Today's Feature Article

Website Marketing Mistakes Smart People Make

by Raynay Valles

You have invested your time and money into putting up your company Web site. Your prospective customers are out there somewhere and you want to make aware of your site, your address, what you offer and why they would want to visit.

You have some ideas, but you don't want to waste money. How can you avoid mistakes other smart Web site owners make?

By reading this article, of course.

I'm going to outline several tactics that DON'T work. By the end of this article, you'll save time and money (not to mention avoiding throat-clinching disappointment and frustration) by skipping these Bad Ideas.

Bad Idea #1 - Let's get more traffic to get more sales.

Seems reasonable at first glance. But it's not always the best course to take. How well does your site sell now? What's the sales conversion rate of your Web site? If your Web site is inefficient at converting 100 visitors into customers, it will be inefficient at converting 20,000 visitors into customers.

For instance, I may find a client's Web site converts 1 percent of their visitors to customers. If we can boost that number to 2 percent, they have doubled their sales without spending more money marketing. When they DO spend money on marketing, they still convert the higher percentage of their visitors to customers.

Bottom line: Take a look at your conversion rate before you increase traffic. What can you do to boost it?

Bad idea #2 - Let's just buy thousands of visitors.

Many emails I receive start with "I paid for 10,000 visitors and I didn't make ONE sale. You'd think I'd make at least one sale"

Many instant "traffic building systems" DON'T work. Why?

You've seen pop-up windows. Many times these traffic building systems automatically pop open a browser window showing your Web site. That counts as a visit. Yes, a person who wasn't looking for what you sell and was in the middle of doing something else. So, of course, they close the annoying window.

Bottom line: You have other options to build traffic. The goal is to get a return on your marketing dollars. You want the throngs coming to your Web site to BUY.

Bad Idea # 3 - Where can we buy some banner ads?

Here's the skinny: Targeted banner ads are placed on sites that have visitors who may want what you offer. Even these banners typically get .3 of 1 percent click through. That's 3 clicks per thousand views!

Bottom line: If you absolutely want to do banners, only do them if they are free. By free, I don't mean banner exchanges where you pay by putting banners on your site. By free I mean free as part of your own affiliate program for example. There are better tactics to spend your time and money on.

There you have it. Three common Web site marketing mistakes you can avoid. This frees up your time and money for things that DO work.

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Raynay Valles is an online marketer who turns non-performing Web sites into Web sites that sell. Raynay Valles finds the shortest distance between you and getting your target audience to visit your Web site. She also helps Web sites that already have traffic find ways to make money. Her solutions are custom-designed to your Web site and your budget. You can find out more at http://www.jawdrop.com or email her at rvalles@jawdrop.com

Today's Motivational Reading

The Way to Treat Others--and Yourself
by Gerri Smith

Whenever you try to explain to someone how you want to be treated ask yourself if your explanation is really accomplishing anything.

Are you using up your energy talking to a salesperson who really doesn’t care what you are saying? Are your words to friends, family, neighbors or prospective clients going in one ear and out the other? Does your partner quietly listen, then go right on doing the same things you object to again and again? By applying creative behavior, you can begin to receive the treatment you desire.

Learn to develop a collection of effective behaviors that puts your whole self where your mouth is. Teach others to eliminate habits which impose on you. Teach them that you will not allow yourself to be hurt or powerless by them when they are only behaving as you’ve predicted. Live your life as you choose-- -teach others to treat you the way you wish to be treated.

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Gerri D Smith, Publisher and host of an online Personal and Business Improvement network. Distinctive Business Women’s Link is tailored for women business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready for inspirational and motivational support; resources, and lots of benefits. It's a whole new business adventure. Free gift to first 200 members. Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com gerridsmith@msn.com

Subscribers' Corner

Do You Think Like An Entrepreneur ?
by John Metcalfe

Ask yourself this question.........

What thoughts go through your mind when you see that classy blonde lady, or that smartly dressed gentlemen going past in their really expensive flashy sports car ?

I have found from personal experience that what thought's go through my mind, don't necessarily go through everybody else's mind. This may be obvious to you, but wasn't to me at the time..

When I see that classy blonde in their flashy, expensive car, or that smartly dressed gentlemen at the wheel, I ask myself the following question's amongst many others..

This last question is one I really wanted to do just recently.There is a locally well known wealthy gentleman who lives in my home town of Whitchurch, Shropshire, in the UK a small town of only 10,000 residents.....

He drives a beautifully sleek sports car and has a fantastic whitewashed mansion with a ornate statue in the front garden next to a slowly trickling fountain..

I was out riding my bicycle on a glorious mid summer afternoon, when I passed his sleek automobile, parked next to a derelict house he was rebuilding in the country.

As I passed him I had an incredible urge to STOP, introduce myself and ask him some of the question's that I have just mentioned. On this particular occasion I didn't actually stop and ask him these question's, as he was talking to one of the builders. The point that I am making is that I actually WANTED to stop and talk to him....

I wanted to discover what made him tick, how did he think ? what did he do ?

On a more personal level with moderate Internet success with my own business, I found myself in a position to be able to buy myself a reward for 2 years hard work on my business. I bought myself a sports car that I had always wanted. This was a car I had only dreamed of owning. I have only ever owned a normal family car up until then..

After I purchased the car and proudly drove it home to show my wife and children, I thought to myself, I wonder what type of reaction would I get from my neighbors, family and friends ? This was because I live in a NORMAL small house, on a NORMAL UK housing estate where there are no sleek sports cars...

What I discovered Shocked Me!

My neighbor took a whole 7 days before he looked me in the eye and said "Hey John... that's a beautiful car you've got there" Up until that point he had avoided eye contact with me as I parked it in my drive, as he pruned his garden roses..

Even my own brother I'm sorry to say, didn't even comment on my car when he saw it...

Now whether this was just jealousy, or whether they just weren't interested in what car I had bought, it just struck a chord that some people will instantly say to themselves " Look at that so and so in his sports car, who does he think he is " and other people like myself will look up to them, and realize what work went on behind the scenes to generate the money to buy it....

Entrepreneur's almost always without fail, look up to people who are successful, and don't get filled up will jealousy and resentment...

Ask yourself the same question the next time you see them...!

John Metcalfe 2002

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WARNING! You can make a very comfortable living operating your own Internet based business. And I'd like to teach you how! Subscribe to John Metcalfe's Free Secret Marketing Study newsletter read by subscribers from around the world. Click here now subscribe@secretmarketingstudy.com?subject=e

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