USP? Just make it a helluva lot of fun!

Can you visualize, right now, a gigantic "LOL"? Well, then you can imagine how much I laughed my ass off watching yet another captivating video from Vat 19. If you have not heard of these guys you better get over there fast--not only for the sake of getting your floor waxed (as in ROTFL-rolling on the floor laughing) but to really learn now to make a USP-unique selling proposition with humor.

Check out today's absolutely hilarious yet catchy tune on video:

Their newsletter contains the best videos ever created--done totally professional but making it fun to shop their store. Does your USP entertain like this?

Dream Crashers--Why only the strong survive...

The other day, I consulted with a doctor who, with sparkles in his eye, wanted to have a website empire so he could conduct business on his laptop while basking on a beach. He had no experience with website building, no marketing or sales experience,no internet marketing, no research skills for any type of product. He had a dream (of wealth!) but no plan. In fact, he had no job, no home, no income. But he had a dozen nondescript domain names for totally unrelated products he had no knowledge of and a drop shipper or two.

Now here is where you expect the giant leap to success that so many "make money online" sales pitches seem to always lead to. Down and out but now on top of the world? Not this time--or in fact, so many times. Are we being sold a false hope by so many "gurus"? Or are we just hearing from their minions who sell their product. 95% of those who try to start a business online fail, quit or never get off the ground. That's a higher rate than any other small business startup---creepy! So wouldn't it be a blessing to have your dream crushed right from the "get go" (sorry, my grandmother's voice rules my thoughts), than to waste so much time and income you would have had from a day job, screwing around where you don't have the guts to implement a plan towards a goal.

Harsh words--and the unemployed doctor was crushed. But he left my office with the revelation that he was not ready for the beach just yet. He left knowing he was a very long way from building a website. This business of making money on the internet is not for the feight of heart. It can be grueling to one who has no skills and no passion for it. At one time, his passion for medicine took him through the learning process to become a professional. I could see he was looking for a replacement passion but it was obvious he was looking for a shortcut. I recommended he keep his day job (looking for doctor work) and truly consider, on his own personal time, whether he was up to the task of learning a whole new profession.

Ecommerce and internet marketing is every bit as professional as any other business. Unfortunately, it is not in the mainstream educational institutions as a respectful degree. You can learn to build websites, you can learn to program, but I have yet to see a degree in ecommerce offered at the universities. Which means, yes, we have to learn everything we can from the "gurus"--even if it means we learn we just don't have what it takes to persevere. Only the survivors of the risks taken in the learning process will be sitting on that beach with their laptop.

Guy walks into a bar.....

Guy walks into a bar and asks every woman there to marry him. Since his goal is to find a mate, he spends his efforts totally to that end. By presenting himself as a man "in the market", he is bound to create attention to his cause. He will become known by his proposals and some interested woman may actually consider his bold statements since they, too, are "in the market".

Certainly his tactics may be a bit too aggressive but the point here is that, with enough exposure, he will have his message heard by more women than if he left things up to chance.

If you have a goal in mind or a product to sell in your business, how does anyone know it is there and how do they find it? Your website may need a few lessons in communication.

The adage "build it and they will come" does not exist in the world of the internet. You must have words--on your page, on someone else's page, in the news, on videos, ad infinitum--that bring qualified visitors to your site. If you are selling horse blankets, your webpages should be "optimized" for the keyword phrase "horse blankets", not "horses". People who are looking for horse blankets need to find them. A specific brand name of blanket narrows the search ever closer to what they are looking for and qualify the visitor as someone very interested in buying that brand.
So how does one "optimize" a site page for keywords?

Keywords that are used frequently on a page helps the search engines determine the topic of your page and guide their searchers to pages that have what they are looking for. Places you can include your keywords are:

*the Title -- use your keyword phrase in the title as it is not only more descriptive of your business, it is more likely to appear as a result of a search for that word.
*Description tag -- your page should be described in a short paragraph, include your keywords here.
*Content -- in the body of the page, in your content, your keywords should be used in a context that makes sense to the reader but often enough to give credibility and attention to your page.
*Alt tags - the "alternate text" tag is a title given to explain the image. The alt text appears when you rollover your mouse. These words count in your overall count of keywords on the page.
*Text links -- the links that refer to a page or link to another should contain keywords (not "click here").
*Navigation bar links -- use your keywords in the navigation tabs where possible
*Articles -- helpful information about your product or current news or tips can create more interest to the reader and provide more opportunities to use your keywords.

The incidence of your keyword should be 5-10% of every 100 words to be effective. All this repetition can seem awkward but make sure the page can be read effortlessly. The experience must be worth the time for the reader, making them stay longer and make a purchase. Let them get to know you and your products--then the "proposal" to buy will make for an interesting and profitable relationship...

(PS I met my husband on Match.com 10 years ago this week! It does pay to advertise :-)

Check out these sites and see if you can determine what keywords
they have been optimized for:
http://www.StorkandVeil.com

http://www.GeorgiaDawgHouse.com