Posts Tagged ‘Internet marketing’
The Golden Formula of Writing Article Easily
Article marketing is the number one internet marketing tool; it is recognized as the most effective and cheapest way to drive traffic to a website. Articles maximize your website exposure, generate valuable back links for better search engines positioning and result in traffic generation to you website.
Many internet marketers grasped the concept of traffic generation with articles but the problem is article writing is not an easy task for many people. Although there are people who are able to complete an article for about 500 words in less then 10 minutes but many need hours to write once. And many find that article writing is so scaring and give up this powerful technique to drive free and targeted traffic to other website.
In actual fact, article writing is not that difficult and your can complete an article easily if you know the golden formula of article writing. Below are some guidelines that can help you to generate your article easily:
1. Have knowledge about the topic
The first thing you are going to need to write a good article is some knowledge on the topic. Remember you don’t have to be an expert on the subject; all you are looking for is enough information so that you can whip up an article on it. You can get more related information on the topic you going to write from any search engines; just type in the keyword of your desired article, open at least 3 sites from the front page that look to be the most informative and read them to get more information for your desire article.
2. Outline The 3-5 Points of The Topic
Let say you would like to write an article about fat loss, what you are looking for here is 3-5 points about fat loss, no in depth information, just 3 or 5 points, or aspects of fat loss. For example, you might find something about fat loss program, fat loss with special exercise program or how to control the diet for fat loss & etc, note down these 4 aspects in a text file. From the page that you saw these points, read the relevant information in as much depth as you need so you get some ideas for your content.
3. Give A Good Title For Your Article
The title is the headline of your article and as such has the job of piquing your reader’s interest and imploring them to want to know more. Hence, don’t overlook the powerful of article. Whether your potential readers want to choose your articles other other’s articles are depend on your article title; thus your article title should be "eye catching" enough to draw the attention of your potential readers.
A great article title should contain phases that draw the interest of your potential readers, such phases include:
4. Article Summary/Teaser Copy
Most of article directories and websites will display the article summary below the article title. It will act as the door opening key for read to enter into your article. Summary should not be too long, 2-5 sentences based on your key points to lead your readers to read your full article. This summary may include in the end of your article for closing purpose.
5. Article Content Make Easy With The 3-5 Points Noted Down Earlier
A 500 words article may contain 3 to 5 paragraphs and if you have 4 points noted down during your information search; then you can divide each point to 1 paragraph. Start the first paragraph with a brief introduction on your topic or information that you are going to delivery to your readers; then, go into detail on each point and limit each point to a paragraph.
You will find that with the main points drafted down before start writing your article, you will finish writing the article fast and easy because the perfectly structured nature you will know exactly what you have to write in each sentence of each paragraph from start to finish.
In Summary
After all, article writing is not that scary. You do not need to be an expert on the subject; all you are looking for is enough information so that you can whip up an article on it. The golden formula of writing is not other than "Know what you want to write", "Get the related information in points form", "Add an introduction", "Connect all these points together" and finally close it with a "Summary". You are done with an article.
The Difference Between Autoresponder Programs And Autoresponder Services
Many newcomers to the Internet marketing arena are not aware that there is a vast difference between an autoresponder program and an autoresponder service. Not knowing the difference, they often purchase the wrong type of autoresponder, and find out too late that they have wasted money on a program that is useless to them.
An autoresponder program is a program that is set up on your web server. This is usually a free autoresponder that comes with your web hosting account. Many people don’t like to use autoresponder services; so instead, they use an autoresponder program that they have more control over. Some of those people don’t like the autoresponder programs that come with their hosting accounts either and purchase autoresponder programs or scripts that must be installed on their web server.
Other people are quite happy with using an autoresponder service. This is a service that is usually paid for on a monthly or yearly basis. The fees are ongoing, and everything is browser based. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder messages and manage your opt-in list through your web browser &ndash just as you can with an autoresponder program that is installed through your web hosting account. The difference is that the service runs on the autoresponder service’s web server &ndash not yours or your web hosts.
Beginners are usually better off using an autoresponder service. These services are very easy to understand and to use, and no technical knowledge is needed to set things up. As a newcomer to the field, however, you might be concerned about the costs of an autoresponder service. If this is the case, you have the option of signing up with a free autoresponder service.
Free services make their money by placing advertisements in each autoresponder message that you send out. Sometimes these ads appear at the top of your messages, and sometimes they appear at the bottom. Some of the free services are simply an enticement to purchase the professional version, and have many of the more advanced features, such as tracking, disabled.
More advanced users often choose to use autoresponder programs, simply because they have more control over the autoresponder, and they don’t have to follow some of the stiffer rules imposed by autoresponder services, such as sending confirmation to each and every person who is entered into the autoresponders list.
The autoresponder that you choose is strictly up to you, but in most cases, an autoresponder service should suit your needs. If you are unsure, look for a service that offers free signups, with the option of upgrading to the professional paid version at a later date.
The Chicken or the Egg and the Internet Marketer or Site Designer
An age-old question is, “Which came first? The Chicken or the Egg?” In ecommerce, the same question can be applied to site designers and Internet marketers.
Before we settle the answer, we need a few parameters. For purposes of this discussion, a marketer is some formulating and creating Internet marketing strategies and campaigns. This includes search engine optimization. In using the term “designer”, we are throwing a bigger net to include programmers and people writing html.
Introducing the Designer
After deciding to start a site, most businesses will hire a designer or design team as one of the first steps. Intellectually, this makes sense. We need a site, thus, we need someone to build it.
Introducing the Marketer
After a lot of time and money has been spent on the design of the site, the first thought is given to marketing. Books are purchased, online articles such as this are read. PPC is often discovered and, typically, the business decides this looks easy and starts pursuing campaigns. The site starts making sales, but at a loss or a rate that can’t be increased despite a variety of tips. Frustration sets in and professional Internet marketers come on the seen. At this point, things start to get very ugly.
The business interviews a number of marketing professionals. All of them offer services, but on the condition major and expensive changes be made to the site. At this point, the business owner decides one of two things, the marketers are wrong or the designer is incompetent. Both views are wrong.
Holding Hands
Which came first? The marketer or the designer? Neither!
An effective site design combines the practical needs of the design team and marketer. While a designer will create a database to facilitate the showing of products, the marketer will want the designer to keep database parameters out of the sub-domain URLs. Other issues that must be jointly addressed include meta content, load times, abandonment issues and landing pages.
Both design and marketing have to be addressed at the outset of the creation of a site. There is simply no other way to approach an overall e-commerce effort.
The Best and Worst Days to Market Online
If you are in a sales position where you are soliciting a product or service, there is some advice that might be helpful when speaking to other businesses. There are times during a year that are good times and other times that might not be so good. As I always state in any advice I give, every market is different, so this is more of a generalized theory than anything else.
Rather than get wordy and lengthy in my explanation and reasoning, I’ll give best and worst times:
Best Times for B2B selling:
* The months of January and February. (First of year numbers start over)
* Between the dates of the 10th through 25th of any month except December. (Meat of month less bills)
* Between the 5th and 20th of December. (moves up a bit due to holidays)
* The last week in December. (Some companies like to dump excess funds to escape taxes)
* First of January, April, July & October (Typically first of each quarter for quarterly companies)
Worst Times for B2B selling:
* Any holiday period. (companies may be closed)
* The week leading up to the tax deadlines. (business owners stressed and sometimes facing big bills)
* The last week in December. (This is either hit or miss. While it can be the best, it can also be the worst)
* The end of March, June, September & December. (End of quarter for quarterly companies)
* Weekends. (This one is obvious, but Saturday and Sunday are probably the worst)
Again, these are generalized timeframes for business to business selling. If it’s business to customer, it’s a completely different ballgame because weekends are great for customers, along with holidays. You should always try to sell 365 days a year in some fashion, but put more emphasis towards the prime, or best selling times.
The Basics of Internet Marketing Promotion
Thousands of business and web enthusiasts are taking the big risk and joining the exciting world of internet marketing. While seemingly overwhelming at first, internet marketing and promotion can actually be classified into three simple categories: market research, search engines, and e-zine advertising. Those interested in the internet marketing field should first familiarize themselves with the very basics of what makes this fast growing business venture tick.
Determining how much money to invest in your overall internet marketing
campaign, and deciding the people and places which to target the main product, are defined as market research. This research is the most basic section of the internet marketing focus. Investing the correct sum of money to the right groups is essential in market research, and internet marketing in general. Proper research will eventually conclude the outcome of your entire business campaign.
Search engines have been a popular form of advertising, both past and present, in the internet marketing community. Search engines are divided into two sections: search engines and directories, and pay per click engines. While the most favored and effective form of internet marketing promotion, this category is also the most expensive. Excellent search engine marketing and placement can quite time consuming as well, and it is best if submission is left to an experienced professional.
Another extremely effective, yet inexpensive form of internet marketing promotion is e-zine advertising. Using the information gathered from your market research, you should be well aware of what your target audience desires. Find out what kinds of online publication or newsletters your internet marketing targets are interested in, and purchase advertising from these sources. Ads generally are available in three basic types: solo ads, top-line ads, and classified ads. Solo ads are the best ads because they are sent to the entire publication list. These ads are also beneficial for internet marketing promotion because they contain only your ad. However, solo ads are the most expensive. While classified ads may be a low-cost alternative, they will not be much help in your plight for internet marketing success. These tiny ads are placed at the end of the newsletter, and are usually overlooked by the majority of readers.
The Amazing, Profit Producing Ebook
While I was surfing the internet for opportunities to increase my flow of income, I came across a great concept. It was an idea I was never aware of before, but was happy that I found. The concept of an e-Book, or electronic book was what I had discovered. It is a book that can be purchased and downloaded to ones computer instantly. When purchasing a traditional book, there is a risk of it not being in stock. If this is the case, one would have to wait much longer. There is no waiting for shipping after the purchase of an e-Book because it is simply a digital file that is transferred in the form of a PDF document or other medium. This is a huge advantage because you are saving time and money on postage, printing costs and other materials needed to ship out a product to your customers. You are also saving space in your home because other tangible products would need to be stored. An e-Book can be published literally within a few days or even hours.
E-Books bring Web-like interactivity to the reading experience. Clicking directly on the electronic page allows you to look up the meanings of unfamiliar words, explore cross-referenced passages in the same book or related works, or even activates links to Web sites or multimedia elements such as sound, video, and animation. E-Books can be secured so only you or other authorized users can read and/or amend them. It is also possible to prevent unauthorized printing, copying or extraction of the content whilst still making the e-Book universally viewable and easily shared. They can be updated easily and more often so that the information is always current. This is a great aspect because we are in the information age and information that was at one point cutting edge could be obsolete within a matter of months. If in the end one would rather read off paper instead of a computer, e- Books can always be printed!
The Advantages of Multimedia Marketing on the Internet
Many marketing campaigns for products hook a potential customer in with a catchy advertisement. The hook may come in the form of a slogan or picture. While snappy text and pictorial design might make a customer take a second look, it does not always convert a customer lead into a sale. What Internet marketing tools can you utilize to convert more sales leads into actual customers?
The answer is multimedia marketing. What is multimedia marketing? Let’s define “multimedia”. Multimedia is media that involves an advertisement that “talks and moves”. For example, multimedia contains more than just text and/or pictures. Multimedia advertisements contain audio and video elements. By adding audio and video ingredients to your marketing campaign you will see your sales conversion rates soar.
What exactly are audio and video multimedia marketing elements? Audio elements include voice-overs, sound effects, and music. For example, when a potential customer visits your web page the first thing that catches their eye is the beautiful graphics and text information. At this point your customer needs to feel an emotional connection with your company, products, and services. This is where audio elements play a role.
You can provide music that sets the tone for your product or services. Perhaps you are in the party planning business and you have an advertisement about planning children’s birthday parties. You can play fun, upbeat music to mimic the atmosphere of a birthday party.
You could also add in a button that allows website visitors to listen to your actual voice. You can demonstrate your passion for your product and money back guarantee through your voice. Potential customers will feel that their experience has been more personable. This allows them to feel more comfortable with your company, services, and products. A wonderful side effect of this safe feeling is increased customer sales.
Video elements are another tool you can employ in your marketing campaign. You can create your own Internet commercial. You can demonstrate how to use your product through a video. You could even video testimonials from happy customers. A video will allow potential customers to attach a “face” to the product or services you are selling.
You are building a relationship with your customers when you make their Internet experience rich and satisfying. Plus, did you know that adding an audio element to your website can increase your response rate by 300%. Wow! That is a massive increase that you just can’t ignore.
Another great benefit to creating audio and video components for your website is that you can build CDs and DVDs from these files. You could create reports on specific topics and burn them to CDs and DVDs. Then you can sell these products to customers.
The Internet is ready to handle sophisticated audio and video files. Plus, Internet technology is improving every day. You can create these audio and video components in the comfort of your own home or office. It really is that simple. The effort you put into creating your own multimedia marketing campaign on the Internet is well worth it when your sales conversion rate skyrockets.
The “Expert” Dilemma – When Everyone Wants Your Time
Let’s imagine that you have spent years building up your expertise in a certain niche – say, puppy training. You have written articles, created courses, published e-books (or real books), filmed training videos and hosted web seminars. Suddenly, your name is out there. Your promotional activities have born fruit, and you are now the ‘go-to guy’ on puppy training.
For a while, it’s great. Your products sell like hot cakes, and your e-courses are always full. Grateful clients send you emails telling you how fantastic your information is – and of course, you use their words in testimonials. That generates even more sales.
Then one day you sit down at the computer to start on your email – and you realize that it’s out of control. Increasingly, you are getting mail from puppy-owners assuming you will be happy to dispense free advice. (After all, you are the guru.) People who have done your courses tend to stay in contact, too. Sometimes they just to report success, sometimes they ask for further advice. (“I know you’re a busy person, but I wonder if I can just ask a quick question?”)
At times, you open your email program and find that you have twenty or thirty emails to answer. You’re spending hours every day just being polite to people or answering more questions.
What are you going to do?
Obviously, you can’t keep this up. Yet you know that these are nice people – their motives are innocent, and you don’t want to offend them. They obviously have no idea how much time you spend on unpaid support – or how the time spent on all those ‘quick questions’ can add up.
Here are a few strategies that can help you take control of your time again.
1. Outsource Technical Support.
This is the first thing you should do if your expertise has started producing a good income. Your time is precious: use it to create new products or to enjoy well-earned leisure time – not to give technical support. Create an email forwarder (or a new pop mailbox) on your website, which will forward all support issues to the person you hire. Make sure this ‘support’ address is included on the ‘thank you’ email that goes to all customers who buy downloadable videos, e-books or software.
2. Create a FAQ Page on Your Website.
You will find that the same problems or questions come up again and again. Each time you get a different question, add it – and your answer – to the FAQ page on your website. Suggest that clients check this page first to see if the answer to their question is there.
3. Create Website Forms for Support or Contact
Your email will decrease if you ask clients to fill in a contact form on your website rather than emailing you directly. Put a polite note on your website explaining to people that because of the volume of mail, it has been necessary to use a website form. Here, you can direct people to consult the FAQ page before they fill in the form, or to Tech Support, if this is the issue.
4. Create Quick Explanations Using the Signature File
Your email program should allow you to create new signature files. (In Outlook Express, this is under Options/Signature Files.) If your business is not yet large enough to outsource support, use the signature file to create quick answers to common questions. (For example: a common question is “I’ve downloaded your e-book but it won’t open in Acrobat. I get a message saying that the file has been corrupted. What do I do?” Mostly, this problem arises because the customer is using an outdated version of Acrobat Reader. So, you create a new signature and call it “Acrobat Reader”. Type out a few lines that say something like “Most problems in opening PDF files are solved when you download the latest version of Acrobat. You can download it here…. If this doesn’t solve your problem, please contact me again.”
Create similar signatures for any common question. One of the first that you should create is a friendly paragraph explaining that your email volume is so high that you can no longer spare the time to address problems personally. Suggest that the FAQ page is a good source of information… and perhaps provide a different email address for URGENT concerns that are not covered on the FAQ page. Most people will respect your time once they understand that you get large volumes of email and simply don’t have the time to answer individuals.
You’ll find that a collection of signature files that address common questions will save you a great deal of time – you can respond with a few clicks of the mouse, rather than typing it all out again.
Bottom line: If you don’t recognize the value of your own time, nobody else will – so take action NOW to regain control.
The 7 Secrets of Internet Marketing
Many marketers have been shifting their marketing budgets to the web over the past few years. Marketing online allows you to target specific audiences and easily track return on investment, commonly referred to as ROI. Unlike traditional marketing methods, results of Internet marketing campaigns are almost immediate. This allows you to better evaluate what elements of your campaign are producing results and which are not. When buying online media, you must be willing to shift your marketing dollars to the online methods that produce a positive return.
To be successful at Internet marketing, you must understand the essential secrets of Internet marketing. These secrets can allow you to achieve success by finding the right audience, communicating your message properly, and leading consumers down the path to purchase. These secrets include:
1. Website Directory Listings. Before you begin any marketing campaign, make sure that the website you’re promoting has been listed in the common directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo!, and Google. Even if you’re using a marketing page off of the root directory of your website, be sure that the primary site is listed. This ensures that prospects can continue to find your marketing pages long after you’ve launched your campaign.
2. Generating Traffic. In order to realize a return on your investment, you need to generate traffic to your marketing pages. There are a number of ways to do so online. Some of the most popular include Google AdSense, Overture, and Looksmart. Other methods include affiliate programs and targeted website advertising. Research other websites that have the audience you’re looking for and negotiate favorable ad rates for your online marketing campaign.
3. Marketing Pages. Don’t lead prospective purchasers to a generic website. If you do, potential buyers won’t know what to do next. The easier you make if for prospects to take advantage of your offer, the better. Whenever creating a marketing campaign online, provide a specific page for leading purchasers to your product or service or a billboard that showcases the offer. Take the guess work out of making a purchase and more consumers will buy.
4. Testimonials. Customer testimonials are the most powerful way to sell your product or service. When consumers hear from those who have purchased and used your product or service, they gain a certain level of trust and comfort in what you have to offer. Solicit testimonials after each purchase and use those that are the most convincing to prospective purchasers.
5. Create a Compelling Offer. Be sure to offer something that no one else is currently offering. If your offer is similar to your competitors or is not very interesting, consumers have no reason to learn more. Of course providing something for FREE is often a great way to entice potential customers. Maybe it’s a 3-day free trial or a free evaluation of some kind. Be creative, try something new, and measure the response.
6. Developing Trust. Before anyone will buy from you, your website or company needs to be seen as reputable. This means that consumers can purchase from you and not worry about the safety of their credit card information, personal information, or anything else being exchanged. A good method for developing trust is to purchase and display safety and reliability icons such as BBB Online, Trust-e, and VeriSign.
7. Provide a Guarantee. Nothing makes a consumer more comfortable with a purchase than offering a guarantee. Perhaps you can offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee or a money back guarantee. A guarantee is a great way ease the risk of making a purchase. If your competitors are offering a guarantee, you want yours to be equal or better.
Internet marketing is an incredibly powerful medium for segmenting your prospects and delivering targeted advertising. Online, you can easily measure you return on investment and refine your marketing campaign over time to improve results.
If you are a local business you can benefit from Internet marketing as well. Look for local directories to list your business or service. Or, you can supplement your local advertising with product marketing pages on your website. Internet marketing is more than just placing ads online, it’s using the web to communicate the value of your products and services.
Super-Affiliate’s! What Are They… How Do I Find Them and Why They’re Your… TICKET To Online Success!
Super-Affiliate’s!
What are they?
Do you see this term often online and end up confused to what it means and the purpose they serve online?
It sounded really mysterious to me when I first came across the term which peeked my curiosity and led me to research the term further to find out exactly what the term meant and more importantly what there roll was in the Internet marketing world.
The information I discovered was Astonishing!
What I’m about to reveal to you in this article will blow your mind and hopefully take away the mystery and answer the questions you once had about what a ‘Super-Affiliate’ is and why they ARE your…
…”Ticket To Online Success!”
Let’s first take away the mystery behind what a ‘Super-Affiliate’ is so that you’ll have a clear picture inside your head of how they’ll benefit your online business for years to come.
A ‘Super-Affiliate’ is simply either or both a High Traffic website and/or a eZine/Newsletter owner with a HUGE targeted opt-in mailing list that are able to sell more in a given day then you could in a month.
As you will learn, the internet is nothing more then a numbers game and the super-affiliate’s are simply the one’s who have already put in the time and have the highest numbers when it comes to ‘Website Traffic’ and targeted ‘Opt-In’ mailing lists.
Are you starting to see the BIG picture yet?
Now, lets move on and break this down a little with some rough numbers so you’ll be able to have better idea of what to look for when it comes to locating an ‘Super-Affiliate’ via search engines and/or eZine/Newsletter directories.
Let’s first start with the Search Engines.
When your searching the web for super-affiliate’s with high traffic website’s this is the general guide line I use to gauge there importance.
But, in order for me to do a proper traffic analysis of there website I need to use a special webmaster toolbar offered through Alexa.com.
This toolbar is essential and a must have when it comes to locating super-affiliate’s and the reason why is because it reveals the ‘Traffic Ranking’ for that particular website you are viewing making it easier for you to tell the difference between the super-affiliate’s and the other website’s that are just getting by.
Here’s the link to where you can download your own free Alexa toolbar if you choose:
- download.alexa.com/
Now… for the numbers.
When I’m searching for an super-affiliate related to my Product, Service and/or any of the affiliate programs I am promoting via the search engines and I happen to come across a website that has a traffic ranking of 50,000 or lower using the Alexa toolbar to gauge the TR then these are the website’s where the super-affiliate’s reside and are the one’s I will want to contact with a business proposition.
As a general rule using website analysis, the lower the TR, the BETTER.
Why?
Because it means that particular website is receiving Lots… and Lots of traffic which is just what you’re looking for.
Now… that’s the general idea behind locating super-affiliate’s through website analysis and the search engines.
This next part I’m going to show you where to locate the super-affiliate’s with HUGE targeted mailing lists.
This is where you stand to benefit the most and could in turn make a substantial amount of money within the next 24 hours of your business proposition if accepted by the list owner.
The best places to locate an ‘Super-Affiliate’ with a HUGE mailing list are through eZine/Newsletter directories. I’ve listed a few of the Top directories below to save you the hassle of having to search for them yourself.
- Ezine Universe
.ezine-universe.com
- Ezine Hub
.ezinehub.com
- Go-Ezines
.go-ezines.com
- Netter Web
.netterweb.com
- Ezine Search
.ezinesearch.com
These directories databases are searchable and are full of thousands of ezine/newsletters with list sizes that range from 1000 subscribers to 250,000 subscribers and up.
It’s pretty easy to figure out who the super-affiliate’s are going to be here.
The Bigger the list size, the BETTER.
But… as a general rule I would have to say that any ezine/newsletter owner with a list size of 75,000 or more subscribers I would consider an ‘Super-Affiliate’.
Remember, this is just a general guide line.
Don’t discard the list owners with smaller lists. The more eZine/Newsletter owners you contact the greater your chances are of SUCCESS!
Now that you know what a super-affiliate is and how to find them Both on the Web and through ezine/newsletter directories your probably wondering how…
… “They’re Your TICKET To Online Success!”
Well, its actually quite simple.
If you own your own Product and/or offer a Service, and this will even work if your an affiliate to someone else’s program, all you have to do is simply locate and approach related website and/or ezine/newsletter owners with a JV(Joint Venture) and/or business proposition offering them a reasonable share(percentage) of the profits if they were to accept your business proposal.
That’s It!
And the best part about this approach is that you don’t even have to spend a penny on advertising and the traffic you’ll receive will be ‘Laser Targeted’ making your chances of SUCCESS that much Greater.
I really hope this article opened your eye’s up and cleared up any unanswered questions you once had about what a ‘Super-Affiliate’ was, what there roll is in the Internet marketing world and more importantly… How you can locate them via the Web.