From Blog to Article

As a writer, do you sometimes/often/always find yourself at a loss as to what to write next? No, I am not talking about topics or subjects you already have nailed down. Rather, the simple desire to get started with something, anything to break the brain logjam. It could be a personal project or something you want to develop to show to a potential client the stuff that you are made of. Whatever, I have been there myself and have found that some of my sources of inspiration have come from blogs. You got it…sites that have sparked my creative juices and allowed me to take a concept and bring it to fruition.

Typically, I come across a blog geared toward a particular topic &ndash let’s say aviation &ndash and find something within that blog that catches my attention. It may be a trend, company news, even simple speculation. Oftentimes, what I read becomes the inspiration for a fresh article so I take that idea, do some additional research, and create my own new work.

No, I don’t cut and paste someone else’s writings. Instead, their pithy work becomes the seed that I germinate to produce a unique and compelling article of my own. The key here is this: it is my own voice, not someone else’s work.

We all have our favorite blogs, you can be certain of that. Spend some time on those particular blogs and see what inspires you. Who knows, but a sentence or a paragraph you read may gel your brain into producing a 500-750 word article that you can include in your vast repository of interesting and relevant work.

Gosh, I think that I may be on to something!

Get More Sales With These 5 Proven Headlines

It’s important to realize that headlines work best when they appeal to your reader’s interests (not yours). And not only can they *grab attention*, they can also make your message easy to read, convey your main selling points, and lead your customer to a sale.

Over the years copywriting pros have used several headline formulas that always work well. Here are my fab five:

1. The Question: “Are You Worried About Your Financial Future?”

A question headline automatically gets your readers involved in your message, because they answer it in their minds. Many people will read further into your letter, ad, or Web site copy just to find out what answer or solution you provide. Again, make sure the question focuses on the reader’s interest, not yours. A bad example would be: “Do You Know What New Product We’ve Created This Year?” (No one cares but you!)

2. The How-to: “How to Get Thinner Thighs in 30 Days.”

How-to headlines work very well, because people love information that shows them how to do something. (Thousands of book titles begin with “How to….”) Think of the benefits your product/service offers and then try creating some “how to” headlines email newsletter.

3. The Testimonial: “Jane Smith’s Consulting Is Pure Magic — Our Sales Have Increased by 30%!”

Why not let your clients do the selling for you? Their commendations can go a long way in convincing others to use your services. Tip: To appear credible, always include your clients’ full names and the cities they live in.

4. The Command: “Boost Your Business Today!”

Turn your most important benefit into a commanding headline, such as “Make More Time for Your Family,” “Look Younger Instantly!” and “Get 7 New Clients This Month.” (By the way, throwing a number into your headline is another good tactic. And readers seem to like odd numbers as opposed to even.)

5. The News: “Introducing Our New ‘Rest-Assured’ Tax Service!”

Caution: This only works if you truly have something big to announce that is of interest to the reader. (Something that will make her life or business better.) Don’t try to make news out of something that’s not.

Once your readers know you have something they’re interested in, they’ll take the time to read your entire article, brochure, letter, ad, e-zine, or Web page. So put some TLC into creating headlines that entice!

Getting The Most From Your Article Submitter Software

If you are serious about Ezine article writing you do need an article submitter. It is, in fact, an articles writers most important tool. The latest generation are faster, have more automatic features, and continually update their databases. Article writing has continued to increase in popularity because the once dreaded time consuming submittal chore has been made so easy. Some of the latest generation article submitters not only submit the articles, but actually provide software to help you write the article! This almost sounds too good to be true, but current reviews praise article creator software.

If you are reading this article you have made a choice on how to drive traffic to your website. There are three ways to get targeted traffic, buy it, borrow it, or create it. Without a doubt, Ezine article writing does drive targeted traffic to your site. Just as true is the fact that Ezine article writing takes more work than the other options.

Enter the article submitter software program. Without this valuable tool it would be physically impossible to submit the number of required articles to the hundreds of article submit sites for the needed exposure. You enter your article details into the software once, and then select the directories you would like to submit to. The software will automatically fill in all of the submission criteria saving you an incredible amount of time. Another time saver is the fact that most article submitters come with a database of article submit sites, that is continually updated for you. If you have ever tried to compile a list on your own, you know that the database alone is worth much more than the cost of the submitter program!

A word of caution here. Do not get involved in robot spam type submitter programs or companies that do this. This type of sloppy submittal is frowned upon, a nuisance to the submit sites, and can get you banned from the best article sites, and even the search engines. The article submit site provides a tremendous exposure for your article, and free. You owe it to them to be professional, login properly, submit your article to the correct category, and logout. A proper article submitter will do just that, saving you the tedious manual cut and paste time, and saving the site server time.

Let us look more closely at “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Your Ezine article has a short life span. Once published, it has 24 hours on the “most recent articles” page of a particular article submit directory. The directories main page is the only page scanned by the search engines, that increases your SEO. Sadly, the next day your article has been replaced by many newer articles on the same subject. After its moment of fame has passed it will still get read by the sites readers, and if good picked up by other directories and sources needing articles. Recently I wrote a travel article that was picked up by several major International tour companies and enjoyed a month of exposure as their featured article of the month. Some sites accept and publish your article within hours, others days, weeks, or even months. Actually this is good, as during the time you are submitting to several hundred sites, your article is “the most recent” on some site. However, at some point your article will become stale, and your website stats will show a drop-off in visitors. Have your next new article submitted well before this happens.

An article submitter is the most important tool an article writer can have. Why then, do article submitter programs draw the “penny wise pound foolish” crowd like a magnet. Some amusing examples for you. One submitter gives a 3 day free trial. Stories abound about the users who download the program and stay up day and night drinking coffee and making submittals for the 3 free days. Another good submitter program gives a free trial version with a database of 85 sites. The full version with hundreds of sites is reasonably priced, but most users just stick with the free version. I am not a gifted psychic, but I can guarantee you that none of these users are making any money from writing and publishing Ezine articles. How do I know that? Quite simple, “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Sure, not buying the article submitter program is a loss for the company, but a far worse loss for the writer by limiting their article exposure, the very thing that has the potential to make them money.

As you can see, the two things go hand in hand, many articles submitted to hundreds of submit sites. Do not cut corners with your article submitter program, it is the key to your success. And, be sure to look into the new article creator programs that speed up your article writing. To your success!

How Starting Your Own ‘Country Club’ Can Skyrocket Your Revenues!

My mom was visiting recently and during our mother-daughter shopping time I noticed something interesting. Almost all of the stores I made a purchase at asked me if I’d like to get on their mailing list. That’s very smart.

However, the WAY in which they did this made a big difference in my answer. I said NO to almost all of them because they simply did not make it enticing for me. I mean, who WANTS more junk mail? So if you simply ask me if I’d like to be on your mailing list, the answer will usually be NO.

But one store in particular got me. First of all, it was a designer clothing store I loved. Second of all, they didn’t ask me if I wanted to be on their mailing list. They invited me to become a “VIP Client”.

Say the words “VIP” to me and my ears perk up. It of course stands for “very important person”. And in general it indicates a level of advantage and prestige. Suddenly I WANTED to be on that mailing list, especially when the salesman explained to me it came with certain benefits, such as early notice on new arrivals, a personal shopping service, and private trunk shows.

And you know what? I would have even paid to be part of that - to be regarded as a VIP.

You see, people WANT to be part of something special like ezine advertising. The example above was free. But don’t underestimate how much your clients or customers will PAY to do that, either.

Example: A friend of mine recently shared he pays $15,000.00 a year to belong to the President’s Club of a local playhouse, even though he and his wife could attend each show there for just $150.00. Why would even a loyal attendee want to pay 100 times more? Special treatment like preferred seating, valet parking, invites to VIP functions, private restaurant for members only, networking with a higher level of people, etc.

Another friend of mine pays for membership at a private nightclub here in Los Angeles up on Sunset Blvd. for many of the same reasons (but more so, I believe, because it impresses his dates ; )).

My marketing mentor Dan Kennedy taught me there is a segment of virtually EVERY customer or client group or market who will happily pay FAR above standard prices for convenience, status, and special treatment.

I call it “country clubbing” your business. Why be the driving range with an hourly charge when you can be the classy six-figure membership club down the street? You can offer both of course, but look at what will skyrocket your business FASTER, with less transactions and higher quality clients.

One example of this is my private Platinum Mastermind program, which I launched in 2006 due to overwhelming demand for my personal coaching. This group of 15 serious small business owners each pay $15,000.00 a year to have greater access to me than anyone else, and in a small group setting where we meet 3 times a year at luxurious 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts.

My Platinums are, essentially, VIPs in my world! And because I maintain a bit of mystique about the group, people seem to want “in” even more. (One of my members got cornered in the ladies room at my last Online Success Blueprint Workshop by several attendees who demanded to know how they could get into Platinum!)

I share this not to impress you, but to impress upon you that in YOUR market (yes, *yours*) there IS a percentage of folks who will gladly pay MORE - much more - for a higher level of service or treatment. Remember, you’re not trying to please EVERYBODY, just the select few who can afford that level of service.

So now, take a minute or two and consider how YOU can start your own “country club” for your clients and customers. Whether it’s a VIP level of service or a private client group that meets a few times a year.

To get your wheels turning, imagine this… if you can get 10 people to commit to some type of program that is just $10,000.00 a year, that’s an extra $100,000.00 this year for YOU!

How to Reach Thousands of Your Ideal Clients and Customers and Skyrocket Your E-mail List

One of the questions I’m asked the most by my clients is, “How can I most quickly build my e-mail list?”

My answer is, find someone who’s already reaching your target market in droves, and use THEM to build your list! How? With these three easy steps:

STEP 1: Determine exactly who your ideal client or customer is.

The more descriptive you can be here, the better. For example, don’t just think “men”. Think “men ages 18-40 who like sports and working out”. Don’t just think “small business owners”. Think “women owners of professional service businesses that do less than $1 million a year”.

Can you take on clients or customers who fall outside of this description? Of course! But you need to know who you’re going after.

Example: About three years ago, I spent a romantic summer week on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. My beau was wonderful in letting me decide most of the activities we’d do each day. But there was one thing he definitely wanted to do at least once - go bluefishing!

Now I’m not sure if you could have guessed this, but I’m not really into fishing. ; )

But hey, I’ll try anything once, so off we went to the docks. Now, I figured we could go on any boat with any captain and do this. But no … we went with “Captain Dan the Bluefish Man” (who smelled like his specialty). Dan took us on his special boat to this special place off the island where the bluefish were, and we even used special bait that the bluefish liked. And we had great success - they just kept biting!

I realized that if you know exactly what you’re going after, you’re much more likely to get it. The same goes for reaching your target market.

STEP 2: Find other people, companies, or websites that are ALREADY reaching your target market en masse.

Sit down with a cup of coffee this weekend and do some online research regarding your target market. What sites are they already visiting? What newsletters or magazines do they already read? For example, if your target market is stay-at-home moms, find the most popular sites they visit. Find the most popular ezines they read.

Come up with a list of your top five websites and top five ezines that are already reaching your ideal client or customer.

STEP 3: Contact these websites and ezines and see if they will:

REVIEW your book, products, services, or ezine for their readers. If so, send them a review copy and follow up a week or two later. Request that when they run the review they mention your e-zine and direct people to your website to sign up.

accept guest ARTICLES. If so, then submit one of your best, with a short bio that links people back to your website to sign up for your ezine.

SWAP ads or recommendations for each other’s websites, products, or services. If you have an ezine that reaches the same target market they want to reach, this is a great win-win.

do a CO-REGISTRATION deal. If you already have a good amount of e-zine subscribers and website traffic, they may be open to adding your e-zine to their ezine signup form if you do the same on your part. (Ideally folks should just check a box to subscribe to the additional e-zine automatically.)

run a recommendation or ad in exchange for a COMMISSION on resulting sales. For example, you give them the ad to run, tagged with a link that lets you know if any sales come from it. (This is easy for you to do if you have an online affiliate program.*)

accept PAID advertising. Banner ads, text ads, and other paid placements obviously cost you money, but if it’s your only option and you really want to reach these folks, go for it. But be sure to track your results so you can see if it’s working. (You’ll need a link tracking program to do this.*)

And these are just a FEW ideas to get you started!

Remember, your #1 goal is to get people back to your site to sign up for your e-zine or other email list, because THAT is how you guarantee the chance to market to them repeatedly!

Write Fashion Articles With Ease, And Start Walking Down The Article Runway To Success

We all know that fashion is an enormous industry to talk about, and when it comes to writing fashion articles, you want to ensure that you can create vibrant and interesting content for your targeted readers!

Good fashion writers create a buzz on the latest fashion apparel and accessories, and they quickly create many trends! When you start to utilize the same skills these professional authors use, you can easily become the authority in your desired field.

Whether you’re creating a fashion article for a clothing review, runway event, and even a new up-and-coming designer looking to get some exposure, to make sure you develop the best article possible, there are some steps that should be taken to make your content become attractive to your reading audience.

Human Emotions Are What Creates Trends, And Drives The Fashion Industry!

I’m sure you have read several of the top fashion magazine articles, and if you pay close attention, you will certainly notice the message they are trying to convey! The obvious message that many of us pick up is that select fashion designers and clothing companies are selling the vision of how good you would look in their apparel, which is a message that would motivate me to buy their product, but that’s not the primary message.

When you read their articles with detailed attention, they are trying to hit on the individual reader’s emotions that we all dream of, and that’s being someone else! Many will deny this comment if you brought it up in a conversation, but it’s a true fact, that at some point in your life you would like to be someone else, whether it be a Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson, or the lead singer of your favorite band, and smart fashion conscious writers jump on this emotion very quickly!

Human emotions are what drive product sales, whether it’s selling clothing, or new cars. We know what we need, but sometimes we not always know what we want. You as a fashion writer will be utilizing your writing skills and knowledge to capitalize on these human emotions, and tell them why they should buy an unknown designer’s Maternity Fashion, or why they should purchase brand name handbags from your web site that are available in every shopping mall in America.

Answer All The Readers Questions, And You’re One Step Closer To Winning Them Over!

When I search for information on the Internet, my goal is to have many questions answered, whether I’m searching for intimate apparel for my wife, or a good pair of jeans for my casual nights out on the town. However, if you tell me the jeans are 100% cotton, they come in many styles and colors, and they’re a really good bargain if purchase them here online, chances are I would be saying to myself, tell me something I don’t already know, and I already read three other articles saying the same thing.

I would rather read that these incredible one of kind jeans were exclusive to your company or website (if they truly are, no fibbing now), or they’re a new designer’s fashion creation that is taking the clothing industry by storm, and when you put a pair of these uniquely designed and extremely comfortable jeans on, they will make my waist look several inches smaller, and feel extremely comfortable using only 100% of the worlds finest cotton. If you have a pair of those jeans, drop me a line and I will buy a pair of them, or maybe even two if you have several colors available!

Remember that emotion drives our economy, and even though we know what our necessities are, we want to look and feel better, and we want the items to help us achieve this goal! When you start to figure out all the human emotions that create our impulses to buy certain desired attire and name brand accessories, you will have the writing success that will be unstoppable on the fashion article runway!

Yes, You Need an Article Submitter

The adage “Work smarter, not harder” really applies to writing and submitting Ezine articles.

Ezine articles are without a doubt one of the best ways to drive traffic to your affiliate site and to increase your SEO.

Whether doing a submittal manually or using an article submitter, the basics do not change. Before submitting to an article site one must register. This procedure is usually filling out an online form, and receiving a confirmation sent to your e-mail address. Click on this confirmation and you are a registered user. You log on to the submit site using your ID and password. Next, enter a Pen Name. Now you are ready to click on Submit Article.

It is at this juncture where an article submitter comes into play. Submitting manually gets the job done but is tedious and time consuming. An article submitter speeds up the data entry. Why is this important? It is generally accepted that to be a successful Ezine article writer, one must submit 2 - 3 articles per week to hundreds of article sites. Doing this by hand is simply not possible. Look at the author statistics on any site and you will see that the successful authors have submitted hundreds, even thousands of articles. They are making impressive monthly incomes.

There are many article submitter software programs on the market, Article Submitter, Article Submitter Gold, My Article Pro, My Article Submitter, and Article Money, to name a few. They vary in features, ease of use, and cost. Most offer a Free download for trial use. These are fully operational, but some limit the number of days the program can be used and others limit the size of the submit site database. Why do they give a Free download? So you can see for yourself the benefits of the program by hands-on use. For example, in my case I downloaded a Free trial version and used it to submit an article to several sites. I was impressed with my article being Auto-Filled instead of having to do the tedious cut and paste exercise. The trial program came with a database of 80 article sites, but I immediately ordered the full version with a database of over 600 sites. To me, the program was worth the price if for nothing more than getting the list of 600 sites to submit articles. Now I had the tool to quickly submit articles, complete with list of sites that would be continually updated. My time could now be better spent on writing new articles.

What should an article submitter NOT do for you? It should not be a robot spam type program. This type of submittal is frowned upon, a nuisance to the submit sites, and can get you banned from the best article sites.

What should a good article submitter do for you? It should let you go through the submit process step by step as you normally would, just making it easier and faster to make the submittal. Logging on to a site for the first time, requires a few steps whether manual or using an article submitter. One must enter the ID and Password, and select a Pen Name. Lets go through the steps and see where the article submitter saves time. Go to the article submit website. Immediately your ID and Password are filled in by the article submitter. You can go directly to Submit Article. Instantly your entire article is auto-filled, the Title, Author name, Summary, Body, and Resource Box. Stunning, no time consuming cut and paste. Manually select a Category, as this the only way to ensure that your article ends up in the correct category and sub-category. Click Submit, then Log Off. Your article will look totally hand submitted. The article submitter will automatically enter the submit date in your database, and give you a chance to type in a note or comment. No more pencil and paper notes covering your desk. Then, on to the next site. And where did the next site come from? The site database in your article submitter! The article submitter is a win-win, saving time by eliminating the tedious article cutting and pasting, and eliminating the time consuming chore of building your own list of article submit sites.

If you are not using an article submitter, you may very well be spending more than you are making. Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being successful. There is a way to accomplish this. Yes, You Need an Article Submitter.

Your Fortune is in the Follow Up!

Would you blow your entire annual marketing budget on just one ad to run once during the Superbowl?

Of course you wouldn’t. You know that people seeing your message just once wouldn’t be enough.

Then why do we tend to spend our time and dollars on single-shot marketing, rather than repeated messages?

The answer is… most folks just don’t know any better. Or, perhaps it seems boring to repeat your message over and over and over and over.

But the truth is, your fortune is in the follow up!

This past weekend I went to hear direct marketing master Bill Glazer (my marketing mentor who runs Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle (along with Dan Kennedy) speak at a conference here in Los Angeles. During his talk, he shared with the audience how he spent the last few decades of his life running Baltimore’s #1 retail men’s clothing store, Gage Menswear, along with his late father.

Bill talked about one of his first direct mail campaigns, and how during the planning stages he announced to his dad that they were going to mail a special promotional offer to the same list not once, not twice, but three times. His father was appalled and yelled at Bill that he was crazy and was wasting their money!

Bill persisted and mailed all three pieces of the campaign. Well, their results revealed that mailing the exact same offer three times not only increased their response, it DOUBLED their response! Pop was floored, and he sure was delighted with the flurry of sales that came in. From that point on he also trusted Bill with their marketing dollars.

Why does repeating your message work? online newsletters writing

It’s simple… people are inundated with messages every day. Last statistic I heard was each of us sees over 3,700 distinct messages a day! That means you need to repeat yourself over and over if you’re going to break through the clutter, actually get their attention, get them to read or listen AND get them to respond.

Your assignment is to now look at all areas of your marketing and advertising in your business, and see where you need to add some follow up.

Some quick places to look at:

Your Ezines - Are you publishing your ezine enough? Once a month just doesn’t cut it anymore. You should be reaching out and “touching” your prospects and customers at least once a week, if not more. (If you’re running out of ideas or you’re not sure how to do this without bugging folks, my ezine system takes care of that for you!)

Teleseminars and Live Events - When promoting events, you’re going to need many more than one or two announcements or mailings. As a general rule, when I’m really trying to fill up a teleseminar (phone seminar) I sent out at least three emails dedicated to the promotion. For live events, you need dozens of messages, and well ahead of time. Most of the trainers I know start marketing no less than six months ahead of any live event they’re hosting!

One-on-One Marketing - If you cold call or mail out letters to prospects, how many times are you following up? Don’t be afraid to call or mail again. I myself have finally responded to an offer after I’ve been contacted several times, and was glad the vendor took the initiative to follow up.

Advertising - Instead of blowing your budget on a few large ads per year, try running a smaller ad much more often! Also most publications, both online and offline, will usually give you big discounts for purchasing more than one ad at a time. (I do this with ads in my own ezine, Straight Shooter Marketing.)

Remember, many marketing experts who test all these strategies say that repetition is the key. So don’t even feel you have to be creative with your marketing - just saying or mailing the same thing over and over is better than not saying it or mailing it again.

Effective Article Writing And Marketing

Article Writing is becoming increasingly valued by Search Engine Optimisers who recognise the benefits that it brings- it is one of the best ways to increase traffic, search engine attention and returning visitors. When your article is published on a website, a link back to your website can be included. This link is valued highly by search engines- it is a one-way link, it is one of the few links on a page and the page has unique content on it. Because of this, many people have found that by regularly publishing articles (once a week, once a fortnight) their page rank has jumped up. This increases your search engine rank, which naturally increases your visit. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that more visitors equals more revenue!

This greatly benefits the author, but many people don’t realise that it also is very beneficial to publishers too. Search engines like sites that are constantly updated, as it shows that the website is active and widely used, and also like sites with content as it shows they are a valuable website, and not a link farm. Similarly to the benefits authors experience, publishers find their website increases in search engine rank, and so traffic and profits. It also has the added bonus to providing something new to users, who will regularly return to your site.

However, they are a few vital rules that authors should follow to make their article widely used. A badly written, unpunctuated article is not going to be looked twice at by any good webmaster.

Perhaps the most important rule in article writing is to properly punctuate your article, and to check it for spelling and grammatical mistakes. This will make it more enjoyable for readers to read, (and so it will be used more), and will make you, and your website, more professional.

Content is obviously the most important thing in any article. So, quite obviously, you have to know what you are talking about, otherwise no one will take you or your article seriously. Remember, your article will top up what people know, not introduce them to the subject. It is therefore helpful to specialise in a couple of subjects, or in a broad area. However, remember not to assume your audience are stupid, or be bigheaded.

Your article should be helpful to webmasters. To be this, give examples of what you are explaining. It makes complicated things easier to understand, splits up an article to make it readable, and can give the reader ideas on how to achieve what you have just explained. Similarly, give links to sites which may help your readers achieve what you have just explained. It makes it easier for them.

The last thing you should think about is the tone your article is written in. It is much easier and pleasanter for the reader if your tone is a friendly one. Also, remember to use words that are easy to read- for example, instead of ‘Furthermore, it has been discovered that by authoring articles writer’s have been advantaged due to their website being recipient to escalated search engine attention’ simply say what you mean- ‘By writing articles you will receive more search engine traffic’ (OK, so maybe it won’t be that extreme!).

The most important thing in your article from your point of view is what you put in the ‘About the Author’ box. This is your chance to shine, and is what you have written the article for. Whatever you write you will still receive the search engine benefits, however you will not receive the extra traffic from readers if you do not write it correctly. It should be formal but friendly, short, and sweet- it will only be glanced at so it has to grab the readers’ attention in a short amount of time. It should follow the structure of ‘A bit about the author, then tell the audience what you want them to do’. You should promote your website, but not advertise it too much.

For example, a bad information box would be ‘Visit the great website of the king of search engine optimisers, who will regularly update you with fantastic tips and priceless advice three times a week. He is a leader in his field and has had many years of experience with thousands of satisfied customers who describe him as the Internet equivalent to Jesus!’. Instead, write ‘Joe Bloggs has had many years experience in SEO, and is well known for his useful advice. Visit his website today to get great SEO tips three times a week’ (Again, this is exaggerated but you get the idea!).

The final part to writing an article is marketing it. This is relatively easy to do- submit to some article directories, and include it in your newsletter (or ask another website to include it in theirs). Some websites to help you submit it are:

.articlewow.com, .articledepot.co.uk, .article99.com.

Follow these tips and you will get a great traffic boost. Write some articles, and then write one on your tips that you have discovered from your own experience!

Does Your Parking Lot Look Busy? Your Prospects are Watching

Twice a week I go to a great little massage place in the neighborhood, and right next door is a tiny Indian restaurant. The food always smells delicious when I walk by, and the owner excitedly waves at passersby. But there’s a reason why I’ve never gone in and given it a chance…

The restaurant is always empty!

When I walk by, I always think, “Hmm, maybe I’ll try that place for takeout one night.” But in five years I never have. I always end up going two doors down to the bustling Chinese place or the sushi place with the line out the door - even though I have to usually wait 20 minutes for my food to be ready.

What’s even funnier is that the food at those places isn’t even great, but I keep thinking I must be missing something since so many other people like it!

The saying is true… no one wants to eat at a restaurant where there are no cards parked outside.

We all go by the feeling of “safety in numbers” and look for what some people call “social proof” that something is good or works before we try it.

This is why it’s extremely important to use testimonials on your website, brochures, and marketing materials, and even in your talks and teleseminars.

And it’s even MORE important for people like us whose businesses don’t have parking lots. It’s up to US to show prospects they won’t be the first person ever to hire us or buy our products!

Simple idea, yes, but many people forget to use it in their marketing. (Even I forget sometimes, too.) But it’s extremely important. Whether conscious or subconscious, seeing testimonials for a product or service makes us feel “safe” when deciding to buy.

But please remember the big difference between a good testimonial and a lame one. Let’s look at two examples:

Example 1: “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of Alexandria Brown’s Gold Mastermind program and have found it great value for the money.” - E.B.

This one’s all right, says nice things, and gives the person’s initials. Problem is, there are no actual *results* shared here, and using initials-only leaves doubt about the authenticity of the testimonial.

Example 2: (and a real one, too!): “Since joining Alexandria Brown’s Gold & Platinum Mastermind programs last year, I’ve doubled my revenues and can directly attribute at least $100,000.00 to her ideas and advice. Believe me, you WANT to be a part of this exceptional group of entrepreneurs!” — Christine Kloser, Founder of “The Conscious Business Circle”, Red Lion, Pa., .ConsciousBusinessCircle.com

Now, let’s look at the second one. Much more effective because it’s results oriented. That is, it shares actual results the client/customer has gotten. Do whatever you can to include numbers, dollar amounts, and/or percentages — these will grab your prospect’s attention, let them know this is the real deal, and dramatically increase your response.

Also, the more information you provide about your clients and customers, the more believable and effective their testimonials will be. Include full name, occupation or company name, city and state they’re from, web address (if applicable), and a PHOTO. (Even a poor photo, if that’s all they have. It’s important to make them REAL to your reader.)

If you’re in a sensitive industry and clients don’t want their names revealed, then share as much as you can about them otherwise. For example, “– female Fox News executive, 38, Studio City, Calif.” While it’s not as good as giving their names, it’s better than nothing.

And remember, one of the best things about using testimonials is it’s much more effective for your clients and customers to rave about YOU than for you to rave about yourself. So let them “rave” and have fun with it!

BONUS TIP: Use Testimonials to Address Common Objections

If you really want testimonials to dramatically improve your response, make a list of the common objections your prospects usually have to buying your products or services. And then have at least one testimonial that addresses each. For example, when I first started selling my Boost Business with Your Own online newsletter system, I learned that some folks weren’t buying it because they thought they needed a website to get started. So I found a success story from one of my customers who had used the system and never even had a real website. And we created a testimonial that made sure to share that fact.