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Understanding the impact on social media, the next question is what social media accounts should I subscribe too, which social media accounts will have the most impact. One good way to decide what your social landscape should include is understanding your competition, and listen to your customers.

Listening to your customers includes paying attention to what customers are feeling about a brand, how the feel about a new release of a current product that you sell. As well as when news is announced regarding a product, specifically how it is received and what potential impact could that take on your industry. It is better to be able to react the retract from a statement or information you make about a topic.

Understanding your competition’s social landscape can be critical as well. Your competitors social prominence can dictate how much of a footprint you will need to make as well. The social marketing footprint and strategy can be determined by factors such as total Twitter followers, how many viewers and comments on YouTube videos they have. How many Facebook followers etc.

Once you have established social media accounts such as Facebook Fan pages, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn etc, then there are decisions on how to spend time and find time to be consistent with your marketing.

Here are things you can do at 5 minutes or less:
1. Find a few folks to Re-tweet their content
2. Update your Facebook fan page status
3. Find 1 to 2 related blogs and comment on them.
4. Come up with 2 to 3 blog post ideas for future.
5. Visit your RSS feeds and find some topics for your blog posts.

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Google Products which can be found at http://www.google.com/products is a products service or price comparison directory. The major benefits to Google Products are as follows:

1) Free to Sign up for
2) Doesn’t cost anything to get on page 1 of Google Products.
3) If placed in the top 3 positions of Google Products, you will be found in the shopping result on page 1 of Google.

Requirements to use Google Products

1) Must have a web site, web page, blog, something that you can reference the products from.
2) A spreadsheet Software program like Microsoft Execl or a free tool called SCalc with http://www.openoffice.org

Creating the Google Products account

1) Go to http://www.google.com/merchants if you already have an account with Google login to it if not create a Google account now for free. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and fill out your contact information. Once that is completed you will be prompted to go to the general setting area to verify you web site. You will re-directed to http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools then you are given a couple of different options to verify your site. The easiest option is to copy the Meta Tag code and place it into the header of you home page of your web site. If you are not sure how to do this get with your coach, mentor or adviser to help you. Once your site has been verified you can create your data feed.
2) a) Login to http://www.google.com/merchants b) In the upper left hand corner click on data feed c) Name the data feed products.txt d) Register the data feed.

Creating the Spreadsheet for Google Products.

You need to make sure that every field in the spreadsheet is filled in. If the product is a book then the Isbn number is required, if it an electronic type of item then the upc code is required in order to get the best exposure for the product.

Download Sample Spreadsheet at: http://www.gameznstuff.com/images/uploads/products.txt

When you create the data feed using the spreadsheet tool you will need to go to Save As and save the spreadsheet as a tab delimited txt file or else the data feed will not upload properly to Google Base.

Listing Products on Google Products

1) Login to http://www.google.com/merchants
2) Click on Data Feeds in the upper left hand corner
3) Click on Manual upload in the middle of the Data Feed page.
4) A popup window will appear and click on browse which will create another window to your computer in which you select the products.txt file hit open and then click on the process and upload this file button.

Assignments
From your web site, blog, web page do your best to list at least 15 items into a Google Products spreadsheet and upload the spreadsheet to Google Products.

Be Open to learning what you do not know.

We have seen in the last years many companies implementing offline marketing to gain customers and market share. Many of the largest E-Commerce businesses have been promoting their brand in traditional advertising venues. We have all seen the ebay song and dance commercials, the yahoo and travel ads with the “roaming gnome�. Typically online businesses in this market use offline advertising because they have seen a saturation of their online market.

Our priority is to increase brand awareness in the offline world and then drive traffic and capture the sale or lead online.

The use of off line marketing to supplement your online business does not have to be confusing or expensive. Marketing is truly the collection and analysis of customer and market information. The term Marketing is sometimes used to describe the act of advertising. Prior to ever communicating our promise we must first identify who we are in the market place (unique position) or most often identified as a USP (unique selling proposition). By identifying our position we are then able to identify who we are in the market and what our business promises to do.

So how do we do this? Well first we must understand all of the aspects of your business. Most business encompass the following roles

Leadership – Vision, Capital, Spirit (Culture)
Marketing – Data and Information Gathering
Management – Structure, Systems, Accountability
Customer Service – Generate Leads, Convert Leads, LTV
Fans – 1% at a time
Finance – Indicators
Employees – Intropreneurs

So then advertising is really the result of customer service For lead Generation, converting those leads to sales and then we have to fulfill the sale. If this is the case We then must truly understand what the true “end result� of Marketing is what I call Marketing 101

1. Get more Customers
2. Have Customers purchase more per purchase
3. Have your Customers come back more Frequently

In order to achieve this marketers must have the ability to track and measure the precise return on investment of all activities down to individual e-mails. This Path also creates an obvious path for

• Testimonials
• And other customer responses positive or negative.
• Sales
• List building

So first we must know our Promise?

• It is an expression of your commitment, promise, and dedication to customers and clients
• What is your Demographics?
• Psychographics
• Budgets
• Tracking

We then create a USP, which morphs into an Elevator pitch then our slogan (brand Nike Just Do it)The Branding and Logo process goes as such
Process USP – Elevator Pitch – Slogan + Logo + Promise = Brand

After we have identified our brand we can then create and identify the proper channels to communicate that promise. These are a list of some possible Advertising outlets. Advertising , )meaning any non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor)

• Newspapers The tighter the budget the smaller and more localized the newspaper and or publication
• Television Same as above local cable stations has made this very possible at this time
• Radio
• Direct Mail
• Magazines association and again localized is the best cost basis and hopefully best bang for the buck
• Billboards
• Yellow pages
• Newsletters
• Brochures
• Promotional Items
• T-Shirts
• Business cards
• Faxes and e-mails

Now what is it that we are to communicate? We want to Grab the Consumers attention, then we Need to create an interest and hold attention in our product or service. Create desire, make it believable, prove it is a bargain (risk reversal) Make it easy to buy, and create the sense of urgency and give the consumer a reason to buy.

Sounds very similar to what we are writing on our sites. Better know as ad copy. Yup we are learning to write advertising through the use of headlines, and content on our sites, Keep writing it is all practice and we truly get better as we become more experienced.

by Monty Cassel

So what are the benefits of email marketing or having a newsletter? Here are a couple of them:

• It’s cheap!
• You can build long term relationships with your customers
• It’s fast and you can automate it
• Easy to track
• And email can spread like a virus!

Review those benefits again. Think about this for a minute. If you are able to build a list of customers or subscribers to a newsletter, you really can build a good long term relationship with your clients. In my mind this is one of the biggest benefits to email marketing. As we all know, it is much easier to sell to an existing client than it is to gain a new one.

Segmenting Your List

As you are having people sign up for a newsletter you’ll want to make sure that you segment your list. By segmenting your list you can find out what the members of your list are the most interested in. This also gives you the ability to target messages to the right people. A great way to segment a list is to have a list of categories or interests on the signup page for your newsletter. If you’re creating a list out of a customer database, you can do it based on the type of products that the customer purchased from you. Sure, you will probably have general messages that you send out on a frequent basis, but you can also do some specific targeted messages to certain segments from time to time as well.

Rent or Build?

Some people wonder if it is better to rent or buy a list from someone else, or take the time to develop your own list. In the end it is much better to develop your own list. I say this for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you are marketing to your own organic list you can expect to get a better response and delivery rate because these subscribers already know who you are. It is also much cheaper to do it this way because you own the list! So when it comes to building your list, take the time to do it right.

Double Opt-In

Another tip for setting up your list is to use a double opt-in system. This helps you weed out the problems with spam. When you’re looking at conversion numbers from your email campaigns, you want to make sure that you are seeing accurate numbers. But if you have a lot of spammy addresses in your list your numbers will be skewed.

The Purpose of Your Emails

When I talk to people about email marketing, one of the first questions I ask them is, “Why do you need a list?� Guess what the common response I hear is … “So I can market to people!� While this is essentially what we’re doing, it’s the wrong overall attitude to have for email marketing. Have you ever signed up for an email list where all they did was market to you? Did you stay signed up for that list very long? I know I don’t!

So instead, focus on the information that you’re going to be giving people. Decide what your message is going to be, and also decide how frequently you’re going to send out those messages. This way you are building a long term, trustworthy relationship with your subscribers. Then, every now and then you can work in an actual ‘marketing message.’ This is ok because you are already gaining your subscribers’ trust.

Design Tips

When you’re designing your emails you really have two options: HTML or plain text. If you’re doing an HTML email, you will be able to do better tracking and branding of your company. But, you may also have problems with the message displaying properly in different email programs. Text emails are 100% consistent and focused on the content, but can also seem plain and boring. Chances are that if you go with a good newsletter management system, they will have it set up so that your newsletters go out as both. Because of the HTML problems, its good to have a link at the top of the email that will allow readers to open the message in a separate browser window.

Here are a few other things to consider for the design of your emails. Just like with a web page, your most important information needs to be ‘above the fold,’ or in other words above the point where someone would have to scroll down to see more information. Make sure that your first paragraph contains the most important information.

Mistakes to Avoid

Below is a list of common mistakes that people make when doing email marketing. Make sure you aren’t doing these things!

• Poor formatting
• Too much copy
• Inconsistent frequency
• No personalization
• Poor segmentation

Take the time to do your emails the right way and you’ll get much more benefit out of them.

In summary, email marketing is something that everyone can incorporate into their business. If you’re looking for a good newletter management program, Aweber.com is probably one of the best out there. The price is right around $20 a month. If you need a cheaper alternative to get started, try MailChimp.com where you can pay as you go and still get a lot of really good features

by Dan Patterson

Reduce Shipping Costs, Part II

• Buy a 10-lb. scale from your local post office (around $40).
• Use USPS.com Click-N-Ship to save up to 10% off shipping costs.
• Save time by reducing the number of visits to the post office.

Free Incentives for Leads

• Keep in mind that a good lead is worth $1 to $5.
• Digital Products
  • eBooks
  • Reports
  • Two-day e-mail course via an autoresponder
  • See www.redbox.com
• Physical Products
  • Accessory items that are inexpensive, lightweight but customers would be willing to give you their contact information to get a free one.

Google Listing Feed for an eBay Store

• Under Marketing Tools, click on Listing Feeds.-Choose “Make a file of your Store Inventory listings available.â€?
• Click Apply
• You may need to wait several hours before the file appears.
• Register for a free Google account if you don’t already have one.
• Go to base.google.com and click on Data Feed.
  • First Time: Click on Create a New Data Feed.
  • File Name: your_ebay_store
  • Item Type: Products
  • • Note: Do not create custom type.
  • Click on “Register Data Feed…â€? button.
  • Scroll to the bottom and click on the “I’m done formatting my file…â€? button.
• Go back to where your data feed is located.
  • Go to: Schedule: None create
  • • Click on create
  • • • Copy and paste the URL of your eBay data feed into the “URL of fileâ€? section.
  • • Click on Schedule.
• Call Resource Line for assistance.

Assignments

Action:

Please review your progress since you began the group graduate calls, and then please provide feedback to us by calling 1-877-518-3974, or write out a half page to one report. Please discuss the following:

• Any constructive criticism or positive feedback about me as a coach.
• Any constructive criticism or positive feedback about the graduate calls.
• What eCommerce knowledge you had before the graduate calls versus the knowledge that you have now.
• What you have achieved since starting the calls.
• Any sales or money you have made (this can include eBay, craigslist, or any other method) since you started attending the calls.
• What topics you would like to see covered in future calls.

Action:

• Get a copy of e-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and read by May 19.

Feedback:

• Decide your favorite point of the book and bring to discussion on May 19.

Action:

• Get a copy of The One-Minute Entrepreneur by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis (Prosper’s CEO) and read by June 2. Call Student Care at 1-800-743-9833 and ask for a free copy if you have not already received one.

Feedback:

• Decide your favorite point of the book and bring to discussion on June 2.

Action:

Intro to Marketing (in Entrepreneur Stream)
Marketing has long been a revenue catalyst impacting both a company’s market share and profitability. Thoughtful design and effective implementation of a compelling marketing campaign can pay huge dividends to any business, large or small. Learning how to create differentiation in a competitive marketplace is fundamental in any industry, and imperative to any entrepreneur.

Upon completion of the elective class, the student will be able to:

• Identify the traditional and non-traditional “Pâ€?s of marketing
• Make a list of different criteria customers use to judge a product or service.
• Differentiate their business by constructing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) which creates distinction among competitors
• Describe the strategies used to get feedback from a product or service.
• Identify the significant factors affecting a balanced and effective marketing mix of product, price, place, promotion, personnel, purchase risk, and purchase frequency.

Attendees: This course is best suited for anyone seeking information about strengthening their bottom line, increasing the number of customers, dominating their competition, and improving customer service.

PayPal Topic

• PayPal is doing random holds for accounts with fewer than 20 total transactions via eBay.

Reducing Risk for Potential Customers

• Trial period
• Free shipping
• Return shipping
• Low price guarantee

Making Your Site’s Contact Information Noticeable

• 1-800 Phone Numbers
  • www.ringcentral.com
  • Choose 800#, not 888, or other toll-free prefixes.
• Vanity Number
  • e.g.,1-800-PRODUCT
  • Probably want to avoid.
• Pick a number from a list
  • Has a good “ringâ€? to it
  • Look for rhyming numbers, e.g. “5â€? and “9â€?
  • Look for repeating numbers, e.g., “3305â€?
• List 800# prominently such as in a top corner
• Include a “Call Nowâ€? next to the 1-800#
• Include 800# in about 70% of product listing descriptions.
• Register number with the “Do Not Callâ€? registry at https://www.donotcall.gov/

E-mail Us button

• Link to an easy submit contact form.

Include hyperlinks in descriptions and blog posts to your contact form.

• “contact us for more details”

Contact Us Link

• List all contact information, including physical address, but not a P.O. Box.

About Us Link

• List all contact information, including physical address, but not a P.O. Box.

The purpose of the sales letter is not to make yourself look good or to entertain and be funny. Its only purpose is to bring in money. You do this is by appealing to the reader’s emotions. People don’t care about the manufacturer’s merits or heritage; they want to know what the product can do for them, a “What is in it for me?� mind set. If you do a good job answering that question the orders will start flowing in. The way to do this is to convey the benefits not the features of the product.

So what are some of the benefits for owning or going through your program? For example, if you are selling a diet product you want to show the potential consumer what the benefits are going to be if they use it. What do people want from the product? Do they want to be more active, feel better, be admired by others, or be more attractive to the opposite sex? That what the consumer is going after, “what’s in it for me?�

When you are writing about the benefits of your products, do it with then end result in mind. A good way to do this is with bullet points – they draw the reader’s eye to the words, and it is an effective way to convey the benefits of the product.

Ask for the order

Tell your customers why they should buy from you. Do a time promotion. Tell them they will get free bonuses if the order this week. You have to provide the buyer with a reason why they should buy the product.

Eliminate risk

By taking away the risk from the sale the customer is more likely to buy the product. For example use, a guarantee the infomercials use which is, “If you are not 100% satisfied with this product we will refund you the money. Just pay shipping and handling, and you can keep the free gift.�

By giving them that guarantee you are more likely to get the sale from that person. By taking the risk on your shoulders you are giving them more of an incentive to buy from you. Don’t be afraid to offer an insane guarantee if you believe in the product. If you don’t believe in the product then maybe you shouldn’t be selling it!

Recap

Make your website look simple; that means don’t highlight words, flashing or scrolling text, or too many pictures. The sales letter should do the following: get the reader’s attention and keep them on the page, use a catchy headline, make the reader want your product by showing them the benefits it will give them, do promotions, give them a reason why they should buy the product now, and take the risk away from them (make it a no-lose situation). If you do these things you will help the customer to want to buy from you.

by John Wells