One of the more costly components of marketing on the internet is traffic generation. PPC is a very effective and fast way to drive targeted traffic to your site but it can cost a good amount of money. SEO is a great means to generate ‘organic’ traffic but often times to do this right you need to pay a professional to set up your site.

When most people start marketing online they are normally contending with limited financial resources. It is a well known fact that to get a successful start online you need traffic. So how can the typical start up entrepreneur generate traffic while minimizing their business costs? Let’s start with the free social networking sites found online and quickly narrow it down to one of the top social networking sites today; Twitter.

This mini blogging site can be a perfect source of free traffic for any business if it is used correctly.

Let’s look at 5 simple ways you can maximize the use of Twitter for your business purposes and all without spending a dime.

Look for Openings

When ‘bantering’ back and forth with other ‘tweople’ on this site participate in conversations that interest you or those in which you have something of value to offer.

Look for opportunities if available to share information about your business if it is related to the conversation.

Don’t Be Pushy

Don’t ever hijack conversations with your unwelcome ‘sales pitches.’ Even when warranted share your business information ‘casually’ and always have a reference link available to share with others.

Additionally be sure to share useful information about your industry that DOES NOT directly link back to your business. Also offer this information when most appropriate and not as an apparent ‘lead in’ to a pitch from you.

Don’t ever ‘push’ your way into a conversation and start marketing what ever it is you are promoting. It won’t work and will not be appreciated however it will be remembered!

Complete Your Profile

Share some of your personal interests and have a picture if you are comfortable enough with that to post in your profile. Let people know you are real.

Transparency is the key when participating at any social site. Think about it, it is a social site therefore if you appear ‘cloaked in mystery’ or ‘stand-offish’ little chance many will want to associate with you.

Now if you are however currently involved in the witness protection program or some type of espionage finding an appropriate avatar may work over the short term…

Personally if I have people who respond to me or direct message me and their personal info is ‘protected’ or ambiguous I discard them without thought. I like to know who it is I’m talking with.

Don’t Hide in DM

Direct messages on Twitter are good for those times in which the conversation is ‘truly’ private. For the most part you do want to have others see your posts even if they are not directed at them. Comments do not have to be directed at someone in order to attract them to your posts resulting in them following you. This is how you attract new followers and this is EXACTLY what you want to do.

Post Good Content

You want to supply useful or interesting content for the other participants but remember to be human. An insightful, well timed and perhaps humorous comment, if you are prone to those, will help to reinforce your ‘human’ side. Often times this will make more of an impact then the ‘structured’ content that is normally the result of research.

You are at a social site so socialize!

Marketing on the internet can be very lucrative but for the typical start up entrepreneur a close eye must be kept on business costs. One of the most critical components involved in this stage of a business’s life is traffic generation. Being able to attract targeted traffic to your business site economically would significantly boost the chances of a successful start towards getting into profit quickly. As we mentioned above tapping into some of the free social networking sites can help supply you with plenty of free traffic. In particular we spoke of 5 ways to make effective use of Twitter, one of the top social networking sites online today. By using Twitter in the manner mentioned above there is no reason your business could not experience profits early on with little or no investment in traffic generation.

Postcard marketing often tends to lack the personal feel of a phone call or face-to-face interaction.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When creating your direct mail postcards, try putting a photo of one of your employees (or sales reps) on the back. Make the card seem like it’s coming directly from that person. Studies have shown that these pictures nearly always boost response rates — and not just for postcard marketing. Emails, brochures, even TV commercials generate better results when they include a real person presenting the offer.

Your customers will feel more comfortable responding your postcard marketing if they think there’s someone specific they can talk to. It’s an immediate realization that, “Oh, I can talk to that guy,” or “She looks nice, I’ll give her a call.”

Faceless 800 numbers often intimidate customers, even if they don’t directly realize it. Almost instantly, that customer has decided they won’t respond right away. But behind that decision is the thought of calling your office, explaining the promotion (possibly to someone who won’t even know about it), waiting on hold, being redirected to others in office, and then re-explaining everything again.

Putting one picture of an employee in your postcard market eliminates the possibility of that thought process occurring.

It doesn’t have to a large photo. Just a small mug shot on the back and some contact information. To make it extra personal, include the person’s phone extension and email address.

So you think direct mail doesn’t work, eh?

Really?

Maybe it’s just you – because I’ve written a lot that’s generated some serious results.

And every day, junk mail arrives in almost everyone’s mailbox. So it must be working for someone.

There’s got to be a way – if only you knew how.

Do it right and it’s an easy profit maker.

Try these tips and I bet your next mailing will be a winner.

– 1 –

Be sure your list is good – not good, great! The list is the most important part of any direct mail campaign. YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE SELLING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE! If you are selling Elvis Presley Christmas ornaments, your list better be of Elvis Presley fans or people who have an Elvis Presley fan on their holiday list. If you only do one of the ten things in this article, this better be it. Use the right list and you are virtually guaranteed success.

– 2 –

Make the best offer you can – the offer should be the most prominent feature of your mailing. Its benefits should be stressed in the headline, depicted in the artwork, and reinforced on the reply card and outside envelope. Every prospect wants to know “what do I get?” Answer that question. Repeat it often. Make it as strong as possible. Don’t be afraid to pile it on. When customers think they are giving up a little to get a lot, they will buy big time.

– 3 –

Give a free gift – and don’t let your high school English teacher keep you from calling it a “free gift.” Yes, I know gifts are always free. But it packs a double wallop of benefit punch when you give your prospect this little bit of free redundancy. Offer a free report, free subscription, free consultation, free sample, free test trial, etc. Make your free offer a prominent feature in your mailing.

– 4 –

Make responding easy – offer a toll-free number that’s answered 24/7, have a web site with live chat, include a postage-paid envelope. Make these choices clear and explain the benefits of them. You could say something like, “Have questions about your order? Visit our web site right now and chat with one of our helpful customer service representatives. They’ll help you make sure you get exactly what you want.” Make sure order forms – printed or online – are easy to fill out.

– 5 –

Stress benefits – forget about you and focus on your prospect. What do they want? What do they REALLY want? Does your product help women lose weight and get in shape? Good – tell her she’ll look great at work, great on the beach, and great naked. Tell her that her friends, enemies, and that man she has her eye on will eat their hearts out with envy. Be a student of human nature and speak to what people really want.

– 6 –

Use testimonials – people feel better about trying something new if they know others have tried it with success. Have real people saying real things about the real success they’ve had with your product or service. Use the person’s complete name, title, and affiliation whenever possible. Example: Frank McCormick, President, Denison Bank & Trust.

– 7 –

Ask for the order at least three times – do it right away in your letter, in the middle, and at the end. You can always do this when you re-state features and benefits. For example, “When you call and order today you’ll receive not one, not two, but three bottles of CleanMagic for just $9.99.” Highlight the phone number or web site and tell the reader the benefits of calling now.

– 8 –

Give a deadline – they create a sense of urgency. Tell people they need to act now, supplies are limited, prices are going up, etc. Plus, be flexible with the deadline if someone responds late. If you can still fulfill the offer, do it. Your new customer will be extra loyal to you.

– 9 –

Take away all risk – offer a money-back guarantee, if they are not completely satisfied, no questions asked. Promise to refund all shipping costs as well. Reassure the reader that there is no risk and no obligation with phrases like, “send no money now” and “try it for 90 days” and “if you are not completely satisfied, return it, but keep the free gift with our compliments.”

– 10 –

Use an incomplete p.s. – the postscript is one of the most read parts of any direct mail letter. It will probably be the second or third thing your prospect looks at before they even read the letter. So use it to entice with an incomplete thought. Such as, “Don’t forget, your free gift is yours to keep if you visit our web site by February 7.” The reader will not know what free gift you are talking about and will look for it in the letter.

C’mon now, be honest. Have you really been giving your direct mail every advantage it needs?

In the world of direct selling, everyone is always trying to build a better mousetrap: a faster way to recruit, an even better compensation plan, amazing, instant leads, and a “Win” button. In reality, the core values and principles of direct selling have not changed in 100 years. It’s the technology and business processes that continue to evolve in order to better support these core values.

Most people simply want to belong to something that is good; something that recognizes and values them for their hard work, will praise them when they do well and will pick them up and encourage them when they are down. And yes, will pay them for their efforts.

Being this support structure has been, and continues to be at the core for all successful direct selling companies.
Technology and business processes continue to evolve in order to make it easier to provide a high level of service to your people. This should be the main goal for a company: making it easier to do business.

How do you make sure you are providing the best service? Build trust with your sales people, especially your leaders, and most importantly, listen to them. The people working the business will usually give you the best ideas of what processes need to be modified or where change needs to be made. If the biggest complaint is late deliveries, fix that problem first. Don’t give them another exciting toy that IT or marketing came up with when they are saying the biggest challenge is your shipping process.

When you ask your sales people what you can do to better their selling experience, often times the responses will be along the lines of “Get this tool”, “Work like this company”, or “Have these bonuses”. It is important to work past these replies to get a better understanding of what the real problems are. Otherwise, you run the risk of complicating things by offering the wrong solutions.

The party plan business model is successful because it blends fun activities and social networking with product sales and promotional opportunities. The beginner consultant is faced with numerous challenges when launching their first parties. Here are some examples of challenges you might face and suggestions of how to find efficient solutions.

Challenge:

One of the most common party plan challenges is the failure to invite enough guests to a gathering (party, show, event, etc.). The hostess may only want to invite a small number of people because he/she is concerned about having too many people attend and not being able to seat everyone. The reality is the potential that only two out of the seven people invited are able to attend the event. This results in the party not qualifying for hostess rewards or compensation for the sponsoring consultant. One or two of these “flops” and there is risk of the consultant giving up before he/she has a chance for success.

Potential Solution:

Have a simple training program or process to inform and educate new Consultants. Don’t rely on your Consultants to be the teacher. Lend a hand and help coach both the Consultant and hostess by providing advice and suggestions on how to be successful. Pamphlets, brochures, or videos are only a few ways to provide that information to your distributors and hostesses.

Challenge:

Consultants and party hostesses are unhappy with the administration time needed to enter and submit orders from a party. The consultants also feel their hourly earnings are reduced because of the time it takes to enter a party order. This causes a level of disappointment and takes time away from their personal life (and more free time was one of the benefits of being your consultant, right?).

Potential Solution:

Have a simple order entry process that allows the consultant or hostess to enter the information quickly. The emphasis here is on the simplicity of the order entry process and not a solution designed by your marketing department, who are often looking for an opportunity to bring in the latest and greatest complex gadgets. Your consultants may value speed of entry over having a digital barometer available on the order page. The real solution is most likely in the middle of widget-rich and spreadsheet basic. The key is listening to your consultants. If you are trying to establish a $25/hour opportunity for the new consultant, saving them time on the administration part of the business is much less expensive then changing your compensation structure.

These are pretty straight forward resolutions to common problems that you may have. The reality is life isn’t usually as simple, but things are easier to begin once you have a starting point. The key is to understand the core values of the direct selling industry and make sure your company is aligned with them. Once this is done, start to build trust with your field, starting with your leaders. Ask questions and listen to understand, not to confirm what you think you know. Make sure new consultants are factored into your plans, processes and business solutions, prioritize the issues and knock them out!