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Webmaster Tips Weekly / AC Designer * ISSN: 1526-2235
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** Now Combined with AC Designer ***
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IN THIS ISSUE
==========================================================

1. Article - "How To Get Free Testimonials And Use Them To
Increase Your Sales" by Bob Leduc
2. Webmaster Tips Weekly Award - JavaScriptSource.com
3. December Special(s) - Free Web Site Design
4. Tip(s) - "Three Quick Ways to Drive More Customers to
Your Site" by Steven Chiong
5. Webmaster Selections - Favorite "Easy" Scripts
6. Featured Ezines - you'll have to see these
7. Subscriber Link - Designs For Impact
8. Discreet Classifieds
9. Who We Are - Contact Information


==========================================================
>From the Editor...
==========================================================

Welcome to Webmaster Tips Weekly!

Well, we're nearing the end of this year, this millennium,
and I don't feel any more prepared for the year 2000 than
I was for 1999! Still, life, and work goes on, as we know
it..

Ok, enough philosophizing...

There are so many wonderful techniques out there, on the
internet, to use while designing (or promoting) your web
site. The one that we look at this week is the use of
Testimonials in promoting our web sites. Although, I
have not fully completed implementing the technique
myself (Do I hear New Year's Resolution?), it is indeed
an excellent promotional tool to prove your credibility.

I think that an excellent site that implements this
technique is "Make Your Site Sell" at
http://www.sitesell.com/andersoncreations.html. (Yes,
that is my affiliate link :) ) This particular site
uses the drop-menu-box technique to showcase the
testimonials without taking up a lot of the precious
space on each page. It also generates curiosity in
the viewer's mind, to see what is "hidden."

Again, this week we have a "grab bag" collection for
you --> But, then again, I know you can read, so I
will let you do so :)

Sincerely,

Deborah
mailto:webmaster@...


==========================================================
1. Featured Article -
"How To Get Free Testimonials And Use Them To
Increase Your Sales" by Bob Leduc
==========================================================

Copyright 1999 Bob Leduc

One of the most valuable marketing tools for a business is
the testimonials it receives from satisfied customers. Yet,
many businesses never use these testimonials in their sales
efforts.

Testimonials are valuable proof to prospective customers
that your product or service actually delivers the benefit
you claim it will. In some ways, testimonials are like
referrals. A customer coming to you by referral from one of
their friends or acquaintances is already pre-committed to
do business with you. You don't have to convince them that
your product or service will provide the benefit they seek.
Your ability to deliver is already "guaranteed" by the
person giving the referral.

Testimonials from satisfied customers provide that same
assurance to a potential customer coming to you without a
referral. In every test I performed using the same messages
with and without testimonials, those with testimonials
increased sales, often by as much as 65% or more.

HOW TO GET GOOD TESTIMONIALS

Satisfied customers will occasionally call or write to you
expressing their appreciation without any prompting from
you. If you've been in business for some time you probably
already have a file of these. However, if you're new in
business you may have few or none of these "spontaneous
testimonials". How can you get some... and get them fast?

Here's a simple procedure any business can use effectively.
A short time after completing a transaction, send your
customer or client a personal postcard asking what they
liked best about your product or service. You'll be amazed
at some of the glowing comments you'll get. When you receive
comments you want to use in your advertising, simply ask the
customer to sign a release giving you permission to quote
those comments in your promotional material.

The release form I use includes the full text of the
customer's comments. I request permission to use the
comments "in complete or edited form" so I can shorten the
text when it's too long. I also request permission to use
the customer's name, city and state so it appears as
"Ann Smith, Austin, TX" instead of "A.S., TX". The
customer's privacy is protected by omitting the street
address.

HOW TO USE TESTIMONIALS EFFECTIVELY

My online and print sales letters usually include 3
testimonials. Each one is only 2 or 3 lines plus the
customer's name, city and state.

Be sure to select testimonials stating a specific benefit
gained by using your product or service. A testimonial
saying, "I bought your widget and am very happy with it"
won't motivate anybody else to buy your widget. Instead, use
testimonials like this actual testimonial I received from
one of my customers: "Hi Bob. I purchased your manual and
used one of the ideas to do a mailing which received about a
10% response rate." That's a powerful testimonial and I use
it regularly in my promotional material. It states
specifically what the customer gained by ordering my manual.

What do testimonials cost? Nothing! They're FREE! I've
learned by experience that some customers get offended if I
offer to pay for the right to quote their comments.
Therefore, I don't offer any compensation. I simply send the
release form with a pre-stamped return envelope and ask them
to sign and return the form. I don't remember the last time
somebody refused my request.

If you're not using testimonials in your promotional
material, start using them today. Begin by looking in your
customer files for comments you can use. Send postcards to
some recent customers asking what they liked most about your
product or service. Get permission to quote their comments
and include them in your sales material. You'll soon
discover FREE testimonials have the amazing power to
increase your sales and profits without increasing your
costs.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Bob Leduc retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales
personnel and developing sales leads. He is now a Sales
Consultant. Bob recently wrote a manual for small business
owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With
Simple Postcards" and several other publications to help
small businesses grow and prosper. For more information...
Email: BobLeduc@... Subject: "Postcards".
Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM Pacific time)
Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133
-----------------------------------------------------------


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2. Featured Webmaster Tips Weekly Award
==========================================================

This week's Webmaster Tips Weekly award goes to
JavaScript Source.com at http://www.javascriptsource.com
which is aliased to http://javascript.internet.com.

The criteria used to determine award winners is grouped
into two categories:
° Content (including relevance, usefulness, etc.)
° Design (including ease of navigation, user-friendly,
etc.)

JavaScript Source is a part of the internet.com family.
In their own words, "The JavaScript Source is an excellent
JavaScript resource with tons of 'cut and paste' JavaScript
examples for your web pages. All for free!"

The content of this web site need not be reiterated. It
is loaded with useful JavaScripts. You have step-by-step
directions available to you, in addition to the ability
to have the JavaScript(s) emailed to you for later implemen-
tation.

The design? Well, to put it simply, the design for a site
like this MUST be straightforward and easy to follow, or
it would not survive. In other words, who would use a
resource web site if no resources could be found, and found
with ease?

This web site goes beyond the expectations of the normal
assessor. At the same time, it easily matches the high
quality that we have come to expect from any member of
the internet.com family.


==========================================================
3. Featured Subscriber Special - Free Web Site Design +++
==========================================================

Free Web Site Design (with Paid Hosting Contract)

We will...
° Help you choose your desired domain name
° Register YOUR domain name (you pay InterNic fee)
° Design up to 5 pages for your web site
° Assist you in marketing techniques to get you started

You agree...
° To use Anderson Creations Hosting for 12 months and
prepay for 12 months
OR
° To use Anderson Creations Hosting for 24 months and
prepay for 6 months


Hosting options are viewable at
http://www.andersoncreations.com/hosting.shtml


___________We GUARANTEE YOUR SATISFACTION___________
If you are not pleased, you walk away
having paid nothing and owing nothing!
____________________________________________________


What is included in your Web Design?
---> Free email account(s)
---> Free script installation
---> Free Shopping Cart
---> Free Forms
---> Free Frames Design or whatever you please....
---> and much more!

All *Free* for one month....Valued at over $500!
(some limitations apply)

---> http://www.andersoncreations.com/specials.shtml


==========================================================
4. Featured Tip(s) - Three Quick Ways to Drive More
Customers to Your Site
==========================================================

By Steven Chiong
Bizland.com

There are many times when you need a quick boost in web
site traffic. Maybe you have a new product or service you
want to draw attention to or your established site's hits
are going through a slump.

More promotion almost always produces more hits and
additional sales. But what if you're short on time and
cash?

Here are three quick and easy ways to give yourself a big
helping of online promotion.

1. Fix up several pages just for search engines. We
find over and over that search engines are one of
the richest promotion tools on the Internet.

Provide a paragraph or two covering a very specific
topic right at the top of your web page. Include two
or three words that best describe your topic in the
title of the page. Put those same words in your Meta
Tag.

Take time to write a good Meta Tag description for
your web page. Even if your site isn't listed highest
by search engines, people will click your link if it
has an inviting description. Focus on the benefits
your page will bring anyone who reads it.

2. Here's a tip that many overlook. Find several popular
portal sites and list yourself in their site direc-
tories. As the Net gets bigger and more bewildering,
many customers are drawn to good portal sites that
help make the Internet easier to navigate. The business
directories on these sites get a lot of browsers
looking for a business like yours.

3. Look for ways to get visitors to refer their friends
and associates. Word-of-mouth is a prime marketing
tool for any business, but it is particularly impor-
tant on the Internet.

Why leave world-of-mouth to chance? Simply ask
visitors to tell someone they know. Provide a
discount or free report to anyone who tells a
friend. (They can cc their message to you. Be sure
to remind visitors not to spam.)

You can use a refer box to encourage visitors to tell
others about your site. This simple email tool let
visitors send your pre-prepared promotional message to
a friend. Have your message bullet several of your
most important features and the benefits they provide.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Steven Chiong provides the promotional tools he talks
about at http://bizland.com/. Use their search engine
promotion area and list your site in their popular business
directory. Reach Steven at stevenc@....
-----------------------------------------------------------

This article has been generously provided by EZ Wire at
http://www.EzineNewsWire.com


==========================================================
5. Webmaster Selections - Favorite "Easy" Scripts
==========================================================

Though there are many excellent scripts available on the
internet, the following scripts are some of the easiest
scripts that I have implemented in our web site. And, the
best part? They are all free! If you have any problems
with any of them, drop me an email I will help you out :)

----------------------------------------------------------
Cliff's Banner Rotater
http://www.shavenferret.com/scripts
I use this script for more than just a banner rotator.
I use it to control my footer and my site navigation.
With this technique, all I need to do is change the
navigation bar one time, and all my pages are updated.
----------------------------------------------------------
BizCard
http://web-works.hypermart.net
Demo at http://www.andersoncreations.com/bizcards/
This fun little script gives your visitors the opportunity
to add their virtual business card and view the business
cards of the previous surfers. Great promotional tool!
----------------------------------------------------------
JumpBox
http://scripts.riffnet.com/
A simple script that helps your visitors navigate your
site. View a demo, used in one of our banner designs,
at http://www.andersoncreations.com/banners/
----------------------------------------------------------
Simple Search
http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/
Many of you are familiar with Matt Wright's script for
searching a web site. There are many more detailed
scripts available, but this one is very simple and very
easy to implement into every page of your web site.
----------------------------------------------------------

==========================================================
6. Featured Ezines & Discussion Lists
==========================================================
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the Day" Newsletter get a Free Ad for their Business on his
Web Page? Go to http://www.adv-marketing.com/business and
you can subscribe for your Free Newsletter and place your
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===========================================================
7. Featured Subscriber Link(s)
===========================================================

Designs For Impact
http://www.designs-for-impact.com
Printing/ Service/ Wedding Accessories/ Webpage Design/
Business Forms, etc.


===========================================================
8. Discreet Classifieds
===========================================================
Anderson Creations does not claim any responsibility for
any other companies, ads, or what is represented here.

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9. Who We Are
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Deborah Anderson, Editor
PO Box 393 * St. Francis, MN 55070
mailto:webmaster@...

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ISSN: 1526-2235 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C., USA
© Copyright 1999 by Anderson Creations * All Rights Reserved
http://www.andersoncreations.com