Finding success online can look different from one business to the next, depending on the goals of that business. However, for any business the number one goal should be to “Add Value”. By adding value to their customers and prospects they’ll see the profits rolling in.
Adding value online can be tricky. There are many minefields that need to be navigated. Avoiding slaps by Google is just one. So here are ten steps to achieve online success in 2013 by adding value to clients and prospects, without stepping on a mine.
Know who your ideal client is. You need to know the answers to questions such as:
- What are the demographics of the ideal client?
- Where do they live?
- What websites do they visit frequently?
- What are their top interests?
Once you know who your ideal client is, now it’s important to understand their challenges and frustrations when it relates to the service or product you offer.
Answer the questions:
What does our product or service solve for our clients?
Does it directly solve the #1 frustration or pain their experience as it relates to our product/service?
Now that you have outlined the solution your product or service solves for your clients, it’s time to develop the message you’ll use to market that.
Take time to develop several headlines that capture the attention of your ideal client by showing you solve the problem they face. Write out at least 10. The size of the headline can be no more than 25 characters long.
Then create a small sub-headline that describes what you offer in a little more detail. Use no more than 70 characters.
Set up a Google Adwords account if you don’t have one already. Create an adwords campaign to test your message. You can learn more about setting up an adwords account here.
Use Google Keyword Tool to develop a list of key phrases people would search for online to find a solution to the problem that your service or product solves.
Get a list of at least 25 key phrases. You can learn more about using the keyword tool here.
Set up three ads in Google Adwords using the headline and sub-headlines you created in Step 3. Then deposit between $100 and $1,000 in the Adwords account to test the campaign.
Start the test and check it daily to see the results.
Google Adwords will show you which ad is getting the most clicks. After a few days, take the two ads that have the least number of clicks and replace them with two new ads you created from Step 3.
Run the test for a few days and repeat until you find one clear winner for the ad.
Now that you’ve identified what your ideal client will click on to solve their problem, use that on all your marketing materials, including your website and social media.
Change the headline on your website home page, the landing pages you have to convert prospects to leads or customers and in the description within your social media pages for your business.
You can now use the headline with other marketing materials offline, such as with a postcard or brochure. Use the headline as often as possible.
Repeat this process every 6 months. Clients change their habits and many other factors will change the way clients search online. To keep up with the changes, go back and create more headlines to test again.
David Gass – Business Coach and Online Strategy Expert
David works with small business owners to develop an online strategy to generate profits from online activities.
