Sunday, January 31, 2010

Internet Marketing - How to Find the Cash to Survive the "Graduate Gap"

It's a sad fact that as unemployment rises owing to the "crunch", statistics show that one in four of the unemployed will be young people under the age of 25 years. This is particularly worrying for Graduates just about to leave University because the kind of jobs they are qualified for are getting more and more scarce and there are of course many Graduates from last year still unemployed. We have to face the very unpleasant fact that the Government's eye-watering level of borrowing will inevitably mean cuts in Public Expenditure which will, of course, exacerbate the problem.  But-there are a couple of pieces of good news: - The first is that things WILL get better.  A concrete example is the fact that during the '80s there were 4 million unemployed at one point and one day I waved goodbye to my son and four of his friends, all recent Graduates, as they set-off in a beat-up old car for a holiday in Normandy.

Four of them had graduated with 2:1s in Law, Geography, Mathematics, and Languages, and the other had achieved a First in Physics-but none of them had managed to get a "proper" job.
Part-time and voluntary work just didn't pay the bills. Hence the term used in those days "the Graduate Gap".
So what's the good news? The good news is that things improved and they are all now very successful. The trick is not to panic and become too depressed if you find it hard to find good employment. The trick is to make enough money in the downturn until you can establish yourself in a well paid job where you can use the skills and knowledge you have worked hard to acquire to enable you to enjoy an interesting and fulfilling life.
The second piece of good news is: -
You can do this by setting-up your own Internet Marketing business. University Graduates and Students are very well placed to make a huge success in Internet Marketing. They already have the necessary intelligence, learning skills, research skills and computer know-how and many will have some Marketing knowledge from their studies in other subjects. The thing they don't have is the money to fund the start-up costs of their own business. This is where Internet Marketing is ideal because the start-up costs are negligible. So, what can you do?  There are two possibilities: -
1. Suffer all the doom and gloom. Spend all your time worrying about the future and put away what little money you may have in a box under the bed...or
2. Get off your backside and do something about it!! I'm sorry to put that so bluntly but that's what you really need to do. Doing nothing is surely not an option
So, here's chance for you to learn how to do the same and what's more you can get all the information you need absolutely RISK FREE! Internet Marketing costs very little to set up and can give amazing results.
There are many Internet Marketers who have made millions in a very short time. -----Good luck to them.--They are obviously very clever and industrious people. I don't expect that---but it would be nice!! But why not aim a little lower though, say £500-£1000 per month, believe me that's more than possible, and work up from there?  You Don't Need
Premises- -you can do this without leaving the house.
Staff- -you can operate this as a one person business
Time- -you can work when you wish for just as long or as little as you wish
Stock- -you don't need to fill up your Garage with unsold items
Technical know how- -if you can send an e-mail then you can learn this
You don't ever have to meet or contact a customer and
You don't even need a product- - you can sell other people's products.
But--You do need
Attitude--an absolutely positive attitude where you constantly tell yourself--
I WILL succeed!
Determination ---to blast your way through any difficulties no matter what.
An Action Plan----One that enables you to keep focused and to achieve your goals.
Internet Marketing is not a "get rich quick" business, but if you have the right attitude, a willingness to work hard (at least over the first months of the learning curve) and the determination to blast your way through any difficulties, virtually anyone can be successful. If you're a Graduate or a Student struggling to survive in the downturn, I suggest that you give this a try.  Many people, especially young people, have been enormously successful in Internet Marketing. You have absolutely nothing to lose and it is quite possible to build this into a business which will, in future years, give you the kind of lifestyle you wish to achieve.  If you really want to become an Internet Marketer then download your copy of this FREE e-book "How to create a Website by 3.45 this afternoon" right now at http://www.firstwebsitecash.com and have your FREE Website on the web in no time at all. There is also an opportunity to join a membership site recently voted No1 Internet Marketing Service on the net.  May I leave you with a thought,  When opportunity knocks ----open the door!
May I wish you success.
Peter Neves.
Peter Neves is a retired accountant now a successful Internet Marketer who spends his time enjoying his retirement and helping others to make enough money through Internet Marketing to live happily in these difficult times.

How to Find the Hottest Niches For Internet Marketing - 3 Tips For Beginners 
Some people come into the Internet marketing business with a clear plan as to what products or services they want to promote. However, others need to find a popular product that will bring good traffic and conversion. There are hundreds of hot niche markets available but finding them seems to be a mystery that not everyone can solve. Here are three tips for finding the right Internet marketing niche that will bring in the results you want.
Your Passions First
Start your search for a hot niche by brainstorming your own ideas and interests. Next, come up with a list of products and services related to topics that you are knowledgeable about. For example, hobbies, skills, and other interests you enjoy. Most importantly start to find the right marketing niche that you know well, as it will require less research when developing your websites and blogs.  Your blog writing, social networking connections, and advertising will reflect your life's passions. People can read between the lines and will gravitate to you when you love your topic.
Research
Once you have several ideas for niches that you would enjoy promoting, begin doing research. When you research your interests, you will happily do the work.  Find out the subjects potential for profitability. Make lists of keywords and check their frequency of use against the number of search results for the keyword or phrase. If you can find a solid set of keywords that have a high number of searches but a low number of search results, you have landed a good possibility for a hot niche.
Affiliate or Product Production?
Finally, you need to investigate the affiliate programs available for the niches you are considering. Look for products with a high conversion rate and good commission percentage. This will allow you to make the maximum money with each referral that you generate through your marketing efforts.  Your passion driven research may also open the door to a bright idea of what's missing. When you know you have the answers, you know where to begin making your own products to market.  Get "FREE "8 Easy Step-by-Step Solutions to Make Money Online" at http://SimpleStepSolutions.com. Reduce your learning curve for free and make money faster.  FUNDING: If you need funding and help making products, go to http://MillionaireMarket.com for help making your dreams reality.

Internet Marketing Dos and Dont's
When first starting out as an Internet marketer, advice will come flying at you from all angles. Sorting through everything to figure out just how to do Internet marketing can be challenging, but here are a few simple dos and don'ts that will help you when you are learning the ropes.
• Do use social media wisely - Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook can be wonderful tools that can help you to grow your business, however they can also become a serious waste of time if used improperly.
• Do keep things simple - Long, overdone website addresses and overly complex websites will usually get you no where. Composing an easily remembered attractive website while simple design will be the best way to bring people in and keep them on your site.
• Do use quality content - Content will always be king on the Internet. Well-written informative articles and pages are the best way to establish your credibility with those that land on your site.
• Do promote wherever possible - Use the signature line on your email messages, forum posts and website profiles to promote your websites. This kind of passive advertising is a great way to introduce your service to connections that may not have even been searching for you.
• Don't jump the gun - When starting up, you might be anxious to get your site in front of people and start making money resist the temptation. Make sure your site is complete before launching it to the world.
• Don't spam anyone - You don't like finding spam in your in box and neither do your potential customers. It is probably easier to make money on the Internet without spamming people than by using spam tactics.
• Don't forget about the customer - Know your products and be sure that they offer value and function to your customers. Make sure any programs you work with have reputations for good customer service before promoting their products.
• Don't bite off more than you can chew - Start small until you get your feet wet in the Internet marketing world. Taking on saturated markets or too many products at once is a recipe for disaster.
There is a lot to learn in the world of Internet marketing, but by following sound advice, anyone can make a career in the business. It just takes a little time, hard work, and dedication.  Get "FREE SEO tips and "Internet Marketing Do's & Don'ts" at http://SimpleStepSolutions.com. Reduce your learning curve for free and make money faster.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Success Management - The Three Keys to True Success Management!
Success management is essential to reaching your goals. Without a doubt, people overlook the key concept that success must be managed. It is especially crucial to know the three KEYS if you want to achieve the results you have in mind. You absolutely need to understand and employ these three things with proficiency:
  1. No success management strategy is complete without a GOAL. Absolutely all successful business owners and leaders have a GOAL. This is a written down, imprinted in your mind, description for what you want to achieve. In my experience, the most successful people have an extremely strong goal that is well defined.
  2. What is a goal without a plan? The PLAN is extremely important for your personal success management. Whether it is on-line success that you seek or just simply general success in life, you must have a road map and a PLAN for how you are going to get there. Your plan should map out how you will achieve your goals both in the short term and in the long term.
  3. MENTORING is the third and in my opinion the most important aspect of success management. Every great leader and teacher had to start with nothing. At one point they had no knowledge or training. Yet, in order to succeed they had that one person who trained them and gave them the MENTORING that was essential. If you read the biography of any successful person you will almost undoubtedly find the name of their mentor displayed prominently. Truly, I believe that mentoring is the cornerstone of a leaders foundation.
Definitely, success management starts with a goal but it must include a plan and comes full circle with mentoring. Certainly, by combing all three of these elements it is possible to attain success. Above all though, Mentoring is the foundation for success. I encourage anyone who wants to achieve their long-term goals to find a good Mentor.  Will Schumacher is and expert marketer who teaches people how to create wealth using the power of the internet and network marketing. For more ADVANCED training and mentoring visit: SevenFigureMentor

How to Generate Sales Leads - 21 Lead Generation Ideas You Can Execute Today
There's a lot of misconception and controversy about list building and lead generation. If you're not a guru and don't have an access to one-then you can easily get confused about what works and what doesn't when it comes to generating sales leads online. I would like to clear up all the fallacy and give you a list of ideas you can execute to generate targeted leads (free and paid) ASAP. What I share in this post is not a concrete and absolute truth. I can only speak about my ow experience as an internet marketer. If I say that something doesn't work-it means it didn't work for me. On the other hand, if I say that something does work-don't assume that it will work for you 100%. This post is only to get your head moving in the direction of the list building truth. You should test what works before you do anything else.

1. Streaming Video Syndication
Anyone who's hooked to an internet connection, even if he lives in Zambia or Uganda, knows what YouTube is. Video sharing networks are a fantastic place to generate sales leads. Videos can be easily embedded into your website, shared on Twitter, Facebook and other Social Networks and have a much higher perceived value then written text. Many Internet Marketing experts say that streaming video is the future and I say that their hunch is just. Video allows you to connect with your clients even before they meet you, email you or talk with you on the phone. After watching only one clip featuring you-they feel instant empathy towards you which multiplies your chances of closing the deal on the backend.

2. Article Marketing
Contrary to a huge misconception Article Marketing isn't dead.
Amount of sales leads you generate using Article Marketing depends on:
* How Good Is Your Headline
* Quality Of Your Articles
* Author Bio Box Click Trough Rates
* Keyword Research
Article Marketing is still one of the most popular ways of lead generation online. The reason it's still one of most notorious lead generation approaches is because it's free and because it works. It works for me, it works for many of my colleagues and it should work for you too (if you don't screw it up).

3. Blogging
Blogging is my personal favorite lead generation strategy of all times. I find blogging fun, rewarding and profitable but it's a lot harder than it looks. Behind every great blog there's a great marketer. Blogging is much harder than any other lead generation method because it takes much more then writing quality articles couple of times a week. Don't be scared though, because with hard work comes great pleasure and huge success! Blogging may very well be the only lead generation strategy you'll ever need (e.g: John Chow, ProBlogger, CopyBlogger). Blogging can be much more than a lead generation strategy-it can and should become a separate income stream for you and your business. Powerful and Influential blog is not a chore-it's an asset. The difference between a blog and a squeeze page is that a squeeze page on and of itself isn't worth anything while blog does. Through a blog you can setup numerous lead generation sources and utilize them all at once-without spending a fortune on paid traffic. Besides, blogging is so popular now that every major corporation started one. Isn't about time you catch up?

4. Joint Ventures
Joint Venture is a mutually beneficial agreement that takes place between two parties. For instance, if you have a product but don't have a big list, you can approach a person with a list and offer a JV in a form of giving away 50% commission off every sale to be made. Joint Ventures are actually the number one strategy the gurus use to do big launches. They approach their friends and colleagues 2-3 weeks prior to launch and personally invite them to do a promotion. The next thing you know, every marketer on the planet talks about the launch and it's a success. If you're just starting out, you probably don't have a big list or a product (or both) so you might think that JVs are not for you. This is another misconception. Joint Ventures aren't only done on product-list-commission basis. JVs can take many forms: instead of offering a commission you can offer a service or something of value to that particular party.

5. Ad Swaps
An advertisement swap or ad swap is simply an arrangement where you agree to put up someone else's ad on your site or email newsletter in exchange for them doing the same. This is a perfect strategy for startupreneurs with small lists, because it's all about equality. You can easily find list owners with similar list sizes and exchange promotions.
Requirements for a successful Ad Swap:
* High Converting Ad Copy. Test your Ad Copy with your own list or paid traffic to develop the highest converting email template you can use to maximize the results of each Ad Swap.
* Equal Traffic And Exposure. It's important to make sure list sizes of both parties are equal or similar in size because otherwise the exchange can't be fair.
* High Relevancy. Ad Swaps should be done with list owners who are involved in similar or relevant niches.

6. Forum Marketing
Forums are another great place to generate leads, build authority and generate traffic. Forums can be used not only to build a list but also for building profitable relationships with other business owners which can lead to Ad Swaps, Joint Ventures and other profitable activities. Not all forums were made equal. Choose carefully-some of them aren't worth your time. Use these criteria to hand-pick your favorites:
* Size-forum needs to be big. A minimum of 2000 active members online at all times. If you can't find a forum this big, go for the next big thing or start your own forum.
* Activity-another important quality for a forum to serve a good lead generation tool. If a forum isn't active-it's the same as dead.
* Moderation-forum should be strictly moderated by an administrator to keep it clean of SPAM and useless entries. That way the content stays fresh and has a higher perceived value by the crowd.
Use your signature file to drive traffic to your capture page, where you offer some incentive for signing up. Provide quality content, helpful answers and link to your blog once in a while with a helpful article that is related to the discussed topic. Don't SPAM! Your forum profile is extremely important. Fill in all the necessary information and add as much descriptive details as possible. Post links to your social profiles on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc and don't forget to leave a link back to your blog for the curious once. Did I mention that you shouldn't SPAM?

7. Social Media
It's no secret that Social Media is on the rise. Twitter is spreading faster than news about the swine flu. Facebook has grown twice the size of MySpace and has no intention to stop. Use them to grow your business.

8. Guest Blogging
Guest Blogging is arguably the best way to generate new leads. By guest blogging on other blogs that are equal or greater in size you increase your marketing reach tremendously. Guest blogging traffic is more likely to subscribe because these people conditioned to trust you more than a regular visitor who is defensive about your marketing.

9. Reciprocal Link Building
Reciprocal link building is similar to Ad Swaps only instead of email newsletter the parties exchange links on their site. Party A links to Party B and Party B links to Party A. That way both parties receive an incoming link and traffic which they can convert into leads. This strategy is extremely popular amongst bloggers, however it is also useful for Thank You and Download pages.

10. Banner Ads
In his book "Purple Cow" famous Marketer and Author Seth Godin says that banner ads aren't effective. On the other hand, Internet Marketing Guru Frank Kern believes in the total opposite. My experience proves that banner ads aren't as effective as we want them to be but they generate leads never the less-otherwise you wouldn't see so many of them...everywhere! Banner ads are also effective (and cheap) because they are placed outside the content area of the website. Usually it's either the sidebar or header-either way, no matter where the visitor lands-he can see them and there's a chance he'll click on them. If you're going to use banners (chances are that you are already), make sure to set up some kind of tracking software that will help you in identifying which banners work best, where's the highest click through rate and how many leads were generated of each specific unit.

11. PPC For Search
Pay Per Click is known to be the fastest way for driving targeted traffic to a page if you have the money to invest. PPC has evolved far beyond Google, Yahoo and MSN. Today you can buy PPC ads on Facebook, as well as drive paid traffic to your YouTube videos. I am not an expert in paid traffic, frankly, because I have never paid for traffic-I used SEO to get my blog on the map. Partially because I didn't have the money and partially because I refused to believe that paying for traffic is the way to go. My perception shifted since then. I believe that PPC is the way to go. We see all the major companies prove it over and over again. Even Google, which is the most visited site in the world, uses PPC to advertise Chrome and other related products. Many advertisers are afraid of PPC because of the famous Google Slap. I say, don't listen to those idiots because they don't know how to advertise with Google. Just like any other advertising network, Google has a set of strict rules and guidelines. If you're getting slapped by Google it means that you're breaking the rules and Google is simply punishing you for being stupid. Bottom line is-paid traffic works and it doesn't cost as much as people lead you to believe.

12. PPC For Content
Basically it is the same as Google Adwords or Yahoo Paid Search only your ads are displayed on relevant Google publishers' pages instead of the SERPs. It's hard to say which source of paid traffic is more effective, but if you're not using both-you're definitely leaving leads on the table.

13. Search Engine Optimization-SEO
Search Engine Optimization-the silver bullet 99% of internet marketers are after. They used to say that if you're on page one of Google for your keyword-you're destined to make tons of sales. It sounds logical, because when you think about it: a prospect searches for something and finds you. Your social proof and authority rises and now it's a matter of time before you close the sale. That would be true if people were stupid, but since people are evolving beings, now it's not enough to dominate the SERPs, it's also important to match that domination with a compelling copy, structure and marketing. I used to work with a client that would generate 150 unique visitors a day to his travel website using only SEO. He had position #4 for a related term and thought he was the king. His sales stats showed him he was wrong. He hadn't any. Why? His website was bright and shiny, slick design and he even had a call to action. However he failed to generate the much needed empathy and connection with his visitors which resulted in astonishing 80% bounce rate and visitor to lead conversion of 0.6%.

14. Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking is a way for users to store their favorite websites or bookmark them online for easy reference. You can generate a fair amount of leads using this strategy. If your content makes it to the front page of a major social bookmaking website such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc you will get s**t load of visitors in a matter of hours. Social Bookmarking is also used for link building purposes to improve SEO rankings, but don't confuse it for a useless method of link submission. You can get traffic even if you don't get on the first page. It's all about how good is your content and how many people you can get to support you. Social Bookmarking is like a huge traffic getting snow ball on a top of a hill. It doesn't present much danger if it's motionless, but if you get couple of people and push to over the edge, it will grow in size and pick up speed until it hits something. If you want your snow ball to roll down the hill and pick up speed, the first step is to make the snow ball attractive and worth pushing down. Focus on the content first, and then assemble a social bookmarking support group to help you push it down the traffic getting hill.

15. Rent-a-List
Your list is small, you don't know SEO and you're afraid of approaching PPC. Why not Rent-a-list? There are list brokers that will rent you a list you can market to. I have never used this strategy myself, but there are good responses about it on the forums, so I thought you'd like to know.

16. Webinars
Webinars are great for lead generation purposes because they have a higher perceived value then a PDF report or an audio recording. For me, webinars proved to convert as high as 50% listener-to-sale, which is outstanding. I believe it happens because on a webinar you share a lot of information and you do it in "person". It's happening live whether the prospects visits or not and it elevates your social status by showing your prospects that they are not alone-there are more people who think you're cool too!

17. Podcasting
Podcasting is similar to online video syndication only it's in an audio format and there are different networks of syndication for them. Podcasting is great for doing interviews with experts, getting them to spill useful information for your readers in exchange for exposure opportunity. You can also say that it is similar to webinars only it's recorded and posted later as a listenable audio or a downloadable file.

18. Safelists
Although the name sounds safe, Safelists should be avoided, because they are far from being a safe lead generation strategy. The idea behind a Safelist is getting people to join the Safelist and refer other people so the Safelist grows into one huge list of people who are interested in promoting things to each other. Only sometimes things get out of hand and a lawyer receives your offer, tells you he did not subscribe and sues you.

19. Traffic Exchanges
Traffic Exchange is a network of website owners who surf each other sites to increase traffic. They don't work anymore...move on.

20. Software and Plugins
Developing a piece of software or a plugin that's useful is also proven to generate leads (and donations) effectively. Many WordPress Designers use plugins as a way of attracting visitors to their websites, make sales and get donations. To become a viral explosion, your software has to solve a major problem your prospects have. Otherwise it's just a useless piece of code no one gives a damn about.

21. Press Releases
Press Releases are effective in getting you on top of the search engines quickly for a short period of time. They are used to announce a release of a new product or other breaking news. I am not an expert on Press Releases because I've never written one in my life, but you can visit John Cow, he knows Press Releasing inside and out.
What now? You should take some time to digest this information and first thing tomorrow-implement at least 3 of the strategies mentioned above!  Key is to take action. Feed your stallions, shoot the ponies! Find out what works and capitalize on it!  Get More Internet Marketing Tips.