Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Willie Crawford
If you are an affiliate marketer, one secret to making more sales is finding out about product launches early. This is true even if you are new to affiliate marketing and have a very tiny list.
The reason that this is true is that when you find out about a product launch early, you can position yourself to take advantage of organic search engine traffic during the product launch. There are dozens of things that you can do so that you will rank near the top of the search engines for very important product-related keywords when you find out about a product launch early.
You can set up pages on dozens of web 2.0 type properties such as Blogger.com, Hubpages, Squidoo, etc., and if you have the right content on these pages you will rank very high for product-related keywords by launch date. The key is to get your pages up early, post often, and then get them noticed by the search engines. Product owners will often provide you with tons of just the right content!
Another reason that you want to find out about affiliate product launches early is that it gives you more time to prepare a bonus to offer purchasers of those product. It's no secret that the people who sell the most of a product during many launches are the ones who offers the most enticing bonuses. Since the basic product is the same no matter who the customer purchases from, that only makes sense. The bonus is what keeps the product that you're marketing from being just a commodity.
Often, there are numerous products being launched at the same time. Since you can only effectively promote one product at a time, knowing what product launches are coming up allows you to focus on the one most appropriate for your customers. It's very disheartening to plan for promoting a specific product, and then to discover on launch day that there is a product more suitable for your customers being launched on the same day.
When you promote any product, you really should plan out a complete promotional campaign. That is, you should flow out how and when you are going to do multiple promotions. Those promotions could include emails, interviews, articles, press releases, and perhaps even videos. You can't flow out these promotions unless you find out about the product launch early enough. Ideally, you plan a protracted campaign - one where you will continue to make sales even after the big launch is over.
Finally, you need to find out about product launches early because you need to allow sufficient time to actually get a review copy of the product, and to go through it with a fine-toothed comb. You absolutely should not promote any product that you haven't actually gone through, and with some of the more substantial products, that could take a week or more.
Those are just a few of the reasons that you really do want to stay informed on what new product launches are coming up in your niche. If you only learn of an impending product launch a few days, or even a week before it happens, you are so behind. Especially for great search engine positioning, there are things that you need to do at least a month in advance.
Decide today that you're going to keep up with all of the product launches in your industry, and market a lot smarter.
About the Author:
Willie Crawford is founder and executive director of The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers. IAJVB maintains a comprehensive database of upcoming product launches, giveaways, and internet marketing events. Get a free Silver IAJVB membership now at: http://IAJVB.ORG
Follow Willie Crawford on Twitter.
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I will seek to answer those questions here, as well as to provide a Day Planner to enable the new online entrepreneur to navigate the maze of building a successful online business. When I find great advice by other writers, I will include that information as well. --- Clinton Douglas IV, Founder of Vasrue.com |
Friday, September 25, 2009
How Do I Use An Online Fax Service?
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins
Online or Internet fax has become an extremely popular service on the web. It is being used by more and more businesses and individuals who want a more mobile and a more secure way of faxing. Yet, many people still don't know exactly how online faxing actually works.
Like anything that is relatively new, it will probably take a while before this convenient service is widely known in the general population. Perhaps, the greatest stumbling block is that most people are so familiar with faxing via the old facsimile machine in the office; getting their heads around using the web for faxing will take some time.
However, just like email revolutionized how we send and receive our mail, so too has online fax revolutionized how we send and receive our faxes. Internet faxing is simply the more modern way to fax.
Actually, these two new communication methods are closely intertwined since online fax is basically using your email system and your Internet connection to do all your faxing. You send and receive your faxes as email attachments usually in TIFF or PDF format.
Remember, in order to use online fax you have to sign-up to an Internet fax service provider who will act as your intermediary to handle all your faxing. You will receive a local or Toll-Free number which you can give out to all your contacts. There is no need for an extra fax phone line. You will also receive an online site (account) where you can logon and do your faxing. Your faxes are also stored in this online account.
However, what confuses many people is the fact that you can send/receive your online faxes in many different ways including through the old traditional office machine. Your fax service will act as your intermediary to intercept your faxes coming from an ordinary fax machine and direct them to your online fax account.
You can also get desktop applications which will allow you to directly fax from your desktop. Most services will work with Windows Outlook and Windows Office. Finally, most services will let you send a fax by just sending an email, i.e. destination number(at)yourfaxservice.com - It doesn't get any easier than this.
Each fax service has slightly different procedures and methods so you have to become familiar with your chosen service. Also, each service will have different faxing rates and monthly fees, but most charge around $10 a month. There are less expensive services out there so it pays to shop around, especially when you consider this is a long term ongoing business expense.
The main reason why email or online faxing has become so popular is the total freedom it gives you. Since it is web based, you can send and receive a fax anywhere, anytime, as long as you have Internet access. You can use any mobile device such as a cell phone or laptop to do all your faxing. It totally frees you from being tied down to the old fax machine in the office.
Plus, your faxes can be encrypted so it is much more secure than the traditional way of faxing. And no one but you has to see your faxes since you have your own private access to your account. This is important if you have faxes of a sensitive nature which you want to keep private.
Lastly, another major reason online fax has become so popular, most faxing services are completely scalable for businesses. You can upsize or downsize depending on your company's requirements or needs. In this uncertain economy, having this flexibility is a major plus.
If you're not using an online fax service you may just be losing out on one of the most convenient ways of doing business. You really do need it if your business depends heavily on faxing for bringing in new sales and clients; besides you may be falling behind your competition who are probably already using this new more mobile way of faxing. Can you afford not to use Internet fax?
It's your call?
About the Author:
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to get your own: online fax Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: internet fax services.
Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins
Online or Internet fax has become an extremely popular service on the web. It is being used by more and more businesses and individuals who want a more mobile and a more secure way of faxing. Yet, many people still don't know exactly how online faxing actually works.
Like anything that is relatively new, it will probably take a while before this convenient service is widely known in the general population. Perhaps, the greatest stumbling block is that most people are so familiar with faxing via the old facsimile machine in the office; getting their heads around using the web for faxing will take some time.
However, just like email revolutionized how we send and receive our mail, so too has online fax revolutionized how we send and receive our faxes. Internet faxing is simply the more modern way to fax.
Actually, these two new communication methods are closely intertwined since online fax is basically using your email system and your Internet connection to do all your faxing. You send and receive your faxes as email attachments usually in TIFF or PDF format.
Remember, in order to use online fax you have to sign-up to an Internet fax service provider who will act as your intermediary to handle all your faxing. You will receive a local or Toll-Free number which you can give out to all your contacts. There is no need for an extra fax phone line. You will also receive an online site (account) where you can logon and do your faxing. Your faxes are also stored in this online account.
However, what confuses many people is the fact that you can send/receive your online faxes in many different ways including through the old traditional office machine. Your fax service will act as your intermediary to intercept your faxes coming from an ordinary fax machine and direct them to your online fax account.
You can also get desktop applications which will allow you to directly fax from your desktop. Most services will work with Windows Outlook and Windows Office. Finally, most services will let you send a fax by just sending an email, i.e. destination number(at)yourfaxservice.com - It doesn't get any easier than this.
Each fax service has slightly different procedures and methods so you have to become familiar with your chosen service. Also, each service will have different faxing rates and monthly fees, but most charge around $10 a month. There are less expensive services out there so it pays to shop around, especially when you consider this is a long term ongoing business expense.
The main reason why email or online faxing has become so popular is the total freedom it gives you. Since it is web based, you can send and receive a fax anywhere, anytime, as long as you have Internet access. You can use any mobile device such as a cell phone or laptop to do all your faxing. It totally frees you from being tied down to the old fax machine in the office.
Plus, your faxes can be encrypted so it is much more secure than the traditional way of faxing. And no one but you has to see your faxes since you have your own private access to your account. This is important if you have faxes of a sensitive nature which you want to keep private.
Lastly, another major reason online fax has become so popular, most faxing services are completely scalable for businesses. You can upsize or downsize depending on your company's requirements or needs. In this uncertain economy, having this flexibility is a major plus.
If you're not using an online fax service you may just be losing out on one of the most convenient ways of doing business. You really do need it if your business depends heavily on faxing for bringing in new sales and clients; besides you may be falling behind your competition who are probably already using this new more mobile way of faxing. Can you afford not to use Internet fax?
It's your call?
About the Author:
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to get your own: online fax Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: internet fax services.
Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Read more of Titus Hoskins's articles.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Use Article Marketing To Add Value To Your Product
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Article Marketing is a form of advertising that can definitely add value to your product or service. By using articles written about your industry, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and a trusted resource for your product or service. Article marketing can be equally effective in newspapers and magazines, although these traditional media lack some of the obvious advantages of new media.
People generally prefer to do business with someone they know and trust and article marketing gives you the opportunity to make yourself familiar to your target audience. Your articles should contain information of a general nature about the industry you are involved in, and should offer something useful and interesting to your readers. You will then have positively affected your target audience, and this, in turn, will have added value to your product.
Articles can be written by you or outsourced to a professional copywriter or ghostwriter. There are several good websites where you can connect with potential writers. You must use good grammar and spelling to establish yourself as a credible expert. The tone should be conversational, using simple but descriptive language and limiting technical terms. If technical jargon is required, always include an explanation of the term.
It is important to remember that your articles should be an informative and interesting read; they are not for directly promoting your product. Most publishing sites do not allow blatant sales letters to be published as articles, and you will only be damaging your reputation by distributing an article that is nothing but hard-sell copy.
Newspapers and magazines always need fresh copy, so submitting your articles to them may result in getting published. To have your articles published online, submit them to an online article directory. These directories allow you to put personal and contact information in a "Resource Box", and it is here that you directly advertise your business. The resource box is an important tool to encourage readers to click through to your site and then, hopefully, place an order.
Articles for online use will differ slightly from those intended for hard copy. In order for your articles to be picked up by Internet Search Engines, they need to incorporate search engine optimization ( SEO). This involves the use of common keywords or phrases that people would use to search for your topic on the Internet.
Keywords should be used throughout your writing so that the search engines can associate your article with the right search results. This is the single best way for interested people to find you online. The use of keywords should never be overdone, but there are a few critical places they should appear in every article.
1. Titles
Your title is very important; it's what the search engines list in their search results and if readers find your title interesting or informative, they'll click on it. And that's your goal. Obviously, your title should be what your article is about. Don't try to use all your keywords in the title. As always, keep it simple and get to the point; too many words in the title might confuse the search engines as well as readers.
2. Tags
Metatags are HTML codes that are put into your web page (in the header or body) and are used by search engines to find and describe your page. People viewing your page do not see them.
3. In the Article
Use your keywords in your article. You should also use semantically related words. For example, if your keyword is knitting, you should use words like, knitting needle, knit, knitting gear, how to knit and knitting pattern in your article. Using this strategy instead of just repeating your keyword over and over again will get you better results with search engines.
Just make sure that you don't over-use the keywords or make your articles artificial or hard to read. The best approach is to write naturally. A reader wants a quality article on a specific topic, not a bunch of keywords strung together.
4. In the Resource Box
Your Resource Box is a great place to use keywords. Just remember to use different ones every once in a while. This will help search engines figure out what your site is about. You can use the semantically related keyword strategy here as well, especially if you hyperlink the words.
Overall, you should develop about 20-30 keywords or key phrases, use a variety of them in your articles and update them regularly. Your keywords will evolve as your business evolves.
Another way to expose your articles to a global audience online is through blogging. You can upload articles to your blog, to give your readers interesting, useful information that can help them solve a problem or improve their lifestyle. Blogs are a great way of keeping in touch with customers and contacts, and continuing to add value to your product. Again, these blog articles must not be sales letters; they need to be interesting and informative. Blogs tend to be a more personal means of communicating with your readers, and this also helps to develop trust and respect for both you and your product.
If you follow these guidelines for article marketing to promote your online business, you will see your customers and your sales increase.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Article Marketing is a form of advertising that can definitely add value to your product or service. By using articles written about your industry, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and a trusted resource for your product or service. Article marketing can be equally effective in newspapers and magazines, although these traditional media lack some of the obvious advantages of new media.
People generally prefer to do business with someone they know and trust and article marketing gives you the opportunity to make yourself familiar to your target audience. Your articles should contain information of a general nature about the industry you are involved in, and should offer something useful and interesting to your readers. You will then have positively affected your target audience, and this, in turn, will have added value to your product.
Articles can be written by you or outsourced to a professional copywriter or ghostwriter. There are several good websites where you can connect with potential writers. You must use good grammar and spelling to establish yourself as a credible expert. The tone should be conversational, using simple but descriptive language and limiting technical terms. If technical jargon is required, always include an explanation of the term.
It is important to remember that your articles should be an informative and interesting read; they are not for directly promoting your product. Most publishing sites do not allow blatant sales letters to be published as articles, and you will only be damaging your reputation by distributing an article that is nothing but hard-sell copy.
Newspapers and magazines always need fresh copy, so submitting your articles to them may result in getting published. To have your articles published online, submit them to an online article directory. These directories allow you to put personal and contact information in a "Resource Box", and it is here that you directly advertise your business. The resource box is an important tool to encourage readers to click through to your site and then, hopefully, place an order.
Articles for online use will differ slightly from those intended for hard copy. In order for your articles to be picked up by Internet Search Engines, they need to incorporate search engine optimization ( SEO). This involves the use of common keywords or phrases that people would use to search for your topic on the Internet.
Keywords should be used throughout your writing so that the search engines can associate your article with the right search results. This is the single best way for interested people to find you online. The use of keywords should never be overdone, but there are a few critical places they should appear in every article.
1. Titles
Your title is very important; it's what the search engines list in their search results and if readers find your title interesting or informative, they'll click on it. And that's your goal. Obviously, your title should be what your article is about. Don't try to use all your keywords in the title. As always, keep it simple and get to the point; too many words in the title might confuse the search engines as well as readers.
2. Tags
Metatags are HTML codes that are put into your web page (in the header or body) and are used by search engines to find and describe your page. People viewing your page do not see them.
3. In the Article
Use your keywords in your article. You should also use semantically related words. For example, if your keyword is knitting, you should use words like, knitting needle, knit, knitting gear, how to knit and knitting pattern in your article. Using this strategy instead of just repeating your keyword over and over again will get you better results with search engines.
Just make sure that you don't over-use the keywords or make your articles artificial or hard to read. The best approach is to write naturally. A reader wants a quality article on a specific topic, not a bunch of keywords strung together.
4. In the Resource Box
Your Resource Box is a great place to use keywords. Just remember to use different ones every once in a while. This will help search engines figure out what your site is about. You can use the semantically related keyword strategy here as well, especially if you hyperlink the words.
Overall, you should develop about 20-30 keywords or key phrases, use a variety of them in your articles and update them regularly. Your keywords will evolve as your business evolves.
Another way to expose your articles to a global audience online is through blogging. You can upload articles to your blog, to give your readers interesting, useful information that can help them solve a problem or improve their lifestyle. Blogs are a great way of keeping in touch with customers and contacts, and continuing to add value to your product. Again, these blog articles must not be sales letters; they need to be interesting and informative. Blogs tend to be a more personal means of communicating with your readers, and this also helps to develop trust and respect for both you and your product.
If you follow these guidelines for article marketing to promote your online business, you will see your customers and your sales increase.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Importance Of Creating Resistance In Your Copy
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Bill Platt
"Creating Resistance in Your Copy" is an idea that is alien to most online marketers. After all, online marketers want to believe that everyone should buy their products and services, because the more people buying what is being sold, the more money the marketer will inevitably earn.
Alien Marketing Concept
This concept is so alien that most Internet marketers who see this article will react as if they are "deer in the headlights". If you are looking at this article with a blank stare - completely bewildered about my suggestion - then you are likely one of many, who are reacting the same way.
Just the other day, I had this conversation with a small businessperson. The person with whom I was speaking was clearly bewildered at the suggestion, and she asked me, "What exactly do you mean by 'create resistance'?"
I told her that "creating resistance" is the concept of eliminating some of your prospects, before they reach the sales page.
Taking a step back, she said, "What? Why would you want to do that?"
I explained to her what I am ready to explain to you now.
In her case, by the time I finished explaining the idea to her, she realized that she was already doing that - albeit, unconsciously.
Why Would Anyone Want To Create Resistance In Sales Copy?
When you are writing sales copy for a product, there is seldom a need to create resistance in your sales copy. In fact, when selling a product, the need is more often to wipe out, eliminate, diminish or neutralize consumer resistance in your sales copy.
Unless you are creating a product that sells for high dollar and you intend to offer it exclusively to a select number of people, the necessity of creating resistance in product sales copy is almost non-existent.
However, if you are selling a service, the reasons for creating resistance in your sales copy are endless.
For example:
One company we work with is an Internet marketing consulting company. The company provides its services to other businesses based on the billable hour or specific service.
In the case of this company, it does not make sense to talk to customers who cannot spend a minimum of $300 per month with them. As a result, they have created resistance in their sales copy to eliminate the broke, do-it-yourself, home business owner from their list of prospects. As a small consulting firm, it is essential for them to separate the wheat from the chaff quickly.
By requiring an appointment for a free consultation, they direct prospects to a form to be filled out. In that form, they require phone numbers and email addresses, and they request the prospect to be as detailed as possible so that the free consultation will be meaningful.
Another company we work with is a Virtual Assistant Agency. Once again, it is a matter of finding the customers who can actually afford the service. By telling prospects in advance that the minimum billing per month is $1000, the company is able to ensure that the only companies contacting them are those who seriously need virtual assistant(s) to help complete work.
By signing the contract, the customer acknowledges in advance that they should send enough work to the virtual assistant to ensure that the $1000 per month minimum will not go to waste.
Consumers Have A Natural Resistance To Sales Copy
All of the great sales copywriting teachers speak to the notion of "sales resistance" - the natural roadblocks in the mind of the consumer that holds the consumer back from making a purchase.
I actually found it quite interesting in that while researching this article, I could NOT find anyone talking about "creating resistance" in sales copy. The guru's are only talking about how to "eliminate" or "melt away sales resistance".
Now, one might argue that the reason no one is discussing the creation of resistance in sales copy is because one should not do it. But I have had this discussion with a lot of people. Although no one is talking about doing it, service providers who have been in business for a number of years tend to deliberately build "sales resistance" into their sales presentations!
Identifying And Eliminating Time Wasters
Once a service business has been in operation a number of years, the owners / managers of those businesses tend to start seeing patterns that frequently cause financial losses to the company.
When as a business owner / manager, you discover that certain customers cost more money than they generate for your business, you will seek ways to remedy that problem. Often times, it makes far more sense not to sell to certain people - the people who have exhibited certain traits that will lead to nothing but lost productivity for the service provider.
If you operate a service business, you will likely have seen similar patterns yourself. In my case, there are certain behaviors that some prospects exhibit that set off red flags for me. I used to ignore those "red flag" moments, but I always regretted doing so later.
The number one red flag for me in my business is the "carrot on the stick" approach offered by some prospects. It goes something like this: "I am going to try this once, and if it works out, I will send you tons of business."
When I was in college, I used to wait tables in a restaurant. I saw the same behavior even then. People would come in and make grandiose promises at the beginning of the meal, "If you give us great service, we tip really well."
Don't believe it for a moment! It is a lie, usually designed to get something for nothing or to encourage you to discount your services, "just for them".
When I was waiting tables, it did not matter how good of service you gave those guys. You could ignore every other table in the restaurant to give them better service and the tip never exceeded two pennies!
In my business, if you bite the bait, they will take their discount this "one time", and then they are gone... forever... I know their disappearance is not because my service is less than worthy... I have too many customers who have been with me for years; to believe that my service was the reason those people never came back.
I have learned that the "carrot on the stick" approach is designed to take advantage of people - to take advantage of me.
Once a prospect raises this red flag for me, I kill the free advice and the extra attention that I give to their job. I do the job and let the chips fall where they may - my basic service will stand on its own, without any effort to help the customer get more out of it. I will not let this person waste any more of my time, period. Unless this person comes back for additional service, I no longer spend extra time with them.
Eliminating Time Wasters Is Easy If You Create Resistance In Your Copy
As a service provider, you DO want to eliminate "sales resistance" in your basic sales copy. Once you have tweaked your copy to help the majority of your prospects to overcome their natural resistance to your sales message, then it is time to add some resistance back into your copy.
You want as many people to buy your service as possible, but you also want to discourage those that you know will be a waste of your time and resources.
My friend who has the consulting business allows people an initial consultation to help him and the customer to determine if they will be able to work together and if his consulting company will be able to add value to the prospects business. In his sales copy, he points out that after the initial consultation, all hours will be billable hours. Because he makes his prospects jump through hoops to get the free consultation, he is assured that he is only going to have real prospects at the other end of the phone line during a free consultation. And because his prospects understand that all work beyond the initial free consultation is billable work, they don't waste his limited time.
The Virtual Assistant does not need to layer on the resistance at the same level. By clearly explaining what one should expect in terms of the service within the first thirty days of the agreement, it becomes self-evident to the prospect that the service is not for the faint at heart. Investing in a virtual assistant can be a bit expensive, but the payoff can also be quite large. By laying out a map of what one can expect from the service, it clearly defines to the prospect what the cost of such a service could be. And as such, it quickly filters out those people who are not a good fit for the Virtual Assistant's company.
In my case, I don't provide much sales resistance in my sales copy to my prospective customers. In fact, the only sales resistance in my copy is my prices.
The companies that call me a competitor have lower prices than I do - much lower prices. Although they refer to me as one of THEIR competitors, I really don't consider them to be mine. My service is so much different from theirs that I find it very difficult to think of them as "MY competition".
For people who take the time to get educated about my service or to take it for a real spin around the block with a full ten article distributions, my higher prices are often considered a great investment of resources. With the built-in sales resistance in the form of a higher price, my customers ensure that I always serve higher-quality authors - authors who understand that the power of article marketing is in the strength of the content.
I Might Be Going Out On A Limb With This Article...
The fact that I could not find anyone else discussing the value of "adding sales resistance to sales copy" may suggest that I am just a total goof. But I do know for a fact that small business owners in the service industry do deliberately create sales resistance in their copy.
In the conversation that I mentioned in the beginning of this article - the one where I was discussing this idea with a small businessperson, who had her "deer in the headlights" moment - the lady I was speaking with said to me after I explained the concept to her, "Oh, you mean like when I tell my customers that we provide 'quality' over 'quantity'?"
Indeed! Telling your prospects that you provide 'quality' over 'quantity' automatically tells your prospects that your services may be a bit more expensive, but the quality of the work will more than make up for the difference in pricing.
I know that many small business owners do deliberately build sales resistance into their sales copy, and I cannot blame them for doing so.
I also know that my pricing is a disincentive to some people to use my services. But that is okay too. The publishers who receive articles from me know that I distribute a higher quality article. They may not realize that it is because of the pricing resistance on my site, but they do know that we typically distribute some of the best-written articles available online, from some of the biggest names in their industries.
At the end of a ten-article cycle, most of my customers find that their articles have found publication on websites that have a much higher perceived value in the Internet marketplace. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for me to hear from clients who are happy to share that they have generated several thousand dollars in new sales as a result of an article I distributed for them. Now that is music to my ears...
About the Author:
Bill Platt has owned and operated http://thePhantomWriters.com/ since 2001. If you would like to learn more about his article distribution service, visit his website. To read 100's of Bill's Tweet-sized tips for article marketing, SEO, and more, visit: http://thePhantomWriters.com/tips/index.php Bill is also active on Twitter @contentmanager
Follow Bill Platt on Twitter.
Copyright © 2009 Bill Platt
"Creating Resistance in Your Copy" is an idea that is alien to most online marketers. After all, online marketers want to believe that everyone should buy their products and services, because the more people buying what is being sold, the more money the marketer will inevitably earn.
Alien Marketing Concept
This concept is so alien that most Internet marketers who see this article will react as if they are "deer in the headlights". If you are looking at this article with a blank stare - completely bewildered about my suggestion - then you are likely one of many, who are reacting the same way.
Just the other day, I had this conversation with a small businessperson. The person with whom I was speaking was clearly bewildered at the suggestion, and she asked me, "What exactly do you mean by 'create resistance'?"
I told her that "creating resistance" is the concept of eliminating some of your prospects, before they reach the sales page.
Taking a step back, she said, "What? Why would you want to do that?"
I explained to her what I am ready to explain to you now.
In her case, by the time I finished explaining the idea to her, she realized that she was already doing that - albeit, unconsciously.
Why Would Anyone Want To Create Resistance In Sales Copy?
When you are writing sales copy for a product, there is seldom a need to create resistance in your sales copy. In fact, when selling a product, the need is more often to wipe out, eliminate, diminish or neutralize consumer resistance in your sales copy.
Unless you are creating a product that sells for high dollar and you intend to offer it exclusively to a select number of people, the necessity of creating resistance in product sales copy is almost non-existent.
However, if you are selling a service, the reasons for creating resistance in your sales copy are endless.
For example:
One company we work with is an Internet marketing consulting company. The company provides its services to other businesses based on the billable hour or specific service.
In the case of this company, it does not make sense to talk to customers who cannot spend a minimum of $300 per month with them. As a result, they have created resistance in their sales copy to eliminate the broke, do-it-yourself, home business owner from their list of prospects. As a small consulting firm, it is essential for them to separate the wheat from the chaff quickly.
By requiring an appointment for a free consultation, they direct prospects to a form to be filled out. In that form, they require phone numbers and email addresses, and they request the prospect to be as detailed as possible so that the free consultation will be meaningful.
Another company we work with is a Virtual Assistant Agency. Once again, it is a matter of finding the customers who can actually afford the service. By telling prospects in advance that the minimum billing per month is $1000, the company is able to ensure that the only companies contacting them are those who seriously need virtual assistant(s) to help complete work.
By signing the contract, the customer acknowledges in advance that they should send enough work to the virtual assistant to ensure that the $1000 per month minimum will not go to waste.
Consumers Have A Natural Resistance To Sales Copy
All of the great sales copywriting teachers speak to the notion of "sales resistance" - the natural roadblocks in the mind of the consumer that holds the consumer back from making a purchase.
I actually found it quite interesting in that while researching this article, I could NOT find anyone talking about "creating resistance" in sales copy. The guru's are only talking about how to "eliminate" or "melt away sales resistance".
Now, one might argue that the reason no one is discussing the creation of resistance in sales copy is because one should not do it. But I have had this discussion with a lot of people. Although no one is talking about doing it, service providers who have been in business for a number of years tend to deliberately build "sales resistance" into their sales presentations!
Identifying And Eliminating Time Wasters
Once a service business has been in operation a number of years, the owners / managers of those businesses tend to start seeing patterns that frequently cause financial losses to the company.
When as a business owner / manager, you discover that certain customers cost more money than they generate for your business, you will seek ways to remedy that problem. Often times, it makes far more sense not to sell to certain people - the people who have exhibited certain traits that will lead to nothing but lost productivity for the service provider.
If you operate a service business, you will likely have seen similar patterns yourself. In my case, there are certain behaviors that some prospects exhibit that set off red flags for me. I used to ignore those "red flag" moments, but I always regretted doing so later.
The number one red flag for me in my business is the "carrot on the stick" approach offered by some prospects. It goes something like this: "I am going to try this once, and if it works out, I will send you tons of business."
When I was in college, I used to wait tables in a restaurant. I saw the same behavior even then. People would come in and make grandiose promises at the beginning of the meal, "If you give us great service, we tip really well."
Don't believe it for a moment! It is a lie, usually designed to get something for nothing or to encourage you to discount your services, "just for them".
When I was waiting tables, it did not matter how good of service you gave those guys. You could ignore every other table in the restaurant to give them better service and the tip never exceeded two pennies!
In my business, if you bite the bait, they will take their discount this "one time", and then they are gone... forever... I know their disappearance is not because my service is less than worthy... I have too many customers who have been with me for years; to believe that my service was the reason those people never came back.
I have learned that the "carrot on the stick" approach is designed to take advantage of people - to take advantage of me.
Once a prospect raises this red flag for me, I kill the free advice and the extra attention that I give to their job. I do the job and let the chips fall where they may - my basic service will stand on its own, without any effort to help the customer get more out of it. I will not let this person waste any more of my time, period. Unless this person comes back for additional service, I no longer spend extra time with them.
Eliminating Time Wasters Is Easy If You Create Resistance In Your Copy
As a service provider, you DO want to eliminate "sales resistance" in your basic sales copy. Once you have tweaked your copy to help the majority of your prospects to overcome their natural resistance to your sales message, then it is time to add some resistance back into your copy.
You want as many people to buy your service as possible, but you also want to discourage those that you know will be a waste of your time and resources.
My friend who has the consulting business allows people an initial consultation to help him and the customer to determine if they will be able to work together and if his consulting company will be able to add value to the prospects business. In his sales copy, he points out that after the initial consultation, all hours will be billable hours. Because he makes his prospects jump through hoops to get the free consultation, he is assured that he is only going to have real prospects at the other end of the phone line during a free consultation. And because his prospects understand that all work beyond the initial free consultation is billable work, they don't waste his limited time.
The Virtual Assistant does not need to layer on the resistance at the same level. By clearly explaining what one should expect in terms of the service within the first thirty days of the agreement, it becomes self-evident to the prospect that the service is not for the faint at heart. Investing in a virtual assistant can be a bit expensive, but the payoff can also be quite large. By laying out a map of what one can expect from the service, it clearly defines to the prospect what the cost of such a service could be. And as such, it quickly filters out those people who are not a good fit for the Virtual Assistant's company.
In my case, I don't provide much sales resistance in my sales copy to my prospective customers. In fact, the only sales resistance in my copy is my prices.
The companies that call me a competitor have lower prices than I do - much lower prices. Although they refer to me as one of THEIR competitors, I really don't consider them to be mine. My service is so much different from theirs that I find it very difficult to think of them as "MY competition".
For people who take the time to get educated about my service or to take it for a real spin around the block with a full ten article distributions, my higher prices are often considered a great investment of resources. With the built-in sales resistance in the form of a higher price, my customers ensure that I always serve higher-quality authors - authors who understand that the power of article marketing is in the strength of the content.
I Might Be Going Out On A Limb With This Article...
The fact that I could not find anyone else discussing the value of "adding sales resistance to sales copy" may suggest that I am just a total goof. But I do know for a fact that small business owners in the service industry do deliberately create sales resistance in their copy.
In the conversation that I mentioned in the beginning of this article - the one where I was discussing this idea with a small businessperson, who had her "deer in the headlights" moment - the lady I was speaking with said to me after I explained the concept to her, "Oh, you mean like when I tell my customers that we provide 'quality' over 'quantity'?"
Indeed! Telling your prospects that you provide 'quality' over 'quantity' automatically tells your prospects that your services may be a bit more expensive, but the quality of the work will more than make up for the difference in pricing.
I know that many small business owners do deliberately build sales resistance into their sales copy, and I cannot blame them for doing so.
I also know that my pricing is a disincentive to some people to use my services. But that is okay too. The publishers who receive articles from me know that I distribute a higher quality article. They may not realize that it is because of the pricing resistance on my site, but they do know that we typically distribute some of the best-written articles available online, from some of the biggest names in their industries.
At the end of a ten-article cycle, most of my customers find that their articles have found publication on websites that have a much higher perceived value in the Internet marketplace. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for me to hear from clients who are happy to share that they have generated several thousand dollars in new sales as a result of an article I distributed for them. Now that is music to my ears...
About the Author:
Bill Platt has owned and operated http://thePhantomWriters.com/ since 2001. If you would like to learn more about his article distribution service, visit his website. To read 100's of Bill's Tweet-sized tips for article marketing, SEO, and more, visit: http://thePhantomWriters.com/tips/index.php Bill is also active on Twitter @contentmanager
Follow Bill Platt on Twitter.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Important Issues to Remember Before Buying an Expired Domain Name
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Buying expired domains is a tricky topic! You will need to be very careful while buying an expired domain because many of these domains may have some problems associated with their registration. There have been instances when the previous owner decided to approach the legal authorities to reclaim their expired domains. While you need to be very careful in your dealings, you may also need to consider the following issues before buying domains that are expiring.
The issue of domain trademark: Make sure that the domain that you buy does not have any trademark associated with it. You will need to be very careful in dealing with domains that have trademarks against their URL. You could even land in potential legal hassles when you buy such domains. You may wish to conduct a detailed research to check whether the domain expired has any trademark. Use one of the web sites that provide information on trademarks.
The issue of corporate expired domain names: Many domain names have a close relation with corporate businesses. If a company or a business firm owns the domain names, you may even forfeit such domain names. In some instances, companies may simply forget to renew some of their domain names.
Tip: It is almost difficult to find out who is the real owner of a domain name before it expired. However, you can still find out more about a particular expired domain name.
To find out more about expired domains and their previous ownership, use these tools to conduct a detailed research:
a) Go to www.alexa.com that maintains a big database of millions of web sites. You can find out details like link popularity, ownership, traffic, ratings or rankings etc in this exhaustive web site. Just use the following URL to check the previous history of the web domain: (http://xslt.alexa.com/data?cli=100&url=DOMAIN.COM). Some times, you may never find any information on some of the domain names.
b) Go to www.google.com to check the cache status of the expired domain names. Google always maintains a cache directory of web sites by using its spider technology. It is possible to visit a cached online copy of a web domain, including expired ones. With this tool, you can find out if the expired domain you want to buy had any trademark associated with it. Type the URL of the expired domain into the Google search engine box and make sure that you are checking the cache copy of the expired web domain.
c) Use link popularity checking tools: You can find out more about previously owned expired domains. Choose any of the link popularity checking web sites and enter the URL of the expired domain to check the links against the name. This gives you a fair estimate of the number of online references related to the domains. Zero values mean that the domain expired did not have any activity while higher values signify that the domain was very active in its previous avatar. However, the downside of this method is that you may find it very difficult to find the quality of these links. Some domains may have just a few links associated with it. However, these links may be very good in that they came from high quality web sites. On the other hand, an expired domain may have lot of links that came from insignificant web domains. Making a comparison just on the number of links may be quite premature and improper.
By using the above mentioned tools, you can find out minute and precise information about your expired domain. However, use these tools with utmost caution and without any prejudice as some of the data extracted could be misleading.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Buying expired domains is a tricky topic! You will need to be very careful while buying an expired domain because many of these domains may have some problems associated with their registration. There have been instances when the previous owner decided to approach the legal authorities to reclaim their expired domains. While you need to be very careful in your dealings, you may also need to consider the following issues before buying domains that are expiring.
The issue of domain trademark: Make sure that the domain that you buy does not have any trademark associated with it. You will need to be very careful in dealing with domains that have trademarks against their URL. You could even land in potential legal hassles when you buy such domains. You may wish to conduct a detailed research to check whether the domain expired has any trademark. Use one of the web sites that provide information on trademarks.
The issue of corporate expired domain names: Many domain names have a close relation with corporate businesses. If a company or a business firm owns the domain names, you may even forfeit such domain names. In some instances, companies may simply forget to renew some of their domain names.
Tip: It is almost difficult to find out who is the real owner of a domain name before it expired. However, you can still find out more about a particular expired domain name.
To find out more about expired domains and their previous ownership, use these tools to conduct a detailed research:
a) Go to www.alexa.com that maintains a big database of millions of web sites. You can find out details like link popularity, ownership, traffic, ratings or rankings etc in this exhaustive web site. Just use the following URL to check the previous history of the web domain: (http://xslt.alexa.com/data?cli=100&url=DOMAIN.COM). Some times, you may never find any information on some of the domain names.
b) Go to www.google.com to check the cache status of the expired domain names. Google always maintains a cache directory of web sites by using its spider technology. It is possible to visit a cached online copy of a web domain, including expired ones. With this tool, you can find out if the expired domain you want to buy had any trademark associated with it. Type the URL of the expired domain into the Google search engine box and make sure that you are checking the cache copy of the expired web domain.
c) Use link popularity checking tools: You can find out more about previously owned expired domains. Choose any of the link popularity checking web sites and enter the URL of the expired domain to check the links against the name. This gives you a fair estimate of the number of online references related to the domains. Zero values mean that the domain expired did not have any activity while higher values signify that the domain was very active in its previous avatar. However, the downside of this method is that you may find it very difficult to find the quality of these links. Some domains may have just a few links associated with it. However, these links may be very good in that they came from high quality web sites. On the other hand, an expired domain may have lot of links that came from insignificant web domains. Making a comparison just on the number of links may be quite premature and improper.
By using the above mentioned tools, you can find out minute and precise information about your expired domain. However, use these tools with utmost caution and without any prejudice as some of the data extracted could be misleading.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Critical Steps to Successful Sales Lead Generation in Google
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Paul Marshall
Some website owners are more frustrated about Google optimization than for other search engines. They feel it is harder to perform search engine optimization for Google.
Whether you are making direct sales from your website or sales lead generation (or both), optimizing for Google doesn't need to be that hard.
In fact, in time you may find it easier to perform SEO for Google than for other search engines.
Remember That Google Is Much Smarter Than The Other Search Engines
Since Google is more intelligent, you have to treat them differently.
If you're trying to spam them, their intelligence is going to be a problem for you. If you're playing by the rules and providing valuable content for searchers, then you should have no problem.
What Google wants is valuable content that satisfies their users' search queries. They want searchers to find what they're looking for, not clicking the back button quickly, but who stay on the sites they visit.
There are some in the SEO community who believe time your visitors spent on your site is one of the calculations Google uses right now in their algorithm to assign organic rankings.
Whether this is the case or not is really irrelevant: we should all want to deliver quality content that meets our searchers query, keeps them on our sites and that leads to a conversion, a sale or sales lead generation.
Are You Optimizing For Yahoo! Search And Bing, Too?
With Yahoo! Search and Bing (formerly Live Search and previously MSN) you need to have the keyword phrase you optimize for on the page. There may be some exceptions, but this is a solid rule to follow.
The order of the keywords makes a difference with them, too.
As an example, with Google, Blue Widget and Widget Blue are treated the same way. Not so with Yahoo! and Live, they are treated as completely different search phrases.
Given the very high market share that Google has, you may want to just optimize for Google and not Yahoo! or Live. After all, depending on whose numbers you're looking at, Google's market share is basically 60% to 70% of all U.S. searches!
(And there are hundreds of other much smaller search engines, with such small market shares that they aren't normally worth worrying about.)
But if you decide to also optimize for Yahoo! Search and for Live Search, then you will likely have to create more pages, to cover all your keyword phrases.
So, as you create more pages for your keywords, you clutter up the Internet, unless those pages are really unique, valuable content.
And then there is that duplicate content filter that Google has...you don't want to run afoul of that.
If you do optimize for the other engines, unless the additional content is very unique, you might be advised to keep Google out of those pages (using your robots.txt file).
Knowing That Google Is More Intelligent, How Do We Optimize Differently For Google?
With Google's use of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing), your pages do NOT actually have to contain the keyword phrase(s) you're optimizing for. But your pages had better contain words strongly related to your chosen keyword phrases.
In fact, it is common to see high ranking pages where the keyword phrase isn't in any of the HTML tags and where it also isn't in the page text, either. Common keyword density numbers for top ranking pages in Google range from 30% all the way down to 0% keyword density.
Why is this and how do we benefit performing Google optimization?
Google is smart enough to understand similar words and phrases (now is when we get to use that word Synonym from English class). Thus, the actual keyword phrase doesn't have to be on the page. But words related to the same theme as your keyword phrases need to be on the page.
But if our keywords don't actually have to be on the page for Google to understand the page is about our subject (our keyword phrases), how does Google make that determination?
Off-Page SEO Is The Key To Your Google Optimization And To Your Sales Lead Generation
The links from other websites to your Web pages and what these links say about your pages is the KEY to optimizing for Google. Remember, links need to be pointed towards your interior pages, not just to your home page.
And those links need anchor text.
Anchor text is the wording that people click on to go to your Web page, when the actual link doesn't show your website url (and file name, if going to an interior page).
Anchor text tells Google (and to a lesser degree, other search engines) what your Web page is about.
Even if the actual keyword phrases aren't used on your page, the theme of the page text should match the anchor text pointed to that page. You want the wording to be compatible and complimentary.
You don't want to confuse Google as to your pages' themes. That can cause real problems.
Quantity Versus Quality
When considering links to your Web pages, quantity is important. You will have to research your competition to give you an idea as to the number of links you may need.
Two tools you can look into are SEO Elite and OptiLink. You can Google both.
But MUCH more important is the quality of your links. The better quality your links, the fewer you will need versus your competition.
Part of how you can evaluate quality of potential links to your site is that site's home page Google Page Rank.
Now, Google Page Rank is on a page-basis, not a site-wide basis. But the home page Page Rank can tell you if Google considers that site to be an "authority site".
You can install the free Google toolbar if you haven't already and activate the Page Rank feature. While the information is literally months old, it's the easiest way to view a page's Page Rank.
You want some links to your site from websites with a home page Google Page Rank of at least 5.
One thing you do want to watch: Don't have to high a percentage of your links containing the same anchor text. Aim for no more than 50% of your anchor text to any page being the same exact anchor text.
Wrapping It Up
For effective Google optimization, start by pointing enough quality links to your Web pages. One-way links are much more effective than reciprocal links, where you link back to the site that has linked to you.
Stay away from triangulated or 3-way links schemes. This is where site A links to site B which in turn links to site C. This is a "no-no" which Google can catch and will penalize for.
Use your keywords as anchor text for your links. Hold down the percentage...don't have 70% of your links to one page using the same exact anchor text!
Even if you don't have the keyword phrases on your page, you can still have top rankings, as long as your links' theme matches your Web page content those links are aimed at.
Following this strategy, you can also optimize your pages for more than one keyword phrase. And without creating dozens and dozens of junk pages, just to cover all your keywords.
You'll be able to increase your online sales and your sales lead generation, more easily.
About the Author:
Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a budget. He's a Sales Lead Generation expert and an Affordable SEO Services specialist offering affordable marketing services (and d-i-y Coaching). Receive your Free Introductory Consultation, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today!
Read more of Paul Marshall's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Paul Marshall
Some website owners are more frustrated about Google optimization than for other search engines. They feel it is harder to perform search engine optimization for Google.
Whether you are making direct sales from your website or sales lead generation (or both), optimizing for Google doesn't need to be that hard.
In fact, in time you may find it easier to perform SEO for Google than for other search engines.
Remember That Google Is Much Smarter Than The Other Search Engines
Since Google is more intelligent, you have to treat them differently.
If you're trying to spam them, their intelligence is going to be a problem for you. If you're playing by the rules and providing valuable content for searchers, then you should have no problem.
What Google wants is valuable content that satisfies their users' search queries. They want searchers to find what they're looking for, not clicking the back button quickly, but who stay on the sites they visit.
There are some in the SEO community who believe time your visitors spent on your site is one of the calculations Google uses right now in their algorithm to assign organic rankings.
Whether this is the case or not is really irrelevant: we should all want to deliver quality content that meets our searchers query, keeps them on our sites and that leads to a conversion, a sale or sales lead generation.
Are You Optimizing For Yahoo! Search And Bing, Too?
With Yahoo! Search and Bing (formerly Live Search and previously MSN) you need to have the keyword phrase you optimize for on the page. There may be some exceptions, but this is a solid rule to follow.
The order of the keywords makes a difference with them, too.
As an example, with Google, Blue Widget and Widget Blue are treated the same way. Not so with Yahoo! and Live, they are treated as completely different search phrases.
Given the very high market share that Google has, you may want to just optimize for Google and not Yahoo! or Live. After all, depending on whose numbers you're looking at, Google's market share is basically 60% to 70% of all U.S. searches!
(And there are hundreds of other much smaller search engines, with such small market shares that they aren't normally worth worrying about.)
But if you decide to also optimize for Yahoo! Search and for Live Search, then you will likely have to create more pages, to cover all your keyword phrases.
So, as you create more pages for your keywords, you clutter up the Internet, unless those pages are really unique, valuable content.
And then there is that duplicate content filter that Google has...you don't want to run afoul of that.
If you do optimize for the other engines, unless the additional content is very unique, you might be advised to keep Google out of those pages (using your robots.txt file).
Knowing That Google Is More Intelligent, How Do We Optimize Differently For Google?
With Google's use of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing), your pages do NOT actually have to contain the keyword phrase(s) you're optimizing for. But your pages had better contain words strongly related to your chosen keyword phrases.
In fact, it is common to see high ranking pages where the keyword phrase isn't in any of the HTML tags and where it also isn't in the page text, either. Common keyword density numbers for top ranking pages in Google range from 30% all the way down to 0% keyword density.
Why is this and how do we benefit performing Google optimization?
Google is smart enough to understand similar words and phrases (now is when we get to use that word Synonym from English class). Thus, the actual keyword phrase doesn't have to be on the page. But words related to the same theme as your keyword phrases need to be on the page.
But if our keywords don't actually have to be on the page for Google to understand the page is about our subject (our keyword phrases), how does Google make that determination?
Off-Page SEO Is The Key To Your Google Optimization And To Your Sales Lead Generation
The links from other websites to your Web pages and what these links say about your pages is the KEY to optimizing for Google. Remember, links need to be pointed towards your interior pages, not just to your home page.
And those links need anchor text.
Anchor text is the wording that people click on to go to your Web page, when the actual link doesn't show your website url (and file name, if going to an interior page).
Anchor text tells Google (and to a lesser degree, other search engines) what your Web page is about.
Even if the actual keyword phrases aren't used on your page, the theme of the page text should match the anchor text pointed to that page. You want the wording to be compatible and complimentary.
You don't want to confuse Google as to your pages' themes. That can cause real problems.
Quantity Versus Quality
When considering links to your Web pages, quantity is important. You will have to research your competition to give you an idea as to the number of links you may need.
Two tools you can look into are SEO Elite and OptiLink. You can Google both.
But MUCH more important is the quality of your links. The better quality your links, the fewer you will need versus your competition.
Part of how you can evaluate quality of potential links to your site is that site's home page Google Page Rank.
Now, Google Page Rank is on a page-basis, not a site-wide basis. But the home page Page Rank can tell you if Google considers that site to be an "authority site".
You can install the free Google toolbar if you haven't already and activate the Page Rank feature. While the information is literally months old, it's the easiest way to view a page's Page Rank.
You want some links to your site from websites with a home page Google Page Rank of at least 5.
One thing you do want to watch: Don't have to high a percentage of your links containing the same anchor text. Aim for no more than 50% of your anchor text to any page being the same exact anchor text.
Wrapping It Up
For effective Google optimization, start by pointing enough quality links to your Web pages. One-way links are much more effective than reciprocal links, where you link back to the site that has linked to you.
Stay away from triangulated or 3-way links schemes. This is where site A links to site B which in turn links to site C. This is a "no-no" which Google can catch and will penalize for.
Use your keywords as anchor text for your links. Hold down the percentage...don't have 70% of your links to one page using the same exact anchor text!
Even if you don't have the keyword phrases on your page, you can still have top rankings, as long as your links' theme matches your Web page content those links are aimed at.
Following this strategy, you can also optimize your pages for more than one keyword phrase. And without creating dozens and dozens of junk pages, just to cover all your keywords.
You'll be able to increase your online sales and your sales lead generation, more easily.
About the Author:
Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a budget. He's a Sales Lead Generation expert and an Affordable SEO Services specialist offering affordable marketing services (and d-i-y Coaching). Receive your Free Introductory Consultation, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today!
Read more of Paul Marshall's articles.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Article Marketing - Writing for the Internet
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Article marketing incorporates writing carefully and concisely for a target audience on the Internet. While all writing begins with good grammar, accurate spelling and compelling content, there are several differences between print writing and online writing in both structure and purpose. Online articles tend to be shorter than printed text, as do the individual sentences that make up the text. Readers usually skim what they see online, so articles are not only shorter, but often broken up into small sections rather than presented as a large block of text.
Writing online articles for the purpose of article marketing involves targeting a specific audience and providing them with relevant content that is usually intended to drive them to another resource by way of a link.
Internet Writing and SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a strategy for increasing traffic to a website using organic search engine results. In terms of article marketing, this means creating an article that is targeted around keywords readers might use to search for your content in the search engines. In order to drive targeted traffic to the content of the article, the article will need to rank high in the search engines. To do this, your desired keywords must be sprinkled generously throughout the text in a natural way that doesn't make the content seem like a sales pitch.
Search engines use programs that scan the content of a website by sending "spiders" to crawl every bit of information on the site. The most widely-used search engines place a great deal of importance on backlinks, or links to a site from other websites. Article marketing helps to get these links because you have inserted them in the author's bio at the end of the article. They point to your site for readers interested in your content as well as spiders crawling the web searching for relevant linked-up websites.
An Emphasis on Quality
Quality content is one of the most important aspects of successful article marketing. Providing your readers with relevant information that delivers what they are searching for will drive not just traffic to your site, but targeted, trusting readers who respect what you have to offer. Furthermore, many article directories have quality control measures that protect against low quality articles. Misinformation or invalid content often will not be listed on these directories, let alone indexed by the search engines.
The Importance of Effective Titles
The title of an online article is essential to the success of the marketing campaign. A title that contains targeted keywords not only helps readers find the content they need, but also boosts the article's search engine rankings. Choosing the title of an online article is a balancing act that involves drawing in potential readers with clever catchiness but also satisfying the search engines' ranking system.
Straightforward and Uncluttered
Online readers tend to scan what they read online and need their text broken up into small logically flowing chunks. As a result, the body of the text may be divided by headlines or broken up into short paragraphs. Using sub-headings, lists, bullet points and bold key phrases are effective ways to create an article that is easy enough to read so that you will not lose your audience. The importance of keyword usage still remains, but splitting up the text into snackable chunks can hook readers and ease them from the first word to the last.
Get Grammar Guidance
Writing effective articles for the Internet takes time, research and practice to become an expert. Here are a few tips:
When writing to your audience, write using the active voice to make your words more direct, clear and concise.
Always use proper grammar and avoid slang.
Always run your text through a spell-checker to avoid simple but glaring errors.
If your text includes any specialized terms, define them for your audience so their read is easy and enjoyable.
Do not, under any circumstances, copy text from another source. This is not only wrong, it will make your article plummet in the search engine rankings due to duplicate content.
If you want to learn more about writing there are many good books available. A great one to start with is William Zinsser's On Writing Well: the Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction.
Outsourcing
If you don't feel that you can produce high-quality articles yourself, one solution is to outsource the work to freelance writers. While this can be an efficient way to get your articles written, you must make sure to find trustworthy writers who can produce content at the level of quality you desire. Outsourcing can work only if you identify a resource or company that provides writers at a cost effective rate with consistent and reliable delivery of high quality content.
Article marketing can be a powerful strategy for generating targeted traffic and backlinks to your site. It can increase both your credibility and your search engine rankings. But to be successful, you need to employ the unique style of writing specific to the Internet. Online writing is different from print writing in structure and content, but successful online writing is guaranteed to help your business's bottom line.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Article marketing incorporates writing carefully and concisely for a target audience on the Internet. While all writing begins with good grammar, accurate spelling and compelling content, there are several differences between print writing and online writing in both structure and purpose. Online articles tend to be shorter than printed text, as do the individual sentences that make up the text. Readers usually skim what they see online, so articles are not only shorter, but often broken up into small sections rather than presented as a large block of text.
Writing online articles for the purpose of article marketing involves targeting a specific audience and providing them with relevant content that is usually intended to drive them to another resource by way of a link.
Internet Writing and SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a strategy for increasing traffic to a website using organic search engine results. In terms of article marketing, this means creating an article that is targeted around keywords readers might use to search for your content in the search engines. In order to drive targeted traffic to the content of the article, the article will need to rank high in the search engines. To do this, your desired keywords must be sprinkled generously throughout the text in a natural way that doesn't make the content seem like a sales pitch.
Search engines use programs that scan the content of a website by sending "spiders" to crawl every bit of information on the site. The most widely-used search engines place a great deal of importance on backlinks, or links to a site from other websites. Article marketing helps to get these links because you have inserted them in the author's bio at the end of the article. They point to your site for readers interested in your content as well as spiders crawling the web searching for relevant linked-up websites.
An Emphasis on Quality
Quality content is one of the most important aspects of successful article marketing. Providing your readers with relevant information that delivers what they are searching for will drive not just traffic to your site, but targeted, trusting readers who respect what you have to offer. Furthermore, many article directories have quality control measures that protect against low quality articles. Misinformation or invalid content often will not be listed on these directories, let alone indexed by the search engines.
The Importance of Effective Titles
The title of an online article is essential to the success of the marketing campaign. A title that contains targeted keywords not only helps readers find the content they need, but also boosts the article's search engine rankings. Choosing the title of an online article is a balancing act that involves drawing in potential readers with clever catchiness but also satisfying the search engines' ranking system.
Straightforward and Uncluttered
Online readers tend to scan what they read online and need their text broken up into small logically flowing chunks. As a result, the body of the text may be divided by headlines or broken up into short paragraphs. Using sub-headings, lists, bullet points and bold key phrases are effective ways to create an article that is easy enough to read so that you will not lose your audience. The importance of keyword usage still remains, but splitting up the text into snackable chunks can hook readers and ease them from the first word to the last.
Get Grammar Guidance
Writing effective articles for the Internet takes time, research and practice to become an expert. Here are a few tips:
If you want to learn more about writing there are many good books available. A great one to start with is William Zinsser's On Writing Well: the Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction.
Outsourcing
If you don't feel that you can produce high-quality articles yourself, one solution is to outsource the work to freelance writers. While this can be an efficient way to get your articles written, you must make sure to find trustworthy writers who can produce content at the level of quality you desire. Outsourcing can work only if you identify a resource or company that provides writers at a cost effective rate with consistent and reliable delivery of high quality content.
Article marketing can be a powerful strategy for generating targeted traffic and backlinks to your site. It can increase both your credibility and your search engine rankings. But to be successful, you need to employ the unique style of writing specific to the Internet. Online writing is different from print writing in structure and content, but successful online writing is guaranteed to help your business's bottom line.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more Articles written by Enzo F. Cesario.
4 Keys to Choosing the Best Affiliate Programs for Your Business
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
A couple weeks ago, one of my clients sent me an email with this question:
"I've been checking out a couple programs that say I can make lots of money by including affiliate links on my website. I could really use the extra cash right now. What do you think?"
The client asking this question is a coach who is creating his own information products.
He knows there will be a lag between the time he launches his program and when he starts getting substantive income. He'd like to find an alternative revenue source to tide him over.
A Typical Affiliate Program
Amazon.com was one of the first online merchants to use an affiliate program. I've been an Amazon.com affiliate for many years.
Here's how I use Amazon.com's affiliate program.
I work with small business owners and help them with marketing issues. Naturally, I will suggest books that I've read and think are useful for small business owners who are looking for marketing help.
I recommend these books on my website and it's very easy to include a link so someone interested in buying one of those books can go directly to Amazon.com to learn more...maybe buy the book.
As an Amazon.com affiliate, I get a special link so that if that person actually buys the book, I get a small commission.
This in a nutshell is how affiliate programs work.
Sharing the Love
In the best sense, affiliate programs can be a win for everyone:
- you get a little extra money for making a recommendation that you would have made regardless (I was recommending these books long before I became an Amazon affiliate).
- Amazon.com gets more traffic (and building traffic is always desirable) and more sales (again, always desirable)
- The person making the purchase gets a valuable resource they otherwise wouldn't have known about
Affiliate Mania!
Over the years, gobs of companies have been jumping into the affiliate game. It's easy to understand the attraction of offering an affiliate program.
And something else started happening: everyone and their dog started offering affiliate programs. Along with the mad proliferation of affiliate programs, websites with no other purpose than being a collection of affiliate links began popping up.
The idea behind these sites is people go to your website and see lots and lots of links to click on. If they click on a link and buy something, Voila! you get some money.
Affiliates of Easy Virtue?
Some folks think having website that is, essentially, pages of links is a really super idea.
Myself, I think it's an example of a good idea taken to ridiculous extremes.
From a practical perspective, affiliate link farms depend on getting massive amounts of traffic. Unless you want to work your butt off getting traffic to your website (and you WILL have to work very hard because you have lots of competition) you will never generate the level of traffic you need to earn decent money.
What bugs me more than anything is the lack of added value. Putting up a web page with a bunch of links chosen based on the commission you'll get isn't bringing any value into the world.
You're not sharing your own knowledge and experience to help others. You're simply directing visitors to other businesses.
Finally, affiliate mania makes for bizarre bedfellows hence the term "affiliates of easy virtue."
There are literally hundreds of thousands of affiliates out there. How many are selling products that you can really feel good about reselling to other people? Are these affiliate programs about making a difference or mostly about lining the sellers pockets?
4 Keys to Selecting Win-Win Affiliates for Your Business
I'm a business owner and I like making money when it's because I helped my clients solve a problem or do something better. There's a sweetness when you make money because you add value. I can't imagine selling stuff and not caring whether or not it helps my customer.
Here are 4 keys I recommend when you consider which affiliates to participate in:
- Good Fit With Your Business
I help small business owners create inexpensive, results-based marketing programs. My clients typically need help doing things like building websites, creating blogs, attracting subscribers to read articles and offers, and selling products and services online.
Naturally I recommend website hosts, email list management services, shopping carts, and merchant account services. The vendors I use for these services offer affiliate programs and it makes perfect sense that I participate in those programs.
I am NOT an affiliate for weigh*t loss potions, stain removers, or real estate training programs because these have nothing to do with how I help my own customers.
- Shared Values
When a product or service rubs you the wrong way, chances are good that the values held by seller are in conflict with your values.
For example, I see my business as way not only to make money but to make a positive difference in the world. For this reason I don't participate in affiliates that, in my opinion, aren't adding anything substantive to the world.
- You Use The Products And Services Yourself
The only affiliates I participate in are ones whose products and services I actually use. I feel uncomfortable making money recommending something that I, myself wouldn't use.
- Decent Commission
All things being equal, I would choose the affiliate program offering a more generous affiliate commision.
The key qualifier here being "all things being equal."
Bottom Line
Affiliate programs are hot, hot, hot these days for good reasons.
But affiliate programs are NOT about money for nothing.
Affiliate programs are meant to enhance and supplement your core products and services...not to replace substantive products and services or to detract from them.
As long as you can be in integrity with the affiliate programs you support, they are a great source of extra revenue as well as a way to offer more value to your customers.
When this is the case, it's a very sweet way to share the love.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
A couple weeks ago, one of my clients sent me an email with this question:
"I've been checking out a couple programs that say I can make lots of money by including affiliate links on my website. I could really use the extra cash right now. What do you think?"
The client asking this question is a coach who is creating his own information products.
He knows there will be a lag between the time he launches his program and when he starts getting substantive income. He'd like to find an alternative revenue source to tide him over.
Amazon.com was one of the first online merchants to use an affiliate program. I've been an Amazon.com affiliate for many years.
Here's how I use Amazon.com's affiliate program.
I work with small business owners and help them with marketing issues. Naturally, I will suggest books that I've read and think are useful for small business owners who are looking for marketing help.
I recommend these books on my website and it's very easy to include a link so someone interested in buying one of those books can go directly to Amazon.com to learn more...maybe buy the book.
As an Amazon.com affiliate, I get a special link so that if that person actually buys the book, I get a small commission.
This in a nutshell is how affiliate programs work.
In the best sense, affiliate programs can be a win for everyone:
- you get a little extra money for making a recommendation that you would have made regardless (I was recommending these books long before I became an Amazon affiliate).
- Amazon.com gets more traffic (and building traffic is always desirable) and more sales (again, always desirable)
- The person making the purchase gets a valuable resource they otherwise wouldn't have known about
Over the years, gobs of companies have been jumping into the affiliate game. It's easy to understand the attraction of offering an affiliate program.
And something else started happening: everyone and their dog started offering affiliate programs. Along with the mad proliferation of affiliate programs, websites with no other purpose than being a collection of affiliate links began popping up.
The idea behind these sites is people go to your website and see lots and lots of links to click on. If they click on a link and buy something, Voila! you get some money.
Some folks think having website that is, essentially, pages of links is a really super idea.
Myself, I think it's an example of a good idea taken to ridiculous extremes.
From a practical perspective, affiliate link farms depend on getting massive amounts of traffic. Unless you want to work your butt off getting traffic to your website (and you WILL have to work very hard because you have lots of competition) you will never generate the level of traffic you need to earn decent money.
What bugs me more than anything is the lack of added value. Putting up a web page with a bunch of links chosen based on the commission you'll get isn't bringing any value into the world.
You're not sharing your own knowledge and experience to help others. You're simply directing visitors to other businesses.
Finally, affiliate mania makes for bizarre bedfellows hence the term "affiliates of easy virtue."
There are literally hundreds of thousands of affiliates out there. How many are selling products that you can really feel good about reselling to other people? Are these affiliate programs about making a difference or mostly about lining the sellers pockets?
I'm a business owner and I like making money when it's because I helped my clients solve a problem or do something better. There's a sweetness when you make money because you add value. I can't imagine selling stuff and not caring whether or not it helps my customer.
Here are 4 keys I recommend when you consider which affiliates to participate in:
- Good Fit With Your Business
I help small business owners create inexpensive, results-based marketing programs. My clients typically need help doing things like building websites, creating blogs, attracting subscribers to read articles and offers, and selling products and services online.
Naturally I recommend website hosts, email list management services, shopping carts, and merchant account services. The vendors I use for these services offer affiliate programs and it makes perfect sense that I participate in those programs.
I am NOT an affiliate for weigh*t loss potions, stain removers, or real estate training programs because these have nothing to do with how I help my own customers.
- Shared Values
When a product or service rubs you the wrong way, chances are good that the values held by seller are in conflict with your values.
For example, I see my business as way not only to make money but to make a positive difference in the world. For this reason I don't participate in affiliates that, in my opinion, aren't adding anything substantive to the world.
- You Use The Products And Services Yourself
The only affiliates I participate in are ones whose products and services I actually use. I feel uncomfortable making money recommending something that I, myself wouldn't use.
- Decent Commission
All things being equal, I would choose the affiliate program offering a more generous affiliate commision.
The key qualifier here being "all things being equal."
Affiliate programs are hot, hot, hot these days for good reasons.
But affiliate programs are NOT about money for nothing.
Affiliate programs are meant to enhance and supplement your core products and services...not to replace substantive products and services or to detract from them.
As long as you can be in integrity with the affiliate programs you support, they are a great source of extra revenue as well as a way to offer more value to your customers.
When this is the case, it's a very sweet way to share the love.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Selling Your Expired Domains - Unexplained Secrets and Tips (Part II)
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Selling your expired domains on auction sites is quite easy provided you learn and master the fundamental aspects of auction process. Quite a few number of auction sites allow you to sell your expired domains for a low set up and auction fee. Good domains can sell like hot cakes on these sites while the profit made by selling such domains could be very worthwhile as well.
Afternic.com, dnjournal.com, namedrive.com sedo.com and ebay.com are some of the web portals that help you to auction your web sites. However, EBay seems to be the best web portals for auctioning purposes because of the factor of flexibility and ease of selling. This web portal comes to you with an immense reputation of being the best auction site in the world.
Most auction sites provide a number of user-friendly features that will help you sell you domain names with considerable ease. Some of the most popular options provided by these sites are:
Auction Registrar: An auction registrar has the ability to register expired domains on behalf of those who show an interest in buying the names. ICAAN accredited registrars can help you sell the domain names to your customers.
Auction types - Almost all auction houses provide different auctioning procedures to make the process easier. Some of the most popular auction processes are:
Public auctions: By far, this is the most common type of auction process. You can set your own price for your expired domains on which a potential buyer can bid for the highest price. The highest bidder will win the expired domain. You can even set a reserve price for your domain when you perceive that the anticipated price is too low, below your actual price. You can set your own time to finish the auction process; usually, auctioneers set a period of around 7 days.
Buy It Now Auctions: You can suggest a special Buy it now price for those potential buyers who want to buy your expired domains almost immediately. Once your buyer confirms the buying intention, he or she will have to pay the set amount and purchase the domain name.
Reverse Auctions: Also called Dutch auctions, you can use these auctions when you auction your domains at the exact price that you want to receive. The only downside of this process is that the price of the domain may drop with each day. Price will fall continuously until a potential buyer chooses to the buy the names.
More tips to sell your domain names:
a) Make sure that you provide a free expired domain appraisal report so that the potential buyer can study the viability of buying them.
b) Ensure that the domain names you want sell offer a decent value to your clients.
c) If you feel that you have trouble in selling a particular expired domain name, use an extended auction feature with promotional tool like bold or highlighted listing.
d) Make sure that you complete the ownership transfer as soon as possible.
e) You can even create a small brochure to highlight all positive features of the expired domain names like incoming links, current traffic and Page Rank if any.
f) Relist the auction as and when necessary. Ensure that you offer lower price if the domain name does not sell even after an extended listing period.
g) If you are selling a premium domain name, you can consider giving a free domain as an incentive. Bundled offers are very common in any auction process.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Selling your expired domains on auction sites is quite easy provided you learn and master the fundamental aspects of auction process. Quite a few number of auction sites allow you to sell your expired domains for a low set up and auction fee. Good domains can sell like hot cakes on these sites while the profit made by selling such domains could be very worthwhile as well.
Afternic.com, dnjournal.com, namedrive.com sedo.com and ebay.com are some of the web portals that help you to auction your web sites. However, EBay seems to be the best web portals for auctioning purposes because of the factor of flexibility and ease of selling. This web portal comes to you with an immense reputation of being the best auction site in the world.
Most auction sites provide a number of user-friendly features that will help you sell you domain names with considerable ease. Some of the most popular options provided by these sites are:
Auction Registrar: An auction registrar has the ability to register expired domains on behalf of those who show an interest in buying the names. ICAAN accredited registrars can help you sell the domain names to your customers.
Auction types - Almost all auction houses provide different auctioning procedures to make the process easier. Some of the most popular auction processes are:
Public auctions: By far, this is the most common type of auction process. You can set your own price for your expired domains on which a potential buyer can bid for the highest price. The highest bidder will win the expired domain. You can even set a reserve price for your domain when you perceive that the anticipated price is too low, below your actual price. You can set your own time to finish the auction process; usually, auctioneers set a period of around 7 days.
Buy It Now Auctions: You can suggest a special Buy it now price for those potential buyers who want to buy your expired domains almost immediately. Once your buyer confirms the buying intention, he or she will have to pay the set amount and purchase the domain name.
Reverse Auctions: Also called Dutch auctions, you can use these auctions when you auction your domains at the exact price that you want to receive. The only downside of this process is that the price of the domain may drop with each day. Price will fall continuously until a potential buyer chooses to the buy the names.
More tips to sell your domain names:
a) Make sure that you provide a free expired domain appraisal report so that the potential buyer can study the viability of buying them.
b) Ensure that the domain names you want sell offer a decent value to your clients.
c) If you feel that you have trouble in selling a particular expired domain name, use an extended auction feature with promotional tool like bold or highlighted listing.
d) Make sure that you complete the ownership transfer as soon as possible.
e) You can even create a small brochure to highlight all positive features of the expired domain names like incoming links, current traffic and Page Rank if any.
f) Relist the auction as and when necessary. Ensure that you offer lower price if the domain name does not sell even after an extended listing period.
g) If you are selling a premium domain name, you can consider giving a free domain as an incentive. Bundled offers are very common in any auction process.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Monday, September 14, 2009
4 Keys to a Free Product That Grows Your Mailing List
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
If you are selling products and services on the Internet you are probably very aware of how valuable a list of subscribers is.
Periodic, relevant information is the main way to build the trust and credibility needed for customers and prospects to take action:
to click the Buy Now button
to pick up the phone to schedule an appointment
to complete an application
etc.
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of creating trust-based relationships in business. This is what periodic emails to your list allow you to do.
If your business is relatively new to online marketing, building a subscription list can feel pretty daunting. I've had many conversations with small business owners who are love the idea of email marketing and inevitably the question, "How do you get all these subscribers anyway?"
And that is the question I'm going to answer in this article.
=============================================
Why Building Your List Can Be a Struggle
=============================================
I know when I began my ezine, after the initial signups by folks in my immediate circle, adding new subscribers was a painfully slow process.
I received some glowing complements from subscribers and a couple marketing experts whose opinion I valued. And everything I read insisted that content is the most important component to succeeding in the online marketing game.
So I had good content; where was the rush of subscribers?
Simple: I was competing with thousands of other requests to subscribe.
People need a good reason to subscribe to your ezine. Why they should choose your ezine rather than the hundred other on the same topic.
One way to make your ezine the best choice is to give your subscribers something they can immediately use and get value from.
This is why a free product you give people when they subscribe to your ezine is so important.
=============================================
Providing Some Relief
=============================================
A lesson I learned from my coach, Mark Silver, is the importance of providing prospects some relief from a problem they're struggling with.
After all that's why most people are at your website to begin with yes? They have some sort of question or problem and they're looking for help. Whether they found your website doing a Google search or through a link on someone's blog, they're wanting help and they're hoping you'll provide it.
Free products that they can quickly download from your website are ideal for meeting this need.
In addition, when they use your free product and get some relief there is no better way to build your credibility! People are far more likely to purchase from you when they've already gotten a demonstration of the difference you make.
=============================================
What's the Best Free Product to Offer?
=============================================
The one question that comes up more than any other around the free give-away is "what should my give-away be?"
=============================================
4 Keys to Choosing a Free Product (with Subscription)
=============================================
Key #1 Easy to Get Online
Remember whatever it is you offer, you want to make it very easy for your prospect to get online.
Fortunately, it's cheap and simple to create a product that is easy to download. I recommend:
An article, report, or how-to guide people can download as an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf)
An audio recording they can listen to on the Internet (mp3 is currently the most popular format)
A video they can watch from your website (many computers now have a built-in camera making it easy to create short videos)
Key #2 Solves a Problem Most of Your Ideal Customers Struggle With
When I was trying to decide what free product would be best to offer with my ezine, I initially chose a report on getting more referrals from customers.
How to get referrals is a hugely popular topic among small business owners for very good reasons. But there were a couple drawbacks to this product:
(1.) You need a few satisfied customers who will refer you to others. This can be difficult for many new businesses.
(2.) Referrals are largely an in-person phenomenon. Referral programs work best when you offer local, in-person services. This isn't to say that an online business can't leverage referrals but it takes a lot longer because you don't have the non-verbal cues that naturally come from live contact.
Instead I decided to offer a how-to workbook showing business owners how to create an "audio-logo"--a simple, conversational introduction they could use in situations in which they might be meeting prospective customers.
Most business owners I know struggle with introducing themselves in a way that tells the other person "this is who I help" without sounding like they're reading their "elevator" script.
Voilla, this is how my free workbook came about.
Key #3. Is a first Step (Not the Entire Solution)
It's important to offer a solution that is appropriate to the level of trust and commitment your intended user has with your business. It's meant to be an appetizer; not a meal
One of my clients offers money management services for people working in the arts many of whom find the topic of money boring, painful, and distasteful.
Rather than immediately ask them to get into the numbers, she created a fun, easy to do Money Beliefs Assessment. The assessment is light-hearted and empathetic AND anyone who takes the assessment will learn something important about how their money beliefs may be getting in the way of their success.
Key #4. Easy to Use So People Get Results
The reason you want to offer a first step to solving a common problem is you want to give your client an easy win.
Remember, the purpose of your product is to provide relief. If it doesn't help the person get some relief you hurt your credibility.
A product that gets used and produces results is more valuable than any claim you could make in your advertising.
When they get results what happens? They come back for more. They begin to trust you to help with their more complex problems. They feel safe to invest more time, effort, and money to work with you.
=============================================
Bottom Line
=============================================
If you are trying to build your email list, offering a free product with the subscription will help you attract subscribers faster than if you were offering the subscription alone.
The best product to give away with your subscription is one that:
is easy to get online
solves a problem that is common to most of your clients
addresses the first step to solving that problem
and is likely to produce a positive result
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
If you are selling products and services on the Internet you are probably very aware of how valuable a list of subscribers is.
Periodic, relevant information is the main way to build the trust and credibility needed for customers and prospects to take action:
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of creating trust-based relationships in business. This is what periodic emails to your list allow you to do.
If your business is relatively new to online marketing, building a subscription list can feel pretty daunting. I've had many conversations with small business owners who are love the idea of email marketing and inevitably the question, "How do you get all these subscribers anyway?"
And that is the question I'm going to answer in this article.
=============================================
Why Building Your List Can Be a Struggle
=============================================
I know when I began my ezine, after the initial signups by folks in my immediate circle, adding new subscribers was a painfully slow process.
I received some glowing complements from subscribers and a couple marketing experts whose opinion I valued. And everything I read insisted that content is the most important component to succeeding in the online marketing game.
So I had good content; where was the rush of subscribers?
Simple: I was competing with thousands of other requests to subscribe.
People need a good reason to subscribe to your ezine. Why they should choose your ezine rather than the hundred other on the same topic.
One way to make your ezine the best choice is to give your subscribers something they can immediately use and get value from.
This is why a free product you give people when they subscribe to your ezine is so important.
=============================================
Providing Some Relief
=============================================
A lesson I learned from my coach, Mark Silver, is the importance of providing prospects some relief from a problem they're struggling with.
After all that's why most people are at your website to begin with yes? They have some sort of question or problem and they're looking for help. Whether they found your website doing a Google search or through a link on someone's blog, they're wanting help and they're hoping you'll provide it.
Free products that they can quickly download from your website are ideal for meeting this need.
In addition, when they use your free product and get some relief there is no better way to build your credibility! People are far more likely to purchase from you when they've already gotten a demonstration of the difference you make.
=============================================
What's the Best Free Product to Offer?
=============================================
The one question that comes up more than any other around the free give-away is "what should my give-away be?"
=============================================
4 Keys to Choosing a Free Product (with Subscription)
=============================================
Key #1 Easy to Get Online
Remember whatever it is you offer, you want to make it very easy for your prospect to get online.
Fortunately, it's cheap and simple to create a product that is easy to download. I recommend:
Key #2 Solves a Problem Most of Your Ideal Customers Struggle With
When I was trying to decide what free product would be best to offer with my ezine, I initially chose a report on getting more referrals from customers.
How to get referrals is a hugely popular topic among small business owners for very good reasons. But there were a couple drawbacks to this product:
(1.) You need a few satisfied customers who will refer you to others. This can be difficult for many new businesses.
(2.) Referrals are largely an in-person phenomenon. Referral programs work best when you offer local, in-person services. This isn't to say that an online business can't leverage referrals but it takes a lot longer because you don't have the non-verbal cues that naturally come from live contact.
Instead I decided to offer a how-to workbook showing business owners how to create an "audio-logo"--a simple, conversational introduction they could use in situations in which they might be meeting prospective customers.
Most business owners I know struggle with introducing themselves in a way that tells the other person "this is who I help" without sounding like they're reading their "elevator" script.
Voilla, this is how my free workbook came about.
Key #3. Is a first Step (Not the Entire Solution)
It's important to offer a solution that is appropriate to the level of trust and commitment your intended user has with your business. It's meant to be an appetizer; not a meal
One of my clients offers money management services for people working in the arts many of whom find the topic of money boring, painful, and distasteful.
Rather than immediately ask them to get into the numbers, she created a fun, easy to do Money Beliefs Assessment. The assessment is light-hearted and empathetic AND anyone who takes the assessment will learn something important about how their money beliefs may be getting in the way of their success.
Key #4. Easy to Use So People Get Results
The reason you want to offer a first step to solving a common problem is you want to give your client an easy win.
Remember, the purpose of your product is to provide relief. If it doesn't help the person get some relief you hurt your credibility.
A product that gets used and produces results is more valuable than any claim you could make in your advertising.
When they get results what happens? They come back for more. They begin to trust you to help with their more complex problems. They feel safe to invest more time, effort, and money to work with you.
=============================================
Bottom Line
=============================================
If you are trying to build your email list, offering a free product with the subscription will help you attract subscribers faster than if you were offering the subscription alone.
The best product to give away with your subscription is one that:
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Increase Your Sales With Blog Marketing
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
A savvy and free way to increase your business sales is through blog marketing. No matter what business you're in, you can increase your business with a focused blog marketing campaign. You may shy away from blog marketing because you feel that you might not be a good writer, or simply don't like to write. This is understandable. But the truth is that many blog marketers nowadays don't even write their own content. They pay someone else to do it.
In fact, you can pay someone else to write dozens of articles to keep your blog going. You can come up with ideas if you want to, but you can just as easily give your writers a broad general topic idea and have them come up with streamlined topics for blog entries. The best course of action is truly up to you, but paying writers to craft your blog entries is not expensive and may save you trouble in the long run.
Once you've determined how your blog will be written, the next thing you must do is focus on the keywords that your blog will include. There is a lot of information out there on keyword research and niche marketing but, in essence, what you want to do is find keywords that are searched highly and don't have a lot of competition. Competition means that there are a lot of other pages that come up when you search under that keyword.
You want to have less than 30,000 pages of competition in the Google search results in order to determine that a keyword is viable. And you want to use a keyword tool like the one on Wordtracker to determine how many searches the term receives per day. Go for keywords that get close to or over 100,000 searches with very little competition. This way, you have a really good chance to get to the top of the search engines with your blog.
The reason blog marketing is so effective is because blog marketing allows you to provide the ultimate content that the search engine spiders are looking for when they crawl webpages. The search engine spiders are looking for pages that provide content which contains a fair number of the keywords that the Internet user is looking for, along with information that the user might find useful.
The search engines know that readers don't just want a blatant sales pitch all the time. They want the reader to get the most accurate information for his or her needs.
Blogs provide information about products and services that customers might enjoy. Some of them contain reviews, opinions or instructions. There are no hard and fast rules for blogging.
Blogs are not ecommerce sites and are, therefore, viewed favorably by many of the search engines. You want to make sure, however, that you don't have too much keyword-density and too little real content filling up your blog. You want to have truly useful articles that people will find interesting.
One of the wonderful things about the Internet is that it can provide people with informative content that makes an interesting read. If you can become an information resource in your field, people will be more likely to buy from you. Why? Because they will trust you. They might not buy from you right away, but they will probably patronize you at some point in time.
The audience you build with your blog can help you in a number of ways. Some people will, of course, purchase from you. Others may help build your business by telling a friend, mentioning you on their website, or promoting your products or services on their blog.
Another important step in blog marketing is determining where you want to host your blog. There are many options and some of them are free. If you like, you can also build your blog within your website, but then you won't be taking advantage of an external link that your blog could provide to your website.
After you set up your blog, make sure your blog meta tags and titles are optimized to the best of your ability, just like your website. You may also want to add media, like videos. This can make your content more diverse and interesting to the search engines, as well.
Submit your blog to social marketing sites every day and submit unique keyword optimized articles to some of the most popular article directories every week. Eventually people will begin to read your blog and if they find the information useful, they will want to know more about your business.
Blog marketing, used in conjunction with many of the other online marketing strategies, is a valuable way to increase the public's view of your brand, and hopefully your sales.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
A savvy and free way to increase your business sales is through blog marketing. No matter what business you're in, you can increase your business with a focused blog marketing campaign. You may shy away from blog marketing because you feel that you might not be a good writer, or simply don't like to write. This is understandable. But the truth is that many blog marketers nowadays don't even write their own content. They pay someone else to do it.
In fact, you can pay someone else to write dozens of articles to keep your blog going. You can come up with ideas if you want to, but you can just as easily give your writers a broad general topic idea and have them come up with streamlined topics for blog entries. The best course of action is truly up to you, but paying writers to craft your blog entries is not expensive and may save you trouble in the long run.
Once you've determined how your blog will be written, the next thing you must do is focus on the keywords that your blog will include. There is a lot of information out there on keyword research and niche marketing but, in essence, what you want to do is find keywords that are searched highly and don't have a lot of competition. Competition means that there are a lot of other pages that come up when you search under that keyword.
You want to have less than 30,000 pages of competition in the Google search results in order to determine that a keyword is viable. And you want to use a keyword tool like the one on Wordtracker to determine how many searches the term receives per day. Go for keywords that get close to or over 100,000 searches with very little competition. This way, you have a really good chance to get to the top of the search engines with your blog.
The reason blog marketing is so effective is because blog marketing allows you to provide the ultimate content that the search engine spiders are looking for when they crawl webpages. The search engine spiders are looking for pages that provide content which contains a fair number of the keywords that the Internet user is looking for, along with information that the user might find useful.
The search engines know that readers don't just want a blatant sales pitch all the time. They want the reader to get the most accurate information for his or her needs.
Blogs provide information about products and services that customers might enjoy. Some of them contain reviews, opinions or instructions. There are no hard and fast rules for blogging.
Blogs are not ecommerce sites and are, therefore, viewed favorably by many of the search engines. You want to make sure, however, that you don't have too much keyword-density and too little real content filling up your blog. You want to have truly useful articles that people will find interesting.
One of the wonderful things about the Internet is that it can provide people with informative content that makes an interesting read. If you can become an information resource in your field, people will be more likely to buy from you. Why? Because they will trust you. They might not buy from you right away, but they will probably patronize you at some point in time.
The audience you build with your blog can help you in a number of ways. Some people will, of course, purchase from you. Others may help build your business by telling a friend, mentioning you on their website, or promoting your products or services on their blog.
Another important step in blog marketing is determining where you want to host your blog. There are many options and some of them are free. If you like, you can also build your blog within your website, but then you won't be taking advantage of an external link that your blog could provide to your website.
After you set up your blog, make sure your blog meta tags and titles are optimized to the best of your ability, just like your website. You may also want to add media, like videos. This can make your content more diverse and interesting to the search engines, as well.
Submit your blog to social marketing sites every day and submit unique keyword optimized articles to some of the most popular article directories every week. Eventually people will begin to read your blog and if they find the information useful, they will want to know more about your business.
Blog marketing, used in conjunction with many of the other online marketing strategies, is a valuable way to increase the public's view of your brand, and hopefully your sales.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Secret to Starting a Successful Online Business
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Ruth Barringham
It goes without saying that everyone who starts up an online business wants to be successful. Having an online business means you can "retire" and work online. With your own successful online business you quit your day job. No more commuting. No more boss. No more 9-to-5 drudgery.
But how do you set up an online business if you don't know where to start?
There is a secret to setting up a successful online business that no one ever wants to talk about. The so-called internet "gurus" don't talk about it because they want to sell you their product that they claim will make you instantly rich. Some of them will even offer to give you a free money-making web site. But why would anyone give away a web site that makes lots of money? Because these sites are designed to make them rich; not you.
There are lots of money-making scams on the internet and they are easy to spot because they are full of hype and promises that you can "get-rich-quick!"
None of this is true. Any logical person knows that it's impossible to go to bed poor and wake up rich (unless you win the lotto while you're asleep).
The real secret to a successful online business is just four small letters. W-O-R-K. And that really is all there is to it.
But because the word "work" conjures up mental images of toil and sweat, no one wants to talk about it. But it's worth doing if your goal is to have financial freedom and the luxury of working from home.
The way to create your own online business is to first build a web site from scratch and work your way up. This means knowing how to write HTML code which is the cornerstone of all web sites.
HTML code isn't difficult to understand once you know what you're doing. Even if you only understand basic HTML, you'll have a firm foundation to grow your business from. Web designers will try and tell you that building web sites is difficult and is best left the professionals (meaning them). But they only say that to serve their own interests because if you build your own web site, they're out of a job.
Understanding how to write HTML code is also handy if you do hire a professional web designer in the future because you'll understand their jargon and know if they're trying to over-charge you.
But ultimately being able to write HTML code and build all your own web sites gives you the freedom to design your sites exactly as you want them and it puts you more in control of your online business.
But before you build your first web site you need to know what niche you want to work in.You can have a web site in any niche (subject) you want but it needs to be something that you're really interested in so that you can stay enthusiastic about your site. If you can't get enthusiastic about your niche topic, it will show in your web site and ultimately your income will suffer.
Once you know what you want to make your web site about then you should start small with just a simple site that has only a few pages. A site that's too big too soon will quickly become too much.
You can place a few PPC (Pay Per Click) advertisements on your site by simply copying and pasting a small script onto your web pages. Ads are then displayed automatically and whenever a visitor clicks on an ad, you earn money. These ads vary in payment from only a few cents per click, up to several dollars. So you can imagine how quickly that adds up day after day.
Next you need to find a few affiliate products to sell. There are plenty of companies on the internet that use affiliate programs to boost sales. There are also quite a few giant affiliate directories where you can find hundreds of products from lots of different companies. You just join an affiliate program for free, place ads for the products on your web site, and whenever someone clicks on one of your ads and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. And some of the commissions pay as high as 75%.
Affiliate sales are a great way to generate income if you don't have a product of your own to sell. Some people earn their whole online income this way with some affilaites earning in excess of $200,000 a year. And it's easy to see how.
Say you have a web site that advertises exercise equipment and someone clicks through one of your links and buys a treadmill. You could earn over $600 from a sale like that by doing nothing more than placing a small advertisement on your site. Of course not all commissions are that high. But even if you're only making $20 a time from selling e-books, you only need to make a few sales every day to earn a full-time income.
Eventually you may even consider selling your own products online. Most people start by selling small information products such as e-books because there's no expensive production required and no shipping costs.
Of course, just because you have a web site doesn't mean that you'll get a lot of visitors. So you also need to do some online marketing to drive visitors (called "traffic") to your site.
Marketing can be done for free. You can market by writing articles and uploading them to the online article directories. You can give away free things such as short reports. Or you can market your site using free videos and audio pod casts.
But whichever method you use to drive traffic to your web site, you have to make sure that once your visitors get there, your web page content is appealing, informative and compelling enough to make them want to stay awhile and click on your PPC ads or make a purchase through one of your affiliate links.
Of course, these are not the only ways to build a profitable web site. But they are a great way to start. And once you know what works for your site and what doesn't, you can add more pages and make it as big as you want, or you can build more sites and create what is known as VRE (Virtual Real-Estate). And as you can probably imagine, more sites, means more sales and more PPC ads which all adds up to more money.
So although building your own successful online business might seem like W-O-R-K in the beginning, the quicker you can grow your site the quicker you will profit from it. So working 8 hours a day on your web site will build it quicker than working only 1-2 hours.
Just start with the basics; learn HTML code, learn how to write compelling web page content and learn the simplest ways to start making money online. Doing it this way will give you complete control over your online business.
And you'll find that running your own online business is not only interesting and fun but it's also extremely profitable.
And if that's what you really want, then you need to stop dreaming about it and get to work right now.
As the old saying goes; be a doer, not a gunner.
About the Author:
Written by: Ruth Barringham. Imagine how great it would be if you could live the life you've always desired by working from home running your own online business. If this is something you've always dreamed of doing, don't put if off any longer. Find out how how simple it is to start your own online business at http://www.newonlinecourse.net/
Read more of Ruth Barringham's articles.
Copyright © 2009 Ruth Barringham
It goes without saying that everyone who starts up an online business wants to be successful. Having an online business means you can "retire" and work online. With your own successful online business you quit your day job. No more commuting. No more boss. No more 9-to-5 drudgery.
But how do you set up an online business if you don't know where to start?
There is a secret to setting up a successful online business that no one ever wants to talk about. The so-called internet "gurus" don't talk about it because they want to sell you their product that they claim will make you instantly rich. Some of them will even offer to give you a free money-making web site. But why would anyone give away a web site that makes lots of money? Because these sites are designed to make them rich; not you.
There are lots of money-making scams on the internet and they are easy to spot because they are full of hype and promises that you can "get-rich-quick!"
None of this is true. Any logical person knows that it's impossible to go to bed poor and wake up rich (unless you win the lotto while you're asleep).
The real secret to a successful online business is just four small letters. W-O-R-K. And that really is all there is to it.
But because the word "work" conjures up mental images of toil and sweat, no one wants to talk about it. But it's worth doing if your goal is to have financial freedom and the luxury of working from home.
The way to create your own online business is to first build a web site from scratch and work your way up. This means knowing how to write HTML code which is the cornerstone of all web sites.
HTML code isn't difficult to understand once you know what you're doing. Even if you only understand basic HTML, you'll have a firm foundation to grow your business from. Web designers will try and tell you that building web sites is difficult and is best left the professionals (meaning them). But they only say that to serve their own interests because if you build your own web site, they're out of a job.
Understanding how to write HTML code is also handy if you do hire a professional web designer in the future because you'll understand their jargon and know if they're trying to over-charge you.
But ultimately being able to write HTML code and build all your own web sites gives you the freedom to design your sites exactly as you want them and it puts you more in control of your online business.
But before you build your first web site you need to know what niche you want to work in.You can have a web site in any niche (subject) you want but it needs to be something that you're really interested in so that you can stay enthusiastic about your site. If you can't get enthusiastic about your niche topic, it will show in your web site and ultimately your income will suffer.
Once you know what you want to make your web site about then you should start small with just a simple site that has only a few pages. A site that's too big too soon will quickly become too much.
You can place a few PPC (Pay Per Click) advertisements on your site by simply copying and pasting a small script onto your web pages. Ads are then displayed automatically and whenever a visitor clicks on an ad, you earn money. These ads vary in payment from only a few cents per click, up to several dollars. So you can imagine how quickly that adds up day after day.
Next you need to find a few affiliate products to sell. There are plenty of companies on the internet that use affiliate programs to boost sales. There are also quite a few giant affiliate directories where you can find hundreds of products from lots of different companies. You just join an affiliate program for free, place ads for the products on your web site, and whenever someone clicks on one of your ads and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. And some of the commissions pay as high as 75%.
Affiliate sales are a great way to generate income if you don't have a product of your own to sell. Some people earn their whole online income this way with some affilaites earning in excess of $200,000 a year. And it's easy to see how.
Say you have a web site that advertises exercise equipment and someone clicks through one of your links and buys a treadmill. You could earn over $600 from a sale like that by doing nothing more than placing a small advertisement on your site. Of course not all commissions are that high. But even if you're only making $20 a time from selling e-books, you only need to make a few sales every day to earn a full-time income.
Eventually you may even consider selling your own products online. Most people start by selling small information products such as e-books because there's no expensive production required and no shipping costs.
Of course, just because you have a web site doesn't mean that you'll get a lot of visitors. So you also need to do some online marketing to drive visitors (called "traffic") to your site.
Marketing can be done for free. You can market by writing articles and uploading them to the online article directories. You can give away free things such as short reports. Or you can market your site using free videos and audio pod casts.
But whichever method you use to drive traffic to your web site, you have to make sure that once your visitors get there, your web page content is appealing, informative and compelling enough to make them want to stay awhile and click on your PPC ads or make a purchase through one of your affiliate links.
Of course, these are not the only ways to build a profitable web site. But they are a great way to start. And once you know what works for your site and what doesn't, you can add more pages and make it as big as you want, or you can build more sites and create what is known as VRE (Virtual Real-Estate). And as you can probably imagine, more sites, means more sales and more PPC ads which all adds up to more money.
So although building your own successful online business might seem like W-O-R-K in the beginning, the quicker you can grow your site the quicker you will profit from it. So working 8 hours a day on your web site will build it quicker than working only 1-2 hours.
Just start with the basics; learn HTML code, learn how to write compelling web page content and learn the simplest ways to start making money online. Doing it this way will give you complete control over your online business.
And you'll find that running your own online business is not only interesting and fun but it's also extremely profitable.
And if that's what you really want, then you need to stop dreaming about it and get to work right now.
As the old saying goes; be a doer, not a gunner.
About the Author:
Written by: Ruth Barringham. Imagine how great it would be if you could live the life you've always desired by working from home running your own online business. If this is something you've always dreamed of doing, don't put if off any longer. Find out how how simple it is to start your own online business at http://www.newonlinecourse.net/
Read more of Ruth Barringham's articles.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Expired Domain Market - Realities and Perceptions (Part II)
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Expired domain market can make you immensely rich when you strike it right. Many newbie traders think that this business is all about buying a domain at very cheap price and later selling it at very high prices. However, the actual reality is something else! Your domain is actually useless unless it is one of those types that are born bestsellers. Such domains are rare and special and most of them will never see the light of day because most of them sell in a private market!
Here are some more details about this unique business system:
1. Expired domain market is for everyone. Anyone can use this opportunity including you. It is open for everyone but with a stiff rider - participate in this business if you are ready to compete with thousands of tough competitors!
2. Expired domain market is a complex system where system rungs very tightly and rigidly according to some set and established guidelines. All domains must pass through a number of accredited registrars who actually hold the control of all expired domains.
3. The perceived commercial value of an expired domain is apparent and invisible. You will never know its value unless you actually sell them.
4. Expired domain market is also a very secretive market where most of the transactions are kept under tight control and secrecy. There is scant data available on the sales volume and the actual selling price.
5. You need just small amount of money to start this business. Initially, you may like to spend little and later expand your investment as you gain confidence and have a firm grip on the basic nuisance of the market and its system.
6. It is always true that most of the newbie domain traders purchase ordinary expired domains in the hope that they can make lot of money. Lack of knowledge or skill in choosing the right type of expired domain could be the main factors for failure in this business.
7. Expired domains are invaluable units of virtual estate where you can control the way in which you sell your domains. Expired domains are also like gold nuggets that you can transform into usable and practical units with an ability to sell at very high prices.
8. The initial price suggested by the domain trader may never be accepted by a potential buyer. The selling process could take a long time when you and your buyer may participate in a lengthy negotiation process.
9. Choosing wrong expired domains and buying them at very high prices could be disaster! When you collect wrong domains, you will also accumulating tremendous liability along with them.
10. Diversification in this business could be very difficult as it consists of lengthy flipping process that needs your time, effort and money.
11. If at all you sell your domain at a profit, the amount realized in the sales process will cover your entire expenses spent for retaining that domain with you.
12. It is also very difficult to sell a large inventory of expired domain names in one single transaction. You may need to go three or four at a time to sell all you domains.
Expired domain market is an exciting opportunity that needs your skill, patience, time and money. You will need to learn and master the art of buying and selling them by conducting a thorough research study on the topic.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Expired domain market can make you immensely rich when you strike it right. Many newbie traders think that this business is all about buying a domain at very cheap price and later selling it at very high prices. However, the actual reality is something else! Your domain is actually useless unless it is one of those types that are born bestsellers. Such domains are rare and special and most of them will never see the light of day because most of them sell in a private market!
Here are some more details about this unique business system:
1. Expired domain market is for everyone. Anyone can use this opportunity including you. It is open for everyone but with a stiff rider - participate in this business if you are ready to compete with thousands of tough competitors!
2. Expired domain market is a complex system where system rungs very tightly and rigidly according to some set and established guidelines. All domains must pass through a number of accredited registrars who actually hold the control of all expired domains.
3. The perceived commercial value of an expired domain is apparent and invisible. You will never know its value unless you actually sell them.
4. Expired domain market is also a very secretive market where most of the transactions are kept under tight control and secrecy. There is scant data available on the sales volume and the actual selling price.
5. You need just small amount of money to start this business. Initially, you may like to spend little and later expand your investment as you gain confidence and have a firm grip on the basic nuisance of the market and its system.
6. It is always true that most of the newbie domain traders purchase ordinary expired domains in the hope that they can make lot of money. Lack of knowledge or skill in choosing the right type of expired domain could be the main factors for failure in this business.
7. Expired domains are invaluable units of virtual estate where you can control the way in which you sell your domains. Expired domains are also like gold nuggets that you can transform into usable and practical units with an ability to sell at very high prices.
8. The initial price suggested by the domain trader may never be accepted by a potential buyer. The selling process could take a long time when you and your buyer may participate in a lengthy negotiation process.
9. Choosing wrong expired domains and buying them at very high prices could be disaster! When you collect wrong domains, you will also accumulating tremendous liability along with them.
10. Diversification in this business could be very difficult as it consists of lengthy flipping process that needs your time, effort and money.
11. If at all you sell your domain at a profit, the amount realized in the sales process will cover your entire expenses spent for retaining that domain with you.
12. It is also very difficult to sell a large inventory of expired domain names in one single transaction. You may need to go three or four at a time to sell all you domains.
Expired domain market is an exciting opportunity that needs your skill, patience, time and money. You will need to learn and master the art of buying and selling them by conducting a thorough research study on the topic.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Social Marketing: Not Nearly As Awful As I Feared
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
I have to admit I've been slow to jump on board with the whole social marketing trend.
After so many years spent in marketing and frequently hearing about the "next big thing", I've come to the decision that all these technologies are simply communication tools for building trusting relationships with prospective customers.
No one tool is going to make you a gazillion dollars.
But used with common sense and an understanding of where your customers hang out and what your customers are most wanting, I think social marketing technology is well worth learning to use.
Specifically, social marketing tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Linked extend your ability to make yourself known to prospective customers as well as people who may refer customers to you.
But it takes time and a focus on providing useful information and resources to others without any requirement for receiving in return.
I've always been a resource connector by nature (the one who is always emailing articles and snippets to you prefaced with an fyi") so social media is a comfortable place for me.
If you are wanting results RIGHT NOW, either stay out of social media or hire someone who has a lighter touch. Social media requires a lower key approach. Hype and in-your-face sales tactics turn most members of Social Marketing Land off.
==============================================================
Success Strategies for Using Social Marketing in Your Business
==============================================================
Some strategies that work for cultivating profitable connections in social media.
Think Conversation; not Presentation
Most people hang out on blogs and social networks because they are engaging with others who have similar interests.
Social networks are informal gatherings, like going to your friend's BBQ. You might talk business but if you do it will be a casual conversation. Not climbing up on a bench and bellowing, "Hey everyone, let me tell you about this great new service I'm offering."
It is of course possible that a casual business conversation will lead to a "how about we set up a time to talk more next week?" in which case the result is a meeting in which a presentation is appropriate.
Remember the point is to share information and resources that may be helpful to others in a give and take conversation.
Expect to reach out first
There's a funny T-shirt that reads "More People Have Read This Shirt than My Blog."
That about sums it up if you expect people to swarm to your blog or follow you on Twitter. Unless you're maybe Ashton Kuchner.
Actions you can take to reach out include:
- Finding others who are doing something that is useful to you and your customers and making a point to comment on their posts in a way that adds to the conversation in progress.
- If you, yourself post to your own blog, include links to articles that support or enhance the points you're making. Directing people to other blogs is not only helpful to your readers, it is very appreciated by the persons whose blogs you link to.
- They may even link back to you!
- Let people know about useful resources in all social media you participate in. I regularly post links to articles, statistics, and other bits of information my clients and colleagues may appreciate.
Be Yourself
Remember your mom telling you to be yourself when you were worried about being liked by people you didn't know?
Your mom was right.
In addition to sharing information and resources with real, actionable value to my clients and customers, I also share observations, reviews (books, movies, electronics), and of course the occasional anecdote about my cats.
And I share in my own voice similar to how I might talk with co-workers or people I know casually at a party.
Pick Just One and Try it Out
The first explanation I heard about Twitter was "it's microblogging."
I still have trouble explaining blogging to a lot of people let alone microblogging.
"Microblogging" is actually a pretty good description but it's also, in my opinion, somewhat geeky and intimidating if you're not a social media buff.
So rather than try to figure it all out, I strongly suggest you get yourself an account with Twitter or Facebook or Linked in.
Not all of them, pick just one.
Then give yourself some time to poke around and get a sense of what's going on.
Start with people you already know, trust and like
Once you get an account, invite people you know, trust, and like to join your network. Or follow them on Twitter. Or subscribe to their blog.
This way you start in a small box with others you may already be connected with. You can feel fairly confident that you'll be interested in engaged in the conversations they're having.
As you begin to feel more comfortable you can begin to check out their contacts or look for people interested in a particular topic you love to talk about.
==============================================================
Join Me
==============================================================
If you're looking to find some people to hang out with in Social Marketingland, I invite you to connect with me.#1
To join my Linkedin Network: http://xrl.us/bfau2p
To join me on Facebook: http://xrl.us/bfauzo
To follow me on Twitter: http://xrl.us/bfauxw
#1 - You need to first sign up for an account. All the social media accounts listed here are free.
Bottom Line
Once I began reaching out more and focused on hanging out with like- minded people, I got used to and even began to enjoy social marketing.
The most important thing to remember is social media is about connection and conversation. If people like what they're hearing and find value in what you offer, you will begin picking up business and business-related opportunities.
But like any online strategy, it takes time and effort on your end to reach out and contribute first.
And feel free to connect with me on one of the social media tools I mentioned.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Copyright © 2009 Judy Murdoch
I have to admit I've been slow to jump on board with the whole social marketing trend.
After so many years spent in marketing and frequently hearing about the "next big thing", I've come to the decision that all these technologies are simply communication tools for building trusting relationships with prospective customers.
No one tool is going to make you a gazillion dollars.
But used with common sense and an understanding of where your customers hang out and what your customers are most wanting, I think social marketing technology is well worth learning to use.
Specifically, social marketing tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Linked extend your ability to make yourself known to prospective customers as well as people who may refer customers to you.
But it takes time and a focus on providing useful information and resources to others without any requirement for receiving in return.
I've always been a resource connector by nature (the one who is always emailing articles and snippets to you prefaced with an fyi") so social media is a comfortable place for me.
If you are wanting results RIGHT NOW, either stay out of social media or hire someone who has a lighter touch. Social media requires a lower key approach. Hype and in-your-face sales tactics turn most members of Social Marketing Land off.
==============================================================
Success Strategies for Using Social Marketing in Your Business
==============================================================
Some strategies that work for cultivating profitable connections in social media.
Most people hang out on blogs and social networks because they are engaging with others who have similar interests.
Social networks are informal gatherings, like going to your friend's BBQ. You might talk business but if you do it will be a casual conversation. Not climbing up on a bench and bellowing, "Hey everyone, let me tell you about this great new service I'm offering."
It is of course possible that a casual business conversation will lead to a "how about we set up a time to talk more next week?" in which case the result is a meeting in which a presentation is appropriate.
Remember the point is to share information and resources that may be helpful to others in a give and take conversation.
There's a funny T-shirt that reads "More People Have Read This Shirt than My Blog."
That about sums it up if you expect people to swarm to your blog or follow you on Twitter. Unless you're maybe Ashton Kuchner.
Actions you can take to reach out include:
- Finding others who are doing something that is useful to you and your customers and making a point to comment on their posts in a way that adds to the conversation in progress.
- If you, yourself post to your own blog, include links to articles that support or enhance the points you're making. Directing people to other blogs is not only helpful to your readers, it is very appreciated by the persons whose blogs you link to.
- They may even link back to you!
- Let people know about useful resources in all social media you participate in. I regularly post links to articles, statistics, and other bits of information my clients and colleagues may appreciate.
Remember your mom telling you to be yourself when you were worried about being liked by people you didn't know?
Your mom was right.
In addition to sharing information and resources with real, actionable value to my clients and customers, I also share observations, reviews (books, movies, electronics), and of course the occasional anecdote about my cats.
And I share in my own voice similar to how I might talk with co-workers or people I know casually at a party.
The first explanation I heard about Twitter was "it's microblogging."
I still have trouble explaining blogging to a lot of people let alone microblogging.
"Microblogging" is actually a pretty good description but it's also, in my opinion, somewhat geeky and intimidating if you're not a social media buff.
So rather than try to figure it all out, I strongly suggest you get yourself an account with Twitter or Facebook or Linked in.
Not all of them, pick just one.
Then give yourself some time to poke around and get a sense of what's going on.
Once you get an account, invite people you know, trust, and like to join your network. Or follow them on Twitter. Or subscribe to their blog.
This way you start in a small box with others you may already be connected with. You can feel fairly confident that you'll be interested in engaged in the conversations they're having.
As you begin to feel more comfortable you can begin to check out their contacts or look for people interested in a particular topic you love to talk about.
==============================================================
Join Me
==============================================================
If you're looking to find some people to hang out with in Social Marketingland, I invite you to connect with me.#1
To join my Linkedin Network: http://xrl.us/bfau2p
To join me on Facebook: http://xrl.us/bfauzo
To follow me on Twitter: http://xrl.us/bfauxw
#1 - You need to first sign up for an account. All the social media accounts listed here are free.
Bottom Line
Once I began reaching out more and focused on hanging out with like- minded people, I got used to and even began to enjoy social marketing.
The most important thing to remember is social media is about connection and conversation. If people like what they're hearing and find value in what you offer, you will begin picking up business and business-related opportunities.
But like any online strategy, it takes time and effort on your end to reach out and contribute first.
And feel free to connect with me on one of the social media tools I mentioned.
About the Author:
Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com
Follow Judy Murdoch on Twitter.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Selling Your Expired Domains - Unexplained Secrets and Tips (Part I)
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
When it comes to expired domain names business, you have a number of options of making money and gain in the process. Several methods and techniques allow you to create a constant stream of ongoing income that can take care of all domain maintenance costs. As a domain name trader, you may wish to know and where to sell your domains.
Here are some practical tips and techniques to help you sell your stock of expired domain names:
Three main selling activities are:
Listing the domain name on an auction site;
Selling the expired domain names on a site specified for domain trading;
Selling directly to a buyer;
Using auction sites: Many top end expired domain name traders use this channel to sell their domain names. Auctioning is a very profitable way of finding a customer. Auction houses provide a very good platform to sell expired domain names at very high profits. Two or three worded organic domain names can fetch very good prices on auction sites.
Advantages:
i) Very quick selling process;
ii) Very good exposure for your domains;
iii) You can host your domains on bidding or Buy Now or Best offer mode of selling options;
iv) You can accept popular payment methods;
v) The final selling price depends on the quality of domain names;
Disadvantages:
i) Auction fees to be payable;
ii) Very low profits on inferior domain names;
iii) More waiting period;
Using expired domain selling sites: These typical sites help you sell your domain at decent prices. If you have a very good domain, you may even get very good price with a potential to make very high profit.
Advantages:
Very high selling prices;
These sites are famous among expired domain traders;
These are exclusive web portals designed for the purpose of selling expired domain names;
Lot of interested buyers visit these sites;
Disadvantages:
Commission and fees payable;
The selling procedure is complex;
The entire process takes a long time from listing to selling;
Selling direct: This is a difficult and time-consuming method. You may have to find the buyer by using your personal contacts. Hard bargain will be the sole basis for selling your domains.
Advantages:
Good domains will attract potential buyers;
You can choose your own payment methods;
No fees payable to anyone;
You are the owner of all profits;
Disadvantages:
Very less exposure to potential buyers;
More marketing and advertising efforts needed;
More time need to sell the expired domain;
You will need to employ one or more of these methods to make enough money from your expired domain names. You may wish to divide and segregate your domain names according to their merits and later sell them by using one of the three methods. Good expired domains tend to sell very quickly on auction and selling sites. However, you will also advertise and promote your expired domains by using different virtual channels like forums and blogs.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
When it comes to expired domain names business, you have a number of options of making money and gain in the process. Several methods and techniques allow you to create a constant stream of ongoing income that can take care of all domain maintenance costs. As a domain name trader, you may wish to know and where to sell your domains.
Here are some practical tips and techniques to help you sell your stock of expired domain names:
Three main selling activities are:
Using auction sites: Many top end expired domain name traders use this channel to sell their domain names. Auctioning is a very profitable way of finding a customer. Auction houses provide a very good platform to sell expired domain names at very high profits. Two or three worded organic domain names can fetch very good prices on auction sites.
Advantages:
i) Very quick selling process;
ii) Very good exposure for your domains;
iii) You can host your domains on bidding or Buy Now or Best offer mode of selling options;
iv) You can accept popular payment methods;
v) The final selling price depends on the quality of domain names;
Disadvantages:
i) Auction fees to be payable;
ii) Very low profits on inferior domain names;
iii) More waiting period;
Using expired domain selling sites: These typical sites help you sell your domain at decent prices. If you have a very good domain, you may even get very good price with a potential to make very high profit.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
You will need to employ one or more of these methods to make enough money from your expired domain names. You may wish to divide and segregate your domain names according to their merits and later sell them by using one of the three methods. Good expired domains tend to sell very quickly on auction and selling sites. However, you will also advertise and promote your expired domains by using different virtual channels like forums and blogs.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Post-buying Management of Expired Domains - Tips and Suggestions
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Buying an expired domain is as easy or as difficult as any other buying activities. When you buy a product from an online portal, you will be on your track to confirm that what you buy is actually good for you. There are times when you buy an exceedingly good product. At the same time, you may even buy a product that is useless and a big waste of money. The most important aspect that you must remember is to ensure that you are buying only the best. However, all newbie domain buyers get confused as to what to do with the just purchased domains.
Here are some general tips and suggestions for managing your expired domain names:
Redirect your expired domains to your present domain by using 301-redirect method: This time-tested method helps you to promote your expired domain. By redirecting the domain, you can easily bring your expired domain back into life. To maximize the effect of this method, you may wish to buy an expired domain that has theme and keywords almost similar to your existing web domain. The most significant benefit of using this method is the gradual accumulation of incoming links and traffic to your web domains, which eventually result in an enhanced commercial sales value, and increased probability of selling your domains for very good profits. Here are some more advantages and associated disadvantages of using 302-redirect method:
1. Benefits:
a) It saves you lot of time and energy
b) You can benefit from the traffic associated with expired domain
c) It is a proven method to generate incoming traffic and links
2. Disadvantages:
a) Most redirect scripts will have the old anchor texts that are not as good as the new keyword enriched anchor text.
b) Some of the expired domains might have strict penalties imposed on them in their previous avatar. You may inherit this black mark when you buy such expired domains. You will need to be very cautious of this issue.
Design and create an expired domain based micro-site and divert traffic from it: This time consuming method needs your effort and money. In fact, you can use your expired domain as a small web portal to provide useful information and articles for the benefit of readers. You can also redirect the traffic from this site to your main site to create traffic. When you match the keywords of both of these sites, the ensuing traffic will be just amazing. Some of the benefits and demerits of using this method are:
A) Benefits:
i) You can easily promote links to your main site
ii) Accumulated traffic will add value to your expired domain
iii) You can easily create a good brand for your main web site.
iv) You can even use your expired domain based micro site as an experimental place to test your content and advertisement
v) You can have a very simple micro site limited to just one page.
B) Disadvantages:
i) The whole process is time consuming and you will need to put lot of effort.
ii) You may face the problem of spamming which may also lead to penalties imposed by search engines.
iii) Micro sites are very difficult to promote and advertise.
These two simple methods can help you permute your expired domain in many ways and they are the most desired tools to add a premium value to your domains expired.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Copyright © 2009 John Khu
Buying an expired domain is as easy or as difficult as any other buying activities. When you buy a product from an online portal, you will be on your track to confirm that what you buy is actually good for you. There are times when you buy an exceedingly good product. At the same time, you may even buy a product that is useless and a big waste of money. The most important aspect that you must remember is to ensure that you are buying only the best. However, all newbie domain buyers get confused as to what to do with the just purchased domains.
Here are some general tips and suggestions for managing your expired domain names:
Redirect your expired domains to your present domain by using 301-redirect method: This time-tested method helps you to promote your expired domain. By redirecting the domain, you can easily bring your expired domain back into life. To maximize the effect of this method, you may wish to buy an expired domain that has theme and keywords almost similar to your existing web domain. The most significant benefit of using this method is the gradual accumulation of incoming links and traffic to your web domains, which eventually result in an enhanced commercial sales value, and increased probability of selling your domains for very good profits. Here are some more advantages and associated disadvantages of using 302-redirect method:
1. Benefits:
a) It saves you lot of time and energy
b) You can benefit from the traffic associated with expired domain
c) It is a proven method to generate incoming traffic and links
2. Disadvantages:
a) Most redirect scripts will have the old anchor texts that are not as good as the new keyword enriched anchor text.
b) Some of the expired domains might have strict penalties imposed on them in their previous avatar. You may inherit this black mark when you buy such expired domains. You will need to be very cautious of this issue.
Design and create an expired domain based micro-site and divert traffic from it: This time consuming method needs your effort and money. In fact, you can use your expired domain as a small web portal to provide useful information and articles for the benefit of readers. You can also redirect the traffic from this site to your main site to create traffic. When you match the keywords of both of these sites, the ensuing traffic will be just amazing. Some of the benefits and demerits of using this method are:
A) Benefits:
i) You can easily promote links to your main site
ii) Accumulated traffic will add value to your expired domain
iii) You can easily create a good brand for your main web site.
iv) You can even use your expired domain based micro site as an experimental place to test your content and advertisement
v) You can have a very simple micro site limited to just one page.
B) Disadvantages:
i) The whole process is time consuming and you will need to put lot of effort.
ii) You may face the problem of spamming which may also lead to penalties imposed by search engines.
iii) Micro sites are very difficult to promote and advertise.
These two simple methods can help you permute your expired domain in many ways and they are the most desired tools to add a premium value to your domains expired.
About the Author:
John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web sites called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com and http://www.expireddomaingains.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.
Read more of John Khu's articles.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Article Marketing -- Building Links to Your Business
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Online marketing has been a vast and rapidly growing outlet over the past decade. Obviously, there are many approaches to online marketing, but very few that come close to the effectiveness of article marketing. Article Marketing has provided a large portion of the visitors for some of the web's most successful businesses and it has proven to be one of the most cost effective marketing techniques today.
What is Article Marketing and How Does it Work?
Article Marketing is the publication of written content on websites other than your own. Sometimes these websites may have similar content or products as your business. Sound like helping your competition? Here's the catch. Your article includes a backlink - a link that leads to your own website. Simply put, you provide an article on other people's websites that ends with a link back to your own website. The idea is that for those sites using your article, they must include the link back to your site.
The quality of your article's content is a deciding factor in how many people will publish it on their sites. This is why it is very important that your articles be well written, purposeful, and relevant to the subject. If you don't or can't write the articles yourself, you might want to consider paying for someone to write for you. In the long run it will be worth it.
Is Article Marketing Effective
Article Marketing has become extremely popular because of the way search engines do their searching. There was a time when the number of visitors to a site was a critical factor in its listings with search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Today, however, the key determinant is the number of backlinks: pointers from other sites to yours. To understand how the backlinks work in relevancy to your page listing, you must first understand the search engine process.
Your page's popularity, known as the page rank, is judged by two factors: how many backlinks there are to your site; and the popularity of the sites that those backlinks are on. For example, let's say you have two backlinks to your site listed on two different websites. One of those sites, say Microsoft.com, has a very high page rank. The other, BobsDoItYourselfComputerRepair.com, has a pretty low page rank. Your site will receive more notice from the search engines because of the link on the more popular site. So, backlinks on high-profile sites will inevitably raise your page ranking.
Creating and Submitting Articles
When creating your articles, remember that quality is of utmost importance. People are looking for information, and a well-written, relevant article will position you as someone who knows what they are talking about in a reader's mind. If you don't think you can write your own articles, there are many online outlets for finding writers.
Once the article is written, add a link to your site along with your by-line. This is called a resource box and can include a little bit about you and your business as well as the link to your website.
Next, you will need to get your article submitted to other sites. You don't have to do this yourself. There are literally thousands of article marketing source sites on the Internet that can do it for you. However, the more popular ones are those that produce the most effective traffic. Among these are EzineArticles.com, ArticleDashboard.Com, and GoArticles.Com. Each of these will provide excellent sources for backlinks, but be prepared to submit only well-written articles, as they tend to be quite thorough in their screening process.
Check Your Article Marketing Campaign
Once you have submitted your article, give it a few weeks to make its way out onto the World Wide Web. Then, use one of the many backlink-checking tools available on the net. Most are free and can be found by doing a simple web search. Domain-Pop.com and IWebTool.com provide some of the more popular tools. The larger search engines (i.e. Google.com) provide backlink-checking tools also. These programs are usually easy to use and require no download. Simply go to the site, put the web address of your site into the appropriate space, and hit enter. In a few seconds you will be able to see how many backlinks your site has and, in most cases, exactly what sites those backlinks are listed on.
Article Marketing is not only one of the most effective techniques for building your page rank and popularity, but is also one of the most simple and most inexpensive, particularly if you have good writing skills of your own. Remember to keep your article content similar to the content of your site. People surfing for the information in your articles will only click on the link in your resource box if it is relevant to their own personal interests. Also remember that article marketing takes time and effort. It doesn't happen overnight. With every article you put out onto the web, you are putting out another way for potential visitors to find you. Over time, this will increase the traffic to your website and will eventually increase your sales.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
Copyright © 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
Online marketing has been a vast and rapidly growing outlet over the past decade. Obviously, there are many approaches to online marketing, but very few that come close to the effectiveness of article marketing. Article Marketing has provided a large portion of the visitors for some of the web's most successful businesses and it has proven to be one of the most cost effective marketing techniques today.
What is Article Marketing and How Does it Work?
Article Marketing is the publication of written content on websites other than your own. Sometimes these websites may have similar content or products as your business. Sound like helping your competition? Here's the catch. Your article includes a backlink - a link that leads to your own website. Simply put, you provide an article on other people's websites that ends with a link back to your own website. The idea is that for those sites using your article, they must include the link back to your site.
The quality of your article's content is a deciding factor in how many people will publish it on their sites. This is why it is very important that your articles be well written, purposeful, and relevant to the subject. If you don't or can't write the articles yourself, you might want to consider paying for someone to write for you. In the long run it will be worth it.
Is Article Marketing Effective
Article Marketing has become extremely popular because of the way search engines do their searching. There was a time when the number of visitors to a site was a critical factor in its listings with search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Today, however, the key determinant is the number of backlinks: pointers from other sites to yours. To understand how the backlinks work in relevancy to your page listing, you must first understand the search engine process.
Your page's popularity, known as the page rank, is judged by two factors: how many backlinks there are to your site; and the popularity of the sites that those backlinks are on. For example, let's say you have two backlinks to your site listed on two different websites. One of those sites, say Microsoft.com, has a very high page rank. The other, BobsDoItYourselfComputerRepair.com, has a pretty low page rank. Your site will receive more notice from the search engines because of the link on the more popular site. So, backlinks on high-profile sites will inevitably raise your page ranking.
Creating and Submitting Articles
When creating your articles, remember that quality is of utmost importance. People are looking for information, and a well-written, relevant article will position you as someone who knows what they are talking about in a reader's mind. If you don't think you can write your own articles, there are many online outlets for finding writers.
Once the article is written, add a link to your site along with your by-line. This is called a resource box and can include a little bit about you and your business as well as the link to your website.
Next, you will need to get your article submitted to other sites. You don't have to do this yourself. There are literally thousands of article marketing source sites on the Internet that can do it for you. However, the more popular ones are those that produce the most effective traffic. Among these are EzineArticles.com, ArticleDashboard.Com, and GoArticles.Com. Each of these will provide excellent sources for backlinks, but be prepared to submit only well-written articles, as they tend to be quite thorough in their screening process.
Check Your Article Marketing Campaign
Once you have submitted your article, give it a few weeks to make its way out onto the World Wide Web. Then, use one of the many backlink-checking tools available on the net. Most are free and can be found by doing a simple web search. Domain-Pop.com and IWebTool.com provide some of the more popular tools. The larger search engines (i.e. Google.com) provide backlink-checking tools also. These programs are usually easy to use and require no download. Simply go to the site, put the web address of your site into the appropriate space, and hit enter. In a few seconds you will be able to see how many backlinks your site has and, in most cases, exactly what sites those backlinks are listed on.
Article Marketing is not only one of the most effective techniques for building your page rank and popularity, but is also one of the most simple and most inexpensive, particularly if you have good writing skills of your own. Remember to keep your article content similar to the content of your site. People surfing for the information in your articles will only click on the link in your resource box if it is relevant to their own personal interests. Also remember that article marketing takes time and effort. It doesn't happen overnight. With every article you put out onto the web, you are putting out another way for potential visitors to find you. Over time, this will increase the traffic to your website and will eventually increase your sales.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/
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