Advertising techniques for small online and home based businesses.4
What's the greatest advantage that you have when advertising your small online or home based business?
The written word! Your website content. Your ads. I believe that the written word is the second most intimate form of communication in the world. It's our major advantage! As you're reading this article, you are reading my words, and my thoughts. But I believe that people subconciously interpret the written word, as though it were being spoken or heard.
Yes, they are my words, and my thoughts, but... what you are reading right now is being "broadcast" to your mind in YOUR voice! I'm literally "closer to you right now, than I would be if I were sitting right next to you. When someone reads your website content or ads, it's completely voluntary. No filters. Just you and your potential customer.
Now the question is are we going to constantly go on about the benefits of our products, our guarantees, and our low, low prices, or are we going to use this time to address our potential customer's want's and needs. When a person makes a purchase there's always a "human" factor involved in the final decision making process.
For example, you may need dish washing liquid today. Sounds simple right? So am I going to tell you my customer how great my dish washing soap is? Or will I mention an article I read not long ago about the many different types of bacteria that lounge on kitchen surfaces and utensils even when they look clean? Approach number one was all about how good my product is. The latter technique, is all about you. My potential customer.
Now we are showing concern for the well being of our potential customer. And isn't that what most purchasing decisions are all about anyway? Well being. Having more. Replenishing resources. Charity. It's all HUMAN. Not just products, benefits, prices and guarantees. Everybody has those! And furthermore, the next time that potential customer visits your online business, they may not need dish washing liquid, but there's a good chance they WILL remember the concern your home based business, (which should represent your unique personality) showed for their well being.
If a two percent sale conversion rate is average for overall Internet purchases, then there has to be a better way to convert potential customers into loyal customers. Because as a small online business owner, If you try to buy all of your customer's through Pay Per Click, the minute you stop paying per click, or can no longer afford to PPC, you lose all of your potential customer's! You will never really own your online business, if you have to pay for every click. I think that the most economical way to approach this ridiculous two percent conversion rate is to make the most of the potential customer's you already have.
I think it's way to easy to "blame" the public, our potential customer's wariness of privacy issues, accountability issues, and not being able to physically touch or smell their purchase's for what seems to be a reluctance or phobia of shopping online. All of these topics are concerns, but in 2007, I won't allow my home based business to lean on that "crutch."
I believe that the majority of people who use the Internet would LOVE to complete a purchase online!
I remember the first purchase I completed online. The convienience of it was literally exhilarating! I couldn't believe it! Click and I had what I wanted! I think my first purchase was a DVD from Amazon. Take a second... remember how you felt when you made your first purchase...
As you're thinking about how you were feeling when you completed your first Internet purchase, I'll move on to our next point, how can we influence our customers, and potential cotomer's adrenaline to flow in a way that will cause them to remember and think about YOUR products and or services...
Remembering past experiences
When I used to sell pre need funeral arrangements, (Hey! you gotta' work to eat! smiles!) Their sales training program emphasized getting our potential customers to recall the last time they may have helped or observed family or friends make funeral arrangements after a loved one has deceased.
Usually those are very somber times. Sometimes very unpleasant emotional moments occur. My job was to help you to remember those possible moments to the extent that you would do anything that you could afford to do, to alleviate yourself, family or friends from experiencing these unpleasant moments again. Our main "key phrase" was "Death always comes as a surprise." Remembering those sad and somber emotions would usually make a potential customer's adrenaline flow enough to lead to action, which on a good day was usually a sale.
My first solo customer cried a river, weeped, bawled, and leaned on a wall! And i'm a disc jockey! I make people happy! I didn't know what to do! Talk about a two percent conversion rate. I found it that day! I didn't know whether to apologize or to ask for the sale!
Of course you probably don't want to make your customer's cry... but, if you can help your customer to remember how they felt the last time they needed or wanted your products or services, or if you can help your customer realistically anticipate what it would be like to own your product or services, help them to take ownership of your products or services before they complete the purchase cycle, you'll be on your way to communicating with your customer's on a subliminal level. Just below the surface. Which is where you wil also find trust and confidence.
People feel a kinship with others who have similar experiences to their own. best Buy, Amazon, Microsoft, are all way too big now, to have the luxury of being able to communicate with the majority of their customer's on a personal level. As a small online or home based business owner, you have the opportunity to connect personally with all of your potential customer's and customer's.
How do you do this when all types of people from around the world, with different languages and cultures are visiting my online business? Answer?
First of all let's understand that your website content and your advertisments are the same. Even if you have a strictly content based website. Everything that you do online is an advertisment for your business. Alway's remember this... when you are communicating with masses of people at once, you can't address the "PEOPLE."
Sounds weird right? Here's what I mean...
If you try to address "people", you are bound to leave certain groups out of the conversation. Due to cultural, language and age barriers to name just a few obstacles. What you need to figure out is this...
What is it that ALL human beings have in common? Well... I'm glad you asked! (smiles!)
Feelings, Feelings, Feelings! We all have feelings. We just experience them in different proportions.
When you are writing or choosing the content for your home based business, you need to speak to your potential customer's humanity. No matter what you are selling or informing about... connect on a human level. Where is the humanity in your product or services? Do you repair roofs? Then you protect families!, Do you help others start their very own home based business? Then you provide opportunities for families to enjoy a better life, which in turn makes the world better for all of us!.
Do you get my point? Tie what you do into humanity. Then no one get's excluded!
The other thing you have to do is truly CARE about your potential customer's. If you've noticed I hardly ever refer to them as "Traffic" or "website visitors." I won't allow myself for one minute to think of the people that visit my home based business as "numbers" or as "unique visitors." As far as my mentality is concerned, everything on the Internet is "virtual" except for the PEOPLE.
I may never physically SEE you... but I know you are there, and that you are a real person trying to make a better life for yourself, and those who are close to you. I know that you don't want to be lied to. I know that you don't want me to waste your time. I know that you want what you want. And that you need what you need.
What more do I need to know? How can my business be of assistance? How can your business be of assistance to your potential customer's on a human level. On an emotional level. Developing customer trust and confidence is the real "shortcut" to success with your small online or home based business! It may take a long ways to "get there" but the wait will be well worth your while! And the good news is... building trust and confidence is a task you'll only have to do once!
This two percent average conversion rate for all online businesses is ridiculous. It's mediocre at best! You are not a mediocre person! DO NOT allow a set of statistics to convince you into accepting mediocrity. The two percent conversion rate should only apply to those small online and home based businesses that focus strictly on the concept of sell, sell, sell! Instead of trust, trust, trust, and confidence, confidence, confidence!
If the success of your small online or home based business is leveraged on creating an urgency to Buy Right Now, then the success of your business will be limited indeed!
Ohhh...Look at the time!
I gotta go now! I MUST return to my mountain top retreat! (smiles!)
Don't forget what I said!
Peace, and have an inspired day!
And always remember...
"Any pursuit is great... when GREATLY pursued!"
Copyright © 2007 Nicholas Busbee All Rights Reserved Worldwide