Flight II, The Promotions
Lesson 1 -
Looking High and Low! (Search Engines and Directories)
Lesson 2 -
Extra! Extra! Read All About
It!! (Newsletters)
Lesson 3 -
Linking to Win! (Linking Strategies
I)
Lesson 4 -
Letters: What to Say and How to Say It
(Linking Strategies II; Writing the Link Contact Letter and
the Importance of Following Up)
Lesson 5 -
A Visitor Gold Mine (Articles:
Promoting Yourself Through Your Writing)
Lesson 6 - Shaping
Publicity (Press Releases)
Lesson 1--Looking High and Low!
If you've been on the Internet for any length of time, you've
probably used a search engine or a directory to find something you are interested
in. You know the drill: you type the words you are searching for into the box,
and up pops a list of websites that have those words appearing in them.
In the beginning, search engines can be a way to dramatically
increase the traffic to your site-if you know how to use them properly and
you know a few tricks.
First of all, you need to know that there are eight major
search engines to worry about submitting your site to. You could spend hours
submitting to the hundreds of other search engines, but that will do you little
to no good as very few people actually use those search engines. The Elite
Eight are: Yahoo, Alta Vista, HotBot, Northern Light, Excite, Lycos, Google,
and WebCrawler. Concentrate on getting your site placed high in these, and
you will have reached most of the web.
Before you submit your site to any search engine, however,
there are things you should know so that your site has a chance to rank high.
First, make sure that your Title bar at the top of your web page is intelligently
thought out. It should start with an early letter of the alphabet for those
search engines that sort primarily by alphabetizing the list. Use as many
keywords as possible to increase the rank of your site when a visitor searches
with these keywords. Also, keep in mind that this is what many search engines
will use to describe your site on their list, so make it as informative as
possible. (Review Flight I, Lesson 4.)
Next, make sure your Meta tags give ample information as
well. Many search engines use these Meta tags as the caption that explains
your website. Some search engines use the first few lines of your website,
so check this out as well and make sure the first few sentences will be enticing
to potential visitors.
The final major item that search engines use to categorize
and sort your site is the number and frequency of the keywords on your page.
Your Title, Meta tags, and content should all use your keywords to your advantage.
One benefit of being listed in the Elite Eight search engines
is that if you are, your site is then also listed in meta-search engines.
There are two main meta-search engines:
MetaCrawler ( http://www.metacrawler.com
) and MetaSearch (http://www.metasearch.com)
These two you will not have to submit to. They automatically search the major
search engines to select the sites they catalog.
It is important to realize when working on promoting your
site with search engines that simply being listed is not enough. If you are
number 2,346 on a list of 1,000,000, that listing is not doing your site any
good. Your goal should be to get your site onto the top page or at least onto
the second page down when you type in your main keywords. For example, my
main keywords are: inspirational romance. If someone is looking for that,
I want that person to find my site as close to the top as possible.
A short word about directories: For the most part, I do not
try to submit to all of the non-major directories. However, you might consider
submitting to directories specific to your target audience. For example, I
am listed in the JesusLinks Directory and have gotten a few referrals hits
from them. One directory I would be sure to list in regardless of the target
of your site is the Open Directory ( http://www.dmoz.org/
). This directory provides its information to other search engines and cataloging
stations thus giving you a wider reach.
Where to Go from Here:
--Search for your site on each of the Elite Eight and see
if your site is listed. What rank are you listed when you type in your general
keywords? When you type your main keywords? If your site is not listed at
the top, can you see reasons why? Write down your impression of how your site
listing looks. Are there problems with the appearance? What are they using
to describe your site? The first few sentences? Your Meta tag? Your Title
bar? Brainstorm for ways you could fix the problems that you find.
--On each search engine, who is at the top and why? Visit
the sites that are at the top under your main keywords. What are they doing
that you are not? Look first at their Title bar. How does it differ from yours?
Are their keywords listed in their content? To look at their Meta tags, go
to their site and click View and Source. This will show you their source code
and may give you some ideas for keywords to include in your own Meta tags.
The idea is not to copy them but to see what they are doing and improve on
it for your own site.
--Once you have done these, then you can look into submitting
your site to the search engines. Or you can begin to redesign your site with
the goal of getting your site ranked higher than it is at present.
(Something to consider: A year ago I would have been clueless
as to how to even suggest promoting a website much less as to how to promote
my own. As I told you previously I read many books, subscribed to numerous
newsletters, and read everything I could find on the subject. What I didn't
tell you was that after nearly a year of searching, I found an Internet Marketing
Course that absolutely turned my promotions around. Since that time I have
sampled many other courses and tips and tricks and suggestions, but none have
proven half as beneficial as this one is, was, and continues to be to me.
Obviously there is much more to search engine placement and
the other promotions that I will talk about than can fit on two pages. If
you are looking for an indepth, no-holds-barred presentation of the ins and
outs of Internet Marketing, I urge you to check out this course: http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/643004
This investment will be worth more than you can ever imagine!)
Good luck with your search engine mission!
Subject:
Newsletters
One of the challenges for a webmaster is to find ways to offer
quality information so that people will want to come back and come back and
come back again. You can have the best material on the planet, but if it doesn't
change, repeat visitors are non-existent. That's one big challenge. The second
big challenge is to let potential repeat visitors know when the site has changed
so they have a reason to come back. Both of these challenges can be met in
many ways. One of the most effective ways is to have a newsletter.
A newsletter is simply news that comes from your company and would be of value to your visitors. It might include product information. It might include announcements and updates. It might even include special offers just for subscribers to the newsletter. When designing a newsletter, your first consideration should be to incorporate things that people would really want to know about. Just throwing a bunch of useless information in and calling it a newsletter is not enough. You must find ways to make it interesting and appealing to your target audience.
When I started my newsletter, I came up with several sections that I wanted to include every month or rotate as time and space allowed. For me, I focused on bringing inspiration and uplifting messages right to the person's inbox. If you look at my newsletter, the first four or five sections are always dedicated solely to helping the reader improve their own life. There's a Bible quote, Insights (which is my take on some aspect of the issue's theme), Words of Wisdom from a non-Bible source, and a life question. All of these are designed not to put my message out, but to help the subscriber with their own life.
The last part of my newsletter deals with Announcements about my professional life. These may range from upcoming appearances to new reviews or new articles I've written. This section is also where I announce contests or contest winners. I also include a short section on novels I have in print just as a reminder.
At the bottom of each newsletter, I give one more bit of information specifically for the reader. This I call, "On Down the Road" and it gives some guidance on other inspirational places to visit on the web or inspirational reading that the reader can pick up at a local bookstore.
These three components are included in each and every newsletter.
If you haven't started a newsletter but think it's a good idea, here are a few caveats and notes to give you a heads up. First, start with a monthly newsletter unless you have a lot of time. It seems easy, but coming up with fresh material weekly or daily can be a real challenge. Also, make sure the content is fresh and appealing to your reader. If you use articles from somewhere else, always ask permission, give credit (tag line and link), and use within the parameters of good sense.
Give the readers a way to subscribe. You can ask a programmer to create a short subscribe script that you can paste into your HTML so that when someone subscribes, all they have to do is type their name, email address and hit send, and it will automatically send you word that someone has subscribed. Keep a database (or Excel spreadsheet) of the name and email address of each person subscribed. I recommend printing this off monthly in case a catastrophe happens. Because you can now contact the people who have subscribed again and again, this list is gold-treat it as such!
I recommend setting up a hotmail account in the name of the newsletter (until you get big enough to need special software which we will discuss later on). You can set up a Group email in hotmail, using 50 emails per group, and with one click you can send your newsletter to all of the people in the group. One strong note: Always use the BCC field instead of the TO field to keep your subscribers email addresses private.
And finally, building a newsletter list is a long, slow process, but it is very worthwhile. Get creative. In May I started offering a novel free 2 chapters at a time to my newsletter subscribers, and it was a great draw (also got some of my friends to subscribe because they couldn't talk me into giving it to them to read on the side!). Always invite your subscribers to invite others. The best word is word of mouth…treat your subscribers right and they will return the favor!
Where to Go from Here:
--Brainstorm. If you were going to set up a newsletter, what could you include? What could you include that would be of benefit to the reader beyond a simple list of your products?
--If you are not a writer, here are a few places where people post articles that you can use for free (if you will use their tag):
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/PI/index.jhtml
http://jamesharrisgroup.com/Articles.htm
http://www.dailybiz.com/freearticles.htm
http://windstormcomputing.com/pubs/free-ezine-content/
--There are many tips and tricks to getting people to subscribe to your newsletter. You might consider checking out Corey Rudl's Insider Secrets Course. This course goes in depth into the right ways and wrong ways to build a subscriber list. It contains 21 pages of information just about newsletters (not to mention all the pages about search engines, copywriting, and site design). If building your business online is a priority and you are looking for the very best in depth information out there, this is THE best place I know to start!
When I first started in the online world, the company I was working for told me by way of explaining how to promote a website: "You need 500 URL's to link to." Although I asked for more information, that was the best I got. So I literally started learning about linking from square zero. At first I would surf the 'net and write down sites I found to link to. I had my lists on several sheets of paper before I figured out I had a couple of problems. 1) Some of my handwriting was less-than-legible and when I went back and typed the address in, it didn't work. 2) I hadn't bothered to get any contact information on my first pass. So when I went back to these sites that I wanted to link to (if the address was right and I found it), too often there was no email address listed to contact anybody.
To make matters worse, I would write a new letter to each link prospect. I wasted so much time in those first few months. However, I learned some very valuable lessons that save me a mint of time today.
First, why linking is important. As discussed earlier, some search engines rank your site based on how many links you have in their system (thus the instruction to find 500 URL's to link to). The more links you have out there, the more ways a potential visitor can find you and your site.
So, links are important, but how do you avoid the time black hole that I ran into headlong?
--Set up a database before you even start searching for links. This database should have the following fields (feel free to add others as necessary):
Control-you can use this field to help you organize when you know which records you want to find, but creating single fields would take too much time. An example would be, say you are sending out your link letters, and you send 25 letters the first day, and 25 the second day. You can use this field to denote which day you sent them on. Then when replies come back and you get ready to send follow-up emails, you can blank out all of the items in this column and use it again.
Website Name-in your letter (which we will discuss next week) you should always mention the name of the site you are wanting to link to. Some people have multiple sites, and it's not a good thing when they come back and ask which site you are talking about.
Website URL-do this as a hyperlink in your database, and you can simply click from there to the site.
In case you're really new at this, I just want to tell you that you can copy and paste the website address from the address line to the Website Address in your database. Simply highlight the address line, right click, hit copy. Go to your database, right click and hit paste. This saves inordinate amounts of time.
Contact Person-I do this as two separate fields, first and last name. This way you have the option of addressing your emails to the person who can actually make a decision on the link.
Email Address-Fill this in as you find sites to link to. If you don't, you may find when you go back that there is no email address and thus no way to contact that site about a link, and thus a useless site for this strategy. (There may be some sites that offer an email on the site. For those you can simply put a notation in this column that says On Site, and when you get ready to contact them, you just go to that site and contact them from there.)
Type of Site-If you're like me, your product fits into several different categories. By having this field, you can target your messages based on what type of site you are contacting.
Now that you have your database set up, how do you find sites to contact about linking?
--Search engines. The list of keywords that you came up with for your site earlier can now be used to find sites to link to. Enter each keyword one at a time and visit the top 20 or so sites listed. Put the promising ones in your dbase.
--Meta Search engines. Also discussed earlier, these would be used the same as search engines.
--The Open Directory. http://www.dmoz.org/
--Webrings. There are three main portals for webrings: www.webring.com , www.ringsurf.com , and http://www.bomis.com/
In the webrings you can type in your keywords and find sites similar to yours. These rings will list all of their sites, and you can then go through the sites listed to find those you would like to link to you. One note: I recommend visiting the sites to get an eyeball of what they actually have. Just because it says: "Good Christian Information" in their description doesn't mean that's what is actually at that site!
--Use Alexa's Related Links feature to find other similar sites. (A word of caution on this one, Alexa seems to be worse than the others for people putting in sites that look similar on their face, but are actually "fronts" for sites which contain dramatically different content.)
Next time we will take up the question of how to contact these people once you get their information.
Where To Go From Here:
--Find 50 or 100 sites that you would like to contact (or more if you have time and your wrist isn't sore by the time you get to 100!)
So you've come up with hundreds of sites you want to contact to set up a link chain. Great. But how do you get this other person to say, "Yes!" Start by having an absolutely fabulous site yourself. If your site is pitiful, when you suggest that the other person go look at your site, you will lose them. (That's why we spent so much time on that in Flight I.)
Next, you have to seriously consider what to put into your contact letter. Here are a few suggestions I've used with success in the past:
Whatever you choose, it must be sincere, and it must be truthful. Don't compliment someone on a fabulous lay out when you couldn't find anything on their site.
When you finish the letter, put it aside for a day or two. Work on gathering more links, etc. In a couple of days pick it up again, and read back through it as if you were the one receiving this request from someone else. Would you take the time to check out this site or would you hit the delete button? Spelling and grammar are extremely important! If you aren't strong in these areas, get someone else to proofread the letter for you.
Okay, your letter is written and ready to send. To send it to multiple emails, simply copy and paste the emails from your Linking Database into the BCC field of your compose screen. (Don't do more than 20 or so with a regular program as more than that may stop the mailing because the program sees it as spamming. Hotmail will let you send 50 at one time.) DO NOT use the TO field. This will send out these email addresses to everyone on the list and will end up angering the very people you are trying to partner with.
Make a note of the date that you send each contact letter out on your database. As replies come in, manage your list according to those replies. Begin setting up links.
After two weeks, you will want to send a follow up letter to those who have not replied, similar to but not exactly like the initial contact letter. The same components go into this letter along with a mention of the date you contacted them initially. Make a note of when you send this letter out.
After two more weeks, you will want to send another follow up letter to those who still have not replied. This one can be relatively short. Simply restate who you are and that you have attempted to contact them twice and that you would appreciate a reply even if the answer is no.
After two more weeks, anyone who has not replied, delete them from your list.
From my experience, the initial letter will glean about a 10 percent response, the second letter another 25 percent or so, and the third letter another 25 percent. In all a response rate of 60-70 percent is about standard. (You will be surprised how many come back from that initial response as: "Can't find this email address." Remember the importance of keeping the email addresses on your site current? This is why!)
Where To Go From Here:
--Write your letter and start this process even if it's just contacting ten people. Get started. It's a long and never-ending process, but the more you do it, the easier it will get.
I'm a writer. Not totally sure, but I think I always have been. Also, I have opinions on a variety of subjects. Thankfully I had a great teacher in high school who taught me to combine the two into a useful promotional resource that has served me very well.
To read a crash course in how to write an article please read: "Beware the Dreaded Article." This will explain step-by-step how to write articles that people will want to read (and articles that others will want to post!)
Once you are familiar with how to write an article, you can begin the promotion of your message through these articles across the 'net. By now you have several places that you can start looking for places to contact about placing your articles in their newsletters, etc. My advice is to start small. Don't go for the HUGE sites initially. Get several articles written, get several placed, then when you contact these sites, you have a published article list to show them. (It helps!)
Three considerations in promoting your site with articles:
1) The article must be short, to the point, relevant, and easy to read. Short-500 to 1,000 words is standard. When you start, start short. The more known you get, the longer the piece can be. Easy to read. Don't try to impress anyone with your command of Webster's Dictionary. Take what you know, and share it-simply and directly.
2) The contact letter should follow the same general pattern of the contact letters for the linking strategy. Compliment their site, make your offer, reference your site, give them contact information, compliment them or their site, close the letter. And follow ups are every bit as important in the article arena as they are to the linking strategies! Don't neglect these because you will lose a lot of viable and potentially productive contacts if you do!
3) The tag line. Many online newsletters do not pay for the articles they post. That's okay because you aren't interested in getting rich off of the articles, you are interested in getting visitor (and potential qualified customers) to your site. Even if (and especially if) a site can't pay for the article, they should be willing to post a short or a long tag at the bottom of your article.
A tag should contain the following: A short description of your site (keep your keywords and opening page statements in mind, theme, purpose, etc.) Tell the reader what's in it for them. Give the link to your site and invite the visitor over.
Unless I already know what the webmaster wants in the way of tag lines, I usually include a long tag and a short tag and give them the option of which to use. I give three options: extra short-25 words; short-50 words; long 75 words. Any of the three will give a reader enough information if they want to find me.
With placement at certain sites, you will be surprised how many visitors do want to come see you-especially if your article is very appealing. I have had visitor "bounces" of five times my normal daily totals with the placement of a single article.
I'm not going to lie: this process takes a considerable amount of time. However, the more articles you write the easier it will get.
Don't forget to look back at your keywords and target audiences. This will give you a good idea of the types of articles to write and the places you want to contact to submit articles.
One last thought: I know several of you reading this are aspiring authors, trying to either establish a name or find a foothold. This is a great jumping off point. If you get articles placed, it will give you a "published list" which in turn will give publishers a reason to look a little more closely at your other writing.
Where To Go From Here:
--Come up with a short list of topics that could be of interest to visitors you would like to have visit your site.
--Write a couple articles and get some feedback from friends or business associates that you trust.
--Write your initial contact letter to a newsletter you would like your article placed in. Follow up if they do not respond.
--Keep some records as to which placements give you a "bounce" in your visitor count. When you find a good "bounce," be sure to submit other articles to that newsletter or ezine.
--Research newsletters and ezines to submit to at:
http://www.newsletter-directory.com/
http://cpcug.org/user/invest/newslett.html
If you are looking for great places to start your article submission campaign, check out Staci's personal Articles Jump-Start Kit. It has everything you need to get started!
As a former journalist, I have a unique perspective on press releases. I know how ecstatic you can get when you have nothing to put in print for a particular day, and suddenly this fabulous story lands on your desk. I also know how many stories cross your desk day-after-day that simply go into File 13 because there is no time or space. The reality to me, from a journalist's perspective is that press releases are a hit or miss business-totally dependent on what day they happen to arrive on your desk and what else is going on at the time.
Therefore, although this is one component of my overall marketing plan, I don't focus solely on Press Releases to get the publicity for my website. I don't count on them to bring in tons of visitors. However, there are still two really good reasons for considering press releases in your campaign. First, if you truly have a piece of exceptional news (and you are marketing it in other ways as well), press releases can bring in a few more eyeballs. Second, if your news is there but not ecstatic-buildingly great, press releases can be a good way to get your name mentioned to the people who can eventually get your really big news out.
One example of this is when I launched my redesigned website. I corralled press contacts (newsletters, ezines, etc.) to send the releases to. This process is much like the finding links to contact except that these sites have actual readerships beyond the visitors their site happens to pick up. So, I wrote my press release announcing the site redesign, and I sent it out to all the people on my list.
As it didn't require a reply, I didn't really know how effective this campaign was. However, several months later I contacted one of the newsletters asking for a review of one of my books. The editor wrote back and said she would love to review the book, adding that although she hadn't had the opportunity to read any of my work, she had heard of me in writing circles. I have a sneaking suspicion that where she heard about me was from me! Nonetheless, that one little release got my foot far enough in the door so that I wasn't a total unknown to this person.
Look at your campaign. Is there something coming up that might be of interest to a wide readership? Send out a press release. Maybe you are announcing a new product or a new site. The key is that it should be NEWS. Press releases are not sales letters. They are not designed to advertise the product. They are meant to get the word out about some news that people might be interested in.
Now obviously if you plan to announce a new product or a new book or some other earth-shattering news, this ups the scale of the importance of the press release. So, in case you are not familiar with press release format, here's a sample press release I used to announce the redesign of my website:
CHRISTIAN ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE NEW CENTURY
Inspirational Romance Author, Staci Stallings,
Takes Christian Entertainment to the Next Level
AMARILLO, Tex., Dec. 2001 - Inspirational Romance. Even the name sounds contradictory, and to this point in our world it has been such, but all of that is about to change. There is a star rising over the inspirational romance world in the form of Texas-native Staci Stallings.
Until now, Stallings has been flying under the radar for the most part. However, with a totally revamped website at www.stacistallings.com which features not only her latest releases but a daily up-dated Christian News & Inspiration page, faith-based articles, faith stories from around the globe, and On Our Journey Home, a monthly newsletter, Stallings is picking up Contemporary Inspirational Romance and taking it to new heights.
"Before 1998, Contemporary Inspirational Romance was basically a sleeping giant," Stallings said. "If it was Christian, it was historical. If it was contemporary, it wasn't Christian. Since then, the publishing world has dipped a toe into these vast uncharted waters, but I'm not interested in just testing the waters. I'm more interested in shouting this new option from the mountaintops."
Background Information
Staci Stallings is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Texas Tech University with
a major in journalism and dual minor in education and secretarial business.
She has taught journalism, English, literature, typing, and computer processing.
During her tenure at Alamo Catholic High School in Amarillo, Texas, she served
as public relations coordinator, Student Council advisor, English department
chairperson, newspaper and yearbook advisor, and counselor.
Stallings now has two titles in print:
"The Long Way Home"
"Eternity"
What Visitors are Saying about the Website:
I enjoy the stories, personal experiences and the reference
to the things you feel. I have also read the Prayer of Jabez but sometimes
struggle to hear God. Some time I feel like he is whispering and I have cotton
in my ears. I need the encouragement you offer and wish you continued success.
-Sheila Stowell
This newsletter and your website is like a breath of fresh air in my otherwise very busy schedule! It makes me stop and contemplate what are the really important things in life!! --Starla Westbrook
About Stallings' Recent Releases
The Long Way Home is an adventure of love and reconciliation, and each of its central characters; Ami, Jaxton, and Jaxton's grandfather, must make difficult decisions in order to realize his or her dreams. There are episodes of hilarity, of danger, of conflict and crisis and, finally, moments of hope.
"Staci Stallings spins this heartwarming tale in touch
with the human soul, establishing herself as an excellent storyteller, who
is sure to be one of the most noted romance novelist of our time." -Stewart's
Review
"Stallings' Eternity is fresh, dodgy and obviously contrived
to charm. Just when you think you've heard this one before, Stallings refreshes
you with renewed inspiration in her uncomplicated and stimulating style of
storytelling. Seasoned with a pinch of humor, Eternity takes you on a serious
journey through the challenges that finding true love presents and leaves
you wanting more. No story of its kind has captured the heart so completely."
-Stewart's Review
What Readers are Saying
"Get something to drink, take the phone off the hook
and lean back in your most comfortable chair to enjoy the afternoon with Staci
Stallings. Stallings stories are beautifully told and stay with you long after
you've read them." - Jacci Kleman
"The good guy in many books and movies nowadays is just
the lesser of two evils. It is refreshing to read a page-turner where the
"good guy" is indeed a good, moral, Christian person. Staci Stallings
proves that you can have romance without the trash." -Francee Kneisley
For More Information
Contact info@stacistallings.com
Notice:
· The Main Headline. In all caps, bold print. Basically
you write a headline to capture the journalist's attention.
· Secondary Headline. Upper/lowercase, bold print.
A second headline to further explain the release's information
· Dateline. The city, state, and date of the release.
· The body of the story. Include at least one quote from you and be sure to answer who, what, when, where, why, and how. Also, a particular angle to tie in the various components of a press release can make or break its effectiveness.
Pick a topic and stick to it.
· Background information or additional information
· Contact information
A good press release is no more than two pages in length (word count less than 750). Give the journalist all the information he or she will need to write an intelligent story based on the facts, quotes, etc. that you provide.
When sending the contact letter containing the press release,
review the basic contact letter-writing suggestions in the linking strategies
(Flight II, Lesson 4), substituting of course "submitting a press release"
for the request to link.
Where To Go From Here:
--Think of parts of your business that might be newsworthy. Write them down.
--Practice writing a few press releases. Get feedback on these if you can.
--Follow ups are not used in press releases. They are a one shot deal.
--Keep some records as to which placements give you a "bounce" in your visitor count. If you find a good "bounce," be sure to submit other press releases to that newsletter or ezine. (You can check this by looking at the Referrals section of your Webalizer statistics.)
--You can use newsletters and ezines that you have previously used in your articles campaign, but don't limit your press releases to these. Sometimes a press release campaign can dig up contacts that you didn't find in the articles campaign.
--Research newsletters and ezines to submit to at:
http://www.topica.com
http://www.mesletter-directory.com/
http://cpcug.org/user/invest/newslett.html
http://www.newsletteraccess.com/
http://www.ezine-dir.com/
http://zring.hypermart.net/
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