Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Atricle Dump - The Four Most Common Missing Pieces On Affiliate Sites
If you're really serious about making money with your new business, you must take the time to write a good business plan. A business plan is a roadmap that covers all the aspects of your business, and is vital if you're planning on applying for a small business loan.A business plan is also something which intimidates many new business owners who have no clue as to what to put in their business plan. Depending on the nature of your business, your business plan can be an elaborate write-up and analysis topping 100 pages, or it can be a narrative of 10 – 20 pages. What are 7 "must-haves" for your business plan?1. Mission StatementA mission statement is where you state your purpose for starting this busine
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do y
Nothing beats promotional products for getting a targeted message to a designated recipient on a repetitive basis. The key part of this statement is “on a repetitive basis.” This fundamental benefit of promotional items is probably the most overlooked and misunderstood factor in the promotional product buying decision. Here’s a typical call I get, “I need some trade show giveaways for my next show. Do you have blah blah blah? They are really cute and I saw an exhibitor giving them away last year.” Just imagine… billions of dollars are wasted every year - Most exhibitors only get a fraction of the return on investment on their trade show promotional products. Why? Because they spend t
But you are different. You are monetizing your site, not trying to find a soul mate or post pictures of your latest fishing expedition. Your site should be clean, professional, and instill confidence in the buyer.
In finance and insurance, more than anything, you must gain the customer's trust and confidence in your service. Unlike retail, flashy sites with bright colors and animation don't work. Most of my suggestions below will apply mostly to the finance and insurance sectors, but lessons can be learned by all affiliates.
I have found that most affiliates (at least in the finance and insurance vertical) tend to leave the following four necessities off of their sites. Is your web site missing any of these important components?
1. Informational content. Conventional wisdom in the online world tells you to get to the point, to make the sale, and eliminate the clutter and slew of links that were so prominent five years ago. In the financial world, however, you need informational content to help convert the less knowledgeable visitors that may find your site.
The ability to educate your visitors serves a dual purpose on your web site. First, it is a great service to them and one they will not likely forget or fail to reward you for (read: convert into a lead). Secondly, educational tips and articles are chock-full of keyword rich content.
A well-written article can vault your site to the top of the search engines for many long-tail keywords and drive a substantial amount of traffic, as it is likely to be linked to from other sites. Plus, it will help convert the often confused customer into a ready-to-buy machine.
2. “Contact Us” Page. The hardest obstacle to overcome in the online world, especially in finance/insurance is customer trust. These people are about to give you (or your affiliated company) some pretty serious information: phone number, email, etc. You must do everything you can to earn their trust!
One of the easiest ways to gain their trust is to let them know you are real and legitimate, not just some information gathering scheme. Granted, you probably don't have a fancy windowed office with 90 employees, but you cannot afford to look small-time or sketchy to your customers. So make sure that your site has a prominent “Contact Us” page, with at LEAST a contact form, phone number, and street address or P.O. Box.
If you can, get a dedicated toll-free number from your merchant that will track to your affiliate ID. Our studies have shown that online conversions go up almost 2% with the addition of a toll-free number. It shows the customer you are not afraid to have them contact you (even if that “you” is your merchant's call center).
3. Privacy Policy. Will my information be protected? What data are you collecting about me? Will I get spammed by you after this?
These are all questions that your site's visitors are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to trust you. Like the above omissions, not having a clearly written privacy policy that answers the important questions a visitor has can cost you their business. In their eyes, you are hiding something and must be some sort of a scam, no matter how legitimate you truly are.
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do yo
Years ago when someone was doing a business presentation for a network marketing business they would meet in a persons kitchen, or if the group was big enough in living room.You would get out a pad of paper or a white board, and show people the plan.There would be monthly meetings held at a local motel meeting room, and yearly presentations held at large conference centers.Where upline superstars, would get up in front of everyone and tell everyone their success stories.Three way phone calls are still the norm, as is weekly toll-free conference calls.Instead of drawing the business plan out on paper today network marketers are using their companies website to help explain how their business
1. Informational content. Conventional wisdom in the online world tells you to get to the point, to make the sale, and eliminate the clutter and slew of links that were so prominent five years ago. In the financial world, however, you need informational content to help convert the less knowledgeable visitors that may find your site.
The ability to educate your visitors serves a dual purpose on your web site. First, it is a great service to them and one they will not likely forget or fail to reward you for (read: convert into a lead). Secondly, educational tips and articles are chock-full of keyword rich content.
A well-written article can vault your site to the top of the search engines for many long-tail keywords and drive a substantial amount of traffic, as it is likely to be linked to from other sites. Plus, it will help convert the often confused customer into a ready-to-buy machine.
2. “Contact Us” Page. The hardest obstacle to overcome in the online world, especially in finance/insurance is customer trust. These people are about to give you (or your affiliated company) some pretty serious information: phone number, email, etc. You must do everything you can to earn their trust!
One of the easiest ways to gain their trust is to let them know you are real and legitimate, not just some information gathering scheme. Granted, you probably don't have a fancy windowed office with 90 employees, but you cannot afford to look small-time or sketchy to your customers. So make sure that your site has a prominent “Contact Us” page, with at LEAST a contact form, phone number, and street address or P.O. Box.
If you can, get a dedicated toll-free number from your merchant that will track to your affiliate ID. Our studies have shown that online conversions go up almost 2% with the addition of a toll-free number. It shows the customer you are not afraid to have them contact you (even if that “you” is your merchant's call center).
3. Privacy Policy. Will my information be protected? What data are you collecting about me? Will I get spammed by you after this?
These are all questions that your site's visitors are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to trust you. Like the above omissions, not having a clearly written privacy policy that answers the important questions a visitor has can cost you their business. In their eyes, you are hiding something and must be some sort of a scam, no matter how legitimate you truly are.
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do y
Press kits, like any dish, may include different ingredients depending upon who will be consuming them. A good press kit can be used with potential investors or clients, just as it can for editors. The contents should be developed based upon your audience.Let's review some common elements you will find in press kits aimed at journalists. A letter of introduction - or a pitch letter - often is attached to the outside of the press kit folder. This could include an overview of kit contents and your contact information. Now, let's go inside the folder:The Backgrounder. This is an overview of your company that may include its history and a profile, company locations, as well as brief bios of key company officer
2. “Contact Us” Page. The hardest obstacle to overcome in the online world, especially in finance/insurance is customer trust. These people are about to give you (or your affiliated company) some pretty serious information: phone number, email, etc. You must do everything you can to earn their trust!
One of the easiest ways to gain their trust is to let them know you are real and legitimate, not just some information gathering scheme. Granted, you probably don't have a fancy windowed office with 90 employees, but you cannot afford to look small-time or sketchy to your customers. So make sure that your site has a prominent “Contact Us” page, with at LEAST a contact form, phone number, and street address or P.O. Box.
If you can, get a dedicated toll-free number from your merchant that will track to your affiliate ID. Our studies have shown that online conversions go up almost 2% with the addition of a toll-free number. It shows the customer you are not afraid to have them contact you (even if that “you” is your merchant's call center).
3. Privacy Policy. Will my information be protected? What data are you collecting about me? Will I get spammed by you after this?
These are all questions that your site's visitors are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to trust you. Like the above omissions, not having a clearly written privacy policy that answers the important questions a visitor has can cost you their business. In their eyes, you are hiding something and must be some sort of a scam, no matter how legitimate you truly are.
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do y
DISCOVER THEIR ATTITUDES AND VALUESIn a recent BtoB Magazine feature "Connecting With Engineers", author Roger Slavens points out the need to get away from the stereotype of the geeky engineer. Slavens quoted results from McClenahan Bruer Communications' 2005 survey "Breaking the Code: A Look At Engineers' Attitudes and Behaviors". Slavens still seemed to advocate treating engineers in a general way, even after considering what he called their 'deeper psychographics'.Terms like 'psychographics' drive me ballistic. Even if you're going 'deeper', they're just another way to pigeonhole people. But discover prospects' biggest worries, and you have the heart of a campaign on a silver platter. You need those specific
If you can, get a dedicated toll-free number from your merchant that will track to your affiliate ID. Our studies have shown that online conversions go up almost 2% with the addition of a toll-free number. It shows the customer you are not afraid to have them contact you (even if that “you” is your merchant's call center).
3. Privacy Policy. Will my information be protected? What data are you collecting about me? Will I get spammed by you after this?
These are all questions that your site's visitors are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to trust you. Like the above omissions, not having a clearly written privacy policy that answers the important questions a visitor has can cost you their business. In their eyes, you are hiding something and must be some sort of a scam, no matter how legitimate you truly are.
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do y
Who would have thought my old comics or baseball cards would be so valuable. It is just like the value of my best customers. The better I take care of them, the greater value they yield. Do you know the lifetime value of a customer? If you knew, you would take better care of your customers.A Simple Formula Reveals ValueIn most sales, we need to prove to customers, we have something that will improve their situation. A simple equation calculates the value of customers. It is surprising to learn how much each customer is worth. We need two pieces of information to determine the value. We needed to know how much the average customer does year. We need to know how long the average customer does busin
Your site should have a well-written, easy to read privacy policy that lets customers know about things such as cookies, your anti-spam policy, form encryption, etc. Like the above suggestions, this page should be linked to and from every single page on your site.
If you are doing nothing more than referring them to your merchant's site, ask the affiliate manager if you can list their privacy policy on your site and make it clear to the customer that you are sending them out of your site.
4. Customer Testimonials. I doubt that you get a flood of emails each day thanking you for your service. Heck, we barely get three or four a month out of a couple hundred thousand visitors. But what happens when you DO get a thank you message from one of your visitors? Do you just file it away and think “that was nice of them” or do you make use of this testimonial?
Testimonials are nearly priceless advertisements and, like the three items above, can make the difference between gaining a customer's trust (and therefore their business) and having them immediately click the back button to go back to the search results.
The first thing you should do is thank them and show genuine joy that you were able to help them. Then ask them for their permission to use their testimonial on your site. In our experience, about 50% of the people will be more than happy to let you do this. Two or three well-crafted testimonials are worth as much as anything else you will have on your site, so make sure you take advantage of any and all thank you notes. Place them on your home page, landing pages, and on each internal page that you can, and if you get enough of them (more than five or so), create a “Testimonials Page” and link to it from each page.
If you do not have any, the easiest way to get testimonials of course is to use merchant testimonials when you refer the customer to the merchant's site. Ask your affiliate manager if you can use these on your pages. Like your own testimonials, these quotes will give your visitors a trust of your referral and will significantly increase conversions!
Any one of these missing components can cost you conversions and ultimately a lot of money. Double check your site and make sure that you have all of these important pieces. If you do have them, make sure they are fully developed and geared to assist your customers in making the right decision (choosing YOUR site!)
Best of luck!
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.articledump.net/article/52775/articledump-The-Four-Most-Common-Missing-Pieces-On-Affiliate-Sites.html">The Four Most Common Missing Pieces On Affiliate Sites</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.articledump.net/article/52775/articledump-The-Four-Most-Common-Missing-Pieces-On-Affiliate-Sites.html]The Four Most Common Missing Pieces On Affiliate Sites[/url]
Related Articles:
Crisis Management: The Most Basic Of Needs
Marketing Manual Sample Outline
Shall We Ever See the End of Spam Email?
Bookmark it:
|