Maximize Your Second Chance to Make a First Impression
My guest today on Indie Business Radio was Anthony Quinones, author of Repackaging Is Everything. Anthony encourages Indie Business owners to harness the power of their knowledge and expertise to create new and profitable income streams.
According to Anthony, whether you sell products or services, or a combination of the two, it is important to systematically disseminate useful information as a part of your marketing outreach. In doing so, Anthony suggests the following.
1. Get the Word Out However You Can
Anthony says it's beneficial to maintain both a blog and an online newsletter because it's important to touch your target audience in as many ways as possible. He says that it's possible to share the same type of information in different venues without completely duplicating it. He reminds us that the overall goal is to make it easy for as many people as possible to connect with you.
2. Choose Testimonials Carefully
Like many business advisors, Anthony says that testimonials about your products and services are essential marketing tools. His important word of caution is to be sure not to offer testimonials that sound good, but carry little weight. For example, many online marketers include testimonials by people who get a cut of sales in exchange for testimonial. Such endorsements are hollow and savvy consumers see through these kinds of tactics. Testimonials should be heartfelt, honest and provided by people who are able to showcase the breadth and depth of your products and services.
3. Don't Dilute Content
Anthony suggests using online article marketing to spread the word about your products and services. His top article site recommendations include Ezine Articles, GoArticles and One Minute U. These sites publish your content at no charge and include a byline with your bio and a link to your website. Confirm the popularity of article sites by researching their ranking on Alexa, a website traffic information tool. Use article submission sites that have a track record and that enjoy lots of traffic, especially in your particular subject area.
In using article marketing, Anthony warns against overusing keywords and duplicating content in too many places at once. Both can sabotage article marketing efforts because search engines "blacklist" content that is too duplicative and/or that uses keywords in an effort to trick search engines into giving a content a high organic ranking.
Anthony generously set up a page at his website to provide a discount on his products for my blogging and listening audience. You can get Repackaging Is Everything his books and CD set there. I highly recommend the e-book. It's easy to read and full of useful information and resources.
Kevin the Editor is whipping the audio from today's show into shape, so my interview with Anthony will be ready in a few days. In the meantime, enjoy all of my other 2008 Indie Business Radio Shows at this link!
Question: What do you think of Anthony's advice? Have you successfully used article marketing, blogging, testimonials in your business? I have never done article marketing so I'm especially curious about your feedback and expertise in this regard. Share your questions, comments and experiences below.
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