7 "Quick Fixes" Every Marketer Needs To Know About

When your profits begin a downhill slide or just seem at a stalemate, you scratch your head and ask a thousand times, "What am I doing wrong?"  Well, the truth is that you may not be doing anything "wrong", but there may be some things you could do to bring about a change.  The next time you're up against a brick wall, try implementing these techniques into your marketing campaign, and watch those blues disappear!

1.  Change Your Advertising Focus

Hey, everyone is a prospective customer, but let's face it... not everyone is interested in what you have to offer.  Why waste advertising dollars on those who don't even pay attention?

Find your niche.  Identify the audience with the greatest need for what you have, and learn all you can about them.  Become a specialist who knows what they need, and advertise directly to them.  You're customer conversion rate will soar!

2.  Be Unique.

There are plenty of copy cat marketers out there trying to mimic the success of those around them.  Sometimes it works... sometimes it don't.  But the fact of the matter is that the more unique you are the more attention you will get.

What isn't your competition doing?  Yeah, try that!  Chances are they can't or aren't willing too.  That's your key to success!

3.  Offer a Bonus.

Who will pass up a freebie?  Add these "on the house" products to your sale to sweeten up the deal.  The freebie doesn't need to be anything too big, or cost you anything.  Just the idea of the bonus will increase the perceived value of the purchase in the consumers eyes.  And yeah, they're all looking for the best buy for their buck!

4.  Gather Follow Up Info.

Most customer don't make a purchase the very first time they walk through your door, but don't let them escape your clutches.  Find out who they are, and how to contact them in the future.   The longer you keep a line of contact open with them, the more trust you build up.    Sooner or later they'll be back and ready to buy this time!

5.  Wipe Out The Risk Factor.

The biggest reason people hesitate before making a sale, is the lack of confidence that they are making the best choice.  Hey, no one wants to invest in a product that doesn't live up to its name.  In fact the fear of making a bad choice is greater than the desire for the product.

You can totally eradicate the risk factor for consumers by providing an unconditional money back guarantee.  When you guarantee satisfaction, they won't be so hesitant to get out their wallets and commit themselves to the purchase.

6.  Be Diverse.

The buzz word in the Internet Marketing realm is Affiliateships.  Affiliate marketers find products that are related to their own products, and offer it to their customer.  The customer wins because he can learn more about the product he is investing in, and you win with commissions for an easy sale.  After all, it's much easier to sell to a customer with his wallet out and open than to build a relationship with a brand new customer.

7.  Keep Your Eyes Peeled.

Marketing is an ever changing entity.  The Internet has brought tremendous change to the way we do business and advertise.  It's wise to keep your eyes peeled for new advertising methods that will add to your profit margin.  A word to the wise:  don't go too far out on the limb.  Keep 80 percent of your marketing budget working on the tried and true methods that have made you successful, but use the remaining 20 percent to test for ways to increase your advertising success.

These seven tactics can bring even the most sluggish marketing problem to life.  Try one or all of them and watch your sales begin to climb once again... or even for the first time!

3 Winning Sales Strategies You Can't Market Without!

1. Attention-Getting Ads Get Results

Think about it...how many advertisements do you hear every day...how about every hour?  Let's face it, we're bombarded with magazine ads, newspaper ads, TV ads, radio ads, and the Internet is plastered with ads on every site.  Not many of the astronomical number of advertisements stick with us, and make an impact.  How can you make your ad STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD?

"           Make a dramatic statement:  "Even my dog knows  ...."

"           Surprise them with the unexpected:  "Use for 30 days totally free..."

"           Ask a thought provoking question:  "Is your current insurance costing you hundreds of extra dollars every year?"

"           Use high impact headlines - it's important to snag their attention right away.

2. Get Personal

How many times have you been caught in the cycle of automated phone services? Yeah, you push 15 numbers and end up back at the main menu and never did talk to a sales rep.  People are hungry for personal interaction in the marketplace.  Look for ways to make your business a personal experience that your customers will appreciate.  Get to know something about the people who walk through your doors.  Let the people who visit your website know something about you.  Yeah, it's easier to trust an individual than a huge impersonal company...and trust is crucial to building a pool of loyal customers.

3. Paint a Picture

Ah, the end of a hectic week has finally arrived!  As I lock the doors on a still cluttered office, my mind wanders to the many things that will demand my attention this weekend.  I long to just escape the demanding voices...escape to the waters of the lake across town.  It would be like heaven to plop myself across the back seat of a boat, and watch the sea gulls dip and dive as the waves rock me peaceful to sleep. Yep, I can almost hear the sound of their splashing when the clang of metal alerts me to the fact that I've dropped my keys.

Put your customers on the boat.  Yeah, painting word pictures that capture their emotions will be more effective that the raw facts of the benefit your product offers. Describe what the benefits will do for them, vividly and in great detail...get them panting for the end result.  Paint your way to a sale!

Think about it...the 3 tactics we've talked about deal with human emotions or behaviors, rather than your product itself.  Yeah, when we affect the inner part of the customer, our sales are likely to see great results... and hey, they'll feel good while they’re writing out the check!  What more could you ask for?

3 Popular Niche Marketing Misconceptions

Specializing in Niche Markets has never been as crucial as it is today. Long gone are the days when you can target general, broad markets and make money from them.

To make money in today's Internet Marketing environment, one must specialize in well defined niche topics.

Lets examine a few misconceptions when it comes to niche marketing.

Misconception #1: You do not have to be an expert in the Niche field you choose!

Everyone says you should only choose a Niche that you are an expert in...nonsense!

The Internet is so impersonal that you can easily appear as an expert and not know anything about that particular niche topic. The key is to appear as an expert. How? You can outsource, build niche sites with no interaction such as blogs, purchase resale rights to an ebook in a particular niche. You see, you can choose to profit from any niche you like.

Misconception #2: Choose one niche market and stick with it.

Not true! Once you establish yourself in one niche and develop a profitable system, choose another one and run with it. You can even choose a pen name if you like, it's common practice to do so.

Niche marketing is a numbers game. Once you find a profitable niche put it on auto-pilot and choose another niche market to get into.

Misconception #3: The best way to make money in the niche game is to promote niche products as an affiliate.

Wrong again! Sure, becoming an affiliate and promoting niche products can be very profitable, but if you are doing this, you're not maximizing your income.

You need to promote your own landing or squeeze page where you collect the e-mail address of the visitor, and then sending him or her to the niche product you are promoting. You should also send out an e-mail course with informative information pertaining to that particular niche market to gain the visitors trust. Since your subscriber now trusts you, you can recommend products in that niche again and again, knowing your recommendation holds a lot of weight.

Those are three popular misconceptions when it comes to niche marketing. Follow the tips above, and you will be more likely to succeed. Remember, it is important to find a profitable niche, set it up so it is on auto-pilot, then move on to the next niche.

Not all niche markets will be a slam dunk, so don't get discouraged.

Even if one out of ten become really profitable, sit down and smile, you've hit the jackpot.

Never Forget That Your Customers Have a Choice!

People don’t like to be taken for granted, irrespective of whether they are giving freely of their time and resources or whether they are paying for them.  Make a customer feel taken for granted and just expect his or her business to keep coming your way, and you will lose him or her forever.

Customers have always had choice, but in today’s global markets they have more choice than ever before and a greater willingness to use it.  With so many alternative products, services and suppliers to choose from, and access to what are sometimes significantly cheaper prices, no buyer in his right mind is going to stick with a company that doesn’t offer excellent value for money and first-class service, no matter how long they might have dealt with a particular supplier in the past.

Often what happens when companies have been doing business for years is that the supplier begins to rest on his laurels, believing that for the customer to change suppliers would simply be too much hassle and inconvenience.  A new supplier who is keen to steal away his business, however, will go out of his way to ensure that that transition is as smooth and trouble-free as possible and that the customer suffers no inconvenience whatsoever.    

Even if your customers appear to be totally loyal to your firm, never make the mistake of taking them for granted, as there is always someone else who will quite happily come along and show them how much their patronage is valued.

No Enthusiasm … No Sale!

One of the essential requisites of a successful salesperson is enthusiasm.  After all, if the person doing the selling doesn’t feel inspired and excited about the product or service, how is the customer supposed to feel enthused?

Of course, not everyone is naturally enthusiastic at heart, but for those who are, their passion and interest show in every fiber of their being.  When they talk, their eyes light up and their tone of voice can barely contain their excitement, and all of this is incredibly infectious.  While the bored salesperson drones on in a monotone voice that makes the potential buyer want to show him or her the door, the enthusiastic salesperson just keeps on selling.

The salesperson who works in an ever-changing and dynamic field is at a natural advantage because there are always new offerings to help them maintain their sense of keenness.  In more traditional or static industries, it is essential for companies to help keep that fire burning.  Regular sales meetings, which are aimed less at discussing targets and whether they have been met and more on inspiring and exciting those on the front line, are essential if a sales force is not to grow stale.

3 Must-See Keys For Expanding Your Business

1.  Team Up

No one knows your market like you!  What are the main characteristics of your target audience?  Find someone else out there who isn't a competitor, but who reaches the same class of customers that you do.  Team up with them to do joint promotions!

We all know that two is better than one.  The dramatic end results will be an effective and cost-cutting advertising venture the nets both of you a nice profit. 

I once dealt with a veterinarian who promoted a local dog groomer... who in turn promoted the local veterinarian.  Yeah, it's kind of a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" set up, but hey it works for both parties.  Think about it... customers are going to feel that the dog groomer is in the know about who the best vet in town is, as well as trust the vet to know who is the best dog groomer in the area.  Sure, it's a win, win situation for both the groomer and the vet.

2.  Dig Out New Niche Markets

Niche markets are everywhere, right under your nose!  Within the customer audience that you serve right now are groups of people who share common traits.  Think about it... maybe you have a group who speaks Spanish, a group of teens, and a group of middle class family men and women.

Evaluate these classes of people, and discover the unique needs and desires they share.  That will set you up to customize your advertising campaign directly to them.  It's not hard to take your current ads, and make a few changes to adjust to the niches.  They'll be impressed that you understand THEM, and the increase in your profits will be the best thanks you can get.

3.  Hop On The Latest Trends

Get in on the first floor of the latest trend... before your competition becomes aware of it.  Be a leader in the industry!  Hey, Internet marketing is still profitable all around, but businesses who jumped on the band wagon early in the game got the best proceeds for their insight. 

We're not talking about dropping everything and making a mad dash!  Wise marketers add to their already profitable businesses when they see the "new and coming" techniques.  Keep the customers you already have on board, and add to your existing products and services. 

You can quickly and easily strengthen your business and push out the competition by adding new layers to your existing business, teaming up for joint promotions, and discovering new markets to reach.

Mobile Advertising

With billions of people sending more than 12 billion text messages every month, it should come as no surprise that mobile marketing is fast becoming in a main staple in marketing campaigns. And big businesses aren’t the only ones who are benefitting.

Small businesses can leverage mobile marketing and use it to see a dramatic increase in their marketing ROI by using mobile to reach their target audience in a specific geographic area.

The possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to ways of connecting with your customers and/or prospects via mobile. One great example – an ice cream shop owner uses mobile marketing to send a mobile coupon or text message for a free ice cream cone on your birthday.

It doesn’t matter if you have a standard brick and mortar business or you are strictly an online presence, mobile marketing can connect you with the audience you need