Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Free Sample Sales Letter: Example of How to Write a Persuasive Business Marketing Letter

Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed to auto dealers by a firm that markets gift cards that replace paper gift certificates. Anything in brackets [like this] did not appear in the letter but simply appears to describe the mechanics of the letter





Author: Alan Sharpe

Target audience: General managers of auto dealerships

Mailer: Sharpe AutoCards [a fictional company for the purposes of this sample letter]

Purpose: Generate appointments for salespeople

[MAILING ENVELOPE]

[Is 5 x 9 inches in dimension and has a window, through which appears a portion of a gift card, personalized with the prospect's name. The envelope has a teaser headline: Inside: A win-win-lose proposition for your auto dealership.]

[LETTER]

[Is 8 1/2 x 11 inches, copy on both sides]

December 27, 2007

Brad Carling, General Manager

Tri-City Chev-Olds

123 Any Street

Anytown OH 12345-9163

[Right here, beneath the prospect's name, is affixed to the letter a sample auto gift card, personalized with the prospect's name, and this headline: As you can see, this card has success written all over it.]

Dear Mr. Carling:

Go ahead, pull this amazing little card off the paper.

It's made of plastic. It costs you $2 to buy. But it's worth the price of a new car, sold off your lot. This card is worth the lifetime value of a loyal customer. In sales, service, parts, accessories and referrals. And goodwill. And free word-of-mouth advertising.

Hold it in you hand for a minute, and think of your competition. Consider your revenue goals for the next quarter. Do you need to increase your new and used vehicle sales? Boost your parts & service department revenue? Multiply your accessories department revenue? Retain customers after their warranty runs out?

This card will help. Big time. It's a vital part of Sharpe AutoCards, a custom-branded loyalty and gift card program that generates revenue for your dealership. But first, how it works.

Take a look at the front of your card. As you can see, you customize the card to match your dealership's brand image and visual identity. Now turn it over. See that magnetic stripe across the back? It stores information about the card's dollar value and each transaction.

You hand cards like this to everyone whose business you want to attract and whose loyalty you must keep. Walk ins. Be Backs. Looky-Lous. Current customers. Even former customers. They all use the card to buy products and services at your auto dealership only.

You manage the program using a simple card reader hooked to a personal computer at your dealership running our software. For an average auto dealership, the start-up cost of buying the system and operating it for one year is less than $2 per car sold that year.

That's what the card does. Here's what it does for you.

Please read the brochure I've enclosed for the compelling specifics. You use the Sharpe AutoCards card to:

1. Close more sales by beating competitors' discounts

2. Boost your service department revenue and repeat business

3. Multiply your accessories department revenue

4. Retain customers for years after the sale

5. Attract potential customers and increase traffic in your showroom

6. Increase referral business

7. Increase revenue on the back end

8. Promote brand awareness of your dealership

The Sharpe AutoCards system is up to five times less expensive than competing offerings. Plus, you pay no transaction fees and you don't have to buy any annual maintenance contracts. I call that a win-win-lose proposition for you, your customers and your competitors.

Use your card today to receive free coffee and donuts for four.

The gift card you are holding in your hand has been pre-loaded with $10 worth of coffee and donuts. Get a first-hand demonstration of how the card works by inviting me to your showroom for a complimentary consultation about the Sharpe AutoCards system. Hand me your gift card, I'll swipe it, process your transaction, and hand over your free coffee and donuts. Like the gift cards you'll use one day, this one can only be redeemed at the place of business on the card, which is to say, Tri-City Chev-Olds.

When is a good time for us to get together for coffee and a chat at your showroom? Call me at 123 456-7891 today and let's set up an appointment.

Using Video Marketing To Get Targeted Traffic


Would you like to discover some online marketing techniques that can allow you to earn the money that you're looking for in your business? Hopefully you do, because in the internet marketing world, if you can't produce the traffic to remain profitable, you may very well end up going out of business.


This is something that is very true, and is something that you will want to consider when marketing your online business everyday. It's very important to sell to your backend customers, but it's also very important to get traffic on a recurring basis back to your website. If you can do this very well, you will stand a good chance of succeeding in your business simply and easily.


Now as you may know, there are a ton of ways to get traffic to your website. You will want to analyze these traffic sources carefully, and then deduce them to about 10 traffic sources that you can implement every week. Soon you will see the traffic start to come in, and you will see that it's very easy to get targeted traffic back to your website.


In today's lesson, I want to share with you a traffic generation technique that you can use to boost your online sales, and get you all the prospects and potential new customers that you can possibly handle. Let's take a look at this traffic method. It's one of my favorites to do everyday:


- Video marketing


The basic gist of video marketing is that you create a video and submit them to sites like YouTube, Metacafe, or Viddler. To get people back to your website, you will want to list your website information at the bottom of your video, so that people can enter your website address into their web browser.


Now with YouTube, you can list your URL in the description part of your video, and it will turn it into a clickable link - diminishing the option of typing your website address into their browser bar. This is a very good way to get traffic and it's something that you should start doing today.


It doesn't matter if you're camera shy - you can still produce a good YouTube video. Speak on a subject for around 5 minutes, and you will be good to go. It's not like you're speaking in front of a crowd of 5,000 people... you're just recording yourself, and nobody's there to critique you or look at you. So this should be very easy.


Getting more YouTube views are easy also. The first thing you should know though is that music videos get the bulk of the traffic on YouTube. So if you're in a niche like "bass fishing"... some good YouTube views may be around in the 3,000 range. This is still good, but compared to a celebrity music video, it's not in comparison.


But that's ok. You will get your recurring traffic back to your website, and this is what you should be striving for. Keep using YouTube everyday, and you will find that it's more than worth it to do in your business.


Take these YouTube marketing tips and use them to earn the kind of money that you're looking for in your business today.


Good luck with using these tips in your internet business today.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He has a website about internet marketing that helps small business owners learn how to market their business online simply and easily. To learn more, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com






Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6996029

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Importance of SEO in Internet Marketing

The Importance of SEO in Internet Marketing






If you are already running an Internet marketing campaign or are about to embark on an Internet marketing campaign, one concept you cannot afford to skimp on is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is one of the most popular buzz words in Internet marketing but unfortunately most Internet marketers simply do not know enough about SEO to make this strategy work for them. Even those who are knowledgeable about SEO may have difficulty executing their SEO strategies to produce the desired affect. 


Advertising is a very important part of running any type of business. You need to advertise to reach new customers and market your products or services. Whether you run your business online or not you probably already realize how important it is to advertise but if you are running your business online you should understand there is a great deal of free advertising available in the form of optimal search engine rankings. 


Well known search engines such as Google rank websites according to complex algorithms which are designed to determine which websites are most relevant for particular search terms. Therefore taking the time and effort to optimize your website for relevant search terms may result in you being rewarded with high search engine rankings for these terms. This is important because most Internet users rely heavily on these rankings. It is not uncommon for Internet users to only review the first few results when they search for a particular term. This means if your website ranks high enough to appear on the first page of the search results you will likely enjoy increased website traffic. However, if your website doesn’t make it to the first page or even the second page, it is unlikely you will receive a great deal of website traffic from visitors who use search engines. 


Now that you understand why search engine rankings are so important you might wonder how to achieve these rankings. The easiest way to optimize your website is to hire a SEO specialist to do the work for you. The world of SEO is complex and continually evolving making it difficult for most business owners who do not specialize in SEO to keep up with the changes in the industry. Therefore, business owners who attempt to optimize their website by themselves may have difficulty keeping up with competitors who hire a SEO consultant to optimize their website.


The algorithms used by search engines can be rather complex and include a number of different factors. Some of the common factors in the equation include keyword density, META tags, titles, inbound links, website traffic and content. 


Keyword density refers to the number of times a particular keyword is used in the content of your website. The theory behind this concept is that website which use a keyword often are likely extremely relevant to that keyword, however, overuse of that keyword may result in penalties to the website if the search engine deemed the keywords are not being used appropriately. 


META tags are pieces of HTML code which some search engines use in evaluating the content of a website. Placing keywords in these tags can be beneficial in some search engines. However, care should be taken to avoid placing irrelevant keywords in these tags as this may result in your website being penalized.


Inbound links are also used by some search engines to rank websites. Inbound links refer to links on other websites which point to your website. In evaluating the worth of these inbound links, some search engines consider the rank of the website providing the link to your website. This means you should ensure the website providing inbound links to your website are high ranking websites to receive the most benefit from these links. 


Finally, the content on your website can do a great deal to bolster your search engine rankings. Most SEO firms retain a staff of writers who are skilled at providing quality content which is also optimized for relevant keywords. If you hire a SEO firm who does not providing copywriting services you should invest in hiring a professional writer yourself. This will help to ensure the copy on your website is not only valuable to your visitors but also considered valuable to search engines. 

Internet Marketing for Beginners

Internet Marketing for Beginners







Internet marketing for beginners is somewhat of an oxymoron. This is because while in theory the concepts behind Internet marketing might be quite simple, executing effective strategies can be extremely difficult. This can even be tough for those who are quite experienced in the world of Internet marketing. With this in mind, this article will attempt to explain the concept of Internet marketing for beginners and will outline some basic strategies which can help a business owner to launch his own Internet marketing campaign. We will cover concepts such as creating a website, placing banner ads, sending out e-newsletters, orchestrating an email marketing campaign and optimizing your website for search engines.


One of the most basic steps for starting an Internet marketing campaign is to create a website. If you don’t have a website or have a poorly designed website you should consider creating or re-designing a website to adequately market your products. If you do not have experience in web design, there are a number of software packages which make it simple for those with no design experience to create a functional website. However, hiring a web designer is worthwhile because he can work to create a website which is attractive, functional and suitable to your products and series. He can also help you include more advanced features on your website.


Banner ads are another popular option for advertising your business on the Internet. Banner ads are advertisements which typically appear along the top of a website but it may also include smaller ads in other locations. Banner ads typically include graphics and text which entice Internet users to click on the advertisement. Once a user clicks on the ad, they are directed to your website. This type of advertising can be very effective when care is taken to place the advertisements on high traffic websites which attract an audience who may have an interest in your products. 


Sending out e-newsletters can also be a part of an effective Internet marketing strategy. E-newsletters are essentially emails which may contain a variety of information including informative articles, useful quizzes, relevant advertising or any other information which is deemed worthwhile for the recipients of the e-newsletter. The importance of these newsletters is that they can be used as marketing tools which are not viewed by the recipients as an advertisement. One way to do this is to incorporate links or other soft sale approaches into the copy of the e-newsletters. However, care should be taken to keep these references minimal so the e-newsletter is not viewed as spam.


Email marketing campaigns can be another successful aspect of an Internet marketing campaign. Email marketing essentially involves sending out emails to a group of individuals who may be interested in your products and services. Care should be taken in sending out these emails to avoid sending emails which are unsolicited and will be viewed as spam. One way to do this is to only send out the emails to users who have requested inclusion on an email mailing list. Another way to do this is to provide value in the emails as opposed to just including advertisements. This can be done by offering relevant advice in your emails and other useful information which may be of interest to the recipients of the email. 


Finally, optimizing your website for search engines is a critical aspect of an Internet marketing campaign. Search engines rank websites according to quality and relevance for particular search terms. Many Internet users appreciate the effort by search engines and use these search engines to find the best websites on a particular subject. This means the Internet users are likely to only visit websites which rank well with search engines. Therefore if your website is not high ranking, you are not likely to generate a great deal of traffic from Internet users who use search engines to find relevant websites. Top ranking websites are likely to obtain the most traffic from search engines and all websites falling on the first page of the search engine results will likely enjoy some degree of success in improving their traffic. 

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Free Sample Sales Letter: Example of How to Write a Persuasive Business Marketing Letter


Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed to auto dealers by a firm that markets gift cards that replace paper gift certificates. Anything in brackets [like this] did not appear in the letter but simply appears to describe the mechanics of the letter


Author: Alan Sharpe


Target audience: General managers of auto dealerships


Mailer: Sharpe AutoCards [a fictional company for the purposes of this sample letter]


Purpose: Generate appointments for salespeople


[MAILING ENVELOPE]


[Is 5 x 9 inches in dimension and has a window, through which appears a portion of a gift card, personalized with the prospect's name. The envelope has a teaser headline: Inside: A win-win-lose proposition for your auto dealership.]


[LETTER]


[Is 8 1/2 x 11 inches, copy on both sides]


December 27, 2007


Brad Carling, General Manager


Tri-City Chev-Olds


123 Any Street


Anytown OH 12345-9163


[Right here, beneath the prospect's name, is affixed to the letter a sample auto gift card, personalized with the prospect's name, and this headline: As you can see, this card has success written all over it.]


Dear Mr. Carling:


Go ahead, pull this amazing little card off the paper.


It's made of plastic. It costs you $2 to buy. But it's worth the price of a new car, sold off your lot. This card is worth the lifetime value of a loyal customer. In sales, service, parts, accessories and referrals. And goodwill. And free word-of-mouth advertising.


Hold it in you hand for a minute, and think of your competition. Consider your revenue goals for the next quarter. Do you need to increase your new and used vehicle sales? Boost your parts & service department revenue? Multiply your accessories department revenue? Retain customers after their warranty runs out?


This card will help. Big time. It's a vital part of Sharpe AutoCards, a custom-branded loyalty and gift card program that generates revenue for your dealership. But first, how it works.


Take a look at the front of your card. As you can see, you customize the card to match your dealership's brand image and visual identity. Now turn it over. See that magnetic stripe across the back? It stores information about the card's dollar value and each transaction.


You hand cards like this to everyone whose business you want to attract and whose loyalty you must keep. Walk ins. Be Backs. Looky-Lous. Current customers. Even former customers. They all use the card to buy products and services at your auto dealership only.


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You manage the program using a simple card reader hooked to a personal computer at your dealership running our software. For an average auto dealership, the start-up cost of buying the system and operating it for one year is less than $2 per car sold that year.


That's what the card does. Here's what it does for you.


Please read the brochure I've enclosed for the compelling specifics. You use the Sharpe AutoCards card to:


1. Close more sales by beating competitors' discounts


2. Boost your service department revenue and repeat business


3. Multiply your accessories department revenue


4. Retain customers for years after the sale


5. Attract potential customers and increase traffic in your showroom


6. Increase referral business


7. Increase revenue on the back end


8. Promote brand awareness of your dealership


The Sharpe AutoCards system is up to five times less expensive than competing offerings. Plus, you pay no transaction fees and you don't have to buy any annual maintenance contracts. I call that a win-win-lose proposition for you, your customers and your competitors.


Use your card today to receive free coffee and donuts for four.


The gift card you are holding in your hand has been pre-loaded with $10 worth of coffee and donuts. Get a first-hand demonstration of how the card works by inviting me to your showroom for a complimentary consultation about the Sharpe AutoCards system. Hand me your gift card, I'll swipe it, process your transaction, and hand over your free coffee and donuts. Like the gift cards you'll use one day, this one can only be redeemed at the place of business on the card, which is to say, Tri-City Chev-Olds.


When is a good time for us to get together for coffee and a chat at your showroom? Call me at 123 456-7891 today and let's set up an appointment.


Yours sincerely,


[signature in blue ink]


Brad K Phillips, Director, Sales


Sharpe AutoCards


© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).