Brad Roark

Web Strategy Enthusiast

The Secret To Getting Ahead Of Your Competitor

The secret to getting ahead of your competitor…

Every business has competitors and yours is no exception. Let’s say you have a nice little ice cream shop and your biggest competition is just around the corner. So how do you sell more ice cream than him?

The secret is to add online marketing.

Here’s what you do if you’re a smart ice cream shop online marketer:

You have a website because people search online for types of ice creams shops, where they’re located, and if there are any coupons or specials available. Really!

You get a Facebook fan page up and offer a shot at a contest prize if they “Like” you and spread the word to their friends.

You get on Twitter and gather followers who are waiting for you to tweet about Twitter Only specials and other sweet tweet deals.

You ask people to tweet, email, or fill out an online order form with your bulk ice cream orders or special ice cream cake orders so you can have it all ready and waiting for them when they come in.

You ask for interaction on your website in order to build community. What’s your favorite flavor? What flavors would you like to see us offer? Tell me what your favorite creation of mix-ins would be? Should we have a karaoke night once a month?

You collect email addresses with a special form on your site and market to these people who are interested in your ice cream shop and your brand of ice cream.

Do you think your competitor is doing this? Probably not. That’s why it’s a great way to get ahead… way ahead.

Online Marketing Terms Made Simple

Online marketing terms… Greek to you?

Congrats on having a website, but did you know there is so much more you can do with your website right now to help bring in new customers, make current customers happy, grow your business, and have it do many of the online tasks for you?

I’ve got a few online marketing terms to run by you. If you’ve not used the services of an online consultant before, then these terms might sound like Greek to you…

SEO – This stands for search engine optimization. Optimizing your website for the search engines, like Google, means the difference between a trickle of traffic or a lot of traffic.

monetize – Is your website laid out to make you money? Chances are, you haven’t monetized it properly or you’re lacking in the different ways to make money (monetize) your site.

email marketing – This is what you do to actively market your products online; it’s in addition to just showing your website to the world. Collecting email addresses from people means you can send them periodic emails on new products, sales, etc. to bring them back to your site and purchase from you or into your physical place of business.

autoresponder – An autoresponder is the vehicle by which you send your emails. You don’t have to set up time-consuming individual emails and put in each email address. The autoresponder does it all.

shopping carts – If you’re selling product, you need shopping cart software on your site. Not all are the same so pick one that has all the features you need and it will make your life easier.

It’s a whole different world, isn’t it? I can walk you through this confusing maze as it’s my specialty. Online consulting and taking care of your online needs is what I do. You can contact me by replying to this email or calling me at the number below.

Increase Sales Selling To Buyer While He’s Buying

Increase you sales with the right shopping cart and backend offers.

Let’s say you have your website all set up and you’re able to take and process online orders for products. Congratulations!

The next essential step is to suggest other products that are a continuation of the same type of product they just bought, or something that compliments their purchase.

The best time to make an additional sale is during the customer’s buying experience on your site or fairly soon afterwards while they’re still in the buying mindset.

You can suggest further products automatically based on what they’re buying *before* they finish the last steps of their purchase. This is something you do through your nifty online shopping cart. Think about your own online shopping experiences and how the carts suggest items and allow you to go back and add them to your order.

Another way is to steal an idea from Amazon which is very successful – have a spot on each item’s page towards the bottom that says something like “If you like this item you might also be interested in these items…” And list similar items on the page.

You can also collect their email address so you can suggest additional items over an extended period of time after they originally purchased. This is an easy way to market to customers who are really pleased with your products and would like to be kept informed.

Emailing your customers down the road means you can offer extra service packs, coaching, additional services, another item in the collection, a similar product with added value, or a similar “lite” product. These are your backend products and can greatly increase your sales per customer.

Consider setting up a backend online system where the emails will go out automatically after a sale at intervals you’ve predetermined. This is email marketing at it’s best!

Social Media Is The New Networking Medium

Is social media good for your business? Really?

Good grief, not another thing you have to learn about and try to figure out when you’ve already got so much going on with your small business?!

Yet social media really is something you should give heavy consideration to using because social media can be really good for your business.

Here are just 7 of the reasons why:

1. You can give instant killer support. Turn your occasional unhappy customers into raving fans by dealing with them directly, quickly, and in a satisfactory manner.

2. It offers ways to get your name out there and keep your name out there. Don’t get forgotten or left behind; offer discounts or limited-time offers or whatever works for your particular company. It’s all about branding.

3. Social media also offers you a chance to show a bit of the face behind the brand. This means a lot to people.

4. It’s another way to be found – you might not be found on the first page of a Google search if you’re a little guy competing against the big guys, but you can be seen when you use social media.

5. Social media gives you targeted traffic. The ones who stick around are the ones interested in your product and company.

6. Consider social media a much less expensive way to advertise/market!

7. It allows your customers a chance to communicate with you using their preferred method. Conversations are real and valuable.

If you need help setting up a Facebook fan page or want to know the social media do’s and don’ts, I’d be happy to help. Please contact me with your needs and let’s get you benefiting from social media as soon as possible!

Do You Need A Sales Army Based On Their Performance?

How to have a sales army to sell your products or services

If your business is a small one and you wear most, if not all, the hats then the title of this email must sound odd to you. You’re probably wondering how you’d be able to afford to hire a sales army.

There really is a win-win situation here.

You simply set up an affiliate program and allow others to sell your products for you. You pay them a commission, often 50% but it could be whatever percentage you want, when they make sales.

Otherwise, you pay them nothing. They are not employees so you don’t have to worry about payroll, insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, etc. Yet they will work hard to sell your products because it means money to them when they make sales.

Yes, your earnings will be less than when you sell the product yourself, but to be honest, you can only reach a fraction of the market by yourself.

That’s why I call affiliates a sales army. Just imagine the potential if *each one* of the affiliate reaches as many customers as you could? I think I hear the ca-ching of many cash registers!

There are step-by-step instructions floating around the web, some with great info and others that leave out crucial pieces, about how to set up an affiliate program.

It will require an affiliate software program (I’ve got recommendations) and some “tools” for your affiliates to use. Sound interesting? I can explain it better when you contact me.