Archive for August, 2009

When Paying For Traffic is a Smart Online Marketing Move

Monday, August 17th, 2009

If you’re struggling to generate even a glimmer of traffic to your website and your online marketing strategy is looking dead in the water then maybe it’s time to consider a little financial investment.

But before you jump straight in and start throwing your hard earned cash down the throat of the next SEO expert to leave secondary school take a few moments to examine your budget, do some research and ask a few simple questions.

Have you exhausted your social media marketing strategy?

Facebook, Squidoo, Youtube, Zenzuu, MySpace and and a few other recent arrivals offer a good ROI for any online entrepreneur who has a few minutes of their time to invest on a regular basis. Blogs can also support your efforts to build rapport and generate a regular folowing but there are a few things you need to know about blogging or you’ll soon start to feel as though you’re shouting into a big black hole.

Have you invested in a website the search engines will like the look of?

If you’re not sure get an expert to take a look or better still pick up a good guide from Amazon and learn how to do the basics yourself.

Does your domain name link to the product or business you promote?

This is vital for creating a strong profile as well as for generating targetted traffic. I spend days working on this one single area so that gives you an idea how important it is.

Do you have a good hosting package?

Good hosting is essential and can make the difference between being seen and becoming invisible in the alexa rankings.

Have you researched keywords in your niche and are you using them?

This is not as easy as it seems but there are some great free resources such as Google Keyword tool which will help you to target this quickly and effectively.

Have you been realistic in your expectations?

Honestly, how long have you been online and what did you expect. Don’t know yet? Well take some time to think about this before moving on.

But…

If you can honestly answer yes to these questions then perhaps it time to start looking at investing in traffic generation.

Traffic is “The One”. Without traffic, all your efforts will just go to waste and your income, like your traffic, will be nowhere to be seen. Every business needs customers and without them you wouldn’t have anyone to sell your products to or tell your story to in order to build a following and sustain your internet business.

In the internet world, traffic is the walk in customer. The more traffic you have the more people you will be able to tell your story to and if you get it right people will walk through your door in the thousands.

But like any business, not everyone that walks through the door to look at your goods will buy, but the greater the number that come in to browse, the greater the number of people will come back tomorrow, next week and next year.

One day, they’ll walk through your door and put their hand in their pocket – as simple as that.

But, how do you get traffic, traffic large enough to turn a small percentage of visitors into buyers?

Successful internet marketers generate traffic in the tens of thousands on a daily basis and understand that only three to five percent will actually become customers, but that small percentage is enough to provide them with a massive income.

The answer may be found in the form of online advertising. These paid advertisements include advertising on sites like Google and Yahoo through pay per click advertising and the results will come up alongside search engine results in prominent positions which can bring in a high level of traffic to your site. But before you jump in and start throwing money into PPC do your research, plan your campaign and evaluate its effectiveness.

There are some real sharks swimming out there who will take your money and leave you for dead in the water so be careful out there!

Internet Marketing – The Top 10 Deadly Sins Of New Internet Marketers

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Creating Internet Income is quite a daunting task for anyone however the challenges seem insurmountable for most newbies, especially those who are technically challenged. If you’re considering marketing online or engaging in any form of Internet Marketing there are a few common pitfalls that you should consider.

Though I’m no “Internet Guru, these are just a few of the common mistakes and pitfalls that beginner Marketers typically face. For many, these mistakes don’t surface until the negative effects of these actions surface. Many new marketers develop tunnel vision early in the online business building process. Hopefully this top 10 list will help you avoid the most common pitfalls.

1. Procrastination – The King Of Failure

Procrastination is by far the KING of failure with respect to online business success. If you fall into the trap of “putting things off”, you will e doomed to failure. Be certain that you develop a consistent habit of taking action. Even if you consistently make mistakes it is imperative that you take action on a consistent basis. Create some form of time management system that you can use consistently. Prioritize your tasks and keep lists of everything that needs to be done. If you feel that your confidence level concerning your online activities is not quite up to par, do not allow this to hinder the execution of your planned activities. What ultimately matters is the consistent execution of your key activities. Your comfort level with specific tasks will improve over time!

Develop A Plan And Work The Plan…

2. Seeking Perfection From The Very Beginning

Many new online marketers go to extreme lengths to create the perfect scenario as they begin to execute their online marketing plans. The fact is, no matter how hard you try, it’s very unlikely that you’ll hit the “home run” you seek right out of the gate. Many newbies seek the perfect web site, the perfect email marketing campaign, the perfect online ad or banner, unfortunately it’s VERY unlikely happen. It really doesn’t matter whether your efforts are perfect or not! What’s important is that you get started as soon as possible with the plans that you’ve developed. Your online marketing efforts will always be a work in process. As you move forward, you can easily tweak things to your liking. Some people set specific scheduled times to review work that has been previously performed and update as necessary. If you try to get everything perfect from the start you will hamper your long term success..

3. Wasting Money By Not Prioritizing Your Spending

This is important and key to your long term success. If not handled properly, this simple mistake will kill your spirit and put you out of business immediately. If you don’t have money to try each any every enticing offer that claims to help your business. DON’T spend money unnecessarily!

The Internet is full of fantastic copy and enticing offers, some of which are great others not so great. Don’t get side tracked by jumping from opportunity to opportunity, help program to help program or buying everything that lands in your inbox. The fact is, most online business essentials can be obtained for FREE. This is particularly true when you’re first starting out. If you commit to engage in a little research, you’ll be quite surprised at what you will find. Not only can you find great resources you will find them in many cases at no charge. Try to control your urge to purchase resources and tools. Think and evaluate carefully before you make purchases for your online business. Write a list of what you need. Examine the pros and cons, and make sure that your purchases are essential to achieving your goals.

4. Not Investing Enough Money On The Right Resources

Converse to point #3, many new online marketers fail to make the proper investment in the proper things. Anyone that tells you that you don’t have to spend ANY money to grow an online business is lying to you. Unfortunately you will have to spend money to sustain your business. When you initially start, you won’t have to spend much, as most of your time should be spent engaging in RESEARCH. You will need more money as your business continues to grow. For starters, you’ll need a domain, a hosting service and an autoresponder, all of which are pretty affordable. As you move forward, the bulk of your expenses will be on testing and promotion. If you’re paying someone to create a product or you’re buying resell rights to a product or service, you must account for these initial expenses as well. Starting out with affiliate products can greatly reduce these types of expenses and allow you to gain a greater understanding of the processes involved as you market online.

5. Pursuing Difficult Markets Due To Ineffective Market Research

This is a typical mistake but an easy mistake to make for the new online marketer. Most new marketers pursue markets that THEY THINK will be profitable. Before you decide on a product or market that you wish to target, make SURE that you’ve performed exhaustive market research. If you don’t, it could be months, even years before you realize that you’re involved in pursuing profits in a market that is NOT commercially viable for a beginning marketer. Perform thorough and exhaustive research BEFORE you invest time and money in your online marketing campaigns. Understand exactly what the term “niche” market means and adhere to that definition strictly. All niche markets are NOT profitable. Before you target your market make sure that customers within the targeted market are willing to spend money! If the market that you seek is not commercially viable, refocus your efforts and pursue a different market!

6. Lacking The Desire To Grow

You must develop an unquenchable desire to grow. Continual growth of your marketing knowledge and your perspective with respect to online marketing activities is essential. Learning online marketing is continual process not a destination. It’s essential that you develop this mind set immediately. If you’re not open to continual learning and growth you and your online business will become stagnant quickly. The skills needed to market online are constantly evolving and changing. One of the most important things you can do is to constantly update your skills and knowledge base with respect to your marketing internet marketing efforts. It is important to note that this doesn’t always occur in a linear fashion. There will be times where you’ll feel that your learning curve has stagnated but keep reading, listening and learning and your insights will continue to expand. Don’t get stuck using the same skills and ideas or doing things the same way for long periods of time without exploring ways to improve what you are presently doing.

7. Trying To Do Everything That Needs To Be Done… Alone

When starting an online business there is lots of activities and tasks that you need to address. This doesn’t always mean that you have to do it all yourself. Of course, you can do it alone but it will make the road ahead much harder, and in most cases a much longer road. Without the proper support and assistance you are more likely to experience burnout very quickly. You don’t have to outsource each and every thing, however it is wise to target certain areas that will monopolize your time and obtain help when needed. On-line forums, blogs and other portals can be a valuable source of ideas, and sources to provide assistance from other people in this area. Leverage your efforts by seeking assistance in areas that are not your best strengths.

8. The Pursuit Of Smaller Profit Sources / Setting Your Internet Income Goals To Low

Many new online marketers find it less intimidating to sell products or services that cost 10-20 dollars. They are misled into believing that these types of products or services will be easier to ma
rket. The fact is, in most cases, it takes just as much time, energy and effort to successfully market a $20.00 product as it does to successfully market a $100.00 product or service. Don’t dismiss the idea of varying the types of offers that you intend to market. Be sure to include a few higher ticket items in your offerings. If you’ve done your research, and handled your marketing correctly you can find success marketing these types of items even during the infancy stages of your online internet marketing experience. Undoubtedly, you’ll get less sales, but you’ll also enjoy more profits. You won’t know if you can market these types of offers unless you’re willing to give them a try. Don’t assume that these types of products and services are off limits to your internet marketing efforts. Do the research, target your market, develop your marketing campaigns and promote offers that give you a chance to earn higher commissions along with your small profit offers. Many high ticket offers perform better with existing customers. You typically have developed a relationship with these customers and many will try your offers based on your business relationship and your credibility.

9. The Failure To Separate Your Business Life and You Home Life

Many new online marketers start their online business in hopes to escape the hustle and bustle of traditional offline business activities. Don’t fall into the trap of creating another JOB at home with your online business. Though initially, getting your online marketing efforts up to par may take a little extra time and commitment, you don’t want your online business ventures to dominate your entire life. One of the biggest pitfalls of working from home is the fact that work s always accessible and so is your home life. Knowing how to separate the two is essential for maintaining balance and a healthy perspective.

You’ll find that your personal home life can also creep into your work activities. The fact that you’re at home makes it easy for the lines that separate these two aspects of life to become blurred. Try to separate the two by establishing fixed times when you work, and fixed times for your personal home life. In many cases it’s a good idea to establish a specific work area for performing your business activities. Work doesn’t have to take dominate your life, define distinct barriers that separate your home life and your work life.

10. The Inability To Remain Positive and Ambitious

When you start to pursue your Internet business, you will undoubtedly have those that will not have faith in your long term success. Conversely, you’ll have others that will encourage you and cheer for you every step of the way. I encourage you to surround yourself with positive thoughts and uplifting people to help you maintain your belief in YOU. Starting any type of business can be a daunting task. You absolutely must believe in yourself and remain ambitious to move forward.

Don’t allow ANYONE to tell you what YOU can’t do. Focus on your goals and set them in stone. Decide to decide to decide…. Once you’ve made a quality decision about your online marketing goals stick to them and pursue them CONSISTENTLY. Over time you will experience tell tale signs of success that will keep you motivated and moving forward. Create your own profitable mind set and don’t allow anyone to rob you of that mind set. If you THINK you can you CAN!

Creating an Internet business that consistently generates Internet income is no small task, however if you execute consistently and stay focused in a few key areas it is certainly accomplishable. Avoid these costly mistakes to help you as you pursue your internet marketing goals.

5 Ways to Smarter Web Marketing (design, Content, Seo, 0800 Numbers)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

The online marketing world is growing and all successful businesses have now invested in an online presence to communicate with their target audiences. There are now more channels than ever to exploit with the advent of Web 2.0 and the rising importance of social media.

A good website is a must for any organisation and their marketing mix, so here are 5 ways that you can maximise its success:

1. Make sure you are getting the best that you can afford when recruiting an individual or agency to design and build your website. For the best results, use a digital designer that specialises in website design to create the HTML combined with a programmer to build the back end of your website.

2. Become THE authority in your area of expertise (e.g. mortgages, swimming pools or travel) by providing lots of meaningful content on your website, blogs, articles and press releases that actually point to your site. This will keep Google coming back to your site and help to improve your organic search ranking (SEO).

3. Once your site is looking good and the content is regularly updated you can then utilise many online tools to start sharing it with others. Post news on Facebook and Twitter for example, bookmark your content on Digg.com or del.icio.us and add an RSS feed to your site that will send content directly to people as you post it.

4. Start marketing your website via a host of online methods:

-Organic search through search engine optimisation (SEO).

-Paid search using Google Adwords, for example.

-Email marketing.

-Social media.

5.  Google Analytics can tell you how many visitors are coming to your website – but you can also work out how many callers are originating from there by using a memorable non-geographic telephone number (e.g. an 0800 number) on your site and/or in your paid search marketing. For example, 0800 numbers (www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/0800-freephone-numbers.php) are free to call from UK landlines which means that you are highly likely to receive more sales and enquiries if you use them. In fact, research by the Institute of Direct Marketing has found that using an 0800 number can increase response rates by up to 185%. You can also see exactly how many calls you are receiving via your website if you combine an 0800 number with online call statistics (www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/call-statistics.php) which are easily added to your number. Additionally if you employ the same strategy with your PPC advertising you can see how many calls you are receiving via your ad and whether it’s a worthwhile ROI.

In all, there are a variety of successful techniques that companies can employ to maximise their websites’ potential. The above 5 tips offer a good starting point as to achieving that aim; generating more online visitors and seeing precisely how successful your efforts actually are by combining your web marketing with a memorable 0800 number (www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/0800-freephone-numbers.php)