Archive for March 2009
5 Reasons Why Most Internet Marketers Fail
5 Reasons Why Most Internet Marketers FailBy Titus Hoskins (c) 2009 When it comes to starting any endeavor, whether it be learning a new hobby or starting an online business, we all have to start at ground zero. We all have to start at the very beginning from the very same place. Granted, we each bring different skills and backgrounds into the mix, but for the most part we are all on equal footing at the starting line. If this is the case, then we really have to ponder why is it only a choice few go on to succeed, while most people don’t. Just what are the reasons why most online marketers fail? This is the core question that has to be answered if you want to fully understand Internet marketing and how it works.What are these basic reasons? What are the causes or stumbling blocks that hold many marketers and webmasters from reaching their full online potential? If we know these factors, we can learn how to avoid them and even overcome them in our own online marketing. These reasons can be a solid reference point or even a source of inspiration for any online marketer just starting out.Speaking from the viewpoint of someone who has started from the very beginning with little to no knowledge of computers or even marketing for that matter, I can honestly relate to the beginning marketer. I even had to learn HTML from scratch in order to construct my own webpages. Probably my only advantage, I did have a background in art but designing webpages was completely different from anything I had done previously to starting in online marketíng.But from my own experiences I have drawn some general conclusions about Internet marketing and why some people succeed while most people fail. So here in my honest opinion, are some of the main reasons why many online marketers fail:1. Overwhelmed With InformationPerhaps, one of the biggest obstacles I faced when I first started my website – I was bombarded with so much information on how to proceed I didn’t have a clue which direction to take or who to believe. Thousands of different info products telling you to do this, not to do that… so much marketing information to absorb that you end up scratching your head and looking like someone auditioning for a zombie movie.Completely overwhelmed with so much information, many marketers or webmasters enter a state of paralysis where nothing gets done. You go from one course to another or from one method to another, without any real understanding of how to proceed or how to get a detailed blueprint to follow.Information overflow can effectively crush all that novice enthusiasm and literally kill even the most eager of entrepreneurs. Anyone starting out must be aware of this obvious but insidious pitfall you have to avoid at all costs. One of the best remedies, simply try concentrating on just one or two marketing plans/marketers for all your information. Try to eliminate the clutter by just working on one marketing system. Just have a few key marketing resources you go to for information, not a hundred! And do your homework, only pick marketers who can back up their claims with observable results on the web. One obvious checkmark – just see if those marketers have top rankings for their sites for popular profitable keywords associated with their sites or products. 2. Lack Of Key Marketing BasicsThere are some key marketing basics or fundamentals you must learn about marketing online. Internet marketing has some key elements you must get right or you will have a difficult task in succeeding on the web. Just simple factors you must get right or it’s game over before you even get started.Most marketers fail to realize the web is “information driven” and you must supply quality information or content in order to truly succeed. You must provide a valuable service or function to your visitors. You must help solve their problem. You must give them a solid reason to use your site or product. Quality content is and always will be King on the web.You must also understand much of the web is “keyword driven” and you must construct your webpages to take full advantage of these keywords. You must have at least a rudimentary understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how you can use it to get top rankings for your keyword phrases.3. Lack Of Time And ResourcesAnother major reason why many marketers fail is because they simply can’t afford the time to learn and build their online business. Most people just can’t stop everything and work full time online because they have bills to pay and families to support. It may take months, probably years, before you can build up a successful online business that gives you a comfortable living. The average person just doesn’t have the time or the resources to spend months learning how all this works.Keep in mind, getting a business or website going is probably the most inexpensive way to start your business. Domains are cheap. Web hosting is cheap. Web design is cheap if you can do it yourself… Compared to starting a business in the “real” world, creating an online business will only cost a faction of the normal expenses connected with starting a business. But the main problem is having the resources to pay your living expenses until your online business is profitable. Many beginning online marketers don’t have these resources and the main complaint from these marketers: “I Simply can’t afford the time to work at this online stuff.” One solution is to work at your online marketíng in your spare time and gradually build up your business until you can afford to do it full time. It will obviously take longer but you can still get to the same end goal.4. Lack Of Necessary SkillsActually, you don’t need many skills to succeed online. However, one of the major skills you must have or you must learn is communication. You must learn how to communicate. The web is all about communicating your points to your visitors or viewers so you must acquire good communication skills.It really helps your marketing if you are a good writer because you can easily get your points across with written text or copy on your site. Writing skills can be learned but many beginning marketers don’t fully understand how important their writing skills will be to their success. You must be able to communicate on your site, in your newsletters, with your customers… might sound a bit obvious but you would be surprised at how many marketers lack this simple, yet necessary skill.But don’t fret, because once upon a time, the written word was king online – but not any more. Videos are rapidly taking the place of the printed word so anyone with a camera can now be a success online. Of course, you still need good communication skills even using videos, but many marketers have found this is a much easier way to communicate information about their site or product.5. Lack Of PersistenceFor me, one the most significant reasons most online marketers/webmasters fail, is because of a lack of persistence. They simply give up too soon. They try something for a few weeks, even for a few months and then they conclude this is not working and they give up.Building a solid online business or viable website takes time, a lot of time. Just because your business is online, doesn’t mean everything will fall into place overnight, it takes time to establish a customer base. It takes time to build your business relationships with others in your field.Sometimes, it may take years before you see some solid returns. It was three years before I saw any significant revenue coming from my online ventures, and another year before I could summon enough courage to do this online marketing full time. If I had given up and not persisted at this web stuff, I would not be writing this article right now.Building top rankings for your keywords in the search engines (especially Google) can take months, even years before you see any results. The real key is to be persistent and keep at it, day after day, until you get those top rankings. You simply must be persistent or you will fail.In conclusion, having said all that, you must also realize there are plenty of exceptions to all of the above. There have been countless success stories on the web where someone has come up with a novel idea or product and become successful overnight. The web can provide immediate success for some, but for most of us, it will take some time and hard effort on our part to build a successful online business. Just try to avoid many of the pitfalls or reasons listed above and you will have a better chance of placing yourself in the success column. About The AuthorThe author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites. For the latest web marketing tools try: www.bizwaremagic.com . If you liked the article above, why not try this Free 7 Day Marketing Course at: www.marketingtoolguide.com 2009 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
The SEO’s Toolkit – Firefox
The SEO’s Toolkit – FirefoxBy Dave Davies (c) 2009 Every SEO uses different tools and resources. Some tools are paid, some are free and some are internally developed tools that we use for ourselves and our clients – but we all use them. Very often I get asked what tools people should use if they’re looking to optimize their own sites and what resources they should use to keep up with the latest going’s on. While telling people how to optimize their own sites and what the tools we use isn’t generally the best of business practices – I just can’t help myself. If your budget doesn’t allow for the hiring of a professional SEO company – trying it yourself may be the only option. I also try to remember that once-upon-a-time I was optimizing my own sites and was new to SEO and without the open advice of others already involved in the community – I wouldn’t be running a successful SEO company today. To this end, it only seems right to provide a list of some of the main tools we use on virtually every site. When I initially started writing this article I was going to cram a slew of various tools and resources into one article, but the article was going to end up running WAY too long to hold your attention (or mine) so I’ve cut it into three EZ parts (as opposed to three EZ payments which you’ll be familiar with if you too watch late night TV with a laptop in front of you writing things like SEO articles). But let’s get to the meat of this article shall we? The series will be divided into three parts:• Firefox• Free & Affordable Tools• ResourcesSo let’s begin with Firefox. Let me first say, I don’t know if Firefox is officially the browser of SEO’s, but if not – it should be. You can download it at Mozilla.com. And now the extensions that make this browser invaluable to SEO’s …SEO QuakeIf I had to lose all but one of my SEO tools – this would be the one I’d keep which is why it gets listed first. This little tool allows me to quickly look at the top 10 results in the SERPs and within seconds see all the PageRank, indexed page numbers, backlinks to that page, domain backlinks, the age of the site and much, much more.This tool doesn’t provide any revolutionary information in that it’s all data that can be accessed directly. However, it reduces the time taken for tasks that would take minutes to seconds. It then provides easy links to more detailed information. A fantastic tool.Oh, and it also adds a line through all nofollowed links. Very handy when link building.SEO for FirefoxAaron Wall over at SEO Book has added a great tool to the mix that duplicates a lot of functions of SEO Quake but which has enough additional features to be very useful. Basically – neither is a replacement for the other. Like most tools – it provides information that can be accessed in other ways, BUT with this Tool Aaron allows users to find tons of relevant site and keyword information quickly and painlessly. From keyword traffic to keyword trends, from backlink counts to social media mentions – this tools gives quick access to tons of information.Admittedly, I prefer the layout of SEO Quake and some of the easier functionality.SEO Link AnalysisA HUGE thumbs way up (two of them in fact) to Joost de Valk who made all our lives simpler when this tool launched. What this tool does is display the PageRank and anchor text of every link when you perform a backlink check on one of the major engines. I suppose you could visit every single site and get this information yourself and there’s value in that to be sure, but when you need a quick analysis of a site’s backlinks – this tool is invaluable.As a sidenote – it works VERY well with SEO Quake.Web DeveloperWith this tool we’re getting a bit more advanced. For those of you who understand coding or are learning (and you should be), this tool is incredible. It allows for quick testing and viewing of a site’s structure including, image info, table and cell information, W3C compliance, CSS details and MUCH, MUCH more.I can’t possibly list off all the functions this tool offers and admittedly I don’t use them all but I use enough of them regularly for this tool to make my top 10 list. IE TabThis is an odd tool to add and it’s purely a convenience tool but like adding a second monitor to your system – once you have it and realize that it saves you just a few seconds dozens of times per day you quickly realize that your productivity relies on it.With a simple click of a button, this tool loads Internet Explorer into your Firefox tab so you don’t have to go back-and-forth between browsers when testing. I could survive without it, but since you have Firefox anyways…Search StatusThis is another tool with many uses. On the surface it simply displays PageRank, Alexa and Compete rank and mozRank data but with a right-click of the icon you get access to a whole slew of additional information, including fast links to whois, the robots and sitemap files, keyword density information, Archive.org info, and it will even highlight nofollow links.A lot of these features overlap other tools noted above, but I will say – I have it installed and so should you.These are the main extensions I have installed for Firefox (read: the ones I use virtually every day). This isn’t to say that’s all there are, and I can’t stress enough the benefits of visiting addons.mozilla.org and looking for more useful extensions specific to your needs (RSS, Twitter, coding, etc.) I have about a dozen more installed than are listed here, but those above are the main Firefox SEO tools I use daily.In the next article, we’ll be taking a look at free and affordable tools that you can use to help improve your website rankings. Be sure to keep your eyes open as there will be many invaluable tools listed there too. About The AuthorDave Davies is the CEO for Beanstalk Search Engine Optimization, Inc. Beanstalk offers organic SEO services, consulting, link building and SEO copywriting services. While they provide their SEO from Victoria, BC they are proud to serve the world.
The REAL Death of Email Marketing
The REAL Death of Email MarketingBy Willie Crawford (c) 2009 For many online marketers, conversions rates are a mere fraction of what they use to be. At the same time, there are a few marketers that I’ve chatted with who have experienced no significant drop in conversions. These are all marketers who have built incredible subscriber loyalty over the years. For many online marketers, the biggest problem is email deliverability. Their email is simply not getting through. Email is being filtered so heavily today that often less than 20% of a large ezine mailing gets delivered. There are things you can do to improve your email deliverability, such as run it through a spam checker prior to sending it out. Top mailing list management systems, such as ProfitAutomation.com, have built in systems that allow you to grade an email against the Spam Assassin database prior to sending it. If your email scores higher than a 2, I personally would revise it to lower the score.I’ve talked to friends over a year ago, who often confided in me that they sometimes sent out emails and got absolutely NO response. They wondered if anyone even got the emails or read them.Many savvy marketers also realized that a business totally dependent upon email was not a very solid business. They realized that what they really needed was a database that contained not only names and email addresses, but physical mailing addresses. That way, if something dramatic ever did happen in the world of email, they could just shift their marketing to direct maíl, and still be in business. This is one of the reasons that you started seeing some online marketers offering loss leaders on CD or DVD. It gave them the perfect tool (excuse) to build out their databases. They knew that email could someday go the way of fax broadcasts.Some of my in-the-know friends have also shared with me that many ISP’s now monitor things such as email delivery rates, bounce rates, and open rates. They use readily available data, and if a given ISP or third party list host had a dismal record, they may block ALL email from that source.That’s pretty scary. I was also told that a few well-known list management providers were having emails coming off their servers BLOCKED, or “black holed.”If ISPs are tapping into databases that reveal which mail servers send out a lot of mail that has very low open rates, for example, and blocking email from those servers, that does very well spell the slow death of some email marketers… unless they move their list to other platforms.Ok, so I just painted a pretty dismal picture for some marketers. When I was in the military, my bosses always told me that they wanted the truth from me. They insisted that I not “sugar-coat” the facts. However, they also told me not to bring them problems, without also bringing them viable solutions.Solutions to the email deliverability issue are out there. For example, paid “sender verification” is one that is often suggested.One that I’ve looked at many times over the years is some type of direct-to-desktop solution. That’s one where your subscribers install tools that allow your communications to tap into technologies not even dependent upon email.The objection always brought up when discussing direct-to- desktop applications, is that there’s only so much desktop real-estate, so a person can only subscribe to so many of these independent channels.Another solution that I like very much is building your list on a hosted platform, so that communications take place within the system.A good example of this can be seen on the social networking site Sokule, pronounced “so cool.” The Sokule community is built on a platform that looks and feels a lot like Twitter, except that it’s built for marketers, so you are encouraged to market on the platform. In fact, there are several built-in features that allow members to monetize their community membership. While members of many social networking communities tend to de-emphasize getting lots of followers, Sokule is different. Sokule seems to encourage you to get as many followers (called “trackers”) as you can in two ways:
1) They have a quasi-currency, called “sokens” that you can provide to other members to reward them for following you. You earn these sokens, and then you provide them to community members as a reward for following you. In a way, you can buy followers.2) They allow upgraded members to direct message ALL of their followers a maximum of once every three days. That means that in a very real way, when you build a following on Sokule, you ARE building a list.
When you set up your Sokule account, you enter three of your areas of interest. This allows others to search the database for members with like interests, whom they can then track (follow). In theory, this means that when you send out a direct message, your message should be going to people interested in the same topic.Just as with an email list, you need to respect your trackers on Sokule, and provide genuine value to the relationship.To check out Sokule, visit my profile page at: Sokule.com/postit/williec There you can see how you can personalize your profile and monetize it. The links that you’ll notice on the left side of the page are to five of my pet websites. There are also links on the left side of the page that promote Clickbank products. Those links are coded with MY Clickbank ID.My old military bosses would be proud of me today. Yes, I came bearing bad news. Email marketíng as it once was is dying an agonizing death. However, I also did as my old bosses taught me and presented you with a viable, proven solution.In future articles, I’ll share with you some more solutions to “the email problem.” For now, check out Sokule. Sign up for a free account and take it for a test drive. It’s quicker to do that at:” Sokule.com/williec . The key to survival in business, just as it was for me in the military is to be aware of, and adapt to, changing circumstances. That’s something you’re now ready to do. About The AuthorWillie Crawford has been marketing online for 13 years, and used article marketing most of that time (writing over 1500 articles). His favorite tools for automatically distributing his articles, videos, podcasts, and press releases is the automated submission site: EasyPushButtonTraffic.com
Marketing in the New Technological Eco-System
Marketing in the New Technological Eco-SystemBy Leslie Lyon (c) 2009 Spas2b Inc. There is a whole technological Ecosystem developing before our eyes, that we can either ignore; adapt to slowly at our own pace (recommended!); or race to embrace. These new methods of network marketing provide us with everything from enhanced lead generation, to high level CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Knowing that many industries are slow to move in the technological arena, I am confident that this “Snapshot” will be eye-opening to many of you! Our Top 5 Sites for Social Networking and Micro-BloggingThese are not just communication devices to chat from, they generate leads and help close sales by increasing exposure and developing relationships. Another purpose they serve is to improve your organic ranking, as search engines are now sending traffic to your site based on these social networking “traffic sources”. Here are just a few to consider… 1. LinkedIn – Use LinkedIn for business referrals and leads. A great way to introduce men to your business. This business-oriented site is used for professional networking and has a primary demographic of males averaging 41 years of age. Your developed “connections” are people you know and trust in the business. Your connections, connections & their connections (called second degree and third degree connections) allow you to be introduced to possible business opportunities. You can join relevant alumni, industry, or professional groups of your choice.2. Twitter – Use Twitter to notify your clients of latest business developments; promotions and business initiatives. Demographic of 35-49 is biggest. This “follow-me” site allows you to put in up to 140 characters which are displayed on your profile page and delivered to those who have subscribed to, or are following you. You can restrict or allow open access to your “tweets”. It’s free unless you use SMS (short message service). 6 million unique visitors monthly. Currently the fastest growing site in the Member Communities category for 2009. Although discovered by the media, still under 7% of the population uses it, but growth over last year was a whopping 1,382% .3. BizNik – Use BizNik to establish yourself as an expert in your industry through articles and content. BizNik is for people building real businesses. It’s a good place to go to share conversation about your business and entrepreneurial endeavours. The site is based on relationships, not referrals. You can teach a seminar; post on the boards; download your articles; host an online event; attend an online event, etc.4. Facebook – Use Facebook to “tap into the fountain of youth”. Join in by city; workplace; school, etc. You can choose your friends and use privacy settings which allow you to control what type of information is automatically shared. The most popular application is the ability to upload unlímited photos. You can now also send “gifts” for $1.00 with a personalized message to your friends; and post free classified ads to those in your network. 228% growth year over year, with the fastest growing demographic being those 25 years and older.5. MySpace – Use MySpace to recruit, educate, introduce and boost awareness of your business and industry as a whole. One of the fastest growing websites of all time, with the primary user being 18 years of age and older. This interactive network is a user-submitted site of friends, groups, videos, musicians, photos, blogs, etc. You can use “bulletins” to deliver your message; designated groups can share a common page and message board; full service classified listings are available; you can upload recordings, and much more. More options… bebo.com; care2.com; classmates.com; del.icio.us; digg.com; flickr.com; friendster.com; meetup.com; orkut.com; ryze.com; stumbleupon.com; yahoo!360; xanga.com; to over 100! And once you have made those decisions, consider these next two systems that are here and should be “coming down your pipes” SOON…Mobile MarketingThis is the ability to reach consumers on their mobile devices, “where they are”, with incentive advertising and email campaigns. Still in its early stages, perfecting mobile-friendly formats and savvy ways to deliver your message to this captive audience will require a unique approach and your research. Studies show that ad agencies big and small are all rushing to develop mobile-based promotional tools – it’s going to be huge and it’s coming fast. It’s time for you to catch up with exploding consumer online demands. Still only 19% of mobile users have used mobile marketing, but critics say that it increases consumer awareness by up to 24% and increases intent to purchase by almost 5% – that’s good… Start capturing new data, preferences and interest levels from clients now! Some stats: 3.3 billion people worldwide have mobile phones. Over 200 million operate phones with text messaging capabilities in North America. Over 174 million have phones capable of browsing the web in North America Check out: www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/lib/1718.pdf The Virtual OfficeYour office must be wherever you are – you can conduct business from almost anywhere today. If you’re on the move, you’ll need a cell phone/smart phone/personal digital assistant with wireless web. While on the go, use instant messaging and social networking sites to alert, modify, and monitor staff and client wants and needs, on the spot. Your virtual office might consist of some, or all of these:
• Videoconferencing and/or teleconferencing combined with presentation software that will allow you to communicate with several people in real time, worldwide;• Live streaming video enables the user to view in real time, anything from a demonstration of services, to an onsite, hands-on educational program;• Web-hosted scheduling and booking tools will allow you to manage appointments online;• Blogs, eNews and Forums are important informational tools to help endorse your brand;• Web conferencing (webinars) make it simple to hold live interactive seminars with anyone at any time;• Podcasts are great marketing tools as well as a great educational means for teaching and training staff and your target markets;• Online video has climbed 340% in recent years, as a means to introduce; learn; and sell from;• Online sales (shop with us) are fast becoming necessary as a passive, supplementary revenue stream in the business environment.
If necessary, consider hiring a Virtual Assistant/Cyber Assistant (VA/CA – just Google) and get help with new ways on getting things done in a cyber-environment. Enjoy! About The AuthorLeslie Lyon, President of Spas2b Inc. is a Spa Consultant, Trainer, Educator, Speaker, Freelance Writer, and advisor to a number Committees and Business Associations. Spas2b Inc. is now in 35 countries worldwide, and is waiting to hear from you! If you enjoyed this information; wish to read more exciting, up-to-the-minute business news; or want to know more about the world or SPAS, log onto www.spas2b.com, or contact Leslie Lyon personally at llyon@spas2b.com, or 1-519-585-0626 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-519-585-0626 end_of_the_skype_highlighting in Canada.
Elements Of A Good Design
Elements Of A Good DesignBy Moonrise Productions(c) 2009 One resoundingly negative consequence of the amazíng advances in computing power over the last 25 or so years is the notion, still popular despite constant debunking, that all you need to be a designer today is to buy a computer (usually a Macintosh). When over-caffeinated pundits were first promoting the term “desktop publishing” in the mid-1980s, many said the new technology would result in so many great new print publications (this was before the Internet boom) that it would put the First Amendment into overdrive.What really happened, of course, is that entirely unqualified, untrained and untalented people got hold of a Mac, a LaserWriter and some software and proceeded to crank out a few metric tons of 300dpi landfill. My, how judgmental, you may think. Oddly enough, for all the counterculture tendencies of some, artists in general are among the most judgmental and elitist folks around, and have no problem observing (and saying) that people are not “equal” when it comes to design talent.A clever advertisement from that bygone “DTP” era promoted a graphic design firm with the tagline, “Using Picasso’s paintbrush doesn’t make you Picasso“. Since this is a principle and not a value judgment, it is as true now, and will be as true in 2050, as it was then. Fact is, there are elements of a good design that must be attended to and contended with, no matter the medium – print, broadcast, web, even mobile phone displays.Classic ComponentsThink of the elements of design as the basic building blocks. These elements will be part of everything you design, from consumer products and furniture to magazine pages and billboards, whether you know that or not. (For now, we will restrict our discussion to the layouts that are common to print and web publishing.) It should go without saying, but very little does anymore, that understanding these basic elements will enable you to create more powerful pages for your packaging, ad, magazine or website.At the most basic level, there are five elements in any design:1. Lines and LineworkThese terms do not refer to pen-and-ink or pencil sketches, but to borders, frames and rules. Horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, regular or irregular, they help define and delimit spaces around various elements on your pages. Good linework increases both the readability and “directionality” (see #5, below) of the design as a whole.2. ShapeAny enclosed area, form or contour in your design is a shape. Shapes in most layouts are square or rectangular, but nothing says they must be, and circles are useful, too. You can also use images to create other, regular or irregular shapes. 3. TextureTexture imparts a “surface” feeling, and is tactile in printed matter, so choosing the paper stock-matte, weave, coated – is a design decision, too. Textures on layouts meant for broadcast or the Internet are visual only, but still key.4. ColorColor is probably the element that most designers are at least acutely aware of, if not schooled in. However, color is not required in many designs, and some art educators suggest creating designs without any color first. The artist, in this view, should then add only as much color as needed to enhance or complete the design. Another school of thought holds that color should be one of the first elements determined. Experience and experimentation will help every artist develop a good color sense and strategy.5. DirectionEffectively designed layouts, in magazines or on your computer screen, usually have a sense of motion. A good design will lead the reader’s eyes through the design deliberately, using color changes, shapes, linework and copy placement to direct viewers’ attention to what the designer wants them to see. Balance and InterestOther considerations enter in to the process of making good design choices, such as the feelings of space, balance, action and even excitement. The important thing for young, inexperienced designers to remember is that “less is more”. One can often identify the design work of a beginner by a lack of open (or “negative”) space, an overdose of motion or color contrast, the proliferation of different typefaces and conflicting directionality. Rather than pull every tool and trick out of the bag, the designer needs to remember the ultimate aim of the layout, which for pages in print or on the web is quite simple: Draw the reader in so you can deliver your message.It seems much simpler after, say, three or four years in a fast-paced, high quality, well-managed design studio. One of the simpler ways of judging a page design is to ask, Does it say “read me” when you look at it? Frankly, some print and web pages look like the backside of a rental agreement, while others seem designed to confuse the readers or test their reactions to optical illusions.The bottom line of good design is, quite simply, to attract readers’ attention, direct it in a particular way and, in concert with the copywriting, make a positive impression. It is, after all, “commercial art” at which most artists work. It becomes much easier for them to do as they learn to leave their egos out of it and simply do what is necessary, proper and effective. If they are unable to do so, perhaps they should go get one of Picasso’s paintbrushes and be a different kind of artist entirely. About The AuthorMoonrise Productions is a full services San Francisco web design company. They provide complete design services, web application development, ecommerce development and more. With New York, San Diego, San Francisco and a Los Angeles presence no matter where you are, we’ve got people to serve you.
10 Steps to Testing the Viability of Your Online Business
10 Steps to Testing the Viability of Your Online BusinessBy Donna Gunter (c) 2009 The economic recession is pushing more and more people to consider self-employment. Starting an online business is a very low-risk way to put your toe in the entrepreneurial pond because the start up costs are minimal, the overhead is low, and the returns can be high. Despite these benefits, however, an online business is just like any other and needs to be thoroughly researched before starting to determine if there’s a need in the marketplace and how viable the business idea is. The Internet is rife with exorbitant claims of how much money can be made as an online entrepreneur and that you can be rolling in the dough by next week. Remember, most “overnight” successes are 1, 2, or more years in the making, and online businesses are no exception to this rule. Make Your Monthly Google AdSense Check Bigger!
- Algorithm figures out the ideal ad unit sizes, formats, shapes, and colors. No guesswork!
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Profiled on TechCrunch, John Chow, and Search Engine Journal. Used successfully on hundreds of sites. YieldBuild Revenue Optimizer » How do you determine if your online business idea will sink or swim? Here are 10 steps you can take to test your idea without breaking the bank:1. Research. Comprehensive research is always the first step for any business idea. Brainstorm a list of keywords someone might use to find the product/service that you’re offering, and then use a keyword tool finder to see how many searches have been done on these keywords. The keyword tool will also make suggestions of related keywords to try. Once you have a list of keywords, conduct searches (use quotation marks around your search term for stronger results) in Google, Yahoo, and MSN to see who else is out there. Evaluate the popularity of the sites you discover by checking out their Google Page Rank and Alexa ranking. Use the same keywords to see if articles have been written about your topic in the major article banks. You’ll uncover your competition in this research, as well as potential strategic alliances. Employ a powerful bookmark program to help you track your research results.2. Monetize the idea. After completing your research, have you discovered enough competitors in the marketplace who are making money from doing something similar? If so, how are they making money — is it from the sale of info products, consulting services, subscription to their site, advertising, etc? If you don’t see much competition, that usually means one of two things:
a. There’s not enough demand for the product/idea orb. You’re ahead of the curve in seeing the profit potential.
Unfortunately, in most cases, that result means that there’s not enough demand for your idea in the way that it’s been presented.3. The “so what” factor. From your research you should be able to clarify what it is that you’re offering and what group of people need what you’re offering. In order to be successful, your offering must pass the “so what” factor in light of your competition. To take this test, you must successfully be able to answer the following question after telling someone what you do, “So what? How is that different from what x, y and z are offering?” You can answer these questions best if you review the benefits of what you’re offering (the What’s In It For Me) rather than just a listing of the features, and if you can speak from the heart about your idea. An online business will take time to manage and develop, so you want to settle on something that you love. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you quickly become a prisoner in a prison of your making.4. Industry information. Set up Google Alerts for your industry keywords and track them from info posted on websites, blogs, and newsgroups. Reviewing the alerts you receive over the next few weeks should help you expand your view of the problems/issues with your subject, help you see the “movers and shakers” in the industry, and help you discover other places (blogs, discussion forums, social networks) where your target market hangs out online.5. Test the waters. The easiest way to test your idea is by creating a blog. Buy a keyword-rich domain name for the blog and map your blog to that domain. Then begin to blog about your insights on your topic, or reprint articles others have written on your subject. The idea here is to begin to establish your online presence and your online brand.6. Build a list. Once you’ve got a blog set up, you need to begin to build your marketing list. The easiest way to do this is to create a free giveaway on your site (ebook, video, report, audio recording) and a form for the visitor to input his name and email address to receive your giveaway. Your privacy policy should be readily available to them and outline how you’ll use their info and what they can expect to receive from you. You’ll also need an emaíl marketing service or shopping cart service to manage your list.7. Crown yourself the expert. The only way to become an expert in an area is to believe that you are one. By virtue of the research you’ve already conducted, you know more than a large percentage of your target market. Therefore, don’t hesitate to begin to refer to yourself as an expert in your industry.8. Drive traffic. Once you build your blog, they (visitors) won’t come without some encouragement. Create profiles on prominent social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Start writing articles about your topic and submittíng those to article directories. Discover if your target market hangs out on niche-specific social networking sites and start networking there. Interview experts in your industry and release the interviews as a podcast. Create a weekly email newsletter to stay in touch with the prospects on your email list. Create powerful inbound links by getting your blog listed on various blog and website directories.9. Implementation time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful online business. Allow at least three months to give your idea a test run and evaluate it after that time. Have you been able to build a list? Are you getting traffic to your site? Are you attracting the attention of others in your industry? If so, you’re ready to move to the next step.10. Move forward. If you determine that your idea is viable, what’s next? Creating info products or a membership site? What are your longer term goals to develop this idea into a business? The best way to harness all the info that you’ve collected thus far is to create a business plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated — it can be only one page, in fact. What you need to commit to paper is your offer, your target market, your ongoing goals for how to monetize the idea, and an outline of how you plan to grow the business over time.It’s not too late to get your start in an online business. Don’t be distracted by the false promises of quick wealth overnight. Success takes time and planning, so invest some planning and research time into your business idea. That’s the strongest foundation you can create for yourself to become a successful online entrepreneur.About The AuthorInternet Marketing Strategist and Boomer Biz Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses that they love by demystifying and simplifying the tools and strategies needed to market and grow their businesses online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at AskDonnaGunter.com .
5 Google Tools For Researching Your Market
5 Google Tools For Researching Your MarketBy Pete Moore (c) 2009 Internet marketers and webmasters have always had a love/ hate relationship with Google. Whatever you think of them they do provide website owners with some great market research tools. No matter what market you are in or plan to be in, you will find these free tools provided by Google very useful when researching your market. You should be researching your market constantly, NOT just when setting up your site. The internet is ever changing and, if you’re not keeping up with those changes, you will be left behind.Market Research Tool 1 – Related Searches And Wonder WheelWhen you start typing in the main Google search box you should see a drop down box appear giving you some alternative search terms related to the word you typed. Note these phrases down in a notepad file or write them on a piece of paper. They will be useful as part of your keyword list used in the next tool. You will also see more related search phrases after you click search. Scroll to the bottom of the results page and you will see “searches related to:” Note down any new phrases shown there. Recently Google has released Wonder Wheel which is also a related keywords tool but is shown in a mind map format. You can also click on the related phrases to find more useful search terms. To access wonder wheel: enter your keyword in the standard search screen, then at the top of the results on the left you should see a show options link. Select that and it will reveal a menu. Near the bottom of the menu you should see wonder wheel.Market Research Tool 2 – Adwords Keyword ToolWe all know how important keywords and search phrases are. Let’s face it, it’s what drives the internet. Google has provided us with a tool that tells you what keywords and phrases people are using to find what they are looking for. You are able to search an individual country, more than one if you hold down the ctrl key on your keyboard as you select, or all countries.The adwords tool is now more valuable due to the fact it shows actual search numbers. Previously you only had a green bar to indicate how much traffic the search term receíved. You can also see how competitive each keyword is amongst adword advertisers, showing us which keywords are commercially viable.Market Research Tool 3 – Google TrendsNow that you have an idea what keywords your market is using you can use the trends tool to check the history of that keyword / phrase. Google Trends supplies data for the last 5 years, giving you an idea if the search term is consistent. You can also see if the search term is popular at certain times of the year, also known as a seasonal keywords.Another important function of Trends is the section that tells you the popularity of a keyword by country, city and language – very useful if you are targeting particular countries or even cities.Market Research Tool 4 – Google AlertsAlerts is underused by webmasters. If you want to stay in touch with what’s hot in your market, you can by using Google Alerts. All you have to do is enter the most popular phrases in your market. Google will then send you links via email depending on what type you select. The types are news, web, blogs, video and groups. If you would like a mix of all, you can select comprehensive. You can decide how often you want to be updated by selecting either: as it happens, once a day or once a week. I hope you can see how powerful this is if you want to be seen as an authority in your market.Market Research Tool 5 – Google Web SearchFinally, we have Google’s standard web search which is not standard in my eyes. It provides a lot of information if you know what to look for. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important part of running a website. By performing a search of your market keywords, Google will tell you what type of content it sees as important.If you see videos, blogs or images this gives you another way to reach the top 10 of Google. If you see Web 2.0 style sites such as Digg, that could be another avenue. If there are adword ads on the right side of the screen, that tells you the market is commercially viable and more importantly that the keyword you entered is good enough to pay for, especially if there are 10 ads or more.As you can see, even if you don’t have money to buy the latest tools, I have shown you there is a way to get some very important information using free tools from Google. Are you starting to love them now?Thanks for reading. About The AuthorDo you need content and products for your website, if the answer is yes check out www.publicdomainresource.com. We show you how to profit from public domain information in our Free Public Domain Profíts Report.
Why You Should Use Article Directories to Promote Your Website
Why You Should Use Article Directories to Promote Your WebsiteBy Jay Gaulard (c) 2009 If you are online and are not already using article directories to promote your website, you are missing out on a free and highly effective marketing option. Article directories are great ways to draw traffic to your site without paying for advertising. However, to get real traffic to your site using an article directory, you must know how to use them correctly. What Article Directories AreBefore you can use an article directory, you have to know what one is. Article directories are websites where thousands upon thousands of articles on just about any subject are posted. They are generally categorized to make it easier for readers to find information they want. They are also linked together, so a reader reading about “Hawaii travel” will naturally go from article to article on that topic. People can use the articles they find in the directories on their own websites, either for free or for a small fee. Authors pay nothing to submít to article directories. How Article Directories Benefit Online BusinessesYou are probably thinking, “Sure, that’s great. But how does an article directory help me promote my business? Doesn’t giving away free content defeat my purpose as an online business?“These are great questions. When you submít an article to an article directory, it will contain a bio with a link to your website. Since you are the author of the article, you are allowed to include this information.This means that anyone who is searching online and comes across the article directory will see a link to your site. Not only that, but the people who use the content on their own websites are required to keep it exactly as it appears in the directory. This means that your link could show up on hundreds of websites.Article directories are generally large websites. This means that the web spiders are attracted to them. Having your link in these articles is a crucial part of an online linking campaign.How to Make Your Submissions EffectiveIf you are going to submít to article directories, you need to do two things. First, you need to learn about proper keyword usage. You need the right percentage of keywords in your article, and they need to appear naturally within the content. This will draw the search engine spiders to the article, thus exposing people to your link at the bottom.You also need to make your content unique and helpful. If your article is the same as thousands that are already online, other website owners will not want to use it. Also, if the information is not helpful, people will not read the entire article. Your goal is to have them read the entire article so that they will click at the link on the bottom. Having helpful information in the article also helps the reader view you as an “expert” in the field. This is important, because you want them to have a reason to click on the link. If they are reading useless information, they will have no desire to visit your site. Also, proving that you are knowledgeable about a particular topic will show that whatever product or service you are marketing is worth buying.What to Do if You Can’t WriteAt this point you are probably wondering what you can do because you can’t write. You are an entrepreneur and business owner, not a writer. The good news is that you have options.You can hire a freelance writer to “ghostwrite” the article for you. Ghostwriting means writing the article in your name. Instead of placing his or her name on the article, the freelancer uses your name and your business link. You will need to pay for this service, but the amount you will pay for a quality article is far less than the amount you would pay for an advertising campaign, and a well-written article placed in the right article directoríes will draw more traffíc to your site than just about any other form of advertising.Where can you find ghostwriters? There are a variety of online classifieds where you can post your job requirements or search for available writers. You can ask for quotes to help you learn what the going rate for a writer is. Keep in mind that you will pay more if you have detailed information that needs to be researched or if you are working on a tight deadline. You can also hire a content creation company to help you if you require numerous articles that would be too much for one individual writer.If you do use a ghostwriter, be sure that you proofread the article before submitting it. You may find that the writer did not approach a particular topic as you would have wanted. You can ask the writer to rewrite the material, but posting something that is inaccurate or does not sound well written will detract from your goal of drawing traffic to your site. Risks of Using an Article DirectoryThere is only one main risk to using an article directory, and that is that someone will download your content and use it on their site without including the link. You can do some work to check for this, but it is hard to police. However, the occasional unscrupulous website owner who uses your content incorrectly is a risk worth taking for the many users who will give you a link on their site.Post Much and OftenOnce you get the hang of using an article directory, post many articles, and post them often. The more fresh, relevant content that links to your page, the greater traffic you will receive. Be sure to continually research your keywords, because the keywords that people search for constantly change.Also, submit your articles to a variety of sites. The most popular article directories may not draw a certain demographic of people. The more places that have your article and your link, the better your traffic results will be. Since these sites are free to use, you might as well submit to as many as you can.Editor’s Note: You can find the Top 50 Article directories ranked by Alexa rating and GooglePagerank at:www.vretoolbar.comwww.jackhumphrey.com About The AuthorJay Gaulard writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of www.articleleeg.com, a popular article directory website.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Website Copy
The Seven Deadly Sins of Website CopyBy Michel Fortin (c) 2009 Throughout my research, I’m always surprised when I stumble onto websites that are professionally designed and seem to provide great products and services, but lack or fail in certain important elements.Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply the results almost instantaneously.Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I call them the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Is your website committing any one of these?1) They Fail to ConnectTraffic has been long touted to be the key to online success, but that’s not true. If your site is not pulling sales, inquiries or results, then why would it need more traffic? The key is to turn curious browsers into serious buyers. Aside from the quality of the copy, the number one reason why a website doesn’t convert is that the copy is targeting the wrong audience or fails to connect with them.First, create a “perfect prospect profile.” List all the attributes, characteristics and qualities of your most profitable and accessible market.Don’t just stick with things like demographics and psychographics. Try to get to know them.Who are they, really? What are their most pressing problems? What keeps them up at night? How do they talk about their problems? Where do they hang out?Then, target your market by centering on a major theme, benefit or outcome so that, when you generate pre-qualified traffic, your hit ratio and your sales will improve dramatically.Finally, ensure that your copy connects with them. Intimately. It speaks their language, talks about their problems, and tells stories they can easily appreciate and relate to.Since this is the most common error that marketers and copywriters commit, and to help you, follow the following formulas.The OATH formula helps you to understand the stage of awareness your market is at. (How aware of the problem are they, really?)The QUEST formula guides you in qualifying and empathizing with them. And the UPWORDS formula teaches you how to choose the appropriate language your market can easily understand, appreciate and respond to. 2) They Lack a Compelling Offer“Making an offer you can’t refuse” seems like an old cliché, but don’t discount its relevance and power. Especially in this day and age where most offers are so anemic, lifeless, and like every other pitch out there.Too many business believe that simply offering a product or service, and mentioning the price, are good enough. But what they fail to realize is that people need to intimately understand the full value (the real value and, more importantly, the perceived value) behind the offer.Sometimes, all you need is to provide some premiums, incentives and bonuses to make the pitch more palatable and hard to ignore. (Very often, people buy products and services for the premiums alone.)Other times, you need to create what is called a “value buildup.”(In fact, premiums are not mandatory in all cases, particularly when the offer itself is solid enough. But building value almost always is.)Essentially, you compare the price of your offer not with the price of some other competing offer or alternative, but with the ultimate cost of not buying-and enjoying-your product or service.This may include the price of an alternative. But “ultimate cost” goes far beyond price. Dan Kennedy calls this “apples to oranges” comparisons.For example, let’s say you sell an ebook on how to grow better tomatoes. That might sound simple, and your initial inclination might be to compare it to other “tomatoe-growing” ebooks or viable alternatives.But also look at the the time it took for you to learn the best ways to grow tomatoes. Look at the amount of money you invested in trying all the different fertilizers, seeds and techniques to finally determine which ones are the best. Don’t forget the time, money and energy (including emotional energy) people save from not having to learn these by themselves. Add the cost of doing it wrong and buying solutions that are either more expensive or inappropriate.That’s what makes an offer valuable. One people can’t refuse.3) They Lack Reasons WhyWhile some websites are well-designed and provide great content, and they might even have great copy, they fail because they don’t provide enough reasons for people to buy-or at least read the copy in the first place.Visitors are often left clueless. In other words, why should they buy? Why should they buy that particular product? Why should they buy that product from that particular site? And more important, why should they buy now?What makes your product so unique, different and special? What’s in it for your customers that they can’t get anywhere else? Not answering those questions will deter clients and impede sales.John E. Kennedy, a Canadian fireman and copywriter at the turn of the last century, talked a lot about the power of adding “reasons why.” His wisdom still rings true to this day, and we know this from experience.Once, my wife had a client whose website offered natural supplements.It offered a free bottle (i.e., 30-day supply). But response was abysmal. Aside from being in a highly competitive industry, the copy failed to allay the prospect’s fears. They thought it might be a scam or that there’s a catch.So all she did was tell her client to add the following paragraph:
“Why are we offering this free bottle? Because we want you to try it. We’re so confident that you will see visible results within 30 days that you will come back and order more.”
Response more than tripled. About The AuthorMichel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, and consultant. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to www.michelfortin.com. While you’re at it, follow him on Twitter .
Bingoo! Assault Heats Up – Google to Retaliate with Operation Chrome
Bingoo! Assault Heats Up – Google to Retaliate with Operation ChromeBy John Sylvester (c) 2009 Finally, a 10-year deal has been struck between Microsoft and Yahoo! Last week it attracted global media coverage, which said it was intended to create a stronger rival to the powerhouse of Google search, but perhaps the counter-offensive with the launch of Chrome OS next year will be the real bullet in the gun? Media reports on the Battle of the Bing mostly dealt with the facts of the agreement but fell way short of any concrete projections as to what web users will be searching with in the future.Yahoo!, it seems, with Carol Bartz at the helm, is busy refocusing the company on being a producer of media sites and a marketer of online display advertising. It will also receive 88% of the search-generated ad revenues from its own sites for the first five years of the deal. But a hint at the real story came from an unlikely source. This week’s Economist also ran a factual piece titled Bingoo! on the Microsoft-Yahoo! deal, but its cartoon in The World This Week section went somewhat further. It showed an outraged Yahoo! sitting atop the shoulders of a belligerent Bing, both cudgel-bearing and incensed, standing on the palm of a club-wielding Neanderthal-like titan Microsoft, shouting, “We think it is wrong to have a market dominated by one giant!“, to which the finger-pointing Palaeolithic Google responds, “Do a web search for ‘operating system‘…”Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010 and is open source, which is appealing. It is also a “lightweight” operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. It is said to include “speed, simplicity and security” as the “key aspects of Google Chrome OS“, according to googleblog.blogspot.com. It is reported to run with a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel, which is encouraging also in that Google will involve the open source community to accomplish their vision.If the OS launch is anything like that of the Google Chrome browser, which has been around for around for some months now with over 30 million people using it, the Google Chrome Operating System may be just what is needed in response to Microsoft’s offensive with Bing. Many are crying out for competition in the web search market but neglect to mention operating systems when doing so.Early reports on Bing have been very positive, which must be worrying to Google as Microsoft is challenging the supremacy of its heartland, internet search. Having said that, it is far too soon to predict how many users will change from the google verb to that of bing, but there are said to be huge armoured divisions of the faithful ready and willing to take up the cause and drop Google search altogether.On the whole, search results from Bing are very similar to Google on tests, so it is difficult to differentiate which one is better. On some search terms though, Bing is way off target. In any event, it is unlikely that Google’s 65/30% dominance will be rent asunder by its launch. Even though no one is quite certain about which search engine delivers the best results, Bing is being subjectively upbraided by its advocates as bringing genuine competition to the world of internet search. This is a good move but, as such, it is unlikely that Bing will revolutionise the web. Chrome OS, however, and over time, just might.What is more at stake here is the release of Chrome OS. This has the potential to wear down the dominance of Windows if it can successfully bring about an operating system worthy of the new millennium. If so, there will be gnawing competition in the OS marketplace and a possible revolution in the way computers are used in the future.Google has set out its stall to solve inherent problems associated with Windows, which is said to have too much of an overhead and that it wasn’t designed for web-based computing, while the minimalist Google is well known for its lightweight products and speed.So, what are the potential advantages of Chrome OS over Windows?:
1) Initially, it will work on netbooks and they are cheap. Also, Chrome OS is based on Linux and could well be free. It is open source, which will help to bring about a superior operating system, unlike the proprietary nature of Windows.
2) Chrome OS has been designed to run on low-powered Atom and ARM processors. As Google posted on their blog: “The message is clear – computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up.”3) One of the major problems with Windows XP is compatibility and that of its drivers. What Google is saying is that the new operating system can be downloaded on any machine and it “just works”. Users will then be able to use a portable operating system.4) If Google can deliver an operating system that is fast, the roll-out of Chrome OS could be a revolution in the making, and free.5) With the iPhone gaining in use and popularity, Chrome OS would seem to answer users’ needs in its application.6) We may be ushering in an era where the web is the rightful place to store all our files and documents and use a pay-per-use system for accessing and using desktop software, which benefits systems like Chrome OS.
This scenario also puts Yahoo!, as the “leading web portal”, in a vulnerable position. Despite Chief Executive Carol Bartz’s recent shibboleth that the tie-up “comes with boatloads of value“, it is interesting to note that the company’s share price dropped 12% following the company’s announcement.So, as each side lines up for a dogfight in the Bingle War, it won’t be too long before Google drops its cluster bomb. In the Battle of the Titans, we could well be witnessing a revolution in the making and it is certainly one that should be making Microsoft’s board nervous.But the real question is, whilst there was a big media fanfare to accompany Microsoft’s deal with Yahoo!, it simply dwarfs itself on the periphery if the revolutionary nature of Chrome OS is to be believed and taken onboard seriously. About The AuthorJohn Sylvester is the media director of V9 Design & Build and an expert in search engine optimization and web marketing strategies.
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