Last week I began a short mini-series on how various "Small Small-Business "sectors ("SSBs") can get the most from SBI!. In my opening preamble, I noted... While every *kind* of SSB uses Site Build It!, they are not all using it perfectly. Everyone "gets" the Action Guide. And the Action Guide provides great strategies and ideas for affiliates, and for people selling services -- two very big market sectors for us. However, SBI!'s extensive range of features provides so much value that we are consequently seeing more and more folks from all kinds of SSB categories coming on board... http://build.sitesell.com/tips/buzz/list-services.html Not all have adapted SBI! for *optimal* results for their particular category. And it's important (for you and us) that SBI! delivers *all* the success that it is fully capable of, when utilized effectively. Last week, we highlighted Network Marketing. If you missed it, don't worry. It's now available in the Tips 'N Techniques HQ at Site Central (link to it from the TNT home page under the title, "Big Picture Approach for Major Small Business Sectors"). Today we continue with another important and unique sector... Locals Business Opportunity With Local ClienteleAt first glance, you might think that the Net can offer few opportunities for a business that has its clientele restricted to a small geographic area (i.e., *local* business with *local* clientele). After all, the Net is known as the "global medium."So let me ask you this question to get the ball rolling. How much information about your business can you *afford* to insert in a Yellow Pages ad? Exactly -- minimal. For most locals and small business owners, it's the bare minimum as each additional word adds to the expense. Advertising is something you accept as a costly but necessary fact of life. Or I should say... that *used* to be the thinking. Some
local businesses are bucking the trend by using the Net to
their advantage.
A Web site offers locals businesses a very cheap and effective way to...
That is... *if* you do it properly. So let's start looking at how you can get your Web site *working* for your locals businesses.The strategies to leverage locals presence are slightly different from those businesses who want global exposure. For the most part, your online efforts go hand-in-hand with your offline promotions. One needs to enhance/complement the other. -----SIDEBAR----- Just a quick aside... Some locals business prefer a combo approach. They also want to generate a secondary affiliate income by recommending related products/services to a world-wide audience. For example, a chimney cleaning and fireplace installation business refers global visitors to his Web site to "Do-It-Yourself" books and manuals. Short term, this may not be on your radar. But keep it in mind for future directions. -----SIDEBAR----- We'll begin with the most fundamental... Strategy #1 -- Provide high-value content on your Web siteContent is what *credentializes* your business. Even in locals environment, not everyone will be familiar with the quality of the product or service that you offer (or, for that matter, that you even exist!).A Web site gives you the chance to clearly show visitors what benefits/solutions you are offering and what makes you the best choice. Unlike an ad, there are no space restrictions due to cost concerns. Add locals flavor to your content -- make an emotional connection. This reinforces you as a "neighborhood" business belonging to the same community or region as your target audience -- a feeling of being "from the same neck of the woods." Quality relevant content reflects a quality business. It's as simple as that. Strategy #2 -- Optimize your Web pages using your geographic area as one of your keywordsMore and more people are choosing the computer over the Yellow Pages when it comes to selecting the people with whom they do business. So optimize your pages according. For example (if you are a service seller)..."the service(s) you provide" + "geographic area you serve" If you search for: art, or artwork, Bornholm, you will find this local business... Artwork Bornholm You may recall (from a previous issue) that that's how we found a bagpiper who lived only a few miles away to play at a curling bonspiel. Our bagpiper gained a new customer plus we've referred him to others... an additional "word-of-mouth" bonus for him. -----SIDEBAR----- Make sure that you do not optimize your pages for the "name of your business," unless your business name contains the keywords for which you wish to be found. For example... Optimizing your pages for... "D.J. Smith & Sons" + "Kingston, Ontario" ... is not as good as... "D.J. Smith & Sons Bulldozer and Excavator Services" + "Kingston, Ontario" ... since the people who are unaware of your existence will only search on "bulldozers" + "excavator" + the name of your local area. Simple, right? -----SIDEBAR----- Strategy #3 -- Promote Your Site Wherever And WheneverPeople have an inherent interest in their local community, and in what's going on directly around them. They will visit a local Web site, *if* you make sure they know about it. And once they are there, it's your business they see, not your competitor's.Train your staff to promote your SBI! site to all your current offline customers. Your Web site URL should be in prominent places throughout your place of business, as well as on...
The key is to be creative about how you get eyeballs to your URL. One fast and easy method is to staple or paper clip your business card to every receipt you print off, every credit card slip you return. Don't hesitate to ask your customers directly for their e-mail addresses and let them know that you will be sending them news about your business periodically. You can then manually enter their addresses to your mailing list. In this case, the path to your site is through your e-zine. (An opt-in e-zine, as you will see next, warrants a strategy of its own.) OK, with those basics covered, your focus and efforts need to turn to...
And how will you do all this? It's on to... :-) Strategy #4 -- Publish an opt-in e-zineAn e-zine is not optional for locals business owners. Regularly scheduled communication...
My local landscaper, for instance, could use his e-zine to remind me when it's time for spring cleaning... and for aerating/fertilizing the lawn, too! Because of his prompting, I book an appointment for both services. His April schedule begins to take shape easily, quickly and ahead of time. Always be guided by the "*give* before you take" principle when your are developing your e-zine. No matter what your business, there is always something of value you can provide your visitors. My landscaper (to continue with the same example) could provide a section on seasonal tips -- the best spring bulbs for the local climatic zone or the opportune time to plant new shrubs. Your readers (present or future customers) *will* appreciate it. And they'll show it by re-ordering. They'll also tell others about your business, and how cleverly you are using the Net to grow! And with that, the buzz begins to build. I can't over-emphasize how integral and essential an e-zine is for a local business. It truly *is* a lifeline that you can use to run your business better, as well as encourage some real local "buzz" or excitement. Best of all, SBI!'s comprehensive e-zine building process makes building attractive, riveting newsletters a snap! Special Tip: As mentioned earlier.... get your customer's e-mail address. Sure, offer a subscription page on your site. But how about asking them to sign up for your zine right in your shop... in your garage... on the special form by the cash? Don't just leave it there for them to fill out -- ask them. Tell them about the specials they'll receive, the relevant news updates, whatever it is that you deliver. Now, even if they don't visit your site (at first), *you* can visit *them* by e-mail! Strategy #5 -- Offer special "Web-only" discountsGive people a reason to go to your site often. Present it in such a way that it's the *only* place they can access particularly inviting discounts on a continuous basis.This "carrot" encourages viral word-of-mouth buzz, *and* regular repeat visits "to see what's being offered this week." Most local business Web site owners make the serious mistake of throwing up another "About Us" Web site. This simply serves as a Yellow Page ad lost in cyberspace. Yes, perhaps your clients may visit once out of curiosity, but they'll never visit again. After all, why bother? Without a valid reason to re-visit, people simply won't. An inviting and enticing Web presence worth visiting again and again requires regular updating to keep it fresh and attractive. It means being proactive -- staying ahead of the game. This restaurant owner is certainly on the wrong track with content like this... "Welcome to the Bear's Den Inn Online. The Bear's Den was opened in 1979 by chef Joe Smith. Featuring the best in regional cuisine, its main room seats 100, with a banquet room with space for an additional 100, blah, blah, blah..." Yawn. Bye-bye. Your clients already know who you are, where you are, and what you do. (After all, that's why they are your clients, right?) Instead, create a powerful incentive for your locals visitors like this...
Or one of these... See how this focuses on "what's in it for me?" So update the specials, your entertainment, and your offers on a weekly basis. If your clients are thinking about visiting your establishment, and login to your site to check out the week's specials, they will not be impressed to see that the site hasn't been updated for a month. A serious loss of credibility that is preventable. Or here's another angle... Have your updates reflect the season (if applicable). Are you a car mechanic? Rev up your own site so that it's in sync with all the major seasonal tune-ups and maintenance that you do and recommend for your client's vehicles. -----SIDEBAR----- If you have locals business (or know someone who does), the single best publication on this topic is Sharon Fling's e-book... "How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet" If you're familiar with SiteSell.com, you'll know we don't make recommendations often, nor lightly. And we never promote. But I am a big believer in the importance of the Net to locals businesses. And I hear Sharon's voice as one of the first in this wilderness. Her voice is clear, sharp and original. So I'm doing something that I've never done before, and likely will never do again... We've arranged for you to buy the book at 50% off the posted price, by giving up our affiliate commission of 50%. You can buy it at... http://geolocal.com/ss/sitesellspecial.htm You can read more about the book at... http://www.localbizpromo.com/ And, of course, Sharon won't mind if you prefer to buy it at full price, which you may do so by clicking to her order page! ;-) Either way, "How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet" is a fantastic must-read publication for anyone wishing to use the Net to expand a local business. Highly recommended!... Find Out How And Go Promote Your Local Business On The Internet! -----SIDEBAR----- No matter how you slice it, your main goals as "locals*
businesses owner (after you build your site around the core
concepts outlined in the Action Guide) are...
Do it now, though. The Net is a far more powerful business-builder than an offline Yellow Pages ad, or any other single promotional tool at your disposal. Actually, your site works well *with every other marketing method* you use (including your Yellow Pages ad). Follow the above SBI! strategies -- you'll grow like mad. But it's only a matter of time before your local competitor does it as well. So get the most out of SBI! now. Go step by step through the Action Guide. Use and expand upon the specific locals-business-oriented strategies that were outlined in this issue. Be proactive. Stay on top in your neighbourhood and/or region! Building Offline BuzzThe Buzz is building! We can hear it from here!All SBI!'ers can earn 25% commission fees... AND a 25% rebate... AND (for SBI'ers ONLY) a $50 EXTRA ***BUZZ BONUS***. How? Just buzz. Spread the word on Site Build It! OFFline! Who better to benefit from SBI! by spreading the word than YOU, who knows the amazing power and ease of SBI! best! Read more about local BUZZ in the TNT HQ... http://build.sitesell.com/tips/buzz.html -- If you're not already a 5 Pillar Affiliate, join the Club...and go local ....... and build the buzz! :-) Written by Ken Evoy, M.D., President, SiteSell.com (c) copyright 2003 SiteSell.com "How Can the WORLD Wide Web Help My LOCALS Businesses Which Has LOCAL Clients?"Have a look at the new site for the largest locals Biz-specific market...An 1-2-3 Step-by-Step Strategy For Selling SBI! OfflineHere is the first of two different strategies that I’ve used selling SBI! offline with great success:Time Required: 45 minutes (+ or -), depending on people’s response.
I start off by mentioning my own success with SBI!. (I keep this
very short – maybe 2 sentences. It’s not about me; it’s about them.) I’m
not doing this to boast. I want to give people an idea of how successful
they could be in a relatively short period of time.
I mention that my main reason for having the info session is to share with
them this amazing system that I wish someone had told me about years
ago.
I do not want people to think that I am "desperate to sell". I mention that
they are under no obligation to buy this product. Many of them are my
friends and business associates and I see them on a daily basis. I don’t
want any "bad vibes", etc.
My attitude is "It has worked for me – it can also work for you".
What SBI! Is Not
What SBI! Is
Who Should Not Buy SBI!?
Who Should Buy SBI!?
How Does SBI! Work?How does a website make money if it is not selling anything? Most people have a problem getting their minds around this question!I only discuss 2 ways of monetizing a website – Google AdSense and Affiliate Commissions. I stress the fact that all monetizing strategies rely on visitors. More visitors = more money.
Affiliate Programs
For information about the Remote Order Entry Program, see… https://secure.sitesell.com/prot-bin/affiliatescripts/affiliateClubMoreInfo.pl?affsbiorderpage You will need your username and password to log into the 5 Pillar Club. It’s worth your time to use the Remote Order Entry FormI've lost the commission on a sale that I processed from my own notebook because I thought I would be credited with it as long as I processed the order from my own link (my unique affiliate RR URL). But my machine obviously is cookied and someone else got the sale.I don’t want you to do all that hard work to close the deal and then not get credited with the sale. The Remote Order Entry form is the best way to process sales offline. Everyone appreciates a freebie.I then hand out CD’s which includes all the free SBI! material I can find. You can even customize their free pdf books with your RR URL. Details about this are in the Free Book Build section at the 5 Pillar Club… https://secure.sitesell.com/prot-bin/affiliatescripts/affiliateClubMoreInfo.pl?bookbuilditnewI also include a Word document with a list of the different Sitesell landing pages. All of this has my affiliate code in the links ;-) People are then free to leaveFor those who indicate that they are ready to purchase, I’ll process their order on the spot.Most people, however, prefer to do more research. Many would like to discuss this with their spouse. Many send their spouse to the next info session and then they buy. I share my mobile phone number and encourage them to contact me if they have any questions or would like to discuss anything further. Many ask me whether I think they or their wife/mother in law etc. will manage this. This is a difficult one as it depends on the individual’s brains and motivation – the BAM. Most of the time I’m confident that they’ll manage as everyone I invite are actually already "screened". Once everyone has leftI send out an email to all of them with the links to the Sitesell website. Most people contact me within a day or so. The ones I don’t hear from I’ll phone and ask if they got my email and whether they’ve managed to follow the links to get more information.If they don’t show any further interest, I leave it there and never discuss SBI! with them again unless they initiate the conversation. In one case, this has taken about six months before the individual was ready to buy. Using this approach, I’ve had a very high conversion rate. This is the "short" sales pitch! If this is of value, please let me know in the "Offline Techniques" Forum, at the following thread... http://forums.sitesell.com/viewtopic.php?t=20227 I will write about my second longer strategy. This session typically carries on for nearly 2 hours. It has had a 98% conversion rate. Let me know what you think. Kind regards Anne-Marie
|
