Most days I think I'm a pretty good marketer of my services, but other days I really wonder.
In the past year, my rating in Google under my best keyword, "Marketing Plan," had been slipping. For years I was always on page one, 5th spot or better
But then things got more competitive for that keyword, and my site slipped to the second page. As a result my eZine subscriber rate went down.
I could kick myself because I didn't do anything for the longest time - even though I knew what to do.
But I finally took action. A month ago I started to submit articles online. I was amazed at how easy it was. After all, I had hundreds of articles (from this eZine) ready to go. All I had to do was log into a submission site and post the articles.
It took only a few minutes every week.
And today, to my delight, my site is back on the first page of Google again. My goal is to get back in the top five in the next three months. And by posting more articles online, I think there's a good chance I'll get there.
How important is this? Well, I figure if I can increase my subscribers by just 50 per week I'll bring in an additional $25,000 in online sales a year. (Every new subscriber is worth about $10 per year.)
And doing this is not rocket science!
By the way, you can learn how to do this and a whole lot of other simple web-related promotions under "Web Promotion Services" in the Web Site ToolKit. Info on the ToolKit here:
http://www.actionplan.com/wstk.html
There are dozens of simple marketing activities like this we could all be doing but don't get around to. Is it just inertia, fear of failing, not knowing what to do, poor time management or a combination of the above?
I plead guilty to all of these.
And, heck, I'm a pretty good marketer. I know it's even harder for those who are just starting, are new to the web, don't have much of a marketing track record and who are confused by all the options for marketing themselves.
Someone who had just gotten the Web Site ToolKit called me today and asked me where to start. (There's a lot of information in the ToolKit!) And I made it simple: Read the instructions and then do the steps one at a time as outlined.
Hundreds of people have created great web sites that way.
What's a marketing activity you've been thinking of doing but haven't gotten around to? It might be your web site, posting articles or just doing more networking. Make a simple plan, create a timeline and get started. Or as Nike says: Just Do It!
And when you start to get results you might kick yourself as well, realizing that it was easier than you thought.
The More Clients bottom line. It's often not the big things that stop us but the little things that we just don't get around to. But little things done consistently can have a profound impact on your business.
What's a small, but important marketing project you're going to start? Tell us and inspire us on the More Clients Blog.
Hi Grace, you should have a look at http://www.basearticles.com
it is very simple to use and you can get great results...
Posted by: Base Articles | July 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Thx! :)
Posted by: honda-radio | February 18, 2008 at 11:16 AM
I once read that the things that you procrastinate on are those things that if completed will have the most positive impact on your life. I am currently putting off updating my website, producing a podcast and starting a blog. Within the month all these items will be underway. I hope!!
Posted by: Tim Reid | June 02, 2007 at 05:23 AM
I've always done promotions in big chunks, for example, a quarterly mailing to all of the prospects on my list. But now, I'm reorganizing my efforts and materials so I can mail just a few each day, and maintain a steady level of promotional activity. I expect this will make the effort much more manageable for me and more effective for generating regular inquiries from prospects.
Janice King
Copywriter and Author
Copywriting That Sells High Tech
Posted by: Janice King | May 22, 2007 at 07:25 AM
I've had good success with iSnare, at iSnare.com. There's also the Phantom Writers and Ezine Articles.
I've heard from some "article marketing experts" that you shouldn't use articles from your own Web site, since that reduces the exclusivity factor, and search engines are always looking for unique content.
However, like Robert, I used articles that had already appeared at my site and didn't experience any problems.
Posted by: Rich Brooks | May 22, 2007 at 05:19 AM
Robert,
This is just te same place I am in.
Article submission is the one thing that I really want to get in motion. I have been writing a blog for a few months and have about 60 articles there. My road block now is to find the best places to submit articles. Any suggestsions?
The other marketing idea I want to pursue is to get my teleseminars posted on some teleseminar search engines.
Grace
Self-Esteem/Positive Discipline Parent Coach
http://www.gemparenting.com
Parent with Passion, Purpose, and Integrity
Posted by: Grace | May 22, 2007 at 04:51 AM