- Inc. Online
- ABC's The View From the Bay
Clever Parents.com
The holidays to me are a great time of reflection. Tomorrow I am sending my son off to
So to all you Mamas out there…
I wish you all the beautiful treasures that Christmas brings, the warmth of home and the love of family and friends.
Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year!
Warmest Wishes
Swim Mama,
aka
Here’s something many people never think to ask: What’s the point of having an opt in box with a free giveaway (what I call your Irresistible Free Taste, or IFT) on your website?
Most folks think an Irresistible Free Taste is the destination itself. I disagree.
I see your IFT as really the starting point. It’s one milestone on the way to a much larger end goal, which is to build your list. And even that goal is in service to another goal, which is to make sales and offer your unique “message” in the form of either products or services.
Put very frankly, your IFT is a way to introduce yourself and your services so you can prime people to want to buy the thing you’re going to be launching. The whole reason your Free Taste exists is so you can gather together (metaphorically, at least) a group of people who have expressed interest in what you do. Then when you have something to promote – a product, a service, an event - they’re ready for it.
This is an important pathway because as obvious as it sounds here, you can’t make sales if no one is listening to you. Your IFT is the first place to grab your potential client’s attention and show her you’ve got valuable information to offer. Think of it as your “online ice breaker.”
Very important - because we all know that despite what anyone tells us, first impressions DO count.
A nice-looking, professional website will likely hold people’s attention at least briefly. But from that point, your online ice breaker has to do more than look good. It has to promise value. It has to immediately communicate to your visitors that they’re in the right place and that you’ve got some great party favors for them. Otherwise they’ll just head off to the shindig at the website next door.
To that end, here are 3 essential tips to getting the best ice-breaking results from your Free Taste:
1) Make sure it’s what your audience wants, not what you think they need
It will do you no good to create an Irresistible Free Taste that is the online equivalent of brussel sprouts. Good for me, perhaps, but not something I’ll willingly give my name and email for. Find a way to bring your topic around to the results everyone wants more of: time, money and love.
2) Make sure it’s highly visible
Don’t hide your Free Taste at the bottom of the page. Put it right up top where it’s immediately visible in the first screen shot. And have your web developer create a colorful, eye-catching opt in box. You want it to fairly scream, “Hey there! Click here for something really fabulous!”
3) Make sure it’s a goldmine of good information
It may seem a bit counter-intuitive, since this is a free giveaway after all, but now is not the time to be stingy with your knowledge and insights. Potential clients will make the decision to stick around based on what you offer them here. Remember, this is your online first impression. Make it a good one.
In terms of relationship marketing, the success of your launch promotions depends on the level of connection and rapport you’ve got with your audience. Relationships build over time. Your Irresistible Free Taste is the initial building block that lays the foundation for creating connection. And that connection is what turns into sales.
©2008 Helen Graves
Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Online Marketing Strategy, shows service-based small business owners how to create stronger connection with their product and program promotional campaigns so you sell more!
Visit www.Product-Campaign.com to get a hold of her online marketing campaign strategy resource, “The 3 Crucial Keys to Creating Desire So Your Products and Programs Sell Like Hotcakes.”