Carol Bentley

In my 3 September post I wrote about the new ‘Net Effect’ Stompernet magazine, which started with a sample issue and DVDs for postage only.

Did you take a look? If not… you can ignore this post; otherwise you might find it interesting…

Stompernet had problems with getting the initial offer product shipped and, although no-one has contacted me directly to complain, I want to be sure that you received your free Issue 1 and DVDs if you took up the offer.

If you didn’t get what you expected, please drop me an email to carol@carolbentley-dot-com and I’ll take it up with them for you.

In the meantime you can read more about what they’ve done to put it right and what other people think about the situation at
http://www.clicknewz.com/1756/inside-the-stompernet-war-room/ where Lynn Terry describes her high-voltage meeting with the Stompernet guys.

Of course - if you did order - you may be one of the luckier souls who got their goodies in good time.

I sure hope so, because it is worth reading.

On a lighter note… I’m in London today - relaxing in the company of a well-known UK copywriter and marketing expert, Drayton Bird. Of course there will be a lot of other folks enjyoing his presentation too.

It will be interesting to see what he pulls out of the recesses of my mind for dusting off and sharing with you.

Have a good weekend, catch up soon.

~ Carol Bentley

I think Kenny B describes my new book rather well, so here it is in his words. . .

Hey Guys and Gals

It’s Kenny B here with some fantastic news… our copywriting friend Carol Bentley has just distilled a year of her blog posts into a new book and tell you what…it’s awesome.

All that precious info in one handy volume… got a copywriting/marketing problem, need a solution to help your business beat the recession…

Then pick up a copy right away… it’s a steal.

£19 to recession proof your business… no more hours of hunting the web for answers or weeks searching all the possible keyword combinations on Google to find (if you’re lucky) a tenth of what you need.

Save yourself the hassle, Carol has already done all the hard work for you… and bless she’s laid it out on a plate in her new book, the best part is - all for less than the cost of a good dinner.

Go figure my friends… the world economy is seriously in the stink can and us entrepreneurs need every scrap of help we can get if we want to avoid doing a “Lehman” with our businesses.

Buy it, try it, use it and if it ain’t no good Carol will refund all your dinner money… guaranteed no questions asked.

My bet is you’re more likely to be queuing up for her next volume…

For such a small price…get into this piece of action right now, order your copy before you make another move.

And if it works for you just a half of how good it did for me… remember it was your old mate Kenny B told you where to get your copy…

pass the word forward.

Thanks Kenny - couldn’t have put it better myself! If you’d like to contact me I’d be happy to pop a link from this post to your website.

BTW - when you purchase the book you get a full 100% money-back, 365-day guarantee to give you plenty of time to read, thoroughly absorb the tactics, take action AND enjoy the results. Of course it won’t take anywhere near that long for your results to start showing.

So there’s no pressure, other than making sure you beat that recession with the help of these marketing gems!

Pop over to get your copy of Beat The Recession: Proven Marketing Tactics

And when you have got it, come back here and tell me what you think.

Oh! Almost forgot to say - there’s a time sensitive offer that expires on Tuesday September 30th at 6p.m. BST - so make sure you check it out before then.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. If you are a subscriber to this blog please use the private URL in your special notification email.

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On page 18 of his business manifest Rich Schefren asks a crucial question every business owner should be able to answer instantly.. but very few can. And then he explains why knowing this is so critical to any business success. More importantly he then shows you what you can do about it.

So why have I brought this up today? Because the manifesto I’m talking about was originally released in 2006 and is just as relevant today. But Rich is about to release an insightful update and, as a preamble to the new material, he is giving the original Internet Business Manifesto away again, FREE.

Now don’t let the title put you off. Let me explain why I rate this guy and his reports…

There are only a few people whose products I feel comfortable about sharing. You’ve seen a few names come up in previous posts on this blog, including Rich Schefren’s. I always grab any material he freely offers - it’s too valuable to miss as far as I’m concerned (in fact I’ve got a lifetime membership of his Business Growth System; it has a stunning amount of business material and support).

Rich treats - and teaches people to treat - Internet Marketing as a business, not just some ‘get-rich-quick’ type of scheme. It means all the insights he shares apply equally to offline, as well as online, business growth.

His original Internet Business Manifesto clearly demonstrated this approach.

Now - as I mentioned earlier - he’s planning a new release and for anyone who has never seen his original report (and if you haven’t then I guess you must have missed my previous posts that suggested you go get his downloads) you can get your own copy now.

The 31-page PDF explores areas like:

• OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVING ‘BIG BUSINESS’ SUCCESS
• DO YOU KNOW WHAT AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME IS WORTH?
• THE EASIEST, MOST CERTAIN WAY TO BOOST YOUR HOURLY RATE
• WORKING LESS AND MAKING MORE
• HOW TO MAKE YOUR OUTSOURCING RELATIONSHIPS 10X MORE PROFITABLE
• SKYROCKET THE RESULTS OF YOUR BUSINESS

That’s just a sample I’ve pulled from the contents page, including the question I referred to at the beginning of this post.

You can download your personal copy of the Internet Business Minifesto and learn a bit more about the new materials he’s about to release, starting with a free tele-seminar of case studies on Tuesday 9 Sept.

Coming up…

Tomorrow I’m going to give you an example of ‘how not to run customer services‘ - is this an example of a company getting ‘too big for its britches’ and forgetting exactly who it is makes it possible for the company to thrive? See what you think.

And Wednesday is when my guest blogger shares revealing insights to getting seats filled at your next seminar/workshop/training event.

Phew! A bit of a busy week coming up, isn’t it? Just as well I’m taking a break next week!

Have a good week,

~ Carol Bentley

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Don’t you just LOVE technology… when it works!

It happens to the best of us - everything is planned and in place -then technology lets us down.

And that’s what happened to the Stompernet guys yesterday. So their official launch of ‘Stomping The Search Engines 2′ DVDs & the journal magazine, ‘The Net Effect’, which I told you about in yesterday’s post, has been delayed to today.

Does it matter?

Not one jot!

Because there’s no scarcity of supply - the only frustration is not getting your hands on the material as quickly as you might have liked.

Now, the measure of a reputable company is how they handle problems like this. And, being the true gentlemen they are, the Stompernet guys have added a sincere apology to the video on the website. You can see it & the original info at Stomping The Search Engines 2

And, if you want, you can get them to do all the work. Simply ask them to send you an immediate notification when all their techy problems are sorted.

Oh, and they’ve added a good ’so sorry’ bonus to make up for the delay.

If you haven’t already taken a look at what’s on offer it’s worth spending a few minutes checking it out. After all, the only cost is shipping and handling which is a darn sight less than the real value.

Pop over to Stomping The Search Engines 2

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. I thought you might like to read a different ‘voice’ so I’ve arranged for a guest to write a post for you which will be published next week. If you run (or plan to run) any sort of training, seminar or workshop you’ll definitely want to read this and grab the free offer my guest is making. Keep your eyes peeled.

I admit it. I arrogantly decided this was something you would probably not be interested in so I didn’t bother to follow up. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know I tend to let you know about anything that looks interesting - but this time…

Here’s what happened…

Towards the beginning of this year I took part in the Stompernet SMARTS program (you may have come across it on the net) and I became an affiliate for Stompernet; not that I did anything with it.

Fast forward to last week. I got an email telling me about a new offer they’re putting out to the market today (it’s live now). Well, frankly I didn’t think it would be relevant to anyone reading my blog so I didn’t take much notice. Then a package came in the post. It was a pre-release copy of the material they’re making available; a glossy, well written 45-page magazine and a set of 2 DVDs containing a comprehensive course on SEO strategies.

That was a bit of ’smart’ marketing (sorry about the pun!) because I did take a look at the magazine and, although it is geared towards anyone interested in SEO (search engine optimising) it is also crammed with some really important tips for anyone involved in online or email marketing; not just the optimising websites stuff.

And the DVD’s? They said they were originally going to be sold at $497 (then I discovered something that floored me, as you’ll read about in a moment).

Now another reason I decided not to tell ‘all and sundry’ was because Stompernet’s services do tend to be a bit on the expensive side (but hey, you get what you pay for, don’t you? And I must admit, in my experience, these guys do deliver on their promises.) Got it wrong again! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa!

They’re giving this material away FREE (they do ask you to pay postage). So where’s the catch? I’m sure they’ll encourage you to sign up for their monthly magazine (which isn’t too bad at $39) but that’s your choice.

Anyway - time for me to bow out and let you make your own decision (which is what I should have done in the first place!!)

Here’s the lowdown on how to get your copy of this intriguing material, just visit Stomping The Search Engines 2

I think there’s a good chance you’ll find some interesting and useful tips in it.

~ Carol Bentley

This is a brief, and I do mean brief, message.

If you’ve checked out the videos, web reporting and other material the StomperNet guys are pushing out then you have already got some great material.

But if you want more of their good stuff then you need to act quickly and check out what they are offering at StomperNet before they close the doors again.

(Throughout the SMARTS program I ‘attended’ the membership for StomperNet itself was closed, so I’m confident their claim they will close for a period of time is genuine and not just a marketing ploy).

Have a good weekend,

~ Carol Bentley

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Well, I decided to have a go myself - just to see if the web-report promised by StomperNet was worth the bother (see the post Is your website converting like crazy).

I wanted to see how this blog website fared, so I visited the “Stomper Site Seer” website. It was a surprisingly easy process and delivered some interesting insights. My report included a wealth of information - some I knew about, other aspects were things I hadn’t considered or was not aware of.

This is what my report contained:

• Where my website can be found on the web; Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Technorati, PRWeb, Ezine Articles, Compete, Archive.org, Quantcast and my Alexa Ranking.

Although my site may be present, it doesn’t mean it’s highly visible. The report showed just how visible this website is in the search engines - are people likely to find it? And am I showing up in the social media websites, which can be a powerful marketing technique (glad to say, I am).

• Google’s interpretation of what my website is about and advice on how to improve that perception. (hmm… some of the terms listed were completely off the mark!)

• Described how to use keywords effectively and gave crucial advice on how to stop keywords helping competitors!

• Analysed my tags and images (particularly useful bearing in mind website accessibility for visually impaired visitors) All OK there.

• If you are thinking of doing any sort of PPC (pay per click) campaign then the analysis of your keywords and the competition you would have in an Adword campaign is useful. I don’t think I will for this website, but it could be handy for other websites I have or plan to develop.

• The report dispels the top 10 myths about how Google treats your website for positioning in their search results. Now that was enlightening!

So how did this website do overall?

Well, let’s say there’s some work to do - but it could be a lot worse

Of course like anything, this sort of analysis is only worthwhile if you understand what they are talking about (after all we are getting into ‘geek country’ here ) and can (or feel like) doing something about it.

They covered the first point (understanding) because peppered throughout the report were 23 links to videos explaining the different concepts and why they are crucial to web positioning.

But the second point; can/will do anything?

Who Is This Report For?

Well that depends upon who is responsible for your website; you or someone else. If you have someone who takes care of your website then they are the people who need to take action on the report.

Mind you, I’d suggest it would be good idea to know what the report contains so you can check they’ve carried out the changes needed.

My Advice

There is a ton of good, down to earth, web optimising advice with extra tips thrown in. So I reckon it is worth going through the exercise - especially as it is free.

If you want to check the results for your website you can do so at “Stomper Site Seer”

Right - I’m off to check out my other websites, I suspect there will be work to do on those as well!

~ Carol Bentley

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Well, is your website attracting visitors and converting like crazy? Or do you find, like many business people, that it seems to be a never-ending battle?

I’m always searching for ways to improve my results, which is why I recently completed a programme with the StomperNet people. It was amazingly informative and has helped to increase the traffic to this blog site.

Then an interesting email arrived..

It came through, at 23.18 last night, talking about StomperNet’s new release and I took a quick peek.

They are making their new SEO competitive intelligence tool available free to visitors when they release it today (Friday 16th).

Is this worth looking at?
Now you and I are business people; marketers, so we know that even though this tool freely gives valuable information we can use, we also know the StomperNet guys will probably follow through to see how they can help us get the results we want. And maybe they can. That’s your decision.

The way I look at it is why not get the know-how they’re offering for free and then decide whether or not to go for anything else?

You decide
Anyway - here’s the message that came through, the links are affiliate links so it’s up to you whether or not you want to check it out.
______________________________________

The cat is out of the bag and people are spilling the beans all over the ‘net.

StomperNet’s new SEO competitive intelligence tool, “Stomper Site Seer” is going to be released THIS FRIDAY, May 16.

And it will cost you NOTHING.

That’s right. You will be able to submit *your* site and get a complete StomperNet diagnostic report! It’s as if you had their entire faculty of seasoned, hands-on SEO and internet marketing experts looking right over your shoulder.

They ANALYZE your SEO, they DIAGNOSE problems…

Then, they PRESCRIBE the solution!

The tool tells you what you’re doing right, and what you’re doing WRONG. If you’re messing up, “Stomper Site Seer” tells you EXACTLY how to fix it!

Get a sneak peek demonstration of this groundbreaking tool narrated by StomperNet faculty Jerry West and Howie Schwartz .

They’re smart, experienced, and funny, too!

Not only do they reveal how this helpful little robot can put you on the path to profit and success - they ALSO tell you how to avoid the worst SEO accidents that would keep your site out of the Search Engine Results *you* want.

Listen, if you think it’s all hype, just go check out the page and read the comments from folks who have already watched.

There’s nothing to lose, and they aren’t asking anything at all from you.

Watch the preview, and if you like what you see, subscribe on that page to get the early-bird notice when “Site Seer” comes online.

___________________________________

That’s it! Your decision.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. If this release goes as well as the programme I took part in, then I reckon they will be inundated. If you want to be FIRST IN LINE to get started on fixing up your site for SEO domination… (their words ) opt-in right away. It’s first come, first served. Don’t hesitate.

Questions asked in my recent survey included:

• “What’s the best way to market to potential customers when starting afresh with no prior customer list or contacts?”
• “Increasing visitors to web sites”
• “How to drive visitors to web site”
• “What should I do to make a big impact on-line and off-line without spending a fortune?”
• “How to get more clients”

All of these questions, in one form or another, are asking about finding more people who are interested in what is on offer. It doesn’t matter if your business is conducted on or off line; the challenge is the same - finding customers in the most effective and economical way possible.

And very often the way you can do that works well for both on and off line activities.

In his new report Ed concentrates specifically on finding new visitors, contacts, for websites. Effectively increasing the number of people you can market to. Many of his principles can be used in the off-line world as well.

In ‘Who Else Wants More Traffic Than Their Site Can Handle’ Ed goes through a 6-part strategy starting with an old favourite of mine. One that has proven to be very successful - for both Ed, me and many other business people.

I strongly advise you to pop over and grab your copy of the report - it doesn’t cost you a penny. You just have to agree to Ed giving you loads more valuable info when he makes it available.

Seems like a bargain to me! Go to http://www.NoBSTrafficTactics.com

~ Carol Bentley

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When I asked “What’s your most burning question you’d like answered on this blog” in my recent survey there were quite a few people who asked about marketing their websites. From making the website visible, so people could find it - to attracting visitors - to marketing the website on a budget.

And as I pondered the best way to answer these questions - which were very much on the same topic - I remembered I had done something similar quite recently for a new, private client who was not familiar with web marketing.

I created a mindmap showing a web marketing strategy and wrote a brief overview of the different aspects of the strategy. And, because my client is rather busy, I recorded an audio of the report as well.

“Ideal for you guys” I thought. So I’m gifting the 3 files to you; the mindmap - in a PDF file so you can open it regardless of whether or not you use mindmapping software; the audio (MP3) and the transcript (PDF report).

Now - let me just point out one thing. Web marketing, as a subject, is vast. And I do not profess to be an expert in all the different ways you can do it. I’m sticking to my chosen area of expertise - the copywriting aspect - thanks very much.

However, I do have a broad understanding of how things fit together, purely because I need to know it for my own marketing activities. And that’s the approach you’ll see in this overview. I hope it helps.

Obviously I need to edit the audio (and report) to take out anything that is personal to my client but the information it contains points you in the general direction of what you need to consider. So it will be ready for you either tomorrow or Wednesday (16th April).

Subscriber Only Gift

Oh, and it is going to be on a password protected post. You will get the password to open the post in your announcement email. Sorry, if you are not subscribed you won’t get this. This is a ’subscriber only benefits’ post.

Of course if you subscribe before the announcement post then you will get the password too. Simply use the subscription box in the right panel or the one that appeared in the pop-over.

~ Carol Bentley

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There’s a lot of buzz going on over the Internet at the moment about a new product launch. It gives a strategy to resolve the problem of how to sell online when you haven’t got a list or a connection with someone who does.

You may have already heard of it.. Product Launch Formula 2… it launches today (27th March) at 2:00pm Eastern U.S. time (6 p.m. GMT).

I watched the original Product Launch Formula on DVD as a home-study programme and I’ve seen it put into practice successfully by business colleagues. This version of product launch is for a ‘hands-on’ coaching programme and includes many up to date internet marketing practices.

Pop over to Successfully launching products via online marketing if you want to know more… but you’ll need to act quickly - that’s why this post is going up a lot earlier than normal.

~ Carol Bentley

If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to claim your copy of Offline Marketing Strategies in exchange for answering just 7 questions. The survey is open until 12p.m. (GMT) today at copywriting4b2b survey

If you have already given me your answers - thank you. Your feedback is really appreciated and will help me to keep this blog vibrant, relevant and interesting.

If you’ve completed the survey and asked a question about web marketing, getting visitors to your blog etc. then please check the Q&A’s at this posting on Ed’s blog, which may give you your answer immediately.

I’ll be covering the questions that were specifically for marketing and copywriting in my future blog posts.

Have a good weekend - I’ll catch up with you next week.

~ Carol Bentley

If you have a website and are familiar with the idea of online marketing you may have come across the term ‘Landing Page’. An ideal web landing page is specifically designed to target a specific audience with an end result in mind; that your visitor takes the action you want.

The design, structure and content of your landing page all have an impact on the outcome of any visit to your webpage. Are you creating a true landing page that makes your visitor feel they’ve arrived somewhere worthwhile - or do you leave them floundering; wondering why they are wasting their time?

• How exciting is your landing page?
• Is the headline so strong your visitor’s eyes are magnetically drawn by it into your message?
• Is the offer you are making compelling? One that no-one in their right minds would dream of ignoring?
• Do you get high conversion rates; you know, the number of visitors who go on to take the action you’re asking them to? That’s the real test of how successful your landing page is.

Testing each element of your landing page moves you closer to the ‘perfect page’ - if there is any such thing - but having a plan before you start also gives you a greater chance of realising your goal.

Get your landing page planner plus…

Ed (I know, I’m always mentioning him - but hey, why not when he’s giving valuable info I believe you can use!) is gifting 3 useful tools for marketing on the web; Landing Page Flow Chart, Web Marketing Tactics and a nifty little tool that calculates the lifetime value of your average customer. And all you have to do is sign up for his blog posting announcements.

So - if you’ve not yet visited Ed’s blog, or if you have signed up but haven’t yet checked out your gifts, I suggest you pop over there and grab them now. Visit his post Three Powerful Resources

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: Internet Marketing Landing Pages Business Resources

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This post is giving you very short notice - and I’m sorry if you don’t see it in time.

I’ve mentioned previously about Ed Rivis publishing his book The Ultimate Web Marketing Strategy [Aff]. If you took a look at his blog then you already know about his startlingly low priced 24-hour launch of his book which commenced yesterday (4th March) at 10.30 GMT.

As I write this post that means there is just over 2.5 hours before it goes from £6.99 back to its normal price of £19.97.

The description on the front of the book cover says…

“How everyday business owners can use the world’s most tested and proven online marketing strategies to attract thousands of new customers, hyper-gear revenues, boost profits up to 2.5 to 25 times and grow their business or professional practice within the next 12 months or less.”

I think that says it all - I’ve watched Ed testing and proving these strategies over the last year and, what’s more, in his book he shares how he’s discovered what works as well as explaining what to do.

If you want to take advantage of his ridiculous starting offer pop over to Ed Rivis’ 24-hour Special

~ Carol Bentley