Ever land on a web site and jump back because you were startled by sheer horror of what you were seeing?  I have. Here are 6 examples off the top of my head - continue with caution! :)

1. Flimsy, Limp Handshake - this person has no confidence. They are so worried about "what if" they miss opportunities.   #FAIL.
2. Obnoxious Salesman - Pop-ups, flashing text, lots of bold graphics. #FAIL
3. The Programmer/Techno Snob - usually has mystery meat navigation, information is hard to find and scarce. #FAIL
4. Ultra ADHD - Too many choices, and so much junk that you get a headache trying to find what you want. #FAIL
5. Simple and Shy - extremely plain.  No call to action, or visually appealing anything to get you revved up about what they have to offer. #FAIL
6. The Wannabe - copies what other marketers are doing without understanding WHY they do it. They just want to make a fast buck.  #FAIL

Anyone can create a blog/website.  Over 20k are created every day.  Doesn't mean they should though.

Let me ask you... what are all 6 flawed marketers missing?

ENGAGING with their prospects.  Be where your customers are.

To be engaging means...

Always being LIKE-ABLE.
Do you know someone that everybody likes? Pleasant with an attractive personality. Is that person humble? A servant to others with a joyful attitude of giving?   Is this you?

Always be TRUSTWORTHY.
Do what you say you're going to do.  Be in integrity.  Think of businesses that are trustworthy... Amazon, Zappos, Apple.  Companies that have the distinct reputation for extraordinary customer service and satisfaction.  Have you done what you say you're going to do?

Always be ANSWERING.
Answering questions, responding to inquiries, offering solutions.  Be fast and frequent.  Typically 24 hours is a respectable turn around time.  How can you set up a system to always be prompt?

Always be THANKING...
...people for their RT's (re-tweets), comments, or sharing your material.  Stay in a state of Gratitude.

Always be LINKING.
Linking your content to your social media accounts, like twitter.  Twitter makes it easy for your peeps to RT or re-tweet your link to expand your reach.  And, think of others! When they RT, their @twitterhandle is tweeted too, so don't use all 140 characters.  Save at least 20 characters for the re-tweeter's handle to show up on your tweet too.

Always take PHOTOGRAPHS.
Facebook is the worlds largest website and what do most people spend time doing? Looking at pictures! So always take photos of events and opportunities - a cell phone camera is fine.

This is totally up to you! You can engage your prospects, build relationships and create evangelists for your business or not.  Or, you can continue to do the 6 Flaws and "interruption marketing" to piss your prospect off.  Whatever you do, just make sure you're in alignment with your visitors GOALS.  Help them solve their problem quickly and painlessly as possible. Your website isn't about you, it's about THEM

Now It's YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I'd love to know what you think!

A website can just be a digital piece of real estate unless you use this one tactic that will serve as the foundation of your website.  Google loves websites like this and your competitors will have one heluva time trying to compete.

The bottom line is that blogging is like sex.  You can’t fake it. You can’t fake passion. You can’t fake wanting to engage with the public. If you do, it will ultimately be an unsatisfying experience for both the blogger and their readers.”

–Kevin Anderson, Freelance Journalist & Former BLOGS Editor for the Guardian

Powerful quote wouldn’t you say? Yes. Very much so.

This comes back to one of the most effective activities you can do for your business – writing.  And, I’m not talking about writing a thesis. I mean a heart-felt 400 to 500 word article about what you know.

Fact: Blogs keep growing in volume and VALUE.

Writing articles/blog posts can only increase your status as an expert in your field.  Just ask Jeff Herring, known as “The Article Marketing Guy.”

Jeff sez:

Article Marketing provides the 5 components your need for online success no matter your niche. Article Marketing is your vehicle for Content Creation, Online Visibility, Traffic Generation, List Building, and Product Creation. With Article Marketing you can master all 5 of these components faster, easier and with less overall human effort.

Hey! less effort – I like that!

Some people freeze up at the thought of writing.  They think they’ll be penalized by the grammar police.  What really matters is getting your ideas down on paper/word document.  Let me give you some numbers to help you get over the fear.

Fact: Writing articles about what you know and posting them on your blog can increase your site visitors by 55%. *

Companies who blog generate 67% more leads per month than those who do not.**

Companies who have greater than 51 articles, create 77% more monthly leads.**

Blogging frequency has a direct and SIGNIFICANT impact on lead generation.**

Fact: Bloggers are “Morning People”

79% of blog readers read in the morning as opposed to 64% at noon, 51% in the evening, and 40% at night.***

Blog reading peaks around 10am, and LINK sharing around 7am.  Comments peak at 8am.***

One of the greatest writers on earth is Dan Kennedy.  Dan usually begins writing around 5am because that is when he has chosen to block out time to write.  Ideas floating around his head or not.  Sick, sleepy or sluggish. It doesn’t matter – he makes no excuses.

Bottom line: commit to writing, blog early and often.

*Source: Hubspot, 2010**Source: Hubspot,  State of Inbound Marketing and Lead Generation Report, 2010***Source: The Science of Blogging 2010

Now It’s YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I’d love to know what you think!

Really quick, here’s 3 action steps for you:

1. Start writing! 300-500 words is fine. At bottom of article is your “resource box,” be sure to put your 10 second commercial with a link to your NEW BLOG. (see #2) Post your articles to ezinearticles.com, blog, newsletter, read aloud to make a podcast, and Youtube video, post on facebook and twitter.

1. Go to WordPress.com and sign up for a free blog. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. If you get stuck – call me 419 775-7424
2. Grap a copy of Get Clients NOW! By CJ Hayden – create your own 28-day program and work it!

This is a really quick and inexpensive way to get yourself online.

How To Create A “Buyers Only” List

By Jimmy D. Brown,

Content is king. It gets to wear the crown. And sit on the throne. And rule the world. When it comes to establishing credibility, gaining trust and producing sales, content is royalty.

While I would never suggest abandoning the concept of delivering high quality content to your subscribers, there is another type of list composed of subscribers who couldn’t care less about content.

“What is this type of list?” you ask.

– > The “announcement list”.

I’ve been teaching about the “announcement” list since at least 2002 (on record at an event). And, yet, it’s a
widely untapped asset in most email marketing circles.

The main reason is: nobody’s teaching it. And so, nobody knows anything about it, let alone how to effectively
create one of these lists.

So, we’re going to revisit it.

What Is An “Announcement” List?

DEFINED: An announcement list is a list whose sole purpose is to “announce” (I.E. Inform, notify) when something new is available for review, consumption or purchase.

In other words, it unapologetically says, “Hey, I just released XYZ. Come check it out!”

Now, at first glance you may be thinking, “Who would join a list that offers no content and only sales pitch?”

If you say it that way, it doesn’t sound too good to me either! That’s why you don’t say it that way. Let’s take
a look at HOW to “say it”…

How About An Example “Announcement” List?

If you go to this site
or
http://infoprofitshare.com/go.php?offer=twc09&pid=34 you’ll find a textbook example of this concept. PLRSO stands for “Private Label Rights Special Offers” I established this list for the sole purpose of informing people anytime I have a new PLR offer available for them to buy.

That’s it.

I don’t send out ezine articles to them. No newsletters. They don’t get blog posts. There aren’t any special reports.
No content of any kind. What they get, in essence, are sales messages.

And there are already 2,822 subscribers, many of which have already purchased some of the PLR special offers that
have been “announced” to the list.

Why does it work? Let me give you plenty of reasons…

1. I took something that was “in-demand” (PLR) and I allow people to get a head-start on the world by knowing about new releases FIRST by joining this list.

2. It’s not billed as an “announcement list”, but rather
a “Free PLR Club“. Big, big difference in perception.

3. It has it’s own domain name, further adding to the perceived value and importance to those who join.

4. There is no requirement to buy once you join. Buy the offers that you want, pass on the ones you don’t want.

5. A cost example is provided to show what you can buy immediately, further illustrating the value of the
complimentary “membership”.

And here’s the big twist that makes this idea of creating an “announcement” list a complete no-brainer…

I allow my affiliates to “give away” no cost memberships to the PLRSO club!

When someone they refer buys one of the offers, they earn a commission. And I get other people to promote and build my list for me. We all win.

So, you may be thinking…

What Kind Of “Announcement” List can I Build?

There are a wide variety of “announcement” lists that you can build. Let’s briefly look at ten of them…

* PLR List. You can swipe my idea and create a list of private label rights buyers.

* New Offers List. Build a list of people who love your work and want to be notified any time you have a new offer available.

* Pre-Launch List. Create buzz and anticipation for an upcoming new product release by building a pre-launch list several weeks (even months) in advance.

* Ezine Publishers List. Build a list of publishers who want to know any time you have a new ezine article that is available for reprint in their ezines.

* Bloggers List. Another idea is to allow bloggers who are looking for ready-made content to post to their blogs.

* Industry News List. How about becoming the “go to” guy or gal to share breaking news about your industry?

* Joint Venture List. Develop a list of partners and affiliates who are ready to promote anytime you have a new offer.

* Incentives List. Here’s a great idea – create a list of people who you offer “incentives” to when they purchase someone else’s new product through YOUR affiliate link.

* Freebie List. Regularly give away rebrandable content (reports, articles, videos, etc.) to these subscribers to earn commissions.

While all ten of these lists aren’t necessarily “buyers” up front, they each can certainly lead to buyers and revenue for you if you implement them.

Content is king. But let’s not forget that there are a lot of queens, princes, dukes and earls out there too.

———–
Jimmy D. Brown, one of the most respected marketing teachers online, has been fine-tuning what and how he teaches when it comes to Internet Marketing since 1999. Now you can benefit from those years of experience and also get full PLR rights to many of his best-selling products – at ridiculously LOW prices (I’m talking Ten Bucks).
Run, don’t walk to this website –> http://infoprofitshare.com/go.php?offer=twc09&pid=34