When people see that everyone else is buying product from you they tend to want to get it for themselves.

Let me share a story with you. A while back I was about to purchase some advertising. I was just about to click order button and then I stopped myself.

I asked myself why I wanted to make purchase...

Well, first and foremost was price. It was a good deal. It piqued my interest but it didn't seal deal for me.

What did it? It was all of testimonials I read of satisfied customers. It was "icing on cake"... extra push needed for me to say mooo and to whip out my credit card.

Now, whether you understand my "herd mentality" concept or not... it really doesn't matter, point I'd like to drive across is this...

Do not underestimate power of testimonials! They are one way to increase your sales by just using your existing traffic.

Ask for them! Use them! They work!

Benefits of using Newsgroups

As an online business you can rip varieties of benefits from effective use of Newsgroups.

Establish yourself as an expert of your chosen field People will prefer doing business with you if they know that you are an expert in your field. Post important and relevant information in your chosen Newsgroup, answer to questions posted. Very soon, people from Newsgroup will start considering you as an expert and you will be amazed to see quantity of new visitors checking out your site.

Conduct market survey Newsgroups can be a great source of marketing information. By asking questions in relevant Newsgroups you can find a way of figuring out what people think about your product, your website, etc.

Get new clients There are Newsgroups, which are formed with sole purpose of various announcements and promotions. Prudent use of these Newsgroups along with your relevant Newsgroups will definitely increase your site traffic and get new clients.

Promote your site In relevant groups you can post announcement about your site launch, press releases, product information, etc. Participation in discussions in your subject matter with your signature file, which should include your website address, will help getting new visitors and increase quantity of backward links to your website.

Get answers to your questions You can’t be an expert in every thing! Often, you will need answers to various questions. Ask them in relevant Newsgroups along with your signature file. Not only you will have answers to your questions, along with this you will also promote your site.

Make friends Newsgroups can be a great place to find like-minded friends and partners.

Posting do’s and don’ts

You have to be very careful with what you post in a Newsgroup. Before making your first post, go through FAQ and posting rules of Newsgroup and read some of postings. You want to position yourself as an expert not an idiot! Some Newsgroups users are pretty aggressive. If they feel that you are spamming their precious Newsgroup you will be flamed in no time.

Here are some basic rules:

- Don't post commercials, advertisements or press releases; unless newsgroup specifically mentions that it endorses these things.

- While posting a respond, stick to original topic. - Quote only portion of message you are responding not whole message.

- Don’t cross post. This means, do not post same messages in several relevant Newsgroups.

- Never post unrelated messages to Newsgroups. This is considered as spamming!

- While posting a message be specific and concise in subject line.

- Post your signature file with each and every message. This is important for your web promotion!

- Check your spelling and grammar before posting a message.

The idea is to make valuable contribution to Newsgroups and by doing so at same time promote your online business. Ask questions that you perceive useful to you and others. Post responds to messages, which are informative, thought-provoking and of high quality. Soon you will build credibility among your fellow Newsgroup members and start receiving a flow of loyal customers.