Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Joseph Skursky
Wouldn't it be nice if you could bypass the competition and get in front of hundreds of qualified prospects who are looking forward to talking with you? No cold-calling or expensive advertising. No sales calls to people who don't understand what you do or the value of it. No waiting months for people to decide whether to trust you or not.
What would that do to your sales cycle? Your revenue? Your profit margins?
Let's talk about a way you can accomplish this.
The principle is this: all your potential customers-the people most likely to invest in your services or products-all have advisors that they trust. These Trusted Advisors are professionals that not only do their job well, but take a pro-active role in identifying ways to increase clients' profits. Generally, these Trusted Advisors have created such a reputation for recommending profitable change that their clients no longer question their recommendations. Now imagine what it would be like if you had a team of these Trusted Advisors recommending your services and products to their customers-customers who have a genuine need for them.
Forming partnerships with professionals in these Trusted Advisor positions would have four key advantages as a marketing model:
1. Collapse Your Sales Cycle
This is not just a referral system. Your partners are in a trusted position and know your customers' businesses intimately. They've already identified a need for your service or product. By the time you start talking to the client, a major part of your sales process is already complete. Approval time within the customer's company is also shortened because of the trust relationship.
2. Increase Your Closing Ratio
The customer is usually prepared to buy before you start talking to them. Your sales reps have less convincing to do. The sales role changes from convincing the customer to buy to identifying the services and products needed.
3. Improve Customer Loyalty
People do not stop using products and services recommended by Trusted Advisors unless forced to by extreme circumstances. Doing so risks losing the advantages gained through the recommendation and possible alienation of their Trusted Advisor.
4. Make Competition Irrelevant
There is no competition because the Trusted Advisor recommendation trumps all other factors and he/she is only recommending your company.
This model works because the level of trust between advisor and customer is so high that it goes unquestioned. As a professional recommended by a Trusted Advisor, the client accords you a similar level of trust. You become associated with the profits and success the advisor is known for achieving. In the customer's mind, anything else risks decreased profits or failure.
So how do you get started in using this marketing model?
Start by creating a profile of your ideal Trusted Advisor partner. At a minimum, your profile should identify the kinds of clients they work with and service areas that are complementary to your service or product (so that it would make sense for them to recommend you). Then interview your own clients and identify their Trusted Advisors. If a Trusted Advisor services one client who has need of you, it is likely they also service others. If you are breaking into a new market, interview a select group of potential customers in that market.
Once you've identified potential partners, it's time to contact them and build relationships. Remember that you're not just looking for a new sales rep. You're looking for someone who can understand the value of what you do and has such confidence in your ability to provide that value that he or she is willing to stake their reputation on it. This takes more than a sales pitch and a promise of great commissions.
Identifying these potential partners and gaining their trust will take time and concentrated effort. In many ways, it is similar to building a relationship with a client. But instead of one relationship resulting in one customer, each relationship results in potentially hundreds of customers. You'll be leveraging your time and resources for exponential increases in sales, revenue, and profits.
About the Author:
Joseph Skursky is Chief Game Changer at Market Leader Solutions, a business growth consulting firm specializing in identifying and forming strategic partnerships using the Trusted Advisor Marketing model. To find out more about this marketing model or developing Trusted Advisor partnerships, call him at 919-854-2788, email him at joseph(AT)marketleadersolutions.com, or visit: http://www.marketleadersolutions.com/
Read more Articles written by Joseph Skursky.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Better Mousetrap Myth
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Scott Bywater
Most people think the value lies in the thing...the new gadget the book the newsletter the course.
That if they simply build a better mousetrap, they'll find overnight wealth.
But it's simply not true.
After all, if that was the case every inventor of a brilliant new product would walk into overnight riches.
So what is it that really has value?
It's the marketing.
I'm talking about the advertisement you place.
The sales letter you write.
The structure of the seminar.
Your public relations pieces.
Your email sequence.
But here's where the problem lies: Most people think it's all about the product.
I know from experience it's not. I've seen great products and services flop and average products and services thrive all because they either had good marketing or they didn't.
And while having a good, solid product is critical if that's all you focus on you end up with hours of time and energy invested into something which never sees the light of day.
Think about all of the winning infomercial products.
The ab busters... the cooking gadgets... etc.
Do you think anyone would buy them if they didn't have an awesome marketing program behind them?
Of course not. They would end up in a store where people would walk right past them.
Remember this: your ability to sell is the most valuable asset your business can have.
And I don't care if you're a mechanic... an internet marketer... a software developer or whatever.
Nor does it matter who you are selling to. Or whether you are offering a product or service.
The value of all other assets is only determined by your skill in selling them.
So focus on mastering the art of selling.
Focus on developing the systems which make your product walk off the page, so you can get results like these: http://www.scottbywater.com/ proof
Remember, your wealth will be based more than anything on understanding how to sell whatever your 'thing' is, not on how good your 'thing' is.
About the Author:
Scott Bywater is a direct response copywriter with extensive experience in B2B and B2C writing. Mr Bywater is the author of Cash-Flow Advertising and More Customers Made Easy. You can gain access to his copywriting and marketing tips via his entertaining and eye opening "Copywriting Selling Secrets" newsletter available at http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/
Read more of Scott Bywater's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Scott Bywater
Most people think the value lies in the thing...the new gadget the book the newsletter the course.
That if they simply build a better mousetrap, they'll find overnight wealth.
But it's simply not true.
After all, if that was the case every inventor of a brilliant new product would walk into overnight riches.
So what is it that really has value?
It's the marketing.
I'm talking about the advertisement you place.
The sales letter you write.
The structure of the seminar.
Your public relations pieces.
Your email sequence.
But here's where the problem lies: Most people think it's all about the product.
I know from experience it's not. I've seen great products and services flop and average products and services thrive all because they either had good marketing or they didn't.
And while having a good, solid product is critical if that's all you focus on you end up with hours of time and energy invested into something which never sees the light of day.
Think about all of the winning infomercial products.
The ab busters... the cooking gadgets... etc.
Do you think anyone would buy them if they didn't have an awesome marketing program behind them?
Of course not. They would end up in a store where people would walk right past them.
Remember this: your ability to sell is the most valuable asset your business can have.
And I don't care if you're a mechanic... an internet marketer... a software developer or whatever.
Nor does it matter who you are selling to. Or whether you are offering a product or service.
The value of all other assets is only determined by your skill in selling them.
So focus on mastering the art of selling.
Focus on developing the systems which make your product walk off the page, so you can get results like these: http://www.scottbywater.com/ proof
Remember, your wealth will be based more than anything on understanding how to sell whatever your 'thing' is, not on how good your 'thing' is.
About the Author:
Scott Bywater is a direct response copywriter with extensive experience in B2B and B2C writing. Mr Bywater is the author of Cash-Flow Advertising and More Customers Made Easy. You can gain access to his copywriting and marketing tips via his entertaining and eye opening "Copywriting Selling Secrets" newsletter available at http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/
Read more of Scott Bywater's articles.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cost Reduction: Cutbacks Are Unavoidable
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Thayne Carper
Good cost reduction means you must slash your expenses and costs when possible, provided that this does not affect your product quality or harm your operations. There are numerous approaches to cutting expenses, and you cost reduction plan must identify where you can save money.
Practical Cost Cutting Measures
By reducing utilities expenses, for example, your company will save money that otherwise will have been spent inefficiently. Reducing waste programs and office supply expenses are also practical cost reduction ideas, as companies all too often burn considerable funds in these areas without looking at cost-savings alternatives.  Consider cutting insurance costs, inventory levels, or fixed asset amounts too.
Not only must a company owner find ways of reducing costs, he or she must also figure out different ways of doing business with third parties. It would be wise to research your vendor contracts and uncover whether or not you can get a better deal elsewhere.  Good cost reduction plans will have you monitor your equipment leases to seek out better opportunities for savings. The list of cost reduction methods can be lengthy, which is why you must spend careful time planning out good strategies.
Look for Other Ways to Save
Reducing daily expenses that are adversely affecting the budget may be enough for your company to obtain the objectives set forth in your cost reduction plan. However, if these reductions are not enough, then you must further investigate areas you can cut expenses that will have a positive result.
Of course, you must take care in cutting costs in business and always use good judgment. If you, for example, decide to cut staffing, then you may find there to be significant consequences. Fewer staff may mean it becomes impossible to maintain delivery schedules. Layoffs can result in impaired product or service quality, which would obviously be detrimental to your business.
Layoffs are often the easiest expense to cut at first glance, but the far-reaching consequences can prove they are simply not worthwhile, and you would be best reducing your expenses by other means. Cutting too many expenses can have other drawbacks; for example, if you cut your inventory levels too much, then your company may save some costs, yet may not be able to deliver its products efficiently within your promised or a reasonable amount of time. This will not endear you to active and potential clients.
The Benefits of Cost Reduction
An efficient cost reduction plan will ensure businesses will not let expenses run rampant even in good times. While keeping costs reasonable may appear better than reducing your expenses, you must take into account business cycles and that businesses need to be able to quickly respond to a changing marketplace.
Even in good times, you must consider cutting costs, whether it's as simple as cutting lights or something far more extensive such as fewer capital equipment purchases. Cost reduction involves both simple and extensive cost cutting measures, and your plan should address various ways of eliminating, or at least trimming, unnecessary and burdensome expenses.
About the Author:
Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student business plan competitions. He's never won a business plan competition and was dropped from his college's entrepreneurial program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a copy of his report "The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits in less than 6 Months" and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more: http://www.ThayneCarper.com/
Copyright © 2010 Thayne Carper
Good cost reduction means you must slash your expenses and costs when possible, provided that this does not affect your product quality or harm your operations. There are numerous approaches to cutting expenses, and you cost reduction plan must identify where you can save money.
Practical Cost Cutting Measures
By reducing utilities expenses, for example, your company will save money that otherwise will have been spent inefficiently. Reducing waste programs and office supply expenses are also practical cost reduction ideas, as companies all too often burn considerable funds in these areas without looking at cost-savings alternatives.  Consider cutting insurance costs, inventory levels, or fixed asset amounts too.
Not only must a company owner find ways of reducing costs, he or she must also figure out different ways of doing business with third parties. It would be wise to research your vendor contracts and uncover whether or not you can get a better deal elsewhere.  Good cost reduction plans will have you monitor your equipment leases to seek out better opportunities for savings. The list of cost reduction methods can be lengthy, which is why you must spend careful time planning out good strategies.
Look for Other Ways to Save
Reducing daily expenses that are adversely affecting the budget may be enough for your company to obtain the objectives set forth in your cost reduction plan. However, if these reductions are not enough, then you must further investigate areas you can cut expenses that will have a positive result.
Of course, you must take care in cutting costs in business and always use good judgment. If you, for example, decide to cut staffing, then you may find there to be significant consequences. Fewer staff may mean it becomes impossible to maintain delivery schedules. Layoffs can result in impaired product or service quality, which would obviously be detrimental to your business.
Layoffs are often the easiest expense to cut at first glance, but the far-reaching consequences can prove they are simply not worthwhile, and you would be best reducing your expenses by other means. Cutting too many expenses can have other drawbacks; for example, if you cut your inventory levels too much, then your company may save some costs, yet may not be able to deliver its products efficiently within your promised or a reasonable amount of time. This will not endear you to active and potential clients.
The Benefits of Cost Reduction
An efficient cost reduction plan will ensure businesses will not let expenses run rampant even in good times. While keeping costs reasonable may appear better than reducing your expenses, you must take into account business cycles and that businesses need to be able to quickly respond to a changing marketplace.
Even in good times, you must consider cutting costs, whether it's as simple as cutting lights or something far more extensive such as fewer capital equipment purchases. Cost reduction involves both simple and extensive cost cutting measures, and your plan should address various ways of eliminating, or at least trimming, unnecessary and burdensome expenses.
About the Author:
Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student business plan competitions. He's never won a business plan competition and was dropped from his college's entrepreneurial program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a copy of his report "The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits in less than 6 Months" and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more: http://www.ThayneCarper.com/
Friday, March 26, 2010
5 Essential Elements of Successful Article Marketing
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Bill Platt
If you want to understand how to be successful online, study those who are already successful, and gain an understanding of "what they do" and "why they do what they do..." Then mirror their actions...
I have been very successful using Article Marketing to promote my online businesses, since early 2000...
I have written and distributed many articles that went on to generate sales in the five figures... But for the sake of the FTC, "Very few people will make this kind of money with Article Marketing..."
If you understand the "how and why" of writing great articles, perhaps you can generate more sales from your articles than I have from mine... But if you miss the point of this article, you are likely to never make any money at all with article marketing...
There Are Five Essential Elements of Successful Article Marketing:
1. Title - Many people suggest that you should put your top keywords at the front of your article title, but I don't subscribe to that methodology. I do include my target keywords in the title, when I can, but an article that is well-optimized for the search engines is worthless if it does not get published... The #1 goal of your articles' title is to get the article opened!! You must present a title that is going to get the attention of publishers and readers; you must present a title that is going to compel a person to at least open your article to see if they will want to read it...
2. Opening Paragraph - The title got your article opened, but now you need your reader to read the article... Tell your reader why they should keep reading your article and read it to its conclusion... Any reader who does not reach your website from your article is a "missed opportunity" to sell your stuff... Show people why it will be in their best interest to finish reading your article...
3. The Article Body - The article body must meet the promise of the Article Title and the opening paragraph... The article body must retain the interest of the reader to the last word... The article body must tell a story people want to read, and leave them wanting more... The article body must successfully carry the reader to your Author's Resource Box... When finished reading, the reader must be happy to have read the article...
4. The Authors' Resource Box - The Authors' Resource Box needs to transition the reader from your article to your website, by offering a compelling call-to-action to get the reader to go to your website... Tell who you are, but don't go overboard... People do not care who you are - they only care about what else you can do for them... Jeff Herring wrote a great article that elaborates a bit further on how to construct an effective Resource Box here (http://ezinearticles.com/?id=3624961)...
5. Your Landing Page - You should never try to sell your products or services in your Authors' Resource Box. Instead, you should try to get the reader to your website, where you have an unlimited number of words, videos, pictures and testimonials to tell the real story of your products or services. Few vendors have the ability to sell a product or service in 500 characters, so you should use your Authors' Resource Box to get the reader to your website, where you will do the real selling...
Tell A Story People Want To Read
Often, the difference between someone who will try to write an article for $5 and the professional writer who understands the value of his or her work can be defined simply...
The person writing an article for $5 will "beat around the bush" for five hundred words, without ever actually saying anything of any real value to anyone... The person who works for $5 an article is just putting words on a page so that he or she can be paid...
The person who demands $40 to $500 to write an article is a master of story-telling... He or she will tell a story that people will want to read, and therefore a story that publishers will want to publish...
The authors who tell a story that "people are happy to have read" will find their articles on more high-quality websites, and they will find more people visiting their websites, as a result of having read the article...
Words on a page only please search engines, but a story on a page will ALSO attract readers, visitors and paying customers to your website...
Interestingly, most online marketing gurus who advise hiring people to write $5 articles also fail to tell a truth -- they fail to point out that articles that pass real link popularity to a website must have link popularity to pass on to your website...
People don't link to articles that are nothing more than "words on a page", but people will link to a story that needs telling... Just like with Jeff Herring's article linked above; his story is worth sharing with you, and as a result, it has gained its own links from people who do not know Jeff personally... (I have never met Jeff Herring or talked to him by phone or email. It was an honest recommendation for a great article written by him.)
Jeff's article has gained its own link popularity, by merit of it being a good story... As a result, Jeff's article will pass real link popularity back to his website, because it has real value for readers and real link popularity to share...
Article Marketing Will Not Work For Everyone...
There are a great number of us who have made a lot of money with article marketing... Then there are thousands of others who have never made any money at all with article marketing...
When you want to find success with an online business, you should mirror those people who have been successful...
Article Marketing is no different... If you have ever visited a website or purchased a product, as a result of having read an article that mentioned the website or product, take another look at the article that drove you to action... Try to understand the "how" and "why" that article worked, and then try to figure out how you can duplicate the formula for yourself...
Chances are good that you will see my "Five Essential Elements of Successful Article Marketing" in those articles that you are reviewing...
Fortunately, you don't have to take my word for what I am telling you in this article... Whenever you find an article that moves you to visit the website shown in the Authors' Resource Box, take another look at the article to see how closely it matches with the "Five Essential Elements" I shared with you in this article... You may be surprised by what you learn...
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this information, you will find that it just scratches the surface of what I have included in my article marketing ebook, "How To Use Article Marketing To Positively Impact Your SEO Efforts", available for sale on my website, http://thephantomwriters.com/ My name is Bill Platt, and I have been involved in Article Marketing since early 2000. This article was excerpted in part, from the one shown here.
Read more of Bill Platt's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Bill Platt
If you want to understand how to be successful online, study those who are already successful, and gain an understanding of "what they do" and "why they do what they do..." Then mirror their actions...
I have been very successful using Article Marketing to promote my online businesses, since early 2000...
I have written and distributed many articles that went on to generate sales in the five figures... But for the sake of the FTC, "Very few people will make this kind of money with Article Marketing..."
If you understand the "how and why" of writing great articles, perhaps you can generate more sales from your articles than I have from mine... But if you miss the point of this article, you are likely to never make any money at all with article marketing...
There Are Five Essential Elements of Successful Article Marketing:
1. Title - Many people suggest that you should put your top keywords at the front of your article title, but I don't subscribe to that methodology. I do include my target keywords in the title, when I can, but an article that is well-optimized for the search engines is worthless if it does not get published... The #1 goal of your articles' title is to get the article opened!! You must present a title that is going to get the attention of publishers and readers; you must present a title that is going to compel a person to at least open your article to see if they will want to read it...
2. Opening Paragraph - The title got your article opened, but now you need your reader to read the article... Tell your reader why they should keep reading your article and read it to its conclusion... Any reader who does not reach your website from your article is a "missed opportunity" to sell your stuff... Show people why it will be in their best interest to finish reading your article...
3. The Article Body - The article body must meet the promise of the Article Title and the opening paragraph... The article body must retain the interest of the reader to the last word... The article body must tell a story people want to read, and leave them wanting more... The article body must successfully carry the reader to your Author's Resource Box... When finished reading, the reader must be happy to have read the article...
4. The Authors' Resource Box - The Authors' Resource Box needs to transition the reader from your article to your website, by offering a compelling call-to-action to get the reader to go to your website... Tell who you are, but don't go overboard... People do not care who you are - they only care about what else you can do for them... Jeff Herring wrote a great article that elaborates a bit further on how to construct an effective Resource Box here (http://ezinearticles.com/?id=3624961)...
5. Your Landing Page - You should never try to sell your products or services in your Authors' Resource Box. Instead, you should try to get the reader to your website, where you have an unlimited number of words, videos, pictures and testimonials to tell the real story of your products or services. Few vendors have the ability to sell a product or service in 500 characters, so you should use your Authors' Resource Box to get the reader to your website, where you will do the real selling...
Tell A Story People Want To Read
Often, the difference between someone who will try to write an article for $5 and the professional writer who understands the value of his or her work can be defined simply...
The person writing an article for $5 will "beat around the bush" for five hundred words, without ever actually saying anything of any real value to anyone... The person who works for $5 an article is just putting words on a page so that he or she can be paid...
The person who demands $40 to $500 to write an article is a master of story-telling... He or she will tell a story that people will want to read, and therefore a story that publishers will want to publish...
The authors who tell a story that "people are happy to have read" will find their articles on more high-quality websites, and they will find more people visiting their websites, as a result of having read the article...
Words on a page only please search engines, but a story on a page will ALSO attract readers, visitors and paying customers to your website...
Interestingly, most online marketing gurus who advise hiring people to write $5 articles also fail to tell a truth -- they fail to point out that articles that pass real link popularity to a website must have link popularity to pass on to your website...
People don't link to articles that are nothing more than "words on a page", but people will link to a story that needs telling... Just like with Jeff Herring's article linked above; his story is worth sharing with you, and as a result, it has gained its own links from people who do not know Jeff personally... (I have never met Jeff Herring or talked to him by phone or email. It was an honest recommendation for a great article written by him.)
Jeff's article has gained its own link popularity, by merit of it being a good story... As a result, Jeff's article will pass real link popularity back to his website, because it has real value for readers and real link popularity to share...
Article Marketing Will Not Work For Everyone...
There are a great number of us who have made a lot of money with article marketing... Then there are thousands of others who have never made any money at all with article marketing...
When you want to find success with an online business, you should mirror those people who have been successful...
Article Marketing is no different... If you have ever visited a website or purchased a product, as a result of having read an article that mentioned the website or product, take another look at the article that drove you to action... Try to understand the "how" and "why" that article worked, and then try to figure out how you can duplicate the formula for yourself...
Chances are good that you will see my "Five Essential Elements of Successful Article Marketing" in those articles that you are reviewing...
Fortunately, you don't have to take my word for what I am telling you in this article... Whenever you find an article that moves you to visit the website shown in the Authors' Resource Box, take another look at the article to see how closely it matches with the "Five Essential Elements" I shared with you in this article... You may be surprised by what you learn...
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this information, you will find that it just scratches the surface of what I have included in my article marketing ebook, "How To Use Article Marketing To Positively Impact Your SEO Efforts", available for sale on my website, http://thephantomwriters.com/ My name is Bill Platt, and I have been involved in Article Marketing since early 2000. This article was excerpted in part, from the one shown here.
Read more of Bill Platt's articles.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
List Building - Is It Still Relevant On Today's Web?
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Titus Hoskins
Years ago, when I first started in online marketing, all the rage was something called "list building". I immediately jumped on this subject and started gathering every list building technique one could possibly imagine. It very quickly became one of my most favorite areas of Internet marketing to explore; so much so, that when I reached my first goal of getting 1000 subscribers, I was so pleased with myself, I even wrote an ebook on list building.
But that was then, this is now.
Since that time, online marketing and even the web itself, has changed tremendously. And we are not talking about small changes or minor adjustments here - the web has fundamentally changed from the core up. People simply use the web in a different way than they used it 10 years ago. It has become so much more of a user-friendly place, so much so, that marketing on this friendlier web has become a whole new ballgame.
The question remains: is list building still relevant on today's web?
The answer is still a solid "YES", but the "WAY" lists are built have almost changed completely. Not too long ago, traditional list building meant you slapped some sign-ups forms (provided by your webhost or an autoresponder service) onto your web pages and you were in business. Subscribers who signed up to your list or newsletter, would receive follow-up emails from you or your site.
Anyone could do it since it was so straightforward and so simple, almost to the point of being idiot-proof. However, the underlying key to building a successful list was gaining loyalty and forming a lasting relationship with your subscriber. Successful online marketers and list builders will tell you, this was really the hardest part. Communicating effectively with your subscribers over a long period of time is extremely difficult to do and does require gaining some skills, especially in the copy writing area.
So what has changed the list building process?
In a couple of words, three to be precise: social networking sites. These social networking programs and sites have completely changed how lists are built on the web. Actually, these social network sites such as FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube... have made list building as easy as taking your next breath. List building is integrated into these programs so seamlessly, many users are unaware they are actually building a list.
Simply by using these social networking sites any webmaster or marketer can build a list of contacts or subscribers. Call them friends, fans or followers - they are your subscribers and you can easily reach them with your next posting, tweet or video. There are countless teenagers on many of these social networks who have subscribers that number in the 100's of thousands, even in the millions. And the rate at which they build their list of subscribers, would put many a seasoned marketer to shame.
There are several reasons why this new way of list building is much more effective than traditional list building methods. First, building your list of contacts is fully integrated into these network programs, often it is the main goal or purpose of the program. Seeing how many followers you can get on Twitter has become a world-wide sport - just go ask Ashton Kutcher!
However, from a marketing perspective, using these programs eliminates one of the major drawbacks of marketing on the web - spam. Actually, contacting your list by email is becoming troublesome, even with double opt-in, many of your emails never get through to your legit subscribers because they are blocked by spam-filters and Internet service providers. Using these social programs is a way of contacting your subscribers without the whole issue of spam being considered at all.
Perhaps, an even more important reason to use these social media sites to build your list, has to do with the tricky problem of establishing relationships with your subscribers. These sites make it much more easier to build that long-lasting relationship with your contacts. In the case of YouTube, it can simply mean making a video and talking directly to your subscribers. Communication is direct and immediate. In most cases, there's no need to acquire additional skills or techniques. Besides, in most of these social network sites, the communication is often more effective because it's just not one-way, your subscribers can easily communicate back with you.
Same goes for Twitter, which has become the list building tool of choice for many webmasters and online marketers. Twitter is an excellent medium for building your list. It can be used effectively to get your message out to thousands of like-minded followers and have that message spread rapidly around the web. Marketers are now taking advantage of such a system to market online, but be aware abusing this program will get you banned, especially if you just use it to send spam. Like any type of marketing on the web, you shouldn't have any problems if you keep all your communications/interactions real and human.
Another element of these programs which can't be denied, they are all free. Anyone can use these social network sites to quickly build their list or lists without having to worry about paying for it. Actually, in the case of YouTube, you can become a partner and earn revenue from Google Adsense while building your list.
There's also no denying these social network sites have changed not only list building, but how we use the web. These programs have a "pooling effect" on all web activity, gathering like-minded individuals into or around certain "pools" on the Internet. These concentrated pools of people can be formed around a certain topic or even around a certain person. These are excellent areas in which to carry out your list-building activities and your online marketing efforts since they provide very targeted prospects. Ones you can easily contact and communicate with by using these social networking sites.
While the old traditional email list should not be forgotten, list building, as we know it, has been changed forever by the introduction of these social networking programs. And as these network sites become more and more popular, they will play an even greater role in all your list building efforts. A role that can't be ignored or dismissed, especially if you want your list building to be truly effective.
About the Author:
If you want to find out more about list building, try this handy eCourse on: list building. Or why don't you simply follow us on Twitter to get other useful marketing and list building help: twitter. Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Titus Hoskins
Years ago, when I first started in online marketing, all the rage was something called "list building". I immediately jumped on this subject and started gathering every list building technique one could possibly imagine. It very quickly became one of my most favorite areas of Internet marketing to explore; so much so, that when I reached my first goal of getting 1000 subscribers, I was so pleased with myself, I even wrote an ebook on list building.
But that was then, this is now.
Since that time, online marketing and even the web itself, has changed tremendously. And we are not talking about small changes or minor adjustments here - the web has fundamentally changed from the core up. People simply use the web in a different way than they used it 10 years ago. It has become so much more of a user-friendly place, so much so, that marketing on this friendlier web has become a whole new ballgame.
The question remains: is list building still relevant on today's web?
The answer is still a solid "YES", but the "WAY" lists are built have almost changed completely. Not too long ago, traditional list building meant you slapped some sign-ups forms (provided by your webhost or an autoresponder service) onto your web pages and you were in business. Subscribers who signed up to your list or newsletter, would receive follow-up emails from you or your site.
Anyone could do it since it was so straightforward and so simple, almost to the point of being idiot-proof. However, the underlying key to building a successful list was gaining loyalty and forming a lasting relationship with your subscriber. Successful online marketers and list builders will tell you, this was really the hardest part. Communicating effectively with your subscribers over a long period of time is extremely difficult to do and does require gaining some skills, especially in the copy writing area.
So what has changed the list building process?
In a couple of words, three to be precise: social networking sites. These social networking programs and sites have completely changed how lists are built on the web. Actually, these social network sites such as FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube... have made list building as easy as taking your next breath. List building is integrated into these programs so seamlessly, many users are unaware they are actually building a list.
Simply by using these social networking sites any webmaster or marketer can build a list of contacts or subscribers. Call them friends, fans or followers - they are your subscribers and you can easily reach them with your next posting, tweet or video. There are countless teenagers on many of these social networks who have subscribers that number in the 100's of thousands, even in the millions. And the rate at which they build their list of subscribers, would put many a seasoned marketer to shame.
There are several reasons why this new way of list building is much more effective than traditional list building methods. First, building your list of contacts is fully integrated into these network programs, often it is the main goal or purpose of the program. Seeing how many followers you can get on Twitter has become a world-wide sport - just go ask Ashton Kutcher!
However, from a marketing perspective, using these programs eliminates one of the major drawbacks of marketing on the web - spam. Actually, contacting your list by email is becoming troublesome, even with double opt-in, many of your emails never get through to your legit subscribers because they are blocked by spam-filters and Internet service providers. Using these social programs is a way of contacting your subscribers without the whole issue of spam being considered at all.
Perhaps, an even more important reason to use these social media sites to build your list, has to do with the tricky problem of establishing relationships with your subscribers. These sites make it much more easier to build that long-lasting relationship with your contacts. In the case of YouTube, it can simply mean making a video and talking directly to your subscribers. Communication is direct and immediate. In most cases, there's no need to acquire additional skills or techniques. Besides, in most of these social network sites, the communication is often more effective because it's just not one-way, your subscribers can easily communicate back with you.
Same goes for Twitter, which has become the list building tool of choice for many webmasters and online marketers. Twitter is an excellent medium for building your list. It can be used effectively to get your message out to thousands of like-minded followers and have that message spread rapidly around the web. Marketers are now taking advantage of such a system to market online, but be aware abusing this program will get you banned, especially if you just use it to send spam. Like any type of marketing on the web, you shouldn't have any problems if you keep all your communications/interactions real and human.
Another element of these programs which can't be denied, they are all free. Anyone can use these social network sites to quickly build their list or lists without having to worry about paying for it. Actually, in the case of YouTube, you can become a partner and earn revenue from Google Adsense while building your list.
There's also no denying these social network sites have changed not only list building, but how we use the web. These programs have a "pooling effect" on all web activity, gathering like-minded individuals into or around certain "pools" on the Internet. These concentrated pools of people can be formed around a certain topic or even around a certain person. These are excellent areas in which to carry out your list-building activities and your online marketing efforts since they provide very targeted prospects. Ones you can easily contact and communicate with by using these social networking sites.
While the old traditional email list should not be forgotten, list building, as we know it, has been changed forever by the introduction of these social networking programs. And as these network sites become more and more popular, they will play an even greater role in all your list building efforts. A role that can't be ignored or dismissed, especially if you want your list building to be truly effective.
About the Author:
If you want to find out more about list building, try this handy eCourse on: list building. Or why don't you simply follow us on Twitter to get other useful marketing and list building help: twitter. Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Webmasters: There Is Nothing To Fear About PHP But Fear Itself
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Hartford Rhodes
I remember when I first started on the Internet as a webmaster. I remember I was so scared I was going screw something up, I was scared to death to install scripts into my website.
My First Experience With Online Script Customization
In those days, I had a mailing list with more than 2000 people subscribed to my newsletter. I remember thinking that people may think I was less professional, if I keep my mailing list on Yahoo groups. I remember that I had the bright idea to operate the mailing list from my domain. My web hosting company offered mailing list software, within my web hosting account.
Because I had the ability to operate my own mailing list from my server, I decided that I should move my Yahoo groups mailing list to a mailing list on my own domain. That was in 1999, the year that I had purchased my first domain name.
My very first experience with Perl scripts was when I was managing my mailing list. I recall that there was some customization that I desired to do within the coding for that script. I read the documentation for that mailing list software, and the programmers make it sound so easy...
I read the documentation several times to make sure that I understood what I was trying to do. I recall that in Perl scripting, a comment tag is denoted by the #, in front of the comment.
After three days of preparation, I opened up the Perl configuration file to customize how my particular mailing list operated. Once I opened the file and found hundreds of lines of code, I have to admit, I was deeply intimidated by the task that lay before me...
After seeing the code, I went back to the documentation and started reading again... I was so scared that I was going to screw something up that I felt I needed to make absolutely certain that what I thought I was doing was actually what I should be doing...
I was scared I was going to screw something up, and I was intimidated by the process...
To be honest, it took me more than one week to comment out three lines of code and to un-comment another eight lines of code, because I was so uneasy about what I was doing...
I Can Fix Anything I Break
Finally, I took the attitude that I could not screw up anything too bad... I took the attitude that if I broke something, then I could fix what I broke... That was the real turning point for me when dealing with computer scripts...
I figured that so long as I remembered what I changed, I could fix anything that I broke...
So, I kept good records in a notepad on my desk, documenting every change I made and where I made it...
Customizing Existing Website Scripts
For the first couple months, I only played with other people's Perl scripts... If I found something that I wanted my website to do, I would go find a Perl script that was designed to do that task for me... Then I would install that script on my server and customize it if I needed to do so...
Customization of Perl scripts was painful and slow, because I would have to look for sample online that would show me how to do what I wanted to do... Then with a sample in hand, I would try to make my website jump through the hoops I wanted it to jump through...
In my case, I spent a couple years customizing other people's scripts for my websites... In those early days, I only played with Perl scripts, because that is what I was familiar with... I had heard people talk about how easy and efficient PHP was, but it was unexplored territory for me, so therefore, I remained intimidated by PHP and stayed away from it for much too long...
In the spring of 2005, I was looking for a particular solution that I could only locate in PHP scripts... Literally, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone and to start looking at code written in PHP...
Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone Into PHP
Using online tutorials for PHP, such as those found at PHP.net, I got to speed really quickly on PHP...
My first impression of using PHP for online programming was that I could do one line of code in PHP for ever 20 lines of code in Perl... Of course, that could only be "my impression" of the difference between the two programming languages, because I was never really skilled in Perl to begin with...
After customizing two or three scripts in PHP, I realized that PHP was a really intuitive programming language... I realized that writing scripts in PHP would be much easier for me than writing scripts in Perl...
In the summer of 2005, after having written from scratch three or four scripts in PHP, I took the plunge...
To that date, my entire website had been written and developed in Perl... I spent the summer of 2005 converting all of the primary operations of my website to a PHP format...
I spent roughly 30 days programming in PHP format, bringing my website finally into the 21st century...
It is a decision that I have not regretted...
Compared to working with Perl, I find programming in PHP to be an absolute joy...
Overcoming One Problem At A Time To Find Solutions
Over the years, I have taught myself to program for the Internet, one step at a time, only writing the code that I needed to write to make my websites do the tasks that I wanted my website to do...
What I'm telling you is that I am not the most proficient programmer on the Internet, but I can program anything that I need to program. When I needed to create a script that enabled me to auto submit to Twitter, I spent two hours studying the problem, then one hour creating the solution...
When I needed to adapt my Twitter script to enable me to auto submit to similar sites, I spent 30 minutes coding a solution... Mind you, before sitting down to write the script, I spent one week researching the solution...
After having gone through the process, I can assure you of one thing...
I purchased a half a dozen scripts, written by other programmers, to help me understand the process of submitting content - via PHP script - to the social media websites...
I can assure you, from personal experience, that most of the PHP scripts in the marketplace that have been designed to enable you to submit content and social media websites, are just plain garbage...
In almost every case, the scripts that I purchased did not even do what they were advertised to do... In fact, most of the scripts available online that you can purchase today that claim they will help you submit content to social media and social bookmarking websites require you to manually place all content, one site at a time...
At the end of the day, I wasted $100 purchasing scripts that taught me absolutely nothing... and strangely, I wasted that money purchasing scripts where the social media websites listed no longer existed... What I mean to say is that one script was advertising that it had 120 social media websites built into its scripting... But while trying to register at those sites, I quickly figured out that more than 60 of those sites were no longer in business...
I researched and analyzed more than one dozen social bookmarking scripts... I was absolutely stunned that many of those websites were not even written my own language... The scripts that pull together the ability to submit a web page to more than 100 social media websites rely upon German, French, and Far East websites to give their scripts the appearance of offering good value...
In my particular case, I wanted to only submit content to English-speaking social media websites... After all, I only speak English... I don't want to be in the minority, putting English-language tweets in foreign language websites... Much in the same way that I don't want to see a bunch of German or Chinese in my Twitter public timeline...
I found the available solutions for social media marketing to be lacking, therefore, I had to create my own solution to do this for me...
As A Webmaster, You Must Learn To Overcome Your Fears
But the point of this story is not to say that I'm a programmer with some awesome scripts; it is meant to say that as a webmaster, you must be willing to overcome your fears, to do what needs to be done for your website, or you must be willing to hire someone to do that for you...
There are also tools and tutorials online that will teach you how to do custom PHP coding for your websites... Even if you don't want to do the coding yourself, you can often find code online that will help you do what you want your website to do...
Some of the best resources online for learning how to program in PHP are:
http://www.php.net/
http://tizag.com/
http://php.resourceindex.com/
For example, if you wanted to build a custom contact form for your website, there are tutorials that will teach you how to do so... If you're intimidated by the process of learning how to do it for yourself, you can even find existing scripts that you can customize to serve your own needs... If you just don't want to have to look at the code, then there are others who are willing to do that coding for you...
I have programmed entire websites before, but most people do not need someone to build an entire website for them... Rather most people are happy with the website that they currently have; they just wish they could add specific functionality to that website... That is what I do today... I create specific scripts to solve a specific problem, then I sell those scripts to other people...
I have found real job satisfaction in knowing that I can give people the added functionality that they want for their websites...
Answering The Call For Custom PHP Scrips, One Problem At A Time
People do not want a complete website overhaul, and I cannot blame them... But when the web designer built the website, he or she may have excluded an XML Sitemap... Those folks knock on our door, and we create XML Sitemaps for them...
If you want to learn how to build you own XML Sitemaps, you should visit: http://sitemaps.org/protocol.php
But, if you want to avoid the headache of doing that, then you should consider using our services at the website shown below...
If you simply want to add a small script to your website that permits your visitors to social bookmark your web pages, then you should go to: http://www.addthis.com/
But, if you want a more automated approach, you should consider purchasing my script for doing that at the website shown below...
If you want to add a free PHP contact form to your website, then you should take a look at: http://www.ibdhost.com/contact/
However, if you want something customized just for you, then you owe it to yourself to visit the website shown below in my Author's Resource Box...
The Only Thing You Have To Fear Is Fear Itself...
After ten years of online programming, I can assure you that the title of this article is correct... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself...
The tools and resources you need to have to be able to learn how to do your own PHP coding is available online, if you are willing to invest yourself to that end...
You just have to be willing to open the source code of the files on your website and to learn your way around the code... Once you have overcome the fear, online programming with PHP really is not that hard...
You can teach yourself how to program for the Internet, or you can hunt down people who are willing to do the programming for you...
About the Author:
If you need a custom PHP script coded for your website, or if you need help installing a script that you have purchased or otherwise acquired, my co-workers and I will be happy to take care of it for you... We also do XML Sitemap installations... Visit our website at: http://99dollarwebservices.com/ to learn more... I am Hartford Rhodes, and I look forward to helping you do things on your website that until now, you may have only dreamed about...
Read more of Hartford Rhodes's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Hartford Rhodes
I remember when I first started on the Internet as a webmaster. I remember I was so scared I was going screw something up, I was scared to death to install scripts into my website.
My First Experience With Online Script Customization
In those days, I had a mailing list with more than 2000 people subscribed to my newsletter. I remember thinking that people may think I was less professional, if I keep my mailing list on Yahoo groups. I remember that I had the bright idea to operate the mailing list from my domain. My web hosting company offered mailing list software, within my web hosting account.
Because I had the ability to operate my own mailing list from my server, I decided that I should move my Yahoo groups mailing list to a mailing list on my own domain. That was in 1999, the year that I had purchased my first domain name.
My very first experience with Perl scripts was when I was managing my mailing list. I recall that there was some customization that I desired to do within the coding for that script. I read the documentation for that mailing list software, and the programmers make it sound so easy...
I read the documentation several times to make sure that I understood what I was trying to do. I recall that in Perl scripting, a comment tag is denoted by the #, in front of the comment.
After three days of preparation, I opened up the Perl configuration file to customize how my particular mailing list operated. Once I opened the file and found hundreds of lines of code, I have to admit, I was deeply intimidated by the task that lay before me...
After seeing the code, I went back to the documentation and started reading again... I was so scared that I was going to screw something up that I felt I needed to make absolutely certain that what I thought I was doing was actually what I should be doing...
I was scared I was going to screw something up, and I was intimidated by the process...
To be honest, it took me more than one week to comment out three lines of code and to un-comment another eight lines of code, because I was so uneasy about what I was doing...
I Can Fix Anything I Break
Finally, I took the attitude that I could not screw up anything too bad... I took the attitude that if I broke something, then I could fix what I broke... That was the real turning point for me when dealing with computer scripts...
I figured that so long as I remembered what I changed, I could fix anything that I broke...
So, I kept good records in a notepad on my desk, documenting every change I made and where I made it...
Customizing Existing Website Scripts
For the first couple months, I only played with other people's Perl scripts... If I found something that I wanted my website to do, I would go find a Perl script that was designed to do that task for me... Then I would install that script on my server and customize it if I needed to do so...
Customization of Perl scripts was painful and slow, because I would have to look for sample online that would show me how to do what I wanted to do... Then with a sample in hand, I would try to make my website jump through the hoops I wanted it to jump through...
In my case, I spent a couple years customizing other people's scripts for my websites... In those early days, I only played with Perl scripts, because that is what I was familiar with... I had heard people talk about how easy and efficient PHP was, but it was unexplored territory for me, so therefore, I remained intimidated by PHP and stayed away from it for much too long...
In the spring of 2005, I was looking for a particular solution that I could only locate in PHP scripts... Literally, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone and to start looking at code written in PHP...
Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone Into PHP
Using online tutorials for PHP, such as those found at PHP.net, I got to speed really quickly on PHP...
My first impression of using PHP for online programming was that I could do one line of code in PHP for ever 20 lines of code in Perl... Of course, that could only be "my impression" of the difference between the two programming languages, because I was never really skilled in Perl to begin with...
After customizing two or three scripts in PHP, I realized that PHP was a really intuitive programming language... I realized that writing scripts in PHP would be much easier for me than writing scripts in Perl...
In the summer of 2005, after having written from scratch three or four scripts in PHP, I took the plunge...
To that date, my entire website had been written and developed in Perl... I spent the summer of 2005 converting all of the primary operations of my website to a PHP format...
I spent roughly 30 days programming in PHP format, bringing my website finally into the 21st century...
It is a decision that I have not regretted...
Compared to working with Perl, I find programming in PHP to be an absolute joy...
Overcoming One Problem At A Time To Find Solutions
Over the years, I have taught myself to program for the Internet, one step at a time, only writing the code that I needed to write to make my websites do the tasks that I wanted my website to do...
What I'm telling you is that I am not the most proficient programmer on the Internet, but I can program anything that I need to program. When I needed to create a script that enabled me to auto submit to Twitter, I spent two hours studying the problem, then one hour creating the solution...
When I needed to adapt my Twitter script to enable me to auto submit to similar sites, I spent 30 minutes coding a solution... Mind you, before sitting down to write the script, I spent one week researching the solution...
After having gone through the process, I can assure you of one thing...
I purchased a half a dozen scripts, written by other programmers, to help me understand the process of submitting content - via PHP script - to the social media websites...
I can assure you, from personal experience, that most of the PHP scripts in the marketplace that have been designed to enable you to submit content and social media websites, are just plain garbage...
In almost every case, the scripts that I purchased did not even do what they were advertised to do... In fact, most of the scripts available online that you can purchase today that claim they will help you submit content to social media and social bookmarking websites require you to manually place all content, one site at a time...
At the end of the day, I wasted $100 purchasing scripts that taught me absolutely nothing... and strangely, I wasted that money purchasing scripts where the social media websites listed no longer existed... What I mean to say is that one script was advertising that it had 120 social media websites built into its scripting... But while trying to register at those sites, I quickly figured out that more than 60 of those sites were no longer in business...
I researched and analyzed more than one dozen social bookmarking scripts... I was absolutely stunned that many of those websites were not even written my own language... The scripts that pull together the ability to submit a web page to more than 100 social media websites rely upon German, French, and Far East websites to give their scripts the appearance of offering good value...
In my particular case, I wanted to only submit content to English-speaking social media websites... After all, I only speak English... I don't want to be in the minority, putting English-language tweets in foreign language websites... Much in the same way that I don't want to see a bunch of German or Chinese in my Twitter public timeline...
I found the available solutions for social media marketing to be lacking, therefore, I had to create my own solution to do this for me...
As A Webmaster, You Must Learn To Overcome Your Fears
But the point of this story is not to say that I'm a programmer with some awesome scripts; it is meant to say that as a webmaster, you must be willing to overcome your fears, to do what needs to be done for your website, or you must be willing to hire someone to do that for you...
There are also tools and tutorials online that will teach you how to do custom PHP coding for your websites... Even if you don't want to do the coding yourself, you can often find code online that will help you do what you want your website to do...
Some of the best resources online for learning how to program in PHP are:
For example, if you wanted to build a custom contact form for your website, there are tutorials that will teach you how to do so... If you're intimidated by the process of learning how to do it for yourself, you can even find existing scripts that you can customize to serve your own needs... If you just don't want to have to look at the code, then there are others who are willing to do that coding for you...
I have programmed entire websites before, but most people do not need someone to build an entire website for them... Rather most people are happy with the website that they currently have; they just wish they could add specific functionality to that website... That is what I do today... I create specific scripts to solve a specific problem, then I sell those scripts to other people...
I have found real job satisfaction in knowing that I can give people the added functionality that they want for their websites...
Answering The Call For Custom PHP Scrips, One Problem At A Time
People do not want a complete website overhaul, and I cannot blame them... But when the web designer built the website, he or she may have excluded an XML Sitemap... Those folks knock on our door, and we create XML Sitemaps for them...
If you want to learn how to build you own XML Sitemaps, you should visit: http://sitemaps.org/protocol.php
But, if you want to avoid the headache of doing that, then you should consider using our services at the website shown below...
If you simply want to add a small script to your website that permits your visitors to social bookmark your web pages, then you should go to: http://www.addthis.com/
But, if you want a more automated approach, you should consider purchasing my script for doing that at the website shown below...
If you want to add a free PHP contact form to your website, then you should take a look at: http://www.ibdhost.com/contact/
However, if you want something customized just for you, then you owe it to yourself to visit the website shown below in my Author's Resource Box...
The Only Thing You Have To Fear Is Fear Itself...
After ten years of online programming, I can assure you that the title of this article is correct... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself...
The tools and resources you need to have to be able to learn how to do your own PHP coding is available online, if you are willing to invest yourself to that end...
You just have to be willing to open the source code of the files on your website and to learn your way around the code... Once you have overcome the fear, online programming with PHP really is not that hard...
You can teach yourself how to program for the Internet, or you can hunt down people who are willing to do the programming for you...
About the Author:
If you need a custom PHP script coded for your website, or if you need help installing a script that you have purchased or otherwise acquired, my co-workers and I will be happy to take care of it for you... We also do XML Sitemap installations... Visit our website at: http://99dollarwebservices.com/ to learn more... I am Hartford Rhodes, and I look forward to helping you do things on your website that until now, you may have only dreamed about...
Read more of Hartford Rhodes's articles.
Monday, March 22, 2010
7 Tips to Be a Successful Online Marketer
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Titus Hoskins
Perhaps a quick introduction and a handy disclaimer is the best way to start this article on Internet marketing. Mainly because you should know who is talking and you should definitely know what you're getting yourself into...
I have been a full-time online marketer for over 5 years now, and I run 9 or 10 sites on the wwww - wonderful world wide web. I make a very respectable living and I enjoy every minute of it. But if you're under the impression that all you have to do is to slap some content together and place it on a web site and watch the money roll in; then you are sadly mistaken. Don't get the wrong impression, you can become a successful online marketer, but it will take a lot of time and work on your part. It just doesn't happen overnight, at least, this has been my experience and we can only write about our own experiences and views.
Over the years, I have also found it helpful to get pointers from someone who is actually doing what we want to do. So below I have put together 7 Tips for becoming a successful online marketer.
1. Knowledge Up
The whole concept of online marketing may seem quite simple, just place some content or product onto a website and you're in business. The reality is quite different. It may take you years to learn all the complex techniques and tactics to compete in the online marketplace, which is becoming more and more competitive as more companies and individuals discover its great potential. Sure we have all heard stories of people who come up with a great idea and make an online fortune very quickly. People also win the lottery... but if you want to become a successful online marketer you first have to learn your trade.
You have to acquire all the knowledge you can on Internet Marketing. Read articles and ebooks, take online e-courses, study and examine successful websites and/or marketers... there is a wealth of marketing information on the web. Just find it and use it. When I was first learning all the ropes, I made tons of mistakes but I was fortunate enough to come into contact with some successful online marketers who were actually doing what I wanted to do. People like Marlon Sanders, Ken Evoy, Corey Rudl, Neil Shearing, Brad Callens... I quickly became acquainted with these individuals and learned everything I could from them.
This was not out of the ordinary or hard to accomplish, since all these marketers have comprehensive affiliate training programs to show even the most novice webmaster or marketer the ropes, most of these programs are free because these marketers want to teach you how to sell their products. This is a very simple way to get a quick education on how to market online. I personally liked the numerous free ebooks offered thru Ken Evoy's SiteSell program... many of these will drive you bonkers, especially if you're new at this game, but only because they are so comprehensive and thorough - all the information can be a little overwhelming to say the least. But if you can work you way through some of SiteSell's free marketing manuals and ebooks, you will get the basic knowledge to further your goal of becoming an online marketer.
2. Find Your Niche Market or Subject
Unless you already have a product or business you wish to market online, then your first task will be finding a good niche market or subject which you can explore and exploit on the web. Best advice, find something that you already have a strong interest in such as a favorite hobby or past-time, an area where you already have special training or something you always wanted to study and examine. This niche market or subject will take up countless hours of your time, so you have to really pick something you like doing. The major point here, if you're doing something you like, it won't seem like work.
No matter which subject area you choose, you must check out the commercial viability of your topic. In other words, if you want to be successful, there must be enough commercial interest in your market or subject. There must be enough people searching for your product each month so that it's viable. Use a program like WordTracker or Google Adwords Keyword Tool to find the number of searches made each month for a keyword. Keywords are words or phrases web users type into search engines to find what they're looking for on the web. You must have plenty of good searchable keywords relating to your subject in order for it to be workable.
Another Keyword tool I like using is Microsoft's Detecting Online Commercial Intention, which tells you the probability a certain keyword or site will have enough commercial potential customers who will purchase a product or service. http://adlab.msn.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/Default.aspx
3. Google Up!
Google is the most important player on the web. While you shouldn't ignore the other search engines, I would suggest you learn everything you can about how Google both indexes and ranks pages on the web. Getting a number one or even a top 5 listing for your chosen keywords in Google, can make or break your online business. Google simply sends/controls the majority of the quality search traffic on the web, get those top rankings in Google and you will succeed.
Now Google gives webmasters many valuable webmaster tools and devotes a whole section to help webmasters with their sites. One valuable resource which is loaded with helpful information is Google Webmaster Tools. Use it! Also, if you're just starting out, another good resource is Google's "Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide", which is a handy pdf file you can download.
Always, keep in mind, Google is only like any other company supplying a product and in this case the product is their SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), so the higher the quality of your content and pages - the higher your rankings in Google will be. Of course, seasoned webmasters know quality one-way backlinks is one of the most important keys to getting high rankings in Google. But it all comes back to quality, if you have quality content, people will bookmark it in all the social media sites, and related webmasters will link to your quality content. This does really happen, so creating high quality content should be your first and most important SEO strategy.
4. Building Your Site
Regardless of what kind of site you're building, you must follow some very simple SEO rules. Make sure your site's structure can be easily navigated by both your visitors and the search engines. Try to keep your site's hierarchy simple, with all your pages reachable from the home page. Most webmasters only use three levels - homepage, topics and sub-topics - with all pages linking back to your homepage and no more than 3 clicks away from it. It is also a good idea to have a sitemap link on each page so that you don't leave your visitors stranded. Check with Google's Starter Guide for more information on how to create a proper lay-out.
Personally, as an online marketer I seek out the top searched for keywords in my niche, and then create pages around that keyword or keyword phrase. This ensures you're getting targeted visitors/customers to your pages. You can have hundreds of these keyworded pages on your site and connect all these pages together in a thematic arrangement so that the search engines can easily find and rank them.
As for choosing a domain name, I also try to get my main targeted keyword in the domain. This helps tremendously with your search engine rankings because every backlink will have your main keyword in the URL. This will tell the search engines exactly what your site is about. Again, if you're brand new at this, I would suggest you use a program like WordPress, which is free blogging software you can use to create a blog site. Another option, is to purchase or buy a SiteBuildIt hosting package from SiteSell, but this is more than just hosting, it's a complete online marketing system you can use. It will take you step-by-step through the whole creation and marketing of your site or business on the web.
5. Promoting Your Site
This is probably the hardest part of online marketing, but it is something which is essential to its success. Too many webmasters/marketers build a fantastic site and then sit around and wait for the visitors/customers to pour in. Sad fact is, unless you actually get out there and promote your site you will get very little, if any traffic. Of course, there are exceptions, some sites instantly attract visitors and acquire countless backlinks just by word of mouth, but for the most part this simply doesn't happen.
You have to actively promote your site and URL. One method that I use is article marketing - writing simple helpful articles and distributing them all over the web. These articles have keyworded links back to your site. Simple and effective way to get your site out there. Another free way to promote your site is to tie it in with all the social media and bookmarking sites, so use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube... to promote your site. Videos also have become very effective recently and you should be taking advantage of their great potential. So too is using a simple social bookmark program like the Addthis Button, which lets your visitors bookmark and build your backlinks for you.
Google seems to be paying special attention to how many social bookmarks/links your site is receiving. It is a simple form of voting for the quality of your content if actual web users see it and bookmark/recommend it to their friends. The more Tweets, Diggs... your content gets, the higher it will rank in the search engines, besides all those links bring in targeted traffic, which is what you want.
6. Monetizing Your Site
There are countless way to monetize or make money from your website once you have a steady flow of traffic coming to your site. We are not talking about tons of traffic here, a site getting just 100 or 200 visitors a day can prove very profitable. Personally, I like choosing affiliate programs which give a residual or have a re-occurring element to their payments. Make one sale and get paid for years to come, I am still receiving monthly payments from sales I made 5 years ago. So if you decide to place affiliate links on your pages, try to go with a company or program which gives you residual income for the life of the referred customer.
I also like promoting high-end affiliate products simply because the commissions are obviously higher. Why sell a $20 item, when you can sell a $2000 one? Of course, there are countless strategies to marketing online, if you sell 100's of that $20 item, you still end up in the same place. As for finding affiliate products to promote I like using the major affiliate networks like Commission Junction, LinkShare, Shareasale, ClickBank, Affiliate Window... these networks are totally professional, do all your tracking and give you valuable information on how to market online.
Another very simple way to monetize your pages is to use Google Adsense, now the payments won't be as high as with promoting affiliate products but using Adsense is a simple and quick way to monetize all your pages. I also find Adsense very consistent and totally reliable, besides getting that check from Google each month, always puts a smile on my face.
7. Track Everything That Moves
Another major key to online marketing success is having extensive tracking in place. You must track where your visitors are coming from and what keywords they're using to find your site. And what they do once they hit your site. I like using Google Analytics for tracking all my content but I don't just depend on Analytics, I also use all hosting stats such as Awstats, Webalizer... I also regularly check my site's traffic logs and daily visitors.
All this tracking tells me what's working and more importantly, what's not working. Check your bounce rate and the amount of time people spend on your site as these are more than likely ranking factors. Also check how fast your site loads, Google is said to be making this another ranking factor which they use to rank your pages.
Carefully reading of your site's stats and logs will show you which keywords are profitable and making you money. Then you have to simply fine-tune your marketing to target those lucrative keywords or phrases. Keep building your rankings for those keywords over a period of time and you will be successful.
Bonus Step: Persistence Brings Home The Bacon
I couldn't finish this article without mentioning another key element to succeeding on the web - persistence. Maybe it's just me, but it took me around three years before any of my sites became really profitable. Now most marketers and webmasters become profitable in much shorter periods, but I still believe it takes time to build a solid online business. It takes time to build up your customer base, it takes time to build up your rankings in all the search engines.
Guess, what I am saying is this: if you expect overnight success, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But if you take a long-term strategy and build your site and marketing up over a matter of months, more likely years, then you have a much better chance of becoming successful. Mainly because, you're not just building a site, you're building an online business that will take some time to become established and it may even take more time to become prosperous. Be persistent and you will succeed.
About the Author:
The author is a full time online affiliate marketer who operates numerous niche sites, as well as two sites on Internet Marketing, where you can get valuable marketing tips for free: internet marketing tools or try here free internet marketing tips. Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Titus Hoskins
Perhaps a quick introduction and a handy disclaimer is the best way to start this article on Internet marketing. Mainly because you should know who is talking and you should definitely know what you're getting yourself into...
I have been a full-time online marketer for over 5 years now, and I run 9 or 10 sites on the wwww - wonderful world wide web. I make a very respectable living and I enjoy every minute of it. But if you're under the impression that all you have to do is to slap some content together and place it on a web site and watch the money roll in; then you are sadly mistaken. Don't get the wrong impression, you can become a successful online marketer, but it will take a lot of time and work on your part. It just doesn't happen overnight, at least, this has been my experience and we can only write about our own experiences and views.
Over the years, I have also found it helpful to get pointers from someone who is actually doing what we want to do. So below I have put together 7 Tips for becoming a successful online marketer.
1. Knowledge Up
The whole concept of online marketing may seem quite simple, just place some content or product onto a website and you're in business. The reality is quite different. It may take you years to learn all the complex techniques and tactics to compete in the online marketplace, which is becoming more and more competitive as more companies and individuals discover its great potential. Sure we have all heard stories of people who come up with a great idea and make an online fortune very quickly. People also win the lottery... but if you want to become a successful online marketer you first have to learn your trade.
You have to acquire all the knowledge you can on Internet Marketing. Read articles and ebooks, take online e-courses, study and examine successful websites and/or marketers... there is a wealth of marketing information on the web. Just find it and use it. When I was first learning all the ropes, I made tons of mistakes but I was fortunate enough to come into contact with some successful online marketers who were actually doing what I wanted to do. People like Marlon Sanders, Ken Evoy, Corey Rudl, Neil Shearing, Brad Callens... I quickly became acquainted with these individuals and learned everything I could from them.
This was not out of the ordinary or hard to accomplish, since all these marketers have comprehensive affiliate training programs to show even the most novice webmaster or marketer the ropes, most of these programs are free because these marketers want to teach you how to sell their products. This is a very simple way to get a quick education on how to market online. I personally liked the numerous free ebooks offered thru Ken Evoy's SiteSell program... many of these will drive you bonkers, especially if you're new at this game, but only because they are so comprehensive and thorough - all the information can be a little overwhelming to say the least. But if you can work you way through some of SiteSell's free marketing manuals and ebooks, you will get the basic knowledge to further your goal of becoming an online marketer.
2. Find Your Niche Market or Subject
Unless you already have a product or business you wish to market online, then your first task will be finding a good niche market or subject which you can explore and exploit on the web. Best advice, find something that you already have a strong interest in such as a favorite hobby or past-time, an area where you already have special training or something you always wanted to study and examine. This niche market or subject will take up countless hours of your time, so you have to really pick something you like doing. The major point here, if you're doing something you like, it won't seem like work.
No matter which subject area you choose, you must check out the commercial viability of your topic. In other words, if you want to be successful, there must be enough commercial interest in your market or subject. There must be enough people searching for your product each month so that it's viable. Use a program like WordTracker or Google Adwords Keyword Tool to find the number of searches made each month for a keyword. Keywords are words or phrases web users type into search engines to find what they're looking for on the web. You must have plenty of good searchable keywords relating to your subject in order for it to be workable.
Another Keyword tool I like using is Microsoft's Detecting Online Commercial Intention, which tells you the probability a certain keyword or site will have enough commercial potential customers who will purchase a product or service. http://adlab.msn.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/Default.aspx
3. Google Up!
Google is the most important player on the web. While you shouldn't ignore the other search engines, I would suggest you learn everything you can about how Google both indexes and ranks pages on the web. Getting a number one or even a top 5 listing for your chosen keywords in Google, can make or break your online business. Google simply sends/controls the majority of the quality search traffic on the web, get those top rankings in Google and you will succeed.
Now Google gives webmasters many valuable webmaster tools and devotes a whole section to help webmasters with their sites. One valuable resource which is loaded with helpful information is Google Webmaster Tools. Use it! Also, if you're just starting out, another good resource is Google's "Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide", which is a handy pdf file you can download.
Always, keep in mind, Google is only like any other company supplying a product and in this case the product is their SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), so the higher the quality of your content and pages - the higher your rankings in Google will be. Of course, seasoned webmasters know quality one-way backlinks is one of the most important keys to getting high rankings in Google. But it all comes back to quality, if you have quality content, people will bookmark it in all the social media sites, and related webmasters will link to your quality content. This does really happen, so creating high quality content should be your first and most important SEO strategy.
4. Building Your Site
Regardless of what kind of site you're building, you must follow some very simple SEO rules. Make sure your site's structure can be easily navigated by both your visitors and the search engines. Try to keep your site's hierarchy simple, with all your pages reachable from the home page. Most webmasters only use three levels - homepage, topics and sub-topics - with all pages linking back to your homepage and no more than 3 clicks away from it. It is also a good idea to have a sitemap link on each page so that you don't leave your visitors stranded. Check with Google's Starter Guide for more information on how to create a proper lay-out.
Personally, as an online marketer I seek out the top searched for keywords in my niche, and then create pages around that keyword or keyword phrase. This ensures you're getting targeted visitors/customers to your pages. You can have hundreds of these keyworded pages on your site and connect all these pages together in a thematic arrangement so that the search engines can easily find and rank them.
As for choosing a domain name, I also try to get my main targeted keyword in the domain. This helps tremendously with your search engine rankings because every backlink will have your main keyword in the URL. This will tell the search engines exactly what your site is about. Again, if you're brand new at this, I would suggest you use a program like WordPress, which is free blogging software you can use to create a blog site. Another option, is to purchase or buy a SiteBuildIt hosting package from SiteSell, but this is more than just hosting, it's a complete online marketing system you can use. It will take you step-by-step through the whole creation and marketing of your site or business on the web.
5. Promoting Your Site
This is probably the hardest part of online marketing, but it is something which is essential to its success. Too many webmasters/marketers build a fantastic site and then sit around and wait for the visitors/customers to pour in. Sad fact is, unless you actually get out there and promote your site you will get very little, if any traffic. Of course, there are exceptions, some sites instantly attract visitors and acquire countless backlinks just by word of mouth, but for the most part this simply doesn't happen.
You have to actively promote your site and URL. One method that I use is article marketing - writing simple helpful articles and distributing them all over the web. These articles have keyworded links back to your site. Simple and effective way to get your site out there. Another free way to promote your site is to tie it in with all the social media and bookmarking sites, so use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube... to promote your site. Videos also have become very effective recently and you should be taking advantage of their great potential. So too is using a simple social bookmark program like the Addthis Button, which lets your visitors bookmark and build your backlinks for you.
Google seems to be paying special attention to how many social bookmarks/links your site is receiving. It is a simple form of voting for the quality of your content if actual web users see it and bookmark/recommend it to their friends. The more Tweets, Diggs... your content gets, the higher it will rank in the search engines, besides all those links bring in targeted traffic, which is what you want.
6. Monetizing Your Site
There are countless way to monetize or make money from your website once you have a steady flow of traffic coming to your site. We are not talking about tons of traffic here, a site getting just 100 or 200 visitors a day can prove very profitable. Personally, I like choosing affiliate programs which give a residual or have a re-occurring element to their payments. Make one sale and get paid for years to come, I am still receiving monthly payments from sales I made 5 years ago. So if you decide to place affiliate links on your pages, try to go with a company or program which gives you residual income for the life of the referred customer.
I also like promoting high-end affiliate products simply because the commissions are obviously higher. Why sell a $20 item, when you can sell a $2000 one? Of course, there are countless strategies to marketing online, if you sell 100's of that $20 item, you still end up in the same place. As for finding affiliate products to promote I like using the major affiliate networks like Commission Junction, LinkShare, Shareasale, ClickBank, Affiliate Window... these networks are totally professional, do all your tracking and give you valuable information on how to market online.
Another very simple way to monetize your pages is to use Google Adsense, now the payments won't be as high as with promoting affiliate products but using Adsense is a simple and quick way to monetize all your pages. I also find Adsense very consistent and totally reliable, besides getting that check from Google each month, always puts a smile on my face.
7. Track Everything That Moves
Another major key to online marketing success is having extensive tracking in place. You must track where your visitors are coming from and what keywords they're using to find your site. And what they do once they hit your site. I like using Google Analytics for tracking all my content but I don't just depend on Analytics, I also use all hosting stats such as Awstats, Webalizer... I also regularly check my site's traffic logs and daily visitors.
All this tracking tells me what's working and more importantly, what's not working. Check your bounce rate and the amount of time people spend on your site as these are more than likely ranking factors. Also check how fast your site loads, Google is said to be making this another ranking factor which they use to rank your pages.
Carefully reading of your site's stats and logs will show you which keywords are profitable and making you money. Then you have to simply fine-tune your marketing to target those lucrative keywords or phrases. Keep building your rankings for those keywords over a period of time and you will be successful.
Bonus Step: Persistence Brings Home The Bacon
I couldn't finish this article without mentioning another key element to succeeding on the web - persistence. Maybe it's just me, but it took me around three years before any of my sites became really profitable. Now most marketers and webmasters become profitable in much shorter periods, but I still believe it takes time to build a solid online business. It takes time to build up your customer base, it takes time to build up your rankings in all the search engines.
Guess, what I am saying is this: if you expect overnight success, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. But if you take a long-term strategy and build your site and marketing up over a matter of months, more likely years, then you have a much better chance of becoming successful. Mainly because, you're not just building a site, you're building an online business that will take some time to become established and it may even take more time to become prosperous. Be persistent and you will succeed.
About the Author:
The author is a full time online affiliate marketer who operates numerous niche sites, as well as two sites on Internet Marketing, where you can get valuable marketing tips for free: internet marketing tools or try here free internet marketing tips. Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
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