Failure rates in online marketing businesses
February 29, 2008
It is estimated that at about 80% of those starting out in internet marketing are not successful. The countless ads don’t tell you that : they promise riches in 30 days or less.. with daily earnings showing $ 500.. 1000… or even more.
I believe that winning is a matter of believing you can. Soon after starting an online business, the sensible ones realize that they better dig in for the long haul : it usually takes time to build a business or perhaps more crucially, credibility, so forget about making it in a few months. Ain’t gonna happen.
Always remember that there are thousands out there doing the same job as you and the only way to stand out is through creativity and through unique ideas. Once you are a creator it will set you apart from your competition. You must be known as someone who writes his own articles, ads, press releases and blogs. Even if you use other people’s stuff for research (who dosen’t ?) - you stand out by doing so creatively.
Internet marketing is a relatively new field – the new Wild West, and this causes many people to be enthusiastic and skeptical at the same time. Countless sales pages display pictures of houses, cars and checks (did you think chicks ? Not us) to try to convice themselves and countless others that it is possible ! The reality is that it won’t happen overnight.
In today’s “instant gratification” society, most are not ready to commit the next few years of their lives to build a business, a business that would well take them past their retirement age. For all of those who come to internet marketing with $$$$$ signs in their eyes, the reality soon bites hard ! There is a long hard road ahead, of struggles and sacrifices… only then it brings the best out in us…
But still, success is entirely within the grasp of those who are willing to commit themselves to the pain of growth, hardship and learning… And when the success is finally earned, they enjoy it.
So are you prepared to give in what it takes ?
An introduction to Internet marketing
February 19, 2008
As more and more people are spending more time and shopping on line, a trend which is only likely to grow in the coming years, the burgeoning world of internet marketing is turning into one gigantic, globally networked mall.
Today’s netizens constantly hunt for the best value for their money, and as more and more ‘traditional’ businesses are joining the bandwagon, internet marketing is booming.
Also called as e-marketing, it has its own laws, own gurus and its own ‘netiquettes’. What has also grown exponentially, is our imagination – of how to market utilizing the power of the Web ! A few common methods of internet marketing or IM, are :
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affiliate marketing
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SEM – Search engine marketing
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Advertisement displays
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Email marketing
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Marketing through blogs
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Viral marketing
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Business analysis
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Direct sales
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Link building
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Search engine optimization
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Article submission
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Press release
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Newsletters
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Directory submission etc
The basic marketing strategy is however deceptively simple - focus on increasing the customer traffic to your client’s (or your own) web site and develop a brand recognition or generate sales. The main focus should therefore be on getting as many potential buyers as possible from the client site and also make it more visible towards the top of search engine listings.
When a customer searches for a product in her search engine the top ten pages have the highest odds of being visited by the customer. When the preferred technique is email advertising, email lists have to be targeted by special software for marketing your services. Similarly, link building and web directory submission needs linking to as many sites as possible with the least possible cost. The web master has a choice between manual submission of links, permanent reciprocal links by negotiating with other websites, and free directory submissions. The main focus is always on increasing the traffic to the website involved.
To fully utilize the benefits of IM, every website should use all the techniques possible concurrently - from SEO and SEM, link building and directory submission. You cannot just rely on just one or two features. In addition, web promotion continues even after the business has been successfully established, and even then it needs a lot of continued marketing to sustain its rank on the search engines.
eBook resale rights – A time and cost-effective method of IM
February 19, 2008
What is an eBook resale right? EBooks are electronic books available online, usually in PDF formats, as we discussed for reading on computers or dedicated eBook readers. Just like paper books these eBooks are also subject to copyright laws. Plagiarism or selling without permission is strictly punishable under copyright laws and anyone who gets caught faces stiff penalties. EBook resale rights should therefore be very prominently mentioned in your eBook for everyone to see, with cautionary warnings.
Many publishers of eBooks offer resale rights themselves so that their customers can include their eBooks in their web sites or blogs or reuse them in any form they like. The publisher will make a one time offer for these rights which include the right to modify it to adapt to business needs while still acknowledging the original authorship. Software to draft the special codes for resale rights are easily available online.
Preparing and selling eBooks are one of the most profitable online business opportunities today. Many cash in on the demand and produce eBooks on variety of specialized subjects. They often approach freelance writers for writing these, and are even prepared to pay high prices to get good quality work. Today, you can find eBooks on any topic under the sun.
Many hot selling eBooks today are business-oriented : on stock or forex trading, making real estate or investments in other asset classes, making money or getting rich quick ? May altruistic self-help topics and those which teach personal transformation and growth, weight loss, enhance self-image are available. Even fiction and short stories are getting more and more popular these days as many prefer to read it online than getting up, going to a real book store. It is so much easier to access and can be read at any time. With more and more people working online these days, many of us prefer to read eBooks online in between work when they have the time.
The amount of direct and referral marketing that can be done through resold eBooks is unlimited. Since it can be adapted virtually to any product or niche, they represent some of the most time and cost-effective means for internet marketing.
Have A Positive Attitude
January 13, 2008
I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?
Now let’s say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?
The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.
Here’s another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?
You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.
Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor.
And it doesn’t end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.
The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.
Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.
Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.
A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.
We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.
You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.
A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.
A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.
If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.
If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.
Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.
And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.
If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn.
As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome.
You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what’s not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.
