Make your website content PRE-sell – the secret to successful selling on the Net

A radical new approach to online marketing is emerging, known as “pre-selling”. It’s a slow, steady approach that requires an investment of time ... but those who’ve tried it have seen results beyond their expectations.

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Most business owners are disappointed by the poor results their websites achieve in generating sales. They get little traffic and visitors don't stay around long enough to buy.

Some business owners go down the route of trying to write persuasive sales copy in the hope of making their websites more profitable and while this can be effective to some extent, it still fails to tap the full potential of the Internet. Web browsers tend to be suspicious of hype.

One of the world's top Web marketing experts, Ken Evoy, has developed a radical new approach to selling on the Net, which appears to be generating good results for businesses that try it.
Evoy calls this approach "pre-selling". He stresses ...

Businesses must first "pre-sell" on their websites before they can sell effectively ...

What this means, is you must first build a relationship with your prospective customers over a period of time, by providing then with interesting, relevant content on your site.

It's often said that on the Net "content is King". In other words, people surf the Net looking for information, so that's what your website needs to provide, to attract visitors.Evoy explains: "Pre-selling warms up your visitor by providing them with high-value information that builds trust and credibility."

He points out in the offline world, businesses build relationships with their customers over time by adopting a friendly, personal approach. People do business with those they know and trust.
So how to you build that kind of trust with visitors to your website, when they don't know you and can't see you?

It's much harder to develop trust and credibility online because there are so many shonky Web businesses and people are naturally wary.

This is why you need to provide lots of free information that is relevant to your line of business ...

Perhaps helpful hints, or just useful information your prospective customers are likely to be looking for via search engines.

Evoy believes business sites should ideally contain 50 or more pages of such free content. This gives the search engine "spiders" a lot of pages to list in their search results and increases your chances of being found online.

The downside of Evoy's approach is that it does require time to write several pages of website content. And your website doesn't build a huge amount of traffic overnight.
It's a slow, steady approach but in the long run, Evoy claims, it's the best way to build a credible online presence for your business.

When it comes to writing your website content, you can tackle it bit by bit. Just add one page a week. Over a year, you'll have more than 50 pages. That's 50 pages packed with information your prospective customers will be searching for the Net and may find through the search engines. It's content that will build your credibility for prospective customers.

It's effectively free advertising - apart from the small monthly fee for your website hosting, which is the same whether you have an effective site or an ineffective one.

So how do you write all this content?

Before you write your first word … know your customer. Picture your customer in your mind. Then write as if you're talking to your customer. Simple. Common sense. So why do so few business websites do it?

Evoy suggests when you sit down to write your website, you may have "unlearn" most of the things you were taught at school about writing. Forget the formal, stilted writing approach and just try to write more like you talk - but still make sure your basic spelling and grammar is correct.

You don't need to be a literary genius to write effective website copy. You just need to be yourself. And above all, you need to offer your readers something of genuine interest and value to them.

Good pre-selling has a "been there, done that" feel to it. It has specific knowledge that comes from real experience. It is supported by useful information about the subject of your business.

And, above all, it has your unique "voice" to it.

Individuality works wonders on the Net. It differentiates you from the vast majority of business websites that are bland, formal and written in stilted English.

Your "between the lines" tone of voice is important too. Don't speak at your visitor, speak to them. The Internet is a personal medium.

Of course, you need to pitch your tone appropriately to the type of business you're involved in. Some businesses are more formal than others. But there's always room for something of your own personality to shine through - and on the Net this will set you apart.

Plain unbridled enthusiasm or passion is the best pre-seller you have. So let it shine in through your writing.

As Evoy sums it up: "Use your words to OVERdeliver what most web surfers seek - information."

Once you've built trust with your visitors in this way, then they'll be receptive to buying from you.

Brand New Website For Boutique Brewery

I've just launched a new website for a boutique brewery here in Ashburton where I live.

It's at www.ardlingbrewery.co.nz

It's a simple site with a strong focus on copywriting.

I've tried to create some intrigue with the headline: "Ever Tasted Real Beer?"

Then I go on to describe the malty taste ... the heady aroma ... and the fact that real beer is good for your health.

I spell out the benefits of the beer...

It's made from malt, hops, yeast and water. Nothing else. No preservatives. No colourings. No flavour enhancers. No added sugar. Just good natural ingredients. New Zealand produces some of the world's best hops. These are used generously to impart bitterness, flavour and aroma into the beer.

Everything in the copywriting is focused on the benefits of the beer. It's all written from the customer's viewpoint - as all good copywriting should be.

There's also a free report entitled 'The Health Benefits of Beer'. This is to encourage visitors who are not sure about buying the beer to sign up with their email address to get the report and also go on a mailing list to get the latest offers from Ardling Brewery. It will help the company to build a list of email contacts of potential future customers.

This site is brand new today - so it's not listed on Google or other search engines yet. But I've put a link to it from my own site - and also from this blog. So it should get picked up by Google within a few days - much faster than if I simply submitted to Google in the normal way.

Are You Ready For The Coming Trash Backlash?

I just received this newsletter from Ken Evoy, one of the most savvy Internet marketers around. (Founder of sitesell.com). Ken is warning about the growing number of people putting up pages and pages of recycled content just to make money from Google AdSense ads.

Here's what Ken has to say: "So many sites and blogs are being created just to make the Google AdSense bucks. It's only a matter of time until Google figures out how to take the trash out....... out of its index."

Before I continue with Ken's comments I should explain his company created the Site Built It web marketing system. Site Build It is a great way for businesses to develop a successful website because it provides everything you need in one package - web design, hosting an awesome marketing system ... and a lot more ... for just $US299 a year. If you don't know a lot about web design and marketing and want to set up your own web business, I haven't come across anything better than Site Build It.

Ken's philosophy of web marketing is summed up by the initials CTPM (Content, Traffic, Pre-sell, Monetise). In other words, first you provide great content on your website that people want to read, then you get traffic, then you pre-sell by building trust with your visitors ... and only then do you start to seriously make money from your site. Most people try and do it the other way round. They think of making money first... without providing great content, to get traffic, then pre-selling by building trust with visitors ... and then selling.

Read more about the CTPM approach at ctpm.sitesell.com .

Anyway, back to Ken's comments: "Passion rules. Cheap production of generic info, just so you can put ads on some pages, ultimately loses. The cream always rises to the top... Keep it real. Make it great. Care about your content. You will be rewarded. If you follow the advice of 'churn content and make money', you will ultimately be out of AdSense and every other self-respecting, high-paying program (such as Yahoo!'s upcoming competition for AdSense."

Great advice.

Revealed: The Hidden Truth About Web Design

I'm reading a fascinating book called "Revealed: The Hidden Truth About Web Design" -by Dave Alston, a UK copywriter.

Dave has also been a professional web designer for several years. He's seen so many web designers offering their clients expensive design that looks great - but it doesn't do anything to help SELL their products or services.

I absolutely agree with Dave. So many businesses are wasting money on fancy web design with features they don't really need. Instead, the most important part of a website, if you're serious about selling, is the copywriting.

Okay, I'm a copywriter, so I admit I'm a little biased. But I've seen it so many times in my own experience. A simple website with truly persuasive copywriting will run rings around a fancy-looking site with poor sales copy. Every time. The fancy graphics and effects may look nice. But they won't make the sale.

You need quality copywriting to achieve the full potential of your website.

To illustrate the point, look how many businesses are succeeding today with blogs. You can't get anything more simple than a blog. Yet some of these blogs are getting huge amounts of traffic and making a lot of money for their owners.

So, getting back to Dave's book, it's a must read if you're serious about selling on the Internet. It covers all the basics - including the most fundamental of all - doing market research before you start your business, to make sure you're selling something people actually want. It's amazing how many businesses do it the other way around.

They decide what they're going to sell, then look for a market. NO. You need to research the market first, then sell something people want to buy.

Dave's book explains the key features that make a truly successful website. It also includes some great info about blogs, RSS feeds and the latest facts on how to make money with podcasting and videos on your website.

I must add, I'm not being paid anything to endorse this book! Dave doesn't even know I'm writing this post. I simply think it's an excellent book.

Check it out at http://www.aceofwebs.co.uk . And check out Dave's blog at http://www.aceofwebs.co.uk/rss

7 ways to build immediate trust with your website

When a visitor arrives at your website, you have just a few seconds to make a good impression. Otherwise ... click ... they're gone.

One of the biggest factors in whether your visitor stays or leaves is whether they think you site looks TRUSTWORTHY.

There are so many scams on the Internet .... so many fly by nighters ... people are wary of what they see and read online.

So, you need to make sure your website builds immediate trust when your visitor arrives.

Here are 7 ways to create trust.

1) You need to believe 100% in your product or service. This is absolutely vital to building trust. It lays the foundation on which your whole business is built ... and everything you say on your website will come across as genuine because you believe it. If you're not 100% sold on your own product or service ... get another business! So, the number one rule in building trust is that you must BE trustworthy yourself.

2) Make sure your site looks professional. You need a clean, sharp logo that creates the right image for your business. This is one area where it's worth spending a little money to hire a professional graphic designer. It doesn't have to be expensive. A simple logo is fine. Just make sure it looks professional.

3) Make sure your site design is simple, clean and uncluttered, so your visitor can easily find their way around. Again, you don't need an expensive site. Just a simple design with colours that reflect the image you want to present.

Remember ... you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So that first impression your visitors get when they arrive at your site had better be good!

4) Put a headline on your site that answers the biggest need your prospective customer has. You need to think carefully about this. Too many websites have weak headlines ... or no headline at all! Just the company name, or "Welcome to our website".

You need a strong headline that really speaks straight to the need your potential customer is facing. It's different for every business. Get inside your customer's mind, think about what they need .. and what you can offer them .. and spell it out loud and clear in your headline.

You'll build trust because your customer will know you are thinking about THEM ... and how you can meet THEIR needs. And that's all your customer is interested in.

5) Put a photograph of yourself on your site. This is a great way to build trust. But make sure it's a good photograph. You know, trustworthiness and integrity shows in a person's eyes. It shows in your photograph if you're a trustworthy person. So your customer looks at your photograph and sums you up immediately.

6) Write everything on your site from your customer's viewpoint. Everything. Don't talk about you and your company (most websites make this mistake). Talk only about what you can do for your customer. Spell this out clearly. Tell your customer about all the BENEFITS they'll gain from doing business with you.

You'll be amazed how your website sales will take off if you do this.

7) Put testimonials on your site from satisfied customers. Genuine tesimonials are a great way to build trust. Don't be shy about asking your best customers for testimonials. They're worth their weight in gold.

These are 7 basic principles I've found effective in building trust online. I hope you'll put them into practice on your own site. You'll be amazed how your sales will take off if you do!