By: Evelyn Lim
Selecting the correct keywords can make or break your website. Potential customers search the web for desired sites, and if your website doesn't have the keywords they're looking for, they'll miss you.
Determining keywords is an art; it's best to work backwards. What would a customer search for if they were looking for your site? You literally have to put yourself in the consumer's place and let go of your preconceived notions about what you think your keywords are. You should remember when writing your site that you need to use words that are not only related to your content, but are popular search words as well. This is called keyword optimization, or choosing the most searched keywords related to your content.
Spend some time listing all of the words and phrases that are related to your website content. Get ideas from everyone you can think of and list them all. Visit competitors' sites and see what meta tags they use. After this research, you are ready to develop your own keyword phrases.
There are several sites designed to assist you in keyword optimization. Here are a few of the free ones:-
The Overture Keyword Tool (http://www.inventory.overture.com ) lists searches related to the keyword you provide. This took is great for expanding your list.
Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com) helps identify keywords that will help your ranking on search engines. Wordtracker also gives you other keyword combinations that you may have overlooked.
The Keyword Tumbler (http://www.keywordtumbler.com) takes your existing keyword phrases and mixes it up to form new phrases and variations that you can include in your meta tags.
A great website is not so great if no one finds it. Remember to research your keywords carefully from the consumer's viewpoint and then sit back and watch the traffic roll in!
Evelyn Lim is a publisher of the popular newsletter "Mapping You to Success" aimed at the aspiring home based internet business owner. She also hopes to educate her readers on acquiring multiple sources of online income. Please visit her site at http://www.e-BizMap.com for more information.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
How I Use Email Automatic Responders
By: Jeff Schuman
An email automatic responder or autoresponder is the second most important marketing tool I have to make money online. The first would be my hosting company. Without these 2 tools my internet marketing business is dead in the water.
In the world of internet marketing, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new clients. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. It is not enough that your site is perfectly designed or has the latest in animation of content.
You should focus your efforts not only in attracting visitors but also in leading them to make a purchase. There are dozens of marketing strategies you can use to attract more buyers and pump up your sales. One of them is by establishing an excellent and professional reputation for prompt and efficient response.
As more potential customers visit your site, you should expect a flood of inquiries and requests for information. This is an excellent opportunity for you to capture more clients and lead them to buying from your site. Thus, it is important that you carry out an efficient and prompt response to every email you receive. The fastest and most effective way to do this is by utilizing an email automatic responder.
Autoresponder services use a computer program that automatically return a prewritten message to anyone who sends an email to your site. It is widely used for responding to consumer inquiries and visitor comments and suggestions.
Follow up automatic responders are also used by e-zines in responding to people who subscribe or unsubscribe to their online magazines. Companies, who send out their e-newsletter regularly, also use utoresponders.
How can effective autoresponder services help boost your business? The answer lies in its ability to return a prompt response to any e-mail the site receives. By responding rapidly and efficiently, you create a very good impression on your potential customer. Good email autorespondrs help you get important information back to these customers immediately. An effective autoresponder service helps you communicate your message promptly, creating a sense of professionalism and efficiency that your clients will definitely appreciate.
Another very important advantage of email automatic responders is that it saves time with multiple marketing tasks. Certainly, you do not have enough time to personally make and send all correspondence. Autoresponder services allows you to send thank you letters, newsletters, product information, brochures, orders etc. to hundreds of clients almost immediately and simultaneously. Autoresponder services are also indispensable in any email marketing campaign.
Choosing the right autoresponder is very important. What makes the best automatic responder? First, you should pick an autoresponder that is reliable and can give you 24/7 service. You cannot afford to lose a customer because your autoresponder failed to answer his query or request for information. The ability to respond promptly is the first thing you must look for in any automatic responder.
Another key factor you should consider when choosing Autoresponder servcies is flexibility. Good autoresponders allow you to customize unique responses that will have maximum effect on the customer. You should avoid creating an impression that the customer is communicating with a machine instead of a real human being.
An excellent email automatic responder lets you provide the information that is specifically targeted for what the potential customers are looking for. Because any email from potential customers essentially represent the customer's intent on getting more information about your product, which can ultimately lead to direct sales, all emails are important. Thus, a top Autoresponder servcie must fulfill all these duties to help you boost your business.
For all of our autoresponder needs we prefer Aweber. They are very reasonably priced and have proved to be reliable and easy to use.
Team-Schuman.Com contains the best make money online and make money websites available today. If you want to make money check us out here: http://www.team-schuman.com/email-automatic-responder.html
An email automatic responder or autoresponder is the second most important marketing tool I have to make money online. The first would be my hosting company. Without these 2 tools my internet marketing business is dead in the water.
In the world of internet marketing, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new clients. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. It is not enough that your site is perfectly designed or has the latest in animation of content.
You should focus your efforts not only in attracting visitors but also in leading them to make a purchase. There are dozens of marketing strategies you can use to attract more buyers and pump up your sales. One of them is by establishing an excellent and professional reputation for prompt and efficient response.
As more potential customers visit your site, you should expect a flood of inquiries and requests for information. This is an excellent opportunity for you to capture more clients and lead them to buying from your site. Thus, it is important that you carry out an efficient and prompt response to every email you receive. The fastest and most effective way to do this is by utilizing an email automatic responder.
Autoresponder services use a computer program that automatically return a prewritten message to anyone who sends an email to your site. It is widely used for responding to consumer inquiries and visitor comments and suggestions.
Follow up automatic responders are also used by e-zines in responding to people who subscribe or unsubscribe to their online magazines. Companies, who send out their e-newsletter regularly, also use utoresponders.
How can effective autoresponder services help boost your business? The answer lies in its ability to return a prompt response to any e-mail the site receives. By responding rapidly and efficiently, you create a very good impression on your potential customer. Good email autorespondrs help you get important information back to these customers immediately. An effective autoresponder service helps you communicate your message promptly, creating a sense of professionalism and efficiency that your clients will definitely appreciate.
Another very important advantage of email automatic responders is that it saves time with multiple marketing tasks. Certainly, you do not have enough time to personally make and send all correspondence. Autoresponder services allows you to send thank you letters, newsletters, product information, brochures, orders etc. to hundreds of clients almost immediately and simultaneously. Autoresponder services are also indispensable in any email marketing campaign.
Choosing the right autoresponder is very important. What makes the best automatic responder? First, you should pick an autoresponder that is reliable and can give you 24/7 service. You cannot afford to lose a customer because your autoresponder failed to answer his query or request for information. The ability to respond promptly is the first thing you must look for in any automatic responder.
Another key factor you should consider when choosing Autoresponder servcies is flexibility. Good autoresponders allow you to customize unique responses that will have maximum effect on the customer. You should avoid creating an impression that the customer is communicating with a machine instead of a real human being.
An excellent email automatic responder lets you provide the information that is specifically targeted for what the potential customers are looking for. Because any email from potential customers essentially represent the customer's intent on getting more information about your product, which can ultimately lead to direct sales, all emails are important. Thus, a top Autoresponder servcie must fulfill all these duties to help you boost your business.
For all of our autoresponder needs we prefer Aweber. They are very reasonably priced and have proved to be reliable and easy to use.
Team-Schuman.Com contains the best make money online and make money websites available today. If you want to make money check us out here: http://www.team-schuman.com/email-automatic-responder.html
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
E-marketing Strategy: 7 Dimensions To Consider (The E-marketing Mix)
What is e-Marketing?
e-Marketing is still quite a controversial subject to talk about, since no one succeeded to unify the various theories around it; however there is one thing upon which there is no doubt – that e-Marketing first appeared under the form of various techniques deployed by pioneer companies selling their products via the internet in the early 90's.
The frenzy around these new marketing techniques created by e-tailers and supported by the internet rapidly gave birth to a new dimension of what we knew as Marketing: the e-Marketing (electronic Marketing).
There are many definitions to what e-Marketing is, the simplest and shortest one being formulated by Mark Sceats: e-Marketing is Marketing that uses the internet as manifestation media. A working definition is that coming from a group of CISCO specialists: e-Marketing is the sum of all activities a business conducts through the internet with the purpose of finding, attracting, winning and retaining customers.
e-Marketing Strategy
The e-Marketing Strategy is normally based and built upon the principles that govern the traditional, offline Marketing – the well-known 4 P's (Product – Price – Promotion – Positioning) that form the classic Marketing mix. Add the extra 3 P's (People – Processes – Proof) and you got the whole extended Marketing mix.
Until here, there are no much aspects to differentiate e-Marketing from the traditional Marketing performed offline: the extended Marketing mix (4 3 P's) is built around the concept of "transactional" and its elements perform transactional functions defined by the exchange paradigm. What gives e-Marketing its uniqueness is a series of specific functions, relational functions, that can be synthesized in the 2P 2C 3S formula: Personalization, Privacy, Customer Service, Community, Site, Security, Sales Promotion.
These 7 functions of the e-Marketing stay at the base of any e-Marketing strategy and they have a moderating character, unlike the classic Marketing mix that comprises situational functions only. Moderating functions of e-Marketing have the quality of moderate, operate upon all situational functions of the mix (the classic 4 P's) and upon each other.
1. Personalization
The fundamental concept of personalization as a part of the e-Marketing mix lies in the need of recognizing, identifying a certain customer in order to establish relations (establishing relations is a fundamental objective of Marketing). It is crucial to be able to identify our customers on individual level and gather all possible information about them, with the purpose of knowing our market and be able to develop customized, personalized products and services.
For example, a cookie strategically placed on the website visitor's computer can let us know vital information concerning the access speed available: in consequence, if we know the visitor is using a slow connection (eg. dial-up) we will offer a low-volume variation of our website, with reduced graphic content and no multimedia or flash applications. This will ease our customer's experience on our website and he will be prevented from leaving the website on the reason that it takes too long to load its pages.
Personalization can be applied to any component of the Marketing mix; therefore, it is a moderating function.
2. Privacy
Privacy is an element of the mix very much connected to the previous one – personalization. When we gather and store information about our customers and potential customers (therefore, when we perform the personalization part of the e-Marketing mix) a crucial issue arises: that of the way this information will be used, and by whom. A major task to do when implementing an e-Marketing strategy is that of creating and developing a policy upon access procedures to the collected information.
This is a duty and a must for any conscious marketer to consider all aspects of privacy, as long as data are collected and stored, data about individual persons.
Privacy is even more important when establishing the e-Marketing mix since there are many regulations and legal aspects to be considered regarding collection and usage of such information.
3. Customer Service
Customer service is one of the necessary and required activities among the support functions needed in transactional situations.
We will connect the apparition of the customer service processes to the inclusion of the "time" parameter in transactions. When switching from a situational perspective to a relational one, and e-Marketing is mostly based on a relational perspective, the marketer saw himself somehow forced into considering support and assistance on a non-temporal level, permanently, over time.
For these reasons, we should consider the Customer Service function (in its fullest and largest definition) as an essential one within the e-Marketing mix.
As we can easily figure out, the service (or assistance if you wish) can be performed upon any element from the classic 4 P's, hence its moderating character.
4. Community
We can all agree that e-Marketing is conditioned by the existence of this impressive network that the internet is. The merely existence of such a network implies that individuals as well as groups will eventually interact. A group of entities that interact for a common purpose is what we call a "community" and we will soon see why it is of absolute importance to participate, to be part of a community.
The Metcalf law (named after Robert Metcalf) states that the value of a network is given by the number of its components, more exactly the value of a network equals the square of the number of components. We can apply this simple law to communities, since they are a network: we will then conclude that the value of a community rises with the number of its members. This is the power of communities; this is why we have to be a part of it.
The customers / clients of a business can be seen as part of a community where they interact (either independent or influenced by the marketer) – therefore developing a community is a task to be performed by any business, even though it is not always seen as essential.
Interactions among members of such a community can address any of the other functions of e-Marketing, so it can be placed next to other moderating functions.
5. Site
We have seen and agreed that e-Marketing interactions take place on a digital media – the internet. But such interactions and relations also need a proper location, to be available at any moment and from any place – a digital location for digital interactions.
Such a location is what we call a "site", which is the most widespread name for it. It is now the time to mention that the "website" is merely a form of a "site" and should not be mistaken or seen as synonyms. The "site" can take other forms too, such as a Palm Pilot or any other handheld device, for example.
This special location, accessible through all sort of digital technologies is moderating all other functions of the e-Marketing – it is then a moderating function.
6. Security
The "security" function emerged as an essential function of e-Marketing once transactions began to be performed through internet channels.
What we need to keep in mind as marketers are the following two issues on security:
- security during transactions performed on our website, where we have to take all possible precautions that third parties will not be able to access any part of a developing transaction;
- security of data collected and stored, about our customers and visitors.
A honest marketer will have to consider these possible causes of further trouble and has to co-operate with the company's IT department in order to be able to formulate convincing (and true, honest!) messages towards the customers that their personal details are protected from unauthorized eyes.
7. Sales Promotion
At least but not last, we have to consider sales promotions when we build an e-Marketing strategy. Sales promotions are widely used in traditional Marketing as well, we all know this, and it is an excellent efficient strategy to achieve immediate sales goals in terms of volume.
This function counts on the marketer's ability to think creatively: a lot of work and inspiration is required in order to find new possibilities and new approaches for developing an efficient promotion plan.
On the other hand, the marketer needs to continuously keep up with the latest internet technologies and applications so that he can fully exploit them.
To conclude, we have seen that e-Marketing implies new dimensions to be considered aside of those inherited from the traditional Marketing. These dimensions revolve around the concept of relational functions and they are a must to be included in any e-Marketing strategy in order for it to be efficient and deliver results.
About the author:
Otilia is a certified Marketing consultant with expertise in e-Marketing and e-Business. She developed and teach her own online course in Principles of Marketing (http://class.universalclass.com/emarketing). You can contact Otilia through her Marketing resources portal at http://www.teawithedge.com
What is e-Marketing?
e-Marketing is still quite a controversial subject to talk about, since no one succeeded to unify the various theories around it; however there is one thing upon which there is no doubt – that e-Marketing first appeared under the form of various techniques deployed by pioneer companies selling their products via the internet in the early 90's.
The frenzy around these new marketing techniques created by e-tailers and supported by the internet rapidly gave birth to a new dimension of what we knew as Marketing: the e-Marketing (electronic Marketing).
There are many definitions to what e-Marketing is, the simplest and shortest one being formulated by Mark Sceats: e-Marketing is Marketing that uses the internet as manifestation media. A working definition is that coming from a group of CISCO specialists: e-Marketing is the sum of all activities a business conducts through the internet with the purpose of finding, attracting, winning and retaining customers.
e-Marketing Strategy
The e-Marketing Strategy is normally based and built upon the principles that govern the traditional, offline Marketing – the well-known 4 P's (Product – Price – Promotion – Positioning) that form the classic Marketing mix. Add the extra 3 P's (People – Processes – Proof) and you got the whole extended Marketing mix.
Until here, there are no much aspects to differentiate e-Marketing from the traditional Marketing performed offline: the extended Marketing mix (4 3 P's) is built around the concept of "transactional" and its elements perform transactional functions defined by the exchange paradigm. What gives e-Marketing its uniqueness is a series of specific functions, relational functions, that can be synthesized in the 2P 2C 3S formula: Personalization, Privacy, Customer Service, Community, Site, Security, Sales Promotion.
These 7 functions of the e-Marketing stay at the base of any e-Marketing strategy and they have a moderating character, unlike the classic Marketing mix that comprises situational functions only. Moderating functions of e-Marketing have the quality of moderate, operate upon all situational functions of the mix (the classic 4 P's) and upon each other.
1. Personalization
The fundamental concept of personalization as a part of the e-Marketing mix lies in the need of recognizing, identifying a certain customer in order to establish relations (establishing relations is a fundamental objective of Marketing). It is crucial to be able to identify our customers on individual level and gather all possible information about them, with the purpose of knowing our market and be able to develop customized, personalized products and services.
For example, a cookie strategically placed on the website visitor's computer can let us know vital information concerning the access speed available: in consequence, if we know the visitor is using a slow connection (eg. dial-up) we will offer a low-volume variation of our website, with reduced graphic content and no multimedia or flash applications. This will ease our customer's experience on our website and he will be prevented from leaving the website on the reason that it takes too long to load its pages.
Personalization can be applied to any component of the Marketing mix; therefore, it is a moderating function.
2. Privacy
Privacy is an element of the mix very much connected to the previous one – personalization. When we gather and store information about our customers and potential customers (therefore, when we perform the personalization part of the e-Marketing mix) a crucial issue arises: that of the way this information will be used, and by whom. A major task to do when implementing an e-Marketing strategy is that of creating and developing a policy upon access procedures to the collected information.
This is a duty and a must for any conscious marketer to consider all aspects of privacy, as long as data are collected and stored, data about individual persons.
Privacy is even more important when establishing the e-Marketing mix since there are many regulations and legal aspects to be considered regarding collection and usage of such information.
3. Customer Service
Customer service is one of the necessary and required activities among the support functions needed in transactional situations.
We will connect the apparition of the customer service processes to the inclusion of the "time" parameter in transactions. When switching from a situational perspective to a relational one, and e-Marketing is mostly based on a relational perspective, the marketer saw himself somehow forced into considering support and assistance on a non-temporal level, permanently, over time.
For these reasons, we should consider the Customer Service function (in its fullest and largest definition) as an essential one within the e-Marketing mix.
As we can easily figure out, the service (or assistance if you wish) can be performed upon any element from the classic 4 P's, hence its moderating character.
4. Community
We can all agree that e-Marketing is conditioned by the existence of this impressive network that the internet is. The merely existence of such a network implies that individuals as well as groups will eventually interact. A group of entities that interact for a common purpose is what we call a "community" and we will soon see why it is of absolute importance to participate, to be part of a community.
The Metcalf law (named after Robert Metcalf) states that the value of a network is given by the number of its components, more exactly the value of a network equals the square of the number of components. We can apply this simple law to communities, since they are a network: we will then conclude that the value of a community rises with the number of its members. This is the power of communities; this is why we have to be a part of it.
The customers / clients of a business can be seen as part of a community where they interact (either independent or influenced by the marketer) – therefore developing a community is a task to be performed by any business, even though it is not always seen as essential.
Interactions among members of such a community can address any of the other functions of e-Marketing, so it can be placed next to other moderating functions.
5. Site
We have seen and agreed that e-Marketing interactions take place on a digital media – the internet. But such interactions and relations also need a proper location, to be available at any moment and from any place – a digital location for digital interactions.
Such a location is what we call a "site", which is the most widespread name for it. It is now the time to mention that the "website" is merely a form of a "site" and should not be mistaken or seen as synonyms. The "site" can take other forms too, such as a Palm Pilot or any other handheld device, for example.
This special location, accessible through all sort of digital technologies is moderating all other functions of the e-Marketing – it is then a moderating function.
6. Security
The "security" function emerged as an essential function of e-Marketing once transactions began to be performed through internet channels.
What we need to keep in mind as marketers are the following two issues on security:
- security during transactions performed on our website, where we have to take all possible precautions that third parties will not be able to access any part of a developing transaction;
- security of data collected and stored, about our customers and visitors.
A honest marketer will have to consider these possible causes of further trouble and has to co-operate with the company's IT department in order to be able to formulate convincing (and true, honest!) messages towards the customers that their personal details are protected from unauthorized eyes.
7. Sales Promotion
At least but not last, we have to consider sales promotions when we build an e-Marketing strategy. Sales promotions are widely used in traditional Marketing as well, we all know this, and it is an excellent efficient strategy to achieve immediate sales goals in terms of volume.
This function counts on the marketer's ability to think creatively: a lot of work and inspiration is required in order to find new possibilities and new approaches for developing an efficient promotion plan.
On the other hand, the marketer needs to continuously keep up with the latest internet technologies and applications so that he can fully exploit them.
To conclude, we have seen that e-Marketing implies new dimensions to be considered aside of those inherited from the traditional Marketing. These dimensions revolve around the concept of relational functions and they are a must to be included in any e-Marketing strategy in order for it to be efficient and deliver results.
About the author:
Otilia is a certified Marketing consultant with expertise in e-Marketing and e-Business. She developed and teach her own online course in Principles of Marketing (http://class.universalclass.com/emarketing). You can contact Otilia through her Marketing resources portal at http://www.teawithedge.com
Internet Marketing - A Maze In A Haze?
Internet marketing, website marketing, call it what you will, can be a bit like a maze. You charge off down one route......dead end. Someone sends you off down another route with a big smile on their face.......another dead end. Another route looks promising.......until it fizzles out and you reach another dead end. You can't cheat by looking over the hedge, it's about 20 feet high! A big ladder so you can get a good view? No, they've all been hidden. None left on the planet! Except those in the vaults of the internet gurus, you suspect.
So, you keep going around this maze, and at every turn there's advertising, all about the maze itself, telling you about which way to go. Plans of the maze which, if you follow, may get you half way round, only to find you need to buy another plan to get the rest of the way. So what do you do? Carry on around this maze unaided? Or buy another plan? You buy another plan of this maze, and lo and behold, you end up at a place somewhere near the exit into real open daylight (you think), but how do you get the correct final few turns? Anyway, maybe you're not near the exit after all? You could be on the far side of the maze from the exit. Sound familiar?
If you've been researching the internet from a business point of view for any length of time, you have probably found that much of the advertising, the marketing, is about ................. internet marketing. This is partly why it can seem like a maze. If you are not sure what is going to work to market your website, or the products in it, how do you know which advice to listen too, which "offers" to take up?
Why is Internet Marketing Such a Maze?
Marketing is a subject I've been interested in for many years, long before I was partner in an advertising related business in the early 90's. Then, marketing was a quite stable world. The most recent "change" of any significance had been TV, and TV advertising had evolved steadily over several decades. It was glossy, glamorous, and...........very expensive. That was good for the big advertising agencies, and they chased the big advertisers with massive budgets for TV advertising. They had their creative departments to come up with memorable TV ads, often designed to be memorable rather than to sell, and their media buyers to buy time on the commercial TV stations.
The glamour was in TV, but every company and every agency would work on a marketing mix: radio advertising, sales promotions, glossy magazine advertising, newspaper advertising, trade ads, direct mail.....all played their part. These all had one thing in common, though: they had been around for a very long time. Marketing was a stable industry, not in economic terms, but in the "tricks of the trade". There were a few minor variations here and there, but basically, the marketing industry had its accepted, well documented, ways of doing things. Skill levels varied of course, and that's where competition came in between the agencies and between companies in the same industries. The point is, though, it was all basically stable. Good or bad, it was stable.
Then along came the internet. Being involved in advertising in the mid 90's, it was obvious to me that the potential was absolutely enormous. Mind boggling. It was difficult to demonstrate, though, as speeds were painfully slow. You'd try to show someone over a cup of coffee or tea, and you'd finish the drink while the second page was loading. Try coming back in 5 years. Well, they did. With a vengeance.
The internet itself came on in leaps and bounds after that. Technically it developed rapidly. Companies started to realise they "had" to have an internet presence. Why? Well, often because their competitor did, or because they thought they should before their competitor did. They were diving in, pretty much blind; they did not understand what they were getting into. The stock markets cottoned on that something big was in the offing, so .com shares were being touted to ever higher levels. Shares of companies with no substance in most cases.
I used to trade shares on a daily basis in those days, and I never touched one internet related company. I cringed every time I saw the financial figures of a listed .com. Prices of shares were often in the stratosphere while turnover was meagre and profits non existent, then and into the future. The traders in the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street did not understand. The internet was new, there was no history to go on. They simply did not understand. They were excited, and were exciting others too. The buying was frantic. The crash inevitable.
Companies all over the world were realising, though, that they must have a web presence. Companies had marketing departments and/or advertising agencies. So they too had to go along with the the tidal wave of internet anticipation. What did they do? They followed the accepted patterns for marketing in those days. TV advertising. Radio advertising. Big newspaper ads. The massive costs of those methods bore no relationship then to the potential for additional income, for sales. They were throwing money down the drain in most cases. Why? They simply did not understand!
The internet was, and is, a revolution in communications. But the marketing industry had not had a revolution, it was too bogged down in the rest of the marketing mix to realise what was really going on here. The printing press was a revolution in communications, but it took many years to spread its influence. Radio was a revolution in communications; likewise. TV? Likewise.
The internet has been more like an explosion, and after an explosion it takes time for the dust to settle. That's one of the reasons for the maze of internet marketing. The dust is still settling. You can't see through the dust yet. More of a haze than a maze I suppose! No, a maze in a haze!
About the author:
Roy Thomsitt is owner and author of http://www.change-direction.com
So, you keep going around this maze, and at every turn there's advertising, all about the maze itself, telling you about which way to go. Plans of the maze which, if you follow, may get you half way round, only to find you need to buy another plan to get the rest of the way. So what do you do? Carry on around this maze unaided? Or buy another plan? You buy another plan of this maze, and lo and behold, you end up at a place somewhere near the exit into real open daylight (you think), but how do you get the correct final few turns? Anyway, maybe you're not near the exit after all? You could be on the far side of the maze from the exit. Sound familiar?
If you've been researching the internet from a business point of view for any length of time, you have probably found that much of the advertising, the marketing, is about ................. internet marketing. This is partly why it can seem like a maze. If you are not sure what is going to work to market your website, or the products in it, how do you know which advice to listen too, which "offers" to take up?
Why is Internet Marketing Such a Maze?
Marketing is a subject I've been interested in for many years, long before I was partner in an advertising related business in the early 90's. Then, marketing was a quite stable world. The most recent "change" of any significance had been TV, and TV advertising had evolved steadily over several decades. It was glossy, glamorous, and...........very expensive. That was good for the big advertising agencies, and they chased the big advertisers with massive budgets for TV advertising. They had their creative departments to come up with memorable TV ads, often designed to be memorable rather than to sell, and their media buyers to buy time on the commercial TV stations.
The glamour was in TV, but every company and every agency would work on a marketing mix: radio advertising, sales promotions, glossy magazine advertising, newspaper advertising, trade ads, direct mail.....all played their part. These all had one thing in common, though: they had been around for a very long time. Marketing was a stable industry, not in economic terms, but in the "tricks of the trade". There were a few minor variations here and there, but basically, the marketing industry had its accepted, well documented, ways of doing things. Skill levels varied of course, and that's where competition came in between the agencies and between companies in the same industries. The point is, though, it was all basically stable. Good or bad, it was stable.
Then along came the internet. Being involved in advertising in the mid 90's, it was obvious to me that the potential was absolutely enormous. Mind boggling. It was difficult to demonstrate, though, as speeds were painfully slow. You'd try to show someone over a cup of coffee or tea, and you'd finish the drink while the second page was loading. Try coming back in 5 years. Well, they did. With a vengeance.
The internet itself came on in leaps and bounds after that. Technically it developed rapidly. Companies started to realise they "had" to have an internet presence. Why? Well, often because their competitor did, or because they thought they should before their competitor did. They were diving in, pretty much blind; they did not understand what they were getting into. The stock markets cottoned on that something big was in the offing, so .com shares were being touted to ever higher levels. Shares of companies with no substance in most cases.
I used to trade shares on a daily basis in those days, and I never touched one internet related company. I cringed every time I saw the financial figures of a listed .com. Prices of shares were often in the stratosphere while turnover was meagre and profits non existent, then and into the future. The traders in the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street did not understand. The internet was new, there was no history to go on. They simply did not understand. They were excited, and were exciting others too. The buying was frantic. The crash inevitable.
Companies all over the world were realising, though, that they must have a web presence. Companies had marketing departments and/or advertising agencies. So they too had to go along with the the tidal wave of internet anticipation. What did they do? They followed the accepted patterns for marketing in those days. TV advertising. Radio advertising. Big newspaper ads. The massive costs of those methods bore no relationship then to the potential for additional income, for sales. They were throwing money down the drain in most cases. Why? They simply did not understand!
The internet was, and is, a revolution in communications. But the marketing industry had not had a revolution, it was too bogged down in the rest of the marketing mix to realise what was really going on here. The printing press was a revolution in communications, but it took many years to spread its influence. Radio was a revolution in communications; likewise. TV? Likewise.
The internet has been more like an explosion, and after an explosion it takes time for the dust to settle. That's one of the reasons for the maze of internet marketing. The dust is still settling. You can't see through the dust yet. More of a haze than a maze I suppose! No, a maze in a haze!
About the author:
Roy Thomsitt is owner and author of http://www.change-direction.com
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
6 Ways To Improve Your Affiliate Marketing Commissions
By: Dawn Drury
Affiliate marketing does not require you to have your own website. This is one of the easiest ways of starting an internet business and earning additional revenue.Here are 6 ways you can use to improve your affiliate marketing commissions very rapidly.
1. Investigate and learn the first-rate programs and products to promote.
Clearly, you would want to develop a program that will qualify you to realize the greatest profits in the shortest amount of time. There are a few factors you should weigh when selecting a program. Select the ones that have an ample commission structure and products that fit in with your target market. You will want to pick a merchant with a solid track record of paying their affiliate's smoothly and on time.
There are several thousands of affiliate programs online giving you the option to be finicky. You need to distinguish the best to avoid the loss of your advertising dollars. If you cannot seem to advance your interest's, drop that program and keep looking for better ones.
2. Author free reports or short ebooks to give away from your site.
Understand that you are competing with other affiliates promoting the very same program. If you write a brief report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to stand out from the other affiliates and garner trust with your prospects. In the reports, supply some beneficial information for free. If feasible, add some recommendations about the products. With ebooks, you gain credibility. Prospects will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.
3. Gather and save the email addresses of those who download your free ebooks.
It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first exposure. You may need to send out your message an additional six to seven times to make a sale. This is the exact reason why you should gather the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and ebooks . You can make follow-ups on these contacts to prompt them to make a purchase from you. Get the contact information of prospects before sending them to the supplier's website. If you send prospects straight to the suppliers, chances are they will disappear from your income stream forever. When you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to attain a continuing commission versus a one time only sale.
4. Publish an online newsletter or ezine.
It is frequently best to recommend a product to a person you know rather than selling to a stranger. This is the motive behind publishing your own newsletter. An ezine allows you to evolve a relationship based on trust and familiarity with your subscribers. This strategy is a fragile balance between providing helpful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to construct a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.
5. Ask for a higher than usual commission from merchants.
If you are already prospering with a certain promotion, you should attempt to approach the merchant and discuss a percentage commission for your sales. If the merchant is shrewd, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a profitable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a no-risk investment to your merchant, so do not hold yourself back when requesting a bump in your commissions. Just be sensible and professional in the way you go about it.
6. Compose compelling pay Per Click ads.
PPC advertising is an extremely effective and profitable means of promotion online. As an affiliate, you can make a decent income just by managing PPC campaigns. There are several places for PPC advertising, Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing being the foremost. You would then want to monitor them to see which ads are effectual and which ones you should dump.Try out these strategies and see how quickly they can improve your commission checks and overflow your bank account. Remember if something isn't giving you the results you desire then dump that strategy or program and find something that does.
Copyright 2006 © Dawn Drury
The author, Dawn Drury, has been in sales and marketing on and offline for years and enjoys helping other people to attain their own financial goals. For more information please visit http://www.attainmoneyonline.com/
Affiliate marketing does not require you to have your own website. This is one of the easiest ways of starting an internet business and earning additional revenue.Here are 6 ways you can use to improve your affiliate marketing commissions very rapidly.
1. Investigate and learn the first-rate programs and products to promote.
Clearly, you would want to develop a program that will qualify you to realize the greatest profits in the shortest amount of time. There are a few factors you should weigh when selecting a program. Select the ones that have an ample commission structure and products that fit in with your target market. You will want to pick a merchant with a solid track record of paying their affiliate's smoothly and on time.
There are several thousands of affiliate programs online giving you the option to be finicky. You need to distinguish the best to avoid the loss of your advertising dollars. If you cannot seem to advance your interest's, drop that program and keep looking for better ones.
2. Author free reports or short ebooks to give away from your site.
Understand that you are competing with other affiliates promoting the very same program. If you write a brief report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to stand out from the other affiliates and garner trust with your prospects. In the reports, supply some beneficial information for free. If feasible, add some recommendations about the products. With ebooks, you gain credibility. Prospects will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.
3. Gather and save the email addresses of those who download your free ebooks.
It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first exposure. You may need to send out your message an additional six to seven times to make a sale. This is the exact reason why you should gather the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and ebooks . You can make follow-ups on these contacts to prompt them to make a purchase from you. Get the contact information of prospects before sending them to the supplier's website. If you send prospects straight to the suppliers, chances are they will disappear from your income stream forever. When you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to attain a continuing commission versus a one time only sale.
4. Publish an online newsletter or ezine.
It is frequently best to recommend a product to a person you know rather than selling to a stranger. This is the motive behind publishing your own newsletter. An ezine allows you to evolve a relationship based on trust and familiarity with your subscribers. This strategy is a fragile balance between providing helpful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to construct a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.
5. Ask for a higher than usual commission from merchants.
If you are already prospering with a certain promotion, you should attempt to approach the merchant and discuss a percentage commission for your sales. If the merchant is shrewd, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a profitable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a no-risk investment to your merchant, so do not hold yourself back when requesting a bump in your commissions. Just be sensible and professional in the way you go about it.
6. Compose compelling pay Per Click ads.
PPC advertising is an extremely effective and profitable means of promotion online. As an affiliate, you can make a decent income just by managing PPC campaigns. There are several places for PPC advertising, Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing being the foremost. You would then want to monitor them to see which ads are effectual and which ones you should dump.Try out these strategies and see how quickly they can improve your commission checks and overflow your bank account. Remember if something isn't giving you the results you desire then dump that strategy or program and find something that does.
Copyright 2006 © Dawn Drury
The author, Dawn Drury, has been in sales and marketing on and offline for years and enjoys helping other people to attain their own financial goals. For more information please visit http://www.attainmoneyonline.com/
Avoid The Most Common Mistakes In Affiliate Marketing
By: hersh
Avoiding some of the common mistakes made by affiliate marketers should quickly and easily improve your chances of making big cash in the affiliate sales arena.
Here are five of the top mistakes that I see most:
Not researching the affiliate program before your start promoting it - It really is amazing just how many affiliates grab the first affiliate program that comes along, or they signup simply because of a high commission rate or promote it because every other marketer is also promoting it. If the program does not complement the overall theme of your current website, you may find it difficult to convince your subscribers to purchase the product, especially if it does not have anything to do with the current marketplace you are targeting.
Not using your signature file correctly - Many affiliates will add a signature file to all of their out-going email messages and message board posts that is totally inappropriate. Twenty lines of text, full of affiliate links, is not considered a signature file - it's usually considered 'spam.' Try keeping your signature file under five lines with an attention grabbing or intriguing first line.
Not writing your own ad copy - There's nothing worse than seeing the same advertisement all over the Net or in an email message from ten different marketers. How much perceived value will your message have when it arrives and the reader is seeing it for the tenth time? Take the time to tweak the ad to suit your target market and readership before sending it out. Personalize it; make the ad your own.
Not paying for your own domain name and hosting account – Not good, nobody wants to visit a site that looks like it is on a free host with a free email address. It's very unprofessional and suggests to your subscribers that you haven't made any money on-line because you don't know what you're doing and are too stingy to spend money on setting up your business properly. $8.95 a year for a domain name at GoDaddy and around $4 per month for a small hosting account won't break the bank; it may just help to add to the pocketbook in the long run.
Not capturing your leads before you send them through to the affiliate product site - If you can actually get someone to click on one of your affiliate links and they leave the product site without purchasing, what have you gained? Nothing! Except for the expense and/or time to get that one click-through in the first place. Set up a squeeze page so you can capture your lead's email address before you send them onto the product site. This way, if they don't buy, you can follow up with them later and try again (and again and again and again). Capturing emails and using an AutoResponder with those emails is Priceless!
Chad William Hershey of www.ManifestYourFortune.com is founder of his own home based business, The Pinnacle Group. He is a student and mentor of the famous Mentors in Motion Internet training program and believes fully in The Master Key System. Chad shares his passion and knowledge of being in the home based business arena for the last 15 years and enjoys helping others succeed with Internet marketing.
Avoiding some of the common mistakes made by affiliate marketers should quickly and easily improve your chances of making big cash in the affiliate sales arena.
Here are five of the top mistakes that I see most:
Not researching the affiliate program before your start promoting it - It really is amazing just how many affiliates grab the first affiliate program that comes along, or they signup simply because of a high commission rate or promote it because every other marketer is also promoting it. If the program does not complement the overall theme of your current website, you may find it difficult to convince your subscribers to purchase the product, especially if it does not have anything to do with the current marketplace you are targeting.
Not using your signature file correctly - Many affiliates will add a signature file to all of their out-going email messages and message board posts that is totally inappropriate. Twenty lines of text, full of affiliate links, is not considered a signature file - it's usually considered 'spam.' Try keeping your signature file under five lines with an attention grabbing or intriguing first line.
Not writing your own ad copy - There's nothing worse than seeing the same advertisement all over the Net or in an email message from ten different marketers. How much perceived value will your message have when it arrives and the reader is seeing it for the tenth time? Take the time to tweak the ad to suit your target market and readership before sending it out. Personalize it; make the ad your own.
Not paying for your own domain name and hosting account – Not good, nobody wants to visit a site that looks like it is on a free host with a free email address. It's very unprofessional and suggests to your subscribers that you haven't made any money on-line because you don't know what you're doing and are too stingy to spend money on setting up your business properly. $8.95 a year for a domain name at GoDaddy and around $4 per month for a small hosting account won't break the bank; it may just help to add to the pocketbook in the long run.
Not capturing your leads before you send them through to the affiliate product site - If you can actually get someone to click on one of your affiliate links and they leave the product site without purchasing, what have you gained? Nothing! Except for the expense and/or time to get that one click-through in the first place. Set up a squeeze page so you can capture your lead's email address before you send them onto the product site. This way, if they don't buy, you can follow up with them later and try again (and again and again and again). Capturing emails and using an AutoResponder with those emails is Priceless!
Chad William Hershey of www.ManifestYourFortune.com is founder of his own home based business, The Pinnacle Group. He is a student and mentor of the famous Mentors in Motion Internet training program and believes fully in The Master Key System. Chad shares his passion and knowledge of being in the home based business arena for the last 15 years and enjoys helping others succeed with Internet marketing.
10 Reasons To Start an Online Business
Author: Kevin Cooper
1: Anyone Can Do It.
It’s true; it has never been so easy to start a business. Think about it, in the past you were confined mostly to brick and mortar businesses. You would need retail premises or warehousing. Now you don’t need any of these. You don’t need experience. Everything you need to know is out there on the World Wide Web. Get yourself a notepad, put the coffee pot on and hit the search engines. Be methodical, visit message boards, user groups and article directories. Subscribe to ezines. (Online magazines). Ask lots of Questions.
2: Low cost.
This has to be one of the cheapest ways to start your own business. You’ve got a PC and an Internet connection, what more do you need? Web hosting? You can even get this for free! You may need to upgrade at a later stage, which will cost you money, but even then it won’t be really expensive. A web site? Maybe, it depends what type of business you start. But again you can do it yourself with Microsoft Frontpage, or similar software. Even free web hosting may come with a Wizard to help you build a site. Content for your Web page? Again it depends what sort of business you want but this could even be found for free. As above, hit the search engines!
3: Work from home.
Didn’t you always dream of working from home? No more daily commute, sitting in traffic wondering where you’re life is going. More time for yourself and your family. You can wear what you like, work when you like. If you want to get up at 5 am, and work while it’s quiet, go ahead. A word of caution! You must be disciplined when working from home. If you got a space to call an office, then use it. Tell you family and friends not to disturb you except in emergencies. (Running out of ice cream is not an emergency).
4: No Staff.
Can you imagine running a store without staff? Or a repair shop, or almost any ordinary business. In most cases it can’t be done. If you need three staff, ones on vacation and another calls in sick, you’ve got a real headache. But working from home you shouldn’t have these problems. If you need help with some tasks, like copy writing, or web page design, You can hire people’s services online at sites like elance.com
5: Part Time.
Not only can you work from home but you can work part time. It is possible to run a very successful online business in just a few hours a week. Maybe in the early stages of creating your business, you’ll burn the midnight oil. But with so many repetitive tasks being done by software packages, e.g.; autoresponders, once you’re set up you may need to do little more than regular maintenance. Or create new products.
6: A portable business.
One of the great things about your online business is that being run from a computer means it can be run from a computer anywhere. If you’ve got a laptop, you can work in the garden, or from bed. As long as you can get an Internet connection, you can go on vacation and still do some work.
7: No stock or Shipping.
If you choose a business selling information products; such as ebooks. They can be downloaded by your customer, which means you don’t have to carry stock, or deal with packing and shipping. If you want to sell a physical product, search the internet for drop shippers. These are companies who carry the stock and do the shipping for you. There are drop shippers carrying an amazing variety of goods.
8: 24/7 Income.
This has to be one of the best things about your online business. You don’t have to pull down the shutters at 6.00pm or any time at all for that matter. If you’ve set things up with lots of automation built in your web site can be pulling visitors night and day. And from around the world. You can earn money while you’re sleeping.
9: More fun than work.
It’s a good idea to base your business around an interest or hobby, something you’re intimately involved with and knowledgeable about. Whether it is Koi carp, computer games or wedding planning, if you are passionate about it, you won’t feel like you’re working. You will want to get up in the morning, and get on with it. No more Monday morning blues.
10: Control your own destiny.
There is nothing quite like taking charge of your own life. You may only start part time, but when you’re successful in your business, that extra income can be a real boost, and not just in spending power but in your self esteem. Maybe you like your job, but a little extra money every month will give you freedom from worrying about bills and the pleasure of spending more on your family. A few treats now and again can work wonders for your morale. If you hate your job, then looking forward to getting home to work on your own business, sure helps you get through the day. And looking forward to the day you quit, spurs you on to be successful.I hope I’ve given you something positive to think about. If you’re inspired to start an online business, but still worried about the nuts and bolts of it, remember, the World Wide Web, is full of free advice. There are thousands of ebooks available, thousands of articles, thousands of products to help you, much of it low cost or free.Start today.
This article is free for republishingSource: http://www.a1articles.com/article_181836_3.html
1: Anyone Can Do It.
It’s true; it has never been so easy to start a business. Think about it, in the past you were confined mostly to brick and mortar businesses. You would need retail premises or warehousing. Now you don’t need any of these. You don’t need experience. Everything you need to know is out there on the World Wide Web. Get yourself a notepad, put the coffee pot on and hit the search engines. Be methodical, visit message boards, user groups and article directories. Subscribe to ezines. (Online magazines). Ask lots of Questions.
2: Low cost.
This has to be one of the cheapest ways to start your own business. You’ve got a PC and an Internet connection, what more do you need? Web hosting? You can even get this for free! You may need to upgrade at a later stage, which will cost you money, but even then it won’t be really expensive. A web site? Maybe, it depends what type of business you start. But again you can do it yourself with Microsoft Frontpage, or similar software. Even free web hosting may come with a Wizard to help you build a site. Content for your Web page? Again it depends what sort of business you want but this could even be found for free. As above, hit the search engines!
3: Work from home.
Didn’t you always dream of working from home? No more daily commute, sitting in traffic wondering where you’re life is going. More time for yourself and your family. You can wear what you like, work when you like. If you want to get up at 5 am, and work while it’s quiet, go ahead. A word of caution! You must be disciplined when working from home. If you got a space to call an office, then use it. Tell you family and friends not to disturb you except in emergencies. (Running out of ice cream is not an emergency).
4: No Staff.
Can you imagine running a store without staff? Or a repair shop, or almost any ordinary business. In most cases it can’t be done. If you need three staff, ones on vacation and another calls in sick, you’ve got a real headache. But working from home you shouldn’t have these problems. If you need help with some tasks, like copy writing, or web page design, You can hire people’s services online at sites like elance.com
5: Part Time.
Not only can you work from home but you can work part time. It is possible to run a very successful online business in just a few hours a week. Maybe in the early stages of creating your business, you’ll burn the midnight oil. But with so many repetitive tasks being done by software packages, e.g.; autoresponders, once you’re set up you may need to do little more than regular maintenance. Or create new products.
6: A portable business.
One of the great things about your online business is that being run from a computer means it can be run from a computer anywhere. If you’ve got a laptop, you can work in the garden, or from bed. As long as you can get an Internet connection, you can go on vacation and still do some work.
7: No stock or Shipping.
If you choose a business selling information products; such as ebooks. They can be downloaded by your customer, which means you don’t have to carry stock, or deal with packing and shipping. If you want to sell a physical product, search the internet for drop shippers. These are companies who carry the stock and do the shipping for you. There are drop shippers carrying an amazing variety of goods.
8: 24/7 Income.
This has to be one of the best things about your online business. You don’t have to pull down the shutters at 6.00pm or any time at all for that matter. If you’ve set things up with lots of automation built in your web site can be pulling visitors night and day. And from around the world. You can earn money while you’re sleeping.
9: More fun than work.
It’s a good idea to base your business around an interest or hobby, something you’re intimately involved with and knowledgeable about. Whether it is Koi carp, computer games or wedding planning, if you are passionate about it, you won’t feel like you’re working. You will want to get up in the morning, and get on with it. No more Monday morning blues.
10: Control your own destiny.
There is nothing quite like taking charge of your own life. You may only start part time, but when you’re successful in your business, that extra income can be a real boost, and not just in spending power but in your self esteem. Maybe you like your job, but a little extra money every month will give you freedom from worrying about bills and the pleasure of spending more on your family. A few treats now and again can work wonders for your morale. If you hate your job, then looking forward to getting home to work on your own business, sure helps you get through the day. And looking forward to the day you quit, spurs you on to be successful.I hope I’ve given you something positive to think about. If you’re inspired to start an online business, but still worried about the nuts and bolts of it, remember, the World Wide Web, is full of free advice. There are thousands of ebooks available, thousands of articles, thousands of products to help you, much of it low cost or free.Start today.
This article is free for republishingSource: http://www.a1articles.com/article_181836_3.html
Don't Make These Common 4 Affiliate Mistakes!
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Myths concerning affiliate marketing are appealing and attractive. People who do not know the entire system the wrong way round are prone to believing that it is something capable of giving them great fortune overnight. Stories concerning affiliates who earn tremendous amounts of money swim in their heads, and while these stories are as true as they can be, there are those who believe that they are going to have the same fortune once they indulge in this particular business.
It is true enough that affiliate marketing is financially rewarding. People who have gone through everything to be able to succeed in this business are reaping the seeds that they untiringly sowed. Many of them enjoy the kind of existence that was not possible for them to have had under ordinary circumstances. Having gone through the A-Z of affiliate marketing, however, these people are the ones who know that while such business is lucrative, there is absolutely no easy money in it.
Ignorance of this fact is one of the main reasons why there are people who fail miserably in the internet business. There are those who believe in myths concerning the easy money involved in systems such as affiliate marketing. They do not know that there are those who have wasted time, effort and too many resources in trying to pursue the life of ease that they believe this business will give them. And so they go into affiliate marketing armed with nothing but myths and fantastical notions of wealth swimming in their consciousness, never realizing that they bound to make mistakes that would prove to be their downfall.
What may be the reason why in businesses such as affiliate marketing, many are called but few are chosen? Perhaps the answer lies on the fact that many affiliates make mistakes that result from their ignorance of facts concerning how the entire business runs. Affiliate marketing is not as simple as an affiliate promoting a merchant's wares through his website and getting paid for it. It is also about knowing the market and the customers at hand.
Discovering what the most common mistakes affiliates make can perhaps dispel the gloom about myths surrounding affiliate marketing by correcting some wrong notions about it. It might also be able to make those concerned understand that like any other business, there are dos and donts involved in this one if they want to make each of their steps count. The first common mistake affiliates make is their lack of knowledge concerning principles involved in their business. This refers to the affiliate's knowledge of search engines in particular.
Affiliate marketing involves advertising, and advertising through the internet could not have been better without the existence of search engines. What every affiliate has to do is to make these search engines his best friend through studying search engine optimization closely. This way, he is able to know what to do in connection with building a better website to ultimately use for his business.
The second is that affiliates make the mistake of stuffing their sites with banners that do not provide enough information about the product at hand. The best way to battle this mistake is to provide good content hand-in-hand with such banners. It is important for customers to know and understand the features of a product, and good content will be able to help them realize this goal.
The third is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting only one product. Consequently, customers are not given enough options to choose from. There is also the risk of generating fewer sales as compared to having more options for customers ponder about. It is always better to give them a few better alternatives than to give them only one.
The fourth is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting too many products. As a result, customers are confused and end up beyond making a choice. It is perhaps good to give them only the best choices. This is because it is ultimately up to them to judge which one is the best for them to patronize.
All in all, affiliates that are doomed to fail in this business are those who do not exert enough effort to understand everything involved in the industry that they are in. Knowing their path step by careful step will prove to be beneficial to them, as there is no other way to succeed than to go through any path slowly but surely.
Myths concerning affiliate marketing are appealing and attractive. People who do not know the entire system the wrong way round are prone to believing that it is something capable of giving them great fortune overnight. Stories concerning affiliates who earn tremendous amounts of money swim in their heads, and while these stories are as true as they can be, there are those who believe that they are going to have the same fortune once they indulge in this particular business.
It is true enough that affiliate marketing is financially rewarding. People who have gone through everything to be able to succeed in this business are reaping the seeds that they untiringly sowed. Many of them enjoy the kind of existence that was not possible for them to have had under ordinary circumstances. Having gone through the A-Z of affiliate marketing, however, these people are the ones who know that while such business is lucrative, there is absolutely no easy money in it.
Ignorance of this fact is one of the main reasons why there are people who fail miserably in the internet business. There are those who believe in myths concerning the easy money involved in systems such as affiliate marketing. They do not know that there are those who have wasted time, effort and too many resources in trying to pursue the life of ease that they believe this business will give them. And so they go into affiliate marketing armed with nothing but myths and fantastical notions of wealth swimming in their consciousness, never realizing that they bound to make mistakes that would prove to be their downfall.
What may be the reason why in businesses such as affiliate marketing, many are called but few are chosen? Perhaps the answer lies on the fact that many affiliates make mistakes that result from their ignorance of facts concerning how the entire business runs. Affiliate marketing is not as simple as an affiliate promoting a merchant's wares through his website and getting paid for it. It is also about knowing the market and the customers at hand.
Discovering what the most common mistakes affiliates make can perhaps dispel the gloom about myths surrounding affiliate marketing by correcting some wrong notions about it. It might also be able to make those concerned understand that like any other business, there are dos and donts involved in this one if they want to make each of their steps count. The first common mistake affiliates make is their lack of knowledge concerning principles involved in their business. This refers to the affiliate's knowledge of search engines in particular.
Affiliate marketing involves advertising, and advertising through the internet could not have been better without the existence of search engines. What every affiliate has to do is to make these search engines his best friend through studying search engine optimization closely. This way, he is able to know what to do in connection with building a better website to ultimately use for his business.
The second is that affiliates make the mistake of stuffing their sites with banners that do not provide enough information about the product at hand. The best way to battle this mistake is to provide good content hand-in-hand with such banners. It is important for customers to know and understand the features of a product, and good content will be able to help them realize this goal.
The third is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting only one product. Consequently, customers are not given enough options to choose from. There is also the risk of generating fewer sales as compared to having more options for customers ponder about. It is always better to give them a few better alternatives than to give them only one.
The fourth is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting too many products. As a result, customers are confused and end up beyond making a choice. It is perhaps good to give them only the best choices. This is because it is ultimately up to them to judge which one is the best for them to patronize.
All in all, affiliates that are doomed to fail in this business are those who do not exert enough effort to understand everything involved in the industry that they are in. Knowing their path step by careful step will prove to be beneficial to them, as there is no other way to succeed than to go through any path slowly but surely.
How You Can Become a Super Affiliate
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
The humdrum existence of going to the office day after day doing the usual 9-5 shift is a trying task for those who have lived all their lives doing so. This is why the convenience of doing work at home under amazingly flexible working hours is a dazzling prospect to them. Doing work at home that is as fulfilling as having a career working for a computer on the 19th floor of a skyscraper is already a possibility in these modern times. This is because the jungle-like network that is the internet has given birth to a business that has given some people practically new lives doing nothing but so.
This particular business allows people to work at home under flexible working hours. There is no boss to scream around putting pressure on everyone about the deadline at hand. There is no clutter of messy paperwork that needs to be completed the soonest possible time. Conveniences such as these are experienced by those who are into affiliate marketing, the newest way to earn money without having to go through all sorts of routine found in regular employment.
Those who have been in the business long enough can attest to the fact that it is a lucrative business indeed, one that can actually give people things that they could not possibly possess or experience under ordinary circumstances.
The business called affiliate marketing involves an affiliate's promotion of a merchant's website. Here the website owned by the affiliate is made to advertise and market the website of the merchant through the affiliate program that they run. Whenever someone clicks on the merchant's website promoted by the one owned by the affiliate, the affiliate is given a commission. This is in recognition of his effort in helping the merchant make a sale.
The system involved in affiliate marketing seems easy, but it also takes a lot of diligence and perseverance for one to be able to penetrate it thoroughly. Those who want to get into this type of business should possess the necessary skills to be able tread through the industry with confidence and self-assurance. Still, other factors are needed by one to be able to really break in. Knowledge about the business at hand is very important as it dictates the actions that are to be done by people who are into it.
The leading figure in affiliate marketing is the super affiliate. He is basically an e-mail marketer who collects large databases of e-mail addresses through newsletters. Super affiliates are also those who know the business even better than affiliate managers as a result of their knowledge about the affiliate marketing industry inside out. Those who want to be super affiliates should know that becoming a super affiliate is not easy, because it takes a lot to be able to master the marketing craft.
Becoming a super affiliate means having one's own website and autoresponder. These tools will help a lot in one's facilitation of the business. Building one's own list is another. Creating a loyal customer base and taking care of it is one secret that successful super affiliates have. Making good customer relations is also important if one wants to be a super affiliate to reckon with.
Continuing to market to the people on one's list is another must if one wants to succeed as a super affiliate. Sending out quality content in lieu of ads is an advantage as products are marketed better whenever enough information is given about them.
Building traffic to one's own site is also one of the most essential points in the affiliate marketing business. Making one's affiliate links his own business will allow him to build a strong relationship with his customers, enabling him to market to them over and over again.
The most important thing one should remember if he wants to become a super affiliate is to treat affiliate marketing as a business first and foremost. If he is capable of doing this, then he will never have to go back to the humdrum existence of working the 9-5 shift. A career as a super affiliate in the business which will change his life forever could possibly take that unexciting job's place.
The humdrum existence of going to the office day after day doing the usual 9-5 shift is a trying task for those who have lived all their lives doing so. This is why the convenience of doing work at home under amazingly flexible working hours is a dazzling prospect to them. Doing work at home that is as fulfilling as having a career working for a computer on the 19th floor of a skyscraper is already a possibility in these modern times. This is because the jungle-like network that is the internet has given birth to a business that has given some people practically new lives doing nothing but so.
This particular business allows people to work at home under flexible working hours. There is no boss to scream around putting pressure on everyone about the deadline at hand. There is no clutter of messy paperwork that needs to be completed the soonest possible time. Conveniences such as these are experienced by those who are into affiliate marketing, the newest way to earn money without having to go through all sorts of routine found in regular employment.
Those who have been in the business long enough can attest to the fact that it is a lucrative business indeed, one that can actually give people things that they could not possibly possess or experience under ordinary circumstances.
The business called affiliate marketing involves an affiliate's promotion of a merchant's website. Here the website owned by the affiliate is made to advertise and market the website of the merchant through the affiliate program that they run. Whenever someone clicks on the merchant's website promoted by the one owned by the affiliate, the affiliate is given a commission. This is in recognition of his effort in helping the merchant make a sale.
The system involved in affiliate marketing seems easy, but it also takes a lot of diligence and perseverance for one to be able to penetrate it thoroughly. Those who want to get into this type of business should possess the necessary skills to be able tread through the industry with confidence and self-assurance. Still, other factors are needed by one to be able to really break in. Knowledge about the business at hand is very important as it dictates the actions that are to be done by people who are into it.
The leading figure in affiliate marketing is the super affiliate. He is basically an e-mail marketer who collects large databases of e-mail addresses through newsletters. Super affiliates are also those who know the business even better than affiliate managers as a result of their knowledge about the affiliate marketing industry inside out. Those who want to be super affiliates should know that becoming a super affiliate is not easy, because it takes a lot to be able to master the marketing craft.
Becoming a super affiliate means having one's own website and autoresponder. These tools will help a lot in one's facilitation of the business. Building one's own list is another. Creating a loyal customer base and taking care of it is one secret that successful super affiliates have. Making good customer relations is also important if one wants to be a super affiliate to reckon with.
Continuing to market to the people on one's list is another must if one wants to succeed as a super affiliate. Sending out quality content in lieu of ads is an advantage as products are marketed better whenever enough information is given about them.
Building traffic to one's own site is also one of the most essential points in the affiliate marketing business. Making one's affiliate links his own business will allow him to build a strong relationship with his customers, enabling him to market to them over and over again.
The most important thing one should remember if he wants to become a super affiliate is to treat affiliate marketing as a business first and foremost. If he is capable of doing this, then he will never have to go back to the humdrum existence of working the 9-5 shift. A career as a super affiliate in the business which will change his life forever could possibly take that unexciting job's place.
How to Set Yourself Apart From Other Affiliates
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Considered today as one of the best and easiest way to earn some money, affiliate marketing is now attracting many people to represent themselves in this type of business. But as competition is getting a bit bigger, you may need some ways to distinguish yourself from the rest of the affiliate marketers. For the major reason that many of your competitors including you are promoting the exact same program, in the exact same zone or on the exact same websites perhaps.
Now here are some tips that you may consider in order for you to stay in this business and have the chance to outwit and outplay other competitors of yours. The first thing is for you to have your own website. It is very essential for you to have your own website in considering affiliate marketing as your professional career. Secondly, potential customers primarily go to websites in order for them to search and sometimes purchase items they were looking for. For the same reason that it is much easier to remember than a certain URL that you may be using and you can just point to your visitors the affiliate page in your website.
Another thing to remember is to have your own ad. A lot of times affiliates marketers have published the same ad two or three times done by advertisers. In this case, you may email the owner of your affiliate program asking that you make your own ads. This way, people may not become immune to ads, because sometimes seeing the same ads over and over again, may just make your potential customers to just skip it all together. Besides, your primarily purpose is to attract or encourage people to click and read your ads and be curios enough to click through your website.
Step three, have some products of your won which are only available through your website. Once you have your website going, it is important to have some products or services that your customers can't find with other affiliate's site. You want your customers to keep coming to your site and the best way to do that is to have something on your site that they can't find on others. Being an affiliate marketer we must then choose a certain market segment where you can have a potential leadership or at least a strong challenger role.
The fourth step is to build a strong relationship with people who already buy your product. Now, in order for you as the marketer to fully answer the query of your potential customers, it is best to try and buy the product by yourself. With this particular notion, you can better sell the product that you are trying to market. You can share to your potential customers what a great experience you had with the product, and this can make them interested enough to buy the product. You may also be able to provide a support if necessary or you may provide a confident tutorial or steps on how to use the product that you are trying to market based on your personal experience. Entailing this idea is to be totally honest about the product that you are trying to market. If you find out that the program you were promoting is a scam, stop promoting it and inform your readers about it. This will help you build credibility with your lists.
We all make mistakes and admitting your mistake will boost your reader's confidence in you. Lastly, don't try to market everything you see. With services such as click bank, it is easy to become overwhelmed and try to market everything in the click bank marketplace. That is not a good idea. It's better to focus on one market and market products that they would want. This is called niche marketing.
Try also to promote a certain product, which conforms to the specifications measured through indications of customer-satisfaction, rather than indicators of self-gratification. It is the customer who decides what to buy and not the company or the affiliate marketer. The company simply produces products catering to the needs and wants of their chosen market segment.
Today, different types of business are emerging from all over the world in a multinational level to reign supreme on their specific market segment that they are trying to dominate, and affiliate marketing is one of them. Affiliate marketing is definitely here to stay and it can become a great way to earn extra or even part time income. However, it won't happen overnight. Like everything else in life, you're going to have to put a lot of hard work into it. Good luck to you in your new venture.
Considered today as one of the best and easiest way to earn some money, affiliate marketing is now attracting many people to represent themselves in this type of business. But as competition is getting a bit bigger, you may need some ways to distinguish yourself from the rest of the affiliate marketers. For the major reason that many of your competitors including you are promoting the exact same program, in the exact same zone or on the exact same websites perhaps.
Now here are some tips that you may consider in order for you to stay in this business and have the chance to outwit and outplay other competitors of yours. The first thing is for you to have your own website. It is very essential for you to have your own website in considering affiliate marketing as your professional career. Secondly, potential customers primarily go to websites in order for them to search and sometimes purchase items they were looking for. For the same reason that it is much easier to remember than a certain URL that you may be using and you can just point to your visitors the affiliate page in your website.
Another thing to remember is to have your own ad. A lot of times affiliates marketers have published the same ad two or three times done by advertisers. In this case, you may email the owner of your affiliate program asking that you make your own ads. This way, people may not become immune to ads, because sometimes seeing the same ads over and over again, may just make your potential customers to just skip it all together. Besides, your primarily purpose is to attract or encourage people to click and read your ads and be curios enough to click through your website.
Step three, have some products of your won which are only available through your website. Once you have your website going, it is important to have some products or services that your customers can't find with other affiliate's site. You want your customers to keep coming to your site and the best way to do that is to have something on your site that they can't find on others. Being an affiliate marketer we must then choose a certain market segment where you can have a potential leadership or at least a strong challenger role.
The fourth step is to build a strong relationship with people who already buy your product. Now, in order for you as the marketer to fully answer the query of your potential customers, it is best to try and buy the product by yourself. With this particular notion, you can better sell the product that you are trying to market. You can share to your potential customers what a great experience you had with the product, and this can make them interested enough to buy the product. You may also be able to provide a support if necessary or you may provide a confident tutorial or steps on how to use the product that you are trying to market based on your personal experience. Entailing this idea is to be totally honest about the product that you are trying to market. If you find out that the program you were promoting is a scam, stop promoting it and inform your readers about it. This will help you build credibility with your lists.
We all make mistakes and admitting your mistake will boost your reader's confidence in you. Lastly, don't try to market everything you see. With services such as click bank, it is easy to become overwhelmed and try to market everything in the click bank marketplace. That is not a good idea. It's better to focus on one market and market products that they would want. This is called niche marketing.
Try also to promote a certain product, which conforms to the specifications measured through indications of customer-satisfaction, rather than indicators of self-gratification. It is the customer who decides what to buy and not the company or the affiliate marketer. The company simply produces products catering to the needs and wants of their chosen market segment.
Today, different types of business are emerging from all over the world in a multinational level to reign supreme on their specific market segment that they are trying to dominate, and affiliate marketing is one of them. Affiliate marketing is definitely here to stay and it can become a great way to earn extra or even part time income. However, it won't happen overnight. Like everything else in life, you're going to have to put a lot of hard work into it. Good luck to you in your new venture.
3 Necessary Tools for the High Rolling Affiliate Marketer
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
What does it take to become a successful Affiliate Marketer? What are the ingredients of an affiliate marketing success story? Is there a shortcut to Affiliate Marketing glory? All these questions play around in the minds of affiliate marketers who want to make it big in this business. Although affiliate marketing is touted as one of the easiest and most effective ways to earn money online, it is not as easy as it sounds. The wise affiliate marketer plans every action and executes it the best way he can. He should also maximize the potential to earn by utilizing the right tools necessary for a successful Affiliate Marketing business. We have consulted some of the most successful affiliate marketers in the business and below are the top three necessary tools for a successful affiliate marketing business.
Important Tool #1: Your Own Website
The most important and indispensable tool in Affiliate Marketing is your own website. The first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. Your website is the jump off point of all your marketing efforts. Thus, you must first build a user-friendly website, which will appeal to your prospects and encourage them to click on the links to the products and service you are promoting and make a purchase. Therefore, you must first concentrate your efforts in building a website that will cater to what your prospects need.
The most important thing you should consider is that almost all web users go online to look for information, not necessarily to go and buy something. Above all else, make your website full of original, relevant and useful content. People will love articles that are appealing and helpful. Keep in mind that, in the internet, content is still king and good quality content will not only build your credibility, it can also help you achieve a higher search engine ranking. By posting relevant and useful articles, you establish yourself as a credible expert in the field, making you a more trustworthy endorser of the product or service you promote. Establishing a good reputation is a good step in building up a loyal consumer base.
Important Tool #2: Incentives
Competition is extremely tight in the internet world. You must always be one-step ahead of your rivals to ensure that you capture a significant share of your target market. Therefore, you must use every possible means to encourage people not only to visit your site but also to click and proceed to the websites of the products and services you are promoting. Building an opt-in email list is one of the best ways to gather prospects. Offer a newsletter or an e-zine. Better yet, offer incentives to your prospects to encourage them to subscribe to your newsletters. You can present free softwares, access to exclusive services and other freebies that will be helpful to your prospects.
Important Tool #3: Link Popularity
The importance of driving highly targeted traffic to your website cannot be emphasized enough. The all-important web traffic is at the top of the list of the most important entities in the internet world. Attracting people to your site should be the first step you should carry out. Do everything to achieve a high search engine ranking. Link Popularity is one of the factors that search engines use to determine search engine rankings. Therefore, to enhance your link popularity, you must launch an aggressive reciprocal link campaign.
One of the best ways to do this – at no cost at all – is by submitting articles, with your website's link at the resource box, to e-zines and free article sites. You will not only gain exposure, you will also have the opportunity to advertise for free, just include a link back to your site. The more sites you submit your articles to, the better your link popularity is. Make your articles original, relevant and useful so that more websites will pick it up and post it.
These are but three of the many tools that an affiliate marketer can use to maximize earning potential. The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination, creativity, resourcefulness and determination. You can always explore other ideas and adapt other strategies, which you think might help you become a high rolling affiliate marketer.
What does it take to become a successful Affiliate Marketer? What are the ingredients of an affiliate marketing success story? Is there a shortcut to Affiliate Marketing glory? All these questions play around in the minds of affiliate marketers who want to make it big in this business. Although affiliate marketing is touted as one of the easiest and most effective ways to earn money online, it is not as easy as it sounds. The wise affiliate marketer plans every action and executes it the best way he can. He should also maximize the potential to earn by utilizing the right tools necessary for a successful Affiliate Marketing business. We have consulted some of the most successful affiliate marketers in the business and below are the top three necessary tools for a successful affiliate marketing business.
Important Tool #1: Your Own Website
The most important and indispensable tool in Affiliate Marketing is your own website. The first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. Your website is the jump off point of all your marketing efforts. Thus, you must first build a user-friendly website, which will appeal to your prospects and encourage them to click on the links to the products and service you are promoting and make a purchase. Therefore, you must first concentrate your efforts in building a website that will cater to what your prospects need.
The most important thing you should consider is that almost all web users go online to look for information, not necessarily to go and buy something. Above all else, make your website full of original, relevant and useful content. People will love articles that are appealing and helpful. Keep in mind that, in the internet, content is still king and good quality content will not only build your credibility, it can also help you achieve a higher search engine ranking. By posting relevant and useful articles, you establish yourself as a credible expert in the field, making you a more trustworthy endorser of the product or service you promote. Establishing a good reputation is a good step in building up a loyal consumer base.
Important Tool #2: Incentives
Competition is extremely tight in the internet world. You must always be one-step ahead of your rivals to ensure that you capture a significant share of your target market. Therefore, you must use every possible means to encourage people not only to visit your site but also to click and proceed to the websites of the products and services you are promoting. Building an opt-in email list is one of the best ways to gather prospects. Offer a newsletter or an e-zine. Better yet, offer incentives to your prospects to encourage them to subscribe to your newsletters. You can present free softwares, access to exclusive services and other freebies that will be helpful to your prospects.
Important Tool #3: Link Popularity
The importance of driving highly targeted traffic to your website cannot be emphasized enough. The all-important web traffic is at the top of the list of the most important entities in the internet world. Attracting people to your site should be the first step you should carry out. Do everything to achieve a high search engine ranking. Link Popularity is one of the factors that search engines use to determine search engine rankings. Therefore, to enhance your link popularity, you must launch an aggressive reciprocal link campaign.
One of the best ways to do this – at no cost at all – is by submitting articles, with your website's link at the resource box, to e-zines and free article sites. You will not only gain exposure, you will also have the opportunity to advertise for free, just include a link back to your site. The more sites you submit your articles to, the better your link popularity is. Make your articles original, relevant and useful so that more websites will pick it up and post it.
These are but three of the many tools that an affiliate marketer can use to maximize earning potential. The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination, creativity, resourcefulness and determination. You can always explore other ideas and adapt other strategies, which you think might help you become a high rolling affiliate marketer.
Finding Hot Selling Products to Sell
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
In order to locate products that sell online, we need to understand what people already want to buy. Finding a good choice of idea or product is always accompanied by interfacing the demand for the product in the current market and the level of competition or market share that the product will be having in the long run.
"What should I sell? What products are hot selling? These are the questions most people are trying to find an answer in order for them to make the definite decision. And if we really want to know the answer to this question, our only choice is to do some research. There are all kinds of twists along the road that may lead you to think you have a high-demand idea. We must be able to understand and satisfy the need, wants and expectations of our customers on a certain product that they're trying to buy.
This three are called the basic needs or minimum requirements in a purchase. Needs are the basic reasons or the minimum requirements consumers are looking for in a product or service. They are called the qualifying or "gatekeeper" dimensions in a purchase. Wants are the determining dimensions among many choices. Expectations, on the other hand, are values or intangibles associated with a product or service. Expectations are actually part of "wants" but they become extremely important when products or services are not differentiated.
For example, in reading a logic book, university students look for the following: Relevant logic concepts use of simple language, easy to understand and affordable prices. These similar ideas can be applied to Internet Sales as well. After all, the Internet is just another place to sell products. The basic concept of demand is the same there as it is anywhere else, and has been all the time.
Now, the second thing that must be considered in finding "hot" products to sell are the level of competition or the market shares do your product will have. Market share or level of competition means the ratio of your brand sales versus the total market sales. While companies would naturally define its target competitors, it is actually the consumers who ultimately decide the competitive frame, or the list related products or services that consumers consider when exercising their purchasing power. We must therefore choose the market segment where we can have a potential leadership or at least a strong challenger role. Because the overriding objective of getting into this business is not just to satisfy the needs and wants of our customers but to do so profitably better than his competition. Otherwise, our competition will end up satisfying the customers better than our own interest.
Third factor to be considered in finding hot selling products is finding out the general interest level about the product. General interest in a product helps us to gauge where our demand and competition numbers fall into the big picture. Simply saying, if there isn't much demand for the product, and there isn't much competition, it would seem that it might not be good a good put up for sale. But the research doesn't stop here; there is one last thing to be considered to exactly find the hot selling products that you've been looking for. We must also learn how others are advertising those products. If there are a good number of them doing so, it may mean that it's a good product to get into. Coming to the last phase of the process is analyzing and evaluating all the information that has been collected. We have to look at all of the data we have collected on demand, competition, and advertising, and make decision as how they all balance out.
And here are several factors or aspects that must be measured:
(a) not enough demand means not enough people are going to buy
(b) too much competition means not enough of a profit to go around
(c) too much advertising drives up the price of pay per click ads, and competition as well
(d) not enough general interest, combined with low demand, means there may not be a good market even if there is competition trying to make the sales.
In order to locate products that sell online, we need to understand what people already want to buy. Finding a good choice of idea or product is always accompanied by interfacing the demand for the product in the current market and the level of competition or market share that the product will be having in the long run.
"What should I sell? What products are hot selling? These are the questions most people are trying to find an answer in order for them to make the definite decision. And if we really want to know the answer to this question, our only choice is to do some research. There are all kinds of twists along the road that may lead you to think you have a high-demand idea. We must be able to understand and satisfy the need, wants and expectations of our customers on a certain product that they're trying to buy.
This three are called the basic needs or minimum requirements in a purchase. Needs are the basic reasons or the minimum requirements consumers are looking for in a product or service. They are called the qualifying or "gatekeeper" dimensions in a purchase. Wants are the determining dimensions among many choices. Expectations, on the other hand, are values or intangibles associated with a product or service. Expectations are actually part of "wants" but they become extremely important when products or services are not differentiated.
For example, in reading a logic book, university students look for the following: Relevant logic concepts use of simple language, easy to understand and affordable prices. These similar ideas can be applied to Internet Sales as well. After all, the Internet is just another place to sell products. The basic concept of demand is the same there as it is anywhere else, and has been all the time.
Now, the second thing that must be considered in finding "hot" products to sell are the level of competition or the market shares do your product will have. Market share or level of competition means the ratio of your brand sales versus the total market sales. While companies would naturally define its target competitors, it is actually the consumers who ultimately decide the competitive frame, or the list related products or services that consumers consider when exercising their purchasing power. We must therefore choose the market segment where we can have a potential leadership or at least a strong challenger role. Because the overriding objective of getting into this business is not just to satisfy the needs and wants of our customers but to do so profitably better than his competition. Otherwise, our competition will end up satisfying the customers better than our own interest.
Third factor to be considered in finding hot selling products is finding out the general interest level about the product. General interest in a product helps us to gauge where our demand and competition numbers fall into the big picture. Simply saying, if there isn't much demand for the product, and there isn't much competition, it would seem that it might not be good a good put up for sale. But the research doesn't stop here; there is one last thing to be considered to exactly find the hot selling products that you've been looking for. We must also learn how others are advertising those products. If there are a good number of them doing so, it may mean that it's a good product to get into. Coming to the last phase of the process is analyzing and evaluating all the information that has been collected. We have to look at all of the data we have collected on demand, competition, and advertising, and make decision as how they all balance out.
And here are several factors or aspects that must be measured:
(a) not enough demand means not enough people are going to buy
(b) too much competition means not enough of a profit to go around
(c) too much advertising drives up the price of pay per click ads, and competition as well
(d) not enough general interest, combined with low demand, means there may not be a good market even if there is competition trying to make the sales.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Marketing Your Business - How Do I Adapt To The Internet?
by: Martin Lemieux
The way we do business is changing rapidly. From VOIP, video conferencing, email support, telephone answering services, and the almighty internet. As a business owner we are faced with hundreds of decisions our parents and grandparents never had to contend with.
Some of you keep hearing from other business associates that internet marketing is the greatest method of increasing business and building a foundation for customer support. The only problem is, you've just learned how to send emails to people! Never mind learning about SEO, web design strategies, content analysis, pay per click, ROI, etc!
Do you hire an SEO company or do you learn yourself?
Investing time into your company is what we business owners do best but, in many cases, when it comes to learning new methods we quickly open our wallets to anyone out there who seems like the right person to help with your situation. This is the worst possible decision you can make.
Diving into the internet marketing community with your wallet open will result in a disaster if you aren't properly trained on how to spend your money wisely. The key is not to hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to take your money and promote your business behind your back. Try finding someone who offers you their "training services" in order to train yourself or someone within your organization to learn more about what is required online, how much effort it entails, and what pitfalls to avoid.
As a business owner, if you blindly search online and pick a company, you have no idea what you could be getting yourself into. There are no secrets to promoting your business online, only a lot of hard work. That being said, anyone with a computer can easily learn how to get their company high search engine rankings. Search engines don't look to see whether or not you're running a scam. No, they are concentrated on delivering relevant results for your search terms.
Old Fashioned Marketing Tactics:
In the old days (and still practiced today), business owners would devise their own marketing plan through print media, business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures, newspapers, magazines, TV ads, and radio ads. By doing this, the company could track their results by trial and error and really find out what truly works for their industry.
Old fashioned marketing is a simple trial and error process. So is the internet. Unfortunately, all too many business owners don't have a clue how to start their own internet marketing process and they fail to even put their foot in the water. Instead, many business owners simply hire anyone they can find that seems reputable and then turn a blind eye and say; "Here's my budget, you are the professional, you tell me what to do". This is simply preposterous. You've worked so hard to get to where you are now by learning and adapting and as soon as it comes to marketing your business online, you simply shut down.
I hope that this article has awoken some of you. Don't be afraid to dive into the internet's vast realm of marketing potential. So what if you fail the first time around. When we started out, we had no idea what we were doing, 3 years later our website ranks higher than many other internet marketing companies world wide.
The ULTIMATE secret to internet marketing is simple...
A concept I call "T.I.M.E."
T - Try and try again
I - Internet changes all the time
M - Marketing opportunities are around every corner
E - Eventually you too can succeed
Think of it this way (Illustration only)
Here is a timeline of your internet marketing campaign:
Start date - Research only: June 7th, 2005
Hired a website designer - August 31st, 2005
Website Complete - October 15th, 2005
Website launch - October 20th, 2005
Started an internet marketing campaign - November 1st, 2005
Started a Pay Per Click campaign - November 10th, 2005
Made a sale - November 15th, 2005
Increased our website’s link popularity - January 1st, 2006
Website gets hit by the Google Sandbox Effect - January 20th, 2006
Increased our Pay Per Click campaign - February 5th, 2006
Made some changes to the website - February 21st, 2006
Increase the website’s link popularity - February 28th, 2006
Got listed in the Yahoo directory - March 3rd, 2006
So here you are 10 months out of the gate and your website may still be "locked in the Google sandbox" ( Search for "Google Sandbox" in Google for an explanation). Your link popularity is just starting to grow a little bit. Hopefully you haven't tried to link to everyone you can find and are actually linking to companies that are directly related to your business. Your PPC campaign is doing good. People are finally starting to come through Yahoo & MSN search results. You can sometimes find your company in the 200th spot within search results in Google and you are now wondering why this is taking so long.
Welcome to the world of marketing your company on the internet!!!
This timeline representation from above is just something to show you how "T.I.M.E." is the key of success on the internet and all we are required to do is keep plugging away and keep learning more every chance we get.
For most people who simply open up their wallets, they would have learned nothing in those 10 months and for everyone else starting an internet marketing campaign, those who didn't simply just open their wallets, their websites are probably 10 times further than yours!
In Conclusion:
Learn more about how to increase your marketing campaign on the internet. If you have to, hire someone in-house who can learn for you and give you updates on everything. If you truly need to hire an SEO company make sure it's for the right reasons like "starting and finishing a marketing campaign with you learning in the process", or "enhancing a campaign that is already in place", or "to revise your website’s conversion rate" or "create a impactful key word optimization campaign", etc. Take your time and use "T.I.M.E." to increase your business slowly but effectively on the internet.
I hope you've enjoyed this article!
About The Author: Martin Lemieux is the president of the Smartads Advertising Network. Smartads is here to help grow your business online and offline through effective marketing strategies. Visit our network today! International: http://www.smartads.info/ Canada: http://www.smartads.ca/
The way we do business is changing rapidly. From VOIP, video conferencing, email support, telephone answering services, and the almighty internet. As a business owner we are faced with hundreds of decisions our parents and grandparents never had to contend with.
Some of you keep hearing from other business associates that internet marketing is the greatest method of increasing business and building a foundation for customer support. The only problem is, you've just learned how to send emails to people! Never mind learning about SEO, web design strategies, content analysis, pay per click, ROI, etc!
Do you hire an SEO company or do you learn yourself?
Investing time into your company is what we business owners do best but, in many cases, when it comes to learning new methods we quickly open our wallets to anyone out there who seems like the right person to help with your situation. This is the worst possible decision you can make.
Diving into the internet marketing community with your wallet open will result in a disaster if you aren't properly trained on how to spend your money wisely. The key is not to hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to take your money and promote your business behind your back. Try finding someone who offers you their "training services" in order to train yourself or someone within your organization to learn more about what is required online, how much effort it entails, and what pitfalls to avoid.
As a business owner, if you blindly search online and pick a company, you have no idea what you could be getting yourself into. There are no secrets to promoting your business online, only a lot of hard work. That being said, anyone with a computer can easily learn how to get their company high search engine rankings. Search engines don't look to see whether or not you're running a scam. No, they are concentrated on delivering relevant results for your search terms.
Old Fashioned Marketing Tactics:
In the old days (and still practiced today), business owners would devise their own marketing plan through print media, business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures, newspapers, magazines, TV ads, and radio ads. By doing this, the company could track their results by trial and error and really find out what truly works for their industry.
Old fashioned marketing is a simple trial and error process. So is the internet. Unfortunately, all too many business owners don't have a clue how to start their own internet marketing process and they fail to even put their foot in the water. Instead, many business owners simply hire anyone they can find that seems reputable and then turn a blind eye and say; "Here's my budget, you are the professional, you tell me what to do". This is simply preposterous. You've worked so hard to get to where you are now by learning and adapting and as soon as it comes to marketing your business online, you simply shut down.
I hope that this article has awoken some of you. Don't be afraid to dive into the internet's vast realm of marketing potential. So what if you fail the first time around. When we started out, we had no idea what we were doing, 3 years later our website ranks higher than many other internet marketing companies world wide.
The ULTIMATE secret to internet marketing is simple...
A concept I call "T.I.M.E."
T - Try and try again
I - Internet changes all the time
M - Marketing opportunities are around every corner
E - Eventually you too can succeed
Think of it this way (Illustration only)
Here is a timeline of your internet marketing campaign:
Start date - Research only: June 7th, 2005
Hired a website designer - August 31st, 2005
Website Complete - October 15th, 2005
Website launch - October 20th, 2005
Started an internet marketing campaign - November 1st, 2005
Started a Pay Per Click campaign - November 10th, 2005
Made a sale - November 15th, 2005
Increased our website’s link popularity - January 1st, 2006
Website gets hit by the Google Sandbox Effect - January 20th, 2006
Increased our Pay Per Click campaign - February 5th, 2006
Made some changes to the website - February 21st, 2006
Increase the website’s link popularity - February 28th, 2006
Got listed in the Yahoo directory - March 3rd, 2006
So here you are 10 months out of the gate and your website may still be "locked in the Google sandbox" ( Search for "Google Sandbox" in Google for an explanation). Your link popularity is just starting to grow a little bit. Hopefully you haven't tried to link to everyone you can find and are actually linking to companies that are directly related to your business. Your PPC campaign is doing good. People are finally starting to come through Yahoo & MSN search results. You can sometimes find your company in the 200th spot within search results in Google and you are now wondering why this is taking so long.
Welcome to the world of marketing your company on the internet!!!
This timeline representation from above is just something to show you how "T.I.M.E." is the key of success on the internet and all we are required to do is keep plugging away and keep learning more every chance we get.
For most people who simply open up their wallets, they would have learned nothing in those 10 months and for everyone else starting an internet marketing campaign, those who didn't simply just open their wallets, their websites are probably 10 times further than yours!
In Conclusion:
Learn more about how to increase your marketing campaign on the internet. If you have to, hire someone in-house who can learn for you and give you updates on everything. If you truly need to hire an SEO company make sure it's for the right reasons like "starting and finishing a marketing campaign with you learning in the process", or "enhancing a campaign that is already in place", or "to revise your website’s conversion rate" or "create a impactful key word optimization campaign", etc. Take your time and use "T.I.M.E." to increase your business slowly but effectively on the internet.
I hope you've enjoyed this article!
About The Author: Martin Lemieux is the president of the Smartads Advertising Network. Smartads is here to help grow your business online and offline through effective marketing strategies. Visit our network today! International: http://www.smartads.info/ Canada: http://www.smartads.ca/
Utilizing the secrets of opti lists
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Emails are replacing regular mails from the post office. Not only because it is cheaper, since you do not need to buy a stamp, it’s also definitely faster. Emails can be sent in as fast as five seconds, depending on the server, anywhere in the world.
No doubt emails are being used to distribute news letters, promotional mails, and other stuff. How then would you be able to round up email addresses to send those marketing mails you have? Here is where an opt-in list comes in.
An opt-in list is a directory of email address you can send to those mails to. Though it seems to be easy to find email addresses, if you are talking thousands in numbers, it is going to be hard. Besides, you have to determine the recipient of the email. You wouldn’t want your readers mostly male if you are selling lipsticks, right?
A good opt-in list should include the profile of the email address owner. Here are tips on how to create a comprehensive opt-in list for target market.
Create your website.
Creating a website is made simple nowadays. A lot of programs are milling about assisting regular computer users in making and maintaining websites in a real simple way. Some website creator just needs you to cut and paste, like that of a regular paint program. Several web hosting sites are available too. Some are even free. If you have a site of your own, you can ask visitors to register with you or sign your guest book as they leave.
Set up a promotion or a freebie.
Not all the best things in life are free, as they say. But you can definitely try to give something out for sure. You can see this done all over the web. Free screensavers, free games, free download of programs. And what do they need from you? They just ask for an email address, your name and a little something more about you. Then you can place a check box on the registration form for sending of email. For sure, you can think of something to give out as well.
Write and write some more.
There are some web magazines where in readers can submit their writings for a particular topic. If you had a chance to do so, add a link to your article providing information about what you are trying to promote. Some readers of your article may enjoy your work so much they’d like to contact you, so don’t forget to leave your email address too.
Pose an easy opt-out option.
People who like to join your opt-in list would, along the way may want to opt out of it somehow. People who are wary of joining may not join at all if they see that it would be near impossible to remove their email address from the listing. Show them that it is as easy to opt-out as it is opting in.
Check other’s strategy too.
It would be better if you can find a partner in generating an opt-in list. This way, you can split the expenses and both of you can share the list generated. It will be best to partner with a company that has a business similar to your own line. Both of you can profit more should that be the case.
Use offline ways too.
You can put up a small raffle preferably in a supermarket for a certain item they buy. You can place an email address opt-in part in the raffle entry to add to your list. This way, you’d also know the buying preferences of the participants if you mark the entries systemically.
Creating an opt-in list entails a lot of work and funds. You should outline how much you will spend in creating an opt-in list. People appearing at opt-in lists are sales prospects. They are those interested in a certain product that you may be selling. Obtaining an optimal opt-in list would boost your sales up so these tools are undoubtedly essential.
Acquire an opt-in list now or generate one. Either way, you are reaching to people that can be your one of your treasured customers for a long period time.
Emails are replacing regular mails from the post office. Not only because it is cheaper, since you do not need to buy a stamp, it’s also definitely faster. Emails can be sent in as fast as five seconds, depending on the server, anywhere in the world.
No doubt emails are being used to distribute news letters, promotional mails, and other stuff. How then would you be able to round up email addresses to send those marketing mails you have? Here is where an opt-in list comes in.
An opt-in list is a directory of email address you can send to those mails to. Though it seems to be easy to find email addresses, if you are talking thousands in numbers, it is going to be hard. Besides, you have to determine the recipient of the email. You wouldn’t want your readers mostly male if you are selling lipsticks, right?
A good opt-in list should include the profile of the email address owner. Here are tips on how to create a comprehensive opt-in list for target market.
Create your website.
Creating a website is made simple nowadays. A lot of programs are milling about assisting regular computer users in making and maintaining websites in a real simple way. Some website creator just needs you to cut and paste, like that of a regular paint program. Several web hosting sites are available too. Some are even free. If you have a site of your own, you can ask visitors to register with you or sign your guest book as they leave.
Set up a promotion or a freebie.
Not all the best things in life are free, as they say. But you can definitely try to give something out for sure. You can see this done all over the web. Free screensavers, free games, free download of programs. And what do they need from you? They just ask for an email address, your name and a little something more about you. Then you can place a check box on the registration form for sending of email. For sure, you can think of something to give out as well.
Write and write some more.
There are some web magazines where in readers can submit their writings for a particular topic. If you had a chance to do so, add a link to your article providing information about what you are trying to promote. Some readers of your article may enjoy your work so much they’d like to contact you, so don’t forget to leave your email address too.
Pose an easy opt-out option.
People who like to join your opt-in list would, along the way may want to opt out of it somehow. People who are wary of joining may not join at all if they see that it would be near impossible to remove their email address from the listing. Show them that it is as easy to opt-out as it is opting in.
Check other’s strategy too.
It would be better if you can find a partner in generating an opt-in list. This way, you can split the expenses and both of you can share the list generated. It will be best to partner with a company that has a business similar to your own line. Both of you can profit more should that be the case.
Use offline ways too.
You can put up a small raffle preferably in a supermarket for a certain item they buy. You can place an email address opt-in part in the raffle entry to add to your list. This way, you’d also know the buying preferences of the participants if you mark the entries systemically.
Creating an opt-in list entails a lot of work and funds. You should outline how much you will spend in creating an opt-in list. People appearing at opt-in lists are sales prospects. They are those interested in a certain product that you may be selling. Obtaining an optimal opt-in list would boost your sales up so these tools are undoubtedly essential.
Acquire an opt-in list now or generate one. Either way, you are reaching to people that can be your one of your treasured customers for a long period time.
Building an Opt-In List, Building Relationships
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Any entrepreneur’s goal should be SUCCESS!
If you aim for success, you must do everything within your means to achieve that. You just don’t go on sitting there in your house complaining about not getting as much profit as you expect. You have to keep moving. You have to pour in and invest enough time, money and effort to have profitable results.
In doing internet business, you must aim just the same. You should maximize all of your internet marketing strategies, given the wide market that your business will be exposed to. Imagine the whole online community as potential clients!
Now, one of the best marketing tools that you can use in your online business is building a list. An opt-in list is the best, most effective and smartest option that you can make to make it big. It is one thing to stay in business and it is another thing to have a profitable business. So if you will be allowed to choose, make use of the building list to ensure that profits will keep coming in.
What is an opt-in list?
The opt-in list basically is just a list or a database of names and email ads of people who have visited your website or made a purchase through your website. The listing will allow the owner to send updates, emails or promotions to those who are subscribed.
It is like an ordinary membership or mailing list in an ordinary shop or club, only in this instance, the opt-in list is done online.
Why should I choose to put an opt-in list?
Any visitor that will come to your web site is a potential client. That potential client means there is a potential sale and that potential sale is a potential profit. Now, let’s say that you’ve made a good internet marketing strategy as a result all these potential things have been translated to actual client, sale and profit.
The next prudent thing to do is to not let all these productive efforts be wasted. The next best thing to do is to get the email addresses and other contact details of your clients because your present buyers can still be your clients in the future.
Building a list will definitely work for your benefit. This will ensure that you can maintain close contact and a good relationship with your clients, especially the frequent visitors. This way you will have a regular
This will also save you money, time and effort because once you come up with a new product or new information, you know exactly who you will send updates to because you have a definite market. This is one aspect that you will have to maintain to have a steady source of income at the least. Then the rest of your efforts will be to make the number of your regular clients grow.
Some pointers in building your opt-in list :
1. You should put a ‘subscribe link’ or ‘subscribe box’ in your web site. It is advisable to put it on all the pages. Then make sure that it is strategically positioned, meaning it has to be easily located by the visitors. The upper right hand corner of the page would be a good position.
2. Promote your website and promote it even more to make give it more exposure and to get more subscribers.
3. Come up with contests or give away freebies and goodies that will require visitors to give out their email ads to be able to join.
4. Give out information, articles and updates to your clients with your links in it. Make sure that the information will be relevant to the client.
5. Offer free courses to your visitors. This will also help maintain a good relationship with your subscribers.
6. Use your signature also to make your opt-in list expand. Every time you send out messages the link information should be included.
7. Do some networking too. Join some forums or discussions and build relationships with the people there. This way will also be a good way for you to get more contacts and clients.
At the same time you should also know what you should avoid in building an opt-in list. There is one thing that you should keep in mind as the don't's of building a list.
Don't ever spam your subscribers. It is best that you get permission from your subscribers, or else you might end up with a bad reputation.
Avoid pop-ups too. They can sometimes annoy the visitors. There are also pop-up blockers now. Your effort here might end up futile.
You should also refrain from flooding your subscribers with information. You might end up as an annoyance that you might not get a favorable result. There may be times that you'll give relevant information, but your clients may just dismiss it.
The benefits of having many regular subscribers are undeniable. They will definitely keep your business going and you will definitely enjoy the profits that will come in. Just remember that things don’t end there.
Once you’ve build up on a substantial opt-in list, make sure that you maintain it well. Keep in contact with your subscribers. Send them updates. Give out special offers and helpful tips. Freebies will be helpful too.
Just follow this and you’ll see, things can only get better.
Any entrepreneur’s goal should be SUCCESS!
If you aim for success, you must do everything within your means to achieve that. You just don’t go on sitting there in your house complaining about not getting as much profit as you expect. You have to keep moving. You have to pour in and invest enough time, money and effort to have profitable results.
In doing internet business, you must aim just the same. You should maximize all of your internet marketing strategies, given the wide market that your business will be exposed to. Imagine the whole online community as potential clients!
Now, one of the best marketing tools that you can use in your online business is building a list. An opt-in list is the best, most effective and smartest option that you can make to make it big. It is one thing to stay in business and it is another thing to have a profitable business. So if you will be allowed to choose, make use of the building list to ensure that profits will keep coming in.
What is an opt-in list?
The opt-in list basically is just a list or a database of names and email ads of people who have visited your website or made a purchase through your website. The listing will allow the owner to send updates, emails or promotions to those who are subscribed.
It is like an ordinary membership or mailing list in an ordinary shop or club, only in this instance, the opt-in list is done online.
Why should I choose to put an opt-in list?
Any visitor that will come to your web site is a potential client. That potential client means there is a potential sale and that potential sale is a potential profit. Now, let’s say that you’ve made a good internet marketing strategy as a result all these potential things have been translated to actual client, sale and profit.
The next prudent thing to do is to not let all these productive efforts be wasted. The next best thing to do is to get the email addresses and other contact details of your clients because your present buyers can still be your clients in the future.
Building a list will definitely work for your benefit. This will ensure that you can maintain close contact and a good relationship with your clients, especially the frequent visitors. This way you will have a regular
This will also save you money, time and effort because once you come up with a new product or new information, you know exactly who you will send updates to because you have a definite market. This is one aspect that you will have to maintain to have a steady source of income at the least. Then the rest of your efforts will be to make the number of your regular clients grow.
Some pointers in building your opt-in list :
1. You should put a ‘subscribe link’ or ‘subscribe box’ in your web site. It is advisable to put it on all the pages. Then make sure that it is strategically positioned, meaning it has to be easily located by the visitors. The upper right hand corner of the page would be a good position.
2. Promote your website and promote it even more to make give it more exposure and to get more subscribers.
3. Come up with contests or give away freebies and goodies that will require visitors to give out their email ads to be able to join.
4. Give out information, articles and updates to your clients with your links in it. Make sure that the information will be relevant to the client.
5. Offer free courses to your visitors. This will also help maintain a good relationship with your subscribers.
6. Use your signature also to make your opt-in list expand. Every time you send out messages the link information should be included.
7. Do some networking too. Join some forums or discussions and build relationships with the people there. This way will also be a good way for you to get more contacts and clients.
At the same time you should also know what you should avoid in building an opt-in list. There is one thing that you should keep in mind as the don't's of building a list.
Don't ever spam your subscribers. It is best that you get permission from your subscribers, or else you might end up with a bad reputation.
Avoid pop-ups too. They can sometimes annoy the visitors. There are also pop-up blockers now. Your effort here might end up futile.
You should also refrain from flooding your subscribers with information. You might end up as an annoyance that you might not get a favorable result. There may be times that you'll give relevant information, but your clients may just dismiss it.
The benefits of having many regular subscribers are undeniable. They will definitely keep your business going and you will definitely enjoy the profits that will come in. Just remember that things don’t end there.
Once you’ve build up on a substantial opt-in list, make sure that you maintain it well. Keep in contact with your subscribers. Send them updates. Give out special offers and helpful tips. Freebies will be helpful too.
Just follow this and you’ll see, things can only get better.
Building and managing an opt in list for a website
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Building and managing an opt in list for a website provides a seller direct access to a wide number of potential customers. Building and managing an opt in list makes use of a system that makes it possible for website visitors to fill up an online form in order to sign up for the latest products and services offered by an online site.
Building and managing an opt in list is commonly practiced by numerous sites on the Internet to maximize their visibility on the world wide web. Building and managing an opt in list is also a proven marketing technique that many business websites use again and again to keep loyal visitors updated on the latest products available from their favorite e-store.
Building and managing an opt in list is also useful for websites that provide news, technology and various forms of information on different subject matters. Visitors that sign up at their favorite website's opt in list can receive updates on products and services offered by the site. In addition the subscriber gains access to the site's regular ezine or newsletter.
The opt-in mailing list provided by a website is not spam, it is a legitimate sign up program for individuals sincerely interested in a website's products and services. No one is included in the opt-in mailing list without prior consent.
Gathering email addresses for building and managing an opt in list
A number of free listing services are available on the Internet to gather email addresses for a website's opt in list. However many of these free list services cannot be personalized to suit a specific site. In addition, the free service list has the option of shutting down a website's list at whatever time they choose to do so.
A better method for building and managing an opt in list begins with a good script for form processing. The script allows a subscriber to fill in a form and send it in to a specific address. The information is then processed and included in a database file.
After that, the website can send a personalized reply to the subscriber to thank them for their subscription to the site.
The online form to be filled up by a customer can also be customized to fit the format of a specific site. There are a number of websites that offer form-processing scripts wherein the generally cost price of a good script is about $30.
A pop email account should be created on the website's server in order to accommodate the influx of subscription requests. Email templates will also make the process of handling subscription request easier and faster. This will include an email template for subscription requests and possible requests from subscribers that want to unsubscribe from the Website opt in list. The option to unsubscribe helps build trust between the site visitor and the website.
Building and managing an opt in list database
Creating a database is essential in building and managing an opt in list for a website. There are a number of database programs offered on the Internet that can help process the information sent in for subscriptions. Once the database is set up, a mailing list needs to be generated. This process is essential to building and managing an opt list that will continually process subscription requests from site visitors.
A database program will automatically enable a website to attend to all the details involved in building and managing an opt in list. At the same time, easy access to a subscriber's personal information allows a website to send personalized messages to a specific subscriber at any time.
Building and managing an opt in list subscriber base
Websites can employ a number of methods for building and managing an opt in list subscriber base. Putting up incentives are a great come on for building and managing an opt in list. Offering a free gift as well as providing free services with each subscription is a great technique for building and managing an opt in list. Online contests are also a very popular way of getting people to join a website opt-in list. In addition, prizes that are related to the website's content also help generate interest in the other products and services offered by the site.
Remember, building and managing an opt in list is the ideal and simplest option to increase website traffic.
Building and managing an opt in list for a website provides a seller direct access to a wide number of potential customers. Building and managing an opt in list makes use of a system that makes it possible for website visitors to fill up an online form in order to sign up for the latest products and services offered by an online site.
Building and managing an opt in list is commonly practiced by numerous sites on the Internet to maximize their visibility on the world wide web. Building and managing an opt in list is also a proven marketing technique that many business websites use again and again to keep loyal visitors updated on the latest products available from their favorite e-store.
Building and managing an opt in list is also useful for websites that provide news, technology and various forms of information on different subject matters. Visitors that sign up at their favorite website's opt in list can receive updates on products and services offered by the site. In addition the subscriber gains access to the site's regular ezine or newsletter.
The opt-in mailing list provided by a website is not spam, it is a legitimate sign up program for individuals sincerely interested in a website's products and services. No one is included in the opt-in mailing list without prior consent.
Gathering email addresses for building and managing an opt in list
A number of free listing services are available on the Internet to gather email addresses for a website's opt in list. However many of these free list services cannot be personalized to suit a specific site. In addition, the free service list has the option of shutting down a website's list at whatever time they choose to do so.
A better method for building and managing an opt in list begins with a good script for form processing. The script allows a subscriber to fill in a form and send it in to a specific address. The information is then processed and included in a database file.
After that, the website can send a personalized reply to the subscriber to thank them for their subscription to the site.
The online form to be filled up by a customer can also be customized to fit the format of a specific site. There are a number of websites that offer form-processing scripts wherein the generally cost price of a good script is about $30.
A pop email account should be created on the website's server in order to accommodate the influx of subscription requests. Email templates will also make the process of handling subscription request easier and faster. This will include an email template for subscription requests and possible requests from subscribers that want to unsubscribe from the Website opt in list. The option to unsubscribe helps build trust between the site visitor and the website.
Building and managing an opt in list database
Creating a database is essential in building and managing an opt in list for a website. There are a number of database programs offered on the Internet that can help process the information sent in for subscriptions. Once the database is set up, a mailing list needs to be generated. This process is essential to building and managing an opt list that will continually process subscription requests from site visitors.
A database program will automatically enable a website to attend to all the details involved in building and managing an opt in list. At the same time, easy access to a subscriber's personal information allows a website to send personalized messages to a specific subscriber at any time.
Building and managing an opt in list subscriber base
Websites can employ a number of methods for building and managing an opt in list subscriber base. Putting up incentives are a great come on for building and managing an opt in list. Offering a free gift as well as providing free services with each subscription is a great technique for building and managing an opt in list. Online contests are also a very popular way of getting people to join a website opt-in list. In addition, prizes that are related to the website's content also help generate interest in the other products and services offered by the site.
Remember, building and managing an opt in list is the ideal and simplest option to increase website traffic.
Building an Opt In List and Your Business: An Ideal Business Partnership
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
In any kind of business, marketing is such an important tool in the growth and development of a business or any kind of financial venture.
For this reason, even with the technology that covers online businesses, still, it need highly revolutionized and very effective marketing strategy in order to boost their productivity and sales.
Basically, since the advent of the Internet, people started to flock this new medium of information without even knowing its fundamental principles, how it works, things that are needed to survive in it, etc. Many people literally bombarded the Internet thinking that life would be a lot easier if they will invest on online businesses.
Indeed, it is a well-known fact that you can find money online, but only for those who know their way around and employ the best marketing strategy there is online.
What people do not know is that online marketing does not have to be very complicated. It just needs the right stuff to keep you going.
Take for example the use of mailing list, particularly opt in list. Before, no one ever dare to use opt in list thinking that it will not do any good for their business. Most entrepreneurs think that building an opt in list is just a waste of time and money. What they do not know is that, according to the “golden rule of the Internet,” money is in the list.
It has probably been mentioned before, and is worth mentioning again, money is really in the list.
Why? Because with opt in lists, you get to keep your readers on the hook by providing them with information, promotion, and other campaigns in order to entice them to buy again from you.
Basically, opt in lists are lists of email addresses of customers with their consent. This means that after the customer had closed the transaction in a particular web site, there is an option on whether or not they wish to subscribe to the mailing list of the online business for any future promotions, newsletters, or campaigns that they would like to be informed of.
And because it is an option, the customers are not compelled to provide their email addresses to the web site. Plus, the web site owners will not be accused of spamming because emails that will be sent to the customers have the consent of the customer.
Creating an opt in list can be very beneficial to your site. In fact, it has been proven that in the two-step concept of selling, follow-ups are important to sustain the interest of the consumers. The other step is to obtain the interest of the buyer.
Hence, in order to sustain the interest of your buying public, it is best to create an opt in list so that you can always give your buyers the chance to remember your products, your business, and your services, in which they have been satisfied with.
To know more of the advantages of creating an opt in list for your business; here is a list that would tell you the reasons why it is beneficial.
1. Opt in lists are the business’ most valuable asset
If you were to ask the owners of some online business about their most valuable asset, they will tell you that it is their opt in list. This is because opt in lists are customers’ lists that can provide higher probability sales in a more consistent and stable condition. Because with opt in lists, all you have to do is to follow up orders or sales through promotions and ad campaigns.
2. It is always available
The best thing about opt in list is that it never grows old. As long as your customer needs something to survive, your contact with them will never grow old. This means that you can always have a fresh, new transaction wit them every time you inform them that you have new products or services. Every transaction is a new way of increasing your sales. Simply put, no opt in list = no sales (at the most).
3. Bigger opt in list would mean bigger profits
The more customer’s names and email addresses you have on your list, the more chances you have in increasing your online sales. Every name, every email address can be worth a hundred dollars that can be accumulated with each transaction
Hence, the bigger your list, the more money you will have.
Boiled down, opt in lists are not just ordinary mailing lists. It is the very core of an online business’ existence and survival. That is why for people who value most their businesses, they extend the same value they give to their opt in list. No wonder why most people regard it as the best partnership available online.
In any kind of business, marketing is such an important tool in the growth and development of a business or any kind of financial venture.
For this reason, even with the technology that covers online businesses, still, it need highly revolutionized and very effective marketing strategy in order to boost their productivity and sales.
Basically, since the advent of the Internet, people started to flock this new medium of information without even knowing its fundamental principles, how it works, things that are needed to survive in it, etc. Many people literally bombarded the Internet thinking that life would be a lot easier if they will invest on online businesses.
Indeed, it is a well-known fact that you can find money online, but only for those who know their way around and employ the best marketing strategy there is online.
What people do not know is that online marketing does not have to be very complicated. It just needs the right stuff to keep you going.
Take for example the use of mailing list, particularly opt in list. Before, no one ever dare to use opt in list thinking that it will not do any good for their business. Most entrepreneurs think that building an opt in list is just a waste of time and money. What they do not know is that, according to the “golden rule of the Internet,” money is in the list.
It has probably been mentioned before, and is worth mentioning again, money is really in the list.
Why? Because with opt in lists, you get to keep your readers on the hook by providing them with information, promotion, and other campaigns in order to entice them to buy again from you.
Basically, opt in lists are lists of email addresses of customers with their consent. This means that after the customer had closed the transaction in a particular web site, there is an option on whether or not they wish to subscribe to the mailing list of the online business for any future promotions, newsletters, or campaigns that they would like to be informed of.
And because it is an option, the customers are not compelled to provide their email addresses to the web site. Plus, the web site owners will not be accused of spamming because emails that will be sent to the customers have the consent of the customer.
Creating an opt in list can be very beneficial to your site. In fact, it has been proven that in the two-step concept of selling, follow-ups are important to sustain the interest of the consumers. The other step is to obtain the interest of the buyer.
Hence, in order to sustain the interest of your buying public, it is best to create an opt in list so that you can always give your buyers the chance to remember your products, your business, and your services, in which they have been satisfied with.
To know more of the advantages of creating an opt in list for your business; here is a list that would tell you the reasons why it is beneficial.
1. Opt in lists are the business’ most valuable asset
If you were to ask the owners of some online business about their most valuable asset, they will tell you that it is their opt in list. This is because opt in lists are customers’ lists that can provide higher probability sales in a more consistent and stable condition. Because with opt in lists, all you have to do is to follow up orders or sales through promotions and ad campaigns.
2. It is always available
The best thing about opt in list is that it never grows old. As long as your customer needs something to survive, your contact with them will never grow old. This means that you can always have a fresh, new transaction wit them every time you inform them that you have new products or services. Every transaction is a new way of increasing your sales. Simply put, no opt in list = no sales (at the most).
3. Bigger opt in list would mean bigger profits
The more customer’s names and email addresses you have on your list, the more chances you have in increasing your online sales. Every name, every email address can be worth a hundred dollars that can be accumulated with each transaction
Hence, the bigger your list, the more money you will have.
Boiled down, opt in lists are not just ordinary mailing lists. It is the very core of an online business’ existence and survival. That is why for people who value most their businesses, they extend the same value they give to their opt in list. No wonder why most people regard it as the best partnership available online.
Making a Hyper Responsive Opt Work
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Getting the attention of people to buy a certain product is challenging. There were times in the past when telemarketing was at times more of a nuisance rather a convenience to people. The same goes for sales people who would go house to house and show a product and were simply turned down.
Now as people have approached the digital age, there is a faster way of doing it as that is through hyper responsive opt. This is basically creating a mailing list and sending the information to people which will contribute to sales.
A person can do it in the office or at home and it can only be done if one is serious about making money online. This can work for people who want to do it full time or for those who just want some extra cash and do it part time.
Here are some benefits and features of using hyper responsive opt;
1. With a click of the mouse, the product a person wants to sell can get to the customer in lightning speed. Surveys have shown that the average person will only buy a product only after being exposed to the ad or the message after 7 times. By establishing a customer base via the internet, one no longer has to search for new ones that much but rely on the existing clientele to further spread the word and increase sales.
2. Some people will not immediately buy the product that is offered but by keeping the names in the mailing list, it is possible that when a product of interest is on hand, the person will then buy.
3. When a site has been made, it can be used to bring in additional revenue as new people who want to join the business can be charged for advertising.
4. This can also be used to propose joint ventures with other people making the business grow further.
To give further detail how it works, here is the step by the step process of hyper responsive opts;
· The first thing to do is to determine what customers need. It should be a product or a service that should provide a solution of some kind that will improve the quality of life either at home or at work.
Marketing a product especially new ones takes time and money to establish itself. Profit is not made in the first sale but occurs when the customer decides to buy again or through repeat sales.
· The next is to do the proper research. If the business is done with a group of people or a single proprietorship, it is best to brainstorm for the best possible brand or product name. It should be catchy and will easily be remembered. Given that there are probably others who have been in the business longer, it is best to think of other names just in case it can no longer be used.
· A product of good quality should be sold at a decent price. Sometimes, the product one makes is already available in the market. To be competitive, one must figure out a way to convince people as to why this product is better than the other leading brands. What features does it have that the competitor doesn’t? What makes it unique and what service can it give as well?
· Just like a normal business, one must acquire the right equipment and machines for the job. These could be merchandise that is either physical or electronic and an online ordering system.
To be successful, one should be sure that the goods that a customer will order can be delivered on time. If there are any problems, a customer support staff or system should be ready to cater to that.
One does not need a wonder product to make it work. All it takes is a list of people who one can contact without being accused of spamming. Soon, this will get the attention of the right people and sales should start coming in.
Any business big or small must maximize marketing to get the message across. Online business is just one of the new ways of making money. It is up to the person to find that need and take advantage of it.
Getting the attention of people to buy a certain product is challenging. There were times in the past when telemarketing was at times more of a nuisance rather a convenience to people. The same goes for sales people who would go house to house and show a product and were simply turned down.
Now as people have approached the digital age, there is a faster way of doing it as that is through hyper responsive opt. This is basically creating a mailing list and sending the information to people which will contribute to sales.
A person can do it in the office or at home and it can only be done if one is serious about making money online. This can work for people who want to do it full time or for those who just want some extra cash and do it part time.
Here are some benefits and features of using hyper responsive opt;
1. With a click of the mouse, the product a person wants to sell can get to the customer in lightning speed. Surveys have shown that the average person will only buy a product only after being exposed to the ad or the message after 7 times. By establishing a customer base via the internet, one no longer has to search for new ones that much but rely on the existing clientele to further spread the word and increase sales.
2. Some people will not immediately buy the product that is offered but by keeping the names in the mailing list, it is possible that when a product of interest is on hand, the person will then buy.
3. When a site has been made, it can be used to bring in additional revenue as new people who want to join the business can be charged for advertising.
4. This can also be used to propose joint ventures with other people making the business grow further.
To give further detail how it works, here is the step by the step process of hyper responsive opts;
· The first thing to do is to determine what customers need. It should be a product or a service that should provide a solution of some kind that will improve the quality of life either at home or at work.
Marketing a product especially new ones takes time and money to establish itself. Profit is not made in the first sale but occurs when the customer decides to buy again or through repeat sales.
· The next is to do the proper research. If the business is done with a group of people or a single proprietorship, it is best to brainstorm for the best possible brand or product name. It should be catchy and will easily be remembered. Given that there are probably others who have been in the business longer, it is best to think of other names just in case it can no longer be used.
· A product of good quality should be sold at a decent price. Sometimes, the product one makes is already available in the market. To be competitive, one must figure out a way to convince people as to why this product is better than the other leading brands. What features does it have that the competitor doesn’t? What makes it unique and what service can it give as well?
· Just like a normal business, one must acquire the right equipment and machines for the job. These could be merchandise that is either physical or electronic and an online ordering system.
To be successful, one should be sure that the goods that a customer will order can be delivered on time. If there are any problems, a customer support staff or system should be ready to cater to that.
One does not need a wonder product to make it work. All it takes is a list of people who one can contact without being accused of spamming. Soon, this will get the attention of the right people and sales should start coming in.
Any business big or small must maximize marketing to get the message across. Online business is just one of the new ways of making money. It is up to the person to find that need and take advantage of it.
Building a Highly-targeted Opt in List: When Money Lies Beneath the Lists
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Are you successful with your Internet business? Better yet, do you think you are successful with your online business? When most online entrepreneurs are asked with these questions, they often brush it off. This is because most of them, who have not yet realize the right way to succeed in Internet Marketing, continue to believe that the mere fact that they have a website is already enough to succeed on the Internet.
The truth is, they all end up very upset because they fail to realize the secret behind the success in Internet Marketing.
Having a website is not a guarantee that your online business will succeed. How will you succeed if people will not realize that your business exist online? The key to Internet marketing is to get your business noticed.
An effective way to do this is to build an opt-in list. In fact, most of the people who are already experts in Internet marketing will tell you that building a highly targeted opt in list is the most effective and important tool in Internet marketing.
Basically, an opt in list is a list of email addresses of people who have agreed to obtain any kind of information from online businesses like you. The term “opt in” means that you have their permission to send to them whatever newsletters, brochures, or promotions that you have in your online business.
It is extremely important that you have their permission first before you send them information because unsolicited emails will be regarded as spam, and spamming is an illegal activity in the Net.
Because of the feasibility of building an opt in list on Internet marketing, most of the online entrepreneurs consider it as the most treasured tool online. They need this list in order to get the consumer’s attention and sustain interest.
By creating an opt in list, you will be able to maintain solid contact with your previous buyers at the same time boost your sales because of the fact that you have a sure target market always ready to purchase items from you.
Opt in list is considered to be the most important item in an Internet marketer. In fact, if in case something bad happens like emergencies and catastrophes and they could only save one item, it would be their opt in list saved on a backup disk.
Just imagine how these people value their opt in list. If this is the case, then it must be really something, right?
So, for people who are not yet aware of the importance of building a highly targeted opt in list and would like to know how to build them, here are some tips that could be very useful.
1. Decide on your niche market or your target market.
It is extremely important to know your target market in order to focus on something. It would be really confusing and time consuming if you will build an opt in list with no particular market in mind.
Moreover, having a niche market would bring more focus on your marketing campaigns and would derive better results because you have direct you emails to people who would most likely be interested in them.
2. Be sure that your selected target market is available in the Internet.
The mere acquisition of a niche market is not a guarantee that you can already start building your opt in list. Since, the concept of opt in list is specifically generated to aid in the growth of the Internet market of a particular entrepreneur, it is important to have a niche market that is available through the Internet.
The concept is basically simple, how can you promote your online business if your niche market is not available in the Internet? Hence, it is extremely important to verify if your target market is available online.
3. Verify if your chosen target market is income-generating market.
Building a highly targeted opt in list will just go to waste if your niche market is not generating any income at all.
Try to verify their income-generating potential through the search engines, wherein you will find some paid ads related to the keywords you have searched. This would only mean that if somebody is willing to pay to advertise focusing on the same target market that you have in mind, chances are, you will be able to reap positive results on your target market.
4. Generate solutions to the problems of your target market by using Internet forum.
Creating this type of forum will initiate the underlying solutions that will answer to most of your target market’s problem.
Through their posts and threads, you will be able to identify your target market’s problem and will be able to come up with a great solution. In turn, it will be very handy when you make your opt in list.
Indeed, the success of an online business or Internet marketing greatly depends on the opt in list. It is where the online businesses could come up with newsletters that would allow them to promote their products at the same time create the need for it. In turn, it will generate more income and make more money.
As they say, money is in the list that’s why most businesses consider opt in list as valuable as gold.
Are you successful with your Internet business? Better yet, do you think you are successful with your online business? When most online entrepreneurs are asked with these questions, they often brush it off. This is because most of them, who have not yet realize the right way to succeed in Internet Marketing, continue to believe that the mere fact that they have a website is already enough to succeed on the Internet.
The truth is, they all end up very upset because they fail to realize the secret behind the success in Internet Marketing.
Having a website is not a guarantee that your online business will succeed. How will you succeed if people will not realize that your business exist online? The key to Internet marketing is to get your business noticed.
An effective way to do this is to build an opt-in list. In fact, most of the people who are already experts in Internet marketing will tell you that building a highly targeted opt in list is the most effective and important tool in Internet marketing.
Basically, an opt in list is a list of email addresses of people who have agreed to obtain any kind of information from online businesses like you. The term “opt in” means that you have their permission to send to them whatever newsletters, brochures, or promotions that you have in your online business.
It is extremely important that you have their permission first before you send them information because unsolicited emails will be regarded as spam, and spamming is an illegal activity in the Net.
Because of the feasibility of building an opt in list on Internet marketing, most of the online entrepreneurs consider it as the most treasured tool online. They need this list in order to get the consumer’s attention and sustain interest.
By creating an opt in list, you will be able to maintain solid contact with your previous buyers at the same time boost your sales because of the fact that you have a sure target market always ready to purchase items from you.
Opt in list is considered to be the most important item in an Internet marketer. In fact, if in case something bad happens like emergencies and catastrophes and they could only save one item, it would be their opt in list saved on a backup disk.
Just imagine how these people value their opt in list. If this is the case, then it must be really something, right?
So, for people who are not yet aware of the importance of building a highly targeted opt in list and would like to know how to build them, here are some tips that could be very useful.
1. Decide on your niche market or your target market.
It is extremely important to know your target market in order to focus on something. It would be really confusing and time consuming if you will build an opt in list with no particular market in mind.
Moreover, having a niche market would bring more focus on your marketing campaigns and would derive better results because you have direct you emails to people who would most likely be interested in them.
2. Be sure that your selected target market is available in the Internet.
The mere acquisition of a niche market is not a guarantee that you can already start building your opt in list. Since, the concept of opt in list is specifically generated to aid in the growth of the Internet market of a particular entrepreneur, it is important to have a niche market that is available through the Internet.
The concept is basically simple, how can you promote your online business if your niche market is not available in the Internet? Hence, it is extremely important to verify if your target market is available online.
3. Verify if your chosen target market is income-generating market.
Building a highly targeted opt in list will just go to waste if your niche market is not generating any income at all.
Try to verify their income-generating potential through the search engines, wherein you will find some paid ads related to the keywords you have searched. This would only mean that if somebody is willing to pay to advertise focusing on the same target market that you have in mind, chances are, you will be able to reap positive results on your target market.
4. Generate solutions to the problems of your target market by using Internet forum.
Creating this type of forum will initiate the underlying solutions that will answer to most of your target market’s problem.
Through their posts and threads, you will be able to identify your target market’s problem and will be able to come up with a great solution. In turn, it will be very handy when you make your opt in list.
Indeed, the success of an online business or Internet marketing greatly depends on the opt in list. It is where the online businesses could come up with newsletters that would allow them to promote their products at the same time create the need for it. In turn, it will generate more income and make more money.
As they say, money is in the list that’s why most businesses consider opt in list as valuable as gold.
Building Your Business with an Opt-in List
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Before revealing the secrets of the trades, here are myths and fallacies that need to be cleared before one indulges into building an opt-in list. These marketing misconceptions could pose so much of an obstacle towards your profitting well from your business.
Not a lot of people use email
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing methods nowadays simply because virtually almost all people use email. Check on those email fields or blanks required to be filled up on various forms needed in processing different transactions. A person without an email address is tantamount to a person without an online home, which is one big shameful truth for this generation.
Email marketing campaigns can offend a lot of people
The not-so secret way to surmount this dilemma is through permission-based advertising. There's no harm in trying after asking for permission.
It's stupid to send email to all the people
The key to this predicament is to have a very discerning eye on who to email and who to not email. Better look for some metrics on how to know which group of people would give you high ROI or return on investment.
The Real Deal with Building Opt-in List
After clearing the fog regarding email marketing myths, here's how one can benefit from employing the power of email marketing campaigns - building an opt-in list.
However, building an opt-in list is not a piece of cake particularly for the uninitiated. Here is a roundown of tips on how to succeed in this kind of marketing endeavor.
1. Strategic Collection of Data
Know which information from your audiences will help you in lowering expenses and/or make sales flourish. Devise a tactic to make people voluntarily provide you with the information necessary to create higher conversion.
Overload of data is not good. Ask only for opt-in, with their full name and email addresses. Make sure that the profiles that you gather are updated to aid in improving the relevance, timeliness and satisfaction from each deal you make.
2. Good Implementation
Old adage says it all - 'action speaks louder than words'. This easily translates to the difficulty one has to undergo during the execution of his or her email marketing efforts. It's a good thing that various methods, often low-cost, abound to hasten and facilitate the building up of one's opt-in database.
Tracking your email marketing results can pose great hardship, too. Technology and relevant sources should be employed in making this aspect of your marketing a lot manageable. Your high traffic groups of opt-ins with the greatest result should be taken noted of.
The following are the most widely used methods to leverage channels without overspending :
1. Make use of websites.
It is an excellent tool for data collation and providing you with relevant info regarding your email offers. Use forms that solicit your visitor's email address and consent.
2. Make use of print ads, brochures, TV, radio and direct mail.
These are the more popular ways of marketing aiming to lead traffic to one's site. You may want to ask for signups for email services. Make your website more visible through these media. Offering free electronic newsletters and or rewards program can do well in making it easy to win the nod of your audiences, too.
3. Maximize your sales force.
Customer service associates can help a lot in making you benefit more from your email correspondence. Sales people with proper education on how to aid you in this endeavor can very well contribute to higher ROI. Techniques like offering account updates and special programs through email can easily land you those lists of valuable visitors.
4. Don't make your point of sale pointless.
Forms for signup located at cash registers and other high-traffic and highly visible spots can be very excellent venues for your business to collect email addresses. Notification of upcoming sales through their email addresses and names can coax them to supply you with the information you need.
5. Conferences or trade shows can work, too.
Giveaway offers or entries on sweepstakes are great for opt-in to volunteer their contact details.
These tactics should be applied with adequate caution and should focus on earning the trust of your opt-in list instead of simply collating data for your sole own benefit. Always make sure that the forms that you will use and other methods that you will employ will not necessitate too much fuss to subscribe. This is for people to not be annoyed during the process of data supplication.
With that bunch of information, who can ever go wrong with the feat of building an opt-in list?
Before revealing the secrets of the trades, here are myths and fallacies that need to be cleared before one indulges into building an opt-in list. These marketing misconceptions could pose so much of an obstacle towards your profitting well from your business.
Not a lot of people use email
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing methods nowadays simply because virtually almost all people use email. Check on those email fields or blanks required to be filled up on various forms needed in processing different transactions. A person without an email address is tantamount to a person without an online home, which is one big shameful truth for this generation.
Email marketing campaigns can offend a lot of people
The not-so secret way to surmount this dilemma is through permission-based advertising. There's no harm in trying after asking for permission.
It's stupid to send email to all the people
The key to this predicament is to have a very discerning eye on who to email and who to not email. Better look for some metrics on how to know which group of people would give you high ROI or return on investment.
The Real Deal with Building Opt-in List
After clearing the fog regarding email marketing myths, here's how one can benefit from employing the power of email marketing campaigns - building an opt-in list.
However, building an opt-in list is not a piece of cake particularly for the uninitiated. Here is a roundown of tips on how to succeed in this kind of marketing endeavor.
1. Strategic Collection of Data
Know which information from your audiences will help you in lowering expenses and/or make sales flourish. Devise a tactic to make people voluntarily provide you with the information necessary to create higher conversion.
Overload of data is not good. Ask only for opt-in, with their full name and email addresses. Make sure that the profiles that you gather are updated to aid in improving the relevance, timeliness and satisfaction from each deal you make.
2. Good Implementation
Old adage says it all - 'action speaks louder than words'. This easily translates to the difficulty one has to undergo during the execution of his or her email marketing efforts. It's a good thing that various methods, often low-cost, abound to hasten and facilitate the building up of one's opt-in database.
Tracking your email marketing results can pose great hardship, too. Technology and relevant sources should be employed in making this aspect of your marketing a lot manageable. Your high traffic groups of opt-ins with the greatest result should be taken noted of.
The following are the most widely used methods to leverage channels without overspending :
1. Make use of websites.
It is an excellent tool for data collation and providing you with relevant info regarding your email offers. Use forms that solicit your visitor's email address and consent.
2. Make use of print ads, brochures, TV, radio and direct mail.
These are the more popular ways of marketing aiming to lead traffic to one's site. You may want to ask for signups for email services. Make your website more visible through these media. Offering free electronic newsletters and or rewards program can do well in making it easy to win the nod of your audiences, too.
3. Maximize your sales force.
Customer service associates can help a lot in making you benefit more from your email correspondence. Sales people with proper education on how to aid you in this endeavor can very well contribute to higher ROI. Techniques like offering account updates and special programs through email can easily land you those lists of valuable visitors.
4. Don't make your point of sale pointless.
Forms for signup located at cash registers and other high-traffic and highly visible spots can be very excellent venues for your business to collect email addresses. Notification of upcoming sales through their email addresses and names can coax them to supply you with the information you need.
5. Conferences or trade shows can work, too.
Giveaway offers or entries on sweepstakes are great for opt-in to volunteer their contact details.
These tactics should be applied with adequate caution and should focus on earning the trust of your opt-in list instead of simply collating data for your sole own benefit. Always make sure that the forms that you will use and other methods that you will employ will not necessitate too much fuss to subscribe. This is for people to not be annoyed during the process of data supplication.
With that bunch of information, who can ever go wrong with the feat of building an opt-in list?
Email Marketing and Opt In List Building: On Keeping Online Businesses Profitable
Author : Kencana Bayu Aji
Since the advent of the information technology, the Internet had been a valuable commodity to most people. Here, they find ways on how to earn more money even without having to spend more capital on building a business.
Nowadays, many business people are realizing the importance of email marketing. Through emails, an online business can market their product directly through their customers.
Generally, the main purpose of email marketing is to reach their target audience as quickly and as direct as possible. They need to reach their target market so as to promote their products and services that would benefit their customers.
However, some businesses use email marketing in order to maintain their contact and relationship with their customers.
The reason why email marketing has grown in such unprecedented rate is based on the fact that people in the virtual community are always hungry for information. They subscribe to information that they are interested in.
On the other hand, not all people are willing to subscribe to such information. They may be interested on your products once but may no longer be interested to buy again. Moreover, when you continue to send those emails that do not have their permissions, you can be accused of spamming.
Today, spamming is a serious offense especially in the world of information technology. Because the Internet is such a wild place, most authorities regard the privacy of each person as valuable and they continue to uphold this thinking even on the Internet.
With this, the creation of opt in list had gained tremendous acceptance. Because of its viability and feasibility to most online businesses, a lot of people have realized how important opt in lists are in email marketing.
Basically, opt in list refers to the list of email addresses of people who have agreed to subscribe to your mailing list. In this way, you can freely send emails that entail promotions, brochures, new product announcements, and every aspect of your marketing campaign.
When you build an opt in list, you do not only increase the probability of being successful in email marketing but also boost your sales and profits as well. This is because building an opt in list will give you the chance to stay in contact with your customers by getting their email address.
In this manner, you can continue to promote your products and services in which they are interested in because they have opted to subscribe in your mailing list. Hence, whatever it is that you feed them, chances are, they will most likely respond positively.
In reality, building an opt in list is actually letting the people realize the charisma and magic of email marketing. In this way, spams will be avoided, if not eliminated, and will not ruin the positive image of email marketing.
With spamming, email marketing becomes a disgraceful activity in the Internet. But with opt in list, online businesses can continue to boost their businesses through email marketing without having to worry about being accused of spamming.
In building opt in list, there are two types to be considered. The first one is the single opt-in and the other one is the double opt-in or the confirmed opt-in.
In building single opt-in list, online businesses would simply use a “sign-up tag” in their web sites so that every time a person visits their website, he or she can opt to subscribe in the business’ email list.
On the other hand, a confirmed opt-in list or double opt-in entails a confirmation message after the customer had subscribed to the particular web site’s email list.
Usually, the confirmation takes place by replying on a system-generated message that asks for a confirmation of the subscription or by clicking on a link that entails the confirmation of the customer.
Whatever type of opt in list you would prefer, each has its own pros and cons when it comes to email marketing. But nevertheless, both are designed to give your online business the best solution possible in order to generate emails and permissions without having to get into trouble.
Indeed, email marketing is such a profitable business in the Internet. But it would not be complete and will never succeed without the help of the opt-in lists. These two must always go hand-in-hand in order to be successful in the virtual world of Internet marketing.
Since the advent of the information technology, the Internet had been a valuable commodity to most people. Here, they find ways on how to earn more money even without having to spend more capital on building a business.
Nowadays, many business people are realizing the importance of email marketing. Through emails, an online business can market their product directly through their customers.
Generally, the main purpose of email marketing is to reach their target audience as quickly and as direct as possible. They need to reach their target market so as to promote their products and services that would benefit their customers.
However, some businesses use email marketing in order to maintain their contact and relationship with their customers.
The reason why email marketing has grown in such unprecedented rate is based on the fact that people in the virtual community are always hungry for information. They subscribe to information that they are interested in.
On the other hand, not all people are willing to subscribe to such information. They may be interested on your products once but may no longer be interested to buy again. Moreover, when you continue to send those emails that do not have their permissions, you can be accused of spamming.
Today, spamming is a serious offense especially in the world of information technology. Because the Internet is such a wild place, most authorities regard the privacy of each person as valuable and they continue to uphold this thinking even on the Internet.
With this, the creation of opt in list had gained tremendous acceptance. Because of its viability and feasibility to most online businesses, a lot of people have realized how important opt in lists are in email marketing.
Basically, opt in list refers to the list of email addresses of people who have agreed to subscribe to your mailing list. In this way, you can freely send emails that entail promotions, brochures, new product announcements, and every aspect of your marketing campaign.
When you build an opt in list, you do not only increase the probability of being successful in email marketing but also boost your sales and profits as well. This is because building an opt in list will give you the chance to stay in contact with your customers by getting their email address.
In this manner, you can continue to promote your products and services in which they are interested in because they have opted to subscribe in your mailing list. Hence, whatever it is that you feed them, chances are, they will most likely respond positively.
In reality, building an opt in list is actually letting the people realize the charisma and magic of email marketing. In this way, spams will be avoided, if not eliminated, and will not ruin the positive image of email marketing.
With spamming, email marketing becomes a disgraceful activity in the Internet. But with opt in list, online businesses can continue to boost their businesses through email marketing without having to worry about being accused of spamming.
In building opt in list, there are two types to be considered. The first one is the single opt-in and the other one is the double opt-in or the confirmed opt-in.
In building single opt-in list, online businesses would simply use a “sign-up tag” in their web sites so that every time a person visits their website, he or she can opt to subscribe in the business’ email list.
On the other hand, a confirmed opt-in list or double opt-in entails a confirmation message after the customer had subscribed to the particular web site’s email list.
Usually, the confirmation takes place by replying on a system-generated message that asks for a confirmation of the subscription or by clicking on a link that entails the confirmation of the customer.
Whatever type of opt in list you would prefer, each has its own pros and cons when it comes to email marketing. But nevertheless, both are designed to give your online business the best solution possible in order to generate emails and permissions without having to get into trouble.
Indeed, email marketing is such a profitable business in the Internet. But it would not be complete and will never succeed without the help of the opt-in lists. These two must always go hand-in-hand in order to be successful in the virtual world of Internet marketing.
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