taught to new members as the correct way to believe, act, and perceive.

Organizational culture has a strong impact on leadership because leadership styles are more consistent within company than across companies, even in the same role or same industry.

2. The situation (e.g., time pressures, type of task, people involved, group history)

3. Leader’s personality

Culture is the glue that holds our organization together. It encompasses beliefs, expectations, norms, rituals, communication patterns, symbols, heroes, and reward structures. Culture is not about magic formulas and secret plans; it is a combination of a thousand things.”

Herbert D. Kelleher, Co-Founder and Chairman, Sourthwest Airlines

2 Components of Organizational Culture

A. Visible (Artifacts)

The things that you can observe by watching. For example, the office layout, dress, symbols, slogans, ceremonies, etc.

B. Invisible (Expressed Values and Underlying Assumptions)

The things that you can observe by listening. For example, noticing that the “organization members care about each other like a family.”

6 Ways Organizational Culture Socializes Leaders

1. Founder’s vision in creating and embedding culture

2. What leaders pay attention to, measure, and control

3. Leader reactions to critical incidents and organizational crises

4. Deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching

5. Criteria for allocating rewards and status

6. Criteria for recruitment, selection, and promotion

Now, let’s look at 3 ways culture can be recognized…

A. Culture can be recognized through the use of certain symbols, which can be objects, actions, or events that convey meaning, conscious or unconscious association.

Examples: titles, office size, photographs, parking privileges, and specialized language.

B. Culture can be recognized through the use of certain rites and ceremonies, which can include any organized or planned activities, communication of ideas, purpose, celebration of heroes, legends, accomplishments.

Example: Mary Kay’s culture can be identified through the use of film clips, fur coats, and pink Cadillac

C. Culture also can be recognized through the use of legends, stories, and heroes that are there to keep the values alive. In addition, telling stories socializes and identifies what the norms are, what is valued, and what is ideal.

How To Lead Teams Effectively is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
2. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems

I recommend you go read more about her and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s start reviewing…

A Key Concept to working through team problems and giving & receiving feedback is that “we have little control over others, but we can control what they react to.”

Effective feedback minimizes defensive responses because it covers multiple dimensions and leaves less space for possible defensiveness…

6 Elements Of An Effective Feedback

There are 6 elements to an effective feedback that Dr. Behfar talked about.

1. Consider the readiness of the recipients (mare sure your audience is in the feedback receiving mode and your feedback does not come out as a surprise)

2. Be descriptive, instead of being evaluative (Nobody naturally loves being evaluated. Instead describe your feedback as much as you can and make it flow like a story.)

3. Avoid being general and be as specific as possible (Use words that specify, such as the word “because.” The more you specify, the more they are likely to listen closely and take the feedback to their heart. If you give general feedback, they will cancel it out like any other “noise” that is generally present in our everyday life.)

4. Give actionable feedback (This insures that they have something solid to implement after getting the feedback. A confusing feedback would be to tell them something they can’t do anything about.)

5. Mare sure you test somehow for clear understanding (Make sure they understand exactly what you mean to avoid possible misunderstandings that can lead to consuming more time that could be used in other important and productive activities.)

6. Make sure you test somehow that your observations are valid (Simply, make sure what you think you’ve observed is consistent with what really happened. You can waste a lot of time giving feedback on something that didn’t really happen the way you saw it.)

4 Secrets To Receiving Feedback Effectively

1. Listen closely (This sounds obvious, but so many people “drop the ball” on this one because it seem so obvious. Remember, it is not enough to listen to someone, you need to really hear them. Only then, you will be able to know where the message is really coming from.)

2. Overcome the urge to be defensive (It is so easy to get defensive when receiving feedback. Don’t choose the easy way out and you’ll be glad you did.)

3. Clarify what you don’t understand (The best way to clarify is to ask clarifying questions that come at the end of restating the feedback in your own words. You want to be on the same page with the person who’s giving you feedback.)

4. Monitor your initial reaction (Pausing and thinking can be very powerful in this situation. Notice how you naturally react to the feedback, but don’t express it “half cooked.” Ask for time if you need to in order to digest the feedback and see if your initial reaction is the one you want to express.)

The Importance of Individual and Team Level Feedback

Both the individual and the team level feedback are crucial in correcting the present team performance/satisfaction and/or sustaining high team performance/satisfaction.

Each type of feedback gives a different type of information that helps the team to plan around better. When combined, the individual and team level feedback provides the team with the most actionable feedback.

There are several reasons for this:

1. Individual Level Feedback increases awareness in the individual about

• their own performance
• their impact on the team

(Individual level feedback helps the team as a whole better understand the needs and motivations of each individual)

2. Team Level Feedback increases awareness of the need to change and/or fine-tune how team members interact with each other. This includes learning by observation.

Example: Team level feedback answers the question: “Is the way we structure and organize effective?”

3. Benefits of Using Both: Receiving both types of information helps teams and individuals better understand how to assign roles (“match the work with the quirk”), organize work efforts, and spend team resources.

4. Pitfalls of Only Using One Type of Feedback:

If the team only receives individual level feedback, the danger is that the shortcomings of team members will be highlighted without a team level solution.

If the team only receives team level feedback, the danger is that the team will recognize the problem, but not understand how to better utilize individuals in correcting the problem.

Feedback and Working Through Team Problems is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
2. How To Lead Teams Effectively

As an Internet marketer you have to be able to create content on demand.

Content creation is one of the stumbling points for some Internet marketers because they have to hire somebody to write articles for them. This takes money and time that you have to wait for the content to be written.

There is nothing wrong with hiring someone from Elance.com to write articles for you, but sometimes you need something quick and you know the topic fairly well. Every situation is different.

Now, if that’s specialized content and you’re not an expert in that field, then…hiring a writer makes sense. However, when you are an expert and you simply want to communicate your expertise to others through writing, there is no need to hire anybody else did it for you if you can do it your self — faster, cheaper, and with minimum effort.

“There Is A Book Inside Of You Waiting To Be Written”

If you have the content in your head, then there is no reason why you can not put it into writing. It is the process that intimidates some people. When you’re writing, most of the time you read the sentence that you wrote or the paragraph to see if it sounds okay. You go back and forth, taking this and that, deleting, substituting, and changing things around. That takes a lot of time and you get frustrated.

Other result, you thing that you cannot write.

Sometimes, to be able to write well you need to stop looking behind us going forward by looking only forward.

What I’m saying is that you need to be able to transfer everything you’ve got in your mind onto paper and only when you’re done, then go back and edit whatever you’ve got.

Remember this: if you cannot commit yourself to doing something big, then commit yourself first doing something small. Doing something so small that is almost impossible to fail at. Over time, you’ll be able to do that big thing that you weren’t able to do in the first place.

I’m going to introduce you to two software that I use in order to create content at speed of sound. Basically, if it’s text — consider it a piece of cake.

Recently, I started using MacSpeech Dictate, which is a voice recognition software for Mac operating system. There is also one for PCs or Windows operating system, which is called Dragon Naturally Speaking. (By the way, those are not affiliate links) I use this software to create any kind of text content. It makes content creation so easy that it’s unbelievable.

Plus, the software is relatively precise on the recognition that it makes writing, or should I say talking, very smooth process.

2 Illusive Disadvantages Of Using Speech Recognition Software:

Though there are a couple of disadvantages to using speech recognition software to create content.

One of the disadvantages is that after writing with your mouth you need to go back and format the text a little bit here and there to make it easier for people to read. After all, your speech is different than the written word. When speaking, we might make grammatical errors or say something that would sound differently when written down.

However, some may argue that this very disadvantage makes this kind of writing more natural sounding and therefore much more readable.

In fact, I am writing with my mouth at this very moment. When done writing this blog post, I’m going to format this text so that it is appealing to the eye and is much more readable than plain text. By formatting I mean bolding some important words, writing some headlines for chunks of paragraphs, etc.

Another disadvantage is that sometimes the software doesn’t quite understand some words and substitutes them with another word, which sounds very similar. This can be funny.

For example, the other day I was writing about affiliate marketing and instead of affiliate marketing, the software put down food marketing.

Do you see what I’m talking about?

However, this is not a huge disadvantage because granted you are saving tons of time by using speech to text technology and mistakes like that shouldn’t stop you from using it.

The mindset you want to have is: Ready, Fire, Aim!

What this means is that you don’t have to get things right, you just have to get them going you can always go back and change whatever you want.

Being perfectionist, most of the time stops you from doing things, which might hinder your progress. Sometimes you just have to do it –get things going. If you don’t act, you will never know if that was a success waiting to happen or failure.

Guess why?

Because you never took the necessary steps to find out. When you’re ready go get one of the speech recognition software mentioned above and start writing with your mouth, or should I say, writing at the speed of sound.

How To Blog At The Speed Of Sound is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

How much money do you want to make by doing what, by when?

Less than a year ago, I listened to a call between Rich Schefren and Paul Lemberg. Both of them are extraordinary business coaches. While I was listening to the call, I made some notes… and today I would like to expand on some of the points they made. First of all, let’s make it certain.

What is strategy and what is tactic? Most importantly, what’s the difference between those two?

According to Wikipedia, strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. According to Tony Robbins, strategy is a specific way of organizing your resources in order to consistently get the result you want. According to Wikipedia, tactic is a conceptual action.

The difference between strategy and tactic:

In military terms, tactics are concerned with the conduct of an engagement while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked. In other words, how a business is built is a matter of tactics: the terms that it is built on and whether it should be built at all is a matter of strategy.

Same thing in marketing. How a product is marketed is a matter of tactics: the terms that it is marketed on and whether it should be marketed at all is a matter of strategy.

In military terms, a tactic is used by a small unit of the larger the division to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective, or to advance toward a specific goal. A tactic is implemented as one or more tasks.

Same thing in marketing. A specific mission, in this case, would be a specific objective that you have to achieve, such as building a list of 5000 subscribers, getting high search engine ranking, getting back links, writing an e-book, getting the graphics done, looking for affiliates, etc.

Here is a visual example for you:

If you imagine that chain, the whole chain will be the strategy and the links would be your tactics. Therefore, strategy is not an absence of tactics. Strategy is simply a specific way you put those tactics together in order to form a plan that will get you where you want to get.

Rich Schefren: An effective strategy is not the absence of killer tactics. It’s the right packaging of the right tactics to get you what you want.

With that in mind, there are two mindsets that Paul Lemberg and Rich Schefren mentioned on this call. Opportunistic thinking — which can be considered tactical thinking and strategic thinking.

When you think opportunistically, you’re thinking: “What’s the pay off?”

When you think strategically, you’re thinking: “What’s the trade off?”

There is always going to be a pay off in whatever you do.

However, what is it that you’re trading off?

Paul Lemberg: Entrepreneurs are time shifters. Time shifters and risk shifters.

What this means is that an entrepreneur is someone who trades off risk for reward.

Risk today, for the reward in the future. They see the opportunity, weigh whether it is worth taking risk for, so that they can build it up and have it worth more in the future.

Paul Lemberg: Opportunity seekers tend to spend a lot of time on the things that don’t make sense.

Sometimes there is a pay off, but most of the time there is just energy spinning around or they spend time.

However, when there isn’t, then it’s going to pay off over time.

Being opportunistic and using solely tactics to make money online is still fun as long as you know that it is not a long-term and you’re fine with it.

Have you heard of Dan Kennedy? I was listening to one of his seminars, and one of the things that struck me the most was this (you might want to write this on a piece of paper and tape it to your wall on top of your desk).

Tools change

Principles NEVER change

Strategies rarely change

Tactics occasionally change

By knowing this, you can now choose what to focus on and in what proportion.

Read the rest of this post for a very important question to ask whenever you stumble upon an opportunity.

>>> Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Marketing? (Part 2)

Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing? is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing? (Continued)
2. WARNING: Affiliate Marketing May Be Illegal!
3. So, What Internet Marketing Really Is?

If the rate at which your website visitors leave is higher than your industry standard, you should find out the reason(s) why they leave so soon without diving deeper into your website. This is known as Bounce Rate.

I bet you wan to know how to improve the bounce rate of your website…

The lower your website’s Bounce Rate, the better. Except, if your website’s strategy is built around having your visitors leave as soon as possible through the links that you provide.

One of the examples of this kind of sites would be an Adsense site, where you create content to attract visitors so that they click on the Google Adsense ads you have integrated within the  content.

However, we are not talking about those. Don’t give up if your website’s bounce rate is really high.

By the way, if it is 100%, that means every person who visits your site, leaves without going deeper onto your other pages. This is sad, but there is a cure for everything. Read on. Another data you want to pay attention to is the time an average visitor spends on your site. In most cases, the longer they stay, the better.

If you website visitors leave right away, that can mean several things:

- It wasn’t what they were looking for in the first place

Make your titles match your content, especially if your major sources of traffic are search engines like Google

- Your website is so ugly that they jump to a conclusion – “low quality content” – Lack of credibility (you didn’t establish credibility)

The common misconception is that you have to have years of experience in the topic to have credibility. I think that there are tons of other ways to create credibility. For example, your website design can convey credibility by itself. There are others that I can discuss with you in the future posts. (leave a comment)

- And, there are more… but let’s jump to the solution (how to make your website visitors stay longer and go dipper into your website content) There are 14 free tools that reveal why people abandon your website, and I wan to share them with you.

By using these free tools, you can track your website’s performance and find out what are the things that make your visitors leave so soon without getting to know your website…

Then, you can improve bounce rate. In addition to the 15 free tools, here are several articles that I like, which will help you to improve bounce rate of your website.

- 30 Simple Ways of Improving Bounce Rate and Conversion Rate

- What’s an Average or Typical Bounce Rate?

- Six Tips For Improving High Bounce / Low Conversion Web Pages

Ever Wonder Why They Leave Your Website? is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Split Testing is Worthless, Unless…

Squeeze Page Defined: single web page with the sole purpose of capturing information for follow-up marketing; that means NO exit hyperlinks.

Anyway.

You are probably asking: “What does above the fold mean?”

Above The Fold – the area of the screen that you see without having to scroll down. According to some internet marketers, direct response marketers, copywriters, and other online professionals, the opt-in box on your squeeze pages is supposed to be placed above the fold to ensure higher conversion (more subscribers). So they say. However, earlier today I was reading an article, which is arguing that this is just a myth. You can see this article here: The Myth Of The Page Fold: Evidence From User Testing. I personally think that this is not applicable to direct response marketing websites as much it is to e-commerce type of websites.

Direct response marketing in the example of landing pages would mean that the visitor is only given two choices when viewing the page:

- Stay on the page and act (subscribe, submit information, etc.)

- Leave the web page

The article argues that the successful brands are not worrying about “above the fold”, which is fine and dandy. However, those who are just getting started online, working from home (basically, those who are making less than 7 figures per month) need to worry about the “above the fold.” For them, every visitor counts. I hope you get the point… Although, there is a good suggestion that you can remember and apply the next time you create squeeze pages (landing pages). And that is:

“Have a small amount of content just visible, poking up above the fold to encourage scrolling.” (if you have no other choice)

This “small amount of content” can be the opt-in box. Don’t forget to check out the article, there are 3 good tips at the end of it. And of course, never underestimate the power of testing. Every case (squeeze page) is unique and can have totally different results.

Don’t Create Squeeze Pages Until You Read This is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Split Testing is Worthless, Unless…
2. 10 Ways To Generate Highly Read Article Ideas
3. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#21]

Here are your 7 Direct Marketing Tips:

1. Use headlines and sub-headlines that are aimed directly at your audience. If you’re selling things to lawyers use a headline like, “Attention All Lawyers!” You could also use the products your target audience normally buy to get their attention. For example, “Warning! Don’t buy another coffee cup till you read this!”

2. Design your web site to be less confusing. Don’t use a lot of graphics, links or anything that takes away from your sales message. People will get frustrated and want to leave your web site if they get confused. People want an enjoyable and relaxing experience when they visit your web site. If they don’t get that, they may never come back.

3. Give your visitors the option of viewing your web site in an autoresponder message or by printing it out. They might not have the time right then to look it over. Nowadays people are low on time. They are working longer hours and there are more single parents. Don’t let time get in the way of them not buying your product.

4. Increase your opt-in e-mail list quickly by giving away a product at no cost. Just require people to subscribe to your e-zine in exchange. There are thousands of e-zines offering freebies for sign ups. Your freebie needs to be original, timely and possess high perceived value.

5. Joint venture your web business with other offline businesses. Look for businesses that have the same target audience and create a win/win deal with them. For example, you could joint venture with a computer store. You could publish their ad on your web site and they could have your web site loaded up on all their computer displays.

6. Expand your target audience by adding a new product line or packaging your main products with other ones. You could also add-on extra services. For example, if you are selling marketing e-books to businesses, you could also start selling e-book software to online publishers.

7. Submit the free things you offer to online freebie directories. They usually get a lot of traffic because people like to get things for free. Of course include your ad in the freebie. Sometimes freebie directories allow you to mention your business with your free listing too.

This was the 16th issue of “7 Direct Marketing Tips”. Look out for the next issue of “7 Direct Marketing Tips.”

7 Direct Markeing Tips [#16] is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. 7 Direct Markeing Tips [#16]
2. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#21]
3. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#17]
4. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#20]
5. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#23]