Sunday, June 30, 2013
10 Tips to Better Site Navigation
Too many site designers give too little thought to site navigation. Put a navigation bar at the top of the screen, a couple of drop down screens for further direction and there you have the site's navigation system. And it may work for some smaller sites that don't sell any products or services and don't want to get the site's message out there. But if you want your site to be successful, here are ten tips (actually think of them as rules for success) that'll truly enhance the visitor's on-site experience.
1. It's not about the buttons.
Site navigation is much more than buttons, navigation bars, text links and a site map. All of those are neutral, passive means to direct visitors. Good site navigation actually directs the visitor through the purchase process and through the checkout quickly, confidently and securely. A good example: Amazon.com.
2. Top-tier navigation takes plenty of planning.
A well constructed system of roads doesn't just happen. Somebody sat down and planned everything from which roads to build to how they'd be connected to how they'd be identified with exit ramps and street signs.
The same is true of site navigation. It's not just putting together a flow-chart site map. That's just the starting point. That site map must then be analyzed for effectiveness and efficiency using a variety of visitors of varying degrees of computer literacy! Let's face it, some of us can bang through a site a 60 seconds while others fumble around, back-click and eventually leave befuddled. A-1 navigation is a critical component of site success. Take the time to plan for that success.
3. Too much information is just as bad as too little.
If the site is littered with links to other pages, flyouts or popups that provide step-by-step directions to nowhere and navigation conventions (buttons, tabs, etc.), many visitors will become confused and/or distracted. The amount of navigation should be enough to get visitors to where they want to go but not so much that the don't know where they want to go.
4. Don't assume that the home page will be the first page visitors see.
Sometimes it is, sometimes visitors will be linked in the SERPs to an interior zone page based on the relevancy to the user's key words.
So what does this mean? Navigation must be as clear and unambiguous on a third-level drill down page as it is on the home page. The last thing you want is confused visitors wondering why they're on your web site looking at the information on this page.
5. Visitors must be able to return to the home page from anywhere on the site.
When you get lost in some of these labyrinthine web sites, what do you look for? A link to the home page, right? The place you can start over your search and this time avoid getting lost.
And what do you do when you don't see that large, clearly labeled home page link? Well, if you're like most users, you click the back button on the browser or you close it down altogether. The home page is a security blanket for visitors and you'll keep some visitors on site longer if the home page is always only one click away.
6. The more clicks the fewer sales.
The "One-Click Checkout" used on some larger retail sites is a marvel to behold. It makes buying (and buying more) that much easier. Buyers enter all of their personal information one time. Then, when they've loaded their shopping carts, they click on the "Once-Click Checkout" and they're done.
If visitors have to click three, four or five times to find the product description, the service terms or the particular piece of information they're looking for, the site conversion rate will ultimately suffer.
7. Navigation must be consistent throughout the site.
Visitors, especially web-savvy visitors, quickly pick up on the visual cues provided by well-design site navigation.
If you can provide color-coded links, and maybe even add identifying icons, visitors will pick up on it intuitively. With this done, don't change the rules mid-way through the visitor's journey through your site. Be consistent.
8. Site navigation isn't just for eyeballs.
The presentation layer (the site skin) should be designed for human sensibilities and intelligence. However, it shouldn't be lost on webmasters and site owners that search engine spiders also use site navigation to spider a site. Spiders follow links from page to page so consider spiders when setting up your site's layout.
9. Tweak your way to site success.
Even the best site designers can't prepare for all contingencies. It takes metrics analysis of visitor behaviors to determine which navigation is working and which is being under utilized or ignored altogether.
After the site launch, start tracking visitor behaviors to isolate and remedy navigation issues.
10. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.
It's true in life and true in the virtual world of the W3. Some visitor will do something that you (or your designer) never expected - find a rat hole, get permanently lost with no hope of ever finding a way out, mess up the checkout - something that no one could foresee.
And while you can try to plan for these aberrations, they shouldn't be your focus. Your focus should be on a well-designed, well-marked system of site navigation that facilitates the purchase of goods or services with as few clicks as possible for the greatest number of visitors.
That's the site map to success.
1. It's not about the buttons.
Site navigation is much more than buttons, navigation bars, text links and a site map. All of those are neutral, passive means to direct visitors. Good site navigation actually directs the visitor through the purchase process and through the checkout quickly, confidently and securely. A good example: Amazon.com.
2. Top-tier navigation takes plenty of planning.
A well constructed system of roads doesn't just happen. Somebody sat down and planned everything from which roads to build to how they'd be connected to how they'd be identified with exit ramps and street signs.
The same is true of site navigation. It's not just putting together a flow-chart site map. That's just the starting point. That site map must then be analyzed for effectiveness and efficiency using a variety of visitors of varying degrees of computer literacy! Let's face it, some of us can bang through a site a 60 seconds while others fumble around, back-click and eventually leave befuddled. A-1 navigation is a critical component of site success. Take the time to plan for that success.
3. Too much information is just as bad as too little.
If the site is littered with links to other pages, flyouts or popups that provide step-by-step directions to nowhere and navigation conventions (buttons, tabs, etc.), many visitors will become confused and/or distracted. The amount of navigation should be enough to get visitors to where they want to go but not so much that the don't know where they want to go.
4. Don't assume that the home page will be the first page visitors see.
Sometimes it is, sometimes visitors will be linked in the SERPs to an interior zone page based on the relevancy to the user's key words.
So what does this mean? Navigation must be as clear and unambiguous on a third-level drill down page as it is on the home page. The last thing you want is confused visitors wondering why they're on your web site looking at the information on this page.
5. Visitors must be able to return to the home page from anywhere on the site.
When you get lost in some of these labyrinthine web sites, what do you look for? A link to the home page, right? The place you can start over your search and this time avoid getting lost.
And what do you do when you don't see that large, clearly labeled home page link? Well, if you're like most users, you click the back button on the browser or you close it down altogether. The home page is a security blanket for visitors and you'll keep some visitors on site longer if the home page is always only one click away.
6. The more clicks the fewer sales.
The "One-Click Checkout" used on some larger retail sites is a marvel to behold. It makes buying (and buying more) that much easier. Buyers enter all of their personal information one time. Then, when they've loaded their shopping carts, they click on the "Once-Click Checkout" and they're done.
If visitors have to click three, four or five times to find the product description, the service terms or the particular piece of information they're looking for, the site conversion rate will ultimately suffer.
7. Navigation must be consistent throughout the site.
Visitors, especially web-savvy visitors, quickly pick up on the visual cues provided by well-design site navigation.
If you can provide color-coded links, and maybe even add identifying icons, visitors will pick up on it intuitively. With this done, don't change the rules mid-way through the visitor's journey through your site. Be consistent.
8. Site navigation isn't just for eyeballs.
The presentation layer (the site skin) should be designed for human sensibilities and intelligence. However, it shouldn't be lost on webmasters and site owners that search engine spiders also use site navigation to spider a site. Spiders follow links from page to page so consider spiders when setting up your site's layout.
9. Tweak your way to site success.
Even the best site designers can't prepare for all contingencies. It takes metrics analysis of visitor behaviors to determine which navigation is working and which is being under utilized or ignored altogether.
After the site launch, start tracking visitor behaviors to isolate and remedy navigation issues.
10. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.
It's true in life and true in the virtual world of the W3. Some visitor will do something that you (or your designer) never expected - find a rat hole, get permanently lost with no hope of ever finding a way out, mess up the checkout - something that no one could foresee.
And while you can try to plan for these aberrations, they shouldn't be your focus. Your focus should be on a well-designed, well-marked system of site navigation that facilitates the purchase of goods or services with as few clicks as possible for the greatest number of visitors.
That's the site map to success.
4 Reasons Social Marketing Must Be A Part Of Your Business
If you are trying to sell things on the Internet and you do not have a blog you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Would you go to play golf without a putter?
Your competition is blogging and they are beating your pants off every day with ease. A part of blogging is submitting your articles to social directories.
Here are 4 reasons social marketing must be a part of your Internet business.
1. Social marketing is a popular way to get information. Directories like Digg and Netscape are quickly becoming the choice of people all over the world as a way to keep up to date on what is going on.
If you are not blogging and submitting to relevant social directories you are missing out on this easy form of traffic.
2. Social marketing is easy to do. Here's what you need. You should get a WordPress blog and set it up so that you can quickly bookmark the top directories. Then you should post in your blog everyday. If you can talk and type you can blog.
3. Social marketing is an interactive way to develop relationships with your readers. This has become know as Web 2.0 and it is important to the future of your business.
People still like to deal with people. This is an age-old sales trick that sometimes gets lost on the Internet. By making yourself and your blog interactive you become a real person. This will help increase your chances for sales and repeat sales.
4. Search engines love social marketing. You are making their life easy when you blog around keyword rich topics that a person researching can find. When you master the techniques of social marketing you will find you can get on page one of Google and other search engines very quickly.
The reason for this is search engines are spidering Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, and many more non-stop looking for fresh relevant content to put online. This may as well be you as opposed to your competition.
If all of this seems confusing it really shouldn't be. Read "The Authority Black Book" by Jack Humphrey. It is a free ebook you can get online. In it you will learn everything you ever wanted to know on social marketing and how to use it to increase your business.
Do not wait until tomorrow to get started. Do it today and your Internet business will thank you.
Your competition is blogging and they are beating your pants off every day with ease. A part of blogging is submitting your articles to social directories.
Here are 4 reasons social marketing must be a part of your Internet business.
1. Social marketing is a popular way to get information. Directories like Digg and Netscape are quickly becoming the choice of people all over the world as a way to keep up to date on what is going on.
If you are not blogging and submitting to relevant social directories you are missing out on this easy form of traffic.
2. Social marketing is easy to do. Here's what you need. You should get a WordPress blog and set it up so that you can quickly bookmark the top directories. Then you should post in your blog everyday. If you can talk and type you can blog.
3. Social marketing is an interactive way to develop relationships with your readers. This has become know as Web 2.0 and it is important to the future of your business.
People still like to deal with people. This is an age-old sales trick that sometimes gets lost on the Internet. By making yourself and your blog interactive you become a real person. This will help increase your chances for sales and repeat sales.
4. Search engines love social marketing. You are making their life easy when you blog around keyword rich topics that a person researching can find. When you master the techniques of social marketing you will find you can get on page one of Google and other search engines very quickly.
The reason for this is search engines are spidering Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, and many more non-stop looking for fresh relevant content to put online. This may as well be you as opposed to your competition.
If all of this seems confusing it really shouldn't be. Read "The Authority Black Book" by Jack Humphrey. It is a free ebook you can get online. In it you will learn everything you ever wanted to know on social marketing and how to use it to increase your business.
Do not wait until tomorrow to get started. Do it today and your Internet business will thank you.
4 Simple Steps To Blogging For Business
Blogging is a practice that has been around for at least 5 years. It began with average, but opinionated people with something to say, who wanted to share their opinions with anyone who would read them. While it has been popular with the general public, it hasn't caught on with many businesses until recently. Blogging can be a powerful tool for marketing and exposure for any business if done properly. This article will cover the first steps businesses will need to take to set themselves up for successful blogging.
1. Select the Appropriate Hosting for Your Business Blog
You first step is to select an appropriate host for your blog. There are a couple of solutions that you can use to host your blog. You can:
1) Host it on your own server
2) Host it at a blogging hosting server, such as livejournal.com or blogger.com
If you host your own blog on your own web site, you will need to find blogging software that you can use on your web site. You will need to determine what your web site server capabilities are, and then determine what blogging software will work within your server environment. You will then need to install the software and configure it in order to begin blogging.
If you host your blog on a blog hosting system, then everything is already set up for you. All you have to do is sign up for, and configure your account. Some of these blogging services are free and some of them will have a monthly hosting charge.
2. Configure Your Business Blog
Once you have determined how you want to host your blog, and have installed it, or signed up for your blog service, you will need to configure your blog.
Configuring your blog includes, what template you want to use with your blog. Most blogs whether they are on a blog hosting service, or software that you have installed, will come with several templates. If you are new to the Internet, and don't have a lot of programming experience, it is probably best to stick with one of the templates that has come with the software or service. It is however, better if you have some programming background, or have the funds to hire someone, then you can get your blog to look like your business web site. Even if your blog is hosted elsewhere, you can do amazing things with the templates to get your blog to look very similar to your business web site. Most services will allow you to modify the templates that come with their subscription.
Other things that will need to be configured are settings such as the name and description of your business blog, the email address you want messages from your blog to be sent to, how you want your blog archived (posts saved for future access), what ping services you want to notify when you update your blog, and other settings too numerous to mention in this article.
3. Determine the Content of Your Business Blog
This next step can be done before you actually install your blog, but you will need to determine the topic of your business blog, and how you want to convey your information to your target market. The content and topics of your blog should relate to your industry. You can focus as narrow or as wide as you choose think is appropriate. In general, it is a good idea to cover many areas within your industry and then separate the different areas of your industry into different categories within your blog.
For example, if you are blogging about your real estate business, the big topics would be commercial real estate, residential real estate, and investing in real estate, etc.
However, it would be better to specifically focus in your main category/industry. For example, if your main industry is residential real estate, you could have topics such as renting out your home, buying a home, and selling a home. Each of these would be a separate category within your blog.
Lastly but most importantly, you should choose topics and categories that will be of interest to your visitors. You will need to research the keywords that your customers would use to find you. There are many keyword research tools available on the web today that will tell you what exact phrases, and how often, your target market is using to find you. These keywords will determine the topics of your blog entries. You should also use some of the phrases you have found in your research in your business blog posts.
4. Begin Blogging for Your Business
The last step is to start blogging. You can choose from a number of different formats to add entries to your blog, as blog entries can take on any format. Some formats that you may want to consider include:
1) Writing articles and posting them to your blog.
2) Finding related news items in your industry and posting them with comments as to what you think of the news item.
3) Answering frequently asked questions you get from your clients.
4) Writing reviews of products/services in your industry
5) Writing "how to" posts
6) Using a free-style posting of anything you feel would be of interest to your potential clients and/or customers.
Your style of posting should match what your target market would find interesting.
Now that you know the basic steps of what needs to be done to begin business blogging, you can choose how you want to host your blog, what keywords your target market uses to find you, and what format would make the most sense to begin blogging. There are many web sites that have more articles and in-depth information about business blogging. You can use these resource sites to help guide you through the process from making your first post, to getting your first customer from your business blog.
1. Select the Appropriate Hosting for Your Business Blog
You first step is to select an appropriate host for your blog. There are a couple of solutions that you can use to host your blog. You can:
1) Host it on your own server
2) Host it at a blogging hosting server, such as livejournal.com or blogger.com
If you host your own blog on your own web site, you will need to find blogging software that you can use on your web site. You will need to determine what your web site server capabilities are, and then determine what blogging software will work within your server environment. You will then need to install the software and configure it in order to begin blogging.
If you host your blog on a blog hosting system, then everything is already set up for you. All you have to do is sign up for, and configure your account. Some of these blogging services are free and some of them will have a monthly hosting charge.
2. Configure Your Business Blog
Once you have determined how you want to host your blog, and have installed it, or signed up for your blog service, you will need to configure your blog.
Configuring your blog includes, what template you want to use with your blog. Most blogs whether they are on a blog hosting service, or software that you have installed, will come with several templates. If you are new to the Internet, and don't have a lot of programming experience, it is probably best to stick with one of the templates that has come with the software or service. It is however, better if you have some programming background, or have the funds to hire someone, then you can get your blog to look like your business web site. Even if your blog is hosted elsewhere, you can do amazing things with the templates to get your blog to look very similar to your business web site. Most services will allow you to modify the templates that come with their subscription.
Other things that will need to be configured are settings such as the name and description of your business blog, the email address you want messages from your blog to be sent to, how you want your blog archived (posts saved for future access), what ping services you want to notify when you update your blog, and other settings too numerous to mention in this article.
3. Determine the Content of Your Business Blog
This next step can be done before you actually install your blog, but you will need to determine the topic of your business blog, and how you want to convey your information to your target market. The content and topics of your blog should relate to your industry. You can focus as narrow or as wide as you choose think is appropriate. In general, it is a good idea to cover many areas within your industry and then separate the different areas of your industry into different categories within your blog.
For example, if you are blogging about your real estate business, the big topics would be commercial real estate, residential real estate, and investing in real estate, etc.
However, it would be better to specifically focus in your main category/industry. For example, if your main industry is residential real estate, you could have topics such as renting out your home, buying a home, and selling a home. Each of these would be a separate category within your blog.
Lastly but most importantly, you should choose topics and categories that will be of interest to your visitors. You will need to research the keywords that your customers would use to find you. There are many keyword research tools available on the web today that will tell you what exact phrases, and how often, your target market is using to find you. These keywords will determine the topics of your blog entries. You should also use some of the phrases you have found in your research in your business blog posts.
4. Begin Blogging for Your Business
The last step is to start blogging. You can choose from a number of different formats to add entries to your blog, as blog entries can take on any format. Some formats that you may want to consider include:
1) Writing articles and posting them to your blog.
2) Finding related news items in your industry and posting them with comments as to what you think of the news item.
3) Answering frequently asked questions you get from your clients.
4) Writing reviews of products/services in your industry
5) Writing "how to" posts
6) Using a free-style posting of anything you feel would be of interest to your potential clients and/or customers.
Your style of posting should match what your target market would find interesting.
Now that you know the basic steps of what needs to be done to begin business blogging, you can choose how you want to host your blog, what keywords your target market uses to find you, and what format would make the most sense to begin blogging. There are many web sites that have more articles and in-depth information about business blogging. You can use these resource sites to help guide you through the process from making your first post, to getting your first customer from your business blog.
4 Great Blogging Tips For The Freelancer
Blogging is one of the best ways to start a Freelancer business because it is so easy to get going. However, that does not mean that it is easy to make money from your blog. Don't start a blog and expect to see money rolling in immediately.
Blogging is an activity that will take time to build up to a profit level. It's a good thing to start while you are working on other Freelancer opportunities to let it build to a profitability level. With time and attention, your blog (or blogs) will grow into a business.
When you are blogging for profit, you'll want to pay close attention to how you present yourself in your blog. There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and there may be several hundred blogs that are related to your topic. If your readers can't understand your blog and have trouble reading it, they'll just move on to the next one. The following tips can make your blog more user-friendly and help you gain consistent readers.
1. First, pay close attention to the format of your blog. Readers want to understand how your blog works right from the start. Most blogging platforms have similar formats, with links and tags on the left or right margin, and the most recent post on top. Make sure to use the links wisely. Only put links up for blogs or content that is truly related to your blog's topic. The point is to give your readers additional information on your topic. Keep the list short and sweet. There is no reason to overwhelm them with links to other sites.
2. Also, take careful consideration when choosing your blog's background and font color. Although there are a lot of color choices that blogging programs offer, its best to stick with a light background and dark text. Studies have shown that the human brain can process this type of format better than light text on a dark background. Think about this before you commit to a black background and white text. It might look striking, but readers might not want to stay there for long. Also, use a solid background color instead of trying to use a pattern or design.
3. Proofread your entries before you post them to your blog. There is nothing that reduces your authority in the eyes of your readers' more than bad spelling and grammar. The online world is a world of text, so take some time to learn commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors.
4. Keep your blog fresh and interesting by posting at least once per day. With so much information available on the Internet, your readers may go elsewhere if you aren't supplying daily content. If you aren't sure what to write about, try posting a poll, a link to another blog, comment on a news story or post of list of helpful tips. Not every post has to be long and complicated, but you do need to post something everyday.
These tips will help keep your blog readable and interesting to your visitors. The more visitors you get, the more your blog will grow in profitability and importance. Just make sure to present yourself in a professional way and keep your readers coming back for more new content each day. In no time, you'll have a profitable blog and then you can move on to create two or three.
Blogging is an activity that will take time to build up to a profit level. It's a good thing to start while you are working on other Freelancer opportunities to let it build to a profitability level. With time and attention, your blog (or blogs) will grow into a business.
When you are blogging for profit, you'll want to pay close attention to how you present yourself in your blog. There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and there may be several hundred blogs that are related to your topic. If your readers can't understand your blog and have trouble reading it, they'll just move on to the next one. The following tips can make your blog more user-friendly and help you gain consistent readers.
1. First, pay close attention to the format of your blog. Readers want to understand how your blog works right from the start. Most blogging platforms have similar formats, with links and tags on the left or right margin, and the most recent post on top. Make sure to use the links wisely. Only put links up for blogs or content that is truly related to your blog's topic. The point is to give your readers additional information on your topic. Keep the list short and sweet. There is no reason to overwhelm them with links to other sites.
2. Also, take careful consideration when choosing your blog's background and font color. Although there are a lot of color choices that blogging programs offer, its best to stick with a light background and dark text. Studies have shown that the human brain can process this type of format better than light text on a dark background. Think about this before you commit to a black background and white text. It might look striking, but readers might not want to stay there for long. Also, use a solid background color instead of trying to use a pattern or design.
3. Proofread your entries before you post them to your blog. There is nothing that reduces your authority in the eyes of your readers' more than bad spelling and grammar. The online world is a world of text, so take some time to learn commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors.
4. Keep your blog fresh and interesting by posting at least once per day. With so much information available on the Internet, your readers may go elsewhere if you aren't supplying daily content. If you aren't sure what to write about, try posting a poll, a link to another blog, comment on a news story or post of list of helpful tips. Not every post has to be long and complicated, but you do need to post something everyday.
These tips will help keep your blog readable and interesting to your visitors. The more visitors you get, the more your blog will grow in profitability and importance. Just make sure to present yourself in a professional way and keep your readers coming back for more new content each day. In no time, you'll have a profitable blog and then you can move on to create two or three.
15 Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:
1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to "Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by TNL.net
2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.
3.) Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.
4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.
5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.
6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.
7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?
8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.
9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"
10.) Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.
11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.
12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.
13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.
14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.
15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.
Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!
1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to "Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by TNL.net
2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.
3.) Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.
4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.
5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.
6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.
7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?
8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.
9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"
10.) Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.
11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.
12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.
13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.
14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.
15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.
Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!
3 Useful Free Blogging Software and its Features
The number of internet users is increasing everyday. This is because there are interesting and knowledgeable discoveries found online. What most people like on the internet is that they are able to send messages in an instant. In addition, they are getting more and more fascinated with other sites.
Sometimes, people use the internet as their online diary or journal. Others would use it to promote a product. Either way, there is one site that is famous for these things, we call it as Blogging or the Internet Blogging. There are many website providers who are now offering free usage of blogging software packages because of the rapid increase of blogging users.
Examples of the free blogging software are B2evolution, Nucleus and the WordPress. These programs have the same features. This is why most internet users ask which of the software is simple to use and would suit the needs of a specific website.
However, the answer to which one is the simplest depends on the real purpose of the free blogging website. If your main objective is to share your point of view and opinions to the public, you can use different blogging software. However, if it is for promotional purposes, use software designed such purpose because a blog for promotion has completely different requirements.
Below is the list of the free blogging software and their features:
• WordPress Free Blogging Software
WordPress is usually used for personal blogging. It has an open source, modern personal publishing design which is focus on the appearance of the blog. By only using the WordPress, there is no need to gather or your journals and compile it as one. Just write your article. And choose which features you want and the blog will be published immediately to your site.
This software is easy to customize and it offers different functionality. As you get used to it very well, you will learn to add fresh features which will make your site interesting and trendy.
• B2evolution Free Blogging Software
Like the WordPress, this is also an advanced internet blogging software. This free blogging software has a skinning system which lets the users to make many blogs in separate groups with different look or appearance for every blog.
B2evolution has the capability to change skin to make the blog get a new appearance. This software is good for promotional purposes. Therefore, you are planning to create and publish many different themes, B2evolution is the right software for you.
• Nucleus Free Blogging Software
Nucleus has dominant features which is applicable in promoting your blog. It is capable to optimize the URLs. This helps the user create a blog that is easy to use.
One great feature of the Nucleus is that it is capable to present many blogs using a single page. The Nucleus also has a feature that is very good in promoting a particular site.
These three blogging software provide the best feature that you need to create an effective and interesting blog. Remember they are all free, so there is no need to be hesitant in using them.
However, you must choose the software that will be a great help to you in achieving your main objective in creating a blog. In this way, you are making sure that your blog is unique and it will satisfy you and your needs.
Sometimes, people use the internet as their online diary or journal. Others would use it to promote a product. Either way, there is one site that is famous for these things, we call it as Blogging or the Internet Blogging. There are many website providers who are now offering free usage of blogging software packages because of the rapid increase of blogging users.
Examples of the free blogging software are B2evolution, Nucleus and the WordPress. These programs have the same features. This is why most internet users ask which of the software is simple to use and would suit the needs of a specific website.
However, the answer to which one is the simplest depends on the real purpose of the free blogging website. If your main objective is to share your point of view and opinions to the public, you can use different blogging software. However, if it is for promotional purposes, use software designed such purpose because a blog for promotion has completely different requirements.
Below is the list of the free blogging software and their features:
• WordPress Free Blogging Software
WordPress is usually used for personal blogging. It has an open source, modern personal publishing design which is focus on the appearance of the blog. By only using the WordPress, there is no need to gather or your journals and compile it as one. Just write your article. And choose which features you want and the blog will be published immediately to your site.
This software is easy to customize and it offers different functionality. As you get used to it very well, you will learn to add fresh features which will make your site interesting and trendy.
• B2evolution Free Blogging Software
Like the WordPress, this is also an advanced internet blogging software. This free blogging software has a skinning system which lets the users to make many blogs in separate groups with different look or appearance for every blog.
B2evolution has the capability to change skin to make the blog get a new appearance. This software is good for promotional purposes. Therefore, you are planning to create and publish many different themes, B2evolution is the right software for you.
• Nucleus Free Blogging Software
Nucleus has dominant features which is applicable in promoting your blog. It is capable to optimize the URLs. This helps the user create a blog that is easy to use.
One great feature of the Nucleus is that it is capable to present many blogs using a single page. The Nucleus also has a feature that is very good in promoting a particular site.
These three blogging software provide the best feature that you need to create an effective and interesting blog. Remember they are all free, so there is no need to be hesitant in using them.
However, you must choose the software that will be a great help to you in achieving your main objective in creating a blog. In this way, you are making sure that your blog is unique and it will satisfy you and your needs.
11 Steps To Building A Profitable Virtual Content Empire To Display Your Adsense Ads On
Here are the simple steps you need to follow to build a virtual content empire to display your adsense ads on.
When you're running a website, whoever is surfing it is staring at the screen but where? One of the biggest questions for website designers and adsense publishers is discovering where their website visitors are going to be looking when they arrive at their website. This article will reveal the answer to this often asked question and explain the trick to adsense ad placement for the highest adsense ctr.
"Where are the user's eyes looking?" Where do your eyes go when you read articles on the Web? What do you notice and what do you miss? Well, we've got some answers for you, because this topic has been studied. Turns out that the upper left quarter of the screen gets the most attention, according to the Eyetrack III research of The Poynter Institute, the Estlow Center for Journalism & New Media, and Eyetools. But that's not all. There's more to it than that.
1. Pick a domain name - this requires some thought, since even though it's not as critical as it used to be to have a catchy domain name, it still matters to some users. Once you've picked one, check with a domain reseller to see if it's available. If your favorite choice isn't available in .com format, consider being flexible and having it in .net, .biz, .org, or some other form.
2. Buy the domain name. If you find a really good domain name buy it quick. I've delayed buying a domain for 24 hours only to find it gone.
3. Get web hosting. You'll want to shop around on this one, since prices and services and terms & conditions vary greatly.
4. Set up your new domain, including your e-mail addresses.
5. Design your site, and start building pages.
6. Get some content. If you don't want to write it yourself, check out article sites such as http://www.ezinearticles.com/, http://www.goarticles.com/ and http://www.freshcontent.net/. If you are wanting to hire a ghostwriter then look at Elance or postings in forums such as Digital Point and the Warrior Forum.
7. Use programs such as Article Site Builder to automatically build your article sites.
8. Look for some good RSS feeds to be automatically added to your websites.
9. Sign up with Google Adsense.
10. Update your content at least once a week.
11. Check your mailbox for Google Adsense checks.
Setting up a virtual empire of adsense content sites does take some time and effort. However, each site you create is building passive income for your and your family. Of course, if money is not an option you can easily hire people to put the whole site together for you.
When you're running a website, whoever is surfing it is staring at the screen but where? One of the biggest questions for website designers and adsense publishers is discovering where their website visitors are going to be looking when they arrive at their website. This article will reveal the answer to this often asked question and explain the trick to adsense ad placement for the highest adsense ctr.
"Where are the user's eyes looking?" Where do your eyes go when you read articles on the Web? What do you notice and what do you miss? Well, we've got some answers for you, because this topic has been studied. Turns out that the upper left quarter of the screen gets the most attention, according to the Eyetrack III research of The Poynter Institute, the Estlow Center for Journalism & New Media, and Eyetools. But that's not all. There's more to it than that.
1. Pick a domain name - this requires some thought, since even though it's not as critical as it used to be to have a catchy domain name, it still matters to some users. Once you've picked one, check with a domain reseller to see if it's available. If your favorite choice isn't available in .com format, consider being flexible and having it in .net, .biz, .org, or some other form.
2. Buy the domain name. If you find a really good domain name buy it quick. I've delayed buying a domain for 24 hours only to find it gone.
3. Get web hosting. You'll want to shop around on this one, since prices and services and terms & conditions vary greatly.
4. Set up your new domain, including your e-mail addresses.
5. Design your site, and start building pages.
6. Get some content. If you don't want to write it yourself, check out article sites such as http://www.ezinearticles.com/, http://www.goarticles.com/ and http://www.freshcontent.net/. If you are wanting to hire a ghostwriter then look at Elance or postings in forums such as Digital Point and the Warrior Forum.
7. Use programs such as Article Site Builder to automatically build your article sites.
8. Look for some good RSS feeds to be automatically added to your websites.
9. Sign up with Google Adsense.
10. Update your content at least once a week.
11. Check your mailbox for Google Adsense checks.
Setting up a virtual empire of adsense content sites does take some time and effort. However, each site you create is building passive income for your and your family. Of course, if money is not an option you can easily hire people to put the whole site together for you.
10 Things You Can Do to Get People to Comment on Your Blog
For the blogging community, a comment is a badge of sorts. Every comment you receive represents one person that, regardless of whether they agree with your ideas or not, read your post and felt strongly enough to respond to them. Comments can make even the most jaded of bloggers feel fuzzy inside. So, how does a new blogger start turning those dozens of posts into a field of comments and discussion? It can seem hard at first, but there are a few steps you can take right away that will increase your readers' willingness to speak up.
Invite Comments
For whatever reason, if you ask your readers to leave a comment on your post, they will be immediately more willing to do so. This is just a natural response that the human brain tends to have. People are often in a hurry, or have multiple things on their mind. They might fully enjoy your post, but as soon as they are done, click to something else. If you ask them to comment, it serves as a subtle reminder that they should join in the conversation.
Open Ended Posts
Even if you are an expert on a topic, don't try to share every possible detail in one post. Be as open ended as possible and leave a few points for your readers to share. This takes a little bit of the humility mentioned below. If you can keep from throwing every fact you've ever read about a specific topic into one post, your readers will not have to think about something to say in response.
Ask Lots of Questions
The obvious way to get responses is to ask a question. If you ask your readers what they think about a topic, or for specific people to give their opinion on a lifestyle, you will get more responses. For example, if your blog is about TV shows and you ask a question such as "What shows did you enjoy in the past that are similar to The Simpsons", you will get many more comments than if you said "I enjoy old shows like All in the Family, because it is like The Simpsons". Engage your readers by addressing them directly.
Respond to Existing Comments
If someone comments, respond to it. Even if the comment is short and not particularly deep, a quick response can show that you are always paying attention and willing to engage in conversation with your readers. That commenter is now much more likely to comment again.
Setting Rules
Most blogging platforms such as Blogger do not have a built in set of rules for comments. The comments section is left open by default and you can make changes to it if you desire. Try creating a commenting policy and posting it on your page somewhere. This may seem like it would lower comments, but by describing what is allowed, readers with potential comments they might not have been willing to share initially are more likely to comment.
Show Some Humility
Don't try to know everything all the time. Be humble and show that you are aware of your own shortcomings, failings and holes in your knowledge. Don't be self-defacing, but be willing to say "I don't really know much about this, but I had a thought". The best part about blogging is that it gives readers and writers a chance to interact on an equal, real time level. If visitors want to read the opinions of those who feel they are always right, they could buy a book or pick up a newspaper.
Controversy
It's a gamble, and you can go too far, but if you want to breed new comments on your page quickly, pick a controversial topic and make a statement. This does mean you need to become political or religious. You could simply say that you disliked a popular movie. Anytime a blogger disagrees with popular opinion, comments skyrocket. Just be prepared to stand up for your opinion and to do it gracefully.
Graciousness, Admit When You Are Wrong
If you make a mistake and someone writes a comment pointing out that mistake, try to accept their comment and admit your mistake. It is very easy to become defensive and angry on the Internet where you have no personal contact with your readers. However, by showing that you graciously accept someone else's comments and opinions, you show humility and increase the likeliness of return visitors and readers.
Don't Make it Hard to Comment
Blogger has an option that allows you to require a login for the posting of comments. This is too much work. If you require a login, many people will decide against commenting altogether, especially if they need to sign up for a new account to do so. Instead of requiring login information, you can set your comments for approval before they post. This allows you to sort out comments and delete spam if necessary.
Make It Worth Their While
If you offer a reward for a good comment, you not only encourage repeat comments, you encourage better comments. Mark especially good comments with a comment of your own, or reference them in a new post. This draws attention to your readers and shows you are reading what they say.
If you want to grow your readership and comments section, the best thing you can do is to be involved and pay attention to what your readers have to say. Do these things and you will start to see your comment spaces fill up in no time.
Invite Comments
For whatever reason, if you ask your readers to leave a comment on your post, they will be immediately more willing to do so. This is just a natural response that the human brain tends to have. People are often in a hurry, or have multiple things on their mind. They might fully enjoy your post, but as soon as they are done, click to something else. If you ask them to comment, it serves as a subtle reminder that they should join in the conversation.
Open Ended Posts
Even if you are an expert on a topic, don't try to share every possible detail in one post. Be as open ended as possible and leave a few points for your readers to share. This takes a little bit of the humility mentioned below. If you can keep from throwing every fact you've ever read about a specific topic into one post, your readers will not have to think about something to say in response.
Ask Lots of Questions
The obvious way to get responses is to ask a question. If you ask your readers what they think about a topic, or for specific people to give their opinion on a lifestyle, you will get more responses. For example, if your blog is about TV shows and you ask a question such as "What shows did you enjoy in the past that are similar to The Simpsons", you will get many more comments than if you said "I enjoy old shows like All in the Family, because it is like The Simpsons". Engage your readers by addressing them directly.
Respond to Existing Comments
If someone comments, respond to it. Even if the comment is short and not particularly deep, a quick response can show that you are always paying attention and willing to engage in conversation with your readers. That commenter is now much more likely to comment again.
Setting Rules
Most blogging platforms such as Blogger do not have a built in set of rules for comments. The comments section is left open by default and you can make changes to it if you desire. Try creating a commenting policy and posting it on your page somewhere. This may seem like it would lower comments, but by describing what is allowed, readers with potential comments they might not have been willing to share initially are more likely to comment.
Show Some Humility
Don't try to know everything all the time. Be humble and show that you are aware of your own shortcomings, failings and holes in your knowledge. Don't be self-defacing, but be willing to say "I don't really know much about this, but I had a thought". The best part about blogging is that it gives readers and writers a chance to interact on an equal, real time level. If visitors want to read the opinions of those who feel they are always right, they could buy a book or pick up a newspaper.
Controversy
It's a gamble, and you can go too far, but if you want to breed new comments on your page quickly, pick a controversial topic and make a statement. This does mean you need to become political or religious. You could simply say that you disliked a popular movie. Anytime a blogger disagrees with popular opinion, comments skyrocket. Just be prepared to stand up for your opinion and to do it gracefully.
Graciousness, Admit When You Are Wrong
If you make a mistake and someone writes a comment pointing out that mistake, try to accept their comment and admit your mistake. It is very easy to become defensive and angry on the Internet where you have no personal contact with your readers. However, by showing that you graciously accept someone else's comments and opinions, you show humility and increase the likeliness of return visitors and readers.
Don't Make it Hard to Comment
Blogger has an option that allows you to require a login for the posting of comments. This is too much work. If you require a login, many people will decide against commenting altogether, especially if they need to sign up for a new account to do so. Instead of requiring login information, you can set your comments for approval before they post. This allows you to sort out comments and delete spam if necessary.
Make It Worth Their While
If you offer a reward for a good comment, you not only encourage repeat comments, you encourage better comments. Mark especially good comments with a comment of your own, or reference them in a new post. This draws attention to your readers and shows you are reading what they say.
If you want to grow your readership and comments section, the best thing you can do is to be involved and pay attention to what your readers have to say. Do these things and you will start to see your comment spaces fill up in no time.
10 Steps To Gigantic Blog Traffic
Do you need more traffic to your blog? This article will give you practical steps that you can take today in order to increase your blog's readership.
1. Post quality, original content to your blog.
Creating original well-researched content will set your blog apart from the pack. If people look at your blog and see poor quality content, they will leave your blog and probably never come back. People are drawn to great content and unique personalities. They like blogs that are written conversationally. Write like you are writing to a friend you really want to help. Include personal life stories and testimonies. This will help people feel connected to you and add uniqueness to your blog.
2. Help your readers solve their problems.
Many people come to the Internet to solve their problems. If you answer their questions with simple step by step instructions, they will appreciate your help and re-visit your site for more useful information in the future. You can also use this strategy to promote affiliate programs. Show them how they can use the particular service or product that you are promoting with simple steps and solve their problems.
3. Write for your visitors and not for the search engines.
When people write just for the search engines they tend to include search terms that don't flow with the stream of thought of the post. If what you write doesn't make sense to your visitors they will leave. You still want to optimize your posts for the search engines, just don't overdo it.
4. Post regularly and on a schedule.
This will cause the search engine spiders to visit your site regularly. It will also cause your readers to visit you regularly, because they know that at certain times they will be able to get fresh content from your blog. They will come to depend on it. It might be a good idea to include your posting schedule on your blog. People like consistency. If you have long lapses in posting, this will cause people to stop visiting your site. You want people to know that they can count on you for high quality, fresh, original content.
5. Write for a niche within a niche.
For example, Internet marketing is the main niche and ezine creation is the niche within a niche. People are looking for high quality content on a certain niche. If you can provide great information about a niche, your visitors will know where to come for the next great post. Give your readers a great reason to come back.
6. Optimize your blog for the search engines.
Make sure your blog posts are search engine friendly. Configure your blog to display the title of the post in the URL. You can do this in the control panel of your blog software. Another strategy is to put your main keyword in the domain name of your site. It is also a good idea to put your keywords and keyword phrases into the titles of your posts. Do keyword research before each post, so you know what are good terms to include in your post title. Then, take the time to write incredible posts. This will cause other blogs and websites to link to your blog. When you get links from related sites to your blog, your blog post will receive priority in the search engines and cause your post to appear at the top of the search engine listings.
7. Re-write your posts and submit them to article directories.
Use your posts to write articles that are 300 - 1000 words long and submit these to the top article directories on the Internet. Each article contains an author box. In the author box you will be able to promote your blog. Make sure to include a link back to your website. You can also use article submission services to blast out your articles to tons of publishers that will reprint your articles. Once again it is important that you write high quality articles or they won't take the time to publish them. There are a variety of companies that will do this. Take the time to research and find out which ones will best meet your needs. You could also contact websites that are within your niche and ask them if they would like fresh content for their sites in exchange for a link back to yours. If the article is well-written and useful then they will probably say yes. You could also write exclusive articles for these sites in exchange for a link back to your site.
8. Post on forums within your niche.
Do a search for "forums" + "your niche keyword" in order to find forums that relate to your niche. Take the time to review the forum rules and get to know the main contributors to the forum. Remember, a forum is a community of people and you are going to engage in this community. Get to know who is who. A lot of forums allow you to have a signature line attached to each post that you make. In the signature you will be able to put a link to your blog. You also might want to include a link to your RSS feed. Sign up for an account and start posting. Make sure that each post is informative and contributes to the forum. People will pick up on this right away. They will know that you are an authentic contributor. Just posting your ads to forums will tarnish your reputation, unless the forum allows it. When someone reads your post and clicks on your link, you will get traffic to your blog.
9. Design a useable, eye appealing blog.
It is a worthwhile investment to host your own blog rather than using free blog hosting. It would also be a good investment to take the time to create a visually appealing blog. There are many designers who can design a custom blog for you. You also want to make sure that it is easy to navigate your blog. Don't over clutter your blog with widgets and advertising. Do some research on blog usability and apply what you are learning to your blog. The time and money that you invest in a useable and eye appealing blog will result in traffic.
10. Get one way links to your site.
Submit your blog to all the blog and RSS directories. If you don't have time to submit to all these sites, there are services you can pay to submit your site. You can also get one way links by doing a search for "Add link" "(your target market key word)" and submitting your link to those directories. One of the best ways to get one way links is to write amazing content. This will cause other blogs and websites to link to your blog. High quality posts are known as "link bait." Once you create a great post be sure and social bookmark it to all the main directories. It takes a lot of time to write quality content, but a good "link bait" piece can cause your traffic to explode.
1. Post quality, original content to your blog.
Creating original well-researched content will set your blog apart from the pack. If people look at your blog and see poor quality content, they will leave your blog and probably never come back. People are drawn to great content and unique personalities. They like blogs that are written conversationally. Write like you are writing to a friend you really want to help. Include personal life stories and testimonies. This will help people feel connected to you and add uniqueness to your blog.
2. Help your readers solve their problems.
Many people come to the Internet to solve their problems. If you answer their questions with simple step by step instructions, they will appreciate your help and re-visit your site for more useful information in the future. You can also use this strategy to promote affiliate programs. Show them how they can use the particular service or product that you are promoting with simple steps and solve their problems.
3. Write for your visitors and not for the search engines.
When people write just for the search engines they tend to include search terms that don't flow with the stream of thought of the post. If what you write doesn't make sense to your visitors they will leave. You still want to optimize your posts for the search engines, just don't overdo it.
4. Post regularly and on a schedule.
This will cause the search engine spiders to visit your site regularly. It will also cause your readers to visit you regularly, because they know that at certain times they will be able to get fresh content from your blog. They will come to depend on it. It might be a good idea to include your posting schedule on your blog. People like consistency. If you have long lapses in posting, this will cause people to stop visiting your site. You want people to know that they can count on you for high quality, fresh, original content.
5. Write for a niche within a niche.
For example, Internet marketing is the main niche and ezine creation is the niche within a niche. People are looking for high quality content on a certain niche. If you can provide great information about a niche, your visitors will know where to come for the next great post. Give your readers a great reason to come back.
6. Optimize your blog for the search engines.
Make sure your blog posts are search engine friendly. Configure your blog to display the title of the post in the URL. You can do this in the control panel of your blog software. Another strategy is to put your main keyword in the domain name of your site. It is also a good idea to put your keywords and keyword phrases into the titles of your posts. Do keyword research before each post, so you know what are good terms to include in your post title. Then, take the time to write incredible posts. This will cause other blogs and websites to link to your blog. When you get links from related sites to your blog, your blog post will receive priority in the search engines and cause your post to appear at the top of the search engine listings.
7. Re-write your posts and submit them to article directories.
Use your posts to write articles that are 300 - 1000 words long and submit these to the top article directories on the Internet. Each article contains an author box. In the author box you will be able to promote your blog. Make sure to include a link back to your website. You can also use article submission services to blast out your articles to tons of publishers that will reprint your articles. Once again it is important that you write high quality articles or they won't take the time to publish them. There are a variety of companies that will do this. Take the time to research and find out which ones will best meet your needs. You could also contact websites that are within your niche and ask them if they would like fresh content for their sites in exchange for a link back to yours. If the article is well-written and useful then they will probably say yes. You could also write exclusive articles for these sites in exchange for a link back to your site.
8. Post on forums within your niche.
Do a search for "forums" + "your niche keyword" in order to find forums that relate to your niche. Take the time to review the forum rules and get to know the main contributors to the forum. Remember, a forum is a community of people and you are going to engage in this community. Get to know who is who. A lot of forums allow you to have a signature line attached to each post that you make. In the signature you will be able to put a link to your blog. You also might want to include a link to your RSS feed. Sign up for an account and start posting. Make sure that each post is informative and contributes to the forum. People will pick up on this right away. They will know that you are an authentic contributor. Just posting your ads to forums will tarnish your reputation, unless the forum allows it. When someone reads your post and clicks on your link, you will get traffic to your blog.
9. Design a useable, eye appealing blog.
It is a worthwhile investment to host your own blog rather than using free blog hosting. It would also be a good investment to take the time to create a visually appealing blog. There are many designers who can design a custom blog for you. You also want to make sure that it is easy to navigate your blog. Don't over clutter your blog with widgets and advertising. Do some research on blog usability and apply what you are learning to your blog. The time and money that you invest in a useable and eye appealing blog will result in traffic.
10. Get one way links to your site.
Submit your blog to all the blog and RSS directories. If you don't have time to submit to all these sites, there are services you can pay to submit your site. You can also get one way links by doing a search for "Add link" "(your target market key word)" and submitting your link to those directories. One of the best ways to get one way links is to write amazing content. This will cause other blogs and websites to link to your blog. High quality posts are known as "link bait." Once you create a great post be sure and social bookmark it to all the main directories. It takes a lot of time to write quality content, but a good "link bait" piece can cause your traffic to explode.
10 Most Popular Sitemap Plugins For Wordpress
How many times has this plugin been downloaded? If it's been downloaded several hundred thousand of times that's a sign of its popularity. Plugins become popular when they work well. If it's only been downloaded a handful of times but is a very new plugin, you might want to try it keeping in mind there may be some fine tuning or bugs to work out.
The WordPress platform for blogging is probably the most popular for it's ease of use and availability of multitude of themes and plugins available. Not to mention that it is totally free to use and unlike Blogger you keep total control of it's hosting. You don't have to fear that Blogger/Google will change the rules on you or even suspend your site.
Overall i recommend this plugin as a must download for anyone who cares about the aesthetics of their website. It is simple to configure (works out of the box in fact) and adds a real touch of class to any website.
This plugin brings the powerful features of StatCounter to your blog. You get real time statistics with detailed tracking and analysis. You will know what keywords visitors used to find your site. You can know how visitors navigate around your website and which pages they visit most often.
That's where the wordpress plugin, Google Analytics Dashboard, enters. It allows you to check your stats right from the WordPress Dashboard without ever leaving your blog.
Of course, you may find that the problem persists even with the latest plugin release, in which case you have to to through the whole cycle of things again that I already mentioned in order to alleviate the problem.
The best RSS feed manager is probably Feedburner. The best WP plugins to take care of RSS feeds is Feedburner FeedSmith. This plugin allows you to avoid any hardcoding. This plugin will allow you to paste the Feedburner URL in the settings page and everything is set.
Some users want their subscription list to have an expiration list so it can be updated. This can be done with the 'control subscription length' feature. Users can now control how long memberships are valid along with having a membership expiration. This feature is mostly used for 'trial' and limited memberships. Usually trial memberships are set up to give a member temporary access to features and content on the website.
Publish your posts to Twitter, Facebook and MySpace with this wordpress plugin. I am amazed of how practical Pretty Link Pro is.
click here
The WordPress platform for blogging is probably the most popular for it's ease of use and availability of multitude of themes and plugins available. Not to mention that it is totally free to use and unlike Blogger you keep total control of it's hosting. You don't have to fear that Blogger/Google will change the rules on you or even suspend your site.
Overall i recommend this plugin as a must download for anyone who cares about the aesthetics of their website. It is simple to configure (works out of the box in fact) and adds a real touch of class to any website.
This plugin brings the powerful features of StatCounter to your blog. You get real time statistics with detailed tracking and analysis. You will know what keywords visitors used to find your site. You can know how visitors navigate around your website and which pages they visit most often.
That's where the wordpress plugin, Google Analytics Dashboard, enters. It allows you to check your stats right from the WordPress Dashboard without ever leaving your blog.
Of course, you may find that the problem persists even with the latest plugin release, in which case you have to to through the whole cycle of things again that I already mentioned in order to alleviate the problem.
The best RSS feed manager is probably Feedburner. The best WP plugins to take care of RSS feeds is Feedburner FeedSmith. This plugin allows you to avoid any hardcoding. This plugin will allow you to paste the Feedburner URL in the settings page and everything is set.
Some users want their subscription list to have an expiration list so it can be updated. This can be done with the 'control subscription length' feature. Users can now control how long memberships are valid along with having a membership expiration. This feature is mostly used for 'trial' and limited memberships. Usually trial memberships are set up to give a member temporary access to features and content on the website.
Publish your posts to Twitter, Facebook and MySpace with this wordpress plugin. I am amazed of how practical Pretty Link Pro is.
click here
10 Search Engine Optimisation Tips For WordPress Blogs
Search engine optimisation for WordPress is essential if you are to gain maximum traction from your efforts. Many corporate or business blogs are started with the intention of using them to;
- broaden the companies information distribution
- provide an easy way to grow the site
- provide an easy way to create fresh content
- increase the "stickiness" of the site
- generate additional qualified traffic
- increase incoming link count
However, what many people fail to understand is that the default installation of WordPress simply does not include even the most basic SEO functionality. The default WordPress installation generates unintelligible URLs, generic Page Titles and neither Description nor Keyword meta-tags. Thus, the chances of achieving the desired goals is severely compromised! That search engines hate duplicate content is a given - and 3 of the key indicators are page URL, Title and Description!
Fortunately, SEO for WordPress is facilitated by the concept of "plugins" or easily installed mini-applications which provide specific functionality. They do so dynamically - in other words, once installed the applications automate the process of generating accurate outputs, with no manual efforts required by you. Here are ten essential enhancements to WordPress that will make a huge difference in the qualified traffic your blog delivers to you!
1. Page Names or URLs
This is controlled by the Permalinks setting - the default produces garbage URL's which give no indication of the actual page or post content. However, its not particularly difficult to have every page URL show as a keyword-rich plain-English file name with an HTML extension! This can be based on the post title or Slug, so you have precise control over the page name / URL. Achieving this simply requires the use of the Custom Permalink option.
2. Titles
The Optimal Title plugin provides a quick solution - once installed it dynamically inserts the post title into the pages Title tag, in front of the Weblog title you have set. This facilitates keyword-rich titles specific/unique to the page / post. Accurate titles are the single most important on-site SEO element.
3. Description Meta-tag
There are several plugins that dynamically provides good Description meta-tags. The one I like is Head-Meta-Desc as its a no-brainer to install, and by default uses either the optional excerpt if present, or the first 20 words from the first paragraph of the posting. The only thing I change is to edit the number of words it takes - from 20 to 30, which usually
produces a Description tag containing 180 - 200 characters.
4. Keyword Meta-Tag
To produce an accurate page-specific keyword meta-tag, I use Ultimate Tag Warrior - a keyword meta-tag is an on/off option within this plugin, and it dynamically produces keywords based on post category + tags used in the post. That's not all it does!
5. Tag Management
When you see the word "tag" in the blog context, simply think "keyword." Tags are the blogger's version of keywords, which are "pinned" to blog post to help categorise them, and find them, or similar / related posts again. The Ultimate Tag Warrior plugin previously mentioned will manage your tags for you... the ultimate convenience being the drop-down list of tags available on new posts! This speeds up the tagging process, and assists in tag name consistency. UTW provides various options for displaying tags on each post - as a list, as a tag cloud...
6. Google Sitemap Generator for WordPress
A sitemap is a key SEO tool to ensure pages have the best possible chance of being found and indexed by search engine spiders. This plugin creates a Google-compliant XML-Sitemap of your WordPress blog, including homepage, posts, static pages, categories and archives. This plugin also notifies Google whenever the sitemap gets regenerated - which happens
automatically every time a new post is made!
7. Categories
Use them wisely! take care to use keyword-rich, accurate Category names, these will be used in URLs, and in keyword meta-tags.
8. Post Titles
Use them wisely also! Keyword-rich, accurate post titles can make the world of difference to your SE rankings. Coupled with Optimal Title, the post title is going to be the first section of the Page Title. Each post title should include a relevant keyword / keyword phrase...
9. Maximise Blog & Ping Potential
There are services that scan blogs regularly for updates, and publish the recent updates. To derive the benefit of that, you need to add an expanded ping list to the Options / Writing / Update List. By default, WordPress only pings the Pingomatic service with new posts. There are a growing number of other distribution services that you need to be notifying, to get the best results.
10 Blog Search Engines & Directories
You must manually submit your blog to 100+ top blog search engines and directories to gain maximum traction. Registration on those offering ping services ensures that your blog's update pings will be accepted and processed by them.
If you implement these 10 simple WordPress search engine optimisation modifications to your blog, I can guarantee you will achieve a huge boost in traffic flows!
- broaden the companies information distribution
- provide an easy way to grow the site
- provide an easy way to create fresh content
- increase the "stickiness" of the site
- generate additional qualified traffic
- increase incoming link count
However, what many people fail to understand is that the default installation of WordPress simply does not include even the most basic SEO functionality. The default WordPress installation generates unintelligible URLs, generic Page Titles and neither Description nor Keyword meta-tags. Thus, the chances of achieving the desired goals is severely compromised! That search engines hate duplicate content is a given - and 3 of the key indicators are page URL, Title and Description!
Fortunately, SEO for WordPress is facilitated by the concept of "plugins" or easily installed mini-applications which provide specific functionality. They do so dynamically - in other words, once installed the applications automate the process of generating accurate outputs, with no manual efforts required by you. Here are ten essential enhancements to WordPress that will make a huge difference in the qualified traffic your blog delivers to you!
1. Page Names or URLs
This is controlled by the Permalinks setting - the default produces garbage URL's which give no indication of the actual page or post content. However, its not particularly difficult to have every page URL show as a keyword-rich plain-English file name with an HTML extension! This can be based on the post title or Slug, so you have precise control over the page name / URL. Achieving this simply requires the use of the Custom Permalink option.
2. Titles
The Optimal Title plugin provides a quick solution - once installed it dynamically inserts the post title into the pages Title tag, in front of the Weblog title you have set. This facilitates keyword-rich titles specific/unique to the page / post. Accurate titles are the single most important on-site SEO element.
3. Description Meta-tag
There are several plugins that dynamically provides good Description meta-tags. The one I like is Head-Meta-Desc as its a no-brainer to install, and by default uses either the optional excerpt if present, or the first 20 words from the first paragraph of the posting. The only thing I change is to edit the number of words it takes - from 20 to 30, which usually
produces a Description tag containing 180 - 200 characters.
4. Keyword Meta-Tag
To produce an accurate page-specific keyword meta-tag, I use Ultimate Tag Warrior - a keyword meta-tag is an on/off option within this plugin, and it dynamically produces keywords based on post category + tags used in the post. That's not all it does!
5. Tag Management
When you see the word "tag" in the blog context, simply think "keyword." Tags are the blogger's version of keywords, which are "pinned" to blog post to help categorise them, and find them, or similar / related posts again. The Ultimate Tag Warrior plugin previously mentioned will manage your tags for you... the ultimate convenience being the drop-down list of tags available on new posts! This speeds up the tagging process, and assists in tag name consistency. UTW provides various options for displaying tags on each post - as a list, as a tag cloud...
6. Google Sitemap Generator for WordPress
A sitemap is a key SEO tool to ensure pages have the best possible chance of being found and indexed by search engine spiders. This plugin creates a Google-compliant XML-Sitemap of your WordPress blog, including homepage, posts, static pages, categories and archives. This plugin also notifies Google whenever the sitemap gets regenerated - which happens
automatically every time a new post is made!
7. Categories
Use them wisely! take care to use keyword-rich, accurate Category names, these will be used in URLs, and in keyword meta-tags.
8. Post Titles
Use them wisely also! Keyword-rich, accurate post titles can make the world of difference to your SE rankings. Coupled with Optimal Title, the post title is going to be the first section of the Page Title. Each post title should include a relevant keyword / keyword phrase...
9. Maximise Blog & Ping Potential
There are services that scan blogs regularly for updates, and publish the recent updates. To derive the benefit of that, you need to add an expanded ping list to the Options / Writing / Update List. By default, WordPress only pings the Pingomatic service with new posts. There are a growing number of other distribution services that you need to be notifying, to get the best results.
10 Blog Search Engines & Directories
You must manually submit your blog to 100+ top blog search engines and directories to gain maximum traction. Registration on those offering ping services ensures that your blog's update pings will be accepted and processed by them.
If you implement these 10 simple WordPress search engine optimisation modifications to your blog, I can guarantee you will achieve a huge boost in traffic flows!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
"Performers Should Shut Up!"
The Dixie Chicks, featured on the Grammy's 2007, are still getting the cold shoulder from conservative Southern Radio for mouthing a political opinion. Actually it was a personal attack on President Bush. They still haven't learned.
Martin Sheen (remember his duct taped mouth?) has been relegated into the shadows. He appears in the new movie - The Departed - but you only see him for 2 seconds in the commercials for the flick and he is not mentioned in a starring role. Director Martin Scorsese has hidden Sheen in the shadows. Does he hope that conservatives will be tricked into spending their money on the movie, or buy or rent the DVD?
I could go on about the financial backlash each of these people is feeling and how they should not be penalized for exercising free speech but that is not the issue here.
Actor Richard Widmark said it best. When asked about politics he said - "Performers should perform and then shut up". I believe that he understood his obligation to not use his position and popularity as a pulpit to express his political views. I believe that he understood that he could easily sway the opinions of gullible star-struck fans towards a political position that he favored or decried. Richard Widmark performed and then kept his mouth shut about politics.
As a former working journalist, paid by my station and network, I delivered the news and "shut up" about my personal political views. No one knew whether I was Republican, Democrat, Independent. I voted in nearly every election and I had friends in the political parties because I reported the news and "shut up". All politicians got equal time on every issue. My job was to give them a pulpit because each was recognized as a political expert.
Those of you of my generation will remember Walter Cronkite. He was called - "The Most Trusted Man in America". Why? He earned that designation because no one knew his politics. He never tilted a story, hiding his political opinion, as is the practice among many TV anchors today. He stepped out of his neutral role only once. He went to Viet Nam and saw the carnage for himself and spoke out against the war. It was done in a way that was thoughtful and fact-based. It was not a shoot-from-the-lip opinion.
Actors and musicians are hardly recognized as having the credibility of a Walter Cronkite. They perform and entertain for a living. Yes, they have a political opinion. Most of us do. But, expert opinion? I think not. Just because Mainstream Media gives them a bully pulpit does not validate their opinion in the slightest. In fact, it should make you question the motives of Media. Why would they put these people on-air and in print? Why not give my plumber or garbage man the same visibility? Their opinion is just as valid isn't it?
Where do I personally stand on this? I will make this admission - I do not pay to view, own, rent, or listen to any performer who publicly states a political opinion, regardless of that opinion. I really don't care about their opinion. I only care about their misuse of their position and my wife and I have decided we will not support them with our money. If their name is mentioned in the credits of a film or on a CD cover - sorry.
Now, I am not proposing a blacklist. Far from it. I don't like blacklisting in any form. I don't like boycotts or protest marches either. I believe in changing things through the political system through the power of the ballot box and the power of money.
If you agree with the performers, you have every right to spend your money to support them. If you do not agree with them, you have every right to reject them.
For me - performers should perform and then shut up.
Martin Sheen (remember his duct taped mouth?) has been relegated into the shadows. He appears in the new movie - The Departed - but you only see him for 2 seconds in the commercials for the flick and he is not mentioned in a starring role. Director Martin Scorsese has hidden Sheen in the shadows. Does he hope that conservatives will be tricked into spending their money on the movie, or buy or rent the DVD?
I could go on about the financial backlash each of these people is feeling and how they should not be penalized for exercising free speech but that is not the issue here.
Actor Richard Widmark said it best. When asked about politics he said - "Performers should perform and then shut up". I believe that he understood his obligation to not use his position and popularity as a pulpit to express his political views. I believe that he understood that he could easily sway the opinions of gullible star-struck fans towards a political position that he favored or decried. Richard Widmark performed and then kept his mouth shut about politics.
As a former working journalist, paid by my station and network, I delivered the news and "shut up" about my personal political views. No one knew whether I was Republican, Democrat, Independent. I voted in nearly every election and I had friends in the political parties because I reported the news and "shut up". All politicians got equal time on every issue. My job was to give them a pulpit because each was recognized as a political expert.
Those of you of my generation will remember Walter Cronkite. He was called - "The Most Trusted Man in America". Why? He earned that designation because no one knew his politics. He never tilted a story, hiding his political opinion, as is the practice among many TV anchors today. He stepped out of his neutral role only once. He went to Viet Nam and saw the carnage for himself and spoke out against the war. It was done in a way that was thoughtful and fact-based. It was not a shoot-from-the-lip opinion.
Actors and musicians are hardly recognized as having the credibility of a Walter Cronkite. They perform and entertain for a living. Yes, they have a political opinion. Most of us do. But, expert opinion? I think not. Just because Mainstream Media gives them a bully pulpit does not validate their opinion in the slightest. In fact, it should make you question the motives of Media. Why would they put these people on-air and in print? Why not give my plumber or garbage man the same visibility? Their opinion is just as valid isn't it?
Where do I personally stand on this? I will make this admission - I do not pay to view, own, rent, or listen to any performer who publicly states a political opinion, regardless of that opinion. I really don't care about their opinion. I only care about their misuse of their position and my wife and I have decided we will not support them with our money. If their name is mentioned in the credits of a film or on a CD cover - sorry.
Now, I am not proposing a blacklist. Far from it. I don't like blacklisting in any form. I don't like boycotts or protest marches either. I believe in changing things through the political system through the power of the ballot box and the power of money.
If you agree with the performers, you have every right to spend your money to support them. If you do not agree with them, you have every right to reject them.
For me - performers should perform and then shut up.
"Domain Name Spying"-The Latest Technique In Domain Name Sabotage
If you are a new business owner, you likely have spent a good deal of time trying to determine what domain name will be best for your operations. To this end, you may have taken the steps necessary to determine the availability of a particular name. In fact, finding that it is available may have made you very pleased. Not registering the name upon your first visit, you return a couple of days later to find that someone else has registered the name you wanted in the interim.
Of course, this all could have been a coincidence. Nonetheless, in this day and age, a more likely possibility may be that another entity actually tracked your search for a particular domain name and intentionally registered that name itself. Those entities that are now engaging in this insidious practice are said to be domain name spying. In fact, there now appear to be operations that solely engage in this practice.
The reality is that there is nothing new about operators interfering with a bona fide business's attempts to register a domain name. Cybersquatting involves registering a name confusingly similar to a trademark and then offering to sell that name to the trademark's actual owner for a greatly inflated price. There are other practices that interfere with legitimate attempts to register domain names, including tasting and kiting.
Domain name tasting is a process that takes advantage of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) policy that allows a five day grace period in which a domain name can be returned. A taster registers numerous names in order to generate advertising income from short term ownership to determine which names might be most profitable over the long haul. If the registrant finds that certain names don't meet his or her goals, it is simply returned.
Domain kiting actually takes the tasting concept a step further. Through kiting the ICANN grace period is abused. As with tasting, the registrant will return a name at the end of the ICANN five day grace period. The difference between kiting and tasting is that when the registrant returns the domain name, the registrant will then quickly reacquire the same name all over again. Essentially, a registrant engaging in kiting will retain ownership of the name in question over an extended period of time and will never pay for that ownership.
By understanding tasting and kiting, a reader can appreciate how domain name spying is an outgrowth of these practices. The difference rests in the fact that spying is intended to target those names that someone else or another business enterprise has a specific interest in owning. At this juncture, it is not specifically known how a domain name spy gathers information relating to another business checking on the availability of a name.
Some victims of domain name spies may have at least some recourse through trademark and cybersquatting laws. However, if a domain name spy does not violate these laws, a business actually may have no remedy at this juncture.
If you find that you have been victimized while checking the availability of a name, you probably will end up with two choices:
1. select another domain name
2. pay the spy a premium for the name you actually want
The best way to avoid becoming a victim of domain name spying is to purchase immediately any name that you may have an interest in. Remember, if you elect not to use a certain name, you have five days to return that domain name with no charge to you.
Of course, this all could have been a coincidence. Nonetheless, in this day and age, a more likely possibility may be that another entity actually tracked your search for a particular domain name and intentionally registered that name itself. Those entities that are now engaging in this insidious practice are said to be domain name spying. In fact, there now appear to be operations that solely engage in this practice.
The reality is that there is nothing new about operators interfering with a bona fide business's attempts to register a domain name. Cybersquatting involves registering a name confusingly similar to a trademark and then offering to sell that name to the trademark's actual owner for a greatly inflated price. There are other practices that interfere with legitimate attempts to register domain names, including tasting and kiting.
Domain name tasting is a process that takes advantage of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) policy that allows a five day grace period in which a domain name can be returned. A taster registers numerous names in order to generate advertising income from short term ownership to determine which names might be most profitable over the long haul. If the registrant finds that certain names don't meet his or her goals, it is simply returned.
Domain kiting actually takes the tasting concept a step further. Through kiting the ICANN grace period is abused. As with tasting, the registrant will return a name at the end of the ICANN five day grace period. The difference between kiting and tasting is that when the registrant returns the domain name, the registrant will then quickly reacquire the same name all over again. Essentially, a registrant engaging in kiting will retain ownership of the name in question over an extended period of time and will never pay for that ownership.
By understanding tasting and kiting, a reader can appreciate how domain name spying is an outgrowth of these practices. The difference rests in the fact that spying is intended to target those names that someone else or another business enterprise has a specific interest in owning. At this juncture, it is not specifically known how a domain name spy gathers information relating to another business checking on the availability of a name.
Some victims of domain name spies may have at least some recourse through trademark and cybersquatting laws. However, if a domain name spy does not violate these laws, a business actually may have no remedy at this juncture.
If you find that you have been victimized while checking the availability of a name, you probably will end up with two choices:
1. select another domain name
2. pay the spy a premium for the name you actually want
The best way to avoid becoming a victim of domain name spying is to purchase immediately any name that you may have an interest in. Remember, if you elect not to use a certain name, you have five days to return that domain name with no charge to you.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
3 Article Marketing Tips You Must Not Miss
Before we go into the top 3 article marketing tips, you need to know that article marketing is a powerful website promotion strategy that can be used to your advantage. Search engine provides the best traffic – both targeted and warm. And they exist to provide good information to their searchers. As such, articles with good content carry much weight in the search engines. So without delay, let us take a look at 3 critical article marketing tips that will get you what you want – traffic, credibility, subscriber and sales.
Article Marketing Tip 1 – Write For Your Readers
Did I say you need to write what your readers want and not what you want? Article marketing is good for ranking in the search engine for targeted keywords for traffic, building your credibility as an authority, and getting subscribers and sales. But you must not forget that in order to achieve that, you need to give them what they are looking for.
Search the forums and search engines to read up some of the posts and comments made by your targeted audience. What do they want? Offer that in your article and they will read your content.
Article Marketing Tip 2 – Promote With Your Articles
Many online authors do not fully understand the power of article marketing. Using articles, you have a piece of good online advertisement to presell your prospects. At the same time, the resource box link gives you a good backlink from a reputable article directory with high PR. This is a SEO technique that boosts your chances of ranking top in the search engines.
Another advantage is that other webmasters may find your article well-written and publish it on their websites, giving you more backlinks and indirect traffic from their websites. They may even publish it to their email newsletters, giving your content and website more exposure. So the trick is to craft your article to presell, and submit your articles to as many article directories as possible.
Article Marketing Tip 3 – Improve the Quality of Your Content
There are two kinds of online writers. One that writes low quality articles just for backlinks and the other focuses more on providing excellent quality articles. What is the difference between the two?
Writing simple articles take a short time and probably, you can be churing out such articles within 20 to 30 minutes per article. But these are not going to get lots of readers but since you have dozens of them, they could all add up.
Spending time doing research for the content takes time but the result is a piece of fine work that gets a lot of attention from readers and the search engines. I personally have written articles that get 1000s of visitors every month so I can understand the power of research and creating reader-worthy content.
If you ask me which is the better option, I will tell you that writing a quality article is the best choice.
I hope you have learnt much from these 3 article marketing tips. Discover more powerful techniques in article marketing as well as other free website promotion strategies from my free report.
Davion has created multiple affiliate income machines since 2006. For a limited time, you can download his FREE report “Secrets of Affiliate Marketing” which reveals killer secrets of affiliate marketing you can use immediately to supercharge your affiliate income! Full giveaway and resale rights worth $97 included. Also read this interesting article to pick up 3 affiliate marketing tips to stay on top of the game.
Article Marketing Tip 1 – Write For Your Readers
Did I say you need to write what your readers want and not what you want? Article marketing is good for ranking in the search engine for targeted keywords for traffic, building your credibility as an authority, and getting subscribers and sales. But you must not forget that in order to achieve that, you need to give them what they are looking for.
Search the forums and search engines to read up some of the posts and comments made by your targeted audience. What do they want? Offer that in your article and they will read your content.
Article Marketing Tip 2 – Promote With Your Articles
Many online authors do not fully understand the power of article marketing. Using articles, you have a piece of good online advertisement to presell your prospects. At the same time, the resource box link gives you a good backlink from a reputable article directory with high PR. This is a SEO technique that boosts your chances of ranking top in the search engines.
Another advantage is that other webmasters may find your article well-written and publish it on their websites, giving you more backlinks and indirect traffic from their websites. They may even publish it to their email newsletters, giving your content and website more exposure. So the trick is to craft your article to presell, and submit your articles to as many article directories as possible.
Article Marketing Tip 3 – Improve the Quality of Your Content
There are two kinds of online writers. One that writes low quality articles just for backlinks and the other focuses more on providing excellent quality articles. What is the difference between the two?
Writing simple articles take a short time and probably, you can be churing out such articles within 20 to 30 minutes per article. But these are not going to get lots of readers but since you have dozens of them, they could all add up.
Spending time doing research for the content takes time but the result is a piece of fine work that gets a lot of attention from readers and the search engines. I personally have written articles that get 1000s of visitors every month so I can understand the power of research and creating reader-worthy content.
If you ask me which is the better option, I will tell you that writing a quality article is the best choice.
I hope you have learnt much from these 3 article marketing tips. Discover more powerful techniques in article marketing as well as other free website promotion strategies from my free report.
Davion has created multiple affiliate income machines since 2006. For a limited time, you can download his FREE report “Secrets of Affiliate Marketing” which reveals killer secrets of affiliate marketing you can use immediately to supercharge your affiliate income! Full giveaway and resale rights worth $97 included. Also read this interesting article to pick up 3 affiliate marketing tips to stay on top of the game.
3 Affiliate Marketing Mistakes – Avoid At All Costs
Affiliate marketing can be highly profitable if you do it correctly. The trouble is, many affiliates make certain affiliate marketing mistakes that spoil their entire income plan. Many give up quickly and simply blame internet marketing as an impossible income opportunity to succeed in if you are just a one-man operation. The truth cannot be further than that really. We will look at 3 most fatal mistakes most affiliates make and how to avoid them so that your profits are protected and would experience increase.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 1 – Choosing to Promote Hotties
What are hotties? You see them everyday in your emails from other affiliate marketers. Many would promote the latest product without looking at whether it is really good. All they know is that since the guru next door is doing so, I will also promote the product. After all, it is hot.
This is where the booby trap is. If you are not an established and famous affiliate marketer with a list of 100,000 members, how can you convince them to buy from you when your guru next door is also pitching the same thing? Worse still, some of the sales pitches you receive in the inbox carry the same title and email content and the affiliates do not even bother to change them.
Rather than hopping on all these bandwagons, work out a suitable promotion plan that is closely tied to your niche. Choose a product that you really know about and have enough in-depth information about it. This will make it easier and more natural for you to come across as a reliable reviewer. People are more convinced to buy from you then.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 2 – Promoting Too Many Affiliate Products
Everyday, affiliate products come and go. Every product owner will make that product sound like it is the best you can ever find and how it is going to dominate the internet marketing scene for years to come. The truth is, programs come and go and you just have to accept that almost all except a few really outstanding ones are here to stay.
So do not bite off what you can chew. You only have 24 hours a day, and cannot be promoting every single product or program you come across. Focus on one good product, monetize your website with that and build your traffic until it hits its optimal level or at least until the point where sales and traffic stabilize on autopilot.
The rule of the game is to promote a product that pays you at least 50% commissions and Clickbank is one good place to look at.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 3 – Ignorant About The Product Promoted
Some affiliates would disagree with me on this but I will still say it anyway. The best product recommendations can be written only when you are an existing user of a product or service. This is how your prospects can truly sense the real voice behind each recommendation or email broadcast they receive.
Give them a detailed review of the pros and cons and what you like about the service or product. This would give you an edge over your competitors. Consider reinvesting your profits monthly back into purchasing and reading different ebooks. In the process, you can pick up some new and powerful techniques while at the same time, be able to prepare a really thorough product recommendation. If you have a list, your subscribers would appreciate your honesty and efforts.
Avoid these top 3 common affiliate marketing mistakes and you are well on your way to becoming a top-notch affiliate. Discover more secrets affiliates are using to put their affiliate income on supercharged mode in my free report.
Davion has created multiple affiliate income machines since 2006. For a limited time, you can download his FREE report “Secrets of Affiliate Marketing” which reveals killer secrets of affiliate marketing you can use immediately to supercharge your affiliate income! Full giveaway and resale rights worth $97 included. Also read this interesting article to pick up 3 top affiliate marketing tips.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 1 – Choosing to Promote Hotties
What are hotties? You see them everyday in your emails from other affiliate marketers. Many would promote the latest product without looking at whether it is really good. All they know is that since the guru next door is doing so, I will also promote the product. After all, it is hot.
This is where the booby trap is. If you are not an established and famous affiliate marketer with a list of 100,000 members, how can you convince them to buy from you when your guru next door is also pitching the same thing? Worse still, some of the sales pitches you receive in the inbox carry the same title and email content and the affiliates do not even bother to change them.
Rather than hopping on all these bandwagons, work out a suitable promotion plan that is closely tied to your niche. Choose a product that you really know about and have enough in-depth information about it. This will make it easier and more natural for you to come across as a reliable reviewer. People are more convinced to buy from you then.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 2 – Promoting Too Many Affiliate Products
Everyday, affiliate products come and go. Every product owner will make that product sound like it is the best you can ever find and how it is going to dominate the internet marketing scene for years to come. The truth is, programs come and go and you just have to accept that almost all except a few really outstanding ones are here to stay.
So do not bite off what you can chew. You only have 24 hours a day, and cannot be promoting every single product or program you come across. Focus on one good product, monetize your website with that and build your traffic until it hits its optimal level or at least until the point where sales and traffic stabilize on autopilot.
The rule of the game is to promote a product that pays you at least 50% commissions and Clickbank is one good place to look at.
Affiliate Marketing Mistake 3 – Ignorant About The Product Promoted
Some affiliates would disagree with me on this but I will still say it anyway. The best product recommendations can be written only when you are an existing user of a product or service. This is how your prospects can truly sense the real voice behind each recommendation or email broadcast they receive.
Give them a detailed review of the pros and cons and what you like about the service or product. This would give you an edge over your competitors. Consider reinvesting your profits monthly back into purchasing and reading different ebooks. In the process, you can pick up some new and powerful techniques while at the same time, be able to prepare a really thorough product recommendation. If you have a list, your subscribers would appreciate your honesty and efforts.
Avoid these top 3 common affiliate marketing mistakes and you are well on your way to becoming a top-notch affiliate. Discover more secrets affiliates are using to put their affiliate income on supercharged mode in my free report.
Davion has created multiple affiliate income machines since 2006. For a limited time, you can download his FREE report “Secrets of Affiliate Marketing” which reveals killer secrets of affiliate marketing you can use immediately to supercharge your affiliate income! Full giveaway and resale rights worth $97 included. Also read this interesting article to pick up 3 top affiliate marketing tips.
25 Tips To MLM/Network Marketing Business Success
Here are 25 tips to success for anyone who is starting their own MLM/Networking Marketing home business. These simple, easy-to-use tips will help you get your business off to a fast start, and put more money in your pocket.
1. When you first get into your network marketing home based business, write out your plans and goals! I’m sure you’ve heard it said many times before…”Most people never plan to fail, they simply fail to plan”. Take the time to write out your plans and goals. Be realistic, but be tough on yourself. Push yourself. One of my favorite quotes is “What your mind can conceive, it can achieve”.
2. Get started immediately. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start. That will never happen. Jump in and get started.
3. Treat your mlm/network marketing business as a serious, full-time business, and it will quickly become one.
4. Don’t focus your attention on trying to sponsor the “big hitter” who tells you that they are going to bring in 120 people. Sure, it would be nice, but don’t get caught up in the hype and emotion. It takes a team effort.
5. Know that rejection will happen. Not everyone is going to want what you have. There are some people that you could put a huge pile of Gold in their front yard, and they would still walk right on by it. Or, they simply will not believe it’s Gold. Don’t get discouraged. There are literally MILLIONS of people wanting what you have.
6. Follow up! This is the single most important factor to your success. You have probably heard that the fortune is in the follow up. People will rarely call you back, but they will join you if you follow up and show them you care about their needs. Call them and ask how things are going…or at least email them. By following up with everyone, you will sponsor new business partners in your network marketing business.
7. Have patience. Big incomes never happen overnight. And this is especially true if you are also working a full-time job somewhere. It may take you a year or two to obtain your income goal and quit your current job. If you knew that you could be doing your home business full-time in only a year from now…would it be worth the wait?
8. Don’t give your new reps wild expectations. Let them know what to expect. Always be honest with them.
9. Realize that your mlm business is going to require an investment. Just like a brick and mortar business, your home business is going to require an investment in marketing supplies and tools. Thankfully, network marketing doesn’t require you to take out a 2nd mortgage to operate.
10. Don’t let anything knock you out of your home based business and cause you to quit. You can only fail in this business if you give up on yourself.
11. Don’t mail out samples and materials to a few people and then expect big checks to suddenly appear. Most likely, it will take you a few months to have a steady income coming in.
12. Help the people you sponsor as much as you can. Help them get started. Help them sponsor their first two people by doing 3-way calls with their prospects. Let them know you’re there for them and you support them. Teach your new reps the importance of doing the same. That’s how you build a team.
13. Don’t do things for your reps that they should do themselves. There is a fine line between being helpful, and doing the entire business for them. Understand your downline is going to do what you do. Lead by example. Do all the things that you want your reps to do. Be sure the example you are setting is one that you would want to follow if you were in their shoes.
14. Don’t waste time on cynics, or non-motivated people. They will NOT succeed in this business, or any other business for that matter. Trying to drag someone into your business is only going to drain you of all your energy and beat you down. Let them go and move on.
15. Don’t whine and complain to your upline every time you have a problem. No one wants to spend time with constant whiners and complainers.
16. Always operate your business in a professional and ethical manner. Don’t make false claims about your mlm / network marketing product, or exaggerate your income. Give your prospects the facts and you will build trust. People can be smarter than you think. Most can sniff out if you’re being dishonest quickly. Then you have lost your credibility, as well as your prospect.
17. Learn all that you can about your home based business. Stay up to date with everything that is going on. Learn a little about your competitors so that you can answer simple questions about the differences between them. But don’t put them to your prospect, no matter how you feel about them.
18. Think BIG! Think big dreams. Set BIG goals. Small thinking producing small results. Live life without putting limits on yourself.
19. Keep in close contact with your new people you sponsor into your network marketing business. Let them know you care and are there to help. Praise your new people who are doing good things. Always at least send an email to them when they sponsor someone new. Let them know they’re doing a great job!
20. Always be ENTHUSIASTIC! Smile when you’re on the phone. Enjoy yourself and let others feel your enthusiasm for what you’re doing. It quickly becomes contagious.
21. When you discover new ways of building your mlm home business, share them with others on your team. Remember…duplication is the key to success in this business.
22. Keep organized with your business. Have a system in place to keep track of those who are testing your product, or thinking about getting started, even if it’s just a notebook to write their names in.
23. Listen to tapes, or read books on network marketing and personal development. It will pay BIG dividends as the months go by. Ask any leader in your business about the importance of personal development and they will all tell you the same thing.
24. Don’t allow small problems and rejections that arise throw you off and upset you. Think about the positives, and always keep focused on the big picture.
25. Have FUN! People want to be around others who are having fun, be it in everyday life, or your business. Have fun with your home based business. Enjoy yourself, and watch how many others want to be involved in what you’re doing.
1. When you first get into your network marketing home based business, write out your plans and goals! I’m sure you’ve heard it said many times before…”Most people never plan to fail, they simply fail to plan”. Take the time to write out your plans and goals. Be realistic, but be tough on yourself. Push yourself. One of my favorite quotes is “What your mind can conceive, it can achieve”.
2. Get started immediately. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start. That will never happen. Jump in and get started.
3. Treat your mlm/network marketing business as a serious, full-time business, and it will quickly become one.
4. Don’t focus your attention on trying to sponsor the “big hitter” who tells you that they are going to bring in 120 people. Sure, it would be nice, but don’t get caught up in the hype and emotion. It takes a team effort.
5. Know that rejection will happen. Not everyone is going to want what you have. There are some people that you could put a huge pile of Gold in their front yard, and they would still walk right on by it. Or, they simply will not believe it’s Gold. Don’t get discouraged. There are literally MILLIONS of people wanting what you have.
6. Follow up! This is the single most important factor to your success. You have probably heard that the fortune is in the follow up. People will rarely call you back, but they will join you if you follow up and show them you care about their needs. Call them and ask how things are going…or at least email them. By following up with everyone, you will sponsor new business partners in your network marketing business.
7. Have patience. Big incomes never happen overnight. And this is especially true if you are also working a full-time job somewhere. It may take you a year or two to obtain your income goal and quit your current job. If you knew that you could be doing your home business full-time in only a year from now…would it be worth the wait?
8. Don’t give your new reps wild expectations. Let them know what to expect. Always be honest with them.
9. Realize that your mlm business is going to require an investment. Just like a brick and mortar business, your home business is going to require an investment in marketing supplies and tools. Thankfully, network marketing doesn’t require you to take out a 2nd mortgage to operate.
10. Don’t let anything knock you out of your home based business and cause you to quit. You can only fail in this business if you give up on yourself.
11. Don’t mail out samples and materials to a few people and then expect big checks to suddenly appear. Most likely, it will take you a few months to have a steady income coming in.
12. Help the people you sponsor as much as you can. Help them get started. Help them sponsor their first two people by doing 3-way calls with their prospects. Let them know you’re there for them and you support them. Teach your new reps the importance of doing the same. That’s how you build a team.
13. Don’t do things for your reps that they should do themselves. There is a fine line between being helpful, and doing the entire business for them. Understand your downline is going to do what you do. Lead by example. Do all the things that you want your reps to do. Be sure the example you are setting is one that you would want to follow if you were in their shoes.
14. Don’t waste time on cynics, or non-motivated people. They will NOT succeed in this business, or any other business for that matter. Trying to drag someone into your business is only going to drain you of all your energy and beat you down. Let them go and move on.
15. Don’t whine and complain to your upline every time you have a problem. No one wants to spend time with constant whiners and complainers.
16. Always operate your business in a professional and ethical manner. Don’t make false claims about your mlm / network marketing product, or exaggerate your income. Give your prospects the facts and you will build trust. People can be smarter than you think. Most can sniff out if you’re being dishonest quickly. Then you have lost your credibility, as well as your prospect.
17. Learn all that you can about your home based business. Stay up to date with everything that is going on. Learn a little about your competitors so that you can answer simple questions about the differences between them. But don’t put them to your prospect, no matter how you feel about them.
18. Think BIG! Think big dreams. Set BIG goals. Small thinking producing small results. Live life without putting limits on yourself.
19. Keep in close contact with your new people you sponsor into your network marketing business. Let them know you care and are there to help. Praise your new people who are doing good things. Always at least send an email to them when they sponsor someone new. Let them know they’re doing a great job!
20. Always be ENTHUSIASTIC! Smile when you’re on the phone. Enjoy yourself and let others feel your enthusiasm for what you’re doing. It quickly becomes contagious.
21. When you discover new ways of building your mlm home business, share them with others on your team. Remember…duplication is the key to success in this business.
22. Keep organized with your business. Have a system in place to keep track of those who are testing your product, or thinking about getting started, even if it’s just a notebook to write their names in.
23. Listen to tapes, or read books on network marketing and personal development. It will pay BIG dividends as the months go by. Ask any leader in your business about the importance of personal development and they will all tell you the same thing.
24. Don’t allow small problems and rejections that arise throw you off and upset you. Think about the positives, and always keep focused on the big picture.
25. Have FUN! People want to be around others who are having fun, be it in everyday life, or your business. Have fun with your home based business. Enjoy yourself, and watch how many others want to be involved in what you’re doing.
$2000 for One Hour of Work... Explained
Have you ever wondered about those spam emails or popup advertisements? Have you ever considered the possibility that some of those offers may be legitimate? This article will empower you with information that can help you take advantage of some of these “free” offers.
Most of these incentive-based sites claim that all you have to do is enter your zipcode or email (or both) to receive some lucrative prize reward. If you read the fine text at the bottom of the page, you will see that it is a much more involved process. This article is about how to follow the fine text and claim a reward from these free offers.
Today, I will be examining a "getmyfreelaptop" site. These sites can be found easily by googling "free X" (whereas "X" is the name of the thing you want). This offer claims that you can receive one of 4 laptops and has an email entry form.
Step 1:
Register for their site. Simply selecting your desired gift and entering your email (some websites have zipcode instead) will enter you into the database as a potential sale (someone who will complete 1 or more offers). These sites earn revenue by people completing offers (sometimes up to $120 per 3rd party sale). When you register, make sure you enter an email that you don’t mind getting spammed, as they sign you up for hundreds of email lists (because under the fine text you have consented to do so).
Next, you should be asked to enter in your information (address, phone number, etc). Enter all legitimate information as this will be the contact address and shipping address (should your package get mislabeled, etc). If you enter false information, their obligation to send you your reward is void.
Step 2:
You will now begin the process of signing up for mailing lists. There are hundreds of offers (I usually am not interested in any and select the “No” option for every one; however, you can select “Yes” for as many as you’d like) that you can choose from. Sometimes there is a “Skip” option at the bottom to save you some time, so you might want to check for that.
Step 3:
For this next step, you will be directed to the offers page, where they want you to sign up and complete a series of offers (many are free trials and sometimes won’t cost you a penny). A lot of these sites require you do a set of 3, 4 or even 5 pages of offers (select anywhere from 1-5 offers on each page). Usually, the last page is the hardest offer (in terms of how much you will have to break the bank). Always, always, check the last page to see what the offer is and whether or not you are interested in completing any of the last page ones.
Your best bet: make a game plan. Find out which offers from which pages you are going to complete. I usually find out ones I’m interested, ones that have free trials, and ones that are plain the easiest to go through with. Free trials are generally offers you can cancel after a certain amount of time and not get charged at all. Some offers require you pay solely for the shipping and handling (which can be from $1 - $9, depending) for their “free trial.” Make sure you assess each of the offers fine text as to whether or not you will be committing yourself to any contract of payment obligation. Sometimes if you pay the shipping and handling and forget to cancel the trial, you will be charged a lot for something you may or may not have wanted. You may need to ship the item back, so always check for that!
After you have thought out which offers you want to complete, find out all the contract details for each offer and write them down in an Excel spreadsheet, notepad file, or on paper. Write down the 800 number if you decide to cancel the offer. If you forget, you will be charged and you won’t get that money back.
Be warned that credit card offers are usually involved processes. You will not receive instant credit for having completed this offer.
Step 4:
Once you have completed everything (and have completed the offers), proceed to the main page (or look around for a “member login” button) so that you can track your progress. Sometimes the offers will report that you have completed their offer immediately. Other times, it may take anywhere for 1 hour to 2 weeks. Just be patient. If an offer you have completed does not report, give the website a call (not the advertiser) or email them. They may require you to provide documentation of completing the offer. If you do not get credit for an offer, you will have to complete another offer from that category.
Step 5:
This is the waiting process. Once you have completed all of your offers, you will have to wait. For one of the sites I did, I had to wait around 4 months after verification to receive my $1,050.00 check. It was worth it, however. Make sure that you call them every month or so to check the status of the order and see whether or not it has been shipped (sometimes they will just send you a check for the equivalent value of your item as they sometimes don’t have it in stock).That’s it! There’s the 5 steps to receiving a free gift from those shady advertisements.
Remember: I cannot vouch for every single site, but from my experience, they have all been legitimate. Research each site before signing up and completing any offers. Do not do any offers until you have a solid strategy!
Good luck! Post here if you have any questions or follow up stories or advise!
Most of these incentive-based sites claim that all you have to do is enter your zipcode or email (or both) to receive some lucrative prize reward. If you read the fine text at the bottom of the page, you will see that it is a much more involved process. This article is about how to follow the fine text and claim a reward from these free offers.
Today, I will be examining a "getmyfreelaptop" site. These sites can be found easily by googling "free X" (whereas "X" is the name of the thing you want). This offer claims that you can receive one of 4 laptops and has an email entry form.
Step 1:
Register for their site. Simply selecting your desired gift and entering your email (some websites have zipcode instead) will enter you into the database as a potential sale (someone who will complete 1 or more offers). These sites earn revenue by people completing offers (sometimes up to $120 per 3rd party sale). When you register, make sure you enter an email that you don’t mind getting spammed, as they sign you up for hundreds of email lists (because under the fine text you have consented to do so).
Next, you should be asked to enter in your information (address, phone number, etc). Enter all legitimate information as this will be the contact address and shipping address (should your package get mislabeled, etc). If you enter false information, their obligation to send you your reward is void.
Step 2:
You will now begin the process of signing up for mailing lists. There are hundreds of offers (I usually am not interested in any and select the “No” option for every one; however, you can select “Yes” for as many as you’d like) that you can choose from. Sometimes there is a “Skip” option at the bottom to save you some time, so you might want to check for that.
Step 3:
For this next step, you will be directed to the offers page, where they want you to sign up and complete a series of offers (many are free trials and sometimes won’t cost you a penny). A lot of these sites require you do a set of 3, 4 or even 5 pages of offers (select anywhere from 1-5 offers on each page). Usually, the last page is the hardest offer (in terms of how much you will have to break the bank). Always, always, check the last page to see what the offer is and whether or not you are interested in completing any of the last page ones.
Your best bet: make a game plan. Find out which offers from which pages you are going to complete. I usually find out ones I’m interested, ones that have free trials, and ones that are plain the easiest to go through with. Free trials are generally offers you can cancel after a certain amount of time and not get charged at all. Some offers require you pay solely for the shipping and handling (which can be from $1 - $9, depending) for their “free trial.” Make sure you assess each of the offers fine text as to whether or not you will be committing yourself to any contract of payment obligation. Sometimes if you pay the shipping and handling and forget to cancel the trial, you will be charged a lot for something you may or may not have wanted. You may need to ship the item back, so always check for that!
After you have thought out which offers you want to complete, find out all the contract details for each offer and write them down in an Excel spreadsheet, notepad file, or on paper. Write down the 800 number if you decide to cancel the offer. If you forget, you will be charged and you won’t get that money back.
Be warned that credit card offers are usually involved processes. You will not receive instant credit for having completed this offer.
Step 4:
Once you have completed everything (and have completed the offers), proceed to the main page (or look around for a “member login” button) so that you can track your progress. Sometimes the offers will report that you have completed their offer immediately. Other times, it may take anywhere for 1 hour to 2 weeks. Just be patient. If an offer you have completed does not report, give the website a call (not the advertiser) or email them. They may require you to provide documentation of completing the offer. If you do not get credit for an offer, you will have to complete another offer from that category.
Step 5:
This is the waiting process. Once you have completed all of your offers, you will have to wait. For one of the sites I did, I had to wait around 4 months after verification to receive my $1,050.00 check. It was worth it, however. Make sure that you call them every month or so to check the status of the order and see whether or not it has been shipped (sometimes they will just send you a check for the equivalent value of your item as they sometimes don’t have it in stock).That’s it! There’s the 5 steps to receiving a free gift from those shady advertisements.
Remember: I cannot vouch for every single site, but from my experience, they have all been legitimate. Research each site before signing up and completing any offers. Do not do any offers until you have a solid strategy!
Good luck! Post here if you have any questions or follow up stories or advise!
2 Ways of Making Easy Money on the Internet
Everyone needs money to survive in this world. The majority of us work hard for money just to provide a decent living for ourselves and our family. But when it comes to life enjoyment, most of us have limited money to spend. If you are one of those people have limited money to spend, you need to learn the two ways of making easy money! It would certainly help if you receive extra paychecks every now and then.
How can you start making easy money?
Method #1 Making Easy Money Buy/Sell
Source for products cheap and reselling them at profit price. Products generally cost less if you buy in bulk. Many people are making easy money buying products cheap and selling for profit at auction websites.
Method #2 Making Easy Money with Pay per Click
Starting pay per click campaigns promoting products and services online. Earn commissions for every sale made. This is also one of the easiest ways of making easy money.
These are the two ways of making easy money on the internet. However, both have certain level of risk because an initial investment is required. Put it this way, “Make Money Work for You”.
Here are brief risk descriptions of both Methods:
Risk for Method #1
You may not be able to sell products you bought at bulk.
Solution: Always research the supply and demand market of that particular product thoroughly before putting your money to work. Statistical data are usually provided by the auction sites for sellers to analyze the buying trend of a particular product. Find out the price of the item people are willing to pay for. Try to avoid items with low values.
Risk for Method #2
Cost of advertising greater than profit. In other words, you spend $500.00 in advertising but only managed to generate $300 in sales revenue.
The product/service sales page where you sent traffic to may not convert sales well.
Solution: Like Method #1, you’ll have to analyze the supply and demand market of that particular product/service. But this time, you’ll be using data provided by the search engines. Contact the original merchant on their sales performance. Get estimates for sales over x number of visitors. Anything below 1.5% will not be a good product or service to promote.
“Making easy money” opportunities contain risks. You either get scared off by the potential loss you may incur or look for solutions to minimize the risk. For Method #1 and #2, there are very good solutions to minimize their risks. You just have to find em :)!
How can you start making easy money?
Method #1 Making Easy Money Buy/Sell
Source for products cheap and reselling them at profit price. Products generally cost less if you buy in bulk. Many people are making easy money buying products cheap and selling for profit at auction websites.
Method #2 Making Easy Money with Pay per Click
Starting pay per click campaigns promoting products and services online. Earn commissions for every sale made. This is also one of the easiest ways of making easy money.
These are the two ways of making easy money on the internet. However, both have certain level of risk because an initial investment is required. Put it this way, “Make Money Work for You”.
Here are brief risk descriptions of both Methods:
Risk for Method #1
You may not be able to sell products you bought at bulk.
Solution: Always research the supply and demand market of that particular product thoroughly before putting your money to work. Statistical data are usually provided by the auction sites for sellers to analyze the buying trend of a particular product. Find out the price of the item people are willing to pay for. Try to avoid items with low values.
Risk for Method #2
Cost of advertising greater than profit. In other words, you spend $500.00 in advertising but only managed to generate $300 in sales revenue.
The product/service sales page where you sent traffic to may not convert sales well.
Solution: Like Method #1, you’ll have to analyze the supply and demand market of that particular product/service. But this time, you’ll be using data provided by the search engines. Contact the original merchant on their sales performance. Get estimates for sales over x number of visitors. Anything below 1.5% will not be a good product or service to promote.
“Making easy money” opportunities contain risks. You either get scared off by the potential loss you may incur or look for solutions to minimize the risk. For Method #1 and #2, there are very good solutions to minimize their risks. You just have to find em :)!
2 Ways Market Your Network Marketing Business Opportunity Today
In the old days if you were going to market your network business opportunity that meant making a list of everyone you knew. You were taught to really dig deep and make the longest list you could think of. This would include a special list called your chicken list which would be the most successful people you knew, but were afraid to contact.
Then you would pick up the phone and invite them to an opportunity meeting to listen to an expert stand up and tell everyone about the opportunity to start a business of their own in network marketing. This was not a bad system except for one thing. It really did not work because most people were afraind to pick up the phone and start making calls.
The days of this type of a system are over. Unless that is the way you want to do it. The reason so many people are making money in network marketing today starts with how easy it is to present the business opportunity to people you do not know. That is not to say you can't make a list of people you know and contact them. You can and you should.
But now it is as easy as inviting them to vist your website or to listen to a conference call live or even a pre-recoreded call. This type of prospecting takes away the fear factor and allows your prospect to check out what you are doing in a casual way.
Personally I like to hand out business cards with my website on it and just ask them to take a look and if they are interested give me a call. Anyone with a little ambition can do this. At Vistaprint.com you can get 250 free business cards and personalize them with your name, address, phone number, email address, and website address.
The other way to market your network business opportunity today is to drive traffic to your website and let the company take over from there. Most mlm companies today give you several of your own websites with your i.d. number coded in the url itself. They also have an email follow-up system in place that is customized with your contact information in each email. The purpose of having more than 1 website is you can refer your prospects to different websites based on how well you know them.
If you know someone well you might send them to one website that provides alot of information. If you are promoting on the internet you would refer your prospect to a lead capture page that requires them to fill out their name, phone, and email address, before being sent to another website that is more of a sales page on your business.
The information is then emailed to you for personal follow-up if you like. In the meantime the company email follow-up system kicks in and starts sending your prospect information emails with your name in them designed to educate your prospect about your company and products.
Handing out business cards and marketing your business on the internet with websites and conference call makes it easier for anyone to market a network marketing opportunity today. Easier does mean easy. To make money with your own mlm business still is going to require you to work. The beauty of how it is done today, however, is that automation allows you to build your business quicker and to present your opportunity to more people than you ever could have in the past.
Then you would pick up the phone and invite them to an opportunity meeting to listen to an expert stand up and tell everyone about the opportunity to start a business of their own in network marketing. This was not a bad system except for one thing. It really did not work because most people were afraind to pick up the phone and start making calls.
The days of this type of a system are over. Unless that is the way you want to do it. The reason so many people are making money in network marketing today starts with how easy it is to present the business opportunity to people you do not know. That is not to say you can't make a list of people you know and contact them. You can and you should.
But now it is as easy as inviting them to vist your website or to listen to a conference call live or even a pre-recoreded call. This type of prospecting takes away the fear factor and allows your prospect to check out what you are doing in a casual way.
Personally I like to hand out business cards with my website on it and just ask them to take a look and if they are interested give me a call. Anyone with a little ambition can do this. At Vistaprint.com you can get 250 free business cards and personalize them with your name, address, phone number, email address, and website address.
The other way to market your network business opportunity today is to drive traffic to your website and let the company take over from there. Most mlm companies today give you several of your own websites with your i.d. number coded in the url itself. They also have an email follow-up system in place that is customized with your contact information in each email. The purpose of having more than 1 website is you can refer your prospects to different websites based on how well you know them.
If you know someone well you might send them to one website that provides alot of information. If you are promoting on the internet you would refer your prospect to a lead capture page that requires them to fill out their name, phone, and email address, before being sent to another website that is more of a sales page on your business.
The information is then emailed to you for personal follow-up if you like. In the meantime the company email follow-up system kicks in and starts sending your prospect information emails with your name in them designed to educate your prospect about your company and products.
Handing out business cards and marketing your business on the internet with websites and conference call makes it easier for anyone to market a network marketing opportunity today. Easier does mean easy. To make money with your own mlm business still is going to require you to work. The beauty of how it is done today, however, is that automation allows you to build your business quicker and to present your opportunity to more people than you ever could have in the past.
2 Simple Ways To Get Paid For Generating Leads
You've heard the saying "where there's a will there's a way." This applies to lead generation too. If you're strapped for cash, but still motivated to generate leads then this article might just make your day.
Any marketer worth their salt is laughing at this article's title right now. You see, they are already getting paid to generate leads because their profits are far exceeding their advertising costs. Sadly, this is rarely the case for newcomers to this industry.
So let's cut to the chase. You want some quality leads, and you want to know how get paid to generate them. Let's begin.
Tactic #1 - Paper Placemats
You've seen them at your favorite restaurant. Sometimes they are plain, sometimes they have a map of the city printed on them with advertisements placed around the perimeter.
Here's where you come in. Start thinking about selling advertising instead of buying it. You can easily sell advertising in these spots, insert your own ad for free, and let the restaurant owner place whatever ad they want in the center.
You'll have a tidy profit leftover after you get done paying your printing costs, and the restaraunt will love you for giving then free placemats when they previously had to pay for them!
Yes, lead generation can be, and should be, simple.
Tactic #2 - Amazing Fish Bowls
The simplicity of this strategy may just blow your mind when you see how effective it is. You've seen the fish bowls at restaurants typically where you drop your business card and enter a drwaing for a free meal...or whatever the business sells. Guess what, there's money in those fish bowls for you, and lots of it.
Let's say you take over the fish bowls. The restaurant has their weekly drawing and you come along and pick up the leftover business cards. You then extract the contact information from each of the cards. Make sure you require an email address to win the drawing. Now you are building a contact list of the restaurant's patrons! You keep the list and allow the restaurant to broadcast emails to their customers any time they like with daily specials etc in exchange for, you guessed it, the right to send your own non-competing advertisements to the subscriber list.
Once you've built a list for one restaurant you can easily sell advertising space to other local businesses hence again letting someone else pay you to insert your advertisement. You can easily build 100's of contacts every week from a single restaurant using this method.
There are many, many ways to get paid to generate leads. If I had time I'd probably write down more of them! So get creative and start thinking about selling advertising instead of buying it. This minor adjustment to your thinking may radically change how you generate leads. Then eventually your primary business will pay for your advertising through profits and you wont need to do the extra footwork required by these methods.
Either way, no more excuses about lacking leads!
Where there's a will, there's a way. Plain and simple. So long as you remain committed to your enterprise there are always ways to succeed.
Any marketer worth their salt is laughing at this article's title right now. You see, they are already getting paid to generate leads because their profits are far exceeding their advertising costs. Sadly, this is rarely the case for newcomers to this industry.
So let's cut to the chase. You want some quality leads, and you want to know how get paid to generate them. Let's begin.
Tactic #1 - Paper Placemats
You've seen them at your favorite restaurant. Sometimes they are plain, sometimes they have a map of the city printed on them with advertisements placed around the perimeter.
Here's where you come in. Start thinking about selling advertising instead of buying it. You can easily sell advertising in these spots, insert your own ad for free, and let the restaurant owner place whatever ad they want in the center.
You'll have a tidy profit leftover after you get done paying your printing costs, and the restaraunt will love you for giving then free placemats when they previously had to pay for them!
Yes, lead generation can be, and should be, simple.
Tactic #2 - Amazing Fish Bowls
The simplicity of this strategy may just blow your mind when you see how effective it is. You've seen the fish bowls at restaurants typically where you drop your business card and enter a drwaing for a free meal...or whatever the business sells. Guess what, there's money in those fish bowls for you, and lots of it.
Let's say you take over the fish bowls. The restaurant has their weekly drawing and you come along and pick up the leftover business cards. You then extract the contact information from each of the cards. Make sure you require an email address to win the drawing. Now you are building a contact list of the restaurant's patrons! You keep the list and allow the restaurant to broadcast emails to their customers any time they like with daily specials etc in exchange for, you guessed it, the right to send your own non-competing advertisements to the subscriber list.
Once you've built a list for one restaurant you can easily sell advertising space to other local businesses hence again letting someone else pay you to insert your advertisement. You can easily build 100's of contacts every week from a single restaurant using this method.
There are many, many ways to get paid to generate leads. If I had time I'd probably write down more of them! So get creative and start thinking about selling advertising instead of buying it. This minor adjustment to your thinking may radically change how you generate leads. Then eventually your primary business will pay for your advertising through profits and you wont need to do the extra footwork required by these methods.
Either way, no more excuses about lacking leads!
Where there's a will, there's a way. Plain and simple. So long as you remain committed to your enterprise there are always ways to succeed.
15 Tips To Get Traffic To Your Blog
If you are involved in affiliate marketing, MLM or any business for yourself, having a blog is essential. But having a blog doesn't do you any good unless you can drive traffic to it. Here are some great ways to get more traffic to your blog:
1) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Use a service like RSS 2 Blog and create several posts at once and have them served up one at a time.
2) Submit your RSS feed to My Yahoo and Google's Reader. This will get them indexed.
3) Add relevant links to your blog and trade them with others.
4) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post. If you are using WordPress, this is done for you automatically.
5) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.
6) Make a useful video and post it on Google Video. With webcams and digital video so cheap now, there is no excuse not to be using video.
7) Post a profile on social networking sites like Ryze and My Space and link back to your blog. These sites generate huge traffic and the search engines will find them and pick you up. It also gets you a nice backlink with a high page rank.
8) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?
9) Use software such as RSS Announcer to get your feed listed. RSS Announcer is a resale rights product, so it's very easy to find cheaply as a bonus item or en Ebay.
10) Comment on other blogs and use track backs.. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.
11) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.
12) Add a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.
13) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.
14) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.
15) Tag your blog. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.
Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!
1) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Use a service like RSS 2 Blog and create several posts at once and have them served up one at a time.
2) Submit your RSS feed to My Yahoo and Google's Reader. This will get them indexed.
3) Add relevant links to your blog and trade them with others.
4) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post. If you are using WordPress, this is done for you automatically.
5) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.
6) Make a useful video and post it on Google Video. With webcams and digital video so cheap now, there is no excuse not to be using video.
7) Post a profile on social networking sites like Ryze and My Space and link back to your blog. These sites generate huge traffic and the search engines will find them and pick you up. It also gets you a nice backlink with a high page rank.
8) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?
9) Use software such as RSS Announcer to get your feed listed. RSS Announcer is a resale rights product, so it's very easy to find cheaply as a bonus item or en Ebay.
10) Comment on other blogs and use track backs.. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.
11) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.
12) Add a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.
13) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.
14) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.
15) Tag your blog. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.
Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!
2 Reasons Why The Top Home Based Businesses Are Not MLM
If you've been around the internet looking for a top home based business even for a short while, you have probably heard of MLM, or multi-level marketing. It's also called network marketing, and involves often complex payment scales that allow people to make a commission off the team they or others below them recruit. MLM opportunities are strongly advertised to those looking to start a home based business, and who have little or no experience in running one online. Yet the irony about these 'opportunities' is that the people who are usually successful are those that have experience in running an online business in the first place.
In my mind, MLM has inherent problems that make it a poor first choice for would-be entrepreneurs. There are more than 2 reasons for this, but here they are to get you started!
1. Expensive Autoship or Qualifying Monthly Payment
Network marketing usually requires distributors to sign up for a monthly autoship program in order to qualify for any commissions. This can run anywhere from $20 to $100 or more. - And that is before you even factor in the cost of shipping if it is a physical product. The shipping costs can really add up for overseas distributors.
But even if you are fortunate to find a program that you like with a low monthly fee, the fact remains that you are paying an amount monthly that is effectively dead money in terms of your business. It is not going to earn you anything. This is effectively a personal consumption expense, probably for something you wouldn't buy anyway. You still have all your other business expenses to factor in, and you would be better off truly investing that money into something that is essential to the running of your online business - like an autoresponder service, webhosting, or something similar.
No matter how the company sells that expense, it is still unproductive in business terms.
2. The Tools Provided Are Not Differentiated Or Unique
If you are provided with any online tools, they usually consist of a cookie cutter website that every single distributor gets. Now, if you have any online business savvy, you'd essentially ignore it, or just use it to get your warm leads (that you have generated) to sign up through it. You would not send any prospects there to start with. You certainly wouldn't buy leads and send them there. You'd have (or develop) your own website and profit funnel.
The lure and the promise of these tools is that it is easy, anyone can do it, that you don't need to go through the learning curve. It would be nice if that were true. But the 95% who try, spend money, months of time, and fail, have quite a different story to tell. Undifferentiated, cookie-cutter tools, don't work - at least not after the initial run of those who got in first.
And even if you sign a few people up through them, there is a very high rate of attrition because long term, these tools just don't work.
Network marketing has broad appeal to the inexperienced. The lure of the internet combined with it can prove irresistable, and the arguments put foward by the companies marketing these opportunities persuasive. Whilst it is true that the online business learning curve can be shortened, if you have the right information, it cannot be circumvented, or avoided. That is a key reason why so many people fail with MLM.
In my mind, MLM has inherent problems that make it a poor first choice for would-be entrepreneurs. There are more than 2 reasons for this, but here they are to get you started!
1. Expensive Autoship or Qualifying Monthly Payment
Network marketing usually requires distributors to sign up for a monthly autoship program in order to qualify for any commissions. This can run anywhere from $20 to $100 or more. - And that is before you even factor in the cost of shipping if it is a physical product. The shipping costs can really add up for overseas distributors.
But even if you are fortunate to find a program that you like with a low monthly fee, the fact remains that you are paying an amount monthly that is effectively dead money in terms of your business. It is not going to earn you anything. This is effectively a personal consumption expense, probably for something you wouldn't buy anyway. You still have all your other business expenses to factor in, and you would be better off truly investing that money into something that is essential to the running of your online business - like an autoresponder service, webhosting, or something similar.
No matter how the company sells that expense, it is still unproductive in business terms.
2. The Tools Provided Are Not Differentiated Or Unique
If you are provided with any online tools, they usually consist of a cookie cutter website that every single distributor gets. Now, if you have any online business savvy, you'd essentially ignore it, or just use it to get your warm leads (that you have generated) to sign up through it. You would not send any prospects there to start with. You certainly wouldn't buy leads and send them there. You'd have (or develop) your own website and profit funnel.
The lure and the promise of these tools is that it is easy, anyone can do it, that you don't need to go through the learning curve. It would be nice if that were true. But the 95% who try, spend money, months of time, and fail, have quite a different story to tell. Undifferentiated, cookie-cutter tools, don't work - at least not after the initial run of those who got in first.
And even if you sign a few people up through them, there is a very high rate of attrition because long term, these tools just don't work.
Network marketing has broad appeal to the inexperienced. The lure of the internet combined with it can prove irresistable, and the arguments put foward by the companies marketing these opportunities persuasive. Whilst it is true that the online business learning curve can be shortened, if you have the right information, it cannot be circumvented, or avoided. That is a key reason why so many people fail with MLM.
11 Reasons to Follow Up ? The Lazy Mans Way to Riches
I'd like to make you an extremely bold promise.
Setup your follow-up system once and get lazy. As soon as you do this, you'll instantly see your profits skyrocket through the ROOF.
You can quickly and easily double the amount of sales you are making right now. Here's the reason...
1. Increases sales by approximately 300%.
Yes, that's right; following up subscribers helped me to increase my sales by approximately 300%.
Infact 90% of my sales are generated by following up my subscribers on my product on regular basis.
2. Follow up a subscriber 7 to 8 times.
Research has proven that a visitor purchases from a website after around 7 to 8 visits.
3. Get repeat traffic to your site.
Follow-up helps to generate repeat traffic to your site on continuous basis.
You get more than one chance to get your visitor to see your product. That surely increases your sales.
4. Build trust and relationship.
By following up with your subscribers you build trust and relationship with your subscriber.
He considers you as an expert in your field rather than some salesman that just wants to sell his product.
5. Build Credibility.
You build your credibility by providing valuable content.
6. Determine quality of your product.
Your subscriber can trust quality of your product. This is because he has already seen something for free from your side, which is of extreme quality.
7. Sell yourself before selling your product.
That's right. You have to sell yourself first by gaining your visitors confidence. Once you do this you can easily sell your products.
8. Keep in constant touch.
With follow up you can keep in regular touch with your subscribers, thus building a never ending relationship.
9. Give them time.
They get time to decide to make a purchase.
With continuous follow up you can get the sale out of a subscriber who was in an undecided phase.
10. Sell different products.
You can sell all your future products to your subscriber list using an automated follow up system with the help of an autoresponder.
11. Helps you to increase your subscriber list.
You get to build a valuable lead database which will be your most valuable asset.
It is a goldmine, if you're doing any business, whether online or offline.
There's never been a better time for you to get started TODAY and start following up your subscribers to see an INSTANT jump in your sales and profits.
Setup your follow-up system once and get lazy. As soon as you do this, you'll instantly see your profits skyrocket through the ROOF.
You can quickly and easily double the amount of sales you are making right now. Here's the reason...
1. Increases sales by approximately 300%.
Yes, that's right; following up subscribers helped me to increase my sales by approximately 300%.
Infact 90% of my sales are generated by following up my subscribers on my product on regular basis.
2. Follow up a subscriber 7 to 8 times.
Research has proven that a visitor purchases from a website after around 7 to 8 visits.
3. Get repeat traffic to your site.
Follow-up helps to generate repeat traffic to your site on continuous basis.
You get more than one chance to get your visitor to see your product. That surely increases your sales.
4. Build trust and relationship.
By following up with your subscribers you build trust and relationship with your subscriber.
He considers you as an expert in your field rather than some salesman that just wants to sell his product.
5. Build Credibility.
You build your credibility by providing valuable content.
6. Determine quality of your product.
Your subscriber can trust quality of your product. This is because he has already seen something for free from your side, which is of extreme quality.
7. Sell yourself before selling your product.
That's right. You have to sell yourself first by gaining your visitors confidence. Once you do this you can easily sell your products.
8. Keep in constant touch.
With follow up you can keep in regular touch with your subscribers, thus building a never ending relationship.
9. Give them time.
They get time to decide to make a purchase.
With continuous follow up you can get the sale out of a subscriber who was in an undecided phase.
10. Sell different products.
You can sell all your future products to your subscriber list using an automated follow up system with the help of an autoresponder.
11. Helps you to increase your subscriber list.
You get to build a valuable lead database which will be your most valuable asset.
It is a goldmine, if you're doing any business, whether online or offline.
There's never been a better time for you to get started TODAY and start following up your subscribers to see an INSTANT jump in your sales and profits.
13 Killer Systems That Will Carry Your Internet Home Business To Success
As an entrepreneur, you know how important it is to accentuate the uniqueness of your business whenever possible. Very few consumers are interested in choosing a generic product or service, after all. We almost always gravitate toward the option that's most distinctive or memorable. There are many ways to make your business unique: a unique pricing system, a unique niche in the marketplace, a product or service that can't easily be imitated. If your business is up and running, you undoubtedly know all about those basic business strategies.
What's much trickier is figuring out how to capitalize on the uniqueness of your business to generate helpful (and often free) publicity. Publicity, rather than advertising, should be the basis of any small business owner's initial marketing efforts. Advertising is usually too expensive for a new business, and lacks the grass roots credibility of good press. One good article in the local media can bring you more business than a year's worth of paid advertising!
Advertising is no longer such a powerful force in the contemporary marketplace. Consumers are more skeptical than ever of advertisers' self-serving messages, and the sheer volume of advertising messages has resulted in a drastic decline in advertising's effectiveness. We spend more and more on advertising, but get less and less return on that investment.
What is the alternative to advertising (and the basis of branding)? Publicity or PR. With publicity, you tell your story through third-party outlets, primarily the media. Rightly or wrongly, people believe what they read in newspapers and magazines, as well as what they hear on the radio, on TV, or from their neighbors. So PR is inherently more credible and persuasive than advertising. It's also a whole lot cheaper!
But how exactly do you make your business memorable, and get the kind of publicity that will result in new business? Here are a dozen simple things you can try to create good word-of-mouth about your business and increase your profits:
1. Submit regular Press Releases to trade publications, the business section of local newspapers, online newswires, etc. to announce the launch or relocation of your business, new clients/projects, new hires, promotions, etc. (You'd be surprised how many people read these announcements!)
2. Pitch a pre-written feature story to local papers (emphasizing the uniqueness of your business model, your unique personal history, your involvement in the local community, or the uniqueness of a particular project). Also consider pitching story ideas to lifestyle magazines which target your ideal client's demographic.
3. Offer to write a regular column for a local publication that features your professional expertise.
4. Develop an "elevator speech" explaining in a single sentence what makes your firm unique. Don't be afraid to focus attention on a specific client or consumer; the narrower the focus of your brand, the more powerful it will become.
5. Write a quarterly email/print newsletter for your clients/potential clients with tips for effective use of your product or service.
6. Give a talk/seminar to your local Chamber of Commerce or other community group about issues relating to your area of expertise. (I recently gave a lunchtime talk about branding to the my local Chamber and made several great contacts.)
7. Become active not only in trade groups (which are not in fact the best place to find a new client), but also in more general networking organizations such as your Chamber of Commerce, City or County committees, neighborhood associations, etc., but only if you intend to be an active participant. Also do everything you can to get support from your existing social network. Everyone prefers to work with a person they know and trust.
8. Join a professional networking/referral group which meets weekly (such as BNI).
9. Use testimonials/success stories in all of your marketing materials.
10. Purchase an intriguing vanity license plate which alludes to your business.
11. Introduce yourself to administrators of potential referring organizations: i.e., people in allied fields who regularly come into contact with people who will need an architect. Finding a friend in one of these organizations may mean multiple referrals.
12. Troll for listservs, chat groups or other online communities where you can offer your services or simply hold forth as an authority on relevant issues.
Try these simple guerrilla marketing tricks, and the results will astound you!
What's much trickier is figuring out how to capitalize on the uniqueness of your business to generate helpful (and often free) publicity. Publicity, rather than advertising, should be the basis of any small business owner's initial marketing efforts. Advertising is usually too expensive for a new business, and lacks the grass roots credibility of good press. One good article in the local media can bring you more business than a year's worth of paid advertising!
Advertising is no longer such a powerful force in the contemporary marketplace. Consumers are more skeptical than ever of advertisers' self-serving messages, and the sheer volume of advertising messages has resulted in a drastic decline in advertising's effectiveness. We spend more and more on advertising, but get less and less return on that investment.
What is the alternative to advertising (and the basis of branding)? Publicity or PR. With publicity, you tell your story through third-party outlets, primarily the media. Rightly or wrongly, people believe what they read in newspapers and magazines, as well as what they hear on the radio, on TV, or from their neighbors. So PR is inherently more credible and persuasive than advertising. It's also a whole lot cheaper!
But how exactly do you make your business memorable, and get the kind of publicity that will result in new business? Here are a dozen simple things you can try to create good word-of-mouth about your business and increase your profits:
1. Submit regular Press Releases to trade publications, the business section of local newspapers, online newswires, etc. to announce the launch or relocation of your business, new clients/projects, new hires, promotions, etc. (You'd be surprised how many people read these announcements!)
2. Pitch a pre-written feature story to local papers (emphasizing the uniqueness of your business model, your unique personal history, your involvement in the local community, or the uniqueness of a particular project). Also consider pitching story ideas to lifestyle magazines which target your ideal client's demographic.
3. Offer to write a regular column for a local publication that features your professional expertise.
4. Develop an "elevator speech" explaining in a single sentence what makes your firm unique. Don't be afraid to focus attention on a specific client or consumer; the narrower the focus of your brand, the more powerful it will become.
5. Write a quarterly email/print newsletter for your clients/potential clients with tips for effective use of your product or service.
6. Give a talk/seminar to your local Chamber of Commerce or other community group about issues relating to your area of expertise. (I recently gave a lunchtime talk about branding to the my local Chamber and made several great contacts.)
7. Become active not only in trade groups (which are not in fact the best place to find a new client), but also in more general networking organizations such as your Chamber of Commerce, City or County committees, neighborhood associations, etc., but only if you intend to be an active participant. Also do everything you can to get support from your existing social network. Everyone prefers to work with a person they know and trust.
8. Join a professional networking/referral group which meets weekly (such as BNI).
9. Use testimonials/success stories in all of your marketing materials.
10. Purchase an intriguing vanity license plate which alludes to your business.
11. Introduce yourself to administrators of potential referring organizations: i.e., people in allied fields who regularly come into contact with people who will need an architect. Finding a friend in one of these organizations may mean multiple referrals.
12. Troll for listservs, chat groups or other online communities where you can offer your services or simply hold forth as an authority on relevant issues.
Try these simple guerrilla marketing tricks, and the results will astound you!
11 Joint Venture Ideas To Get You Started On The Fast Track To Quick Profits
1. Find someone in your target market that either publishes an ezine or has a website. Ask them if they would like to join your affiliate program and promote your offers in their ezine, or on their site. In return, you'll give them the product at no charge, and if you have an ezine or website, offer to promote something for them. Remember to make it an irresistible offer for them!
2. Use your own visitors and subscribers. Give them something free that has some sort of small advertisement of yours on or in it. It doesn't have to be a flashing sign. Just a subtle ad with your URL or subscribe email placed somewhere visible. By using this method you could have your little ad all over your entire market! It takes a snowflake to start a snowball! Your visitors and subscribers will be happy to get something for free, and they'll be even happier that it doesn't have ads ALL over it. DON'T get greedy. Give a little and get a lot! Find someone else in your market that does the same thing. Offer to give their "give aways" out if in return they give your "give aways" out.
3. If you can't beat 'em… Join 'em! Round up several others in your market who you think there would be a mutual benefit to partner with. Have a "Joint Venture team". Your team could pool your resources and beat the "big guys" in your market. Those in your "Joint Venture team" could cross promote each other's products, services, and/or programs also!
4. Find 5, 10 or however many ezine publishers who are in your target market. Offer them all discounts to their subscribers on your offer. Give them your product for free also. Let them know that you are partnering with other ezine publishers for your discounted offer, and that you will give the ezine publisher who produces the most result a bonus. Just make sure your bonus is GOOD! Make it something unique and semi-personal. I've always thought when rewarding someone I do business with that I shouldn't give them a "business gift". Try giving a semi-personal personal gift. You may not really know that person, but there are sites online that will tell you the gifts women like and the gifts men like. Use those sites to find semi-personal gifts. (*Please note that this does say semi-personal. Business is business, so make sure your gift/bonus is appropriate.)
5. I got a great idea from a site the other day. This is a WONDERFUL idea. The basics of the concept are placing other people's ads on your Thank You page. What a great time to send your customer off to your most trusted JV partner while the customer still has their credit card out! You'll want to be careful when doing this though. Make sure you've already sold that customer all that you can before passing them to your Joint Venture partner.
6. Contests are a WONDERFUL way to market, and you can conduct them for any type of market. Contact an ezine publisher or website owner in your market. Offer to hold a contest giving away an item or items you are offering. In return for this, ask that they run your ad, or place your ad on their website. If it's a really good contest, ask that they run your solo ad, or put your ad in a very prominent spot on their site. Another way to use contests is by doing a "contest swap". Let them know you'll promote their contest if they promote yours. If they don't have one offer to come up with one for them. Explain the benefits behind having a contest. Offer to have one for them. Let them know you'll donate the prize (it doesn't have to be anything really expensive) if they would like, and show them how to set it up. This is relationship building at its best. The next time you approach that person with a JV they will trust you because you were willing to go out of your way to help them.
7. We all know that article writing is one of the best ways to market. You show people that you know something about the topic you are writing on, you are automatically giving them something (your article), and it's a viral way of marketing. Your article could go all OVER the place. Online and offline. If you know an ezine publisher or website owner who publishes articles on your market topic, ask if they would like to swap articles. You promote their article, and they will in turn promote your article. The best thing about this idea is you can do it with many people, and you can do it over and over by writing new articles.
8. Another writing idea would be for you to write a column on your market and offer it to an ezine publisher or website owner. I would suggest that you write unique content for each ezine publisher or website owner if you are wanting them to advertise you or for you. I know ezine publishers and website owners would go for this idea because as an ezine owner and website owner, I am currently seeking several people to write original content for my many sites and ezines in exchange for free advertising.
9. Swap business cards with others in your market. Your hand out your joint venture partners business cards and they hand out yours. This is just like word of mouth advertising, which is the best kind around. Business cards are a wonderful way to put your advertisement in someone's hands. Putting it in their hands in one of the keys to selling.
10. If publishing and ebook, you could offer part of your ebook for free. Offer one chapter to potential customers, so that they can "test" your ebook. Find other ebook publishers in your market and ask if they could do the same with their ebooks. If they agree you could advertiser their free chapter, and ask that they advertise your free chapter in return. This can also be done with membership sites. Offer a 3-day free trial. Find others in your market that offers memberships to their sites. You advertise their free trial, and ask that they advertise yours. What about software? Many people offer free trials for software. If you offer a free trial to your software, go to www.download.com. Search for software related to your market. When you find software that isn't in competition with yours, but that would compliment the other person's software, contact them and ask to do a JV where you promote their software and they promote yours! I'm sure you can think of a way to do this with your product or service.
11. Survey swap? You bet! Surveys are hot right now. Sometimes you have to offer your visitor or subscriber a little bit of an incentive to do it, but the information you will get is well worth it. Find others in your market that asks their visitors or subscribers to take surveys. Let them know that you also ask your visitors or subscribers to do take surveys. Ask if they would put a link to your survey on their site, and in return you could do the same thing. If you are asking for personal information on your survey be sure not to share that with the other website owner. If you do, make sure that it is noted in your privacy policy or you could lose visitors or subscribers!
2. Use your own visitors and subscribers. Give them something free that has some sort of small advertisement of yours on or in it. It doesn't have to be a flashing sign. Just a subtle ad with your URL or subscribe email placed somewhere visible. By using this method you could have your little ad all over your entire market! It takes a snowflake to start a snowball! Your visitors and subscribers will be happy to get something for free, and they'll be even happier that it doesn't have ads ALL over it. DON'T get greedy. Give a little and get a lot! Find someone else in your market that does the same thing. Offer to give their "give aways" out if in return they give your "give aways" out.
3. If you can't beat 'em… Join 'em! Round up several others in your market who you think there would be a mutual benefit to partner with. Have a "Joint Venture team". Your team could pool your resources and beat the "big guys" in your market. Those in your "Joint Venture team" could cross promote each other's products, services, and/or programs also!
4. Find 5, 10 or however many ezine publishers who are in your target market. Offer them all discounts to their subscribers on your offer. Give them your product for free also. Let them know that you are partnering with other ezine publishers for your discounted offer, and that you will give the ezine publisher who produces the most result a bonus. Just make sure your bonus is GOOD! Make it something unique and semi-personal. I've always thought when rewarding someone I do business with that I shouldn't give them a "business gift". Try giving a semi-personal personal gift. You may not really know that person, but there are sites online that will tell you the gifts women like and the gifts men like. Use those sites to find semi-personal gifts. (*Please note that this does say semi-personal. Business is business, so make sure your gift/bonus is appropriate.)
5. I got a great idea from a site the other day. This is a WONDERFUL idea. The basics of the concept are placing other people's ads on your Thank You page. What a great time to send your customer off to your most trusted JV partner while the customer still has their credit card out! You'll want to be careful when doing this though. Make sure you've already sold that customer all that you can before passing them to your Joint Venture partner.
6. Contests are a WONDERFUL way to market, and you can conduct them for any type of market. Contact an ezine publisher or website owner in your market. Offer to hold a contest giving away an item or items you are offering. In return for this, ask that they run your ad, or place your ad on their website. If it's a really good contest, ask that they run your solo ad, or put your ad in a very prominent spot on their site. Another way to use contests is by doing a "contest swap". Let them know you'll promote their contest if they promote yours. If they don't have one offer to come up with one for them. Explain the benefits behind having a contest. Offer to have one for them. Let them know you'll donate the prize (it doesn't have to be anything really expensive) if they would like, and show them how to set it up. This is relationship building at its best. The next time you approach that person with a JV they will trust you because you were willing to go out of your way to help them.
7. We all know that article writing is one of the best ways to market. You show people that you know something about the topic you are writing on, you are automatically giving them something (your article), and it's a viral way of marketing. Your article could go all OVER the place. Online and offline. If you know an ezine publisher or website owner who publishes articles on your market topic, ask if they would like to swap articles. You promote their article, and they will in turn promote your article. The best thing about this idea is you can do it with many people, and you can do it over and over by writing new articles.
8. Another writing idea would be for you to write a column on your market and offer it to an ezine publisher or website owner. I would suggest that you write unique content for each ezine publisher or website owner if you are wanting them to advertise you or for you. I know ezine publishers and website owners would go for this idea because as an ezine owner and website owner, I am currently seeking several people to write original content for my many sites and ezines in exchange for free advertising.
9. Swap business cards with others in your market. Your hand out your joint venture partners business cards and they hand out yours. This is just like word of mouth advertising, which is the best kind around. Business cards are a wonderful way to put your advertisement in someone's hands. Putting it in their hands in one of the keys to selling.
10. If publishing and ebook, you could offer part of your ebook for free. Offer one chapter to potential customers, so that they can "test" your ebook. Find other ebook publishers in your market and ask if they could do the same with their ebooks. If they agree you could advertiser their free chapter, and ask that they advertise your free chapter in return. This can also be done with membership sites. Offer a 3-day free trial. Find others in your market that offers memberships to their sites. You advertise their free trial, and ask that they advertise yours. What about software? Many people offer free trials for software. If you offer a free trial to your software, go to www.download.com. Search for software related to your market. When you find software that isn't in competition with yours, but that would compliment the other person's software, contact them and ask to do a JV where you promote their software and they promote yours! I'm sure you can think of a way to do this with your product or service.
11. Survey swap? You bet! Surveys are hot right now. Sometimes you have to offer your visitor or subscriber a little bit of an incentive to do it, but the information you will get is well worth it. Find others in your market that asks their visitors or subscribers to take surveys. Let them know that you also ask your visitors or subscribers to do take surveys. Ask if they would put a link to your survey on their site, and in return you could do the same thing. If you are asking for personal information on your survey be sure not to share that with the other website owner. If you do, make sure that it is noted in your privacy policy or you could lose visitors or subscribers!
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