Loren Beckart
lbeckart@clicktracs.com
596 Canyon Rd. Box 801
Lyle, Wa 98635 USA


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Seven Top Reasons to Use Ezine Articles to Promote Your Business

By Loren Beckart
http://ClickTracs.com

Submitting articles to ezines is a practice with a dual impact on your profits: it helps you decrease advertising expenses while increasing sales.

Consider the following benefits of having articles that you've written published on-line.

Resource Box: This exposure is fr^ee advertising. The resource box is a short paragraph about the author that publishers usually request with article submissions. It is included at the bottom of the published article and is an opportunity to brand yourself, your business, and your website. The minimum it should contain is your name, business name, and web site address. Space permitting, the resource box should also include a tag line, email address, credentials, etc.

Inbound Links: Via the resource box, each time your article is published with a live link to your web site, that is one more inbound link that helps your site with search engine ranking.

Building Credibility: Published articles help establish your expertise. You develop a position of authority in your field and recognition with respect to the topics you cover in your writing. It is easier to gain a prospective client's trust when you have the credibility of being a published author. Prospects who trust you are more likely to make a purchase.

Targeted audience: Your article and business information is being sent out to a number of people who have subscribed to the publisher's list because they are highly interested in the subjects of the ezine. They are pre-targeted for you. Note that you can maximize that effect by submitting your articles to more than one ezine publisher.

Exposure: It goes beyond the initial publication date. In addition to sending the ezine to their subscription list, many publishers also place articles from the current issue on the home page. Later, they place the articles in an archive that visitors are encouraged to visit in deciding whether to subscribe.

Leverage: When you write an article, you have content that you can leverage. That is, you can use what you've written in other formats. An article could be developed into a presentation at a seminar, or expanded to a special report or e-book. And remember to put the article on your own
site: search engines love content.

Viral Marketing: If you are assured that you will be given credit, (your resource box will be included), then allow ezine publishers to include your articles in their fr^ee ebooks. These are being given away, and so your ad multiplies. Also, submit articles to publishers that have a fr^ee content directory on their site. This allows visitors to republish your article intact, once again multiplying your exposure.

If these benefits of being published online fit your situation, the time has come to get started. Simply go to a search engine and type in a phrase: ezine publishers. You could get more specific results by including the word fr^ee, and identify the topics about which you'll write.

Once you've found some publishers, and you know there's an audience out there for your subjects, write your first article. Be sure to proofread your finished article; your intention is to establish credibility, and to brand your business. A well-written and polished piece will help you accomplish a favorable result.

Once you've gotten your first article published, go ahead and do it again, continuing to spread the word about you and your business all over the internet.

Loren Beckart, Marketing Vice President for ClickTracs Advertising, is also an author and business consultant. For access to additional articles, visit www.ClickTracs.com , a leading resource on the subject of on-line marketing.

Best Regards,
Loren Beckart
596 Canyon Rd. Box 801
Lyle, WA 98635 USA



For all other communications, please use this address:
lbeckart@clicktracs.com

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How to Increase Sales Using Testimonials

By Loren Beckart
http://ClickTracs.com

When marketing online, the use of endorsements and testimonials is especially important. The prospect reads or hears a third party saying, "Yes, this product is real and it is a good value because I got the results I wanted." The online shopper is reassured. Your prospect starts to believe in the reality of your offer when they see that others have been pleased by their decision to buy from you.

When someone with celebrity (in general, or within a specific industry) says, "I put my reputation behind my recommendation of this product," you have an endorsement.
Endorsements are very powerful because prospects generally trust the opinion of someone they perceive as familiar. So, it is worth the effort to use any connections you might have to get an endorsement for your service or product.

The power of testimonials stems from a different strength.
Testimonials offer proof that other people have tried your product and were happy with the results. A testimonial suggests that when the prospect buys that product, their results will be similar, and they will be happy, too.

A useful testimonial includes these things: Both first and last names. If you've ever read one where only the first name and last initial is given, (e.g. Barbara P.), what was your response? It strikes a suspicious note, as if the testifier would prefer to be anonymous. The full name is much more believable. If possible, enhance the effect by including state, city, type of business or business name.

The testimonial should be short and focused on something specific. It should be about measurable results whenever possible.

For example, "Her writing advice was great, and I enjoyed having her help getting published," gives no real information. But, "My coaching practice expanded to include seminars and group events as a result of her help with getting published. Now, my income has doubled even though I'm working fewer hours than ever," indicates specific and desirable results.

If you have no testimonials because you have either: 1) never asked for them; 2) neglected to keep positive comments; or 3) have a new product, here are some ways to get testimonials.

Give the product away to interested parties, and tell them you would like a testimonial if they feel they could give you honest support. Make it no-strings-attached so that you get a heartfelt testimonial. This is very different than
*exchanging* a fr`ee trial for a testimonial.

Ask for feedback from people who have already used your product. Any feedback you get that is positive but not specific, make contact again and ask for more specific information.

Also, if someone sends you something good but it needs editing, then edit it, send it back, and ask if the changes you've made (for brevity, for clarity, for professional grammar, etc.) meet with their approval. Don't use the edited version unless approved.

If you have been collecting testimonials, you might have an excess that makes it hard to choose. In that case, select according to these guidelines:
A. Top benefits: do you have short testimonials that support or prove them?
B. Results: do you have testimonials that tell about specific and measurable results?

There is no magic number of testimonials to use. Just remember that more isn't always better. You want to keep the reader moving through your sales information, so use the testimonials to support but not distract from your main purpose. Remember, the focus of your copy should always be on the product and its benefits for the prospect.

Author and Marketing Consultant Loren Beckart is Vice President at ClickTracs
Advertising Service. For access to additional articles, visit www.ClickTracs.com , a leading resource on the subject of on-line marketing.