Entrebloggers Should Focus on Sales, Not Clicks

The conventional and traditional way to earn money is by having a job. An employed person usually work for a company or they can start their own, and the work they do earn them money, which they spend on things like a mortgage, rent, food, clothing, utilities and entertainment.

However, there are a few lucky souls who have found ways to make money within the comfort of their own home. With the Internet, an ever-changing arena for businesses, some people looking to earn money are finding ways to do so.

Some forms are best for part-time workers or those who are looking to make a little extra money on the side, while others can lead to full-time jobs and Internet success stories. Why? It is because the Internet is a hot ticket. Entrepreneurs everywhere want to exploit it to drive sales and grow their businesses.

Used properly, it can be an important part of your marketing mix. Used improperly, it can be a black hole – one in which somebody can dump tens of thousands of dollars without results. To maximize the return on your Internet-marketing dollars, the following four tips could be useful:

1. Real-world basics still matter, so get them right. To get the basics right, it is suggested that these three questions should be answered:
   
   • Why would a prospective customer buy my product or service rather than the offerings of a competitor?
   • Is there a segment of the market that would value the things that differentiate my product or service and is it large enough to support my business?
   • What is the most cost-effective way to reach this segment with the message that my product or service is different?
   An internet entrepreneur should only launch an Internet-marketing campaign if it is the most cost effective way to reach the specific target segment with their message.
2. Choose the right social media. Not all social media is equal. For example, Pinterest, which is image based, may be great for a jewelry designer to showcase his works. It would probably be less useful for a criminal-defense attorney.
   
   In fact, depending on the target market segment, social media may not be appropriate at all. Launching a Twitter campaign to reach septuagenarians may not be the best use of marketing funds.
   
   Choose the right platform for reaching the specific market segment. Spend some time on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn. Do the research before choosing where to spend valuable time and effort.

3. Offer content. Going out on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn with a message that says, “Buy our product” will be ineffective at best. There are far more useful tools to offer something of value to prospective customers. A posts can feature a link to an article, an assessment, a blog post or a video. Bloggers can also use other people’s materials with permission and proper attribution. However, if a blogger author the material, it positions that they are an expert.
   
   Once the blogger have provided something of value and positioned themselves as an expert, they are much more likely to build the trust necessary to sell something. They can feature their products or services with a banner ad on their sites or by inviting the prospect to click through to the ecommerce portion of their website.
4. Focus on sales, not clicks. One huge problem with many Internet marketers is misalignment of objectives. They want to sell their product or service. They measure success in clicks, friends, followers or some other metric that does not equate to sales. A simple advice: If the goals are not aligned with the marketing service of a company they have contracted, run fast.
   
   Interim goals are fine. Gaining a certain number of followers or obtaining a target click through rate can be wonderful short-term objectives. However, the final objective of Internet marketing is sales, full stop. Nobody should lose sight of this.

The Internet in general and social media specifically can be wonderful tools for generating sales. But, like all tools, they have to be used properly to produce the desired results. The four tips above could help choose the right path.