Friday, June 30, 2006

How To Make Money Selling Ebooks

By: Biana Babinsky
Many people have told me that they want to make money by selling ebooks, but they don't want to write an e-book. If this describes you, I have great news for you! You can still make money by selling e-books written by other people by using affiliate marketing.

What is affiliate marketing? Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between a merchant (the person who wrote and owns the ebook) and you (an affiliate). You agree to use your web sites and blogs to promote the merchant's e-books and to link to the merchant's web site. In exchange for this, the merchant pays you a commission on all sales that were generated by the affiliate web site. A referral occurs when a customer clicks on your product link and makes a purchase.

So now that you know what affiliate marketing is, start looking for a few affiliate products that you would like to sell. You might already know someone whose ebooks you would like to sell, and who has an affiliate program. In this case, just register for this person's affiliate program, get your affiliate links and start promoting the e-books.

If you don't know of anyone who has e-books and an affiliate program that you can use to sell them, just use your favorite search engine to find them. For example, if you are looking for e-books on gardening that have an affiliate program, just type in gardening e-books affiliate program into search engines. Chances are, you will find what you are looking for.

Once you find e-books that you would like to promote, start promoting them. Here is information to help you promote them:

Create good web marketing copy for the e-books on your web site. It is not enough to list the e-books on your web site and then link to the seller’s web site. The people who come to your web site are not looking for links to other sites; rather, they are looking for useful information for themselves. Having useful information on your web site increases the changes of your web site visitors buying the e-book, and will generate affiliate commissions for you.

Once you have good web site copy, start promoting your web site online and drive traffic to it. One way to do that is by optimizing the site for search engines. Search engine optimization is the process of modifying web page content and meta-information to improve the search engine ranking of the page. Successful search engine optimization will greatly increase the number of visitors that come to your web site. The more visitors to the web site you have, the more affiliate products you will be able to sell, and the more money you will make. Make sure you optimize every page of your web site for search engines, especially the ones that provide the information about the e-books and sell the e-books; that way you will get more web site visitors.

Another way to drive more traffic to your web site is by creating a blog to promote it. A blog is your business diary, in which you share the information about your web site, as well as the e-books you are promoting. Your blog is an excellent tool to let the world know about the affiliate products and to connect with potential customers who would want to purchase them.

In order to bring the most online traffic and make money with your blog, make sure that your blog consistently and create blog posts that are of interest to your past as well as potential customers. Regular posts that are interesting to read is what will keep your readers coming back and buying from you.

Use the tips discussed above to make money selling e-books written by others. That is an excellent way to make money online.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Technorati Tags : ebook, blog, traffic, making money

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

It's Never Too Late To Learn

By Jan Wilhelm

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m too old to learn”? Did you believe them? I hope not. There are many people in their 50’s and 60’s going back to college to earn their degree. At that point in their life they are probably doing it because it is something they want to accomplish. The likelihood of improved earning power is no longer the motivating factor.

Computers are now such a part of our lives. Do you know anyone who is very uncomfortable around computers? Chances are it is an older person. Younger people have grown up with computers and are very knowledgeable of them. Share your knowledge with them. Even if you only have basic knowledge, share it. They will think you are a genius. Teach them to e-mail. Teach them the basics of MS Word. Teach them to surf the web. What a wealth of knowledge is available online. Teach them to find it. It will enrich their lives.

I recently began an online business. I spent months researching businesses and ended up joining this opportunity. It required very little investment, which suited my budget. A fully set-up website was included. Now I had so much information at my fingertips. I was overwhelmed! I couldn’t concentrate on one thing. There were so many things to investigate. Fortunately, as a member of this organization, I had access to an excellent Forum. People are so helpful. You get answers and encouragement. The downside of this is that I then felt pulled in many more directions. I was learning a lot, but not making much progress.

Then a gentleman posted a thread on the forum. As I said earlier, share your knowledge with others. He is very successful. He offered to help any members who felt like they needed help. I was amazed! This man could sit back and do nothing and still make good money. Here he was, offering to help a newbie.

He is sharing his knowledge and I am working hard to learn everything that he says I should learn. A couple of weeks ago “HTML” didn’t mean much to me. Now (after studying) I can go in my website and make changes. WOW! I never thought I would ever be able to do that. My confidence is growing and I know I will succeed.
Thank you!

Again I ask, as I did at the beginning, are you ever too old to learn. In a few weeks I turn sixty. I have learned a lot in the last few months. My brain seems to work even when I am asleep. The other night I could not fix a problem on my website. I finally gave up and went to bed. When I woke in the morning, I had the answer.

I do not care what age you are: EXPAND YOUR MIND. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, GO AFTER THE IMPOSSIBLE! You won’t be sorry. You will grow, even if you don’t succeed in a particular endeavor. You will try again and you will make it.

Technorati Tags : lesson, dream, success

Monday, June 26, 2006

Killer Secrets For Making Your Customers Respond To Your Email Now!

Email has resulted in a revolution in marketing-an explosion in messaging.

For some it is a god-send, a technology and a method that allows people to sell products and services quickly and effectively.

For others, it's a doomsday machine, a spam filled mailbox filled with angry mail from people who will never again be customers.

Website Conversion Expert Dan Lok says you have to learn several special techniques before you can truly leverage and make maximum use email -- the Internet's wonderchild.

Here are some of the Dan's most important keys to successful email marketing campaigns:

1. Get Permission. Use web page sign up forms or post card return cards, but get permission in a valid way. Create and offer incentives for people to sign up online to receive value-added information.

2. Target carefully and make it relevant. Send only relevant email to opt-in subscribers. Develop and give people what they wanted and what you promised. Don't send email that is outside the scope of what was promised to people who opted in. Target and segment your subscriber base and tailor your messages to specific demographic characteristics.

3. Your Subject Line is Critical. Don't make it look or sound like spam. The purpose of the subject line is NOT to sell, but just to get people to open the email, that's it! Be careful of the words you select. Check your email against a spam checker to see that it doesn't contain words that will automatically result in deletion.

4. Use your personality. Talk in the first person. Develop your persona as a friend or as an expert. Define your persona based on your customers' needs and desires and based on professional behaviors.

5. Don't sell. Advise, advise, advise. Offer value-added problem solving information, advice, tools and help. Use email to get people to use your email as a reason to call you or visit your web site. Offer people more of what they like to build and your personal relationship and their satisfaction and your personal connection with your customer.

6. Create a single, clear and benefit laden call for action. Focus on getting people to take one action. Don't offer more than one action. Identify the action clearly and persuasively and track the results. Get them to click and go to a relevant landing page to net them to take further action.

7. Create a life-cycle campaign. Design a program that results in you sending out four to six messages over a six to eight week period. These recurring campaigns can be created in advance and operated in a totally automated fashion.

8. Use triggered email. Design and set up automated email campaigns so that when clients order product or sign up for items or request information online, that a suite of email messages are then sent to them periodically automatically.

9. Use email to get them to Click! Keep the email short - no more than 3 or 4 pages. Relate first paragraph to subject line. Drive people to a web page and then close the sale, don't try to close the sale with an email. Don't mention price or cost in email. The purpose of the email is to PRE-SELL, not to sell. Again, it's to get them CLICK, then go to your web page. Then you can do the selling there.

10. Comply with CAN-SPAM Act requirements. Send from a valid address. Respect all remove requests promptly. Never send a second email to someone who has requested removal.

by Dan Lok

Technorati Tags : email, marketing, howto

Thursday, June 22, 2006

SPAM SPAM SPAM!

Most of us sick of receiving nonsense email in your inbox everyday. The same subject, the same info and stuff everyday. Such a waste of time when you receive those 'spam' and spend your precious seconds deleting them. Most of them advertised goods and services such like viagra (popular ones, i guess), pornography, quick-rich programs, MLM.. so on. That's the way of doing email marketing but not it's not an ethical practice. Mind your reputation.

What's SPAM?
Spamming is the use of any electronic communications medium to send unsolicited messages in bulk, indiscriminately -- unlike sending to a selected group in normal marketing. In the popular eye, the most common form of spam is that delivered in e-mail as a form of commercial advertising. However, over the short history of electronic media, people have done things comparable to spamming for many purposes other than the commercial, and in many media other than e-mail. ...

[wikipedia]


We can't totally stop spams but there's some ways to avoid them. if possible don't put your full email address in forums, bulletin boards, website, blogs. Spammers use special programs which harvest these and use them to build spam lists. You'll be their victim.

Try to use variations for your email address :

  • zulu [at] yahoo.com
  • zulu@REMOVE_THISyahoo.com
  • zulu@yahoo dot com
At least they can't detect the exact email address to their spam list. This will helps you a lot. Stop Spam. Say that 'WE HATE SPAM".

Technorati tags : spam, email, spamming



Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Tips for Promoting Your Newsletter

By Lara Velez

MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO YOUR VISITORS:

Place a sign up form on the top of EVERY page of your site and/or forums. By doing this, you are making your newsletter available to every visitor of your site. It is also good for those visitors that may want to sign up, but are busy reading content, and missed the form on another page.

MESSAGE BOARDS:
Use your signature to promote! Message board sigs are a fantastic promotional tool. It's like free advertising. Every time you post, there are countless opportunities for your sig line to be read.

BLOGS:
Place a link on your blog. There are many potential subscribers out there that love to Blog. They exclusively search blogs for information. Make the most of your Blog, and use it to promote your business, products, and NEWSLETTER!

ONE of a KIND:
There are thousands of newsletters out there in your niche. Make yours different. If you are a carbon copy of everyone else, why would people want to read yours? Be unique...originality goes a long way!

WORD of MOUTH:
Once you have mastered the art of originality, your subscribers will tell their friends what a great newsletter you have. You can also have top monthly referral prizes, and newsletter promotional contests to get that word of mouth going.

FUN FACTOR:
Have contests for subscribers. People love to win stuff. Be creative and keep your newsletter fun, informative, and easy to read. Ask your advertisers if they would sponsor a contest. You both win. They get free advertising and you get a great prize for your contest. This is another way to generate those "word of mouth" subscribers.

SWAP LINKS:
Trade links with other relevant newsletters. Try to find newsletters that have the same type of readers, but are different enough topic wise for them to want to read both. Plus, it's a great way for WAHM's to support one another!

DIRECTORIES:
There are MANY directories out there, including newsletter and ezine directories. Do a search. Ask around. The point is, get your newsletter listed in as many as you can.


About the Author: Lara Velez is a Homeschooling WAHM. She lives in the Sunshine State with her lovely daughters and husband. She is a published author, web publisher, web designer, and editor. She owns two successful websites,
Moms of Faith: http://www.momsoffaith.comhttp://www.homebusinessresourcedirectory.com
She also owns her own business: http://www.mymonavie.com/HlthyLiving/mystory.asp


Technorati tags : newsletter, promotion, directory, blog, forum

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Choosing the Right Product to Sell


Are you looking for a great product to sell online? Worried that all the best ideas are taken? Here is a rundown of what makes a product a good candidate for selling online:

Characteristics:

  • light and easy to ship, or
  • a digital good that is downloaded (e-book or software) ,
  • not perishable or fragile,
  • doesn't have to be seen and held (designer fabrics, perhaps),
  • has enough demand to make your venture profitable,
  • and, has little competition from large online companies (niche products).

It's the last two characteristics that can be hard to pin down. Here is a generally accepted method of arriving at an idea of how heavy the demand and competition is for a product.

First, make a list of some potential products that might fit the bill.

If you have a special interest in some of them, great, but don't limit your investigation just to items you like. You are looking for a niche product with relatively good demand (just enough to make it profitable), but without heavy competition. Consider the characteristics listed above, but remember that there are many exceptions. ProFlowers.com, for example, has made a great business out of selling flowers online that are both fragile and perishable.

DEMAND
Next, you need to find out what the demand for your product might be.One way to approximate this is to look at search engines to see how frequently people search for your product. There are several free tools that let you do this easily.

SUPPLY
Next, you want to discover how much competition you have. Search Yahoo! Stores or Google for the product you're evaluating to see how much competition there is. Yahoo! will tell you how many products, in how many stores, are listed on their site.

ADVERTISING
To see how hard it might be to break into the market, check Google or FindWhat to see how many people are paying to advertise the keyword.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
The end result of all this research should be one or more products that fit into a niche market - products with some demand, and relatively little supply. For the best results, focus on one niche product category, and offer a wide selection. That way, you can become the best online source for that particular category. For example, instead of offering general craft supplies, offer the widest possible selection of needlepoint kits. This strategy will also allow you to rank higher in search engines because you can optimize your pages for fewer, more specific, keywords.

By Ana Rincon


Technorati tags: product, keyword, advertising, demand, supply, online business

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Ten Simple Savings Habit

Today i come across this article from Malaysian Investor website, by Ringgit Man. Good tips on how to start your saving habit. Hmm, eventhough u earned RM10K per month doesn't mean that you don't need to grow your saving.. ;)

#1: Quit smoking

“I have stopped smoking since the announcement of the new cigarette price. I have managed to save RM20 a week.”
--Mohammed, Credit Controlller. Age: 28

Ringgit Man: Live longer and save RM1,040 a year!


#2: Bring lunch to work

“I usually bring lunch to work three times per week. I manage to save about RM30 per week”.
--Soh Guat Ha, Accountant. Age: 36

Ringgit Man: Bring lunch from home to work and you can bring RM1,560 to the bank next year!


#3: Wash your own car

“Why send your car to the carwash if you have time over the weekends? The carwash operators charged RM9 per wash – this means you can save RM36 per month by washing your own car. Besides it is good exercise and, for a better workout, try polishing the car.”
--Khairi, Business Development Executive. Age: 26

Ringgit Man: Washing and polishing your car brings in an annual saving of RM1,872 which can take you a long way.


#4: Workout at home

“I have cancelled my fitness club’s membership since I rarely go there and exercise. I have started working out at home. As part of my exercise regime, I walk about my neighborhood, 30 minutes a day. Amount saved? RM180 per month.”
--Mahinder Kaur, IT Technician, Age: 25

Ringgit Man: RM180 a month for 12 months - your savings account will be very fit in a year’s time. You will have an extra RM2,160 in it.


#5: Pay your credit card bills on time

“Always pay your credit card on time to avoid incurring the RM5 finance charges for late payment. If possible, clear your credit card balance as soon as possible to avoid the high interest charges.”
--Ahmad Kamal, Programmer, Age:23

Ringgit Man: The early bird catches the worm. A prompt payer saves RM60 per year.

#6: Tutor your children yourself

“I have three school-going children, aged between 7 to 11. I tutor them myself instead of sending them to a tuition center. I save a gross amount of RM360 per month.”
--Mrs Kannan, freelance writer. Age: 42

Ringgit Man: Kill two birds with one stone. Teach your kids, spend quality time with them and you’ll save RM4,320 a year for their college funds.


#7: Hang out at a “teh tarik” stall instead of trendy gourmet coffee outlets

“My friends and I used to hang out at trendy coffee outlets during weekends which would cost us almost RM50 per week. Now, we hang out at “teh tarik” stalls and spend around RM10 a week.
--Sofiana, Student. Age: 18

Ringgit Man: Go local and save RM2,080 a year.


#8: Reduce your electricity consumption

“My family always tries to reduce electricity consumption in our home. We set the timer for the air-conditioner and switch off the lights and electrical appliances if they are not in use. We have managed to reduce our electricity bill from RM230 to RM120 per month.”
--Madam Cheah, Homemaker. Age: 47

Ringgit Man: Use energy efficiently and power-up your savings by RM1,320 annually.


#9: Plan your grocery shopping

“Whenever I buy groceries, I always spend more than the budgeted amount by buying chips, carbonated drinks and sweets. This year, I made an effort to stick to my list when I do my grocery shopping and have managed to save RM80 per month.
--Dina, Florist. Age: 33

Ringgit Man: Stick to your shopping list and save an extra RM960 a year.


#10: Pay your bills online

“I settle most of my bills using the Internet facility. I have saved RM5 in postage, RM65 from parking and fuel per month.”
--Rajesh Nair, Software Engineer. Age: 28

Ringgit Man: Go online and surf your way to RM840 savings per year. But take precautions when using the Internet.

A little cut back in your spending can go a long way to grow your savings. Start small and be patient. Give yourself 12 months and see its outcome. You will then have enough savings to invest it in the capital market!


---------

Two cents : In other words, spend wiser. No matter how much you earn, if you don't plan your expenses will makes no differet. Think of it.

Technorati tags : expenses, saving, money, investment

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Secret To Making Money with Adsense SEO Guide!

Few week ago, i received a newsletter from Gobala (since I am a subscriber of onedollarcoaching). Yea, a good news for all internet marketer and netrepreneur out there! An ebook that everyone should have. Here it is :

Adsense SEO Guide
What's the book all about? A brief information from the author, Kidino
  1. Discover Hot Niche Markets - You don’t need expensive software for this. All you need is to know where to look, and what to look for. I will show you how the gurus really find the hot, untapped markets to drain cash from. Hint: it’s not by using some $150 software!
  2. Discover Where The Money Is ­ Analyze the competition to see if there’s any real money worth chasing after. Not all hot niche markets are profitable, so if you charge blindly without doing your due diligence, you’re bound to get disappointed. The faster you learn to look for the money, the faster you can dump unprofitable ideas and search for the real winners.
  3. Maximize Your Returns ­ Discover how to take a single idea and expand it to uncover more hidden gems that when combined, will create a synergistic and exponential effect on your earnings. In other words, I’ll show you how to make much more with what you discover, and not leave money on the table.
Read more on Adsense SEO Guide

I quote from Kidino and Gobala on How to Really Make Money on The Internet,

....you need to reach the market fast before the trend dies out and the window of opportunity is closed forever.


I agree with them. So why wait? Grab this GUIDE now!
Technorati tag : kiddino, gobala, guide, ebook, adsense, seo, malaysian

Friday, June 16, 2006

How to Avoid Newbie Mistakes!

I think the biggest "mistake" newbies make is focusing on far too many things at once. Most people try to make a living online, when really they should focus on just one thing at the time. Start with ONE project, fine tune it, get it making some money and then once you have figured out how to make money in that niche, and are making money on a steady basis - you simply do the same things over again to start adding an additional revenue stream from another niche.

Of course you will have to make some changes to fine tune your efforts from time to time. Your second project should be a niche that is completely different from the first one. The basics will be the same... traffic generation, conversion, etc. but try to just focus on that ONE thing, figure it out, master it, get it to make some money to a level where you're satisfied, then start all over again in another niche. That is what Internet Marketing is all about - MOMENTUM! You need to push and push until you got that wheel running. When it is running good then change to the next wheel (could be a different marketing effort for instance) and keep on pushing until you achieve the desired results. Then you'll have to repeat the tasks that bring you money over and over again and get rid of the ones that don't produce CASH!

Far too often I see people running from project to project before they make any money, hoping that the next project will yield better results than the last. While this can be true (You do have to throw in the towel sometimes) - the important thing is to fine tune what you're doing with ONE Project, then move on to the next and do it all over again. The basics, as I mentioned earlier - are the same for all types of products / niches / etc...

I have a good number of websites and while not all are earning me any money (some are what I call sleepy sites that I will focus on later when I have time to spare) the ones I DO focus on are all bringing me in money month after month. Some very well, some not so well. But I never "launch" a new venture until the one that I am working on is giving me the return that I feel it should. Sometimes I even launch 2 or 3 sites in the same niche, so that I compete with myself (better that I compete and get the sale on one of 3 or 4 sites - then give it to a competitor) but I still stick with this formula, it works for me anyway and it works for many other Internet Marketers - very successfully!

It's also important not to have unrealistic expectations. Sometimes when I launch a site, it takes 2-3-4, even 6 months before it starts to bring in what I consider an acceptable amount of revenue. But I don't stray from that site. I work to bring the traffic, build a loyal customer base, etc. until I reach what I believe to be a realistic income from that site.

And I can not stress this enough - BUILD A LIST! Make a compelling offer that entices people to sign up for your newsletter. If you haven't got a sequence of autoresponders enticing your customers - DON'T WORRY! Write a quick email thanking them for joining your newsletter and promise them offers they can't get anywhere else (and deliver on the promise of course) - but don't let your lack of 10 or 20 pre-written messages stop you from building your list. Having this list will mean that you can promote your offer to them over and over again.

Don't underestimate the power of a good list!

by Martin Mölsted

Technorati Tag : newbie, online, living online, strategy

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Increase Sales With Autoresponders

Autoresponders are one of the tools that every successful internet marketer must have in order to succeed in any online business.

Autoresponders make the process of sending follow-up emails simple and automatic. Imagine if you had to personally reply to each and every response that you receive from your potential customer such as personally sending out follow-up sales letters or a thank you page.

Thanks to autoresponders this task can be completed automatically this can free up valuable time in order to handler more important tasks like site promotion.

Autoresponders can be preprogrammed to send out prewritten sales messages 24 hours a day non stop for as long as you want to run that particular campaign.

You can supply your customer with a lightning fast response to their inquiries because as you know the internet is a fast pace environment so you must make sure you customer get their requested information quickly or they will lose forget they even requested it.

Which autoresponder is the best choice?

There are probably hundreds of companies on the internet offering some type of autoresponder service each one offering their own type of service option or pricing structure so it will pay to shop around.

There are a number of free services on the internet that work just like the paid services only the only difference is they will include their own advertising message in what ever sales campaign that you run this can sometimes undermine the effectiveness of your campaign but don’t let this discourage you from using this option especially if your on a tight budget because some of the free services can be better than the some of the autoresponder services that you have to pay for.

You also want a service that offers the most versatility allowing you to personalize you sales message. Another important is getting an automatic notification when someone requests more information from your autoresponder some services don’t offer this feature be aware of this when making your autoresponder purchase.

About The Author
Meda Robinson is an up and coming internet marketer

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By popular demand, Internet Marketing guru Derek Gehl decided to share his FREE MONEY system.

You may be astonished to learn that -- right now -- he has students all around the world quietly using his FREE MONEY system to rake in $1,000s every day, with zero effort.

To read Derek's special report, that explains step by step how this system works -- and how you can apply it to your business immediately, read what is the secret here

How To Advertise Your Home-Based Business

As the business world evolves, we are seeing the rapid rise of individuals who want to work at home. Some have been affected by corporate downsizing, while the economy and natural disasters have affected others. As a result, more and more people are looking to start their own home-based business.

There probably has never been a better set of circumstances to start a home-based business than right now. With the Internet giving access to the world, the prospects are nearly endless. A brick and mortar building is no longer needed, unless you are dealing with a large quantity of inventory. And because it is in your home, thousands of dollars can be saved each year.

Every business will supply one of two different things to a potential customer. It will either be a product, or a service. But both must have advertising in order for the customer to know what you offering. Your home-based business will succeed or fail based on this one aspect. This article will delve into some of the most effective methods to advertise your business utilizing the Internet.

Google Adwords

This is probably one of your best promotional tools for every dollar that is spent. This will require some study in selecting the right keywords to use in the google program. There is a cost per click - every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a few cents, which is predetermined by you. Although effective, it will take a lot of watching to be able to get it right, and to keep it there....

Submit To Search Engines

Various websites will submit your website information, with your keywords, to multiple search engines. Some sites will submit your information to over 75 search engines - for free. For a rather small fee, this number can be multiplied many times. These will get the word out to the most popular engines, including google and yahoo. A number of search engines will take more than three weeks to list your site.

Create A Newsletter

This one will allow you to "get your list" of potential customers. Before you send out any illegal spam, however, it is important to get their approval for you to send them something. This is one way to be able to weekly email your customers - and in most cases, you can do it for free.

Write Free Articles

Write an article on your niche subject (the theme of your web page), and submit it to websites that distribute free web content. If written well, these will be picked up by other marketers and displayed on their site. Of course, you require that your name and website address must remain attached at the bottom. This is free advertising, and it is possible to be posted around the internet.

If you look around the Internet, you will see there are many ways to promote your business. Add new methods regularly and see what works best for you.


Written by Nadine Langlois

Article Source: http://www.articleworm.com

How Offering Free Stuff Can Increase Your Site Traffic

A successful business owner, whether in e-commerce or a mom and pop store, has usually found some way to be of service to their customer. Not only does helping your customer build and strengthen your customer relationships but it also can truly help your customers meet their goals. Free downloads or freebies is just a digital manifestation of what business pioneers have long ago understood. Helping your customer is good business!

The files you offer that are related to your service or industry can do many things for your online business. It can increase your visibility to a target base, make your site memorable, and it can potentially increase your site's traffic. For instance, a programmer may offer free open-source applications to potential customers (which many of them do) in hopes the visitors will share the application (more traffic or visibility), and ultimately the visitors will return to the site when they want to customize or enhance the program. Consumers are more likely to buy from someone with whom they have already built a relationship.

Free downloads can vary from e-books, templates of various kinds, software, screensavers, or others. To make each download effective, you have to let others know they are available. There are many sites dedicated to offering freebies. Submit your download or a link to your download page to those sites. Use your favorite search engine to gather a listing of these freebie sites.

It may seem obvious, but don't forget to include references to your product or service and your site address within your download.

You should see dramatic increase in your traffic but not just to the download page. Many visitors will become genuinely interested in your company and what you to have offer. Keep you site updated and offer incentives to those who download in your freebies. In addition to obtaining traffic, you should see an increase in your contact database and new business. So continuously submit your freebie links to other sites and eventually your efforts will pay off.

Copyright © 2005-2006 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn offers free small business resources and business plan templates at her web site http://smallbizstartupkit.com. Sign up for a free small business e-course and receive three free small business e-books instantly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rhonda_Winn

6 Steps To Success In Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate programs are suitable for those who do not have their own product or service to promote. They can promote other people's products or services as Reseller or Affiliate. The commission income can be fairly substantial and there are many super affiliates that are earning six figure income on the internet promoting products and services for others.

Here are 6 Power Steps that will assist you in your Affiliate Marketing venture.

1 Choice of Company
The company that you're going to represent must be established. It must be credible and have an excellent track record. Remember that you are going into a joint venture with them to promote their product or service. Here are other factors that you should take into account:

(a) The company must have products or services that are unique, of value, and are in demand. (b) The company should provide excellent support, training and resources to assist you to promote their products or services.

(c) There must be excellent tracking employed by the company to ensure that you will be credited for all your referrals. The tracking should credit you even when your prospects make a purchase months later.

(d) The commission rate must be attractive. For ebooks, softwares and virtual products, an acceptable commission rate should be between 40% to 60%. Commission payments for physical products are normally lower, between 5% to 15%.

(e) The company should pay commissions on at least 2 tiers. This will make it attractive for you to refer others to join you since you will be paid a percentage on their sales.

2 Cloak your referral links
There are many affiliates who lost their commission because their prospects 'change' the referral links. These affiliates took all the trouble to promote the products or services but the commissions due to them are 'hijacked' by the prospects because the prospects realized that these are referral links and therefore changed it to their own link with their own user name. In order to avoid this from happening you should CLOAK your referral link. This will hide your referral link. There are various ways of doing this. Here are some ways: (a) Use a sub-domain name.

(b) Use a tracking URL. You can get this from many companies that provide such services such as Ad-Alyzer, Adminder and Hyper Tracker.
You can get a FREE tracking service from:
http://resultstracker.net

(c) Use a Free Service that shortens your 'long' URL.
http://www.tinyurl.com

(d) There are many softwares available such as Affiliate Defender and Instant Affiliate Masker.

3 Test and Track your Promotions
It is important to test and track all of your Ads and promotional activities. You should be able to know the ROI(Return On Investments) on all you various campaigns. This will enable you to zero in on those that are productive and provide you with the highest ROI. You will avoid those that do not produce the expected results. You could use the tracking services mentioned in step 2 above.

4 Build an Opt-In List
Most affiliates send their prospects to the web sites of the company that they are promoting. They may end up making a few sales and receiving some commission. However, that's all that they will receive. They have worked hard to convince the prospects but they have no further contact with these prospects. These prospects are now in the opt-in-list of the Affiliate companies that they are representing. The smart thing to do is to capture the details of the prospects to build your own opt-in list before sending these prospects to the Affiliate company web site. There are 2 ways to do this:

(a) Set up you own web site and collect the email addresses and names of your prospects before sending them to the Affiliate company web site. You should create a web form to capture the email addresses and names. This can be done using HTML or if you are using an autoresponder, you'll normally be able to generate the web form with the autoresponder.

This web form can be set up on your web site or as a pop-up.

(b) Plug into the systems set up by various companies on the Internet. How it works is that you'll be provided with a 'special' URL to promote. When your prospects click on this URL, they will be directed to an 'emotional' flash presentation. At the end of the presentation, they will be required to fill in a short questionnaire.
There are 2 benefits here. You'll be pre-qualifying your prospects and you will have a copy of the questionnaire that they filled it. This will make it easier for you to follow-up with them.

I'm using WTPowers for this and I must say that their service is excellent for a small monthly fee. Here is the URL if you would like to check them out:
http://www.wtpowers.com/dreambuilders

5 Autoresponder
The autoresponder is the heart beat of any Internet business. It has been discovered that 71% of Internet sales are made after 7 contacts. It is therefore important that you follow up with your prospects.
This is why the use of autoresponder is crucial to your success.
Here is one that I own:
TIMM Reply http://www.timmreply.com

Here are a few companies that you could check out:

Aweber - http://www.aweber.com
Get Response - http://www.getresponse.com

6 Getting Traffic
There are many ways to generate traffic. Always keep in mind that the more targeted is your traffic, the better will be your conversion rate and the more will be your sales. Here are a few ways that may be useful:

(a) Search Engines
This will be appropriate if you are having your own web site.
Concentrate on keywords that relate to the product or service
you are marketing. Make sure that the kewords are 'targeted'.

Submit to only a few of the top search engines such as Yahoo,
Google, Alta Vista, Netscape, Lycos, and All the Web

(b) Pay Per Click
For those who are new, the pay-per click search engines will provide you with the necessary traffic. Just like with the search engines, the keywords need to be targeted.

http://www.overture.com
http://www.kanoodle.com

Google Adwords is now gaining popularity and you may want to check it out. It works like the pay per click search engines.
https://adwords.google.com/select

(c) Ezine Ads
This is one of the best ways to generate targeted traffic to your web site. The Solo Ad is the best way to advertise but it may cost you a bit. It is important to choose Ezines that relate to your product or service.

You can check out from Ezine directories:
Ezine Search - http://www.ezinesearch.com
Ezine Seek - http://www.ezine-universe.com

(d) Viral Marketing
There are many viral marketing programs that you can join. The traffic may not be targeted but these are free traffic.

http://10000hits.net/default.aspx?userid=398012

These are the 6 power steps that will assist you to have the cutting edge in Affiliate marketing. Following these steps will put you in the 5% categories of those Super Affiliates who are making 'BIG' money on the Internet.

Richard Quek is the author of 7 books, 'Cappuccino & Success', 'The Insider Secrets to Network Marketing', and 'The Internet M~oney Machine', ‘EXPOSED!’, ‘ZOOM to Super Success’, ‘My Discount Vault’ and ‘Power Income System’. Visit his website at: www.internetmarketingtrainer.com

Technorati Tags : affiliate, online marketing

5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online

Some people say that advertising is everything! Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.

But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.

Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or 'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these services?

Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site. So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than is required by the little timer these services use and then they are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services (this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of people were surfing the internet anymore.

Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and bring the visitors you want to your website without having to chase after them.

1. Content

What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of links and not much else?

If this is the case, think about adding some content to your website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You could write articles or find articles at one of the many directories that you can reprint on your site.

2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.

You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went, what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures of your plane or of you flying it.

3. Forums and bulletin boards.

You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of free services available out there that you can use to either remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find plenty to choose from.

And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so

you don't violate any of them).

4. Start a blog.

Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a great place to talk about what you are up to that day. So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane you could write about where you found them, how much they cost you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.

The really great part about this is that you can point links from your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic heading your way.

5. Write articles.

Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh, new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you can share your article.

Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small resource box that links back to your website (just like a signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many publishers go to the article directories to find new content for their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are

websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there, you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming from search engines, newsletters and websites.

Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic, meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are interested in what you wrote.

So there you have it. Whether you have a simple and basic Work at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.

-------

About The Author

Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com

Looking for Internet Marketing Ideas, Tips, and Solutions? Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html


Technorati Tags : marketing, advertising, blog, website traffic

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Develop A Home Based Business That Works!

Internet and home based businesses have virtually exploded since the 1980’s. To have an Internet presence these days for most companies is not just a desire, but a requirement for any company serious about attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. Even home based businesses have benefited from the Internet revolution. Today, payments can be made online and a person may never have to see, or even talk to, a real person. What a change from the old days, when one had to either speak with someone on the phone or live in a particular city to buy a product or make a sale! These days, anyone can have a home business and be successful, if they have the right systems and support in place.

Now, even small home businesses can put the power of the Internet to work for them. And you, as a savvy Internet Marketer and someone with a home based business, can and should put it to work for you. The days of having a home business with a “tangible” product and maintaining inventory (which is riskier), are just about over. That is the old way of developing a successful home based business. Now, you no longer have to spend thousands on advertising, and you don’t even have to consider print, radio or TV ads. The Internet has changed all that. What you do have to do is market your home based business wisely online.

The Internet is open 24/7. That means that anyone, anywhere in the world can visit your website or buy your products at any time. Your home business is your livelihood. This means that you need to be smart about how you manage your limited time and resources. As far as your home based business is concerned, this means having your sales and advertising systems on autopilot so they don’t require any driving from you. It also means separating the customers that are serious about buying your products from the “tire kickers”.

There are really only a few systems on the market for home based businesses that can save you valuable time and money by doing the advertising and sales work for you. Even fewer will send you real, targeted, qualified customers. But you don’t just need a computer system for your home based business, you need someone who will take you by the hand and show you the ropes. Many companies will sell you an Internet home business system. Not many will actually show you how to make it work for you. You need to find the one that will, because the success of your home based business depends on it.

Copyright 2006 www.eliasg.com

Monday, June 12, 2006

How My Business Began

My own blog...$Free

Hosting Website...$ 24.95

Marketing program...$39.95

Knowledge acquired since starting my business...PRICELESS

Recently, while playing my favorite game of Solitaire, I grew bored with the constant flipping of cards, moving hearts to one side, spades to the other that I decided to see what type of opportunities were available for making money online.I've never really thought of the internet as a tool I could use to reach my life's desires as my technical knowledge lies somewhere between "how do I turn this on?" to "okay, what next?"However, what is life if you don't take a few chances now and then?

So I opened up "Google" typed in "making money online" hit the "enter" key and presto...there they were...thousands of ways to achieve your wildest dreams!

Imagine my delight when all I had to do was send $49.95 to Joe Schmo's "Look at me, I'm a millionaire and you can be too" program, my very own business in a box, and I too would be sipping margaritas while polishing my Ferrari on the Mediterranean coast within just a few short days!All I have to do is hang out the open sign.Fantastic!

That's it folks, purchase my program today and follow my Super Duper Easy 1-2-3 steps to a lifetime of success and I'll do all the work for you, set up your website, line you up with the most profitable organizations with the best products and you can just sit back and watch the money roll in."Look at me!"If I can do it you can too.But, remember this offer is only good until midnight tonight.

Where do I sign up!Here is my credit card number, here is my address for my free laptop, here is my email and this is the PayPal account where you can deposit all my checks.Let me know when my business is up and running and I'll see you in Bermuda.

Now, I can say that I was not overly surprised when Joe Schmo's program proved to be less than what I was led to believe, after all, does anyone ever find financial freedom without putting some effort into it?No.The upside is that I had spent so much time surfing the net that day that I did come across an opportunity that had sparked an interest.

I discovered what you absolutely need to get started...a reputable program that follows through on its promises. If you are just starting out in the internet marketing arena it is absolutely imperative that you align yourself with people who already have proven programs in place.

Do the research.Before starting your own IM business you want to know whom the successful people are.You will find that a lot of the same names keep reappearing.These are the ones you want to emulate.These are the ones who have acquired the knowledge you need to fast track your success.

Be prepared to invest in your future.There are no "get rich quick" schemes that really work.

Have a proper business plan in place.How much time and effort are you willing to commit to your enterprise?Where do you want to be in 3 months, a year?What are you hoping to achieve?These are questions you need to ask yourself before embarking on your endeavor.

I opted to pursue a career at home in order to combine business and family responsibility.My business is focused around this objective.

Be consistent.I spend a minimum of 2 hours per day working towards my goal.Internet marketing allows me the flexibility of determining how many hours and which hours I work.

This journey has not been easy and there are times when I question myself.To combat this I have joined the most informative forums filled with knowledgeable people to point me in the right direction.I've affiliated myself with organizations that offer useful services and detailed tutorials.

The experience and information I have acquired in a brief period of time is not only astounding but also invaluable.Just a short while ago I had no idea what you could do with a computer, now, I can set up web pages, write newsletters, program in html codes and make money, make a lot of money.This is absolutely amazing!

Online marketing has given me insight into the endless possibilities I have at my fingertips.I can do anything.All it will require is hard work, determination and the ability to stay focused on the big picture.

Article Source: http://www.tips.com.my

To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: www.4FunCash.com

Sunday, June 11, 2006

How do I start a home based business?

Love Your Product/Service

If you're thinking of stepping out of a long-term career to devote the massive amount of time it requires to launch a successful and profitable home business, you must love what you're doing and the product or service you'll be providing. You need to be prepared for a slow go at the beginning. Like infants, companies crawl before they walk, so loving what you're doing is instrumental in enduring when you have questioning moments. And quite honestly, you will.

For example, if you've considered for a time that Grandma's fudge recipe should be shared with the masses, but you hate to cook, then it's not a good idea to market Grandma's fudge. Why? Because, at least in the beginning, you'd have to be in the kitchen whipping up batches of chocolate yourself before you could move on and have the financial resources to hire another company to do it for you.

Set Realistic Goals

If you've never taken a business course in your life nor read a book on business, then it's wise to sit down and write out what you hope to achieve with your home business. Don't censor yourself at this point. Describe in detail your biggest dream for starting a home business. When you've written your long term goals down, it's time to take a realistic look at what is feasible and when.

For example, if you're dreaming of setting your own hours, you'll be able to achieve that dream in part. However, the hours that you'll be setting for yourself will most likely be longer than initially anticipated.

Finances

It is important to be as specific as you can when itemizing financial planning. While it's possible to start up a home business with very little money and you don't necessarily need to talk with a loan officer at a bank to begin a home business, it is critical to know what your expenditures are in order to compare them against your income. Before jumping in and promoting your product or service blindly, find out what you'll be needing to package your product or what you might need to use in the course of a day when delivering your service such as office supplies, computer programs, packaging supplies, and gasoline

Some other financial information to be aware of concerns taxes. Most people aren't informed about how to proceed, what tax breaks for home business there might be for your company, or that you'll need a tax number if your profit is over a certain amount. Educate yourself! Contact a local lawyer who'll offer a free consultation and will answer your questions. Be sure to save all your receipts even for something like toilet paper. If an item is used in the operation of your business, it is considered a business expense.

Suppliers and Buyers

A company that specializes in a particular service such as computer repair doesn't have much need for supplies beyond what can be picked up at a hardware or computer store. A company that specializes in marketing a product in packaged form does. So, you've decided you love to cook and want to market Grandma's fudge. What do you do now? Any food product takes a little more consideration and planning for. You'll need to be able to list the ingredients of your recipe, know the amounts required, then contact a company that will nutritionally itemize your product. Typically, they also provide sterilized packaging, but in case they don't, you'll need to contact a company that does. Non-food products don't necessitate as much attention paid to health statutes. Whether making homemade soap, candles, teddy bears from old quilts, or purses from old license plates concentration should be on the quality of product and uniqueness of packaging.

Once you have a finished product to sell, you'll need to contact buyers. Begin with local retailers who might be interested in buying your product. You'll need to have a presentation, patience of a saint, and determined persistence. With the web bringing the world's market to the average household livingroom, consider marketing your product online. There are sites that offer shopping cart features for free. Don't forget to contact retailers in other communities as well.

Promoting Your Business

Advertising is essential in getting your business attention. If you're thinking television commercials at this point, think again. Word of mouth still is the most influencing advertisement a business has. Make sure when you're in the process of building a clientele that you ask your customers to pass along information about your business. It's free! Some other inexpensive ways to advertise are creating your own business cards and flyers, newspapers ads, promotional campaigns at local events, and building your own website. The most important ingredients are to be creative and take initiative.