Posts Tagged ‘Guide’

A Resource Buying Guide For Internet Marketers

Monday, February 8th, 2010

The “make money online” crowd is probably the most actively targeted niche market on the internet. Which is quite ironic when you think about it; “The hunters become the hunted.” And it’s not surprising we are so serviced with offers continually, the truth is we are, on the whole, information junkies. We are suckers for a good ebook, report, or video.

The problem is that an over supply of internet marketing tools (even good ones) can leave you feeling overwhelmed, unproductive (too busy reading about internet marketing to actually DO any), and flat broke!

So how do we filter the offers we are bombarded with, so that we invest sanely in our education and resources? Let me offer this simple “buying guide” to help.

When you boil it all down there are basically 4 different kinds of products on the market, and you have to be able to recognize them so you don’t waste your time and money:

1) Basic training guides & tools. Everyone needs some of these, but you don’t need to be buying 10 versions of the exact same information.

2) Advanced techniques. These are the “Shazaam!” products. The ones with truly unique and creative ideas. If I can identify which ones these are, I’ll buy them all day long. If I can get ONE really good, repeatable idea, it is money in the bank. The caveat, though, is you’ve got to actually implement them – otherwise you’re just wasting your money, and spinning your wheels.

3) Tools that make life easier. These are OK if you’ve got disposable money to spend on them, but if you’ve got a limited budget (like most marketers that are still getting going) you’re probably better off spending it where it can be best leveraged for the most effectiveness. Case in point: At the time that I’m writing this article I’ve been getting emails all week – I’ve had at least 15 just today – promoting a particular hot product. The free teaser report is great – it includes a couple of really exciting ideas (see point 2). However, when I looked at what is actually being offered in the main package – 8 software programs that collate information in various forms from around the internet – they’re all really cool tools, but they are nothing that you can’t already do yourself for free. Cool, but not necessary. Convenient, but not essential.

4) Snake oil. These are the products that are thrown together to make sales to newbies, but they do not work. They are bad advice. You’ll discover that usually the author hasn’t had any success with the method he’s teaching at all, but he can make a few bucks wasting other people’s time with it.

So, when you’re considering buying resources to help you build your online business, read the sales copy discerningly. Honestly evaluate the product and classify it in one of the above 4 categories. Then it’s a simple decision to make the appropriate response:

Category 1: Buy it if you don’t already have a product covering the same topic, or if you are reasonably convinced that your understanding is going to be increased sufficiently to justify the investment.

Category 2: Buy it, and DO something with it! Don’t procrastinate – take action. Winners are taking imperfection actions while others are still formulating their “perfect” plans.

Category 3: Buy it only if you have surplus cash, and don’t mind blowing some on a luxury – because that’s what it is. Ask yourself, “Could I leverage the money I’m about to spend on this to better effect in my business?”

Category 4: Click that little “x” button at the top of the browser window, and be proud of yourself that you’ve developed the wisdom and experience to stop wasting time with that kind of rubbish. If you already bought it before you figured out that its “snake oil”, ask for a refund and chalk it up to experience.

Buying is far more an emotional decision for us than we “savvy entrepreneurs” would care to admit. Anything we can do to take pause and inject some thought into the process will save us time and money. This buying guide offers a place to start.

Phil Morgan

Phil Morgan is the author of numerous books and training resources for making money online. You can read his regular blog posts at http://www.windupwealthy.com

Affiliate Marketing Tips – the Ultimate Survivor Guide

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

With these affiliate marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online. There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today.

What are these three tactics?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing. Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers. If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product. Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.

Try to use these affiliate marketing tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.

Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving.

Michael Warren

Michael Warren is a successful Internet Marketer, and the owner of Newbie Web Marketing 101. Be sure to read my thoughts on the popular Internet marketing guide Blogging to the Bank 3.0 – The Good and the Bad to help further your affiliate marketing arsenal.

Guide on Starting a Home Based Internet Marketing Business

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Are you a marketing professional looking to move away from your current job? Do you love the marketing industry, but are tired of office politics? Do you wish that there was a way to take all of your skills and incorporate them into a home based business? If this sounds like you, you are in luck. There are many people in your shoes that have turned their love of marketing into a very successful home based business.Without a little bit of skill and determination, you may be able to take your years of experience and parlay them into a great work from home marketing job.

Starting a home based internet marketing business is not for everyone; but if you have a love for marketing, and the desire to run your own company, this opportunity may be for you.

Obviously, if you want to start your own home based internet marketing business it would help if you have some background experience in the industry to fall back on. This is always helpful because it will cut back on your start up time, and will also allow you to offer a higher level of service to potential clients. Being able to tell clients that you have 15 years of marketing experience will go a long way in securing you a lot of work.

The great thing about starting an internet marketing business is that you should have no problem getting your name in front of potential customers; after all, you are an internet marketing specialist! You will want need to set up a webpage where you outline what your company does, as well as your past experience. By doing this clients will be able to visit you on the web, and make a quick decision on your abilities.

The first thing you will need to start your home business is a home office. This is not as difficult as one would think.

Every home office needs are different but there are some fundamental staples that all require. You will want to have a clean, noise free environment that has good lighting and is free from distractions. This will help keep you more focused and productive. You will need a desk and chair. The size of your desk will depend on what its function is. You will want a place to store all your information about your customers such as a computer and/or a filing cabinet. You will also want a phone, fax/scanner/copier, Internet connection, and any other communication tools you might need at hand. Since most home-based businesses focus on services or affiliate products there will be no need for storage. If you are planning to sell your own products and ship them yourself then make sure you have room to store them all.If you plan on doing meeting outside of your home there will be no need for a conference room either. If you are going to be seeing clients in your home and don’t have a conference room then be sure to keep your place clean and neat at all times. First impressions say a lot.

If don’t have any equipment at all then you are probably wondering at what this will cost you. Well it is much lower than it used to be. Computers, printers, and software are a lot more inexpensive these days. You can also find great plans for telephone and Internet service today that are very reasonable. These services will allow you to make long distance phone calls for free. If you shop around wisely you can find some really good deals on computers and office supplies and furniture.