How do you increase the number of conversions, and turn more subscribers, tire-kickers and freebie seekers into buyers?

The tire kickers will definitely need those “7-12 visits” that offline retail shoppers traditionally indulge in before they finally make a purchase.  In spite of our cute analogy of a back-alley shop, you don’t have a physical store – and chances are, they won’t “pass by” your website again or remember where they found it, unless you give them some strong incentive and a reminder.

You need to create “windows” where you are highly visible – think of it as leaning over the sill, calling “hello” to them as they walk by in such an appealing way, they just have to stop and chat.

Your social media presence, blog posts, autoresponder emails, newsletter and forum presence provide the online equivalent of doing this.

The more places they see you, the better.  Let’s consider the advantages of various “windows”.

Social Media: You Tweet a good balance of lightly personal and helpfully business Tweets on Twitter. You don’t Tweet twelve at once and “hog” peoples’ screens – but you DO stay in touch at least once or twice a day.

You create a Facebook page (MySpace, if your thing is Graphic Design – that’s where a lot of the designers hang out).  You follow people. As with all your social media, you try to be friendly without being annoying, and helpful – with valuable tips and links.

Blog Posts:  We’ve already discussed the importance of leaving helpful or relevant comments on blogs your readers would read

One other tip:  Tweet your fellow bloggers’ posts.

Article Marketing:  We’ve already discussed this too – but the social component to it, rather than the content component, lies in making sure you interact through your article marketing.  Use Web 2.0 sites and comment on other peoples’ articles.  Vote for them, favorite them – stay active!

Autoresponder Emails:  We’ve already touched on the purpose of autoresponder email series’, above: Your sole purpose with these emails is to stay connected and build the relationship you started – just as you would, if you were emailing someone fun you had met at a social event, class or party. You want to “stay in touch”.

It’s such an important subject, however, we’re going to go into it in a little more depth.  The next page has a handy “checklist” you can use, to keep working your emailings to your advantage?

Think of them as simple protocols and standards…

Affiliate Traffic :-

Now here is the real heartbeat that drives and circulates your traffic.  Affiliate traffic is your most powerful tool, so make sure you have an affiliate program set up – even if you have to start out with Clickbank. (They provide full affiliate management for you.)

If you’re new enough to be wondering how to run an affiliate program for your own products, your other options are:

Use an affiliate management script

Hire a VA who specializes in handling affiliate programs

Take an online course in managing your own affiliate program

Scripts: If you’re familiar with website scripts, you might want to try this option – but check with your web host’s rules, first.  If you have the slightest doubt about managing a script – don’t do it. Improperly installed, they can crash not just your site, but your entire server.  Your web hosting company won’t thank you for the down time!

Hire a VA who specializes in affiliate management: This is an excellent option – if you can afford it! Just try out your VA on a small project or two first (like cloaking hoplinks for you, or creating a list Spreadsheet).  You’ll know quickly enough, if she’s not what she promised!

Take an online course in managing your own affiliate program:  This is another excellent option, and there are a few real gems of courses – at a relatively inexpensive price – available.

But whichever option you choose – script, VA managed, Yourself or Clickbank – you’ll want to have an “Affiliate Center” ready. This is just a section of your website, where you provide targeted resources, specifically created to help affiliates promote you. (More on that, shortly…)