One Stop Web Support Newsletter #6

June 26, 2005

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One Stop Web Support Newsletter # 6

Jeff Baas - One Stop Web Support

http://www.OneStopWebSupport.com/

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In this newsletter:

1. Let your visitors' eyes make your site more effective (part 2 of 3)
2. Personal recommendations -

Website - WordTracker Magic
Auctions - Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay

3. Special guest corner - thoughts from top marketers
   Working Smarter not Harder on eBay - BIG PAYOFF!
   by Jim Cockrum
4. Success quote

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1. Let your visitors' eyes make your site more effective (part 2 of 3)

(Last time in our series on how visitors view your webpages, we looked at the first part of the page, the top, where they make their initial judgment of whether your page is relevant enough to what they are looking for to check you out farther. This time we look at the part of your pages that build the case for your product.)

To see part 1 of this series, check our newsletter archive at:

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/newsletters/nl-archives.htm

The center of interest - the center of your page

Studies show that after processing the top of your page and deciding that they have found a site that might help them, their eyes move squarely down the center of the page. Newcomers and savvy surfers alike focus on the same place - the center.

This is where your meat needs to be. This is where you make your case. But here, too, a study of eye motion yields important tips.

Write your information to be scanned and easily skimmed

Visitors on web pages are in much more of a rush than readers of printed matter. Large, solid blocks of type drive visitors away.

Break your information into short paragraphs that give the impression of quick, easy reading. Split it up further with frequent, descriptive headings so they can quickly see exactly what is covered and pick out exactly what they find most relevant to them.

And make use of bulleted or numbered lists rather than paragraphs when you want to communicate multiple, short bits of information. A list of short items is much quicker to process and much more inviting to scan than the same information stuffed into one, long sentence.

Use colors and fonts that are easy on the eye

Do you have your heart set on doing your site with neon yellow text on neon green background? Have fun expressing your inner artist - but prepare for visitors to bounce right out of your site.

Study after study has shown that the color combination that sells best is black text on white background. Nothing else even comes close. Black on white is clear, it's comfortable, it's familiar and because of all these things, it invites people to read what's written.

Studies have also shown that sans-serif fonts (without any 'feet' at their ends) work much better for the rush-rush type of reading that people do on the Web than do the serif fonts (with the little 'feet' on them) that are standard in books and newspapers.

Serif fonts are easier on the eye for reading long documents because they lead your eye from one letter to the next. Sans-serif fonts work better for skimming and scanning, where the reader jumps around to pull out items of interest quickly.

Consider fonts like Verdana, Arial, and Helvetica, in that order, for your safest bets for the main body of your page. Use popular serif fonts like Times New Roman for lengthy documents like affiliate agreements or white papers that require more careful reading.

Focus everything you write on your visitors

Make your focus on your customers' clear throughout. Your page exists to serve your visitor's needs, not to let you ramble about your business or your product. Apply this key question to every sentence on your site: 'Do they need to know this to satisfy their need?' And if a sentence doesn't pass the test, either rewrite so it does, or kill it.

(Next time we'll look at how to get the most out of the rest of your page.)

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2. Personal recommendations -

Websites - 'WordTracker Magic'
Auctions - 'Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay'

'WordTracker Magic'

One of the most important steps in getting search engine traffic to your site is understanding what keywords people are using to search for you.

I consider any decision to start a site without first determining what keywords it will target as a decision to fail. It's THAT important.

My choice of keyword research tool

I consider the best tool for researching keywords to be WordTracker - in my opinion the most useful and comprehesive keyword research tool on the planet.

(www.OneStopWebSupport.com/wordtracker)

I consider a day or week's worth of research on WordTracker an essential step toward having a successful site.

Making the most effective use of WordTracker

The only problem, though, is that WordTracker is so thorough that you can easily get lost in the depth of the results it returns.

While I still use WordTracker's main feature - the Keyword Universe tool - when I'm looking for ideas for terms related to my keywords, I use the techniques described in 'WordTracker Magic' for most of my keyword research.

Learning to use WordTracker in a different, and more effective, way

The techniques in 'WordTracker Magic' lead you to look at your keywords in an entirely different way. Instead of looking at them from your point of view as seller, it teaches you to look at your products from the buyer's point of view.

It teaches you how to identify keywords on the basis of what problems the searcher is trying to solve. It shows how to obtain a broad keyword list and then identify trends that can help you identify keywords and content that will draw people who have the problems that your product can solve into your site.

And it identifies little known shortcuts to help you make the best use of the days or week you use for keyword research on WordTracker.

Turbocharging your keyword research

In all, I'd say that WordTracker Magic turbocharges your keyword research, helping you find ways to bring visitors into your site that you would otherwise miss.

I rate it 10 out of 10

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/wtmagic

'Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay'

It seems like I recommend 'Silent Sales Machine' a lot. That's because I consider it essential reading for anyone who wants to conduct a business on eBay.

The problem with eBay is that anyone who visits your auctions but doesn't make a winning bid is likely lost to you forever.

Silent Sales Machine seeks to help you make money from those who don't make a winning bid as well as those who do.

Sound impossible? Unlike most auction how-to ebooks, this one focuses not on the basics of how to write an auction listing, but on the little-known ways to profit from your auctions.

Tapping into bidders' interests, whether they bid or not

The first part deals with the fact that everyone who views your auctions has come there because of needs or interests that they will have whether they bid on your auction or not.

Most sellers never get anything out of those who don't win their auctions, much less those who don't even bid on it! But 'Silent Sales Machine' shows how tap into those needs and interests to sell them products that many times don't even require shipping.

This section is a real eye-opener.

Finding low- and no-cost products to sell

The second section deals with finding products with a huge buffet of tips for finding low-cost or even no-cost products that you can resell.

If you have a taste for bargains, you'll love this section, even if you never use any of its ideas in your auctions.

Tricks of the PowerSellers

The third part uncovers hidden tricks of the PowerSellers - the stuff that you'd love to know, but that eBay doesn't tell you.

It covers how people search, when people search, how to get your auctions to display for search terms that don't directly apply to your auction and many other tips - and how to do it all within eBay's guidelines.

Final thoughts

I was like a kid going through a candy shop when I read it. There are so many incredible tips. I haven't even scratched the surface in applying them to my eBay store.

But one thing's for sure, it will really open your eyes as to how much money is currently walking away from you on eBay.

I rate it a 10 out of 10

To find out more:
www.OneStopWebSupport.com/ssm

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3. Special guest corner - thoughts from top marketers

Each newsletter I like to give you another marketer's perspective with guest articles from well-known marketing experts. This one is from top eBay marketer Jim Cockrum, author of 'The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay' and 'Turn Auction Traffic into Cash.'

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Working smarter not harder on eBay - BIG PAYOFF!

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Use these simple key principles to earn thousands more on eBay while working LESS!

I'm frequently asked by the readers of this newsletter if I can give some advice to help improve their eBay business. In most cases the same key principles apply to everyone. For example, I really like to see sellers have at least one if not several products they are selling that are shielded from competition. One example of a 'shielded' product is an original information product. I give other step-by-step examples of this concept in my book 'The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay'.

Once you have a product that is shielded from competition there are several things you can do to maximize your profits without working any harder. I'm talking about automated income.

I've earned literally hundreds of thousands of dollars selling information products. This is an easy business once you know the basics.

To illustrate the simple yet powerful concept in practice on eBay I'd like to take a look at a REAL eBay account. I'll tell you what I think is going well in this account as well as what they could improve on to DRAMATICALLY INCREASE PROFITS while doing very little additional work. We all know I LOVE automated income!!

Here's the eBay ID I'd like to take a look at:

eBay ID - cattreeplans (CatTreePlans)

I don't know this guy but I can make a great example out of him!

To find his account on eBay simply go to eBay.com and click on the 'advanced search' link that appears beneath the search window on the ebay homepage. Next, under the 'Members' header click on 'Find a member' type in the ID 'cattreeplans' and his account should come up.

Bring up any of his current auctions and then return to this article as I pick apart his eBay business!

First, let's list the things I think 'cattreeplans' does very well:

KEY PRINCIPLE: You must have a good ebay name that advertises for you.

In this case I like the name, but it could be better. Remember the list of 'top eBay Powersellers' I sent you about a month ago? Many of them had GREAT eBay ID's (like restaurant.com). NOTE: Details on getting access to past issues of this newsletter are at the bottom of this newsletter.

KEY PRINCIPLE: Repeat Selling is the easy way to do eBay.

The seller 'cattreeplans' is selling the same item over and over again for the most part. The 'cat tree plans CD' is a proven seller for him so he keeps burning more copies, putting labels on them, and shipping them out to happy customers. This is a much easier model for eBay success than the approach that requires constantly finding unique items. By selling the same thing over and over again you sell more with far less effort.

KEY PRINCIPLE: Legally advertise your business every chance you get on eBay.

I love how 'cattreeplans' has superimposed his website name on top of his photos. This not only serves to protect those pictures from being 'stolen' and used by other people, but it is free advertising for his website!

We've been over this a thousand times before and I spend a lot of time on this concept in my book 'The Silent Sales Machine', but this is a HUGE opportunity that few people take advantage of. There are countless ways to advertise your business within your eBay auctions WITHOUT violating eBay policy.

Another example of this same concept can be found in the email address that 'cattreeplans' uses in his auctions. At the bottom of his auctions in big bold letters is says 'Questions? Email us at: sales@CatTreePlans.com'. See how he subtly mentions his website again? That's legal - nice touch!!

My suggestions for improvement:

KEY PRINCIPLE: EVRYONE should have a free newsletter.

As far as I can tell there is no newsletter or email address collection attempt going on with CatTreePlans.com. Shame on you - Bad Cat VERY Bad! ;0)

You should be getting the first name and email address of everyone who shows an interest in your business. You can do this in many ways, but it must be done.

Email advertising is virtually free and when done the right way you provide a great service to your customers and your business benefits in countless ways.

Using my eBay business as the catalyst I've grown my combined mailing lists to nearly 100,000 names in just over three years. I started with ZERO! No spam, no arm-twisting, just people signing up because they want my newsletter. Not to brag, but I'm doing very well now that my 0PT-IN customer lists are that large (and growing).

In 30 seconds I could brainstorm a list of 10 things that 'cattreeplans' could do with his mailing list to earn more money - without risking a dime or working more then a few more minutes. He doesn't even have to write articles.

KEY PRINCIPLE: Good looks count.

I give 'cattreeplans' a fairly high grade for a nice look and feel to his auctions. I love the 'verdana' font for marketing - it's what I use. A couple things stick out to me though that I need to address.

Try to ALWAYS use the same font, a consistent size and the same font color (dark letters on a light background) throughout your auctions. Use highlights (in red) sparingly and only on the text that you want to be sure the customer sees. Use a slightly larger font for REALLY important bits of information. Sound boring? Take a look at what the TOP eBay pro's are doing.

Guideline: You are trying to inform and sell - not entertain.

KEY PRINCIPLE: You can use popular physical products to draw attention to your auctions and then make your visitors aware of your high-profit information products within your auctions.

Don't rely on your unique item to bring in customers. You need a 'loss leader' product. Big chain stores do this all the time. They sell milk or coke products at break even or even at a loss to get customers in the door.

Here's one way to do this on eBay.

I'm not a cat person. I have no clue what cats lovers love.

BUT...

With about 30 seconds of research I could tell you what the MOST POPULAR items of interest are among cat lovers. This is powerful information.

Here's how to use this information on eBay:

Let's assume that the latest trend among cat lovers is 'giant catnip stuffed mice'. I'm going to head to the closest pet shop and buy 20 'giant catnip stuffed mice' at a decent negotiated price. Never mind that I pay $20 each for them when I could have shopped around and saved a few bucks. I'm not looking to make a profit on the 'stuffed mice'. The mice are my 'loss leader'.

<<'Loss Leader' - The strategy of offering a product or service at a considerable discount and loss of profit in order to attract future business.>>

Next, I put the stuffed mice up for sale on eBay - starting bid $1. I want TRAFFIC TO MY AUCTIONS! While those crazy cat lovers are bidding like mad over my 'stuffed mice' I subtly point out the fact that my other auctions offer an assortment of other items that will be of interest to cat lovers (i.e. Cat tree plans). You can even show pictures of your other auctions INSIDE all your auctions.

The happy ending?

I lose $2 on each 'giant catnip stuffed mouse' I sell, but I sell 30 copies of my $9.95 'Cat tree plans DVD' at a 90% profit.

Rinse and repeat...rinse and repeat...I've just added $20,000 to my annual income and only worked a few extra minutes for it.

This article is getting too long for a newsletter. I'm having fun with it though!

I've decided to put the full case study at the bottom of my resources page. Here's the remaining topics I'll cover:

KEY PRINCIPLE: Make the price RIGHT
KEY PRINCIPLE: Make the customer wonder how long the offer will last
KEY PRINCIPLE: Use autoresponders
KEY PRINCIPLE: Where's the eBook
KEY PRINCIPLE: Use keyword advertising for your auctions
KEY PRINCIPLE: Your own affiliate program

As a reminder, you get immediate lifetime access to my ever changing, ever improving 'resource page' with tons of my favorite resources and links to all past newsletter when you purchase my best selling eBook 'The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay'.

Sorry for the sales pitch, but my kids have to eat! ;-)

Jim Cockrum
Author-'The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay' and
'Turn Auction Traffic into Cash'
Editor-'Creative eBay Selling Newsletter'
The most popular free eBay success ezine on the web!

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/ssm

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/auctiontraffic

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And his ebook, 'Make Your Site Sell!' puts his knowledge at your fingertips with info on all the steps that lead to success.

Find out more here:

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/myss

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4. Success quote

'If you have great ambition, take as big a step as possible in the direction of fulfilling it, but if the step is only a tiny one, don't worry if it is the largest one now possible.'

Mildred McAfee

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This newsletter is published by One Stop Web Support, where our business is helping your business succeed.

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please recommend it to your friends.

Or feel free to link to our newsletter archive at:

www.OneStopWebSupport.com/newsletters/nl-archives.htm

Also if you have any tips of your own, questions or comments, please send then to me at:
succeed@onestopwebsupport.com

Helping you become the successful business owner you want to be.

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