Source: Parker Lim through Facebook

The best companies always try and breed a culture of positive customer service, hire the best people and allow them a certain amount of freedom to undertake acts such as this example from Sainsburys. Most people would be amazed at how many big, typically corporate, companies send out gifts, birthday cards and little tokens of customer appreciation in situations both good and bad!

When Facebook opened up their app ecosystem they left a small loophole which thousands of marketers around the globe are now exploiting to build an email marketing list.

You see whenever people agree to “Allow” an app on their profile, in most cases the app owner also gets access to their email address which can be used for marketing purposes. Spotting this opportunity some keen marketers created an app with the sole purpose of ethically building an email marketing list with the data pulled from Facebook.

This might be a fine idea for bigger companies the simple fact remains that it’s not a viable option for most small businesses and entrepreneurs. And that’s what spawned the birth of Viral Subscriber. It’s a simple WordPress Plugin that builds your list using Facebook apps to control the whole process. This means you get; verified email addresses, peoples real names and very high open rates! So where does the viral part come in?

Well when once of your web visitors opt in with your button they also confirm that Viral Subscriber can post to their Facebook account. This automatically posts any message you want them to share to their wall so you can grow your email marketing list virally through your subscribers Facebook friends. And of course as it’s a real people recommending your list on Facebook so  the chances of converting their friends are a ton higher than if you were to place a simple Ad on their Facebook.

So if you don’t have a budget in the thousands for email marketing alone then this might just be what you’ve been looking for. Viral Subscriber is the smartest new way to grow your list via Facebook with over 4000 people are already using “Facebook connect” technology to build their list. You can try out one of the buttons below and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you find on the other side…

Google+ is all about adding a social layer to the ways you are already interacting with Google and this will continue to grow. The ultimate success of Google+ as a social network will rely heavily on it’s continued integration with Google at the highest level. With 40 million members already on board and more people than ever signing up for Google accounts through Android the rise will continue and Google+ will remain a viable communications, ranking and marketing platform for the foreseeable future.

So long as you are prepared to pay attention to the details, it really can be that simple. Here are 12 traffic conversion secrets that even a newcomer to Internet marketing can do:

1. Refine your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). What makes your product different, special, better or more desirable? That’s the USP. Now get the answer to that question down to one or two concise sentences.
2. When writing for sales you need to sound friendly, not slick. Sales copyhasto sound like you are simply excited to tell one of your friends about a great buy that you’ve come across. The last thing that you want to do is sound like a high-pressure infomercial.
3. Engage your viewers by asking for assistance. When you give viewers a reason to interact with you such as their opinion on a survey or requesting a product rating; you will not only get useful information but you will keep your prospects thinking about your product longer.
4. Don’t overwhelm your viewers. If you there are three different products that you are trying to sell then take the time to create three websites. When you make the mistake of offering too much at once you can confuse your readers into buying nothing at all. The exception to this rule are major retailers, but they already have a brand and a following.
5. White space is your friend. If you leave wide on your sales page it makes it easier to read. Your potential clients will be able to focus on your your copy wuthout distraction and in turn, you will increase your conversions.
6. Get people excited about your offering. When your product has a great rating or multiple endorsements from satisfied customers, share it with the world and let them brag about the product for you.
7. Leave plenty of hooks. When you are designing your sales letter or squeeze page make sure, the more hooks that you leave, the more chance you have of converting. It’s better to have too many offers than to leave money on the table when you lose a potential buyer who was just one step away from taking action.
8. Find problems. Even after your sales page is complete, keep thinking about other problems that your product can solve. You might get a hint of new ways to promote your product by asking buyers how they use the product.
9. Direct your viewers attention. In addition to white space there will be times when you want to use moderate highlighting. This will bring focus to the most important parts of your copy. Be warned: Too many highlights or excessive colors frustrate online readers.
10. People love value, so give it to them. After presenting your USP, you can always sweeten the offer by adding more free information, more tools or more services to create a package deal. To increase the effctiveness of this method set a time limit on your offers to create a sense of urgency for the buyer to act.
11. Ask for the sale. If you are offering your customers value as we’ve already discussed then you shouldn’t feel guilty about asking for the sale. Even somebody who is highly interested in your product may need to be asked up to three times to become a buyer. You can’t ask too many times.
12. And last but not least, always say “Thank you.” Have a gracious, personal sounding, “Thank you” email with the order confirmation you send out. It doesn’t cost a penny to have good manners and show your buyer appreciation!