Here’s a simple way to build your list of customers and prospects

It’s been a while since I talked about how critical it is for your business to have a list of interested prospects and customers to connect with on a regular basis.

When you have a list of names and email addresses from people who have given you permission to contact them, plus consistently educate them, with a sprinkling of marketing messages, it can be like money in the bank.

On your website, it’s as simple as having a spot for your visitors to put their names and email addresses.

And if you have a brick and mortar business or retail store, put an email sign-up sheet on the counter for customers to receive important news and special offers from you.

Even if they don’t initially buy, at least you’ll have contact information to use in email marketing campaigns.

 What do you think? (Leave your reply in the white box below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

You might not know it, but there’s a big marketing lie going around.

If you own a business, and have tried your hand at marketing (which, by the way, should be your primary function), you’ve probably heard this common marketing advice… often from experienced marketing pros.

“To generate new leads for your business, you need to spend either time… or money… or both.”

But I don’t believe this for a minute, and neither should you!

Before I go on… let me just say “There is some truth in it, but it’s just not completely accurate”.

Let me explain…

Are you wasting money and time on ineffective marketing?

To generate qualified leads for your business, you can spend tons of money creating websites, buying leads, renting mailing lists, sending direct mail promos, whipping out postcards, and printing up brochures.

And all of these can be (probably should be) important pieces of your marketing strategy.

Then again, if you’re short on funds, but have spare time, the other thing you can do is spend the time instead of money. Compile lists of leads manually, from the phonebook, or from the Internet. And go to all the free networking events in your area. Put cheap flyers on windshields at the mall. Whatever you can do with your time

But unfortunately for many business owners, neither of these techniques are effective, because there’s one vital piece of the puzzle that’s missing…

Your knowledge about marketing basics!

If you don’t know marketing basics, it won’t matter if you spend 24 hours a day, or if you spend more money than Donald Trump.

Why is that? Because all you do is waste your time and money doing all the wrong things… ones that won’t work… because you don’t know the basics.

Spending time or money – yea, it will work – but only if you add “know-how” to the equation.

The know-how is…

• Knowing who your target market is
• Knowing what your prospects want
• Knowing how you can solve their problem
• Knowing the best way to reach them, affordably
• And knowing what will persuade them to take action now

Once you know the answers to these questions, then spend your time or money using this powerful information, your chances of generating new leads will go through the roof.

You’ll be in a much better position to reach the right people, write better sales copy, and persuade more of your target audience to contact you for your products and services.

 What do you think? (Leave your reply in the white box below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Regardless of whether you sell products and services to other businesses (B2B), or direct to consumers (B2C), the purpose of your website should be to get your readers to become customers.

In a simple sort of way… your website is the Internet Marketing part, and getting people to respond is the conversion part – converting web visitors to customers.

And you need both!

Once people are on your site, and to maximize conversion, your call-to-action should tell them exactly what you want them to do next, and  be powerful, desirable, and obvious to the reader.

Does your website have a call to action?

But most of the sites I analyze don’t even have a call-to-action, let alone a good one.

Others have one, but it’s either buried 5 clicks deep, or it’s not obvious enough to tell the readers what to do, so it’s totally useless.

Web marketing tip: (and it’s critical to your website’s success)

Provide your web visitors with a pleasant user experience.

To increase the number of people who take your call-to-action, your website should be designed and written for your readers, not for you.

Make it easy to navigate and for your reader to quickly find the information or answers they’re looking for.

Don’t make the mistake of simply creating an ineffective digital brochure, which usually fails to convert, and ultimately leads to the reader leaving for good.

If you ‘re ready to make your website more effective, and convert more readers to customers, simply call or shoot me an email.

What do you think? (Leave your reply in the white box below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Why Facebook fan pages can help you grow your small business

It’s no secret that building strong, lasting relationships with customers and potential customers is one of the primary goals of marketing.

But to build those relationships… you must engage them by giving them useful and valuable information.

Of course… there are many ways to do that offline and online, but one way that’s building up a lot of steam and seems to work well for many local businesses…

It’s by taking advantage of a custom FaceBook Fan Page so you can  build up a list of loyal followers.

Now, I’m not talking a default fan page, but one that can be designed to look almost identical to your website design.

And it can also be used to integrate your social media comments and posts with your website, so they almost appear as one “site” to your readers.
.

You still need to provide the content your readers want

Then it’s up to you to provide the actual information that persuades them to “Like” you, and read your promotions, news, and other info.

So how do you get started?

You know I am design challenged, so I won’t be doing it… But a local web designer I work with can whip up one for you in no time, and the low cost will blow you away.

Simply contact Amy Toussaint of Euforic Design at 603-534-3586, or e-mail her at info@euforicdesign.com.

You can get more information from Amy about her Custom Facebook Fan Page special at http://euforicdesign.com/special_facebook.html

(As a matter of fact, she’s offering a special promotion for custom Fan Pages through the end of September)

Note*** I’m not getting a penny from this… other than knowing you’re getting hooked up with a fantastic local designer, ( she’s local to me, but can help you no matter where in the country you are), and I know Amy will take great care of you.

Oh… and make sure you tell her Merrill sent you. -:)

What do you think? (Leave your reply in the white box below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Do you think a free or ridiculously low-priced website is going to be of any value to your business?

If you do, you may want to read this and re-think your answer.

I understand the price is right, but most free website or hosting accounts I’ve ever seen have severe limitations on what can be done with them. (Or more importantly, what can’t be done)

And the reason this is important is because these limitations also seriously limit your website’s chance to succeed.

There are lots of companies, even some pretty major players that promote free or almost free websites to business owners, but they don’t always tell you the whole story.

There’s even a free version of WordPress, which is a blogging platform that can also be used as a “traditional” website, but the free version is very limited.

Truth is… If you just want a website for your hobby, or just to say you have a website, then a free website will probably work fine for you.

Free business websites DO NOT EQUAL value for you!

But if your business needs a website that will get found, can be flexible, and is easy to update and modify, then free won’t going to cut it… for a couple of big reasons.

Perception by your web visitors (if you get any at all)
Many free website providers use advertising to offset the cost, so your site’s header or footer will include a blurb or ads from their non-website related company or ads from others.  Either way, it’s pretty easy to spot a free website.

C’mon…Do you want your prospective clients to know you weren’t committed enough to invest in a “real” website?

They’re usually not flexible and scalable enough
There are many settings and changes on a website or blog that are absolutely crucial for Search Engine Optimization, to get getting found online and converting your visitors to customers.

You’ll discover what components are really important on your website inside How Your Local Small Business Can  Get More Customers on the Internet. (Not to mention many other marketing techniques like email marketing)

Most free websites, including the free version of WordPress just don’t have the ability to change these settings or make the proper changes, and are impossible to upgrade or add features to.

What do you do if you have one of these free websites?

Each business, including yours, has unique goals and needs, so talk with an experienced web marketing professional to figure out the best web marketing strategy.

Only then can you make an informed decision that’s best for your business, and offers the best value for you.

Personally, I think the self-hosted version of WordPress (WordPress.org on your own paid hosting account with your own domain name) has all the capabilities, ease of use, and flexibility to handle just about anything.

You’ll only pay for hosting, app $10/mth with HostGator, your domain name, app $12/yr with GoDaddy, and a premium theme/template for WordPress, I use Headway on most of my sites, $87 flat fee.

If you’re currently using a free website, and it’s not getting people to call your company, contact me and we can discuss your options.

What do you think? (Leave your reply below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Using the power of video in business to strengthen Public Relations

In public relations and marketing, video can be an invaluable and cost-effective approach, reaching audiences in ways that are informative, engaging and entertaining.

Several months ago, I wrote an article about how you can market your small business using online videos, and got some great feedback.

Today, I want to share this short article about PR and video, from the perspective of PR expert, Stefanie Guzikowski of E&G Public Relations LLC in Portsmouth, NH.

She has graciously given me permission to give you a link to her recent article on the Portsmouth Herald.

You can read it here.

If you want to find out if using video in your marketing is right for you, please contact me via e-mail or call me at 603-686-5140.

What do you think – do you use video marketing? (Leave your reply below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Who said billboard advertising had to cost thousands of dollars a month?

When you think of billboards, we think of the giant roadside signs that are used by business to advertise their products or services.

And yes… the cost to advertise your business on one of those behemoths can run you some serious dough. And if your ad doesn’t get attention, deliver a message, and give a reason to contact you… Then your investment will be a big waste of money.

So here’s a kinda outside-the-box thought for you…

Everybody uses business cards, right?

Then why don’t you use your business cards as your own billboard?

Think about it… For about $95, you can get a box of 1000 high quality business cards from a local printing company. I use and recommend Elite Printing Group in Exeter NH.

If you take my advice, and instead of using them for branding purposes, use it like a space ad or billboard that will get some response.

Include an attention-getting headline that shows the recipient how they’ll benefit or how you’ll help them solve their problem. Do this instead of putting your name and business name in big letters. (Remember, nobody cares about your business name at this point in the relationship)

Use both sides, include a couple of bullet points, an offer, and a call to action that will prompt interested people to contact you.

And of course, don’t forget your contact info.

Here’s a general concept most businesses can use…

Front of card

Back of card

Now… there will be some who’ll complain about this advice, (usually graphic designers) and want to make it look pretty, instead of delivering a sales message.

My answer to that is: Of course you want it to look good, so make the design look pretty and professional as you want, but don’t sacrifice the message for the sake of design and looking pretty. Balance is key… grasshopper.

The bottom line – Do you want it to look pretty, or do you want to use it to get new customers to call you?

I know it’s not a real billboard… but if you do it right… ou’ll have your own personal billboard – for the price of a business card.

What do you think? (Leave your reply below)

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…

Real-life example of how terrible
customer service cost a sale

A couple of months ago, you might have read the article I wrote about the Sales Prevention department.

It basically described how many companies lose a ton of business because of the way they reply (or not reply) to customer service and sales inquiries.

I’m talking about questions from not only prospective buyers, but also from active customers.

Seems like many businesses don’t place a priority on the way they handle these requests. (Hopefully, yours isn’t one of them)

So today… I’m reprinting an actual e-mail inquiry and the actual reply from the company. The company name has been changed to protect the stupid.

Then you can decide whether their reply:

• Was a good reply
• It was a dumb-ass reply
• Maybe it was humorous
• Or they just plain don’t care about customers…

.

But first a WARNING!

Whatever you do, don’t reply to your prospects and customers like this company did!

It could destroy your reputation and your business.
.

My original e-mail

(with subject line to an online distributor of small engine parts…)

To: Joe Blow at parts place
Subject: Looking for part

I’m looking for a retainer bearing p/n 784-0357 for MTD (looks like it fits other mfgs)

Your online price says “call us”.

Whats the deal… Do you have them or can you get them?

Regards,

Merrill Clark
Web, SEO, Direct Response Copywriter
Marketing Advisor
603-686-5140

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(Embedded picture of my book)
Author of…
“How Your Local Business Can
Get More Customers on the Internet”

Their reply: (short and sweet):

To: Merrill Clark
Subject: RE: Looking for part

Send your spam some where else

The end!

My immediate reaction was… “Huh?”  How could asking for part number information be spam? Jeesh…

Note** On a positive note, they did at least reply from a real person, and they replied quickly.

Truly customer service at it’s finest! NOT!

I have to admit — I was confused — I laughed — I got angry — I thought about it for a bit — then I replied.

(Professionally of course, since I know that everything online stays online forever.)

How would you have handled it? (Leave a reply below)

Oh… If you are curious about what my reply was, simply post a comment below, and I’ll send it to you.

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

If you need help with website design, writing SEO optimized web copy, email marketing, or other online marketing strategies, I can help!

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark

Website and Marketing Copywriter

Join my discussion by leaving a comment below…