Category: Internet

    What is a Sales Funnel

    What Is a Sales Funnel of Offers and Why Do You Need One?
    Selling products and services online gives you access to a worldwide audience. But this doesn’t automatically result in massive sales and a successful business.
    It takes hard work and effort to secure customers and make sales. That’s why it is especially frustrating when you dedicate time, energy, and resources into promoting your offers and see minimal results.
    It’s not enough to inundate your audience with messaging and links to your offer in the hopes that they’ll click and buy.
    Successful internet-based businesses rely on the power of sales funnels to move their products and services. And they know the best sales funnels are fueled by valuable, targeted, and well-timed offers. Sales funnels automate the sales process and put you in control of what your prospects see and when. Create a sales funnel of multiple offers and you’ll quickly start to see greater revenue and results.

    What Is a Sales Funnel of Offers?
    A sales funnel is a visualization or map of the journey your target customer takes from the initial awareness stage to the final purchase. It is the process prospects go through to become a customer.
    It’s called a funnel because it’s wide at the top (the sales funnel entry point) and gradually narrows as the customer moves toward your core offer. The idea is to cast a wide net at first, attracting casual and serious prospects alike. You then present them with offers that will either move people down the funnel towards purchase or, eventually, remove them.
    The types of offers you present, and where you place them, is key to your funnel’s success. Some offer types include a lead magnet, low-ticket offer, one-time offer, order bump, upsell, and downsell. This list isn’t comprehensive, but it provides the foundation for all successful funnels.
    The point of these offers is to qualify leads for your core offer. Through your prospects’ reaction to these offers, you can learn who will buy from you and who will not. You can then weed out those who are not interested in buying anything.

    What Types of Offers Should You Put in Your Funnel?
    There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Everybody’s audience is different. You’ll have to do some planning and trial and error to discover what works and what doesn’t. Here are some of the offers most commonly found in a sales funnel.

    The Core Offer
    Your core offer is near the bottom of the funnel. It is usually your primary product/service and the reason why your offer funnel exists. It is often the purchase that’s just under the highest price point, but it doesn’t always have to be.
    Lead Magnet
    Technically not inside the funnel, a lead magnet attracts prospects to the entry point of your funnel. It is a freebie that is offered in exchange for a person’s name and email address. Once you have this information, you can start marketing to them directly via email.
    Low-Ticket Offer
    A low-ticket offer is usually found at the front end of your sales funnel. It is low-risk and won’t scare prospects away with its price tag. It primes your audience to purchase your core offer. Most importantly, it separates serious prospects from casual ones who just want your freebies.
    One-Time Offer
    A one-time offer (OTO) is a powerful way to qualify prospects early in your sales funnel. It can be a low-ticket item or even another freebie. What makes it so powerful is its exclusivity and time-sensitive nature: ‘Buy now before it’s gone forever’. It is another way to guide people to your core offer.
    Order Bump
    An order bump is located at the end of the sales funnel, on the checkout page for your core offer. With a single click, customers can add a lower-ticket item to their cart before they press ‘Buy now’. Order bumps have a high conversion rate and increase the value of your core offer and point of sale revenue.
    Upsell
    An upsell is a higher priced offer presented after your core offer. The right customers will appreciate an upsell that enhances their initial purchase.
    Downsell
    A downsell is a lower-ticket offer that is presented to your prospect after they have turned down your core offer or even after your upsell. The hope is that, while the customer doesn’t want to pay for the initial offer, they may be interested in a less expensive alternative. It keeps people in your funnel since that downsell item may be just what those people are looking for.

    Why You Need a Variety of Offers
    Presenting prospects with a variety of offers as they progress through your sales funnel allows you to segment and better target your audience. If your audience is a mix of high-ticket purchasers, cautious and budget-conscious consumers, and ‘window shoppers’ looking for freebies, a good sales funnel will offer something to all of them.
    The different types of offers and their placement in the funnel will direct audience members to the right offer at the right time. And it will eventually show them the door if none of the offers are right for them.
    Using different offer types will also allow you to maximize sales. Instead of just acquiring customers for your core offer, you can also present them with a lower-ticket item, upsell, or downsell.
    This process helps foster a relationship with your audience. As you present your audience with different offers, you will be communicating with them regularly. You will build trust and establish yourself as an expert, increasing the odds that people will purchase your core offer and future offers.
    The most important thing to remember is that the customer’s movement through the sales funnel isn’t necessarily in a straight line. It shouldn’t be viewed as a direct, ultrafast chute that drops them into your core offer. Instead, look at it as a flexible journey, or ‘choose your own adventure’, that’s directed by the decisions your prospects make.
    They may take you up on your downsell, but not your upsell. Or they may go directly to your core offer. Or they may purchase your low-ticket offer, but will need more information and content from your before they purchase a higher-ticket item. A fluid, flexible offer funnel will speak to all these people and lead them to the offer that’s right for them, resulting in more conversions and sales.

    Why You Need a Sales Funnel of Offers
    At first glance, building a sales funnel and mapping it out seems like a complicated process. You need to understand your audience, clearly define your core offer’s unique value proposition, and create a whole series of supporting offers and related communications before you even get to your core offer.

    It’s worth it.

    A sales funnel of offers makes the process more efficient.
    No more…
     Constantly adjusting your core offer to appeal to different members of your audience
     Wasting time engaging with people who just want your free content
     Scrambling to create content and communications to promote your core offer
     Annoying your audience with communications they’re not interested in and driving them to unsubscribe

    Some of your audience members just want free stuff. They’ll enjoy your free content and offers, but they won’t buy – not even a low-ticket offer. By weeding out those who won’t buy, or automating the process, you won’t waste time engaging with them during the sales process.

    This is the primary benefit, but there are many others.

    Through your offers funnel, you can build a relationship with your audience instead of spamming them with unwanted content. The communications related to your offers will genuinely help prospects with their problems and they’ll come to see you as a trusted expert who provides value. This will increase the chances that they will eventually purchase your core offer and future offers.

    Finally, a sales funnel with multiple offers helps you learn even more about your target audience. By choosing or rejecting offers, your prospects are giving you valuable information about their preferences and tastes.
    Their decisions also provide valuable input on the offer itself. If nobody takes you up on the offer, it may need to be adjusted. On the other hand, if you have great success with an offer, you can figure out why and replicate it.
    The Keys to Success with Your Sales Funnel of Offers
    Know Your Audience. The key to a successful sales funnel of offers is to know your audience. Conduct research and create an ideal customer profile. This will allow you to identify the unique challenges and problems your audience faces and solve them through you offers. If you create tangible results and quick wins for your audience, the more likely they are to buy your core offer and future offers.

    Focus on Your Free Lead Magnet.
    lead magnet is what drives people to the entry point of your sales funnel. It is your most important offer, so make it good. It should provide value and solve a specific problem your audience has identified. Pay special attention to creating content that will support this lead magnet and driving traffic to it. Nobody will opt-in to your lead magnet if they can’t find it.

    Know the Stages of Your Offer Funnel.
    Prospects move through different stages of awareness and openness to purchase as they progress through your funnel. It is critical to present them with the right offer at the right time. For example, the chances of convincing them to purchase a high-ticket item the second they enter your funnel are very low. You first need to cultivate a relationship.
    The first stages of the journey are awareness (before they enter the funnel) and then interest (after they’ve opted in). Prospects are just starting learn about you and your offerings. The offer at the interest stage should be low-risk, either a freebie or one-time offer that will gain their trust and move them further down the funnel.
    In the middle of the funnel, prospects are at the evaluation and engagement stages. They’re consuming your content and starting to seriously consider what you have to offer. You can present them with a low-ticket offer or even a subscription.
    Later in the funnel, in the commitment stage, prospects have been convinced of your value and are ready to buy. Present them with your core offer, and later an upsell or downsell offer.
    Learn these stages so you’re making the right offer, at the right time. And remember, the stages aren’t necessarily linear. Some prospects may get all the way down to the engagement stage and then decide they need more information, returning to the evaluation stage.

    Longer Doesn’t Mean Better.
    Your offer funnel doesn’t need to be long and complex. You just need enough offers to qualify your prospects and lead them to your core offer. Assess your customers’ needs and the types of offers you’re capable of making.
    Don’t Despair When People Leave. Don’t feel disappointed when people leave your offer funnel. That’s supposed to happen! They’re sending you valuable feedback that your offers aren’t for them.
    The Core Offer Isn’t the End. If you really want to make the most of your offer funnel, keep engaging with people long after they buy your core offer. Lead them to other offers and funnels. You’ve done a great deal of work to capture and nurture this lead, so don’t let them go.

    How to Get Started
    You’ll learn the most about building a sales funnel of offers by actually doing it, so get started today. The first step is to identify your core offer, think about your customers and what you can offer them along the way, and start mapping it out. The sooner your offer funnel is up and running, the sooner you’ll start seeing results.

    Categories: internet marketing

    Recruiting New Subscribers Based on Your Reputation to Serve

    Once you start a list, it will be your job to grow the number of subscribers that you have over time. While it may seem meager at first, with subscribers only trickling in, it will pick up steam when you put more effort into it.

    Word-of-mouth is a powerful indicator of who to follow and who is trustworthy in any niche online.

    When you can generate positive word-of-mouth and recommendations as a niche leader, you will see your subscriber numbers soar.

    You do this by maintaining your ethics and showcasing a true desire to step up and help people. There are many of your competitors who are only in it for the money, and when you can set yourself apart from them as someone who truly cares, you will find that people naturally flock to you.

    You want to be open and honest about your own journey in the niche. Whether it’s online success or weight loss, telling the story of how you overcame obstacles and succeeded will resonate with your readers. They will want to share your stories with the people they care about – such as friends and family members.

    Some people try to position themselves as guru marketers who have never made a mistake. And while these individuals do develop a following of like-minded people, it’s more ethical and honest to be transparent about your journey.

    If you want to develop a reputation as someone who consistently shows up to serve your audience, then you’ll want to invite people to contact you. You can have a contact form or give out your direct email address.

    Make sure you respond to emails and contact in a timely fashion. If your audience grows to a level where you can’t handle all of the communication on your own, then you might want to host a webinar where your people can frequently interact with you or hire a virtual assistant to help you maintain communication flawlessly.

    While many marketers focus on their responsibility to provide good information to their audience, keep in mind that it’s also your responsibility to protect your followers from bad information.

    When you turn down opportunities to make fast cash by only recommending quality products as opposed to anything and everything, word will spread of your morals and subscriber numbers will increase.

    Make sure you’re strategic about growing your subscriber base. Whether you participate in giveaway events, create valuable content to be shared by others, or simply develop friendships with competitors who will sing your praises, you can’t rest on your laurels and expect people to flock to you for no reason.

     

    There is free training on setting up AWEBER and MAILCHIMP at HOME BUSINESS STARTUP TOOLKIT.

    If you want help with setting up an email subscriber service you can check out the HOME BUSINESS STARTUP TOOLKIT set of FREE Trainings here 

    Categories: blogging, Grow a Home Business Tags: Tags: , , , ,

    5 Reasons Your Business Should Have a Podcast

    Grow Your Captive Audience With Podcasts

    Developing a podcast that people want to hear and will take the time to download and listen to on a regular basis takes a little work.

    You’ll need to create a laser-targeted show that your audience gets value from, plus you’ll need to promote the show to your audience in multiple ways.

    Laser Target Your Audience

    You’ll need to create a laser-targeted show that your audience gets value from, plus you’ll need to promote the show to your audience in multiple ways.It’s imperative that you niche down your idea to a very narrow niche audience. This way you can show your passion and more easily identify the biggest pain points for your audience

    Networking

    The more ways you can find to network with your target audience as well as the movers and shakers within your industry, the more popular your podcast will become. Network with your audience, too. Remember that they’re the ones who will be listening.

    Outreach

    You need to let go of the fear and put yourself out there to gain a captive audience. Use email marketing, social media marketing, ads, and whatever else you can do to get out there. Put yourself out there and you’ll get more listeners. Make sure your website works, and that you’re on social media.

    Referrals

    When your audience listens to your broadcast they’ll love it, so it’s important to ask them to refer your podcast to other people they believe will love it. You can use incentives for your listeners to refer you by offering prizes and free gifts and even cash money if you want to have affiliates.

    List Building

    Always keep building your email list. The email list is an enormous key to getting repeat listeners and building a captive audience that sticks around a long time. Ensure that you send people to one of your lists whether they’re just curious or whether they’re listeners.

    For more on growing your audience for your Busines get How to Grow Your Captive Audience with Podcasts.

    Categories: podcasting Tags: Tags: , , ,

    Writing Content for your Business

    The content of your site tells a whole lot about your website. They will basically describe what your site is about and also tell people what your site has to offer. Articles and website content makes a whole lot of difference in your site because they can catch the attention of your website visitors and keep them in there.

    With good website content you get the benefit of clearly depicting what it is you want to share with people. Also, good content and articles can lead people to your site. With more traffic, you get to earn more from your site making it profitable. A sites success, be it for profit or not, is the number of the flow of traffic in your site.

    SEO Enhanced Website

    So how does good content and great articles get you traffic? Well, many search engines rely on the keyword and keyword phrases of a site to put it in their results list. If your content contains a good number of keywords and keywords phrases, it may be chosen to be a part of the top listed sites in the search result pages.

    But before you think of just plastering your site with all the keywords and keyword phrases it could hold, search engines also filter out that abuse. You must have good well written articles that incorporate the keywords and keyword phrases properly in their content and articles.

    There are many of those who cannot afford the time to write their own website contents and articles. While writing content and articles specifically designed for the internet may take some getting used to and some researching and learning, there are many writers that can be found all over the world who could do it for you.

    Outsourcing your Web Content

    Many of us do not have the time to learn web content writing and article writing designed for the internet. There are writers who have great experience in doing this and charge only a minimal fee for such work. Writers like this can be regarded as experts in this style of writing and can greatly help your website to get that coveted spot in the search engine rankings.

    Other than getting your site in the web results page of search engines, they can also provide your site with meaningful articles and content that can impress your website visitors and entice others to view your site. Every website could use the extra traffic website visitors could invite.

    Outsourcing your Writing in Your Business

    Then there are those who need papers to be done either for their school or office work. Top writers around the world are very knowledgeable and do extreme researching to get a job done right. They are also very adept in many writing styles that are needed to best suit the client’s need.

    Many writers around the world charge a minimal fee depending on the type of writing job needed and the number of words needed in the content. Usually, a two hundred fifty worded article would cost from 4 to 8 dollars depending on the writers experience and ability. This is a small price to pay for having a content rich site or for a well researched and written paper.

    Finding a Good Writer

    There are also many sites that can offer you these services with their team of well trained and experienced writers. They offer many writing services to cover any writing needs. A writer can be based anywhere in the world and are guaranteed to offer good contents and articles. Each one are doubly checked, edited and proofread so that you would get your money’s worth.

    Finding a good writer or a site that offers these kinds of services is simply done by searching for them in search engines. Type down your keyword or keyword phrase (e.g. Content Writers, Article Writers) and you will see a long list of sites that offer these services.

    The services site include:

    Upwork.com

    Freelancer.com 

    The top sites would probably be the best since they have done a good job of keeping their content at a high quality to get them high rankings. But you may also want to shop around and read some of their sample work to get an idea of how much it will cost you.

    Writing content is a skill that can reflect well your business or not reflect well if the content is less than grammatically correct or it is not easy to read. So, make sure you get samples of someone’s work from them before you hire them to write your content. They should be able to give you a $ per page or $ per 1000 words rate so you can budget your money for outsourcing some writing.

    Categories: Content, Grow a Home Business, Outsourcing, SEO, Website Tags: Tags: , , , , , , ,

    5 Reasons to have a Blog in your Business

    Marketing – the action of promoting and selling your products or service. 

    5 Reasons why you should  blog in your business?

    1. It is a free marketing tool to use on your website and in social media.
    2. It brings awareness to your Brand as other businesses learn about your company who may want to connect or partner with your business.
    3. It is good to showcase your authority and knowledge about your product or service.
    4. Visitors find a way to connect and enjoy reading about company activities or events.
    5. Most importantly, visitors get to know, like and trust your business as a company they could do business with and they are more likely to find that your business has the solution to their problem.

    Click Here to Get “Blogging for Business Made Easy!”
    You may say you don’t have time to blog on your website about your business but you are letting a free opportunity for you to market to your customers slip away if you don’t! Blogging has become a way to market yourself and your products or services to website visitors and out on social media. People do want to hear what you are all about when they are looking for a solution to their problem. If you are out there blogging and doing social media posts, whether you are a small home business or a large corporation, your words will speak for your business.

    The more insight and peeks behind the scenes you get, the more that people will see you have authority in your field and line of work/service. Why You Need to Stop Waiting and Start Blogging (like TODAY) – SoulScripts
    Click Here to Get “Blogging for Business Made Easy!”
    Even if your business is a large one, and you’re setting out to create a blog that speaks to your customer base, there are always ways to make it personal. Show that you understand the issues they’re facing and the problems they’re looking to solve. Use your blog posts to demonstrate to your audience that you’re the best solution to those issues and problems.

    Having a voice doesn’t just mean the act of talking or writing. It means having a point of view, being distinctive, and maybe even a little opinionated or controversial. There is a lot of noise on the Internet, and one of the biggest challenges that people face is sifting through all of that noise in order to find the content that’s interesting.

    How are you going to create all the content for your blog?

    According to Neil Patel, if you write 10 ideas per day then by the end of the year, you will have 3650 ideas!

    The great thing about writing down 10 ideas a day is that you’ll become, as James Altucher says, an idea machine. by Neil Patel’s Guide to Blogging Consistently

    Then if you save an hour before day just to focus on your blog content; it may take you a few days to write 300 -500, words and then a couple of days to add images, proofread and add a call to action then you will have new blog post every week only from one hour a day!

    If you aren’t into writing content but find it easier to do audio then collect your thoughts and jot down the important points you want to make and then get out your microphone and record! Your audience may also be busy and they would enjoy listening to you and your personal thoughts then reading. Who has time!?

    The voice of your blog should be a good fit for the product or service you’re selling. For example, if you are an affiliate marketer for natural health care products, then a writing voice that’s positive and nurturing is almost certain to be more appropriate than a voice that’s “in your face” or that uses risqué humor.

    For more on blogging for your business check out

    Click Here to Get “Blogging for Business Made Easy!”

     

    Categories: blogging Tags: Tags: , , , ,

    Membership Software That Works

    When you are deciding on technology for your membership site, it’s important to consider not only technology that works, but also technology that works for you in the way that you want it to work. What features do you want the membership software to have? What is your skill level with troubleshooting technology? Who will you hire if you don’t have the skills? There is a lot to think about when choosing membership software.

    1. NewRainmaker – This software is software as service (SAS), meaning it’s running from the cloud. You don’t do anything but set it up, kind of like you would WordPress. All the plugins and functionality that works best with membership sites are included, such as affiliate management, drip technology, and forums. This software includes a monthly fee for hosting, tech support and use of the software.

    Link – http://newrainmaker.com/

    2. aMember – This is an add-on to your current website. If you use WordPress it works very well with it. It also works with other types of website builders. It includes affiliate management, drip technology and more. You will need to purchase separate software to have a forum. They will install it for you for a fee and provide great support. It’s a one-time fee and upgrade fees yearly. You’ll have to pay extra for tech support if things go wrong.

    Link – http://www.amember.com/

    3. iGrOOps – This is another hosted solution where you pay a monthly fee for using the system. They provide all the upgrades, updates, and hosting. You simply use their template system to create your membership site. It has all the bells and whistles but it cannot be made to look like your current site.

    Link – http://www.igroops.com/

    4. EasyMemberPRO – They promise anyone can set up a membership site, and connect it with your current software quickly and easily. It also has a lot of what you need with a profitable membership site, including affiliate management. There’s a one-time fee with one year of free upgrades.

    Link – http://www.easymemberpro.com/

    5. WishList Member – This is a plugin that works with self-hosted WordPress websites, turning your current site into a membership site with all the bells and whistles except that if you want a forum you have to purchase software for the forum.

    Link – http://member.wishlistproducts.com/

    6. MemberGate – Another hosted solution with a monthly fee but one that offers every bell and whistle you can imagine from forums, to video hosting, to drip technology and more. The look is slightly dated for the choices of templates, but you can use your own coder working with them to change that if you want to spend the time and money.

    Link – http://www.membergate.com/

    7. ONTRAPORT – This is a very high-end solution (with a high-end price). But, if you plan to run a six-figure business, this is a great solution that offers managed membership without having to ever worry about technology. It will also work with your current WordPress website.

    Link – https://ontraport.com/features/

    8. SiteManPro – This is a great solution if you want to sell digital items and run a membership solution. You can use this to automate the entire thing. It can work with your current WordPress site. You will need to get separate forum software if you feel you need one. It integrates easily and works as it states.

    Link – http://www.sitemanpro.com/

    9. Smember

    Remember to write down the features you want your membership site to offer, as well as to take into consideration your level of technological skill as you pick a membership software solution. It might cost a few dollars, but you can’t make any money if you don’t make a choice and get started.

    Categories: Membership Tags: Tags:

    Top 10 things not to do in a Google Hangout on Air!

     

     

    television set retro icon

     


    Why did I want to do the Youtube video you see above the article? I wanted to create a video/audio version of the “Think Like an Entrepreneur” article on my website. Then I would take a copy of the audio out and put it into an audio player. I wanted to place a text, video and audio version of the Think Like an Entrepreneur all as one post on my website.

    People have different ways that they like to consume and more importantly remember information. Some people like to read the article, some like to watch visual pictures and some like to listen to information. This is called VARK model- visual learners, auditory learners, reading writing learners (that ‘s me) and kinestic learners (not sure, i can accomodate those learners but we will try ). It is a type of (NLP) neuro linguistic programming which is a simple way of saying either I love to see pictures, I love to hear, I love to read text or I love to touch. Anyway, i expect the only way I could accomodate the Kinestic learners is to get them to do an exercise like mindmapping with blocks – worth doing to figure out how to think like an entrepreneur!

    So, anyway, while I tried to make the multimedia version of the article with Hangouts on Air because it is a free, yes, free way to record yourself or your monitor screen, these are the 10 ways I screwed up doing my first Hangout on Air video.

    1.  No light – always have lights shining if you want to be seen. It was dusk. 
    2.  Messy background- don’t have distracting messy background -hide it with backdrop.
    3.  Don’t press “Start Broadcasting” until you are ready to broadcast. That is why I am wondering if I had        stopped the previous broadcast recording. 
    4.  Press Screenshare button before you press Start Broadcasting as (you can see) I hadn’t planned to        be in recording.

    5.  Before you start a recording

      • Check your appearance
      • Check your background
      • Get some lights on 
      • Clear your throat
      • Blow your nose
      • Swallow the saliva
      • Take a deep breath

    6.  Print out the article to read and read it a few times beforehand so you aren’t staring intently at screen         trying to read the article at same time. 

    7.  Move the webcam or Camera to eye level so you don’t look like a munchkin staring up at camera.
    8.  Remember “ScreenShare” means all of your computer desktop screen and you don’t have                        control over it.  So either:

      • Zoom in to what you want to share so it covers the whole screen 
      • Create a Powerpoint Slide of what you want to share and then make it a Full Screen Presentation. 
      • Even better, create a video of what you want to share and just run the video full screen!
      • Or just put your “Profile” picture from Google+ up on screen (that is one of the choices) and read your article into the microphone

    9.  Remember to say out loud or read out load what you want to say a couple of times before you record.      As I loved the improvising “Thank you for coming” but I didn’t like the fumbling speech.
    10.  Also be mute whenever you aren’t speaking your text, otherwise, you will be like me and mumble.

    Edit your video afterwards either in Youtube Video Manager before publishing to edit out mistakes or download it from Youtube onto your computer to edit in your favourite Video editor like Camtasia Studio. Remember that there is always someone who had the same challenge as you. I did a search in Youtube for “how to download video from Youtube and I found an expert who demonstrated using a Firefox browser add-on you can use to download any video from Youtube. Of course, you should always have the rights to any video you use in the future.

     

    Categories: googlehangouts Tags: Tags: , , , , , ,

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