Saturday, August 19, 2006

Thousands Of Clicks To Your Website !

Do you want to advertise about your website?Wait and have a look here. Don't just start spending money on advertising because there is a very effective way to increase traffic on your website and the important thing is it's free. It will boost your bussiness like crazy. Just try it.

The only thing that you need is a little writing talent. If you think that you can write couple of articles a week, what are you waiting for.

Do you know what,there are thousands,ohh sorry,millions of e-zines and websites out there,trying to find new articles for their website. Try your talent and send your articles to different websites and e-zines. Most of them accept the articles without any problem.

It is really simple what they need is what you have. They need to pass on good,valuable information to their customers. So help them and inturn they will give you free advertising.

Ok here are few steps about what you have to do.....

1. Write an article on something that you like or some topic related to your website.

2. Include two or three lines of text giving information about you and your website at the end of the article. Also don't forget to give a link to your website.

3. Send the article to e-zines and your done.

Look it's so simple and you will have instant clicks to your website. And if the article is published and reprinted over and over again,there is nothing like it.

It's a very simple free marketing tool,just try it and see the results.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal linking is considered by many people the most effective way to increase traffic to your website. You often get hits from the web sites that you have exchanged your links with, and reciprocal linking also helps boost your search engine rankings.

What is a reciprocal link?

A reciprocal link is a link to a website that carries a similar link back to your own website.

A reciprocal link is a common thread between you and another website owner. You both likely share similar websites and content, and you are o'kay with the possibility of a viewer leaving your site to take a look at your linking partner's site.

What a reciprocal link is not...

A reciprocal link is not a cure all! Many times webmasters have a ton of links. The problem is that many of those links are broken or out of date. I will share a resource to help you find those broken links in a minute. But first you need to find sites to link to!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Tip for Finding Quality Links

Google might not dominate the search engine world like it did last year, but it's still a big player and can account for a lot of your traffic. It's no secret that acquiring PageRank is a big part of doing well with Google. I've personally seen my own pages receive huge jumps in traffic after PageRank updates. By now, you probably know PageRank comes from the number of incoming links to your web site; the higher the PageRank of the incoming links, the more PageRank your site will receive.

The problem with link building campaigns is you rarely get out of them what you put in. You're doing pretty good if you get responses from one in four people you contact. In order to make things simpler, people often join traffic exchange programs, or simply post forms on their page and wait for link partners to come to them.

The problem with these methods is you often get offers from sites you don't particularly want to link with. Maybe they're selling something you'd rather not be associated with, or their site is brand-new and sloppily put together, and it's not going to be much of a boost to your PageRank. Now, I'm not saying you should never link to a new site, because today's PR-nothing could be tomorrow's PR 6 or 7. Rather, I just want to offer a tip to help you capitalize on your link hunting time.

Step 1: Do a Google search for your target keywords.

Step 2: Visit the highest ranking sites, and use Google Toolbar to check their back links.

Step 3: Ask for links from the sites that appear in the back links.

Simple, hunh? What this does for you is thus: gets you in contact with people who are willing to exchange links with sites in your keyword area, and perhaps more importantly, gets you in contact with sites that have a high enough PageRank to appear in Google's back links (typically, only PageRank 4 sites and above appear here).

This should help you find the links that can truly help you, and it should cut down on your wasted link hunting time. Now, don't you have some links to find?

Monday, May 29, 2006

The Google Sandbox Effect

In the age of fair competition you may find it hard to believe that a search engine may hinder the appearance of a new website. This is what is currently believed to be happening on more web servers today. Some programmers have viewed Google as uncomfortable to rank newer websites until they have proven their viability to exist for more than a period of "x" months. Thus the term "Sandbox Effect" applies to the idea that all new websites have their ratings placed in a holding tank until such time is deemed appropriate before a ranking can commence.

However the website is not hindered as much as the links that are reciprocated from other users. Newer links that are created are put on a "probationary" status until again they pickup in rank from other matured sites or placed directly by an ad campaign. The idea behind the hindrance is to prevent a fast ranking to occur on a new website. The usual holding period seems to be between 90 and 120 days before a site would start obtaining rank from reciprocal or back linking.

Some advice has been given to have companies you are going to reciprocate back add your link first to the website. This may help grandfather your site in, thus reducing the waiting time associated with "new" websites. People have noticed a 0 page rank when first signing up and receiving a bolstering 7 page ranking after 4 months. Why the delay? The fact is, that if people realized how easy it would be to get a high ranking, would that take away the credibility of the engine. It depends on whom you ask, but it does seem to be happening frequently to newer subscribers. Do not discontinue back linking, your rank will eventually appear.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The Testimonial Trick

One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is the link
exchange. Not only can they generate fairly targeted traffic from
other related web sites, the number of quality links to your site is
also a major factor determining your web site's ranking in major
search engines like Google.

The problem with link exchanges is that they require you to give a
reciprocal link in exchange for linking to your site. This inevitably
means that there will be a limit to the number of links you can
tastefully place on your site without compromising your layout,
content, and credibility. Links to other sites also provide extra
temptations for surfers to leave your site. Also, search engines place
more importance on the quality than the number of sites linking to
your web site. It is of course difficult for small web sites to
convince large, successful web sites to exchange links with them.

An incredibly simple, but little used so is to use testimonials to
gain a link on large successful web sites, WITHOUT having to place a
reciprocal link on our own site! No webmaster, no matter how
successful, can resist an honest, glowing compliment to their
creation. The trick is to write short, flattering testimonials for the
content, design, functions, products, services etc. of many web sites
and send it to them as a sincere "feedback".

Many webmasters will feel so flattered and want to publish these
"unsolicited" compliments to reinforce the credibility of their web
site and products. To make the testimonial credible, they must
naturally mention who it came from.

This would be your opportunity to request a link to your web site. At
a minimum, you should be able to get a link in the form of "yourname,
webmaster, yoursite.com ". This is really a beautifully simple, no
cost way of getting links in many high quality web sites.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Your Hard Work - Who Cares?

Junk mail. Promotional banner. Yet another Ad campaign !!!


We all get it. And it goes straight to the trash can and overlooked because of Banner Blindness. How do you make sure your marketing piece doesn't end up in the round file?

Give it the 'who cares' test. You have approximately five seconds to get your prospect's attention. Make those five seconds count!

1. Start with a grab 'em headline.

2. Follow with a transitional sub headline.

3. Make the body count.

4. Give them a reason to call -- now.

Your prospects don't care about your company. They care about themselves and how you can fix their problem, make them more comfortable, save them time or money, or relieve their stress.

What are your marketing pieces doing for your company?

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Innovators, Looking For Some Online Resources ?

Small businesses, independent innovators, authors, and artists often find it difficult to locate useful sources of information and services pertaining to intellectual property industry. A number of online forums, including Patentcafe.com, NewIdeaTrade.com, and Inventioncity.com now provide innovators a wide range of free tools and resources.

At http://www.newideatrade.com/inventions.htm innovators can find detailed information on how to obtain a patent and a list of patent/copyright offices and intellectual property associations around the world. They can also review a sample non-disclosure agreement that can be used when someone with an unpatented idea or invention wants to show it to another party, and wants that party to not disclose any of the information. The forum also lists several free tools and resources that help innovators promote their websites.

At http://www.patentcafe.com, innovators can find information on invention evaluation, patent licensing, product development, patent search, and patent software. It also publishes useful articles on various aspects of the intellectual property industry. Innovators can also register their websites on its directory.

InventionCity (http://www.inventioncity.com) offers a host of tools and information including innovation market research, manufacturing, financing, and marketing resources. It also allows innovators to post their intellectual property on its database. In addition, it offers a list of helpful books and articles ranging from mastering the dynamics of innovation to anatomy of a business plan.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Thinking Of Turning Any Product Into Residual Income?

The concept of this is for you to offer a subscription type product as an upsell or backend product. For example, if you're selling an ebook for $35 offer a subscription to a related e-zine for $8.85 a month. Instead of an e-zine, it could be monthly updated information for the ebook.

It's not just for e-books, you can make it work for any product or service you sell. Some subscriptions that might work for your product could be:

  • e-mail/telephone consulting

  • a private or members only web site

  • print newsletters/magazines

  • product updates

  • subscription warrantees

  • product insurance

  • e-zine/webzines

  • the ideas are endless.....

The subscription product should be related to the product or service you're selling. You could charge a weekly, monthly, or yearly subscription for the upsell product. You could sell your main product and upsell product as a total subscription package deal. You wouldn't charge the one-time price for your main product; you would just charge the basic subscription price of the upsell product.

The major benefits are that you don't have to keep creating new upsell and back end products. Once you get enough subscribers you won't have to sell anymore, you just keep generating income from your current subscribers. You would only have to sell again if you lost a lot of subscribers.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Promotion Tools For Online Businesses

Promotion... also known as selling. Not an easy task in today's market, but with the right tools you can succeed. What I know is what I have learned in promoting a.k.a. selling my web site, spiritwhole.com, and trust me, I could write volumes by now. But, to make it short and sweet, here are some tips that you can use to get your business purring like a kitten that actually work:

  • Your friends and family. Yes, they love you, and most of them are more than happy to help you out. What I did was design a killer flyer and asked them to distribute them to their co-workers and the like. Now that's cheap labor.

  • I wrote a few articles that interested me and tied them in with my business then, approached various sites that I thought would be genuinely interested. Most of them that I approached were interested and, guess what, people are reading my articles with my business name tagged at the end.

  • Donate a percentage of your profits to a good cause that interests you. This generates tons of interest in your business by word of mouth and by association with the company that you are donating to. And hey, you'll have better karma too.

  • Send small inserts with your bill payments. Yes, with your bills. Traffic to my site doubled after I began doing this. The people that you pay money to are opening the envelope and depositing the checks that you sent to them. Why not add a small insert with your payment....they promote like crazy with inserts when they send you the bill. You're just returning the favor.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Small Businesses Survival In A Crazy Economy

Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can survive a crazy
economy by taking some proactive steps.

1. Provide spectacular customer service -- every time. Have a friend
or colleague visit your business and provide feedback from a
customer's perspective. This person should be unknown by your staff
and willing to provide a candid assessment.

2. Make sure your front and back office work like a well-oiled
machine. Are the front line and the back office telling your customers
the same thing?

3. Manage your customer relationships -- return customers take the
least amount of effort -- use that to your advantage. Keep in touch
often.

4. Review your strategic plan monthly (weekly is even better). Make
sure you're doing the things that will get you where you want to go.

5. Adjust your strategic plan as necessary. Your "smallness" makes you
more flexible.

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate -- with your employees and
your customers. Nurture those relationships. Ask for feedback often.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Fear Free Advertising :-)

Is fear of failure an issue when you commit valuable money in advertising?

Well how about if I showed you a way to remove this fear and you know that you would be able to spend money advertising KNOWING you would get a return?

Is that a valuable lesson? Of course it is!

So, how do you do it?
The answer is testing!

It's simple really.. Instead of sending out 1000 sales letters for example. Send out 500. In these 500 have 5 different headlines so 5 x 100 = 500

Why? Well what we are trying to establish here is what headline or sales offer pulls best. Once we know which one works then we do a mass mailing, but not before then!

You see I have seen so many companies waste hundreds even thousands of pounds on non result direct mail... all because they didn't test! So save yourself time and money by testing EVERTHING you do.

If it's an advert in the local press, sign up for 5 small inserts over 5 weeks rather than 1 big page as a one off. This will be cheaper but will also allow you to test different offers.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Using Banner Ads Effectively

It's no big secret that banner ads have become less effective than text links over the years. This phenomenon is called "banner blindness". Banners were so ubiquitous in the early years of the Internet that users simply began to ignore them.

So what did many advertisers do to combat banner blindness? They made their banners harder to ignore by causing them to flash, rotate, jump around, and all sorts of other annoying tricks.

This of course led most users to like banners even less! Does this mean that banner ads are useless? No, not at all!

There are several things that you can do to make your banner campaigns more effective. First of all, ensure that each of your banners is pleasant to look at and blends in well with the web page it's displayed on. Match up the design and color scheme with those of the site.

This means you'll need to create a customized banner for each and every site you advertise on, but the results will most definitely make the extra effort and expense well worth it!

You also need to place your banners on relevant pages (not just relevant sites). For example, a banner ad for a logo design service will convert much better on an article page about web design than on a page about dog grooming.

Another technique that works extremely well is making your banners look just like regular text links. Here's how to do it:

  1. Create a normal text link for your offer that is designed to fill up the space used by a regular 468x60 banner.
  2. Upload a blank page with the text link on it to your website and view it in your web browser.
  3. Press the "Print Screen" button (Prt Scr).
  4. Load the Windows Paint application and click "Edit", and then "Paste". You'll see a screenshot of your new web page with nothing on it except for the text link.
  5. Click "File", and then "Save As". Save the image as a JPEG.
  6. Load the saved JPEG image into any photo editing program, then crop it to 468x60 pixels. You now have a standard 468x60 banner that looks just like a normal text link

Monday, April 10, 2006

Finding Good Keywords?

Good keywords are frequently searched for (high demand) but not being targeted by many other websites (low competition). There are a number of tools out there that can help you find them.

Wordtracker
The best tool out there, Wordtracker is one of the most essential SEO tools. To use Wordtracker:

  • Go to the Wordtracker website (http://www.wordtracker.com)
  • Enter a keyword phrase you're thinking about targeting
  • Wordtracker will suggest hundreds of related phrases - click on the ones you like
  • Once you've clicked on all the phrases you like, run them through the program
  • Wordtracker will compile a score for each phrase, based on the number of users searching for it and the number of websites targeting it
  • The higher the score, the better the keyword phrase!
  • Wordtracker also offers a free service which works in the same way but only uses results generated from MSN.

Overture
Also useful, Overture's search term suggestion tool (http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ ), is free and much quicker to use than Wordtracker. It works in much the same way as Wordtracker but doesn't tell you how many websites are targeting each keyword phrase.

Google
Google AdWords Keyword Suggestions (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox) tell you which keyword phrases are being targeted by other websites.

Guidebeam
Guidebeam (http://www.guidebeam.com) is an interesting resource. Type in a phrase and it will suggest a large number of related searches. The numbers provided for each phrase are Guidebeam's estimation of how relevant that phrase is.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Do Link Exchanges Really Work?

Should link exchanges be used? What are link exchanges? Do they really work? These are just a few questions that most webmasters come across at a link exchange. Link exchanges are sites that help webmasters find link partners for the benefit of traffic. Link exchanges are one of those that help you get link partners for traffic. They are used by some to get more link popularity to increase their ranking in the search engines like Yahoo! or Google, which both use to calculate web pages ranking in the search engine results.

Over the years link exchanges have been criticized by both webmasters and search engines, even have been targeted by search engines. They have been called link farms and link scams. The truth is that they are not link farms, link farms are network of sites that each link to the other site for the benefit of high ranking on the search engines and most link exchanges are not so called link scams. How can you tell the difference between non-link scams and link scams? There are a few things that you should look at closely at link exchanges.

  1. Do you have to upload a web page or file to your site?
  2. Are they in the search engines?
  3. Are most member's sites spamming?
  4. Does the link exchange look professional?

If any of these are truth about the link exchange you should not join and leave fast as you came. It is important to look at this very careful because you are investing in your site and this could crush your site's future.

Link exchanges have proved to be successful both for getting you good ranking and getting more traffic to your web site. Link exchanges are one of the most powerful tools you can have by your companies side, but like all things they have a down side because they can be abused and used the wrong way.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Psychological Desires Your Ads Must Have

1. Most people like surprises because it's a change of pace from their routine. Tell your prospects that they'll get a surprise free bonus for ordering.

2. Most people want life to be easier. Give your prospects easy ordering instructions, easy product instructions, etc.

3. Most people want to feel secure and safe. Tell your prospects that you have secure ordering and a privacy policy.

4. Most people want to receive compliments for their achievements. Give your prospects plenty of compliments for them considering your product.

5. Most people are curious about things that could affect their current lifestyle. You could use words like "Secret" or "Confidential" in your ad.

6. Most people want to invest in their future. Tell your prospects to "invest in your product" instead of "buy our product".

7. Most people want the latest and newest things in life. Use words and phrases in your ad copy like "New", "Just Released", etc.

8. Most people want to solve their problems. Tell your prospects what problems they have and how your product can solve them.

9. Most people want to make the people around them happy. Tell your prospects how happy their friends or family will be if they buy your product.

10. Most people want to get over obstacles so they can achieve their goals. Tell your prospects which goals they'll achieve by ordering your product.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Developing Guts Is Crucial To Achieve Glory

It is just amazing the amount of people who don't have the courage to go after their dreams.They sit around living a life they are not happy with and still they do nothing about it.

And the funny thing is that if you should ask them the reason for this, they start finding excuses left, right and center.They vary from money to age to the economy and others you might be familiar with.

Many of us are waiting for Lady Luck to pay us a surprise visit.We blindly believe that will be the end of our troubles.But this is hardly so.We have to work hard and wisely for the success we desire.

To make something of ourselves in this world calls for us to overcome obstacles and setbacks.But my biggest obstacle is my fears and you may find yourself in a similar position.

Not facing our fears and moving on could be the difference between success and failure.So what's to do ?

All it takes is the will and guts to go ahead and create something worthwhile in this world.We can all achieve success but we need to conquer our fears.

The man without fear is one who is not living. We all have our personal fears. It can be fear of failure, success or people's opinion. But you have to face them to achieve success.

Ask any successful person and they will tell you this secret. A brave person is someone who acts in spite of his or her fears.So ask yourself, what fears do you need to conquer to reach your goals ?

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

MLM vs. Pyramid Technique

Many people don't know the difference between MLM and pyramid, and I must admit sometimes the line between the two is very thin, but as a simple rule you can see the difference rather quickly by asking yourself the following question ?

"What is more important ? The product or service or recruiting new affiliates or members ?"

A company, any company can ONLY survive when they sell products or services !!!

Then, and only then, they can pay you as an affiliate or member.

When you get commission on recruiting other members WITHOUT selling any product or service you are involved in a pyramid and my advice to you, get out a.s.a.p.

If you are attracted to the mlm, as I am, find yourself a good product or service which you really like, of course use the product yourself, test it, abuse it and if you are still convinced this product or service is the best you have ever seen and you believe every soul on this planet should know about it, than go for it.

Good luck to you and find yourself a good product or service sold by a reputable mlm company.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Instant Success or Gradual Improvement

We live in a culture of instant success.

This is especially so on the Internet. Everyone wants to become an 'Overnight Millionaire', 'Retire Quickly', 'Get Rich Quick', and so on.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work - except in rare cases.

But here's a system that does work - it's called evolution or Gradual Improvement and Nature has been doing it for millions of years.

Nature operates through trial and error. It's constantly experimenting, testing. Each generation produces new mutations. Some succeed, some don't. Those that succeed become the basis for the next advance, and so on.

And that's also the secret of successful web marketers - trial and error. They constantly test. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When they find something that works, they improve on it. Each tiny success becomes the platform for the next success, and so on.

In fact, people who succeed in any walk of life do so not because they discover a 'formula for success', but because they learn how to deal with failure.

Thomas Edison, when asked if he felt discouraged by the 1,073 failures he had before inventing the electric light bulb, replied "I did not fail 1,073 times, I found 1,073 ways not to do it"

Remember, there's no failing, just learning :)

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

eBay Secrets Revealed

It is rumored that the top affiliate at eBay made over $1 million dollars in January 2004. Who wouldn't like to know his eBay secrets? In fact, it is estimated that the top 10 eBay affiliates all earn over $100,000 per month.

In a world where average men and women commute to jobs they hate, knowing eBay secrets to generating extra income is of major interest. If at least 75% of people hate waking up to an alarm clock and commuting to work, then learning to make extra income part-time from home with online auctions is a big deal.

Can you really make extra income learning eBay secrets? Over 25,000 people make their FULL TIME LIVING with online auctions like eBay, Google, Yahoo and more. A whisper number of part timers is over 250,000! Imagine, a quarter of a million people are putting extra income in their pockets with online auctions.

Raise your hand if you'd like to join the ranks of the thousands of smart people making extra income in their own home-based business thanks to online auctions!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Biggest Internet Marketing Myths

In every myth there is an element of truth. Read the sections below to discover the grain of truth in all of these Internet marketing myths.

Myth #1: Internet Marketing is EASY
This is probably the biggest myth of all, and let me tell you Internet marketing takes time, effort not mention money and anyone who suggests otherwise is trying to sell you a bunch of horse hockey. Granted that it's comparatively easier to brick and mortar in that there's no inventory to carry, no shipping of goods and virtually no overhead, but a lot of work is still involved.

Affiliate marketing eliminates the cost of production, construction and employees.

Myth #2: ANYONE Can Make Money Online
Folks, this is simply not true. Unless someone gets off that lazy boy recliner and download/read everything they can about internet marketing, and put an action plan in motion, they will never make a dime on the internet. DO NOTHING, MAKE NOTHING.

Myth #3: You Can "GET RICH QUICK" On the Net!
This is the trap that a lot of newbie internet marketers falls into, why because scammers make it sounds so easy and let me tell you, chasing "get rich quick scheme" is a waste of time, money and energy. It just won't happen overnight, instead do some research and find out what people really want and need then give it to them.

Myth #4: It's FREE to Do Business Online
This is one of my favorite myths because I believed it during my first year of marketing online and it just wasn't true then, it isn't true today. Compared to opening your first coffee shop or gift shop in downtown Los Angeles, internet business start-up cost and maintenance cost is pretty low. Once you have your domain set up, you only pay for internet connection, advertising and ongoing educations, that's it.

Myth #5: It's TOO LATE to Start an Internet Business
Most super affiliate marketers would love to hear people say "It's too late now, too many competitions, won't help to start an online business, I should just pack my bags and go home, the internet is too complicated, etc...". You know why? the less people they have to compete with the better which in turn will make them more money.

The fact is, it's never ever too late to start anything and that includes internet business. I firmly believe that the internet is not going anywhere and you should too. Every year the stats will show you the number of people shopping online are increasing, their spending dollars are growing also.

Myth #6: The BIG Money Talk is JUST HYPE
Have you heard of the phrase, "it takes money to make money?" Well it's true, although you will be hard pressed to find super affiliate to tell how much they spend on promoting and advertising. Sometimes, you have to dig a little deeper to find the truth in every hype you read.

If you are willing to take the necessary action to make 'big money' happen for you - it will.

Or criticize, be skeptical and sure that 'big money' can't happen for you - and it won't. If you believe that you will succeed you're right, if you believe that it won't work, you're right also.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Your Home Biz Store

To make your home biz store successful, you need to establish the following characteristics.

First. You need to cultivate the trust and credibility of others by being knowledgeable and honest about your business. Second. Don't exaggerate claims because people are wary of these tactics, and you may lose customers. Third, send email messages with at least one question that requires an answer.

Fourth, make sure the messages are short; long messages more than likely won't be read. Fifth, ask people to acknowledge that they got your message about your home biz store. Sixth, be aware of stricter spam practices as many email providers are blocking messages even if they aren't spam. Seventh, don't expect a get rich quick scheme; it takes time for a home business to grow.

Eighth, be persistent with your home biz store. Ninth, expect emotional highs and lows as there will be successes and setbacks. There are time management skills you can utilize. You can make a "to do" list. Write the list down, and leave it somewhere you are sure to look. Of course the list can be flexible; some tasks will have to be put off, and the list may need updating.

Also instead of writing everything on scraps of paper, invest in a simple spiral notebook to record what's going on. It can be a good memory jogger and can be used for future reference. There are also ways to manage the telephone. Record an effective message such as "Hello, this is John Smith. I'm not available now, but if you leave a message about what your call concerns and the best time to get up with you, I'll call you back later." If somebody can answer your calls for you, have them say the same. You want to know what the call is about to better prepare yourself for further conversations.

Your first priority in your home biz store is your customer; the old cliche "the customer is always right" is tired but true. Offer your customers newsletters to keep them apprised of your doings. Ask customers if they want to be notified if you change your website. Keep in contact with a customer after a purchase to ensure satisfaction. Send them surveys, and use rewards as incentives such as gift certificates.

If you have a website, make sure it's easy to use. Have a "frequently asked questions" or FAQ section to tell customers your policies. Send surveys asking about site navigation. Fix any problems promptly. Make your contact information readily available; post hyperlinked email addresses and toll-free numbers. A nice touch is sending longtime customers thank you gifts, emailing them cards on special occasions, and giving them price breaks. With these suggestions, your home business can thrive.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Golden Rules for an Engaging Website

35% of visitors fail to achieve their goal when they visit company websites! By following 2 simple rules, you can increase your web-derived revenue by 1/3 or more!

Renowned website usability researcher, Jakob Nielsen, published results of his latest study. His test subjects used 139 websites. On average, they failed to find what they were looking for 35% of the time. Shockingly, 37% of users couldn’t even find company location details!

What was surprising was that users didn’t give up. They generally found the information they were after – but they found it at a competitor’s site!

So how do you stop potential customers falling into the hands of your competitors? Nielsen is right when he suggests user research. Yes, it’s imperative that know what your users need at your site. But what he doesn’t say is how to structure your website so it meets users’ needs.

There are two golden rules:
1) Write first, build later
2) Write to your customer

Write first, build later
The real message on most websites is in the writing. It makes sense, then, that the writing should determine the structure.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for most businesses. For them, the writing is an afterthought. They structure and design their website first, then try to fit the writing to the structure. This flies in the face of common sense. When you speak to someone, you structure your speech around your message. You don’t decide on a structure, then change the message to suit!

For a truly usable website, you need to plan what you want to say before you create the site – perhaps even write the whole thing. The message – the writing – should determine the structure.

Write to your customer
So how do you decide what to write?

Firstly, don’t think, “What do I want to say?”. When you’re writing a website, you have to think, “What does my customer want to know?”. It’s a very subtle difference, but it’s the key to engaging writing. And that’s what you want to do… engage the customer.

Most customers will want to know the basics:
What do you do?
What benefit do you offer them?
Why should they choose your service or product?
Why should they choose your service or product and not your competitors’?
What does it cost?
How can they contact you?
Where are you located?

Your website has to communicate a lot of information. And to make matters worse, you’re going to have limited screen real-estate. Ideally, your customer won’t have to scroll – especially on your homepage (all your information will fit within a single window). And you can’t fill the whole screen with writing, either. The design and navigation elements take up about a third of the window, and you should leave a bit for white space (you don’t want to overwhelm your customer). As a rule of thumb, you should expect to have about 1/3 – ½ of the window at your disposal for the writing.

Chances are, right now you’re thinking, “How am I going to fit it all in?”. Well, that’s where your writing skills come in. Choose your words very carefully…

Websites can be an extremely powerful piece of marketing collateral. You can reach millions for just a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, your competitors can do the same thing. It’s a level playing field, but there are a lot of players. It’s important that your thoughts are structured, otherwise your site will be a mess. If your message is clear, your site will be simple and easy to use. It’s all in the words…

8 More Reasons to Write for Your Audience…
  1. There are approximately 550 billion documents on the web
  2. Every day another 7 million are added
  3. Workers take so long trying to find information that it costs organisations $750 billion annually! (A.T. Kearney, Network Publishing study, April 2001)
  4. Reading from a monitor is 25% slower than reading from paper. (Sun Microsystems, 1998)
  5. Helpful content develops site loyalty. The average person visits no more than 19 websites in the entire month in order to avoid information overload. (Nielsen NetRatings in Jan 2001)
  6. 79% of users scan read when online (Sun Microsystems, 1998)
  7. Information gathering is the most common use of the Internet - 73% (American Express survey, 2000)
  8. 48% of people use the Internet to find work-related information as opposed to 7% who use magazines. (Lyra Research, 2001)

Services Your Online Business Can't Live Without

It doesn't make any difference if you're promoting your own product, affiliate programs or MLM programs, there are 3 services your business can't live without.

Service #1: Web Hosting
I'm not talking about one of those Free accounts where they throw their own ad in everytime someone visits your site. I'm talking about a premium, ad free web hosting package with your own domain name. Plenty of space and able to handle plenty of traffic. Free sites that ad their own banner are not very professional in most peoples eyes and turns them off real quick.

Service #2: A minimum of one Sequential Autoresponder account
Why autoresponders? First they allow you to follow up with your online visitors automatically. Most people won't order during their first visit to your website. You can set your autoresponder to send out follow up email messages.

That makes your initial goal to capture the name and email address or your visitor so you can send them more information about the benefits of your offer. At the same time you're building a list of people that you can keep in regular contact with and send special offers to. You will need to prompt our visitor to sign up for an online newsletter, a free report, or any other offer you may have to encourage them to give you their name and email.

You should have enough autoresponder accounts to promote more that one offer. Eventually, may have hundreds of different messages automatically being sent with your offers.

Service #3: An Online Adtracker
No matter whether you're using free advertising or paid advertising you MUST track the performance of your ads. You need to know what ads work and which ones are duds. You have to know which advertising sources are giving you the best results for your time and money. You can even track individual links in your website to see which ones are getting the most hits.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Becoming A Successful Internet Entrepreneur

Everyday people ask me if they will make money with the internet. Of course i said. But it takes times and determination. You cannot expect to make a six figure income in just 30 days. But you can make a six figure income in 2 to 3 years working part time. Do you think your job at the factory gonna give you more for your money and time than this ?

It takes an average of one year to start seeing the result of your effort in the internet. Thats a pretty small price to pay for this huge market.It takes time to develop a business plan. It takes time to know wich products sells best and wich advertising give you the highest return on your investment (ROI).

It took me one month just to know how to use Google Adwords effectively. I had to take the time. But know it pays out a lot with a CTR and conversion rate of 70%. Anything worthwhile takes sustained effort. If you’re not thinking long term, you’ve set yourself up for failure. REPEAT: If you’re not thinking long term, you’ve set yourself up for failure. I can’t emphasize this enough!!!!

But let’s look at some real examples and see if we can put some perspective on this. I’ll start with myself. My success as a home business entrepreneur is well known. Having earned over $8 million, I’m sure there are some who’d vote me in to the Home-Business Hall of Fame if there were such a thing. Yet what most of those same people don’t know is that I LOST money my first two years. I only broke even in my third year. And it was only when I got to my fourth year did I see my first profit. Was it worth it? Are you kidding?!! Today I live a dream life, work from my dream home, drive my dream car—I’m blessed beyond my wildest expectations.

In other words, even the most dynamic, highest-earning entrepreneurs in the industry took MONTHS to begin seeing an income of any real significance. And the real wealth, the $100,000+ income we all strive for, took an average of almost THREE YEARS to achieve!

Do you think ANY of these gentlemen don’t think the ends justified the means? Do you think for an instant that the months and years invested hasn’t been rewarded a thousand times at least? You don't even have to think about it, do you?

If I told you that after two to three years of following our system, you’d be making more in a month than you now make in a year, could you handle that? If you were sitting across from me right now, I could look you in the eye and tell you that this is a genuine and realistic goal. But when you say to me you want to quit your job in six or nine months and live off the income from your new business, I’ll tell you that probably is not reality.

Not what you wanted to hear, right? But is what I’m suggesting so tough to swallow? Of course not. Can you think of any other endeavor where you could invest just five to 10 hours a week for a couple years and at the end of that time have turned it into a $3,000 to $10,000 residual monthly income stream? Money that keeps coming in month after month, year after year. Money that keeps coming in whether you work 10 hours a day or two. A commission check waiting for you in your mailbox when you return from yet another vacation. Money that when you’ve left this planet continues to provide for your spouse, children, or grandchildren.

Sounds extremely nice, doesn’t it? But again, these are not things you’re going to see in your first year. It just ain’t gonna happen, folks! Some of you, the go-getters, you WILL see it happen in your second year. For most of you, however, you need to be thinking two to five years. And you know what? When you get there, I guarantee you, you’ll say it was nothing!

Author: Micheal Richer

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Cheap Effective Advertising Methods

Advertising is the life blood of any business, no matter how big or how small. No advertising usually means no business. Large companies have an almost unlimited source of advertising dollars. Small business owners on the other hand, are limited in the amount of money they have for advertising. So, the problem is how to make ones advertising dollar get the most bang for the buck. It's not enough to advertise. Your advertising must be effective. So, once you have a website or an ad to advertise, check out the following ways to advertise for little or no cost.

1. Advertising coop- Many businesses, especially work at home businesses, offer advertising coops. They will send people to your business for a fee. Usually the fee is relatively small. This is nice because you already know that these people have at least some interest in your business. Although they may not spend a penny with you, you at least get the exposure.

2. Website-The age of the internet has expanded the possibility of owning your own business to an almost unlimited number of people. It also has expanded the advertising audience to a tremendous amount of new people, world wide, who otherwise you would never have been able to reach. Although websites will cost you to get hosted, you can advertise it many ways for free. Things like link exchanges and article submissions allow you to get exposure to your website with no cost except for you time. And as we will see in a moment, your website can be advertised many other ways for free. The advantage of a website is that it centralizes all your business and products into one central location. It gives you somewhere to send people so that you don't have to do as much selling because you let your website do the selling for you.

3. Answering Machine-Change the message on your answering machine to reflect the fact that you are now in business for yourself. You could say something like," Hello. You have reached the home office of John Doe of My Business.com….." That way when you call that person back, they may ask you about your business and thus the door is open to discussing your business.

4. Put a sign in your front yard or in the yard of a friend or relative with your name and website address on it. This is a good way for your neighbors to find out about your new business as well as any people that ride by your house.

5. Place a magnetic sign or bumper sticker on your car. Now, when you are riding down the road, sitting at a stop sign, or leaving your car parked at the mall or grocery store, you are getting free advertising.

6. Wear your ad-Place your website on a sweatshirt, tee-shirt, or a hat. So, when you are out in public, people will see you ad and again it will open up the door to discussing your new business.

7. Flyers-There are many places that will allow you to place a flyer about your business. Businesses like grocery stores, libraries, laundromats, hair salons and others will let you place a free ad on their public bulletin board.

8. Business cards-Don't leave home without them. You never now when the chance to hand one out will happen. You may see an old friend, meet someone looking to get out of the 9-5 rut or who is in need of a new opportunity.

9. Free Classifieds-Use the internet and the many free classified ads on it to advertise your business. A search using "free classifieds" will give you an almost limitless number of places to submit your website and ad.

10. Ezines or electronic magazines are also a good place to advertise your business. Some charge a fee for placing your ad in the best location, some let you advertise for free. Again a web search will allow you find numerous ezines to place you ad in.

11. Place your web address in your e-mail signature.

Place a flyer or business card in your out going mail.

Word of Mouth-The least expensive form of advertising and maybe the most effective way to advertise your business is word of mouth. Simply tell those you come in contact with that you are in business for yourself. They will tell others and they will tell others and it can go on and on. Sooner or later someone will take a look at what you are doing.

Obviously, there are many more ways to advertise your business for little or no money. The point is you don't have to have the big bucks to successfully advertise you business or product. There are many people who have started and become extremely successful in their business on a shoe string advertising budget. There is hope for the small business owner. All you need is a website or add, a little creativity, a little time, and you too can advertise your way to success without going to the poor house.

Free Steps To Online Income

If you are new to the online business world and would like to get involved without risking any of your hard earned cash then this article will show you one way to get involved for free.

We are going to discuss ways to promote affiliate programs without your own site and without spending any money. Best of all if you choose a program related to your interests then it won't even seem like any work is involved.

The 5 steps are aimed at promoting a product while you go about your normal daily surfing activities.

Before we get on to step 1 you need to locate and join an appropriate affiliate program. This program ideally should be 2 tier, which means you get paid for sales made through your link as well as for the sales made by affiliates that you refer through your link.

To find an affiliate program search at Google for "affiliate directory" then visit the directories and search the directory for a keyword related to your interests. Once you have joined a program you will receive a link to promote, you may also receive a second link to promote the affiliate program itself which can be used to recruit tier 2 affiliates.

Once you have a link take the following steps to incorporate the affiliate link into your surfing activities:

  1. Add a signature to your emails, this will mean that every mail you send will have a tag line at the bottom which, in this case, will promote the service that you are affiliated with. Check the help files in your email program for instructions on how to do this.

  2. If you already visit forums related to the product add a signature to your profile. This means that every time you post your link will be added to the end of your post. Locate more forums where people interested in the product might hang out. Do a search for a keyword followed by forum at Google. Try and think of all the different related subjects that might have forums and identify as many as possible. Once you have identified your forums visit them all and join the ones that allow posters to add a signature file to their posts. Then get involved in conversations be useful whenever possible and every time you post an item your affiliate link will be displayed. This will be a lot less like work if you are promoting in a niche that is of interest to you.

  3. If you have an eBay account then create an About Me page and include details of the affiliate program there. Click help once logged in to eBay and search for About Me to find instructions on creating your page. Whenever you list an auction include a line at the top of the description that invites viewers to visit your About Me page.

  4. Locate sites that have visitors that might be interested in the product that you are affiliated with especially those that have a mailing list or an ezine. Then contact the site owner and suggest that they join the affiliate program. If they join using your link you will earn a percentage of any commissions that they earn.

  5. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. With so many things success comes down to numbers. The more site owners you contact and the more forums that you post at the more commission you will earn.
Do all of the above and you will earn money for no investment, it may take time and might start slowly but it will happen.

Monday, January 30, 2006

A New System Of E-Commerce


A MLAP, short for a multi level affiliate program, is a relatively new type of affiliate program offered by some innovative web merchants.

In addition to referral commissions for their direct sales, affiliates of MLAPs also get paid commissions when their sub-affiliates at multiple levels sell affiliate products.

Unlike MLM programs, which charge "recruitment" fees, "starter kit" fees, "product testing" fees etc, there is never any money needed to join a MLAP...Which means that there is never any money to be made by simply recruiting sub-affiliates.

The power of MLAPs lies in their ability to unlock the huge potential for increased earnings that lie in the "wasted traffic" that websites receive.

For example, out of 1000 visitors to a website, perhaps a maximum of only 5 might eventually buy any affiliate products that the webmaster would recommend. The other 995 become "wasted" as they do not contribute in any way to the affiliate's earnings.

However, many of these "wasted" visitors, would see enough value in these products to sign up as affiliates themselves and sell the products to their own contacts and web visitors. When this happens in a single level affiliate program, the original affiliate earns nothing. In a MLAP, the original affiliate would also be paid a referral commission on the sales made by these sub-affiliates.

Depending on the number of levels the MLAP uses, commissions from sub-affiliate sales get multiplied at each level, resulting in greatly increased affiliate earnings.

For the affiliate, MLAPs provide a way to maximize the value of their "wasted traffic" using the viral power of "word of mouth" marketing, without the risks associated with MLM programs. For the MLAP merchant, an MLAP allows his affiliate program to sign up affiliates more effectively by standing out from the crowd of single level affiliate programs.

Because they are relatively new, certain issues, (such as the ideal number of levels a MLAP should have, and the percentage of referral commissions that should be paid at each level), are still open to debate.

What has become clear though, is that MLAPs have become an important option for both merchants and affiliates, to increase their share of the ever-growing size of E-Commerce.

A Great Way To Start An Online Business

You want to start an online business,but you realize that you don't have a product,a web site, or prior experience. You now ask yourself, where do I start? Start with affiliate programs.

What is an affiliate program?
An affiliate program is a program set up by a company that sells products or services. When you introduce new customers to the company you receive a cut of the profits,in other words a commission of the sales made.

Some companies pay you for sending them leads.Others pay only when the visitor that you send them makes a purchase.


How to join an affliate program?
Most of the time all you have to do is provide your contact information and agree to the company's terms and conditions. Some companies will charge you a small fee to get started.

If the company charges a fee to get started, make sure that they provide a toll free number so that you can speak to a live person for support and questions.

5 Things to look for:
  1. Find out how much the company pays their affiliates. It can be a flat rate or a percentage. If they are paying you a percentage then you may want to look at the price of their products to figure out how much you will make per sale.
  2. It is important to know how many levels or tiers the affiliate programs provide. Some programs are two tiers, three tiers,and some will go up to ten tiers. This simply means that if you refer another affiliate to the program you will earn a commission on the sales that they make. You want to go with a company that has at least a two tier program because this will allow you to earn residual income.
  3. Does the program provide you with your own web site;or a link for you to send visitors to? Many companies will provide you with a replica of their web site with your own sub-domain. When someone makes a purchase through your web site,the company knows who to send the commission to. If the company does not provide you with a web site they will provide you with your own link for you to send visitors to. These are the most common ways for the company to keep track of who sends them the visitor.
  4. Does the company pay you a commission on the future purchases of your referrals? Many companies will pay you for all the future purchases that your referrals make. If your referral purchased a subscription, you want to go with a company that pays you a commission for the monthly payments that your referrals make.
  5. The fifth thing to look for in an affiliate program is if they provide you with content. You want to join a company that provides you with banners,emails and text for you to add on to your web site.

If you don't have your own web site, you may want to join a company that provides you with tips and advice on how to promote their products or services. The advantages

Starting an online business with affiliate programs has many great advantages. You will never have to worry about buying or shipping products or dealing with any of the customer service since you are not selling your own product.

Affiliate programs give most individuals plenty of time to concentrate on promoting the products that they are selling. If you do your research and marketing;and find an affiliate program that pays well,you will be very successful.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Links

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Key Factors to Investigate When Analyzing Any Business

It doesn't matter what business or investment you are looking at...it all comes down to analyzing a few key factors.

The higher each of these factors rate with you, plus the combination of them all, the better your potential for return.

Industry - Is the business's industry expanding or contracting?

Trends - Will you be ahead or behind the trends?

Timing - Are you early or late in the product & industry life cycle?

Products - Do they provide value for money to the end user?

Uniqueness - Does the company have any exclusivity, patents, etc?

Demand - How big is the market for the products & services?

Longevity - How long could the products last in the market?

Future - Are there more products "in the pipeline"?

Competition - Who else are you marketing against?

Profitability - Are there good profit margins?

Compensation - How much can you earn?

ROI - How soon can you return your initial investment?

Leverage - Do YOU have to do all the work or can you earn overrides?

Company - How long have they been in business?

Management - Who's running the company?

Legality - Does the company trade legally in all aspects?

Public or Private - Is the company listed on the Stock Market?

Marketing - How, what, why, when, where?

Global or Local - Does the company market worldwide or only local?

Internet - Are they "On the Net" and E-Commerce enabled?

Tools - Are you supplied with business tools to make your life easier?

Training - Will you be trained?

Commitment - how much time and/or money is required from you?

Lifestyle - Will you be able to live the lifestyle you planned?

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Keys To Building a Successful Online Business

Want to know the secret to effectively building a successful online business? I'm afraid the answer may not be what you're expecting.

Take this simple pop quiz. (I know, I haven't given you time to study yet. But I think you'll pass the test anyway).

If you want to build a structurally sound home, you must first do what?

If you said, "Lay a solid foundation". Then congratulations. You've passed! :-)

Building your online business is no different. The secret is not new. Just follow these 3 keys:

1.--> Learn
2.--> Take Action
3.--> Adapt


1. Learn
Educate yourself. But don't re-invent the wheel. Model your business after the blueprints that are already proven. There are systems in place. Follow them! But MOST importantly ...

2. Take Action!
Lack of this step is the single greatest contributor to failure! Educate yourself on the proven systems, then put them into Action. But remember this .. it doesn't matter that it's not perfect. It's not going to be. Just the fact that you did 'something' will motivate you and the momentum will come. If you know what you need to do, then "Just Do It".

3. Adapt
Change is around us all the time. Stay informed. It's just as important to know what Doesn't work as what Does!

Realize that it doesn't come without hard work, desire, patience, perserverance (belief in yourself) - and lots of A-C-T-I-O-N. Did I say that already?

Now here's what to do from here. Take keys and insert into business ignition. Crank and don't look back.

Enjoy the ride!

Monday, January 23, 2006

Starting Own Business - If Not Now, When?

You have wanted to have your own business for a long time. But, every time you sit down to write out a business plan for yourself, you end up discouraged because all you have is a list of things you know nothing about!

For example:

1) If you are going to have a business, you have to have something to sell – either a product or a service - and you do not have either one.

2) If you have a business, you have to advertise – and you have no idea how to do that, not to mention you do not have a lot of money for it.

3) If you want to do this on the internet, you will need a website – you certainly have no idea how to make one of those or how to keep it going!

ACK! You are ready to quit now and you haven’t even started! Let’s go through just these three things, shall we?

1) If you are going to have a business, you have to have something to sell – either a product or a service - and you do not have either one.

Well, if you want to make any money, this part is true! BUT – the product or service does not have to your very own. In other words, you do not have to have this product in your possession, nor do you have to be the one to perform this service! You can be the one that brings a product or service to other people – explain about it to them, highlight the benefits of it to them. You can simply use other people’s products or services to make money for yourself.

2) If you have a business, you have to advertise – and you have no idea how to do that, not to mention you do not have a lot of money for it.

Yes, you are correct that you have to advertise. BUT – you can learn to do this! You can search on the web for advertising help and tips. There are many out there. You can join a group of people that know something about it and get input from them. You can join up with a company that gives you free training! For example, Strong Future International (SFI) has a free Internet Income Course that is very detailed and you can get it just by signing up with them – and it costs nothing to sign up!

There are even ways you can advertise for free! Doing free advertising takes times, but usually when you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you are willing to spend your time. You can also find some low cost ways to advertise. You can get people interested in the products or services you are promoting by visiting different forums on the web and participating in discussion groups or message boards. Just be careful to always follow the rules of each forum/message board you visit – do not spam them!

3) If you want to do this on the internet, you will need a website – you certainly have no idea how to make one of those or how to keep it going!

This is very true! BUT – getting and maintaining a website is not as hard as you might think! I would never have believed that I could be a webmaster – but I am! There are many good companies that will help you get a website started – they have templates you can use, easy instructions, and many even have phone support.

So, we have been through these three steps and I have shown you how you can get started. Find other people you can learn from; join a team of other successful entrepreneurs; search the web for information.

So now, you really only have one question to answer for yourself: If not now, when?

Quick and Easy Ways To Multiply Your Sales

There are always some great, fast and easy ways to multiply your sales without paying more for extra advertisements.

There are a lot of simple and effective ways that you can implement instantly to multiply your sales.

Here are 7 quick and easy ways for you to multiply your sales immediately.

1- After you sell your product, send your customers a freebie and include an ad on it. It could be a T-shirt, Mug, bumper stickers with your ad printed on it. This will let other people see your ads and order from you.

2- When you ship out your product, include a coupon for other products you sell. This is a good way to attract them to buy more products from you.

3- You could cross promote your product with other businesses' products in a package deal. You can include an ad or flyer for other products you sell and have other businesses selling for you.

4- Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to your products. You could include an ad on or with the product for other products you sell. You could make sales for the reproduction rights and sales on the back end product.

5- When you sell your products allow your customers to join your affiliate program. So they will make commissions selling your own products. This way your sales will multiply.

6- Tell your customers if they refer few other customers to your website they will receive a full rebate of their purchase price. This way you will turn one sale to few more sales.

7- After you make your first sale, follow-up with your customers. It could be a "thank you" email and include your ad to other related products you sell. Also you can follow-up again every few weeks.

Once you implement those techniques you will notice a great jump in your sales. Also remember to use those ideas whenever you create or sell new products.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Great Reasons To Help An Internet Marketing Newbie

Zig Ziglar the famous self help guru was once quoted as saying:
"You can get everything you want in life if you help enough people get everything they want in life."

No where is this more true than on the internet and internet marketing. I remember when I first started looking into making money on the internet. What an overwhelming feeling. The internet is a big....big...big...world.

When you first get you started you are considered a "Newbie." A newbie is an affectionate term given to someone who is new to the internet and all of the geek speak that comes with trying to figure out how to use it.

Do your remember when you first ventured out in the online business world? You probably had questions and problems along the way. Wouldn't it have been easier if you had help? When a newbie asks for your advice, educate them; answer their questions and help them solve their online business problems. If you do not have the knowledge to help them out, point them in the right direction.

I have found forums as a great way to get information myself as I need it as well as a great place to help people who have particular questions.

1. You will have a great feeling knowing you had a part in their success.

2. You could end up being business partners in the future. You could regularly do joint venture and cross promotion deals with each other.

3. They may join an affiliate program or mlm business with you and help you build your business. There are many 2 tier affiliate programs and mlm businesses today that pay you a handsome commission to teach people how to promote their products online.

4. They could help you delvelop a new product or service or help you get an exsisting project off the ground.

5. They may become one of your best friends. Most people can use new friends, even business owners. You never know when you will run across someone online that you enjoy working with and talking to.

6. They may help you out with your business. Maybe they will give you some testimonials or endorsements for your products or services.

7. They might offer you some free advertising space on their web site or in their e-zine for your help. You could also exchange advertising with them.

8. They may become one of your best customers today as well as purchase back end products from you in the future.

9. You could exchange links with them and build your link popularity ultimately increasing traffic to your own website.

There are many other benefits you could get from helping a new online business owner. Always remember to help them out because it's the nice thing to do and not just to benefit your own business.

5 Online Business Ideas That Are Lesser-Known

1. Ask people to find a hidden link in your ad copy. If they find the hidden link tell them they will get a prize or freebie by clicking on it. This will increase the chance that they will buy your product or service because they will read your whole ad copy.

2. Start a members only web site. Tell visitors what's in your members only site and what it costs to get access. Offer them a free membership, if, in exchange they link to your web site, post your banner on their home page or agree to advertise your web site in their e-zine for a set period of time. Usually they will agree to the free advertising to save money. This is a powerful way to get free advertising.

3. Want a popular discussion board? This technique is based on the number of postings made by any one person. You could give away a free product or service to any person that posts ten or more messages on your discussion in a month. It could be a free e-book, report, e-mail consulting etc. Just keep track of everyone's postings each month. This could also work for e-mail discussion lists.

4. Give your visitors an instant article directory. Tell your visitors they can instantly add a free article directory to their web site by linking to yours. Just place your ad or banner ad on top of the article directory for your main product or service. All those links can add up to a large amount of traffic for your web site.

5. There a millions of web sites on the internet. Instead of marketing your web site as a web site. Market it as a free web book. Design your web site with a title page, table of contents, chapters, etc. Just place your ad or banner for your product or service on the top of each web page.

Ultimate Success Tips for your Online Business

Doing business online through internet is not a new buzzword. There many names you might have heard which are running a lucrative business having an online presence. Below are some tips which can help you conducting a lucrative online business.

1. Your first ultimate start must include written goals and plans.

2. Don't wait for everything to be exactly right to start...THERE WILL NEVER BE A "PERFECT" TIME! Start now, with whatever you have. The things you need will come to you as you work toward your goal.

3. Treat your business as a serious, full-time business, and it will become one.

4. Think of your first six months primarily as a training period. Don't expect large earnings until after you've educated yourself.

5. Be patient. You'll work the hardest your first six months or so and get compensated the least. Big incomes never happen overnight. They only come after you've properly shown your affiliates how to duplicate your efforts.

6. Formulate a plan of weekly activity and be persistent in following it—if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Sticking to your plan is essential for success.

7. Always be ENTHUSIASTIC!!

8. Don't give yourself unrealistic expectations.

9. FOCUS! You cannot become successful in anything when you're trying to do too many things at once.

10. Don't quit. The only way to fail is if you give up.

11. Think BIG! Small desire produces small results, just as small fires produce little heat.

12. Don't complain to your upline leaders. Realize that what you accomplish is mainly in your hands, no one else's. Also realize that, when you see a problem, 95% of the time there are factors you are unaware of. Don't jump to conclusions. When you have a problem, present it in a concise letter as positive, constructive criticism. Offer solutions if possible, too. Not only will this approach get you better results, but you'll be building your relationship with your upline instead of tearing it down.

13. Be organized, but don't allow the act of organizing keep you from the most important element of a successful business: MARKETING. Market and promote your business EVERY DAY!

14. Don't let little problems upset you. Concentrate on the many positives...and the "big picture."

15. Always remember that the only thing that will never change is that there will always be changes. Don't let changes upset you. Know that you will have to deal with changes and other obstacles, both big and small, continually. Be prepared to be flexible.

16. Don't be a negative thinker and don't let the negative attitudes of others (even if they're family members, friends, or peers) influence you. All the great men and women in history had to overcome the naysayers who said it couldn't be done—and then went out and did it. Think for yourself!

17. Don't be derailed by "perfection paralysis." Realize that you won't be able to do everything perfectly. Do the best job you can, then move on to the next project. Keep learning and keep moving ahead.

18. Read books (such as Napoleon Hill's classic, "Think And Grow Rich") that will convince you how powerful your mind really is. Develop the tremendous potential in you (that we all have) that has never been tapped!

19. Remember always..."You are what you think you are"

15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs

In the mid-1990s, the teleclass format began and was named, distance learning. During these early years, learning institutions, particularly universities, were chief users of this format. Mainly due to the large equipment investment needed at that time. Now, due to technology changes and cost reduction, people can give and attend ePrograms without leaving their chair or selling their first child. No parking challenges, auto expenses, or travel time required. Another benefit to learning by phone is that your listening skills will reach new heights quickly.

In 2003, technology allowed a single conference line to expand from 30 to 150 participants per line. Affordable conference lines were previously only available in certain states, Florida and Nevada. Now other states, like New York, are jumping in on this bandwagon with affordable rates.

Currently, a 24/7 conference line, is available to rent around $600 a year. An alternative is to rent the line by the hour. This can range between $10 to $20 per hour depending on the service features desired. You can also share a line with one or two others to reduce your cost. I recommend finding line-share partners who are in other time zones, it makes sharing easier.

Zero-cost teleconference lines at available at http://www.mrconference.com and by other vendors. Most of these services have flaws that range from automatic disconnect if no voice is detected every 8 to 10 minutes, to being blocked from entering the call because of overstressed lines. I recommend the leader dialing in 5 to 10 minutes early to secure the line, however, this doesn't mean that all participants may not experience over trafficked busy signals.

Actually, teleprograms will not take the place of "being there" for all people. The skills and experience of the teleclass leader or host can also make or break the learning experience. There are just as many teleclass leader styles as people. If you have never experienced a teleclass, I recommend attending four or five before deciding if the format is or isn't for you.

15 Tips To Help Promote Your eLearning Programs

1. If you produce your own eNewsletter, electronic newsletter, or eZine, electronic magazine, or printed newsletter, add an eLearning announcement section.

2. Contact other newsletter editors and ask to have your program announced in their issue. You can swap ad space, your ad for their ad, exchange ad space for participation, offer a commission option, purchase the ad, or pay per click-through. I don't recommend paying for click-throughs unless excellent tracking systems are in place. In order to attract, make sure their target market and yours match.

3. You can also use pay-per-click through search engines like Google’s AdWord program. If you go this route, I suggest you purchase an ad analyzer software (about $100) or a service (average $19.95/month) to maximize time and reduce mistakes.

4. Place notices all over your web site -- especially your main page -- about the program. Remember: posting announcement notices is actually passive marketing. You will still need to pull visitors to the site.

5. Write and distribute Internet articles on the same subject. Unable to write, hire a ghostwriter. Allow four to twelve weeks for this process to begin pulling visitors to your website. The number of articles distributed will proportionally be your return. My low end measurement has been: 1 article = 10 visitors or more = 8 new eNewsletter subscribers = 1 sale. High end: 1 article = 350 new visitors = 125 new subscribers = 10 sales. This is now one of the top five Internet promotion building attractions.

6. Since ePrograms don't require people to be physically present, attendance is now open internationally. Thus, you will want to distribute information about your eLearning opportunity globally. Find places in other English-speaking countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. If you speak a foreign language, you can even offer the same program in that language. Spanish speaking ePrograms are in high demand.

7. Mention your eProgram on other ePrograms you attend. You can slip it in with a question or when presenting your personal information to the class.

8. Add a promotional paragraph about the program to all your outgoing e-mails, called signatures in Outlook. Choose HTML design in your software and add a picture of the leader/host along with a link to where someone can register or find out additional information.

9. Join market-rich discussion lists, billboards, or chat rooms. If direct solicitation isn't permitted, sell gently through your signature or indirect questions.

10. Write a press release for each eProgram. Become a member of PR Web http://www.prweb.com/. Membership is fr*e*e. This number one website attracts a very high percentage of media personnel.

11. Accumulate a list of all the local newspapers that offer fr*e*e community event announcements. Inquire into their deadline and submission requirements. You will also want to ask how can may confirm receipt of your information. They don't intentionally leave information out, however, they move at a fast pace and things do get lost in the shuffle. Special note: Most community list ads are for fr*e* events.

Use a three-ring binder to record the advertising information. You can also save the information in your e- mail software, like Outlook, and your Internet browser software, in a separate "Community newspaper" section. However, if the hard drive crashes, make sure the information safe. Due to the value of this information and the amount of time you spent accumulating it, you still may want to keep updated printouts just in case. Even a backup diskette in the binder. Having a paper version also helps when the computer is off or you need to transport the information. This is also a great item to delegate to a virtual assistant.

12. Add your announcement to your telephone answering script. Change it whenever you are offering a new eProgram. Give instructions as to how to register -- and it’s important to make this as easy as possible for them. Don't forget some marketing tidbits of "what’s in it for them (WIIFM)" to register and do it now.


13. Use fr*e*e ePrograms or offers to provide a taste and attract participants to register for longer paid programs. Offers can include: ebooks, ecourses, special reports, or even a professional white papers. Offering a transcription of the program or an audio copy is another great offer.

14. List your class in teleclass directories. Some directories require that you attend their particular teleclass-leading course. A big downfall in time and expense in the short-run, however, good investment for the long term. Here are a few directories to get you started:


http://www.seminarannouncer.com
http://www.teleclass4u.com
http://www.teleclasslive.com
http://www.teleclass.com
http://www.thefeelgoodplace.com/freetele.htm
http://www.Yahoogroups.com -- over 30 places to post your eProgram listing.

15. If you give speaking engagements or even when you participate in other events, seminars, workshops, give out flyers on your eProgram. Works well in networking groups too. Take the flyers to the libraries, senior and civic centers.

FYI, names of ePrograms can seem confusing at times, however, there is a standard for what to expect depending on the name. A teleseminar usually has very little interaction between leader and attendees. It is set up to instruct and participants to solely listen. Sometimes a brief Q&A period is spaced in-between subtopic changes.

On the other hand, a teleclass provides more time for participant to participant or participant to leader interaction. It has a higher ratio of free forming. A teleclass format copies more of the workshop atmosphere. A teleprogram, is a teleclass delivered over a period of time, like a class at a learning institution. The term eProgram is a compilation, or overview term, of all electronically delivered learning programs.