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.
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
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 Press Release Can Get You Exposure On New Products
Are you looking for more ways to get exposure other than just a Free Article Submission Service? How about a Free Press Release?
While articles are a great way to spread the word about what you are offering, the power of the press release is often overlooked by internet marketers. News organizations typically search press release sites over article directories when looking for the latest trends or fresh hot topics.
Creating a good press release is slightly different from just writing articles. While articles tend to focus on solving a particular problem, a press release presents the world with a new and exciting discovery or an update to an event.
If you are presenting a new product to the market, a press release can be one of your best new allies in getting a boost in exposure and a proper introduction on how you’d like your product to be portrayed.
Possibly one reason many shy away from using a PR in their initial campaign is the fear of the cost. While some press release sites can cost hundreds of dollars, you should know there are premium high traffic sites such as http://www.free-press-release.com that offer you submissions totally free of charge.
When putting together your first (or next) product launch plan, be sure to include your press release to get off to a great start.
Contest at Ezine HAHD
Filed under: Article Marketing, The Big Debate - Article vs Video Marketing
I wasn’t aware that there was a contest at Ezine Articles for 100 articles in 100 days – but looks like I’ll be participating by default. My deadline for the 300 articles is much sooner actually, but the difference is I was not necessarily planning on 400 words for all my articles.
I’m confident somewhere in the mix, a good portion of the articles I am currently writing are going to make that 400 word minimum.
The past two weeks have been spent doing some major research and planning. I have reviewed several article marketing ebooks on speed, subject, selling within articles, and some time was spent creating my topics to cover in each article. With all the preliminary work done, I “should” be able to just jump in and write daily with the goals of each article all preplanned. The next three weeks will be spent in a massive writing frenzy.
Up until now, my record number of articles to write in a day was a measly 5. This of course was slowed because of lack of focus and direction. I have to add, those articles also were well over 500 words a piece, which will not be necessary for this challenge. The day would be spent surfing, looking for topics, and honestly not really having an ideal format in mind for each article.
Things have changed drastically since then, and I feel all for the better.
The past 3 days unfortunately have been a bit of a wash with the holidays here and interruptions of guests, but I am anxious for this coming week where I will not be facing obligations and interruptions.
Yesterday in fact was the first 24 hours in a long time where I did not even log on to the internet (gasp)! This is going to be perhaps the biggest time saver for me.
I am lucky to have my own Macspeech Dictate, which is also going to be a great time saver.
I have fallen in love with a new tool, which I will be giving a review to as one of my articles. It allows me to automatically upload to some article directories, keep track of where specific articles have been submitted, and even upload to my blogs – which is where you want to put your articles first before submitting to the directories. I can create several resource boxes and project folders.
Well, I’ve got a window of time right now to get some more done, so off I go.
Will you be joining the Ezine challenge?
What Does SEO Do For You? Online Offline Comparison
Why do you need to consider SEO when devising a plan for online marketing? One way to describe the ultimate importance is to do a comparison to an offline business.
For this, consider someone who owns a dress shop. We’ll say it’s Nancy’s Dress Shop.
Imagine this. Nancy has a small little dress shop located in the midwest situated on the outskirts (terrible pun) of town. Nancy has just renovated an old building and her shop has just opened for business. It is on a road not well traveled. The shop is absolute stunning inside, she has a wide variety of offerings, and is fully stocked up. But who knows she exists?
In the offline world, Nancy is faced with the issue – how does she get traffic to her little dress store? How will anyone ever find her?
One of the first things she might consider doing is calling up her friend Joy to come by and see her new store. This of course would be considered “word of mouth” advertising. While Joy will buy something from Nancy, she will need to sell more than one or two dresses to stay in business. Nancy needs to get some permanent signs or advertising locally or in the neighboring towns to get the word out that she is open for business. Nancy might do well to get herself listed in the local yellow pages. She might have to put in some money for some highway signs in a more trafficed area. She may also have to give out some free samples to create a buzz.
Now imagine that Nancy has magically found a way to put up signs in all 50 states about her little dress shop and what kinds of things she has to offer. Everywhere you turn around, you see Nancy’s being advertised over and over again. Do you think she might get a few calls? You need a dress – and there you see immediately that Nancy has them.
Online is no different with the exception that advertising and the driving of traffic to you site can be much more cost effective. The more search engine optimization you create, the less and less you pay for advertising. Online, Nancy has the opportunity to associate her name with her products over and over again. The more she does it, the more visibility and traffic she can achieve. SEO is like putting up signs all over the place about what you have and where to find it.
So what does SEO entail?
Like Nancy, you need to create your list of items you have to offer or what it is you want to be known for. Your next step is to simply start dropping those signs all over.
- article marketing
- blogging
- web 2.0 properties
- video
- online directories
- social networking sites
These are all great places to drop your message which ultimately point back to your site. The more you do the more people you can reach.
In addition, the ultimate benefit is if your SEO is done correctly, search engines like Google and Yahoo will take notice and give you a boost in their general search engine rankings.
No matter what niche you pursue, it is imperative that SEO considerations be explored and implemented in your final marketing plan.
Originally posted 2009-09-21 14:01:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Affiliate Marketing to Start Your Business
So, you want to begin your journey into internet marketing, but need a place to start? When you don’t yet own a product or service to sell, affiliate marketing can be a great way to start your business.
Affiliates are basically the middle man between a product and the end user. Odds are if you want to go long term with your internet endeavors you will either become an affiliate or employ them at some part of your journey.
Many of the tasks you will need to perform as an affiliate will be carried into the plethora of other tasks associated with all IM fields.
Affiliate Marketing can be an entire IM business all on it’s own. Everyone has the opportunity to choose from physical or electronic products to promote. The theory is most lucrative of these two are the information digital downloads as they require no shipping, and offer instant delivery to the end user.
Most marketers are drawn to places like Clickbank, Paydotcom, or Ejunkie – but don’t be fooled. These are not the only places to find great quality digital products to promote.
With all internet marketing plans, the most important factor is finding that profitable niche. The same is true with affiliate marketing. To find programs related to your interest all one needs to do is google the name of the niche with the word “affiliate.” Some programs will appear through large vendors while other programs will be quite private. Should you find a private program, be sure to investigate a bit further to make sure the program is legit.
If you are beginning your online ventures with a modest budget, working as an affiliate is probably the only way to start your business with as little as zero investment and possibility of the greatest returns. Of course this will all be reliant on your creativity and ability to adapt quickly to the online world.
If you are still exploring all your possible options, consider diving in to get your feet wet by using affiliate marketing to start your business.
Originally posted 2009-09-18 09:28:42. 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
Ideas for DIY Market Research
Essentially, market research is the gathering of information on the potential consumer to determine their preferences and demand for the market you wish to sell in or promote.
Before selling anything on the web it is a smart idea to do some market research. What does this entail?
Assuming you have identified a niche you’d like to explore, the first step will require finding others who are buyers in that niche and getting their real opinions. If you are planning to create your own unique product this research can be even more crucial to your initial planning.
Hire Out
This is probably the easiest solution, but not the most cost effective for a small start up business. There are a plethora of companies on the web whose primary job is to conduct market research on demand. Some of these companies will already have stored information you may be looking for as well.
Do It Yourself
If you are looking to dip your toes in the water and get a general feel to see if a niche is one you’d like to pursue, there are some simple ways to conduct your own market research.
- Friends and Family – Is there anyone in your immediate circle who uses or needs the product or service you’d like to promote? Hold a meeting with them and get their thoughts.
- Online Polls – Are you on any social networking sites? Throw some questions out to those you are connected with and gather the responses. Twitter is one place you can get some really fast results using a 3rd party polling tool.
- Amazon and Google Trends – Is the product you are looking to promote already on the market? How is it received? Amazon and Google already carry some handy trend tools that can give you a better idea on what the demand will be. This can help you determine if the market will not only be profitable, but how much competition you may have
- Online Forums – Take some time to look for your topic of interest and how it is discussed in some online forums. Can’t find anyone talking about it? If not, you may be headed down the wrong path.
- Post a Question on Yahoo – Want to know who your competition is? Posting the right questions on Yahoo’s Q&A can provide you with answers of how others are currently resolving an issue your product or service promises to fix. You can also search their questions to see how this has been answered in the past.
Taking even just a few hours to conduct a little market research can save you hours or days of fixing a giant mishap in the future.
Don’t Stop There!
Keep in mind, market research is an ongoing process. To keep ahead of the competition and your business growing, include some regular scheduled data collection in your marketing plan. This will help keep your business fluid and growing in the right direction.
Originally posted 2009-09-11 08:50:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
At The Internet Marketing Hardware Store
Filed under: The Big Debate - Article vs Video Marketing, Web Tools
This past week has been spent looking for tools that will benefit me in saving time as well as make my efforts more efficient in general.
I have some exciting new discoveries to share soon – but do want to make sure I give these tools the full run through before letting you in on what is working and what does not. These tools include keyword research, article organization, plugins for blogs, and the list keeps growing.
Finding the right tools for your marketing efforts can take time. There are so many softwares out on the market, and some will take care of one function while others can cover multiple tasks. Figuring out that perfect combination that will save you time, money, and give you the desired results is certainly a job in itself. Typically the type of tool you need will become obvious as your internet marketing journey takes course.
Once finding a tool you think will help you, it can be a whole new ball of wax to take the time to learn how to use it. Practice makes perfect, and giving yourself a reminder of what tools you have on hand when creating your plan can be a good idea.
While it is possible to do a lot of the things these tools do manually, my 300 Challenge I fear would not be possible within the alloted time frame.
Another side note, I use a Macintosh. The tools I will be sharing with you either will work for PC and Mac or just Mac or will run server side. In general, the majority of IM tools tend to run on PC only. This has always irked me. Mac users in particular may find this blog of great use in the future as you will not have to spend the time that I have in finding what will definitely work for you.
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Thanks for Stopping By!