ProBizTips Newsletter
** ISSUE #295 **

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004

A Word From Diane

ProBizTips Mid-Sponsors

ProBizTips Feature Article
Diary of a Google Gazumpee

Ask Me Anything
Answers For Brian

ProBizTips Guest Article
Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through

ProBizTips Business Tidbit
10 Electrifying Ways To Explode Your Orders

Discount Mania

Weekly F*R*E*E*B*I*E
The Free Advertising Handbook

Leaving With a Laugh

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Hey!

Good Day to you and I hope your day is going well so far! :)

Welcome to all our new subscribers this week and I hope you grow to love us as so many have... we couldn't do this without you!

Although I absolutely planned on sending the issue yesterday, I got *really* busy after voting and didn't get a chance to sit down and edit, etc. My apologies! :P

Without further ado -- sit back, relax and enjoy today's issue!

Your Friend,

Diane Hughes
ProBizTips Weekly

P.S. Just a reminder -- you can check out all the special deals,
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Diary of a Google Gazumpee
by Heidi Perry

Back in November, when the Google Dance began, Barry Lloyd of makemetop.co.uk wrote an article entitled "Been Gazumped by Google?" GAZUMPED! What a wonderfully descriptive term. In fact, it succinctly describes what happened to us when our website went from #1 to oblivion a few months ago.

We were gazumped, swindled, cheated out of what was rightfully ours. Okay, who's to say what search engine position rightfully belongs to anyone. I mean, let's face it, getting to the top of the search engines for coveted keywords is really just a crap shoot, isn't it?

Or is it?

The SEO Cycle...

We've been at this internet game for a long time, a decade, in fact. Dinosaur days! We don't pretend to be search engine experts, it's not our forte. Nevertheless, we have been around long enough to see some patterns emerge.

Here's a recurring pattern we've observed in Search Engine Optimization:

1) The SEO experts research and make claims of what works to get a website to the top of the search engines.  

2) It works for a time, and websites implementing their tactics move up the ranks.

3) Eventually, the algorithms change, and websites gain or lose rankings.

4) SEO experts make adjustments, then back to step one in the cycle again.

Around and around we go like mice on the optimization exercise wheel. Furthermore, we do not foresee any chance of stepping off of the optimization wheel for years to come. From our experience, as long as search engines exist, the algorithms will always change, and the SEO experts will always have a job.

But, is Search Engine Optimization really necessary?

To Optimize or Not...

If you've set up a flow of traffic to your website outside of search engines, there really is no need to optimize. However, if you want search engine traffic, you'll need to step onto the wheel. Furthermore, you need to know there's some pretty fierce competition riding the same wheel. But, be forewarned. Once you step onto the wheel, it will become part of your regular marketing exercise.

Is search engine traffic worth stepping onto the endless wheel?

Marketing experts tell us all the reasons why search engine traffic is targeted. But, let's put that aside for a moment and talk about real-world experience for a minute. In the past 10 years, our websites have received traffic from every imaginable source. But, you want to know about search engine traffic, right? We'll give it to you straight.

Search engines have sent us some of our best customers. A significant number have stayed with us for years, and a surprising number have made purchases on their first visit - direct from the search engines.

Now, with this is mind, perhaps you can understand why we have felt gazumped after losing a significant amount of search engine traffic.

So, what exactly happened to us?

Dancing With Google...

For years, we have been building a professional community where home-based entrepreneurs can network with one another and find the resources they need. As a clearinghouse of information, it has been a real task to organize the thousands of pages of information and make it user-friendly.

We had been #1 on Google for years for the coveted term "home business," among other terms. As such, we enjoyed traffic that brought us a significant number of customers and subscribers. Traffic and sales grew consistently for those years. Our Alexa rating showed the continued growth by going from a ranking of 30,000 to almost 15,000 in a year.

Enter the 'Florida' Update.

In November, we were still #1 on Google. Traffic and sales were good.

In December, it appeared the Update was good for us. We remained #1 and sales were at an all-time high. "We're getting through this just fine," we gloated. Nothing to worry about.

But, then things began to change - drastically!

- Gazump #1
Around January 3rd, our traffic plummeted to an all-time, two-year low (http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?q=&url=http://www.homebusinessonline.com/).

After a quick perusal of our traffic logs, it became obvious Google was playing with our rankings. You know, playing the dance floor. Google may have come to the dance with us as her date, but she left with a different partner.

A little research confirmed that not only had we dropped in our rankings for our coveted search term, but we were nowhere to be found in even the top 1,000. What? From #1 to oblivion? How could that be? The date was over... Gazumped by Google!

- Gazump #2
Some weeks later, typing 'link:www.ourURL' in the Google toolbar brought another startling revelation. While our inbound links before the dance were around 800
(http://www.linkpopularity.com/linkpop.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homebusinessonline.com),
Google now listed only 69. Now, that doesn't even make sense after almost a decade online, especially when typing in our URL returns 2,620 links
(http://www.google.com/search?q=%22homebusinessonline.com%22).
Gazumped by Google!

- Gazump #3
But, why stop there? Let's add a little salt to the wound, shall we? It also appeared that Google was only spidering a few, select parts of our website. No more deep crawls where all the meaty content can be found. Gazumped by Google!

So, where from here?

Lessons Learned...

After two months of a substantial drop in traffic and sales, we are not out of business. Why not? For one, we have not counted on Google as our sole source of traffic. We are still receiving decent traffic, but we could be doing better. I'm afraid we had been gliding on the coattails of Google for too long. Sometimes you just need a good kick in the pants. This wake-up call has been good for us. Like multiple streams of income, we will up the anti on multiple streams of traffic. That way, when one traffic source dries up, it will not effect us significantly.

It's time to make some well-needed changes to our website. It could be better. A lot better. We're going to stop talking about them, hunker down, and make those changes.

We believe this dance is not over yet and Google may decide to return to the dance floor. Considering 'Gazump #2' above, it only makes sense that there are still plenty of bugs to be ironed out.

We'll get our traffic back and in a big way. If not through Google, certainly through other traffic sources. There's more than one way to reach the summit.

The Very Best Strategy...

The fact is you could spend hours upon hours in search engine optimization, and while we believe that optimizing your website is important, it shouldn't be the main focus. We're of the opinion that websites should first be built for customers and prospective customers, and second for search engines. Take a look at your website from your customer's perspective. Does it do what you want it to do?

Go ahead and hop on the optimization wheel. Get it turning, but don't become obsessed with it. If you have the resources for it, consider hiring an SEO specialist to help. Be sure you have plenty of traffic sources, don't rely on just one or two.

Finally, anything online, including the search engines, are driven by the market's opinion. When the dance is over, if Google doesn't provide the very best search results, the market will go elsewhere. For this reason, no matter what might happen to us personally through the Google Dance, the end result will be better search results - if not Google, then another search engine.

Either way, the market will determine who wins in the end.

---------------------------------

Seasoned entrepreneurs, Dave and Heidi Perry have developed half
a dozen businesses and are founders of HomeBusinessOnline.com
and PrettyGreat.com. Known for their unique insights and
straight-shooter style, Heidi and Dave are editors of
HomeBizBytes. Receive a free issue at
http://www.HomeBusinessOnline.com/nsl.htm?sya

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Hiya, Profile: Newbie. Got the books, bought the website package, doing the thinking bit. My unique theme is not so unique (Home/Garden/Travel) but am looking for access to loads of free appropriate content. Found a site yesterday with loads of articles then lost it (not in history. Don't understand where it went. So annoying!) :-( Going on a bit, sorry. Can you find me a couple of sites that will make this old many very happy?

-------------

Hi, Brian!

Did you try searching Google? It's the ultimate source of content on the web. Also try any article directories... you can also search for those on Google... :)

Hope this helps!

Diane

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Just as the name implies, ask me anything.
If I don't know the answer, I'll find it.

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Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through
by John Jantsch

When it comes to your gravy, lumps are bad. When it comes to getting your marketing message through the mail room, past the gate keepers, and onto your buyer’s desk, lumps are just the ticket. I love direct mail for small business marketing and I’m particularly fond of something I call “lumpy mail.” Lumpy mail is a direct mail piece or package with some dimension to it. A box is lumpy mail. A balloon arrangement, a kitten, a hoola hoop. You name it. The point is you just can’t ignore a piece of lumpy mail.

It’s getting harder and harder to get your message through all of the advertising clutter so sometimes you need to up the ante and make a real statement. A lumpy mail package screams notice me, open me.

A lumpy mail campaign can give your marketing message center stage attention. Of course, you’ve still got to deliver the performance. But half the battle is finding an audience.

How to run a lumpy mail campaign

Go to your core marketing messages. You core point of difference or benefit. The primary things you promote when you want to tell your prospects why they should hire you.

Now think of some unique items, trinkets, or packaging that you can use to help communicate your point. We’ll jump through hoops to get your business – the hoola hoop. We’re the key to your success – a box of keys. We provide total solutions – a box of Total brand cereal. We’ve got the tools to help you get the job done – a box of play tools. It’s very important that you can create a very strong image and metaphor for the message you are trying to communicate.

Repetition

Like any good direct mail campaign, repetition will improve your results. I usually suggest looking at three installments in your campaign. If done correctly this will usually leave the recipient eager to perform whatever call to action you request at the end of the campaign.

A building series

A very powerful way to construct your campaign, particularly if your audience is not too familiar with you, is to create your three pieces in a story fashion. Each piece builds on the last and delivers an integrated message. You can use this method to build intrigue. Many times I will send the first piece in a lumpy campaign without a company name, logo, or return address. Generally, I will imply that there is more to come. The impact of this technique can be pretty strong. In some cases your prospects will actually look forward to getting the next piece. People love a good mystery.

The Call to Action

Like any marketing campaign, decide what you want the final outcome or call to action to be and deliver it in the last piece. If you want them to call your office, take your call, visit a website, attend a workshop, make it painfully clear what the price of the game has been.

I’ve actually had clients tell me that prospects who wouldn’t even return their phone calls, eagerly made appointments and sometime still displayed the items they were sent throughout the campaign in their office. People don’t get this kind of attention from much in their lives and they want it. More than ever your prospects crave two things – content and contact. A lumpy mail campaign had the potential to deliver both with a bang. (careful with too much auditory impact)

How Much For Those Lumps

A lumpy mail campaign can get relatively expensive when compared to, say, a postcard mailing so its important for you to consider two things when you are designing yours. How many clients you can serve and what the lifetime value a new client has to your business.

Most small businesses only need a handful of new clients at any given time to thrive. Lumpy mail is perfect for that kind of growth. Carefully target 10 new businesses at a time, throw the kitchen sink at them and watch your appointment rate soar to about 70%.

If you are in a business that sells a one time $19 product then you can’t really spend to much to acquire a new client but if your business can generate thousands of dollars from a long term, loyal client then perhaps spending even $100/new client running a creative lumpy mail program makes a ton of sense.

So get to your local toy store to get the creative gravy flowing and pass the mashed potatoes already.

---------------------------------

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant and creator of
Duct Tape Marketing, a small business marketing system.
You can reach him at John@DuctTapeMarketing.com

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10 Electrifying Ways To Explode Your Orders

1. Persuade visitors to link to your web site. Give them a freebie in exchange for them linking to your web site. It could be content, software, etc.

2. Link to web sites that provide useful information or services for your visitors. If you have many useful links on your site, they may make it their start page.

3. Spice-up your web site's wording using plenty of adjectives. It gives your visitors a clearer vision of what your explaining or describing to them.

4. Don't make your banner ads look like ads. Most people ignore banner ads. Design them to look like content and have them click to read the rest.

5. Join affiliate programs that go with the theme of your web site. You'll just be wasting valuable space and time if your visitors aren't interested in them.

6. Market your web site as a free club instead of a web site. This'll increase your repeat visitors and sales because people enjoy belonging to groups.

7. Interact with your online customers on a regular basis. This'll show them you care about them. You could use a chat room, forum or message system.

8. Check your web site links regularly. After people click on one link, and it doesn't work, they usually won't risk wasting their time clicking on another one.

9. Give visitors a positive experience when they're at your web site. Provide them with original content and free stuff. They'll tell all of their friends about it.

10. Share customers with other businesses that have the same target audience. Offer their product to your customers if, in exchange they do the same for you.

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