Welcome to day 21 of the Internet Marketing Makeover!
Did I beat everything into your head enough yesterday?
Sorry.
It matters that much though.
Being efficient matters to. So today we work on streamlining processes around social media – which, as you know from yesterday’s post, isn’t about if you want to – this is a critical SEO move.
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Erica Ho is a contributor to Time magazine’s technology blog, Techland, and has also lent her writing talent to AOL and Gizmodo. Erica attended the University of Texas and then moved to San Fransisco to write for Gizmodo. She has been living in Hong Kong for the past two years, and Heavy Chef got a chance to speak with her about her tech experiences there. She also shared her views on the Android vs. Iphone debate. Hi Erica, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Originally, I attended The University of Texas in Austin, studying English and Government. After my time there, I moved to San Francisco where I joined the gadget blog Gizmodo, covering tech news. I’ve worked for Lifehacker, AOL and Time since then, but it was really in tech news where I got my start, probably due to the fact that I’ve always been interested in playing with the latest gadgets as a kid. Since I came from a family full of engineers, we were also encouraged to explore and experiment in an tech savvy environment.
So how did you find your way to Techland and Hong Kong?
For a period of time when I was freelancing for AOL, I took up a friend’s offer to come out and visit Beijing, which proved to be a life changing experience. I returned because I was fascinated with Asia, which quickly led me to Hong Kong and also Techland.
Digitally speaking, what differences did you notice between Hong Kong and the United States?
There is not much difference. The internet is open, unlike mainland China. Although Hong Kong is under Chinese jurisdiction, it has its own laws, system and currency. It’s considered a special autonomous region. So it is not censored like China is.
What are some popular websites and mobile apps in Hong Kong?
In many ways, what is popular in the States is popular in Hong Kong as well. It’s interesting to see globalization really pervade culture. I mean, people love their Facebook here in Hong Kong just as much as they do in the States. Same with Angry Birds. I guess that’s universal.
What are some personal favourite websites, and why?
Some of my personal websites include thedailywh.at and The New York Times, along with longer focused reporting pieces. I also enjoy reading The Awl. Obviously the New York Times and some other publications are stellar at what they do, which is real reporting. But I also prefer to mix it up with blogs and general pop. In this day and age there should be more than one kind of definition for what should be considered real news.
In South Korea, Tesco Homeplus launched a virtual subway store to make life easier for busy commuters. Does Hong Kong have it’s own digital innovations that make life more convenient for the masses?
Perhaps the most convienent solution for masses in Hong Kong is really the Octopus card. I think San Francisco is just starting to implement something similar now, but its a transportation card that can be used for subways, buses, ferries, fast food, convenience stores and many other places. It acts like a debit card, and most card readers will recognize and deduct the transaction immediately.
The media usually shows Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea as places that are heavily reliant on technology. How true is this in reality? How has technology changed everyday life in Hong Kong?
I think to a degree, it’s not that different from the United States and other places around the world. People just might be more wired here than other places in the world. Things are certainly much more efficient, above all else. And with so many people and devices, I think more than anything else people in Hong Kong are much more stimulated than in other places in the world, precisely due to the concentration of things. But one could argue that’s also a product of culture and environment. Hong Kong is a hectic city by nature, and extremely dense, so efficiency is key.
How has technology impacted traditional industries like publishing in Hong Kong?
Barely, if at all. The media sector has definitely lagged behind the digital trend. Especially in the local papers, you can tell there’s a disconnect with the print segment and online. It’s nearly archaic. However, it is definitely interesting as Hong Kong has some of the most profitable papers around, like the South China Morning Post.
How does the Android vs Iphone debate fair in Hong Kong?
Without a question, iPhone. It’s offered for free in Hong Kong in many places with a plan, and thus you’ll see almost everyone on the streets with the latest iPhone.
Heya! It’s Day 20 of the Internet Marketing Makeover – the home stretch!
What matters right now in SEO? Where is the trendline going?
Towards links? Is content king? On page factors?
No. It’s none of those things – and yet also all of those things, all wrapped up into one.
I did a video about it in February 2011 – well over a year’s notice!
And I kept talking, writing, and warning you.
The good news (for you) is, (eek!) not everyone reads my blog (although I certainly don’t mind if you send your friends a tweet letting them know about the glory that is the Internet Marketing Makeover).
And since not everyone (yet) reads my blog, there’s quite a few folks who are blindly building links, optimizing on-page, and not giving a damn about what REALLY MATTERS because THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW about the most important SEO factor in the coming years.
But you’re here, so I know you’re a smartie pants.
Let’s dive in.
[private_IMMakeover]
DAY 20 OBJECTIVE
Set up your site to encourage social sharing – and get credit for it in the eyes of Google.
The vid, as you know, was done in February 2011. That post, and the timeline in it, was August 2011.
What’s Google done since then?
Only everything!
Social is everything. Why? Because with social, the engine can’t be gamed as easily as it can with links. With social, links still matter – links are still an indicator that something is worth sharing and might be worthwhile in coming up in the SERPs.
But Google’ isn’t just looking at how many links a site has, or even the reputation (i.e. page rank) of the place a site is getting links from.
Google is looking at the reputation of who is sharing links to your site. Spambot fake Twitter account playing the follow-me-follow-you game? Not gonna get you anywhere in the new Google’s eyes.
Your reputation is everything, and not just in terms of market leadership and how your individual blog audience sees you. Now your reputation – what Google knows about you and what you’re an expert in – matters in terms of the SERPs too.
Google+ Author Rank
Having a Google+ account is imperative, as it’s one of the ways that Google is signaled to the topics you are an expert in and the people that are influenced by you.
So start there – by signing up for a Google+ account. Here’s mine.
(It’s irrelevant what you think about Google+ as a social network, if it’ll “beat” Facebook, etc. This is simply an SEO measure).
Next, go through the process of linking your blog together with your Google+ profile. This will get you a lovely little thumbnail in the SERPs, like this:
If you’d prefer not to link to Google+ on every page of your site and are comfortable futzing with HTML and custom menu’s in WordPress, you’ll find Yoast’s tutorial helpful for implementing the rel=me markup for Google+.
The result?
Google can recommend your content with your picture, plus link to your Google+ profile to your Google+ followers and the internet as a whole.
Encouraging Social Sharing
And it’s not just about you as a content author. Google knows that new, great products, memes and authors are discovered online every day. And Google wants to discover you – they just need the signals.
Social sharing is a massive signal to Google that a piece of content you’ve created is worth spreading outside your immediate circle and worth of being shared in the SERPs. That is, if something is spread widely on social sites like Twitter, Facebook Fan Pages and Google+, Google knows it’s of interest to folks and perhaps should be listed higher in the search engines for it’s keyword.
And, since Google is tracking “author rank” via our social profiles, especially our Google+ profiles, Google is only looking for legitimate social shares – fake accounts don’t count.
So we need our content to do well, to be shared and spread for it to gain the greatest traction in our search engine optimization efforts.
How?
I hate to tell you, because I know some of you hate to hear it, but the first rule of social sharing is to have quality stuff that people want to share.
If your content isn’t being shared by all the people that visit your site, if it’s not resonating with them, the problem isn’t with them… It’s with your content.
I’m going to let that sink in.
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During this makeover, you’ve really dug into making a good site great. You’ve assessed your content with an extremely critical eye – and this moment is one more time to honestly look at what you’re doing – what you’ve created – and ask if it passes the “Mom” test. Would you be proud to shot it to your mom? Would you want your mom taking the advice you publish on your web pages?
If not, go back and do Day 13 again. Make this something you’re extremely proud of.
Assuming your content is nurtured and cared for…
Install some social buttons to encourage those readers who visit your site to actually share that amazing content you’ve produced.
Fads change extremely quickly as to the style and “look” that is popular for these kinds of buttons at any given moment. Right now the side slider is super popular – I’m using that here. I also include a row below the post so folks can share after they’ve read the article.
With consistent and unique content, Bizcommunity manages to stand above other content based websites in the industry. One of the people behind Bizcommunity’s success is Sindy Peters who is the site’s content manager. Sindy and her dynamic team work hard to keep material flowing through to loyal readers. Heavy Chef spoke to Sindy about content management and working at Bizcommunity. Sindy hails from Kwa-zulu Natal and graduated from UCT in 2005 where she majored in English Literature, Language and Media and Writing.
Sindy, how did you find your way to BizCommunity?
I interviewed for an intern position with PASA, The Publishing Association of SA. They took me in and I was placed at Tafelberg Publishers, dealing with non-fiction books. As part of the PASA internship programme I attended editorial-related courses and picked up some real world experience at Tafelberg including proof-reading, and reviewing manuscripts among other things.
During the internship I continued job hunting on Bizcommunity’s Jobs section as well as through a few newspapers. A position for a production assistant opened at Bizcommunity and I eagerly applied. I went through two interviews and eventually landed the job. Since then I’ve worked my way over the last five years from production assistant, to content manager, to editor and finally to my current position, content development manager; which combines the roles of an editor and content manager, as well as researcher.
As a content manager, what does your job actually entail? What are the day to day processes of content management?
The job of a content manager is to ensure that there is a constant flow of editorial copy published daily. It also entails regulating what is published, making sure the copy meets the standards of Bizcommunity.com. Content management includes sourcing news and news providers for copy, clearing copy for publication, copy-tasting emailed releases for our sub-editors, and finally loading and proofing the copy.
The day usually begins with loading the most important copy, whether it’s from journalists, or it’s a press release. The day before I would have sent copy through to the sub-editors which they would have sent back already, these need to be loaded next. On any given day, I load between 10 to 15 articles on the verticals I work on. Other tasks include picture sourcing, editing and loading as well as contributor management, which is sourcing possible contributors, creating profiles and loading their content.
What makes BizCommunity stand out in content management?
I’m not sure how other news portals run their content departments, but I can say that Bizcommunity’s content management is run resourcefully and conscientiously. We review emails constantly, making sure important breaking news is published as soon as possible yet still within the standards set by our editorial department. We provide as much alternate information as possible using primary and secondary links. Our editorial style sheet is used to keep content clean and consistent. We welcome new contributors who are well-versed in their area of expertise and provide them a platform to showcase their knowledge and share freely with others.
What practical tips would you give for effective content management?
Ensure your team is aware of their specific roles in the publishing chain and that they achieve their tasks consistently. Each team member should have a daily task list. Clear parameters must be set for usable content. And make use of RSS feeds where available.
What other websites are doing well in managing their content and why?
Apart from the obvious ones such as Mail & Guardian, IOL, TimesLive and News24, I admire the smaller sites such as Memeburn, The Daily Maverick, TechCentral and Mahala. Their content is relevant, in-depth and interesting. While they may not have a large staff complement, they do update frequently, and a high proportion of that content is unique.
What are the important things to implement for a content based website to be successful?
A smooth running CMS is vital. A clear editorial style sheet for consistency throughout the site. Allow feedback from readers so that you know if you’re supplying relevant, interesting content. Ensure the correct channels are made clear to content providers for a smooth flow of copy. Hire dedicated staff who pay good attention to detail. Try to publish as much unique content as possible, as opposed to content obtained from wire news services. While a high volume of content is important, put quality above quantity.
What factors limit the success of content based websites?
Content-based websites could cost a bit in terms of bandwidth, especially if they’re image or video intense. Limited staff means that content-based websites are labour intensive. Creating unique content costs and is time-consuming, but it’s important in order to retain readers. And a team that doesn’t gel can also limit success.
What practical lessons have you picked up from your job?
The ability to collate and assess content for the areas I work on. The ability to run a portal and manage an editorial team. I’ve learnt how to prioritise tasks and work through a task list. And how to communicate well with others.
Heya – it’s Day 19 of the Internet Marketing Makeover and I’m going to BLOW YOUR FREAKIN’ MIND!
Just thought I’d throw some hype in – see if anyone is paying attention.
But the real deal is that if you implemented what we talked about on Day 18, you’re going to have some stats that’ll tell you exactly what to focus on in the future. Stats that’ll stop you from wasting time on traffic sources that don’t convert.
But if you’re running a site where you have, say, Adsense, or purely affiliate offers, you might not have been able to implement the tracking we talked abut yesterday.
So today, you’ll get a new kind of “fly on the wall” insight into exactly what your website visitors are doing – and where you can improve their experience in such a way that it improves your bottom line.
[private_IMMakeover]
DAY 19 OBJECTIVE
Watch your website visitors.
DAY 19 ASSIGNMENT
There are quite a few heatmap or tracking services out there, and my favorite is Crazy Egg. They’ve got a “first 30 days are free” thing going, and that ought to be plenty of time for you to run your first test.
Signing up for an account will be your first step, from there you’ll be able to create a new Snapshot:
Your first test should be your homepage, as it’s likely the most trafficked page on your site and therefore the one that will benefit most from improvement.
Give your test a name, enter in the URL of your site, and the rest of the settings should be just fine at the default.
Then, save the snapshot.
You’ll be given a javascript code to place in the footer of your site:
I use the WordPress plugin to add the code to my sites. That way I see it in my plugins list and am reminded to take it off when the test is done.
I’d planned to show you some dramatic test results from this blog so you could see for yourself how very valuable the information you’ll get from this CrazyEgg test is, but while I was in my CrazyEgg account grabbing screenshots for this post I deleted the test by accident!
Instead, I’ll have to show you what I learned without the actual heatmap. DOH! You’ll get the idea though!
Here’s a look at the homepage of this site.
The majority of the clicks went to the first couple of posts. The next section that people clicked on were the links in the navigation bar at the top of the site. After that, there’s a smattering of clicks amongst various sidebar features and older posts.
But you know what didn’t get many clicks at all?
The BIG, GIANT “Internet Marketing Makeover” image and title at the top of the site. That links people to a page where they can learn what the Internet Marketing Makeover is and sign up for it. But on one (well, hardly anyone) was clicking it!
I knew that there was plenty of room for improvement with that section of the site, but I didn’t know just how poorly it would perform.
Some ideas to improve it: I could use a different graphic, I could test code and see if I can get the “signup” box from Wishlist Member to render up there with some text, I could add a YouTube style “Play” button over the image to encourage people to click / let them know it is clickable.
All of these are worth testing – and I won’t know which one does best unless I test.
I bet that you’ll be surprised when you run your test too!
Let me give you another example – this one is sans images just because it’s a juicy, earning niche site I’m not willing to share.
I was running a right hand sidebar on this niche site that had a link to some Amazon products and also displayed Adsense. What I found when I ran my CrazyEgg test was that no one was clicking the right sidebar at all. I switched the site to a left sidebar and saw my clicks – and income – shoot through the roof!
We all know some basic eye tracking data – it’s been published everywhere. But until you test your own site, words, graphics and layout together, you won’t get a clear picture of what people are doing on your site – that’s why the data on how this site performed is so different than what you’ll see on most eye tracking studies.
What makes perfect sense to you, as the person who put the site together, could be confusing to the new visitor. Running a CrazyEgg test like this will show you exactly where these discrepancies lay.
By then end of today’s Internet Marketing Makeover, you will have:
Opened an account with Crazy Egg
Added your site’s homepage to your CrazyEgg dashboard
Added the CrazyEgg code to your site to begin tracking
Set a reminder to check your heatmaps in a week (more or less, depending on your traffic) so you can act on what you learn
Sam Wilson is the multi-talented editor for three of the 24.com websites – Parent24, Women24 and Food24. Heavy Chef got the chance to talk with Sam about running multiple websites while maintaining their distinctive brands. We also get the scoop on her upcoming position at Woolworths as Digital Editor.
What are the challenges you face when writing for online as opposed to offline? Or do you believe the differences are minimal?
I think the differences are huge. Writing online is more humbling, because you quickly realise no one wants to hear your carefully crafted 1000 word arguments and that your views on the world are not really any more interesting than anyone else’s. Print makes writers feel more special than they should, I think. Not always, obviously. But often.
Your role as editor for three of the 24 websites must be difficult to manage. Do you find that each website needs to have a separate and distinctive brand, or do you aim to mesh the online brand as one?
Women24, Food24 and Parent24 all run as separate brands, with dedicated staff and unique brand positioning. That said, we overlap a few functions, like design or project management, and share a very agile content strategy; turning over a helluva lot of new pieces each day.
As technology continues to advance, do you think online forums and blogs will change?
Absolutely. It feels that the social media game has now been won, much like the search game of old. And it’s now about figuring out how to work with leading products rather than compete with them. This differs from community to community though. And I would never deign to impose my thinking on our more committed contributors!
What interesting lessons have you learnt through editing multiple websites that you think may help others?
That there are many, many ways to draw user generated content into your offering, and you should listen to your own community rather than so-called industry experts. Because your community are your experts.
What would you say are the top three pointers to remember when writing for your target audience?
Don’t be patronising, don’t be frightened of being personal. Sharing is the most effective and honest way of getting people to share back. And over 500 words in one piece means you’ve over-written. Seriously. If you need to say more, you need to learn how to hyperlink.
Congratulations on your new job at Woolworths! What will be your new position, and is biggest lesson that you will take with you from previous experience?
I’m joining Woolies as their Digital Editor, and I don’t think any of us knows what that means yet. Which I find very exciting. My biggest lesson? Don’t impose your previous learnings on a new situation, trust that you’ve developed skills that you can use to innovate whilst being open to all that is already in place.
Welcome to Day 18 of the Internet Marketing Makeover!
Throughout this process, we’ve optimized our site for popular keywords, created content, and implemented a lead generation funnel, among many, many other ways we’ve streamlined and revamped.
The end goal is, of course, to make some money. Tweaking plugin settings (as fun as it might be) doesn’t make us a dime!
And we need to know where are conversions are coming from to do so.
Today we’ll start the process of tracking where our visitors come from and which of those convert to email subscribers or product buyers so we can better optimize our site for those profitable visitors.
[private_IMMakeover]
DAY 18 OBJECTIVE
Implement goal tracking in Google Analytics.
DAY 18 ASSIGNMENT
You previously installed Google Analytics on your domains, and today we’ll use a feature called “Goal Tracking” to find out which keywords and referring sites send us the best traffic.
Setting Up A New Goal
You’ll log into you Analytics account, go to the site you’re working on, and click the “Settings” button:
Click the “Goals” tab, and then click “+Goal”:
You’ll see the following on the “Add Goal” screen, I’ll walk you through each step:
Give your “Goal” a name.
Set the Goal to “Active.”
Goal Type – Select “URL Destination.”
Match Type – Head Match
Goal URL – This should be the URL of the place people reach when the goal is completed. It might be your “Thank You” page people come to after buying a product. In my case, I created a “Thanks for Subscribing” page that people are sent to after being added to my email list and used that as the goal URL.
Case Sensitive – Leave unchecked
Goal Value – I set it at $1 for a new subscriber. Since there’s no actual money being exchanged it doesn’t matter, but if gives me a dollar value to compare with. If you’re selling a product you would enter in the cost of the product that you earn every time someone buys.
The “Use Funnel” option is helpful is you have several pages that need to be completed before a sale is made – perhaps a multi-step checkout process. If you have a checkout page like this that all uses your Analytics code, you will find the insights from the “Use Funnel” options invaluable in seeing where/if cart abandonment is happening.
SAVE GOAL!
Now you’ve got a Goal!
But it’s the reports you get once you have a goal that are really cool.
Reviewing Goal Reports
The most basic reports are in the “Conversions” sidebar of Google Analytics. From here you can see the trendline of how your goal is converting.
In the “Reverse Goal Path” you’ll see the most common ways visitors started on your site and then proceeded to complete your goal.
This is useful determining which pages on your site are most likely to convert visitors – those are the pages you want to drive more and more traffic to!
In “Multi-Channel Funnels” you’ll get information as to how long it takes to create a conversion – do visitors convert on their first visit, or does it take them a few days?
The “Multi-Channel Conversion Visualizer” in the “Overview” section of “Multi-Channel Functions” shows you how your visitors are interacting with your at other locations – referral, social networks, organic search, etc., before they become goal conversions.
But my favorite report once I have a new goal in place is to look at “Traffic Sources” —> “All Traffic.”
From there, click the “Goal Set 1″ link:
You’ll get a report of what sources sent you traffic, and at what rate those sources converted visitors into goal conversions.
I know from my report that Facebook visitors sign up for the Internet Marketing Makeover at a higher rate than Twitter referrals, but that both of those sources convert higher than Google organic search. With that kind of data, figuring out which social site, forum, or other referral traffic source yo should focus on isn’t a mystery anymore. Work with the ones that convert the best for you.
Every niche, every website and every market leader will have a different answer as to where the best places are to focus their attention. You can’t get this data from me and assume it’ll be the same for you. You’ve got to get Goal Tracking implemented so that you can find out what works for your unique audience.
You can also go to “Traffic Sources” —> “Organic” and see a list of keywords that sent your site traffic. Click “Goal Set 1″ at the top and see which of those keywords converted best. Then you know which keywords to focus your SEO efforts on.
Those that you don’t rank #1 for but that bring you high Goal conversions are the keywords you want to focus your link building efforts on, as they give you more bang for your buck.
This kind of information just makes a marketer GIDDY! You know exactly where your best customers/subscribers are coming from and you can optimize for them, ramp up your efforts in that area and cater to those profitable traffic sources even more. It’s not a shot in the dark anymore (“I think this keyword will convert“) but a laser targeted marketing effort where you know exactly where your money is coming from so you can go get more!
The intelligence you’ll get from implementing Goals in your marketing will sometimes surprise you, but it will always show you where you should be focusing your efforts. Enjoy the data you’ll get and capitalize on it!
By then end of today’s Makeover, you’ll have:
Decided on a Goal to track (new email subscriber is a good one, as you put that in place yesterday)
Set up your new Goal in Google Analytics
Put a reminder in your To-Do system to check your Goal Conversion reports in a week to interpret the data
Dave Duarte, a veteran of Heavy Chef Sessions with four sessions under his belt, spoke to us about community building in the last event we held last year. Dave gave us an overview of where we’re at in marketing at the moment, and followed it up with some ‘ninja’ tips for you to use. Don’t miss this – a well worthwhile video.
Welcome to Day 17 of the Internet Marketing Makeover!
Yesterday, you designed an incentive item to encourage site visitors to join your email list.
The next logical step? Put it into play!
[private_IMMakeover]
DAY 17 OBJECTIVE
Implement your autoresponder sequence.
DAY 17 ASSIGNMENT
Firstly, you’ll need an autoresponder service.
I do not, under any circumstance, want you to use some free WordPress plugin, script you host on your domain or other workaround. This is a service that is worth paying for. Here’s why:
When you start sending email from your domain (or server) and people mark it as spam in their mail client, your domain gets blacklisted by ISP’s and your mail will not get through to people.
Your IP address could be blacklisted as a whole by the ISP’s, which leads to NONE of the email sent from your server getting through.
Email sent from your server will not have as high a deliverability rate as email sent by a reputable autoresponder service. The autoresponder services work directly with the email service providers and spam watchdog groups to ensure mail sent from their service is delivered.
If you collect emails on your own and later decide to transition to a service, you will not be able to import those old subscribers to the new service without losing about 90% of them (if not more) as they will be required to opt-in again, and most people won’t bother.
None of these “if” or “could’ scenarios (such as having your IP banned from sending mail) are worst case or rare scenarios. This is all exceedingly common and you will be effected and your mail will not be delivered. Period.
If you think that you’re legit and that what you’re offering is legit and that there’s no way people are going to hit the “Spam Complaint” button on you and therefore you won’t have to worry about the first 5 bullets listed above, you’re totally, sadly, dead wrong. You can require double opt-in, remind people when and where they subscribed, give them an opt-out link in ever message – but there are still people who hit “Spam” no matter how honest and above ground you are.
Do yourself a favor and just start off using a reputable and reliable company.
Who to use?
Most people will find Aweber to be the best fit. What you’ll get with Aweber is high deliverability, great customer service, unlimited autoresponder lists, tracking and analytics and an automatic form builder that will let you create cool looking opt-in forms, from the standard in-line form to popovers. They also have built-in split-testing of your opt-in forms so you can design a few and see which convert best.
Aweber doesn’t do anything else, just email.
Another option you might be aware of is 1ShoppingCart, I was less that pleased with their email deliverability for the years I used them and as such, do not recommend them as an autoresponder. They’re fine as a shopping cart, just don’t use their email features.
There are a few other companies all the kids are excited about – MailChimp comes to mind. They don’t allow affiliate marketing, so if your business will ever use a referral link, affiliate code or the like, you’re opening yourself up to having your account shut down.
Your email list, that subscriber database, is your hall pass. It’s the “golden ticket” or the “get out of jail free card”. So don’t skimp on this one.
Aweber is most likely the best match for you. They offer your first month for $1, so you can give the service a whirl with little risk on your end.
It is, by far, the best investment I ever made.
They provide extensive instuctions on setting up you list, creating a web form, etc. so I won’t go into detail.
I will give you an outline of what you need to do, in whatever autoresponder service you end up using:
Create an account and create your first list
Load that first list with a series of messages set to go out automatically that encourage folks to check out yours or affiliate products
Remember to include in your autoresponder series the incentive you promised people when they signed up (in the 1st message is best)
Create a web form for people to subscribe to your list where you explain the incentive / benefit of subscribing clearly
Publish the web form on your site (Aweber popover tend to convert better than in-line forms, you can also use both in-line forms and popovers like I do on this blog)
Test what you’ve done by subscribing to your own list to make sure it’s working right!
An autoresponder sequence is the most valuable investment you can make in your business. It takes on-off visitors and turns them into prospects and then customers for life.
This is the single most important step you can make in turning a website into a real business. Do it today!
Did I beat everything into your head enough yesterday?
Hi Erica, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Sindy, how did you find your way to BizCommunity?
What are the challenges you face when writing for online as opposed to offline? Or do you believe the differences are minimal?
Yesterday, you designed an incentive item to encourage site visitors to join your email list.
