(2006 - Stephen Wright)
For some people, it is for health issues (for yourself or a loved one); for others it is a necessity to stay at home with kids or loved ones; others find the expense and travel time prohibitive (especially with the cost of gasoline these days this one is getting more and more common). What do these and millions of other people have in common? Each find themselves in situations, most beyond their control, which keep them from working a full time job outside the home. The other thing they have in common is that each and every one is potentially capable of turning this home-bound time into profits and a full time income. Finding a home business opportunity that fits you, your preferences, and your unique needs is within your grasp. The internet makes this possible, and from the comfort of your home or home office.
The number of new business ventures on the internet is at an all time high. However, as with traditional businesses, unfortunately, more fail than succeed. Nonetheless, clearly for many making money from a home based business online has been a dream come true. The range and spectrum of possibilities and topic areas is only limited by ones imagination. Products of every variety and sort from books, flowers, gifts, to internet marketing related services are all available and waiting for you to explore and develop.
A major concern of “newbies” into the arena of home business is resisting the urge to invest or pay money to every “get rich quick” program and opportunity that comes along. Do your research. Look for references and recommendations from others who have been through a startup – preferably in your chosen field of endeavor. Ideally, find and read every bit of free or low cost information and ebook you can find about the topic areas you are interested in. There is a ton of freebie information and forum exchanges available that will at least get you past the initial learning curve of getting your self set up for making money online. There are some websites, such as InternetMarketingUSA.com who even create a website for you, completely free, providing training and instruction – all as a part of a plug-in-profits business opportunity.
Like me, many web entrepreneurs prefer to focus of residual income products (that is products that generate income and revenues in smaller initial amounts, but continue to bring in revenues over time). Others prefer to focus of specific products developed by themselves or others for sales revenues and profits. As a personal preference, I prefer a healthy balance of both product and residual business opportunities for sustained revenue growth.
With the continuing phenomenon of Google, many people are making millions with pay-per-click (PPC) programs such as Google and Yahoo business advertising. It is quite common to find business ads on any given webpage. They resemble billboards on any given site. Not only are they gaining revenues in the form of advertising dollars, they bring in potential buyers for traffic hungry sales website. At the same time they also earn revenues for the website where the ads were located. This is a multi-level income situation that benefits everyone – especially Google who continues to achieve record profits.
Informational products converted into the form known as eBooks (electronic books) can also be very lucrative products to sell on the internet. If you have a particular gift, or special insight into most any topic or area of expertise, you can write an ebook. Many people searching the internet are more than willing to pay to gain the insight and inside information about every topic under the sun. You will be surprised at how easy it is to organize and publish eBooks. And of course, even if you do not have an area of expertise, there is a wealth of information available on the internet that a few hours spent on solid research and search investigation can make you an expert in no time.
So there you have it. These are but a small few of the hundreds of internet marketing ideas and solutions that are possible. With a little bit of hard work, you can be on the way to finding opportunities with your very own home based business, generating profits and being an “internet marketing guru” in no time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would you like to make money online, but don't know where to begin? Here's 3 easy steps that really work: http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/pips.html
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Your Internet Business and the Law
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
With the number of internet businesses being established on the internet setting new records seemingly every business day, it is no surprise that a growing number of these end with serious business and legal difficulties. A common excuse appears to be a claim of “ignorance to the law” or the fact that many are simply unaware of the existing regulations and laws. Sadly, as you might expect, ignorance is not a recognized defense for the legal requirements.
To protect yourself and your investment, it is strongly recommended that you follow a few basic practices and include legal notices in the content of your website. Generally, there are a few general business notices and a relatively short list of legal notices that if included, will provide basic coverage and notice to outside parties seeking to validate (or dispute) the credibility and legal sufficiency of your website activities.
There are a number of ways to obtain the notices and language needed for these purposes. Certainly, obtaining legal advice is a preferred method,if considered necessary. Without going to this expense, many web entrepreneurs are comfortable by performing a canvass of a given website’s competitors. Staying close to the coverage and language of other websites who generally sell the same or similar supplies and services of your site can be adequate. These should be altered and customized as appropriate to fit your specific circumstances (to avoid potential legal issues of copyright infringment). Of late, there are a number of internet websites who provide notice wording and online notice language generation (some free of charge, some on a fee basis). And of course there are software products available for this purpose as well.
As a basic primer into the notices needed, below is a representative sampling of those needed:
GENERAL CATEGORY NOTICES:
CONTACT INFORMATION/CONTACT US: Websites should contain a webpage which identifies various means to contact the company. These include valid email addresses and phone numbers. The new CAN/SPAM requirements stipulate that a full physical address be included as well.
ABOUT/ABOUT US: Websites should contain a webpage which identifies the general company information, including ownership information, historic perspective of the company, etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS/FAQ’s: Websites should contain a webpage which contains a listing of the most commonly asked questions regarding interacting with the given business. This page is entirely optionally, but can substantially reduce numbers of inquiries and questions by making this information readily available to potential customers in advance.
NOTICES OF A LEGAL NATURE:
EARNINGS DISCLAIMER: Many sales and promotional marketing websites contain specific claims of revenues achieved by owners, affiliates, or others using their products. For these websites, it is recommended that they contain a webpage with statements concerning potential earnings potential and the lack of “guarantees” regarding the amounts used. Any amounts used should be disclaimed as "results achieved by others - and in no way a guarantee that everyone will have similar results", or words to that effect.
DISCLAIMER ON USE OF DATA: Websites should contain a webpage which contains specifics regarding the limitations and liabilities for the use, sharing, or redistribution of data and information contained on your website. Also, for website that include information which may be downloaded by clients, disclaimers regarding limitations of your liability for viruses, spyware, worms, etc., or other calamities incurred during the download are appropriate.
PRIVACY: With the continuing SPAM problems, it is advisable that websites include a webpage which advises visitor’s regarding the company’s policy for safeguarding any data received from them. This should include the nature of the data gathering, purpose, intended use, disposition, and sharing of any data information obtained. And by all means, ALWAYS follow the stated policy. Website owners should resist the temptation to sell visitor information when the sharing of this data was not properly disclosed at the time it was obtained.
COPYRIGHT: Websites should contain a webpage which contains copyright specifics. This disclaimer is required to alert others regarding the legal standing of your products and services.
Legal Notice Support:
To avoid even the potential of legal problems, anyone considering doing business on the internet is required to be fully aware of the rules, regulations, and laws which website owners are required to abide by. As a resource for conducting business within the United States, owners should review basic information at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website. For the latest FTC coverage, visit the following website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/dotcom/index.html
All website owners must be aware of the laws regarding unwanted email (SPAM). Current requirements mandate the inclusion of a physical address and an “opt-out” method for all email marketing campaigns. Check on all the latest SPAM regulations at the FTC website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/rules.htm
The requirements are not complicated or impossible to follow. Many agree, they are straightforward, but even so, being aware of the rules and laws, knowing where to go and what the “basic rules are” is absolutely critical. My disclaimer here is: “in no way are these tips and ideas intended to be a comprehensive all-inclusive listing of the legal and business notices needed to run an internet business. These are representative examples only. Legal counsel should be used when in doubt". However, this article is intended to raise your awareness to the issues and prompt you to appropriate action.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would you like to make money online, but don't know
where to begin? Here's 3 easy steps that really work:
http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/pips.html
With the number of internet businesses being established on the internet setting new records seemingly every business day, it is no surprise that a growing number of these end with serious business and legal difficulties. A common excuse appears to be a claim of “ignorance to the law” or the fact that many are simply unaware of the existing regulations and laws. Sadly, as you might expect, ignorance is not a recognized defense for the legal requirements.
To protect yourself and your investment, it is strongly recommended that you follow a few basic practices and include legal notices in the content of your website. Generally, there are a few general business notices and a relatively short list of legal notices that if included, will provide basic coverage and notice to outside parties seeking to validate (or dispute) the credibility and legal sufficiency of your website activities.
There are a number of ways to obtain the notices and language needed for these purposes. Certainly, obtaining legal advice is a preferred method,if considered necessary. Without going to this expense, many web entrepreneurs are comfortable by performing a canvass of a given website’s competitors. Staying close to the coverage and language of other websites who generally sell the same or similar supplies and services of your site can be adequate. These should be altered and customized as appropriate to fit your specific circumstances (to avoid potential legal issues of copyright infringment). Of late, there are a number of internet websites who provide notice wording and online notice language generation (some free of charge, some on a fee basis). And of course there are software products available for this purpose as well.
As a basic primer into the notices needed, below is a representative sampling of those needed:
GENERAL CATEGORY NOTICES:
CONTACT INFORMATION/CONTACT US: Websites should contain a webpage which identifies various means to contact the company. These include valid email addresses and phone numbers. The new CAN/SPAM requirements stipulate that a full physical address be included as well.
ABOUT/ABOUT US: Websites should contain a webpage which identifies the general company information, including ownership information, historic perspective of the company, etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS/FAQ’s: Websites should contain a webpage which contains a listing of the most commonly asked questions regarding interacting with the given business. This page is entirely optionally, but can substantially reduce numbers of inquiries and questions by making this information readily available to potential customers in advance.
NOTICES OF A LEGAL NATURE:
EARNINGS DISCLAIMER: Many sales and promotional marketing websites contain specific claims of revenues achieved by owners, affiliates, or others using their products. For these websites, it is recommended that they contain a webpage with statements concerning potential earnings potential and the lack of “guarantees” regarding the amounts used. Any amounts used should be disclaimed as "results achieved by others - and in no way a guarantee that everyone will have similar results", or words to that effect.
DISCLAIMER ON USE OF DATA: Websites should contain a webpage which contains specifics regarding the limitations and liabilities for the use, sharing, or redistribution of data and information contained on your website. Also, for website that include information which may be downloaded by clients, disclaimers regarding limitations of your liability for viruses, spyware, worms, etc., or other calamities incurred during the download are appropriate.
PRIVACY: With the continuing SPAM problems, it is advisable that websites include a webpage which advises visitor’s regarding the company’s policy for safeguarding any data received from them. This should include the nature of the data gathering, purpose, intended use, disposition, and sharing of any data information obtained. And by all means, ALWAYS follow the stated policy. Website owners should resist the temptation to sell visitor information when the sharing of this data was not properly disclosed at the time it was obtained.
COPYRIGHT: Websites should contain a webpage which contains copyright specifics. This disclaimer is required to alert others regarding the legal standing of your products and services.
Legal Notice Support:
To avoid even the potential of legal problems, anyone considering doing business on the internet is required to be fully aware of the rules, regulations, and laws which website owners are required to abide by. As a resource for conducting business within the United States, owners should review basic information at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website. For the latest FTC coverage, visit the following website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/dotcom/index.html
All website owners must be aware of the laws regarding unwanted email (SPAM). Current requirements mandate the inclusion of a physical address and an “opt-out” method for all email marketing campaigns. Check on all the latest SPAM regulations at the FTC website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/rules.htm
The requirements are not complicated or impossible to follow. Many agree, they are straightforward, but even so, being aware of the rules and laws, knowing where to go and what the “basic rules are” is absolutely critical. My disclaimer here is: “in no way are these tips and ideas intended to be a comprehensive all-inclusive listing of the legal and business notices needed to run an internet business. These are representative examples only. Legal counsel should be used when in doubt". However, this article is intended to raise your awareness to the issues and prompt you to appropriate action.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would you like to make money online, but don't know
where to begin? Here's 3 easy steps that really work:
http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/pips.html
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Internet Marketing - Easy as 1-2-3
copyright 2006 - Stephen Wright
Visit hundreds of internet marketing sites these days. They will tell you all the hundreds, if not thousands of ideas and ways they can sell you some product or service to have you making gazzilions of revenues through the internet. Half before lunch, ok, it's tough, so it might take you until after lunch to get the other half of the gazzilion! Yeah, right!
What they won't tell you is the cold hard truth. Being successful on the internet takes a special blend of many ingredients. These include time, education, experience, luck, and yes--money.
Every day, I see more and more potential internet marketeers who have obviously cut corners, rushing to market a product hastlily put together, poor marketing techniques, you name it.
Aside from having a lot of money to begin with, experience shows that gaining experience and educationing yourself about internet marketing topics are the Number One areas that anyone wanting to get started needs to focus on. In reality the more one learns about marketing on the internet, the more they realize that you are just touching the surface! And with the continuing advances in technology, it's changing every day!
Ok, admit -- internet marketing is NOT EASY! It is not a piece of cake or the proverbial bed of roses. Now that we have admitted that part, what can be done then to advance or more accurately to accelerate the process? Here are a few tips that have helped mylearning curve:
Treat your growth to frequent "library time" on the internet. That is to say, just like going to a traditional library, you need to set aside some "quiet time" to surf the net with the express purpose of reading as much as possible about internet marketing topics. Simple searches on any of the major search engines will give you lots and lots of subjects that your can explore.
From the start, set up specific goals for yourself and your growth efforts. These should be short term, mid-range and longer term goals designed to continuously improve your knowledge. The quicker you become knowledgable and fluent with internet marketing, the sooner you will be having customers anxious to by your latest products and advice.
Obtain as much written literature and information on these topics as possible. Ideally, FREE information whenever possible. One faboulous resource for the full range and breadth of IM topics is Dotcomology. I personally use it on a continuing basis as a reference guide. You can get your copy absolutely free at: http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/dotcomology.html
Find and locate programs that include websites (already designed or customized for you) as a part of the program. Getting your own website on a reputable website hosting service is imparative.
Outsource portions of your work to supplement your own knowledge or expertise. Don't be afraid to use the expertise of others to excellerate your website capabilities. This is an ideal way to get your success on a fast track. Keep in mind you must shop around for reputable and low cost providers.
Get your very own newsletters and ezines going as soon as possible. The sooner you begin to share what you have learned, the sooner you will get your name and company "on the internet map". There are a multitude of benefits for this approach. To say the least, this is a great investment of your limited time.
Join internet marketing forums related to your specific area of interest and developing expertise. Start making many contributions to the various topics and postings to keep your self current on issues, build a reputation among your peers, and get your name and company on the search engines as content sources for other websites.
And lastly, stay positive and "have fun" with your efforts and activities. Maintaining an upbeat attitude not only helps you as you "learn the ropes" - it also comes through in your dealings with potential customers.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would you like to make money online, but don't know where to begin? Here's 3 easy steps that really work: http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/pips.html
Visit hundreds of internet marketing sites these days. They will tell you all the hundreds, if not thousands of ideas and ways they can sell you some product or service to have you making gazzilions of revenues through the internet. Half before lunch, ok, it's tough, so it might take you until after lunch to get the other half of the gazzilion! Yeah, right!
What they won't tell you is the cold hard truth. Being successful on the internet takes a special blend of many ingredients. These include time, education, experience, luck, and yes--money.
Every day, I see more and more potential internet marketeers who have obviously cut corners, rushing to market a product hastlily put together, poor marketing techniques, you name it.
Aside from having a lot of money to begin with, experience shows that gaining experience and educationing yourself about internet marketing topics are the Number One areas that anyone wanting to get started needs to focus on. In reality the more one learns about marketing on the internet, the more they realize that you are just touching the surface! And with the continuing advances in technology, it's changing every day!
Ok, admit -- internet marketing is NOT EASY! It is not a piece of cake or the proverbial bed of roses. Now that we have admitted that part, what can be done then to advance or more accurately to accelerate the process? Here are a few tips that have helped mylearning curve:
Treat your growth to frequent "library time" on the internet. That is to say, just like going to a traditional library, you need to set aside some "quiet time" to surf the net with the express purpose of reading as much as possible about internet marketing topics. Simple searches on any of the major search engines will give you lots and lots of subjects that your can explore.
From the start, set up specific goals for yourself and your growth efforts. These should be short term, mid-range and longer term goals designed to continuously improve your knowledge. The quicker you become knowledgable and fluent with internet marketing, the sooner you will be having customers anxious to by your latest products and advice.
Obtain as much written literature and information on these topics as possible. Ideally, FREE information whenever possible. One faboulous resource for the full range and breadth of IM topics is Dotcomology. I personally use it on a continuing basis as a reference guide. You can get your copy absolutely free at: http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/dotcomology.html
Find and locate programs that include websites (already designed or customized for you) as a part of the program. Getting your own website on a reputable website hosting service is imparative.
Outsource portions of your work to supplement your own knowledge or expertise. Don't be afraid to use the expertise of others to excellerate your website capabilities. This is an ideal way to get your success on a fast track. Keep in mind you must shop around for reputable and low cost providers.
Get your very own newsletters and ezines going as soon as possible. The sooner you begin to share what you have learned, the sooner you will get your name and company "on the internet map". There are a multitude of benefits for this approach. To say the least, this is a great investment of your limited time.
Join internet marketing forums related to your specific area of interest and developing expertise. Start making many contributions to the various topics and postings to keep your self current on issues, build a reputation among your peers, and get your name and company on the search engines as content sources for other websites.
And lastly, stay positive and "have fun" with your efforts and activities. Maintaining an upbeat attitude not only helps you as you "learn the ropes" - it also comes through in your dealings with potential customers.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would you like to make money online, but don't know where to begin? Here's 3 easy steps that really work: http://www.internetmarketingusa.com/pips.html
Monday, May 29, 2006
Registering Domain Names Made Simple
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
Registering a domain name can be a very straight forward activity – or it can be labor intensive, stressful and a total waste of your time and hard earned money. With a few simple basic tips and some advance thought, you will be on “the easy path”.
The single most important ingredient going into domain registration is the critical decision of choosing the right name. Put in the time to do advance research into a name which reflects the general topic and nature of your online business. This will go hand-in-hand with the next element – keyword selection. There are a number of keyword selection tools available (such as on Yahoo business – formerly Overture.com, and Google). Combining you keywords and domain name into interwoven terms will greatly help with search engine optimization activities later on.
There is a growing availability of alternative extension variations today. For example, .com, net, org, bus, ws. Info, etc. have all become popular choices. With the explosion of internet traffic and usage this trend will likely continue. However, for the foreseeable future, until you have a widely popular website that receives millions of visitors that will find you no matter where you are, it is advisable that .com be used whenever possible. The com sites still enjoy the largest concentration of search traffic on the web today.
Do a basic search to locate reputable firms to handle your domain registration and web hosting. A lot of literature suggests having two different companies to handle this, rather than one company doing both. While it can be a pain to get this switched if problems arise, personally I have not heard or read of this being a major issue. However, you should check a couple of forums about this topic before starting your registration process.
The pricing and cost for registration and hosting have become extremely competitive. Make sure to shop around for the right combination of price, features, and capabilities of the firms. Pay attention to the details of exactly what is included in the monthly prices (and 1-time fees). While the monthly price may be lower from one to the other provider – the cost for additional services may far outweigh the initial low prices. Also, the amount of time (duration) of the service agreement can save you lots of money as well. The longer the service commitment, generally – the cheaper the rate plan. I have found 12-24 months to be a reasonable commitment that yields solid savings.
Regarding the choice of domain names, clearly shorter is better. After all, who can type those long url’s without making typos! No to mention shorter names are easier for you and your clients to remember. Also, by choosing domain names relevant to your keywords (and vice-versa) the search engines will reward your site on potential customer searches. It is like have a double bonus! For example having my website name of Internet Marketing USA, tied to keyword searches for internet marketing in the USA a highly relevant match, gaining me additional traffic for this combination of terms.
There you have it, some basic information to guide your domain registration activities. Armed with these tips, you will be up running, getting search engine traffic and revenues in no time.
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
Registering a domain name can be a very straight forward activity – or it can be labor intensive, stressful and a total waste of your time and hard earned money. With a few simple basic tips and some advance thought, you will be on “the easy path”.
The single most important ingredient going into domain registration is the critical decision of choosing the right name. Put in the time to do advance research into a name which reflects the general topic and nature of your online business. This will go hand-in-hand with the next element – keyword selection. There are a number of keyword selection tools available (such as on Yahoo business – formerly Overture.com, and Google). Combining you keywords and domain name into interwoven terms will greatly help with search engine optimization activities later on.
There is a growing availability of alternative extension variations today. For example, .com, net, org, bus, ws. Info, etc. have all become popular choices. With the explosion of internet traffic and usage this trend will likely continue. However, for the foreseeable future, until you have a widely popular website that receives millions of visitors that will find you no matter where you are, it is advisable that .com be used whenever possible. The com sites still enjoy the largest concentration of search traffic on the web today.
Do a basic search to locate reputable firms to handle your domain registration and web hosting. A lot of literature suggests having two different companies to handle this, rather than one company doing both. While it can be a pain to get this switched if problems arise, personally I have not heard or read of this being a major issue. However, you should check a couple of forums about this topic before starting your registration process.
The pricing and cost for registration and hosting have become extremely competitive. Make sure to shop around for the right combination of price, features, and capabilities of the firms. Pay attention to the details of exactly what is included in the monthly prices (and 1-time fees). While the monthly price may be lower from one to the other provider – the cost for additional services may far outweigh the initial low prices. Also, the amount of time (duration) of the service agreement can save you lots of money as well. The longer the service commitment, generally – the cheaper the rate plan. I have found 12-24 months to be a reasonable commitment that yields solid savings.
Regarding the choice of domain names, clearly shorter is better. After all, who can type those long url’s without making typos! No to mention shorter names are easier for you and your clients to remember. Also, by choosing domain names relevant to your keywords (and vice-versa) the search engines will reward your site on potential customer searches. It is like have a double bonus! For example having my website name of Internet Marketing USA, tied to keyword searches for internet marketing in the USA a highly relevant match, gaining me additional traffic for this combination of terms.
There you have it, some basic information to guide your domain registration activities. Armed with these tips, you will be up running, getting search engine traffic and revenues in no time.
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
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Internet Marketing Ideas for Success
(c) Stephen Wright
Marketing on the internet today has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today’s techniques for promoting and selling your ideas, products, services, and promotions on the internet requires an expanding array of multimedia features and capabilities, much different and advance from days past. Below is a list of but a few of the techniques and approaches every marketer should consider including in their efforts to increase website traffic, sales and revenues.
Educational activities – One of the single most important ways to increase your personal knowledge and expertise with any given topic is to get involved somehow with teaching this topic to others. Even if it is a basic and simple process or procedure, the process of thinking through, writing it out, developing lesson plans, etc. will be invaluable to you. Once developed, separate the materials into small sections for delivery and distribution.
There are a number of ways to distribute the materials out to potential clients. Direct mailings over a period of time, or many successful marketers set the individual segments up into an email marketing autoresponder program that sends the messages out to a predetermined list of clients and customers over a predetermined frequency. By far, this is my personal favorite method for delivery of the materials.
With distribution in this method, it gives you the perfect opportunity to include small “snippets” of promotion for yourself or various products or services which you sale or promote. You will be amazed at how effective this particular technique is. Not only will it give you expanded knowledge, in those cases where it was new information which required background research, it will reinforce you knowledge in those areas that you were already familiar with.
Link Exchange Directories – Though not everyone thinks of it, you should sponsor a directory website with open invitations for others to include links, banners and promotional advertisements back to their sites. Beyond including your banners, links, and advertisements sprinkled throughout the page, you gain the added benefit of having reciprocal links exchanged with others in the process. In effect, free advertising for both of you, a win-win scenario.
Share Tips, Insider Secrets – A popular feature of many marketers is to share various tips and insider secrets with your clients or email subscribers on a routine or frequent basis. Some even offer daily “tidbits” releasing them either through autoresponder programs or an offering located prominently on their website. This significantly helps clients and potential customers build a trusting and confident relationship with you. All of which are important ingredients for future sales and revenues.
Publishing eBooks – A very popular and lucrative venue for generating profits and revenue streams is putting topic materials together in larger format to publish and promote through ebook promotions. These can offer a full range of multimedia components and capabilities. These can be sold on an individual sale basis or part of a monthly ongoing “subscription” basis.
Developing, marketing, and selling of materials utilizing internet marketing ideas and techniques can be fun and profitable. Finding new, creative, and innovative methods for marketing on the internet requires some effort on our parts. The greater reality is that no single method or approach works all of the time (or even sometimes!). Being flexible, willing to explore possibilities and new techniques. Have fun trying different things to see what works best for you and your products, while growing your business and your profits at the same time.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would YOU Like To Be Earning $1,600 - $3,200 Per Month in 180 DAYS OR LESS by Simply GIVING AWAY a $1,949 Product?" Learn how at:
Marketing on the internet today has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today’s techniques for promoting and selling your ideas, products, services, and promotions on the internet requires an expanding array of multimedia features and capabilities, much different and advance from days past. Below is a list of but a few of the techniques and approaches every marketer should consider including in their efforts to increase website traffic, sales and revenues.
Educational activities – One of the single most important ways to increase your personal knowledge and expertise with any given topic is to get involved somehow with teaching this topic to others. Even if it is a basic and simple process or procedure, the process of thinking through, writing it out, developing lesson plans, etc. will be invaluable to you. Once developed, separate the materials into small sections for delivery and distribution.
There are a number of ways to distribute the materials out to potential clients. Direct mailings over a period of time, or many successful marketers set the individual segments up into an email marketing autoresponder program that sends the messages out to a predetermined list of clients and customers over a predetermined frequency. By far, this is my personal favorite method for delivery of the materials.
With distribution in this method, it gives you the perfect opportunity to include small “snippets” of promotion for yourself or various products or services which you sale or promote. You will be amazed at how effective this particular technique is. Not only will it give you expanded knowledge, in those cases where it was new information which required background research, it will reinforce you knowledge in those areas that you were already familiar with.
Link Exchange Directories – Though not everyone thinks of it, you should sponsor a directory website with open invitations for others to include links, banners and promotional advertisements back to their sites. Beyond including your banners, links, and advertisements sprinkled throughout the page, you gain the added benefit of having reciprocal links exchanged with others in the process. In effect, free advertising for both of you, a win-win scenario.
Share Tips, Insider Secrets – A popular feature of many marketers is to share various tips and insider secrets with your clients or email subscribers on a routine or frequent basis. Some even offer daily “tidbits” releasing them either through autoresponder programs or an offering located prominently on their website. This significantly helps clients and potential customers build a trusting and confident relationship with you. All of which are important ingredients for future sales and revenues.
Publishing eBooks – A very popular and lucrative venue for generating profits and revenue streams is putting topic materials together in larger format to publish and promote through ebook promotions. These can offer a full range of multimedia components and capabilities. These can be sold on an individual sale basis or part of a monthly ongoing “subscription” basis.
Developing, marketing, and selling of materials utilizing internet marketing ideas and techniques can be fun and profitable. Finding new, creative, and innovative methods for marketing on the internet requires some effort on our parts. The greater reality is that no single method or approach works all of the time (or even sometimes!). Being flexible, willing to explore possibilities and new techniques. Have fun trying different things to see what works best for you and your products, while growing your business and your profits at the same time.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Would YOU Like To Be Earning $1,600 - $3,200 Per Month in 180 DAYS OR LESS by Simply GIVING AWAY a $1,949 Product?" Learn how at:
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Secrets To Really Create Wealth Online
If you act NOW, you can get started TODAY for as little as $2.00!!
You read correctly! For only $2, you can now get started with Success University. What's even better is that this nominal processing fee will be donated to Feed the Children - a non-profit organization providing humanitarian support world-wide.
You can enroll today and be allowed to plug into Matt's Step-by-Step marketing system that can earn you thousands of dollars a month.
All of the details are available to you immediately by visiting the Success University Web Site at: http://imusa.successfuniversity.com/new.aspx
Since it's release, this promotion has created a stir like we've never experienced. Every single day since the launch, records have been set for new enrollments! Not making a move now could prove to be something you regret for years to come. Learn about this exciting opportunity and literally WATCH it happen!
See you at the top!
Stephen Wright
President/CEO
InternetMarketingUSA.com
To be taken off my list:
Go to this link: http://imusa.successuniversity.com/nomo.aspx
You read correctly! For only $2, you can now get started with Success University. What's even better is that this nominal processing fee will be donated to Feed the Children - a non-profit organization providing humanitarian support world-wide.
You can enroll today and be allowed to plug into Matt's Step-by-Step marketing system that can earn you thousands of dollars a month.
All of the details are available to you immediately by visiting the Success University Web Site at: http://imusa.successfuniversity.com/new.aspx
Since it's release, this promotion has created a stir like we've never experienced. Every single day since the launch, records have been set for new enrollments! Not making a move now could prove to be something you regret for years to come. Learn about this exciting opportunity and literally WATCH it happen!
See you at the top!
Stephen Wright
President/CEO
InternetMarketingUSA.com
To be taken off my list:
Go to this link: http://imusa.successuniversity.com/nomo.aspx
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Credit Card Web-Acceptance – The Basics
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
For every new and existing virtual marketer who has put up their very own website, payment methods quickly becomes a reality you can’t afford to ignore or resist. Unlike a traditional walk-in establishment, doing business over the internet requires you to reconsider any preconceived notion of getting checks, cash, and money orders – all in advance of sending your valuable products out. Long gone are the days when potential customers have the patience to wait until their check arrives, shipment or download authorization happens, etc. Simply put, some means of debit/credit type acceptance is a must for doing business via the web in today’s internet market place.
Truth is, the expectations of customers demand more and more sophistication in our order, billing, and payment exchange. An increasing amount of potential customers fully expect to use a shopping basket that mimics a traditional shopping experience. They proceed to checkout for payment, get immediate response feedback for delivery information or in many cases with e-download materials, are taken to a download page, ready for exchange of the materials or products.
For those unable, or unwilling, to give them this, they simply are seeking other alternatives for their buying needs. After all, shopping via the internet is about the convenience and ease of use and capabilities. If you can’t provide it, they will find someone else who can.
Fortunately, the options for gaining this capability are readily available. Payment processor providers (PayPal for example) can be simplistic and reasonably priced. There are many, so make sure to shop around for a provider that fits your specific needs. Also, there is a multitude of merchant account software programs available, though generally speaking, this option is more expensive that a turnkey payment processor activity.
Using the PayPal example, once you sign up, you can either link to their servers or incorporate their payment methods directly into your website via web query forms. The html language generated via the PayPal site can be pasted directly into your webpage, thereby making the transaction less apparent and intrusive, though not entirely seamless.
Irrespective of the method chosen, one area of concern involves the issue of charge-backs. Charge-backs occur when a customer who previously purchased an item requests a refund of an amount – where you have already been paid. The reasons for this are long and varied, ranging from non-receipt of goods, damage in shipping, “not as
described” claims, and of course the ever present fraudulent claims.
The point being, make sure you understand up front how these charges will be handled, what fees (if any) you will be charged when (not if) they occur. These fees can get out of hand if you are not careful. Make sure you know what you are getting into with these fees.
As a bottom line, there are lots and lots of alternatives for getting your website capabilities “up to speed” in today’s internet business environment. Make sure you do some research about what is available and what it will cost you. A little up-front homework will save you hundreds, if not thousands, later on. Either way, do not miss out on sales and revenue by not having these capabilities.
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
For every new and existing virtual marketer who has put up their very own website, payment methods quickly becomes a reality you can’t afford to ignore or resist. Unlike a traditional walk-in establishment, doing business over the internet requires you to reconsider any preconceived notion of getting checks, cash, and money orders – all in advance of sending your valuable products out. Long gone are the days when potential customers have the patience to wait until their check arrives, shipment or download authorization happens, etc. Simply put, some means of debit/credit type acceptance is a must for doing business via the web in today’s internet market place.
Truth is, the expectations of customers demand more and more sophistication in our order, billing, and payment exchange. An increasing amount of potential customers fully expect to use a shopping basket that mimics a traditional shopping experience. They proceed to checkout for payment, get immediate response feedback for delivery information or in many cases with e-download materials, are taken to a download page, ready for exchange of the materials or products.
For those unable, or unwilling, to give them this, they simply are seeking other alternatives for their buying needs. After all, shopping via the internet is about the convenience and ease of use and capabilities. If you can’t provide it, they will find someone else who can.
Fortunately, the options for gaining this capability are readily available. Payment processor providers (PayPal for example) can be simplistic and reasonably priced. There are many, so make sure to shop around for a provider that fits your specific needs. Also, there is a multitude of merchant account software programs available, though generally speaking, this option is more expensive that a turnkey payment processor activity.
Using the PayPal example, once you sign up, you can either link to their servers or incorporate their payment methods directly into your website via web query forms. The html language generated via the PayPal site can be pasted directly into your webpage, thereby making the transaction less apparent and intrusive, though not entirely seamless.
Irrespective of the method chosen, one area of concern involves the issue of charge-backs. Charge-backs occur when a customer who previously purchased an item requests a refund of an amount – where you have already been paid. The reasons for this are long and varied, ranging from non-receipt of goods, damage in shipping, “not as
described” claims, and of course the ever present fraudulent claims.
The point being, make sure you understand up front how these charges will be handled, what fees (if any) you will be charged when (not if) they occur. These fees can get out of hand if you are not careful. Make sure you know what you are getting into with these fees.
As a bottom line, there are lots and lots of alternatives for getting your website capabilities “up to speed” in today’s internet business environment. Make sure you do some research about what is available and what it will cost you. A little up-front homework will save you hundreds, if not thousands, later on. Either way, do not miss out on sales and revenue by not having these capabilities.
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
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Finding a Niche with Domain Expirations
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
As internet marketers, we are continually looking for was to maximize traffic to our respective websites. The methods we use vary from paid advertising, pay-per-click opportunities, writing articles, banner and classified ads, etc. Additionally, we follow as closely as possible the methods to improve our overall search engine optimization criteria. But is that enough? Often times, "no it is not" is the sad but simple answer. What other ways then are there? We have a great looking website, doing all the (w)right things, but they still do not come to your site.
One of the most commonly overlooked techniques for increasing web traffic is having a website domain name that closely matches our niche market, while being easy and associated with the market we are trying to get to the top in.
For many, expiring and expired domains are the answer. According to Google, in excessive of 3 million clicks or url hits to targeted traffic are lost or receive website not found errors on a daily basis. This common occurrence happens for a number of reasons, ranging from simple neglect by the owners to abandonment due to poor performance, lost interest, and the list goes on and on. To look at some of the traffic information about these sites, some were never started, while others received respectable traffic, sales and revenue. All of which have been abandoned.
The opportunity exists to acquire these sites, single sites or in bulk at a fraction of what it might cost you otherwise. Think of it, being able to start up a site that already have traffic, reciprocal and one-way links to it, targeted clients, all under new management – that’s you!
As a secondary activity there is a lucrative market on the internet (some through eBay) for auctions specializing in resale of domain names (some expired, some not). When you have a chance, do a search of domain auctions. You will be surprised at what some of the highly sought after web domains are selling for. Many are beginning to see these as investments. And the great part, many of these can be obtained for future use or for resale potential with merely the cost of registration, which can be very inexpensive ($5-$15 dollar range).
The list of possibilities is endless, with thousands more expiring each and every day. With a little bit of background research to investigate the previous use of the website and traffic information where available, you could find yourself with a lucrative niche with additional revenues before you know it.
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! :-)
As internet marketers, we are continually looking for was to maximize traffic to our respective websites. The methods we use vary from paid advertising, pay-per-click opportunities, writing articles, banner and classified ads, etc. Additionally, we follow as closely as possible the methods to improve our overall search engine optimization criteria. But is that enough? Often times, "no it is not" is the sad but simple answer. What other ways then are there? We have a great looking website, doing all the (w)right things, but they still do not come to your site.
One of the most commonly overlooked techniques for increasing web traffic is having a website domain name that closely matches our niche market, while being easy and associated with the market we are trying to get to the top in.
For many, expiring and expired domains are the answer. According to Google, in excessive of 3 million clicks or url hits to targeted traffic are lost or receive website not found errors on a daily basis. This common occurrence happens for a number of reasons, ranging from simple neglect by the owners to abandonment due to poor performance, lost interest, and the list goes on and on. To look at some of the traffic information about these sites, some were never started, while others received respectable traffic, sales and revenue. All of which have been abandoned.
The opportunity exists to acquire these sites, single sites or in bulk at a fraction of what it might cost you otherwise. Think of it, being able to start up a site that already have traffic, reciprocal and one-way links to it, targeted clients, all under new management – that’s you!
As a secondary activity there is a lucrative market on the internet (some through eBay) for auctions specializing in resale of domain names (some expired, some not). When you have a chance, do a search of domain auctions. You will be surprised at what some of the highly sought after web domains are selling for. Many are beginning to see these as investments. And the great part, many of these can be obtained for future use or for resale potential with merely the cost of registration, which can be very inexpensive ($5-$15 dollar range).
The list of possibilities is endless, with thousands more expiring each and every day. With a little bit of background research to investigate the previous use of the website and traffic information where available, you could find yourself with a lucrative niche with additional revenues before you know it.
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, March 12, 2006
Internet Marketing Ideas, Tips for Success
Copyright © 2006 Stephen Wright
Marketing on the internet today has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today’s techniques for promoting and selling your ideas, products, services, and promotions on the internet requires an expanding array of multimedia features and capabilities, much different and advance from days past. Below is a list of but a few of the techniques and approaches every marketer should consider including in their efforts to increase website traffic, sales and revenues.
Educational activities – One of the single most important ways to increase your personal knowledge and expertise with any given topic is to get involved somehow with teaching this topic to others. Even if it is a basic and simple process or procedure, the process of thinking through, writing it out, developing lesson plans, etc. will be invaluable to you. Once developed, separate the materials into small sections for delivery and distribution.
There are a number of ways to distribute the materials out to potential clients. Direct mailings over a period of time, or many successful marketers set the individual segments up into an email marketing autoresponder program that sends the messages out to a predetermined list of clients and customers over a predetermined frequency. By far, this is my personal favorite method for delivery of the materials.
With distribution in this method, it gives you the perfect opportunity to include small “snippets” of promotion for yourself or various products or services which you sale or promote. You will be amazed at how effective this particular technique is. Not only will it give you expanded knowledge, in those cases where it was new information which required background research, it will reinforce you knowledge in those areas that you were already familiar with.
Link Exchange Directories – Though not everyone thinks of it, you should sponsor a directory website with open invitations for others to include links, banners and promotional advertisements back to their sites. Beyond including your banners, links, and advertisements sprinkled throughout the page, you gain the added benefit of having reciprocal links exchanged with others in the process. In effect, free advertising for both of you, a win-win scenario.
Share Tips, Insider Secrets – A popular feature of many marketers is to share various tips and insider secrets with your clients or email subscribers on a routine or frequent basis. Some even offer daily “tidbits” releasing them either through autoresponder programs or an offering located prominently on their website. This significantly helps clients and potential customers build a trusting and confident relationship with you. All of which are important ingredients for future sales and revenues.
Publishing eBooks – A very popular and lucrative venue for generating profits and revenue streams is putting topic materials together in larger format to publish and promote through ebook promotions. These can offer a full range of multimedia components and capabilities. These can be sold on an individual sale basis or part of a monthly ongoing “subscription” basis.
Developing, marketing, and selling of materials utilizing internet marketing ideas and techniques can be fun and profitable. Finding new, creative, and innovative methods for marketing on the internet requires some effort on our parts. The greater reality is that no single method or approach works all of the time (or even sometimes!). Being flexible, willing to explore possibilities and new techniques. Have fun trying different things to see what works best for you and your products, while growing your business and your profits at the same time.
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! :-)
Marketing on the internet today has changed dramatically over the past few years. Today’s techniques for promoting and selling your ideas, products, services, and promotions on the internet requires an expanding array of multimedia features and capabilities, much different and advance from days past. Below is a list of but a few of the techniques and approaches every marketer should consider including in their efforts to increase website traffic, sales and revenues.
Educational activities – One of the single most important ways to increase your personal knowledge and expertise with any given topic is to get involved somehow with teaching this topic to others. Even if it is a basic and simple process or procedure, the process of thinking through, writing it out, developing lesson plans, etc. will be invaluable to you. Once developed, separate the materials into small sections for delivery and distribution.
There are a number of ways to distribute the materials out to potential clients. Direct mailings over a period of time, or many successful marketers set the individual segments up into an email marketing autoresponder program that sends the messages out to a predetermined list of clients and customers over a predetermined frequency. By far, this is my personal favorite method for delivery of the materials.
With distribution in this method, it gives you the perfect opportunity to include small “snippets” of promotion for yourself or various products or services which you sale or promote. You will be amazed at how effective this particular technique is. Not only will it give you expanded knowledge, in those cases where it was new information which required background research, it will reinforce you knowledge in those areas that you were already familiar with.
Link Exchange Directories – Though not everyone thinks of it, you should sponsor a directory website with open invitations for others to include links, banners and promotional advertisements back to their sites. Beyond including your banners, links, and advertisements sprinkled throughout the page, you gain the added benefit of having reciprocal links exchanged with others in the process. In effect, free advertising for both of you, a win-win scenario.
Share Tips, Insider Secrets – A popular feature of many marketers is to share various tips and insider secrets with your clients or email subscribers on a routine or frequent basis. Some even offer daily “tidbits” releasing them either through autoresponder programs or an offering located prominently on their website. This significantly helps clients and potential customers build a trusting and confident relationship with you. All of which are important ingredients for future sales and revenues.
Publishing eBooks – A very popular and lucrative venue for generating profits and revenue streams is putting topic materials together in larger format to publish and promote through ebook promotions. These can offer a full range of multimedia components and capabilities. These can be sold on an individual sale basis or part of a monthly ongoing “subscription” basis.
Developing, marketing, and selling of materials utilizing internet marketing ideas and techniques can be fun and profitable. Finding new, creative, and innovative methods for marketing on the internet requires some effort on our parts. The greater reality is that no single method or approach works all of the time (or even sometimes!). Being flexible, willing to explore possibilities and new techniques. Have fun trying different things to see what works best for you and your products, while growing your business and your profits at the same time.
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
Merchant Selection for Maximum Affiliate Benefit
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! :-)
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! :-)
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.
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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
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