The Internet Marketing Tools that Make Money for You

Internet marketing is a good way make a living online. Through Internet marketing, you can promote affiliate products, sell freelance service or market your website; and in return you can make even more money than you make from your job. But Internet marketing has more competition so you need to be more creative and hardworking.

There are various tools for Internet marketing. These are the tools that can help you market your products successfully. Below are some of the Internet marketing tools available today:

Blog
Blog is one of the powerful Internet marketing tools that most of the online marketers are suggesting these days. Blogging will not cost you anything and it can potentially generate targeted traffic to your page for long term. Starting a blog is free using the blogging platforms like Blogger and Wordpress. Then you can introduce yourself, let other know what you are doing and start posting useful and interesting content that your targeted prospects are interest on. Keep updating your blog with good content to build traffic and creditability.

Once you have blogging for some time, your readers and visitors would have known you and you may then write blog posts about your products or write reviews on the affiliate products that you want to promote to your blog visitors.

Article
Articles are another great way to get exposure for anything that you want to market online. The process of using articles to market your online business isn’t complicated. You start by writing informative articles or ‘how to’ articles that are relevant to your product or business, include your website link in author bio of each of your articles and submit them to online publishing websites.

Your articles mustn’t be written like sale pitches because the online publishing websites and article directories will not accept them. Make your articles easy to read, straight to the point and give some value to the readers. This will make the readers interested to click on your website link to find out more good information from you or know about your offer once they have finished reading your article.

Forum
Whatever product or service you are trying to sell online, there will be forums that are discussing topics related to what you are offering. The forums might not talk about products but what they are discussing and posting have a relation to what you are selling. For instance, say you are promoting online games and they are forums that discuss about how to play online games, the strategies they can use and so on. These forums certainly related to your products. The members of the forums are your potential customers. The question is how to direct these potential customers your site to buy your game products?

Participation is the answer. Joining and participating discussion in the related forums will enable you to establish an image in the forum communities. The key to building a good image in the communities is to contribute useful and valuable information that the members are looking for. Always be helpful in the forums and sharing good tips will gradually build up your name.

Add your website links in the signature line. Since you are providing valuable information frequently in the communities, the members who read you messages will see your link in your signature and probably follow your link to check out what you are offering or to get more useful information from you. So another free targeted traffic source to your business website.

BlinkWeb

This posting is specifically for some of my clients who want a domain name (custom website) but not the technical steps of building a custom website (domain) from scratch.

Blink is the middle ground between having individual websites and a domain / custom website. With Blink you can place multiple websites on one domain website using Blink (free) services. Here’s how.

Step 1
Go to www.BlinkWeb.com & register for a new account

Step 2
Click on home & than Create A New Site


Step 3
What kind of website do you want to create?
Step 4
Create a title for your website












After you click Next you will see this window














Than a new window will pop up and a video will give you basic How To instructions





Step 5
Add your personal content to the website







Step 6
To create a link, click on the green globe like ball on the toolbar. This will bring up a new window. In that window click on website. Enter the www address and click on OK.













Step 7
When you are done click on Save & Review.
The first time you do this you will see this window

• Choose Option 1 if you want a free website
• Choose Option 2 ONLY if you want a custom domain name that IS NOT free.
• Option 3 will download your website to your computer.

>>>>>>I choose -- Option 1 – Free


Choose a subdomain.

What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is an easy way to create a memorable Web site using an existing domain.

Example

Existing domain is www . blinkweb . com
Subdomain is www.cooking.example.com

After clicking Next you will see this

It's been a bad year and it's getting worse It's been a bad year and there are no signs of it turning around any time soon. Layoffs, foreclosures... skyrocketing prices on everything from gas to trash bags... Families drowning in debt and being kicked out of their homes... We've all heard these depressing facts over and over for too long. What I need is some cash in hand right now, and a proven, solid, and sustainable system for putting more cash in my hands in the future. I need the security of knowing that "YES" - I AM going to get some money in ASAP, and NO - it's not just a fly by night system that will be "dead" the next time I try to use it. I need a bomb-proof, bulletproof, recession proof income that's going to stay steady, and grow when I want it to. Here it is ==> Click Here! Introducing Forex Ambush 2.0 100% Accurate Artificial Intelligence Forex Signals! Produces returns in excess of +20,000% annually! Learn how Forex Ambush 2.0 gives you dead-on Forex signals to earn you thousands of dollars per month using an advanced artificial intelligence engine. Imagine what a 20,000% annual return rate can do: 500 turns into 100,000, 1,000 turns into 200,000 and 5,000 turns into 2,000,000 while taking out your profits on each trade! Instantly Signup for Forex Ambush 2.0 Now! Then go pillage and plunder the Forex market! Watch while your bank account becomes bloated and inflated like you've only dreamed of. ==> Click Here! See you on the other side... P.S. It's easy to get a case of "recession depression" but brush it off, no matter how bad it makes you feel. The best way out... is through... ==> Click Here! (Results will vary. The amount of money you could make depends on how much effort you are willing to put in.)

Work at Home With Online Marketing

Author: Jeffrey Goodroad

Over the past decade many people have looked toward alternate ways to bring home the bacon. The world of online marketing has allowed people to do just that.

Being your own boss has its benefits, but the road that allows yourself to work at home can be a rocky one unless you know what to do and how to do it. Online Marketing can be tough, but if done right it gave have great rewards. The best part about online marketing is that there are not a lot of people practicing it in its truest form.

When looking for work at home opportunities, many people get caught up doing things like buying a program that limits the consumer to promoting one product or system. These get rich quick scams really benefit nobody except for the company that created the system. You should never pay to promote somebody else's product or system. Never!

On the other hand, Online Marketing as a whole is a great way to make money online. Instead of focusing on a narrow system put fourth by somebody only looking to better themselves, consumers should look for a system that teaches the in's and out's of Online Marketing as a whole. Then, consumers can take that knowledge and apply it to whatever they choose.

Being in the world of online marketing for the past few years has given me a lot of experience seeing what works, and what does not. One of the best resources without a doubt can be found by going to the website listed below. It offers so much valuable information on just about every aspect of online marketing as a whole. Best of all, It's all video based in high definition, so you can actually follow along while the site's author takes you through each training session. The website does such a good job of covering everything a person should be focusing on when trying to start their online career. What I really like about the site is that it's not some get rich quick scam, but instead provides hours and hours of video based training and only offers suggestion of how to put your newly acquired knowledge to work for you.


People can spend hundreds of hours trying to find good resources online for furthering there knowledge about online marketing by doing the research themselves, but often times they miss important information that can tie in with what they have already learned.. The small price to pay for a one stop resource like the website listed below is well worth it. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way and spent over a year jumping from resource to resource. I came across this site last fall and let me tell you, I was totally kicking myself for not finding it sooner. Even though I felt I had a pretty good grasp of how to go about marketing online, I was still able to pull great information from this website that has only helped me to maximize my time and gave me other avenues to think about.

In my opinion anybody who doesn't start their online learning with a website like this one is just going to end up probably wasting a lot and time and hard earned money. Why hurt yourself and your pocketbook with trial and error. Please, do yourself a favor and use a trusted and complete source of information.

About the Author:
Being involed in online business for several years, the author has gained valuable information and time saving tips that can be used by anyone. SOSearnings.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Work at Home With Online Marketing

"Didd It" another marketing method

"Did It" is another silly time waster but effective marketing method. Basically Did It is a community where you check off things you have done in your life and things you would like to do in your life. Your profile in Did It allows you to list one website along with the standard information such as About Me.

How you use Did It is travel through different parts of the Did It community, click on the check mark if you have done it, click on the thumbs down or thumbs up picture and leave a comment if you like. In the list for Social Networking I listed my profile website address. This is another way to market yourself and your websites.

1) Go to Didd It http://www.diddit.com/

2) Click on Join Diddit

Just enter an email address and password and you're done.
Fill out the information and your ready to start telling people all about you and marketing your website(s).

3) Once logged in click on You

4) Scroll down to About & click on edit

5) Fill out the following areas

a. Name
b. Profile photo
c. Tagline
d. Website/Blog
e. Bio

6) Click on Save

7) Click on Browse

8) Move your mouse over the word Browse. A menu will appear with different categories. Chose one.

9) Click on one of the Featured Lists

10) A new page will appear with 10 different things you can check mark. Click on the check mark and this will bring up a new window. Click on the thumbs up or down and write a comment.
That’s it.

Why do it.

The system is constantly displaying new comments from Diddit users. The more you use it in a single sitting the better chances you have that your profile will come up for everyone to see what you checked marked on and what comment you left. People who see it will see your profile and can click on your profile – this will market your website(s).

Report & benefit from your articles, photos and videos.

NOW PUBLIC

"NowPublic is a participatory news network which mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our world. In twelve short months, the company has become one of the fastest growing news organizations with thousands of reporters in over 140 countries. During Hurricane Katrina, NowPublic had more reporters in the affected area than most news organizations have on their entire staff. In 2007, TIME Magazine named NowPublic one of the 50 Coolest Websites and in 2009, the site was nominated for an Emmy for Advanced Technology."


Go to Now Public

• 
  Click on Join Now Public
• 
  Fill out the form
• 
  We've sent you a message so that you can confirm your account.
• 
  Go to your email and look for Account details for xxxx at The News is NowPublic.com‏ - click on the link
  
  NOTE: Click on Tell me how to get published – this will provide a video on how to get published.

• New window: Congratulations. You've joined NowPublic
  This will provide a video tutorial as well as other related tutorials to help you with your new account. Watch these videos as they will help.
• On at the top right hand corner, click on your user name.
  This will take you to a different page. You can edit any area that has a pink edit button next to it.
• Where the tabs are located you can click on Edit Profile to set up your Now Public account
  
  Fill out the form
  
  a) Add a picture – makes a profile look friendly and welcoming
  b) Url – this is your website address
  c) Title – This is the name of your website
  
  Click on Save Changes
• 
  Click on Edit Settings
• 
  Scroll down to Your PayPal Account Settings
• 
  Type in your email address that you use for receiving money. This will allow other members to Click on Save
  
  Tips & Tricks
  
  * On Channels – you can choose what “channels” you can want to read, watch and or follow. This is a good way to participate and gain fans, followers and readers.
  
  * Click on stories and leave comments on the stories so that others will see your profile.
  
  * Write articles, submit photos and or videos to Now Public to gain readers and fans. You can do that by clicking on
  
  I want to write something and I've got photos and video
  

Café Mom

Marketing within your interests

CafeMom is an ad-supported social networking website specifically targeted at mothers, offering member-generated content such as profiles, journals, groups, photos, and polls.

-- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Go to CafeMom


• Click on Join Now


• Fill out the form


• Optional: Tell everyone why you're here, and CafeMom members -- email your friends and introduce them to your profile and CafeMom
  


• Before joining groups go to Settings


• Click on Your Basics


• Fill out the information such as What should other moms know about you?


• Click on Save

Tips

• On the left is a list of items you can click on to personalize your profile

• Click on Signatures to add a personal Signature message such as your website address.


• Personalize the way your homepage


• Join groups and participate

Earn $$ with WidgetBucks

Facebook Free Marketing Opportunities

The beauty of using Facebook as a marketing tool comes from the endless ways in which you can advertise your business for free. Once you've set up a free account, use your creativity to maximize these features.

1. Profile Page: All Facebook members get their own profile page when they sign up. Use this as your canvas to upload pictures, logos and other information about your company.
2. Groups: Use the site's Groups feature to network with your target audience. You can join existing groups or create one just for your business to amp up the buzz about its services.
3. Facebook Marketplace: College kids use the site's Marketplace to scout out used couches and find roommates, but a savvy business owner can advertise services and product sales, as well as search for new employees.
4. Networks: Ignoring the Networks question when you create your company's profile could lose it a lot of business. List your business's city, industry, neighborhood and any other relevant information to let potential customers and business partners know where they can find you.
5. Facebook Badge: Facebook describes its Badge feature as "a customizable way to share your Facebook information on other Web sites." Creating your own Badge will link Facebook friends to your company's Web site.
6. Events: Instead of printing out flyers and mailers the next time you want to advertise an event, use the free Facebook Events app to get the word out.
7. FunWall: Mass emails are so yesteryear. If you want to keep in close contact with your Facebook friends, use the FunWall to create a message or send a greeting to everyone at once.
8. Top Friends Network: Reward your top friends by sending them a virtual drink or writing on their FunWalls. As a marketing tool, the Top Friends network serves as another way to group your contacts, keep an eye on your target demographic, and quickly and effectively reach out to your company's best customers.
9. Inbox: Send secure, private messages to your clients on Facebook with the Inbox app. You can still send out mass messages, but only to the contacts you select.
10. Notes: Mashable! calls Facebook's Notes application a blogging feature because of the way users post links, messages, photos and other information that they want to share with friends. Even if you maintain a blog elsewhere, give your Facebook friends an exclusive peek into your company's news and behind-the-scenes schedule by posting here.
11. Contact Importer: The contact importer helps you "find your friends on Facebook." If you want to find out if your clients or other work-related contacts use Facebook but think it's a little lame to come right out and ask, upload your contacts from AIM, Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and more to find out if they're online.
12. Share Partners: When you publish updates to your company blog or Web site, add the link or a link and a photo to your Facebook profile using the Share Partners app.

101 blog tips

1. Make a long-term blog planning
2. Breakdown this long-term plan into several short-term blog plans
3. Brainstorm for the perfect domain name
4. Make sure your domain is free from trademark issues
5. Find the best web hosting company
6. Make a secure Webhost or CPANEL password (use characters such as !#$@_+)
7. Use Wordpress
8. Have a secure but memorable Wordpress password (use characters such as !#$@_+)
9. Always upgrade your wordpress script and wordpress plugins
10. Always backup your files
11. Choose a unique wordpress theme (It’s OK to buy one, but customize it uniquely)
12. Install All in one SEO Pack plugin
13. Install Top Commentator Plugin
14. Install Google Sitemap Plugin
15. Install a contact us plugin
16. Have a page for your link partners
17. Spy and learn from great blogs in your category
18. Submit your blog to high pagerank blog directories
19. Write articles for EzineArticles and link them to your blog
20. Don’t publish the above articles in your blog
21. Make relevant comments to relevant blogs
22. Reply to your commentators
23. Visit the blog and comment back to your commentators
24. Socialize in Facebook
25. Be active in Twitter
26. Create viral videos with your link and publish them in YouTube
27. Socialize in BlogCatalog and MyblogLog
28. Register in Flickr
29. Participate in high pagerank forums and put your blog link in your signature
30. Have a mailing list (use Feedburner or Aweber)
31. Respect the privacy of your subscribers
32. Monetize with Adsense or direct space advertising
33. Make your ads relevant to what you are blogging
34. Don’t overdo advertising
34. Publish timely post
36. Publish timeless lasting posts
37. Publish list post
38. Publish posts that will help to solve the problems of your readers
39. Proofread your posts
40. Make a term of use/ privacy policy / disclaimer page
41. Publish at least twice a day post when you only have less than 50 posts in total
42. Publish at least once a day post when you only have 50 to 250 posts
43. Publish at least five times a week when you have 250 or more post
44. Monitor your Google Pagerank, Alexa Rank, Compete Rank, Quancast Rank
45. Check your backlinks and study how to improve them
46. Don’t be disappointed by your early rankings – be challenged
47. Optimized the file size of your images
48. Be humorous
49. Make your readers excited
50. Reward your visitors
51. Write what you really know
52. Write what you really love
53. Write what you really hate
54. Innovate
55. Learn guerilla marketing and viral marketing
56. Learn basic html, php, java script, css, photoshop (understand what your are copying and pasting)
57. Invest in useful scripts and softwares (a premium wordpress theme is an example)
58. Outsource jobs where you are not expert to do so
59. Invite guest posts
60. Make sure guest posts are only published exclusively in your blog
61. Try interview posts from popular and interesting people
62. Try podcasting
63. Write and create your own ebook
64. Offer this for free to your visitors (require only email subscriptions)
65. Post reviews of top blogs in your category
66. Learn SEO
67. Promote your blog offline
68. Optimize your blog’s title
69. Optimize your blog’s description
70. Optimize your blog’s keywords
71. Optimize your blog’s permalink
72. Be consistent in what you blog for
73. Encourage your readers to bookmark your blog or post to top social sites (e.g., digg,stumbleupon,delicious,reddit)
74. Don’t forget to be attractive and interesting in your about page
75. If your blogging business, have a corporate look Wordpress theme
76. For transparency, publish your monthly income and blog statistics
77. Organize your categories
78. Make your blog user friendly
79. Be friendly and create lasting relationships with your visitors
80. Take note the ideas that comes to your mind
81. Share freebies or discount coupons
82. Experiment with contests
83. Avoid unnecessary link posts
84. Mention your reference / sources
85. Use pingbacks and trackbacks
86. Don’t overweight your blog
87. Don’t stop studying and learning
88. Ask your readers
89. Enable dofollow in your blog
90. Don’t expect bloggers to click at your adsense ads
91. Review products that you really used
92. Consider branding your blog
94. Make a great logo
95. Register your copyright and trademarks
96. Experiment with Google Anaytics
97. Be futuristic
98. Write posts from your real experiences
99. Write posts from your innermost reflections
100. Don’t quit
101. Don’t stop from here

Google search-based Keyword Tool

To find hot niches you can also utilize Google's powerful Search-based tool found here http://google.com/sktool.

Simply head to the tool and select the link that says , "Or see top keywords across all categories"

The left hand side of the page will have a list of categories of terms searched on for Google.
Click on any of the categories that may interest you. You can select any of subcategories listed. On the right you will see a list of keywords in that category that are receiving a large amount of search queries each month. You will also see the amount people are paying to advertise each of these keywords. The higher a suggested bid is, the higher the competition.




Use your creativity and think of niche site based on these results.

How to find my niche?

Let’s begin this process by answering some of these brainstorming questions.

• What do you know?

o Begin by creating a list of all the topics you have a decent amount of knowledge in. (Come on, everybody is an expert at something!) Have you worked in a particular industry for a long time? What hobbies or pastimes do you have? At least for your first online project, selecting a niche you are knowledgeable in will make the project much more fun, successful and enjoyable, especially since you will be responsible for creating content for your site.

• What are your interests?

• What niches can I find online?

---Utilize the power of websites such as :

amazon.com

Ebay.com

Look at the latest products that are top sellers.

Yahoo Buzz and Google Trends also provide insight into the latest topics and products that are on rise and what people are searching right now.

Other website directories, such as DMOZ.org provide you with list of websites broken down into categories. Checking out the a site like this could give your great ideas for a niche site you could start.

You can also visit social site like Digg.com and try to spot any trends or topics that are really gaining attention.

• What niches can I discover offline?


• What is everyone else doing?

Deciding which niche markets to pursue as you build your Internet marketing business should be a fan and exciting process.

Find a niche, grow rich....

There is a saying I often hear – “Find a niche, grow rich.”

This saying holds especially true to the Internet marketing industry. What exactly does this saying mean for us?

It means that if we want major success, we won’t start a site about wristwatches. We’ll start a site about neon, waterproof watches that tell you the temperature – now that’s a niche. If someone is looking for exactly what your site offers, that is when you will find a loyal and profitable following. Narrowing down your online target market not only increases the success of your SEO and PPC efforts, but the number of major competitors in your niche will drop as well. (Although your market will shrink – these will also niche will drop as well. (Although your market will shrink – these will also be more targeted visitors.)

How To Find My Niche.

As an Internet entrepreneur, you must choose which niches you want to focus on throughout your online career. Invest your time in the research phase of the development process and you will save yourself a lot of heartache and money further down the line.

Imagine if you conducted absolutely no research and instead decided to simply act on your instincts to develop a site about a hot product like the Nintendo Wii

You put in tons of time writing great articles about every type of Wii game and cheat code. Yes – you may receive some visitors, but outranking major brands for such a general phrase or topic like"Nintendo Wii" may be next to impossible (especially since there are already over 423 MILLION results when you search for that term).

If you would have invested some time to conduct a little research, you may have discovered that “Nintendo DS games for girls” has a fraction of the competition and could easily become a great niche site that ranks very well.
As you can see, it is better to invest the time now to determine what will create a profitable future for you before you blindly begin investing time, money, and effort into a site or service that is doomed from the start.
Now you may be saying, what should I do now? I was going to start a site about NFL sports but that doesn’t sound like much of a niche anymore.” Well, let’s talk about the various ways to brainstorm a niche idea. Although you should already have something in mind , this is an excellent exercise to follow through with, as you will continuously create sites throughout your Internet marketing career and will surely need to spark a new idea.

Prepare yourself for market research

In order to be prepared for market research and how to uncover hot, profitable niches, it is highly recommended that you complete each of the action steps listed here.


 Set a goal for how much money you would like to profit each month. (Be realistic, perhaps $100.)

 Sign up for at least three affiliate networks (and associate it with your new email address). (A few of those affiliate sites may include LinkShare, ClickBank, Commission Junction and ShareASale.)

 Think about your affiliate goals/plans with them.

 Make a list of at least 10 affiliate offers that relate to the top niche/site you decided upon last week. If there are not many offers, move onto your second website choice.

 Select your first affiliate offer. Then use one of the link masking services like TinyURL.com to turn your affiliate link into a new URL.

 After you find multiple forums in your niche, create an account and add your new affiliate link into your forum signature. Post 10 comments in various forums related to the product you are offering. Become familiar with tracking clicks and seeing the results you generate.

 Visit the Squidoo.com site and look at the other types of pages and mini affiliate sites people have developed. If you are up to the challenge, create a Squidoo lens filled with quality information sprinkled with your affiliate links.


 Surf some of your favorite websites with your new found affiliate spotting knowledge and see if you
can spot the affiliate links in these sites that you never knew existed before.


 Finally, discover at least 3 forums/message boards in your particular niche and really try to get a vibe for what people are saying. Then, create a profile of your target audience. Age? Sex? Interests? Marital Status? Income? Who is your dream customer and how would they find out about your site? (This will be crucial for next week.)

Follow all of the steps that I have listed here so you can be ready for your Market Research.

How To Promote Affiliate Offers…

So how you can "promote" affiliate offers? Here are few examples.



• Blogs & Forums

• Viral Products

• Craigslist

• Social Networks

• PPC Search Engines

• Your website

more details ...

Social Search Engine - Stumpedia

Stumpedia is a social search engine that relies on human participation to index, organize, and review the world wide web. Stumpedia does not depend on bots, algorithms, or company insiders to make decisions on the relevance and ranking of search results.As an incentive and a little economic stimulus to help jump-start the global economy.

Stumpedia is offering free advertising for all of 2009.

Go to Stumpedia

Click About

1) Click on Submit

2) Type your website address & click on submit.A new window will appear for you to log in.

3) Enter your email address & a user name

4) Stumpedia will ask you to verify your account in

your email.Once you have verified your account to Stumpedia and edit your profile. Make sure to add your website in description. Upload a picture

5) Click on Save

How It Works For Advertisers

Visit http://www.stumpedia.com/advertise/

* Click on Sign Up

* Enter the keywords you want to target and hit submit.

Inquiries will show up in the "Messages" section of your Stumpedia profile. They will also be sent to the email address you used to initially sign up as a Stumpedia member.

As an incentive and a little economic stimulus to help jump-start the global economy, Stumpedia is offering free advertising for all of 2009 ONLY.

Stumpedia Features

• Mobile version available

• SMS support (text messaging)

• Users can post anonymous requests

• Users can limit the number of responses they receive per request (future)

• Users can block advertisers (future)

• Advertisers can block users (future)

Free ebook for website owners

Help! I Hate My Web Site: 10 Easy Ways to Improve Any Web Site

Download our free ebook: Get step-by-step tips on how to create and market a Web site that will take your e-business to new heights.

Five Bad Marketing Ideas

We have talked about good ways to market your website for free. Now let’s talk about some really bad way you should not market your website(s).

1) #1 on every single search engine

Submit your site to websites that are not on the top 3 directories and pay for it. There are a lot of scam companies out there that will do massive promotions such as Be #1 on every search engine! There are three top search engines (in my opinion). They are (starting with the best)

• Google
  MSN
  Yahoo

Companies that promise to take you to #1 on every search engine is a BIG red flag. They will charge you up to $1000 to put you on over 200 search engines...maybe even 500. However these 497 other search engines are getting their information from

• 
  Google
  MSN
  Yahoo

2) Forum & Profile Spam

Three words -- DON'T Do It!

It is so annoying and this is one of the reasons I pick my forums and social networking community "Friends" very carefully. Here is a list of DON'T Do It! things.

List dozens of Web sites in your profile or forum discussions Exclusively post only when you can add links to your sites Become a new member to various forums every day, asking the same question at 20 different forums or groups on the same day.
Send your Friends links to your website without them requesting it

3) Blog Spam As a blogger, this truly annoys me.

Blogs are for information, news, product interest, humor, help / support, events and displaying your artistic talent.
Don't Blog Spam list A blog full of nothing unique or relevant to the posting titles

Leave comments that is nothing but a website link.

Leave a comment that says only "great blog" and a website address -- obvious spam!

Leave a comment with lots of web links and nothing else.
Spam is bad and spammers should be fed a bowl of spam for every spam they send!

4) Walking Spam - Spam People in Person

Go to networking meetings, conferences, parties -- anywhere and talk about nothing but your website(s)/ products and how they should check you out online.

Ask or tell them they should link to your website without knowing them for even an hour.

5) CopyRight - WRONG!

Don't steal content published by anyone else -- copying an article and putting your name on it and blasting it for marketing purposes.

Don't publishing it on your website without giving credit or getting permission to repost it on your website or blog -- it is stealing.

Online Marketing Terms

I thought I would post this as a resource for those who may see or hear these words and have no idea what they may mean. Affiliate Marketing - Revenue earning between online advertisers/merchants and independent online people such as bloggers. Compensation is based on per purchase or per click. However other forms can include per registration or attendees at a offline event.

ALT Text / Tags - HTML code inside a website typically images. Some believe that Alt text / tags can assist in helping search engines find the website.

Banner Ad - a graphic web advertising picture that is also a website link.

Banner Exchange - When two websites agree to exchange banners to be placed on the other's website.

Blog - A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts, business related subjects, photographs and or Web links.

Button Ad - a graphical advertising picture, smaller than a banner ad.

Buzzword - a trendy word or phrase that is used more to impress than explain.

Click-Through - the process of clicking through an online advertisement to the advertiser's destination.

Cost-Per-Action (CPA) - online marketing payment system in which payment is based solely on qualifying actions such as sales or registrations.

Cost Per Click (CPC) - the cost paid per click-through.

Description Tag - an HTML tag used to provide a description for search engine listings.

Doorway Page - a page made specifically in hopes of ranking well in search engines for particular keywords.

Marketing - the promotion of products or services via email.

EZine - an electronic magazine, whether delivered via a Web site or an email newsletter.

FFA - free-for-all links list, where there are no qualifications for adding a link.

Forum Marketing - an online community where visitors may read and post topics of common interest. Often people will brand a name for themselves or services through forums.

Guerilla Marketing - unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.

Incentivized Traffic - visitors who have received some form of compensation for visiting a site.

Keyword Marketing - putting your message in front of people who are searching using particular keywords and keyphrases.

Marketing Plan - the part of the business plan outlining the marketing strategy for a product or service.

Media Kit - a resource created by a publisher to help prospective ad buyers evaluate advertising opportunities.

META Tags - tags to describe various aspects about a Web page.

Permission Marketing - marketing centered around getting customer's consent to receive information from a company.

Pop-Up Ad - an ad that displays in a new browser window.

Reciprocal Links - links between two sites, often based on an agreement by the site owners to exchange links. Also known as Link Exchanging.

Search Engine Optimization - the process of choosing targeted keyword phrases related to a site, and ensuring that the site places well when those keyword phrases are part of a Web search.

Text Ad - advertisement using text-based hyperlinks.

Viral Marketing - marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message.

Affiliate Marketing FAQ

Affiliate Marketing Realities

• You can make a lot of money through affiliate marketing.

o True. Around the globe, affiliates earn billions of dollars each year. Some affiliatestake home millions of dollars a year while others are happy pulling in $50 a month.

• This is a sales job with no doortodoorselling.

o True. Although you can promote your sites offline, you will only be credited throughthe sales that can be tracked online.

• I will need to create my own product.

o False. At some point in your Internet marketing career, you may be inspired orencouraged to create your own product. However, developing your own productcomes with its own list of risks and responsibilities, including customer service,packing, shipping and payment processing. An affiliate’s job is simply to sendprospective customers to a particular company or merchant – a less risky task.

• I can put up a site, load it with banners and the cash will start rolling in.

o False. Polluting your site with tons of banners will not work. You’ll lose that visitorforever. Instead you should stick to anywhere between one and three banners thatconvert well – a much better use of space than 20 ads thrown up on the site. You canalso use a banner rotation system to maximize the number of different relevantadvertisements being shown your site. Also, it is important that you plan out whereyour advertisements will go. Don’t create a site and toss up the ads as an afterthought.Isn’t this pretty important seeing as how this will be your means for making money?The contents of your site, however, should always be its main feature and focus.

• Monitoring and analyzing your statistics can triple your profits.

o True. Not only should you monitor your site’s affiliate links to make sure they are upto date, but you can also boost your conversion rate (your visitor to sales ratio) bysubtly experimenting with your site’s elements and analyzing the results. For instance,you could change the color of a button, the text in a headline or the placement of yourlinks. After at least 1,000 different visitors have seen the change, and check to seewhether your affiliate commissions have soared or slumped. If 1% of visitorsconverted into sales before, but now 3% of visitors convert – you’ve TRIPLED yourprofits.

• I will have to spam people.

o False. There are people out there who develop and launch tons of spammy scams andemails. And unfortunately, they are able to sucker people from time to time. However,this is not a tactic you will need to utilize. Affiliate marketing is a legitimate businessand you can earn great money with an honest, non robotic approach. Instead, you cancreate opt in newsletters where site visitors can choose to receive emails from you. Aquality list of people who actually want your message have high conversion rates.

• There are no magic overnight success formulas.

o True. There are successful people in anyindustry, on or offline – but 99% of the timetheir success is attributed to long hours, hardwork, dedication and a commitment tolearning. You need to put in the time tounderstand the basics, expand upon that andimplement the tactics that I show you. You needto learn from your failures and successes andrealize that there is no “system” you canpurchase that will do the work for you.

Affiliate Terms You Should Know

Affiliate Terms You Should Know

AD = Advertisement, Text, Banner, Flash, Video, anything

ASP = Application Service Provider

CPA = Cost per Action

CPC = Cost per Click

CPL = Cost per Lead

CPM = Cost per (Mil) Impression (1000 Impressions)

CPS = Cost per Sale

CR = Conversion Rate

CSS = Cascading Style Sheets

CTR = Click through rate/Click-Through Ratio

DH = Direct Hit

DRM = Dynamic Rich Media (type of Ad, technology)

DRM = Digital Rights Management

EPC = Earnings per Click / Earnings per 100 Clicks

FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions

FFA = Free-For-All Link List

IM = Instant Messaging

MFA = Made For AdSense (Site)

OPM = Outsourced (Affiliate) Program Management

PFI = Pay For Inclusion

PFP = Pay For Performance

PPA = Pay per Action

PPC = Pay per Click

PPCSE = Pay Per Click Search Engine

PPI = Pay Per Impression

PPL = Pay Per Lead

PPS = Pay Per Sale

PV = Page View

ROI = Return on Investment

RON = Run Of Network

ROS = Run Of Site (Display Advertising)

SB = Small Business

SE = Search Engine

SEM = Search Engine Marketing

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

SEP = Search Engine Positioning

SERP = Search Engine Result Page

SID = common (optional) URL Parameter Affiliates can use for their own tracking purposes

SMO = Social Media Optimization

SSI = Server Side Include

USP = Unique Selling Proposition

UV = Unique Visitor

Marketing Action Plan: Week 1

 Analyze all of the pros and cons that I have listed in this guide and determine if this is truly an industry you are prepared to learn about and give 100% toward.

 Think of your top five passions, hobbies or topics that you know a lot about and would be interested in creating a site for. (Example: I love fishing.)

 List all of the information, services and features that you believe you could or would like to offer on each of your possible sites. (Example: I will make a site about fishing hotspots.)

 Come up with a list of at least 10 companies that are related to your site and would possibly be interested in advertising on your site. (Start thinking of where the money will come from.) (Example: Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.)

 Conduct research for each of your site ideas to see if others have already sufficiently filled the need in that space. (Do not give up if there are already others in the space. If you believe that you can do it better than them, then go forward with your idea.)

 Narrow down your five ideas to the one you believe could be the most successful. (This will be the idea you work on throughout the remainder of this course.)

 Create a name for your business.

 Create a brand new Gmail (Google email) account that you will use for your Internet marketing purposes only and will be associated with all of your Internet marketing accounts and purchases.
(Keeping this separate from personal emails is a great step towards increasing your productivity
right now.)

 Conduct research and speak with a financial and/or legal adviser in order to understand the tax and personal protection benefits of setting up an LLC or other formal organization. Then follow through with their recommendations which may include obtaining a Federal TAX ID number and proper business licenses (per your city and state). (LegalZoom is a great resource for setting up a simple LLC.)

 Organize a folder/binder where you will record and save all accounting information, including purchases and expenditures. (Per your financial adviser’s advice, you may also determine that you should invest in personal accounting software such as QuickBooks


I know some of these actions may seem a little less exciting than just launching a site tomorrow morning. (Trust me – that is the exciting part!) But if you want to start your business correctly and protect yourself, then follow the steps here and get ready for Affiliate Marketing 101

A Quick Look…

Article Writing - A great way to get the word out about your product or website is through article writing. By creating articles with valuable content, you will not only attract the attention of people searching for information about your particular product or field, but the search engines absolutely love seeing a variety of well written, keyword optimized articles on your site.

Create articles that are accurate, truthful, helpful and specific and you will attract many more potential customers. Depending upon your budget, time, area of expertise and writing skills, you can either write your site’s articles yourself or pay others to write them for you. There are plenty of talented article writers out there ready to help you create your content. (The Digital Point forums or sites like eLance.com are a great way to find people willing to work for you.)

Blog Marketing - A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary and descriptions of events. Think of it like a personal diary displayed on the web. Many bloggers are using video and images to increase their blog’s dynamics. In terms of marketing, many people have opted to create and develop blogs where they focus on a particular industry or topic as to position themselves as an expert in the field. Blogs provide a great opportunity for you to do the same! And network with others in the space.

Email Marketing - Email marketing is an excellent way to reach out to people interested in what you have to offer. And building a solid database is important. With this you can reach out to your audience directly and almost instantly. It’s a great way to build a relationship with your future, current and past customers.

Search Engine Marketing – Search Engine Marketing (also known as SEM) is the term used as you try to promote your website and its visibility by ranking higher in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) through PAID means (that’s what differentiates this from Search Engine Optimizaiton). SEM includes Pay Per Click (PPC) and contextual advertising. The New York times defines SEM as “the practice of buying paid search listings.”

Pay Per Click Marketing – Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising can be found on search engines (like Google, Yahoo and MSN) as well as other sites such as blogs. Typically speaking, in PPC advertising, you only pay for the advertisement when your ad is clicked on by a user. The price you pay for that click (or the cost per click – CPC) will vary depending upon the competition in your field. The great thing about PPC advertising is that your marketing efforts can be extremely targeted as your ads are triggered only when a user searches for the keywords you have specified. PPC advertisements are often referred to as sponsored links or ads and appear on the top or sides of the organic search results (the results that naturally rank well).

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search engine optimization (SEO) takes place when you try to improve the organic search engine rankings for a particular website. By creating search engine friendly content, optimized website tags and increasing the number of incoming links to your site, you are on your way to moving up the search engines. SEO is an art form of its own as it is important to understand the factors that search engines use to rank sites. For long term results, it is important to continually focus on the SEO of your site…because good search engine rankings equal FREE traffic.

Banner Ads – You’ve seen banner ads everywhere! If you don’t know by now, a banner ad is a graphic image used on websites to promote a product or service. Banner ads come in numerous sizes, but are often rectangles 460 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. Also 460 x 55 and 392 x 72 sizes are commonly used and more recently the 125 x 125 ad size has become popular for bloggers.

Pop Up Ads – I am positive that you have also viewed a good amount of pop up ads in the time you have spent online. Pop Up Ads are, of course, the advertisement windows that pop up after arriving at a site. They try to generate traffic or capture your email address. In recent years, this marketing tactic has become less popular since many online users now utilize pop up blocker technology. However, windows inside the site are still a great option.

Mobile Marketing – By setting up a short code and having users register for your SMS text messages, you can communicate effectively with your audience. You can also optimize your website so that it appears correctly on mobile phone browsers.

Social Media Marketing – According to Wikipedia, social media marketing is an engagement with online communities to generate exposure, opportunity and sales. The number one advantage is generating exposure for the business, followed by increasing traffic and building new business partnerships. Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

If you want to take advantage of all of the benefits that Internet marketing provides you and your business, you'll only be successful if you have the real secret source of TRAFFIC. If you don't attract users, you won't be able to tell them about the products on your site that may fulfill their needs. Most importantly, you have to spur them to take action (whether this means providing their email address or purchasing a product). More traffic equals more money it's that simple. Even if you have the most beautiful website with all the functionality you could dream of, it does you AND consumers no good if they don't realize that you exist.

How Do I Market Online?

So I’ve laid it all there for you the good, the bad and the ugly.

I’ve also explained to you the basic concept of Internet marketing. But if you’re a newbie, there may be a chance you’re saying to yourself, “Hey, you still haven’t told me what ‘marketing’ really means!” You’re right. It’s a pretty general phrase and it can often times be misused. But in terms of Internet marketing, it generally refers to any or all of the following online marketing methods:

o Article marketing
o Blog marketing
o Email marketing
o Search engine marketing (SEM)
o Pay per click ads (PPC)
o Search engine optimization (SEO)
o Banner ads
o Popup ads
o Mobile marketing
o Social media marketing

Later on we will look closely at each of these methods. Understand now that each of these marketing methods are not created equal. Each approach will reach your targeted audience in a different way and each approach will produce a different result based upon your goal, marketing strategy and relationship with the user.

Whether you choose to market your own site or to become an affiliate marketer (marketing other companies’ products and services and being paid for your performance which we will talk about next week), you will most likely utilize each of these marketing methods at various points.

The great thing about Internet marketing is that what you earn is in direct proportion to the time and effort you invest in learning and developing your site.

Internet Marketing Realities…

As I just stated, there are good and bad sides to everything – including the Internet marketing industry. If you are serious about turning to the Internet to generate some serious cash, then it is vital for you to read the following section. I’m here to tell you the honest truth and perhaps dispel previous notions you had about the field. Are these statements True or False?

• Becoming an Internet marketer is not a get rich quick scheme.

o True. Although many entrepreneurs have entered this lucrative market and become millionaires, when you compare the number who have had such wild success with all the businesses who have failed or never really taken off online, you will find that the “overnight” millionaires are not the norm. Nearly all of the business realities that apply to a brick and mortar store still apply to your virtual business – taxes,employees, customer service. Just as any other type of business venture, much of your success in Internet marketing will require a lot of hard work. I’m not trying to crush your dreams, but more than likely, you will not become a millionaire overnight. (In a year? Perhaps!)

• Starting your Internet marketing career is free.

o False. Although beginning your Internet marketing business is cheaper than creating a brick and mortar start up, there are still costs associated with your endeavor,including website design, advertising costs, software, domains and hosting. With just a couple hundred dollars, you can get started. If you don’t have the money to invest at this point, I suggest that you continue this course and save money along the way. The more serious you are – the more money you’ll stash away.

• Most affiliate marketers never make a sale.

o True. Many people join affiliate marketing programs (we’ll dive into this deeper in Week 2) and never turn a dime. I believe this fact is in direct correlation to the number of people who think enrolling in an affiliate program equals the ability to generate cash. With a great site, a decent amount of traffic and a solid foundation of knowledge, you’ll be able to beat the odds. Taking the information provided to you seriously will definitely increase the likelihood that you won’t be one of these people who never makes a sale.

• Internet marketing is just a hobby.

o False. I won’t deny the fact that there are a decent amount of people out there earning a nice passive income from their Internet marketing efforts. Maybe you are already one of those people! However, I believe if you refer to Internet marketing as simply a “hobby” and something you do “on the side”, it will be difficult for you to truly take your income to the max. If you want to start a true business, service or website, there is a great chance that you may have to invest serious time fielding customer concerns, arranging advertising agreements and maintaining your site.

• Websites are fail proof.

o False. When your site goes ‘down’ for technical reasons, you may become extremely frustrated trying to solve the problem and get your site back in working order. Not only that, but every second your site is unavailable to potential visitors means that you are losing money. Be prepared to cross the hurdles, ask others for help or advice to solve your problems and learn something from each experience.

• Buying just one ‘great system’ will solve all my problems.

o False. There are TONS of eBooks, guides, systems and tools that promise you outrageous success online. You don’t have to invest thousands of dollars buying these types of products and learning other people’s ‘systems’ because there truly is quality free content available. I’m not downing all of the great informational products available as I’m sure some of them definitely are worth the investment. But as someone just starting out, it is more advantageous for you to learn through a course like this. No matter what you decide, you must take ACTION. It doesn’t matter whether you buy 1 or 100 courses. If you never implement the information given to you – you will never make progress. But I'm sure you have more ambition than that .

• I can set up a “system”, let it run on autopilot and make money within hours.

o False. Are you kidding me? Technology changes overnight and the Internet marketing industry evolves at a rapid pace. Any ‘system’ promised to you as something you can simply put on autopilot and allow you to generate cash as you lay on the beach is a complete lie. Just because one marketing or traffic generation tactic has worked for you (or someone else) in the past doesn't mean it will work in the future. It’s important for you to remain flexible and willing to learn new strategies, technologies and trends. If not, you'll be left in the dust by your competition.

Warning: This industry isn't for people who like a simple routine and who can't stay on their toes.

• There will be people against you.

o True. If you achieve real success, there will be people looking to take you down. Once you have people against you, you know you’ve really made it. There are tons of amazing people in the field, however, who can become great friends and business partners. Protect your brand, but don’t take criticism or ‘haters’ too seriously.

• Competition is fierce.

o True. You have to stand out to make an impact. Write some amazing articles and cause a stir! There is so much competition and people vying for the top spots in search engines and consumers’ minds that if you’re not working hard 24/7, you better believe someone else is out there doing it.

• Making money online is easy! I can’t wait to start spending the cash!

o False. If you are serious about truly building a long‐term online business, then the first profits you generate should go right back into your service and advertising efforts. If you simply cash out, you’ll never maximize your profits. More importantly, you must be aware of the taxation and current laws that affect the industry. It is worth your time to investigate the tax and legal advantages of creating an LLC or other type of corporation. Setting up something like an LLC is not a huge monetary investment, but it could really protect your personal assets and liabilities. Depending on your income and situation, creating an official organization could also prove to be wise in terms of tax savings. Contact a legal or financial professional who has experience dealing with other Internet marketing professionals like you. They will provide you with the best advice based upon your situation. This is probably one of the most important steps in truly creating a legitimate business and protecting your assets. This step should not be overlooked. (DISCLAIMER: I am in no way providing professional LEGAL or FINANCIAL advice. This is just information based on my personal experience.)

The Advantages to Internet Marketing Include…

• A low barrier to entry
• Minimal start up costs and risks versus a brick and mortar store
• Cheap advertising options
• A worldwide marketplace 24 hours a day
• The ability to be your own boss and set your own hours
• The chance to make money promoting things you are passionate about
• And the opportunity to make a lot of cash along the way!

Although a career in Internet marketing sounds amazing, it’s not without its own set of risks and investments.

Internet marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. Much time, persistence and a continued willingness to learn are involved. You need to be honest with yourself before truly eaping into the field.

At the next post I have listed some other facets of the industry you need to consider.

Define Internet Marketing…

Internet marketing, also referred to as imarketing, web marketing, online marketing, or eMarketing, is the marketing of products or services over the Internet.

The Internet has brought many unique benefits to marketing, one of which being lower costs for the distribution of information and media to a global audience. The interactive nature of Internet marketing, both in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses make Internet marketing an industry where you can see fast results!
Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet, including design, development, advertising, and sales.
By reading this, you will become familiar with each of these Internet marketing facets and well on your way to launching a successful site.

What Is An Internet Marketer?

Internet marketing is the business of both advertising and selling goods and services over the Internet. As an Internet marketer yourself, you will be responsible for bringing together potential customers with a service or company that will fit their needs through different Internet avenues.
Whether the product being offered is a pair of sneakers or a new car, you are helping others connect with the products they are searching for...

With trillions of dollars spent online each year, it’s clear that the Internet isn’t going anywhere and more and more businesses and services will become primarily web based. With a few clicks, you can often find exactly what you’re looking for. The convenience and multitude of information provided by the Internet is incomparable. That’s why you need to be a part of this industry and begin your Internet marketing career.

Every day millions of people hit the web to find products and information. And starting a business is no longer about location, location, location. Now – the world is your marketplace and everyone from a third grader to a millionaire is a potential customer or site visitor. Anywhere people can access the Internet, people can potentially visit your site. One day you could eventually have over 1 billion visitors.

And there are no store hours. Day and night your product or service is available and you can earn money while you sleep. If you’re bringing the value people are looking for, you’ll see the results!

The best part of starting an online business, however, is that the Internet is so powerful you can find a niche and grow rich. Do you love playing a particular video game? Or are you obsessed with the television show LOST (like me :o))? If so – you can start a site based upon the things
you love and tap the group of people who share your same interest. If you love it – there are chances that other people have the same passion as you and that equals money.

At its core, being an Internet marketer means that your website(s) will provide people with
information and products they are searching for. When visitors perform a predefined action, whether it’s a click, entering their email, making a purchase or subscribing to your service, you will be paid!


Advantages To Internet Marketing…


The world of Internet marketing has an extremely low barrier to entry. Do you have a computer? Do you have Internet access? Do you have around $100 to scoop up some domain names and get rolling? Do you have a million dollar idea and the time and passion to implement it? Great, then you’re in!

Unlike traditional forms of advertising, such as a billboard in Times Square or a Super Bowl television ad, online marketing is much more affordable, targeted and able to be tracked. Using
Twitter or email blasts to communicate with potential customers is cheaper than paying for that $10,000 billboard that a fraction of your audience will see. Place an ad on Facebook and within the hour you may see hundreds or thousands of users flooding your site. With online advertising, you can see an instant return on your investment, track users statistics and actions, and communicate directly with those who are already actively seeking what you have to offer.

As you can see, the sky is really the limit for what the Internet has to offer both consumers and
entrepreneurs like yourself.


The Future Of The Internet...

• Internet traffic is expected to double over the next five years
• 60% of this traffic will be made up of consumers (That's 340 million people!)
• Over 80% of consumers do at least some online shopping (Wow!)

So perhaps you are just getting into Internet marketing and learning more about the industry. Why should you choose to pursue a career online?