Friday, October 21, 2005
The Myth of the Evil Businessman
I'm feeling a little smug today. I've been offering $60 worth of gifts for those who sign up for my free newsletter. Today I was able to add another $200 worth of value to those bonuses.
I now am able to add to my bonus package two months of free access to the members-only website of one of the top—and most expensive—traffic-building resources on the web. I'd like to thank them for their generosity and their assistance, but, unfortunately, can't reveal their name.
But if you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter, you're welcome to find out—and collect on the other bonuses as well.
Well, enough self-promotion. Let's get to a little insight.
You know, I remember when growing up, I had this picture of business owners as being evil creatures scheming to cheat me out of my money. I guess a lot of that came from growing up with TV and seeing businesspeople portrayed as heartless villians who would lie, steal, and murder for any any small increase in profit.
But getting into business (how did that ever happen?) has shown a side of business that Hollywood doesn't choose to see.
Yeah, there are some scumbags in business. But then again there are scumbags present in any grouping of people you might imagine. But one of the key elements I've found in successful businesspeople is their understanding that the more you overdeliver what customers expect of you, the more willing customers are to do their business with you.
Generosity can be good business. I mentioned last night how one product creator developed a new product and gave it away to his existing customers, but built it so that by promoting it, those customers could make more money for themselves and attract new customers to him.
Tonight, I'm able to add a valuable bonus to my newsletter signup package because the business owner who gave me that permission knows that a lot of people who sign up for my newsletter are a perfect fit for his resources, and that most of them would never know what he could do for them unless he gave them a free sample of it.
Business is not the dirty thing I saw it as when I was a kid. It runs on generosity. Granted it's not necessarily completely altruistic generosity, but a calculated generosity that opens the door to benefits flowing both to the buyer and the seller.
Jeff
I'm feeling a little smug today. I've been offering $60 worth of gifts for those who sign up for my free newsletter. Today I was able to add another $200 worth of value to those bonuses.
I now am able to add to my bonus package two months of free access to the members-only website of one of the top—and most expensive—traffic-building resources on the web. I'd like to thank them for their generosity and their assistance, but, unfortunately, can't reveal their name.
But if you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter, you're welcome to find out—and collect on the other bonuses as well.
Well, enough self-promotion. Let's get to a little insight.
You know, I remember when growing up, I had this picture of business owners as being evil creatures scheming to cheat me out of my money. I guess a lot of that came from growing up with TV and seeing businesspeople portrayed as heartless villians who would lie, steal, and murder for any any small increase in profit.
But getting into business (how did that ever happen?) has shown a side of business that Hollywood doesn't choose to see.
Yeah, there are some scumbags in business. But then again there are scumbags present in any grouping of people you might imagine. But one of the key elements I've found in successful businesspeople is their understanding that the more you overdeliver what customers expect of you, the more willing customers are to do their business with you.
Generosity can be good business. I mentioned last night how one product creator developed a new product and gave it away to his existing customers, but built it so that by promoting it, those customers could make more money for themselves and attract new customers to him.
Tonight, I'm able to add a valuable bonus to my newsletter signup package because the business owner who gave me that permission knows that a lot of people who sign up for my newsletter are a perfect fit for his resources, and that most of them would never know what he could do for them unless he gave them a free sample of it.
Business is not the dirty thing I saw it as when I was a kid. It runs on generosity. Granted it's not necessarily completely altruistic generosity, but a calculated generosity that opens the door to benefits flowing both to the buyer and the seller.
Jeff
An Internet Business That Gets It
I got a chance to go through some email that had been piling up while I worked on a time-intensive project. I had set aside some of the emails that I knew would take time to go through, ones from fellow marketers who had sent me their latest training videos or upgrades to marketing tools that I use.
Man, did one of them jump out!
I got two emails from Jason Potash, creator of Article Announcer among many other worthwhile marketing tools. One of them announced an upgrade of the Article Announcer tool for promoting and syndicating my articles to other sites. The other was for a totally new tool that he had created to expand the usefulness of Article Announcer.
Now, when I get an announcement of a software upgrade, my first thought is usually, "OK, how much do they want to stick me for to get a few additional features?" But I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that this upgrade—which actually added a lot of the functions I had wished the original had—was free.
But I was blown away when I found out that the newly created tool was set up not with a separate cost as an optional add-on, but as part of the overall upgrade. He easily could have sold the new product on a monthly subscription basis and gotten most of his original customers to sign up. But he provided it free.
That's the kind of willingness to overdeliver that separates the business owners who soar from the plodders. (Incidentally, he's not an idiot not to charge for something that he easily could; he built it so that the more people use it, the more exposure it gives his original product among potential new customers. AND he built it in a way that encourages users to use it by giving them a cut of any sales made through their use of it.)
Absolutely brilliant! Not only did he turn a good product into a great one by his additions, but he built a killer marketing strategy right into the product.
I always love it when I find a marketer who builds his business around a strategy where everybody wins.
Jeff
I got a chance to go through some email that had been piling up while I worked on a time-intensive project. I had set aside some of the emails that I knew would take time to go through, ones from fellow marketers who had sent me their latest training videos or upgrades to marketing tools that I use.
Man, did one of them jump out!
I got two emails from Jason Potash, creator of Article Announcer among many other worthwhile marketing tools. One of them announced an upgrade of the Article Announcer tool for promoting and syndicating my articles to other sites. The other was for a totally new tool that he had created to expand the usefulness of Article Announcer.
Now, when I get an announcement of a software upgrade, my first thought is usually, "OK, how much do they want to stick me for to get a few additional features?" But I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that this upgrade—which actually added a lot of the functions I had wished the original had—was free.
But I was blown away when I found out that the newly created tool was set up not with a separate cost as an optional add-on, but as part of the overall upgrade. He easily could have sold the new product on a monthly subscription basis and gotten most of his original customers to sign up. But he provided it free.
That's the kind of willingness to overdeliver that separates the business owners who soar from the plodders. (Incidentally, he's not an idiot not to charge for something that he easily could; he built it so that the more people use it, the more exposure it gives his original product among potential new customers. AND he built it in a way that encourages users to use it by giving them a cut of any sales made through their use of it.)
Absolutely brilliant! Not only did he turn a good product into a great one by his additions, but he built a killer marketing strategy right into the product.
I always love it when I find a marketer who builds his business around a strategy where everybody wins.
Jeff
Thursday, October 20, 2005
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Article Titles
What makes people want to read what you write on your site? Take a look at titles that other people have written and you can quickly sort what you'd like to read from what you wouldn't.
I subscribe to a number of article announcement services to keep an eye on what kind of articles are being written on the Web. And though I generally don't use those articles on my site, I find them to be a great education on what makes people want to read an article.
The Ugly
What makes people want to read what you write on your site? Take a look at titles that other people have written and you can quickly sort what you'd like to read from what you wouldn't.
I subscribe to a number of article announcement services to keep an eye on what kind of articles are being written on the Web. And though I generally don't use those articles on my site, I find them to be a great education on what makes people want to read an article.
The Ugly
- Collectin Past Due Accounts - Notice of Collection
- Landscaping - An American Pass Time
Anyone want to read either of these? I thought not. Yet somebody submitted these articles with obvious errors in spelling or word usage in the titles and figures people will want to read them. Always be professional.
The Bad
- A Work of Art
- Swimming Pool Accessories Overview
- Men's Neckties
- Types of Motor Homes
- First Aid: Something We All Need To Know
These aren't terrible, just boring. I get the feeling as I look at them that I'd find a ninth-grade caliber essay beneath them. The titles are nothing but blank statements of generic topics—nothing to connect to our needs, nothing to draw us in.
The Good
- 10 Home Based Business Niches You Can Use Now
- 6 Easy Steps to Separating Your Personal Life From Your Business
- How to Waterproof a Canvas
- Dating on the Internet for Guys: Entry Level
Now we're getting somewhere. Each of these has an implied problem and a promised solution to that problem to connect with our lives. The first two suggest tightly focused and easy to understand solutions to common needs. The third suggests we'll find a step-by-step process for solving a problem. And the fourth suggests we'll find easy to understand tips. If you have any of the problems that the titles suggest, there's a chance you'd read them.
That said, they're still a little bland. They speak to specific problems instead of just stating a general topic, but they still do nothing to grab us.
The Great
- Think INSIDE the Box to Balance Creativity and Accomplishment
I had to throw this one in that I mentioned yesterday because it has such a great title. We always hear about thinking outside the box. By reversing that cliche, the writer crafted a compelling title that actually nags us into reading it. Our brain latches on to that reversed cliche and wants to know how thinking inside the box can be a good thing. So we read it.
You don't grab people's attention by writing bland, generic title. You want your titles to connect with their problems. AND you want to stop them in their tracks with something they simply can't pass by. It takes a willingness to stop hiding behind the generic and put a little bit of ourselves into our writing. But contrary to the impression that attracts many to start businesses on the Internet, the way to succeed on the Internet is to offer something with a personal—and definitely not generic—approach.
Jeff
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Thinking Inside the Box
I came across a great article that I want to share with you. It's about the importance of thinking inside the box. You can read the whole thing here if you want.
I got a chuckle out of the examples she used of creativity run amok—the guy who threw a hissy fit over the fact that the granting agency he was applying to actually expected him to follow their guidelines for applying for a grant; the woman who wanted a grant to live off of while she figured out what kind of project she wanted to apply for a grant for.
Thinking outside the box is important, but not when it's done to the exclusion of living inside the box. We live in a world of limitations: limitations of time, of money, of resources, of ability. And I've come to the conclusion that those limits are not a bad thing, as many would think. Limits actually inspire creativity.
Think about it. You face an obstacle and what do you have to do? Figure out a way to get around it. You face a roadblock and what do you have to do? Explore a new route you've never taken before.
Limits are essential to our growth as businesspeople and as human beings. When we try to live life without any limits imposed on us—when we try to live life completely on our own terms with the expectation that it's the duty of the world to let us do everything our own way—we flounder.
Ironically, our world that limits our time and resources presents us with a limitless array of possibilities to fit into those limits. It forces us to choose which possibilities to pursue. And in doing so, it forces us to find and focus on what we are best suited to do. It forces us to construct our own little box.
But it's a box of our choosing. It's a box that we construct. And we can build that box into whatever we choose. And building that box will take all the creativity we can muster.
Jeff
I came across a great article that I want to share with you. It's about the importance of thinking inside the box. You can read the whole thing here if you want.
I got a chuckle out of the examples she used of creativity run amok—the guy who threw a hissy fit over the fact that the granting agency he was applying to actually expected him to follow their guidelines for applying for a grant; the woman who wanted a grant to live off of while she figured out what kind of project she wanted to apply for a grant for.
Thinking outside the box is important, but not when it's done to the exclusion of living inside the box. We live in a world of limitations: limitations of time, of money, of resources, of ability. And I've come to the conclusion that those limits are not a bad thing, as many would think. Limits actually inspire creativity.
Think about it. You face an obstacle and what do you have to do? Figure out a way to get around it. You face a roadblock and what do you have to do? Explore a new route you've never taken before.
Limits are essential to our growth as businesspeople and as human beings. When we try to live life without any limits imposed on us—when we try to live life completely on our own terms with the expectation that it's the duty of the world to let us do everything our own way—we flounder.
Ironically, our world that limits our time and resources presents us with a limitless array of possibilities to fit into those limits. It forces us to choose which possibilities to pursue. And in doing so, it forces us to find and focus on what we are best suited to do. It forces us to construct our own little box.
But it's a box of our choosing. It's a box that we construct. And we can build that box into whatever we choose. And building that box will take all the creativity we can muster.
Jeff
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The Importance of Immediacy
Earlier in the year, I started a preferred customer program for a client. I ran regular broadcast messages that would announce discounts for those who signed up. The program was a disappointment, though, that got put on the back burner until Christmas got nearer.
Well, that time has come and I went back in to adjust the welcoming message. I was embarrassed by what I found. The autoresponder message I had originally set up made no mention of an immediate discount available. It merely thanked them for signing up and told them they would receive discounts in the future.
Here were people who had just signed up to receive discounts and I'm essentially telling them to wait until we're good and ready to send them one. Duh. Think that might have had something to do with why we got such a poor response?
The Internet is a medium of immediacy. Visitors are always one click away from a thousand other possible sites. The time to seek action is always now.
I've fixed the problem with that client's preferred customer program. Now, hopefully, we'll see how it was supposed to work all along.
Jeff
Earlier in the year, I started a preferred customer program for a client. I ran regular broadcast messages that would announce discounts for those who signed up. The program was a disappointment, though, that got put on the back burner until Christmas got nearer.
Well, that time has come and I went back in to adjust the welcoming message. I was embarrassed by what I found. The autoresponder message I had originally set up made no mention of an immediate discount available. It merely thanked them for signing up and told them they would receive discounts in the future.
Here were people who had just signed up to receive discounts and I'm essentially telling them to wait until we're good and ready to send them one. Duh. Think that might have had something to do with why we got such a poor response?
The Internet is a medium of immediacy. Visitors are always one click away from a thousand other possible sites. The time to seek action is always now.
I've fixed the problem with that client's preferred customer program. Now, hopefully, we'll see how it was supposed to work all along.
Jeff
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Using SearchIt! Free Research Tool to Research Keyword Competition
The SearchIt! free search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared last week, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
As I said last week, I do the bulk of my keyword research on Wordtracker rather than SearchIt!. Wordtracker provides information on what keyword variations people are using to search, how frequently people search for each keyword variation, and how many pages compete for the same keywords. In other words, it provides the full package of keyword research information.
But Wordtracker charges for accesss to their database. While I'm happy to spend my money on this valuable service instead of spending extra time piecing together keyword research information from different sources, I know some people take the opposite view.
If you're one of them, SearchIt! gives you a lot of options for using free tools that give you parts of the keyword research equation. So here's some of the ways you can do keyword research for free with SearchIt!
Using SearchIt!
Last week we looked at using SearchIt! for brainstorming keywords. This week we'll look at the tools that show you how heavy or light the competition is for your keywords.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, select Competition.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
(Note: These options may change. The SiteSell people (who maintain the SearchIt! tool) are constantly adding new search tools to it.)
Yahoo! Bid Price
Let's start by looking at the Yahoo! Bid Price tool.
This kind of search helps you see how competitive your keyword is by showing what advertisers are paying for that keyword on Yahoo! Search Marketing. Lots of bidders willing to pay over $1 per click indicates a term that is profitable, but also hugely competitive. A lack of bidders, on the other hand, suggests a keyword that few others compete for, but that may not convert to sales as readily as the highly competitive ones.
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. Read the information about this search and click the link at the bottom to show your results. You'll have to copy four letters from a graphic into the box to assure Yahoo! that a real person is requesting this search instead of an automated script, but then you'll see your results.
Google Single Keyword SUPPLY
This option shows you how many sites provide content for the exact keyword you are researching. Type your keyword into the Step 3 box (without quotes - SearchIt! adds the quotes to the query automatically). Click the SearchIt! button and read the information that describes how to interpret your results.
Google Multiple Keyword SUPPLY
This tool is incredibly handy if you want to research supply data for more than one keyword. It requires that you enter your own Google API key into the Step 4 box after entering up to ten keywords in the Step 3 box, each keyword phrase separated by a comma. Rather than simply repeat the instruction SearchIt! gives for this kind of search (it's a little more complicated than most), I'll just encourage you again to read all the directions, including the directions that pop up when you click the link between the top row of two drop-down boxes and the bottom row of two text boxes.
And a word of encouragement: when registering for your Google API key, don't let all Google's geek-speak scare you off. Using your Google API key is as easy as copying and pasting a line of numbers and letters from the email they send to into any tool that requires a Google API key. You don't need to download any programming toolkits or know any programming or do anything of a technical nature.
Just apply for your key. Once you receive it, you can copy it into any tool on the Web that requires a Google API key for a specialized search. And you'll find many of those tools (like this one) to be a great time-saver.
Competitors by PageRank
This tool shows you at a glance how the highest ranking page for this keyword compare in Google PageRank. How does this help? It shows how influential Google considers each page to be based on the number and quality of links coming into them. Again, check both the popup information (that pops up when you click on the link on the SearchIt! page, and the introductory information (that appears when you click the SearchIt! button) for more information on how to interpret this kind of search.
Back Links to SITE (Yahoo! Search)
This tool shows you how many sites are linking to your site or a competitor's site and gives a good idea of easy or tough it will be to make your site competitive in link popularity.
This tool differs, though, in what you type into the Step 3 box. Instead of typing a keyword, type the domain name of the site you want to check. Don't include the http:// or the www. Just include the domain name and extension (for example, onestopwebsupport.com).
Click the button and the link and SearchIt! will show you listings of all the sites that Yahoo! shows as linking to any page on that site.
Back Links to PAGE (Google)
This is like the Back Links to SITE (Yahoo! Search) option, except that it shows you how many sites link to a specific page of your site.
Type the page URL of the page you want to check in the Step 3 box. Don't include the http://, but you can include the www. if applicable (for example, www.onestopwebsupport.com/weblog/weblog.html).
Next week
This Sunday, I've covered just the keyword competition tools that SearchIt! provides. Next Sunday, I'll show the tools it has for doing advanced keyword research on your pages or your competitors' pages.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of keywords and much other valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
The SearchIt! free search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared last week, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
As I said last week, I do the bulk of my keyword research on Wordtracker rather than SearchIt!. Wordtracker provides information on what keyword variations people are using to search, how frequently people search for each keyword variation, and how many pages compete for the same keywords. In other words, it provides the full package of keyword research information.
But Wordtracker charges for accesss to their database. While I'm happy to spend my money on this valuable service instead of spending extra time piecing together keyword research information from different sources, I know some people take the opposite view.
If you're one of them, SearchIt! gives you a lot of options for using free tools that give you parts of the keyword research equation. So here's some of the ways you can do keyword research for free with SearchIt!
Using SearchIt!
Last week we looked at using SearchIt! for brainstorming keywords. This week we'll look at the tools that show you how heavy or light the competition is for your keywords.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, select Competition.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
- Yahoo! Bid Price
- Google Single Keyword SUPPLY
- Google Multiple Keyword SUPPLY
- Competitors by PageRank
- Back Links to SITE (Yahoo! Search)
- Back Links to PAGE (Google)
(Note: These options may change. The SiteSell people (who maintain the SearchIt! tool) are constantly adding new search tools to it.)
Yahoo! Bid Price
Let's start by looking at the Yahoo! Bid Price tool.
This kind of search helps you see how competitive your keyword is by showing what advertisers are paying for that keyword on Yahoo! Search Marketing. Lots of bidders willing to pay over $1 per click indicates a term that is profitable, but also hugely competitive. A lack of bidders, on the other hand, suggests a keyword that few others compete for, but that may not convert to sales as readily as the highly competitive ones.
Type your keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. Read the information about this search and click the link at the bottom to show your results. You'll have to copy four letters from a graphic into the box to assure Yahoo! that a real person is requesting this search instead of an automated script, but then you'll see your results.
Google Single Keyword SUPPLY
This option shows you how many sites provide content for the exact keyword you are researching. Type your keyword into the Step 3 box (without quotes - SearchIt! adds the quotes to the query automatically). Click the SearchIt! button and read the information that describes how to interpret your results.
Google Multiple Keyword SUPPLY
This tool is incredibly handy if you want to research supply data for more than one keyword. It requires that you enter your own Google API key into the Step 4 box after entering up to ten keywords in the Step 3 box, each keyword phrase separated by a comma. Rather than simply repeat the instruction SearchIt! gives for this kind of search (it's a little more complicated than most), I'll just encourage you again to read all the directions, including the directions that pop up when you click the link between the top row of two drop-down boxes and the bottom row of two text boxes.
And a word of encouragement: when registering for your Google API key, don't let all Google's geek-speak scare you off. Using your Google API key is as easy as copying and pasting a line of numbers and letters from the email they send to into any tool that requires a Google API key. You don't need to download any programming toolkits or know any programming or do anything of a technical nature.
Just apply for your key. Once you receive it, you can copy it into any tool on the Web that requires a Google API key for a specialized search. And you'll find many of those tools (like this one) to be a great time-saver.
Competitors by PageRank
This tool shows you at a glance how the highest ranking page for this keyword compare in Google PageRank. How does this help? It shows how influential Google considers each page to be based on the number and quality of links coming into them. Again, check both the popup information (that pops up when you click on the link on the SearchIt! page, and the introductory information (that appears when you click the SearchIt! button) for more information on how to interpret this kind of search.
Back Links to SITE (Yahoo! Search)
This tool shows you how many sites are linking to your site or a competitor's site and gives a good idea of easy or tough it will be to make your site competitive in link popularity.
This tool differs, though, in what you type into the Step 3 box. Instead of typing a keyword, type the domain name of the site you want to check. Don't include the http:// or the www. Just include the domain name and extension (for example, onestopwebsupport.com).
Click the button and the link and SearchIt! will show you listings of all the sites that Yahoo! shows as linking to any page on that site.
Back Links to PAGE (Google)
This is like the Back Links to SITE (Yahoo! Search) option, except that it shows you how many sites link to a specific page of your site.
Type the page URL of the page you want to check in the Step 3 box. Don't include the http://, but you can include the www. if applicable (for example, www.onestopwebsupport.com/weblog/weblog.html).
Next week
This Sunday, I've covered just the keyword competition tools that SearchIt! provides. Next Sunday, I'll show the tools it has for doing advanced keyword research on your pages or your competitors' pages.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of keywords and much other valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
Latest newsletter
My latest newsletter is due out early tomorrow morning. It will contain the following articles:
My latest newsletter is due out early tomorrow morning. It will contain the following articles:
- How to Use Your Customers' Questions to Increase Your Sales
- Review of Ultimate Internet Entrepreneur
- Review of Make Your Net Auction Sell!
- How to Fail on eBay - What NOT to Do (by guest writer Jim Cockrum)
If you haven't done so already, you can go here to subscribe to the newsletter and receive this and future issues. And I'll give you $60 worth of free reports and tips just for checking it out.
Jeff
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Jeff Baas, One Stop Web Support
