(C)Terry Dean.All Rights Reserved
http://www.netbreakthroughs.com
In most of the articles on the web,
probably 97% - 99%, you will read about
the technical aspects of building a
profitable business online. Most of the
information I cover deals with that
arena...but what most people forget to
mention to you is that the technical
aspects are ONLY half of the equation to
your success on the internet.
When you really get down to the nitty-gritty of making
money online, it all starts with your strategy. Even if
you know exactly how to achieve top positions on the
search engines or know exactly how a link campaign
should be done, it still won't let you achieve the level
of success you want if you don't know how to develop the
strategy for your site.
To
put it simply, tactics are your day to day actions in
building your website. A strategy is your overall plan
and goal for exactly what you would like to have your
website and business accomplish for your customers.
The Random House College Dictionary defines strategy and
tactics this way... "In military usage, a distinction is
made between STRATEGY AND TACTICS. STRATEGY is the
utilization of all of a nation's forces, through
large-scale, long-range planning and development, to
ensure security or victory. TACTICS deals with the use
and deployment of troops in combat."
Have you ever stopped the day to day battle of trying to
achieve top positions on search engines (And believe
me...This is a battle) long enough to develop your
long-term strategy? What is your overall vision for your
site? In the Bible, Proverbs 29:18 states, "Where there
is no vision, the people perish..."
I
know some people who are brilliant strategists about
online marketing who have achieved amazing success even
though their actual tactical skills are only so-so. They
hire out the web site design, the search engine
registrations, the linking campaigns, and the
copywriting. As a matter of fact, one of these brilliant
minds once mentioned to me that "The Concept is Greater
than The Copy."
In
other words, the right marketing strategy can overcome
slight problems in the copywriting or even the carrying
out of the plans. Even the best copywriting on the
planet won't make a success out of a poor business
strategy or concept.
No
contractor would ever consider starting work on a
project without having a detailed blueprint already done
and in their hands. It also doesn't matter how good they
are at following the blueprints if the blueprints are
all wrong. For many people, their internet businesses
are in this exact state. They have many of the internet
tactics ready, but they have yet to develop a powerful
strategy to empower the whole process.
So
exactly how do you choose the strategy for your Internet
Marketing Empire? Below you will find a three step
process in helping you develop your overall strategy. I
don't want to over-complicate the process by any means,
but I do want to help you create ideas through this.
Your actual day to day internet marketing tactics will
then flow out of your overall marketing strategy.
STEP ONE: Create Your Overall Theme to Your Online
Business
You can't develop a business around a single product.
Even if you are promoting a single product upfront, it
is not the product that people want. They want the
BENEFITS they receive out of the product. When designing
your site, think about an "Ultimate Benefit" to build
your site around.
I
first heard the phrase "The Ultimate Benefit" through
Dr. Jeffrey Lant and it has stuck with me ever since. It
is that ever abiding "WANT" or "GOALS" that your
prospects have with them continually. Ultimate Benefits
are things such as: more money, weight loss, online
success, being sexually attractive, self-defense, etc.
Ultimate benefits are what your prospects are really
seeking after. So, don't base your business just on
products. Base your business on this Ultimate Benefit.
This will be the theme that binds everything else you do
at your site together. It is what you want your site to
become known for. It is why people will return to your
site over and over again forever.
What is it that your prospects ultimately want?
More Money
Better Health
Weight Loss
etc.
Once you have defined your "Ultimate Benefit," that's
where the products can come in. You will want to provide
multiple products that all fall under the same Ultimate
Benefit. This will help you to create "Multiple Streams
of Income" all generated from one web site.
What mail order or internet company do you know of that
only has one product? There aren't any really successful
ones. Even the sites which seem only to have one main
product still have dozens of different profitstreams
which all come out of the backend of that product. Your
mission online is to help people reach their ultimate
goals, and that cannot be done with just one product. It
takes a variety of products to accomplish this goal.
One warning I do want to mention here though is that
your site will be more successful if you have one LEAD
product. By testing both multiple product sites and
sites which focus on one lead product, I have found that
the lead product sites will outsell the multiple product
sites by a long shot in most cases.
So, the absolute best set-up is to focus on a main
product, and then have many different backends or
supporting products which will help your customers to
further their goals. This type of system is often
referred to as a marketing funnel. You may be selling a
book about Ad Copy on your site, but you will also have
consultations, seminars, audio tapes, and ad writing
services which all support your theme.
If
you are selling web sites as a primary lead product, you
could also sell books on internet marketing, web design
services, CGI programming, etc. If your theme is weight
loss, your primary product may be a nutritional product.
You could also sell weight loss and exercise books. A
newsletter could be started. You could also do personal
one-on-one consultations for specific individuals.
You also don't need to come up with all of these
products yourself. Many of them can be found through
Joint Venturing with other companies which have products
you know your customers want.
STEP TWO: Develop A Unique Aspect to Your
Business...Your USP
Your business cannot just be a me-too business online.
You need to develop some type of uniqueness to
it...something that sets you apart from all of the rest
of your competition online. You need to create a "Unique
Selling Position" which makes you stand out from the
crowd online...
For example, everyone is selling books online. How did
Amazon.com becomes the most well known bookstore on the
Internet. They developed a USP which basically states
"The World's Largest Bookstore" which is exactly what
they are. They have stated in one phrase exactly what
makes them unique from the rest of the bookstores in the
world.
How can you develop your own USP? You probably aren't
going to own the largest selection of anything in your
business since most of us have started out bootstrapping
at home or in our small business. Let me give you a
simple little formula you can use which will help you
immensely in the creation of a USP for your business.
To
find your USP, pull out a blank sheet of paper. At the
top of the paper, write "You know how most
__________..." Then, halfway down the page, write "Well,
What I do is..."
I
want you to write how most of the businesses in your
market are in the first section. Then, I want you to
write what sets you apart from them. Avoid using words
such as quality or better service, because those types
of things don't really mean anything UNLESS you are more
specific in your description. This may take you a while
to do.
You probably will have to study your competition online
for a while. Give yourself a few days to think it over.
Then, write it down.
Next, I want you to boil down that entire sheet of paper
to a single phrase or sentence. This takes some work.
Write it out in a sentence or phrase as many times as
you need to until you get just the right words. Again,
if this takes you a few days, let it. Think about it
when you are driving, eating, etc. Mull it over. Then,
once you have just the right wording, that is your NEW
USP which you will use to separate you from all of the
competition.
Use it on your signature file online...Use it on your
website...Use it in your ad copy. Let it become a
guiding force to your online business that sets you
apart and defines you as the person to deal with in this
area.
STEP THREE: Concentrate on Building Relationships with
Your Prospects
To
fully develop an online business, you need to maximize
your relationships with people. Although your goal in
your Internet business may be to set it up on
auto-pilot, you have to remember at all times that you
are dealing with real people. Credibility online is a
major issue because there are many fly-by-night
get-rich-quick operators on the internet.
To
help you develop this credibility with your prospects,
your overall strategy has to include such tools as
ezines, message boards, chats, conference calls, dealer
programs, etc. Many people keep asking exactly why does
it seem ezines are popping up everywhere...It is simply
because they work. They help you to develop the
relationships you need with your prospects. You are able
to contact your prospects over and over again providing
them with good useful information.
The same thing is true of the message boards. Once you
have worked them up to a certain level of traffic, the
same people will keep coming back day after day learning
from you and the other experts you may have brought to
your board.
Use your imagination and develop other free services
such as these to help you develop your website and
relationships online. How about doing JVs with other
businesses? How about running a monthly conference call
on your subject? Your business online is only limited by
your imagination!
Get Started Today In Developing Your Online Strategy...
Don't let this report just sit there in your email box.
Print it out. Start today in putting these strategy
building tips to work for you. It is a proven fact that
if you put this off for more than 24 hours, you will
probably never come back to it.
Developing Your Internet Strategy can be the most
important key to creating the internet business you
dream of. Take action today and at least start thinking
and working on it.
