The 5 Pillar Marketing Guide

Powerful Practical PREselling came about as a result of us looking closely at what our best affiliates did to earn their 4-5 figure commissions per month and get conversion rates of 3% to 7% regularly (and as high as 16%!).

While we were analyzing these strategies, we also noticed some techniques that skipped over the concept of PREselling and as a result were not as effective as they could be. Surprisingly, many of these "mistakes" were done by some of the top Internet marketers on the Net. Folks with great reputations and strong traffic.

Avoid The "10 Biggest PREselling Mistakes"

1) Sending Directly To SiteSell Without PREselling

Image ads are great for creating awareness and interest. But that's not enough to get high conversions. You MUST warm-up your visitor first! Even a direct text-link without creating credibility for SiteSell first won't convert very well.

Unfortunately this is a mistake even long-time, experienced online marketers make. And it affects their conversion rates.

The affiliates with high conversions use image ads as a way to create interest. But they link them to their "About SBI!" page so they can create credibility for SiteSell BEFORE they link over to us. So simple yet so smart.

2) Too Much Selling

If you are passionate about SBI! it's easy to go overboard in your praise. But to someone who knows nothing about SBI! you may come across as sounding "pushy." This could jeopardize your credibility for all your monetization.

Have you ever noticed how a great salesperson doesn't make you feel like you're being "sold." They have the ability to make you feel that they just care about you. It's a subtle and powerful skill.

So... to sell more "don't sell."

3) Trying To Do Too Much With Your "About Me" Page

The Most Wanted Response of your About Me page is to create credibility for you. Use it to create a bond with your visitors and to get them to trust and like you. If you can do that all of your monetization will work better.

Don't worry too much about introducing SBI! unless you feel your audience is really ready. Offer a link at the bottom of your page to your "About SBI!" page for folks who might be inclined towards starting their own online business. Then you'll know you have a more interested reader.

4) Too Much Jargon

Talk in a language that makes your audience feel comfortable. Have empathy for their level of understanding of what you have to say. It all goes back to knowing your visitor and making them feel as if you care about them. Talking over their heads can be a real turn-off.

5) Not Presenting Your Content In "Skimming" Format

Reading text on a computer monitor is not easy. Most people will skim to make sure there's "something in it for them" before they actually dig in and read. Use lots of short paragraphs, subheadings, bulleted lists, and boldened text (just for the really key points) to keep your reader's attention.

6) Too Many Links Out At The Beginning Of Your Article

One of the most important keys to PREselling is leading your visitors down the PREselling Cycle as far as you can yourself. If you send your visitor over to SiteSell before they are "warmed-up" they may get confused and skeptical. Maintain your status as the "independent 3rd party" as long as you can.

In the long run it will add to YOUR credibility too. Why? Because they'll feel that you're not just trying to sell them something. Your heartfelt PREselling will convince them that you care and that you and SiteSell are for real.

7) Not Really Caring About Your Visitors

Steve Pavlina said it best...

"You have to really care about your visitors, not just mimic the actions that a caring person would take. My readers come first. That's really the mind set that makes preselling work. It's not just what you sell that generates income. It's what you decline to sell."

8) Not Knowing Your Audience

If your site is about "indoor gardening" your visitors come to your site to learn about that subject. Leading them to an interest in an online marketing business MUST be done very gently. Always try to put yourself into their mindset before you offer them anything.

Try to imagine the "conversation going on in the heads." And then solve their problem. Birgit's "About Me" page is a great example for understanding this...

http://5pmarketing.sitesell.com/ppp-about-me.html

9) Talking About Yourself Too Much

Your background and resume are helpful in creating credibility for yourself. But there's a thin line between getting your audience to identify with you and "bragging." They don't want to know how cool you are. They want to know how cool you're going to make THEM.

10) Mixing Image Ads With PREselling Content

Do not pick images that looks "adsy" to use on your About SBI! page (or any other PPP (Powerful Practical PREselling) page, for that matter). They'll hurt conversions. Pick the most subtle, non-adsy ones to enhance the presentation of your material, to complement your content, to help people identify with the subject (ex., if your pages are aimed at moms, use a WAHM image).

In other words, use images that don't look like advertisements - like these new "context image ads" for PREselling SBI! eLearning.

When mixing these new images with your content, be conservative - use one per page. Or if it's a long page, place one towards the top and one at the bottom.

You'll want your visitors to "click through" on an image or a text link because you've recommended they do so as part of your PREselling strategy. That's why, in a nutshell, you don't choose images that look "adsy" on a PPP page.

If visitors think that an ad means that we are buying advertising space for that review, you lose the credibility of your true story. A sad irony, but true.

So remember... ads belong on sites that are about Internet marketing, on pages that have nothing to do with SBI! (ex., an article about affiliate marketing but not specifically about SBI!). They don't belong on PPP pages or on any type of SBI! review pages. More "neutral" images belong there.

Ads make visitors feel that they are being "sold." You, on the other hand, want to PREsell (write a review, tell your inspirational story, etc.) -- that is the opposite of being "sold." It is PREselling.

More on this in these two forums posts...

When To Use (And NOT Use) Image Ads/Banners

Shades of Gray

Use the "10 Biggest PREselling Mistakes" and take a fresh look at your PREselling. Sometimes it's not easy to change those old habits. However, making the effort and taking the time will be well worth it. Spend the time to execute this well. All the info and tools you need are at...

Return To Powerful Practical PREselling

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