Woof Woofing out loud!

On Friday I took the pages I am privileged to have od Remote Hynosis on my morning walk with me. I completely interacted with it, drew my PictoGrigms (several) walked two miles in between contemplating, reading and writing. It was so intoxicating (or I should say hynotic?), I forgot it was Bakersfield in the summer in August until I realized how far my journey had taken me and had to walk home!

Speaking of bringing people back to our websites, I brainstormed these on Thursday....finally put onto the keyboard a lot of the methods I have been using....

Wouldn't it be invigorating to have website visitors returning
repeatedly to your website, time after time, creating a fantastic
buzz about what you have created (and as an overflow, what you
are marketing?)

I use a program on my site that alerts me when people
are visiting certain pages within my site. I tell my friends,
"Hey, there is a party happening on "Discovering.html".
Watch out for the guy carrying the drinks to your left!" I can
recognize some of my repeat (and repeat and repeat again)
visitors.

Remembering a Billy Joel concert: 5 encores that night.
The audience screamed, stomped their feet, lit their lighters, just
went wild until Billy came back 2, 3, 4 and then finally for the 5th
encore. I would love to be able to hear my visitors screaming
"Encore, Bravo!" but for now I rely on web statistics to see when
they return again and again and again.

1. High quality content that changes regularly. This is critical: if
your site is simply an unchanging sales page, who wants to
come back to read ad copy? If you have quality "goods" as well as ad
copy, you will create additional opportunities for people to actually
READ your copy.

2. Serialize your content. While you are at it, make some of it
"Web Only". Post a long article in several parts over a
period of time on your site. Which is a perfect segue into:

3. Create your own ezine. Make it easy for people to subscribe.
This may seem like a no-brainer, yet people get stuck in
thinking they don't have the ability to write an ezine. Good news!
There are many resources available where you can "mine" for Free
Content from authors who would LOVE to publish in your ezine in
exchange for a resource box. It gives them a chance to attract YOUR
subscribers to THEIR websites. Here are some of my favorite
sources for listing my own articles as well as finding articles to
use in my own ezines:

Websites:
http://www.ideamarketers.com
http://www.ezinearticles.com

Email lists for Submitting/Receiving Content (The links are
clickable, so you may subscribe now)

mailto:[email protected] (Business Articles Only, please)
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]

4. Host a forum on your site where people can ask questions,
ponder, share ideas and learn a TON of stuff from each other!
People have to return to see responses PLUS they are very easy
to get addicted to (speaking from experience). As the Moderator,
you can be the host with the most, becoming even more of a "real
person" which again attracts repeat visitors. Participating
in other forums is a great way to bring people back to your site.
People learn to both know your name plus they be a part of
the excitement you are creating on your site.
Again, there are many free resources where setting up your
forums is VERY easy! Here are two that I have both used as a
webmaster as well as a surfer:

http://www.delphi.com
http://www.everyone.net

5. Monthly or weekly specials that can only be found on your site.
You may offer a "Freebie of the month" or a "Discount of the
month". The only limit is what you can create in your imagination.

6. Invite live personal interaction with your visitors using
"Humanclick". People can chat with you live without adding
any software to their computer. People can visit
with you and get to know you one on one.
Human click is simple to install. If you have any questions
naturally have live people on their site ready to help you.
You can get human click here:
http://www.humanclick.com/
Not as interactive yet allows visitors to
hear your voice is PageTalk. You can record a message via
telephone and visitors can visit your site to hear your musings.
I have some people complain to me if I do not change mine daily!
It works, but there is a nice page talk ad at the end.
Here is where to sign up for Pagetalk:
http://www.pagetalk.com

7. Finally and most importantly, express yourself as your true
self on your website. This is your corner of the Internet. Shine
as you really are because by doing so, you will naturally attract
people who will want to do business with YOU. Not the you who
you think you should portray yourself to be, but the YOU who
you truly are. Experiment with your website, laugh at yourself,
enjoy yourself. Webmastering has been one of the most creatively
exciting adventures I have ever undertaken. Make your adventure
one that invites people back to the party over and over and over!

Now, may I get a drink for anyone? I am sipping an icey cold draft beverage myself.....ahhhh, nothing like a cold beer on a summer day!

With Purpose and Passion,

JULIE




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