How To Be "Local To The Locals" And Make More Sales

How To Be "Local To The Locals" And Make More Sales
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(c) 2004 Charles Kangethe
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Here's a really simple way... to customise your product offer
from the headline to the prices in order to suit local tastes.

We all know people do business with people they "know and trust".

So how can you convince shoppers half way across the world that
you are reliable and someone they should do business with ?

What I am about to show you will make your business "Local to
the Locals", wherever in the World they might be.

Step #1 - What Is A Split Test
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Split testing is a vital task for any Online Business.

By testing different headlines, captions, graphics, copy and
prices you can gradually point your business towards better
conversion rates.

A basic split test adheres to these guidelines.

1) You start with a base sales page - This is called the
"Control"

2) Set up a new page for each component you want to test.

For instance set up a new page where everything is the same as
"Control" except the Headline.

Test various components such as price, ad copy and bonuses,
each with its own page.

3) Using software, set the test criteria in terms of how long
you want the test to run or alternatively set the number of
visitors you want to visit each page.

During the test the Ad tracker will record the statistics, and
you can tell which page converted the most.

For future tests, that page can then become "Control" as you
change another component.

Step #2 - A Shortcoming Of Many Split Tests.
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Your Online Business has a big advantage over local Bricks
and Mortar businesses.

Your marketplace is Global.

However, this is also a weakness.

Despite the shrinking of the World, depending on what you
sell, people still feel more comfortable doing business with
"Local" companies.

Until now...

If you could tell which specific region converted best for your
product offer, you could concentrate your offers there instead
of wasting advertising money trying to capture a huge
unresponsive Global Market.

Step #3 - Breakdown Your Marketplace Into Regions.
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Decide the level to which you want to breakdown your global
market place.

Depending on your knowledge of the World and the type of
product you sell, you may want to target sales at a country
level.

For more specific products you may feel a regional approach
within each country is best.

Finally for some offers you may want to target people in
specific named cities within a region in a country.

Once you have decided on your breakdown you need to set up your
sales pages.

Step #4 - Set Up Test Pages
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If you have decided to track sales at the lowest level, then
you will need a page for the country, the region and the city in
addition to "Control"

For each regional page, change your product offer so that it
appeals to the people of that region.

Do this by use of text and graphics that appeal to :

Local Language
Local Arts
Local Cultural references
Local Historical references
Local Geographical references
Local Social, political and economic references

The aim is to build an impression in the visitors mind that
your business is "Local" to them.

Step # 5 - Re-direct Traffic To The Relevant Local Page
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Now that you've set up the regional pages, you must redirect
people from that country, region or city to the relevant "Local"
page when they visit your site.

You want visitors from your Local region to be re-directed to
the correct Local page rather than "Control".

Redirecting traffic is as simple as applying JavaScript code to
your "Control" page - In Relevant Resources, below, I tell you
where to get these scripts for F'REE.

Your visitor IP addresses are cross referenced against a
database by the script so they are directed to the right page.

On their relevant "Local" page your visitors can order at
discount Prices or with different bonuses that you set up.

If you do this right, your "Local" business pages can
outperform the conversion rates you get on "Control".

Step # 6 - A Few Words Of Caution
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Use the tactics in this article to make Local offers that are
of big relevance to locals in specific, chosen areas
of your Global market.

However, when people realise that you are giving discounts
to "Local area X", they may try and find a way to get
the discount even if they are not in "Local area X".

Theft and fraud online are a price all direct marketers have to
bear from time to time.

There are two pieces of advice I can give you :

1) Make it difficult for opportunists to read your JavaScript by
hiding it in a .js file

2) Make your "Local" offer one where you are better off with a
sale than without. In other words do not give the product away
for F'REE. That way you will always make some money on the offer.

Step #7 - Become Local To The Locals
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Develop your knowledge of the World and with your product range
you can rapidly target small markets rather than the universal
Global Internet market.

This can do wonders for your conversion rates.

Relevant Resources
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* Split Testing Software

Pro Analyzer from http://www.proanalyzer.com/
DynaTracker from http://www.dynatracker.com/
AdTrackz from http://www.adtrackz.com/

* GeoBytes

Get your Javascript for redirecting your visitors according
to location from here http://www.geobytes.com/

More Information and Software For Ad Tracking
http://profits.cc racking.html?16oct


Conclusion
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Good marketers split test.

Take this a step further and test your market in terms of location.

Be "Local to the Locals" and see your conversion rates rise.