The real reason for a website!

“Once a person comes to my website, as long as they ___________, I don’t care if they ever look at my website again!” – Diane Conklin

The moment Diane said that, I was taken aback… I was floored, confused and momentarily stunned.

Why would a marketing genius like Diane say such a thing? As, I came to my senses and quickly regained my composure…I realized she was dead-on right!

And, the funny thing was, I had designed all my websites to do exactly this from day one. It wasn’t because I knew all the tricks of web design…nope! It was simply a matter of conversion. Or as some call it…

Opt-In

Yep, that’s what I left out of the quote above. As long as a visitor opts-in to your website there is never another reason for them to go back to that website.

Your website should be nothing more than a way to collect your visitors information.

Let me say that again… your website should be nothing more than a way to collect your visitors information.

I know that comes as a shock…but in reality its very much true. Without collecting a name, email address or any other contact information you really don’t have a reason to have a website. Your website needs to be thought of as a list building tool…nothing else.

Maybe you heard the term “squeeze page”. Well, basically it’s a one page website that squeezes your visitors for their information. That’s all its does. The website gives enough information that excites, motivates, cajoles, educates and sometimes infuriates the visitor. It gets them to take action, and in doing so they leave their name and email address.

And since we’ve captured their contact information, there is no need for them to ever go to our website again.

It’s sad, it really is! A real bummer! Especially, if you just spent thousands of dollars to a web guru and you didn’t even get an opt-in box on your website. All that hard work in graphic design and its doing diddly squat. It’s such a common mistake. I see it all the time.

Think of it this way…if you can collect your visitors information, you then have the ability to communicate with them on a frequent basis via emails, direct mail, phone calls, faxes and social media. You can keep them updated with your latest articles, blogs, specials, news stories…all this to keep you on their mind.

I can’t tell how many times I’ve found a great website and forgot to bookmark it then wondered if I will remember how to get back to it later. I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me who forget where they went on the web.

Make it easy for your visitors to opt-in, then you will never have to worry if they forgot about you.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Most email service providers (such as Constant Contact, aweber, iContact and Infusion Soft just to name a few) offer various opt-in templates you can use to plug into your website for FREE.

Backlinks Explained!

Like a magician who uses slight of hand and misdirection to confuse and disorient you when pulling off a trick, so do some so-called SEO experts.

I have been told many times that to have an effective presence on the net when it comes to my website’s success I need lots of backlinks. The more the merrier!

If you don’t know what I back link is…well…I’ll explain.

But first, I want to clear the air on backlinks!

You see, it’s not the quantity of backlinks you should be worried about…it’s the quality. It’s like the old sayings… “It’s the company you keep” and “Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere” and… right, back to backlinks.

What is a backlink?

In a nutshell, a backlink is any website that your domain name (or web URL) is showing up on. If you post to a blog, or an article submission site or even the hundreds of social media sites (not to mention the partnership & backlink swapping service)…you are leaving a trail of backlinks in your wake. The search engine crawlers, spiders and bots then follow these links back to your website. Creepy and cool at the same time.

In the old days the common thinking was the more backlinks you had the better page rank you would receive. The problem was that it was like the magicians smoke and mirror act. After awhile, the audience gets bored and looks elsewhere for their entertainment. When your backlinks show up on pages that have no common relevance to your product or service they can be viewed as detrimental to your ranking, and yes, after a time even the search bots will stop tracking you.

The key in effective banklinking is to know and keep in the know of where your web domain is being mentioned or backlinked.

If you’re a plumber, then you should be linked to subjects like plumbing repair, how to fix plumbing, home remodeling, industry related bulletin boards, even posting to others blogs will give your website added credibility on the net.

Linking to or being mentioned by sources that have questionable connections to what you are offering can and will have a negative impact on your pagerank. For example, take our plumber again…his backlinks are showing up in bicycle repair, prison ministry, website design and ballet dancing just to name a few…not too relevant wouldn’t you say?

If I’m searching bicycle repair and some link shows up in my Google, Bing or Yahoo search about some plumber not only is it wasting my time but the plumber isn’t going to receive the desired effect he wants. Non relevant backlinks hurt your credibility.

Now, if I’m searching and I type in “sewer line restoration”, well guess what, not only am I looking for a plumber but one that is specialized in restoration. So now, I’m pulling up link after link of resources that are mentioning the plumber’s website, now I’m getting a sense that this plumber is credible and could help me.

That’s the power of backlinks! And that my friend is why you want to think about where your backlinks are showing up on.

You should never have to pay for backlinks! If for some reason you need to pay for them, make sure the service you are paying is only backlinking your site to specific and relevant areas that match your criteria.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. I created a 3 minute video where I explain backlinks. As you’ll notice I was in my vehicle when I did this! Yes I was filming in my vehicle, and yes, that’s dangerous. But so is backlinking to the unknown. Here’s the link http://www.bit.ly/b4f6jz

The Power of FREE!

The Power of FREE!

“I made more money giving away free stuff, than I ever did offering a discount price!”

Huh?!

I knew you were going say that!

I will tell that discounts don’t work. They just don’t have the power to grab hold of your customer and say “hey, here we are, give us a try” like a free offer does.

Consumers are getting smart they just don’t fall for percentage off sales or buy 1 and get 13 free coupons anymore.

Yet, they still like FREE!

When you give something FREE to someone without strings, or obligations of any kind you create a positive response. It’s that response that will create sales for you.

If someone offered you a free report titled… “The 10 most common mistakes consumers make when hiring ___________ and how you can avoid them!” … would you read it?

Or if they gave you a set of free audio programs. (I wonder who does that? Hint! Hint! Wink! Wink!) Would you listen?

Or maybe offered one hour of service for free, would you take it?

I say you would! Most people would.

You see, back when I started my cleaning biz in 1995 I offered discounts and percentage off coupons and I got work, but nothing compared to the power of offering FREE. I would offer all new clients a chance to try my service out (to kick the tires, try before your buy) and give them a free room of carpet cleaning free. Without pressure of any kind!

People would see my offers and wonder what the catch was. No catch I would say and explain to them why I was offering such an outrageous deal. I would tell them the truth, that I really wanted their business and I was willing to put my butt on the line and clean a room for free to prove I was the cleaner for them.

Here’s the cool part!

They would either say “hey that really is clean, lets do the rest while you’re here” or “I really appreciate the time you took to clean for free, here’s some money for your time”.

I had one account that spent $160,000 with us (over a 5 year period) and it took literally 20 minutes of our time to demonstrate our service by offering a free cleaning.

That my friends is the power of reciprocity!

Reciprocity is when you provide something of value to someone and they have a positive response and feel the need to give back something to you.

What can you do to offer something of value to your clientele?

A free report? A free CD? A free consult? Two weeks of free service?

I believe I have mentioned this before – “money is the byproduct of value creation!”

Offering something free will create a positive value that will have a long lasting effect.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Those businesses who have the most success build reciprocating relationships with their clients.

That’s Insane!

Why would someone subject themselves to that torture?

From a consumer’s standpoint, this is an awesome opportunity… or is it?

What I’m about to share with you, and I hope that you never have to experience this as an entrepreneur, is a degrading form of sales called “Price Wars”.

Like I stated above, consumers love when this happens.

However, there’s a downside to this madness. Let me explain!

When I first started my service company way back in 1995, my slogan was, “We clean your carpet, not your wallet”. Catchy, right? Well, it almost caught me a one way ticket to bankruptcy. My thoughts at the time, were if I kept my prices low enough I would attract all kinds of work.

Oh, I got work! Just not the kind anybody else wanted. My low prices were a magnet for people who didn’t have any money. Sadly, I was working my butt off slaving after pittance cleaning up the nastiest, grungiest carpets.

Then it got worse.

Enter the new guy in town. He came in all guns a blazin’. Offering the town folk all kinds of promises. He was offering his services at roughly 10 percent cheaper than mine. His ads reflected that he was the cheapest and he wanted everyone to know it.

That’s insane! What the heck is this guy thinking? Undercutting prices and stealing customers…what a arrogant jerk.

Wait, I was that guy. I had made it my point to keep my prices lower than my competitors in order to attract clients and now someone was offering cheaper prices then me.

After a few months of going back and forth and competing on price, I couldn’t take it. I was working way too hard for so little money. I couldn’t do it anymore. There would always be “new guys” that would enter the market place and offer low prices. I couldn’t compete on that level anymore. The madness had to stop.

Then I did it!

I raised my prices! In fact, I about doubled my prices overnight! And, yes, I upset and lost a few clients with my new pricing. To be honest, I lost more than few. Yet, I was making more money with the new price structure.

An interesting thing happened!

It was if the universe sent out a signal…and only the affluent neighborhoods received it. Yep, the cheap customers stopped calling. Replaced were high-dollar, high society homeowners that valued quality over quantity.

Ninety-nine percent of most entrepreneurs will never get it! They will continue to offer low prices in order to attract. They will continue to engage in price wars. And, they will continue to scratch their heads wondering what is wrong with their business.

Money is the byproduct of value creation. If you can create enough value, price is no longer a concern in the buying process.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. I will leave you with this…”when you live by price, you die by price!”

Long vs Short!

Long Copy Sucks! Results are futile when you listen to others who use it..
I DON’T CARE IF IT’S BEEN WORKING FOR 100 YEARS, WE LIVE IN A CHANGING WORLD!

That’s an actual message I received from one of my subscribers…

What the heck? I thought, who is this guy and what’s his deal?

So I responded back…

Sorry to dissapoint!

But I have to disagree!

Yes we live a changing world…but long copy still outsells short copy by far.

Why?

It forces the reader to slowdown from their busy life and concentrate on the copy…it grabs their attention and they end up reading the whole piece. And it creates a reaction!

In your case… You hated it!

And you responded!

But to say it doesn’t work or is not the choice of marketers is merely your humble opinion. Scientific proof from yes you said it of 100 years of study and thousands of marketers using it…proves it works.

That should do it… I won’t be hearing back from him.

And so I was wrong…

My lady companion tunes me out when I go on too long.. And when it’s longer than long her question is: does this end next week.. There’s no changing her either.. Sometimes we have to let the horses be horses..

The critics say if you have to duplicate or triplicate your copy in all that length Well, how much results can be expected when intelligence is insulted?

Ugh, okay, somehow I got myself into a debate and I wondered how I was going to get out of it.

So off went another email…

I wasn’t trying to insult your intelligence in anyway, shape or form.

I just know from experience that longer copy does work. I have written, read & responded to 6, 12 even 18 page letters that have generated great returns not only for me, my clients, but also some of the other great marketers that I know.

We could debate this all day long and for every reason I have that it works, you will have your own opinion that it doesn’t.

So yes, let horses be horses!

Based on testing, other marketers validity in their marketing and hundreds if not thousands of pieces I’ve read… I will tell you LONG copy outperforms short copy everytime.

I have used both long and short copy…and to be honest I like writting short copy. But I love the results long copy achieves. Writting long copy takes times, energy and creativity.

I don’t always have enough creativity with all the projects I’m working to give long copy my attention…so short copy ends up working best for me. Yet, when I use long copy the results are far superior to any short piece I’ve created.

If you ever want to learn how to write effective copy in your ads, articles, website or sales letters here are some books I recommend…

“Marketing Secrets of the Mail Order Maverick“, by Joe Sugarman
“No BS Sales Letter“, By Dan Kennedy
“Magic Words That Bring You Riches“, by Ted Nicholas

I’ll leave you with this little piece of advice… “the more you tell, the more you sell!”

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Learn to be a master of words, and you will never be without work.

Listen to the Pain!

I took a few days off, did you miss me?

After 6 months of what seemed like non-stop work…I felt burned out!

I needed some desperate me time. No phones! No computer! No checking emails or facebook! I just totally unplugged!

And why not I thought… it was the perfect weekend to escape.

I went dancing with my wife (something we haven’t done it awhile). Took the kids to see Toy Story 3, celebrated my 41st birthday, then celebrated Fathers Day, ate at a creperie, took a couple naps in between… it was awesome!

Now I’m back! Refreshed and ready to rock!

A few days before I left I was really starting to feel the passion slipped away…it seemed my mind was always intune to business, marketing and helping others…and I was losing focus on what really mattered. Oh, don’t get me wrong…I love helping people. But, after many months of non-stop, nose to grindstone, this marketing maniac was starting to feel the pain.

My friend, Charlie McDermott, shared this very important message with me, “Pain is good…it teaches us a lot “if” we listen”. He went to say, “sounds like your pain is speaking to you!”

Most entrepreneurs will eventually feel the pain. Some choose to ignore it. Others noticed the pain they are feeling and prescribe themselves with a few days of R&R (rest and relaxation).

My buddy, Scott Linde (yeah the bug guy from New Jersey) eliminates his pain by taking multiple vacations a year. He says, taking vacations actually makes him more money. Strange right? Not really! When he comes back from his trips, he is refocused, reenergized and recharged.

Taking time away from your business, getting away from all the distractions, enables you to focus on your goals. Focus on why you really started your business.

In the book, “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber, your business is suppose to fund your personal life, not your personal life funding your business. If we are focused on constantly building our business, we are taking away the time needed to build up ourselves.

What do you enjoy doing?

Why aren’t you doing it?

In the book, “The 4 Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferris, Tim loves to travel and experience all that life as to offer…his book will help guide you to refocus your business energies in such a way that you are maximizing your work load and spending more time on what you really enjoy. Work Less, Make More!

But, how do we get there?

Well, here’s Charlie again to share his thoughts on how you can do it. “Get away for a day or better yet two…no phones, email etc. Focus on your long range goals and dreams. Set up a plan or a timeline that will get you to the point where you are spending most of your time doing what you love. Then come back recharged and work your plan.”

Great advice Charlie…thanks!

So before you get to the breaking point and start to feel the pain or have that feeling where you want to go “postal” on everyone, maybe it’s time to take a break and schedule some days away so you can refocus.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Nothing is more important than your health and well being! If you’re constantly stressed, then it’s time to take a few steps back, unplug and get away for a couple of days.

Boost Your Google Page Rank!

Amazing!

My post yesterday went straight up to page 1 of Google! It gives me chills just thinking about it. The power of search engine optimization, keyword and backlinking are such incredible tools I can’t believe more people haven’t caught on.

I didn’t achieve #1 spot on Google but I am on the first page. Incidentally, if you must know I’m currently ranking in the 6th spot. Not bad for a post that is less than 24 hours old.

MacGyver Marketing! Who knew those keywords would send me up the charts?

Here’s the skinny on searches…

Google is the number #1 search engine that people use… the undisputed leader by far. Bing, Yahoo, Ask and all the search engines combined don’t seem to have the influence that Google has when it comes to finding what you’re looking for.

Considering that each page of Google displays 10 listings, if you’re not in that top 10 the chances of people looking past page 1 are slim to none. Infact, the percentage of people who click past the first page of Google is a devastating 0.66% … OUCH!

A couple of things to consider…

Google likes fresh and crusty! Let me explain! Adding new content to your website, blog, squeeze page, and yes even Facebook can have your keyword terms blasting up the charts. Now the crusty part. Google also likes to see domains hanging around for a long time. The older the domain the more seniority it’s given. (Hint: when you register your domain do so for more than year… ideally 2-5 years…this tells Google that you’re in it for the long haul.)

Some SEO guys still insist that video only plays a small part in search rankings. Wanna know what I say…pffft! VIDEO ROCKS!

Google Loves Video!

So much so, that in 2006 Google plunkered down $1.65 billion to buy YouTube.

That my friend says a great deal right there… Google positively understands the power video has on “front of mind” thinking.

Marketers like video too!

Take for example Gerry Oginski (who also happens to be a New York Medical Malpractice Attorney). Gerry uses video to update, inform, educate, entertain and market to potential clients.

Or Scott Linde a pest control operator from New Jersey who also uses video on his website to show clients all about bed bugs, termites, rats, bees and anything that could be consider a pest problem.

The key to using video in your website is to keep it relevant, keep it short (under 5 minutes) and make it informative. Dancing gorillas may be funny to some, but unless you’re a zoo most people wont find it worthy of their time.

Now go out and start making some videos for your website… let Scott and Gerry be your inspiration. By adding video on your website you are constantly delivering fresh content and boosting your Google page rank.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Way back in 1981 a band called the Buggles made history when their song “Video killed the radio star” was the very first song played on a brand new cable channel called MTV. That was almost 30 years ago.

MacGyver Marketing

I might have mentioned this before…

…and in case you didn’t catch it…

I’m a big fan of MacGyver. You know, that 80′s action hero who could make use of common everyday products and retrofit an escape plan or rig a gadget of some kind to do some amazing things.

“If you don’t have the right equipment for the job, you just have to make it yourself!” – MacGyver

I actually use that MacGyver mentality in my marketing.

I take bits and pieces of great marketing nuggets and reassemble them into a makeshift money grabbing piece that I use to escape financial pitfalls in my business.

Yeah, okay it’s not a rubber band and a peanut shell, and I’m not sweating bullets in order to diffuse a bomb… but the principals still apply.

You see, when you have a MacGyver mentality you learn to put what you have into a life saving perspective and create scenarios where your marketing is the gadget that saves your business’ life.

“A good relationship is a lot like a car. If you want it to work smoothly, you gotta put a lot of work into it and have the right tools.” – MacGyver

Marketing is all about getting your message out to the right prospective customer and using it to build a relationship with them. Think of marketing as the car (the vehicle) that transports your customers back to you. If it’s not running smoothly…well, I think you know what happens.

Duct tape required!

Adding some duct tape to your marketing may give it that “sticky feel” and get your piece noticed…hmmm… no just kidding! Although…it just might work!

I take headlines from newspapers, gossip mags, financials and even junk mail and I clip them and put them into a file labeled…”Mac” (a refence to MacGyver). I print out copy from websites I visit that exemplify outrageous marketing and I put them into the Mac file.

“It’s kinda interesting how you can put one thing with another and cook up the right formula for stayin’ out of trouble.” – MacGyver

When I run into a situation that calls for some “out of the box” creative thinking I grab the Mac file and work some MacGyver magic. Pulling and plying, swiping and plugging, combining aspects that will get noticed and help me avert a marketing crisis.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Imagine what you can create when you start to think like MacGyver.

Did You Promote It?

Did you get your Flag Day promotionals out?

Yep, today is Flag Day! Well, it is if you are an American (or should I say a citizen of these good ole United States).

You didn’t, did you?

Ugh, not only is that not patriotic, but it absolutely doesn’t bode well with your marketing abilities.

Every holiday is an opportunity to market to your clientele.

Don’t stop at just holidays!

Special events in your life are a great way to also promote your business.

Like…

“Hey it’s my birthday and I wanted to give you a special gift!”
(Incidentally, look for my special birthday email on Friday 6/18)

“Unlike the groundhog who just saw his shadow, we won’t give you 6 more weeks of wintery blues…infact we celebrating 6 weeks of never before seen super hot pricing!”

“Go bananas! Help us celebrate the new monkey born at the National Zoo!”

Or how about…

Tying your promotion with an upcoming movie or an event.

“Win 2 tickets to the new Karate Kid movie …”

You can even make up a holiday… like the characters on Seinfeld did when they came up with “Festivus”.

Be outrageous! Stand out! Make a splash!

Keep your name in your customers thoughts at all times.

Find interesting ways to promote what you do and watch as your sales increase.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Be creative! Always look for an excuse or reason to promote what you do!

It’s The Law!

I noticed that when I’m in-tuned with my passion, and excited for what I do…everything seems to flow and fortune shines on me.

And, when I’m in a rut…things seem to never go the way I want them to go. Sometimes, negative occurrences seem to abound and multiply.

It’s not just me! I know others that are like this! Take time to read half the Facebook posts and you’ll see that the world is full of people who are either hitting the mark and achieving one success after another or seem to be the person caught in the riptide of life.

Then I remembered…

It’s the Law! Or should I say Laws!

The Laws of Attraction.

By following the Laws of Attraction you can minimize your rut time and maximize your successes.

I want to share with you 6 tips that will keep the Laws of Attraction working in your favor all the time.

1) Have a positive attitude – when you have a positive outlook, chances are it will attract other positive people, effects and transformations in your life.

2) Visualize your end results – make a mental picture, and visualize where you want to be in life, or what you wish to accomplish or experience.

3) Affirming your desires – writing down your goals, or saying your desires over and over. The more often you say them the likelier it is that they will come true.

4) Keep you eye on the goal – the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you will achieve them

5) Move forward – take action! You need to stay focused and keep moving forward toward your goals and aspirations.

6) Have an attitude of gratitude – Until you are grateful for what you have, you can not expect new things to come to you.

If you allow the Laws of Attraction to work for you (and yes they work in strange ways) you will have more successes and be able to leap over ruts in your life with ease. However, not using the Laws of Attraction can have a negative impact on your life and make those ruts feel more like canyons of despair that you can’t climb out of.

Stay Positive!
Visualize Your Results!
Affirm What You Desire!
Eye on the Goals!
Move Forward!
Attitude of Gratitude!

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Have a wonderful weekend!