Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
20 Ideas to Drive Traffic to Your Online Business
The real key to success on the internet is getting traffic to your webste of business. We all know you can buy ads on Google, Bing, etc. but you must develop a plan to get traffic from multiple sources. The list below is some ideas to get you started in building traffic networks. You can create your marketing plan by selecting the ideas that you think will get the best results for your business. Then add ideas along the way to further expand your marketing reach.
1.Social Bookmarking- You can use reddit,stumpleupon, digg and others to get more traffic to your site
2. Use google trends for fast traffic
3. Submit videos based on keywords(in your niche) to popular video sites
4. Articles – on the big directories (Ezine, article base or associated content….)
5. PR campaign – a well-done PR campaign using the bigger PR directories (particularly the paid ones)
6. Comments on other people’s blogs
7. Facebook and Twitter
8. Add a Tell-a-Friend Script to your website
9. Create Niche Website Awards or Directories
10. Submit each and every post to social bookmarking sites
11. Write related articles on WikiPedia with your blog url in it
12. Use social bookmarking plug-ins to make it easy for your readers to submit your post to social bookmarking site
13. Use pingomatic to ping RSS aggregates
14. Use blogroll to link to other bloggers in your niche in exchange for a link to your blog on their blog roll.
15. Dedicate a post about a top bloggers in your niche. It will catch their attention and they may link to you
16. Provide freebies, like free ebooks, free downloads and etc, to your readers.
17. Keep your community strong by keeping in touch with your readers by sending them instant messages, thank them for their comments.
18. Providing your followers with helpful tools and blog posts you’ve read
19. Gaining quality backlinks through various means is really important.
20. Of course, Twitter and Facebook should be on every marketers list.
1.Social Bookmarking- You can use reddit,stumpleupon, digg and others to get more traffic to your site
2. Use google trends for fast traffic
3. Submit videos based on keywords(in your niche) to popular video sites
4. Articles – on the big directories (Ezine, article base or associated content….)
5. PR campaign – a well-done PR campaign using the bigger PR directories (particularly the paid ones)
6. Comments on other people’s blogs
7. Facebook and Twitter
8. Add a Tell-a-Friend Script to your website
9. Create Niche Website Awards or Directories
10. Submit each and every post to social bookmarking sites
11. Write related articles on WikiPedia with your blog url in it
12. Use social bookmarking plug-ins to make it easy for your readers to submit your post to social bookmarking site
13. Use pingomatic to ping RSS aggregates
14. Use blogroll to link to other bloggers in your niche in exchange for a link to your blog on their blog roll.
15. Dedicate a post about a top bloggers in your niche. It will catch their attention and they may link to you
16. Provide freebies, like free ebooks, free downloads and etc, to your readers.
17. Keep your community strong by keeping in touch with your readers by sending them instant messages, thank them for their comments.
18. Providing your followers with helpful tools and blog posts you’ve read
19. Gaining quality backlinks through various means is really important.
20. Of course, Twitter and Facebook should be on every marketers list.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Keys to Online Business Success
Why do some online businesses succeed while many others fail? I suspect it is no different than offline businesses. In both cases, you must keep working to find what works for your business. Success doesn't happen overnight and without your best effort to create an online business with profits. Here are some insights into what successful online businesses do to achieve their ongoing results.
They explore different businesses. Many of the Internet’s most successful business owners didn’t strike virtual gold right away. They explored different business models, different niches, different markets, invested their time and effort in one or two niches, and then pursued the ones that became the most profitable for them.
They learn from those who have succeeded. The most successful affiliate marketers and entrepreneurs I know are on a never-ending quest to learn new, better, faster, more profitable ways of running their businesses. Rather than feeling threatened, they seek out leaders and experts who know more than they do. They learn from people who are already doing something well, and they buy products that teach them how to succeed at an even higher level.
They never, ever stop trying new things. When super successful affiliate marketers and online vendors fail—and yes, they, too, experience failure on a regular basis—they persevere. They view failure as an opportunity to learn, and no matter what happens, they keep trying and trying, over and over again, until they figure out what does work.
They continue to grow their knowledge base. The Internet moves quickly, and what works one day may—or may not—work the next. The truly successful affiliate marketers and online vendors I work with do more than work hard—they know every single detail of their business—what’s working and what’s not—and they use that information to test new strategies, tactics and niches. If a campaign isn’t working, they change it. If an offer that used to be very successful stops converting, they change it. At all times they stay flexible and adapt to their current reality.
They explore different businesses. Many of the Internet’s most successful business owners didn’t strike virtual gold right away. They explored different business models, different niches, different markets, invested their time and effort in one or two niches, and then pursued the ones that became the most profitable for them.
They learn from those who have succeeded. The most successful affiliate marketers and entrepreneurs I know are on a never-ending quest to learn new, better, faster, more profitable ways of running their businesses. Rather than feeling threatened, they seek out leaders and experts who know more than they do. They learn from people who are already doing something well, and they buy products that teach them how to succeed at an even higher level.
They never, ever stop trying new things. When super successful affiliate marketers and online vendors fail—and yes, they, too, experience failure on a regular basis—they persevere. They view failure as an opportunity to learn, and no matter what happens, they keep trying and trying, over and over again, until they figure out what does work.
They continue to grow their knowledge base. The Internet moves quickly, and what works one day may—or may not—work the next. The truly successful affiliate marketers and online vendors I work with do more than work hard—they know every single detail of their business—what’s working and what’s not—and they use that information to test new strategies, tactics and niches. If a campaign isn’t working, they change it. If an offer that used to be very successful stops converting, they change it. At all times they stay flexible and adapt to their current reality.
Monday, July 4, 2011
How To Increase Your Chances for Business Success
In order to go from lazy thinking to focused thinking, you need to know the answers to three questions:
1. What, Exactly, Do You Want?
How do you define the business success you’re seeking? You rarely see an entrepreneur who’s got a well-thought-out answer to this question. Sure, you want money and freedom. Who doesn’t? But what, exactly, do you want your business to do for you, your team, and your customers?
And what does that look like? How can it be objectively measured? If you’re unclear about what you’re striving for, you pay the price for your fuzziness daily. Why? Because unclear objectives make it impossible for you to know which actions will produce the best results. You can’t distinguish between the essential and the non-essential. You can’t distinguish between worthless and worthwhile tasks. Without clarity, your day becomes a series of haphazard attempts to deal with symptoms often mistaken for real problems. Symptoms like anemic website traffic, unfinished projects, low conversion rates, etc.
As a result, you’re wasting a massive amount of time. Worse, your chances of success are slim to none.
2. What’s the Minimum Necessary to Have It?
Once you’re absolutely clear about what success in business means to you, you have to be just as clear about what you must do to achieve it. Because guess what? If you’re not sure of what is necessary… you’re also not sure of what’s NOT necessary.
For example, how many ways do you need to have in order to get new customers? There are so many options that you can’t possibly employ them all. So you have to concentrate only on those that are absolutely necessary for you to achieve the business success you desire.
How about converting prospects into customers? Of all the strategies and tactics possible, which ones are vital for you to be victorious in your business-building quest?
How many products do you need? One? Ten? A hundred? How much do you have to sell them for?
If you don’t know what is absolutely essential to your success, you’re going to wind up going in a million different directions at every turn. And that’s one of the main causes of business failure.
To have the business of your dreams, you need to make many decisions. Decisions that require you to: (1) have a general knowledge of what’s required, and (2) be familiar enough with your options to choose a few amongst the many alternatives.
3. What’s the Fastest and Easiest Way to Get It?
Maybe you’ve already got a clear business goal and you know the minimum necessary to get it. If that’s the case, you’re almost certainly making progress. But you’d like it if success came faster. Who wouldn’t?
There is almost always a shortcut to get from where you are to where you want to be. What it requires is thinking. Not daydreaming. But real mental effort. The type that leaves you exhausted after doing it for an hour or so. And you can’t even engage in this level of thinking until you first have your answers to exactly what you want and the minimum necessary to have it.
Think about how different your life would be if you were 100% confident that your answers to the above three questions were spot-on. Most of the issues you’re struggling with right now would disappear. You’d know exactly what your #1 objective was at all times… You’d know the exact steps you needed to take to immediately move closer to achieving your business goals… And you’d never again struggle with a lack of motivation.
Instead, you’d be stoked to get the very next task done… because you’d know exactly what it would do for you. And all because of knowing: (1) what you want, (2) the minimum necessary to have it, and (3) the fastest and easiest way to get it.
- What, exactly, do you want?
- What’s the absolute minimum necessary to have it?
- What’s the fastest and easiest way to get it?
1. What, Exactly, Do You Want?
How do you define the business success you’re seeking? You rarely see an entrepreneur who’s got a well-thought-out answer to this question. Sure, you want money and freedom. Who doesn’t? But what, exactly, do you want your business to do for you, your team, and your customers?
And what does that look like? How can it be objectively measured? If you’re unclear about what you’re striving for, you pay the price for your fuzziness daily. Why? Because unclear objectives make it impossible for you to know which actions will produce the best results. You can’t distinguish between the essential and the non-essential. You can’t distinguish between worthless and worthwhile tasks. Without clarity, your day becomes a series of haphazard attempts to deal with symptoms often mistaken for real problems. Symptoms like anemic website traffic, unfinished projects, low conversion rates, etc.
As a result, you’re wasting a massive amount of time. Worse, your chances of success are slim to none.
2. What’s the Minimum Necessary to Have It?
Once you’re absolutely clear about what success in business means to you, you have to be just as clear about what you must do to achieve it. Because guess what? If you’re not sure of what is necessary… you’re also not sure of what’s NOT necessary.
For example, how many ways do you need to have in order to get new customers? There are so many options that you can’t possibly employ them all. So you have to concentrate only on those that are absolutely necessary for you to achieve the business success you desire.
How about converting prospects into customers? Of all the strategies and tactics possible, which ones are vital for you to be victorious in your business-building quest?
How many products do you need? One? Ten? A hundred? How much do you have to sell them for?
If you don’t know what is absolutely essential to your success, you’re going to wind up going in a million different directions at every turn. And that’s one of the main causes of business failure.
To have the business of your dreams, you need to make many decisions. Decisions that require you to: (1) have a general knowledge of what’s required, and (2) be familiar enough with your options to choose a few amongst the many alternatives.
3. What’s the Fastest and Easiest Way to Get It?
Maybe you’ve already got a clear business goal and you know the minimum necessary to get it. If that’s the case, you’re almost certainly making progress. But you’d like it if success came faster. Who wouldn’t?
There is almost always a shortcut to get from where you are to where you want to be. What it requires is thinking. Not daydreaming. But real mental effort. The type that leaves you exhausted after doing it for an hour or so. And you can’t even engage in this level of thinking until you first have your answers to exactly what you want and the minimum necessary to have it.
Think about how different your life would be if you were 100% confident that your answers to the above three questions were spot-on. Most of the issues you’re struggling with right now would disappear. You’d know exactly what your #1 objective was at all times… You’d know the exact steps you needed to take to immediately move closer to achieving your business goals… And you’d never again struggle with a lack of motivation.
Instead, you’d be stoked to get the very next task done… because you’d know exactly what it would do for you. And all because of knowing: (1) what you want, (2) the minimum necessary to have it, and (3) the fastest and easiest way to get it.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
How To Increase Awareness of Your Business
To get interest in your product or service, people must be aware of who you are and what you offer. This is called awareness of your business. You must be thinking of how you can continuously generate awareness. Your goal is to create enough awareness to develop buzz around your business. Here is a llist of ways to generate business awareness:
- Google AdWords, Bing, Yahoo and other search engine ad schemes where you purchase keyword and phrase result placement.
- Banner ads which you purchase on a per impression basis or through a traffic exchange.
- Content syndication services such as online news release distribution that you buy on a one-off basis or get free at 24/7 press releases.
- Own the natural search engine result for your important phrases by creating content that people link to.
- Own a blog or YouTube channel that people talk about and share with others on social networks.
- Create an online press or media room for your newsworthy content. Keep all press releases here.
- Have your own email newsletter or create ebooks that you can give away to prospective clients.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Why Become An Affiliate Marketer?
Many times you will have seen previously in this book we have mentioned affiliate marketing as a great way of setting up an online business. During this chapter, we will provide a more in depth look at what it is exactly.
Affiliate Marketing is a method of promoting a product in which an affiliate is then rewarded for every visitor, subscriber, customer and/or sale provided through their efforts to the actual company selling the product. The compensation or commission that an affiliate gets may be based on a certain value for each exposure, visit (pay per click), new customer (pay per lead), sale which is usually a percentage of the item sold (pay per sale or revenue share) or it may be a combination of any of these.
Many companies like to use affiliate marketing because they do not incur any marketing expenses unless the desired result is realized.
There are also some e-commerce sites around today which run their own affiliate programs, while others use third party services. These provide intermediaries who will track traffic or sales that are referred to them from their various affiliates. There are many businesses online today who owe much of their growth and success to the use of affiliate marketing. It has been especially successful for small and midsize businesses on the internet.
We have now looked at what affiliate marketing is, now let us look at some reasons as why it is a good type of online business to set up.
No Production Costs
With an affiliate program, production costs are no longer an issue as the product has been developed and proven to be good. Best of all, it has all come out of the merchant’s accounts and not yours.
Do not need a lot of money to set up.
All you will need is a desk, computer, internet connection and word processing software to get started.
Low Costs Involved
Normally it is free to join an affiliate program, and all the set up costs and shipping costs will be met by the merchant whose products you are selling. Plus, as you do not need any where to store goods, this is another reason for joining an affiliate program. So even if you happen to live in a 1 bedroom apartment, you can still sell the biggest products going as an affiliate because all the goods are held by the merchant you are working as an affiliate for.
Seemingly Endless Choices
There are thousands of products and services that you can choose from. So finding the right products for either a website you have already or one that you are planning to build is immense.
No need to have a Merchants Account
This can be a time consuming and costly expense for anyone setting up a business for the first time. Certainly, it is even more so where an online business is concerned. However, as an affiliate, the merchant you are selling the product for will bear all costs, as well as handle the processing of all payments. So you never have to worry about any potential charge backs, fraudulent purchases or losing your merchant account completely as an affiliate. Plus, no longer will you be concerned with collecting and storing names and addresses of customers along with their credit card details, as this is all done by the merchant who you are affiliated to.
Plus, no longer do you have to worry about dealing with awkward or nasty customers and their complaints. This is down to the merchant to deal with.
Probably one of the best things about affiliate marketing is that you can make money while you sleep. Another benefit to get into affiliate marketing is that if the product you chose isn’t making money, then you can just dump it. Remove any links to the product and then start promoting another instead. This is because there are no long term contracts which bind you to selling one particular product, so the risk to you is minimal.
If you work hard at affiliate marketing, then the potential to earn a good income is high. It really depends on just how much you want it and how much effort you are willing to put in to the products you are trying to sell.
Affiliate Marketing is a method of promoting a product in which an affiliate is then rewarded for every visitor, subscriber, customer and/or sale provided through their efforts to the actual company selling the product. The compensation or commission that an affiliate gets may be based on a certain value for each exposure, visit (pay per click), new customer (pay per lead), sale which is usually a percentage of the item sold (pay per sale or revenue share) or it may be a combination of any of these.
Many companies like to use affiliate marketing because they do not incur any marketing expenses unless the desired result is realized.
There are also some e-commerce sites around today which run their own affiliate programs, while others use third party services. These provide intermediaries who will track traffic or sales that are referred to them from their various affiliates. There are many businesses online today who owe much of their growth and success to the use of affiliate marketing. It has been especially successful for small and midsize businesses on the internet.
We have now looked at what affiliate marketing is, now let us look at some reasons as why it is a good type of online business to set up.
No Production Costs
With an affiliate program, production costs are no longer an issue as the product has been developed and proven to be good. Best of all, it has all come out of the merchant’s accounts and not yours.
Do not need a lot of money to set up.
All you will need is a desk, computer, internet connection and word processing software to get started.
Low Costs Involved
Normally it is free to join an affiliate program, and all the set up costs and shipping costs will be met by the merchant whose products you are selling. Plus, as you do not need any where to store goods, this is another reason for joining an affiliate program. So even if you happen to live in a 1 bedroom apartment, you can still sell the biggest products going as an affiliate because all the goods are held by the merchant you are working as an affiliate for.
Seemingly Endless Choices
There are thousands of products and services that you can choose from. So finding the right products for either a website you have already or one that you are planning to build is immense.
No need to have a Merchants Account
This can be a time consuming and costly expense for anyone setting up a business for the first time. Certainly, it is even more so where an online business is concerned. However, as an affiliate, the merchant you are selling the product for will bear all costs, as well as handle the processing of all payments. So you never have to worry about any potential charge backs, fraudulent purchases or losing your merchant account completely as an affiliate. Plus, no longer will you be concerned with collecting and storing names and addresses of customers along with their credit card details, as this is all done by the merchant who you are affiliated to.
Plus, no longer do you have to worry about dealing with awkward or nasty customers and their complaints. This is down to the merchant to deal with.
Probably one of the best things about affiliate marketing is that you can make money while you sleep. Another benefit to get into affiliate marketing is that if the product you chose isn’t making money, then you can just dump it. Remove any links to the product and then start promoting another instead. This is because there are no long term contracts which bind you to selling one particular product, so the risk to you is minimal.
If you work hard at affiliate marketing, then the potential to earn a good income is high. It really depends on just how much you want it and how much effort you are willing to put in to the products you are trying to sell.
Friday, July 1, 2011
How To Set Up An Online Business
How do you get started with an online money machine? The best way of setting up an online business today is as follows:
1. Choose a niche and then specialize in it. Do not think that you are going to make big bucks by selling everything under the sun (unless you are using Ebay, but even this is getting more competitive today).
2. Choose or create a product. You can either use affiliate products or create your own.
3. Probably one of the most important things to do when setting up an online business is to find a good name. It should be short, easy to remember and reflect what your business actually does. Your domain name is the name by which your online customers will remember you by. A good domain name is one that is memorable, short and easy to spell. There are many websites around offering domain names, and prices can start for less than $1.
4. Get your own website. Do not go for a free page on some affiliate site, but get your own. It is much easier to do than you think. Get some hosting (there are plenty of companies on the web today offering their services). Then buy a template system if you can not program (again take a look around the web and you will soon find plenty of companies offering web templates). Now all you have to do is start learning how to use it. However, if you are not technically minded then you will need to hire someone to handle all the technical aspects of your online business. This could include such things as building your website for you, the handling of your website hosting and the setting up of any domain names that you may require.
5. Always look for a secure and reliable host service provider. It is important that you examine the “uptime guarantee” that each service provider offers. Also, analyze the physical infrastructure of where your online business will be stored. But probably most important of all is that you should scrutinize the hosting providers “Back Up” and “Data Security” systems. This includes calculating how much time would be required to reinstall your online business if there was a complete infrastructure failure on the part of the hosting provider. This will help you to calculate the least possible loss to your business if such a situation arises.
6. Build a list. This is important so that you are able to repeatedly talk with visitors to your site. It is important that you keep the visitors updated as to what is happening with your site. This also enables you to contact them numerous times regarding whatever offer(s) you wish to present them.
7. Look at the ways in which you will handle the payments made by your customers. If you are selling an affiliate product, then this will not be a problem as the affiliate program will handle the payments for you. However, if you are selling your own product, then you will have to set up your own payment processing system. This will be looked at more closely in another chapter of this book.
8. Look at the ways in which you will arrange for goods to be delivered to your customer if selling your own products. You must look at local courier companies, as well as the postal service and find out which will be more cost effective for sending goods to customers. Also, you will then need to decide on the pricing system for the sending of packages to your customer’s. But it is important that you choose a shipping company who you know is going to be reliable. Look especially at those companies who offer an online tracking system.
1. Choose a niche and then specialize in it. Do not think that you are going to make big bucks by selling everything under the sun (unless you are using Ebay, but even this is getting more competitive today).
2. Choose or create a product. You can either use affiliate products or create your own.
3. Probably one of the most important things to do when setting up an online business is to find a good name. It should be short, easy to remember and reflect what your business actually does. Your domain name is the name by which your online customers will remember you by. A good domain name is one that is memorable, short and easy to spell. There are many websites around offering domain names, and prices can start for less than $1.
4. Get your own website. Do not go for a free page on some affiliate site, but get your own. It is much easier to do than you think. Get some hosting (there are plenty of companies on the web today offering their services). Then buy a template system if you can not program (again take a look around the web and you will soon find plenty of companies offering web templates). Now all you have to do is start learning how to use it. However, if you are not technically minded then you will need to hire someone to handle all the technical aspects of your online business. This could include such things as building your website for you, the handling of your website hosting and the setting up of any domain names that you may require.
5. Always look for a secure and reliable host service provider. It is important that you examine the “uptime guarantee” that each service provider offers. Also, analyze the physical infrastructure of where your online business will be stored. But probably most important of all is that you should scrutinize the hosting providers “Back Up” and “Data Security” systems. This includes calculating how much time would be required to reinstall your online business if there was a complete infrastructure failure on the part of the hosting provider. This will help you to calculate the least possible loss to your business if such a situation arises.
6. Build a list. This is important so that you are able to repeatedly talk with visitors to your site. It is important that you keep the visitors updated as to what is happening with your site. This also enables you to contact them numerous times regarding whatever offer(s) you wish to present them.
7. Look at the ways in which you will handle the payments made by your customers. If you are selling an affiliate product, then this will not be a problem as the affiliate program will handle the payments for you. However, if you are selling your own product, then you will have to set up your own payment processing system. This will be looked at more closely in another chapter of this book.
8. Look at the ways in which you will arrange for goods to be delivered to your customer if selling your own products. You must look at local courier companies, as well as the postal service and find out which will be more cost effective for sending goods to customers. Also, you will then need to decide on the pricing system for the sending of packages to your customer’s. But it is important that you choose a shipping company who you know is going to be reliable. Look especially at those companies who offer an online tracking system.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Yes, You need a Business Plan for an Online Business
By setting up a business plan, you are road mapping your way to success. It will help you to develop your business goals and strategies, as well as providing you with a better understanding of the marketplace. It will also highlight any business strengths or weaknesses that you may have, as well as providing you with an opportunity to take a close look at your competitors. If you want, you can also include financial projections, historical data and growth expectations into your business plan.
With any good business plan, it should show who the target audience is, and just how the product or service that is being provided will meet or exceed their needs and expectations.
When organizing a business plan it is best if you break it down into sections such as:-
1. Business summary – The product or service you want to provide.
2. Market analysis – Research on the product or service and how the competitors are doing.
3. Product positioning – How to make it more prominent compared to your competitors.
4. Market strategy – How are you actually going to market it?
5. Customer analysis – Look at what the customer wants or needs.
6. Financial analysis – What you need to invest in order to set up the business and to keep it going while it is just getting started.
7. Overall business goals – What you hope to achieve in, say, a year’s time.
But what is more important is that once a business plan has been developed, it should not lay in the back of a drawer somewhere. It should be a working plan that you can refer to when you need to. The best way to make a business plan is to keep it simple (one or two pages should be all you need). Certainly one of the best things you can do when starting an online business is to create a plan then stick with it.
With any good business plan, it should show who the target audience is, and just how the product or service that is being provided will meet or exceed their needs and expectations.
When organizing a business plan it is best if you break it down into sections such as:-
1. Business summary – The product or service you want to provide.
2. Market analysis – Research on the product or service and how the competitors are doing.
3. Product positioning – How to make it more prominent compared to your competitors.
4. Market strategy – How are you actually going to market it?
5. Customer analysis – Look at what the customer wants or needs.
6. Financial analysis – What you need to invest in order to set up the business and to keep it going while it is just getting started.
7. Overall business goals – What you hope to achieve in, say, a year’s time.
But what is more important is that once a business plan has been developed, it should not lay in the back of a drawer somewhere. It should be a working plan that you can refer to when you need to. The best way to make a business plan is to keep it simple (one or two pages should be all you need). Certainly one of the best things you can do when starting an online business is to create a plan then stick with it.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
10 Tips to Making the Sale
So there you have it, my top ten tips for converting visitors into sales. These tips apply if your are selling your own products, or if you are driving traffic through affiliate links. So here they are again in point form.
1) Make the price easy to find.
2) Ask for the order or click.
3) Presell, especially if the destination site does not.
4) Give as much info as possible about technical products.
5) Give measurable results in headlines ie: Sales increased by 400% in 1 day!
6) Make sure the destination site doesn’t suck. Afterall, it’s where you drive your traffic and you don’t want to waste it. Make sure their search function actually works and finds what you’re looking for.
7) Use confidence building logos on all your web pages and order forms.
8) Grease the chute, remove all friction and extra data from the buying process... especially the order form.
9) Minimize clicks from search engine to order form. Get them from search to purchase, in as little as three clicks.
10) Monetize everything. Every banner, every ad, every graphic, every link on your web site must make money, especially the links leaving your site. If a link is not making money, take it down and replace it with one that does.
1) Make the price easy to find.
2) Ask for the order or click.
3) Presell, especially if the destination site does not.
4) Give as much info as possible about technical products.
5) Give measurable results in headlines ie: Sales increased by 400% in 1 day!
6) Make sure the destination site doesn’t suck. Afterall, it’s where you drive your traffic and you don’t want to waste it. Make sure their search function actually works and finds what you’re looking for.
7) Use confidence building logos on all your web pages and order forms.
8) Grease the chute, remove all friction and extra data from the buying process... especially the order form.
9) Minimize clicks from search engine to order form. Get them from search to purchase, in as little as three clicks.
10) Monetize everything. Every banner, every ad, every graphic, every link on your web site must make money, especially the links leaving your site. If a link is not making money, take it down and replace it with one that does.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
6 Considerations Before Starting An Online Business
1. What product or service will you want to provide?
For many people, they will start an online business based on knowledge and experience that they have already, while others may spot a gap in the market. But the most important thing that you can do is carry out research with companies and individuals that you do not know in order to get a more unbiased view.
Also, do as much reading and research on everything you can about particular areas of interest, as well as studying the pros and cons that this will have in relation to your overall goals. Plus, make yourself familiar with your competitors, as this will boost your confidence and enthusiasm for setting up an online business.
2. Where to work from?
You do not need to work from home, but this is an option that many online business people prefer. But others prefer to have an office away from the home, as they find it difficult to focus, as well as feeling isolated.
3. How to market the business?
It is important, if you want your online business to thrive, to ensure that you establish a web presence. The best way of doing this is by direct mail, networking, display advertising etc. But what approach works best for you will depend on the product that you are selling. The best way of finding out what will work, is by trying a different number of methods initially, and then go for it once you know which one is best. However, if you are unsure where to start, then look at how your competition is marketing their goods…if it works for them, it may work for you also.
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4. Develop a Plan.
Without having a blueprint on how to reach your goals, you may find that not just your efforts, but the resources may well be squandered. Having a plan provides you with focus, direction and momentum to keep the business on track. We will look further at setting up a business plan in the next chapter.
5. Check Laws and Regulations
It is important that you check to see if there are any local laws or regulations in relation to setting up an online business from home. Also, you will need to get laws and regulations in regard to being self employed.
6. Setting up the Office
More often than not, an online business will be conducted from the person’s home. So it is important that you set up a home office prior to starting up the business. You should arrange to have all the necessary equipment that you will need such as computer, internet connection, printer, fax machine (but not essential) are just a few things that you will need if you want to be successful with your online business.
For many people, they will start an online business based on knowledge and experience that they have already, while others may spot a gap in the market. But the most important thing that you can do is carry out research with companies and individuals that you do not know in order to get a more unbiased view.
Also, do as much reading and research on everything you can about particular areas of interest, as well as studying the pros and cons that this will have in relation to your overall goals. Plus, make yourself familiar with your competitors, as this will boost your confidence and enthusiasm for setting up an online business.
2. Where to work from?
You do not need to work from home, but this is an option that many online business people prefer. But others prefer to have an office away from the home, as they find it difficult to focus, as well as feeling isolated.
3. How to market the business?
It is important, if you want your online business to thrive, to ensure that you establish a web presence. The best way of doing this is by direct mail, networking, display advertising etc. But what approach works best for you will depend on the product that you are selling. The best way of finding out what will work, is by trying a different number of methods initially, and then go for it once you know which one is best. However, if you are unsure where to start, then look at how your competition is marketing their goods…if it works for them, it may work for you also.
Automated Commission System Click Here!
4. Develop a Plan.
Without having a blueprint on how to reach your goals, you may find that not just your efforts, but the resources may well be squandered. Having a plan provides you with focus, direction and momentum to keep the business on track. We will look further at setting up a business plan in the next chapter.
5. Check Laws and Regulations
It is important that you check to see if there are any local laws or regulations in relation to setting up an online business from home. Also, you will need to get laws and regulations in regard to being self employed.
6. Setting up the Office
More often than not, an online business will be conducted from the person’s home. So it is important that you set up a home office prior to starting up the business. You should arrange to have all the necessary equipment that you will need such as computer, internet connection, printer, fax machine (but not essential) are just a few things that you will need if you want to be successful with your online business.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Where To Start When Starting An Online Business
Now as you know, more and more people today have become dissatisfied with their jobs and their pension provisions. So the interest in starting an online business has begun to increase. Yet many who look at such a project find it difficult to know where to start because of the mountain of information available on the subject.
One of the first things that you should bear in mind when setting up an online business of any sort, is that you must treat it as just that – a business. This means that you must be prepared to put in the time and effort in order to reap the rewards, even if you are only starting it as a part time venture at first.
Next, you must be prepared to invest some money into it. You do not need to put in large amounts, in fact, if you want, you could actually set it up on a very low budget. Also, what you should remember where an online business is concerned, the running costs are very low compared to a more traditional business.
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However, the best place to begin is by picking what you like from the existing successful online business models already out there. So talk to others who have already made money in the niche that you have chosen, and then study, then implement the steps that they took to make it the success it is.
So now you need to think about just what sort of business it is you like to run. Some of the more popular types of online businesses to be found are: selling goods at auction sites such as Ebay, creating and then selling digital products (e-books are a good example of this) and setting up a custom storefront for your offline business. Also, you may want to make downloadable audio and video products for your customers, or you may just want to get into affiliate marketing instead.
However, if you do choose to go with Ebay, one of the main advantages of setting up an online business based around this is as follows:-
1. You will have immediate access to millions of customers.
2. Plus you will have the opportunity to sell anything from cars to collectibles (say old sports cards).
3. Also, setting up an account on Ebay is straightforward, and the costs relating to auctioning items on this site are extremely low.
However, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the site. So take a look at the different categories and auctions that are already taking place. Also check out their “How to Sell” section on the site.
For some, the thought of creating their own products seems very daunting, but if you happen to be an expert in a particular niche, then coming up with ideas should not be that difficult. It is important that you carry out some market research to make sure that people would buy related items.
So spend some time writing down or recording any thoughts that you may have with regard to the subject. Then go back and edit where you need to by putting things into a logical order. However, if you are someone who doesn’t like writing, then take a look at some other sites selling those same products or similar ones and get ideas from them.
Make a note, if you can, of what is selling well and formulate some questions that someone who is interested in this product might ask. If you are able to find a friend who will do an interview with you, getting them to ask you the questions you have produced. You can, if you want, record this interview and the make into an audio product which others can then download.
But if this just all seems too much, then why not get someone else to write some books for you? Think about hiring a ghostwriter. But this may be something to consider when you have a bit more money in the business account. So really, the next best way to make money with an online business is by selling someone else’s products as an affiliate.
The best way of starting an online business is to do it in an area that you are knowledgeable or passionate about. This will help you to focus your attention, as well as help to create a small income more quickly. But over a period of time, you will soon develop new skills, and through persistence and patience, you will soon see some very good results appear.
One of the first things that you should bear in mind when setting up an online business of any sort, is that you must treat it as just that – a business. This means that you must be prepared to put in the time and effort in order to reap the rewards, even if you are only starting it as a part time venture at first.
Next, you must be prepared to invest some money into it. You do not need to put in large amounts, in fact, if you want, you could actually set it up on a very low budget. Also, what you should remember where an online business is concerned, the running costs are very low compared to a more traditional business.
Get Immediate Traffic to Your Site with Passive Profit Portals Click Here!
However, the best place to begin is by picking what you like from the existing successful online business models already out there. So talk to others who have already made money in the niche that you have chosen, and then study, then implement the steps that they took to make it the success it is.
So now you need to think about just what sort of business it is you like to run. Some of the more popular types of online businesses to be found are: selling goods at auction sites such as Ebay, creating and then selling digital products (e-books are a good example of this) and setting up a custom storefront for your offline business. Also, you may want to make downloadable audio and video products for your customers, or you may just want to get into affiliate marketing instead.
However, if you do choose to go with Ebay, one of the main advantages of setting up an online business based around this is as follows:-
1. You will have immediate access to millions of customers.
2. Plus you will have the opportunity to sell anything from cars to collectibles (say old sports cards).
3. Also, setting up an account on Ebay is straightforward, and the costs relating to auctioning items on this site are extremely low.
However, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the site. So take a look at the different categories and auctions that are already taking place. Also check out their “How to Sell” section on the site.
For some, the thought of creating their own products seems very daunting, but if you happen to be an expert in a particular niche, then coming up with ideas should not be that difficult. It is important that you carry out some market research to make sure that people would buy related items.
So spend some time writing down or recording any thoughts that you may have with regard to the subject. Then go back and edit where you need to by putting things into a logical order. However, if you are someone who doesn’t like writing, then take a look at some other sites selling those same products or similar ones and get ideas from them.
Make a note, if you can, of what is selling well and formulate some questions that someone who is interested in this product might ask. If you are able to find a friend who will do an interview with you, getting them to ask you the questions you have produced. You can, if you want, record this interview and the make into an audio product which others can then download.
But if this just all seems too much, then why not get someone else to write some books for you? Think about hiring a ghostwriter. But this may be something to consider when you have a bit more money in the business account. So really, the next best way to make money with an online business is by selling someone else’s products as an affiliate.
The best way of starting an online business is to do it in an area that you are knowledgeable or passionate about. This will help you to focus your attention, as well as help to create a small income more quickly. But over a period of time, you will soon develop new skills, and through persistence and patience, you will soon see some very good results appear.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
How To Build a Friend Network on Facebook
There is nothing worse than logging into your FaceBook account, clicking on your friends list, and seeing the words ‘you have no friends.’ That’s an assault to ones sense of self confidence and self worth! You’ve got to start adding friends as quickly as possible.
Start with the people that you already know. You want to get that friends list populated fast. You can use the FaceBook feature that will search your email accounts at Gmail (http://www.gmail.com), Hotmail (http://www.msn.com), and AOL (http://www.aol.com).
If it discovers some of your contacts are Facebook users, it will give you the option to send those people a friends request.
From there, consider other social networking sites that you belong to and the friends that you have there – even if they are not in your email address book. Check to see if they have an account on FaceBook. Write a message in NotePad so that you can copy and paste. It should be very short and to the point.
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You may need a couple of different messages. One might say “I know you from such and such forum or social networking site and I would like to add you to my friends list here at FaceBook.” Another might say “I realize that you do not know me personally, but I see that we have xxx in common, so I would like to add you to my circle of friends.”
Look for people that you know from other social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, microblogging (Twitter, at http://www.twitter.com), forums, and even blogs that you commonly read, as well as people who read your blog. Also consider adding other Internet Marketers, including marketers who are in the same niche that you are in.
From there, you can use the search features to find people in your general area as well as people who have interests that are in common to yours. Just add them even if you’ve never had any contact with those people in any other online or offline venue. Look at the friends of your friends. This is an excellent way to grow your network as well – the thing that you have in common is the original friend.
Just remember that every person you add to your network is a potential customer, a customer, or a business associate, and you definitely want your network to grow as large as possible, as quickly as possible to get the most benefit from FaceBook.
If you don’t have friends added to your friends list, being a part of a social networking site is rather pointless. On FaceBook, you can be average or you can be a super star. Obviously, since you are using FaceBook for marketing or business purposes, you want to be a superstar. You can achieve that status in as little as 30 days, but it does take a time commitment on your part.
First you should note that if you have fewer than 200 friends on FaceBook, this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s an average thing. However, again, you want superstar status, so this won’t do for you.
Once you have 500 friends, you are considered to be popular, and people will gravitate to you, and when you have between 800 and 1000 friends, you’re essentially a FaceBook celebrity. Eventually, that’s what you should be working towards, but for now, let’s concentrate on becoming popular, with 500 friends.
Do not use automated software that adds friends to your FaceBook friends list. This defeats the purpose of social networking. Instead, do it the ‘hard way’. You will come to realize that the hard way really isn’t hard at all.
The first thing to do is to join all of the Internet Marketing groups that you can find. There are plenty of them out there. Each time you join a group, send a friend request to all members of that group.
Not all members will accept the request, but the majority of them will. This can be a little time consuming, but it is well worth the effort in the end. This should easily net you 200 to 300 friends. Try to add at least 30 new friends each day, for the full 30 days.
Once you’ve exhausted the IM groups, find other groups that are related to your business. For example, if you are in the personal development group, find those personal development groups, and start adding members as friends.
Use your existing website to get more friends, as well as your blog. Post your FaceBook badge on your website and blog. Make a blog post and invite your readers to add you as a friend on Facebook. If you twitter, tell your followers to add you on FaceBook. If you have a mailing list, send out a note and invite them to join you on FaceBook.
Again, it does take a concentrated effort on your part, but it is well worth it in the end, and if you are dedicated, you absolutely will have more than 500 friends in less than 30 days, and if you want that superstar celebrity status at FaceBook, you can continue to add new friends for an additional 30 days to reach that goal.
Start with the people that you already know. You want to get that friends list populated fast. You can use the FaceBook feature that will search your email accounts at Gmail (http://www.gmail.com), Hotmail (http://www.msn.com), and AOL (http://www.aol.com).
If it discovers some of your contacts are Facebook users, it will give you the option to send those people a friends request.
From there, consider other social networking sites that you belong to and the friends that you have there – even if they are not in your email address book. Check to see if they have an account on FaceBook. Write a message in NotePad so that you can copy and paste. It should be very short and to the point.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Get Paid To Do Blog Posts!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
You may need a couple of different messages. One might say “I know you from such and such forum or social networking site and I would like to add you to my friends list here at FaceBook.” Another might say “I realize that you do not know me personally, but I see that we have xxx in common, so I would like to add you to my circle of friends.”
Look for people that you know from other social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, microblogging (Twitter, at http://www.twitter.com), forums, and even blogs that you commonly read, as well as people who read your blog. Also consider adding other Internet Marketers, including marketers who are in the same niche that you are in.
From there, you can use the search features to find people in your general area as well as people who have interests that are in common to yours. Just add them even if you’ve never had any contact with those people in any other online or offline venue. Look at the friends of your friends. This is an excellent way to grow your network as well – the thing that you have in common is the original friend.
Just remember that every person you add to your network is a potential customer, a customer, or a business associate, and you definitely want your network to grow as large as possible, as quickly as possible to get the most benefit from FaceBook.
If you don’t have friends added to your friends list, being a part of a social networking site is rather pointless. On FaceBook, you can be average or you can be a super star. Obviously, since you are using FaceBook for marketing or business purposes, you want to be a superstar. You can achieve that status in as little as 30 days, but it does take a time commitment on your part.
First you should note that if you have fewer than 200 friends on FaceBook, this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s an average thing. However, again, you want superstar status, so this won’t do for you.
Once you have 500 friends, you are considered to be popular, and people will gravitate to you, and when you have between 800 and 1000 friends, you’re essentially a FaceBook celebrity. Eventually, that’s what you should be working towards, but for now, let’s concentrate on becoming popular, with 500 friends.
Do not use automated software that adds friends to your FaceBook friends list. This defeats the purpose of social networking. Instead, do it the ‘hard way’. You will come to realize that the hard way really isn’t hard at all.
The first thing to do is to join all of the Internet Marketing groups that you can find. There are plenty of them out there. Each time you join a group, send a friend request to all members of that group.
Not all members will accept the request, but the majority of them will. This can be a little time consuming, but it is well worth the effort in the end. This should easily net you 200 to 300 friends. Try to add at least 30 new friends each day, for the full 30 days.
Once you’ve exhausted the IM groups, find other groups that are related to your business. For example, if you are in the personal development group, find those personal development groups, and start adding members as friends.
Use your existing website to get more friends, as well as your blog. Post your FaceBook badge on your website and blog. Make a blog post and invite your readers to add you as a friend on Facebook. If you twitter, tell your followers to add you on FaceBook. If you have a mailing list, send out a note and invite them to join you on FaceBook.
Again, it does take a concentrated effort on your part, but it is well worth it in the end, and if you are dedicated, you absolutely will have more than 500 friends in less than 30 days, and if you want that superstar celebrity status at FaceBook, you can continue to add new friends for an additional 30 days to reach that goal.
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