Magic In Words Blog

Looking To Create A Speaker Demo DVD

2008-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

Are you a speaker looking for more speaking opportunities?

A professional DVD of your presentation will open those doors for you, whether with a meeting planner, speakers committee, or speakers bureau!

A quality video will:

*Get you past the "gatekeepers" to the decision makers
*Show your unique style and how the audience responds to you
*Entice potential clients, grab their interest and make a great impression
*Reach thousands of potential clients by streaming your demo on your website
Increase the caliber of your bookings.
*Get you hired and increase your income

Join us Saturday, March 1st for a day of DVD Speaker Presentations. If you want a DVD of your presentation to show to potential speaker bureaus or meeting planners, this day is for you!

Innovative Video Solutions will be on hand to record your presentation, in front of an audience, then create a video you can stream from your website, or share on a DVD. Click here for the event details.

Here are some speaker demos I saw when I searched "speaker demo videos" at YouTube.

Thayer Willis Speaker Demo

Geoff Bond International Speaker - Demo video

Joel Block - Speaker Demo Reel for 2007

Debra Simpson, Magic In Blogging, Named Woman Blogger to Watch in 2008

2008-01-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an honor to be named one of 25 Women Bloggers To Watch In 2008. I can't thank Heidi enough for this honor.

I've talked for three years now about blogging. It's a great tool for any online business. I've created "how-to" videos for the folks using Blogger and Wordpress blogs. You can find them at Magic In Blogging. Let me know if you want a particular task video to help you in your blogging!

Read the post here: Magic In Blogging

Google Gadgets For Your Website or Blog

2007-10-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, we call them gadgets, widgets, or plug ins. The point is they add interactivity to your site, compelling your visitors to hang around. I've used many on my various sites. So let's talk about a few of the Google Gadgets For Your Website.

You go to Google, choose a gadget and customize it. Google will generate the code you need to place your gadget in your post or on your sidebar. Just play around with them. Give your visitors a reason to stick around....

Crystal Ball
Ask your question and tap the ball to reveal the answer to your question.

Sudoko Puzzles
Test your skills.

Coloring Page of the Day

Jigsaw Puzzle of the Day

Leadership Quote of the Day

Skype Me!

Google Talk

These are only a few gadgets. Go to Google's Gadget page and check out a few for your website or blog. Keeping our visitors engaged is how we develop relationships with them. Try one or two gadgets today!

Let me know what gadgets you like, leave a comment below!

My Blog Log, A Fun Widget

2007-09-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, what's a widget?

According to Wikipedia, a web widget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation. They are derived from the idea of reusable code that has existed for years. Nowadays other terms are used to describe a web widget including: gadget, badge, module, capsule, snippet, mini and flake.

YIKES!!! What does that mean to you? It means you can easily add fun stuff to your blog without having any programming knowledge.

Today I'm going to share with you a fun "widget" I recently discovered, My Blog Log. My Blog Log is more than a "widget", it's also a social networking site.

If you have a blog, well with the exception of wordpress.com blogs, you can add this "widget" to your blog. It shows which members of My Blog Log have visited your site. This is a great way to expand your online community. Why not try it out on your blog and participate over at My Blog Log by visiting other members logs.

I've written a "how to" for grabbing the code you need (it's generated for you after you do some things, like pick colors) and putting it into a text widget. Try it out and if you have any questions, IM me at magicinwords on Skype or Yahoo, or comment on this post. Let's hear from you. Did you try the widget? If you did, how do you like it?

What To Charge, Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants

2007-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is a consummate guide to all your pricing questions. Author, Laurie Lewis, provides an in-depth discussion of pricing strategies, tracking methods, establishing gees, analyzing projects, and developing contracts and agreements for professional freelancers and consultants.

This is an easy read and full of great tips and advice for appropriately bidding and pricing projects. No freelancer should be without this book.

You'll want to read this book with pen and paper in hand for all the notes you'll be making. You'll want to immediately use the formulas, suggestions and pricing rules it contains.

Become An Amazon Associate

2007-08-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Start earning passive income by becoming an Amazon Associate and review books or products.

Log on to Amazon and scroll to the bottom of the page. Tap the "Join Amazon Associates" link and sign up to become an associate.

Now you can sign in, as an associate, and start searching for books, CDs, DVDs and a plethora of products that compliment your business. You can promote a single item or create a store for your site.

One of the easiest ways to start earning passive, or residual, income on the Internet is by blogging and reviewing books or products. Give it a whirl, what do you have to loose?

Any comments?

Why I Love WordPress

2007-08-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

What kind of blogs do I program?

When I started talking about blogs in March 2005, I was using Blogger. In January 2007 I discovered WordPress. WordPress.com is the free WordPress site. There you can easily start your blogging adventure. However, your blogging url will be http://magicinwords.wordpress.com and you won't have the flexibility of WordPress until you have it installed on your hosting service.

Why do I like WordPress?

I want to create passive income from the Internet. WordPress allows me the ease and flexibility of putting up a search engine friendly site that anyone can keep updated without programming skills. It's the perfect answer to soneone who's a solopreneur or small business owner. It's easily customizable, has thousands of themes to choose from and, the plugins take the pain out of any task.

What are themes and plugins?

Themes are the design of the site. You might think of them as templates with unique looks. You can visit WordPress' Theme Viewer to get an idea of the variety of themes that exist for WordPress. Themes are either one, two, three or four columns wide. The "style" can be changed through the Cascading Style Sheet. Very fun to play with!

Plugins extend the usability of WordPress. There are plugins for contact forms, surveys, tags, rss feeds, the list goes on and on . . . . Visit the WordPress Plugin page to see examples of what plugins can do for a WordPress site.

Sites I've Programmed with WordPress

Sites That Use WordPress To Manage Their Content

Contact Magic In Words today for
more information on how to get your business blog up and running!

RSS Explained

2007-07-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

Here's a great video to explain RSS feeds. Enjoy!

Effective Events

2007-07-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

I attended a large SCORE breakfast recently. I must admit, I attend way too many events with speakers. Is it just me, or are they getting more self-promoting?

Here's my advice to speakers who want to "market their business" to the attendees, don't! We attend to take back to our businesses, one or two action items we can put into place immediately for our business success.

I didn't come to hear about your $1,000 SEO program, your Warm Spirit Multi-Level Marketing business or to watch you read out of your recently released book. I came for networking and information for my business. I know you're selling your books, you don't need to whack me over the head with it. I know you're selling your products because I can see them on the huge table you build right behind the lecturn.

If I don't attend the meetings because you don't provide me with any concrete info, and cut into my networking time, then there won't be a future meeting for you to speak at to market your business.

You and I would be much better served, if you followed the handout you gave us and provided useful tips and/or tools for our business success. Your credibility as an expert would be further enhanced by actually giving us info we can use.

To you speakers who like to speak to promote, which I highly advise as a good marketing strategy, I have a word-of-the-day for you, subtly!

Using You Tube For Viral Marketing

2007-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a great example of viral marketing using You Tube

This is a video of Diane Mandle, Sound and Energy Healing and her tibetan singing bowls.

Are you using You Tube yet?

Subliminal Desktop Software For Your Business Success

2007-07-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

All this talk about the law of attraction. I don't know about you, but, as a hot flashing woman, I need all the positive affirmation I can get. That's why I want to share a new piece of free software that has really made a difference for me.

It's called Subliminal Desktop and it helps improve your life by changing the way you think about things... all by using subliminal messages.

It works by flashing powerful, positive affirmations on your screen which your subconscious mind sees and acts on, even if you don't see them yourself!

I know it sounds crazy, but you really need to check out this software right now:
http://www.subliminaldesktop.com/go/?prodno=731

Like I said it's a free download, perfectly safe and and there's an upgrade to a even more powerful version if you want it. Go here now:

Subliminal Desktop Software

Opt-In Email, What You Need To Know

2007-06-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most important keys to success in online marketing is building your own opt-in list of prospective and previous customers. For those that are just starting out online, this process should start even before you start planning to publish your own ezine/newsletter.

As you initiate your business you can begin to build your opt-in list in order to follow-up with these prospects and customers. It doesn't have to be a formal ezine initially, it can just be a once a month update on new products and services. When your list starts to increase to a good size then you can consider a formal ezine.

So how do you capture the addresses? There are several ways to do this, and it will take time to gather information and create the ultimate list.

A Web Site Sign Up Form is an ideal way to gather information. Place a sign up form on every page of your website. Or at a minimum have a "subscribe" link on every page that goes to a separate subscription page. Make sure that you just don't put "subscribe to our ezine". That means nothing for a potential client. Just a short description will greatly increase your subscription rate. For instance. Using "Weekly Marketing Tips and Techniques emailed to you! Subscribe today" would be better than "Subscribe to Our Ezine".

Give something away free like a free white report with information that is geared to your site's content. Make sure they have to request the information so you capture their email address. Using an autoresponder can help you automate this process by sending out the information to your subscribers. That way the information is available 24/7. With most good services you will receive an information copy as soon as someone requests the information and it will have their email address in it. But, and this is important, just don't send them the free information. Make sure that at the end of your auto responder text that you send them, there is a short blurb about your website services/products and your ezine if you have one. But don't over do it.

Another important item is that you do not just add the person's email address to your opt-in list or ezine. You don't want them filing a (CanSpam Act and CanSpam Legal Brief)SPAM complaint since they didn't ask to be on your list. Offer them the ability to get future mailings from you as indicated above in the mailing itself. You want to create a true opt-in list.

An exception to this would be if you were offering them a free gift for subscribing to your list. Then they should be added to your list.

Many will ask - Is it all right to email someone that has requested some free information report from you? Yes if you do it the right way. By using an autoresponder, you can also send an invitation to your e-mail list.

Follow Up often, this way you are not forgotten. If a potential customer does not want your services, than they will ask to be un-subscribed.

To learn more about using autoresponders to build your e-mail list, sign up for GeekSpeak To English, 101 on Wednesday, June 27th, 6pm PT. And watch for the podcast next week at North San Diego Business@Large.

List Bandit Expert

2007-06-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Debra reveals how to use ListBandit.

Almost every marketing forums has confused newbies asking
the same questions almost everyday, and screaming out for
help on how to use ListBandit properly.

Well now I have the answer, and what’s more I’m giving the
book away for you to download.

Debra

p.s. Have you joined for free yet - the greatest viral
advertising tool on the web?

Debra Simpson, Speaking To San Diego Women, Inc. June 28th`

2007-06-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm Speaking To San Diego Women, Inc. on Thursday, June 28th.

I'll be sharing no cost and low cost ways to market your business online. You'll learn how to create passive income with your website and other strategies to raise your online visibility. This is your chance to get your Internet Marketing questions answered.

You'll walk away with strategies you can implement immediately! Come and join me for networking fun in Mission Valley with other small business owners.

GeekSpeak to English, 101 Episode #1

2007-06-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Show Notes

Audio of GeekSpeak to English, 101 June 13, 2007 webinar. Tips on editing audio in WavePad.

StumbleUpon Again

2007-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm on, yet another teleclass, learning to perfect my craft....and I'm Stumbling, AGAIN!!

I ran across this video on YouTube. David has some great info on internet marketing to maximize opportunities online.

Work at Home Expo Starts May 7th

2007-05-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Business and Learning’s Work at Home Expo is a virtual event providing a venue for home based business opportunity presentations during the day and high powered business learning opportunities each evening. The creators and volunteers of the Work at Home Expo will be visiting the blogs of fellow work at home entrepreneurs the week prior to the famous Work At Home Expo coming May 7- 12th.

Here is a partial list of speakers at the Work At Home Expo and here's a list of the exhibitors.

If you want to learn more about how to start a homebased business, this is the Expo for you! Visit the expo site today!

See you at the Expo!

Debra

Having Fun Behind The Computer

2007-04-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm hanging out in my office, behind my computer yesterday and today. Why, you ask? I'm at the International Podcasting Expo learning how to hone my craft.

So I use Firefox as my browser. One of it's plugins is "Stumble" where you put in your preferences, likes, hobbies, etc. and just "Stumble" along different websites. It's one of my favorite things to do while my virus scan is running.

Today, while I "stumbled" along I discovered this very clever video. Enjoy!!

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger on Vimeo

In The End, What Do You Want to Accomplish with Your Info Product?

2007-04-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

In order to create a successful informational product, no matter what your format, audio, ebook, etc., you should begin with the end, rather than the beginning in mind.

People purchase info product to make them feel better, look better, have more fun or make more money. They want to solve a problem or learn how to do something themselves. So the object of your info product is to help your purchaser with a problem, at the same time structuring it to sell to a large pool of prospects who are looking for information on a your topic.

Your objective is to create an informational product that, no matter what the subject, will be highly sought after by your niche market. It’s an exciting prospect to be able to witness the journey from having a great idea and seeing the finished product. Many ups and downs, as well as successes and failures mark the creation process. Some days are better than others!

Keep in mind, it’s customers you need who are eagerly awaiting your info project. Before you begin, you need to research your niche pool of potential buyers by contacting owners of lists that would be most interest and suggest a joint venture. Look at whom else markets to your niche and have them introduce your product to their list, and you can offer the same in return. Both businesses will prosper by offering additional value to each set of clients.

Remember this. Creating your informational product and making it as good as you can possibly make it is important, even vital. However, even more important is the ability to sell the product you produce at the price you need to reward you for the time and effort put into the product’s creation.

If you need help with creating an info product, check out the four week webinar series given by The Expertise Experts.

Remember, April 24th's GeekSpeak to English, 101 is about what to do with your blog, now that you have one!!

Please feel free to leave your comments below.

technorati tags: internet marketing, product creation
del.icio.us tags: internet marketing, product creation
icerocket tags: internet marketing, product creation

The Blog Squad

2007-03-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm totally stoked (gives away my generation, right)!! I'm the special guest on The Blog Squad's Blogging and Beyond Podcast.

We'll be talking about using multimedia to raise your website's visibility, your own credibility and your business profitability through podcasting and webinars.

The Blog Squad specializes in working with bloggers to make their blogs stand out amoung the millions of blogs. They've been blogging since 2004 and really know their stuff. If you want to take your blog to the next level, check out The Blog Squad

Publishing Your Own Ezine, Part 6 The Three Factors Of Email Marketing Success

2007-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Success can be broken down into components. It's the little things that pile up into fulfilling rewards eventually. Like ingredients to a wonderful delicacy, success is cooked up by introducing the right mix of components.

Success in email marketing is no different. It can be broken down to three distinct and critical factors that will ultimately make or break any campaign centered on such. All three factors should be complied with, as the non-performance of one can cripple the entire system.

What are these factors? How can you ensure that they will be at their peak?

Factor 1: Attraction

Your emails should be attractive in order for the recipients to open the same. A bland email will just be left untouched, even if it finds its way to the recipient's inbox. The first thing that the recipient will see, is of course, the subject title of the email. Hence, much care should be exercised in crafting the subject title so that it may capture the attention of the recipient and prompt them to click on the same and read your email.

There is a challenge here. You cannot just add any subject title you wish, least you violate the Can Spam Act which mandates that the said subject title should be relevant to the content of the email. You can't say "Congratulations, You Just Won," when the recipient never won anything. The title may be catchy, but it is deceiving, as it is illegal.

The trick is in developing a subject title that is witty, one that will capture the interest of your audience without breaking away from the spirit of the content. Hence, "A Personal Message" and "I've Got Great News For You," though vague, have been considered as great attention grabbers.

Factor 2: Readability

Would you read an email containing purely technical jargons you could not understand? How about an email that is so poorly written it's almost unintelligible? Or a comedic one when you’re expecting something serious?

Poorly prepared messages affect readability. And your recipients should read your content to be able to get your business message. The only way you can get them to read your mails is by grabbing their attention and never letting go, through compelling content that is pretty much difficult to resist.

The way your mail is written plays a big part in all of this. A poorly written email will just turn off your readers. Worse, it may brand you negatively.

Take time to formulate an email that you can be proud of, and your read rate is sure to increase.

Factor 3: Response

So, your recipients actually receive your emails, and they actually read the same. But do they respond in the manner you want them to respond? Do your emails help you reach your business goals?

If not, then your email marketing campaign is suffering from a low response rate.

To increase the response rate, you must have some effective calls to action in place. Calls to action are the mechanisms you implement to compel the subjects to do what you want them to do. In marketing, this may be in the form of special offers, urgency offers, and gratuitous offers. Mastering these mechanisms will greatly help your online business. Including them in your eZine will be the coup de grace, as you'd be able to reach a lot of people with just one message.

Study successful sales pages. Ask yourself this question: why did such a sales page make me want to buy what was being offered? Chances are, it's because of the potent call to action that was put in place. Copy these calls to action and make some adjustments to include them in your campaigns, and you will enjoy a higher response rate.

technorati tags: email, ezines
del.icio.us tags: email, ezines
icerocket tags: email, ezines

Publishing Your Own Ezine, Part 5, HTML or Text

2007-02-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

There are certain issues you have to contend with when developing your eZine. For beginners, these issues may pose some problems. One wrong move and you can potentially place your entire email campaign in jeopardy. You wouldn’t want that to happen, right?

Of paramount concern among these issues are those related to formatting. Creating an eZine is more than just putting together a group of words with any word processing program you can get your hands on. Creating an eZine requires skill, knowledge and proficiency on the right techniques to utilize for a better and more fruitful campaign.

Let us take a look at some of the challenges that await you, as well as answers to the most pressing questions about eZine development.

HTML Or Text?

You have an option to deliver your eZine in HTML or text formats. Which format to use? Now, that is the question.

Each of these file types have their own pros and cons.

HTML will allow you to beautify your eZine by adding pictures, hyperlinks, and lively texts. The problem with this format is that quite a number of email clients do not recognize it. The result? Your eZine may arrive as a piece with jumble, unintelligible characters due to the inability of the email client to recognize the content.

Plain text is the safer option. You are sure to deliver your eZine free from unwanted mishaps. But it will be, as the format denotes, plain, and people may find this boring.

I’d suggest plain text. Spice it up a little, however. The only way you can do this is by adding wit to make your eZine more engaging. Content will fuel your eZine, so your campaign will rely on the strength of the same.

On Length

Some eZines are terribly, terribly long that once the readers open the mail, they often decide not to read it. This should be avoided.

Keep your eZine as clear and concise as possible. If you have something to share, share it in a straightforward manner. Do not add unnecessary details. You wouldn’t want to waste your readers’ time, and you wouldn’t want to give them that impression.

In the event that length cannot be compromised, organize your eZine properly. This means adding a table of contents so that the readers will know what’s in store for them, and they can jump right into the parts they want to read.

Use Dividers

Use dividers to separate the portions of your eZine. Your dividers should form thick lines so that they may stand out and remain attractive. See the example below:

#########################

Such is an example of an effective divider. There are other characters you can use which you can play with to come up with something unique. But whatever you do, do not use dollar signs ($) as repeating characters because that will simply grab the attention of spam filters.

Number of Characters

When formatting your digital newsletter in plain text, make sure that the characters for each line do not exceed 60. This is standard. Otherwise, your mail may expand the page and it will be difficult for your readers to read your eZine by scrolling from left to the farthest right.

You will want your eZine to fit the page readily available on their screen. The only way to ensure this is by keeping close watch on the number of characters per line.

You can do this manually, which is the traditional method. Or you can make use of eZine assistance programs that will automatically parse the characters in the appropriate format. The latter is an easier step, and it will save you a lot of time.

technorati tags: business, ezines
del.icio.us tags: business, ezines
icerocket tags: business, ezines

Publishing Your Own Ezine, Part 4, Writing For An Online Audience

2007-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

You are most familiar with print publications such as your local dailies or some magazines. Some of these you may be following religiously, what with their timely and highly informative articles as well as the news and tips they provide.

Naturally, you will want to achieve the same with your own eZine.

Doing such haphazardly will prove to be fatal. Why? It’s because there are distinct differences between print publications and online materials. Primary of these differences is the manner by which content is written. You simply cannot write for an online audience the way you would for print publications. They are two very different markets.

Online materials are read from monitors. They are not like print publications which can be taken to the bathroom, the bedroom or the public transportation system to be read. Reading from monitors can be stressful in the long run, will tire out the user, especially when he is tasked to read something from his screen. This is what you will want to avoid. If they get tired, they’ll give up reading, and they won’t be able to receive your business message.

Writing for an online audience entails a unique set of rules:

Keep your sentences short. People will be reading from their monitors. Their eyes will get tired easily. Allow their eyesight to rest by keeping your sentences short so that they can easily be read.
Keep your paragraphs short. Same reasons as number one. Additionally, you will want your readers to feel a certain sense of accomplishment for reading your piece. This can be achieved by presenting short paragraphs so that they’d know that they have read a lot of what you have to say.
Avoid using technical jargons. You will be writing for a wide array of people with various reading comprehension levels. As such, you will want to pull them into your piece by making your works easier to understand. Jargons – especially highly technical ones - will only confuse people. So keep your words simple. The rule of the thumb is this: write as if you’re writing for a 12 year old. This is so because the average reading comprehension level is likened to that possessed by someone of such an age.
Use bulleting and numbering as much as possible. This will make it easier for your readers to scan your copy. Even if they decide to skip some parts, bulleted and numbered items will not escape their attention, and you will still be able to convey your business message.
Avoid using all caps, not even in titles. All caps is a form of digital shouting, and you wouldn’t want to give your readers that impression. This is a form of net etiquette that has been in existence in years. Its principles apply in eZines as well.
If you need to emphasize some phrases, use quotation marks. Since you cannot italic certain words or place them in bold fonts, quotation marks will suffice as replacements.
Find the right tone appropriate for your audience. You can’t be too serious when your market is demanding something amusing. And you can’t be too relaxed when your market is demanding something formal. Know your market, and write correspondingly. This way, you’d be able to relate with them better, which is the purpose of an eZine in the first place.

Again, writing for an online audience is very much different from writing for print publication. You have to adjust accordingly to please your target market and to better your chances of achieving your industrial goals.

Publishing Your Own Ezine, Part 3, Reasons Why You Should Publish An Ezine

2007-01-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

An eZine isn't only good to capture leads as well as repeat visitors. It isn't only good for establishing great relationships with your prospects. If that were the case, then eZines can easily be replaced by other marketing tactics.

But eZines are on a class of their own. They are one of the most potent marketing strategies in existence. Part of this lies in their amazing ability to keep in touch with potential customers/visitors, of course. But a great part of it lies in their sheer flexibility. Indeed, eZines are capable of satisfying many marketing purposes that can bring in some direct and indirect income for your enterprise.

There are so many things you can accomplish with your eZine, basically because your eZine is capable of so many things. It's not just a means of conveying information. It can be bigger than that. And its benefits will surely stack up as time goes by and your digital publication will grow in reputation.

Let's take a look at some of the reasons why YOU should publish your own eZine.

An eZine can immediately brand you as an expert in your field. An eZine conveys information, information that will be attributed to come from you, the publisher. This is an excellent way of building your reputation. People will easily think that if you have the balls to publish an eZine, you have the knowledge and the skills to back it up.
An eZine can help provide a boost for your sales. This is a given. Statistics show that at an average, people buy after the 12th contact. How do you contact them? This is a purpose served by the mailing list, as powered by your eZine.
An eZine can become your leverage. Want to enter a joint venture with established players in the field? The first thing they will study is the size of your mailing list. If you have a quality and well-marketed eZine, your mailing list is sure to grow and you can use this as a bargaining point. Joint ventures are a "what's in it for me" proposition. You have to show your prospective partners that you’re a worthy addition to their team by presenting a mailing list with a lot of subscribers and an amazing response rate.
An eZine can become a revenue-generating system by itself. Once your mailing list grows, you can sell ad space on your eZine. A lot of online businessmen are constantly on the lookout for eZines with huge readerships where they can promote their own products and services.
An eZine can even require payment for subscription. Once your eZine gains a lot of prominence and credibility in the industry, you can start charging subscription rates. A lot of the big name internet marketing superstars today have paid subscriptions, and such is doing wonders for their profit rate.
An eZine can advertise your other ventures. Even if your activities are beyond internet marketing, you can always mention the same in the issues you distribute. Ezines can grow so big that the advertising mileage they can provide has tremendous potentials. It's always a great way of reaching more people, and it's fast considering the speed of digital delivery. Furthermore, you won’t have to spend that much on advertising cost, since it’s YOUR eZine.

There are other benefits in publishing your own eZine, but the reasons above are at the top of the list. The bottom line is this: there is no reason – no reason at all – why you should refrain from publishing your own eZine. If there’s one tactic that will change the course of your online business, it's this.

Publishing Your Own Ezine, Part 2: Choosing The Right Autoresponder Service

2006-12-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

Publishing your own eZine is one of the most powerful tactics you can employ for your strategic online positioning. Gold is in your mailing list, they say, and one of the best ways to build up your mailing list is by offering your prospects something they'll find difficult to refuse: the information they need. And this information is best conveyed through a digital magazine format that is an eZine.

But publishing your own eZine is not as easy as writing and formatting an electronic newsletter. That is the easy part, quite actually. The process of placing the right gears in the right places to ensure an automated system that will allow you to milk your mailing list for a long, long time with minimal labor on your part is the first goal you should aim for.

And the heart of a highly efficient mailing list is an excellent autoresponder service.

What Is An Autoresponder Service?

If you’re going to send an email to 5 or even 10 people, then manually doing the same won't be a problem. But if you're going to send an email to hundreds, if not thousands, of recipients, then such will be a laborious task that will take a day or two to accomplish.

Since you're expected to build up your mailing list to as many subscribers as possible, you don't have the luxury of manually sending out issues of your eZine.

The solution? You have to enroll with an autoresponder service.

Not just any kind of autoresponder service, mind you, but the best one you can ever find. The reason for this is simple. An autoresponder service is your business partner. Since your mailing list will play an integral role in determining the degree of success you can gain in this industry, and since an autoresponder service will make your mailing list possible, you need to join the best one available.

An autoresponder service automates the entire process. It picks up the contact details of your prospects, stores them in a database, and allows you to pre-load and pre-schedule the delivery of your messages. This way, it is possible to have a year's worth of messages ready for delivery even before you start accepting subscribers.

Things To Look For In An Autoresponder Service

An excellent autoresponder service should have the following characteristics:

Allows you to create as many mailing groups as you want. You'd need to transfer subscribers from one to group to another depending on how well they respond and how much they have purchased from your enterprise.
Allows you to personalize your messages automatically by using the details submitted by your subscribers. People respond more when they are referred to by their given names.
Has excellent customer care service. You wouldn't want to be bogged down by technical difficulties in the middle of a very important campaign.
Will protect you against spam complaints. Spam complaints are sometimes unavoidable despite your best efforts to avoid the same. Your autoresponder service should be able to protect you at times like this so as not to jeopardize your email marketing strategies.

Price Or Features, Which Is Which?

Often, I've been asked which is more important in choosing an autoresponder service: its applicable fees or its abundance of features. The ideal answer is: both.

But it can't be helped that the more powerful and reliable services come at a steeper price. We get what we pay for, after all.

In choosing an autoresponder service, the features should take precedence. An autoresponder service is one of the primary investments you can make for your online business, and it should never be compromised least your success in this field will be jeopardized.

My autoresponder of choice is GetResponse. I can create as many mailing lists as I want, can copy subscribers to and from those lists, and can set up as many autoresponders as I want for the list. I have one client who has over 400 autoresponders attached to one subscription list.

Contact me if you have any questions about autoresponders. They are a great tool for automating your subscription process.

technorati tags: ezines, autoresponders
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icerocket tags: autoresponders, ezines

Creating Your Own Informational Product

2006-12-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

If you have been dabbling with internet marketing for some time now, you're most probably aware of the fact that information products are one of the easiest and most profitable things that your could sell online. Information products may be eBooks, special reports or articles which you could offer for a price.

Preparing information products is quite easy, at least in theory. All you need are two things:

Information; and
Writing skills

Information is the hottest commodity in the World Wide Web. This is why the Internet is called the information superhighway. If you'd be able to provide the right kind of information, you will never run out of potential customers. This is especially true if you manage to find a hungry market where the demand for such information would be immense.

Writing an eBook is very similar to writing a special report. An eBook is work composed of approximately 30 or more pages. Anything shorter would be considered as a special report. Here are some simple steps you could take to come up with an information product of this type:

Select a topic from the niche you have previously chosen. This topic must correspond to a particular aspect of the niche, something that people would want to know about. For example, in our running example of dog grooming, supposing you choose the niche of shih tzu dog grooming, a good topic to write about is "how to select perfect grooming kits for your shih tzu."
Prepare an outline for your work. It should be as organized as possible. Start with the most basic concepts, and gradually proceed to the more advanced ones.
Do your research! This is very important. If you're offering something in exchange for your prospective customers' hard-earned money, you should give them something valuable. A well-researched work is what they deserve.
Fill up your outline with the necessary information. If you have a great outline, this shouldn't be a problem. All you have to do is to write about what you have researched and include them in the specific portions allotted by the said outline.
This is very important: avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism could ruin you. You need to learn how to respect intellectual property rights when you're doing business online. There are no ifs and buts about it. You need to come up with an original work to sell.
Once you have finished the draft of your eBook or special report, have it proofread for errors. Make corresponding corrections.
Once you have your error-free manuscript, you would need to come up with an attractive and attention-grabbing eCover for your work. People always say that no one should judge a book by its cover. This is rarely practiced however. Many books, and many eBooks, are sold on the basis of their covers alone. Invest on a good eCover to boost your sales.
Then you would have to convert your work into .pdf format. Being in .pdf format would allow more people to read your eBook, as a variety of computer platforms recognize this file type.

Once you have completed these steps, you'll own an information product that is ready to be sold!

But what if you are not possessed of writing skills, or you simply don't have the time to write? Does this mean that you can't come up with your own information product? Most definitely not, of course, as there are many ways to skin the cat, in a manner of speaking. For starters, you could always try outsourcing, or contracting the services of an outside party to help you prepare the information products you have in mind. Another option is to make good use of private label rights, better known as PLR in the industry today. Products sold with PLR would allow the purchaser to alter their contents and even name themselves as the author of the works.

There is no excuse why you couldn't come up with your own information product. If the internet promises to be your ride to a good life, then an information product, quite surely, is your ticket to hop aboard that freight train.

technorati tags: passive, income, ebooks

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icerocket tags: passive, income, ebboks

The Importance of Having Your Own Ezine For Your Online Business

2006-12-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

You may have encountered the saying "gold is in your list" in this industry. This passage simply means that a great majority of your sales will come from your mailing list. Statistics show that, at the average, your prospects will only decide to buy from you after the 12th contact.

Yes, that's a whole lot of messages.

And the only way you can contact them over and over again is by capturing their email addresses and including them in your mailing list. This is where it gets tricky. The "what's in it for me" mentality is still prevalent, and you have to offer your prospects something valuable so that they can be motivated enough to fill up your capture page and submit the personal details to your mailing list.

Fortunately, there are many valuable things you can use as bait, and electronic magazines, or eZines, are on top of the list.

What Is An Ezine?

An eZine is basically a newsletter in digital format, deliverable via email. And every media of this kind is efficient for one thing: conveying information. The internet is fueled by the constant need for information. People log online to find information on the things they need to know about as well as the things that interest them. They use search engines to find the particular information they're looking for.

And if you have the information they need, they will naturally come to you. If you can offer such information, or better yet, constantly updated information on the matter as time goes by, then you can rally them into joining your mailing list in exchange for what you can provide.

They're In, Now What?

Building the size of your mailing list is a magnificent strategy to catapult your online business to the highest levels of success. Name a guru - any guru - and study his tactics. You're sure to discover that a great part of his success can be attribute to his mailing list, particularly these two characteristics that determine its efficiency as a moneymaking pool:

The sheer size of the mailing list. It's still a numbers game. The more prospects you have, the more leads you can contact for your future offers.
Response rate of the mailing list. Your subscribers should be able to read your eZine issues so that they can be exposed to your business message. This is something within your control.

The tactic is simple in theory. Gain as many subscribers as you can, send them an offer they can't refuse, and see what happens next. Repeat the process throughout the duration of your online career. Many online empires are founded on this simple principle.

The Many Applications Of Your Ezine

Not only will an eZine help the sales rate for your online business, it can also be used to help you succeed in other online business models you may choose to pursue:

Do you have PPC-enrolled websites? Guarantee repeat visitors by capturing the contact details of your guests and informing them of updates to your pages.
Are you an affiliate promoting a high paying program? Advertise your affiliate links to the members of your mailing list.
Are you running a membership site? Use your mailing list for your announcements and updates.
Or are you looking for a way to earn money online? Your eZine can serve as an electronic course, or eCourse, and you can charge for subscriptions.

There are many things you can do with eZines. But one thing is certain: its value is very much indispensable for the success of your online enterprise.

Blogging 101

2006-11-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

A blog is basically an online journal wherein you can digitally pen down your thoughts, ideas, opinions and practically anything that you want people to read. Blogs come in different styles, formats, and settings, depending on the preference of the user. Many blogging sites offer built in features such as hyperlink, straight texts, pictures etc. Some blogging sites even allow you to put video and mp3's on your blogs.

Instead of writing texts, some bloggers choose to make their blogs more audio friendly, by using spoken word entries. This is called audio blogging.

Basically a blog contains these features:

title- which allows you to label your post
body- this is the content of your post
trackback- other sites can be linked back to your blog
permanent link- every article that you write has a URL
comments- this allow readers to post comments on your blog.

Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they've become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other members' blogs.

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as: sports, politics, philosophy, social commentary, etc. These blogs espouse on their specific themes. This way blogging becomes a medium in which people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics.

Some bloggers even use their blogs as a means to advertise. Some authors advertise their books on their blogs. While other bloggers, use their blogs to shed light to currents issues, events, news and catastrophes.

A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net everyday, blogging has become a lucrative strategy. Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. While others profit through advertisement.

Bloggers usually communicate within themselves. This is one of the appeals of blogging. It creates a community of people sharing their ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

Blogs varying in topics, themes, and set-ups, can be found in blog directories. First time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through a number of blogs using these directories. This way they'd get an idea of what these blogging communities are like.

Blogging is popular all over the world. Blog is short for the term weblog. There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free.

There are numerous blogging websites to choose from in the net. This give first time users the option of joining a blogging community that appeals to their interests.

Just search any blogging directory and you'd get a listing of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. It's easy to search a blogging directory, because it is organized according to category. This way you would get exactly what you are after. Blogging is really for everyone. It is fun, simple and easy.

If you are interested in using blogging as a marketing strategy for your small business, contact us for more information.

Leads Club Holiday Networking Mixer

2006-11-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

An interview with Lisa Bentson about Ali Lassen's Leads Club's Holiday Mixer being held on November 30, 2006 at Morgan Run Golf Resort. The festivities begin at 5:30pm, lasting until 8:00pm.

Hone those networking skills and join Lisa Bentson, and me to "Celebrate your Network, Increase Your Networth!"

Visit Leads Club's website for more details.

Work At Home Business Expo

2006-11-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

I'm speaking at the Work At Home Business Expo on Monday, November 6th at noon ET, 9am PT. I'll be presenting my workshop on "You Are The Expert!" where I'll share tips to positioning you and your business as "the experts!"

Why would you want to be viewed as "the expert" in your industry? Because it's easier to get more clients when you are "the expert." Join me and find out how you can use the internet to market you and your business, increasing traffic and passive income on your website.

This is a virtual expo. All you need is an internet connection, speakers, and a mic (if you want to participate verbally). Of course, bunny slippers and your favorite beverage are optional.

If you have any quesitons, contact me.

International Podcast Expo In October

2006-10-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'll be presenting "Podcasting For Professional Speakers." Talk about the ability to spread your message, at the same time positioning you as the expert in your field. Branding to the max!!

Visit the website, grab a pass, put on your favorite slippers, and grab your choice of beverage and join us from the comfort of your home office. You won't be sorry and you may just learn one or two new things to take your business to the next level.

Business Expo October 17th, 5pm to 8pm

2006-10-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Interview with Terry Hall, Business Mastery Network about the Business Expo.

It's being held October 17, 2006 from 5pm to 8pm at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar, 11966 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130. Register today, it's only $10 for a great networking opportunity.

Five More Innovative Ways To Use Your Autoresponder

2006-09-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

You could publish your testimonials or endorsements in autoresponder format if you don't have the room in your ad copy. It's more effective to include all of them.
Provide back issues of your e-zine archives in auto- responder format. This will give your subscribers and web site visitors easy access to them.
Publish your entire web site in autoresponder format. Sometimes visitors don't have enough time read your entire site. They could print it out and read it offline.
You could offer your ebook in autoresponder format. Your visitors won't have to download it or have the software to read it right away.
You could publish the terms and conditions to any business transactions in autoresponder format. This could include return policies, purchases, refunds etc.

Five Ways To Indirectly Get To The Top Of Search Engines

2006-09-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Participate on their discussion boards. You could post questions, answer other people's questions, and join in on conversations. Just include your signature file and link at the end of your messages.
Ask the web site owner if they would like a free ebook to giveaway to their visitors. You could have them link to your web site or include your ad in the free ebook.
Submit content to their web site. You could write articles for their web site and include your resource box and link at the end of the article. If they publish it, you'll indirectly be at the top of the search engines.
Write an excellent article review of their web site, products or services. Then publish the review on your web site. E-mail the web site owner and tell him or her about it. They may link to your web site so their visitors read it.
Ask the owner of the web site if they would want to trade advertising. If you don't get as much traffic as they do, you could throw in some extra incentives.

Five Innovative Ways To Use Your Autoresponder

2006-09-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get an e-mail digest of everyone's e-mail addresses who requests information from your autoresponder.
Publish a price list of all the products and services that you offer. You could also include order forms, product descriptions, and other sales material.
Publish free reports in autoresponder format. The reports should be related to your business or web site. Giving away free stuff will quickly increase your traffic.
Collect vital customer satisfaction information by publishing a survey in autoresponder format. This type of information will help you serve them better.
Instead of answering every customer question that's e-mailed to you, publish "Frequently Ask Questions" in autoresponder format. This will save time and money.

Five Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

2006-08-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text. Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad on your web page. Adding a personal touch will always increase your sales.
Publish a list of famous and respected customers who have bought from you on your a copy. People will think that if these people bought from you, they should also trust your business and purchase your products. Make sure to get their permission first.
Show before and after photos for your products on your web page copy. Show the problem picture and then beside it, show the picture of the resolution to the problem when they use your product.
Include an article or review that has been written about you or your business with your ad copy. This will show people that your business is respected and will increase your credibility.
When you offer free bonuses in your ad copy, also list the dollar value beside each bonus. People will feel they're getting a good deal and it will increase the value of your product.

5 Important Things To Tell Your Prospects

2006-08-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Tell your prospects that you offer free delivery. This may cost a little money, but, you will gain the extra customers to make up for it.
Tell your prospects that you offer a lower price. If you can't afford to offer a lower price you could always hold the occasional discount sale.
Tell your prospects that your product achieves results faster. People are becoming more and more impatient and want results fast.
Tell your prospects you've been in business for a longer period of time. People think if you've been in business longer you have more credibility.
Tell your prospects that your product tastes, smells sounds, looks, or feels better. When you target the senses you're triggering human appeal.

Five Creative Ways To Make Money With eBooks

2006-08-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Allow other e-zine publishers or web site owners to republish small nuggets or excerpts of information from your ebook with your byline or ad included.
Make extra profits from selling monthly updates of your ebook. You could also back end sell the extra never released chapters of your e-book.
Give away a free ebook and then give people an option of buying the paid version of the ebook. Also let others give away the free version of your ebook.
Divide your ebook content into reports then give people the option of just purchasing the info they want.
Purchase reprint rights to other people's ebooks an combine them with your in a large package deal or private ebook library web site.

Five Bonuses That Will Sell Your Products Faster

2006-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Consulting
Give your customers advice on topics related to your product or service. You can consult via e-mail, message board or chat room.
e-Book
Compile related product information or instructions into an ebook. You could publish it in text, pdf, html or exe format.
Customer's Only Discussion Board
Make a place online for your customers to communicate about your business or similar information.
E-mail Newsletter
Publish an informative e-zine that keeps your customers informed of important or helpful information related to their purchase.
Private Web Site
Give access to a private part of your web site were customers can find helpful information non customers can't access.

Five More High-Impact Viral Marketing Strategies

2006-07-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Allow people to provide your free online service to their web site, visitors, or e-zine subscribers. They could be free e-mail, e-mail consulting, search engine submissions, etc.
Allow people to give away your free software. Just include your business advertisement inside the software program.
Allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site.
Allow people to place an advertisement in your free ebook if, in exchange, they give away the ebook to their web visitors or e-zine subscribers.
Allow people to give away your free ebook to their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will just continue to spread your ad all over the internet.

Five More Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now

2006-07-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Use bullets to highlight your product or services benefits. Benefits are the key to selling anything, make them standout in your ad. You can use dots, dashes, or circles to highlight them.
Give a money back guarantee that surpasses a normal one. Instead of the normal timed guarantee, give them extra back. Tell them they can keep the free bonus or give them double their money back.
Tell your reader they'll receive surprise bonuses. This'll raise your reader's curiosity and make them want to buy so they can find out what the surprise bonuses are.
Let your reader know this specific package will not be offered again. You must create urgency so people buy now. You may always sell the same product but not with the same bonuses or price.
Give them a couple tips in your ad that will help them with their problem. This will give your business credibility and gain your readers trust to buy your products or services.

International Women's Expo Wants You

2006-06-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to participate in the International Women's Podcasting Expo. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to get your business out there on the internet. The exhibit halls will be open to the public, giving your business plenty of international exposure.

Just the opportunity to have the expo booth up for three months is worth the exhibitor fee alone. Just think of what you could do with a virtual conference room for three months. If you can't think of what to do with it, contact me and I'll share with you many ways to use a virtual conference room, with audio capabilities, to increase your visibility, credibility and profitability!

Maybe you are just now hearing about podcasting and the fabulous opportunity it can give to you to brand yourself as an expert in your industry. If you are sitting on the edge, not knowing if you want to "hang" with us or not, in the words of the famous shoe, "just do it!"

Come and join us. Get a mic, buy a ticket, grab a booth, just do it! Today!

Debra
The Digital Marketing Diva

Six More High Readership Content Ideas

2006-06-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Business History Articles: they include information about your business. Examples: years in business, goals your business has accomplished, community affairs, financial information.
Product Articles: they include information about your product or services. Examples: new products, improvements to existing products, new accessories.
Visual Content: they include visual helpers that help explains, shows or supports an example. Examples: charts, photos, graphics, graphs.
Entertaining Content: they include humorous and off beat information. Examples: contests; quizzes, trivia, puzzles, games, cartoons.
Excerpts: they include information used from other resources for different purposes, but can also support your business. Examples: journal articles, transcripts of seminars, reprints, speeches, press releases.
Technology Content: they are new technologies you can use to present your content. Examples: audio clips, streaming video, MP3 files.

Five More Ways to Boost Your Ezine Subscribers

2006-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Write your e-zine's ad to sound like it is common sense to subscribe. For example: "Everyone knows you have to..."
Assume people are going to instantly subscribe to your e-zine. For example: "Dear Healthy Subscriber" After all, they'll want to subscribe in order to feel healthy.
Give your subscribers free stuff from each issue of your e-zine. It could be ebooks or software. They'll tell others and those people will subscribe.
Tell people what their friends or family might say as a result of them of learning what's in your e-zine. People care about what other people think of them.
Make people feel like it's their idea to subscribe, they will be less hesitant. Tell them in your ad "You are making a smart decision for subscribing".

Five High-Impact Viral Marketing Strategies

2006-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Allow people to reprint your articles on their web site, in their e-zine, newsletter, magazine or ebooks. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article.
Allow people to use any of your freebies as free bonuses for products or services they sell. Include your ad on all your freebies.
Allow people to use your online discussion board for their own web site. Some people don't have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.
Allow people to sign up for a free web site on your server. Since you are giving away the space, require them to include your banner ad at the top of the site.
Allow people to add their link to your free web site directory. Just require that they return a link back to your web site, advertising your directory.

Five Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now

2006-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Make your reader visualize they have already bought your product in your ad. Tell them what results they have gotten and how it makes them feel. They'll already become emotionally attached before they buy.
Turn your ad into an article. It could be a story, or how-to article. This will lead them into your ad without them knowing it's an ad. They'll already be interested when they get to your sales pitch.
Make sure you show your reader that they are getting a bargain. Tell them the usual price you sell your product for is $99. Then tell them if they order today they can buy it for $69.95.
Direct your ad headline to your target audience. Your readers will feel important and belong to a select group of people who buy your product. For example; "Attention! Accountants, Discover A New Way To Increase Your Client Base!"
Tell your reader how fast they can receive your product or service in your ad. Their buying decision may be based on how fast they can receive your product. They may need it by a certain deadline.

Six High Readership Content Ideas

2006-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

How To Articles: they include detailed step by step instructions. Examples: how to publish your e-zine, how to promote your business, how to attract visitors to your web site.
Tips: they are usually small pieces of information about the size of a paragraph. Examples: tips on using a product, tips on doing your taxes.
Top Lists: they are a group of tips listed in order, usually numbered from first to last. Examples: top 7 ways to get to the top of search engines, top 10 ways to market your product.
News Articles: they can include news about your industry or company information. Examples: joint ventures, new product releases, special events, overseas activity
Interview Articles: they could include interviews from customers, employees and experts. Examples: interview an employee that won an award, an expert related to your industry, a satisfied customer, people profiles.
Publications: they include information that's bundled together to take with the person. Examples: ebooks, reports, software, auto responder information.

5 Innovative Ways To Advertise Your Web Site

2006-06-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

Directory Linking
Create a directory of web sites on a specific topic. Give people the option of adding the directory to their web site by linking to it. Put your business advertisement at the top of the director's home page. This technique will get lots of people to link to your web site and give you free advertising.
Bonus Advertising
Do you have a product or service that doesn't sell good? Offer it as a free bonus for someone else's product or service. Get free advertising by placing your web site or business ad on the product or in the product package.
Autoresponder Trade
Trade autoresponder ads with other businesses. If both of you send out information with auto- responders just exchange a small classified ad to put at the bottom or top of each other's autoresponder message.
Tip Line
Start a free tip line.Offer a free daily, weekly, or monthly tip recorded on your voice mail. The tips should be related to your business. Include your ad for your web site or business at the beginning or end of your message.
Content Swap
Exchange content with other web sites and ezines. You could trade articles, top ten lists, etc. Both parties could include a resource box at the end of the content.

Online Business Press Release Ideas

2006-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

One reason entrepreneurs ignore promoting their online business with press releases is because they don't know what's newsworthy.

Here are 10 online business press release ideas:

your opening of a new web site
new products or services you're offering on your web site.
the results of an online survey or poll you've completed
an online award your business or web site has won
a free e-mail newsletter you're publishing
a new book or e-book you wrote
a fundraising event you're doing at your web site
a new contest or sweepstakes you're having at your site
major sponsorships you're doing online
a famous person that's endorsing your business

You can get other press release writing tips and ideas by reading other businesses press releases, reading how to publications, talking to experts and visiting other media web sites. A Goggle search for online press release directories will yield you plenty of site to submit your press release. Good luck!

Online Business Press Release Writing Tips

2006-06-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Press releases are one of the most cost-effective ways to get promotion for your online business. Many entrepreneurs ignore this type of promotion because they don't know how to write a press release. It's important to promote your online business with press releases because of the media all over the internet. The following is a list of some common press release writing tips:

your press release should sound like news, not an ad
you should only send your press release to the media related to the topic of your press release
keep your press release one page in length
your header, contact information and release date should be at the top of your press release
use short sentences and double space in between sentences
your header and first few sentences should capture the readers attention
you should tell a story and briefly mention your business, product or service in the body of the press release
proofread your press release many times. Look for grammar and spelling mistakes.

8 Ways To Get People To Visit Your Web Site Again And Again

2006-06-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Polls
Hold an interactive poll on your web site. Ask visitors a poll question. Have them e-mail their vote or opinion. People love to give their 2 cents worth. They would also like to read the results the next day or week on your web site.
Prize Drawings
Hold an ongoing prize drawing on your web site. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your subscribers. Most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to get the results.
Original Content
Give your visitors content they can't read anywhere else. I'm not saying all your content has to be 100% original, but a portion of your web site should have original information. People will usually read information they haven't read before.
Quizes
Give your visitors a quiz or a series of trivia questions. Post the correct answers weekly on your web site. The people who participate will want to come back to your site to see if they were right.
News
Supply news stories related to your web site topic. People want current and up-to-date news. If you can be their first source, they will become repeat visitors to your web site.
Jokes
Give your visitors a little humor now and then. Don't be so serious; tell them a joke. If they associate your web site with being happy they will visit again and again.
Free Stuff
People love to get free stuff. List free stuff on your web site. It could be software, services, sample products, e-books etc. The freebies should be related to your web site topic. Keep the freebies coming and your visitors will return regularly.
Directories
Tell your subscribers about Web sites related to your web site topic. The web sites should be interesting and helpful. Become your readers web site directory and they will come back.

Five Ways to boost Your Ezine Subscribers

2006-05-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Show your potential subscribers a sample issue of your e-zine. You might want to consider showing them portions, blacking out or blocking some of the important info. Tthis will make them curious about what they are missing and more likely to subscribe.
Give away a free follow-up autoresponder course. When my visitors subscribe to my newsletter they are given a 6 part autoresponder course on internet marketing. Publish your e-zine ad in each lesson. The more people see it, the higher the chance they'll subscribe.
Offer your potential customers a discount on a particular product you sell if they subscribe to your free e-zine.
Look for strategic partners and give them permission to give a free subscription to your e-zine as a bonus for a product they sell.
Ask your potential subscribers questions that'll persuade them to subscribe like: "Would you like to be able to retire before you're 40?"

Email Courses and Autoresponders

2006-05-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Offering free things to your website visitors is one marketing method that often results in a lot of sales. Free courses that are delivered via email are very popular, and people sign up for such courses on a regular basis to learn more about a topic of interest to them. These courses are best maintained and delivered with the use of autoresponders.

An autoresponder can be set up to send out a series of lessons for an email course. The lessons can be set for distribution at specific intervals. You determine how often the lessons for the course are sent to the people who have signed up for it. Email courses are very different from traditional courses, web based courses, or any other type of course.

There is no student and instructor interaction. The instructor writes the information out, puts each lesson in an autoresponder series, sets the timing for the lessons, and the rest is automated. You can opt to have lessons delivered daily, every other day, every three days, or any other time frame that you think works best for your email students.

Email courses are commonly used to sell products and services. For instance, if you sell widgets, you might develop a course that teaches people how to use widgets or how to care for their widget. Experts agree that an email course can be written for almost any product that you can imagine - if you put enough thought into it.

Start by determining what your course will be about, and how long it should be. If the course should be delivered every other day for two weeks, you know that you would need seven lessons. Write the lessons, and load them in the autoresponder. Set the interval for each lesson, which in this case would be 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13.

This means that the first lesson would be delivered one day after the person has requested the course, and the second lesson would be delivered three days after the person has requested the course, and so on. The interval for each lesson is set for the number of days after the person has signed up Make sure that everything is spelled right, and that your sentences are grammatically correct. You want the lessons to look and sound as professional as possible.

Next, simply advertise the email address that will activate the autoresponder. Make sure that you run a test first, sending each lesson to yourself. This will allow you to see what your email students will see when they sign up!

Increase The Efficiency Of Your Email Marketing Campaign By Avoiding These 10 Dreaded Red Flag Words

2006-05-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

If you have been running an email marketing campaign for quite some time now, then you already realize the fact that your number one enemy is not reader apathy... it's the spam filters. Indeed, spam filters can prevent your messages from being received by your target recipients. And because of the decrease in your recipients' numbers, your response rate would likewise take a dip, and with it, the profitability of your email marketing strategy.

Time and time again, people have said that gold is in your mailing list, that your subscriber base is a figurative gold main. Too bad the spam filters sometimes close the road towards that gold mine, preventing us from harvesting whatever bounties it could promise.

The Number One Culprit...

The main reason why your messages get flagged down by the spam filters is the presence of what we call as red flag words. These are words which many email programs have pinpointed as likely used by spammers, hence, their spam filters are programmed to check messages for the presence of these words. Once determined, the message goes straight to the bulk folder.

What are these words? Here are the top ten most dangerous red flag words you should start avoiding as soon as possible:

free
amazing
congratulations
great offer
unsubscribe
risk free
winner
guarantee
dear friend
click here

Indeed, writing messages have become quite restrictive with the seeming ban imposed on marketing-centric words like those mentioned above. Logically, the first option would be to stop using the aforementioned words altogether. But then again, such a recourse would render your email messages useless. After all, how else will you describe an "amazing" and "great offer?" How else would you tell your subscribers that your offer is "risk free," or that you promise a "guarantee?"

Is there something you could do to avoid the spam filters without losing the potency of your messages?

Some Practical Solutions

For starters, you could begin using other words in your vocabulary. A thesaurus would come in handy. You'd be able to convey whatever it is you want to convey without sacrificing the power of your message altogether.

This is not always effective, however.

For example, nothing can beat the sheer power of the word "free." Yes, you may use similar terms like "gratuitous promise," or "available at no charge," but they are not as attention-grabbing as the original. The word "free," after all, has always been hailed as the most powerful term in marketing.

So what should you do?

Some marketers go around the problem by ingeniously spelling the red flag words quite differently. "Free" becomes "fr.ee" or "fr/ee" for example. "Click here" becomes "cli.ck.here" or "cl-ick here." This strategy has been proven to evade the watchful eyes of the spam filters and have contributed in increasing deliverability rate of many marketing emails.

The Value Of Testing

The most prudent approach, however, is to always test your messages before you send them. Once you have composed an autoresponder sequence, try to send each of the messages therein to your own email address. Check if they will all make it through.

If an email or two gets flagged by the spam filer, study them and determine where you went wrong. Correct the error, and send them again to your email address.

Continue repeating this process until such time when all your messages actually arrive in your inbox.

Sounds taxing? It's very much worth it, however, considering the fact that your emails contain your business message, and this is essential for your overall marketing campaign.

Adding Real Value To Your Article Marketing

2006-05-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

The secret is out. Article marketing is both an inexpensive and lucrative way of attracting visitors to your website. Nonetheless, just because you can direct lots of traffic to your website because of your article marketing campaign, doesn't mean that you can see a direct correlation between the additional traffic and increased profits. To do that, you need to add real value to your article marketing.

Staying focused

Regardless of what it is you are selling on your website, or why you want to increase traffic to your website, if you do not stay focused with your article marketing, it is possible that you will not see any benefit in increased revenues. To ensure your article marketing remains focused, you need to think of a long-term strategy of how you want your website to look in 6-months to 1 year from now and establish an article policy that fits with this plan. Creating ad hoc articles for website is unlikely to be successful.

Avoid repetition

It is a frequent mistake by many web owners to add volumes of articles to their website, which all say the same thing, just in slightly different ways. What you find with such websites is that readers become bored with the site, and look to move on. You need to make sure that you grab the attention of readers and keep their attention by offering a different selection of articles in the same area. If you want to be extremely innovative with your article marketing campaign, you can include an email marketing aspect by asking your readers if they want to sign-up for updates on any articles that can then be email directly to them.

Remain the expert in your field

Although this may have a hollow sound to it, becoming an expert in a particular area is not as difficult as it remaining the expert in that field is. You need to be constantly aware of any changes or updates and soon as anything does change, you need to be the first person writing about this. Writing articles for your website that are 6 months behind the direction the market is moving in will not prove a successful article marketing strategy. Being 3 to 6 months ahead of the market will.

Be selective

Without doubt one of the most important aspects of your article marketing will be submitting articles to other websites. This has the value of directing traffic to your site. The downside is that the article will become associated with the hosting website. As such, if the hosting website has a loss of reputation, so will you. Consequently, it is an important part of any web owner's article marketing strategy that they are associated with reputable websites that enhance your website's reputation. After all, you're not undertaking the program just to help others!

Be professional

Finally, even if the website is only your part-time hobby or income generator, visitors to your website are not going to know this. Because of this, you need to maintain professionalism at all times. This means making sure that the articles are well written, with perfect spelling and grammar. Moreover, if you include facts in your articles, make sure they turn out to be true!

Following the above simple procedures should result in your website not only generating greater numbers of visitors, but these visitors should becoming trusting loyal repeat customers because of your successfully implemented article marketing strategy.

Niche Marketing

2006-04-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of niche, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of niche.

There are two different ways of ideas about niches. One takes the target audience into consideration first, which is the product centric model, while the other takes the product into consideration first, the audience centric model.

Actually, both of these ideas are identical but one of them will allow you to have more advantage. So which one is that? The product centric based idea.

The product centric model carries a time-tested rule of marketing: if you want to get into profit quickly, sell what people are already buying! There is plenty of information about things that sells well. Niche marketing is just a job to identify the gaps in the market which haven't got dug yet, and build a business around it.

If you realize, books account for a huge portion of online revenue. Nevertheless, how do you grab a slice for yourself without competing against the huge companies like Amazon.com?

The answer is simple, you specialize. No matter how huge Amazon is, sometimes you still wouldn't be able to find books that you want. What types of books are people searching for that they can't find through the mainstream booksellers?

Could you become the authority and number one resource for books on a particular hobby? How about underground titles like "The Anarchist's Cookbook?" That's what the owners of http://www.loompanics.com have, controversial and "hard to find" title books.

Another way you can build a niche around hot-selling products is to add some spice by customizing or personalizing them. In summary, the product-centric model is based on giving a twist to existing markets and trends.

On the other side, an audience centric model takes a subject matter, special interests or information more importantly first. Basically, you start off with no idea on what to sell. You don't have a product in mind. You only know your target-audience.

The great thing about the audience-centric approach is that you can create whole new markets out of thin air. This is the model preferred by most e-book authors and information marketers.

So where do we start? You need to assess your own interests and strengths before you begin, especially if this is your first time starting a business. What are you already interested in? Do you have any background or expertise on a particular subject? Start with what you know, you'll have more advantage because your prior knowledge will allow you to narrow down your niche quickly. In other words, you already have a good idea of how the topic breaks down.

If your passion is music, for example, you know there is an almost endless supply of potential products and potential buyers in areas as diverse as:

Instruments/instrument sales/instrument repair/vintage instruments
Techniques and lessons on how to play a certain instrument
Memorabilia - shirts, hats, tickets, stickers, posters, autographs
Audio production, recording, CD labeling, booking, promotion etc

If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

You also know that any or all of those can be tailored towards: solo artists, bands, fans, managers, engineers, agents and the list go on.

Now that's a great thing for you, but what if that's not you're interested? What if you are just not into creating a business out of your hobby, or you don't feel any passion for your current expertise?

The good news is: It's Fine! You don't need to give up hope or bang your head against the wall for ideas. You will however need to do some extra work. This brings us to the second reason I suggest taking stock of your strengths.

Here's a secret about most internet marketers. Ready to know? Here it is: Most of the famous niche marketers you've heard of create products for niches they know absolutely nothing about.

How do they do that? Easy, they either hire the research and writing to someone else, or hunt down an expert for an interview, just a combination of outsourcing and "branding". Also, this type of marketer has his or her own set of "reasons why" for motivation.

They include:

Money
Pride of ownership
Love of the creative process
Need for variety and breadth, rather than depth

It doesn't matter as much to this type whether the market personally interests them. His or her goal and passion is to hunt down as many overlooked niches as possible, dive into them quickly and start profiting.

So, if this sounds like you, you're in good company! Once you learn the basics of niche research, you'll have your pick of dozens of potential business ideas.

As your knowledge about niche continues to grow, you will begin to see how niche fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

Additional Resources: Niche Marketing Predictions for 2006

Stop the hostile takeover of the Internet

2006-04-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Congress is now pushing through a law that would give control of the Internet to giant companies who want to charge big bucks for things that are currently free or low-cost---everything from posting a webpage to being able to use audio, video, and photos online.

This would ruin the Internet for nearly everyone: nonprofits, online activists, Google users, Ipod listeners, small businesses, economic innovators, and others.

Politicians don't think we are paying attention to this issue. Many of them take campaign checks from big telecom companies and are on the verge of letting companies like AT&T and Verizon destroy the Internet for the little guy.

We need to act now. Can you sign this petition to your member of Congress asking him or her not to ruin the Internet? Click here:

http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet

A great article on this is located here: http://www.newyorker.com/printables/
talk/060320ta_talk_surowiecki

Thanks!

Adding Real Value To Your Article Marketing

2006-04-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

The secret is out. Article marketing is both an inexpensive and lucrative way of attracting visitors to your website. Nonetheless, just because you can direct lots of traffic to your website because of your successful article marketing campaign, doesn't mean that you can see a direct correlation between the addition traffic and increased profits. To do that, you need to add real value to your article marketing.

Staying focused

Regardless of what it is you are selling on your website, or why you want to increase traffic to your website, if you do not stay focussed with your article marketing, it is possible that you will not see any benefit in increased revenues. To ensure your article marketing remains focussed, you need to think of a long-term strategy of how you want your website to look in 6-months to 1 year from now an establish an article policy that fits with this plan. Creating ad hoc articles for website is unlikely to be successful.

Avoid repetition

It is a frequent mistake by many web owners to add volumes of articles to their website which all say the same thing, just in slightly different ways. What you tend find with such websites is that readers so become bored with the site, and look to move on. You need to make sure that you grab the attention of readers and keep their attention by offering a different selection of articles in the same area. If you want to be extremely innovative with your article marketing campaign, you can include an email marketing aspect by asking your readers if they want to sign-up for updates on any articles, that can then be email directly to their email account.

Remain the expert in your field

Although this may have a hollow sound to it, becoming an expert in a particular area is not as difficult as it remaining the expert in that field. You need to be constantly aware of any changes or updates and soon as anything does change, you need to be the first person writing about this. Writing articles for your website that are 6 months behind the direction the market is moving in will not prove a successful article marketing strategy. Being 3 to 6 months ahead of the market will.

Be selective

Without doubt one of the most important aspects of your article marketing will be submitting articles to other websites. This has the value of directing traffic to your site. The downside is that the article will become associated with the hosting website. As such, if the hosting website has a loss of reputation, so will you. Consequently, it is an important part of any web owner’s article marketing strategy that they be associated with reputable websites that enhance your website's reputation. After all, you're not undertaking the program just to help others!

Be professional

Finally, even if the website is only your part-time hobby or income generator, visitors to your website are not going to know this. Because of this, you need to maintain professionalism at all times. This means making sure that the articles are well written, with perfect spelling and grammar. Moreover, if you include facts in your articles, make sure they turn out to be true!

Additional Reading: Article Marketing Content Guide

How To Choose A Product To Sell Online

2006-04-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Any veteran internet marketer will tell you that the first step towards attaining online wealth is to find a hungry market, or a niche, if you will. A hungry market is almost always profitable, given the great demand for appropriate products, as well as the virtual absence of competing enterprises servicing the said segment.

Once you have selected a profitable market, or a niche if you will, it's time to think about what product you could offer. Products are the items you could sell. They are the ones that will ultimately deliver some profits for you. Business is all about selling something, after all. You have to offer something to get another thing in return.

Here are the more popular items you could sell online:

Traditional information products. These include eBooks, special reports and even articles. They are excellent choices because all you really need is information and the writing skills to put them down in writing. The best way to convey information is through the written word. Also, traditional information products are capable of being delivered digitally. You won't have to worry about shipping costs and storage space. Everything would be stored in your hard drive, and you just have to retrieve the same whenever someone purchases what you have to offer.
Non-traditional information products. With the many things made possible by the internet, a lot of possible vehicles for information have also popped up. Products like video lectures, audio lessons, and podcasts have become prominent items that have proven to be hot sellers. Non-traditional information products are not limited to these choices, however. You could always come up with something new. The limit is your imagination.
Tangible goods. You could also sell physical items. However, you have to bear in mind that such requires storage space (which can become problematic if you're planning to sell high quantities of different products) and shipping charges (which can be a drag when it comes to really large items).

You're not only limited to products, however. You could also sell your services online. Here are some examples of the kinds of services you could offer to prospective clients:

Consultancy
Web design
Search engine optimization (SEO) advise
Graphic design
Data encoding
Ghostwriting
Copywriting
Customer service handling

This requires appropriate skills. If you're good with writing, then you could most certainly find a lot of clients who would hire your services for a fee. If you're good with web design, you could be employed by some webmasters who are in need of good websites.

Choosing the right products or services to sell would depend on a few considerations. Let's take a look at them.

What product or service is most appropriate for your target market? What do the people in the said market need? What do they want? What product is most accessible for them?
What product or service will you be able to offer? Some products require financial investments. Do you have the budget to pursue such? Or would you be better off in creating a product that requires little financial demands? Services require certain degrees of skills. Do you have those skills?
What product do you think will be able to sustain profit for a long period of time. The length of the earning potential, or the market life, of the said product should be enough to reap great earnings for you. Profit, after all, is the bottom line for every business.

Once these considerations have been satisfied, you could safely say that you have found the right product for the business you want to pursue.

All About On Page SEO

2006-04-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

When it comes to doing business online, you will soon discover that it's all about the traffic. Traffic, or the number of internet users you'd be able to generate for your website, is and will always be the lifeblood of any online venture. After all, what good is a website when there's no one there to see its pages? How successful will your digital products be if no one would be able to know about them? Who will avail of your services when no one will get exposed to their existence?

Contrary to what many people believe, generating traffic for your website does not start once you pages are published and have gone live. Traffic generation strategies start at the very moment you are conceptualizing an idea for the website itself.

This is what on page search engine optimization (SEO) is all about. It is concerned with techniques that you could implement on your web pages themselves to ensure a good volume of traffic for your website. 80% of your traffic would come from the many search engines in the World Wide Web. If each and every web page you have is optimized for these search engines, then your website would be in a good position to have a high rank for the results of every relevant query.

Keyword selection
Choosing the right keywords is essential for the success of your website. Keywords are the popular search terms that people use to gather information from the search engines. If your web pages are populated by the right density of the correct keywords, then you'll have better chances of winning the attention of the search engine spiders. To determine the appropriate keywords for the subject that your website will be servicing, use the free tools that can be found at www.nichebot.com.
Keyword placement in content
Content is the king of the internet. But even royalty needs support. Populate your content with the proper amount of keywords. A density level of at least 2% should be sought. This means that the right keywords should be mentioned at least twice for every 100 words of text.
META tags
META tags are HTML codes that do not have a bearing on the physical appearance of your web pages, but they do inform the search engine spiders that such web pages are appropriate for a particular query. Always include the following META tags on the top portion of your source code. You could copy-paste them from the list below, but do change the indicated fields. Also, make sure that you include your keywords as much as you could on your META tags.
Before you copy and paste these tags in, make sure you start with a "<" then end with a ">".

META NAME="Author" CONTENT="your name here"
META NAME="Subject" CONTENT="the subject of your site"
META NAME="Description" CONTENT="description of your site"
META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="your keywords here"
META NAME="Revisit-after" CONTENT="14 days"
META NAME="Rating" CONTENT="General"
META NAME="Robots" CONTENT="All"
ALT tags
ALT tags refer to the text that would appear every time the mouse cursor would pass through an image. Your ALT tags should include your keywords.
Page titles
Page titles are the captions that appear at the very top of your web page. Make sure that each web page in your website would have a different title that will include the appropriate keywords.
Focus
Remember, search engines will crawl through your website per page. Each page is a different project altogether. Focus is the key. Ensure that each web page of yours would focus on a particular keyword or key phrase. If there is an article in that page, make sure that the article will only discuss and include one keyword or key phrase from the list you have made. Also, it would greatly help if you would name the page file in a manner that would include the keyword or key phrase it is focused on. For example, www.thisisyourwebsite.com/thisisyourkeyword.html is a good page filename that would help boost your SEO efforts.

Following these guidelines would help you a lot in securing a favorable position in search engine results pages. This in turn would guarantee for you a sustainable and sufficient volume of traffic that would make your website a genuine success.

Answers To Five Common Questions About Information Product Creation

2006-03-29T15:01:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better than being able to sell your own product. The problem is, how do you create a product that is actually sellable?

With the advent of the internet, product creation has taken a whole new aspect. Whereas in the real world, creators vie for ideas that are tangible and physically deliverable, the web allows creators to package information as profitable merchandise. It is the age of information after all, and information is one of the primary factors that drive online dealings.

Information products can take many forms. You could publish your own e-book. Or if you wish to come up with something less daunting, you could distribute your own special report. Electronic magazines, or e-zines, can also be sold through subscription. All of these are effective methods of conveying novel information.
The best thing about it is that you don't even have to write them. If you simply don't have the time to come up with an e-book, a special report or any information product, you could hire someone to write them for you. Ghostwriting services are abundant on the net.

But we're getting way ahead of ourselves.
In creating a product, the businessman is confronted with many questions that more often than not derail the creation process. Hence, here are five answers to the five most common questions that an internet marketer encounters in information product creation.

What's the first step in creating a product?
The answer is simple: you need an idea. Coming up with that idea, however, is the difficult part.
You have to realize that everything is a product, as everything is information that, when packaged correctly, is desirable to certain people. Try to update yourself with the latest trends. Read a lot of books and newspapers. Be on the lookout for things that might inspire a deeper study.
Also, think in terms of titles. For example, you're reading the papers and an article therein reports of unique wedding ideas. Think big. Think flamboyantly. Apply these thoughts to titles. You should come up with something as grand as "Ten Truly Magnificent Ways To Celebrate Your Wedding," or "Ten Enchanting Ideas To Make Your Dream Wedding A Reality."
Remember, product creation is partly driven by packaging. Titles add so much to the overall feel of the product. And conceptualizing a title would assure that you would be able to keep your focus during the rest of the creation process.
Where do I get content?
Information products are naturally carried out through content. If the content is good, the information would be excellently conveyed. There are three ways to get good content.
First, write the product yourself. If you have the time to do so, then no one is better suited to convey the idea than you.
Second, hire a good ghostwriter. As we've discussed earlier, ghostwriting services abound on the web. Look for a good and affordable one.
Third, you could try public domain information. These are free to use, and they are easy to find for those who actually try to look for them. Basically, all works before 1923, and some works before 1978, are considered public domain information. You could reproduce these without having to pay any royalties.
How do I package my product?
Selling them as mere .doc or .txt files would seem amateurish and unattractive. The usual format used for information products is .pdf or .exe. Of the two, .pdf is more widely used, but .exe offers more eye-grabbing features.
Converting your products into .pdf is simple. There are many free resources available on the net that would allow you to do this. Creating a .exe file, on the other hand, would need some programming skills.
What price should I put on my product?
Basically, there is no limit as to how much you could price your product. If you feel it is worth $500, then sell it for $500.
Some are afraid that by pricing their products at a high amount, marketability would suffer. The truth of the matter is, it could go either way. Assigning a high price for your product may give the impression that it is something valuable. This would attract potential buyers.
Additionally, you could add more value to your product by packaging it with freebies. An e-book with two accompanying software programs, for example, would perfectly justify a high price that is attached to it.
What if my product has run its course?
Even if you feel that you have squeezed every possible profit from your product, you could still earn from it.

Try selling its master resale rights.
This simply means that instead of selling your product, you'd be selling the authority that would allow others to re-brand and resell your product any way they see fit. This shouldn't concern you anymore as you've exhausted all the markets that would buy your creation. Let other people worry about marketing it for further profit, but do take their money as parting gifts for a product that has served you well.

Additional Resources: 50 Proven Informational Product Ideas

Podcasting

2006-03-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Podcasting is simply creating an audio file then uploading it to your website so your visitors can either play it off the site, or download it for playing later on an MP3 Player.

I love podcasting. It's an easy way to share information and drive traffic to your website.

It all started at the gym. I took my MP3 player, loaded with music, naturally. It was there that I realized I was held captive on the bike for 30 minutes and instead of listening to a podcast I could learn from, I was listening to music. It was then, and there, that I realized the potential of podcasting.

The term podcasting is identified with iPod, an Apple MP3 player. However, podcasts play on any MP3 player. In an effort to acquaint you with podcasting, I've got an ebook for you on how to choose an MP3 player.

Now, you'll be ready for the next blog entry on podcasting! Enjoy!

Pay Per Click Advertising

2006-03-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Advertising your services or products on the Internet is both extremely effective and extremely competitive. There are several ways to go about attracting traffic to your website; Pay-Per-Click is one of the options you can choose from, along with developing an SEO, or search engine optimization campaign. Both pay-per-click and SEO are targeted to get your website placed as close to the top of search engine results as possible. One of the differences is that it takes minutes to set up a pay-per-click campaign versus months for a good SEO campaign.

Pay-Per-Click is a simple type of paid advertising that most search engines, including some of the largest ones, now offer. It requires a bid for a "per-click" basis, which translates to your company paying the bid amount every time the search engine directs a visitor to your site. There is the added bonus that when a per-click site sends your website traffic, your site often appears in the results of other prevalent search engines.

As with all marketing campaigns, there are advantages and disadvantages. If you understand the process and monitor your pay-per-click campaign frequently, it can be very effective. One of the greatest advantages is that you never have to tweak your web pages to change your position in search engine results, as you must do in a typical SEO campaign. What you do have to do in a pay-per-click campaign is pay a fee.

Another advantage is the simplicity of the pay-per-click process. You just bid and you're up and running. It doesn't demand any specific technical knowledge, though the more you know about search engines and keywords, the easier - and more effective - the process will be.

The downside is that pay-per-click is essentially a bidding war. A higher bid than yours will lower your position on search engine results. This means that you will have to raise your bid to regain your position - which can obviously become quite expensive, especially if you are bidding on a popular keyword.

In order to determine if pay-per-click is a cost effective form of marketing for your business, you must do some computing to figure out how much each visitor to your site is worth. You can compute this value by dividing the profit you make on your website over a given period of time by the total number of visitors for that same time period. For example, if your site made $5,000 in profits and there were 2,5000 hits, each visitor would be theoretically worth 50 cents. The basic formula is profits divided by visitors.

The figure of 50 cents per visitor is the point at which your business breaks even. The idea, of course, is to show a profit, not to merely cover your costs. Therefore, you are aiming at a figure less than 50 cents per click.

Be aware that the most popular keywords often cost considerably more than 50 cents a click. The only way around this is to bid less for these phrases or you will be
paying too much for each individual hit.

The key (pun intended) to success is to learn everything you can about search engine keyword research. The good news is there isn't a limit to the amount of keywords you can add to your bid because additional keywords do not add additional cost. This translates into a lot less hassle for you because there is no need to optimize your site to index a particular set of keywords.

Obviously, some keywords are much more effective than others are, but they will not cost you anything except time to set-up your account in your pay-per-click bid. Of the popular search engines that offer pay-per-click, one called Overture provides an online tool that will give you the data on how often particular keywords are entered into their search engine. They also offer suggestions for keywords after you enter a description of your site.

In pay-per-click, this written description is crucial. You must understand that the object of your description is not to generally attract visitors, but to be as specific as possible so that only those visitors who are likely to buy your service or product go to your site. You must use expert marketing copy to guarantee that your description is both precise and enticing to attract the most ideal candidates to your site. This description is your most powerful tool to insure that your bid is profitable.

Another essential element of pay-per-click advertising is that you constantly monitor your bid. It is very important that you bear in mind that the results of the top search engines providing pay-per-click advertising, which are Overture and Adwords Select, usually appear on other popular search engines. Because of this, the competition for top ranking is intense, and very often you will find that the bidding price balloons too high for pay-per-click to yield a profit.

If this happens, it is advisable to withdraw your bid on that particular keyword and try another one. Remember: when you pay too much per click to make a profit, you are in essence losing the bidding war.

Since losing is not acceptable, you must have a plan in place to closely track the effectiveness of your keyword. It is advisable to monitor your keywords on at least a
monthly basis.

Not only is careful monitoring important, but the analysis of visitor behavior can produce invaluable knowledge about consumer motivation, habits, and trends. Expert monitoring and consumer analysis is essential to your overall business needs, and will also insure that your pay-per-click campaign is a success.

Additional Reading: Pay Per Click Profits

Keyword Articles and Traffic

2006-03-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of articles, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of articles.

Keyword articles are one of the most successful ways of promoting your website and attracting targeted visitors.

With the huge boost in the number of businesses marketing on the internet, gone are the days of just adding your site with a explanation of your product or service and sit back and watch the traffic roll in.

Daily we have to keep have to watch closely some of the new technology and methods to optimize our web sites to ensure that we receive enough traffic to help our business. This requires either an expert to do it for you or you have to keep up with an ever-changing technology.

Today we are competing with thousands perhaps millions of sites all offering related products. We are becoming dependant on the search engines like Google and Yahoo to promote our websites but to achieve a share of the traffic it is important that we know how to strategically place keywords or phrases on our web pages.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and articles experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to articles.

One of the most effective tools to market your site is the use of keyword articles. Words or phrases that people type in a search engine are called keywords. It is important that the keywords you use are not only pertinent and descriptive for your site but also they must have a high number of searches. A keyword that is only searched for a few times a month is not going to increase your traffic.

Another aspect to watch is if your website has a lot of competition then strategic keyword placement is very important. When someone types a keyword into a search engine the search engine uses an algorithm to sort out the most pertinent web pages from the database and then ranks them and then displays them. Tactical placement of keywords then becomes a factor in how high your website is ranked. The higher the ranking you have a better chance of your website being viewed.

So choosing the right keyword becomes very important. There is software today than can help you analyze keywords and which ones are the most effective and get the most searches. When trying to decide on keywords try to put yourself in the place of the person searching. If for example my site sells holiday accommodation in Greece and I am looking for a holiday in Greece work out what you are looking for.
Using software designed to analyze keywords this will tell you how many times it is searched for and the number of competing sites and also the ratio of click through to the number of searches. Avoid using very general keywords like holidays Greece. You need to target or narrow your keywords to products or services.

Once you have found the best keywords for your site you can further reinforce the efficiency of your keywords by including keyword articles that describe a holiday or the benefits of a holiday apartment in Florence. Again using the keywords in the title of the article and in the first paragraph. The keyword can also be used in the text of the article but don’t saturate the article.

Is there really any information about articles that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

Not a writer? You can subscribe to Private Label Publishing and receive royalty free articles each month to use to drive traffic to your website.

Domain Name Registration

2006-03-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

So what are domains really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about domains--info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

When a website is created, it is necessary to create a domain name to establish an online presence. It does't matter if it is for business or another venture. A domain name will establish you or your business and that is where you will be contacted.

Choosing an appropriate domain name is essential to your business. You want a name that will reflect your business, something that is professional, yet catchy enough to grab the attention of search engine visitors. The name that you choose will directly impact the success of your business.

There are companies on the Internet that will create a website, and find the perfect domain name for your business. However, the cost of these services is usually quite high, and even then, it is not guaranteed business.

If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Some of the major search engines such as Yahoo and Google offer a step by step guide to building a website. They offer several different packages at different rates. The main differences in these packages are the sizes. If you're just starting out, the smaller package would be the best choice. The payments are smaller, but so is the space on the site that you create. It is always an option to upgrade at a later time.

If you are an established business, and already have clients, then it is probably a good idea to purchase a larger package. Although the larger packages do cost more it is not too much more. The advantages are that you get more space for your website, and also more email addresses.

There are several choices of extensions. There is yourname@yourbusiness.com, org, .net, .biz.

Some experts believe that by using the extension .com it give a website more credibility. However, more and more you are seeing websites with other extensions.

There are thousands of companies that you can purchase a domain name from at very inexpensive rates. The experts also believe that by purchasing your domain name from the company you are web hosting from is a mistake. It creates enormous problems if you decide to switch web-hosting companies. Very often companies will choose a web hosting company that offers a better rate and better services. Personally, I like purchasing domain names from GoDaddy.com

When choosing a domain name, keep it short and use keyword that describe your business services. If the company name does not describe your services, do not use it as your domain name. It tends to confuse and frustrate the potential client and they will find another site. Also, Google offers a page rank system, which ranks the website for content and by name. If you use the company name as your domain name, and the content does not have anything to with the domain name, then your website will receive a very low ranking.

The Basics On How To Start Making Money With Adsense

2006-03-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.

How you can start earning money with Adsense can be done easily and quickly. You will be amazed at the results you will be getting in such a short period of time.

Start by writing some quality content articles which are also keyword incorporated. There are a lot of people given the gift of being good with words. Writing comes easy for them. Why not make it work in such a way that you will be earning some extra cash in the process.

There are actually three steps to put into mind before you begin writing your ads and having an effective Adsense.

Keyword search.
Find some popular subjects, keywords or phrase. Select the ones which you think has more people clicking through. This is actually a keyword selector and suggestion tool that some sites are offering to those who are just their Adsense business.
Writing articles.
Start writing original content with keywords from the topics that you have achieved in your search. Take note that search engines are taking pride in the quality of their articles and what you will be writing should keep up with their demands.
Quality content site.
Build a quality content site incorporated with Adsense ads that is targeting the subject and keywords of your articles and websites. This is where all that you've done initially will go to and this is also where they will prove their worth to you.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of adsense is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about adsense.

The proper positioning of your ads should be done with care. Try to position your ads where surfers are most likely to click on them. According to research, the one place that surfers look first when they visit a certain site is the top left. The reason behind this is not known. Maybe it is because some of the most useful search engine results are at the top of all other rankings. So visitors tend to look in that same place when browsing through other sites.

Some of those who are just starting at this business may think they are doing pretty well already and thinking that their clickthrough rates and CPM figures are quite healthy. However, there are more techniques and styles to generate more clicks to double your earnings. By knowing these techniques and working them to your advantage, you will realize that you will be getting three times more than other people who have been previously doing what they are doing.

Finally, Adsense has some excellent tracking statistics that allows webmasters and publishers to track their results across a number of site on a site by site, page by page, or any other basis you wanted. You should be aware oft his capability and make the most of it because it is one powerful tool that will help you find out which ads are performing best. This way, you can fine tune your Adsense ads and focus more on the ones being visited the most rather than those who are being ignored.

Another thing you should know. Banners and skyscrapers are dead. Ask the experts. So better forget about banners and skyscrapers. Surfers universally ignore these kinds of ad formats. The reason behind this is that they are recognized as an advert and advert are rarely of any interest that's why people ignore them.

To really start making money with Adsense, you should have a definite focus on what you wanted to achieve and how you will go about achieving them. As with any other kind of business ventures, time is needed coupled with patience.

Don't just ignore your site and your Adsense once you have finished accomplishing them. Spare some time, even an hour, making adjustments to the Adsense ads on your sites to quickly trigger your Adsense income.

Give it a try and you would not regret having gotten into Adsense in the first place.

That's the latest from the adsense authorities. Once you're familiar with these ideas, you'll be ready to move to the next level.

Additional Adsense Resources: AdSense Revenue Exposed

Why Digital Products?

2006-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

Are you a small business owner? Are you looking for ways to generate more income through your business? Why not sell digital products from your website?

Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" books, T. Harv Ecker, author of "The Millionaire Mind", and so many other "guru's" will tell you, the key to a truly passive income is making your money work hard for you! Rather than you working hard for your money!

Think about it. You have all this information on your industry. How could you use that information to help others, and at the same time generate income for your business. Depending upon what business you are in, you could sell:

ebooks
software
podcasts
online courses

If you are a speaker or coach, think about how you can deliver your own content to your clients in easily downloadable digital products. You can also "burn" those digital products onto a CD Rom and see the "physical" product at your speaking or networking events.

Creating products doesn't have to be a time consuming, expensive proposition. You can start with writing articles that you can, later on, develop into chapters or tips for an ebook. Audio products can be created with your computer, converted and placed on your website as an incentive to subscribe to your ezine, or as passive income for your business.

I've linked an additional resource, but if you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Debra

Additional Resources: Digital Selling Power

North San Diego County Score Breakfast

2006-02-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

This morning was the North San Diego County Score breakfast featuring Sherri Petro of VPI Stategies speaking on Tips for Successfully Planning While Working in the Moment. Here is a photo gallery of the event.

The Score Women's Programs Breakfasts are held the third Friday morning of each month at the Olympic Resort. You can find more information at Score's San Diego website.

South Orange County Score Breakfast

2006-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, we attended the Score Women's Program Breakfast in San Juan Capistrano. Approximately 110 women attended the kick-off breakfast featuring Heather Lee Battey of Spiritual Fitness.

Heather shared the trials and tribulations in starting a homebased business that generated $480,000 in sales last year. It was a fabulous networking opportunity, with women from a very diverse cross section of industries.

Score will hold their next breakfast in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, April 7th.

Check out the photo gallery of displays.

How to Use Ebooks for Marketing and Promotion

2006-02-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

There are innumerable ways to use ebooks to promote
your business and drive quality traffic to your
website. Once posted on your site, you can turn them
into a daily course, which brings your customer back
to read the next chapter. You can use them as a free
gift for making a purchase or for filling out a
survey. Put your ebook on a disc, and you will have an
innovative brochure. Blow your competition away by
inserting the disc into your sales packages.

The most effective marketing products are those that
are unique. Copyright your ebook, and immediately, you
have a powerful tool that you, and you alone, can
offer to the public. People will have to visit your
site to acquire your ebook, which increases the flow
of quality traffic and the potential of sales and
affiliate contacts.

Make sure that you keep your ebook current. Update it
frequently as the market and trends change. Add new
advice and techniques to show your prospects how your
goods or services can enrich their lives. By
constantly keeping abreast of new trends and
techniques, you can continue to see profits from your
ebook for years after your original creation.

Another phenomenal advantage of ebooks is that you can
test their marketing potential without putting out
hardly any cash at all. You can even produce an ebook
one copy at a time, each time you receive an order,
eliminating the need for storage and inventory. By
this method, you can gauge the saleablity of your
ebook, and make adjustments as necessary until the
orders start pouring in. Ebooks allow you to learn
about your market and customer habits and motivation
over a period of time, without risking your precious
financial resources. They also provide you with an
invaluable way to gather marketing information, which
you can use in many different facets of your business.

Use your ebook to discover what the specific goals and
problems are in your specific industry. Then figure
out how to solve these problems, and publish an ebook
with this invaluable information. This will increase
the value of your business, upgrade your reputation,
and get you known as an expert in your field.

You can extend the value of single ebook by breaking
the book down into chapters for a serial course, into
special reports available on your website, or into
audio or visual tapes. Ebooks can be broken down into
several different promotional materials by excepting
some of the articles and using them to promote your
product. You can include a catalog in your ebook to
promote all the products or services you sell. You can
include a thank-you note for reading your book and an
invitation to download a trial version of your
product. Or you can include a form for your audience
to contact you for further information or with
questions, thereby building your business
relationships and your mailing list.

Using ebooks in this manner helps to cut the cost of
individually producing separate promotional materials.
You can use a single ebook to entice new prospects and
to sell new products to your current customers.

No other medium has this kind of flexibility and
ability for expansion. Think of your ebook like a
spider spinning a beautiful and intricate web. Now go
and create that web, and see how many customers and
prospects you can catch!

Additional Resources: 147 Killer Epublishing Strategies

How to Create an Outline For All of Your Article

2006-02-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

We've done it through junior high, it expanded longer through high school, then on college it became chapters. No matter how many times a person have done it, writing articles has proven to be a task many has continuously avoided. Now at a time when writing articles could help your job or work, facing the job at hand can be still faced with unfriendly behavior.

While there are a great number of people who do not have the same attitude in article writing as others, there are still those who would rather walk in piping hot coals than do some article writing. What set other people apart from other towards article writing is that they are prepared and has some methods and procedures in writing articles.

One of the methods you can use to prepare yourself when tasked to write in article is creating an outline first. Creating an outline for all your articles makes you prepared. You have an idea of what to do first and make a plan for your succeeding steps. Being prepared makes the job easier and faster. Being organized will allow for disorientation to be shunned away.

An outline can act as the design or blueprint for your article. This will guide you in creating the introduction, body and conclusion of your article. Here in this point, you can write down some of the ideas and sentences that you feel will look good in your article. This could be some of the focal point that could help make your article creative, interesting and appealing to a reader.

A carefully planned and fully prepared project would guarantee and ensure a problem and worry free procedure that can virtually go without any hassles. Creating an outline for all your articles will get you ready and breeze through writing an article in no time at all. Here I will provide you with some tips and guidelines in how to create an outline for all of your articles.

Do a little brainstorming and jot down your brilliant ideas first. Think of some ways to attract the interest of your reader. Designate a time frame where you can write down all the ideas that you can use for your articles. By this time you should have done all your research and information searching. Review and reread your ideas and notes, gain mastery and sufficient familiarity with your topic so that writing them down later own would be easy for you.

The next step is to discover your sub topic and sub titles. As you would provide a first sentence for your article, one that would immediately grab the attention of your reader, you would need some as well for your sub topics. To be concise, you would need to get all the facts that will support and go against your point.

These are the frames or skeleton of your article, now its time to add the flesh and the meat of your article. You will need to connect all your paragraphs and sub topics. This will form the body of your Article. While the introduction will usher in the ideas of your paragraph, you will need a conclusion. The conclusion will wrap up your points and drive in what you are saying in your article.

The outline for your article would also require you to write a draft first. This may take more than one attempt but remember that it is called a draft for a reason. Your outline shall be perfected as each draft is written and this draft is meant for your eyes only so there's no reason to feel ashamed. As you go on, you will clearly see the bigger picture and write an article that will perfectly suit what is demanded of it.

Reread and reread what you have written down. Always refer to your outline so that you wont drift away from what you had first written down. Its not hard to be caught in the moment and get lost in your writing frenzy. Your outline will help you keep in track. All those hours spent in outlining your article will not go to waste. This will serve as your guide in writing articles. Trust and rely on your outline because this will prove to be a very helpful tool in writing all of your articles.

Additional Resources: Article Writing

The Basics On How TO Start Making Money With Adsense

2006-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Adsense is considered as one of the most powerful tool in a website publisher's arsenal. It enables a person to monetize their sites easily. If used properly, it can generate a very large and healthy income for them. However if you are not using them rightly and just maximizing the income you squeeze from it, you are actually leaving a lot of money on the table. Something all people hate doing.

How you can start earning money with Adsense can be done easily and quickly. You will be amazed at the results you will be getting in such a short period of time.

Start by writing some quality content articles which are also keyword incorporated. There are a lot of people given the gift of being good with words. Writing comes easy for them. Why not make it work in such a way that you will be earning some extra cash in the process.

There are actually three steps to put into mind before you begin writing your ads and having an effective Adsense.

Keyword search. Find some popular subjects, keywords or phrase. Select the ones which you think has more people clicking through. This is actually a keyword selector and suggestion tool that some sites are offering to those who are just their Adsense business.

Writing articles. Start writing original content with keywords from the topics that you have achieved in your search. Take note that search engines are taking pride in the quality of their articles and what you will be writing should keep up with their demands.

Quality content site. Build a quality content site incorporated with Adsense ads that is targeting the subject and keywords of your articles and websites. This is where all that you've done initially will go to and this is also where they will prove their worth to you.

The proper positioning of your ads should be done with care. Try to position your ads where surfers are most likely to click on them. According to research, the one place that surfers look first when they visit a certain site is the top left. The reason behind this is not known. Maybe it is because some of the most useful search engine results are at the top of all other rankings. So visitors tend to look in that same place when browsing through other sites.

Some of those who are just starting at this business may think they are doing pretty well already and thinking that their clickthrough rates and CPM figures are quite healthy. However, there are more techniques and styles to generate more clicks to double your earnings. By knowing these techniques and working them to your advantage, you will realize that you will be getting three times more than other people who have been previously doing what they are doing.

Finally, Adsense has some excellent tracking statistics that allows webmasters and publishers to track their results across a number of site on a site by site, page by page, or any other basis you wanted. You should be aware oft his capability and make the most of it because it is one powerful tool that will help you find out which ads are performing best. This way, you can fine tune your Adsense ads and focus more on the ones being visited the most rather than those who are being ignored.

To really start making money with Adsense, you should have a definite focus on what you wanted to achieve and how you will go about achieving them. As with any other kind of business ventures, time is needed coupled with patience.

Do not just ignore your site and your Adsense once you have finished accomplishing them. Spare some time, even an hour, making adjustments to the Adsense ads on your sites to quickly trigger your Adsense income.

Give it a try and you would not regret having gotten into Adsense in the first place.

Additional Resource: The Adsense Report

Tool Talk: All about internet marketing tools

2006-01-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't want inexpensive internet marketing tools? In this day and age when advertising your business online is the way to go, it's a must that you avail of internet marketing tools at the lowest cost possible. How can you avail of them? How can you make the most out of these low cost internet marketing tools?

These low cost internet marketing tools aim to better your website and promote them thoroughly. Read on to know more about them:

1. Software
There is software specializing in internet marketing. These programs are affordable internet marketing tools. They attract traffic, communicate your site to anyone online, harness and trim down your keywords, track your site visitors and create links to other sites. Of course, the phrase "low cost" emphasizes that you must not spend exorbitantly. Watch out for internet marketing tools that do nothing but suck your budget.

2. Website packages
Take note of low cost internet marketing tools that do the following: hosting and designing your site, getting your domain, offering technical help, configure and upload your files, campaigning for your traffic. These are available in website packages that you can avail of anytime. Choose a package caters to your site's needs.

3. Mailing lists
Notice that when you visit the Bulk Mail folder of your email, you read nothing but website promotions. That's email marketing? It boosts your business like no other. Don't worry about spamming. There's such a thing as "safe lists" that make your mails spam-free. This is so easy to obtain. Look for mailing lists for sale and let the fun of emailing begin.

4. Data Submitters
This is a money-saving internet marketing tool that works like magic. Have a data submitter of your own and amass tremendously huge hits!

5. E-books
Integrate an e-book in your site for people to download. At such a cheap price, you keep people clamoring for more and visiting your site in the process. That's one affordable internet marketing tool for you.

6. SEO tools
Internet marketing is not complete without the standard SEO tools. Search engines remain as the major powerhouse in marketing so never leave this part out. Generate traffic through this effective low cost internet marketing tool!

Here's a reminder: when you see the low cost internet marketing tool banners online, never get persuaded easily. Study the package deals; analyze the contents and benefits before deciding if you want one.

Additional Resources: Web Tools

How To Write A Killer Sales Letter

2006-01-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

Try to win the love of a girl with flowers alone, and you're in for a major heartbreak.

In the same light, try to win a customer with a description of the product by itself, and you're in for a period of bleak earnings.

The painful fact is this: products don't sell themselves. They need that human touch to convince the prospective buyer that he needs to purchase the said products, least he misses out on an advantageous opportunity. Sadly, persuading the potential buyer is made more difficult if the business is being carried out online. It seems that the anonymity involved in online transactions make people more hesitant about parting with their hard earned money.

How does an Internet marketer go about in selling his products then?

It's no secret that sales copies have become a must in this day and age. They have even become the landing page of many websites. The power of a good sales copy should not be underappreciated. Sales copies can convert an undecided visitor into a successful sale. After all, a sales copy is what the visitor would read to get more information about the product.

The nature of sales copies is quite sensitive. One word can win or lose a client. This is why many Internet marketers pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for a killer sales letter. Most of the time, they hire a ghostwriter to the job for them. The problem here is that the ghostwriter can only know so much about the product, hence, he could only write just as less.

But guess what?

YOU can write your own sales copy! Yes! You could!

Below is a step-by-step procedure, a formula if you will, on how to churn out those superbly effective sale copies that would increase your conversion rate.

STEP 1: Write an attention grabbing HEADLINE. Please bear in mind that a headline is composed of three parts:

A. A line that would set up the main headline.
B. Your main headline that should be in the biggest font size you'll use in the entire copy. Preferably, it should be in a startlingly different color and in bold.
C. A line that would elaborate on your main headline.
Here is an illustration of a headline using this method:
Do you want to gain substantial earnings even while you're sleeping?
"AN AUTOMATED BUSINESS SOLUTION IS THE DIGITAL EQUIVALENT OF A 24/7 SECRETARY OR YOUR ONLINE VENTURE!!!"
Take And Deliver Orders Without Even Having To Log On To Your Website!

STEP 2: Write an INTRODUCTION that your readers can relate to. You could do this by sharing a problem that should be familiar with them.

STEP 3: Tell them who you are and share a list of your relevant accomplishments. This would help establish your IDENTITY and your CREDIBILITY. Many of your potential clients are wary about doing business online. By doing away with the unwanted anonymity and by assuring them of your reliability, you'll be able to make their fears go away.

STEP 4: Offer your PRODUCT. Yup! You have to do it here instead of earlier. The reason is that Internet users generally hate sales pitches. If your headline is about the product itself, they might just switch to another site.

STEP 5: Assure your readers that the PRODUCT IS EFFECTIVE. This can be done in two ways:
A. Offer confirmable statistics that would support your product's needed usage.
B. Present testimonials from people who have actually used your product.

STEP 6: Enumerate the SPECIFICS OF YOUR PRODUCT. But make sure that this part is not riddled with technical jargons. Explain your product's details in a colloquial way that anyone would be able to understand.

STEP 7: Tell your reader the reasons why your PRODUCT SHALL BE BENEFICIAL to them. This step is crucial, as it is the point where you could transform the potential client's interest into a perceived need.

STEP 8: For that killer blow that would make them feel that yours is the best deal in the planet, bundle your product with BONUSES, and inform your readers of the corresponding VALUE for each freebie.

Remember that a sales copy is that very integral component that bridges a page hit to a sale. By following the steps we have outlined above, there is no doubt that your conversion rate would dramatically increase!

Recommended Reading: Web Sales Letter Supreme

Five Ways To Win The Favor Of Search Engines

2006-01-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

You've got a cool new website with all the works: cool Flash presentations, eye-catching colors, informative text, easy-to-use layout, and an interesting topic. You think your site is amazing, and you know that others will agree with you. If only they know it exists.

How do you make your website known? How do you make yours stand out among millions of others? You can spend lots of money on advertisement, but that will not work if you don't have the money to spare on advertising. So what do you do? Make search engines work for you, that's what!

Google, Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, Altavista - you want to be at the top of their results list. The higher your site is in a search results page, the better chances that it will be visited. The science behind making your site a popular search result is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Don't worry, though - even if SEO is referred to as a science, it is not all that complicated. You just need to take note of a few things, and before you know it, your site will have more visitors than you could ever dream of.

Here are five tips to ensure that your site would be a favorite of search engines all around the cyber world.

Give importance to substance over appearance.

Do you want to share your knowledge on a subject that you have authority on? Do you want to sell products? Do you want to build an online shrine for your favorite actress? Whatever topic you have chosen for your website, make sure that you are able to give useful information on it. Search engines work by scanning sites for keywords. They search text and completely ignore everything else. So if you have made your site rich in colors, don't forget to make it rich in content as well. After all, a beautiful layout can make people look, but relevant content is what will make them stay. Remember, in this day and age: content is king!

Know your topic well

If you know much about your topic, you will know what people usually ask about it, and what they ask about it is what they will type in the search bar. When writing the content for your website, put yourself in your other people's shoes, people who will be your target audience or market. Know the possible questions they might have about your topic, and give answers in your site.

Learn from the best

Take time to browse and read sites that get lots of visitors and have the same topic as yours. Take note of any recurring phrases in these sites' text. These phrases are most likely keywords. Incorporate them in your own site's content. Don't saturate your site with keywords, though. You don't want to sound redundant to your site visitor. A 3% density level would be enough.

In searching for the right keywords, use Overture's services. It may take quite some time, as it is more of a trial-and-error method, but the results are conclusive, and a pattern can easily be observed.

Submit…and re-submit

You will never get a certain job if you don't send in your application for it. The same thing applies to SEO. If you want your site to be recognized by search engines, then go out of your way to register your site with them. After a couple of weeks, search for your site by putting in the keywords you used in your content. If your site is still not coming up in the search results, do not give up, and just re-register and resubmit your site. It's possible that your initial registration was discarded without being processed. This usually happens because a lot of submissions are being done everyday.

Constantly update your site

This can't be stressed enough: search engine spiders love sites which constantly change their content. You can't build your site and expect it to last forever without any updates. There will come a time when those search engine spiders would stop fetching your site for query requests. Here's a tip: integrate a blog program in your site. Blogs have a user-friendly interface that allows easy updates.

Additional Resources: SEO Made Easy

6 Ways To Publishing A Successful E-zine

2006-01-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

The most important asset of an Internet Marketer is his or her list of subscribers, the opt-ins. Nevertheless, efforts are needed to be taken so that you can build your subscriber list and improve the size of it every day. There are several ways to have your e-zine successfully published and they are:

1. Ad-swapping
You can exchange sponsor, feature, or solo ads with another e-zine publisher to promote each other's newsletter. This is one of the most effective ways for promoting your e-zine, gain publicity, traffic, as well as generating a greater income through increasing your list of subscribers.

It is a win-win situation for both of you, but make sure the ad-swapping is done at least 3 issues continuously to have get the best response. Similar to selling a product, following up is important to get people interested in something you promote.

2. Offer a bonus for signing up
This is a good way to increase your opt-ins. You can increase your subscriber conversion rate by giving away a free bonus to your visitors with a condition - that they need to sign up for your e-zine or newsletter.

You can increase the urge and value for your bonus by setting a time limit so that only people who subscribe during the period of time will be able to receive your bonus.

3. Write articles
Writing articles and submitting them to article directories help you gain traffic and establishing yourself as an expert in your field. To do this, you just need to add an appropriate resource box/signature after each of your article, saying that people can subscribe to your newsletter - state a price, but they can get it for free. Put a link and direct them to your opt-in page.

You don't even need to sell them anything yet, just focus on building your list and only promote your products to these subscribers later on.

4. Have a private policy for your e-zine
To do this, simply include a statement that tells people that you will not rent, sell or give away their information to any third party. This helps to build your relationship with your subscribers as well as allowing them to trust you more.

5. Submit your e-zine to e-zine directories
Submitting your e-zine to these directories helps increase the number of subscribers to your e-zine and also help you find more people to advertise in your e-zine or swapping ads with you. Do this correctly and you can get targeted subscribers and much more partners for building a huge subscriber list.

6. Posting in discussion boards
You can find high traffic discussion boards related to your niche and promote your e-zine through your own signature. Try and post more often to these discussion boards, contribute useful information, and people will be keen in subscribing for your newsletter.

To Your Success,
Debra

Additional Reading: 77 Questions & Answers For Your Ezine Success

Profiting With Private Label Rights

2006-01-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

There are three basic rights you should know about when it comes to resale rights marketing. These are:

resale rights
master resale rights
private label rights

Whenever you purchase a product with resale rights, you will only have the license to sell the said product to other people. When you purchase a product with master resale rights, you will have the license to sell the product to other people, and you will also have the option to sell the resale right for the same product as well. This means that the people to whom you sell the resale rights of the product whose master resale rights you own will consequently acquire the license to sell the said product to other people.

Confusing as this may sound, our focus for this article are private label rights which, of the three rights enumerated above, is undoubtedly the most empowering and the most profitable.

Private label rights are embodied in a license that comes with an information product you may be able to purchase. These rights would allow you to alter, modify, enhance and rearrange the contents of the said product to suit your own needs and wishes.

What exactly does this mean?

With private label rights, you could divide the chapters of, say, an eBook, and sell them as a series of articles. The reverse is also true. If you purchased a set of articles with accompanying private label rights, you could compile them into one nifty and seemingly novel eBook or special report.

Better yet, you could add any information on the said information product, without having to seek the permission of the original author. You feel that one section is wanting in details? You could freely insert your own additions!

But the best part of information products with private label rights is that, in most cases, you could put your name as the author of the work, without having to pay royalties or ghostwriting charges to the original author.

There are many benefits to private label rights. Some are quite apparent. Others only manifest after a deeper scrutiny. Let's take a look at some of them:

Private label rights would allow you to come up with a variety of new products from the original source. Being empowered to alter the contents to suit your needs, you have the liberty to repackage them as novel offers for different markets.
Private label rights would allow you to improve on a work that you may have found lacking. Tired of purchasing products to sell, when such products do not meet your standards of quality and they are disappointingly unalterable? You won't have to worry about such with private label rights. You have the freedom to change and improve on what is written as you see fit.
Private label rights are perfect for branding yourself and your business. You need to get the word out about your online venture. Purchasing a number of information products with private label rights and naming them as your own would impress upon the online world that you are an expert in your chosen field, and they would trust you more easily when the need arises to procure your services or avail of your products.

The purchaser is not the only person who stands to earn from private label rights, however. An information product creator can also consider this route if he wishes to make some fast money. The information product creator can offer the private label rights to his works at a substantially higher price, considering all the perks that are attached to it.

There has been an age old debate as to whether or not a creator should sell the private label rights for his products. Though there are many schools of thought on the matter, the following scenario seems to be the most beneficial for the information product creator: he should sell the private label rights for his products only when the same is nearing the end of its market life.

At this point, it is widely believed that the product has already been squeezed dry of its moneymaking potentials, and by allowing other people to alter it in creative ways, the said product might find new life in different markets.

Private label rights are excellent offerings in the world of Internet marketing. When you encounter a hot commodity that would give you the liberty to alter its essence and call it your own, it is very much worth your time to study the profitability of purchasing the same. Offers this good don't come everyday.

Additional Resources: Resale Rights Report (windows), Resale Magnate (windows and mac)

How To Choose A Good Autoresponder Service

2006-01-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

Ask any veteran Internet marketer about converting visitors into sales, and you'll get one answer: it's all about the follow-up.

Truly, it's more than just increasing the volume of traffic that gets to visit your site. After all, a good 98% of your daily visitors, at the average, won't decide to purchase your products or rent your services. But that's not to say that they won't be interested in the same offer tomorrow, or that they won't be interested in future offers.

Hence, it has become necessary to "capture" these "leads" so that they may be informed of upcoming offerings, or better yet, so that you could warm them up for your current offers. This can be done by employing an opt-in system that would invite them to subscribe to a mailing list. By gathering their names and email addresses, with their permission of course, you would be able to contact them periodically with informative materials, usually carried out through the use of an eZine or a newsletter, as well as occasional distribution of freebies to win their favor for a possible sale.

There would be no problem if you're dealing with ten or twenty subscribers, as you could write to them individually. But such number isn't sustainable by a long shot, however. You should aim for a mailing list that would reach the thousands. And that would make it difficult for you to prepare personalized emails.

The crux of an ideal mailing list, therefore, is an efficient autoresponder system that would cater to your every need with regards to the matter.

A mailing list of considerable size powered by a good autoresponder system consistently provides some generous earnings for many Internet marketers the world over. A lot of online businessmen can rake a profit from their mailing lists alone.

But what is an autoresponder system? An autoresponder system is like a digital secretary. It will take care of your subscribers by providing for an opt-in system that would allow them to subscribe to your mailing list. An autoresponder system would also take care of the distribution of emails to your subscriber base.

You could simply prepare your messages in advance, program them in the autoresponder, and preset the intervals by which the said messages will be delivered. You could even separate your subscribers into various groups. One group would be for those who have yet to order, for example, and the other is for those who have already made a purchase. This would allow you to use two different approaches in dealing with them.

Also, a good autoresponder system would help build the customer's, prospective or actual, trust in your services. With a good autoresponder, you could provide for an efficient technical support program. If your client would email you a question about one of your products, for example, you could preset the autoresponder to reply with a general FAQ so that he may be properly guided.

Not all autoresponders are built the same way, however, and much care should be exercised in choosing the right one perfect for your particular needs. Here are ten questions you need to ask before you decide enrolling for an autoresponder service:

How many accounts can you create with their system? Some business plans would require you to have different accounts for different product.
How many lists can you build? There are also some business plans that would require different lists for different groups of clients?
How many follow-up messages can you preset?
How many subscribers can the system hold? And correspondingly, how many subscribers can the system respond to?
How much customization is allowed? You need to make your subscribers feel special somehow, so the names included in your message, as well as some parts of the message itself, should be customizable.
How can the system gather prospective subscribers? The process should be simple and convenient, otherwise, the target's patience will just be tried.
Will you be able to send your messages in .html and .doc formats?
Will you be able to track your subscribers for the purpose of target marketing?
Is the scheduling system fully automated?
Is the autoresponder easy to use?

If the autoresponder service you are considering favorably satisfies all the questions above, and it is being offered at a reasonable price, then it would be wise to grab that deal as soon as you can.

Remember, if you're running an online business, a good autoresponder should be one of your primary investments. It could be the key to an excellent conversion rate.

Check out GetReponse.com or Aweber.com.

Five Steps That Will Help You Succeed in Niche Marketing

2006-01-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Niche marketing is a manifestation of how much internet marketing has evolved in recent years. Niche marketing is based on a real world model, that is, it is a business strategy that is focused on real people with real needs and with real money to spend.

Niche marketing is a technique that seeks to conquer small and usually unattended markets that are fueled by a strong passion for a particular interest. The benefits of cornering these markets are enormous. First, you will encounter little competition. Second, the market is driven by enthusiasm and they will continuously support a product that they like.

To illustrate, five years ago, internet marketing strategies focused on general markets. "I want to make money online," one would have said, "so I'm going to sell products for dog enthusiasts." But dog enthusiasts comprise a pretty broad market. A lot of online businesses are already catering to their needs.

But today, internet marketing strategies are focusing on specific markets. Instead of targeting dog enthusiasts, they target Sharpei owners. This is niche marketing in a nutshell.

Succeeding in niche marketing isn't as difficult as you might think. Here are five simple steps that would guarantee your conquest of the niche you would choose.

Know what people are searching for online. You need two important ingredients for this step: instinct and Overture. You think you have them? Let's proceed then. Point your browser to: http://www.inventory.overture.com

This is Overture's super powerful and useful keyword selector tool. Type in any word and the system will tell you how many searches were made for it in a particular month.

Now you will need your instinct, as the process is all trial-and-error. Think of a field that not many people know about. For the purpose of this discussion, let's choose the word "widget."

By typing in the said word, Overture will tell us that 2136 people searched for "widget" in the month of April. This would be a perfect niche market. It's not a popular subject, and you have 2136 people, less a few repeated searches, that are potential clients.
Determine the profitability of the niche. Overture would have given you a list of keywords pertaining to your targeted niche. Now it's time to see if we could make money out of them. Log on to Google Adwords and check out the pricing of the keywords. The higher a keyword's price is, the more profitable it can be.

But you don't have to rely on Googles Adwords alone. You could conduct your own research by reading books and newspapers. Be on the lookout for particularized markets you could exploit.
Evaluate the potential market. You could do this manually by running your own search and checking out the websites that cater to your chosen niche. Scout the competition! This could take some time though, so a better option would be to invest in some useful tools. One good software you could use is Word Tracker, which would provide for you a supply vs. demand. Word Tracker would survey multiple search engines and pinpoint competing websites.
Create your own product. You do have to sell something, so you have to create an item that the members of the niche would want to buy. Since you're operating an online business, information would be the most ideal product that you could offer. By packaging information in the form of electronic books, membership sites, software, subscriptions to newsletter or even streaming media, you'd have an offering that the target market would always have a need for.
Content is king. You would want the members of the niche to visit your site, and the way to do this is by offering good, quality content that they can never find anywhere else. As we've mentioned earlier, the members of a niche are fueled by passion, hence they will always be searching for information on their particular interest. If you provide this in your content, they will come to you, and you could expose your products to them.

Niche marketing is not difficult indeed, but you can't be successful with it lying down. Some effort is still required, as is the case with all viable businesses. With steps outlined above, you will be able to corner the niche of your choice. May it be very profitable for you!

Niche Market Reading: How To Niche, The Niche Report, and Resale Rights Report (Resale Rights Report for Windows only, sorry Macs)

Another Little Piece of Software

2005-12-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

I've been participating in the 12 Days Of Christmas and downloaded an EZ Greeting Card Creator, just in time for Christmas and Holiday Ecards. Have fun!!

Are You Knee Deep In Ebooks?

2005-12-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we just need to take a break. I don't know about you, but I love puzzles. During my many forees into the world of ebooks and software, I found this nifty puzzle for you to play with. Just choose a favorite image, set the time through the options menu, and have some fun.

Deb

The 12 Days of Christmas

2005-11-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

If you really want a taste of internet marketing, ebooks,
affiliate marketing and more then you may be ready for
Mark Hendricks 12 Days of Christmas!

78 of the World's Top Internet Marketers have joined
together in a giant Holiday Gift Giving bonanza. It's
their version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Get to this
page now, and see what all the excitement is about...

12 Days of Christmas

Autoresponders...and lessons learned!

2005-11-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Alright! For long enough I've just posted info to this blog. It's time for me to come out of my shell and just talk to you.

Gotta tell you...I made a giant blunder with my autoresponder and I'd like to share the lessons learned. I use GetResponse.com. I like that I can create my e-mails in html, paste them into my campaign and send them off. There are many features I like about GetResponse.com.

There's also Constant Contact. It's got a very nice feature, templates. It's very user friendly, and you can create your campaign in html, then paste it in as well. There's a 60 day free trial you can use to test drive an e-mail campaign.

Anyway, back to my blunder. I composed my autoresponders for my monthly newsletter. I didn't notice the "html preview" link, which would have shown me my mistakes right off. This was mistake #1.

To compound matters, I didn't (as I always preach) subscribe to my own newsletter. Mistake #2. If I had I would have seen immediately that my links were DEAD!!!! YIKES!!! Fortunately, for me, a friend pointed it out (I just entered a bunch of subscriptions I secured at a trade show) and I had just subscribed myself, so I saw my errors immediately.

The moral of the story...preview and test. Why is it some lessons are harder learned than others???

Deb

Professionally Designed Cover Can Boost Your e-Book Sales!

2005-11-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

It is a pretty well known fact that the best products to sell online are digital ones. They are easier to prepare, and even easier to deliver. With digital products, you're basically selling information or a solution as the case may be. Of all the digital products currently being circulated, electronic books, or eBooks as they are fondly called, are the most popular.

The reason is quite simple. With eBooks, your investments are your words and your knowledge. By writing about something you know by heart and something that people would be willing to pay for, you could already conduct business. Just take a look at the many eBooks in the market today.

Judging An Ebook By Its Cover

If you sift through some of the millions of eBooks out in the market, you'll immediately be able to separate the good ones from the bad ones. The adage "never judge a book by its cover" does not apply for electronic publications. Often, as in very often, the way the eBook is packaged reflects the quality of the product. If an eBook is packaged with inferior graphics, for example, which are obviously homemade as a practice course for PhotoShop lessons, the would-be customers would just get the impression that the contents of the said eBook are likewise amateurishly made.

You wouldn't want this to happen.

Imagine, on the other hand, if your eBook is supported by professionally made graphics. Your product would stand out from the rest, and would immediately win your target audience's attention. The graphics would perfectly complement the content of your eBook, and would be an excellent representation of your product.

The Advantages Of Professionally Made Graphics

There are two main graphics you would need for your eBook. These would be the eBook cover and the header. The header will be used on top of your sales page. Your sales page, of course, is where you could convince your visitors to try out your eBook, by presenting all the features it could offer as well as the benefits your customers can derive from the same. If your sales page is complemented by a beautifully made header, you'd instantaneously capture the interest of the people who would get to visit the said page, and they would be compelled to read your offer.

An eBook cover is the graphic on the very first page of the .pdf file that contains the content of your product. An eBook cover is also the main graphic that would be used on your promotional campaigns, as this would be what people would associate your product with.

In both instances, the graphics for the header and the eBook cover should be magnificently designed to immediately impress upon the minds of your visitors that your product is of high quality. A good analogy would be a movie. Trailers and movie posters sell these flicks, the same way that headers and eBook covers sell your eBooks.

Ebook covers and headers are usually included in one package.

Investing On Professionally Made Ebook Covers

There is no doubt that eBook covers would give a tremendous boost for your online sales. Ebook covers alone account for 89% of the decision factors that impel a visitor to make a purchase of an eBook. Imagine being able to tap into this 89%. Your sales page's conversion rate would soar to very high levels!
Professionally made eBook covers, of course, would need a professional's touch. And this would entail some financial investment on your part. But such would be a worthy investment, as premium eBook covers would boost your conversion rate, which would consequently boost your sales.

So do not hesitate to invest on professionally made eBook covers and headers. It is tantamount to an essential component of your online success and one which you should not dare take for granted.

Do you sell an intangible product online, such as a service, software or subscription -- something people can not touch or
inspect? Maximize your clickthroughs, downloads and sales, and drive up to 317% more customer actions on your website, when
you tantalize prospects with a professional-looking, three- dimensional cover or box.

Make your product look so real that people will reach out into their computer screens and grab it! For more, visit DynamiteCovers.com.

Recommended Reading: Create Your Own Ebook

10 Sizzling Ways To Improve Your Ad Copy

2005-11-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

You could decrease or increase the length of
your ad copy. There is no rule on how long your
ad copy should be unless space is a consideration.
The ad should be long enough to sell your product.
You could add some sub headlines on your ad
copy. Sub headlines act just like headlines; they
grab the readers attention. They'll keep the readers
interested as they continue to read your ad.
You could ask your reader questions through out
the ad copy. They will answer the questions in their
own head as they read your ad copy. The questions
you ask should persuade the reader into buying.
You could highlight keywords through out your
ad copy. The keywords should be attractive to
your target audience. You could highlight them with
color, underlines, italics, etc.
You could bullet or indent your benefits on your
ad copy. Must people won't read a whole ad copy,
so make your products benefits standout and you
won't lose the sales from all the skimmers.
You could change the size of your text on your
ad copy. You want to make your text large enough
so it's not hard to read. You also want your headline
and major points to be larger so they will standout.
You could raise or lower the price on your ad
copy. A higher price could i.ncrease the perceived
value of your product and a lower price could
lesson your product's value.
You could add proof of results on your ad copy.
You should include testimonials, endorsements,
and factual statistics to prove your product's claims.
You could add special offers on your ad copy.
It's usually easier to sell the offer than the product.
You could use discounts, free bonuses, volume
sales, etc.
You could eliminate the hard-to-understand
jargon on your ad copy. Unless your product calls
for technical words, you want your ad to be read
without people pulling out a dictionary.

Tips For Writing A Business Blog

2005-10-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Having a blog for your business makes good marketing sense. So now you have to start creating some content for your blog. Here are a few tips on business blogging. I've taken these from Debbie Weil's Top 7 tips to Write an Effective Business Blog. Download her pdf for more information and tips on writing an effective blog. She's the queen of business blogging!

Start with a topic you are passionate about
concentrat on shorter, more frequent entries in your blog
Let your authentic "voice" emerge
Use correct grammar and syntax
Write for the web: purposefully organize the content of your blog (I'm definitely going to do some more reading on that subject!!)
Post at least once a week, preferably two or three times a week
Include your key contact information

Using Debbie's techniques will help boost your blog interest and readability. If you want to learn more about Debbie, visit her site www.BlogWriteForCEOs.com

Business Blogging

2005-10-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Why would you want to add a blog to your business website?

A blog has natural search engine optimization features. By posting on a regular basis, your blog can help your business in many ways:

create new, fresh content for your site
each post is a new html document that the search engine spiders love
you can share information with your readers
you can solicit feedback on a product, question or book

If you don't have a blog, or are unsure of what a blog is, why don't you join the women of San Diego Women, Inc. on October 27th. I'll be sharing why small business owners should incorporate internet marketing and blogging in their marketing efforts.

Additional Reading: Business Blogging and Blogging

Five Tips To Beginning Your Copy

2005-10-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

Make a commitment to write!
Schedule an appointment with yourself. Make some quiet time start by deciding what you want to write. Do you want to write an articles? An ebook? Maybe a novel! Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Look at your watch. Complete this sentence in one minute: "I would love to write ---" Done?

Please don't read on until you've done the exercise. :-) OK. Now, before your left brain kicks in with a huge pile of negativity, commit to this thing that you have your heart set on writing. I'll count down, from three to one, and at the count of one, please take a deep breath and say: "I commit to writing (whatever it was that you wrote in the exercise above)." Three, two, one . say aloud: "I commit to writing ----"
Take Five
How much can you write in five minutes? Let's find out. Start with five tips. I know you can write five tips about your subject. Now that you have your five tips, take some time to expand each tip. Take five to write content for your current project. You can do this. It’s only five minutes. Just write, don’t think, just write. Think if you spend only 20 to 30 minutes a day writing and/or expanding on your content, your project will be completed in no time at all!
Need a Buddy?
You can share your writing with someone. After all this can really keep you accountable. Find someone who wants to write something. You can each check the other’s work on a scheduled basis. Maybe you check in once a day, twice a week, etc. The objective is to keep yourselves writing. Don’t worry that the work is still in the rough stages. It’s only to keep you accountable and moving forward in your writing. All you need to do is find someone as committed as you are to completing your project.
Make writing the first thing you do every day
Block out specific time each day for writing. If you are a morning person, write first thing. Decide for yourself when you are the most productive. Set the stage for your writing. Do you want some nice soft music, scented candles, a quiet room. Create the atmosphere that will help you be the most productive during your writing time. If the environment is inviting, you’ll look forward to spending this time writing your project.
Give up your attachment to the outcome
Just relax. You can always revisit your copy and revise it at any point in time. For this exercise, you just need to get the content out. It’s always easy to look at your first draft and think it’s not up to par. It’s just the first draft. Once you get past that, the editing will be a piece of cake. You can analyze your content, rework the copy, buff it out and make it outstanding, after you get it out.

Now, just make the commitment to sit down, take five and let the words pour out of you. Have fun!

Recommended Reading: How To Write An Ebook

Answers To Five Common Questions About Information Product Creation

2005-10-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than being able to sell your own product. The problem is, how do you create a product that is actually sellable?

But we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

In creating a product, the businessman is confronted with many questions that more often than not derail the creation process. Hence, here are five answers to the five most common questions that an internet marketer encounters in information product creation.

What's the first step in creating a product?
The answer is simple: you need an idea. Coming up with that idea, however, is the difficult part.

You have to realize that everything is a product, as everything is information that, when packaged correctly, is desirable to certain people. Try to update yourself with the latest trends. Read a lot of books and newspapers. Be on the lookout for things that might inspire a deeper study.

Also, think in terms of titles. For example, you're reading the papers and an article therein reports of unique wedding ideas. Think big. Think flamboyantly. Apply these thoughts to titles. You should come up with something as grand as "Ten Truly Magnificent Ways To Celebrate Your Wedding," or "Ten Enchanting Ideas To Make Your Dream Wedding A Reality."

Remember, product creation is partly driven by packaging. Titles add so much to the overall feel of the product. And conceptualizing a title would assure that you would be able to keep your focus during the rest of the creation process.
Where do I get content?
Information products are naturally carried out through content. If the content is good, the information would be excellently conveyed. There are three ways to get good content.

First, write the product yourself. If you have the time to do so, then no one is better suited to convey the idea than you.

Second, hire a good ghostwriter. Ghostwriting services abound on the web. Look for a good and affordable one.

Third, you could try public domain information. These are free to use, and they are easy to find for those who actually try to look for them. Basically, all works before 1923, and some works before 1978, are considered public domain information. You could reproduce these without having to pay any royalties.
How do I package my product?
Selling them as mere .doc or .txt files would seem amateurish and unattractive. The usual format used for information products is .pdf or .exe. Of the two, .pdf is more widely used, but .exe offers more eye-grabbing features.

Converting your products into .pdf is simple. There are many free resources available on the net that would allow you to do this. Creating a .exe file, on the other hand, would need some programming skills.
What price should I put on my product?
Basically, there is no limit as to how much you could price your product. If you feel it is worth $500, then sell it for $500.

Some are afraid that by pricing their products at a high amount, marketability would suffer. The truth of the matter is, it could go either way. Assigning a high price for your product may give the impression that it is something valuable. This would attract potential buyers.

Additionally, you could add more value to your product by packaging it with freebies. An e-book with two accompanying software programs, for example, would perfectly justify a high price that is attached to it.
What if my product has run its course?
Even if you feel that you have squeezed every possible profit from your product, you could still earn from it.

Try selling its master resale rights.

This simply means that instead of selling your product, you'd be selling the authority that would allow others to re-brand and resell your product any way they see fit. This shouldn't concern you anymore as you've exhausted all the markets that would buy your creation. Let other people worry about marketing it for further profit, but do take their money as parting gifts for a product that has served you well.

Two Ebook programs I recommend are Ebook Gold and Ebook Starter

10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas

2005-09-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Solve an existing problem for people. There are
thousands of problems in the world. Create a product
that can provide a solution to one of those problems.
Find out what's the current hot trend. You can find
out what the new trends are by watching T.V, reading
magazines and surfing the net. Just create a product
that's related to the current hot trend.
Improve a product that is already on the market.
You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Just
take a product that's already out there and improve it.
Create a new niche for a current product. You can
set yourself apart from your competition by creating a
niche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller,
or quicker than you competitor's product.
Add on to an existing product. You could package
your current product with other related products. For
example, you could package a football with a team
jersey and football cards.
Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have a
book that's out of print and is no longer being sold.
You could change the title, design a new front cover,
and bring some of the old content up to date.
Ask your current customers. You could contact
some of your existing customers by phone or e-mail
and ask them what kind of new products they would
like to see on the market.
Combine two or more products together to create
a new one. For example, you could take a brief case
and add a thermos compartment inside to keep a
drink hot or cold.
Survey the people who visit your web site. You
could post a survey or questionnaire on your web site.
Ask visitors what kind of products they would like to
see on the market.
You could create a new market for your existing
product. For example, if you're selling plastic bottles
to a pop company, you could turn around and sell
those bottles to a fruit drink company.

Recommended Reading:Create Your Own Info Products

Blanket Buddies for Katrina Victims

2005-09-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

A great idea from my friend Allie:

Like so many, I have been at a loss as to how to help those left homeless and so devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I've given money to the Red Cross, but basically I've felt totally useless. I've scoured the internet for alternative ways of helping to no avail.

Then it occurred to me that I have the ability to create a project myself. And "The Blanket Buddies Project" was launched. My committment is to organize the creation, collection and distribution of at least 1000 cozy handmade NO SEW fleece blankets for the children of this disaster. They only take a few hours to make, require no talent and are soft and oh so cozy. One can't help but feel security and comfort when wrapped up in one. They ooze love.

Will you help?

My thrown together homepage has information on how to make them.

Do you have others you can pass this on to?
Do you know places we can post a message?
Do you have contacts in groups like, sewing circles, church groups, school groups, ect, that you can contact and/or rally?

Five Ways To Win The Favor Of Search Engines

2005-08-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here are five tips to ensure that your site would be a favorite of search engines all around the cyber world.

Give importance to substance over appearance
Do you want to share your knowledge on a subject that you have authority on? Do you want to sell products? Do you want to build an online shrine for your favorite actress? Whatever topic you have chosen for your website, make sure that you are able to give useful information on it. Search engines work by scanning sites for keywords. They search text and completely ignore everything else. So if you have made your site rich in colors, don't forget to make it rich in content as well. After all, a beautiful layout can make people look, but relevant content is what will make them stay. Remember, in this day and age: content is king!
Know your topic well
If you know much about your topic, you will know what people usually ask about it, and what they ask about it is what they will type in the search bar. When writing the content for your website, put yourself in your other people's shoes, people who will be your target audience or market. Know the possible questions they might have about your topic, and give answers in your site.
Learn from the best
Take time to browse and read sites that get lots of visitors and have the same topic as yours. Take note of any recurring phrases in these sites' text. These phrases are most likely keywords. Incorporate them in your own site's content. Don't saturate your site with keywords, though. You don't want to sound redundant to your site visitor. A 3% density level would be enough.
In searching for the right keywords, use Overture's services. It may take quite some time, as it is more of a trial-and-error method, but the results are conclusive, and a pattern can easily be observed.
Submit...and re-submit
You will never get a certain job if you don't send in your application for it. The same thing applies to SEO. If you want your site to be recognized by search engines, then go out of your way to register your site with them. After a couple of weeks, search for your site by putting in the keywords you used in your content. If your site is still not coming up in the search results, do not give up, and just re-register and resubmit your site. It's possible that your initial registration was discarded without being processed. This usually happens because a lot of submissions are being done everyday.
Constantly update your site
This can't be stressed enough: search engine spiders love sites which constantly change their content. You can't build your site and expect it to last forever without any updates. There will come a time when those search engine spiders would stop fetching your site for query requests. Here's a tip: integrate a blog program in your site. Blogs have a user-friendly interface that allows easy updates.

Additional Reading: Search Engine Ascent, Blogger's Edge

You've Written An Ariticle, Now What?

2005-08-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

You've finally written your first article. Congratulations! Now what do you do with your article?

First you need to make sure to add a "how to publish" statement to the begninning of your article. You also need to end your article with a resource box.

A "how to publish" statement reads something like this:

"Please feel free to publish this article on your web site and/or in your e-book or newsletters with the authors resource box included and without any changes to the article. (Add your contact e-mail)" If you'd like them to inform you as to where and how your article will be used, just ask them to send a complimentary copy of the ezine, or a link to where your article is published.

A resource box appears at the end of an article. This is what makes your article a powerful viral marketing tool. It tells the reader valuable information about you, your services and the link to your website.

Here's an example of a resource box:

Debra Simpson, has been helping small business owners use the internet to market and grow their businesses. Her website, Magic In Words offers plenty of information to help you make "magic" with your words.

Next, begin submitting your article to article submission sites. These sites are specifically for articles and are where ezine publishers and web masters go for free content for the ezines and web sites.

Below are a few sites to get you started. The first few Article Submission Sites are Yahoo Groups. You have to be a member of the group and each group will have a subscribe address. Joining and submitting is very easy. Just go to their site and follow from there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aabusiness

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ap-shorts --400 words or less

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/free-content

As you write articles, keep in mind that you can bundle the articles together to create an ebook. But, that will need to wait for another day!

Internet Strategies

2005-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Most people think Internet Marketing is all about search engine optimization. While search engine optimization is a part of marketing on the internet, it's not the sole component.

Let's just start with e-mail and a word processing program like Word or WordPerfect. All you need to do is create a document about your business.

Tip: Take 5 minutes with a blank piece of paper and a pen. Create a list of 10 items. Now, use the 5 minutes to list 10 different titles for an informational product. I know you can do it.

Take one of your titles and each day for the next five days, write 20 or so tips. By the end of the week, you'll have 100 or so tips for your clients. Now all you need to do is go to Adobe and use their "try it out free for 5 pdfs" offer and create a pdf of your "tips" document.

Now, you can attach that document to e-mails you send prospective clients. You have the basics of internet marketing without any hard costs involved.

Here's an Internet Strategies ebook for your perusal. If you have any questions, just add a comment below.

Five Ways to Use a Blog to Market Your Business

2005-07-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

A blog helps your site to rank higher in the search engines
When Google bought Pyra Labs, developer of Blogger, many didn't understand why they'd want something that we seen as most as an online journal. Didn't teen girls fool around with those blogs??
The times, they are a changin... By the end of 2005 you'll be hearing much more about business blogging. It's because google and the other search engines love blogs because it's continually updated content. The more you blog, the more visitors you'll get to your site. The more visitors to your site, the more you rise in the search engine rankings.
A blog expands your customer
You'll reach people through your blog with frequent updates. You'll also get visitors who searched for a word that was mentioned in your blog post. They have no idea who you are, but stumbled upon you because of your post. Write and link to relevant content and they will find you.
A blog helps brand you
It's a form of stealth marketing. It should provide your reader with valuable content. Blog about what you know and are passionate about. Link an article or free ebook in your blog for your readers to download. This isn't the time to sell. That's not what true blogging is about.
Like a diamond, a blog is forever
Post as often as you can. I suggest three times a week. The newsreaders indicate how many days it's been since your last blog. It's hard to look at that and see you haven't blogged in three days. At least that's what I try to do.
A blog attracts new opportunities
A blog makes your business visible. It will attract the attention of people who may become joint venture partners, or who will have other opportunities for you.

The time and energy that you invest in your blog can bring results beyond your wildest expectations. Create a blog - it's your hardest-working, and most cost-effective online marketing option.

Additional Reading: Blogger's Edge

10 Innovative Ways To Use Your Autoresponder

2005-07-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get
an e-mail digest of everyone's e-mail addresses who
requests information from your autoresponder.
Publish a price list of all the products and services
that you offer. You could also include order forms,
product descriptions, and other sales material.
Publish free reports in autoresponder format. The
reports should be related to your business or web site.
Giving away free stuff will quickly increase your traffic.
Collect vital customer satisfaction information by
publishing a survey in autoresponder format. This type
of information will help you serve them better.
Instead of answering every customer question that's
e-mailed to you, publish "Frequently Ask Questions" in
autoresponder format. This will save time and money.
You could publish your testimonials or endorsements
in autoresponder format if you don't have the room in
your ad copy. It's more effective to include all of them.
Provide back issues of your e-zine archives in auto-
responder format. This will give your subscribers and
web site visitors easy access to them.
Publish your entire web site in autoresponder format.
Sometimes visitors don't have enough time read your
entire site. They could print it out and read it offline.
You could offer your ebook in autoresponder format.
Your visitors won't have to download it or have the
software to read it right away.
You could publish the terms and conditions to any
business transactions in autoresponder format. This
could include return policies, purchases, refunds etc.

I highly recommend GetResponse.com. I've been using it for several months now and am very please with how it works.

Photographing with the D-Flector

2005-07-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a great way to photograph items for your web site or ebay store? I've just finished an online store for a client using the D-Flector for the product shots.

This is a fabulous, portable photography studio. The superior results achieved using the D-Flector is amazing. It makes the clean up of your product shots a piece of cake.

Take a look at their site and let me know what you think.

Freedom Builders Violate CanSpam Act

2005-07-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you have been arbitrarily subscribed to Freedom Builders' newsletter, without your consent or knowledge, please let me know.

Freedom Builders host their site at rackspace.com. This is the rackspace.com acceptable use policy.

It is a violation of the CanSpam Act to send unsolicited e-mail. Freedom Builders is attending networking events, gathering e-mail addresses and then arbitrarily subscribing unsuspecting business people to their newsletter. Twice I've unsubscribed myself, only to have them re-subscribe me. I sent them two e-mails. The first one they were terse in their response letting me know I was unsubscribed. The second one they assured me they wouldn't spam me again. NOT!!!

If you want a networking group that abides by the CanSpam Act, I'd suggest looking at Leads Club If you go to the Leads Club web site, you'll see that Leads Club uses a double opt-in subscription form. You can't be subscribed to Leads Club's Ali's Ceiling Saying without your knowledge.

You may ask what is an opt-in subscription. Opt-in means that you've chosen to receive e-mails from a business. When you submit your subscription request, an autoresponder is sent to you asking you to confirm your subscription. This is the appropriate way to add people to your e-mail list. When you receive the autoresponder, you have the opportunity at that time to remove yourself from the list by ignoring the confirmation request in the autoresponder.

You may want to consider what type of business would try to subscribe you several times without your permission. I know what type of business I consider Freedom Builders to be...

Leads Club is an ethical, above board networking organization. They provide small business owners with a tried and proven method of networking that actually grows small businesses. Check them out if you want to increase your business income!

Unleash Your Internet Marketing Success

2005-07-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Internet Marketing can be a little overwhelming for someone new to the web. Internet Marketing is so much more than search engine optimization. Internet Marketing can be a way to start your own business while working the typical "9 to 5" job. Think it's too much? Think again!

I've got an ebook for you to read to help you navigate the world of internet marketing. Unleash Your Internet Marketing Success will teach you the "ins and outs" of using the internet to market your business and create an income online.

You can do this! Read the book and let me know what you think. Leave your comments!

10 Benefits Of SubmittingArticles To E-zines

2005-06-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

You'll brand your web site, business and yourself
by submitting articles to e-zines. You could include
your name, business name, your credentials, web site
address and e-mail address in your resource box.
You will become known as an expert on the topics
you write about. This will give you and your business
extra credibility which will help you compete against
your competition.
Your article might also be placed on the publisher's
home page. If they publish each issue on their home
page this will give you some extra exposure.
You might get extra exposure if the e-zine publisher
archives their e-zine on their site. People might want
to read the back issues before they make the decision
to subscribe.
You will get free advertising. This will allow you to
spend your profits on other forms of advertising. You
could buy advertisements in other e-zines that don't
publish your articles.
You might get extra income from people wanting to
hire you to write other articles, books, or even ask to
speak at seminars. This is a great way to multiply your
income.
You could allow e-zine publishers to publish your
articles in their free e-books. Since people give them
away, your advertising could multiply all over the
internet.
You will get your article published all over the web
when you submit it to an e-zine publisher that has a
free content directory on their web site. They'll allow
their visitors to republish your article.
You'll gain people's trust. If they read your article
and like it, they won't be as hesitant to buy your
product or service. You will then be able to increase
your profits.
You could get your article guaranteed to run in
an e-zine. You could agree to run one of their articles
in your e-zine if, in exchange, they run yours in their
e-zine. It's a win/win situation.