-•- HomeOfficeDigest.com Newsletter - Issue 257 -•-
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THE HOME OFFICE DIGEST NEWSLETTER
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BE YOUR OWN BOSS
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Are you using search engine marketing effectively? As someone who 
is probably in charge of your marketing plan, and spending quite a
bit of money on the search engines, do you really know if you are
making the most of your spending? Most people believe that search
engines are a click, find, buy process, but that is not the actual
case. Search engines are more often than not, a click, find, then
do a heck of a lot of research, then eventually come back and buy
process. What this means to you as a business owner is that your 
main focus for search engine prospects should be to fill them up 
with information, but more importantly, get their contact details
and get back with them. Think about it yourself, when you visit a
search engine how often do you click, find, then just buy? I would
be more than willing to bet that you click, find many options, do 
a little research, maybe leave the site to an outside link, forget 
about half of what you saw, search again because you got off on a
tangent, come back to the search engine, then maybe buy something 
but probably think it over, type of person. I know, long sentence
but I think you get the point. The key to capitalizing on all that
money you're spending on the search engines is to let user click, 
find, then leave and go through the same process that you do. Not
too many people will click, find, and buy, and you can not forget
that you spent your money on those people anyway. Rather than just
letting these people leave without buying, give them a reason to 
subscribe to your prospect list so that you can offer them another
chance to buy. The second time around your prospect will be much 
better informed on their options, more ready to buy, and probably 
ready to give up the search and really make a decision. You should
not be trying for force a method of marketing on your prospects. A
smart marketer will look at how prospects are using their marketing
methods, then develop a plan that mirrors those usage patterns.
 
 
FEATURED GUEST ARTICLE
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A Professional Image
 
First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do
business on the Web.  After you refine your ads, and if you make
your pitch to a targeted group, you will start to get visitors to
your web site.  Here is where many would be entrepreneurs drop
the ball.
 
Putting up a web site is not a difficult task, but designing a
good one is, and if you don't pay attention, it might be working
against you. Think about it, the web site is not only the first
impression of you and your business, it is crucial to your
success or failure.
 
People don't waste a whole lot of time when visiting a site.  If
it isn't professional looking, they may just "click away". While
looks are important, you must spend time on developing good copy.
Copy written by affiliate programs has been seen over and over,
and while it may have been effective at one time, it is so
overused that people immediately recognize it for what it is.
 
In addition to good copy, which of course has no spelling,
grammatical or punctuation errors, it clearly states what you
are offering.  Many web sites offer a real challenge to try to
figure out what they are trying to sell.  The offer should be the
first thing they see.  The information must also flow logically,
and not leave a lot of questions unanswered.
 
In addition to complete information on your offer, it must have a
call to action, which entices the visitor to purchase from you.
It must also have an order form, or instructions that are easy to
follow.  It is also a real plus to let the prospect know a little
bit about you. Your picture on the site can go a long way to help
instill confidence.
 
There is some confusion on the value of links.  Some advocate
that a good web site should be divided into separate sections
connected by links. Others feel that a single long web page will
score higher in the search engine rankings.
 
There are basically two types of links.  One goes to a completely
separate web page, and is considered an external link.  Another
type is referred to as an internal link. These point to different
"parts" within the same web page. Both have value, however
internal links are a little friendlier. If someone clicks on one
and the next "part" logically flows from the previous one, people
will be more inclined to read on.
 
While it is a good idea to have your links on the side of the
page, you should avoid the use of frames, which divides the page
into two logical pieces that can be independently manipulated.
At the current time, sites constructed with frames are not search
engine friendly, although this could change.
 
Links should be clear as to where they will take you.  It is
crucial that the titles of the links, not only make sense, but
actually take someone to that information.  Each site should have
links that are unique, and it is not a good idea to have
information in the target, that is not specified in the link.
 
If you have someone design the site for you, remember that their
expertise is in web site design, and most likely they will know
little, if anything, about what you are doing. They can construct
the site and make it look good, but the copy and information flow
is your responsibility.  You should always take a break from the
copy writing, and if at all possible, have someone else proof
your work.  Also you have to be careful of words that pass spell
check, but are actually an error.  Don't confuse words like
"there" and "their".
 
Once you have the basic framework finished, it is now time to
test it.  Try to corral as many people as possible to review it.
Is it clear and an effective presentation?  You should probably
avoid friends unless you are sure they will give you an honest
evaluation.
 
The first impression your web site makes is crucial to success.
If people have to "jump through hoops" to find out about your
offer, or if it doesn't portray a professional image, the odds
are they won't buy.
 
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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the
"Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web
Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday.
Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm
 
 
DOWNLOAD OF INTEREST
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I really don't know why I'm recommending this to a business crowd,
but I guess we all need to have a little fun from time to time. If
you have been using Windows for a while, and who hasn't, then you 
have probably played Minesweeper. Outside of Solitaire, there is
not another game I can think of that has been responsible for so 
much wasted time at work. Although you might not have played this 
simple little game recently, the download of Interest this week is
sure to leave you wondering how you got so little done this week. 
Just in time for Halloween Silver Creek Entertainment has released
an absolutely free version of Minesweeper that has been spooked-up
a little bit. Ruckus Buck's: Grave Marker is the Minesweeper game
wrapped in a brand new theme. The object of the game is the same, 
but this time you're trying to find all the unmarked graves without
disturbing the dead. I know this probably isn't going to put a cent
more into your bank account, and it might just cause you to come up
a few pennies short come time to pay the bills, but what work from
home if you can't enjoy a little time for yourself? Do yourself a 
favor and put a timer on your desk so you don't play this game too
long and I'm sure you'll be ok ( no snooze timers allowed ). If you
want to get your hands on a copy of this free game, you can get it
at http://www.numberonefree.com/. Once you get to the page scroll 
down to the middle and you'll see a few screenshots of the game. I
have my copy, do you have yours?  
 
 
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