It seemed that consumers decided at the shelf that all ionizers are pretty much the same. So why should they spend 67 percent more on ours?

We had the premier ionizer on the market. Our factory employed more than 100 local people. And we sourced parts nationally. We’d enjoyed the top spot and great sales for years. But this upstart had quickly captured the market. They were running their company from a small office with a skeleton staff, doing all of their sourcing and manufacturing in China.

Our distributors were begging us to lower our prices. But the only way we could do that would be to cut corners and move our manufacturing operation to, yes, China.

We owed it to our customers, our brand, and our community to fight. But how? How could we compete without lowering our prices and, ultimately, closing our factory?

Science. We blinded them with science.

I started by discussing the problem with GG, who’d designed our ionizers. He knew everything there was to know about air filtration. And he’d recently conducted a study on all the ionizers on the market. He had measured every aspect of ion output — the concentration of ions at different distances, the range in which a person could experience the benefits, as well as how much ozone each ionizer produced. (It turns out that ozone, in high enough concentrations, is poisonous.)

We prepared a research report, backed by GG’s safety and performance data, and sent it to the head honchos at our distributors. The report explained why many of the ionizers coming onto the market did not meet their manufacturers’ claims and could even be dangerous.

We then scheduled a personal visit or conference call with each distributor. Meanwhile, I sent a series of press releases to newspapers and consumer and health-related publications. And I sent clips of the articles the press releases generated to the people we would be talking to.

This combined approach worked well. Very well. Over the next few months, our main distributor dropped our “made-in-China” competitor and promoted our ionizers in-store. Our sales returned to levels we’d not seen in years. Our other distributors ordered more of our products and discontinued our competitor’s products by selling them off and not reordering.

At face value, one company’s product claims appear the same as another company’s. It’s difficult to distinguish product A’s benefits from product B’s. And given nothing else to compare, consumers will often choose the lowest price.

Though our ionizer really was the best one on the market, simply saying that would have been a weak strategy. Our new competitor could have asseverated that theirs was better — and cheaper to boot. (”My brother is bigger than your brother. Nyah, nyah, nyah!”)

By bringing in the element of scientific proof, we changed the rules of the fight. And we won the battle.

In a squeezed economy, you might assume that lowering your price is the only way to beat the competition. It frequently isn’t. And doing so puts you in a difficult position. It compromises your ability to make or service your product and fulfill your orders.

In our case, we realized that what had to change wasn’t our price, it was our “unique selling proposition” (USP). It had to change from “the best air ionizer” to “the ionizer that cleans the air better than any other air ionizer”… with full scientific proof to back up that claim.

In his book Ready, Fire, Aim, Michael Masterson tells us that every successful USP has three characteristics:

1. The appearance of uniqueness. The feature you decide to promote in your USP does not have to be unique to your product, but it has to seem like it is.

2. Usefulness. The appearance of uniqueness is not enough. If the distinguishing feature of the product is not desirable, no one will want it. In deciding on your product’s USP, it is better to select some feature that isn’t entirely original and make it seem unique than it is to select a feature that is unique but useless.

3. Conceptual simplicity. It’s good to remember that you have to sell the USP — and nothing sells that is difficult to explain.

What about your USP?

Is it unique, useful, and simple?

Does it clearly define what sets you apart from your competition?

Can you prove it to your customers and prospects?

We did.

P.S. For more of my off-the-cuff, contrarian marketing advice, check out my Internet Rant newsletter. I teach you tips and techniques, from my own experience, that will accelerate the growth — and profits — of your business.

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“But Marketing Bothers People, Right?” - Wrong, says Internet Rant editor David Cross. As he learned from Michael Masterson, the best time to send a product offer to a new customer is right after they buy from you. And this isn’t just some random “how are you?” e-mail. You say something very specific. One of David’s clients did just this… and doubled their sales in months. Read more…

After a few moments, he lifted his head from what he’d been working on, reached across his desk, and picked up two sheets of paper between his thumb and forefinger. My memo!

“The idea itself is interesting and not devoid of merit,” he said. “But then you fail to provide me with even a mediocre marketing plan or a smidgen of meaningful data to back it up. Do not ever waste my time again in this way.”

With that, he ripped my memo in half and dropped it in the trash.

Precisely five minutes after I had entered his office, I was headed for the door.

It took me many years to appreciate the lesson I should have learned that day: Without a plan that includes a way to measure the potential of your great idea, you’ll never know if it is a rip-roaring success or an abject failure.

That came to mind just last week. I was reviewing a client’s e-mail acquisition strategies — what was working, what we would test, and how we could keep costs down and still acquire profitable names.

My client, “Elizabeth,” had made some fairly significant changes to campaigns that were underperforming. I was interested in hearing how much of a difference those changes had made.

“I don’t know,” she said.

Then we reviewed changes Elizabeth had made some weeks earlier to her pay-per-click campaigns.

What difference had those changes made?

She didn’t know.

“Let’s check, shall we?” I said.

When we looked into it, the changes she’d made actually HALVED her signup rates and increased her acquisition costs.

Elizabeth had no excuse. She’d been taught how to test changes and measure results. But she didn’t bother.

Shooting blindly in the dark and hoping to hit something is nuts! The Internet is perhaps the most measurable of all marketing channels, yet few online marketers measure what they are doing.

Measuring the success — or failure — of your marketing activities is crucial. It is the basis upon which you must build your marketing campaigns. Every single online effort should test an assumption and should be set up in a way that allows you to measure that assumption.

What should you measure?

That depends. You’ll probably want to measure several different aspects of any marketing activity. If, for example, you are bringing in new prospects, you’ll want to assess both their initial acquisition cost and their subsequent purchases. You need to know if the means you’re using to bring in those names is worth it or if you’re throwing your money away.

Let’s take the painful example I outlined above and make some assumptions. (I’m being kind, but my gut feeling is that not only did Elizabeth not measure her results, she had no clue what she should be testing in the first place.)

Elizabeth:

1. Ran a campaign to acquire e-mail addresses

2. Wanted to increase the number of signups to her e-mail newsletter

3. Wanted to keep her acquisition costs steady

4. Wanted the prospects she acquired to purchase at least at the same rate as previous prospects acquired through this same method

Elizabeth’s e-mail signup rate (baseline conversion rate) for her current campaign was about 8.5 percent. So any changes she made should have been done to improve that percentage. Instead, her signup rate decreased to less than 4.3 percent — because she kept  blindly making changes and ignoring all the data.

If her signup rate had increased, the next thing would have been to continue to tweak the changes, possibly repeating those changes across other campaigns. Meanwhile, she would be watching to make sure the subscribers acquired after the changes made purchases at the same rate as subscribers brought onboard before the changes.

At this point, you may be rolling your eyes at the hoops through which I am asking you to jump your little marketing pony. But unless you want to waste your time, money, and resources, you must define and track at least some simple baseline metrics and measure all your marketing efforts against those metrics.

P.S. It really isn’t as complex as it may sound. And I can help you get the answers to all the important questions you need to be asking as an Internet marketer. With my Internet Rant newsletter, you’ll get “tough love” as well as my brutally honest take on the marketing tactics you should — and should not — be using. Find out more here.

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The “Obvious” Marketing Strategy… That Almost Every New Business Owner Forgets – Your favorite restaurant almost certainly does it. So do McDonald’s and Starbucks. But I’ll bet your new online business is missing out. If so, you’re probably losing thousands. Read more to find out what “it” is…

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You do it by including plenty of testimonials in your marketing materials.

Testimonials overcome a prospect’s skepticism (”Who the heck are you? And why should I listen to you anyway?”) by helping them connect emotionally to other people who’ve used and liked your products. Reading those true-life stories makes prospects more receptive to what you have to say. And sell.

Testimonials are a cornerstone of direct-marketing success because they are real comments from real people. Not, as David Ogilvy said, “the puffery of an anonymous copywriter.”

Today, I’m going to show you not just how to get testimonials… but how to get really good ones.

All I Did Was Ask

Some years back, I had a client who knew he needed testimonials to punch up his marketing. But he had no idea how to go about it.

I went through his database of 4,500 customers and selected 10 people from diverse backgrounds. A businessman, a homemaker, a computer programmer, a doctor, a student, a stand-up comic, a teacher …

I then went through the list of 10, one by one — and wound up with 10 testimonials.

My client used these testimonials in advertising, leaflets, newsletters, and press releases. I even had three of those customers interviewed on local television.

How did I get them? To borrow the title of Terri Gross’s book (she’s host of the radio show “Fresh Air”) … All I Did Was Ask.

Based on What I’ve Learned Over the Years, Here Are Some Tips…

1. If you know the customer on a somewhat personal level, just call them. Say that you’d like a testimonial about your product, service, or a particular experience they had. (”I was lost in the woods with bears all around, and your plane-in-a-suitcase saved my life.”) If they seem open to it, ask if they can give you the testimonial right there on the phone. You can write it down or use a handheld recorder. When you hear a particularly good snippet, say, “That’s good. May we use it?”

2. If you’re on less familiar terms with the customer, write a short letter or e-mail first. Explain that you’d love to share their good experiences with your product with others, and ask them to e-mail their testimonial to you. If you don’t hear back in four or five days, phone them.

3. Say thank you. Even if you’ve already thanked the customer over the phone, write a thank you note. Include a copy of the testimonial. Tell them when and how you expect to use it. I’ve always included a small gift, too.

4. Before you call or e-mail a customer to ask for a testimonial, prepare some questions to help them get into it. Questions that will evoke more than a yes/no response. For example: “What’s your favorite dish on our menu?” “Could you share a little more about the day you got trapped in the snowstorm? How did our emergency beacon help the rescuers find you?” “How does the yield of our seeds compare with other brands you’ve used?”

5. It’s okay to edit the testimonials. A customer may give you a page-long story with rambling non sequiturs — but that’s not going to help your business. Cut it down to get to the point. Keep the meat and trim the fat.

6. Try to use all the testimonials you get. If you get something that’s not appropriate for the promotion you’re currently working on, use it in the future.

7. Keep a “testimonial file.” And remember that collecting testimonials is a process, not a destination. Always be on the lookout for good ones. Ask your customer service folks to do the same. (They will often receive calls and e-mails that can be turned into great testimonials.)

More Tips — From Some of My Own Marketing Mentors

From Bob Bly:

“What I look for in a testimonial — more than anything else — is SPECIFIC RESULTS. (’I made a 100% gain in my portfolio in 12 months with the Trade Triangle.’) I’m less interested in superlatives. (’Thanks to the Trade Triangle, I can trade with confidence and have shortened my learning curve.’)”

From John Forde:

“I like ‘real,’ so I try not to touch grammar mistakes or awkward writing. (Though I will do some editing if it speeds up the testimonial a bit.)”

From Michael Masterson:

“I much prefer testimonials with full names. And I don’t like testimonials that seem made up. The grittier they are the better. Testimonials that express doubts are terrific. In fact, I wish I had one for every doubt the prospect might entertain. A testimonial that states and then refutes the doubt … what could be better than that?”

Your Testimonial Action Plan

Every experienced marketer I know swears by the power of customer testimonials.

So start building your testimonial file today. And use those testimonials everywhere. Your website, direct-mail promotions, and pay-per-click campaigns. Your press releases, postcard mailings, and e-mail signatures.

Remember, all you have to do is ask.

P.S. Securing glowing testimonials for your products and services is one of the keys to growing a profitable business. They help set you apart from the competition. And they make your prospects feel like they are taking less of a risk by making the decision to buy from you. For more tips on marketing your Internet business, check out my Internet Rant newsletter. Each week, I cover a different element of online marketing, from search engines to Web design to e-mail.

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“If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, we’re about to make a hell of a lot of money!” – The multibillion-dollar “home shopping” industry got its start on cable access TV. It was a low-budget “operation” run by three guys in Central Florida. Before they had even made their first dollar, their success was a sure thing. They had the “Billionaire Mindset”…

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More wealth, health, and wisdom from Masterson…

One of the most common mistakes marketers make is to give new customers “a break” before attempting to sell them additional products. In the online info-publishing business, for example, some marketers refuse to send new subscribers any sales messages for weeks. They send editorial and service messages… but no offers.

If you leave your customers alone after their first purchase, you will reduce their lifetime value to your business. I have tested this so many times in my career that I have no doubt it’s true. But if you don’t believe me, test it yourself. Establish two tracks: one that employs a grace period and one that “pummels” new customers with exciting offers for useful products.

You will find that the total dollars you ultimately make from the “grace period” buyers will be about half to two-thirds what you’ll make from those you sell hard.

There is a good reason for this. When I’ve written about it before, I’ve called it “the buying frenzy.” The idea is that people tend to buy in spurts. The first purchase stimulates them to buy more — and it can take weeks, or even years, for the frenzy to run its course.

When you get a new customer, chances are they’re at the beginning of a buying frenzy. So give them more of what they want. Presumably, they’ve already gotten a good feeling by buying from you. And you want to take advantage of that.

Example: In my book Ready, Fire, Aim, I talked about my compulsion to buy briefcases. I have several dozen, but I’m always ready to buy more. Why? Because a fancy new case promises to complete the mental picture I have of myself as a globetrotting businessman.

Think about your own buying habits.

Let’s say you develop an interest in cooking. You start buying a bunch of books and magazines on the subject. But after a few months or years, you lose interest. You stop buying. Then one day you read an ad that rekindles the chef in you. And you start buying again.

If the company that wrote the ad that reactivated you “leaves you alone,” you will still keep on buying, right? But you will be buying from some other company.

I recently got an e-mail from a professional copywriter I know. He asked me to help him hook up with one of my clients. Last month, I spent at least an hour of my time giving him free advice.And when he asked me for more help — without having attempted to reciprocate for the help I’d already given him — I thought: “This guy just doesn’t get it. He will never be very successful until he learns the lesson I talked about in Automatic Wealth for Grads:

“In every relationship you get into — every business, social, or personal transaction — make sure the other person gets as much benefit from it as you do. When considering your own advantages and disadvantages in taking any course of action, consider as well those of everyone involved.”

No discussion of the aging process would be complete without talking about DHEA, Total Health Breakthroughs’ Melanie Segala tells me. It’s the “mother” hormone — a building block of estrogen and testosterone. And it has remarkable anti-aging properties, preventing such signs of aging as excess body fat, thinning skin, and graying hair.

Natural production of DHEA peaks in your 30s. Then it declines at the rate of about 2 percent per year. But age is not the only factor here. Stress can cause your DHEA levels to plummet.

Stress boosts your body’s output of cortisol, Melanie explains, and that interferes with the production of DHEA.

Low DHEA levels can leave you open to chronic inflammation, depression, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of cancer. It’s also a factor in weakening bones.

So it’s a good idea to have your levels checked by your doctor. (It’s done with a saliva or blood test.) If you’re low, you can take a natural DHEA supplement that can be purchased over the counter. Your doctor will advise you on the dosage.

For more information on DHEA, and other supplements you can take to turn back the clock, click here.

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“I like the approach.”

“Thanks so much for all the work you do with Early to Rise. The new format has evolved into a newsletter that is clean, and can be read in just a few minutes in the morning. I like the approach of one main article, with some of your ‘features’ sprinkled in for flavor.

“Keep up the good work!”

Susan Barrett
Los Angeles, CA

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“As of today, my account stands at approximately $123,500…” - That’s the amount novice trader K.N. made in six months, according to bestselling author Keith Cotteril. And, he says, Terry Hodgkinson racked up more than $2,700 in his first seven days alone. These are just two of the people that Cotteril says have profited from a new trading program. It’s from Agora’s U.K. partners. You can read their stories here…

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“Hi, Honey!” she chirped. “I was just seeing whether the new chicks liked strawberries.”

Assumptions, I am reminded, are the mother of all screw-ups. And some of the worst assumptions are made by website designers who make it hard for people to find what they are looking for.

The assumptions we make are all about our perceptions and how our brains interpret them. The human brain needs very little information in order to synthesize the bits and pieces in any scenario and immediately form a whole picture.

In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell calls this ability of ours “thin slicing.” Apparently, we developed it thousands of years ago. When our distant ancestors hunted and gathered and danger approached, they needed to make the decision — in a split-second — whether to fight or flee.

At heart — more correctly, “at brain” — we are still hunters on a trail. But instead of food, we are searching for information.

The prey has changed, but the way we hunt hasn’t. When you’re looking for something online, whether through search engines, within an e-mail, or on a website, you are tracking it. You forage, seek, scan, and click for clues to guide you.

You ignore anything that appears irrelevant, and move on quickly. Very quickly. In fact, usability experts like Jakob Nielsen believe most people spend only a few seconds — 10 to 15 seconds — skim-reading something that looks like it might be useful.

Understanding your customers and the assumptions they make when they’re searching online will help you create a more user-friendly (and, therefore, more successful) business. But first, you have to make sure you’re not making some incorrect assumptions.

— Highly Recommended—

ETR Reader Challenges Us to “Put Up or Shut Up” – Longtime ETR reader Peter Genot has taken our home-study courses and worked hard at building his Internet business. But he’s not satisfied. And he’s holding us to task. He says he won’t come to this year’s Bootcamp unless we can guarantee that he’ll start making some real online income. Here’s what we told him…

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Many Web designers figure that when they put a certain label on a website button, its meaning is obvious. And they assume that if a visitor to the website doesn’t understand it, that person must be stupid. But take the example of a button labeled “Programs.” Does that mean educational courses? Or downloadable software?

The problem is that most technical folk are probably not your average customer. What appears obvious to them probably isn’t obvious to the people who matter most … your customers.

This is why, when improving the “usability” of your website, you must strive for simplicity. If anything on it requires an explanation from a webmaster, Web designer, or technical whiz-kid for you to understand it, it will confuse the heck out of your website visitors.

A confused website visitor is a bad thing. He’ll believe he’s on the wrong trail. And guess what? He’ll bail. He’ll exit your website and take his money elsewhere.

Businesses spend a lot of time and money driving traffic to their websites. But once they get them there, few consider the user experience. This is akin to collecting water in a leaky bucket.

Don’t assume there are no holes in your bucket. Have someone conduct an audit of every aspect of your online business. That includes your promotional e-mails, website, shopping cart, and order confirmations.

An audit doesn’t have to cost much or take long. (One hour can reveal a lot to a trained eye.) You don’t even have to call it an audit. Call it “discovery.” The main thing is for you to be open to accepting anything you find that may need changing. This means looking through fresh eyes at your existing business. Taking a step back and trying to forget the assumptions you made about what does or does not work. Trying to see what your customers see when they use your website, read your e-mail, buy from your shopping cart, and call your 800 number.

Usability is something you can (and should) measure. Most analytics software — like Google Analytics, WebTrends, and software most Web-hosting providers install for you — provides usability statistics. This can help you determine the changes that should be made to your online business.

Let’s say your goal is to sell $10,000 worth of skateboard helmets a month, and you are currently at only $5,000 a month. You look at the reasons people are leaving your site without purchasing, and it appears that many are bailing during the checkout phase. So you modify the process to make it simpler, to make people feel more secure, or to allow them to complete the transaction in less time.

You continue to make changes to the checkout process — one at a time. And you measure the results. As long as the results are positive, you keep making changes.

This is a worthwhile exercise for any online business. If you meet resistance when you suggest it, simply say, “Why don’t we test XYZ and see what happens?” The main thing is not to be tied to a particular way of doing things. Results are what matter, not whether John’s or Jane’s approach works best.

Remember what I said earlier: Assumptions are the mother of all screw-ups. An audit challenges the assumptions you’ve made about your online business and compares them to the assumptions your customers are probably making. Ultimately, you want to understand and predict the assumptions your customers make, and do everything you can to make it easy for them to do business with you.

Here are some examples of what I mean:

By removing the top and bottom navigational menus (both of which contained multiple links) from a pay-per-click landing page, one client of mine doubled the number of sign-ups for their e-mail newsletter. Offering too many choices creates confusion. Focus on the action you want your site visitors to take and make it simple for them to take that action. 

An online company selling motorcycle jackets offered free shipping, promising delivery in five days. By giving customers the option to pay extra for expedited shipping, they significantly increased sales. The reason: Customers who wanted their jackets immediately were put off by having to wait five days. 

By changing the format of their e-mail newsletter to use predominantly text with fewer images, one business increased its monthly income from the newsletter by three-fold. Most e-mail programs and service providers do not turn on images by default. Yet website designers still create image- and graphics-heavy e-mails that conflict with the real world of e-mail delivery and display. 

Ask yourself the following questions:

What assumptions have I made about the way I’ve set up my e-mails, website, purchasing process, and telephone system that are actually quite complex, require explanation, or just plain don’t make sense?

How can I improve these things to make it easier for my customers to do business with me?

Does that animation on my home page help or hurt my goals?

How do my e-mails look in the preview pane in Outlook? (Studies suggest that’s where 65 percent of people read their e-mail.)

Do my links work in AOL? Hotmail? Yahoo? Gmail?

Any online business willing to make changes can make significant improvements in its results. Enjoy turning over the stones … and watch out for your assumptions.

P.S. I’ve just shown you that your online sales can be directly affected — in a big way — by making it as easy as possible for prospects to navigate your site, read and understand your promotional e-mails, and get through your purchasing system. Each week, I reveal practical tips like these in my newsletter the Internet Rant. Go here to find out more about my “contrarian” take on Internet marketing.

— Highly Recommended—

ETR’s 10-Pound Confidential Internet Marketing Playbook – When the Internet exploded 10 years ago, Michael Masterson was excited about its potential. But he predicted that the industry would develop very differently than the so-called experts were predicting back then. Since then he and all of ETR’s top Internet marketing experts have been writing down their observations and discoveries in a private journal we called “the Playbook.” It contained all our best secrets – everything we tested and proved – that helped us grow so fast so quickly. The playbook was meant to be for our eyes only, but now – for a limited time – you can get a peak at it. Read more…

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More from Masterson…

Get Out While You Still Can

I was golfing with my brother-in-law and Bob Irish, Investment Director for Investor’s Daily Edge, last Sunday.

The conversation turned to the markets. My brother-in-law told us he had made back all his losses from last year. He loaded up on bank stocks at their lows. And his retirement account rose higher than ever before. His portfolio was up 115 percent since March, he said.

Bob and I complimented him on his success. And then, simultaneously, we said, “Sell!”

Your retirement account is not something to gamble with, Bob cautioned. Investing in banks early this year was a winning play. But the inherent risks are growing, not shrinking.

Right now, banking seems to be an exciting market. But, as Bob says, it’s a sucker’s bet.

Going Against the Grain

The medical establishment says cutting red meat from your diet will stop heartburn and even stomach ulcers, which are the result of too much stomach acid.

That’s bunk, says Total Health Breakthroughs Editor Melanie Segala. Red meat isn’t the culprit. It’s refined grains, sugar, and separated fats. All are highly acidic in the body.

But you can regain your body’s acid “balance” quite easily.

Eliminate processed foods from your diet, she says. You should also add greens and other vegetables, as well as animal protein (organic and organically raised).

Do this, says Melanie, and you can throw out your antacid remedies.

— Highly Recommended—

“But Marketing Bothers People, Right?” - Wrong, says Internet Rant editor David Cross. The best time to send a product offer to a new customer is right after they buy from you. And as David says, this isn’t just some random “how are you?” e-mail. You say something very specific. One of David’s clients just did this… and doubled their sales in months. Find out what they said…

Call it writer’s block or just plain old brain freeze, but finding topics to write about isn’t always easy. There is one type of article, though, that can pull you out of this creative quagmire. It will keep your readers happy and help boost your search engine traffic at the same time.

I’m talking about the “how to” article.

“How do I figure out what to tell them how to do?” you may ask.

Your customers can be your best guide on this. They are probably already asking you questions like “How do I use this TIG welder?” “How can I bake a vegan birthday cake?” Or “How can I cook ribs on my new BBQ?”

Simply listen to their questions and address them in your “how to” articles.

Here’s what you do:

Step 1. Choose your subject. Perhaps “How to plant potatoes.”

Step 2. Explain how to plant potatoes, giving examples and clear instructions.

“(1) Determine the recommended planting time for your climate, normally two weeks before your last frost. (2) If planting in the early season, about a week before your planting-out date, place the seed on a bright, warm windowsill for a few days. This will bring the potatoes out of their dormancy and help them germinate in the still-chilly spring ground. (3) A raised garden bed will warm quicker than the surrounding ground. This will help your potatoes germinate quickly. You can create a raised bed by cordoning off a 3-foot or 4-foot wide area. (Make it as long as you wish.)”

Step 3. Point out some of the potential problems, concerns, or setbacks your reader could face.

“Buy good quality, preferably organic, seed potatoes from a reliable supplier. Potatoes in supermarkets are treated to prevent them from sprouting and do not produce good crops.”

Step 4. Include professional tips, “gotchas,” and time-saving techniques.

“Once the potatoes sprout and are 3-4 inches above the ground, cover them completely with soil or straw. Repeat this about three weeks later. That way, you can trick the potato into a bigger harvest. The tuber will put down more shoots and you can quadruple the yield.”

Step 5. Include photographs of your potatoes. And, if you wish, insert customer testimonials on how YOUR seed potatoes or gardening supplies and/or customer service are the best.

You may also want to include a link to a free report on a related “how to” subject. This is a great way to provide further information in exchange for a site visitor’s e-mail address. You can then send them relevant, interesting, useful, and timely information on the topic of interest … or your newsletter on gardening techniques … or whatever else it is that you do or offer.

You may already have the basis for this free report. Perhaps it is something you give out as an information sheet. Maybe it’s a photocopied document your customer service reps refer to. This type of material can make great “how to” articles too.

Many online businesses use “how to” articles to get good search engine referral traffic. For example, my friend Nathan sells aromatherapy oils. He found that most people like the fragrance of these natural oils, but have no idea what to actually do with them. So he wrote an article on “How To Use Essential Oils.” The article explains how to use them in the bath and in massage. It even mentions which ones cannot be used with children or pregnant women. And there are links to his products throughout. So when, for instance, you’re reading that essential oils can be used for a chest rub to ease congestion, there are links to eucalyptus, rosemary, and fir essential oils.

Nathan’s article is about 1,700 words — four pages if printed out. That may sound like a lot. But if you asked any aromatherapist “How do I use essential oils?” you’d receive an equally enthusiastic and comprehensive response.

“How To Use Essential Oils” shows Nathan’s site visitors that his company knows its stuff when it comes to essential oils. And that they can teach you how to benefit from their products in a friendly, “non-pushy,” helpful way. This single “how to” article accounts for about 7 percent of Nathan’s overall website traffic. And it has generated tens of thousands of dollars in sales.

You probably get many questions from your customers and prospects about your products, services, and more. Your answers to them in the form of “how to” articles — interspersed with product and service links, suggestions and recommendations — make great content for your website and e-mail newsletter.

Just follow my five-step plan for developing your “how to” articles and you will have loads of ready-made content that will bring in prospects, turn them into customers, and keep them coming back.

P.S. “How to” articles are just one way to boost your business and create content for your website or e-mail newsletter quickly and easily. Members of my Internet Rant service have received hundreds of other strategies and techniques for e-mail marketing, search engine optimization, and more. To find out more about me and the Internet Rant, go here.

More from Masterson…

Uncle Sam: Subsidizing a Junk Food Nation, Part 2

Yesterday, I told you that the U.S. government plays a direct role in the rate of obesity among poor people. Subsidies for sugar, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans ensure that junk food is cheap. So what about farmers of healthful fruits and vegetables? Don’t they get a share of government money?

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, those farmers receive no subsidies at all. Is it any wonder, then, that we have become a junk food nation? In his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan comes to the same conclusion:

“When you go to the grocery store, you find that the cheapest calories are the ones that are going to make you the fattest — the added sugars and fats in processed foods. The correlation between poverty and obesity can be traced to agricultural policies and subsidies.”

The Ideal Recession-Era Car?

When K and I were in Rajasthan in 2007, our guide told us that India would soon be producing the world’s cheapest car. He said it would be less than $2,500. I remember thinking either he didn’t know what he was talking about or the car would be a piece of junk that would never pass U.S. import standards.

I was wrong. The Tata Nano is coming off the assembly line and will soon be selling worldwide. Its base price is an astonishing $2,200. That is what a Volkswagen cost back in the early 1960s. It’s amazing.

How can these cars not become a global phenomenon? Especially now that nearly everybody is getting poorer because of the Great Recession.

Andrew Gordon, value investing expert with Investor’s Daily Edge, recommended Tata to his readers in 2007. And he’s still very positive about the company:

“Only in India do you have the combination of experienced, low-cost engineers and low-wage labor,” says Andrew. “The Nano doesn’t give Tata the biggest profit margins in the world, but with no competition in its price range, sales should take off.”

If I were a gambling man, I’d invest in Tata. 

You can create your own information products – e-books, special reports, teleseminars, and more – and sell them to your e-newsletter subscribers. This is the easiest and most cost-effective type of product to sell, because you can deliver it digitally.

You can also sell practically anything else that might appeal to your subscribers. If you are a yoga expert, you can sell yoga equipment. If you’re a gourmet chef, you can sell homemade biscotti. If you’re a prize-winning gardener, you can sell seeds from your blue-ribbon tomatoes.

If you don’t want to produce or ship these products yourself, there are two ways to make money online without having to tie yourself up with inventory. You can find a supplier who offers drop-shipping. (You take the order and payment, and they send the product directly to the customer.) Or you can become an affiliate to a company in your niche that sells products your subscribers would be interested in.

So look at your newsletter and niche. What products would appeal to that market? Brainstorm some ideas, test them, and then roll out with the winners. That’s the quickest way to e-newsletter profits.

[Ed. Note: David Cross - Senior Internet Consultant to Agora Inc. - and a handful of other Internet marketing experts have just revealed a powerful "blueprint" that's responsible for generating $275 million a year in Internet revenues. Right now, you can not only get your hands on this blueprint to creating lasting wealth... you can get expert, step-by-step instruction in how to make it work for YOU. Learn more here. WARNING - this offer ends forever tonight at 5:00 pm Eastern. So make sure you snap up your copy of this incredible wealth blueprint - and possibly get your hands on a $2,000 bonus - right now.]

And starting one is much easier than you might think. You really need only three things (and the ability to be a good writer is not one of them):

1. Something to Write About

The Internet is full of thousands of people who are interested in the same things you are. So when you’re looking for a topic for your e-newsletter, think about your own interests, your own hobbies, and your own areas of expertise. This has two benefits. First, you’ll be able to write about your topic with endless enthusiasm. Second, you’ll be able to write articles that are useful, informative, and based on your own real-life experience.

2. An Audience

There are 1.6 billion Internet users out there, according to Internetworldstats.com. Among them is your audience. The best way to find these folks is through search engine marketing.

First, set up a small “landing page” that explains the benefits of reading your newsletter. Include a sign-up form that allows you to “capture” names and e-mail addresses.

Next, set up a pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign with some of the major search engines. When people search for the keywords you’ve purchased, they’ll have a chance to see your ad. Once they click on your ad, they’ll be routed to the landing page you set up earlier.

You can also include a small ad for your e-newsletter on the back of your business card, on your voicemail message, and at the bottom of your e-mails. And tell other enthusiasts about your e-newsletter and ask them to share it with their friends.

3. A Way to Get the Message Out

To send out your e-newsletter, use an e-mail service provider like Get Response, AWeber, or 1Shoppingcart. That should set you back less than $30 a month. Your service provider will allow you to add subscribers automatically, create newsletters with pre-designed templates, and determine which subscribers open your e-mails and click on your links (so you can track those who are most responsive to your offers).

Once you’re up and running, you’re ready to start using your e-newsletter to generate income. I’ll tell you how to do that in my next article…

[Ed. Note: David Cross - Senior Internet Consultant to Agora Inc. - and a handful of other Internet marketing experts have just revealed a powerful "blueprint" that's responsible for generating $275 million a year in Internet revenues. Right now, you can not only get your hands on this blueprint to creating lasting wealth... you can get expert, step-by-step instruction in how to make it work for YOU. Act before 5:00 p.m. TOMORROW, and you could get a whopping 80% discount on this incredible guide to Internet riches. Learn more here.]

I find that on about half of the websites I visit, the “larger” image is the same size as the thumbnail. This makes it impossible to tell what the product really looks like.

If you have a website where you feature product images, listen up! On the preview image, make sure the “small to large” function works correctly – and make sure that you do, in fact, provide a larger image.

A good thumbnail size is around 100-150 pixels, and a good higher resolution size is 400-600 pixels.

[Ed. Note: What are your biggest website usability pet peeves? Let us know right here.]

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“I did?!”

I’ve seen this happen many times. The problem stems from discussions along the way – when you casually say, “It would be nice to have… ” or wonder aloud, “Would it be possible to… ?”

In one case, when the developer presented his design for a shopping cart on the company website, the CEO looked at it, nodded, and remarked, “Wouldn’t it be good if we could somehow add money-off coupons so we could tie in our printed advertising with the website?” Everyone at the meeting agreed that, vague as the idea was, it would, indeed, “be good.”

They forgot about it, but the developer didn’t. And they were surprised when he came back with a new design – and a bill for the $7,500 it took to implement the coupon feature.

When you are in brainstorming or “blue-sky-creative-anything-goes” mode, many developers will interpret the “Can we do this?” ideas that are thrown out as “I require you to do this.” I’ve seen it increase project costs by tens of thousands of dollars.

To prevent what project managers refer to as “scope creep” (because it stretches out the scope of the project), tell the developer at the outset that any changes to the original contract must be documented in writing and okayed by everyone involved. That includes associated costs, as well as any effect the additional work will have on the project’s timeframe.

Putting every requested change in black and white, clearly stating cost and time implications, helps everyone stick to their budgets and deadlines… and prevents future shock.

[Ed. Note: Did you ever cost your company - or yourself - money because you didn't get the details of a job in writing? Let us know right here.]

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Onward I pressed, and finally I was out of the woods. Ten miles of clear, open road lay ahead, and soon I was almost at my destination. Just a half-mile to go and… “ROAD CLOSED: HIGH WATER.” I had to double-back and make a 25-mile detour.

How many times has the lane you’ve been driving in come to a screeching halt when a sign suddenly appears that says “Right Lane Must Turn Right.” Why don’t these signs appear early enough for drivers to take action proactively, rather than having to slam on their brakes at the last minute?

This same basic problem exists on many websites, and it could be hurting your online sales. Fortunately, there’s something you can – and should – do about it.

Why This Problem Hurts Your Internet Sales

I’m sure this has happened to you…

You enter your credit card number to place your order. Then – AFTER you’ve entered your number – you get an error page that tells you “Credit Card Number must be entered in format xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx-xxxx.” Or that your phone number should be in a certain format. Or that your password needs a minimum of eight characters including numbers and must start with an uppercase letter.

All you want to do is spend money. But this website is preventing you from doing so.

If your website or shopping cart requires customers to enter information – such as an e-mail address, phone number, credit card number, etc. – a certain way, here are 8 steps you need to follow.

1. Try to limit the restrictions you place on people. They are customers, not computer programmers! It’s better to accept what the customer enters and leave the reformatting to your programmers.

2. Remember that it will be hard for some people (customers with dyslexia, for example), to enter data into your website. Make it simple for everyone to place their orders by listing your phone number on the website so they can just call you.

3. Place the request for information “in a certain format” at the point where people enter that data – underneath the field asking for the phone number, for example.

4. If you don’t wish to “clutter” your website with such instructions, have your programmer create a JavaScript or similar code that allows customers to input the data, but then warns them immediately that a certain format is required. This is less than ideal, but a good compromise.

5. It’s often possible to program your site to allow customers to enter their data any way they wish – and then have the program automatically remove dashes, dots, or superfluous characters and reformat the data into the required format.

6. If a customer is selecting a username, make it easy for them to determine whether that username has already been taken. Yahoo, MSN, and Gmail do a good job of this. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to submit a form three or four times while trying to come up with an available username.

7. If you don’t allow orders from certain countries, state that upfront on your website. Better still, use a software package that can identify the country a visitor is accessing your website from, and can lead them to a special page informing them that you do not currently service their location. (Such programs are made by MaxMind and IP2Location.)

I’ve personally experienced the frustration of browsing a site and shopping for half an hour, only to find out that the company didn’t deliver to the country I was in at the time.

8. When developing your website, allow plenty of time for testing with real customers. (Software developers and your staff do not constitute real customers.) The only way you’ll know, for example, how most of your customers will prefer to enter their credit card numbers – with dashes between digits, with slashes, or with no spacing at all – is to run tests. Invite a select few of your customers to test such things for you. As a gift for their help, do what my friends who run an aromatherapy business did: Give them the products they order during the test for free.

The most important function of your website is to allow your customers to place their orders and receive the products or services they’re interested in. So make it as easy and hassle-free as possible.

You know how frustrating it is when you have to make a U-turn or take a detour when you could have been given fair warning beforehand. Don’t make your customers jump through unnecessary hoops to complete their purchases.

[Ed. Note: Making your website appealing and easy to use doesn't have to be hard. You can get expert advice, as well as useful suggestions for how to start an e-newsletter, write sales copy, create products, and more as a member of ETR's Internet Money Club. Get all the details on a step-by-step guide to creating your own Internet business right here.]

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