You’ve all heard of networking right? Most small business women owners don’t ever use it to its full potential. One of the most common reasons is that it’s just one more thing you have to do in your busy day so it goes into the too hard basket, right!

I know I used to do this. With traditional networking, you stand in a room full of complete strangers pretending to have a good time. You go to events, either listen to a speaker, hand out business cards, grab a coffee, or wine (depending on the time of the day!!) and walk around and introduce yourself, all in the hope that you will connect with the right people.

Yes, networking can be a nightmare. It can also be a great thing if you get the right environment for you. Networking is all about building relationships and now-a-days I use both online and offline networking, but I get the greatest benefit from online social networking as I can connect with more people in less time. So what is it and how can it benefit you?

(more…)

I often hear women in business talk about how they need to get more visitors to their business, but they miss one other aspect that is just as, or even more important - conversion.

Business women often miss out conversion, so you are not alone. Before we start telling you how to drive more visitors to your business, you need to make sure you are set up to convert them.

So why is this so important?

At the moment your business is like a leaking bucket; you are losing water i.e. money

You spend time and money driving visitors to your business only to find that you make no more money because you lose sales through the holes in your business.

Why, because you don’t know how to effectively convert your website browsers, visitors to your business or your newsletter readers into potential customers.

If your conversion is poor - and most people’s is - then it doesn’t matter whether you have 10 or 10,000 visitors, the results will still be the same - a lack of buyers. What most people do instead of improving their conversion is work harder to drive more visitors. But all they are doing is wasting time and money, and quickly going broke as they search for the next solution to attract visitors.

Most business women think they have a good conversion rate, and if asked will say something around 50 per cent and upwards. However, in reality, when business owners actually take steps to measure their conversation rate, they find it’s more likely 1-3 per cent.

So why is your conversion so low?

There are several reasons for conversion being so low, including:

• You are not targeting the right people with your marketing in the first place
• Uninspiring website
• Lack of trust and no relationship with your audience

Have you ever looked at your website stats and wondered why you had 200 unique visitors (excluding spam) to your website today, but only had three opt in to your newsletter?

Just think, what you could achieve if you improve your conversion. Instead of getting three opt in for every 200 visitors, you get 20 opt in for every 200. That means there are 17 more people to sell your products to, equalling more money. And all you have done is make a few small changes to your website.

So the thing is, if you improve your conversion you get more money coming in without spending any more. In the above example if we double our conversion, then we can potentially double your sales. It’s perfect.

The first thing we need to do is repair some of these holes in your business.

So just think how much more money you could make if you improve your conversion by five, 10 or even 20 per cent! Here are few strategies that you can implement into your business:

· Build a Database/List

The first thing you need to do, if you don’t already, is start building a database, or list as it is also called. A database or list is one of the most valuable assets a business can have. It is also one of the most cost effective marketing tools you can use, as it allows you to promote to your database time and time again without incurring the cost of having to constantly advertise to find new potential customers.

· Have a clear Call to Action

You need to have a clear call to action that tells people to CALL and BUY from you and, if possible, within a certain time frame. For example - Call us today on 5555 5555

· Converting more visitors by changing one thing on your newsletter

There is one aspect of a newsletter that you can change that could double your sales - the Subject Line. Most people have something really lame and uninspiring in their subject line, like “December’s Newsletter” or “This Month’s Special Offer”.

Instead you need to have a subject line that gets people involved in the conversation and makes them take action, like Do you want the Good News or the Bad News? Or Top 5 secrets…

· Getting more sign ups from your Website/Blog

Most people do not purchase first time what you need to do is capture their details so you can promote to them later. You can do this by using a capture device. A capture device is something that draws potential customers to your business, whether by phone, mail, store or website. The idea is to give them something for FREE, this could be a top tips or how to e-book, special report, video, audio, CD, newsletter etc so you can obtain their contact details. Once you have these details you can add them to your database and promote to them.

If you have a website, you get less than 10 seconds to entice them to take action and sign up to your capture device. So ensure that your capture device is enticing

There are so many of you who still don’t use a capture device in your business, and especially not on your website. I know I have looked. You are losing so much money by not having one.

Make sure that you test and measure your current performance and then monitor performance as you make changes.

Conversion is critical; probably more so than getting more visitors, because if you cannot convert them you are wasting time and money and will quickly go broke.

These are just a few of the strategies you can be using within your business that don’t cost a fortune, but can create big results. The full step by step report on how to implement these strategies is available from the VIP Club at Business Women Unite. Whilst visiting Business Women Unite why not get your free membership and start promoting your business to thousands of potential customers today!

Alison Basson

Business Women Unite