10 Ways To Generate A Steady Income Online Part Two

In the previous article, we discussed writing your way to a steady online income. In this article, let’s explore two more strategies- Teaming Up With Other Marketers and Taping Into The Backend

#2 – TEAM Up With Other Marketers

If you like the idea of making a lot of money, but you do not like the idea of creating your own products, then –

You may want to consider affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is when two marketers come together – one with a product and one with an audience – and they split the profits on any sales they make together.

The affiliate sends traffic to the product creator’s sales page, and the product creator closes the sale and gives a commission to the affiliate for every paid referral.

You can become an affiliate for nearly anything – from Dell computers to beer-making machines to books and products on sites like Amazon.

However, when you’re an affiliate for physical products, you generally receive a small commission – perhaps only 5% or 10%. That means if you’re selling a $100 product, you’ll only get $5 or $10 for every paid referral you send to the merchant.

Important: Don’t discard affiliate marketing just yet.

You see, if you promote downloadable products like ebooks, you can get as much as 50%, 75% or even a full 100% commission for every product you sell!

Now imagine those sorts of commissions on a $100 product, and you can see how the money will pile up pretty quickly in your bank account!

Here’s an overview of how to make your fortune with affiliate marketing:

1. Find a hungry market.

Some people find a product and then go looking for a market. A better way to do it is to find a hungry market that’s flush with cash first (because finding a product is the easy part).

2. Find out what this market is already buying.

The easiest way to make money online is to sell what people are already buying.

3. Find suitable products.

Go to Clickbank.com to browse for affiliate products that are similar to what the market is already buying. Be sure to read the products and research the merchant to make sure you’re dealing with a good merchant.

4. Set up a lead-capture page.

NEVER send your leads straight to the merchant’s page. Instead, set up an autoresponder series and a related freebie (like a free ebook) to get all leads on your mailing list. THEN you can recommend that those on your mailing list purchase certain products.

5. Start sending traffic to your lead capture page.

You can generate traffic by using pay per click marketing, search engine optimization, article marketing, blogging, social media marketing, forum marketing, viral marketing and similar strategies.

That’s it! Just build a list of targeted buyers, find affiliate products that solve their problems, and recommend those products.

Just like that, you’re on a path to generating a steady online income.

#3 – TAP into the Backend Automatically

As you’ve already discovered from the previous two paths to riches, the money isn’t in your products… it’s in your list.

And the easiest money you’ll ever make is by selling more products and more expensive products to your existing customers (i.e., sell on the “backend” of your business).

Smart marketers spend considerable amounts of time building their sales funnels (backend sales systems).

They know the hard part is getting the prospect into the funnel – but once the prospect starts buying, they’ll continue to buy provided you’re solving their problems and giving them a good buying experience.

And so savvy marketers are constantly coming up with new ideas, creating new products, and figuring out ways to convert their existing customers into repeat buyers.

Now imagine if you could sell a product to your customer once… and then do so automatically every month after that, with no additional persuasion on your part.

Would that make it easier for you to run your business? And would you be able to make a whole lot more money? Yes and yes!

Fortunately, there already exists a way for you to tap into the backend income automatically and effortlessly.

Namely, by creating a monthly membership site.

Here’s the idea – instead of selling a new product to your customers every month, you set up a membership site with a monthly fee. Your customers are billed automatically.

And all you have to do is update the site once a month. You can even outsource this task, meaning you’re earning a residual income almost on autopilot!

Just imagine setting up a membership site with a $20 monthly fee and getting just 500 customers. Each and every month your payment processor rebills these customers, and you earn another fast $10,000!

Here are just a few ideas for membership sites you could set up:

a. A site that offers a service, like web hosting.

Or you could offer something like sales letter critiques or college essay critiques.

b. A site that offers lessons on a topic.

For example, you could have a six-month or twelve-month course on how to get an online business up and running. Or you could offer a course on something like how to do home repairs and maintenance.

c. A site that offers a new product each month.

Think of Time Life books here or the “Wine of the Month” club. Every month the customer receives a new product, and it doesn’t have to be a physical product. It could be a series of related ebooks – perhaps “how to” nonfiction books, or a “romance ebook of the month” club!

Those are just a few ideas. You’ve no doubt been apart of some of these sites, such as sites that deliver new software to its members every month, sites that offer large discounts on niche products, sites that offer private label rights (PLR) products to resell, and so on.

All you have to do to get started is:

1) Choose a hungry niche.

2) Find out what they’re already buying and what they want.

3) Set up a membership script and payment processor.

4) Set up a squeeze page and a sales page.

10 Ways To Generate A Steady Income Online Part One

I’m really excited about this series of articles.
And that’s because it seems everyone wants to know how to make $10,000 a month online so they can blow past the magical “six figures a year” milepost…
Just browse your favorite online marketing forum for a few minutes, and I’m guessing you’ll unearth dozens of similar requests.
That’s why I decided to create this special series of articles for you and everyone else who knows it’s possible to make $10K a month online, but haven’t yet broken through that barrier.
I’m not going to give you just one plan. No, instead –
I’m going to give you TEN proven ways to generate a steady income online!
Here’s just a taste of some of the ways you can get on your path to $10K per month:
- Teaming Up With Other Marketers!
- Typing Your Way to $10K!
- Tapping Into the Backend… Automatically!
- Taking Advantage of eBay!
- Targeting Other Marketers
- …Plus five other proven plans you can use to hit that magical five-figures-per-month milestone!
Let’s get to it…
#1 – TYPE Your Way to a steady online income
Here’s a direct path to generate a steady online income
Create and sell your own information products.
Many people who are just starting out don’t even realize that they have knowledge that other people would be willing and even eager to pay for – and chances are, there’s a book in you that could make you rich! Maybe:
• You’ve lost a lot of weight and could teach others to do the same.
• You know how to stretch the family budget.
• You could teach others how to create and sell crafts.
• You know how to get into graduate school.
• You know how breed and raise poodles.
The above list includes just five ideas… but the sky is the limit!
Take time to brainstorm your interests and talents, and you’ll quickly discover that you know a lot about a particular topic.
So once you’ve figured out what to write about, what do you do next?
Below is a step-by-step overview of the entire process. Remember that most of what you see on the list below can be outsourced to competent freelancers:
1. Research the market to ensure your idea is profitable.
Your goal isn’t to find a market and give them a product that requires them to first be educated about why they need this product. That’s the long, hard and expensive way of making money.
Instead, your goal is to choose a hungry niche… and then give them a product that they’re ALREADY buying.
2. Research the competition so you can develop a better product.
Now, you don’t want to just give your market the exact same product as the competitors are delivering to the customers. You want to make your product unique – and you want to make it better.
So your next step is to research the competitors’ products to discover how you can improve upon the products the market is already buying.
3. Create the product.
Next, it’s time to take action. Shut the ringer off on your phones, lock the door, close your email… and start typing. Start with an outline and a goal to write XXXX of words per day.
Then keep typing until you finish your ebook – don’t worry about editing, because you can do that once the draft is finished.
Quick Tip: If you don’t like to type, then try a voice-to-text product like Dragon Naturally Speaking.
If creating the product doesn’t sound like something you want to do yourself, then outsource the task.
4. Set up your website, including a lead-capture system.
Next, you need to write a sales letter that sells your ebook and upload it to a web page. You’ll also want to set up a squeeze page with an autoresponder as a means to get your visitors to join your newsletter list.
This is important, because most people won’t buy your ebook the first time they visit your site – the money is in your list!
5. Set up your backend sales system.
Most people don’t get rich selling just one product. Instead, they find their wealth is hidden in the backend of their business – this is where existing customers buy more products and more expensive products from you.
As such, even as you create your first product, you need to also be developing your backend sales system.
You should set up various ways to contact and pitch additional products to your existing customers, such as by email, postal mail, membership site forums, blogs or even through links in the products they’ve already purchased.
And there you have it – the five-step path to riches.
It’s not a complicated process. Indeed, you can boil it down to a few words:
Find a hungry market and give them what they want.
Heeding the advice in the last line will put you on your path to steady online income.

What Is Time Management?

Introduction

What is Time Management? (Hint, it’s not what you think it is.)

When someone utters the words “Time Management” there are normally two types of reactions. Some cringe or roll their eyes. These folks are either so tired of hearing about how they should be doing things that they just don’t care anymore.

Nothing they’ve tried has worked and they’re just done with the whole concept of time management. Who can blame them?

Many time management guides and gurus require you to modify your personality to fit their structured program. That’s just not going to happen, right?

The other reaction is to smile and feel a bit of curiosity. These folks are ready, willing and anxious for some tips that actually work.

They are either new to the concept of time management or they’ve tried a few things and they have worked so they’re ready for more insight and helpful tips.

Both reactions are normal and to be honest depending on the day you may have felt both reactions.

This report is designed to help you create a time management system that works for you. No personality change is required! (Though you may have to modify some habits.)

What is Time Management?

Time Management, as it is discussed and addressed in this report, is about living your best life. It’s about having time to focus on your essential tasks, skills and passions.

It’s about streamlining your practices and business tasks into systems that you can manage yourself quite quickly and efficiently – or you can hand them off to someone else to manage and trust that the job will be done to your satisfaction.

You see, when you create systems they are repeatable and can be used successfully by anyone time and time again.

Time management is not forcing you to use a software, practice or tool that doesn’t fit your personality, needs, or preferences.

For example, one commonly suggested tactic for creating website content quickly is to use a standard egg timer to help you stay focused and on task. Well that might work for some but if you don’t work well under pressure that time is simply going to drive you batty.

Other people recommend using a structured planner with a priority rating system to track your daily tasks.

This method works very well for structured people however if you’re a creative person this structure may feel too confining and be completely ineffective.

The Effects of Poor Time Management

It’s sometimes difficult to see the effects that poor time management can have on a business. However, they are very real, very unfortunate and very avoidable.

A little story…

Terry owns a coaching business. She loves to work with her clients one on one. Each coaching session fills her with the kind of satisfaction most only dream about.

Even better, she’s very good at what she does and her clients reap tremendous benefits from their time with her. Terry has built a successful business.

However, this professional coach isn’t so great at managing her time. In fact, sometimes she’s so overworked that she has to cancel appointments with her clients.

This of course doesn’t help her bottom line because it is her coaching sessions that generate the most immediate profit.

Worse, sometimes Terry is unprepared for the sessions because she hasn’t had the time to review the client’s material and their needs. She often finds herself “winging it.”

So Terry’s work suffers. Her clients don’t get her full attention because she’s often multi-tasking while on the phone with them. Also, she’s working for dollars.

Her lack of time management has created a business where she’s always working to earn a dollar, she’s reacting instead of being pro-active.

This means she squeezes client consultations and coaching sessions in during all times of the day and week. Sunday mornings, Friday nights she works whenever she can. This is causing stress on her personal and family life.

Terry, being a smart business owner, does know the importance of marketing. She writes her own content and publishes on a successful professional development website.

She also has a blog and she uses social networking to communicate with her audience. She also spends a lot of time creating downloads and materials her blog and website visitor can benefit from.

Unfortunately, because Terry is often juggling many tasks at once and isn’t prioritizing the most important, and profitable tasks, not to mention the tasks she clearly loves, she is working 12 hours a day, seven days a week and she’s not making the money she wants to make.

She’s stressed out. She’s losing enthusiasm for her business and occasionally peruses the classified ads for a different job. She’s also occasionally dropping the ball, cancelling too many times on a client, and losing customers.

Unfortunately, Terry’s story is a common one. If you see yourself in any part of this story there’s good news.

Why Running Your Business Without A Website Is Risky And Dangerous

Recently, I read a thread in the Warrior Forum about an Internet Marketer who had his Blogger blog shut down by the Big G. He was earning about $300 – $500 per month from the Blogger blog and needless to say he was quite disappointed.

For some reason, I can no longer locate that thread. I guess it was removed.

But this is reflective of a dangerous myth that prevails in Internet Marketing. How often have you seen products and courses churning out with tempting captions.

- No Website
- No SEO
- No PPC
- No Products

Honestly speaking, you should NEVER build a business online without having a website of your own. Sure there are a ton of free services that you can take advantage of, but having your money site on Blogger, WordPress, Squidoo or Hubpages etc is a perfect recipe for disaster.

Why?

Because those platforms though free are not owned by you. So you can be banned, slapped or flagged as spam without any warning. It is simple, it is their turf and they can do whatever they want to.

And it is precisely for this reason why I am not a fan of any courses that advise you to build your business on Web 2.0 properties. They can act as good feeder sites but they SHOULD NOT be your money site.

I understand why Marketers want to come up with products that encourage you to take advantage of these Web 2.0 properties. First, they are so easy to lure prospects into buying since the tagline of “No website” is way too tempting. Second, it may have worked for them.

But the problem starts when there are changes in the way these sites operate or when the Big G decides to slap these Web 2.0 properties- Thanks to the ocean of garbage that is being thrown on these properties.

And really, there is just no excuse for you NOT to have a website of your own. It doesn’t cost a fortune and if you can’t afford to buy a domain name and hosting, I would suggest that you get a job or if you have a job, save some money to invest in a domain name and web hosting.

For my sites, I use Hostgator and personally I have been very satisfied with their customer service. I also buy my domain name via Hostgator from Registry Rocket.

As far as buying domain names are concerned, I know a lot of people recommend GoDaddy. But I have also heard horror stories and complaints from Internet Marketers and others who strictly advise against buying your domains from GoDaddy. Namecheap may be a better source for purchasing domains but again I personally haven’t used them.

Here Is An Interesting Discussion Thread

And when you look at the costs, it isn’t much.

Hostgator Baby Plan costs about $7.95 per month and a domain name costs about $15 per year. So really under $30 you can have your own website.

And if you are just starting out with Internet Marketing, I would advise you to go deep instead of going broad. What I mean is pick a niche and go deep within that niche. So for example, if you decide to build a weight loss website, here are some ways you can reach the sub-niches.

a. Diet Plan Reviews
b. Diet Pills Reviews
c. Fitness Equipments Reviews
d. Muscle Building Program Reviews
e. Weight Loss Tips
f. Muscle Building Tips
g. Expert Columns etc.

So instead of building different websites for each sub-niche, you can combine different sub-niches into a single mega authority website. But the key here is to be patient and just keep posting good quality content on a regular basis.

For my cricket friends, here is an analogy. Think of it as a test match and you are the bowler. The odds are stacked up against you when you are presented with a dead pitch to go with hot and humid conditions.

As a bowler, you can only do one thing- bowl the length, bowl the line in the corridor of uncertainty. In other words, you need to be like Glenn Mcgrath bowling that nagging line and length just outside the off stump and it is just a matter of time before the batsman nicks one to the keeper or slips.

Similarly when you building your website, do your keyword research, focus on long tail keywords particularly buying keywords and start producing quality content optimized for the keyword. Just keep doing that without losing focus and it is just a matter of time before you see traffic coming in.

And once you start generating traffic, there are so many ways to monetize the traffic in the form of ads, promoting affiliate products and sell your own products.

So the next time, you are sucked into the fallacy of starting a business online without a website, know that you are building your home on quick sand. It is just a matter of time before it comes down crumbling.

What Is Article Marketing & Why You Should Do Article Marketing?

Introduction

What Is Article Marketing?

Entrepreneurs have an abundance of business building resources at their disposal. Each offers unique benefits.

Some boost awareness. Others help establish and strengthen credibility. Still others actually help sell products or services.

Article marketing is one of the few marketing tactics that actually accomplishes several very powerful business building and marketing goals in one fell swoop.

Of course article marketing success doesn’t happen overnight. (Though you may see results quite quickly.) With goals, a plan and a strategic approach you will see your business grow with your article marketing efforts.

So what exactly is article marketing?

It’s essentially the process of publishing articles on other websites. Most commonly people publish content on article directories.

We’ll get into how to compare article directories and choose the right ones for your strategy in a future chapter.

An article directory is a website that is devoted to publishing articles on a number of topics.

Some article directories have hundreds of categories ranging from pet care to internet marketing. Other article directories have a narrower range of topics.

Each directory comes with their own publishing rules and regulations. Some allow embedded links for example, while others don’t.

However, article marketing can also include several other article publishing mediums.

For example, you can publish articles in relevant ezines or online magazines. You can publish articles in print publications like magazines and newspapers too.

One great way to embrace article marketing is to create an ezine, publish articles and syndicate them – allow others to publish them on their websites or in their ezines as long as they keep all the links and give you credit.

What Article Marketing Is and How It Works

With so many other potentially effective marketing tactics available like social networking and email marketing why bother with article marketing?

What does it offer that other well planned and implemented tactics don’t?”

Article marketing offers a one, two, three punch for business owners.

And it also helps reinforce your other marketing efforts.

We’ll get into how to optimize your article marketing efforts in just a bit but imagine how much more effective your article marketing might be if you also linked to newly published articles on your social networking pages?

You’ll multiply your exposure.

Article Marketing’s One, Two, Three Punch

So what benefits does article marketing really offer?

Punch #1 Expert Status and Credibility

As a society we give great credence to people who are published.

Of course you can’t just throw up nonsensical articles or information and assume you’re suddenly considered an expert.

However, when you take the time to publish valuable and informative content, you will begin to establish a reputation as a knowledgeable expert.

What happens when you become a knowledgeable expert?

People will come to you for:

More informationAdviceProducts and services

Regardless of industry you’re in or your chosen business model, publishing content is a surefire way to establish yourself as a credible expert.

Article marketing helps you reach a broad audience. It helps you begin to create your niche and your position as an industry expert.

Consider, for a moment, the blogs you read, the companies you do business with and the brands you trust.

Many of them have earned your business because they’ve helped you find information, improve yourself or your life, or helped you solve a problem.

They’ve established themselves as a credible source and an expert in their niche and earned your trust and business.

The same is true for your prospects. Earn their trust through publishing, and other means, and they’ll buy from you.

Punch #2 Increased Awareness and Exposure

Article marketing directories provide a unique service.

They enable you to publish articles with the explicit purpose of having them republished across the internet and around the world.

You can publish one article and have it republished hundreds of times around the internet.

What does this “syndication” accomplish?

It provides you with a reach much broader and more vast than simply publishing an article on your website.

Instead of reaching a thousand visitors on your website you might reach ten thousand people as they interact with the websites that have published your article on their site.

Additionally, ezine or article marketing websites often come up on the first page or two of search engine results.

That means whenever someone is looking for your information, even if they don’t find your website through the search, they may find your article marketing content – which of course includes a link to your site.

So you’ll gain more visitors and increased awareness simply by using an article marketing website.

Now we’ve just touched on the traffic benefit so let’s move onto Punch #3, which is of course…traffic.

Punch #3 Traffic, Traffic, and More Traffic

Increased website traffic may be the single most attractive benefit for many internet business owners.

Here’s how it works.

You publish an article on an article directory. Ten other website owners in your niche (or a complimentary niche) publish your article on their website.

They retain not only any embedded links (per the publisher agreement) they also keep the author’s bio box and the link to your website.

All of their website visitors now see your article content and many of them will click through to your website. So you gain traffic by exposure.

You also gain traffic by increasing your search engine results. Each incoming link from a reputable and quality website helps improve your page ranking.

If you have one incoming link from ten quality websites, you now have ten incoming links. Your page ranking improves.

It should be noted that some article directories have “No-follow” rules in place. That means that the incoming links to your website from the ezine directory do not count with the search engines.

The spiders don’t follow the links and therefore they’re not counted. That’s one factor to research when comparing article directories.

Finally, article marketing can help you achieve any business building initiative you might undertake. You can monetize your articles to sell affiliate products, promote products or services or build your list.

For example, if you’re launching a new product you might use article marketing to draw attention to your promotion.

You can accomplish this both through the content you write but also the links you place in the article and in your author’s bio box.

A call to action leading to your sales page can help you achieve the sales you’re aiming for.

Conclusion

Okay, enough talk about the benefits of article marketing. You know that implementing a strategy will help you drive traffic, boost your credibility and increase awareness.

It can also help you sell a product or service, sell affiliate products, or even build a substantial opt-in list.

Now it’s time to move onto one of the key ingredients in an article marketing campaign – your publishing medium.

In the next chapter we’ll take a deeper look at article directories and we’ll explore a few other article marketing options.

Using article marketing to do a product launchwhy do article marketingarticle marketing exampleas a society we give great credence to people who are publishedexample of article about marketing with authorswhat is article marketing

Step-by-Step Method To Quickly Create Information Products

Developing Information Product for Selling

Planning and making your own product is possible in the world of digital marketing since online customers are always on the lookout for easy way out and do not want to go through hassles of checking offline stores and markets when they are getting similar information and stuff online.

You can easily create digital or information products of your personal interest.

As it is much easier to gather data and create when it is related to your hobby or something that you always wanted to do in your free time, it is easier to sell it.

Some of the popular examples of such information products are e-Books, videos, webinars, audio etc.

If you know the subject and are expert in it, it is very easy for you to develop one of the above mentioned digital products.

How to Create Information Products

Following are some easy steps and guidelines for undertaking the creation and development of information products.

1. The very first thing that you should do is jot down all the ideas and information that you have and something that interests you.

If you are qualified, experienced or knowledgeable about some field or subject then it is better to opt for that topic.

2. Get a credit card processor and shopping cart software to make the buying and selling process smooth and easy for yourself and the customer.

3. Now you can do as much advertising and promotions as you want through SEO techniques or paid advertising services.

4. The second step involves implementation of your ideas that is converting them into a video or audio so that they are accessible by customers.

5. This step is a little more technical since it involves making of website so that you can sell and promote your product.

6. You can do the promotion and selling on your own but you also have the option of availing services of affiliate marketing network if you want support.

Meaning of Information Products

Information products are basically digital products that are based upon knowledge and information and can be delivered in the form of e-books, videos, audios or reports.

Such products are also popular by the name of digital products since it is not something tangible.

On the other hand it tends to pass on information from one person to another and increases the knowledge of the person who receives it.

Therefore, it can also be called a knowledge-based product.

For instance, a very good example of such a product could be an email or tutorials sent to your customer or user.

Since that email contains valuable information or guidelines, it is definitely an information product.

Documents or files that contains information falls under this category and qualify for an information product.

Viability and Functionality of Information Product on Internet

1. Such products are easy to promote and market online since they require almost no financial investment. Only your personal knowledge and resources will come in handy and prove useful in this case.

2. The only thing that you will have to do is get an easy domain name for your website through a web host company and convert your information into PDF format through Acrobat so that they are easily accessible by your users or customers.

3. You can easily make as many duplicates and copies of the files as you want since making online copies is not an issue and does not require you to pay, it can be done free just by copy pasting the material.

4. Information or digital products are just pieces of information that exist in your hard drive. They are not tangible or do not occupy space. Therefore, there is no cost of maintaining inventory or space that you normally require in case of physical goods.

5. Since they are electronically transferred to the customer, there is no shipping cost involved.

6. There cannot be any delay in delivery and purchase of the information product. Everything can be done online, smoothly without any hassle of shipping or delivery issues.

There are unlimited benefits of creating and promoting such products since they require less time, energy and finances.

And you can have your very own business that is easy to maintain and control.

Physical goods are difficult to manufacture and maintain since they need proper raw materials and involve huge cost and investment.

You will need to hire a good manufacturer which also involves finances.

Once the product gets manufactured you will have to arrange for a space and hire someone to maintain and keep a check on your inventory.

Each step requires lot of resources in terms of labor and money.

Shipping is going to be yet another issue which has to be handled professionally so that the process is not delayed and customers gets the delivery in time.

All this has to be done with proper and organized manner and for that you will have to spend money and effort at each stage.

In contrast to the above mentioned issues and problems related to tangible goods, information or digital goods are far more easy and inexpensive to create, maintain and sell.

And the best part is that all can be done by you alone, no need to hire or invest into anything else.

Few Setbacks with Information Products

Information products though more easy to create and sell do have some setbacks especially when you analyze it from the customer’s point of view.

When customers are about to purchase an e-book the very first thing that comes to their mind is whether it is going to be full of writing and spelling errors or not, or if it has all the required information in detail or not.

Normal books that we buy from a store are checked for such mistakes professionally before they come in the market and it’s also much easier to carry them around in your purse or bag when traveling.

Another reason for disliking information products could be that some customers want to have something physical in their hands.

Many people would like to own something that they can hold and show around to other people in much presentable form.

They like going out and searching for books in stores before making a purchase.

Increase their Perceived Value

Since they are not something physical, you can remove the effects of the above mentioned disadvantages by offering customers value for their money or purchase.

This can easily be done by providing them with the first few pages of the book for free so that they have an idea of what it is all about and what the style of writing is like.

Reviews by other customers can also play an important role in showing off the value and importance of your content and book.

You can offer part one of the book for free and put the rest on sale.

Providing them with an option of money back guarantee if they do not like the book will also add to the perceived value of your information product.

Last but not the least, is the setting of the price.

Always sell your information product at a reasonable price, which is neither too high nor too low, that people might start thinking what use could it be of if it is so cheap.

If you want to take a shortcut when creating an info product you can also get Private Label Rights products.

You can instantly claim authorship of a PLR product making it much easier to have your very own product.

Here are a few quality PLR Sites:

1. Nicole Dean’s EasyPLR.com: has been an industry standard since 2006 and is still, to this date, trusted by many of the top marketers online.

2. Nicole Dean & Melissa Ingold’s CoachingPLRContent.com: This site offers packages that include PowerPoint presentations and screenshots. It makes creating webinars and videos easy to do.

3. Ronnie Nijmeh’s PLR.me: Ronnie’s site specializes in personal development PLR.

4. Paul Evans’ Nicheology.com: Nicheology was one of the first PLR sites and may still be the largest.

5. YummyPLR.com: This site specializes in PLR recipes and food articles.

Types of Free List Building Methods to Avoid

If you’re like most people, then you can appreciate free stuff. That includes gratis items to boost your business, such as free list building methods.

But to put a new spin on an old adage, some of the free things in life aren’t the best.

That’s why it’s crucial to look for gratis e-mail list building strategies that will be the best ones.

Here are some that you should definitely avoid:

1. Avoid methods that aren’t affordable to implement

Such strategies will offset the benefit of choosing free list building methods.

If the overhead costs of implementing the strategies are high, then you should probably consider looking elsewhere for free strategies.

That’s not to say that the strategies will always be free. But your ultimate goal is to maximize your company’s profits.

So you’ll want to avoid spending big bucks trying to implement free strategies.

Instead, look for strategies that are within your budget.

2. Avoid methods with hidden costs

More specifically, avoid getting “free” methods that require you to buy something first. It simply defeats the purpose of getting something free.

3. Avoid methods that won’t maximize your profits

Ultimately that’s the number one goal of for-profit companies. The goal of free list building methods. is to maximize the effectiveness of e-mail lists.

If you can accomplish that goal then you’re well on your way to boosting your profits. But the techniques are marginally effective or completely ineffective, then it doesn’t really matter if they’re free.

Earning no money after spending no money won’t help your company.

So look for those e-mail list-building strategies that will provide the most value.

4. Avoid methods that take forever to implement

Change takes time, so you shouldn’t expect your sales to skyrocket right after you use certain free list building methods.

It might or it might not. What’s more important is that you see some positive results fairly soon.

One of the main benefits of advertising via e-mail is that you can zip out tons of e-mails within mere seconds.

So there’s always a potential to see quick results.

Even if the results aren’t instant, you’ll lose leverage in your industry if you don’t see results within a reasonable timeframe.

5. Avoid methods that are unclear

Techniques for building your company’s e-mail lists might be incredibly effective in theory.

But if their provider doesn’t present them clearly, then you might have difficulty implementing them.

So when evaluating certain methods for building e-mail lists, make sure that they’re crystal clear.

Otherwise you could end up making mistakes when you implement the techniques.

6. Avoid methods that seem unbelievable

Methods for building your company’s e-mail lists can be simple yet effective.

But if they seem too-good-to-be-true, then they probably are.

In particular, be wary of methods that promise outstanding results requiring virtually no time or effort.

Does that mean that the techniques must require forever and a day, or a Herculean effort?

It doesn’t.

But make sure that free list building methods produce reasonable results in a reasonable amount of time.

Top 10 Ways To Promote Any Membership Site

You can build the best membership site in the world but if you don’t promote it, you won’t make any money from your best laid plans. The following tips will keep the traffic flowing to your website and your income growing by leaps and bounds.

No matter what type of membership site you have, you’ll be sure to find some inspiration in these tips.

1. Article marketing

Article marketing is by far one of the most accessible forms of online marketing. Research the top keywords for your niche, write a quality article and distribute it to a few top article directories like EzineArticles.com. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!

2. Affiliates

When you’re running a membership site, affiliates can be your best allies in getting new members. An affiliate program that pays well and that offers affiliates tools like articles, solo ads and e-mail messages will attract top affiliates and bring you new customers.

Register your membership site with Clickbank to reach a wide pool of affiliates.

3. JV Partners

Unlike affiliates, JV partners get a special level of commission by promoting your membership site. They’ll run special promotions for your membership site when it launches and get you some of your first members to your site.

4. Pay per click ads

Running a successful pay per click campaign can bring you a lot of targeted traffic to your sales page. Choose the right keywords, craft an attractive ad and you’ll have lots of new members.

5. Social marketing

Sites like Facebook and Twitter can offer you lots of opportunities to connect with your niche market and get new potential members. Start a profile for your membership site and search for friends who are interested in your niche.

6. Yahoo Answers

This website is a good place to find questions that people are asking related to your niche. Search through the open questions a few times a week and provide helpful answers. Use your membership site link in the resource area to drive targeted traffic back to your site.

7. Forum marketing

If you already participate in a forum related to your niche, this will be an easy way to promote your site. Add a link to your membership site in your forum signature file. Each time you post, your sales page link will be promoted.

8. Viral reports

Write a short report on a popular topic within your niche. Solve a major problem or provide a plan of action for your niche. Include lots of links back to your site within the report.

Allow others to distribute it for free and your membership site link will get in front of thousands of potential subscribers.

9. Reviews

Contact bloggers and other product creators to give them free access to your membership site in exchange for a review.

They’ll offer their opinion of the site to their readers and you’ll get lots of new traffic into the site. You can also find paid reviews sites that put you in connection with bloggers who will review your site for a small fee.

10. Blog comments

Search for blogs in your niche and post insightful comments from time to time. Use your membership site link in your blog comment and you’ll get some new visitors to your site.

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Perry Marshall’s Video on Google Adwords

Perry Marshall is the King of Adwords and if you watch this video, you will understand why. If you are into Pay Per Click Marketing or thinking about ‘dabbling’ in Adwords, this is a MUST WATCH video for you.

Even though there have been major changes in Google Adwords since this presentation was made, the basics of Pay Per Click Marketing still hold true.

a. Your ad should be relevant to the keyword searched on Google.

b. Your landing page should be consistent with your ad message and provide good user experience.

So basically you are expected to deliver what you promise in your ad.

If you are seriously interested in learning Adwords right, then you should buy Perry’s ‘Definitive Guide to Adwords’ This book is priceless and no matter which level of marketer you consider yourself to be in Adwords, you will invariably learn something that you did not know before.

Writing Articles- Should I Write Short Articles Or Long Articles?

One of the questions that newbies in Internet Marketing often ask is ‘How long should my articles be?’

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This question especially gets asked quite a lot in the Warrior Forum and there is a lot of discussion on whether it would be better to write short 250 word articles just so that the articles generates a higher CTR% or if you should write lengthier articles of about 500 words or more.

One of the most important criteria is to make sure that you provide GOOD VALUE to the readers (apart from doing keyword research, coming up with an enticing title and organizing the article into several short paragraphs). The length of the article is not that important compared to the value you provide.

It’s usually quite hard for you to give that high value in a 250 word article. You are more likely to accomplish that in a 500+ word article.

I highly recommend you to write well researched, high quality engaging articles. If it takes 500 words, it’s fine, if it takes 750 words, that’s fine too and if it takes 1000 words, that’s fine as well.

I usually won’t go over 1000 words and I think you will find very few articles in article directories going over 1000 words. You can always split the content into multiple articles and generate more traffic to your websites.

But even as you strive to provide great value through your articles, don’t be surprised when your CTR% is very low for your best articles. Personally speaking, there have been a number of times when I overdelivered which often does not create the need to click on your links in the resource box.

So you need to be careful in making sure that you give the readers good enticing content that will compel them to click on your resource box links to know more about what you have to offer.

Tips For Better Results From Your Article Writing

There are many marketers who may come up with stats to show their CTR% and how well the 250 word articles work for them. If you are one among them, good for you. However what matters at the end of the day is not the number of visitors to your websites, but the number of leads you capture and the sales you make.

So in other words, your lengthier articles (hopefully they are also the articles that you provide greater value) may have lesser CTR% but may convert higher compared to the 250 word crap articles that you write that may have a higher CTR% but may convert lower.

Moreover if someone were to use your articles on their sites, they are more likely to use the longer ones that provide great value to their readers than the shorter ones.

Please know that you can still write articles of the highest quality and get very few views. That is why it is important for you to do the right keyword research which is a separate topic by itself.

Plus you are faced with the increasing challenge of your article standing out against the slew of text ads that are slapped everywhere around your articles that even scanning the article without being distracted by these ads is impossible.

You almost seem to wonder, who in the right mind would ever read the article without clicking on the ads?

shorter articles are better to write

YouTube Video Optimization- How To Optimize YouTube Videos For Search Engines

YouTube Video Optimization

YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine, larger than even Bing or Yahoo. It’s by far the world’s largest video search engines.

A well optimized video can easily get you tens of thousands of viewers – Each. A video that goes viral can get hundreds of thousands and even millions of views.

Here’s how to optimize your videos for YouTube.

Step 1: Determine Target Keyword Volume

Much as you would if you were optimizing for search engines, the first step to optimizing for videos is to determine both the keyword volume and the competition for each keyword phrase.

Use the Google Keyword Tool to compile a list of potential keywords. You should target a variety of keywords, some of them high volume and high competition, others lower volume with lower competition.

Step 2: Determine Strength of Competition

How strong are competing videos? Do as search for your target keywords and analyze them by:

- Number of views
- Number of comments
- Number of replies
- Number of likes
- Number of video responses
- Percentage of people who liked the video, out of total viewers
- Channel subscribers

To view the number of likes, just open a video. It’ll be right under the view count:

To count the number of comments, click on “View All Comments” at the bottom of the page:

The comment count will be right above the comment box:

Put all this data, along with the total number of views, into an Excel spreadsheet. Do this for at least 20 keywords.

Match up the number of views to the strength of the competition. Look for the weakest competition, as compared to the highest number of monthly searches. Then select the keywords with the best volume-to-competition ratio to optimize for.

Step 3: Write a Keyword Optimized, Attention Catching Headline

The headline has two jobs:

1. To get the video to show up when someone searches. Google uses a relevance check to make sure the videos that show up are relevant to their search.

2. To convince people to actually click on your video once it shows up in a search.

The most important thing in writing the title tag is to make sure your main keyword is in the title.

The second most important thing is to make sure that your title has well written copy that gets people to click.

Step 4: Get as Many Favorites, Likes and Comments as Possible

The number of likes, favorites and comments you have are some of the most heavily weighed factors for search engine rankings. The more likes, favorites and comments you have, the more YouTube is going to think you have a good video.

How can you increase your number of likes, favorites and comments?
One method is to ask people to do so in your video. You can either hard code into your video, or you can do it in annotations.

To do it in annotations, click on “Annotations” when you’re editing a video.

Click the drop down box next to “Add Annotation” to choose what kind of annotation to add.

Finally, craft a mini-sales message to get people to add comment, like or add your video.

Step 5: Ranking for Related and Suggested Videos

Two potentially lucrative sources of traffic to your videos are related videos and suggested videos. What are they?

They’re the videos that show up when someone else finishes watching a similar video, or the videos that appear on the right hand side of any video you’re watching.

How do you get your videos to appear for on related or suggested videos? Especially other high trafficked and relevant videos?

First, work on the credibility of your own video. The more views you have, the more comments you have and the more likes you have, the higher your likelihood of showing up in suggested or related videos at all.

It’s hard to get a new video to show up in suggested or related videos. But after you have a few thousand views, it really makes sense to try to get them to show up.

Start by copying all the keyword tags that other videos in your industry are using. Having closely related (but not identical) keyword lists tells YouTube that your videos are on as similar subject.

Then, try to also duplicate the same keywords they target in their title. Of course your title tag should be completely different, but having the same main keyword can really help you land in suggested or related.

Finally, make sure you pick a good video snapshot for your video. In addition to your title, your snapshot is what others will judge your video based on.

The higher the CTR to your video from a related video, the more YouTube will think your videos are related and the higher your video will show up in the future.

Step 6: Getting Backlinks

Much like getting rankings in the SEO world, getting rankings in videos requires getting backlinks. As a part of SEO video optimization, start working on getting backlinks to your videos- the more backlinks, the higher your video will rank.

How do you get backlinks?

The first and most important thing is to have a truly original and high quality video. If you create a video like that, it’s only natural that other people will want to link to your video as a resource.

In addition however, you can do quite a bit of manual link building.
Use sites like Squidoo and Hubpages to get high quality, relevant backlinks.

Link to the video from your own site(s). Use distributed articles to get a high number of backlinks.

To wrap things up, it’s important to remember that the majority of YouTube users never try to deliberately get their videos to rank. If you’re focusing on video rankings, you’re already in the top 1%.

In time, if you follow the tips outlined in this article, your rankings will very likely beat your competitor’s. Here is another tip, you can implement the above mentioned YouTube video optimization strategies across other video hosting sites as well to get more targeted traffic to your website.

How To Write Copy Like A Pro

Who writes sales copy best?

If you weren’t top of the class in English, or you have never written anything longer than a thank you note, sitting down to write sales copy for your new product can be very daunting.

With the number of freelance copywriters advertising their services on the web, it can be tempting to outsource this task, but there are many reasons why you are the best person for the job.

1. You know your business and your product better than any freelance writer.

2. You know the characteristics of your target audience, and what your customers will want to know about your product.

3. You are honestly passionate about your product and this will shine through your writing.

4. You will want to build up a relationship with your customers and this is easier if they are familiar with your ‘voice’, instead of the voice of a freelance writer.

Of course you can pay a writer to produce your copy if you are really struggling to do it yourself.

This might be expensive, but you can use the time you would have used writing to focus on other areas of your business.

If you do use a copywriter, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

a. Make sure they have as much information as possible about your product

b. Ask them to test your product if at all possible

c. Try to give them an example of your ‘voice’ to imitate

d. Before you post the copy make sure there is nothing in it you wouldn’t say yourself

Research Exercise: Start collecting landing pages, sales letters and other copy that catches your eye.

Place the items in a folder or binder.  This is called a swipe file and it’ll come in handy when you write some of your own copy.

How to write copy like a pro.

1. Research the product you are writing about.

Unless you are convinced about the benefits of the product yourself you are unlikely to be able to sell it convincingly.

This will be easier if you are writing to sell your own product, but if you are selling an affiliate product make sure you have as much information about it as possible and test it yourself to give your copywriting that personal touch.

2. Learn the difference between benefits and features

The main question your customers will want answered is “what will this product do for me?”

They will be more concerned with how they will benefit from the product than what it actually does.

Will it make them richer, smarter, prettier, more respected, thinner, or happier?

When you are looking for benefits it is often useful to make a list of your product’s features and then determine the benefits of each of those features.

Here is an example using internet marketing as a product.

Product = internet marketing

Feature = working at home

Benefits = flexibility of working hours; ability to spend more time with children

To sell the concept of working online you would not simply state that you can work at home, you would need to emphasize the benefits of doing this.  As you can see with this simple example, each feature can have a number of benefits.

3. Practice makes perfect

Sitting down to write when you are out of practice is never easy and your copy is unlikely to flow easily.

Writing something every day, no matter what it is, will really improve your copywriting skills.

If you do not have any writing to do for your business, you could write something in a journal about your experiences that day or week.

This could be used later as inspiration for articles or blog posts.

4. Learn to edit your writing ruthlessly

Every word or phrase you write must have a purpose, and increase your chances of making a sale.

Be honest with yourself when you are editing your copy. If any of it does not motivate the reader to buy then it is unnecessary delete it.

Words and phrases that do not encourage sales will dilute the impact of your copy, making it ineffective.

5. Increase the credibility of your writing

Although great copy is crucial for generating sales, your customers might need a little extra something to convince them to buy from you.

They may be more easily persuaded by the opinion of someone who has already bought from you, the offer of something for free, or the possibility of getting their money back if they are not satisfied with your product.

Some potential elements to add to your copy are:

- high quality and true testimonials

- detailed case studies explaining exactly how your product will benefit them

- free bonus material such as an e-book

- a money back guarantee

6. Visualize your target customer

Sales copy must feel personal and give the impression that you are actually talking to your audience, so it often helps to imagine your target customer and write as if you are chatting to them or writing a letter to them.

The more detailed you are about your target customer, the more convincing your copy will be, so don’t be afraid to be very specific about who they are.

Ask yourself some of the following questions:

-       How old are they?

-       Are they employed?

-       What do they do?

-       Are they male or female?

-       How much time do they have online?

-       What is their income?

-       What is their intelligence level?

-       What do they do in their spare time?

-       Do they have children?  How old?

-       Do they own a house?

-       Do they have a garden?

The list of possible questions goes on and on and there may be questions that are more relevant to the particular product you are selling. Spend some time getting to know your audience; the importance of this should not be underestimated.

It is always easier to target a demographic that you are actually a part of.  As moms we are usually more convinced by writers who actually have children themselves.

Business Planning Exercise: Document who your target market is.  Write a description of who your typical customer is or would be.

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What Is An Autoresponder And How It Can Be Used To Build Your List

An autoresponder is must have if you don’t want your business to turn into a complete nightmare.

An autoresponder is simply not an option, you have to have this one!

So what is an autoresponder actually?

An autoresponder is a unique software tool that helps keep track and captures everyone that joins your list.

You can organize each person into categories making it easier when sending out niche related products.

With an autoresponder you now have the option to schedule and email all of your correspondence.

In other words with one click you can notify your whole list!

An autoresponder in a nutshell is a list manager, an all in one to organization for your business.

You can choose to purchase your own autoresponder software and then use your computer and your email account to send your outgoing mail.

However, this can be pretty risky to your business.

I do not recommend this option.

One of the reasons why is because it will take your computer and your email service a very long time to send out massive quantities of emails.

Another reason why is when your internet provider sees the massive amounts of emails you’re sending out they are going to automatically assume that your SPAM.

Definitely something you don’t want to be classified as.

Your second option is by using an autoresponder service company.

When you use an autoresponder service company they handle everything for you for a small fee sometimes you can even find some autoresponder services for free.

However, I do not recommend using the free autoresponders services because a lot of them will include their own advertising when sending out your emails.

This is looked at by many as very unprofessional. There are many different autoresponder companies out there you just have to do a little researching until you find the right one that works for you.

I recommend and personally use AWeber. They are awesome!

You can get an AWeber account set up and going for a small fee of just $20 a month.

They also offer traffic services also which puts them at the top of the charts and most popular and trusted amongst marketers.

To set up an account with AWeber is fairly quick and simple and of course a great tool to use for dividing up your different lists if you have more than one.

At AWeber you can also create your web form.

A web form is a form generator is the box on your page where your potential subscribers put in their name and email address, press submit, and they are now added to your list.

The web form tool at AWeber has many different templates that you can use to go with your page if you would like to fancy your page up a bit.

After you have created your web form, AWeber provides you with the HTML code to install on your page or the javascript to install. It’s really your preference on which one you would like to use.

When setting up your autoresponder and web form, another key thing you will need to take in consideration is using a double opt-in.

A double opt-in just simply requires an additional step for the person requesting your offer from your page.

This in a nutshell just means that before they are made a subscriber of your list they are sent an email requesting confirmation.

This is usually just a one-click line that will confirm them access to their offer from your page.

So, I know you’re asking, why use a double opt –in?

Let’s say someone filled out your web form and when they did they used another person’s email.

In turn they might be upset that they have been subscribed to something they didn’t even ask for, and who do you think they will come running and complaining to?

Well you of course!

When using the double opt-in you eliminate this happening because they have to confirm from the email they entered into the box that they were the person that requested your offer.

Also, by using double opt-ins, you are insuring that you have a quality list of interested people that want to receive offers and products that you have.

You need to always focus on quality and not as much quantity. You and your subscribers will both be happier for it!

AWeber gives you the option to send your potential subscribers the double opt-in and even an unique smart video version that will tell them that will need to confirm the subscription in their email.

Told you they do virtually everything!

They offer tons of different tools and really is something that you will need to check out.

There are many different tutorials also that they provide for you to show you how all the many different tools they offer work.

Top 10 Ways To Generate Traffic To Your Blog

Blogs are popular ways to create an online presence for personal and business reasons. You can build a blog for free and begin posting content right away. But, what good is that content if no one is reading it. Here are ten ideas to bring in the traffic your blog needs to survive.

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Of all the successful blogs on the Internet, hundreds more have failed. Running a blog is like running a business website. Unless you are willing to put the time in and treat it seriously, you won’t be blogging long.

That is not to say that the failed bloggers weren’t serious about blogging. Mostly, new bloggers aren’t prepared for the work that goes into creating a successful blog. Just building the blog doesn’t mean that people will necessary come to you. You pursue the audience and give them a reason to see what you have to say.

1. Fresh Content: No one wants to visit a blog day after day and see the same posts. Update your blog content at least twice a week. This will be easier if you write several posts ahead of time and upload them at the appropriate times.

2. Article Marketing: The niche youíve chosen for your blog is one that interests you. If it is interesting you will spend more time doing it. Create content not only for your blog but also to be submitted to article directories. Use the resource box to advertise your blog so people can find you.

3. Social Networking: These sites are everywhere. Join Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo, Twitter or a dozen others and make connections. You can join groups of likeminded people who are also bloggers or entrepreneurs.

4. Viral Marketing: This is where you spread the word about your blog. Talk to friends, family and even strangers. Give out business cards that have your blog address on them.

You can take your existing articles and reports, convert them into ebooks and distribute them to sites like Getfreeebooks, eLibrary – Open Ebooks Directory and Free-ebooks.net.

5. Use RSS Feeds: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Readers can subscribe to your feed and get email updates when new content is posted. It is an easy way for them to keep up with your blog without spending all day online.

6. Submit Blog to Search Engines: Doing this allows your blog to be ranked. Google and Yahoo! are two of the most popular search engines you want to crawl your blog pages. It doesnít guarantee top ranking, though. Youíll have to do a little more work for that.

7. Joining Forums: As a blogger you are a budding entrepreneur. Right now you are marketing yourself to find traffic and then profit. Become a member of business forums, work at home forums and others to meet new people and share ideas. You can add a link to your blog in the signature line so others can find you.

8. Visit other blogs: Show your appreciation to those who visit you by also posting comments on their blogs. It is a kindness that shows others you are not just out to advertise your blog alone. Add links to your blog in your comments.

9. SEO Marketing: Whatever you write, use relevant keywords. Keyword density between three and ten percent is good for getting higher page rankings in search engines. Base your keywords on a research you do to find the most popular words used in search engines for your niche.

10. Social Bookmarking: Submitting posts to social bookmarking sites allows others who are members of those sites to track you back to your blog.

Why You Need Mobile Marketing For Your Offline Business

Why You Need Mobile Marketing

If you want to grow your business then the fastest way is through mobile marketing and text messages.

There are currently around 5 billion users of cell or mobile phones which makes the mobile market five times bigger than the PC based market.

Customer time spent on mobile devices is rising faster than time spent on any other media and 4 out of 5 teenagers now carry some form of mobile device.

The text messaging response rate is astonishing compared to that achieved by email.

Text messaging achieves between 7-15 times the response rate of email and has a 97% open rate.

Text messages are also opened far faster than emails, normally occurring within the first few minutes of receipt and achieving an ROI of over 20%.

When it comes to email, over 78% of business people use their mobile device to check their messages while web based email usage has dropped an enormous 59% over the past year among 12-17 year olds, who prefer text or instant messaging as well as interaction on social media sites.

This goes to prove that no business, small or large, can afford to ignore the power of mobile marketing.

Imagine getting your targeted message out there within seconds and, more to the point, having that message read nearly 100% of the time.

Mobile devices have become an integral part of their owners’ lives.

They rely on them for immediate access to local information and for the vast majority of the time that involves searches related to local businesses and services within 5 miles of their location.

All of this means that, for the first time in history, the local business owner has the ability to reach their target market almost instantly and in the format they choose.

As well as texting, they can utilize the entertainment and informative value of apps to engage their prospects and existing customers alike.

With consistent branding and an intelligent use of promotional strategies such as special offers, discounts and insider information, mobile marketing offers near instantaneous opportunities to consistently attract and maintain an eager, responsive customer base.

By inviting customers to opt in to receive updates, news, coupons and special offers, businesses such as hairdressing salons, restaurants and retail outlets are building customer loyalty while breaking down the barriers of traditional marketing.

Almost everyone carries with them their keys, wallet and cell phone.

As such, they are directly contactable by businesses that benefit from the incredibly high response rates to mobile marketing messages.

Promotions sent via text message currently have around a 12% response rate to a blast which is far higher than that achieved by traditional forms of marketing such as direct mail and at much lower cost.

By following the lead of large corporations and embracing mobile marketing, local businesses are positioning themselves within a marketplace that is expanding on a daily basis.

By 2012 it is estimated that over 1 trillion text messages will be sent and received daily while apps are constantly being developed that offer a rich variety of marketing opportunities.

Mobile marketing is the way not only of the future but of now, opening the doors to quick, easy profit at a fraction of the cost of other forms of advertising.

Mobile Marketing Benefits:

1. Relatively low cost.

2. Rapid response rate.

3. Extremely high open rate for text messaging.

4. Speed of implementation.

5. Extraordinarily high mobile device usage that increases year on year.

6. Preferred over PC for access to emails.

7. Interactive capability through optins and apps.

8. Customers demonstrate preference for local businesses in their mobile device search patterns.

9. Even more powerful when integrated with social media.

10. Direct contact with a responsive, targeted prospect and customer base.

11. Flexibility of format.

12. Text message ROI of over 20%.

13. Mobile coupons have 10 times the redemption rate of paper coupons.

14. 97.2% of retailers do not use mobile coupons.

15. Mobile market is 5 times bigger than the PC market.

16. Customers spend increasing amounts of time on their mobile devices and favor them over a PC.

Leading The Way

As ever, Google has been one of the first to recognize the importance of mobile marketing, its Chief Executive, Eric Schmidt, talking of ‘mobile first’ or the idea that most things are now being created with mobile as a priority.

This means that Google’s own programmers now prefer to develop for mobile over PC in terms of applications and is a clear indicator of the way the market winds are blowing.

Google expect to gain a great deal of customer knowledge through increased mobile usage and to utilize this knowledge for their own growth.

A smart local business owner can only benefit from following Google’s lead and taking full advantage of the new and improved apps and services that will be developed in the wake of ‘mobile first.’

They can also take advantage of innovations developed alongside apps to meet increased mobile demand, including Google’s Click to Call program for advertisers which allows advertisers to activate phone numbers within their ads on iPhones and other internet ready mobile devices.

Aside from Google’s developments, the increase in smartphone capability and usage coupled with the growth in buying behavior demonstrated by smartphone users provides further opportunity for the mobile savvy business owner.

In a recent shopping survey of smartphone users conducted by eMarketer:

1. 68% would use their phone to look up shipping information of an item that they may purchase online

2. 52% would use their phone to review a product description

3. 43% would look for product or store coupons

4. 40% would use their phone to check if an item was available for in store pick up

5. 28% would make a purchase on their phone without seeing a product in store

All of this goes to prove that consumers are prepared to use their smartphones as an everyday part of their shopping and buying routines, in many cases using them as an adjunct to bricks and mortar shopping which can only be beneficial to local businesses that are market aware and responsive in order to beat the competition.

The eMarketer report went on to break down buying behavior by phone type, providing information that is gold dust for a business owner who is prepared to target each device accordingly.

While it has been common knowledge for some time that iPhone users have a higher average net income than other phone users, this report revealed that Android phone users are even more willing to spend money than their iPhone touting counterparts.

1. 71% of Android users and 93% of Blackberry users are prepared to spend up to $250 via M-Commerce

2. 81% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise

3. When it comes to spending higher amounts between $250-$500 18% of Android users are prepared to spend via M-Commerce

4. Only 9% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise

5. For amounts over $500, 11% of Android users are prepared to spend via M-Commerce

6. Only 9% of iPhone users are prepared to do likewise

With Google’s commitment to expanding the Android market, there are clearly unprecedented opportunities for the local business owner to exploit the rapidly increasing market share and spending habits of Android phone users.

While mobile marketing is currently considered big business, it is going to be huge within the next few years.

All of this indicates that now is the time for a local business to grab their share of the mobile marketing spoils and enjoy the rewards of this richly responsive platform for their brand.

How You Can Use Mobile Marketing

Aside from text messaging and the ingenious apps constantly being developed for the mobile market, there are a number of simple but highly effective ways you can incorporate mobile marketing into your business:

1. If you run print ads you can include a short code that potential customers can message to get more information about a product or service.

2. You could also use short codes to provide more information about events and business-related news.

3. You can incorporate an interactive platform so that customers can purchase directly from their phone.

4. You can collect customer numbers and information and, in turn, use this to advertise targeted special deals or offers.

5. You can offer promotions only for mobile subscribers.

6. Remember that customers use their mobiles for entertainment and distraction. While they are waiting in line or for a train they will often whip out their mobile device – incorporate interactive entertainment into your mobile marketing mix and you will have them hooked.

7. Remember that mobile devices are highly personal. Keep your marketing relevant and personal and you will encourage greater loyalty and participation.

8. Don’t forget the power of film. People love to capture events on their mobiles – engage with them by asking them to send them in for a specified reason and you will have an immediately responsive audience.

Explosive Growth

If the figures for mobile marketing look good now, over the next few years they are set to explode.

A recent study in the US revealed that mobile commerce will grow at a compounded rate of 65% between now and 2015 and that 8.5% of ecommerce will be conducted on mobile phones.

Coda Research Agency

Given that steep growth curve, it would be foolish for any business owner to ignore the power and real potential of mobile marketing to make a major difference to their own revenue increase.

Lack of technological knowledge is no excuse as there is plenty of expert help available to enable any business to claim their place in the mobile marketing race at a time when early positioning will guarantee a head start on others too slow to recognize this unprecedented opportunity.

Lose the mobile marketing race and you risk leaving vast amounts of profit on the table, to be snatched up by those who understand a gold rush when they see one.

Tips For Starting Your Home-Based Service Business

The current trend is towards more home-based businesses.

They require lower overhead and startup money making them easier for entrepreneurs with limited fund.

If you are thinking about starting a home-based service business, here are a few tips for getting started on the right foot.

What is a service business?

Service businesses are those that provide help to others. This can be anything from mowing the lawn to managing business accounts.

The basis of a successful service business is one that supplies a need. In your area, it may take some research to discover the top service needs and then figure out which one you can provide.

Benefits of a home-based service business

There are several benefits to running a home-based service business.

First of all, you can run the business from your home.

Since you already pay a mortgage, utilities and car payments, the only thing you need spend money on now is the equipment for your business.

And, running a service that began as a hobby means you already own most of the needed equipment.

Secondly, a home-based service business requires low overhead and startup costs. We alluded to the startup costs above and the low overhead means no employees but you.

The key to keeping the overhead low is taking on only as many projects as you can safely and efficiently handle by yourself.

Home-based service business options

As we mentioned, you can usually run these service businesses out of your home.

Establishing a website for selling your services lowers the overhead even more and maximizes your profit.

With the Internet as your potential customer base, the opportunities are endless for marketing and finding clients. Here are some home-based service options.

Virtual assisting has taken off in a big way in the last ten years. Using a computer, fax machine, telephone, and Internet access, you can perform various administrative duties for large and small companies.

You are paid for the work that you do so there is no extra charge for the company.

Virtual assisting skills run from transcription to accounting to managing email and company websites.

Transcription by itself can be a profitable venture. Medical offices and businesspeople are always in need of someone to transcribe their audio or video files.

It is far easier and less time consuming to record an interview or dictate a medical procedure.

Your job will be to turn that file into a document for patient charts and online use by various businesses.

Ghostwriting is the process of writing articles, novels, eBooks and more for an individual or a company.

Using your writing talent, you can make a lot of money creating literary works (print and electronic) for others who need them.

Getting started tips

There are considerations before beginning any type of business even a home-based one.

1. Check out the local laws for registering and zoning a home business. Most home businesses require no zoning issues unless you will be meeting clients in your home and posting signs in the yard.

2. Small business tax laws. Now that you are a business, you are subject to different tax exemptions, deductions and payments. Sites like www.irs.gov can give you the information you need.

3. Set up a separate work space at home. This could be as simple as using a spare bedroom or den with a door to keep your work separate.

If you rely on the telephone a separate phone line can be added. When a workshop is needed, consider using a garage or purchasing a large outbuilding.

4. Use on and offline marketing methods to find clients. This includes: viral marketing, newspaper and Yellow Pages ads, flyers and direct mailings, email marketing, article marketing, setting up a website and etcetera.

5. Create a schedule to divide time between work and family. Balancing both is hard. Scheduling time and sticking to it means more gets done and no one is slighted.

A home-based service business is an alternative for people who want to know entrepreneurship without spending a lot in upfront costs.

If you have a talent and can meet a need, consider a home-based business.

Why Blame The Gurus For Our Failures?- Time To Take Responsibility And Be Accountable

One of the most popular and consistent rants in Internet Marketing is about the ‘Gurus.’ For many, Gurus are essentially money sucking leeches who would do anything and stoop to any level to make their affiliate commissions.

There are a thousand reasons why you may hate Gurus, but at the end of the day, it just doesn’t matter. Because at the end of the day, your deep-seated hatred for Gurus wouldn’t change a thing to your business, which is all that you should be concerned about.

So what’s the solution?

It’s simple- UNSUBSCRIBE.

If you have any iota of doubt in your mind that all they care about is selling their products or pushing their buddy’s products week after week, month after month, year after year, then SIMPLY UNSUBCRIBE.

Sure their products are distracting, their promises may be misleading and the hype unjustified, but if you are unsuccessful, broke and desperate, it is COMPLETELY your fault. Just because an attractive woman seduces you with skimpy clothes, it doesn’t give you the right to rape her and blame the act on her.

Always remember that no matter what situation you are in, it is time for you to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and move past the whining and groveling.

Why?

Because it doesn’t a thing to your current situation. If you are the kind to lose focus easily, then the best thing you can do is to pick a solid business model and persevere till you reach your end goal.

What often happens is that you try something that you read from an ebook or a course, implement it half heartedly or without following the exact steps and abandon the project without testing and tracking the results.

Half assed efforts yield half assed results. And moreover what is lacking is the fundamental belief that you will be successful.

This is so HUGE.

When I first started, the underlying belief I had was that the product would not work for me and true enough it didn’t work.

The flaw lied in my belief system more than my execution. Deep down in my heart, I was anticipating failure than envisioning success.

Sounds strange, doesn’t it, but it was true.

And here is the first thing I used to do whenever I purchased a product, “I immediately marked down the date in my calendar before the money back guarantee expired for the product.” No, I wasn’t a serial refunder and in fact, I hardly returned even crappy products.

But deep down, I always had this fear that I would be ripped off and it was a way for me to protect against being ripped off. And it was always a way, I could justify my decision to buy the product, “Well, I will give this product a try and if it doesn’t work, I can always return it.”

Basically, I was setting myself for failure no matter how good the product was. And in my early period, my quest to learn something new was more than my desire to TAKE ACTION. And even if I did, it was more for the record.

No wonder, I wasted so much money, time and resources. And I became more frustrated, more unfocused and more desperate. And the more desperate I became, the more products I purchased.

I was sucked into the Guru trap and would try one product after another hoping the latest one would solve my problems. Everyday my inbox was full of promotional emails for ebooks, video courses, home study courses, seminars etc.

Very soon, I suffered from burnout and couldn’t take it any more. It was one of the best things to have happened in my life because I knew I reached my breaking point. It was the tranquility after the storm, a moment of calmness after insanity and the true realization.

The realization that my pathetic condition was due to one and only person, that is ME. And I realized that no matter how many products and courses I purchase, it wouldn’t make the slightest of difference unless I believed in myself and took FOCUSED ACTION.

I also remembered how I used to hate the critics and politicians who were against my favorite movie star, Rajinikanth. He is a famous South Indian actor and was often criticized for “spoling the youth” as most of his movies had scenes of him smoking stylishing.

And because he had a huge popularity especially among teenagers and youth, he was accused of glorifying and encouraging smoking.

It didn’t make any sense to me because for me he was just the most stylish South Indian actor on screen and I loved to see his stylish smoking scenes. I had the discipline to stay away from smoking because I knew it was bad for my health and as a raving fan, I emulated the good things Rajini did on and off screen.

Then I thought, if I had the discipline to know what to emulate and what not to emulate from my favorite movie star, why couldn’t I do the same with the Gurus.

What I then did was UNSUBSCRIBED from most of the Guru’s lists and picked a business model and stuck with it. This step alone helped me so much because I had less noise to deal with and more importantly helped me build momentum.

The list of Gurus I subscribed to for the most part did not cater directly to my business model but I still learned a lot of good things that I could apply to my business for free.

And what made me proud was when they came up with these 1997$ launches, I was able to let them go. At first, it was difficult, VERY DIFFICULT because I was an addict. I was a sucker to those launches and would be easily trapped into the vicious cycle of promotions. Many Internet Marketers suffer from this problem and the sooner they realize it, the better for them.

With enough discipline I was soon able to ignore the launches without SECOND THOUGHT. I was proud that I was able to do it and very soon I was so resistant to these launches that it did not affect me in any way. Not only the big launches, I was able to do the same for the smaller priced products.

So no matter how small the investment may be or how great the information may be, if it did not suit my business model, I just mercilessly dismissed the product.

Remember, you have complete control over your business. Don’t blame the Gurus for your condition and learn to use them to your advantage. Almost every Guru gives away free stuff before their launch. Often the stuff they give away for free is valuable enough for you to take action and see improved results in your business.

If not, simply unsubscribe from their lists and start working on your business. If you don’t have one, sit down to figure out the business model that would best suit your strengths and stick with it.

Often the problem with Internet Marketing is not the lack of choices but often too many. As long as you have the discipline to work on your business, you will DEFINITELY achieve success.

And let me end with one of my favorite quotes from Jennifer Ledbetter aka Pot Pie Girl, “If you’re willing to do for a year what others won’t, you can do for a lifetime what others CAN’T!”

Step-By-Step Guide On How To Do Video Marketing

Introduction – Why YOU Are the Best Person to Create and Star in Your Video

When many internet marketers and bloggers think about creating video content they get some pretty big ideas.

Unfortunately, those big ideas cost a lot of time, energy and money.

And the return on investment can be quite low.

Yet, when you shift your concept of video content to a DIY attitude you reap tremendous business building benefits.

In fact, when you personally star in your video you take great strides toward achieving some significant goals.

These goals can include profits, branding, and increasing your website traffic.

How?

Your personality is key element for branding your business.

Sharing your personality, in the form of video content helps strengthen your brand. It also taps into some effective buying triggers.

1. Likeability

Producing short videos staring you will undoubtedly create fans. You’ll be able to connect with your website visitors on a very personal level.

When people like you, they return to your website. They also buy from you and recommend you to others.

2. Authority & Credibility

Publication is definitely a good way to establish credibility and authority in your niche. Video helps you take it a step beyond basic print content. 

With video, you’re personally dispensing the information.

Customers and prospects receive the value right from you personally. They gain more faith in your advice and knowledge.

3. Ease and Simplicity

In addition to helping you grow your business, when you create and star in your video, the video content creation process is much easier.

With a few simple steps you can create a video today. Smart simple editing and you can have it on your website in just a few minutes.

It’s that easy. And it’s also inexpensive.

This workbook walks you through the five steps to create video content for your business website.

Even if you’re camera shy, you’ll have a top notch video ready for uploading when you’ve finished this workbook.

Ready?

Great, let’s go!

Step One: Choose Your Topic

All topics are not created equally. In fact, some topics are quite difficult to manage via video.

However, other topics are ideal for video. The process to choose a perfect video topic is actually simple and straight forward.

1. Make sure it is succinct

The more targeted and specific your topic is, the easier it’ll be to talk about for three to five minutes.

For example, a video on branding your business might be quite difficult.

After all, there are entire books written on branding your business.

However, if you talk about how to brand your business with color, that’s more specific.

An even narrower topic might be, “Three quick tips for branding your business with color.”

2. Make sure it offers value

Your video, like any website content, needs to offer value.

Generally you offer value by providing new information.

However, entertainment can be valuable too.

If you make people laugh or evoke emotion you’re filling a need.

The value you offer depends largely on your business niche.

A parenting website might create a “how to” video for managing bedtime routines for toddlers.

This would be incredibly valuable for any parents who are dealing with a toddler’s growing independence.

The video could be entertaining as well because you could share your own experiences on getting your own kids to bed.

How to videos are often the easiest way to offer value. However, tips videos, reviews, interviews, and demonstrations are also quite helpful.

3. Make sure there’s demand for your topic

Finally, when you’re looking for a great topic, consider reviewing keywords and trends.

What is in demand?

What are your prospects and visitors dying to know?

You can also take a look at the headlines and grab a topic that’s newsworthy.

Your First Action Step

This is a workbook which means it’s time for you to do a little work.

Grab a sheet of paper or open a new document on your computer.

Write down ten to twenty topic ideas.

As you’re writing them, jot down notes about what you’d talk about in your video.

For example, if you were going to create a video about “Three tips for branding your business with color” you might discuss how colors trigger emotions.

Red symbolizes power; green symbolizes nature and so on.

Making note of your thoughts on each potential video topic will help you prepare for a future step.

Step Two: Gather Your Equipment

The good news about creating your own video content is that you don’t need much to get started.

In fact you can create great video content with three key items:

Video Camera

You can spend thousands on an expensive video camera. However, you can find similar success with a Flip camera.

You can find this camera on Amazon.com for as little as a $100, and it takes great video. It is also super easy to use.

Simply choose how close you want the camera to zoom in and then hit record.

Once you’ve recorded your video you plug the flip into your computer via a USB port.

Upload the video to the Flip editor.

Cut your movie and upload it on your website.

It’s that easy. You can create a video in just a few minutes.

You don’t have to use a Flip, of course. You can use your video camera on your computer or any digital video camera.

If you already own a digital video recorder, record a few short videos to make sure the quality matches your needs.

Also, make sure it’s easy to edit and upload your video. If so, then you’re all set.

In fact, if your cell phone has a good video recorder that may be enough.

However, if you can spare a $100, the Flip makes creating video content a quick and easy task.

Tripod – A tripod makes getting the perfect shot really easy.

Even better, it keeps the camera still so you don’t have to worry about shaky hands. You can get small tripods with adjustable legs for just a few dollars.

They make them specifically for the Flip.

You can find them on the Flip website or any major retailer like Amazon. (You can also purchase wide angle lenses for the Flip if you want a wider shot.)

You can also set your Flip on a stack of books or a box, and it works just as well J

Lighting – The best type of lighting is natural lighting. This means recording your video in a room with a window.

Pull the curtains open and position yourself so the sunlight is shining on you from the front or the side of your body.

If this isn’t possible then consider purchasing natural spectrum bulbs.

Make sure the bulbs are the right size and wattage for the lamps in the room where you’re recording your video.

Again, position yourself so the light is shining on you rather than behind you.

Take a few test shots to get the best camera position.

Make sure you’re not in a shadow and that the camera angle best frames you and your surroundings.

Your Second Action Step – Gather your equipment. If you have a video camera already, give it a few test runs.

Make sure it’s easy to use. Set it up in the room where you’ll be filming your videos.

Test various lighting situations to find the best placement for your camera.

Once you’ve gathered your video equipment and you’ve found the best placement for you and your camera, it’s time to decide what you’re going to say.

Step Three: Create Your Content Format

You might be surprised but it’s recommended that you do not write a script. To connect with your viewers, your video needs to feel natural.

If you’re reading from a script, that’s going to be difficult. It may end up feeling forced and awkward.

Not a great way to build a connection.

So how do you stay on track?

How do you know what to talk about?

How do you not freeze up in front of the camera?

Note Cards – Grab a note card or a piece of paper and write down the main points you want to cover in your video.

You may have already done this when you were jotting down your thoughts on your video topic ideas.

Include any personal stories you want to share. Keep it simple. Outline the basic topics you want to cover. You might use a bulleted format.

For example, “Three tips for using color to brand your business.”

Colors evoke emotions

Red symbolizes power and energy. It grabs attention.Blue symbolizes professionalism and trustworthiness.Green symbolizes nature.Example – coke is red. IBM is blue.

Practice – Take a few minutes to run through what you want to say. Rehearse your content a few times aloud.

Consider keeping a timer beside you so you know how long you’re video is going to be.

Generally, you want to keep your video short – ten minutes or less. There are some videos that last thirty minutes or more.

Most often, that is just too long. Keep your viewers attention span in mind.

Your topic will also dictate the length of your video. Some topics simply require more time.

Regardless of the length of your video, it is important to make sure your video holds your viewer’s attention.

Keep it interesting and make sure you stay focused on providing valuable information. 

You can practice in front of the camera.

However, it’s generally a better idea just to practice what you want to say without worrying about the camera.

If you practice with the camera running, don’t get too hung up on how you look or sound.

As long as your viewers can clearly see and hear you, you’re good to go. If you’re not used to seeing yourself on camera it can be a strange experience.

Don’t worry.

You’ll get used to it.

Eventually, it’ll become second nature.

If you find you’re having trouble remembering what you want to say then create a visual aid.

Consider writing your key points in large print on a note card.

Don’t get too detailed with the cards. The bulleted list is ideal.

Remember, this isn’t a script.

It’s simply a memory aid.

Position the card above or beside the camera.

Then you can glance at the note card when you need help.

Your Next Action Step – Create your content outline. What are you going to talk about? Practice it a few times. Now you’re ready to shoot!   

Step Four: Choose Your Location

The next step is fairly straight forward. Where does it make the most sense to shoot your video? Here are a few things to consider:

Logic – What location makes the most sense? For example, if you’re filming a cooking demonstration then you’re logically going to be in your kitchen.

If you’re shooting a “how to garden” video then you’ll be outside in your garden.

Lighting – What location offers the best natural lighting?

Remember, ideally you want the light from the window shining on you, not behind you.

Sound – Where is it going to be quietest?

For example, if you normally work from your kitchen table that might not be the best place to shoot your video.

Unless you want the dog, the phone and the sound of kids playing to fill in the background noise!

Comfort level – Where are you going to be the most comfortable filming your video?

For example, would you rather sit at your desk or on the couch in your office?

Camera Position – Where can you place your camera for the best shot?

If you’re in a home office, can you place the camera on your desk? If you’re in the kitchen, does the counter top work?

Keeping these five considerations in mind, spend some time finding the ideal location for your video.

If you can’t find a location to fit all five criteria, prioritize lighting, sound and logic.

Action Step – Take a look at your surroundings and find the best location to shoot your video. You might experiment with a few locations.

Take a few test shots with your camera to make sure the sound, light and camera frame work well for your needs.

Step Five: Relax and Create Your Video

Relaxing may be the most difficult part of creating a video.

It’s tough to act natural if you’re not used to being in front of a camera.

You may find yourself shooting the same video thirty times!

Here’s the key to success: Imagine you’re talking to a friend. Speak slowly and clearly.

Relax and smile.

It’s really that easy.

Once your video has been created, upload it to your computer. Cut it to fit your needs.

For example, you may cut the beginning few seconds when you’re positioning the camera and taking a seat at your desk.

Add music and/or any captions if you want. (This step is easy with the Flip camera’s software).

You’re ready to upload it to your website! Congratulations!

Conclusion

Creating a video staring you is not only one of the best ways to market your business, it’s also quick, easy and extremely affordable.

Remember, with any marketing tactic that testing and tracking will help you maximize your results.

As you become more comfortable in front of the camera, you’ll notice your videos improve. The process will become easier, more enjoyable and more profitable too!