Top Ten No Money Promotion Ways That Create New Clients and
Fast Sales
By Judy Cullins
Better than offline promotion such as press releases,
talks, or networking? Better than search engine placement,
banner ads, ezines and news groups?
Yes! The number one way to promote your service and your
products is through informational how-to articles that you
send to top Web sites and dozens of no spam opt-in ezines.
Content is still King on the Internet. People want your
free information. That is why they go Online. When they see
your useful, unique information, they will be more inclined to
click the link in your signature file that leads them to your
Web site where your coaching practice or products are sold.
Where to Start?
1. Find an existing article, excerpt from your book,
coaching sessions stories, or how-to information from your
talks.
You already have a wealth of information to choose from, so
this step is the easiest one. Once you get going, you can
write an article in less than one hour.
2. Target your article to your Web site buyer or ezine
subscriber to attract more interest to your service. Think of
each article as a mini sales letter.
Without a specific audience such as entrepreneurs, personal
growth seekers, or small business people, your article may
lose cohesiveness and continuity. People lose interest if your
article is too general. Your best audience is your online
business audience because they want and need many kinds of
information and services. The best part? No competition
because the Net is still underused as a promotional tool.
3. Write a new introduction for each article.
An introduction leads to what you are selling--the valuable
information you want to share. Your first line must hook your
audience. Ask a question about its concerns or problems. Think
what questions need answers. Lead your audience into the how-to's
by writing a headline following the introduction, something
like: Use These Five Ways to Boost your Ezine Subscribers.
4. Write what the opt-in ezines and top web sites want.
Most opt-in ezines and Web sites publish articles from
500-1000 words because they need new, fresh content almost
daily. They need you to submit your articles in 65 characters
per line. A good program for this is www.text.pad.com, which
automatically formats your articles to these specs. Make your
articles useful, original, and written in a conversational way
with how-to steps.
Don't worry about giving away too much. These articles put
you in an advanced category of dedicated professionals that
attracts new clients regularly.
5. Write for your audience.
Your online audience will be primarily other business
people. They want and need your information. They will post it
on their ezines and on their sites. Some people like
conversational articles. Others want short and sweet, so they
can get what they want fast! They like headings so they get
the main points fast. They like tips, how to's, interviews,
and question and answer formats.
After you write with one focus, change it slightly.
Reinvent a new angle. Write for a different audience. I submit
the same information about writing and publishing eBooks to
authors, speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who subscribe to
the multitude of ezines available.
6. Give the background of the problem.
You need to reach your audience where they are. Point out
their challenge. Perhaps it is procrastination. What are its
consequences? Include those. Write how many suffer from this
malady too. Include your audience so that they will read on.
Next meet them where they want to be--their problems solved.
That's where you give your list or how to's. This is the
formula put forth in the book, "How to Market your Business
Online."
7. Write the benefits of your information.
If you don't give your reader a "reason to buy" in your
article's title, headlines, or how to's, they won't go to your
signature box and link back to where your products or services
are offered.
For instance, the one main benefit to writing online
articles is to quadruple sales within four months. Other
benefits include raising your credibility, gaining subscriber
and audience trust, and becoming a household name, so your
unique, useful message can reach many more people.
8. Maximize the promotion power of each article you write.
In less than an hour, your can revise one article to meet the
needs of different audiences. Angle one topic like
procrastination to business people, at home women, students,
or personal growth.
Include specific benefits for each audience. Put the benefit
into a picture or feeling.
Like giving your book a specific angle these ideas can
attract many new potential clients to your site. You'll only
need to write a new introduction and conclusion to fulfill
your endless creativity.
9. Give each article an introduction and conclusion.
Of course, create these in just a few sentences, because
Online readers want shorter sentences, say under 15 words;
shorter paragraphs, say under five sentences, and shorter
length than articles for print media, say under 1000 words.
The best introduction can be a shocking, or benefit-driven
sentence such as, “Stop Throwing Promotion Time and Money Down
the Drain."
Your introduction hooks; your conclusion can sum up main
points, or add another reason why your information will
benefit your audience. You may want to include a consequence
of not acting on your suggestions, too.
10. Finish your article with a signature box at the end
that pulls people to your site for more information.
A weak signature file kills sales and contacts. Make sure
your email address reflects your business name. Forget selling
here. Instead offer free ezines, free reports and a link to
where you want your visitor to go. Perhaps it would be to
coaching information or ebook links.
Did I say include benefits? Yes! Use a concept phrase like
20-year coach helps manifest your online promotion dream.
Include a local and toll-free phone number, email, and Web
address.
Yes, it takes a little of your time, but these articles do
make a difference in attracting your target audience to know
and want you. They made your coach number one-three in Google
with the sales to follow--and in a short time of eight months.
Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach,
Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and
"How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free
help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and
Business Tip of the Month at
http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free
articles. Email her at
mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com
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