Category Archives: Online Marketing

A Cool Technique That Increased The Average Sale Per Customer For One Of my Clients

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OK, this next technique worked so well that it practically blew my mind when the numbers came in.

For those who are interested in conversion rate optimizing, I’m sure you’ll be able to appreciate the beauty of testing such a simple idea.

It may not work for everybody, because it’s somewhat product dependent. But if you can implement it (or anything like it) with your business, then I highly recommend you at least give it a try…
 

So I’ve been working with this guy for the past few months, trying to maximize profits from his website.

My new friend sells info products (books, audio programs, courses, personal coaching and the like) and we’ve been working on increasing the average sale per customer.

Of course we mixed and matched some various up-sell and cross-sell mechanisms, with a modicum of results.
 

But then one night I woke up around 2AM with an idea blazing through my mind (This kind of thing still happens to me more often then I’d like. Don’t get me wrong… I appreciate my subconscious helping out, but I’m getting older and I really need my beauty sleep)

Anyway, the next morning I presented the idea to my client. And now I’m sharing it here for your consideration, education, amusement, or just so you can slam me for sharing an idea that you already knew about (it’s your call what you decide to make of it).
 

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Email copy – Good… or not?

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Well, the other day I posted a thread here with a direct response copywriting exercise.
 
I was trying to add some hands on education to this site. And I did get a couple private emails asking for more posts like these.
 

But, other than that… nothing more than crickets chirping… and tumbleweeds rolling.

 
So, I’m thinking that maybe not too many people here are interested in exercising their sales copy skills?

 
But, I’ve never been one to “take the hint” (at least not on the first go around)
 
So let’s try again (one more time)… shall we?
 

This is an email I got from Netflix a couple days ago…
 
I won’t break it down with any critique this time. I’ll just let you look at it, and soak it all in…
 
So what do you think of it?
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Your FREE email opt-in offer, is not really free… So stop pretending like it is.

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I was browsing a couple online marketing forums the other day, and a number of threads jumped out at me.
They were all asking similar questions, like…

“Why aren’t people signing up for my email list? I’m giving away free stuff (a free report, free ebook, free sample, etc.) Doesn’t everybody want free stuff?”

 

Well, most experienced marketers already know the answer to this question.

But, for anyone (and everyone) who’s asking this type of question, let me answer it for you right now…

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Small business marketing is not an expense (it’s an investment)

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“Running a business without advertising and marketing is like winking in the dark; you know what you’re doing, but nobody else can see you.”

 

Small Business Advertising and Marketing

 

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, then you already know; there’s only 3 main ways you’re going to “stay in business”…

 
1) Increase your number of customers.

2) Increase the size (or dollar amount) of each sale.

3) Increase the frequency of repeat customers.

 

It’s not rocket science… it’s simple math!

– When you do 1 of these, your sales will go up.

– When you do 2 of these, your sales will multiply even more.

– When you do all 3, your sales, and profits, will expand geometrically.

 

Of course, there’s other ways to increase your bottom line, like cutting waste and streamlining efficiency.

But without customers, you don’t have a business; and nothing else is going to make a difference.

 

This is where advertising and marketing comes in

 
Unfortunately, here’s where most business owners go wrong…

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Ethics in marketing – good business? or idealistic foolishness?

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There was a thread the other day, on one of the marketing forums I belong to, that touched upon a point of morality and ethics in marketing.

One of the members was called out for blatantly lying to, and deceiving his market, in order to promote himself as being a master marketer.

That member shot back, and basically told his detractors “The best marketers adjust the facts, so get off your high horses and start living in the real world!”

He then went on to justify his claim, demanding that he could “honestly” say he produced tens of millions of dollars for past clients, because he once worked for a company that did so.

And even though he wasn’t personally responsible for those transactions, he wasn’t lying. He was simple “adapting the truth” to fit his own needs.
 

Now, I don’t know how you feel about his justification; But to me, with that type of logic, a cashier at Walmart could say they’re a front line financial expert, managing an entire sector, at a multi billion dollar company.
 

Is it a lie? Or, is it simply an adapted truth?

To me, it sounds deceptive… what do you think?
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