The owner of a home based business, you probably do not have money to waste and you almost certainly don't have time to waste. You will want to get the maximum mileage from your work and your time. You've written articles, posted them on the internet and over time you have built up a mailing list of subscribers who appreciate your regular mailouts. If they didn't, they would unsubscribe... wouldn't they? Now there is a temptation to view your mailing list a bit like the story of The Genie In The Lamp. Anytime you want some money, just rub the lamp... er, just mail the list. Actually that approach is very short term. It is USING people, rather than SERVING them. And nobody likes to be used. So here are a few tips to prevent that from happening. * DO send out more non-selling emails than selling emails. Share the same helpful information with your people that you would appreciate receiving. * DON'T promote inferior products or services. * DON'T promote anything just for the commission. * DO warn your readers about popular products that would be a waste of their money. * DO send them helpful information, frequently. I repeated that because it's important. * DON NOT hide yourself. Look, all of us are human. We all make mistakes and it endears people to us when we share some of the mistakes we've made, especially when there are lessons we've learned from those oopsies. * ONLY release quality products. It's better to delay the release of your next product than to send out a halfbaked product. You only have one chance to make a first impression with a customer. If they happen to buy your rushed-release product and it's not up to scratch, they will ask for a refund (well, they should) and they will probably never buy from you again. It is just not worth it. I know, there is a view around that says to stop dillydallying and get your new ebook out there - get it onto the market. You can make it better later, they say - and I guess you can. The problem with that is that if there are lots of refunds and unhappy customers, you won't get a next time with them. Talking about ebooks, I've written a book called Home Business Profits Start Here and I'd be pleased to send you a FREE copy. http://tinyurl.com/297ks4
You'll also see my list of ELEVEN ways to find a PROFITABLE idea for a home based business. Article by Gary Harvey.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Build Trust With Your Mailing List
The owner of a home based business, you probably do not have money to waste and you almost certainly don't have time to waste. You will want to get the maximum mileage from your work and your time. You've written articles, posted them on the internet and over time you have built up a mailing list of subscribers who appreciate your regular mailouts. If they didn't, they would unsubscribe... wouldn't they? Now there is a temptation to view your mailing list a bit like the story of The Genie In The Lamp. Anytime you want some money, just rub the lamp... er, just mail the list. Actually that approach is very short term. It is USING people, rather than SERVING them. And nobody likes to be used. So here are a few tips to prevent that from happening. * DO send out more non-selling emails than selling emails. Share the same helpful information with your people that you would appreciate receiving. * DON'T promote inferior products or services. * DON'T promote anything just for the commission. * DO warn your readers about popular products that would be a waste of their money. * DO send them helpful information, frequently. I repeated that because it's important. * DON NOT hide yourself. Look, all of us are human. We all make mistakes and it endears people to us when we share some of the mistakes we've made, especially when there are lessons we've learned from those oopsies. * ONLY release quality products. It's better to delay the release of your next product than to send out a halfbaked product. You only have one chance to make a first impression with a customer. If they happen to buy your rushed-release product and it's not up to scratch, they will ask for a refund (well, they should) and they will probably never buy from you again. It is just not worth it. I know, there is a view around that says to stop dillydallying and get your new ebook out there - get it onto the market. You can make it better later, they say - and I guess you can. The problem with that is that if there are lots of refunds and unhappy customers, you won't get a next time with them. Talking about ebooks, I've written a book called Home Business Profits Start Here and I'd be pleased to send you a FREE copy. http://tinyurl.com/297ks4
You'll also see my list of ELEVEN ways to find a PROFITABLE idea for a home based business. Article by Gary Harvey.
You'll also see my list of ELEVEN ways to find a PROFITABLE idea for a home based business. Article by Gary Harvey.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Internet Marketing - Advantages and Disadvantages
Internet Marketing - Advantages and DisadvantagesBy Christopher W Smith
Everyone seems to be jumping on the internet marketing bandwagon lately. In the race to get their business online, many successful businesses forget to ask themselves some tough questions about what they are doing, what their expectations are and what their plan is to meet those expectations.
The internet can be a powerful tool that can put you on solid footing with bigger companies. On the other hand, the other companies may have more money to pay for advertising. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you analyze your internet marketing strategy.
Advantage of Internet Marketing
- your store is open, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Further, your customers are worldwide in reach, and can shop anytime that they want to
- the cost of spreading your message is next to nothing. Emailing your subscription base is more oftne cheaper than sending a letter through the mail
- updating your subscribers can be done almost instantly through email. Visitors to your website can get up to the minute information on each visit. If you are having a sale, your customers can start shopping at the discounted prices literally as soon as they open their email
- if you have an information sensitive business, such as a law firm, newspaper or online magazine, you can deliver your products directly to your customers without having to use a courier
Disadvantages of Internet Marketing
- online marketing is not free. The cost of software, hardware, wed site design, maintenance of your site, online distribution costs and of course, time, all must be factored into the cost of providing your service or product.
- slightly over 50% of households shop online. While that number will continue to grow, you are reaching less than two out of three households.
- the internet is still regarded as a source of information gathering for the majority of your customers. Of the number of visitors to your site, the vast majority of visitors who are motivated to buy will do so in person. Many people prefer the live interaction when they buy. If you have a small business with one location, this may deter customers from buying.
- easier to have outdated information on your site, thus timing of updates is critical
- there is no replacement for good old fashioned customer service. The majority of internet marketers lack customer service and inquiry response programs. As a result, many online visitors to your site will already have painted your site as poor service before they have even contacted you. The majority of websites also have poor navigation, which makes it difficult for your visitor to find what they are looking for. Many sites were created with a marketing view, not a customer service point of view.
- is your site secure? Does your customer know this? There are many incorrect stereotypes about the security of the internet out there. As a result, many of your visitors will not want to use their credit card to make a purchase. The fear of having their credit card info stolen is a clear and present danger in the minds of your visitors
- there is a lot of competition for your product already out there. By the time your visitor finds you, they have already been clicking many links. Unless they can find what they are looking for quickly, they are gone.
- many web visitors expect something for free. What do you have to offer them?
There are many other pros and cons of internet marketing. Its important for you to consider each when creating your internet marketing strategy. Each of the disadvantages can be overcome, but only if you view the customer experience from the eyes of your customer, not as an internet marketer.
Northern Source offers web design services for small businesses. You'll find more helpful hints at http://www.northernsource.com
Christopher Smith has been creating web sites for small businesses for over 7 years. In addition to providing deisgn and consultation services, Christopher also provides tips on search engine optimization, internet marketing and traffic generation.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smithhttp://EzineArticles.com/?Internet-Marketing---Advantages-and-Disadvantages&id=65052
Everyone seems to be jumping on the internet marketing bandwagon lately. In the race to get their business online, many successful businesses forget to ask themselves some tough questions about what they are doing, what their expectations are and what their plan is to meet those expectations.
The internet can be a powerful tool that can put you on solid footing with bigger companies. On the other hand, the other companies may have more money to pay for advertising. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you analyze your internet marketing strategy.
Advantage of Internet Marketing
- your store is open, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Further, your customers are worldwide in reach, and can shop anytime that they want to
- the cost of spreading your message is next to nothing. Emailing your subscription base is more oftne cheaper than sending a letter through the mail
- updating your subscribers can be done almost instantly through email. Visitors to your website can get up to the minute information on each visit. If you are having a sale, your customers can start shopping at the discounted prices literally as soon as they open their email
- if you have an information sensitive business, such as a law firm, newspaper or online magazine, you can deliver your products directly to your customers without having to use a courier
Disadvantages of Internet Marketing
- online marketing is not free. The cost of software, hardware, wed site design, maintenance of your site, online distribution costs and of course, time, all must be factored into the cost of providing your service or product.
- slightly over 50% of households shop online. While that number will continue to grow, you are reaching less than two out of three households.
- the internet is still regarded as a source of information gathering for the majority of your customers. Of the number of visitors to your site, the vast majority of visitors who are motivated to buy will do so in person. Many people prefer the live interaction when they buy. If you have a small business with one location, this may deter customers from buying.
- easier to have outdated information on your site, thus timing of updates is critical
- there is no replacement for good old fashioned customer service. The majority of internet marketers lack customer service and inquiry response programs. As a result, many online visitors to your site will already have painted your site as poor service before they have even contacted you. The majority of websites also have poor navigation, which makes it difficult for your visitor to find what they are looking for. Many sites were created with a marketing view, not a customer service point of view.
- is your site secure? Does your customer know this? There are many incorrect stereotypes about the security of the internet out there. As a result, many of your visitors will not want to use their credit card to make a purchase. The fear of having their credit card info stolen is a clear and present danger in the minds of your visitors
- there is a lot of competition for your product already out there. By the time your visitor finds you, they have already been clicking many links. Unless they can find what they are looking for quickly, they are gone.
- many web visitors expect something for free. What do you have to offer them?
There are many other pros and cons of internet marketing. Its important for you to consider each when creating your internet marketing strategy. Each of the disadvantages can be overcome, but only if you view the customer experience from the eyes of your customer, not as an internet marketer.
Northern Source offers web design services for small businesses. You'll find more helpful hints at http://www.northernsource.com
Christopher Smith has been creating web sites for small businesses for over 7 years. In addition to providing deisgn and consultation services, Christopher also provides tips on search engine optimization, internet marketing and traffic generation.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smithhttp://EzineArticles.com/?Internet-Marketing---Advantages-and-Disadvantages&id=65052
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Internet Promotion - Advantages and Disadvantages
Internet Promotion - Advantages and DisadvantagesBy Carla Lendor
The emergence of globalise trade, increase in foreign investment and cross-border transactions have put many small businesses under pressure to find innovative ways to continue to market their products and services. This is especially difficult given that they often operate on tight marketing budgets.
In the quest for cheap marketing alternatives, these small businesses continue to use conventional marketing tools such as newspaper, magazine, radio and television advertisements, unaware of the advantages that Internet Promotion offers. All too often, these entrepreneurs focus on the disadvantages of Internet Promotion and fail to adequately take advantage of the opportunities that it presents. Moreover, their preoccupation with conventional marketing strategies is driven by a misconception that these are cheaper than Internet Promotion.
To most small business entrepreneurs, marketing or promoting their products or services via the Internet can be a daunting task. However, with adequate information small businesses can benefit significantly from Internet Promotion while minimising the disadvantages that it presents. In fact, it may prove to be the marketing strategy that generates the highest return on investment.
The Advantages
Cost Effective and Enduring Marketing Strategies
The Internet has become the information superhighway for the buying public. Most persons prefer the hassle free transactions that Internet shopping can offer. As a result, the Internet has become the most powerful selling tool. Internet Promotion offers cost effective ways for small businesses to enhance their product or service distribution networks. For example, the use of portals can help create new marketing channels and logistics, or provide better or faster product access for customers.
In comparison to other forms of marketing, Internet Promotion presents the advantage of reduced budget and storage costs, when compared with printing brochures, producing television or radio advertisements or managing a call centre. It presents a fast and cost effective option for penetrating new markets.
Market Penetration
With millions of person using the Internet to search for products and services, small businesses can penetrate other markets at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing methods.
Websites act as virtual storefronts, allowing businesses to stay open 24/7. Internet Promotion gives a business greater visibility, thereby creating more opportunities for increasing its customers at relatively low cost. Never before has it been easier for an upstart business to be able to reach out to literally millions of potential customers and to position themselves for success, without the need for costly infrastructure and overwhelming marketing costs. Thanks to the Internet, new businesses can become popular almost overnight.
Low Cost, Instant Communication
Email makes business communications instant, whether the customer or business affiliate is across the street or across the globe. It makes it easier for customers to maintain contact and readily facilitates repeat purchasing. An effective online strategy can therefore turn a small web business into a virtual cost saver and income-generating machine. The net result is that the small business can gain significant competitive advantage in a given market.
Many online businesses have therefore resorted to the use of ezines, blogs, pop-up ads and other online marketing tools to let customers know about new products or services as well as provide information relevant to their respective industry. The benefits of this strategy are two fold. Marketers can effectively heighten brand awareness for relatively new products on the market whilst strengthening customer relationships, with shorter time frames.
Content is Timeless
Internet Promotion also provides the advantage of being enduring. Whereas participation at a trade fair or conference loses sales impact, once it is over, and an advertisement in a newspaper or business magazine may quickly lose its sales generating value within a day or two or as soon as the next issue is released; Internet Promotion is often timeless. Apart from the dates and sometimes prices, much of your website content remains valid years after.
Real Time Statistics For Measuring Success of Promotion Campaign
One of the most significant advantages of Internet Promotion is that its success is measurable. Marketers can use tools that provide real time statistics, on unique visitors, repeat visitors, click through rates (CTR) on advertisements, thereby allowing them to evaluate the effectiveness of a promotion campaign. This enables marketers to determine what works for their particular market and to make timely changes in their marketing strategies.
Time Saving
Another important advantage of Internet Promotion is that it saves time since it generally does away with counselling on product uses and benefits, service information and sales administration. Visitors can access "frequently asked questions" to help themselves, and can buy online, without the involvement of staff. This saves time and money. So, whether 10 or 10,000 visitors visit the site, the increased cost is marginal whilst the savings can be immense.
But like any business approach, Internet Promotion is not without its risks and weaknesses.
Disadvantages
Difficulty in Attracting Customers
Small business may not have the resources to pay for paid directory inclusion, pay per click inclusions and often have to rely solely on search engine optimisation or word of mouth to drive traffic to their sites. With millions of businesses selling the same product and services, competing with more established businesses can be frustrating and costly venture for small business.
On the other hand, larger companies can offer promotions, pay for directory inclusions, implement pay per click campaigns as well as employ the “who is who” in internet marketing to develop campaigns that generate traffic and leads.
Difficulty in Evaluating Legitimacy of Transaction
Another notable disadvantage of doing promoting businesses online is that it may be difficult for the businesspersons and consumers to thoroughly evaluate the legitimacy of a transaction. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to thieves using stolen credit cards and stolen information to do online transaction.
With Internet credit card and identity fraud on the rise, small businesses are forced to finance costly security measures to reduce their vulnerability to fraudulent transactions.
Salespersons and Customers are Isolated
Another disadvantage of promotion via the Internet is that the customers and businesspersons are isolated. There is little personal contact between customer and salesperson prior to and after the sales is closed. Thus, the prospect for repeat sales may thus be diminished. Entrepreneurs are therefore compelled to adopt marketing strategies to drive online users back to their site.
From all indications, it appears that the advantages of Internet promotion, far exceed the disadvantages. With adequate knowledge, entrepreneur can benefit significantly from Internet promotion, especially small business owners.
More and more, the growth and outreach of the Internet’s, its ease and accessibility for customers is becoming inevitable. Small business would therefore be well advised to start their web advertising function in order to improve their competitiveness online.
Carla Lendor has been involved in Internet Marketing from 2000. She is a co-publisher of eXplosion!, a newsletter which offers guidance to small online businesses. She is the co-founder of Caricom Single Market Economy, a blog with discusses the challenges faced by Caribbean businesses in the CSME. Visit Patant Consultants International or Caribbean Vacation Resorts for more information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carla_Lendorhttp://EzineArticles.com/?Internet-Promotion---Advantages-and-Disadvantages&id=53561
The emergence of globalise trade, increase in foreign investment and cross-border transactions have put many small businesses under pressure to find innovative ways to continue to market their products and services. This is especially difficult given that they often operate on tight marketing budgets.
In the quest for cheap marketing alternatives, these small businesses continue to use conventional marketing tools such as newspaper, magazine, radio and television advertisements, unaware of the advantages that Internet Promotion offers. All too often, these entrepreneurs focus on the disadvantages of Internet Promotion and fail to adequately take advantage of the opportunities that it presents. Moreover, their preoccupation with conventional marketing strategies is driven by a misconception that these are cheaper than Internet Promotion.
To most small business entrepreneurs, marketing or promoting their products or services via the Internet can be a daunting task. However, with adequate information small businesses can benefit significantly from Internet Promotion while minimising the disadvantages that it presents. In fact, it may prove to be the marketing strategy that generates the highest return on investment.
The Advantages
Cost Effective and Enduring Marketing Strategies
The Internet has become the information superhighway for the buying public. Most persons prefer the hassle free transactions that Internet shopping can offer. As a result, the Internet has become the most powerful selling tool. Internet Promotion offers cost effective ways for small businesses to enhance their product or service distribution networks. For example, the use of portals can help create new marketing channels and logistics, or provide better or faster product access for customers.
In comparison to other forms of marketing, Internet Promotion presents the advantage of reduced budget and storage costs, when compared with printing brochures, producing television or radio advertisements or managing a call centre. It presents a fast and cost effective option for penetrating new markets.
Market Penetration
With millions of person using the Internet to search for products and services, small businesses can penetrate other markets at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing methods.
Websites act as virtual storefronts, allowing businesses to stay open 24/7. Internet Promotion gives a business greater visibility, thereby creating more opportunities for increasing its customers at relatively low cost. Never before has it been easier for an upstart business to be able to reach out to literally millions of potential customers and to position themselves for success, without the need for costly infrastructure and overwhelming marketing costs. Thanks to the Internet, new businesses can become popular almost overnight.
Low Cost, Instant Communication
Email makes business communications instant, whether the customer or business affiliate is across the street or across the globe. It makes it easier for customers to maintain contact and readily facilitates repeat purchasing. An effective online strategy can therefore turn a small web business into a virtual cost saver and income-generating machine. The net result is that the small business can gain significant competitive advantage in a given market.
Many online businesses have therefore resorted to the use of ezines, blogs, pop-up ads and other online marketing tools to let customers know about new products or services as well as provide information relevant to their respective industry. The benefits of this strategy are two fold. Marketers can effectively heighten brand awareness for relatively new products on the market whilst strengthening customer relationships, with shorter time frames.
Content is Timeless
Internet Promotion also provides the advantage of being enduring. Whereas participation at a trade fair or conference loses sales impact, once it is over, and an advertisement in a newspaper or business magazine may quickly lose its sales generating value within a day or two or as soon as the next issue is released; Internet Promotion is often timeless. Apart from the dates and sometimes prices, much of your website content remains valid years after.
Real Time Statistics For Measuring Success of Promotion Campaign
One of the most significant advantages of Internet Promotion is that its success is measurable. Marketers can use tools that provide real time statistics, on unique visitors, repeat visitors, click through rates (CTR) on advertisements, thereby allowing them to evaluate the effectiveness of a promotion campaign. This enables marketers to determine what works for their particular market and to make timely changes in their marketing strategies.
Time Saving
Another important advantage of Internet Promotion is that it saves time since it generally does away with counselling on product uses and benefits, service information and sales administration. Visitors can access "frequently asked questions" to help themselves, and can buy online, without the involvement of staff. This saves time and money. So, whether 10 or 10,000 visitors visit the site, the increased cost is marginal whilst the savings can be immense.
But like any business approach, Internet Promotion is not without its risks and weaknesses.
Disadvantages
Difficulty in Attracting Customers
Small business may not have the resources to pay for paid directory inclusion, pay per click inclusions and often have to rely solely on search engine optimisation or word of mouth to drive traffic to their sites. With millions of businesses selling the same product and services, competing with more established businesses can be frustrating and costly venture for small business.
On the other hand, larger companies can offer promotions, pay for directory inclusions, implement pay per click campaigns as well as employ the “who is who” in internet marketing to develop campaigns that generate traffic and leads.
Difficulty in Evaluating Legitimacy of Transaction
Another notable disadvantage of doing promoting businesses online is that it may be difficult for the businesspersons and consumers to thoroughly evaluate the legitimacy of a transaction. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to thieves using stolen credit cards and stolen information to do online transaction.
With Internet credit card and identity fraud on the rise, small businesses are forced to finance costly security measures to reduce their vulnerability to fraudulent transactions.
Salespersons and Customers are Isolated
Another disadvantage of promotion via the Internet is that the customers and businesspersons are isolated. There is little personal contact between customer and salesperson prior to and after the sales is closed. Thus, the prospect for repeat sales may thus be diminished. Entrepreneurs are therefore compelled to adopt marketing strategies to drive online users back to their site.
From all indications, it appears that the advantages of Internet promotion, far exceed the disadvantages. With adequate knowledge, entrepreneur can benefit significantly from Internet promotion, especially small business owners.
More and more, the growth and outreach of the Internet’s, its ease and accessibility for customers is becoming inevitable. Small business would therefore be well advised to start their web advertising function in order to improve their competitiveness online.
Carla Lendor has been involved in Internet Marketing from 2000. She is a co-publisher of eXplosion!, a newsletter which offers guidance to small online businesses. She is the co-founder of Caricom Single Market Economy, a blog with discusses the challenges faced by Caribbean businesses in the CSME. Visit Patant Consultants International or Caribbean Vacation Resorts for more information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carla_Lendorhttp://EzineArticles.com/?Internet-Promotion---Advantages-and-Disadvantages&id=53561
Monday, April 16, 2007
Building Links to Your Web Site with Content
Having links to your web site coming from other sites, is the most important criteria that Google uses right now to determine how high your web site will be in its rankings.
A content hub is a type of web site that has thousands or tens of thousands of informational articles on it. A person with a web site, who needs content for the site, can go to a content hub and download articles for free on a wide variety of topics, and then post them on their web site. These content hubs allow you to search by topic or category or by keyword.
Content hubs are also one of the best ways right now to build links to your web site.
Writers can post articles on the content hubs. The benefit for the writer is that he can mention his company and include his web site address in the article. And that provides in-bound links to his web site, from the content hubs themselves, and from every web site where that article is posted. In-bound links, meaning links from other web sites that link to yours, increase link popularity, which is one of the main criteria used by Google and other search engines to determine web site ranking.
So the content hubs service both writers who want to get the word out on their company or products or services, and people who have web sites who need article content.
The key, for a writer, is to write something that will appeal to the general public, or at least to a sizable specific niche public (such as webmasters or web promotion for instance), so that the article gets downloaded and used on lots of sites in need of content.
It is also key to include the name of the company in the article, preferably near the beginning, and include the company web address in the article as well, and in the writer bio at the end.
The article itself should not be written in such a way that it is just a blatant promo piece for your company. It has to be written so that it is about a topic that your company deals with or you are an expert on, and it mentions your company, but it doesn't say "call us now at 1-800-222-2222 for a great deal on tires" at the end. In other words, what in marketing is called a "call to action," where you tell your prospect to contact you or to respond for more information or to buy now, should not be included in articles for content hubs.
If there are specific key words or phrases that people use to find your web site (most web statistics programs can give you this information), or to look for your product or service, then try to find a way to include those words or phrases near the beginning of your article.
It's a good idea to look over the type of articles that are currently being accepted on content hubs, to get a better idea of what works there, and so you can write articles that will fit this medium. Some good content hubs to look at are: http://www.goarticles.com http://www.isnare.com/ http://www.articlecity.com/ http://www.exchangenet.com/ http://freezinesite.com/ http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/ http://www.dime-co.com/
There are currently over 1,200 content hubs on the Internet.
Most of the content hubs require that you register with them before they will allow you to post an article there. Some of the sites have your article reviewed by a live person before it goes up. Some will just post it without review.
Once you get registered on a number of content hubs, it is best to post one article, then post more articles at intervals of about once a week. Make sure you include your company name and URL in each article.
If your company has any articles written already that were written for other purposes, you may be able to convert them into a form that will work for the content hubs. The key is to read the types of articles that are already appearing on the hubs and convert your content into a similar form.
Content hubs are a great way to get out information on your company, and are becoming one of the primary ways of promoting on the net.
John Eberhard is President of RealWebMarketing.net (http://www.realwebmarketing.net), an Internet marketing and web design firm in Los Angeles. He has been doing marketing in a wide variety of fields for 18 years. To subscribe to his newsletter go to http://www.realwebmarketing.net/freenewsletter.html
A content hub is a type of web site that has thousands or tens of thousands of informational articles on it. A person with a web site, who needs content for the site, can go to a content hub and download articles for free on a wide variety of topics, and then post them on their web site. These content hubs allow you to search by topic or category or by keyword.
Content hubs are also one of the best ways right now to build links to your web site.
Writers can post articles on the content hubs. The benefit for the writer is that he can mention his company and include his web site address in the article. And that provides in-bound links to his web site, from the content hubs themselves, and from every web site where that article is posted. In-bound links, meaning links from other web sites that link to yours, increase link popularity, which is one of the main criteria used by Google and other search engines to determine web site ranking.
So the content hubs service both writers who want to get the word out on their company or products or services, and people who have web sites who need article content.
The key, for a writer, is to write something that will appeal to the general public, or at least to a sizable specific niche public (such as webmasters or web promotion for instance), so that the article gets downloaded and used on lots of sites in need of content.
It is also key to include the name of the company in the article, preferably near the beginning, and include the company web address in the article as well, and in the writer bio at the end.
The article itself should not be written in such a way that it is just a blatant promo piece for your company. It has to be written so that it is about a topic that your company deals with or you are an expert on, and it mentions your company, but it doesn't say "call us now at 1-800-222-2222 for a great deal on tires" at the end. In other words, what in marketing is called a "call to action," where you tell your prospect to contact you or to respond for more information or to buy now, should not be included in articles for content hubs.
If there are specific key words or phrases that people use to find your web site (most web statistics programs can give you this information), or to look for your product or service, then try to find a way to include those words or phrases near the beginning of your article.
It's a good idea to look over the type of articles that are currently being accepted on content hubs, to get a better idea of what works there, and so you can write articles that will fit this medium. Some good content hubs to look at are: http://www.goarticles.com http://www.isnare.com/ http://www.articlecity.com/ http://www.exchangenet.com/ http://freezinesite.com/ http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/ http://www.dime-co.com/
There are currently over 1,200 content hubs on the Internet.
Most of the content hubs require that you register with them before they will allow you to post an article there. Some of the sites have your article reviewed by a live person before it goes up. Some will just post it without review.
Once you get registered on a number of content hubs, it is best to post one article, then post more articles at intervals of about once a week. Make sure you include your company name and URL in each article.
If your company has any articles written already that were written for other purposes, you may be able to convert them into a form that will work for the content hubs. The key is to read the types of articles that are already appearing on the hubs and convert your content into a similar form.
Content hubs are a great way to get out information on your company, and are becoming one of the primary ways of promoting on the net.
John Eberhard is President of RealWebMarketing.net (http://www.realwebmarketing.net), an Internet marketing and web design firm in Los Angeles. He has been doing marketing in a wide variety of fields for 18 years. To subscribe to his newsletter go to http://www.realwebmarketing.net/freenewsletter.html
Thursday, April 12, 2007
AdSense Tip For Blogger
If you have joined the blogging revolution that is sweeping the net, and you think you might want to make a little revenue – or a lot of revenue – from your blogging efforts, you need AdSense tips for bloggers. Blogging has opened up an entirely new way of how non-technical people interact with the Internet, and now, anyone can publish anything about any topic – without having a website – and anyone can profit without even having a product!
Adsense for blogs make perfect sense. Google’s advertising programs are designed to work with sites related to the keywords for the ads that are being presented. Each time you add content to your blog, the Google spiders gobble it up. The more you update, the more the Google spider visits your page. Ultimately, you move up in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for the topics that you write about. You see where this is going. The higher your search ranking, the more traffic you receive, which ultimately leads to higher revenue from AdSense ads.
The beauty of blogs is their potential for rapid growth. If you become known as an expert in your area of expertise, word of mouth spreads quickly and your blog can become very popular. So it is vital that you always teach something with every blog entry. You want your readers to come back frequently and they will if they know they will learn something. Not only will your readers bookmark your blog and return often, but they will link to your blog enthusiastically as well. People in forums will refer to your blogs and discuss what they learned. Websites will link to you as a valuable resource. In short, an informative blog can grow very quickly if the information it provides is valuable.
It is important to write about specific topics, and sprinkle your blog entries with specific keywords to get the best results – and the highest revenue – with your Google AdSense ads. There is a method to the madness. Start your revenue generating blog by testing the waters.
Decide what area you would like to write about and then do some keyword research. Research is easy if you use Google’s keyword tools found at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox . The keyword tools are located in your Google AdWords account. Yes, you need a free AdWords account to be successful but you don’t have to fund it to use the keyword tools. Look for keywords related to your subject that are high paying. These are keywords where the bid amounts are high. Make a list of the top paying keywords, and use that list to determine what topics you will write about.
Remember, you want people to visit your blog time and time again, and build up a readership, make sure that your blog is well written and informative. Don’t just target keywords for the sake of targeting keywords – the writing needs to make sense! Writing valuable content is the first step to generating traffic to your blog, and traffic is needed to profit from AdSense ads!
You are allowed to use the AdSense ad units in two different places on each page. You can accomplish this in a couple of different ways. First, you can add the AdSense ad code to the template for your blog. This is done through the control panel for your blog, and some knowledge of HTML is needed. The other option is to paste the AdSense code directly in your blog post each time you submit a new post. You can use it once at the top and once at the bottom, or once after a few paragraphs of the post, and again after a few more paragraphs.
Get that code in there however you see fit – but then pay close attention to the results so you can see what is working and what isn’t. Tracking is everything if you want to make real money!
Of course, you need to advertise your blog as much as possible as well. Make sure that you provide Trackbacks to other people’s blogs as often as possible, and that you visit blogs, leave comments – and leave a link for your blog as well!
Discuss this topic in the ReveNow AdSense Forums: http://www.revenow.com/forums/
About The Author
ReveNow.com is an AdSense marketing resource (www.revenow.com) covering AdSense, AdWords, affiliate marketing, and SEO. Discuss this article in the AdSense Forums: http://www.revenow.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5
Adsense for blogs make perfect sense. Google’s advertising programs are designed to work with sites related to the keywords for the ads that are being presented. Each time you add content to your blog, the Google spiders gobble it up. The more you update, the more the Google spider visits your page. Ultimately, you move up in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for the topics that you write about. You see where this is going. The higher your search ranking, the more traffic you receive, which ultimately leads to higher revenue from AdSense ads.
The beauty of blogs is their potential for rapid growth. If you become known as an expert in your area of expertise, word of mouth spreads quickly and your blog can become very popular. So it is vital that you always teach something with every blog entry. You want your readers to come back frequently and they will if they know they will learn something. Not only will your readers bookmark your blog and return often, but they will link to your blog enthusiastically as well. People in forums will refer to your blogs and discuss what they learned. Websites will link to you as a valuable resource. In short, an informative blog can grow very quickly if the information it provides is valuable.
It is important to write about specific topics, and sprinkle your blog entries with specific keywords to get the best results – and the highest revenue – with your Google AdSense ads. There is a method to the madness. Start your revenue generating blog by testing the waters.
Decide what area you would like to write about and then do some keyword research. Research is easy if you use Google’s keyword tools found at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox . The keyword tools are located in your Google AdWords account. Yes, you need a free AdWords account to be successful but you don’t have to fund it to use the keyword tools. Look for keywords related to your subject that are high paying. These are keywords where the bid amounts are high. Make a list of the top paying keywords, and use that list to determine what topics you will write about.
Remember, you want people to visit your blog time and time again, and build up a readership, make sure that your blog is well written and informative. Don’t just target keywords for the sake of targeting keywords – the writing needs to make sense! Writing valuable content is the first step to generating traffic to your blog, and traffic is needed to profit from AdSense ads!
You are allowed to use the AdSense ad units in two different places on each page. You can accomplish this in a couple of different ways. First, you can add the AdSense ad code to the template for your blog. This is done through the control panel for your blog, and some knowledge of HTML is needed. The other option is to paste the AdSense code directly in your blog post each time you submit a new post. You can use it once at the top and once at the bottom, or once after a few paragraphs of the post, and again after a few more paragraphs.
Get that code in there however you see fit – but then pay close attention to the results so you can see what is working and what isn’t. Tracking is everything if you want to make real money!
Of course, you need to advertise your blog as much as possible as well. Make sure that you provide Trackbacks to other people’s blogs as often as possible, and that you visit blogs, leave comments – and leave a link for your blog as well!
Discuss this topic in the ReveNow AdSense Forums: http://www.revenow.com/forums/
About The Author
ReveNow.com is an AdSense marketing resource (www.revenow.com) covering AdSense, AdWords, affiliate marketing, and SEO. Discuss this article in the AdSense Forums: http://www.revenow.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5
Friday, April 6, 2007
Podcasting For Cash
In my previous article, I demonstrated exactly how easy it was to make good quality podcasts of your own, using only free software and your PC.
As I attempted to highlight in that article, podcasting is an integral part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon, because anyone can create a podcast and then get it out to the internet community at large, and invite feedback.
As such, your podcast can be used in one of two ways.
On the one hand, you can use a podcast as an information tool, as I did when reviewing and giving away a free copy of the superb new Web 2.0 eBook by Jack Humphrey, 2007 Authority Black Book at http://webbiz99.com/blackbook
If you haven't visited the site, and downloaded the podcast and book, I would strongly urge you to do so now, incidentally!
Or, alternatively, you can create a podcast that is very firmly targeted at making sales of a product or service, and it is this aspect of podcasting that I want to deal with in this article.
As I suggested previously, anyone who can make a podcast can use it as a sales weapon. Thus, the question is, what is it that you are going to sell?
There are two options here.
Option one, the direct sell, can best be illustrated with a couple of examples.
If your local real estate agent were to give a talk at the town's community hall about the skills involved in selling real estate, he or she could end up addressing a half empty hall. If, however, the presenter of the same talk were to be Donald Trump, then it would probably be a very much busier affair!
Similarly, if your local driving instructor were to put on a presentation about driving skills, not many people would be too interested. If the presenter was Dale Earnhardt, however, once again, the turnout might be slightly better!
The point is that both of these celebrities have a special skill, an unusual talent, that people will pay to learn about.
So, your first option is to look at your own skill set, and decide whether you have any knowledge, or have acquired any special skills, that people might pay for, in this direct manner.
If so, then simply create a podcast series on your chosen topic, give away a free 'taster' of the information contained in your series, and then sell the rest of your podcasts on the back of this.
The alternative is to sell in a more indirect manner, by creating podcasts that are effectively laser targeted advertising for a product that you sell from your website.
The product could be something that is relatively intangible, such as a training course teaching people how to make money online, for example, or something that is very definitely real, such as floor tiles!
In either case, you are using your podcast to advertise the product, creating desires that can hopefully only be satisfied by buying your product.
Now, there are two factors that are directly relevant here, factors that should make this form of advertising particularly profitable.
Firstly, your potential customer has already downloaded your podcast, so he (or she) has already shown sufficient interest in whatever you are selling to suggest that they are at least partially pre-sold.
Secondly, for the duration of your podcast, you can have their undivided attention, and, as long as you can keep them interested, you can retain that attention.
Again, this could be a very powerful sales advantage to you, as long as you use it correctly, by which I mean don't give the listener the opportunity to switch off, if at all possible.
So, in a nutshell, there are two ways to make money from podcasting, whether directly, by creating a podcast of specialist knowledge and selling that knowledge or more indirectly, by using your podcasts to promote your products.
In either case, podcasts can make money, and anyone can make podcasts.
Thus, you can make money. What could be simpler than that?
About the Author
Download Steve's free podcast about the superb new eBook Authority Black Book and get a copy of the book itself from http://webbiz99.com/blackbook. Do it soon, while the book is still free!
As I attempted to highlight in that article, podcasting is an integral part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon, because anyone can create a podcast and then get it out to the internet community at large, and invite feedback.
As such, your podcast can be used in one of two ways.
On the one hand, you can use a podcast as an information tool, as I did when reviewing and giving away a free copy of the superb new Web 2.0 eBook by Jack Humphrey, 2007 Authority Black Book at http://webbiz99.com/blackbook
If you haven't visited the site, and downloaded the podcast and book, I would strongly urge you to do so now, incidentally!
Or, alternatively, you can create a podcast that is very firmly targeted at making sales of a product or service, and it is this aspect of podcasting that I want to deal with in this article.
As I suggested previously, anyone who can make a podcast can use it as a sales weapon. Thus, the question is, what is it that you are going to sell?
There are two options here.
Option one, the direct sell, can best be illustrated with a couple of examples.
If your local real estate agent were to give a talk at the town's community hall about the skills involved in selling real estate, he or she could end up addressing a half empty hall. If, however, the presenter of the same talk were to be Donald Trump, then it would probably be a very much busier affair!
Similarly, if your local driving instructor were to put on a presentation about driving skills, not many people would be too interested. If the presenter was Dale Earnhardt, however, once again, the turnout might be slightly better!
The point is that both of these celebrities have a special skill, an unusual talent, that people will pay to learn about.
So, your first option is to look at your own skill set, and decide whether you have any knowledge, or have acquired any special skills, that people might pay for, in this direct manner.
If so, then simply create a podcast series on your chosen topic, give away a free 'taster' of the information contained in your series, and then sell the rest of your podcasts on the back of this.
The alternative is to sell in a more indirect manner, by creating podcasts that are effectively laser targeted advertising for a product that you sell from your website.
The product could be something that is relatively intangible, such as a training course teaching people how to make money online, for example, or something that is very definitely real, such as floor tiles!
In either case, you are using your podcast to advertise the product, creating desires that can hopefully only be satisfied by buying your product.
Now, there are two factors that are directly relevant here, factors that should make this form of advertising particularly profitable.
Firstly, your potential customer has already downloaded your podcast, so he (or she) has already shown sufficient interest in whatever you are selling to suggest that they are at least partially pre-sold.
Secondly, for the duration of your podcast, you can have their undivided attention, and, as long as you can keep them interested, you can retain that attention.
Again, this could be a very powerful sales advantage to you, as long as you use it correctly, by which I mean don't give the listener the opportunity to switch off, if at all possible.
So, in a nutshell, there are two ways to make money from podcasting, whether directly, by creating a podcast of specialist knowledge and selling that knowledge or more indirectly, by using your podcasts to promote your products.
In either case, podcasts can make money, and anyone can make podcasts.
Thus, you can make money. What could be simpler than that?
About the Author
Download Steve's free podcast about the superb new eBook Authority Black Book and get a copy of the book itself from http://webbiz99.com/blackbook. Do it soon, while the book is still free!
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