Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
Have your very own product to sell on the internet? Truth is, not many people do. Thousands of Internet Marketers are making millions selling the products of others. The most common term used for this is Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate Marketing has become so popular and profitable that it has become one of the fastest growing area of revenue generation on the internet.
Benefits, revenues and payback for affiliates are also at an all time high. It is typical to see ad pages extolling the expertise of any given affiliate, with documented revenues for amounts previously thought unheard of. And for the product owners, this is a win-win situation which has led to overall increases in sales for a multitude of internet marketing products. Paying a portion of those revenues to "eager beaver" and industrious marketers has become commonplace.
From the alliliates perspective, there are literally millions of products and potential companies to choose from. What then are the ideas, tips, and insider views to be considered when making the decisions in program and product selections? Below are a few of these.
Cut To The Chase! Show Me The Money! What Is The Commission Payout Amounts: As a starting place, forget about shyness. Cut straight to the bottom line. It is critical that from the outset you know how much you might reasonably expect from product sales. Why waste your value time promoting products, spending your hard earned advertising dollars on merchant products that pay low returns and revenues. Higher commission products are recommended, unless of course you have identified specific niche markets where the sales volumes can off set lower payouts per sale. In fact, some programs offer deeper revenues on high volume sales, as opposed to higher commissions on lower quantity sales.
Carefully Analyze the Traffic on the Merchant's Website: It is relatively easy these days to get information about the amount of traffic on any given website. If the website is highly ranked, the merchant is getting a good volume of traffic. In all likelihood, this merchant is already saturated with affiliates. Alternatively, if it is ranked low it is perhaps not a good product or it could be that opportunity you are looking for that is ripe for serious revenues. Always research a merchant's product if their website has a low traffic ranking. Whenever possible, buy the product yourself. Personal experience with a product is powerful in advertising and sales campaigns. This sincerity comes out in the advertisement over and over. Otherwise you could do a search to find out if there are any adverse comments about the products available. If it is a bad product, you can bet someone has written about it!
Understand the Frequency of Distribution of Commission Checks: Some merchants pay commissions weekly; some monthly, and some on a quarterly basis. It is important you determine how frequent you can expect a pay check if you are going to have financial control over your business. Many marketers do not have the financial resources to continue to market a product if they have to wait a long time before getting paid. Be careful about the fine print on this. Some merchant's policies stipulate that a minimum commission amount be accrued before issuing payments. Again, your personal financial situation will drive the acceptability of such practices.
Merchant Capability To Track Cookies: Most customers do not buy on their first visit to a merchant's website. Surprise, surprise! For this reason, it is vital that the merchant retain cookies on their website, which is used to ensure that you get credit when the customer returns and buys at a later date. Check out how long the cookies last. The longer time frame the cookies lasts; the better the chance of getting paid!
Does The Merchant Pay On Subsequent Sales?: Some merchants will only pay commission on sales that come through customers visiting their site via a direct link from your site. They pay you nothing for any subsequent purchases that the customer makes if they visit the merchants site directly. It is important that you get paid no matter what route the customer returns by if you are to build a sustainable business.
What Promotional Resources Does The Merchant Offer?: Especially for marketers on a tight budget, look at the type and quality of the promotional material that the merchant provides. Do they provide articles or content that you can use to promote on your site or free guides, special offers or samples? If the promotional resources are good it is likely that the merchant will provide good support for their affiliates as well.
Armed with these basic areas of focus, you should be successful in identifying merchants ideally suited "to meet your needs", not the other way around!
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Looking for Internet Marketing Ideas, Tips, and Solutions?
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Finding A Home Business That’s Right For You
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
Making a bazillion dollars on the internet. It’s as easy as doing a few Google searches, getting your own website and you are up and running. The only real issue is how to find the time in your leisure activities to make it to the bank to cash all the checks! Yeah, right. Stop dreaming, it just doesn’t happen that way. In fact according to statistics, more internet marketers end up “in the hole” after investing significant resources (time and money) only to give up in dismay and disappointment. But why, what went wrong?
More times than not, many of these efforts fail before they even get off the ground. This most commonly is caused by a failure to establish a solid foundation with which to build upon in your efforts. How does on do that? Simple, start out be a careful and thoughtful evaluation of oneself. What are you good at? What do you like doing, for fun, business, or pleasure? It is really remarkable the amount of successful web-owners and marketers who are successful in doing something they really love or are good at. Some call it finding our “forte”. The “trick” then becomes finding “your niche” and then structuring your efforts and resources with your internet business around those interests.
This then enormously helps the next aspect which is to learn everything about your product, inside and out. Becoming a “guru” of your given niche ensures you set yourself apart from the crowd, makes you and your products, your advice and opinions – desirable and sought after by others. Even beyond the “snake oil salesmen” who could sale anything, gaining this level of expertise propels us along the way to financial freedom.
Beyond our words, people will be able to tell if you believe in your product or not. So if you are looking at a network marketing company, try being their customer for a couple of months before you join the business. Once you try the product or try the service then you will know how you feel about it. This first hand perspective of your ability to understand the product becomes an invaluable resource in helping you deal with customer issues as well as better prepared to address sales/marketing strategies.
Now that you have selected a business that amplifies your strengths and a product or service you can believe in you have to determine resources and funding for your investment. Remember that most home businesses take months before you begin seeing profits. Therefore, establishing and carefully following a strict budget is vital.
No matter how enticing and beneficial a promotional opportunity/program may seem – the reality is you have to pass on those items that are not within your budget.
OK now you have your business, our product, and your budget now you are ready to start your business. Just remember that it is a business and should be treated as such. For some, running a home based business can be more difficult than running a traditional business. Be very careful about all the many distractions; kids, TV, the couch, etc.
To begin a business from home is a serious commitment of time and money. You must keep this perspective in mind and keep it running as a business. Hobbies are hobbies, business is business! If you do not take it seriously you will just be wasting money and wasting time and since how most people start up home based businesses to have more time and more money you would be defeating the purpose. Whenever possible, try to make yourself a home office area, set aside for the disruptions and distractions whenever possible.
You have your business up and running, the website looks great, the products are hot and ready to go. But where are all the people? You can not forget about the marketing and advertising necessary to bring traffic “in the doors”. Whether it is a traditional brick and mortar building or an internet storefront, this reality is one that we all have to embrace, understand and overcome.
The good part is; there are many mediums with which to “diversify” our advertising efforts. These included newspaper ads, flyers for local areas, mailing lists, pay-per-click methods, and many others. More than any other single area, marketing is the one place where budgeting is a must. The amount of funds for marketing can go from a few dollars, to half the national debt. Sticking to a strict budget in this area is critical for your financial well being! Best advise - diversify your efforts, do not put all your advertising dollars in one medium. This technique will pay off in the long run.
There you have it. These are the “basics” to finding a home business that is suited to your uniqueness, with a greater chance at being successful.
About the author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Making a bazillion dollars on the internet. It’s as easy as doing a few Google searches, getting your own website and you are up and running. The only real issue is how to find the time in your leisure activities to make it to the bank to cash all the checks! Yeah, right. Stop dreaming, it just doesn’t happen that way. In fact according to statistics, more internet marketers end up “in the hole” after investing significant resources (time and money) only to give up in dismay and disappointment. But why, what went wrong?
More times than not, many of these efforts fail before they even get off the ground. This most commonly is caused by a failure to establish a solid foundation with which to build upon in your efforts. How does on do that? Simple, start out be a careful and thoughtful evaluation of oneself. What are you good at? What do you like doing, for fun, business, or pleasure? It is really remarkable the amount of successful web-owners and marketers who are successful in doing something they really love or are good at. Some call it finding our “forte”. The “trick” then becomes finding “your niche” and then structuring your efforts and resources with your internet business around those interests.
This then enormously helps the next aspect which is to learn everything about your product, inside and out. Becoming a “guru” of your given niche ensures you set yourself apart from the crowd, makes you and your products, your advice and opinions – desirable and sought after by others. Even beyond the “snake oil salesmen” who could sale anything, gaining this level of expertise propels us along the way to financial freedom.
Beyond our words, people will be able to tell if you believe in your product or not. So if you are looking at a network marketing company, try being their customer for a couple of months before you join the business. Once you try the product or try the service then you will know how you feel about it. This first hand perspective of your ability to understand the product becomes an invaluable resource in helping you deal with customer issues as well as better prepared to address sales/marketing strategies.
Now that you have selected a business that amplifies your strengths and a product or service you can believe in you have to determine resources and funding for your investment. Remember that most home businesses take months before you begin seeing profits. Therefore, establishing and carefully following a strict budget is vital.
No matter how enticing and beneficial a promotional opportunity/program may seem – the reality is you have to pass on those items that are not within your budget.
OK now you have your business, our product, and your budget now you are ready to start your business. Just remember that it is a business and should be treated as such. For some, running a home based business can be more difficult than running a traditional business. Be very careful about all the many distractions; kids, TV, the couch, etc.
To begin a business from home is a serious commitment of time and money. You must keep this perspective in mind and keep it running as a business. Hobbies are hobbies, business is business! If you do not take it seriously you will just be wasting money and wasting time and since how most people start up home based businesses to have more time and more money you would be defeating the purpose. Whenever possible, try to make yourself a home office area, set aside for the disruptions and distractions whenever possible.
You have your business up and running, the website looks great, the products are hot and ready to go. But where are all the people? You can not forget about the marketing and advertising necessary to bring traffic “in the doors”. Whether it is a traditional brick and mortar building or an internet storefront, this reality is one that we all have to embrace, understand and overcome.
The good part is; there are many mediums with which to “diversify” our advertising efforts. These included newspaper ads, flyers for local areas, mailing lists, pay-per-click methods, and many others. More than any other single area, marketing is the one place where budgeting is a must. The amount of funds for marketing can go from a few dollars, to half the national debt. Sticking to a strict budget in this area is critical for your financial well being! Best advise - diversify your efforts, do not put all your advertising dollars in one medium. This technique will pay off in the long run.
There you have it. These are the “basics” to finding a home business that is suited to your uniqueness, with a greater chance at being successful.
About the author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Spyware – What Is It? Why Should You Care?
Copyright © Stephen Wright
Not many disagree that the expansion of the internet and technology related to advances with the various aspects of interacting on the internet continues to accelerate at a dizzying pace. As with most advances, with the good side, also comes a not so good – dark side. More than ever, the criminal element continues to make great strides in finding ways to perpetrate mischief, mayhem, and mal-intended scams.
One of the latest growing ways criminals have employed to profit at the expense of unsuspecting internet users is the spread of spyware viruses. Spyware and adware quickly are becoming all too prevalent for anyone. It has become vitally important that everyone take precautions to protect themselves from the malicious effects through the use of virus protection software.
Spyware: What Is It?
By definition, a spyware virus includes a wide variety of virus, some of which are the good kind; some are relatively harmless in nature. For example some spyware programs are “documenters, or scribes” if you will. Their primary purpose is to keep a record of basic information on users’ activities. This can include such things as what websites and other actions you have taken over a period of time. This allows the program to target your IP address with advertisements (many of which are popups) that are related to the theme of the sites you frequent. Giving you what you want, based on where you visit on the internet is the general method for this type of spyware. Again, being a nuisance is the primary offense of this type of virus.
Spyware: Why Should I Care?
Spyware’s “evil cousin” is not so virtuous and clearly much more harmful. These types seek to target financial related information (all personal and private information of course), using the information for criminal purposes. Identity theft is the more common example of this type of spyware virus. The sheer number of attacks, severity of the attacks is growing at alarming rates.
And just when we thought identity theft was bad enough, another type of spyware virus is growing with even more damaging effects. These are essentially key logger programs. This type of spyware is designed to capture highly sensitive data (account numbers and passwords to online banking, financial records, etc.) by recording actual keystrokes by a user on the keyboard. This data is collected and reported back to the author – who in turn uses the information or gives the information to others to undertake criminal actions to steal all they can using this information.
What Can I Do?
By far, the best protection one can use against these kinds of spyware viruses is to obtain (and maintain) a reputable anti virus software program, combined with a good anti spyware program and spyware removal tool. More and more anti virus programs are incorporating spyware detection and removal into their products. However, many still feel that to be 100% safe, it is best to install several different products at once. Of course the best way to keep those spyware viruses off your computer is to run your anti virus software and spyware removal programs: 1) with the option of “real time coverage” whenever possible, and 2) run on a daily basis. Each program will then report back on problems it has found giving users the option of how to handle anything found.
It does not take much thought when you hear the horror stories of unsuspecting internet users who have “lost everything” because of the effects of spyware in its various forms to realize you must be proactive. To ignore the warnings of internet security experts and reports of the damage caused by spyware is truly a formula for disaster. Don’t let yourself be the next victim.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Not many disagree that the expansion of the internet and technology related to advances with the various aspects of interacting on the internet continues to accelerate at a dizzying pace. As with most advances, with the good side, also comes a not so good – dark side. More than ever, the criminal element continues to make great strides in finding ways to perpetrate mischief, mayhem, and mal-intended scams.
One of the latest growing ways criminals have employed to profit at the expense of unsuspecting internet users is the spread of spyware viruses. Spyware and adware quickly are becoming all too prevalent for anyone. It has become vitally important that everyone take precautions to protect themselves from the malicious effects through the use of virus protection software.
Spyware: What Is It?
By definition, a spyware virus includes a wide variety of virus, some of which are the good kind; some are relatively harmless in nature. For example some spyware programs are “documenters, or scribes” if you will. Their primary purpose is to keep a record of basic information on users’ activities. This can include such things as what websites and other actions you have taken over a period of time. This allows the program to target your IP address with advertisements (many of which are popups) that are related to the theme of the sites you frequent. Giving you what you want, based on where you visit on the internet is the general method for this type of spyware. Again, being a nuisance is the primary offense of this type of virus.
Spyware: Why Should I Care?
Spyware’s “evil cousin” is not so virtuous and clearly much more harmful. These types seek to target financial related information (all personal and private information of course), using the information for criminal purposes. Identity theft is the more common example of this type of spyware virus. The sheer number of attacks, severity of the attacks is growing at alarming rates.
And just when we thought identity theft was bad enough, another type of spyware virus is growing with even more damaging effects. These are essentially key logger programs. This type of spyware is designed to capture highly sensitive data (account numbers and passwords to online banking, financial records, etc.) by recording actual keystrokes by a user on the keyboard. This data is collected and reported back to the author – who in turn uses the information or gives the information to others to undertake criminal actions to steal all they can using this information.
What Can I Do?
By far, the best protection one can use against these kinds of spyware viruses is to obtain (and maintain) a reputable anti virus software program, combined with a good anti spyware program and spyware removal tool. More and more anti virus programs are incorporating spyware detection and removal into their products. However, many still feel that to be 100% safe, it is best to install several different products at once. Of course the best way to keep those spyware viruses off your computer is to run your anti virus software and spyware removal programs: 1) with the option of “real time coverage” whenever possible, and 2) run on a daily basis. Each program will then report back on problems it has found giving users the option of how to handle anything found.
It does not take much thought when you hear the horror stories of unsuspecting internet users who have “lost everything” because of the effects of spyware in its various forms to realize you must be proactive. To ignore the warnings of internet security experts and reports of the damage caused by spyware is truly a formula for disaster. Don’t let yourself be the next victim.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Selecting Google Adsense Keywords – Simple and Easy
Copyright © Stephen Wright
Getting on the bandwagon for profits and increasing your website traffic in the balance might sound like an easy task, but in reality very few marketers are able to be successful on their own without some advice, guidance and shortcuts. Finding and implementing high profit, low competition keywords in your ads really is the trick for making Adsense payoff big.
On the opposite spectrums of Adsense are huge possible profits and low competition keywords for your ads – to substantial expenses and lost revenues, simply from not having up front information to utilize. Adsense for many is an expense and painful lesson in “what not to do”. However, InternetMarketingUSA offers a handful of straightforward approaches, designed to provide you with a easily followed roadmap of ideas to get you going on the right path.
Background Research – Worth Its Weight in Gold: Absolutely critical in developing an Adsense campaign is to research some keywords for your niche that have a high CPC (Cost Per Click) value. A handy tool available for free to accomplish this is to use Google Adwords keyword tool or another tool that will give you a multitude of keyword lists designed specifically for your niche market. To simplify keeping up with these later, you should consider saving the keywords into a program or application (I find Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to be excellent for this purpose. However; a basic word processing document will functionally work also). This makes it easy to copy and paste the keywords into Google's Traffic Estimator in your Adwords account. The estimator will give you the approximate clicks per day and the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword. With this information, it is then easy enough to copy/paste this information back to your spreadsheet file for later reference.
Determine your Maximum Earning Per Click: To determine your maximum EPC, multiply the average CPC by 30% to get an estimate of your maximum earnings per click. The higher the average CPC, the more likely the CPC for the 2nd - 8th positions are high as well. You want this higher average CPC to start because if the CPC starts to drop off significantly after the 3rd position, your chance of getting high click earnings as an Adsense publisher will be diminished.
Determine Desired CPC – Based on Individual Strategy (and budget) Use any one of many tools available on the internet for helping to estimate the 1st - 8th position CPC values. These tools will estimate the CPCs for each position and allow you to see how much the CPCs drop off after the first position. This dramatically helps your analysis for picking the most profitable keywords. If the CPC values stay close to the each other and to the value of the first position, then you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.
Test Google for Position Location Now that the ads have been established it is time to check your exact position in the search engines. To determine which Adsense ads occupy which positions. You can do this by searching on Google for your keyword and looking to see which Adsense ads are generated in the search results and in which order they are. A second method for this determination is to use the Adwords Accelerator tool itself. It has a feature whereby Adwords ads are dynamically displayed for a given keyword you input into the tool to check. If the Adwords advertiser has used "Adwords for Content" in his advertising, these ads will be the Adsense ads someone else is displaying on their website.
Compare Initial Results
Compare the ads you found in the previous step to the results of using a keyword check function tool (available on the internet). If the advertisers you find by doing this closely match those you found above, you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.
If the advertisers are not he same, then the advertiser is possibly not using the "Adwords for Content" mode of advertising in his campaigns. This means that the keyword may not be the basis for the Adsense ads and may not be profitable.
Determining Your Profits and Determine Cost Per Click Data for Enhancements
If you decide to get traffic using the Adwords approach, then just use the keywords in your Adsense ads that scored well from the prior evaluation. Then, use lower cost per click keywords in your Adwords ads. The difference between the earnings from the click you get on your Adsense word from the cost of the click you pay on your Adwords word will be your profit.
Combine these techniques with your search engine optimization techniques will go a long way towards ensuring you get traffic to the website. Once there, make sure the keywords you choose have the highest KEI possible. KEI is the ratio of the number of searches for a keyword to the number of competing sites having the keyword. The combination of a high KEI and a high score from the above evaluation will yield the best profit results, greatest amount of traffic, increased revenues and minimal expense.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Getting on the bandwagon for profits and increasing your website traffic in the balance might sound like an easy task, but in reality very few marketers are able to be successful on their own without some advice, guidance and shortcuts. Finding and implementing high profit, low competition keywords in your ads really is the trick for making Adsense payoff big.
On the opposite spectrums of Adsense are huge possible profits and low competition keywords for your ads – to substantial expenses and lost revenues, simply from not having up front information to utilize. Adsense for many is an expense and painful lesson in “what not to do”. However, InternetMarketingUSA offers a handful of straightforward approaches, designed to provide you with a easily followed roadmap of ideas to get you going on the right path.
Background Research – Worth Its Weight in Gold: Absolutely critical in developing an Adsense campaign is to research some keywords for your niche that have a high CPC (Cost Per Click) value. A handy tool available for free to accomplish this is to use Google Adwords keyword tool or another tool that will give you a multitude of keyword lists designed specifically for your niche market. To simplify keeping up with these later, you should consider saving the keywords into a program or application (I find Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to be excellent for this purpose. However; a basic word processing document will functionally work also). This makes it easy to copy and paste the keywords into Google's Traffic Estimator in your Adwords account. The estimator will give you the approximate clicks per day and the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword. With this information, it is then easy enough to copy/paste this information back to your spreadsheet file for later reference.
Determine your Maximum Earning Per Click: To determine your maximum EPC, multiply the average CPC by 30% to get an estimate of your maximum earnings per click. The higher the average CPC, the more likely the CPC for the 2nd - 8th positions are high as well. You want this higher average CPC to start because if the CPC starts to drop off significantly after the 3rd position, your chance of getting high click earnings as an Adsense publisher will be diminished.
Determine Desired CPC – Based on Individual Strategy (and budget) Use any one of many tools available on the internet for helping to estimate the 1st - 8th position CPC values. These tools will estimate the CPCs for each position and allow you to see how much the CPCs drop off after the first position. This dramatically helps your analysis for picking the most profitable keywords. If the CPC values stay close to the each other and to the value of the first position, then you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.
Test Google for Position Location Now that the ads have been established it is time to check your exact position in the search engines. To determine which Adsense ads occupy which positions. You can do this by searching on Google for your keyword and looking to see which Adsense ads are generated in the search results and in which order they are. A second method for this determination is to use the Adwords Accelerator tool itself. It has a feature whereby Adwords ads are dynamically displayed for a given keyword you input into the tool to check. If the Adwords advertiser has used "Adwords for Content" in his advertising, these ads will be the Adsense ads someone else is displaying on their website.
Compare Initial Results
Compare the ads you found in the previous step to the results of using a keyword check function tool (available on the internet). If the advertisers you find by doing this closely match those you found above, you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.
If the advertisers are not he same, then the advertiser is possibly not using the "Adwords for Content" mode of advertising in his campaigns. This means that the keyword may not be the basis for the Adsense ads and may not be profitable.
Determining Your Profits and Determine Cost Per Click Data for Enhancements
If you decide to get traffic using the Adwords approach, then just use the keywords in your Adsense ads that scored well from the prior evaluation. Then, use lower cost per click keywords in your Adwords ads. The difference between the earnings from the click you get on your Adsense word from the cost of the click you pay on your Adwords word will be your profit.
Combine these techniques with your search engine optimization techniques will go a long way towards ensuring you get traffic to the website. Once there, make sure the keywords you choose have the highest KEI possible. KEI is the ratio of the number of searches for a keyword to the number of competing sites having the keyword. The combination of a high KEI and a high score from the above evaluation will yield the best profit results, greatest amount of traffic, increased revenues and minimal expense.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Learning to Think Like a Customer: Selling Tips for Success
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
One of the most common mistakes marketers make is advertising and marketing based on personal opinions and perceptions. Unsuccessful ones tend to think this way, not only about the product being sold, but also regarding how potential customers will act and react to our advertising approach. This then begs the obvious question (which isn’t so obvious)—why do customers buy in the first place. What is their motivation, purpose in buying? What do they need the product/service for? What needs are they satisfying in buying the products in the first place? Seems like simple and basic questions, right? Not really, when you dig deeper under the surface. The better we understand and appropriately respond to these questions, the more sales, revenue and success we will have.
Fact number one: potential customers buy for personal reasons (theirs), not ours. They could care less about our company, glitzy website, or how long the list of product features so skillfully displayed. They only care about the oldest motivation in the book – WII-FM (what’s in it for ME!). They want the benefit, the impact, the improvement, the comfort, or the security it will deliver, period.
Most small (and large for that matter) business marketing fails to address these crucial customer needs directly. All too often the focus is mistakenly on the greatness of the product or service, and not on what is important (to the customer that is). Marketers are often their own worst enemy. Frequently, they are not communicating on the buyer's level of motivation. They are too busy figuring out how to "sell" the product than finding out the reasons the customer "buys" in the first place.
The problem comes down to the marketing strategy that is employed. Are you pushing the product or are you pulling the customer through the marketing process?
The distinction becomes very important and critical to success. Since buyers only care about their needs and take action for their personal reasons, why should they pay attention to why you think your product is so great?
When you push products, you are essentially telling the customer that they should buy from you because of your reasons. With this egocentric approach you often run into a stone wall of objections and delays. Pushing the product forces them out of their comfort zone and places unnecessary pressure on their decision making process. A relentless assault of closing techniques pushes them away from a purchase decision on “their terms”.
Pulling a potential customer through the purchase process is much more effective. When you pull you are leading them to the purchase like leading a horse to water. You gently guide them through your features and benefits and come to a decision on their terms. If they resist you have not educated them enough with information to motivate them or you haven't addressed their objections sufficiently.
The potential customer will only make a decision when they are comfortably satisfied your offer has met all of their purchase criteria. As a seller, you must pull them through the process and always let them stay within the limits of their comfort zone. It's by staying within these boundaries that trust is established and a long term relationship is built with the customer.
Also remember that the purchasing process is completely rooted in the perceptions of the buyer. They have ultimate control over the process, not you. Your job as a marketer is to develop all your communications to make them comfortable and lead them to the best outcome...purchasing your product or service.
Always be aware of which method you are using - push or pull - and adopt it to the potential customer’s personal reasons for purchasing and you will enjoy continuous success.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: Get Docomology Now
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
One of the most common mistakes marketers make is advertising and marketing based on personal opinions and perceptions. Unsuccessful ones tend to think this way, not only about the product being sold, but also regarding how potential customers will act and react to our advertising approach. This then begs the obvious question (which isn’t so obvious)—why do customers buy in the first place. What is their motivation, purpose in buying? What do they need the product/service for? What needs are they satisfying in buying the products in the first place? Seems like simple and basic questions, right? Not really, when you dig deeper under the surface. The better we understand and appropriately respond to these questions, the more sales, revenue and success we will have.
Fact number one: potential customers buy for personal reasons (theirs), not ours. They could care less about our company, glitzy website, or how long the list of product features so skillfully displayed. They only care about the oldest motivation in the book – WII-FM (what’s in it for ME!). They want the benefit, the impact, the improvement, the comfort, or the security it will deliver, period.
Most small (and large for that matter) business marketing fails to address these crucial customer needs directly. All too often the focus is mistakenly on the greatness of the product or service, and not on what is important (to the customer that is). Marketers are often their own worst enemy. Frequently, they are not communicating on the buyer's level of motivation. They are too busy figuring out how to "sell" the product than finding out the reasons the customer "buys" in the first place.
The problem comes down to the marketing strategy that is employed. Are you pushing the product or are you pulling the customer through the marketing process?
The distinction becomes very important and critical to success. Since buyers only care about their needs and take action for their personal reasons, why should they pay attention to why you think your product is so great?
When you push products, you are essentially telling the customer that they should buy from you because of your reasons. With this egocentric approach you often run into a stone wall of objections and delays. Pushing the product forces them out of their comfort zone and places unnecessary pressure on their decision making process. A relentless assault of closing techniques pushes them away from a purchase decision on “their terms”.
Pulling a potential customer through the purchase process is much more effective. When you pull you are leading them to the purchase like leading a horse to water. You gently guide them through your features and benefits and come to a decision on their terms. If they resist you have not educated them enough with information to motivate them or you haven't addressed their objections sufficiently.
The potential customer will only make a decision when they are comfortably satisfied your offer has met all of their purchase criteria. As a seller, you must pull them through the process and always let them stay within the limits of their comfort zone. It's by staying within these boundaries that trust is established and a long term relationship is built with the customer.
Also remember that the purchasing process is completely rooted in the perceptions of the buyer. They have ultimate control over the process, not you. Your job as a marketer is to develop all your communications to make them comfortable and lead them to the best outcome...purchasing your product or service.
Always be aware of which method you are using - push or pull - and adopt it to the potential customer’s personal reasons for purchasing and you will enjoy continuous success.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: Get Docomology Now
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Maximizing Keyword Matching for Seach Engines
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
If you are like most internet marketing entrepreneurs these days, you are taking full advantage of advertising with the major search engines to increase the amount of traffic coming to your site. After all, even if you have the greatest product around, the best website layout and design going - if you don’t have traffic coming to your site--it’s “just a pretty site”. Getting traffic to your site has to be a high priority to be successful on the internet. Advertising campaigns on the major search engines is a major strategy and technique of getting that traffic to your site.
So one you’ve made that decision, you are quickly faced with the next challenge. It simply not as easy as it might sound. Sure, if you have the money, you can immediately get millions of hits coming to your site. Getting targeted traffic quickly becomes your next big challenge. After all, the secret to this type of advertising is reducing your cost-per-click (CPC) and maximizing (increasing) your overall return-on-investment (ROI).
The best technique to achieve this is proper application of “keyword matching” options. There are four different methods of making sure your ad campaign is targeted to your intended audience and potential clients. These are: broad match, phrase match, exact match, and negative keyword matching. A general description of each is as follows:
Broad Match: As a starting place, broach matching is the default option for most of the search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, etc). When you include a general keyword or keyword phrase in your keyword list your ads will appear and return several variations of the search term. For example if a user’s query contained baseball cap, the ads would return the words baseball and cap, in any order, and possibly other terms. The ads will also automatically show up for expanded matches (including plural variations of the terms). Because broad matches are sometimes less targeted than exact or phrase matches, you should create keyword phrases containing at least two descriptive words each. You can also try the keyword tool and the other three matching options to further refine your targeting. Finally, keep in mind that other advertisers may have bid for the same broad-matched keyword combinations that trigger your ads, increasing your actual CPC amounts. Using exact, phrase, or negative matches can help you keep your costs low. Phrase Match - If you enter your keyword in quotation marks, as in "baseball cap," your ad will appear when a user searches on the phrase baseball cap, in this order, and possibly with other terms in the query. For example, your ad will appear for the query fitted baseball cap but not for caps for baseball. Phrase matching is more targeted than broad matching, but slightly more flexible than exact matching. To ensure your ads are as targeted as they can be, you may want to include at least two descriptive words in your keyword phrases.
Exact Match - If you surround your keywords in brackets-such as [baseball cap]-your ads will appear when users search for the specific phrase baseball cap, in this order, and without any other terms in the query. For example, your ad won't show for the query fitted baseball cap. Exact matching is the most targeted option. Although you won't receive as many impressions with exact matching, you'll likely enjoy the most clicks, because users searching for terms in this manner typically want precisely what your business has to offer.
Negative Keyword - If your keyword is baseball cap and you add the negative keyword -fitted, your ad will not appear when a user searches on fitted baseball cap. You can apply this option for a keyword at both the Ad Group and campaign level.
And if you think about it - it is a “win/win” situation for you and the potential clients who are not being taken by the search engines to sites that are unrelated to what they were searching for in the first place. Since you gain no benefit from paying for clicks by internet searchers that are not interested in your products/services ---it becomes an ideal situation for both you and your potential clients. Being aware of and properly applying these simple techniques will ensure that you get the greatest bang for your advertising buck, while increasing your “targeted” traffic.
To learn more about the benefits of keyword matching options, look for the frequently asked question section of the search engine application you are using.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: Get Docomology Now
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
If you are like most internet marketing entrepreneurs these days, you are taking full advantage of advertising with the major search engines to increase the amount of traffic coming to your site. After all, even if you have the greatest product around, the best website layout and design going - if you don’t have traffic coming to your site--it’s “just a pretty site”. Getting traffic to your site has to be a high priority to be successful on the internet. Advertising campaigns on the major search engines is a major strategy and technique of getting that traffic to your site.
So one you’ve made that decision, you are quickly faced with the next challenge. It simply not as easy as it might sound. Sure, if you have the money, you can immediately get millions of hits coming to your site. Getting targeted traffic quickly becomes your next big challenge. After all, the secret to this type of advertising is reducing your cost-per-click (CPC) and maximizing (increasing) your overall return-on-investment (ROI).
The best technique to achieve this is proper application of “keyword matching” options. There are four different methods of making sure your ad campaign is targeted to your intended audience and potential clients. These are: broad match, phrase match, exact match, and negative keyword matching. A general description of each is as follows:
Broad Match: As a starting place, broach matching is the default option for most of the search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, etc). When you include a general keyword or keyword phrase in your keyword list your ads will appear and return several variations of the search term. For example if a user’s query contained baseball cap, the ads would return the words baseball and cap, in any order, and possibly other terms. The ads will also automatically show up for expanded matches (including plural variations of the terms). Because broad matches are sometimes less targeted than exact or phrase matches, you should create keyword phrases containing at least two descriptive words each. You can also try the keyword tool and the other three matching options to further refine your targeting. Finally, keep in mind that other advertisers may have bid for the same broad-matched keyword combinations that trigger your ads, increasing your actual CPC amounts. Using exact, phrase, or negative matches can help you keep your costs low. Phrase Match - If you enter your keyword in quotation marks, as in "baseball cap," your ad will appear when a user searches on the phrase baseball cap, in this order, and possibly with other terms in the query. For example, your ad will appear for the query fitted baseball cap but not for caps for baseball. Phrase matching is more targeted than broad matching, but slightly more flexible than exact matching. To ensure your ads are as targeted as they can be, you may want to include at least two descriptive words in your keyword phrases.
Exact Match - If you surround your keywords in brackets-such as [baseball cap]-your ads will appear when users search for the specific phrase baseball cap, in this order, and without any other terms in the query. For example, your ad won't show for the query fitted baseball cap. Exact matching is the most targeted option. Although you won't receive as many impressions with exact matching, you'll likely enjoy the most clicks, because users searching for terms in this manner typically want precisely what your business has to offer.
Negative Keyword - If your keyword is baseball cap and you add the negative keyword -fitted, your ad will not appear when a user searches on fitted baseball cap. You can apply this option for a keyword at both the Ad Group and campaign level.
And if you think about it - it is a “win/win” situation for you and the potential clients who are not being taken by the search engines to sites that are unrelated to what they were searching for in the first place. Since you gain no benefit from paying for clicks by internet searchers that are not interested in your products/services ---it becomes an ideal situation for both you and your potential clients. Being aware of and properly applying these simple techniques will ensure that you get the greatest bang for your advertising buck, while increasing your “targeted” traffic.
To learn more about the benefits of keyword matching options, look for the frequently asked question section of the search engine application you are using.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: Get Docomology Now
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Give Me a One,Two,Three, and a Forum - Online Forum Etiquette
Give Me a One,Two,Three, and a Forum - Online Forum Etiquette
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
It seems that every other article or guru tip you read extolls the benefit of one program or another as the absolute best way to enhance your internet marketing business. In reality, there are many ways to boost your business online - writing articles, search engine optimization, acquiring incoming links - the list goes on and on. But what about online forums? Are they really worth the investment of your time, effort and energies?
The answer really is quite simple, YES! If you are looking for effectiveness, looking for ways to enhance your web presence in a significant way, without spending a fortune--then forums are the ticket!
One of the best ways which is often overlooked is to find forums relating to your line of business and join as many as reasonabily possible. Being a frequent participant on forums can increase links back to your website, increase your chances of being seen as an expert, increase your mailing list, sell more of your product, get new affiliates to sign up, make you new friends - and the benefits get extensive.
However, there are some things to think about before you get started in a forum. Your purpose is primarily to establish yourself as a knowledgable person (even a guru of sorts). You do this through a careful etiquette and approach. Here are a few helpful hints of good forum etiquette:
Things to Help Your Business (These are the GOOD Ones!):
1. Research each forum before you join. Make sure it's relevant to your business and see if the participants are in your target market. Look at how much traffic the forum gets. How busy is it? There’s no point in joining a dead forum with very few posts.
2. Check the forum rules before you post. Some forums will allow you to post adverts for your business while others will object. Check if you are allowed to add a signature at the end of your posts - adding a small biography with a web link to your business is a great way to increase incoming links to your site and to get more traffic.
3. Be polite and treat everyone the way you would like to be treated. Even though you don't meet people face to face you will build up some great relationships if you take the time to give good answers to questions, to be helpful and to respect other people's opinions. And every post you answer adds to your reputation. Use your posts to give genuine, useful advice, not just to plug your business and you'll soon be looked on as an expert.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for advice - no-one knows everything and sometimes you will need help.
5. To make the most of your time on the forums, allow yourself only a certain amount of time each day.
6. Read only the posts that are relevant and that interest you and post answers quickly before moving on. It's very easy to spend the whole day on forums and not get anything else done.
Things that will Hurt Your Business (These are the BAD Ones!):
1. Never, ever use a post to blatantly advertise your business, particularly if the forum rules don't allow it. Nothing will damage your reputation faster than spamming a forum.
2. Don't go through the list of forum members, collect email addresses and send them unsolicited mail. At best you'll be banned from the forum and at worst the owners might report you to your ISP.
3. Don't ever get involved in a flame war (this is when a heated conversation on a forum boils over and degenerates into nothing but an exchange of personal insults). It might be really satisfying to say what you think about someone, especially if they've been getting on your nerves, but just imagine what other people will think of you if you do.
In conclusion, treat people online like you treat people in real life. Think of it as a networking event that's taking place on your computer and don't forget that other posts on the forums are made by real people with real feelings. You already know how to make friends and new contacts face to face. Apply what you already know to online networking and you could be enjoying great success with a global audience. Before you know it, you will have gain a tremendous amount of information, knowledge, networking contacts, friendships, and potential business venture partners for the future. You will be amazed at how extensive the list of benefits for forum exchange can be.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
It seems that every other article or guru tip you read extolls the benefit of one program or another as the absolute best way to enhance your internet marketing business. In reality, there are many ways to boost your business online - writing articles, search engine optimization, acquiring incoming links - the list goes on and on. But what about online forums? Are they really worth the investment of your time, effort and energies?
The answer really is quite simple, YES! If you are looking for effectiveness, looking for ways to enhance your web presence in a significant way, without spending a fortune--then forums are the ticket!
One of the best ways which is often overlooked is to find forums relating to your line of business and join as many as reasonabily possible. Being a frequent participant on forums can increase links back to your website, increase your chances of being seen as an expert, increase your mailing list, sell more of your product, get new affiliates to sign up, make you new friends - and the benefits get extensive.
However, there are some things to think about before you get started in a forum. Your purpose is primarily to establish yourself as a knowledgable person (even a guru of sorts). You do this through a careful etiquette and approach. Here are a few helpful hints of good forum etiquette:
Things to Help Your Business (These are the GOOD Ones!):
1. Research each forum before you join. Make sure it's relevant to your business and see if the participants are in your target market. Look at how much traffic the forum gets. How busy is it? There’s no point in joining a dead forum with very few posts.
2. Check the forum rules before you post. Some forums will allow you to post adverts for your business while others will object. Check if you are allowed to add a signature at the end of your posts - adding a small biography with a web link to your business is a great way to increase incoming links to your site and to get more traffic.
3. Be polite and treat everyone the way you would like to be treated. Even though you don't meet people face to face you will build up some great relationships if you take the time to give good answers to questions, to be helpful and to respect other people's opinions. And every post you answer adds to your reputation. Use your posts to give genuine, useful advice, not just to plug your business and you'll soon be looked on as an expert.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for advice - no-one knows everything and sometimes you will need help.
5. To make the most of your time on the forums, allow yourself only a certain amount of time each day.
6. Read only the posts that are relevant and that interest you and post answers quickly before moving on. It's very easy to spend the whole day on forums and not get anything else done.
Things that will Hurt Your Business (These are the BAD Ones!):
1. Never, ever use a post to blatantly advertise your business, particularly if the forum rules don't allow it. Nothing will damage your reputation faster than spamming a forum.
2. Don't go through the list of forum members, collect email addresses and send them unsolicited mail. At best you'll be banned from the forum and at worst the owners might report you to your ISP.
3. Don't ever get involved in a flame war (this is when a heated conversation on a forum boils over and degenerates into nothing but an exchange of personal insults). It might be really satisfying to say what you think about someone, especially if they've been getting on your nerves, but just imagine what other people will think of you if you do.
In conclusion, treat people online like you treat people in real life. Think of it as a networking event that's taking place on your computer and don't forget that other posts on the forums are made by real people with real feelings. You already know how to make friends and new contacts face to face. Apply what you already know to online networking and you could be enjoying great success with a global audience. Before you know it, you will have gain a tremendous amount of information, knowledge, networking contacts, friendships, and potential business venture partners for the future. You will be amazed at how extensive the list of benefits for forum exchange can be.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Off-Line Marketing - The Secret to Getting More Customers
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
It's an on going saga. How can business owners locate potential customers who are willing to buy your programs and products? What are the techniques that work effectively in making this happen? How to attract more customers willing spend more money and bring more profits and revenues in?
A perfectly reasonable question unless you are in business only to give away your programs, products, or services. As a general rule, most business owners are not in business just to provide charity and they need some way to attract more customers who will spend more money.
The official name for attracting customers in this manner is customer acquisition. Buying office furniture, designing business cards, applying for licenses, purchasing computer systems -- none of these counts more in a business than customer acquisition. To make a profit and stay in business, every business owner needs a reliable way to get more customers in the door, who are willing to spend money on what you have to offer.
Hands down, the very best way to acquire more customers is through a direct response marketing system for off-line marketing with the capability of carefully tracking and accounting for the source of the traffic. This simply means that whatever method a business owner chooses to seek out new customers should have a built-in way of tracking response so the owner knows where the customer came from.
You must tell your potential customers where they can find you AND give them a compelling reason for doing business with you. This actually is the secret behind all marketing. All marketing practices can be boiled down to this one thought. Tell your potential customers where they can find you and why they should do business with you. It sounds so simple when you think about it, but this is one of the major stumbling blocks to a successful business. The owner thinks potential customers will spend time and energy searching out a company to do business with. Wrong!
Most potential customers will shop only at places they already know. Stop and really think about this for a minute. Most potential customers will only shop at places they already know -- AND they need a good reason to do business with you. If they do not know how to find you, they will not be coming to buy from you. You must find a way to tell potential customers where your business can be found.
To accomplish this is easy, if you follow a few basic steps. Following is a sampling of the possibilities that can be used for this purpose:
1. Distribute a press release detailing the latest breakthrough in your business field, available only at your place of business. AND include a special telephone number for customers to call for more information.
2. Place an add in your local yellow pages publication. It doesn't have to be huge, elobrate, or expensive. Something modest, but consistenly run will do. Readers become comfortable with ads they have seen before. After your ad runs a feww times, you will be surprised how many people begin to feel they can trust giving your ad a try. Additionaly, it can be quite an added attraction to couple your local ad with such things as special discount offers in the ad.
3. Send everyone in your zip code a postcard announcing a sale at your place of business. AND have them bring in the postcard to receive the discounted price.
4. Become the local expert in your business field by being interviewed on the radio. AND include a special phone number for customers to call during the broadcast to get more information.
5. Give a speech at the Chamber of Commerce. AND hand out problem solving brochures with your address, phone number and a special code number for customers to use to get a discount.
Many business owners regard marketing only as a necessary evil. They would rather concentrate on their core business activities. But when they use these simple methods to harness the powerful secret to getting more customers, they can eliminate the pain of marketing. Then their businesses will be truly successful in bringing in more customers, more money and more profits.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
It's an on going saga. How can business owners locate potential customers who are willing to buy your programs and products? What are the techniques that work effectively in making this happen? How to attract more customers willing spend more money and bring more profits and revenues in?
A perfectly reasonable question unless you are in business only to give away your programs, products, or services. As a general rule, most business owners are not in business just to provide charity and they need some way to attract more customers who will spend more money.
The official name for attracting customers in this manner is customer acquisition. Buying office furniture, designing business cards, applying for licenses, purchasing computer systems -- none of these counts more in a business than customer acquisition. To make a profit and stay in business, every business owner needs a reliable way to get more customers in the door, who are willing to spend money on what you have to offer.
Hands down, the very best way to acquire more customers is through a direct response marketing system for off-line marketing with the capability of carefully tracking and accounting for the source of the traffic. This simply means that whatever method a business owner chooses to seek out new customers should have a built-in way of tracking response so the owner knows where the customer came from.
You must tell your potential customers where they can find you AND give them a compelling reason for doing business with you. This actually is the secret behind all marketing. All marketing practices can be boiled down to this one thought. Tell your potential customers where they can find you and why they should do business with you. It sounds so simple when you think about it, but this is one of the major stumbling blocks to a successful business. The owner thinks potential customers will spend time and energy searching out a company to do business with. Wrong!
Most potential customers will shop only at places they already know. Stop and really think about this for a minute. Most potential customers will only shop at places they already know -- AND they need a good reason to do business with you. If they do not know how to find you, they will not be coming to buy from you. You must find a way to tell potential customers where your business can be found.
To accomplish this is easy, if you follow a few basic steps. Following is a sampling of the possibilities that can be used for this purpose:
1. Distribute a press release detailing the latest breakthrough in your business field, available only at your place of business. AND include a special telephone number for customers to call for more information.
2. Place an add in your local yellow pages publication. It doesn't have to be huge, elobrate, or expensive. Something modest, but consistenly run will do. Readers become comfortable with ads they have seen before. After your ad runs a feww times, you will be surprised how many people begin to feel they can trust giving your ad a try. Additionaly, it can be quite an added attraction to couple your local ad with such things as special discount offers in the ad.
3. Send everyone in your zip code a postcard announcing a sale at your place of business. AND have them bring in the postcard to receive the discounted price.
4. Become the local expert in your business field by being interviewed on the radio. AND include a special phone number for customers to call during the broadcast to get more information.
5. Give a speech at the Chamber of Commerce. AND hand out problem solving brochures with your address, phone number and a special code number for customers to use to get a discount.
Many business owners regard marketing only as a necessary evil. They would rather concentrate on their core business activities. But when they use these simple methods to harness the powerful secret to getting more customers, they can eliminate the pain of marketing. Then their businesses will be truly successful in bringing in more customers, more money and more profits.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Monday, December 12, 2005
Blogging – A Critical Part of Your Web Business Strategy
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
The methods by which we use to contact each other, especially in internet marketing activities continue to undergo dramatic transformation. In the not to distant past (only a couple of years ago!) we kept in touch with customers – existing or potential new ones, using the telephone, fax machines, direct mail marketing and even in-person meetings. Today, people expect more frequent updates, new information, and the latest of everything. So much so that it is literally impossible to keep up with this dizzying pace and certainly not on a continuing or ongoing basis with any consistency.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers. Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site.
So how does this all work? A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a popular blog website. One example is called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read
RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails. After a small amount of basic research and reading, you will quickly see, there are numerous advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. One of the biggest reasons is that search engines love them. This is because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely the thing that searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. What this means to internet marketers is that if you don't have a blog for your business, you are potentially reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
For all the reasons mentioned above (and many, many more), blogging is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. All the marketing research you can find will tell you that regular contact with your customers is a vital component in retaining existing clients, as well as gaining new business. Don’t put it off any longer; it is time to get your blog going---today!
The methods by which we use to contact each other, especially in internet marketing activities continue to undergo dramatic transformation. In the not to distant past (only a couple of years ago!) we kept in touch with customers – existing or potential new ones, using the telephone, fax machines, direct mail marketing and even in-person meetings. Today, people expect more frequent updates, new information, and the latest of everything. So much so that it is literally impossible to keep up with this dizzying pace and certainly not on a continuing or ongoing basis with any consistency.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers. Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site.
So how does this all work? A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a popular blog website. One example is called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read
RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails. After a small amount of basic research and reading, you will quickly see, there are numerous advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. One of the biggest reasons is that search engines love them. This is because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely the thing that searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. What this means to internet marketers is that if you don't have a blog for your business, you are potentially reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
For all the reasons mentioned above (and many, many more), blogging is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. All the marketing research you can find will tell you that regular contact with your customers is a vital component in retaining existing clients, as well as gaining new business. Don’t put it off any longer; it is time to get your blog going---today!
Friday, December 09, 2005
Phishing Kicked Up a Notch--The IRS Scam
I keep reading countless articles and forum posts about various scams. Scammers are cooking up a growing number of so-called phishing schemes, using e-mails that look like they are from reputable sources to cull personal data needed to steal your hard-earned money. Scam artists are so much in hot pursuit of your identity that using popular targets like eBay and PayPal is only the tip of the iceberg.
I heard about a new one that really seems to be just starting up and is predicted to escalate dramatically; the closer we get to the official tax filing season. The scam involves e-mails promising income-tax refunds. The message directs recipients to a scam site where they are asked for private and personal details such as credit-card and Social Security numbers.
What makes this hoax especially effective is that it used a legitimate government site, GovBenefits.gov, to direct would-be victims to its own page. The government quickly caught wind of the hoax and on Dec. 1 fixed the loophole that enabled phishers to use its site as a conduit.
As the online shopping season kicks into full gear, you're probably spending plenty of time wielding your credit card while on the Net. And with tax-preparation time just around the corner, refund-related frauds could reappear.
How does the tax-refund scheme work?
Recipients get an e-mail from tax-refunds@irs.gov that appears to promise a tax refund and asks users to click on a GovBenefits.gov URL, described as the place to go for accessing tax returns. But when victims copy and paste that link into their Web browsers, GovBenefits.gov directs them instead to a criminal Web site that has a fake IRS form asking for personal information.
Here is some information I obtained from the GovBenefits site about what to do, what you should look out for:
What should I do if I receive one of these e-mails?
You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. If you go to the FTC's identity theft site, you can find a link to a complaint input form that's secured with encryption.
Skittish about links? Then call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 877 ID-THEFT (438-4338) or write the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.
Phishing is one of many ways that thieves can gather information used to steal identity. The Anti-Phishing Working Group received 15,820 unique reports in October, compared with only 6,957 the same month last year. The industry association discovered 4,210 phishing sites in October, an explosion from 1,142 a year earlier.
And, of course, be leery of any e-mail that requests account information, Social Security numbers, or passwords. Banks and other legitimate establishments won't ask for these details through e-mail.
Let's be careful out there!!
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
(Source: Business Week Magazine (12-05-05), GovBenefits.gov, and FTC.gov)
I heard about a new one that really seems to be just starting up and is predicted to escalate dramatically; the closer we get to the official tax filing season. The scam involves e-mails promising income-tax refunds. The message directs recipients to a scam site where they are asked for private and personal details such as credit-card and Social Security numbers.
What makes this hoax especially effective is that it used a legitimate government site, GovBenefits.gov, to direct would-be victims to its own page. The government quickly caught wind of the hoax and on Dec. 1 fixed the loophole that enabled phishers to use its site as a conduit.
As the online shopping season kicks into full gear, you're probably spending plenty of time wielding your credit card while on the Net. And with tax-preparation time just around the corner, refund-related frauds could reappear.
How does the tax-refund scheme work?
Recipients get an e-mail from tax-refunds@irs.gov that appears to promise a tax refund and asks users to click on a GovBenefits.gov URL, described as the place to go for accessing tax returns. But when victims copy and paste that link into their Web browsers, GovBenefits.gov directs them instead to a criminal Web site that has a fake IRS form asking for personal information.
Here is some information I obtained from the GovBenefits site about what to do, what you should look out for:
What should I do if I receive one of these e-mails?
You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. If you go to the FTC's identity theft site, you can find a link to a complaint input form that's secured with encryption.
Skittish about links? Then call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 877 ID-THEFT (438-4338) or write the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.
Phishing is one of many ways that thieves can gather information used to steal identity. The Anti-Phishing Working Group received 15,820 unique reports in October, compared with only 6,957 the same month last year. The industry association discovered 4,210 phishing sites in October, an explosion from 1,142 a year earlier.
And, of course, be leery of any e-mail that requests account information, Social Security numbers, or passwords. Banks and other legitimate establishments won't ask for these details through e-mail.
Let's be careful out there!!
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
(Source: Business Week Magazine (12-05-05), GovBenefits.gov, and FTC.gov)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Writing Emails With A Purpose
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
How many times have you seen it? You open your inbox just to see another long, seemingly endless list of emails. You cautiously open each one, giving “some” of them 10-20 seconds of a quick scan. If something captures your interest, you read on. If not, it’s a quick click (delete key) and you move on.
If this is your pattern, you are not alone. This scenario is repeated by thousands, if not millions of internet users each and every day. Knowing this pattern makes the job of internet marketers even more difficult. Our ability to cultivate and retain any significant numbers in a downline is directly determined by our ability to maximize these precious few seconds of reading time. Have you got what it takes to write an email and get the replies flying in?
Most of us send out emails almost every day. We do it all too often with out carefully thinking about it. As a result these emails are often written and sent out less than perfect and fail to produce the desired result.
The purpose of sending out mass email is usually intended to attract visitors to view a website rather than make a sale, therefore it is important to take your time and define your aim precisely before writing the email.
Keep it simple and brief; avoid using long or technical words as some people may not understand them. Do not use three words where one will suffice. If the email is long and full of waffle boredom will set in and without a doubt it is likely to be deleted before reaching the end of it.
The opening paragraph is vital. If it does not click with the reader right away you have wasted your time sending it. It's true that even the best writers spend time editing and rewriting their articles and emails.
Start with an eye catching headline. It might be a question or statement. You must grab their attention right away. Make sure to look at it from your readers point of view, is it forceful enough or exciting to make you want to read on and discover the end result?
Headlines hook prospects and lead them to the next line. There you start to build their interest to ensure they read the next sentence... and each subsequent one. You might even find it is worth offering a free gift or a monthly newsletter that would help their business. There are plenty of free e-books on the web that you can give away.
If the intention of your email is to make a sale then offer a guarantee or a full refund this should dispel any fears they may have.
A cheeky way to test out your email is to send it to a couple of friends who are interested in business, add a message at the end of it and ask them to email you. If you don't receive a reply, take it as a sign that perhaps your email was discarded before they made it far enough down the message, to get your message. When this happens it is a good idea to edit your email and remove any unneeded text before sending back out to your master list.
The exact techniques and methods you use will vary depending on personal preferences, product differences, market circumstances, etc. However, the basic approach is to make sure you give it some advance preparation and work, before sending them out. You will be pleasantly amazed at the difference it makes.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
How many times have you seen it? You open your inbox just to see another long, seemingly endless list of emails. You cautiously open each one, giving “some” of them 10-20 seconds of a quick scan. If something captures your interest, you read on. If not, it’s a quick click (delete key) and you move on.
If this is your pattern, you are not alone. This scenario is repeated by thousands, if not millions of internet users each and every day. Knowing this pattern makes the job of internet marketers even more difficult. Our ability to cultivate and retain any significant numbers in a downline is directly determined by our ability to maximize these precious few seconds of reading time. Have you got what it takes to write an email and get the replies flying in?
Most of us send out emails almost every day. We do it all too often with out carefully thinking about it. As a result these emails are often written and sent out less than perfect and fail to produce the desired result.
The purpose of sending out mass email is usually intended to attract visitors to view a website rather than make a sale, therefore it is important to take your time and define your aim precisely before writing the email.
Keep it simple and brief; avoid using long or technical words as some people may not understand them. Do not use three words where one will suffice. If the email is long and full of waffle boredom will set in and without a doubt it is likely to be deleted before reaching the end of it.
The opening paragraph is vital. If it does not click with the reader right away you have wasted your time sending it. It's true that even the best writers spend time editing and rewriting their articles and emails.
Start with an eye catching headline. It might be a question or statement. You must grab their attention right away. Make sure to look at it from your readers point of view, is it forceful enough or exciting to make you want to read on and discover the end result?
Headlines hook prospects and lead them to the next line. There you start to build their interest to ensure they read the next sentence... and each subsequent one. You might even find it is worth offering a free gift or a monthly newsletter that would help their business. There are plenty of free e-books on the web that you can give away.
If the intention of your email is to make a sale then offer a guarantee or a full refund this should dispel any fears they may have.
A cheeky way to test out your email is to send it to a couple of friends who are interested in business, add a message at the end of it and ask them to email you. If you don't receive a reply, take it as a sign that perhaps your email was discarded before they made it far enough down the message, to get your message. When this happens it is a good idea to edit your email and remove any unneeded text before sending back out to your master list.
The exact techniques and methods you use will vary depending on personal preferences, product differences, market circumstances, etc. However, the basic approach is to make sure you give it some advance preparation and work, before sending them out. You will be pleasantly amazed at the difference it makes.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
Friday, November 18, 2005
Getting The Most From Your Advertising Dollars
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
You now have that website up and running. You have a great product. You are all set to start taking orders and making those trips to the bank to make deposits! And then you wait, and wait, and wait some more! Unless someone can find your site, you will have a very long wait! That is where the value and benefit of advertising comes in. Advertising is what brings potential customers into your "virtual business door". As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need.
That old saying that it "takes money to make money" has never been truer than when it comes to promoting your business. And when it comes to spending money on advertising, how do you make sure that your advertising is working hard enough, without spending a fortune that consumes all your profits or even worse money that far exceeds your business revenues?
Thanks to the Internet, you've got lots of options for finding cost-effective advertising that does what it's supposed to -- bring targeted customers who are hungry for what you're selling, right to your door. But don't forget about cost-effective offline methods as well. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Always make sure you focus your advertising dollars on your target market. The tighter your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who are looking for exactly what you've got to sell! So rather than going wide, and trying to sell to everyone, narrow your focus, and then, if possible, narrow it some more! Figure out who your "ideal" customer is, and then create an advertising campaign for them. Once you know who you're selling to, look for media that targets that demographic. Depending on your product or service, think community and neighborhood newspapers, high school sponsor advertising, chamber of commerce directories, etc.
If your ideal customers aren't defined by a specific geographic location, look at regional or specific demographic publications. Perhaps a regional paper runs an annual issue that focuses on an issue or activity that reaches your target market. Use local cable television to broadcast your ads only in certain markets. You'll get cheaper rates and a more focused demographic.
Always ask for a discounted rate. (Many publications offer an "agency" discount of up to 15 percent. If you are acting as your own in-house advertising agency, you might qualify for the special rate. Sure, you might be turned down more often than not, but make it a habit to ask. It will be worth it every time it works for you.
Some monthly magazines offer discounts for multi-ads placed over a 3, 6 or 12 month time period. Most publications have a different rate schedule for different types of advertisers -- so depending on your product or service, you could qualify. And if not, sometimes just asking for the discount will give it to you.
Buy leftover space or airtime. This is advertising that the publication, radio or television station hasn't filled by their usual deadline. Of course you'll have to take the spots that are available, but again, depending on your business and the product or service you're selling, that inconvenience could still be worth the discount and the exposure you'll receive.
Use classified ads. They're not just for employment offers any more. You'll find classified ads in magazines and newspapers. Before writing your ad, go to your local library, and look through the back issues of the magazine or newspaper that you're considering. Look at the ads that catch your eye, or that are repeated month after month. Those ads wouldn't be in there each month, if they weren't making the advertiser money. Use those ads as springboards for ideas when you're ready to start writing your own classifieds.
Test your ads. Start out with the cheaper publications, so you can find out what's working and what's not. Play with them, and tweak them. Once you've got an ad that works, keep using it. You can run it more than once, or in more than one publication at a time. When it quits bringing in customers, or you start noticing a drop in effectiveness, then it's time to change it.
Do you own a retail business? If so, check into co-op advertising funds that may be offered by your vendors. Co-op programs provide joint advertising for your and your vendor, and you'll get a portion of the cost of the ad reimbursed because the ad mentions the vendor. (Note: most Co-op programs have strict guidelines, so check with your vendors and make sure you're following the rules).
Barter for goods and services. This can be especially effective with radio stations and local papers. See if you can provide your products or services in trade for the cost of advertising. (Also called "trade" or "In-kind" ads, the radio station or publication gives you the ad in exchange for products or services of equal value, and then uses those products or services as part of a promotion or contest for their listeners or readers). This can also be a great way to get additional free publicity, so if you decide to try this method, get creative and think outside the box!
Don't forget or be afraid to recycle the good ads in other advertising medium. If you've got an ad that's especially effective, looks great (or more importantly that is profitable), by all means reuse it in a circular, brochure, handout, flyer or direct mail piece. Use the graphics on your Webpages if available.
In summary, your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
You now have that website up and running. You have a great product. You are all set to start taking orders and making those trips to the bank to make deposits! And then you wait, and wait, and wait some more! Unless someone can find your site, you will have a very long wait! That is where the value and benefit of advertising comes in. Advertising is what brings potential customers into your "virtual business door". As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need.
That old saying that it "takes money to make money" has never been truer than when it comes to promoting your business. And when it comes to spending money on advertising, how do you make sure that your advertising is working hard enough, without spending a fortune that consumes all your profits or even worse money that far exceeds your business revenues?
Thanks to the Internet, you've got lots of options for finding cost-effective advertising that does what it's supposed to -- bring targeted customers who are hungry for what you're selling, right to your door. But don't forget about cost-effective offline methods as well. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Always make sure you focus your advertising dollars on your target market. The tighter your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who are looking for exactly what you've got to sell! So rather than going wide, and trying to sell to everyone, narrow your focus, and then, if possible, narrow it some more! Figure out who your "ideal" customer is, and then create an advertising campaign for them. Once you know who you're selling to, look for media that targets that demographic. Depending on your product or service, think community and neighborhood newspapers, high school sponsor advertising, chamber of commerce directories, etc.
If your ideal customers aren't defined by a specific geographic location, look at regional or specific demographic publications. Perhaps a regional paper runs an annual issue that focuses on an issue or activity that reaches your target market. Use local cable television to broadcast your ads only in certain markets. You'll get cheaper rates and a more focused demographic.
Always ask for a discounted rate. (Many publications offer an "agency" discount of up to 15 percent. If you are acting as your own in-house advertising agency, you might qualify for the special rate. Sure, you might be turned down more often than not, but make it a habit to ask. It will be worth it every time it works for you.
Some monthly magazines offer discounts for multi-ads placed over a 3, 6 or 12 month time period. Most publications have a different rate schedule for different types of advertisers -- so depending on your product or service, you could qualify. And if not, sometimes just asking for the discount will give it to you.
Buy leftover space or airtime. This is advertising that the publication, radio or television station hasn't filled by their usual deadline. Of course you'll have to take the spots that are available, but again, depending on your business and the product or service you're selling, that inconvenience could still be worth the discount and the exposure you'll receive.
Use classified ads. They're not just for employment offers any more. You'll find classified ads in magazines and newspapers. Before writing your ad, go to your local library, and look through the back issues of the magazine or newspaper that you're considering. Look at the ads that catch your eye, or that are repeated month after month. Those ads wouldn't be in there each month, if they weren't making the advertiser money. Use those ads as springboards for ideas when you're ready to start writing your own classifieds.
Test your ads. Start out with the cheaper publications, so you can find out what's working and what's not. Play with them, and tweak them. Once you've got an ad that works, keep using it. You can run it more than once, or in more than one publication at a time. When it quits bringing in customers, or you start noticing a drop in effectiveness, then it's time to change it.
Do you own a retail business? If so, check into co-op advertising funds that may be offered by your vendors. Co-op programs provide joint advertising for your and your vendor, and you'll get a portion of the cost of the ad reimbursed because the ad mentions the vendor. (Note: most Co-op programs have strict guidelines, so check with your vendors and make sure you're following the rules).
Barter for goods and services. This can be especially effective with radio stations and local papers. See if you can provide your products or services in trade for the cost of advertising. (Also called "trade" or "In-kind" ads, the radio station or publication gives you the ad in exchange for products or services of equal value, and then uses those products or services as part of a promotion or contest for their listeners or readers). This can also be a great way to get additional free publicity, so if you decide to try this method, get creative and think outside the box!
Don't forget or be afraid to recycle the good ads in other advertising medium. If you've got an ad that's especially effective, looks great (or more importantly that is profitable), by all means reuse it in a circular, brochure, handout, flyer or direct mail piece. Use the graphics on your Webpages if available.
In summary, your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
Monday, November 14, 2005
Do you have what it takes to be an e-entrepreneur?
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
Author of "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online"
These days, it seems like everyone wants to work
from home and make money on the Internet. But
before you even turn on your computer, the first
question you have to ask yourself is whether
you’re cut out for this kind of work.
The fact is, building a home-based business isn’t
for everyone. Some people like the commute. They
really do enjoy having a boss who tells them what
to do, and they like the routine of working
nine-to-five for an ordinary salary that can
barely pay the mortgage. Personally, I think
they’re nuts.
More reasonably, there are people who are
concerned about the risk of starting up their own
business. They’re not sure it’s worth the
investment of time and money, and they’re scared
of the responsibility that comes with running
their own company. They wonder if there is
another way to escape the rat race.
I’m sure there is. You could win the lottery or
wait for your Aunt Sue to keel over and leave you
her condo. Or maybe you could sit down with a pen
and paper and draw the blueprint for "The Next
Big Thing". Anything can happen... Right?
For me, what happened was creating a successful,
self-running Internet marketing system. It didn’t
happen without effort. It didn’t happen without
at least some initial investment of both time and
money and, of course, it doesn’t happen now
without me making sure that the taxes are filed
and the paperwork is done. But it happened.
I’m my own boss. I work from home according to my
own schedule and I get to pocket all the cash my
business makes. If you’re prepared to give an
e-business the time, the work and the money it
needs to get started and get growing, it can
happen for you too.
Article excerpted from "Dotcomology":
Don't Pay A Dime For Any Ebook, Marketing
Course, Software Program Or Anything Else Until
You've Read This Groundbreaking Document...
Click Here to Discover "Dotcomology" Now!
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
Author of "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online"
These days, it seems like everyone wants to work
from home and make money on the Internet. But
before you even turn on your computer, the first
question you have to ask yourself is whether
you’re cut out for this kind of work.
The fact is, building a home-based business isn’t
for everyone. Some people like the commute. They
really do enjoy having a boss who tells them what
to do, and they like the routine of working
nine-to-five for an ordinary salary that can
barely pay the mortgage. Personally, I think
they’re nuts.
More reasonably, there are people who are
concerned about the risk of starting up their own
business. They’re not sure it’s worth the
investment of time and money, and they’re scared
of the responsibility that comes with running
their own company. They wonder if there is
another way to escape the rat race.
I’m sure there is. You could win the lottery or
wait for your Aunt Sue to keel over and leave you
her condo. Or maybe you could sit down with a pen
and paper and draw the blueprint for "The Next
Big Thing". Anything can happen... Right?
For me, what happened was creating a successful,
self-running Internet marketing system. It didn’t
happen without effort. It didn’t happen without
at least some initial investment of both time and
money and, of course, it doesn’t happen now
without me making sure that the taxes are filed
and the paperwork is done. But it happened.
I’m my own boss. I work from home according to my
own schedule and I get to pocket all the cash my
business makes. If you’re prepared to give an
e-business the time, the work and the money it
needs to get started and get growing, it can
happen for you too.
Article excerpted from "Dotcomology":
Don't Pay A Dime For Any Ebook, Marketing
Course, Software Program Or Anything Else Until
You've Read This Groundbreaking Document...
Click Here to Discover "Dotcomology" Now!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Designing Websites with Sales In Mind
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
One of the very first decisions we make as internet marketers involves the critical choices in designing websites. We each have differing opinions and viewpoints of just what our site should look like. More often than not, these decisions are based on personal opinions or selections limited to the templates of the respective applications utilized for building the site. But there has to be more to this than personal preference - with no real basis for the logic and methodology that should go into making the decisions!
What about this logic ---beyond the appearance - lets also look at the "sales" potential of one design versus another. Think about it, why do some websites sell better than anothers? Do you need a marketing degree to create a website? Does design have much impact on sales?
You may not realize this but many of the successful internet marketing businesses already figured out that design, or layout of the website should be as much of a marketing decision as the ad copy. Why is that?
Web designers (and individuals with software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors. You will also have a much more professional looking site when an expert applies his or her handiwork. However, it is critically important to understand some of the key elements that smart marketers make certain appear (or NOT appear) on highly profitable sites. After all, having a "pretty" site does you no good if you are not getting traffic or revenue from sales. Being aware of these will enable you (or your selected designer) to keep in mind this balance between marketing and design. The three key elements are color, graphics, and layout.
COLOR: Designs with a dramatic color can make compelling choices for setting a mood. But reading on a computer screen demands as much contrast as possible, otherwise the reader will develop vision fatigue. You do not want to irritate or tire your visitors in any way or they may leave, so be certain that the main body of your website copy is black writing on a white background - or as close to that ideal as possible.
Colors also change appearance on different monitors, so what looks cool and calm on one monitor may be bright and glaring on another. Simple works.
GRAPHICS: Striking, bold graphics can be a real eye-catcher for visitors. Still, successful internet marketers are pretty much unanimous in stating that you should avoid flash graphics as much as possible. Again, they tend to tire visitors eyes or create a distraction from the written copy. Even if they are initially impressed by the work it may subconsciously annoy them. Simplicity is again the best way to go.
LAYOUT: The first 'fold' of your site is similar to opening a tractional paper letter. If you remove a letter from an envelope that is folded in three, you will obviously view the top 'fold' first.
This fold is what individuals will see without scrolling down the page. It is CRUCIAL that important elements like descriptive headlines, your contact number, newsletter subscription form etc. all show in the first fold. Do NOT place banners here unless they are the main element of your business as you will be giving prime space to other websites and your customer (which you fought hard to get in the first place) will be gone just as quickly.
These are just some of the important elements you should be aware of when designing your site. This "balance" will greatly increase your sales potential - once you incorporate this into your design criteria. With both design and "sales-ability" used as the foundation for the website in the initial design phases you will reap the financial benefits for years and years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
We personally build a Money Making Website Just For You - 100%
Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits! Get
the details today at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/pips.html
One of the very first decisions we make as internet marketers involves the critical choices in designing websites. We each have differing opinions and viewpoints of just what our site should look like. More often than not, these decisions are based on personal opinions or selections limited to the templates of the respective applications utilized for building the site. But there has to be more to this than personal preference - with no real basis for the logic and methodology that should go into making the decisions!
What about this logic ---beyond the appearance - lets also look at the "sales" potential of one design versus another. Think about it, why do some websites sell better than anothers? Do you need a marketing degree to create a website? Does design have much impact on sales?
You may not realize this but many of the successful internet marketing businesses already figured out that design, or layout of the website should be as much of a marketing decision as the ad copy. Why is that?
Web designers (and individuals with software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors. You will also have a much more professional looking site when an expert applies his or her handiwork. However, it is critically important to understand some of the key elements that smart marketers make certain appear (or NOT appear) on highly profitable sites. After all, having a "pretty" site does you no good if you are not getting traffic or revenue from sales. Being aware of these will enable you (or your selected designer) to keep in mind this balance between marketing and design. The three key elements are color, graphics, and layout.
COLOR: Designs with a dramatic color can make compelling choices for setting a mood. But reading on a computer screen demands as much contrast as possible, otherwise the reader will develop vision fatigue. You do not want to irritate or tire your visitors in any way or they may leave, so be certain that the main body of your website copy is black writing on a white background - or as close to that ideal as possible.
Colors also change appearance on different monitors, so what looks cool and calm on one monitor may be bright and glaring on another. Simple works.
GRAPHICS: Striking, bold graphics can be a real eye-catcher for visitors. Still, successful internet marketers are pretty much unanimous in stating that you should avoid flash graphics as much as possible. Again, they tend to tire visitors eyes or create a distraction from the written copy. Even if they are initially impressed by the work it may subconsciously annoy them. Simplicity is again the best way to go.
LAYOUT: The first 'fold' of your site is similar to opening a tractional paper letter. If you remove a letter from an envelope that is folded in three, you will obviously view the top 'fold' first.
This fold is what individuals will see without scrolling down the page. It is CRUCIAL that important elements like descriptive headlines, your contact number, newsletter subscription form etc. all show in the first fold. Do NOT place banners here unless they are the main element of your business as you will be giving prime space to other websites and your customer (which you fought hard to get in the first place) will be gone just as quickly.
These are just some of the important elements you should be aware of when designing your site. This "balance" will greatly increase your sales potential - once you incorporate this into your design criteria. With both design and "sales-ability" used as the foundation for the website in the initial design phases you will reap the financial benefits for years and years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
We personally build a Money Making Website Just For You - 100%
Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits! Get
the details today at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/pips.html
Thursday, October 27, 2005
The Importance of Blogging/RSS to Your Home Business
(The Importance of Blogging/RSS to Your Home Business) Copyright © Stephen Wright President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
In the 'good old days' (which now was only about three years ago!!) you used to keep in-touch with your customers using phone calls, email messages and face to face meetings. Nowadays the world has changed. People expect even more frequent updates, yet it's nearly impossible to meet with every business contact on a regular basis.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers.
Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site. All this without the normal or typical cost of autoresponders and expensive email programs. So how does this all work?
A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a website called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple. Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails.
As you can see, there are several advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. But it doesn't stop there. Search engines love them. All the big search engines (such as Google) are including RSS/Blog content as bonus items in their scoring formulas these days. That's because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely what searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. This means if you don't have a blog for your business, you are seriously reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
So, blogging (and RSS feed) is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. And all the marketing research you can find will tell you that keeping in regular touch with your customers is an important component in gaining new business. So get blogging I say!
In the 'good old days' (which now was only about three years ago!!) you used to keep in-touch with your customers using phone calls, email messages and face to face meetings. Nowadays the world has changed. People expect even more frequent updates, yet it's nearly impossible to meet with every business contact on a regular basis.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers.
Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site. All this without the normal or typical cost of autoresponders and expensive email programs. So how does this all work?
A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a website called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple. Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails.
As you can see, there are several advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. But it doesn't stop there. Search engines love them. All the big search engines (such as Google) are including RSS/Blog content as bonus items in their scoring formulas these days. That's because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely what searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. This means if you don't have a blog for your business, you are seriously reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
So, blogging (and RSS feed) is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. And all the marketing research you can find will tell you that keeping in regular touch with your customers is an important component in gaining new business. So get blogging I say!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Home Based Business - Organize for Success
(Home Based Business - Organize for Success)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Running your own home based internet business is a piece of cake. Right? Well maybe, maybe not. It certainly can be. However, all too often the exact opposite is closer to the reality for many eager home based business owners.
You've probably heard how easy it is to rake in tens of thousands of dollars practically over night, and how you can have all kinds of "free time" and extra cash for traveling and shopping at your favorite store...
Just throw up a web site, add a few affiliate links, post to some forums and presto - you're in the money!
But the reality is this. If you want to succeed in your own home based internet business, whether it's affiliate marketing or selling your own products, you will have to work at making it successful. You have to make it your job to succeed. You must treat it as your job, not as your hobby. That means developing and maintaining committed to the task.
It's great to think that with just a few easy strokes you'll be running on auto-pilot, bringing in loads of cash and then on to the next venture. But without some simple planning and consistent effort you're setting yourself up for failure.
To aide you in this effort, here are a few tips to help you develop good habits for achieving your goals:
STAY ORGANIZED:
Set up folders in your email program:
You should set up a folder for each contact and keep important correspondence while deleting what you don't need. If you belong to membership sites that require passwords, keep the "welcome" letters where you can find them.
Set up folders on your desktop.
If you download a lot of software, ebooks or PDF books from specific individuals simply name a folder on your desktop after the author or site owner. Then when you download something you can place it in their folder.
Make your own HTML home page.
For quick and easy access to all your important sites make up an HTML page with hyperlinks to your most frequently used sites along with a brief explanation of each site. Keep it on your desktop for easy access.
While it is possible at some point to eventually catch up on being organized this way, starting out that way and keeping it organized will save you hours and hours of searching, frustration, and missed opportunities.
STAY FOCUSED:
Set aside a specific time for working on your internet activities.
It could be from 7pm-9pm every day or whatever time's good for you. During this time try everything possible to not get distracted from doing only what needs to be accomplished for your business. Try to use the same time slot every day so you get into a routine and get used to the working mindset. I have found that setting aside time this way is important not only for myself, but other members of the household (my wife, kids and the dog!) - all know that this is important "do not distrub time for me as well! Oh, and my the way, save the surfing for another time.
SET ASIDE A WORK SPACE:
Make sure that your have a clearly defined work area to put your work materials and important files into. It is important that your family know that this area is off limits.
Finish one task before starting another.
As the old saying goes, "Put one foot in front of the other." Don't start working on something new until the first task is completely finished.
BE CONSISTENT
Work the ideas that "work."
When you find something that works well for you work it hard and get as much out of it as possible. If you're submitting articles to a certain site and they're paying dividends, keep feeding the cycle.
LEARN FROM FAILURES:
Don't get discouraged. Each failure's just a learning process. Use any failure to your advantage by taking the lesson and applying it to your next venture.
Test, test, and more test.
Always test headlines and ad copy. A small change can reap huge rewards.
With these few simple steps you will stay organized, stay focused, be consistent in your efforts and build a solid foundation on which you can build your internet empire!
After all, you are the one who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your business!
Best of Luck with your internet ventures!
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Running your own home based internet business is a piece of cake. Right? Well maybe, maybe not. It certainly can be. However, all too often the exact opposite is closer to the reality for many eager home based business owners.
You've probably heard how easy it is to rake in tens of thousands of dollars practically over night, and how you can have all kinds of "free time" and extra cash for traveling and shopping at your favorite store...
Just throw up a web site, add a few affiliate links, post to some forums and presto - you're in the money!
But the reality is this. If you want to succeed in your own home based internet business, whether it's affiliate marketing or selling your own products, you will have to work at making it successful. You have to make it your job to succeed. You must treat it as your job, not as your hobby. That means developing and maintaining committed to the task.
It's great to think that with just a few easy strokes you'll be running on auto-pilot, bringing in loads of cash and then on to the next venture. But without some simple planning and consistent effort you're setting yourself up for failure.
To aide you in this effort, here are a few tips to help you develop good habits for achieving your goals:
STAY ORGANIZED:
Set up folders in your email program:
You should set up a folder for each contact and keep important correspondence while deleting what you don't need. If you belong to membership sites that require passwords, keep the "welcome" letters where you can find them.
Set up folders on your desktop.
If you download a lot of software, ebooks or PDF books from specific individuals simply name a folder on your desktop after the author or site owner. Then when you download something you can place it in their folder.
Make your own HTML home page.
For quick and easy access to all your important sites make up an HTML page with hyperlinks to your most frequently used sites along with a brief explanation of each site. Keep it on your desktop for easy access.
While it is possible at some point to eventually catch up on being organized this way, starting out that way and keeping it organized will save you hours and hours of searching, frustration, and missed opportunities.
STAY FOCUSED:
Set aside a specific time for working on your internet activities.
It could be from 7pm-9pm every day or whatever time's good for you. During this time try everything possible to not get distracted from doing only what needs to be accomplished for your business. Try to use the same time slot every day so you get into a routine and get used to the working mindset. I have found that setting aside time this way is important not only for myself, but other members of the household (my wife, kids and the dog!) - all know that this is important "do not distrub time for me as well! Oh, and my the way, save the surfing for another time.
SET ASIDE A WORK SPACE:
Make sure that your have a clearly defined work area to put your work materials and important files into. It is important that your family know that this area is off limits.
Finish one task before starting another.
As the old saying goes, "Put one foot in front of the other." Don't start working on something new until the first task is completely finished.
BE CONSISTENT
Work the ideas that "work."
When you find something that works well for you work it hard and get as much out of it as possible. If you're submitting articles to a certain site and they're paying dividends, keep feeding the cycle.
LEARN FROM FAILURES:
Don't get discouraged. Each failure's just a learning process. Use any failure to your advantage by taking the lesson and applying it to your next venture.
Test, test, and more test.
Always test headlines and ad copy. A small change can reap huge rewards.
With these few simple steps you will stay organized, stay focused, be consistent in your efforts and build a solid foundation on which you can build your internet empire!
After all, you are the one who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your business!
Best of Luck with your internet ventures!
Monday, October 10, 2005
Information "Overload" in Your New Home Business
(Information "Overload" in Your New Home Business)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
The good news; at last, you have achieved your dream. You've escaped the traditional, away from home work force and are now self-employed whether it be part-time or full-time. Now, the bad news;You are now self-employed. It is both good news and bad news. That is, if you are not prepared to deal with the information overload. There you sit, in your spiffy new office - whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom surrounded by your equally spiffy new toys...your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves. Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.)
You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really *can* work from home! At first, working at home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew...I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you are dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished...what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time...and your sanity.
=== 1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. ===
Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. (This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.)
=== 2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. ===
Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends - all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. (How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?)
=== 3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. ===
If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you CAN achieve, not what you HOPE you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
=== 4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. ===
Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. (Warning: do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.)
=== 5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. ===
If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next... but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating - nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup.
Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
The good news; at last, you have achieved your dream. You've escaped the traditional, away from home work force and are now self-employed whether it be part-time or full-time. Now, the bad news;You are now self-employed. It is both good news and bad news. That is, if you are not prepared to deal with the information overload. There you sit, in your spiffy new office - whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom surrounded by your equally spiffy new toys...your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves. Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.)
You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really *can* work from home! At first, working at home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew...I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you are dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished...what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time...and your sanity.
=== 1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. ===
Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. (This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.)
=== 2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. ===
Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends - all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. (How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?)
=== 3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. ===
If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you CAN achieve, not what you HOPE you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
=== 4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. ===
Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. (Warning: do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.)
=== 5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. ===
If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next... but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating - nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup.
Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Monday, October 03, 2005
5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online
(5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Some people say that advertising is everything!
Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or
just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to
advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.
But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help
you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do
you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.
Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or
'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a
website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what
good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these
services?
Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site.
So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than
is required by the little timer these services use and then they
are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services
(this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from
using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time
just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these
programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They
started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other
marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some
traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is
that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of
people were surfing the internet anymore.
Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some
tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and
bring the visitors you want to your website without having to
chase after them.
1. Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of
links and not much else?
If this is the case, think about adding some content to your
website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You
could write articles or find articles at one of the many
directories that you can reprint on your site.
2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can
work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it
relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model
airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest
plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went,
what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures
of your plane or of you flying it.
3. Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where
your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of
free services available out there that you can use to either
remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install
on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over
to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find
plenty to choose from.
And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a
search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out
there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact
with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a
signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your
own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).
4. Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they
provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a
great place to talk about what you are up to that day.
So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane
you could write about where you found them, how much they cost
you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.
The really great part about this is that you can point links from
your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops
by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by
your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic
heading your way.
5. Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh,
new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any
topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you
can share your article.
Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small
resource box that links back to your website (just like a
signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are
allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many
publishers go to the article directories to find new content for
their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there,
you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it
in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start
getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming
from search engines, newsletters and websites.
Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic,
meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are
interested in what you wrote.
So there you have it. Wheather you have a simple and basic Work
at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise
you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and
drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Through partnership with Stone Evans, we will personally build
a Money Making Website Just For You that is 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
Here's how: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Some people say that advertising is everything!
Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or
just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to
advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.
But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help
you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do
you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.
Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or
'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a
website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what
good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these
services?
Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site.
So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than
is required by the little timer these services use and then they
are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services
(this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from
using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time
just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these
programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They
started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other
marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some
traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is
that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of
people were surfing the internet anymore.
Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some
tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and
bring the visitors you want to your website without having to
chase after them.
1. Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of
links and not much else?
If this is the case, think about adding some content to your
website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You
could write articles or find articles at one of the many
directories that you can reprint on your site.
2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can
work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it
relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model
airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest
plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went,
what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures
of your plane or of you flying it.
3. Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where
your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of
free services available out there that you can use to either
remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install
on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over
to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find
plenty to choose from.
And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a
search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out
there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact
with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a
signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your
own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).
4. Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they
provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a
great place to talk about what you are up to that day.
So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane
you could write about where you found them, how much they cost
you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.
The really great part about this is that you can point links from
your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops
by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by
your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic
heading your way.
5. Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh,
new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any
topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you
can share your article.
Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small
resource box that links back to your website (just like a
signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are
allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many
publishers go to the article directories to find new content for
their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there,
you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it
in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start
getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming
from search engines, newsletters and websites.
Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic,
meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are
interested in what you wrote.
So there you have it. Wheather you have a simple and basic Work
at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise
you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and
drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Through partnership with Stone Evans, we will personally build
a Money Making Website Just For You that is 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
Here's how: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars
Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the
manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to
do so was to install the assembly line. That one
change revolutionized the auto manufacturing
industry permitting the industry to build cars at
a cost whereas the average person could afford to
buy one.
The lesson we should take from this is that
having the ability to improve the process of
getting the job quicker and cheaper, without
compromising the quality of the job being done,
will help catapult the person who simplified the
process to the top of his/her field.
Pennies saved in your home business can turn into
dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can
quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of
dollars over time.
Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a
question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of
a penny could make any real difference in the
profit margin of a home business? Of course
the right answer is "it depends on how many
transactions are done in a year, utilizing the
savings of the two fifths of one penny."
You only have to think back a couple of decades
to really appreciate this question. Do you
remember the nut that lived and died in a Las
Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a
billionaire, and was so worried about germs that
he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard
Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.
Now Howard did not make all of his money on his
two fifths of one penny. He did however make a
ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It
seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company.
And one day, Howard's team figured out how they
could make one minor change in the design of
their food can to reduce the amount of tin
necessary to make a single can.
As the story goes --- if my memory serves me
correctly --- the reduction in tin usage equaled
a saving of two fifths of one penny per can.
Howard --- being the really smart businessman
that he was --- decided that he would not be so
greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself.
What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the
savings for himself, and give the other half
to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr.
Hughes decision is that by saving his customers
an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he
managed to take more market share away from his
competition --- netting his company an additional
and substantial portion of the total market share
in the canning industry.
Let us return our thoughts to your home business.
Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement
--- when you read something or thought of
something --- that you could not wait to
implement this new idea? This could be one of
those moments...
In every home business, there are certain
processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it
may be possible to trim the time or expense of a
process which in turn will add pennies or dollars
to your bottom line. If it is a process that you
do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then
your savings will multiply into hundreds or
thousands of dollars in monthly savings.
Imagine what running a home business was like
BEFORE the computer...
Before the personal computer, we had to hand type
all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a
letter or invoice that we send out quite often,
and we can save it in our word processor so
that when we need to use it again, we can print
it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a
need to type the document again from scratch.
The computer has simplified our business
communications and has provided us the
opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.
Think about all of the other processes that the
computer has enabled us to do for far less
expense than what we could in the past.
In this case, the computer is a tool that permits
us to save time and money.
So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the
processes in your own home business and look for
ways in which you can save yourself time and
money. It is far better for you to contemplate
on this matter than it is for me to do so for
you. Simply put, you know your business better
than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you
are in a better position than anyone to find
those extra dollars that will decrease your costs
and increase your profits.
The extra pennies and dollars you could extract
from your business could spell the difference
between success and failure for your home
business enterprise.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the
manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to
do so was to install the assembly line. That one
change revolutionized the auto manufacturing
industry permitting the industry to build cars at
a cost whereas the average person could afford to
buy one.
The lesson we should take from this is that
having the ability to improve the process of
getting the job quicker and cheaper, without
compromising the quality of the job being done,
will help catapult the person who simplified the
process to the top of his/her field.
Pennies saved in your home business can turn into
dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can
quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of
dollars over time.
Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a
question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of
a penny could make any real difference in the
profit margin of a home business? Of course
the right answer is "it depends on how many
transactions are done in a year, utilizing the
savings of the two fifths of one penny."
You only have to think back a couple of decades
to really appreciate this question. Do you
remember the nut that lived and died in a Las
Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a
billionaire, and was so worried about germs that
he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard
Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.
Now Howard did not make all of his money on his
two fifths of one penny. He did however make a
ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It
seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company.
And one day, Howard's team figured out how they
could make one minor change in the design of
their food can to reduce the amount of tin
necessary to make a single can.
As the story goes --- if my memory serves me
correctly --- the reduction in tin usage equaled
a saving of two fifths of one penny per can.
Howard --- being the really smart businessman
that he was --- decided that he would not be so
greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself.
What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the
savings for himself, and give the other half
to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr.
Hughes decision is that by saving his customers
an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he
managed to take more market share away from his
competition --- netting his company an additional
and substantial portion of the total market share
in the canning industry.
Let us return our thoughts to your home business.
Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement
--- when you read something or thought of
something --- that you could not wait to
implement this new idea? This could be one of
those moments...
In every home business, there are certain
processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it
may be possible to trim the time or expense of a
process which in turn will add pennies or dollars
to your bottom line. If it is a process that you
do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then
your savings will multiply into hundreds or
thousands of dollars in monthly savings.
Imagine what running a home business was like
BEFORE the computer...
Before the personal computer, we had to hand type
all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a
letter or invoice that we send out quite often,
and we can save it in our word processor so
that when we need to use it again, we can print
it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a
need to type the document again from scratch.
The computer has simplified our business
communications and has provided us the
opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.
Think about all of the other processes that the
computer has enabled us to do for far less
expense than what we could in the past.
In this case, the computer is a tool that permits
us to save time and money.
So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the
processes in your own home business and look for
ways in which you can save yourself time and
money. It is far better for you to contemplate
on this matter than it is for me to do so for
you. Simply put, you know your business better
than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you
are in a better position than anyone to find
those extra dollars that will decrease your costs
and increase your profits.
The extra pennies and dollars you could extract
from your business could spell the difference
between success and failure for your home
business enterprise.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Understanding the Different Methods of Online Promotion
Understanding the Different Methods of Online Promotion
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Did you realize there are only three types of
online promotion?... This statement may seem odd
and even untrue in your mind, but I am speaking
in more general terms than you might be thinking.
Let me explain.
The three types of promotion are Junk, Active and
Passive promotions.
JUNK PROMOTIONS ARE MONEY PITS
Junk promotions are those that seem to produce
results, but by their very nature are really only
illusionary promotions.
For example, let me begin with FFA (Free For All)
pages. You might find yourself subscribing to a
submission program that tricks you into believing
you are submitting your links to tens of
thousands search engines.
Yes, you can submit your URL to a FFA page, but
FFA’s usually only permit 100 or 1000 links on
their page at any one time. So, if ten thousand
people are submitting a link to an FFA page on a
daily basis, then the average life of your link
is between seven minutes and 144 minutes. I
suspect the actual number of submitters is much
higher and the results are much worse. Given
that few people surf FFA pages, the chances of
your submission being of any real value is
practically nothing!
Most of the people telling you that you can
submit your site to tens of thousands of search
engines are truly only submitting your site to
FFA pages! Beware of the false promises.
Another junk promotion method is Safe Lists. A
safe list is a mailing group that is signed up to
be received by people who want to submit their
own ads. Now, most safe lists have thousands of
subscribers who are able to submit their ads daily
or weekly. The person signed up to receive the
list will receive anywhere from twenty to 140+
messages a day from the list. These messages will
be received by people only interested in promoting
their own thing who do not have the right
motivation to open, let alone read Your
Advertising. As a result, thousands of messages
go out daily or weekly that will never be seen by
anyone but the sender of the ad. Where is the
value in that? There is none.
ACTIVE PROMOTIONS
Active promotions are the type that require you
to go out on a daily basis or a weekly basis and
put out your advertisements. With active
promotions, you will either place your advertising
or you will not sell your products or services.
Your choice is simple --- work or starve.
Examples of active promotions include Pay Per
Click Search Engines (PPCSE’s), Direct Email,
Ezine Advertising, Solo Ezine Ads, Newsletter
Publishing, Ezine Ad Swaps, Classified Ads,
Auctions, Site Sponsorship and Banner Ads.
Some people are able to utilize these methods
very productively, while others are destined to
drop their money into the bottomless pit of
failed Internet promotions.
PASSIVE PROMOTIONS
Passive promotions are those promotions that can
continue to provide results for you long after
you have invested the work to make them available
to the Internet community.
Examples of passive promotions include: Link
Exchanges, Articles, Ebooks, Content Exchanges
and Writing Testimonials for others.
Let’s look at articles as a solid example of my
point.
You are reading an article that I have written to
promote my own business. This article is timeless
and therefore could have been written five years
ago and still have been as valuable as it is
today.
Due to the fact that the article is timeless, it
can and will be placed in newsletters/ezines and
their accompanying online archives, on websites
and in ebooks for many more years to come.
As a result, this article will continue to serve
me well beyond the time in which I wrote it and
submitted it to publishers and webmasters for
public consumption and publication.
This is the best example I can give you of an
excellent passive promotional method.
AVOID THE MONEY PITS
Many try and even fewer succeed to conquer the
Internet and to produce their dreams of online
wealth.
My hope is that you will be one of the people who
conquer the challenges before you and to make a
nice living while working online. It will take
drive, determination, study plus trial and error,
but you can make it work for you.
Please continue to educate yourself so that you
can avoid the money pits - instead, strive to
find the money barrels. It can be done. I am
living proof.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Did you realize there are only three types of
online promotion?... This statement may seem odd
and even untrue in your mind, but I am speaking
in more general terms than you might be thinking.
Let me explain.
The three types of promotion are Junk, Active and
Passive promotions.
JUNK PROMOTIONS ARE MONEY PITS
Junk promotions are those that seem to produce
results, but by their very nature are really only
illusionary promotions.
For example, let me begin with FFA (Free For All)
pages. You might find yourself subscribing to a
submission program that tricks you into believing
you are submitting your links to tens of
thousands search engines.
Yes, you can submit your URL to a FFA page, but
FFA’s usually only permit 100 or 1000 links on
their page at any one time. So, if ten thousand
people are submitting a link to an FFA page on a
daily basis, then the average life of your link
is between seven minutes and 144 minutes. I
suspect the actual number of submitters is much
higher and the results are much worse. Given
that few people surf FFA pages, the chances of
your submission being of any real value is
practically nothing!
Most of the people telling you that you can
submit your site to tens of thousands of search
engines are truly only submitting your site to
FFA pages! Beware of the false promises.
Another junk promotion method is Safe Lists. A
safe list is a mailing group that is signed up to
be received by people who want to submit their
own ads. Now, most safe lists have thousands of
subscribers who are able to submit their ads daily
or weekly. The person signed up to receive the
list will receive anywhere from twenty to 140+
messages a day from the list. These messages will
be received by people only interested in promoting
their own thing who do not have the right
motivation to open, let alone read Your
Advertising. As a result, thousands of messages
go out daily or weekly that will never be seen by
anyone but the sender of the ad. Where is the
value in that? There is none.
ACTIVE PROMOTIONS
Active promotions are the type that require you
to go out on a daily basis or a weekly basis and
put out your advertisements. With active
promotions, you will either place your advertising
or you will not sell your products or services.
Your choice is simple --- work or starve.
Examples of active promotions include Pay Per
Click Search Engines (PPCSE’s), Direct Email,
Ezine Advertising, Solo Ezine Ads, Newsletter
Publishing, Ezine Ad Swaps, Classified Ads,
Auctions, Site Sponsorship and Banner Ads.
Some people are able to utilize these methods
very productively, while others are destined to
drop their money into the bottomless pit of
failed Internet promotions.
PASSIVE PROMOTIONS
Passive promotions are those promotions that can
continue to provide results for you long after
you have invested the work to make them available
to the Internet community.
Examples of passive promotions include: Link
Exchanges, Articles, Ebooks, Content Exchanges
and Writing Testimonials for others.
Let’s look at articles as a solid example of my
point.
You are reading an article that I have written to
promote my own business. This article is timeless
and therefore could have been written five years
ago and still have been as valuable as it is
today.
Due to the fact that the article is timeless, it
can and will be placed in newsletters/ezines and
their accompanying online archives, on websites
and in ebooks for many more years to come.
As a result, this article will continue to serve
me well beyond the time in which I wrote it and
submitted it to publishers and webmasters for
public consumption and publication.
This is the best example I can give you of an
excellent passive promotional method.
AVOID THE MONEY PITS
Many try and even fewer succeed to conquer the
Internet and to produce their dreams of online
wealth.
My hope is that you will be one of the people who
conquer the challenges before you and to make a
nice living while working online. It will take
drive, determination, study plus trial and error,
but you can make it work for you.
Please continue to educate yourself so that you
can avoid the money pits - instead, strive to
find the money barrels. It can be done. I am
living proof.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
