Articles by Peter Geisheker on ArticleSnatch.com

Controversial New Search Engine Optimization Network Creates The Holy Grail Of SEO Tools

Sat, 26 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Internet marketers and search engine optimization specialists around the globe are in shock. Search Engine Trust, an Internet marketing company that owns a network of over 3,000 websites, has developed a SEO system that is being called the Holy Grail of search engine marketing. It is also creating a lot of controversy in the SEO community. Search Engine Trust has developed a proprietary system that helps websites get top 10 rankings in the major search engines in record time. However, some search engine elitists are saying the Search Engine Trust network gives an unfair advantage in SEO and it should be banned by search engines. Ed Dale, one of the world's most respected Internet marketing authorities, believes that Search Engine Trust is a very positive white hat SEO solution and it takes the black arts out of SEO. Ed states, I hated search engine optimization and all the work that went into getting high search engine rankings for my websites. Then I found Search Engine Trust. I tried it and I was simply amazed by the results. The websites I promoted with Search Engine Trust received top 10 search engine rankings within about a month. **End Summary** Topics: search engine marketing]]> search engine optimization]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For more information on Search Engine Trust, go to www.getsearchenginetrust.com

The Secret Of Determining If Your Advertising Is Profitable

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0400

As a marketing consultant and owner of a marketing firm, a big mistake I see businesses make is they do not take into consideration the value of repeat sales when they review if their advertising is profitable. When determining if your advertising is profitable, you need to look at advertising as a long-term investment, just like buying stocks, real estate, or mutual funds. When evaluating your advertising you need to take into consideration repeat sales from each new customer your advertising produces. Nearly all businesses earn the majority of their sales and profits on repeat sales, NOT first time sales. Understanding this concept is one of the secrets to building a successful business. For example, let's say you run a small quarter page ad in your local shopper coupon magazine. This small ad costs you $300. From that single ad you attract three new customers who each buy $50 worth of your merchandise. From that information you would think that you had a loss of $100 on that ad because you paid $300 for it but you only generated $150 in sales. But let's look at the long-term effect of those three new customers. **End Summary** Topics: advertising]]> marketing]]> copywriting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

How To Write Headlines That Electrify And Tantalize Customers

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Did you notice the title for this article? Of course you did and that is why you clicked to read this article. As legendary advertising guru David Ogilvy said in his book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, The wickedest of all sins is to run an advertisement without a headline. Yes, it is true that the most important tool in print advertising is the headline, be it for a space advertisement, a website, a sales letter, a billboard, or a press release. Headlines are the difference between success and failure in advertising. In print advertising, the headline is so important that it is considered to be 80% of the power of an ad. The reason for this is that five times as many people read a headline as read the body copy of an ad. Consider how you read a newspaper or a magazine. If you are like most people, you scan headlines and you only read the news stories and advertisements that have a headline that catches your attention and interest. That is why writing an attention grabbing headline is so vitally important in advertising. So, how do you write a good headline? **End Summary** Topics: headline]]> headlines]]> advertising]]> marketing]]> copywriting]]> writing headlines]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

Myspace Marketing - How To Market Your Business For Free On Myspace

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Myspace.com is the world's largest social networking website. It is the cool place to be if you are in your teens, 20s and 30s. I have also found that it can be an outstanding free marketing tool for social business and websites. So what is Myspace.com? Myspace is a website where anybody in the world can create a free personal web page (i.e., my space). Once you have created your personal web page on myspace, then you can connect your page to other people's myspace pages by clicking on a link to request to be a person's friend. Once that person agrees to be your friend, then you and that person can email each other, chat with each other, leave comments on each other's myspace pages, and read each other's blogs. There is no limit to the number of friends you can have and some of the more popular people on myspace have millions of myspace friends and have actually become Internet celebrities and have been featured on talk shows. **End Summary** Topics: myspace]]> free marketing]]> free internet marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

How To Greatly Increase Your Odds Of Business Success By Niche Marketing

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is trying to market their product or service to a large general market instead of focusing on a small niche market. As a marketing consultant, getting my clients to focus on a niche market is the most difficult part of my job. Whenever I tell a client that they must start off small and focus on a specialized niche market, my client almost always says, But I think everybody could use my product and if I limit my market, I will get fewer sales. Then my response is, Okay, if you want to market your product to the world, how many millions of dollars do you have to invest in regional, national and international advertising campaigns? Then I get a blank stare or the phone goes quiet. To be successful in today's hyper-competitive, over-advertised marketplace, you absolutely must focus your business and marketing on serving a specialized and preferably small niche market. This is especially true and a matter of survival if you have a small marketing budget. **End Summary** Topics: niche marketing]]> marketing niche strategy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

How To Quickly And Easily Make More Sales By Using This Simple Tool

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

One of the leading causes of losing a sale is not knowing how to respond when a prospective customer raises an objection. I call this the deer in headlights syndrome. As business people, we have all been in this uncomfortable situation. A prospect raises an objection about our product or service and we draw a blank as to what to say to kill the objection. Or, we stammer our way though a poorly worded answer and basically make ourselves look like an incompetent fool. By not knowing how to respond to the prospect's objection, we make ourselves look unconfident and unknowledgeable, and nothing kills a sale faster than lack of confidence. Think about it. When was the last time you bought something, especially something expensive, from a salesperson who did not know how to confidently answer your questions, particularly when you raised an objection? So, how do we solve this problem? The answer is actually very easy. You solve it by creating and memorizing a sales objection script book. A sales objection script book lists the most common objections you hear from prospects and customers followed by 3-5 responses to each objection. **End Summary** Topics: sales training]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

How To Get More Sales By Offering A Guarantee

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

One of the most powerful marketing strategies you can use to instantly increase sales is a strong guarantee. The reason why a guarantee is such a powerful sales tool is that it eliminates the risk a customer faces when doing business with you. It is like giving your customer an insurance policy to protect them against shoddy products or services. Think about it. One of the leading reasons why people choose NOT to buy a product or service is they are worried that if the product or service sucks, they are going to lose their money and they will feel like a fool for buying it. And nobody wants to feel like a fool. Here is an example of the power of a money back guarantee for a product. Let's say you want to buy a puppy for your kids. Pet store A has several very cute puppies and they cost $250 each. Unfortunately, if you buy a puppy from pet store A and it turns out the puppy is sick or has a disease, it is your problem. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. **End Summary** Topics: marketing]]> copywriting]]> direct marketing]]> sales]]> guarantee]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

How To Easily Get Customer Testimonials

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Using customer testimonials in all of your marketing materials (sales letters, brochures, website, advertisements, etc.), is one of the most powerful marketing tools available. The reason why testimonials are so important and valuable in marketing is that prospects are much more likely to believe a customer testimonial that praises your product or service then they are to believe slick sales text written by the company that is advertising. Another reason why testimonials are such a powerful marketing and sales tools is that they are very similar to a referral. A testimonial is a person telling other people that they can trust your business and that you offer a quality product/service. Now that you know how valuable customer testimonials are, you are probably wondering how you get testimonials from your customers. Here are four very easy yet highly effective strategies you can use to get customer testimonials immediately: 1. If you are a new business and you have not made any sales, let several of your friends try your product or service for free. If they honestly like it, ask them if they will write a testimonial that you can use in your marketing. **End Summary** Topics: testimonial]]> testimonials]]> marketing]]> sales]]> copywriting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm . Peter specializes in developing and implementing strategic marketing programs. For more information please visit http://www.geisheker.com .

Split Testing - The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy You Will Ever Learn

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Every business owner is looking for that golden marketing strategy that works like magic to grow their business. Well, I hope you're sitting down because I am going to tell you the most powerful marketing strategy you will ever learn. The strategy is called split testing. What the heck is split testing, you ask? Split testing is the process of comparing the results (sales, leads, etc.) of one marketing piece against another marketing piece to see which generates the most sales. Clear as mud, right? To make split testing easier to understand, I will show you an example of split testing using direct mail sales letters. You write 2 sales letters to sell the sales training course you are offering. Both sales letters are identical except for one thing they each have a different headline. Sales letter A has the headline, How to easily double your sales in 180 days with this little known marketing strategy and sales letter B has the headline, Learn the marketing secret twelve small businesses recently used to increase sales by over 173% in less than 180 days. **End Summary** Topics: marketing]]> advertising]]> copywriting]]> direct response]]> sales letter]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Company. Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For more information please visit http://www.marketing-consulting-company.com .

The Differences Between Great Marketing And Terrible Marketing

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500

As a marketing consultant and copywriter, I see horrible marketing everyday. The most common mistake I see is what I call, "me too marketing". "Me too marketing" is when a business creates a marketing piece (advertisement, brochure, sales letter, website, etc.) that looks and reads like an exact copy of their competition's marketing. Instead of demonstrating why their product or service is unique and offers outstanding benefits, they say exactly what their competition says. For proof of "me too marketing", go to your phone book and look at advertising in almost any category. You can basically exchange the company names in the ads and the ads are identical. Nearly everybody is using the same dull clichÃ©s such as, "Our customers are #1", "Serving your needs for xx years", "Family owned", "Best Service", "Friendly Service", "Great Selection", etc. This kind of advertising is SO BORING and overused. That is why it produces such horrible results. If you want to have marketing that generates a lot of quality leads and puts you ahead of your competition, you need to be different and prove why your product or services offers the best benefits to your customer. **End Summary** Topics: marketing]]> advertising]]> copywriting]]> direct response]]> sales letter]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Company. Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesse. For more information please visit http://www.marketing-consulting-company.com .

How To Write A Guerrilla Marketing Plan

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Behind every successful product or service is a well-researched marketing plan. A marketing plan guides a company how to market a product or service to a specific target market and helps a company remain focused on its marketing objectives. A Guerrilla Marketing Plan is a condensed version of a corporate marketing plan. It focuses primarily on the most powerful income producing strategies needed to generate sales. While a Corporate Marketing Plan may be 20+ pages long and full of detailed market research and competitive analysis, a Guerrilla Marketing Plan is short (3-5 pages) and focuses on the marketing strategies you will use to produce sales immediately. A Guerrilla Marketing Plan should include the following strategic marketing information: 1. Define your product or service. 2. What major problem does your product or service solve? 3. Determine who most needs the product/service being sold. Who is your target market? 4. Describe the #1 most important benefit a customer will receive from your product/service. 5. Why should a customer buy from your company instead of from a competitor? What benefit will a customer receive from doing business with your company? 6. Determine your company's position in the marketplace. **End Summary** Topics: marketing plan]]> guerrilla marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Company . Peter specializes in developing and implementing strategic marketing programs for small businesses.

8 Direct Mail Secrets For A Higher Response Rate

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

To be successful with direct mail sales letters, there are several strategies you can use to increase response rates: 1. At the top of your sales letter, use a strong headline that states the most important benefit you are offering. This headline should be bold and a larger font size than the font size you use for the body text in your sales letter. 2. When writing your sales letter, use a friendly conversational style. Do not try to write "corporate" where you use large words and try to impress your prospects with your command of the English language. All that does is turn people off. Instead, write your sales letter as if you were talking to your best friend. 3. Use a P.S. in your letter and restate your most power benefit and sales offer in it. Most people will read a P.S. first before reading the sales letter, so it is important to make your P.S. have a very strong sales message and a call to action. 4. Your sales letter needs to explain the benefits your potential customer will receive. **End Summary** Topics: direct marketing]]> direct response]]> sales letter]]> direct mail]]> advertising]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Company. For more information and a free marketing plan ebook, please visit http://www.marketing-consulting-company.com .

Is Your Business Making These Mistakes When Customers Contact You?

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500

In this marketing article I would like to discuss the importance of presenting your business in a professional manner when customers and sales prospects contact you. The first thing I want you to do is think to yourself, "If I were a customer contacting my business, what would I think of this business? Would I think this is a friendly and professional business with great service or would I think it was unprofessional and a bit of a joke?" I ask you to go through this exercise because from my experience of working with clients on improving their sales and marketing programs, many businesses are presenting themselves in a very unprofessional manner and they are losing sales because of it. Here are some guidelines for providing your customers and sales prospects with a professional experience when they contact you: 1. Answer your phone in a friendly and professional manner and say the name of your company. Don't answer your phone by saying, "This is Mike." Instead, say, "Hello, this is Mike with XYZ Corp. How may I help you today?" 2. Do everything possible to make sure your phone is answered by a live person. **End Summary** Topics: internet marketing]]> advertising]]> publicity]]> networking]]> website marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Company . The Geisheker Group specializes in developing strategic marketing programs for small businesses.

Why Repetition Is So Important In Marketing

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400

In this marketing article I want to discuss one of the most important aspects of successful marketing repetition. Successful companies use marketing repetition. Unsuccessful companies do not. As a marketing consultant, I speak with many businesses and there is one huge mistake that nearly all of them make in their marketing. They wrongly think it takes only one marketing piece to get a prospect to buy. They will send out one postcard or one sales letter or one email to a list of prospects and wonder why so few people (or zero people) purchased their product or service. Or, they will place one ad in a trade publication and wonder why they received few or zero sales. The reason for their lack of success is simple. It takes repetitive marketing over time (6-12 months or more) to build trust and desire. It has been proven that most people (and businesses) have to receive a minimum of 7 marketing pieces from a company before they will even consider buying. Why is this? There are several reasons: 1. They are not interested in what you are selling today. **End Summary** Topics: marketing]]> direct marketing]]> advertising]]> sales letter]]> postcard]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is a small business marketing expert and the CEO of The Geisheker Group, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in direct response marketing. For more information and to download a FREE marketing plan e-book, please visit http://www.geisheker.com.

In Marketing You Need To Focus On The Benefits

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0500

In this marketing article I discuss the most important element of marketing - turning features into powerful benefits. If you want to increase sales, you must focus on the benefits of your product or service, not the features. So what is a benefit compared to a feature? A benefit explains how a product or service will help a person. If I buy this product, how will it make my life better? Will it save me money? Will it make me feel better about myself? Will it make my life easier? Benefits are very powerful sales tools because people buy products and services for an end result. A feature explains a fact about what a product does such as a specification. For example, the new ZMX car has anti-lock brakes. That is a fact about the car - it has anti-lock brakes. The problem with only listing a feature is that a feature does not explain why it is helpful - how it benefits a person. Why would you want a car with anti-lock brakes? The answer to that question is the benefit. **End Summary** Topics: marketing]]> sales]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Peter Geisheker is the President & CEO of The Geisheker Group, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in developing strategic marketing programs for small and medium-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.geisheker.com or call 920-884-9041.