Are You An Internet Marketer Wannabe

Writen by John Woon

Are you one of the many thousands of Internet marketer wannabes who have decided to become the next batch of Internet Millionaires?

You have read that about 600 million people have access to the Internet - and yet it is still in its infancy. Every month millions of newcomers and thousands of businesses are reported to be setting up online.

With this huge and expanding audience coupled with the fact that marketing and advertising can be done on the Internet so easily and at only a fraction of the costs of traditional methods, we now have a fantastic opportunity to be successful in online business.

Many companies have now aligned themselves with the Internet which has created many new paradigms in the past few years. Residual Incomes are made available to people from all walks of life. You can now make money online with simple and proven formula used by many to earn multiple streams of residual income.

However please beware of the hurdles ahead because it is not as easy as it seems. It takes a lot of hard work and some financial investment. The following is a short list of some of the things you should be aware of:

1.Decide What You Want To Sell

1.1. Selling Products

When you sell a product you can either carry out the whole operation of manufacturing or creating the products, handling orders, stocking and inventory management, shipping the goods, and processing the payments OR you could simply join some affiliate programs and market for companies that will handle all the administration for you.

Your job is therefore merely to get the orders to the companies and receive commission as a result of your effort. The question we should ask ourselves is "What products should we sell?"

We should all know that the item that has been recognized as the number one business product of the future is "information". Examples of highly successful information products are the 'how-to' and "self-improvement" e-books which tell the readers how to solve certain problems.

If you are knowledgeable about a particular subject you could consider writing and developing your own products and delivering it via the many channels opened to you such as websites, newsletters, ezines and emails.

1.2. Selling Services

One advantage of selling a service is that you can often generate a 'residual' income. It is possible to have a monthly passive income as long as the existing customers continue to use your service. But we should ask again "What types of service are suitable for online selling?"

As the Internet boom continues the most obvious possibility is any service which could help companies in using the Internet in their business. An excellent example is a web hosting service whereby the host will provide the space to put up websites of others with the necessary tools to manage it while providing technical advice and service to their clients.

2. A Comprehensive Business Plan

Don't start until you have made a plan that includes what the markets are, what products and services you're selling to these markets, how to acquire these products (and services), how you will market and sell them and how to get the money to pay for all these things. Like any other forms of work, you must have a plan for your Internet business. Set an achievable short term, medium term and long term objectives, prepare a budget and stick to them as far as possible. Carry out periodical checking to determine any deviations from the plan and take the necessary remedial actions.

3. An E-Commerce Program

You must have the capability to accept orders, arrange for payment, preferably by credit card, and ship the product. Otherwise you should do as many successful Internet entrepreneurs do, that is, joining good affiliate programs where you need not worry about processing of orders, collection of payment, packing and shipping of the products as these would be taken care of by the merchants i.e. the affiliate program owners.

4. Well Written Sales Copy

The content of your website should have attractive and hard hitting selling materials to persuade your prospects to buy from you while maintaining and keeping the existing customers. Copywriting requires some skill. If you can't do it yourself you will have to hire professional copywriters to do it for you for a fee.

5. Patience and Perseverance

Building a successful business on the Internet takes not only a lot of effort and time, it also requires some financial input on your part especially for acquiring the necessary knowledge and to advertise your business. Don't be trapped by the "overnight miracle" and "become-an- instant-millionaire" hype and stories.

You'd be tempted with countless of seemingly very attractive offers and promises from the Web to help improve your business. Many of these would lead you to disappointment and frustration. You should persevere and re-invest your early profits back into the business.

6. Get Your List As Soon As Possible

In Internet marketing, always remember three very important words. They're…LIST, LIST and LIST. Also, do not forget the popular Internet adage, "The Gold is in your LIST!" This means that a big chunk of your time, effort and concentration should be directed to getting the right strategy to drive traffic to your site. Advertising is therefore of utmost importance.

7. Be Disciplined

Although this is a home based business with all the freedom in the world, it's prudent to have some form of discipline. Once you've decided to sit in front of the computer to start working online, you must stay focused and do not allow any distraction to affect your concentration. Treat it as your business and not a hobby. It'd be nice to stick to a schedule which is also made known to other members of your family so that they'd know when to leave you alone. However do not get carried away and spend too much time in front of your PC because your loved ones, including your pets also deserve your attention and time.

8. Stay away from the temptation to spam.

Do not ever try to spam i.e. sending unsolicited e-mails to unexpected recipients under any circumstances. I get very annoyed when I find chunks of unwanted e-mails plugging my mailbox resulting in the e-mails from my friends and business associates being "lost" in the midst of these junks mails. The frustrating process of deleting them is enough to drive me through the roof! If you insisted on "spamming", you'd very likely have your name and registration terminated. It is therefore not worth the while because eventually your business would suffer.

9. Know how to place your advert

There are many locations where you can place an Ad such as newsgroups, forums, ezines, websites some of which you have to pay for while some are totally free of charge. It is possible to post your Ad to a mailing list, newsgroups, and also discussion forums using a signature file to promote your products.

Copyright © 2006 John Woon

About The Author: John Woon (Sung-Liang Woon) is a Latex Consultant with about 30 years of experience.

1) Multiple Internet business opportunity SECRETS: http://easyhomebiz.blogspot.com

2) Hypertension and the Heart: http://hypertension2.blogspot.com

3) Diabetics' Valuable ONE-STOP Guide: http://diabetics-guide.blogspot.com

Making The Transition From Classic Marketing To Virtual Marketing For Artists

Writen by Joel Balfour

So you have art you want to sell? Why not market it online? Here are a few tips on how you should proceed. You first step to creating a web site should be to have the cleanest pictures you can of your art. Try using a high-resolution digital camera if possible, if not then you may want to shoot it on film, and scan it with a high-end scanner.

Classic film at this point still has a higher resolution than large format digital, but the digitization process could "cheapen" your end product. It's your choice as a publisher. If you are looking into making film samples, or audio material as demos, then what you would want to do, is to render your files in the smallest format possible, for film I would recommend "multimedia-small 15 frames/second" as your render option, and for MP3's I would use the lowest quality possible, as to take into consideration those with Low-end computers or slower internet connections. Make your product as accessible as possible. You never know who's looking, and from where.

You should consult with your web-designer or your search engine optimization company so that your web site can be search engine optimized. The reasoning behind this, is that once you put all this work into digitizing your media, you want your web site to be seen.

If you aren't familiar with web design, I would advise hiring an art friendly web designer to help you out with the creating the web site. S/He can deal with the technical aspects of creation while you worry about the design. I cannot stress enough the necessity of using an HTML editor that is search optimization friendly. Not so much for the actual design of the web site, but for everything that goes on behind the scenes.

When you're creating a web site, there are two aspects to take into consideration. What the viewer is seeing, and how the web site relates to search engines. Although I believe what the viewer is seeing is entirely in the hands of the designer, and owner… how the web site relates to search engines is where SEO comes in.

How does your web site fare with Google, MSN, or Yahoo? This is the province of your SEO, and your web-designer.

This is where items like meta-tags, keyword density, and performance come into play. Your web site should be optimized for your location, content, type of art/ media. When a web search is run on a topic relevant to you, your web site should come up in these searches. If you're a political artist then you should be getting hits for "political art", in my case "Toronto filmmakers" or anything specific to your art/ media content.

How an SEO can work for you, is that with your search engine optimization company will be able to tailor make your keywords, and meta-tags; so that the closer the search terms are to what you do, the more likely you will get a visitor on your site.

The more visitors you get on your site, the more likely you are to sell your product. This brings you closer to becoming an independent artist who doesn't need deal with large publishers that don't have your best interests in mind. Ultimately what an effective self-driven online marketing campaign will do for you is that it will allow you to sell your product at your price, and for minimal monthly fees you won't have to sign over publishing rights or licensing, because all the fees, minus operating fees come directly to you.

SEO and online marketing campaigns are available at minimal investment, so if you're serious about launching your art career, then an affordable advertising campaign may be what you're looking for.

Simply by improving your site ranking, you attract more visitors. Every visitor is a potential buyer ... If we want to use a retail analogy, the more people visit your store, the more stuff you'll sell.

All it really takes is for someone to see your site when doing a web- search; this will bring you clients and contacts. A very small investment could bring you the artistic freedom you want and deserve.

Joel Balfour is a guest writer for Abalone Designs - a search engine optimization company.

http://www.abalone.ca

Internet Marketing You Have To Give A Little To Make A Little

Writen by Jeffrey Abbott

Internet marketing by definition is "the use of the Internet to advertise and sell merchandise or services."

Most people when trying to sell their product/service go for the cheapest solution possible; why pay $40 for 2,000 targeted visitors when you can pay $2 for 1,000 untargeted visitors (resulting in 20,000 untargeted visitors for $40), why buy a banner on the top of the page when the bottom is half the price, why pay for Adwords when I can try to optimize my web site for search engines for free. This is the type of philosophy of a small business. A business that will survive only a few months, maybe a year at max, and then die out do to the strenuous work on the behalf of the webmaster.

What about a new philosophy? A philosophy taught to us in the earliest years of our life. "You have to give a little to take a little." Now normally this refers to compromising with the toughest of our childhood friends, but in internet marketing, it refers to paying money to eventually make money. There are really three parts (that I mentioned earlier) to online marketing that I feel you can make money by spending money.

#1 - Paying for Targeted Traffic

Most people sell specific products or services online, unlike our fictional store of the day, Jalmart, which sells everything from groceries to car tires. Now if your site is a "Jalmart" than congratulations on becoming a super store franchise, but for all of you who are specialized in one area, listen up. Being a somewhat small business means that we cannot expect one out of a thousand randomly selected people from around the world to buy our product. We need "targeted" customers to come to our site, unlike Jalmart which can sell products on a wide scale. Buying untargeted traffic, no matter how cheap, is mostly pointless. Maybe you will make a sale or two, but in the long run, your more than likely going to lose money. Targeted traffic is most expensive, I'll give you that one, but it also has higher conversion rates than untargeted traffic. If you feel you have a quality site, try investing $20 for 2,000 visitors. It's not the deal your used to, but then again, we have a new philosophy now.

#2 - Splurge for Banners on Good Sites

Getting a free banner put up on your buddies Geocity site is not what I'm trying to get at, actually, it's what I'm trying to get you a way from. Banners on the top of qualities give huge turnouts of targeted traffic (see #1). Make your banner display what your site is about. Don't make it too flashy, don't make the animation to long, and don't use neon colors! A well designed, good looking, and brief banner will get people to your site, where you can hopefully work your magic and make a sale. As for banner placement, either the top or the sides of the page (there is a reason why they charge more for prime locations). Only use the bottom of the page if it's after a quality article, or something of that nature. It's hard to say how much to spend on banners because they range from site to site, but ask the web master a few questions before you sign up including: The previous banner got how many clicks? Is is going to be up at all times of the day? How long does the campaign last?

#3 - Pay for Ads on Search Engines

Many new businesses will not be able to get a high ranking in search engines for awhile, no matter how good your SEO tactics are (sandboxing and the such). Yes it is good to optimize your site for the search engines, but we want results in the present, not in the future. This is where using search engine PPC (pay per click) programs comes in handy. There are a few things to think about though before you go and sign up though. First off, you'll notice that the bids for clicks are huge! When I first started out in my niche, the bids were as much as $5 per click! Obviously a rooky business (we're the underdogs now) cannot afford to pay this price, so we adapt our methods. Instead of using "buy salmon" try "buy fresh salmon," "buy pink salmon," or "buy good salmon." In other words, use different keywords. Use less popular keywords, and use them effectively. Normally a good bid for PPC can be anywhere from $.05 to $.20 in a under developed field. Try it, you might be surprised at your results.

Jeffrey Abbott is a respected author and editor of eMoneyReport.com

Visit the site at http://www.emoneyreport.com and read reviews on programs that help you to make money from your own home. eMoneyReport offers a simple and easy format to find articles relating to all types of online business and website promotion.

When Knowing It All Can Hurt Your Business

Writen by Susan Carroll

Recently I heard Kevin Bidwell state that these 4 words were 1 of the biggest obstacles that many online business people must overcome:

"I already know that."
I must admit that I really didn't believe him when I heard the statement because I've never felt that way and my readers are always sending me questions.

However, today I do believe him because I've now seen at least 2 other "internet gurus" make the same statement.

Since I am now a believer I decided to check and see what it was that other people already know and no longer need to learn about.

Here's a list of 5 things that people think they already know and no longer have anything to learn.

1. They think they know what they're promoting and they think it's products or services.

   Wrong - products and services may be what people are paying you for but they are not what you should be promoting. You should be promoting your business.



2. They think they know the most important thing they have to do make money and it's getting traffic to their site.

   Wrong - you do need traffic but more importantly you need to know how to make money from the traffic you do get. Having a site seen by 10,000 people who buy nothing is worth less than a site seen by 100 who buy what you're selling.



3. They think they know how to use viral marketing - they give away an ebook or sign up for a viral advertising site.

   Wrong - True viral marketing is much more involved than giving away an ebook you hope will get passed around or adding your page to a list of others in the hopes that someone will actually buy your product when they sign up for the same viral site.



4. They think they know how to use autoresponders because they have 1 set up to send out their periodic mailings.

   Wrong - Autoresponders are great tools and 1 of the most under used. Sending out a thank-you for ... and your broadcast messages are not why you set them up and use them.



5. They think they know many ways to get traffic to their site because they do them.

   Wrong - While there are many good ways to get traffic to your site, using all of them and mastering none of them is not the best way to get traffic. You need to identify which sources of traffic you want to use and master those few methods before moving on to others. Successful online marketers work on mastering the traffic strategies that provide the most traffic with the least effort.

While I could go on and list other things that people think they already know about I think you get the point...

There's always more to learn.
So next time you catch yourself thinking, "I already know that" - Remember, you may know a lot about it but you may have more to learn to use or do it effectively.

To Your Success,
Susan

You can get more detailed information about the things you may already know about but aren't using correctly by reading this report. It's a quick read and contains some very powerful information that you can use right away.

Whose Site Is It Anyway

Writen by Diane Hughes

I spend a lot of time emailing with online business owners. Since that's my specialty, I find a lot of people asking me questions about my success. What amazes me is that many of those people are asking the wrong questions!

The questions I'm talking about come from site owners who want to know how to make themselves look good online. These site owners want to write copy that is all about *their* company. They want to have a flash home page because *they* like it. They want to use *their* favorite colors in the design.

The problem is, it isn't *their* site! Let me explain....

Think about it a minute. Why do you believe most department stores now willingly offer refunds? Years ago they didn't. In fact, it was a well-known fact that, if you bought it, you owned it for life. Yet, in just the last 15 years or so, that way of thinking has been completely reversed. The reason? Customer demand.

Retailers recognized a customer need, and they filled it. They understood that customers were the ones who made the purchases and, therefore, the ones who kept their retail stores in business. The smart thing to do? Reverse the refund policy and keep customers happy.

Was it the store's idea to offer refunds? No. If it were up to the stores, no money would ever be returned. After all, it's *their* store, isn't it? They can do what they want. Yeah, right! Not if they want to stay in business.

The same principle applies to your website. Sure, *you* may want to use certain colors on your site, but what would your customer prefer? Your favorite thing in the online world may be flash intros, but your customers might despise them. You may not like the idea of offering a guarantee, but what about your customers? Whose site is it, anyway? Yours? No, not really.

Before you get too entangled in making your site everything you want it to be, consider your customers' wants and needs.

ACTION STEP 1

Make Your Copy Customer Focused - Go back to your site and read your copy. Does it say anything similar to this? "Welcome to my website. My company does this, that, and the other thing. I am the best company of my type on the Internet. My site has been online since 1999. Buy from me." If so, you have some work to do.

Focus on your customers. What are their needs/wants? Rather than copy that says, "Me, me, we, us, I, I, I," you want copy that acknowledges visitors, makes a connection with them, defines their needs, and offers solutions to their problems.

ACTION STEP 2

Turn Your Site Into An Invitation, Not An Eviction – Do you have a flash home page? If you check your stats, I'll bet you'll find more people who skip the flash intro of your site than people who actually view it.

Flash is extremely popular with Web designers, but it is extremely unnerving to site visitors. Don't force flash on your customers.

ACTION STEP 3

Check Your Navigation – Can your visitors find their way around your site easily? How would you know? The best way to find out for sure is to ask a few people who have never seen your site before to surf on over and take a look around. Ask them to spend 10 or 15 minutes browsing. Then ask them to tell you about their experiences.

Paying due attention to your customers and their needs is one of the best things you can do to improve your online business. Put yourself in your customers' place. When you turn your site into a welcoming environment specifically designed for your visitors, they can't help but want to return again and again.

Copyright 2005 Diane Hughes

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane