“If I build it, they will come.” This was what Willy Widget told me the other day when I said that his product needs to be tweaked to suit the target audience. He refused to believe that his product and website, which he has put so much effort into, will not sell.
There is a part of Willy Widget in all of us.
More often than not, we get so emotionally attached to our website or product that we refuse to change the way we market it… instead choosing to believe that if lots of people are driven to our website, some people will be compelled to buy it.
Don’t make this mistake in Internet Marketing because it will never happen. You should NEVER expect a product to sell itself.
So what can you do to avoid this pitfall?
1) Find the customers first, then create the product
Don’t get overly enthusiastic over the subject matter at hand, even though you may be an expert in it. Find out whether there are people willing to pay money for your advice, and whether they’re as interested in this area as you are.
2) Make sure you know where to get them
Even after you have identified a good customer base, you need to find ways to drive them to your website. Surf around to see where they often hang out and try to mix with them. Find out their problems and the solutions they need. Forums are a very good way to do this.
3) Know your competitive advantage
Know your competition well, and check them out to see what they offer. Read through their websites and see how you can beat or better their offer. In other words, give visitors an offer that is so good… no sane person will be able to resist it.
4) Follow-up
After you have gotten the sales, you may want to followup with your visitors. Send them emails periodically, check how they’re doing so that they are more inclined to order your future products.
Even if your visitors do not order, use an opt-in box to capture their names and email addresses so that you can market to them continually. Tests have shown that repeated followup increases response rates by 36% or more. If you’re not following up with your prospects, you should do so now.
Do these 4 steps right, and you will find a world of opportunities for you to market your product.
Yeo Feng is the author of Website Weapons (http://www.WebsiteWeapons.com), a guide which reveals 22 secrets for making any website sell like crazy.
He is also a highly sought after direct response copywriter and technology marketer.
