You have started your business and you are very excited. Maybe you’re just getting ready to launch a new marketing campaign for your existing business. You keep hearing about these amazing success stories about folks who have figured out how to make money online. You see their articles. You see the pictures. Maybe you even personally know someone who is making money online.
So you make the decision to get started. You pick or start a company with a product or service you can get excited about. The excitement and expectation is keeping you awake at night. You are going to make SO MUCH MONEY! From what you can see, it seems like folks are just popping up web sites all over the place and the money simply comes rolling in.
But the money didn’t just come rolling in. Your bank account is still hurting and you aren’t rich yet. Your web site looks just like those other web sites you see making money. Your product is just like the products begin promoted by the other top earners in the same industry or company you’re with. But your results aren’t the same as theirs.
What Are You Missing?
Online Marketing is more than just throwing up a web site. “If you build it, they will come.” makes a great line in a movie but, as we have all experienced, it doesn’t seem to work that way in the real business world.
This article is designed to help you understand the importance of understanding and creating a sales funnel. Your goal is to get sales. You want people using your products or services and you want to build a team of people that want to build the business with you. It is critical to your success that you understand and implement each of these steps to make that happen.
Each of these steps is very important and if you are skipping any of these, you are cutting your chances of success with online marketing in a big way.
Step 1: Get Your Web Site.
This may be a simple replicated site that is put together by the company you are working with. For maximum impact, I highly recommend your own blog so that you can control your message, your branding, and build your own credibility. I see a lot of people rely solely on a company provided site. If that company goes through challenges or the site gets shut down, all your momentum gets stopped. When you have your own web site, you control the content, branding, image, etc… and can create and maintain your own marketing momentum.
Another simple option is to create a simple capture page that is linked to an autoresponder campaign. This brings me to the next step:
Step 2: Get an AutoResponder.
Your AutoResponder is a powerful tool. With your AutoResponder, you can create sales letters that explain your offer, demonstrate the value you bring, help you build rapport, and establish credibility in your industry. I highly recommend you get connected to an AutoResponder service and create your sales letters.
Then you are ready for your next step:
Step 3: Build Your Lists.
You have a web site. You have sales letters. Now you want to start focusing on building your list of prospects. You are going to be driving traffic to your site in the next step. What we are going to do now is make sure it is easy for people to join your list when they get to your blog, site, or capture page. Your AutoResponder service should make it very easy for you to get the code to add a subscription form to your blog or web site. Here is a video that shows you how we set up the capture form below on this blog.
You should also be able to quickly create a capture page you can begin promoting while you are working on your own web site.
As visitors to your site fill out the form to request your information, report, download, sample, etc… they are added to your database. Your AutoResponder can begin following up with your prospects and help convert them in to paying customers. And those customers are what your business needs!
Step 4: Get People To Your Web Site
NOW we get to the part where you start driving traffic to your web site, blog, capture page, etc… Setting up a web site gives you a place to present your information. Setting up your AutoResponder gave you a way to send more information and follow up with prospects who want to know more. But to get those visitors, you need to start driving traffic to your web site. How many ways are there to drive traffic to your web site?
- Online Text Ads
- Online Banner Ads
- Traffic Exchanges
- PPC Advertising
- Safelist Advertising
- Facebook Advertising
- Business Cards
- Networking Events
- Newspaper Advertising
- Window Letters On Your Vehicle
- Drop Cards
- Word of Mouth
- T-Shirts
- And Many Many More …
The key is to understand the process and set up your sales funnel to make the most of your advertising and promotional efforts.
We explained this process in this order to help you see how you will set up your sales funnel.
Once the sales funnel is set up, you will be focused on:
- Advertising to get people to your web site, blog, or capture page.
- Your web site, blog, or capture page has the subscription forms so that people can request more information from you, joining your list.
- Your AutoResponder sends out your sales letters to follow up with your prospects, building your credibility, establishing rapport, and helping those prospects become comfortable with the idea of doing business with you.
- As your prospects become more comfortable with you, they begin to purchase your products, use your services, and/or join your team.
If all you are doing is advertising a sales page, you are basing your success on the idea that someone will hit your web site and make a purchasing decision in that first visit. This hardly EVER happens! Think about your own habits. How often do you make a decision to purchase something based on your very first visit to a web site? Your prospects won’t do it, either. So give them an opportunity to get to know you better by joining your list.
Is this a quick process? No! You will need to learn a few techniques and take the time to get your site set up, create your sales letters, add subscription forms, and begin your advertising campaigns. As you move forward, you will get better at it, become faster at it, and find yourself in the position of being able to generate leads online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
And THAT is when the process becomes a lot of fun!
Are you ready to learn more about how email marketing can help you build your business? Request your FREE Report, now:
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