If you have ever read forums about SEO, you will probably have come across complaints of SEO killing content on the internet. What people are referring to in making complaints of this nature is the type of websites that have been set up purely for SEO benefit. You have probably come across such sites, even if you haven’t realised it at the time. They’re sites that have headings all over the place stuffed with keywords.

The articles it features often have the keyword repeated in every sentence to the point at which it sounds frankly stupid. But good SEO is good for content.

Here’s how to prevent SEO from killing your content:

• Remember why you set your website up. Remember its goal and make sure that it still fulfils that goal. The SEO should be something you do to your website. It should not be your websites.
• Write for a human reader. Yes, include your keywords. But build them into your content. Do not build your content around a keyword. It’s humans who will read your site!
• Make people want to come back! What’s the point in getting your site to the top of the search engines for any word if your visitors won’t come back? A lot of visitors finding their way to a website with abominably bad content will lead to bad press and no returning readers!
• Keep your content unique. This is great for your readers and it’s great for SEO! Why should someone visit your site to read something when they could visit any one of millions to read something similar? Make your material stand out.
• Make your website informative. The more relevant content you write, the more your keywords will be present and the more easily search engine crawlers will be able to decipher the relevance of your website to the words you are targeting. But, more to the point, the more you are then giving to your readers as well.

The internet is fundamentally for humans – not bots or crawlers. And search engines are designed to help people to find good, relevant information on the topic they are searching. There aren’t many people who particularly appreciate searching something and then spending time sifting through spammy, over keyword-stuffed material. Good content is imperative to the sustainable success of a good SEO campaign!

Robbie Jeffreys is an online marketing expert. For more information visit SEO Manchester.

“Google Sandbox theory” – It is one of the most confusing issues that webmasters have to deal with while trying to optimize their new sites for high search engine rankings. The reason why the “Google Sandbox theory” is confusing is that it is just a theory, and is without official confirmation from Google that it actually exists. Without being able to verify the existence of the Sandbox theory, much less its features, it becomes very hard to devise strategies to combat its effects.

The term “Google Sandbox theory” came into existence around early 2004, when webmasters around the world began to notice a pattern with new websites, whose domain names were registered around this period. The pattern was that new sites, even after being optimized and having lot of quality inbound links, were not ranking well for their selected keywords. Also in few cases new websites (websites that came into existence during early 2004) that ranked highly for certain keywords, were either dropped from the index or ranked extremely low for their optimized keywords.

So what is the Google Sandbox Theory? The Google Sandbox is a filter on the search engine’s algorithm that has a dampening influence on websites. It is a common notion in the industry that the Google Sandbox effect decreases after a certain period of time due to website aging. However this is far from true. Actually, the effects reduce over time not on the basis of website aging, but on link aging.

Link Aging implies the time from when you start acquiring quality links for your website. Thus, if nothing is done, your website may not be released from the Google Sandbox. So it is important to follow the strategies mentioned below to minimize the time spent in the Google Sandbox:

It is beneficial to start the link building process as soon as the website is created and not making the mistake of waiting for the website to be perfect to start this process. The sooner you start the link building process, the sooner your links will age and the sooner you will escape the sandbox.

Try to establish a long term link building plan with specific targets for each week, day or month. It is important to get themed links rather than hundreds of “junk” links. For example contacting 5-20 link partners per day and setting a target of acquiring 30-40 links per week.

Finally the most important factor is to avoid the black hat SEO techniques at all cost, because with the constantly evolving Google’s search algorithm, penalties for breaking the rules may keep you stuck in the Sandbox longer than usual or get banned.

Debbie Everson is the CEO of SearchMar.com, the leading provider of search engine optimization, social media & online marketing solutions to over 2,000 small businesses. Read my SEO Blog. Follow me on Twitter or call 866-885-6263 for a free consultation.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com, Debbie Everson

Getting your website listed at the top of the search results for a competitive search phrase is a dream for most marketers, but it doesn’t have to be if you’re willing to do what it takes and are consistent with your efforts. This article is going to reveal the techniques you can use to get your site ranked in a very short time.

One of the most important elements to a top listing in Google is doing the proper research. After all you don’t want all your hard work going to waste on a search term that gets no searches each month. Using Google’s free keyword tool that can be found with a quick search on Google is probably the best place to start.

I do recommend purchasing a good keyword tool once you start to make a little profit as it will greatly increase your chances of finding a keyword phrase that will be easy to rank for. Once you have a keyword phrase you think you could profit from you need to start producing content on your site with that keyword phrase in the title, heading, and throughout the content without stuffing it.

Your next step is getting inbound links from a variety of different sites using your keywords as anchor text in the links you build. One of the easiest places to get incoming links is through article directories like EzineArticles it is also a great place to start getting some traffic to your site. Another great place for links is social bookmarking sites there are thousands of them online.

By consistently building incoming links your site will climb to the top over time. Sometimes you may see it make big jumps in its climb and others it will seem to be stuck. Or it will bounce around for a while until it settles where the search engines feel it should be. The trick to getting it to the top is to not worry too much about where it’s at, but to keep building incoming links on a daily basis as well as adding more content to the site as the days go by.

Jo is not only an expert in article marketing he also has other interests like his latest website that can be found at roundkitchentables.org where you can find information and reviews on the best round kitchen tables you can purchase for your home.

Article Source: Jo_R_Green

The law is intended for the email distributor sending unsolicited messages

The President recently signed the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. This law is a positive step towards fighting spam while making it easier for legitimate email marketers to comply with anti-spam laws.

The law is intended for the email distributor sending unsolicited messages, using deceptive practices, or distribution of sexually orientated material, as the title suggests, Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003.

What You Need to Know about the Can-Spam Act

While this new law will not stop spam, it does make most spam illegal and ultimately less attractive to spammers. The law is specific about requirements to send commercial email and empowers the federal government to enforce the law. The penalties can include a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Most e-mail list servers already comply with a number of features of the new law. We do however, highly recommend that you contact your provider, or your attorney for additional details on how to ensure you are in compliance with the new law.

Key points that will keep you out of trouble:

• Use a permission based list (opt-in), which means that you don’t have to comply with the unsolicited email requirements stated in the law.
  This law does not seem to impose any regulations on permission based email lists. Although, the concepts below are ideal for any type of email list.
• Falsifying Headers - “Do not use misleading email header information (Often used to make filtering spam difficult or to attempt to hide the senders identity)”
• Valid FROM Line Email – “Your email campaign’s “From” address should be verified and accurately identify you as the sender (In English, You can receive e-mail from the stated “From” address)”
• Subscription Removal Function - “Include the ability for your subscribers to opt-out of future emails, promotions, and/or eZines”
• Misleading Subjects and Material - “Make sure that your email campaign’s “Subject” line is straightforward, not misleading (Do not use catchy phrases just to increase the chances that your email is read)”
• Respect Remove Requests – “Any unsubscribe requests that come to you via a reply to your email must be honored within 10 days of the request”
• Alternate Contact Information – “The new law requires that all email campaigns include the sender’s physical address”
• Sexually explicit material – “Requirement to place warning labels on commercial electronic mail containing sexually oriented material”

Included in the federal law is an option for the FTC to institute a “Do Not Email List” and for the feasibility the list to be determined no later than September 2004. For many reasons, the solution that has worked so well for phone numbers does not work well for email addresses. The FTC recognizes these issues and will be cautious in the way they proceed.

More Information on the Can-Spam Act of 2003 and e-mail marketing practices

Read the federal law, If you have specific questions about your organization, we recommend that you contact your attorney. Click Here to download the attached printable PDF Version

Signs are a very common type of marketing. Everywhere we go we see signs. Billboards, car stickers and a whole lot more! This is a great way to get your product or company seen by millions. Outside advertising, such as this, is a cost effective way of getting your product noticed.

Everywhere you go you will see signs and advertisements, billboards on the highway and bumper stickers on the backs of cars. These become so common that sometimes we don’t really realize we are looking at them. But the message still sinks in; we read them and remember and a really good sign can really get the point across.

Larger Signs

Billboards and large signs are everywhere and they do not have to be as expensive as they once were. You can find, make or buy very affordable billboards and signs to use to market your company or product.

If you are a little cautious about this method you can always rent the space for a short period of time to test the waters. This is also a good idea if you are not sure of the most effective location for your sign. With a little trial and error you can make sure you have the best sign in the best place.

Bumper Stickers and Posters

Cheap and effective, what more could you want? Try handing out stickers to customers or in a public place, you will be surprised how many people will display your sticker and give you free advertising. Smaller sized posters are also a lot cheaper to produce and can therefore be used in greater quantities to capture a wider audience.

Moveable Advertising

The most common type of moveable advertising is clothing, although pens, umbrellas and mouse mats are equally effective. By giving out these gifts you will encourage customers to advertise your product as they go about their daily business.

This type of advertising can be done relatively cheaply and with excellent results. Never underestimate the power of outside advertising.

Scott F. Geld is the owner of Marketing Blaster, Inc. , a pay-per-click traffic source that repeatedly beats the major search engines in conversion ratio and ROI.

by Scott F. Geld
www.MarketingBlaster.com

You’ve got your Ecommerce site all set up and you’re ready for customers. But where are they? Now the real work begins! You have to attract customers to walk into your Web store? How are you going to do that? Here are some ideas:

Submit Your Web Store to Search Engines

Begin with the major search engines and directories, for example, Google, Yahoo and so on. After that, find out which other search engines are more specific to your line of business and submit to them. Once that’s done, you can submit to the others that are available.

Cross Link with Other Web Sites

Contact other sites that attract a similar type of customer that you do, and cross link with them. Sites that are related but not exactly the same work best. For example, if you sell flooring, find a site that sells floor cleaner to link to related, but not the same.

Purchase Links

Some successful Web stores sell links to their Web sites. Their traffic level could be high enough that it may be worth it for you to pay for a link on someone else’s site. You’ll want to consider this carefully though, and make sure that there is good potential for attracting new business this way. MarketingBlaster.com also sells direct links in a number of categories for only $5/month.

Offer Affiliate Programs

An affiliate program simply means that you allow other Web sites to market your products or services. You still fulfill the orders, but you pay your affiliate a commission for each sale they generate.

Posting to Newsgroups

The strategy of posting to newsgroups is not as popular as it once was due to the level of Spam that newsgroups get. But it still may be worth some investigation. Be sure to choose your newsgroups carefully and only post when you have something of value to add. Remember, your signature acts as an advertisement for your Web store.

Keep Your Content Current

It’s very important to keep your content fresh and change it regularly, so that visitors can expect updated information when they visit your site. They’ll keep returning if there’s always something new to read about.

Email Marketing

Make sure your site visitors have a way of leaving their contact details on your Web site so that you can Email them offers, information or newsletters in the future. The list of names generated from this technique is probably your most valuable resource. Make sure that when you do send Email to this list that it is worth your recipients while to read it. Too much contact of too little value can drive customers and potential customers away. Never be guilty of spamming.

Use an Email Signature

Create an Email signature file that includes the URL of your Web store. Every Email you send to anyone is an advertisement for your business.

Put Your URL on Everything

Your URL should appear on every piece of communication your company puts out. This includes letterhead, envelopes, business cards, packaging, invoices, labels, brochures and catalogues. This is publicity and it’s free!

Scott F. Geld is the Vice President of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com. Contact him for all of your direct link needs and for highly targeted PPC traffic. MarketingBlaster.com

by Scott F. Geld
MarketingBlaster.com

1. You don’t offer free original content. It’s important to give your visitors information they can’t find any- where else. If you’re the only source for a certain type of information, people will flock to your web site.
2. You don’t offer free software. Most people like to find good deals on software for their computers. If the software is free, that is even better.
3. You don’t offer a free contest or sweepstakes. It’s a fact, people like to win things. If you can fulfill that need, people will stop by to visit.
4. You don’t offer a free directory. Create a directory of web sites on a particular topic that is related to your target audience. People will visit because they will find what they’re looking for, all in one place.
5. You don’t offer a free e-zine. Most people love to get free information that they’re interested in emailed to them on a regular basis. This saves them time and money.
6. You don’t offer a free community. People like to have a place were they can have discussions with others on a particular subject. You could add a chat room or message board to your web site.
7. You don’t offer a free affiliate program. One of people’s basic needs to survive is money. When you offer them a free opportunity to make money they’ll line up to visit your web site.
8. You don’t offer a free online utility. When you offer a utility that can solve a problem, people will visit your web site. The utility could be a free autoresponder, e-mail account, search engine submission, etc.
9. You don’t offer free current information. Supply news stories related to your web site. People want up-to-date news on the topics they are interested in. They will also be interested in visiting your web site.
10. You don’t offer free samples of your product or service. Have you ever been to a store and you jumped at the chance to get a free sample of food? This same concept will also attract people to visit your web site.

Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and direct links starting at just $20. For more information, please visit: www.MarketingBlaster.com

By Ivan Kelly

Targeting a niche provides focus for your website and has great appeal to search engines as it gives them a better idea of the sort of traffic they should send you. Try to determine where your market is. Are they parents? Retirees? Home owners? Pet lovers? If you are selling art supplies you may find hobby sites will cater to your audience. If you sell information for do-it-yourself projects you could show up in home decorating as well as financial sites (‘Save Money on Home Building Projects!’ for example).

Targeting a niche also means that your visitors will be aware that you are able to provide the sort of information they are looking for, hence they will bookmark your site for future reference and think of your site when looking for products that are related. As well, if the content of your site impresses visitors, not only are they likely to return but they may well recommend your address to their friends.

With a targeted niche, you can have more confidence when contacting your customers about new products, industry news or specials – and this is without postage costs or time consuming envelope stuffing.

There are a number of tools that will help you to find a niche that is likely to be profitable. WordTracker is a top grade tool that requires a subscription but there are a number of keyword analyzers for sale that will assist. A useful free one is Good Keywords. These tools are especially useful for identifying keywords that are attracting traffic. In other words, they indicate the level of interest from the public. Some of the commercially available tools will also give an idea of the level of competition that will be facing you. Search in Google under keyword tools for details of programs currently available.

Invite your subscribers to recommend the site to friends who are interested in the topic. Even better, have a place on your website to tell a friend’. Your visitor will enter their own name and email address as the sender of the message to avoid spam complaints. However, a warning – do not start emailing the invitee unless they sign up personally for your newsletter.

Niche sites will really benefit from a newsletter. Create an appealing free gift, such as a special report or how-to manual, that they will receive with their subscription. By providing valuable information related to your topic you will gain the trust of subscribers. By contacting them at least several times a year – up to once a week if possible – they will be reminded of your website when looking for information or products in your niche.

Be sure to create a website that has informative content. Incorporate the keywords (words or phrases visitors type into their search engines) into the content to improve your place in the search engines.

Also, if you write articles about your particular niche, that will help to set you up as an industry expert’. If you don’t feel capable of writing them yourself you can hire a ghostwriter. End the article with your name, a comment about your business and a link to your website. Submit your article to relevant article directories or ask if website owners would like to use your contribution. Be sure they agree to keep your name and website link intact.

You may find discussion groups that cater to your market. Involve yourself in their conversations and attach a signature with your website address if the policies permit. Be careful not to advertise on these forums; however you may be able to offer your free items when the situation allows.

If you are expanding an existing off-line business by setting up a webpage you may find your most valuable contacts right in your store. Make some brochures or cards that announce your online presence, or ask customers if they’d like to sign up for your online newsletter.

Whether you are following the advice of top Internet Marketers or if you just happened to have a business that caters to a very specific target audience, you must be able to find them, and they must be able to find YOU. If your website has focus, this at least makes it easier for your audience to hear your call. Then you can consider the nooks and crannies where THEY abide!

One of the joys of niche marketing is the luxury of tapping into a favorite hobby, occupation or expertise and building a business around it. Focusing on a niche also makes it EASIER to channel your energies and appeal to an enthusiastic audience. And possibly make a profit.

Ivan Kelly managed a Direct Mail business with extensive mailing lists for ten years and has designed and promoted many websites. He also provides quality f’ree courses on key internet marketing subjects. A list of these f’ree courses is available at: WebStartAdvisor.com

Learning about your potential customers is fundamental to any marketing plan. All business people know that marketing is fundamental to the number of sales that a company will make. Before you can start advertising, you need to know who you are targeting. Without this knowledge you will waste a lot of time and money.

This is not as hard as it may seem to you at first. All it really takes is some organization and some researching skills. It also does not have to cost you a fortune to get the proper research that you need. There are many different ways that you can research your customers.

Determine who you are actually advertising to. Are you aiming to reach a small niche of people, people of a certain age or sex, or are you targeting a wider market? Big is not always best. Targeting a large market can be very difficult due to the diverse motivations that these people may have.

The aim of any marketing method is to make those receiving your advertisements feel that they want your product and they want it NOW! Creating this sense of urgency in a wide group can be very tricky.

Researching the customers is pretty easy. There are different ways of doing it. You might want to have them fill out surveys, observe them using the product and research why existing customers like you. There are different things that you are going to be looking for when researching customers.

You need to find out why existing customers like you so that you can use that to market to new or potential customers. You can ask questions such as why they use your product, why they choose your product, why your product is special and more. When it comes to marketing, the key to success if to find out what little thing makes your product or service different (and better) than others.

Consider how you are going to sell your product. Marketing is all well and good but it is equally important to ensure that your product is sold in the best way possible. Will you use a sales team, rely on storekeepers or sell over the Internet. All of these things must be considered as it will also help you to determine who your potential customers are.

Deciding on how you are going to target your audience is crucial to any marketing plan. Without this basic planning you cannot hope to achieve maximum sales of your product so get thinking!

Mrktin Phantasie is the webmaster and operator of marketing masterpiece inc. which is a premier resource for marketing information. For more information, go to www.marketingmasterpiece.com for questions or comments about this article, please visit: www.marketingmasterpiece.com

By Simon Townley

Because I’m a journalist and copywriter who also reads and writes blogs, people who don’t use the Internet as much as I do have started to ask me some searching questions of late. Some of them sound worried.

They have heard a lot about blogging and the impact it could have on traditional marketing.

One person even asked me (perhaps a little concerned) if PR teams will be replaced with bloggers. I don’t see it, I reassured them.

PR is also about managing people and that will always be important. The mainstream media isn’t about to disappear, and the majority of the population probably couldn’t care less about blogs. For all the hype, blogging should be seen as a potential addition to a marketing portfolio.

The place blogging may have its biggest impact is on areas of the trade press. There is a revolution in publishing taking place, sparked by the new forms of advertising such as Google ad sense. This has made it possible for someone running a blog site, with a staff of one and overheads of almost nothing, to start earning a living from their publishing.

If the blogger can get readers, then Google places the ads (relevant to the content) “ and you have a publishing business. This gives a lot of people an incentive to provide great content “ so that they get more readers, and more money from ads.

It’s just like the traditional press, but without the need for offices, advertising sales teams, HR departments etc.

This works best in niche areas. Soon, there may not be much need for magazines about new gadgets, or mobile phones, or ride-on-lawn mowers or whatever. Because the blogs have it covered, providing more up-to-date information and readers who are ready to buy “ and can simply click on the advert.

The everyday bloggers have a new-found power and are not about to go away. Some blogs now get millions, even tens of millions of readers a day. They are rivaling the mainstream media “ and if the US government can’t control them, what chance does a small company or even a big enterprise have?

Companies and blogs It’s still pretty early days for companies using blogs, and the whole thing is evolving. It will probably settle down into one more piece in the jigsaw, another communication channel that companies can use.

The style used in company blogs needs to be less written by committee and more personal and spontaneous.

Companies that try to use too much subterfuge in the blogging world are exposing themselves to a potential backlash. There’s a great emphasis on honesty in the blogging world “ for example bloggers will often end a post with a disclosure note which mentions any conflict of interest.

At a simple level, blogging can be seen as simply another way of publishing information on the Internet. It’s useful because it is so fast and it’s easy to get a range of people involved quite quickly.

However, there are real skills involved to good blogging. Not only does the writing have to be engaging, colorful, funny, informative etc, but the writer also needs to take account of search engine optimization techniques “ which basically means using the right keywords to ensure the blog shows up in the search engines.

At it’s most sophisticated, blogging is being used to create viral marketing campaigns “ to create a buzz around a product as though this were coming from ordinary people. This is a whole new field of marketing / advertising¦

UK copywriter and journalist Simon Townley has written advertising and marketing copy for hundreds of companies, including some of the biggest names in modern business. He can be contacted through www.simontownley.co.uk contact.htm. You can read and download more articles by Simon Townley, and which are free to webmasters, at: www.simontownley.co.uk. You are welcome to re-use this article on your website providing you don’t change it, you include my byline and you provide a live link to my website.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Townley

by Scott F. Geld
www.MarketingBlaster.com

Do you know how to really increase your sales & profits online? A guaranteed route to success used by many Internet marketers who turn a profit is to incorporate ezines & newsletters into their marketing strategy. Ezines and newsletters are a genuinely useful tool in the Internet marketer’s armory. They serve as a platform to communicate products & services to subscribers who have a qualified interest in a certain field or subject ~ either through advertising, product endorsement or articles and content. Some ezines offer free advertising – especially to new subscribers – whilst others grant advertising for a small fee. You can even purchase advertising space through auctions such as at www.ezineadauction.com.

There are several thousand ezines up & running on the web, so you are sure to find a bunch that have subscribers who match your target criteria. If direct advertising in the ezine is not an option, then contact the owner/webmaster and offer to write content in exchange for insertion of your tagline or URL, and ~ hey presto! ~ free advertising! Many owners are only too glad to receive help developing fresh content.

More success can be gained if you start up your own ezine or newsletter. Not only will you be able to advertise your products & services to your own subscriber base, but you can turn it into a profit center all of its own by offering advertising space to others! As recognition of ezines & newsletters as a valuable marketing tool increases, then you will find escalating opportunities to sell advertising space to people and companies clamoring to get on board and gain access to your subscribers.

A quick tip ~ A good way to add subscribers to your ezine is to advertise it in other related ezines and newsletters ~ this will build up your subscriber base very fast!

Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and leads: www.MarketingBlaster.com

Copywriting is basically the best advertising for such means as newspapers, websites, and more. It means, getting an impressive and clear message out to all your readers or audience, for the end result you need. Great copywriting will get your readers attention. It will reel in your prey like a fisherman catching a great big fish. Catching fish is just an example of the rewards of your labor. You need to attract your readers interest and keep it, just like writing an article. Readers may be looking for different information though. You need to think about all of their needs and interests as you do your copywriting. Then you can begin writing to facilitate everyone’s need at once while they read.

You can also use copywriting on the computer for search engine copywriting. Copywriting for the Internet is now very popular because people wants to have a site that generates plenty of traffic. A site that has strong traffic will be able to generate more possible sales. Let’s explore this more.

Search engine copywriting is all about re-jigging the content on your website so it becomes more appealing to the reader/customer but also is able to be searched and retrieved by the search engines. Writing for search engines takes skill and when it is done correctly you should receive higher search engine ranking and hence higher sales.

There are many sites that depend on search engines (like Google) to accumulate traffic. Search Engines take the information from your site and cross reference it with the keywords used by the surfer. Depending on how you write and lay out your content, depends on whether the search engine can retrieve your site.

There are companies out there that specialize in this type of copywriting. There is a lot involved in search engine copywriting. It is better to leave it to a professional. Although this service may be costly, the returns you will reap will well pay for outsourcing your copywriting. If you currently own a website, but are seeing little or no traffic it would be worth it to invest in hiring search engine copywriting services.

Tina Valiedi is Marketing VP and Chief Editor for MPStrategies Firm, a company whose breakthrough service unleashes the power of the internet to drive hidden potential clients to your site.

By Loren Beckart

The key to having sales pages that convert is to be sure you include a few essential elements. There is a basic formula to writing good copy that has been tested and is proven to work. Once you’ve created a successful sales page, you own a template that you can use repeatedly, customizing it to fit other products. Your template will be like having a golden goose.

If you writing the sales copy yourself, or you are hiring a copy writer to create your online sales page, these are the necessities for it to be effective.

The Headline: Most headlines include three parts. One: the pre-head is to set up the main headline by letting your target market know you’ve got what they’re looking for. Two: the main headline. Using the largest font you plan for any part of the page, describe the product’s main benefit for the buyer. Three: the post-head. You don’t have to have a post-head unless you want to elaborate or clarify the main headline.

Introduction: The first few sentences of the letter should grab the visitor’s interest at an emotional level. The introduction draws the visitor further into the copy, allowing you to make a presentation of your product and offer. To appeal to the emotions, show the reader the benefits of your product or service by describing how they will feel or how their life will improve once they own and use the product.

Credibility: On-line, this is especially important. Some ways to build your credibility include using specific and real numbers rather than approximations. Use results-based testimonials that include at least the full name of the testifier. Give your background and expertise, if it is related to the product. Explain product test results, if applicable, or quote favorable reviews. Always give your contact information and address – it proves that you’re real. No one is going to show up on your doorstep, and if someone calls you, all the better; you learn from contact with your clients.

The Benefits: Itemize the benefits of the product in a bullet-formatted list. Put them in some order of importance and include an overload. Often, it takes only one bullet to convince a visitor to make a purchase, but you don’t know which benefit will be that visitor’s hot button, so have plenty of possibilities. Use a bulleted list because it is easy to scan.

Features and specifications: You say, in effect, Here is what you are getting. This is what the product is. These are the details about the product.

Bonus: Include something valuable in addition to the main product. A bonus should be something that people might order the product just for the bonuses, but the bonus doesn’t have to be costly for you. Quick start guides or tutorials are good. Or be creative and joint-venture, including a free sample of someone’s introductory product. Give a specific value to the bonuses so you can use that during the value build-up.

Build-up of value: In addition to adding in the dollar value of the bonuses, be explicit about why the product price itself is a good deal. Compare to similar products that cost more or provide less. If possible, offer a guarantee. Counter any objections that might come to the visitor’s mind. Create urgency, either because you have a limited number of inventory, a limited time period for an introductory offer, or whatever. Just make sure that your urgency is real; if you give a deadline, keep to it.

Ordering: Make this absurdly easy. Assume the visitor has never ordered on-line, and give clear step-by step instructions and several options of how to purchase. Offer a secure on-line credit card page, Pay Pal, call to order, or how to send a check, (it is rare that anyone ever actually does this). And remember, ask for the order! Write, Order Now.

Post Script: In effect, this is a one-paragraph summary of your sales page, including a repetition of the most important parts. Also, ask a final time for the order.

Once you’ve reviewed this list, look for good examples as you surf on-line. Of course, you would never copy someone else’s sales page, not even a line of it. Instead, look for examples that inspire you, and write come killer copy of your own!

Event marketing is one of the more popular forms of subtle but successful marketing.

These days, events are a large part of the marketing mix for some companies. Companies are successfully using events for marketing and promotion, as they would use any of the more traditional forms of advertising to promote their products and services.

Event marketing provides a tangible experience for consumers by bringing them into a cohesive environment and consciously giving the people direct messages about the products and services. These campaigns are planned to bring people in close and direct contact with the products and it is targeted towards a smaller audience with a more focused, personal and customized message. Another way by which brands are publicized is by making the customers try the products at trade shows, sport events and concerts.

By bringing products and services directly to delegates at major events, a company is increasing the chance of sales, and sales leads at the very least. In a store, you might sell some products incidentally to people looking for something else. But at an event, where consumers can touch and try products, maybe even sample them, they are much more likely to buy. This is because experiential marketing holds the key to securing the dollar from today’s audience.

And not only can events help a company to pitch to a new audience, event can also help to solidify a relationship with an existing customer. Free entry to such as n event is often touted to an existing customer, if they might be able to gain a benefit from attending such an event. Knowing that they are more than likely to speak with your company about your products and service while in attendance is the key driver here.

Event marketing is a popular tool because it works on the premise of giving the actual experience of touch and try, and experiences are what stay in people’s memory. The demonstration of the product at the events should be such that has maximum audience involvement and interaction, so that people remember and recall your product later at the time of buying also.

Event marketing is also now a specialist career profession. People study at college and university in order to harness the special skills needed to host and run major events of all sizes and types. Event marketers are often employed by big business and contracted by SMEs, as all business now see the value of event marketing at a strategic marketing activity.

The author, Scott F. Geld is the Marketing V.P. for Marketing Blaster. Feel free to write him with any questions or comments about this article at: MarketingBlaster.com.

Marketing matters to your organization

Of course marketing matters to your organization. You know that planning your promotional activities makes sense. Creating a formal plan on paper might not be considered as essential but there are definite benefits to be obtained. Putting your marketing ideas down on paper can help to crystallize your thoughts and help in developing an overall strategy.

The contents of your plan

Certain basics must be incorporated into your marketing plan. They should include details of your product portfolio, competitors, current and potential new customers and any other issues that influence your organization.

Details of previous years’ sales, margins and marketing tactics are useful when redefining the organization’s aims for future projects.

Strategic Planning

In your written marketing plan, you should include the details of your company’s activities, explanations of how these activities work and how they affect the status of your company. You should figure in the numbers and projections for the future. Having all the numbers handy will help you track your progress and success.

The formal marketing plan should include information about all facets of the organization’s endeavors and how they inter-relate. It should also include forecasts regarding the impact of planned developments on the growth of the organization. Progress tracking is made easier if all this data is held together in the marketing plan.

As your marketing progresses, it is worthwhile having pre-defined milestones. By setting smaller targets along the way, you can identify, at an early stage what is working and what is not. This is particularly important if the tactics you are using are unusual or are new to your company.

If you are experimenting with an untried marketing method, you’ll want to attempt to plan for success as best you can. This methodology also holds true when promoting new types of merchandise. You need to define your goals and then monitor whether they are being attained. Taking a step by step approach often works well.

You might even be able to use certain software programs to our advantage to help you write the marketing plan. This will makes things a lot easier for you.

The author, Scott F. Geld is the Marketing V.P. for Marketing Blaster. Feel free to write him with any questions or comments about this article at: MarketingBlaster.com.