Why are some websites successful while others flounder? They offer similar products, services, content and branding, yet some consistently outperform their competition with a higher ROI.

Common website owner complaints are, “How can I boost my traffic. It’s a numbers game, the more visitors, the more buyers.” Or “I get traffic, but my conversion rate is very low. They are leaving the site without buying.” Or “I need better qualified visitors.” Or “I can’t seem to reach my customer base.”

You Want Answers!… “I Want the Truth!”

You may have guessed that there is not “one answer fits all” to this web conundrum, yet there are answers and good reasons why! The starting and ending point begins with Web Marketing. It’s a broad-based category that is quite specialized. A web marketer will take into consideration all the moving parts of a website – construction, content, appearance, branding, navigation, promotions, relevance, search engine optimization (SEO), and web analytics.

The marketer will also review the USP or unique selling proposition – what makes your products or services stand out from the competition; review its features and benefits, understand the customer, and assess the conversion probability. For example, studies have shown that the highest performing Landing Pages are those that match more closely with the motivation of the customer. The second key factor in determining whether a customer buys from you or not is how clearly the value of the purchase is identified. More simply put, if you can fulfill the needs of customers and provide that solution, they will buy.

Another key component in a web marketer’s arsenal is taking these lessons learned and promoting them throughout the Internet. Sometimes called Off Page Marketing or Search Engine Marketing (SEM), these strategies include online PR, pay per click, niche marketing micro-sites, blogs, video marketing, social media networking, list building, e-communications, local directory listings, search engine submissions, and promotions.

The Hottest Web Marketing Trend

And because video is the hottest web medium, it is imperative to develop video content that will feature professional presenters that deliver focused, well-scripted messages that motivate and leave a lasting impression on the visitor. If done right, these videos can create motivational and psychological triggers that tap into human desire and motivation. Your videos can also be optimized for the search engines, driving more traffic to your site. And once there, they will be motivated to investigate your products and services. It is on your website where they will get a solution to their needs with an engaging video, great content, special offers and the incentives to buy, buy, buy.

Achieving Web Success

In conclusion, a good web marketer will look at all the moving parts of your online business and determine an overall implementation strategy geared to results. Not just traffic, but real ROI.

TeamWork Builds Web Success

The Web Success Team specializes in building and marketing direct response websites that take full advantage of the latest developments on the Internet. The Team has an arsenal of effective web strategies, online tools and proven techniques to promote your products and services. And we’ll show you ways to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your site through the expanding “social web” and how to convert visitors into buyers at a high rate of return.

Multi Level Marketing (MLM) is the dirty little secret of Internet Marketing. It is advertising gone bad and gone off to meet the rough kids behind the bike sheds for a smoke. It would be fair to say, though, that a good MLM is an accomplished selling strategy that provides definite returns. It is a fairly simple model that has existed for years: a parent multi-level marketing company will sell market their products/services directly to consumers by means of relationship referral and direct selling.

It is also fair to say that MLM is not dissimilar to a pyramid scheme in the same way stealing is not dissimilar to theft.

In MLM schemes independent nonsalaried sales representatives of the parent company are rewarded a commission relative to the volume of product sold through each of their independent businesses or organisations. These sales reps will ideally develop their organization by building an active customer base who will buy direct from the parent company. This builds direct relationships and is a positive side to MLM. The other option is for the Sales reps to create a waterfall of independent subsidiaries who also build a customer base, expanding the overall organisation, which, in turn, can employ independent subsidiaries who also build a customer base, expanding the overall organisation, which, in turn, can employ independent subsidiaries… In the perfect MLM/pyramid, everybody will be selling everybody else the same product and getting rich because of it. This is by far the easiest way of getting an economy like Albania’s.

These quasi franchises will return profits both to the initial product/service supplier but also to every rung on the ladder back to the original company. In this situations there can be enormous loss of profit towards the bottom of the chain; it rolls down hill is the adage here. In these circumstances, it is not unknown for sales tactics to push the boundaries of the law. In fact, the boundaries are often ripped up into little pieces and posted back to the authorities such is the disregard for law or morality.

The fact that these MLMs are in existence is because it is very hard to distinguish between the legitimate and the illegitimate. Defenders of the MLM format will say that it is illegal pyramid selling schemes portraying themselves as MLMs that are the problem, and to a certain extent they are right. In the most legitimate MLM companies, commissions are earned only on sales of the company’s products or services. If participants are paid primarily from money received from new recruits, or if they are required to buy more products than they are likely to sell, then the company is a pyramid. But, what is the difference between an ambitious seller who thinks he can sell £30,000 worth of double-glazing (say) and a useless sales rep who buys £30,000 of prospective sales with no hope of hitting the target? Herein lies the question – or more specifically a big fat payday for the lawyers.

As a basic rule of thumb, any MLM that offers more money for recruiting than for actually selling the product will be of dubious origins. There is also an association with near fanatical levels of training and corporate banter. Viewers of BBC’s Rogue trader will be familiar with the training tactics designed to fleece unsuspecting elderly people out of thousands of pounds. Indeed many critics have compared these training and sales regimes as akin to cults – many MLM programs feature intense motivational programs, which can be hard to distinguish from cult propaganda.

By and large, if someone comes round to your house and says that it will collapse unless you have your walls covered in “Flake-No-More” paint which he just happens to sell at £10000 per treatment you have encountered a pyramid MLM. In which case you phone up the BBC or just kneecap the bugger.

1. Building awareness using postcards.

Postcard can spread the news of a company just opening its doors. Whether you’ve just located your business in a business park at the most obscure corner where you are unseen by foot or drive by traffic. You can still build awareness of the products or services you provide by using postcards which are inexpensive but a highly effective marketing tool you can use to generate traffic and leads at a very low cost.

2. Increase customer frequency of purchase.

By mailing to your existing customer base you can now begin the process of up selling them or cross selling them on your other products or services. If a customer just purchased a product or service which you are scheduled to install or deliver for them why not offer them an upgraded version of the product or service. You can offer them another more enhanced and expensive version of the product they just purchased and are waiting for delivery on or a lesser price version of the guarantee they did not take you up on initially. You may even be able to get them to sign up for a regular continuity program of the product or service they just purchased. Once the prospect became a customer they have already exhibited signs that they trust your company. By sending them a postcard with the additional upgrades that are available to them you are serving their needs by being informative to other options which exist. This is a great way to getting additional business from them at a time when they are most likely to buy more from you.

3. Reduce marketing costs using postcards.

Postcards are highly effective when it comes to price vs. results or better stated return on your marketing investment. They generate leads of prospects at a very low cost. For small business owners they can afford to conduct an effective targeted marketing campaign. Meeting their marketing plans goals is easily accomplished. With the postcards you can state just the most important point of what needs to be said. Postcards work best when used as a two step sales process. Send out postcards to get the prospects to go to visit your store, a website or call an 800 number to get additional information. You can then begin your sales closing process You will rarely sell your products directly through the use of postcards.

4. Postcards can be very time sensitive.

You can send out a pre-sale announcement with a time sensitive coupon to your existing customer database. For your prospects include this same time sensitive coupon with an exaggerated discount you would not normally provide. The coupon will do two things draw customers to your place of business to take advantage to your offer and give you a tracking mechanism for analyzing your marketing results.

Avoid making these mistakes when marketing with postcards

Most of these mistakes can be easily avoided.

1. Not knowing who your targeted audience is

By not doing an analysis of who your ideal prospect really is you are running the chance that you will not be successful in the marketing efforts you are making. Your prospects are being bombarded by a barrage of marketing messages constantly so statistically you have about three seconds to make your point if you are making your point to the wrong audience you have just wasted you entire marketing plans efforts. So you need to identify your audience then give them the information they need, right then and there, to make a decision to respond to your offer or not.

2. Not putting the proper headline in the postcards to get the attention of your targeted prospects.

If you are targeting a particular audience then state something of great interest and importance to that audience in your headline. For example if you are targeting religious people you may want to have a headline like this: “The Most Important Bible News in 340 Years” in other words speak to your target audience to attract them to your offers.

3. Last mistake that most postcard marketers make is inconsistency in their marketing efforts.

By mailing to a targeted audience more than once you are accomplishing what most direct mail marketers do not. That is reaching your audience with either the same message or similar message again and again. Most marketers send out one postcards and then stop and they don’t repeat the process which leads them to the conclusion that postcards don’t work in their marketing business plan. By mailing more than once you have already surpassed the majority of your competition that only mails once if they mail at all.

Utilizing the simple postcard in your marketing business plan can be a very rewarding and profitable method to target a specific market to get a quick response and influx of customer coming to your place of business bringing in that Quick Cash Surge.

There are multiple ways to communicate with your target market.

Some methods of communication are much more effective, appropriate and cost efficient than others. As always, your budget will dictate how many touch points you can have with your target market. Also keep in mind that you should be trying to find ways to drive the right people to your exhibit at the lowest cost per qualified lead.

Remember, you need to let your prospects know where your booth is located on the showroom floor. Use tag lines such as “see us at Booth 1635 at the such and such Trade Show” in news releases and other communications such as direct mail leading up to the show.

Don’t make your customers and prospects hunt you down.

Recent research has shown that 83% of the most successful companies at a range of exhibitions (in terms of business generated and leads collected) were the ones that took the trouble to undertake pre trade show marketing such as mailing their prospects and customers before the show. (Source:CEIR – (Center for Exhibition Industry Research)

You can increase your ROI by integrating various pre trade show marketing tools to direct qualified buyers to your expensive booth. Diversity in your pre trade show marketing strategy will yield greater results and you will record a much higher success rate, with increases in both target visitor attraction and sales lead conversion.

Please do not take a one-dimensional approach to your pre trade show marketing, as you will not get the desired results from the trade show.

Trade show promotions are designed to engage your potential customers through a personalized, multi-step marketing strategy that facilitates your ability to reach your trade show objectives.

This includes pre-selling attendees through phone calls, personalized invitations, direct mail or email, to introduce your products and encourage them to visit your booth.

By knowing your target audience, you should target prospective trade show buyers for your products and/or services, prior to the trade show commencing, by creating a positive image and brand awareness.

To maximize your trade show effort tailor your messages to the concerns, needs and interests of your prospects.

Take the time to really determine your target audience! It’s very important.

And, don’t underestimate the power of a pre trade show marketing campaign. An effective pre trade show marketing promotion can deliver increases of 50% in conversions to qualified leads.

Always build a portfolio of activity that will drive the lowest cost per qualified lead and map out your timeline so that you give reasonable notice to your prospects.

It’s always a good idea to segment your list for better results and have a contextually relevant and compelling offer.

You will want to come back to it at a later point when it is time to prove your ROI so keep tabs on what your pre-show marketing tactics are costing you.