Mindset – The First Element To Any Plan
Before one can implement or even devise a solid plan, be it online or off, one needs to have the proper mindset.
But what is mindset? And how does one achieve it?
Mindset is determination to accomplish a specific goal or task. Typically, motivation plays a big role in solidifying ones mindset.
Let’s say I want some dinner. I have no food in the house. My mind is set on getting something to eat. Where is my motivation? Well, I could be getting hungry. I know if I don’t get something I’m going to become more and more hungry eventually.
I can dream about a steak dinner any time, but if I’m not hungry I’m not likely to do much about it.
It is one thing to dream about making things a reality. But without some kind of action and necessary motivation, many things remain just dreams.
The beginning of many plans starts with looking inside oneself and asking the basic question. What do I want?
You have to be very specific with this answer. The more specific, the better one can plan and analyze what is needed to accomplish a goal.
One of the next steps is to actually write down this goal. For some it is also a good idea to write down that motivation as to remind oneself why they are doing what ever it is they intend to do.
In order to nourish and keep a mindset focused, repetition comes into play. Daily reading of these goals can most certainly help one stay on track and in the right direction.
Visualization can also work wonders. If you tell yourself something over and over, and actually see it in your minds eye, it becomes a truth for you.
Once you know what you want, and can see it coming true, it’s time to start writing. You can start with writing out the end goal, and in the fashion of a backwards planner you write down the steps you took to get there. Fill in as much as you can – and once you’ve written as much as you can simply reverse the order to see where it is you need to start.
Don’t worry if there are holes in your initial plan. These are now clear areas you need to work on and can work out the details of before you get there.
Don’t wait to fill in the gaps before you begin. Just start the plan, and remember that your plan will be somewhat fluid and there is always room for improvement or change – as long as it leads you to that end goal.
Originally posted 2010-11-16 12:25:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
IM Sutra Bonus – Infoproduct Creation And Marketing Course
While there are many ways to make money online, ultimately owning your own product is really the best case scenario. I recently had a chance to review IM Sutra – an infoproduct marketing course.
IM Sutra takes you by the hand with step by step videos that will show you just how to find the right niche to promote, to creating a product that niche is craving, and setting it up to sell in several formats for ultimate marketing success.
The course does go into SEO, but because the course covers so much ground already it is just a basics course on traffic and search engine optimization.
Looking into the course, I was able to find a complete rounded course, and have created a private members site which begins with roughly over ten hours of video on proper SEO – not just the basics of it but the how to actually do it.
Let’s face it – no matter what you are marketing and selling or what monetization model you decide to follow you will ultimately need traffic.
Here is a video about my bonus, and where you can find it:
If you are looking to create a long term business on the web that you can really set on autopilot, I can’t recommend IM Sutra enough.
You can learn more about IM Sutra if you click here.
And to get in on my IM Sutra bonus click here.
Originally posted 2010-01-29 09:28:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Your Primary Website – What Form Is Best For You?
Not all websites are built the same. Browsing around the internet one can find static html sites, blogs, forums, ecommerce and a variety of membership sites. Each of these share some common elements, but function and run very differently. Selecting the model that is right for you can be a bit tricky sometimes.
The oldest form and most simple is a static html site. HTML stands for hyper text markup language. This is a special defined code of characters that allows you to create links on your web documents. Very simply, you can create any kind of text document and by incorporation of this special code your pages can be woven together. This allows the user to find all the pages associated with your website – as well as outside sites you may be linking to. HTML also allows you to add different types of media to your site. If you have for instance a video on your web page, the actual video file will be located in it’s own folder. Html acts like a map which pulls the information from the stored file where it can work to play on your page and be displayed with all kinds of different elements. Static sites display in what ever order you create them to. Each page needs to be created one by one. Some elements that carry through on every page like a menu or a banner can be managed with CSS or a cascading style sheet. This sheet includes style commands that are consistent on your entire html site. It will tell all the pages created to put specific elements in the same place on each page. This can speed up the creation of your site and give it a consistent feel.
Blogs are run with what is called a CMS or content management system. This is a pre built machine like system that greatly benefits the user by assisting them in where the content will go and then assembling it for them. Once you know what the buttons and gadgets do on your CMS, you can quickly assemble web pages with different types of media and almost no knowledge of html. The CMS assists in creating links for you, and allows the user to upload and manipulate pictures and other media most times with basic knowledge of how a word processor works. WordPress is one of the top CMS systems to use and has a huge support system. Blogs are just as valid as sites built on html, and are known primarily for displaying their content in reverse chronological order.
Online forums allow a community to openly communicate with each other. Forums are run on scripts and give a specific set of tools for the visitor to use to share their information. Permissions given can be dictated by the owner of the site.
Ecommerce sites run on scripts that assist in displaying products in a store like fashion. Pictures and descriptions can be added to a site, and shopping carts can be integrated for the end user to assemble a variety of items they’d like to purchase.
Membership sites can be created in numerous ways. They can be a simple place where users download some materials, or as complicated as a combination of static pages, blog, and a forum for members to assemble. Scripts like Joomla are run on a CMS and allow an easy integration of all these elements through the addition of modules or plugins.
How do you decide which to use? This choice should be made with the thought of the end user in mind. You may wish to consider which is the best way to deliver your content or services in a way that your guests will get the most out of them. Before deciding which model to follow, take some time to browse the web and discover how others are delivering their content. Specifically, research your own niche and how the competition is doing things. Do their sites feel warm and inviting, and easy to navigate?
The sooner you’ve selected a platform to create your site, the sooner you can begin to build your little empire.
Originally posted 2009-10-01 08:49:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Free Marketing Plan
Filed under: Free Plan Review, Membership Sites, Micro-Continuity
Is it really possible to find a free marketing plan? Yes! Absolutely.
Internet marketing plans can be found all over the web. It is only a matter of knowing where to look and knowing what you are looking for exactly.
Internet marketing itself can be divided up into many different categories and niches. Not every plan will be the right plan for what you are setting out to do.
One such absolutely free marketing plan to consider is the Micro-Continuity plan. This particular plan is one of many that revolves around creating a quick niche membership site.
As part of the promotion for Micro-Continuity, an ebook giveaway provides a detailed case study which actually gives away the full plan. This case study not only gives away the plan, but goes into much more depth as a full 34 page report – giving some very detailed notes of smaller actions required within the general outline.
The plan is explored completely with a case study done with student “Joy.” She had absolutely no experience in marketing online, yet managed to create her own product using video and even more impressive is the product she is promoting has absolutely nothing to do with the internet marketing niche.
Finding a plan for a proper membership site is not the easiest – but if you’d like to explore the possibility of creating your own mini sized membership ongoing stream of income, this is definitely worth the time to download. Even for someone who is not considering creating a members site, there are some great ideas which can be applied to the many different plans out there.
While some would argue “you get what you pay for,” in my review of the materials given away this is truly a diamond for those who take action.
To get your free marketing plan simply visit microcontinuity.com/joy.
Originally posted 2009-06-20 11:56:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Internet Marketing Plan Overview
The term internet marketing covers a wide of variety of online opportunities for entreprenuers and established businesses to explore in the sale and or development of old and new ideas using the world wide web.
Just as it’s done in the offline world, an online plan or strategy can be the difference between success or failure. With so many ways to tap into the online market it is advisable to investigate as many options as possible before jumping into a project.
One of the first obstacles that must be understood is the overall navigation of the web and the habits of the search engines. No matter which plan or strategy you choose, a brief understanding of SEO will enable you to set the proper foundations for a long term profitable successful business.
Another consideration when deciding on how to proceed with an online business is selection of a niche. Brave entreprenuers planning to venture in with unique idea are wise to conduct some preliminary market research to see if their contribution will be well received by the public. At the same time, some things you would never expect to work or happen can become an overnight success when properly advertised and presented to the public. Ever hear of the pet rock or mood rings?
With niche selection and SEO comprehension behind, there are still many considerations to follow and each idea will have a slightly different plan of attack – although there are in place some general formulas that can get anyone going in the right direction. Once you are able do decipher the formula best suited for your business, it is a simple matter of filling in the smaller details and seeing a project to completion.
A proper internet marketing plan can keep you on track and your ultimate goals in sight.
Originally posted 2009-06-15 09:37:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Sidewiki – Three Ways to Block it from your Website
Sidewiki is a new Google browser sidebar that was created to allow users to contribute information to web pages. Appearing like a mini forum down the side of a website, passers by with a Google account and the toolbar installed can leave comments relative to your site and see comments left by others. Sidewiki is more than just social bookmarking as the comments appear directly on pages within an iframe. The debate is on about if this new technology will truly create an informative interactive contribution to the internet, or if it is just a giant graffiti board for competing businesses and spammers. Currently there is not an opt out option for webmasters who may not choose to participate in Googles Sidewiki program. There are however 3 ways you can use to remove visible Sidewiki comments from your site.
The new wiki does not currently work on SSL or Secured Socket Layer protected web sites. SSL sites are those that use the https: in the beginning, with an S for secure. These are sites that have purchased a special certificate which requires the owner of the site to verify specific personal information and gives a sense of security to the user that their information submitted and use of the site is in the hands of someone who will take care of it. Certificates can be purchased as a one off or can be bought in bulk for those who own more than one site. The cost can range anywhere from ten to one hundred dollars for each certificate, and only one certificate per site can be used. While this is currently the most effective way to avoid the Sidewiki comments on your site, it can be extremely cost prohibitive if you are in a position to protect several websites. There is also speculation on the web that Google is working to fix the bug that prevents use of sidewiki on their sites.
A code is available to add to your website that will kick off users who have a Google Toolbar installed. Webmasters need to install this code on all of their websites in order for it to work. When a visitor using Google Toolbar comes to your website they are directed immediately off to a page that instructs them to uninstall the bar in order to see the contents on the site. While this method is highly effective, a site owners traffic is drawn away from the website and presented with uninstalling the toolbar which ultimately can distract them from returning once the task is complete. Those who do not want to deal with the hassle may choose to avoid the website altogether.
With the great demand for alternate solutions, programmers have developed Sidewiki blockers. The blocker uses a little javascript code which the webmaster can install on their site. When a visitor goes to a web page, the tool bar is unaffected and the Sidewiki is still visible to them. What does happen is if a user leaves a comment in the wiki panel it is only seen by the current visitor who left the comment and upon them leaving the page the comment is sandboxed or tossed off the page. This makes it impossible for visitors to carry on a conversation on the iframe, and makes comments left by competing business or spammers to be invisible all together. A blocker code can be purchased one time and used on as many sites as the webmaster chooses.
Only time will tell if this new message board will become a smash hit with web users or just a tool used by spammers and competing business to destroy reputable brands on the web. Webmasters can now choose from these three solutions should they choose to not risk the great possibility of fallout from Sidewiki.
Click here for Swiki Blocker, a reusable Sidewiki blocker you can install on all your sites in seconds. You can find out more information on the possible dangers facing your unprotected websites at http://swikiblocker.info
Originally posted 2009-10-04 09:20:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The Role of Niche Selection
The role of niche selection is the first and foremost important decision to creating your internet marketing plan. Simply defined, the niche is your area of expertise. Defining your area will be necessary whether you are planning to sell your own services or the services of others. When deciding a niche, further consideration will be needed to refine into a sub-niche. These initial considerations should be completed before purchasing your domain name.
For example we’ll consider something some may not associate much with the internet – the farming niche. We’ll assume the planner has an interest in farming or owns a farm. Farming would be a valid niche. It is an extremely necessary service that will always be in demand. Someone who owns a farm may want a website to provide information on what their farm sells, while someone with a simple interest in farming may be interested in promoting more of a sub-niche such as farming equipment or seeds, or product produced by the farm.
For the farm owner, the plan will begin with the choice of using branding for the website name. Branding can be given an extra defining factor as well. Instead of “Bob’s Farm” one better thought would be “Bob’s Honey Farm” and even better defined might read “Bob’s Organic Honey Farm.” Keywords within this niche will be important to incorporate into the final selection of a domain name.
As someone who does not own a honey farm but perhaps has an interest in promotion of the honey farm niche, a choice will need to be made as to how far you’ll need to expand within the niche and if this is the only product and or niche you’ll be promoting. If you’re planning to promote organic honey it stands to reason you will want to be the best organic honey promoter there is. You may wish to explore how many ways you’ll be able to promote the organic honey, ie: will you be selling honey available world wide or just within a specific state? If you are promoting a saturated niche, you may be better off concentrating on one geographical area. At the same time, this one area may not be enough to monetize on to full potential. You may decide you will need to add honey related products such as honey spoons, straws, and bears. These considerations should affect your branding and domain choices as well. Instead of branding as “Joys Organic Honey” better considerations may be along the lines of “Joys Honey Spoon” or to even drop the personalization to “New York Organic Honey Suppliers” which could encompass a wider variety of products targeting a specific region.
When deciding a niche, be sure to take the time to research the possibilities within the niche. Your efforts can make the difference in your niche domination and ultimate long term success in your marketing plan. This preliminary work will make the next step into domain selection and keyword research an easier task to accomplish.
Originally posted 2009-06-28 05:58:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
A Great Debate For Viral Marketing – Video Vs Article Marketing
Filed under: Article Marketing, The Big Debate - Article vs Video Marketing, Video Marketing
Marketing campaigns can come in all kinds of flavors. Perhaps one way to stir up some attention is with a Great Debate.
IMP has been inspired to take on a debate, but this battle will have a set time frame and is just one big battle. It is the argument of which is better for conversions – Article Marketing or Video Marketing.
Now in a perfect world you really want to be doing both, and you want to do them in multiple places.
In an attempt to track results, the articles and videos in this experiment will be submitted only to Ezine Articles and Youtube.
Ezine Articles requires unique content, which on a free account that is being used will take up to 2-3 weeks for the articles to be approved. The plan is to submit articles and videos at the same time, as the videos should not be seen by ezine as duplicate content considering they are in video format and technically not readable by the spiders.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using both platforms.
As you know, words are primarily what control the internet. But video and multimedia appear to get some special love from Google.
Some article marketers swear by Ezine, not just because of it’s high page rank (giving you a high ranking link) but because its ability to rank articles quickly within the search engines.
Ezine allows 2 links within the resource box.
Youtube offers the ability to use your video as a video response to someone elses video, while Ezine does not have an article response mechanism in place.
Articles can be crafted in a way for the reader to gently glide into the click, while with a video the user is given a direct URL to type in or is directed to click on a link within the “more info” box.
And videos let you add more info to give a better description of what is taking place in the video.
Products need to be selected for this experiment.
The thought is to use a product that is centered around article marketing as a topic, and a second product that is centered around video marketing.
IMP is still personally debating if a third control product should be added to the mix. A product impartial to article or video which is a simple internet marketing product in general or a side related topic such as public domain, site flipping, using adwords – you get the picture. Perhaps the only topics to be taboo are those not entertained by ezine articles such as electronic cigarettes, and promotion of PLR as a way to get content.
The debate is the topic of the campaign in general, and like any other internet marketing plan it needs to be properly planned out. Work needs to be done to create the materials, and to market them all accordingly.
Updates will be provided here on IMP.
Originally posted 2009-12-03 11:35:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Multiple Streams of Internet Income
No matter which niche or business you are planning to pursue on the web, one thing to take into consideration when creating your marketing plan is a final goal which encompasses multiple streams of internet income. Each model will differ in the streams you decide to incorporate, and not all streams or paths will be appropriate for what you are peddling.
What are these multiple streams and possibilities? As an example, here’s a random yet profitable niche which could make a great business for anyone. The electric fireplace heater.
Now that a product has been revealed, what would be the plan for income streams?
The first and most obvious is the sale of the unit itself. This could be promoted on a store front site and drop shipped or delivered from a store. You may have a store that offers either several brands or one brand with several different models. Irregardless, you will need to decide if you want to just sell the units on your site, or if your primary site will offer adsense and banners. Your ultimate conversions can be affected by these simple choices. For instance, running adsense on your site may get you some out clicks to other products in the associated niche, but these clicks will detract from your real objective to sell your units you currently have. You may wind up making pennies compared to dollars.
Let’s say you’d like to experience adsense, but you really want the goal of your primary site to just sell electric fireplace units. How do you get to tap into this additional income stream?
Limitation on the placement of these ads can be done or you could choose to use your secondary sites for the collection of your adsense revenue. The same is true with banners. While there is money to be made by adding banners to your site, again it will detract from what you are selling on your site – that is unless you are careful to select a banner that is not a competing product but perhaps a complimentary product to the one you are offering.
Secondary sites like Blogger blogs and Hubpages will not only guide you how to get your adsense into place, but will aid in future SEO and can help to bring traffic to your primary site. It can be like getting the most bang for your buck – or in those two particular free solutions for your time. In addition, Adsense is not the only ad marketing network.
What other streams can be added to this niche? How about some Ebay auctions? Something as simple as adding an Ebay store can not only increase your visibility, but can also be used in ones pursuit of listbuilding. While we are at it, what about Amazon? They sell a lot more than just books. And what about that listbuilding thing?
List building basically is a way to collect information on interested consumers who have gained your trust. This list can be used as a future client base to promote many different products to. Of course when approaching this list, you’ll want to keep in mind the primary product this audience was interested in in the first place.
As you can see, there is more than one way to make money from your online efforts with even just one focused niche. Take some time to think outside the box and look for as many ways as you can to monetize and get the most from your efforts. When creating your plan, be sure to keep in mind the additional streams of internet income.
Originally posted 2009-09-15 20:06:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Don’t Drink and GoDaddy
Starting a new business can be really exciting, and you never know when that big idea might strike. But before you get too excited, lock up that wallet until you are truly ready.
I’ve done it myself in the past, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. Relaxing in the evening with friends, perhaps having an elixer and Boom! The idea strikes. “Wow, wouldn’t that make a great idea for a website?” A dash to GoDaddy to see if the domain names are available. “Eurika! This is going to be so cool…”
The next day’s hangover is overshadowed by the grand thoughts of the evening before. A year later it is time to renew the domain – and nothing was ever done with it. There was never any keyword research to begin with and it has no value what so ever.
No matter what your budget is, before you spend a dime there should always be a solid plan in place on what you intend to do with things. It is easy to be persuaded in sales copy by those savvy internet marketers who will convince you what they are selling is the best thing since sliced bread, and that urgency that tickles your inner being tells you if you don’t buy it now your whole business is in jeopardy. Don’t fall for it. At least, not unless it is something that will truly help your business.
Sometimes there are special sales at Godaddy where dot infos are an easy .99 cents. Those too can cause you to lose control – but don’t be misled. There is one reason of which you can forgive yourself. Typically at GoDaddy if you purchase 5 domains in one shot, you get free privacy for all of them. Otherwise that privacy is more expensive to order individually than adding on 4 more dot infos. This would be one reason to snatch some up, but keep in mind it is only free for the first year and when renewals come around you’ll probably want to drop those unnecessary domains as they will jump up to the 10 dollar price to renew.
Before spending anything, go over your internet marketing plan to make sure it is not only within your budget, but that what you are spending on has a real purpose.
Originally posted 2009-12-11 06:29:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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