Get Their Attention
Pretend you’re the client, and tell them what they want to know about your offer, anticipating questions they may have.

Show Advantage(s)
Good sales letters have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. And they’re written conversationally, with short paragraphs, even shorter sentences and lots of white space. After you’ve told them about your offer, show them a benefit — not what they get, but what they really get. For example, if you’re a criminal lawyer, you’re selling legal services, but your client is staying out of jail!

Prove It
This is where great sales letters are made. Social proof, in the form of real testimonials, are often more powerful than any other part of your letter. Psychologically, we all have some resistance when being pitched, but we let down our guard when someone else, who went before us, had nice things to say. Do not forget this section!

Sum it Up
Tell me again everything you’ve told me — why I’m reading this letter, what benefits I get and why I should believe you.

Ask for Action
Don’t make me think — tell me what you want me to do. Pick up the phone, fill out your form, etc.

If you follow this simple, 5-step formula, your sales letters and landing pages should convert suspects into prospects, prospects into leads, and leads into sales.

Photo credit by RAWKU5.

What to print differs by profession, but here are a few examples:

• A criminal lawyer could list the 5 things to do (or not to do) if stopped at a DWI checkpoint
• A financial planner could print a “referred by” form for use by existing clients when making referrals
• A doctor might print a checklist of flu symptoms
• A real estate agent could list all of the local charities they support

Just about everyone reading this piece is wasting space — on the back of their business card! Use your card to make your business and profession more memorable.

Photo credit by vivekchugh.

In an earlier post about marketing during a recession, I suggested recording short, informative movies and clips about your business. I’ll add to that by recommending you be genuine, passionate and energetic in front of the camera.

Video offers an opportunity to make you more personable and approachable, all of which influence that first client meeting.

Video Makes Your Website Sticky
Since it’s not uncommon for a website visitor to leave almost as soon as they click through to your website (just look at your Bounce Rate on Google Analytics if you don’t believe me), you immediately engage with video and keep them looking longer. So instead of viewing just one page, they’re more than likely to read on once they’ve viewed your video.

Here are some additional thoughts on using website videos to grow your practice:

• Keep videos short. We’re used to consuming content in bite-sized chunks, so try to keep your video under 30 seconds. Of course, if yours is longer, record the most important information first.
• When posting videos on your web pages, make sure to include content within context around the video. Consider posting a transcript as well.
• Now that you’ve recorded one or several videos, create your own YouTube channel and upload. Also use a service like TubeMogul for distribution to several dozen video search engines. Website videos are proven to increase your exposure on search engines. And if you’re listed attorney on Lawyers.com, add your video to your profile.
• Don’t forget a clear, call to action at the end of your video. Viewers should be invited to call or message you for further information about their particular legal needs.

And for those of you wondering where my videos are, stay tuned!

Photo credit by t9t.

When you can get keywords for free from Google, why would you pay for a subscription to Wordtracker’s premium Keywords tool (even if it is only 90 cents a day)?

It’s a reasonable question. Let’s face it, no one wants to pay for something they can get at no cost. But there’s a reason why so many people continue to renew their subscription to Wordtracker’s Keywords tool, year after year: it gives them a serious edge in finding and exploiting the keywords that will make them money.

While free keywords tools like Google’s certainly have their place in the world of online marketing, they won’t give you the insights you need to generate more traffic, outperform your competitors, and multiply your profits.

Simply put, Wordtracker gives you more of what you need to be found online. For these and thousands of other results-minded marketers around the globe, Wordtracker is an invaluable resource in the quest for coveted search engine rankings.

Here Are Five Great Reasons Why Wordtracker Blows Google’s Free Tool Away

Wordtracker Advantage #1: It’s All About the Long Tail

No, we’re not talking about the primates at your local zoo. By “long tail”, we’re referring to the typically longer keyword phrases that are very specific to what your website is selling and what people are looking for. These phrases differ from the more basic, primary keywords that are heavily searched (cleverly called the “head”).

For example:

The long tail of keyword research is absolutely fundamental to your online success. Because they have less competition from other websites, long tail keywords give you a much better chance of ranking highly in the search engines – and that means more visibility for your website.

And here’s even better news: the people who search online using long tail keywords are far more likely to become buyers! These specific keywords trigger significantly higher conversions than general terms and phrases.

Something else that may surprise you: The long tail of a keyword represents a far greater number of searches than the head. In a 2008 report, Bill Tancer, general manager of global research at Hitwise, revealed that for any given topic, the top 100 keywords account for just 5.7% of all website traffic – while long tail keywords account for the remaining 94.3%!

Left: An illustration of the huge number of low competition, high conversion alternatives that can be found in the long tail of primary keywords. If you’re not targeting long-tail keywords you’re missing out on potential traffic.

So what does the long tail mean for you? Target a large number of long tail terms, and you can generate lots of highly targeted traffic. Since there are so many potential long tail combinations that searchers may use to find what you offer, you’ll likely need to create more pages on your website. Luckily for you, Google – the world’s most popular search engine – loves sites with plenty of pages, and tends to reward them with higher rankings!

How Wordtracker delivers a long tail advantage: For every search, Wordtracker gives you 1,000 keywords – so you can dig much deeper into the long tail of a primary phrase. And for every keyword you rank for, you’ll get more customers, more sales and more revenue for your business.

Why Google falls short: Google only gives you 200 keywords for every search, dramatically limiting your ability to find valuable long tail terms and phrases.

To get the most from any audience niche, you have to target the keywords in the long tail – not just the popular few. Wordtracker gives you more long tail keywords than any other keywords tool available today.

Click here to get 12 months of Wordtracker for only $329 – plus FREE bonuses!

Wordtracker Advantage #2: Be Privy to Rare and Valuable Competitive Data

Keywords with a high search volume and a low level of competition can bring you a quick (and substantial) return on your investment. But without an accurate measure of competition for a particular phrase or term, you simply don’t get the full picture.

How Wordtracker delivers: Wordtracker has two metrics which let you uncover worthy keywords that are both popular and have a low level of competition:

• In Anchor And Title (IAAT): Instantly measures the level of serious competition for any of the 200 million keywords in Wordtracker’s database. Find out exactly how many competitive web pages you must beat to get search engine traffic.
• KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index): Is a keyword really worth targeting? Use KEI to hone in on keywords with high traffic and low competition. But unlike the older version of the metric, the “new” KEI considers only real competition — defined as web pages with at least one inbound link containing that keyword in its anchor text.

Wordtracker can calculate these figures accurately because they’ve indexed over one trillion URLs. No other keyword research tool gives you access to such a vast database.

Why Google Falls Short: Google’s free tool gives you the number of searches for a particular phrase or term (i.e. its popularity), but gives you no idea of how much competition you face. Frankly, it’s not in Google’s interest to warn you about the competition, because they want you to buy ad space.

Wordtracker shares keyword competition data liberally with its premium subscribers, enabling you to cherry-pick the most promising keywords for your online marketing campaigns.

Wordtracker Advantage #3: Target More Moneymaking Keywords with “Related Keywords” Function

When you use the Wordtracker tool to dig deep into the long tail of a keyword, you get the most popular phrases that contain the seed keyword. In other words, a search on the term “organic” would include results such as organic food, organic gardening, organic farming, and so on.

But related keywords are different – they don’t always include the original seed keyword. For example, a related keyword search for “organic” will return keywords such as sustainable agriculture and growers. All great ideas for generating domain names, new product ideas, and captivating website content.

Above: The top 10 searches on the term “organic” using Wordtracker’s related keywords function

How Wordtracker delivers: The Wordtracker Keywords tool offers you more related keywords than any other tool – up to 300 per search, as a matter of fact. This enables you to squeeze the most value out of every single term or phrase.

Why Google falls short: Google’s free tool gives you just 50 related keywords, leaving you with far fewer opportunities to discover fruitful new markets and attract more paying customers.

Wordtracker Advantage #5: Get the Benefit of World Class Support

Online success can’t be achieved in a vacuum. When you’re navigating the often complex world of search marketing, it helps to have a reliable network of expert resources right at your fingertips.

How Wordtracker delivers: Subscribe to the Wordtracker Keywords tool and you’ll get the best service and support available, including:

• Live chat or a call with a member of their knowledgeable support team. They’re happy to give you one-to-one guidance on your keyword strategy
• Free online training videos
• A wealth of how-to articles and advice in our free Wordtracker Academy

Why Google falls short: Google’s online Help Center is geared primarily toward people who already have AdWords accounts (in other words, they’re already putting money in Google’s pocket). Those who aren’t AdWords users must search cumbersome Q and A databases for the answers they’re looking for. Who has the time – or the patience – for that?

Wordtracker’s business is to help your business succeed. That’s why they provide live support as well as ample access to information that helps you get the most out of your keyword research.

Click here to get a year of Wordtracker for 90 cents a day – plus FREE bonuses!

Wordtracker Advantage #6: Get More Done in Less Time

Let’s face it – in today’s ultra-competitive business world, productivity reins supreme. You need to make the best use of your time, each and every day.

How Wordtracker delivers: With Wordtracker’s intuitive, easy-to-use interface, you can generate thousands of powerful keywords in a matter of just minutes. That means getting your keyword research done faster – and putting the results to work sooner.

What’s more, Wordtracker enables you to build structured projects and lists quickly, saving you hours of tedious work. Every keyword list can be used to create a category on your website, and each individual keyword within a list can be used to generate compelling ideas for web content, articles and blogs.

The Wordtracker Keywords tool also enables you to map your keyword lists directly to your website, so you can be sure that you’re targeting the long tail effectively.

With a premium subscription to Wordtracker, you can create and save valuable projects and lists and access them from any computer with an internet connection – anywhere in the world, day or night. Even better, you can store an unlimited number of projects – ideal for a business running several campaigns or an agency serving multiple clients.

Why Google falls short: While Google allows you to save your keywords, it doesn’t give you the enhanced management tools that Wordtracker provides – nor does it allow you to generate so many keywords in such little time. In fact, if you’re using Google’s free keywords tool, finding 10,000 highly targeted keywords just might take you all day! Chances are that’s more time than you have to spare.

Wordtracker gives you enhanced tools to make your keyword research faster, easier and more effective. That means you can drive your website’s performance without sacrificing a substantial amount of your valuable time.

Harness the Power of Effective Keyword Research – for Less Than $1 Per Day!

Effective keyword research is at the core of internet marketing – and can mean the difference between your success and failure. Whether you’re a web professional who wants to exceed client expectations – or a small business owner who wants to drive performance – Wordtracker helps you stay profitable by keeping you connected with what your customers want and need.

The cost of a Wordtracker subscription is just $329 a year – that’s less than 90 cents per day. When you consider that a single keyword can generate thousands of new customers, you can see how Wordtracker is a smart investment that quickly – and exponentially – pays for itself!

Here’s what you get when you subscribe:

Bonus #1: Keyword Basics Ebook (Value – $29)

One of the most frequently asked questions from website owners today is, “Why can’t my site be found on Google?” They know it’s important to appear prominently in search engine results – but they don’t know why it’s not happening for them.

Written by Wordtracker’s chief marketing officer, Ken McGaffin, the  ”Keyword Basics” ebook tells you how to use keyword research to propel your website to the top of search engine listings. This new edition of the book contains all the latest techniques. You’ll learn:

• How search engines work
• A simple method for choosing your best keywords
• A simple way to expand your lists of moneymaking keywords
• How to use keywords to create mouth-watering web content that keeps visitors coming back for more

Downloadable immediately, this easy-to-follow guide gives you smart, practical insights from a recognized SEO guru – so you can turn your site into a profit-pulling, high ranking machine in no time!

Bonus #2: “Profit from Keywords” Video Series (Value – $39)

For the first seven days of your annual Wordtracker subscription, they’ll send you a video a day, each designed to help you get the most from the premium Keywords tool. These videos cover everything from starting your keyword research to optimizing your Google AdWords campaigns. The series includes:

• Video 1: Search engine success starts with keywords. Learn how to optimize your website with keywords to achieve greater search engine rankings.
• Video 2. Assess your market with keyword research. Discover how to use keyword research to analyze your market and identify potentially profitable niches.
• Video 3. How to build an effective keyword strategy. Find out how to organize your chosen target keywords into lists that match your site’s structure.
• Video 4. How to optimize your web content. Learn how to effectively use your target keywords in page title tags, headlines, subheadings and body text.
• Video 5. Pay-per-click (PPC) for testing and profit. Discover how to create a lucrative PPC campaign using the Wordtracker Keywords tool.
• Video 6. How to use keywords in linking text. Find out how to maximize traffic by creating keyword rich links on your own website as well as in other sites’ links to yours.
• Video 7. Expand into new markets and beat your competition. Learn how to use Wordtracker to continually refine your online marketing campaigns and improve your results over time.

Click here to get 12 months of Wordtracker for only $329.

Exclusive Extra Bonus (Value – $49)!

To help you get the most from Wordtracker’s Keywords tool, they’re  laying on an exclusive 45-minute webinar. You’ll be taken through the basics of solid, business-based keyword research, including:

• How to use the Keywords tool to plan your website structure
• How to avoid the most common keyword research mistakes
• How to search wide and deep to find missing keyword opportunities
• How to understand what your customers really want from you

And that’s not all: You’ll also learn how to manage your research projects effectively, export keywords for use in your AdWords campaigns, and gain insights into their exclusive keyword metrics! Only Wordtracker subscribers can attend the webinar.

Risk Nothing / 100% Money Back Guarantee

Between the benefits and the bonuses we’ve just outlined, subscribing to Wordtracker today is a no-brainer. But they’re going to up the ante even further by throwing in a rock solid satisfaction guarantee.

You have absolutely nothing to lose when you sign up for an annual Wordtracker subscription. If in 30 days you don’t feel that their premium tool has brought you real value, they’ll give you every penny back that you paid – no questions asked. That’s how confident they are that Wordtracker is the most powerful, effective, rank-boosting keyword research tool on the market today.

With Wordtracker, you’ll:

• Drive more qualified traffic to your website
• Create engaging web content that converts more browsers into buyers
• Come up with innovative ideas for new products and services
• Discover and pursue exciting new market niches
• Get a serious leg up on your competition
• Do it all more quickly and effectively than the free Google tool allows

Click here to get a year of Wordtracker for 90 cents a day – plus FREE bonuses!

Disclosure: Brian Farrell is an affiliate of Wordtracker, and this post contains tracking links.

A client testimonial!

An Econsultancy article from July 2009 refers to a Nielsen survey showing that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% trust opinions of unknown users. The client referral pays you once (maybe twice), but the client testimonial earns it keep every time it’s used.

Here is a sample template you could use (where permitted and based on your profession) to solicit better testimonials:

1. Why did you retain (business name) for your (service provided) needs?
2. Please list three things you like most about our services. Why do you like them?
3. What, in your opinion, is the strongest feature of our services? Why?
4. Is there anything about our services you would like to see changed?
5. May we use your comments for promotional purposes?

Once you get these back, have them signed and dated for everyone’s benefit. Then use them on your website and in other promotional materials.

First, I think it’s important to at least look at the profile of the person asking the question, and familiarize yourself with his/her background, knowledge and experience. Remember – you never know where your answers may take you!

When replying, the subject line on your response is the same as the subject line of the question. Here’s a chance to stand out by customizing the response. My question was “How do you optimize a video for YouTube?” A response with a subject line like “5 ways to optimize YouTube videos” would have jumped out at me, and I probably would have awarded that person’s answer as best.

I also think it’s important to keep your answers short and to the point. During the past 5 years or so, we’ve gone from reading full length articles in newspapers and magazines to 140 character responses on Twitter. So don’t stuff your answer full of fluff or promotional URLs. Quality and brevity, although challenging to combine, are the key. Of course, if you have more to say, offer your phone number or open a one-way discussion via a Linked In message.

But, before you type up your response or think through a subject line, open up Word and draft it there. No need to prematurely send a response through the Linked In system. Using an offline tool gives you a chance to review, edit, and make sure reference links work.

Finally, if you know a person who’s capable of answering a question better than you can, forward it! Making connections and conversations more valuable is vital to professional networking, and this is a surefire way to get noticed.

Photo credit by cobrasoft.

Grab a pen and some paper, or open up Word, and detail line by line what it is you want to achieve. Let your mind flow — it’s more important to get everything written down. Let this sit for a day, and then go back to it again, because there are bound to be goals your subconscious mind came up with that just took a little longer to surface. Hopefully, you have a decent sized list.

Second, go through each goal, one by one, indicating if achieving the goal is a “must”, “should” or “nice” accomplishment; and indicate the desired time frame (ex. “I must achieve this goal in 2 years”). File the “should” and “nice” goals away — achieving your “must” goals are too important. Organize your list of “must” goals by date, with the goals due soonest first, followed by those further out in time. You’ll now have a prioritized list of goals.

Take a look at your list. Properly set goals are measurable, specific and achievable. Making “$1MM in 60 days” won’t work. Nor does “being financially independent in 10 years”. As you think about each of your goals, quantify them, avoid generalities and be realistic. For example, “I must book 6 speaking engagements over the next 12 months” seems to pass muster. And it sounds reasonable.

Now break down each into bite sized chunks and tasks you’ll need to do to achieve the goal. Following our speaking engagements example, your tasks may include contacting 10 speaker’s bureaus, writing your bio, and attending 3 industry trade events over the next 90 days. You can further break down each task with due dates and measure your progress along the way. If you follow these steps for each of your goals, you’ll have a logical path to follow, and a much greater sense of accomplishment along the way.

As Robert Heinlein once said, “”In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” Change the way you think about goal setting today.

Photo credit by Fanginhoon.

I love these questions, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about my favorite topic — paid marketing. For nearly every business, paid marketing must be part of your mix.

Here are my top 3 responses to the “why should I use paid” question:

1. Control the page. Even if you had the greatest SEO team in the world, the best you can get for any given search is two organic listings. So what better way to dominate the page than with a paid result as well? In most cases, you’ll have two, if not three links (think “chances”) to capture a potential prospect. And when using the same keywords for both paid and organic, you should see far better results overall (for both spots).
2. Control the message. The snippet and URL shown for your organic search results may not be the best possible place for your prospects to visit. Instead, support this listing with a paid result. Within reason, you can say what you want to say in the ad, and direct clicks to the page on your website which converts the best. From another perspective, if you’re facing negative or less than desirable organic results, use paid marketing to level the playing field.
3. Expand your reach. The only way to expand your reach organically is to create content and links which support your additional keywords. But try doing this for more than a few dozen terms, and you’ll never make progress. If you want to be found for hundreds, even thousands, of potential keywords, the only way to get this type of reach is through paid marketing.

With the given change in Google’s search page, organic results are getting further and further down the page. These three reasons apply in all situations, and for all businesses. To borrow a page from politics, you’ve got to pay to play, and the only guaranteed way to get traffic from a search engine is to buy it.

Photo credit by Penny Matthews.

Tip 1: Call your client or customer service number — how long does it take you to get through to a representative? If you grow impatient, imagine how your clients feel.

Donna then quickly looked up my account, all based off of a little tag on the inside of our window shade. She knew when it was made, when it was bought (by the previous homeowner) and based off of that little tag, which window it belonged to.

Tip 2: Do your systems work this fast? Or do you make clients go through hoops validating who they are?

I explained the problem to Donna, and she told me the repair charge was $25. All I had to do was mail in the blind, and they’d do the rest. Not bad – sounded like a fair price to me. While she was writing up the repair order, I chatted with Donna about her weekend. I must have made an impression as Donna informed me she’d waive the repair fee and the return mail charge — again, all I had to do was ship the blind.

Tip 3: Are your client services staff empowered to make impressionable decisions? $25 isn’t a lot, and I was fully prepared to pay it. But her change made my Monday. And we all know what Monday’s could be like…

Your “after the sale” service is often what makes or breaks your business. It also has a dramatic effect on the referrals you get.

Are you doing everything you can to get the sale, only to fall flat afterwards? Or are you like Levolor, which just made me a client for life?

Photo credit by iprole.

LinkedIn has a store, where you can buy branded merchandise. Up for sale include mugs, shirts, luggage tags and even reusable grocery shopping bags. For me, I’ve got my eye on the lapel pin for in-person networking.

The LinkedIn blog is frequently updated with all the new and cool enhancements on the network. Writers use the content here for their own blog posts. And for those of you who like to comment on blog posts, the structure here publishes your profile URL, which is a unique twist, and may help you with optimization.

A fairly new feature is the ability to reorder the elements on your profile. Via simple drag and drop, you can move the pieces of your profile around to best highlight your skills, expertise or experiences and stand out from the crowd.

I launched my first DirectAds campaign earlier this week, and the results seem promising. The targeting is robust, but the $10/day minimum is pretty high when compared to Google and Facebook ($1/day or so). More to come on the results of my campaign.

LinkedIn also makes it very easy for you to promote your profile with badges. When logged in to your account, the badges are automatically updated to include your profile URL.

I hope you find these features useful to your networking goals on Linked In, and I welcome your comments, and connection requests.

Photo credit by ilco.