In addition to increased sales, online advertising also offers you the opportunity to expand your lead generation potential. You may find that using online advertising to generate leads becomes a lucrative way to expand your growing business.
So what is lead generation anyway?
When you use ads to attract visitors to your website, they may simply browse your site and find things that interest them. They may have questions that are answered through your valuable and unique content, frequently asked questions section, or by submitting a question through email.
One reason people like to review a website and evaluate its content is to save them time. Many people prefer to do their own research rather than talk with another person and they find that following relevant ads to reputable websites results in a positive experience. Why do people visit your website anyway? They likely have questions or are seeking information.
That’s what lead generation is all about. Creating an online ad that engages your potential customer and brings them to your website is your way of creating a lead. They become engaged in your website and when they are able to find answers to their questions, you increase the value of your website to them. If your website is dynamic, engaging, and interactive, you’re likely to find yourself in their ‘favorites’ folder and they’ll return for more information and possibly purchases later.
Six (6) keys to successfully converting leads into customers are to:
Provide relevant, succinct information, data, and other content that answers the most frequently asked questions. Use your advertisements to encourage them to click on your site, and then quickly engage them and attract their attention. You only have seconds to make it happen so your content must be vibrant, to the point, and appealing.
Explain how you can solve a problem they may have through your products or services – describing benefits versus features is important. Tell them what you can do for them and help them find what they want.
People don’t really care about ‘you’. It’s what you have to offer them that they care about. Having a page about your company, your employees, and other information is okay – but keep it discreet and don’t use every page of your site to boast about you and your company.
Provide visitors with multiple ways to learn about your products. Some people prefer simple text, while others are looking for charts, graphs, videos, audio, demonstrations, and other types of content. Find multiple ways to reach your audience and let them choose what they prefer.
Don’t ask for their life history when you’re seeking to engage them. Encourage them to register for a newsletter, product updates, email updates, or other information but only ask for very specific and minimal information. If a user name and email address will suffice, then stop there. You don’t need to know name, address, phone, and age just to create a lead! In this instance, “less is definitely more”!
Promote, respect, reinforce, and maintain their privacy and confidentiality. People don’t want their email address or other information sold or given away. They don’t want to be contacted by anyone other than those sites they choose to hear from. Respect their privacy, let them know you respect it, and deliver on your promise. The fastest way to lose a lead is to compromise privacy and confidentiality!
Lead generation is an excellent way to build a list for future potential sales. It’s an exceptional opportunity to stay in touch with your target audience through periodic updates, newsletters, white papers, product announcements, eBooks, and other types of content. Making your site valuable to your leads is the best possible way to convert them to customers.
If you’re only interested in the “one click sale”, then you’re missing a huge opportunity. Leads which are converted to customers over time are typically loyal, long-lasting relationships that pay off time and time again.
Don’t overlook the value of lead generation in your online advertising strategy. After all, your business is here to stay so be sure your leads and customers are too!
Amazon ads. At first look, their irresistible. You can be an affiliate for almost every product under the sun. You can quickly and easily generate affiliate links. You'll be partnering with a recognized and credible company. They sound like one of the best ways to make money online you've encountered.
And then reality sits in. The conversion rates are lower than you would've ever dreamed. The commissions are puny compared to other alternatives. There are so many other people using Amazon ads that the ones on your site just sort of blend invisibly into the background. The CTR is far lower than you'd ever expect.
So, should anyone be using Amazon ads? Should you still be running them on your site?
In most cases, quite frankly, the answer is “no”. Amazon ads aren't a particularly high-powered method of monetization for most sites. In the bulk of instances, another form of advertising, such as Adsense contextual ads, will produce more income. Amazon ads are fun and they do give you a shot to deal with high-trust physical goods. Unfortunately, they don't make much money.
Usually.
There are, as noted, exceptions. In some instances, it makes perfect sense to use an Amazon affiliate links and ads on your site. An example? If you are running a small niche site that defies other monetization strategies but for which there is a physical product that matches well, you need to give Amazon a shot.
In some cases, it will work like gangbusters. If you can isolate a specialty product that is sold through Amazon and can build the right pages around it, you can make decent money with the Amazon affiliate program..
You can also feel free to stick a few here and there just in case. You might make a few bucks every once in awhile. Just don't ruin your site's appearance for the sake of getting them on the page. If you can sprinkle relevant ads in the right places on a larger site there's no real risk of doing damage. In those “upside only” scenarios, Amazon ads are just fine.
The exceptions are rare. In most cases, it doesn't pay to rely on Amazon ads. They're one of those great Internet frustrations. They look perfect and have so many great characteristics that it's hard not to use them. Experience, however, shows us that it's a temptation we can afford to resist.
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