Does the idea of pushing your products make you cringe? Do you feel bad about mentioning your website, or asking your visitors to buy your products? Are you worried that mentioning your website or your business will seem like spam?
Cut it out, already! It's time to lose this mindset that marketing equals spamming. Spamming is unsolicited promotion. Spam is when you push your website or products on people that havent asked, or even showed an interest.
When someone asks you about your business, lands on your website, joins your group or mailing list... they are requesting information from you. Why then would you be apologetic or hesitant to give them a link or tell them about your products??
I see this all the time, and I've referred to it as Apology Marketing. It comes off as a lack of confidence in your site or product, or being apologetic about having something to offer. One example you'll probably be familiar with is the term "shameless plug".
A shameless plug is blatant advertising. People use that term along with their link to apologize for dropping a hyperlink or a solution from their own site in response to a discussion.
But really, if you were truly shameless, you wouldnt feel the need to qualify your response with the term "shameless plug". Right?
Market Your Site - No Apologies!
Obviously you need to be working with a product or service that you can stand behind. That's a given. The real issue is confidence, or lack thereof.
Confidence = conversions. Being confident in your service or product will shine through and increase your customers confidence in your solution. And that confidence is what makes sales.
If I come to your website, I am seeking a solution. Dont hide it from me! Dont make me hunt for it, or guess what you recommend I do next.
Every single page of your website should have a primary objective. Define it, and then create the entire page around achieving that one objective. If your goal is to sell a product, put all the information in place and encourage the sale. If you are building a list, ask them to subscribe. If you are creating a community, encourage them to comment or respond to the discussion.
Decide what you are going to do, and do it 110%
I often say that you should "Know how you want to be known, what you want to be known for, and who you want to know you." Its basically about defining your target market, and your offer, and creating a strong message-to-market match.
To give you an example, lets say you have a website on organic gardening that is monetized with affiliate links. Your job is to become known as the "go to guy" for all things related to organic gardening.
Your website should clearly reflect your offers. When I read a great article at your site that gives a very clear how-to illustration, I expect you to give me the direct links to the tools or products I need to accomplish the task discussed.
As your visitor, I appreciate this. I came to your website looking for answers, and you should go out of your way to provide solutions that are as simple for me as possible. Dont give me random suggestions that I have to hunt down on my own, or hide the links in the sidebar or navigation - tell me exactly what I should do, and where I should click next, to achieve the results I want.
If I follow you on Twitter, sign up for your newsletter or add you as a friend on a social site, it is because I want to get updates about organic gardening. I could care less what you are having for breakfast (unless it came out of your garden), what movie you are going to see (unless it relates to organic gardening), etc. I 'friend' you to get updates and tips.
Being the "go to guy" in your niche is not spam. Its a service to your visitors or customers. Its the reason they came to you in the first place.
If you are a web designer, recommend a web hosting company with confidence. I will love you for saving me the time and hassle of researching it on my own!
Whatever you do, do it 110%. Serve your market.
Dont leave your visitors hanging!
Have you ever landed on a web page that had excellent content, but in the end just left you hanging? You get all the way to the end of the article and you are totally sold on the concept... and then nothing. Nothing but a boring old footer down there. No recommendation. No "next" button. No link.
What do you do? Scroll back up and try to figure out where to go from there. Or click the back button and do another search to get to the next step.
If your visitor takes the time to read all the way through your web page, dont leave them hanging. Make sure you include a very clear call-to-action at the end of the page so that they know exactly what to do next.
Your job is to lead your visitors through your website strategically. With confidence. Without confusion.
Take a moment to analyze your web pages and your social properties today. Are you apologetic? Are you practically hiding your solutions? Can people easily tell who you are and what you do... and what you would like for them to do?
Considering your promotions a "shameless plug" is pointing your focus in the wrong direction. Its not about you. Its not about how you feel about marketing. Its about your visitor. Shift your focus in their direction, and start considering what they need and how you can help them achieve their objective.
Your visitors, subscribers & followers dont care if you're shy about promoting your product. They care about the solution they are seeking. You either provide that solution clearly, or you dont. And if you dont, they can easily go to your competitor for it.
Whoever you are, whatever you do, make sure it is blatantly obvious across all of your web properties. Be authoritative, be confident... and serve your market.
Best,
p.s. If you're ready to start making consistent sales online with a highly profitable online business, make sure you see my post here: Step-by-Step Blueprint for Success Online. You'll learn how to target buyers in your niche that are ready and waiting with a credit card in hand, and how to sell to those buyers in a way that makes them LOVE you for it! 😉 Click Here
About Lynn Terry
Great article. I just did one similar. I am saddened when a business owner "feels bad" about making suggestions when asked for one. Are they lacking self-confidence?
I used to do the same thing and it made me look like a wimp in my market and at that time I lacked self-confidence. I want to be the"go to guy" for people. I love to help people out.
Thank you
Hi Lynn and Dawnaurora
What a great article and its so timely as I'm about to put up my Christmas lines onto my website. Your ideas will help me to go and do what I love to do, which is "to help people out". I have people from around the world who use our services daily for delivery here in New Zealand to their families, friends and businesses. I go one step further and personally deliver many of our products here in Christchurch, and I don't have anyone saying, "we don't want this, please take it away"!! I do know that there's always more that I could be doing, but as my shop window is my website online, I have to take full advantage of sharing my product gifts with the world. I actually don't see it as selling Lynn, more as sharing with those who have a need. Hopefully my products fill that need requirement. Could I do more, yes, I am sure that I could, we all could, but at the end of the day I am there to serve my market. Thanks Lynn, this is just what I need.
Lynn
Excellent!!!
The purpose of all the articles, Web2.0, Press Releases, etc. is to promote yourself as "the Go To Expert". Period. All of these play an important part in building ones expertness to the level of success.
If someone has issue with asking for the sale then, they are not interested in running a business but rather having a hobby. Which is fine if that is what they choose.
If they are interested in having their business survive then they need to DO and get rid of the butterflies. They can do it at the day job when someone tells them to DO IT. But, for themselves they get timid and scared. Well, if you are one of those people then ... you need to tell yourself to do it and then do it. After a couple of times you will see it is not hard at all. Your confidence level will increase. But you have to do it.
If you can't bring yourself to do it then I'm sorry to tell you that someone else will get the sale. That is just the sad truth. At the end of the day you have to look youraself in the mirror and you know the truth.
Sorry, I'm not raging if someone reads it that way.
Al
What a great morale booster your post is! It takes a great deal of confidence to be a succesful sales person, and apology marketing is not likely to be succesful!
You know Lynn, that makes alot of sense, I see this is a little more common than I thought it was.
Maybe some of these people just genuinely don't have the confidence in their product?
If so, maybe they need to tackle that first, make it so they DO have that confidence, then they won't need to feel apologetic. 😉
I am already on your list so no need to "push" that my way 😉
Rob
Thanks for all the information that you posted in your article. I especially like the "Don't leave your visitors hanging!" because I get that a lot visiting websites. Thanks again!
So true - I always think about Frank Kern. The guy just comes right out and says what he has to offer you, jokes about his blatant affiliate links so that he can go buy more stuff, etc., and I always greatly appreciate him for it.
When I'm on the consumer end of things, I'd rather just hear what you have to say about your product and why I need it (and why I need it NOW), and let the offer stand on the strength of the product.
Chris
How hard can it be to sell something to someone who came to buy it?
We need to stop turning buyers, into lookers.
Hands up for those that don't like squeeze pages?
I see so many these days that I've created a special email address so the emails don't clutter my inbox and I don't have to unsub from multiple optins.
Even though it may be annoying it works because of the principle of give and take...I give you free info in exchange for your contact info.
What are your thoughts on eliminating/dampening the "annoy" factor so I /you can have happy customers?
I think a large part of the problem stems fron newbies starting out on forums and blogs, wich is GREAT in their own right...
But, they get it lodged into their minds DON'T SPAM YOUR AFFILIATE LINKS! And unfortunately a lot of this probably spills over to their own blogs and websites.
You know, I've never really considered that I might be doing that (if even just a little). I should give my site a review to make sure that I'm...
Lynn--
Great advice as usual!
Great Point. When you have the expertise and information and find places to share it, Share. It will help grow your business and show off your knowledge.
This was a great post, very well written with valuable information. I think women often feel apologetic about asking for the sale...like you said, being "pushy." However, if you are in business, then you ought to do business and make no apology for it. If you don't feel confident then act like you do...especially have your web presence say those things.
This looks like some great advice
You have a point there...nice article..
This is super post Lynn and very much needed for me. Can't express gratitude for the much needed pat n push you provided with this post.
"Decide what you are going to do, and do it 110%" - Amazing.
I'm going to rewrite my strategies with this post in mind. Thx
Wow! Great article Lynn!
As I sit here with the guilty hand up - not always though. I do promote my "stuff" from time to time but I have been known to do the "shameless plug" a time or two. What's worse, I do it on my OWN message boards. Now that's a very sad thought!
I've already started not being so shameless - your words have pushed me to completely change. Thanks a million as usual!
I think a few of my twitter friends need to see this too 😉
You're right, as a marketer I should focus on being the "go to" guy. Hmmm, that's some very good advise, that we may know subconsciously but that we usually take for granted. Thanks.
Truer words were never spoken. After all, no one will ever buy from you if you're counting on people using osmosis, ESP, or mental telepathy to make the purchase!
Best advice possible - become the "go-to" person and have a crystal clear "call-to-action".
Thanks for another great eye-opener!
My god, I should have been on this website a long time ago. Sometimes Google search makes things hard to find. Your so helpful Lynn. I'll have to read more. - Scott Craighead (btw your commentluv is conflicting with your cache providing an error. Feel free to edit this comment after you see it.)
Thank you, Scott. 😀 Really glad we got connected via Brian!
Great article "Apology Marketing is Killing Your Sales!"
I have again into my site whether I am doing right stuff and giving more as you said .. 110%.
Amazing tips and methods ... Awesome Lynn.
Thank you