Article Spinner

If you are an internet marketer and still trying to get used to the trends of online businesses, most likely you’ve faced all kinds of new ideas and suggestions in forums, blogs, and other online sources related to internet marketing. And in these sources, you will notice that most professional internet marketers would discuss about different strategies and internet marketing tools that they would use to increase web traffic, conversions, and eventually actual sales of their own products online. For this article, we will be talking about one of the most interesting tools being used, especially for the content of sales pages, blogs, and websites, which are the article spinners. If you’ve never heard of an article spinner before, then continue reading because this might be your ticket to increasing sales and bursting traffic.

An article spinner is basically a writing software that rewrites and modifies the wording and structure of sentences in order to produce different and unique copies of an original article. Not only that, it is able to retain the message of the original article in all of the copies it can produce, which makes it a productive tool when trying to post several articles in different blogs and websites. Internet marketers who do not have the time and the energy to reproduce, rewrite, and post numerous articles in their blogs and websites would simply use article spinners to do the job. It’s not only convenient but affordable as well as compared to hiring ghost writers to do the job.

So why do internet marketers need to create so much content? Writing good articles and blog posts is usually the key to earning a lot of money through internet marketing. By being able to come up with wonderful content, you are discreetly yet at the same time effectively advertising your products to customers who can only read about the products being sold online. But as mentioned before, writing and rewriting can take a lot of time and effort on the marketer’s part, so they use article spinner software instead. Another reason why they use article spinners is because submitting one original article to numerous directories can be detected by search engines like Google, surfacing the possibility of only one of your articles being linked to the entered keyword and leaving out all the rest in the next three to four pages. This lowers down your chances of gaining more traffic, and of course, more sales as well.

But take note that not all article spinner software being sold online produce well-rounded rewritten articles. There are those that do not function well or are actually fake software being sold by scammers in order to earn money out of you. Just remember that with the right tools and the right way of using this kind of software, you’ll be able to produce high quality rewrites of your own articles and have them submitted and posted in all of your websites and blogs without each one falling behind in the search result pages.

Are Sales Page Opt Ins Decreasing Your Affiliate Commission?

There are over a hundred affiliate marketing businesses running actively nowadays with people striving to earn a stable income online. One of the most popular trends is to become an affiliate of Clickbank products and to sell these to interested customers through a sales page. But of course, with such a strong competition and lack of knowledge on how to effectively sell these digital products, a lot of internet marketers tend to lose the will and the resources to continue selling as they encounter problems and issues regarding the products they sell, the links being used, and the like. For this article, the issue whether sales page opt ins are a factor of decreasing commissions will be discussed to provide insight and understanding as to how this internet marketing tool works and how one can actually benefit from it.

As we all know, the role of the affiliate is to sell the product through a sales page to customers online. The sales page would normally contain the content introducing the product, the link that will lead them back to the main website where they can purchase the product, and of course an opt in list for the customer to receive mails and updates with regards to the product. These opt ins are usually paired with freebies and bonuses that the customer can avail of, so by entering their email addresses in the opt in box they are not only signing up for the bonuses and email updates but crediting your page for commission. But the issue raised here is whether or not the affiliate still has a role in the business if the customer simply opts in without actually purchasing the product. Will that decrease one’s chances of earning commission?

The truth is affiliate marketing systems as well as Clickbank websites track the referrals of their affiliates through cookies and the IP address used, in which the former would normally be saved into the computer not less than 60 days at the most. So most likely if the customer decides to opt in to the mailing list of the vendor, the ID of the affiliate will be identified and the sales will be credited to his or her account. Though there is no assurance that the customer will buy the product, the fact that he or she found his or her way to the mailing list through the affiliate’s sales page will already indicate that the commission will still go to him or her and that he or she will still be paid months from now.

But of course, there are certain possibilities that you as the internet marketer would lose commissions if there are opt ins on the sales page. Supposing the customer decides to opt in into the mailing list but decides to check out the product a little later. If he or she erases all cookies in the PC or decides to use a different browser to buy the product, then most likely the commissions won’t go to you.

What's the deal with Downline Secrets 2?

If you haven't heard yet... James Grandstaff
has released "Part 2" of his "Downline Secrets."

Before I get to my review, I thought I should
play a little catch-up in case you have no
clue as to what Downline Secrets "Part 1" is
about.

Basically with Downline Secrets part 1 you
get free access to a recorded call between
Mike Filsaime and James Grandstaff. Mike asks
James questions about the success he had
using InstantBuzz.com (a free advertising
resource) to grow his downline.

You get access to the MP3 and PDF transcript
of the call (which is nice because I don't
always like to sit in front of my PC to read
or listen to content.)

During the call James reveals how he used
his free Instant Buzz traffic along with his
(now proven) 3 step strategy to explode his
downline into the thousands on complete auto
pilot.

The cool part is he did it while maintaining
his full time job as a PC support technician
in Michigan.

And from there you have the opportunity to
buy the same software that James developed
to grow his downline and use it to grow your
downline in any program you happen to be
involved in.

So all-in-all DownlineSecrets.com is a great
site and offers a lot of great info for free
on how to build your downline using the web.

What makes Downline Secrets "Part 2" so much
better is that it takes over where Downline
Secrets 1 left off.

What I mean is this...

With Downline Secrets 1 you were left to
figure out all the technical stuff in order
to duplicate James' results for your MLM
business. The software and detailed videos
are fantastic but you still have to come up
with the web copy, the hosting, the HTML
page design and so on... The yucky stuff.

Let's just say his target market is much
smaller because if you don't have the much
needed technical skills or the money to hire
those with the skills, you are pretty much
out of luck and can't fully benefit from
the entire system he is teaching.

This time around you get access to a call
between James Grandstaff and Chris Zavadowski
who is also very successful in the MLM scene.
He grills James for over an hour and gets
all the must know secrets out of him.

The system James is offering this time is
over the top! He covers all the technical
stuff for us this time and everything is
completely set-up. All the technical issues
have been removed. This is great because
more people can now truly benefit from his
teachings and proven system.

Now, I want to let you in on something...

Once you register for the call below you
will see an offer for James' Elite upgrade
membership. All I can say is ==> TAKE IT!

It's only $47 bucks and for what you get
it's simply mind blowing!

In a nut shell... he's offering you a
professional designed lead capture page
that gives away a customized version of
his new manuscript called 'How to Get Rich
Building a LAZY Downline!'

This PDF is first customized with your
affiliate links to several "generic" MLM
training resources. As you give this thing
away you will earn commissions from those
you refer who upgrade in any of the programs.

And since they're all MLM related, the
conversion rates should be extremely high!

All you do is simply advertise the lead
capture page via the special link you get
and James' software sends an email to your
prospects (with a link to your customized
PDF)

Everything is on auto-pilot!

Oh, and don't worry, the traffic aspect is
even handled for you. Be sure to check out
the bonus that's included :-)

See, I told you this thing was awesome.

As you can see, I'm totally excited about
this because it's refreshing to see a great
product come along that is truly capable of
changing the lives of others.

So yes, Downline Secrets 2 gets my highest
recommendation!

Sign up below and buy everything ;)

Here's the link:
http://www.downlinesecrets2.com/?r=12326

Take care of your business and yourself :-)

Sincerely,
Lee Boon Tiong
http://www.lbt-business.com

Economic Gloom

I walked downstairs a few minutes ago and saw that my
wife was watching a little CNN (helping us stay
up-to-date on the latest world happenings...), and one
of the headlines that jumped out at me was the words:
"Economic Gloom".

This got me thinking...

From my point of view, I see that much of the world is
in a state of PANIC about the economy. There certainly
may be good reason for concern, but too much concern
will also certainly create the reality that you wish to
avoid through the law of attraction.

It is true that what you think about most of the time
shows up in your life. For example, if you're THINKING
about why you can't accomplish some goal of yours,
sure enough all the reasons that you *find* for why you
can't will affect your emotions and therefore the
actions that you will or won't take toward that goal.
Therefore, by thinking *why* you can't, you're making
sure that you don't.

Alternatively, if you use your mind to start finding
reasons why you CAN, you'll start to FEEL differently
and then those new feelings will motivate you to take
NEW ACTIONS and those new actions will create new
results in your results - most likely much closer to
your desired outcome.

In these times of great challenge financially around
the world, NOW MORE THAN EVER it is critical that YOU
tune your mind, feeling and actions into prosperous
frequencies. For many years, I've been reading books,
listening to audio tapes, doing meditations, watching
DVD's and surrounding myself with influences that make
me think smarter, faster, younger, happier, healthier
and wealthier. And little by little, day by day all of
these things have given me an edge in life and allowed
me to achieve more success, happiness and freedom in
my life than I would have ever been able to if I had
simply allow myself to "go with the flow" and allow
society to program me to it's own standards.

Speaking of standards, for many people here in the
United States the standard for success is to go to
college, get a good job, work hard for 40 years and
*hopefully* retire with enough money left in the bank
to pay your medical bills and assisted care living
expenses until you DIE. It's pretty sad.

That's definitely NOT my standard for this life
though. I "retired" a long time ago (without ever
graduating from college) and spend most my time these
being a passionate husband and father as well as
aggressively pursuing interests that light a fire in my
soul!

Today which is Tuesday (while many people were busy
working a job they don't enjoy), I was at my tennis
club at 8:30 am working on my serve, then went to the
ball machine at 10:00, then started my private tennis
lesson at 11:00, followed by an hour long massage at
12:15. Then I got home about 1:30 and made myself a
plate with a tuna sandwich, freshly cooked beets and a
delicious cabbage salad all bought from Whole Foods
Market where the words natural and organic truly means
something. While having lunch my car was being detail
cleaned in the driveway of my home and my gardener was
dropping off fertilizer and plants for this Fall's
planting. While my "team" was helping me keep my car
and home looking great, I jumped on the piano for 30
minutes and started practicing "Carol of the Bells"
which is a song I'll be playing during the holidays
this year for competition and for pleasure. After that,
I spent a little quality time with my wife and kids and
then my kids tutor arrived so I hopped over here to my
office to write you this email. Once I press send, I'm
going to head downstairs and eat a great dinner with
the people I love most in this world.

That's a day in the life of Stone Evans, The Home Biz
Guy, and it's pretty typical (for me right now). I
focus most of my energy on having fun doing things that
I love and working in ways that make me happy and make
feel like I'm making a positive difference in other
people's lives. These are some of MY standards. Do you
know what yours are?

You see, a standard is something that is basic to your
life. Something that simply couldn't be different. For
example, many years ago (before I was rich, *or at
least before the world agreed with me that I was
rich*), I knew that that description I shared with you
above about my day today was simply a standard of who I
was and what I was *committed* to experience in my
life. I knew that wanted to do and pursue all the
things that were important and exciting to ME, without
having to worry, or even *think* about how much money
it would cost. In fact, that's a huge part of
financial success for me - to never be limited to do
something you want to do because of money. This is my
standard. And it's because of this standard that was
set in my mind a long time ago that I've been able to
achieve some pretty extraordinary things in my life so
far, and that will continue to drive me to create and
experience the life I dream of.

I feel impassioned to write about these things right
now, not to brag, because life has far greater things
in store for each of us that chooses to embrace the
potential and power within us. Instead, I write to
inspire. If I've been able to break free of society's
"doom and gloom programming" and "standards of
mediocrity", you can too!

Turn off the "noooooooooooos" and TURN ON your own
mind by reading books that empower you, watching DVD's
that inspire you, talking to people that LIFT YOU UP
and taking new actions that move you in the *direction*
of YOUR deepest heart's desire. A couple of books that
have made a difference for me lately are: "The
Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can" and
"Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out
of Life". You can find them both at Amazon.com. Look
them up, buy them and devour them! Just READING these
books with an open mind will affect you in ways that
change your life and cause you to experience more
happiness and success, guaranteed!

In the world right now, the divide between the
"haves" and the "have-nots" is getting wider. Align
YOURSELF with the "have what YOU want" mindset and
YOU WILL. As I said earlier, *now more than EVER
before* if you want more out of your life, SELECT YOUR
PROGRAMMING CAREFULLY and take control of your mind,
and your future!

If your looking for a "different path" to make a
living, check out the one I selected that has given me
all the time and financial freedom I need to pursue my
dreams with passion in this life at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18613
To Breaking Free!

Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-18613

Increase Holiday Sales

Increase Holiday Sales with These
7 Last-Minute Profit-Boosting Tips!

Can you believe how quickly the holidays have arrived this year?

I just checked my calendar and I can't believe there's only a matter of DAYS until the 25th!

Any shopper headed to your web site now will be in a state of gift-searching PANIC, and it's up to you to make sure they don't leave your pages until they've got exactly what they need -- AND in time for the big day!

You still have time to do a few quick things to sell to those desperation shoppers.

Because the clock is ticking, I've made a list of 7 quick and easy — but extremely powerful — ways you can increase holiday sales and profits during the final shopping days before Christmas!

And believe me, this is one list you need to check twice!

Quick Tip #1: Guarantee SUPER FAST shipping!

If there's one thing that scares people about buying online for the holidays, it's late delivery. Nothing drives customers out to the shopping mall faster than the idea that their kids' Christmas presents won't arrive until the 28th of December!

And now that we're past the "10 business days before Christmas" deadline, only expedited shipping will get there on time!

If you use a major nationwide delivery service like FedEx or UPS, you'll want to feature this information prominently on your web site and ordering pages. People will feel much more comfortable ordering from a site that uses one of these services than from one that ships through the mail.

Also, be sure to offer guaranteed overnight delivery, which both UPS and FedEx provide. This will save you the headache of disgruntled customers calling you on Christmas morning wondering why the products they ordered haven't arrived yet!

It never hurts either to give a cutoff time after which delivery for Christmas CAN'T be guaranteed, e.g., "To guarantee delivery before Christmas, we must receive your order by 2:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, December 20."

Quick Tip #2: Offer to ship gifts directly to recipients

If you can ship your customers' orders directly to their intended recipients, TELL THEM!

By tweaking your order form so that customers can send their orders directly to their intended recipients, you'll save your customers the extra hassle of waiting to receive the package and then resending it to someone else. It's also a great way to add value to your service without any additional cost to you!

If you do offer to ship gifts directly to the recipient, I can guarantee you'll have people asking if you offer gift wrapping. This is another way to give your customers a little extra attention without much additional cost to you. If you charge a small fee for the service, it'll bring in a bit more income, too.

You can also offer your customers the option of adding a holiday card to the package that you send out. Simply ask them what they want written on the card, and then include it with the package. You can charge an additional fee for this, or offer it as a free bonus.

Of course, if you have thousands of orders and you work by yourself, the card and wrapping options may not be practical!

Quick Tip #3: Highlight INSTANT delivery!

How about telling visitors they can just forget about shipping altogether and have your product zapped straight to them right over the Internet in less than a second?

You can do that if you're selling a product you can deliver electronically! And instant delivery is a benefit that grabs visitors' attention. With an eBook, or any other electronic product, like software, tickets, or digital data, your delivery is as fast as your autoresponder software can send it!

Not only that, but the buyer can customize the gift. When you send the electronic file to your customer, they can choose to print it or pass it along to the recipient in electronic form.

This is a particular selling point for an eBook. If they print it, they can choose their own paper, and even create their own cover. Any copy center or print-on-demand outlet (like FedEx Kinko's) can have it printed and professionally bound in no time.

As a seller, you should make it easy for customers to give your electronic product as a gift, including prompting them right in your salescopy to think about who'd appreciate it as a present. Allow for hard-copy printing and at least two installs, and you should see the results in Christmas sales.

Instant delivery means that last-minute shoppers now have the option of shopping at LITERALLY the last minute... and still having seconds to spare.

Quick Tip #4: Offer the gift of choice — gift certificates!

The ultimate last-minute gift idea is a gift certificate. Let people know you offer them by placing a prominent notice on every page that gift certificates are:

• available
  
• a great gift idea
  
• delivered INSTANTLY!

Gift certificates are a huge advantage for sites that sell specialized products and services to niche markets. Often the giver doesn't know exactly what the recipient wants or needs.

For example, Anthony knows that his Aunt Heather is a serious antique camera buff. He wants to spend $50 on a gift for Aunt Heather, but has no idea what she would want or need for her camera at that price.

So, if Anthony finds your photography web site and sees that you offer online gift certificates, his problem is solved!

And the best part is that you haven't just made $50 from Anthony — you've also acquired Aunt Heather as a customer! Offer her good value on products she needs, and you can bet that she'll be back again when she needs more camera equipment.

If you are selling a service online, gift certificates are a great way to turn your service into a gift! No matter what you're selling — it could be spa packages or landscape design — I can guarantee that your service would make the perfect gift for somebody out there.

Put some creativity into figuring out who would like it and why, then use those ideas in the copy about your gift certificate.

Even if your business is restricted to a local area, you can still expand your potential market by offering online gift certificates. You'll not only reach people who live in your area, but also those who are shopping for people who do.

When people search for local products and services online, they include the location in their search terms, e.g., "cooking lessons, Portland Maine."

So optimize your pages for your local market:

• Include the name of your city or town and state in your salescopy along with the type of service or products you offer
  
  
• Put your location with zip code and phone number with area code on every sales page of your site
  
  
• Make sure you're listed in all the local directories too.

That way, local searchers will be much more likely to find you when shopping with the search engines.

And remind your customers and subscribers that since gift certificates can be delivered electronically, they're ideal last-minute gifts. I know online gift certificates have saved the day for me a few times!

Quick Tip #5: Remind your audience why your product makes a great gift!

At this time of year especially, it's important to tell people why your product would make a great gift idea. Of course, sites selling products like neckties or Christmas ornaments won't need to worry about this as much, but what if your site is selling something like office supplies?

Write some quick copy about why your product or service would make a practical or unusual gift. You might want to tell a story about how people who received your products or services as a present last year couldn't stop talking about what a great gift idea it was!

If you sell a product that people need to buy only once, you can give your customers the opportunity to purchase your product as a gift. Remind them how your product has benefited them, and then explain why it would make a wonderful gift for their friends or family.

You may also want to put together a quick "Holiday Buying Guide" for your visitors. This can be a great resource for people who visit your site to buy a gift for someone but don't know much about the products you sell.

For instance, if most of your customers are men, explain to women what to look for when buying your items, and show how your products or services will benefit the guys in their life. Vice versa if most of your customers are women.

Of course, if you sell a product that people probably wouldn't give as a gift (lawn fertilizer, for example), you'll need to take a slightly different approach. Try something like this: "We know money can be tight around the holidays, so we've decided to offer our customers a generous discount on lawn fertilizer until the beginning of the New Year!"

Quick Tip #6: Feature seasonal specials in the first "fold" of your homepage

You want to make it EASY for your visitors to find and buy your products. The best way to do this is by making sure that every single visitor to your site sees your featured specials and holiday offers.

Not only are people surfing around actively looking for products to buy, they are also very receptive to discounts and specials.

Feature your seasonal specials on the first fold of your homepage. (The first fold is the first screen of your homepage that is visible without scrolling.) Add photos or put them in a box — anything to draw attention to your discount offers.

Be sure to choose proven best-sellers. Now is NOT the time to try to unload products or services that you haven't been able to sell during the past 10 months. Feature items that have been generating solid profits for you all year long and you'll increase your holiday sales.

As well as your specials, mention your express delivery options, along with any gift-wrapping or card services you offer.

Focus on your gift certificates and why your products or services would make terrific holiday gifts. And highlight the benefits of instant electronic delivery!

Anything you can do to make people's gift buying experiences go smoothly at this point will definitely be a selling point, so put ALL that information on the first fold where people will see it.

Quick Tip #7: Make a personal connection with a festive newsletter or email promotion

You really don't have time to go out and acquire a bunch of new traffic in time for the busy holiday rush.

But the good news is that you don't need to. If you have a list of customers and/or subscribers, you've already got an incredibly powerful database of people who are just waiting to make purchases from you!

People who have already bought from you are much more likely than anyone else to buy from you again, because you've already earned their trust.

Whenever possible, you'll want to send out two different promotions — one to your existing customers and one to your subscribers. This allows you to approach each group from a slightly different angle. Here's what I mean:

Your existing customers, who have already bought from you, will want to be rewarded for their loyalty. What better way to thank them than by giving them a great deal on one of your most popular products? They'll appreciate the fact that your offer is being sent to them and them alone, because we all like to feel special.

Your subscribers should be sent a slightly different offer. Tell them that this is a special promotion being offered only to your newsletter subscribers. Again, you'll want to make sure that you're offering a special on one of your proven best-sellers.

This little touch of targeting can go a really long way. It's been proven over and over that people like to be offered a deal that they don't think other people are going to get. And if you personalize each message with the person's name and any other information that's relevant to them, they'll respond.

A recent study by Jupiter Research found that click-through rates and open rates more than doubled when emails were personalized and targeted, and sales conversion rates were an astonishing 355% higher than for bulk emails!

By making your customers and subscribers feel special this holiday season, you can dramatically increase the number of sales that your email promotions generate.

Final thoughts

Everyone gets busy as the year comes to an end, but just because you haven't found the time to set up a comprehensive holiday marketing strategy doesn't mean that you can't increase your holiday sales over the coming week.

However, you do need to take the time to implement some of these quick tips IMMEDIATELY. And I mean within the next 24 hours! Pick one or two of these tips and do whatever it takes to catch the last holiday shoppers.

The ones who are still online are running out of time fast, so show them how you can solve their problems with:

• express shipping options
• downloads for instant delivery
• gift ideas and gift certificates
• special holiday discounts

The great thing is that all of the tips I've just given you can be implemented quickly and easily. Most of these tips should only take you an hour or two to set up on your site, and the results will increase your holiday sales so much you'll wish you'd started much sooner.

Happy holidays from all of us at the Internet Marketing Center!

***NEW FEATURE***

Inside the Internet Entrepreneur Club Forum

Since we launched our new Internet Entrepreneur Club last month, we've been blown away by the great questions and discussions that our club members have been posting in the club members' forum. These are real people running real online businesses.

You might be asking some of the same questions about your own business or business idea.

So, every issue of the Marketing Tips Newsletter, we'll feature a recent forum question... along with the answer it receives from one of the IMC experts monitoring the forum.

***

This issue's question comes from club member "Socratous":

I am planning a new project in which I'll be selling software for cell phones. I'll be offering a 3-day free trial to download.

I would like to know whether it's a good idea to launch a short single opt-in (or "squeeze") page that offers a FREE trial with an attractive headline like"You're About To Discover A NEW Software...", followed by a form asking for first name and email address for the free download.

After that, the visitor will be directed to a page where the long salescopy of the software is displayed. Is that a better way to start capturing their email addresses or should I start with the long salescopy right from the beginning?

What is the best business model when selling a unique and in-demand software? Especially when you start out with no emails and no credibility on that subject?

And the answer from Jennifer, one of IMC's top marketing specialists:

Hi!

I would recommend testing both options!

I've had a lot of success with the squeeze page model you've described below, where you ask the visitor for their first name, last name, email and then push them through to a long copy salesletter which sells the free trial offer.

(Hint: you need to create enough value in your trial in this sales piece, so when the trial expires, even if they haven't USED the product yet, they'll feel comfortable with the price you've charged their credit card.)

The nice part about the squeeze page model is that you quickly build an opt-in list of people who are interested, who you can quickly follow-up with by email to close the sale. Try to make sure you follow-up within 3 days max.

All that said, I've also seen instances where the squeeze page actually damaged the sale conversion rates. It's not something I would guess at; I would definitely test it.

Cheers,

Jennifer

***

If you're looking for the hottest, most up-to-the-minute information on EVERY area of the fast-paced Internet marketing world, connect with our massive team of experts TODAY!

For everything you need to know to get started, just click here!

Increase Marketing Sales

Discover the Killer Marketing Strategy I'm Using to Help Increase My Internet Marketing Sales by more than 30%!

People are always coming up to me and asking, "What can you tell me to help increase my Internet marketing sales?"
All too often, when I ask them to tell me about their business models, I discover they're selling only ONE product. So I ask them, "Have you ever considered selling backend products to your customers?"
Backend products are simply products you can offer to your existing customers, after they've made their initial purchase.
Because you know what they've already bought from you, you should have a good idea of other things your customers like to buy. And that should make it easy for you to think of new things they'd want to purchase!
Backend products can be anything you think your target market might be interested in. For example, if your site sells cameras, new products could include:
Add-ons like wide-angle or telephoto lenses for your cameras
eBooks that teach people how to take better pictures
Other complementary products, such as camera cases or tripods
The brilliance of this strategy lies in the fact that you already know what your customers like to buy! So you can easily create highly targeted offers for them -- leading to higher conversion rates and more sales... and more money in your pocket!
The truth is, if you're not following up with your customers and targeting them with highly appealing backend products, you're losing out on a TON of profit.
In fact, by adding just ONE more product to your site, you can increase your revenues by 30% to 50%!
Why you need to think "lifetime value" rather than "single sale"
The other day I got an email from Amazon.com telling me about a new Internet marketing book they just got in stock.
They knew I might be interested in it because I'd bought other Internet marketing books from them before. (Hardly surprising, right? :)
And I was interested in that new one, too! In fact, as soon as I got Amazon's email, I immediately clicked through to their site, checked out the book, and bought it!
And in doing so, I boosted my "lifetime value" to Amazon by another 20 bucks.
Lifetime value is simply the income generated by a single customer over the course of your relationship with him or her. If you sell only one product, then your customers' lifetime value will be limited to the net income that comes from a single sale of that product.
But if you sell a wide range of products, your income will grow exponentially!
And selling to existing customers is easier and cheaper than selling to strangers because you've already cultivated a relationship with them: You've put in the time and money to...
Get their attention
Establish your credibility
Build their trust in you
Overcome any resistance they may have to buying online
Close that first sale
On top of that, you now know what your customers like!
So, after that, it's much easier to sell to people a second time... and a third... and a fourth... and so on.
If you reward your customers for being loyal, they'll reward you by becoming even more loyal!
Take the book I bought from Amazon... all they had to do was send me an email about a product they thought I'd like, based on my previous purchase history. They didn't have to sell themselves as a company to me because I've already bought from them before.
In fact, I've bought maybe one book a month from Amazon over the last five years at an average of $20 each -- meaning my lifetime value to them so far is $1,200!
And it's much easier -- and way cheaper -- for Amazon to sell me 60 books at $20 each than to persuade 60 new customers to each buy one $20 book.
When to follow up with your customers for maximum returns
The best time to offer your customers backend products is when you're given a natural opportunity to follow up with them.
Here are some examples of what I mean: You can...
Follow up after a purchase: Right after someone buys from you, you can send them a "thank-you" message that includes an offer for a related product. For example, if you sell project management software, you could offer your customers an eBook that gives them advanced project management tips and techniques.Or, if you sell "how-to" guides that teach people how to build their own sundeck, you could offer customers a special package deal on the tools they'll need for the job.
Follow up on a purchase anniversary: An easy way to get a follow-up promotion in front of your customers is to send them an offer one month, six months, or even a year after they made their first purchase.Email them to ask how they're enjoying the product, and let them know you've got similar products available at a special discount price that's being offered only to previous customers.
Follow up whenever you can provide new products or information: If, for example, you sell snowboard equipment and clothing, and you've just received stock of a cool new snowboarding jacket, you could contact your customers who bought a snowboard or boots and offer them a jacket at a special discount.They're obviously snowboarders, so there's a good chance they'd be interested in a new jacket.
The important thing to remember is, the backend products you offer HAVE to be things your target market is going to be interested in.
Seven killer backend product ideas you can use to expand your profits by more than 30%
There's no doubt about it: Following up with your customers and offering them backend products is a great way to boost your profits without eating into your marketing budget.
But how do you find the killer products that make this strategy so profitable?
It's a lot easier than you think! For example, you can...
Offer products that complement your initial product: For example, if you sell golf clubs, offer your customers a golf club bag to carry them in.Or you could offer golf balls, golf tees, golf shoes, golf training videos -- the list is endless!
Sell more of the same product at a discounted price: If your product is refillable or needs to be regularly replaced, this strategy works especially well. For example, if you sell things like printer cartridges, camera film, or batteries, you've got it made!But even if your product isn't refillable, you can show your customers you appreciate them by offering them a special discount on the product they've already bought. That way, if they like the product, they can buy it as a gift for family and friends.
Use paid subscriptions as backend products: If you've established yourself as an expert in your industry, you can build on your reputation by offering a subscription to "premium" information, only available to members, as a backend product.For example, if your main product is a fly-fishing kit, you could sell a subscription to an exclusive course on advanced fly-fishing techniques as a backend product. You could deliver this paid-for content through a members-only web site, or by email.
Try splitting up your current product: For example, if you were selling a book on how to "declutter" your home, you could offer a basic version for $9.95 to generate a large volume of sales at a low price. Then, 30 days later, you could offer your customers an advanced, expanded version that includes home office management and scheduling tips for $29.95 or even $39.95 -- and increase your profits dramatically!
Try selling your customers an upgrade to their product: If they've used and liked your basic model, your customers will be open to receiving offers for the upgrade version.For example, if you sell eBooks teaching people how to use a particular piece of software, you can sell updated versions to previous buyers when the software package in question is upgraded.
Write a book or create a video: eBooks are great backend products with high profit margins! Consider writing a short book on a topic that's related to your product or service. For example, if you sell gourmet puppy food, you might consider writing a book titled, "Training Secrets That Will Have Every Puppy Housebroken and Learning Basic Obedience in Less Than One Week!"You could even offer a special video that complements your product or service. For example, if you sell barbecue equipment, you might offer a video that teaches people how to perfect their barbecuing technique.
Offer someone else's product! Probably the fastest -- and EASIEST -- way to add new products to your site is to join another business's affiliate program and recommend their products in exchange for a percentage of each resulting sale.Selling affiliate products can be a very lucrative way to increase your sales, especially since you don't have to spend any time or money developing a new product of your own!To learn more about joining affiliate programs, go to:• www.associateprograms.com• www.refer-it.com• www.affiliatesdirectory.com... or check out IMC's top-rated affiliate program at www.marketingtips.com/assoc.
Whether you create brand-new backend products that complement your existing products, or sell other people's products through an affiliate program, you need to know how to target the right products to the right customers...
Divide and conquer: Segment your list for maximum effect
"Segmentation" simply means dividing your list into smaller, more focused groups so you can send mailings out to more targeted audiences. It's one of the most effective ways to market products or services on the Internet because it allows you to send product offers ONLY to people who are extremely likely to be interested in them.
And, as backend offers obviously go only to previous customers, you can create messages that are specifically tailored to them based on what they bought, when they bought, and other pieces of personal information you've collected from them.
This allows you to create messages that are highly targeted and, importantly, highly PERSONAL.
After all, it makes sense that people respond favorably to offers that are tailored to their own personal wants and needs. (That's why I opened that email from Amazon and bought the book they offered me!)
In fact, a study by MarketingSherpa shows that email marketers who use segmentation have a 72% higher click-through rate than those who don't divide their lists!
We learned firsthand how effective this technique is a few years ago, when we decided to conduct a little marketing experiment. We took a small list of our customers and split it in half, then sent an email to each group that was exactly the same, with only ONE exception.
The subject line of the first email read:
Here's all the info you need
The subject line of the second email, which had EXACTLY the same body as the first email, had been customized to display the recipient's name. For example:
Bob, here's all the info you need
Now, we had a hunch that the personalized subject line would do better than the generic one. But what we discovered surprised even us! The email with the personalized subject line had a response rate 64% higher than the one without!
And that was the ONLY difference between the two campaigns! The body of the email was identical in both cases, and so was the offer. It was that one small change in the subject line that boosted the response by 64%!
As you can see, if you HAVEN'T been personalizing your email promotions, now is definitely a good time to start. Can you imagine what a 64% increase in sales and profits would do for YOUR bottom line?
Of course, you can personalize the body of your email as well as the subject line, and you can use ANY information you've collected about your customers and subscribers, not just their names.
For example, let's suppose you run a travel company and that you know which of your customers are single young women.
Using this information, you can create a promotion that caters specifically to them. You could start your email off like this:
Hi Susan,
I thought you might be interested in learning about the special "Girls' Weekend in Vegas!" promotion we're currently running.
For the low price of just $500 each, we're inviting you and three of your friends on an all-inclusive weekend in America's favorite party town -- including your airfare, hotels, and meals -- PLUS a chance to whoop it up at all of Vegas's hottest night spots!
By sending out such a specifically targeted promotion, you're bound to see greater results than if you offered a general promotion to a large, untargeted group of people.
And once you learn how easy it is to do, you'll be kicking yourself for not getting started sooner!
Final thoughts
The bottom line is, if you're not offering backend products to your customers you're losing out on 30% to 50% more income.
That's because if you sell only one product, your profits will always be limited by the number of new customers you take on.
It takes a LOT more time and money to acquire new customers than it does to sell new products to your existing customer base, so selling only one product can really eat into your profits.
Because you know what kind of products your customers like, it's easy to create brand-new backend products that complement your existing products, or join an affiliate program and sell other people's products.
And if you segment your customer list to target focused groups of customers with products that will appeal specifically to them, you'll show them you understand their particular needs -- and they'll thank you for it by buying more products from you, and staying loyal to your business for years to come!
So that's why, when I'm asked, "What strategy will most help increase my Internet marketing sales?" my answer is always... "Backend selling!"

Small Business

Why the Best Internet Marketing Strategies Are Flat-out Useless Without This Unsung Hero of the Business World

Even if you master each and every one of the best Internet marketing strategies out there -- sales copywriting, search engine optimization, email marketing, and the rest -- they're not worth a dime if you forget about customer service.

It's a strategy that every truly successful business knows about and pays careful attention to... because the one thing ALL successful businesses have in common is customers. Satisfied customers.

Today, I want to show you how to make every one of your customers a satisfied customer -- so happy that they'll return again and again, AND send new customers your way.

I'll look at several proven ways you can do this, including:

• Reducing the risk for your customers to get more sales

• Going that extra mile to get more repeat business and more referrals from delighted customers

• Providing great after-sales support to keep customers coming back

• Personalizing your offers to make your customers remember you

• Listening to your customers to keep them loyal to your business

So let's take a look at some great examples of customer service from across the spectrum -- online, offline, retail, service, hospitality... anywhere the customer is Number One!

Why good customer service is ESSENTIAL for online success

There's an old saying in business: A happy customer will tell one or two people, an unhappy one will tell 10!

So it pays to keep your customers happy -- and never more so than when doing business online.

In the Internet age, a seriously ticked-off customer might not only tell 10 people, they might also write a lengthy rant on their blog, post comments on other people's blogs, write a negative review of your site on a shopping web site, or criticize you on forums and message boards. Or all of the above!

In extreme cases, some unhappy customers even start web sites or blogs devoted to airing their grievances about a particular company. Microsoft, UPS, and Wal-Mart are all among the -- mostly corporate -- targets of customers with a grudge.

While small businesses are unlikely to be targeted in such a way, the viral nature of the Internet means that a negative comment about your company can spread faster than a fire in a matchbox.

And worse, once something has been written about you online, it's very difficult to get it removed. This means that any prospective customer who decides to "Google" your business name could come across it.

So, while good customer service might cost some time and money, bad customer service costs you prospective customers and their lifetime value. Think how much losing even just 10 sales would cost you, and compare it to the extra sales you'll gain from making your customers happy.

And case study after case study shows that building good customer service into a business also increases efficiency, as well as sales.

The stronger your guarantee, the more sales you'll generate -- guaranteed!

The guarantee offered by mail-order retailer Lands' End, simply says, "Guaranteed. Period." Shoppers can return their items anytime and for any reason.

It's a customer service strategy that serves them well. In fact, they market their company on the back of it, calling it, "The most watertight guarantee in the business."

And just in case you think Lands' End is a big corporation whose strategies don't apply to you, I should mention this has been one of the foundations of their business since they were a three-man operation doing mail order out of their store basement.

Most importantly, Lands' End stands by that guarantee... to the extent that one of their catalogs featured the story of a man who returned an antique car he'd purchased... several years after he bought it!

First of all, the company sells clothes, not cars -- he'd bought the car through a special promotion. And second, he'd been driving around in it for a while. But, by honoring the guarantee in such a way, they turned the story of a returned car into a marketing vehicle for their excellent customer service.

And it worked. Here you are reading about it!

You can be sure that the goodwill and word-of-mouth publicity generated by accepting such an "unusual" return more than offset the cost of refunding the car buyer.

That's the lesson here: A strong, well-written guarantee -- one you stand by unconditionally -- is not only good customer service, but it is proven to actually increase sales by...

• Removing any risk on the part of the buyer and giving them the confidence to buy from you.

• Boosting your credibility as a trustworthy seller who believes in your product, and who's willing to back up your belief in it.

Now, some people worry about being ripped off by unscrupulous buyers who purchase an item, get everything they want from it, and then return it to take advantage of the guarantee. It happens, but not often -- as long as you offer an excellent product!

At IMC, we've been offering a one-year refund on our Insider Secrets course for years -- and only very rarely does anyone take us up on the guarantee.

Our tests show that you'll receive fewer returns with a one year guarantee than with a six-month guarantee, and a six-month guarantee will bring in fewer returns than a 30-day guarantee.

Bottom line... the stronger your guarantee, the more sales you'll generate -- and the fewer returns you'll actually get.

Keep your customers coming back by providing MORE services than they expect

Why not go that extra mile and provide EXTRA services that add value to your offer? These are often known as "loss leaders" because, while they may cost you a little extra up front, the payoff comes in the form of more referrals and more repeat business.

Or you can even use your excellent customer service as part of your offer and charge a little more, knowing that your customers will be willing to pay the extra for all the services you provide. (This is something well worth testing.)

Take the example of a dry cleaner I read about recently who offers the best customer service possible to keep people coming back to him... and it turns out that his customers are more than willing to pay a little more for the many extra services he offers.

Instead of just taking dirty clothes from customers and returning them spick-and-span, this dry cleaner decided to offer his customers much more, including:

• Free pick-up and delivery

• Folding or hanging cleaned clothes according to preference

• Wrapping shirts in plastic with a piece of cardboard to help maintain their shape

• Providing a sturdy laundry bag (with his logo on it, of course!)

This guy understands that his customers are busy, and anything he can do to make their lives easier will be appreciated -- and be worth paying more for.

So he not only cleans clothes, he provides convenience and turns a tedious chore into a pleasant and painless experience.

And does providing great, value-added customer service like this work in terms of retaining customers and attracting new ones? You bet... I found this story through a happy customer's blog!

The other interesting thing about this story is that the dry cleaner advertises some of his extra services, but not others, meaning that his new customers are often very pleasantly surprised by the extra services they receive.

And ALL customers love to be surprised with a little extra bonus they didn't expect!

An example from the online business world is a recent IMC Secrets To Their Success story -- David Kern of ApplePoly.com. He sells a nutritional supplement derived from apple peel, and gives away a free mini-sample of his product with every order.

Is it worth it?

Definitely, according to David, who says, "Our cost is a few dollars. One new client is worth hundreds or thousands in lifetime value. I like the math!"

Provide killer after-sales support to get more repeat business

Another way to over-deliver is to provide excellent AFTER-SALES support.

One mistake many business owners make is that they think their job is done after that first sale. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A quick after-sales email or phone call to check that everything is OK with a purchase can be really appreciated by customers. It can also relieve any feelings of "buyer's remorse" they might have, reinforcing the positive feelings about your business they had when they originally bought from you.

And, by checking in with your customers, you can find out a lot about how they use your product -- and what they like and dislike about it -- so you can refine your product and marketing. You can also head off any problems BEFORE they become complaints.

Or why not just say, "Thank you" to your customers? Don't try to sell to them. Just send them a letter or email thanking them for their business and telling them that you value them as customers.

The fact is, you spend so much time and money promoting your products to get that first sale that it's worth spending just a little extra to make sure your new customers come back, and tell their friends.

Make it personal: Keep track of your customers' likes and dislikes and they'll be back

What's the one word that is guaranteed to turn your head when you hear it?

Your name.

Think how nice it is when a bank teller greets you by name or a hotel receptionist remembers you from a previous visit.

The fact is, personalizing your communications with customers is another proven marketing AND customer service strategy.

But personalization doesn't just mean addressing your customers by name. It also means providing -- or at least appearing to provide -- personalized service.

Like the garage that makes a note of when your next car service is due -- and sends you a letter or calls you with a reminder.

Or the corner store owner who remembers that you like a particular flavor of canned soup and orders more in for you.

Or the coffee shop barista who remembers your favorite drink!

Personalization is one of the oldest customer service strategies in the book... because it works!

Later on, I'll tell you exactly how you can use this strategy to build a more personal relationship with your online customers.

Listen to customer concerns and ACT ON THEM... or else!

If there are two things that define BAD customer service, it's these:

1. Not listening to your customers
2. Not acting on any complaints or concerns

Ignoring customers when they complain or raise a concern, and then not doing anything to remedy the situation is a surefire way to destroy your reputation.

Most of your customers are reasonable. They know that things go wrong, that people make mistakes, and that sometimes things happen that are simply unavoidable.

But, they still like you to acknowledge that you've made a mistake, and to know that you'll do your best to keep it from happening.

That's why good restaurants will give you a free bottle of wine if your meal is late in arriving, or provide a free desert if they get your order wrong, or replace a poorly prepared dish -- no questions asked.

Because if they DON'T do those things... well, would you go back? Of course not. And you'd probably tell your friends and co-workers not to go their either. Whammo. Lost business.

So, if and when a customer complains, here's what you need to do to avoid potentially losing not only their future business, but that of anyone else they tell about the situation:

• Don't hide -- make it easy for someone to contact you with a concern

• Remember, the customer IS always right

• Be quick to acknowledge and apologize for any mistakes

• Tell customers what you have done to remedy the situation and to make sure it won't happen again

• Don't offer empty apologies -- use your judgment to decide whether you should offer a refund or other compensation

The blog software provider Six Apart famously offered their Typepad blog customers up to 45 days worth of free blog hosting as compensation for a period of serious disruption to their service.

They did lose customers, but they also retained many who appreciated the gesture.

Sometimes, just acknowledging your mistake and apologizing IS enough. On the flip side, the cost of NOT listening to your customers can be severe.

Making your customers happy makes your job easier -- and more profitable!

Now that you've seen how important customer service is to your business, here are some simple strategies to get you started:

Step #1: Automate your sales process to keep customers in the loop.

Use autoresponders to thank your customers for their order, welcome them to your opt-in email list, and send them order confirmations and other transactional emails like, "Your item has shipped" notices.

Customers have come to expect these courtesies, but not everyone online bothers.

And you can even add a surprise element to these customer service emails by including a coupon for money off their next purchase, or some extra information they'll find relevant to the product they've bought.

Autoresponders also let you send follow-up after a customer has bought from you to ask if everything is all right and if there's anything further you can do.

Even though you can create these autoresponders in no time, they make customers feel that you're paying attention to them.

Step #2: Create a comprehensive FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

An FAQ answers most of the questions people might have about your products or services. You should put it on a page on your web site, and create an FAQ autoresponder (an automatic email sent to any customer who emails a particular email address, such as info@[mysite].com).

To make your FAQ most effective, don't just make up the questions and answers -- keep track of the questions that customers or site visitors actually ask, and answer them.

With those common questions taken care of, you'll be freed up to spend time giving personal attention to the 10% or so that require it.

The people who find what they need in the FAQ are satisfied immediately, and those who need something extra get it without having to wait a long time for you to get around to them.

The more quickly you handle their concerns the more impressed they'll be.

And you'll also stand out in the crowd -- a recent Pelorus Group study found that a shocking 42% of retail web sites take five days or longer to respond to customers!

It's often the times when you respond to a customer's concerns promptly and personally that generate a huge amount of goodwill for your business... and more referrals.

Step #3: Make it easy for people to contact you

There will always be times when a customer needs to talk to or email someone directly, so don't hide your contact details away in a dark corner of your web site, and always provide contact information on every message or newsletter you send out.

It's also a good idea to put your phone number at the end of your FAQ so people can contact you with any questions not covered in your FAQ.

You can even create a Customer Service page on your site that includes your FAQ, the names and email addresses/phone numbers of people who can help, and other relevant information.

Step #4: Personalize and segment your email messages

I can't say this often enough: Use your customers' names in your email subject lines and in your messages.

Only 4% of marketers personalize their messages, according to Jupiter Research, and yet personalized messages have almost TWICE the click-through rate of non-personalized messages.

As an online business owner, you can personalize your communications with customers in many ways, including:

• Personalizing emails with names and other pieces of information you collect

• Sending customers personalized birthday offers

• Sending customers details of new products you know they'll be interested in. (In its Consumer Email Study, DoubleClick reported that 43% of the respondents would respond to "purchasing recommendations based on past purchase behavior.")

Step #5: Ask your customers how you can serve them better

People love doing short surveys, and it's been shown that customer satisfaction is higher among people who have been asked what they want, even if their answers haven't been acted upon. Just asking what your customers want and how you can make your service better makes them feel listened to.

Actually acting on their suggestions and improving your service is gravy!

Final thoughts

Good customer service doesn't cost much. You don't have to spend a fortune giving away free products or large discounts.

Even a small gesture like thanking customers for their business can help maintain a positive vibe around your business.

Because, no matter the cost of going the extra mile for your customers, it's worth it to avoid them spreading negativity about your service... or just never coming back to buy from you again.

Good customer service forms an impenetrable force field around your company, protecting you from the crippling damage poor customer service can cause.

And automating your everyday customer service tasks frees you up to respond to real concerns or complaints -- making your overall customer service even faster and better.

Remember, if you treat customer service as one of the best Internet marketing strategies available to you, and really work at it, your customers will pay you back by returning again and again... and by telling their friends about you.