How much does an advert in Yellow Pages cost? How
many enquiries would you expect to get back for that investment each
day? 1? 10? 100?
What about an ad in the local newspaper or a trade
publication? They don't come cheap. When was the last time you heard an
advertising salesman say:
"If you're not happy with the volume of responses
and sales you get from the ad I will give you your money back."
How many times have you heard an ad salesman say:
"I will tell you exactly how many people view your
advertisement, how long they read it for and which ad they were looking
at before they starting reading your ad. You can use this to work out
the profile of your potential customers."
Hardly likely is it? Yet this is the kind of
information that you can get your hands on via your website.
Expensive is a dirty word. Nothing is about cost -
everything is about value. Having a great profile on the web can not
only bring you more customers and sales but it can boost the perceived
size and stature of your company.
As a business owner of course you want to see your
website at the top of the search engines - everyone wants to be higher
than their competitors - what value would you put on this?
Imagine placing an ad in a magazine and asking the
salesperson:
"Can you guarantee me more sales? Will you give me
my money back if people read the ad but don't buy my product?"
It just wouldn't happen. And yet there is a lot of
scepticism surrounding the web - I come across it every single day.
"Mike, we've had our fingers burned in the past
and though I like what you're saying how do I know you're not one of
the cowboys?"
Ultimately nobody will ever buy anything from
anybody unless buyer confidence is establsihed - no matter what is
being sold. And the only way to establish buyer confidence is to
develop a lasting relationship built on trust, two-way communication
and transparency of information.
I don't believe that website marketing is, or
should be, a black art. I don't believe that copywriting or accounting
are black arts. They are all just things that, if you want done right,
you need to get the professionals in to do.
*TOP TIP*
Want to know what people are looking for on the
web? Visit the following link and type in words related to your
business and this nifty tool will give you an indication of what
phrases people are typing into search engines to find the products and
services you provide. Cool eh?
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
Mike Cheney
www.magnet4web.com
[You have my permission to use this article in
your newsletter, on your website or anywhere else for that matter as
long as it remains unedited and includes the resource box at the
bottom.]
You can get free access to lots more of my
articles plus a Free Bonus Special Report "How To Turn Your Website
Into A Customer Magnet" worth a value of £47 ($85) here: http://www.magnet4web.com/website_services/?page=freeguide | 
