Internet Marketing - FREE Blogs To Boost Internet Marketing Sales

by: Jeffrey Wyrick
Wikipedia further goes on to say that many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) and are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.

TECHNORATI (dot) COM TRACKS MORE THAN 100 BLOGS

Recent research about internet marketing strategies shows that one of the most commonly used tools for increasing website traffic is the blog or "web log". The reason that people are responding more to this form of internet marketing is that they have a unique opportunity to interact with other like minded people, not only the person that is promoting the product or service, but also other people who are willing to give their unbiased opinions.

INTERNET MARKETING GETS BOOSTED BY PR PIGGYBACKING

What I mean by this is that the companies that are setting up internet marketing campaigns have learned that they can increase their search engine ranking by setting up a blog on HIGH PR FREE BLOG WEBSITES like the ones shown below.

* PR 8 - Wordpress (dot) com
* PR 6 - Joomla (dot) com
* PR 6 - Blog (dot) com
* PR 6 - Blogspot (dot) com
* PR 4 - Bloggit (dot) com

THIS LOOKS AWESOME, BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE COMING

Seeing this HIGH DEMAND in internet marketing search engines and social networks wanted to get in on the fun. Using these other FREE WEBSITES to market your own service, products or affiliate programs is HOT HOT HOT ! ! !

* PR 7 - 360.Yahoo (dot) com
* PR 8 - MySpace (dot) com
* PR 8 - Facebook (dot) com
* PR 7 - Squidoo (dot) com
* PR 6 - Tagged (dot) com

NOW LET'S TIE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER

You're probably sitting there wondering WHY all of these HEAVY TRAFFIC websites are doing so well and WHY is it that people are now using these FREE blog websites for their internet marketing campaigns. The answer is much simpler than it might seem at first when you look at it. We start with the well known fact that CONTENT IS KING and the search engines LOVE websites that provide fresh relevant keyword or keyword phrase rich content.

With blog posters all over the world posting and doing internet marketing on these FREE blog websites, FREE search engine landing pages and FREE social networking websites the search engines are eating up all this HOT FRESH NEW CONTENT that is being delivered by internet marketing teams who are making hundreds of posts to these websites every day.

PIGGY BACKING OFF OF THE PAGE RANK / PR ON THESE SITES

In short what this means is that when you are able to set up your internet marketing campaign on these HIGH PR websites you are automatically going to get indexed by the search engines. The reason for this is that when the search engine queries the main blog or social network website (such as Squidoo) it finds relevant content that leads it to a link that might say.....

"Click Here - To Follow Your Internet Marketing Dreams"

The search engines will follow this link to your main website and automatically spider YOUR WEBSITE searching for relevant keywords and keyword phrases that million and millions of online users are searching for every day. This is a little different than the traditional link exchange programs used in early Web 1.0 internet marketing strategies where you would get reciprocating back links from random websites that more often than not didn't have any relevant content to offer the search engines.

Now you have websites with HIGH PR / PAGE RANKING linking directly to your website, best of all these websites offer relevant content that the search engines can index for their own viewers future searches. This method of internet marketing will bring in more traffic to your website and ultimately it should increase the number of sales made each day.

SOME NEXT LEVEL INTERNET MARKETING BLOG STRATEGIES

Now for a nice finishing touch. Go to your favorite search engine and type in "swicki by eurekster". I get the best results when I go to Google and MSN to run this search. Now using this SWICKI tool you will create two incredibly powerful internet marketing SEARCH TOOLS, one that will search your main website from your blogs, the other one will search your blogs from your main website. Remember these blogging and social network websites have HIGH PR / PAGE RANK and now you have just set up multiple keyword and keyword phrase rich reciprocating link with them!

Another thing that will help you bring in even more traffic using your keyword and keyword phrase rich blogs is to use social bookmarking tools that are also provided FREE by companies such as StubleUpon, del.icio.us or Digg. The search engines love social bookmarking websites because they establish the popularity of the website. Using this internet marketing strategy will help to increase your own websites PR / PAGE RANK as more and more people choose to bookmark your blog.

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE A BIO LINKING TO YOUR WEBSITE

As you finish things up the link or links at the bottom of your internet marketing blog post will then lead the viewer back to your main website. You have now established yourself as an expert. Over the course of just a few short weeks, or in some cases even as fast as a few short days, people will begin to respond to your posts. As time goes on more and more people will want to link to your FREE blog if it's set up correctly.

Finding Your Brand – Three Key Brand Marketing Strategies

by: Kendall SummerHawk
To the "outside world", when you create your brand you create unlimited opportunities to leverage what you do into high payoff programs, information products, teleseminars, joint ventures, workshops and more.

On the inside, creating your brand gives you a powerful sense of identity, mission and alignment with your Unique Brilliance. You feel as if the heart and soul of who you are is now (finally!) in tune with building a successful business.

But what if you're struggling with trying to figure out what your brand really is? If you haven't been able to create a high-impact, high visibility brand, that tells me three vital elements are missing from your business-branding strategy.

Luckily, once you focus on, discover and integrate these three missing elements, your brand will "pop!" This branding strategy works equally well for internet branding and other brand marketing strategies.

If creating a strong, memorable, authentic brand has been eluding you, then take a look at each of these strategies for your answers. If you already have your brand, then you can use this list as a "brand checkup," or for help in rebranding.

Branding strategy #1: What results do your clients experience from your service?

In my Brand Authenticity workshops I ask participants to create a list of not just one or two results, but THIRTY! Why so many? Because it forces the (and you!) to dig deep and get really specific about the results you offer.

For example, let's say you're a life coach and you love to work with women on finding better balance in their lives. That's a tough sell (even though most women will wistfully acknowledge they need more balance!) Your list of thirty client results for may include: starting regular exercise programs, picking up long-wished for hobbies, joining book clubs, asking for a raise or setting clear boundaries with their kids about doing homework.

Now, isn't that a lot more tangible and sellable than quasi-results like "be more accepting,” “be happier,” or the ubiquitous (and sorry, nearly meaningless) "put themselves first for a change?”

My coaching challenge to you: You don't need to wait for my next Brand Authenticity workshop. You can create this list for yourself starting now. Just pull out a piece of paper and start listing each and every detailed result you help your clients achieve.

Branding strategy #2: What problems does your service solve?

Like the prior list, this one too needs to be more than just an answer or two. Again, aim for thirty problems your service helps your clients solve. It's okay if some of your answers overlap with your prior list – just be sure you are detailed and specific in what you list.

Branding strategy #3: What are you a stand for, no matter what?

Great brands have power and punch to them. For example, Maureen, one of my Brand Authenticity clients created the brand "Real Relationships." Another client, Jack, created "The Christian Business Profit." (I love the play on words!)

Both Maureen and Jack are clear on what they stand for and that shows up in their powerful, compelling brand names. So, what are YOU a stand for, no matter what? The "no matter what" part matters because it will shift you out of complacency or fear. It will move you into that courageous, vibrant, determined place where your passion breathes fire and life into your words.

So whether you are internet branding, rebranding or looking at branding strategies for the first time, your powerful, authentic brand is just waiting to be discovered! So what are you waiting for?

Plan Your Marketing Campaign For The Entire Year

by Kaye Z.Marks

If you want your marketing campaign to be successful, do not just think one project at a time. In order for you to be effective, plan your marketing campaign for the entire year, not just when you have a need for it.

Expert marketers and advertisers would tell you that just like the seasons, your marketing campaign can gain publicity if you establish it according to the natural highs and lows of the year. Using a promotional rhythm that is based on the different seasons will help you keep an eye on your success every month for the whole year.

According to expert marketers and commercial color printing companies, there are two approaches of doing your marketing campaign for the whole year.

One is to coincide the stories you already have with that of the particular times of the year. The media has a certain appetite for stories for each of the season. During particular times of the year, they look forward to specific stories that they would want to put in their magazines, newspapers, or even in their tv and radio programs. As a marketer and business owner, you need to be attuned with these quirks to be able to get your stories out there in the public.

The second strategy is to create new stories that will fit that of the particular event, affair, holidays and even seasonal events during the year. For example, if it is Christmas, your ad would be more effective if you can create your stories along the lines of the birth of Christ or the usual giving of gifts.

But before you go out and get your stories written, be sure to consider the proper lead time to get your stories out to the media and the public. It would be very easy to just go ahead and work on your story without even thinking about your lead time. The folly of that is that it can take you weeks and months to actually complete your story. That is why you need to understand the time frame of every story. Your Thanksgiving story should be turned in mid August if you want to meet the deadline. And it is the same with your Christmas and New Year stories.

The bottom line is to have ample time to write your story and get them out way before the season or event is actually going to be celebrated. The right lead time can get you the exposure you need to promote your business effectively to your clients and prospects.

Learn how to plan your marketing campaign for the whole year with the help of a professional commercial color printing company.

3 Marketing Methods That Will Cost You Less

by: Jason Pearson
When you are first starting out in the online marketing field, you’ll find that there are a number of different marketing methods to choose from. However, not all methods will produce the same end result. It’s a good idea to start with the lowest cost methods available while your business is in the developmental stage. This will allow you to discover which method is best for you, without investing your dollars in something that might not produce a profit.

The 3 methods listed below are free or cost very little. You will find that each method has it’s own pros and cons. Take time to study all three and find out what method will best suit your style of business.

1) Traffic Exchanges. This method operates off of credits that are built by viewing other members’ websites. Once you have a certain number of credits built up, your website will be able to be viewed by the other members. Some are free and some may charge a monthly fee. A nice feature of this method is that it will create a large amount of traffic in a short amount of time. Something to keep in mind is the amount of time involved with viewing websites. It’s also helpful to know that this method typically works better for businesses that attract a wide audience because the traffic is not targeted.

2) Online Forums. Internet forums are web applications that allow discussions and postings by other viewers. The forums consist of a topic, which could be about just anything. To get started, do a search for forum and the topic you choose. Another way to locate them is through Google. Go to ‘Groups’ and search for your topic there. Most forums are free. Another advantage to this method is that the traffic is targeted.

The focus of forums is on the exchange of information. Be prepared to follow the rules and to take time posting comments that are useful. In some cases they will allow you to attach a signature to your comments. This is where you’ll put your website in order to trigger search engine spiders and get even more traffic to your site. If you can gain the reputation of an expert on your particular topic, while offering free advice whenever you can, it will build credibility.

With this method it may be a challenge to get past the ‘spam’ label. Another piece of advice is that the amount of traffic initially will probably not impress you.

3) Newsletters. Newsletters are important for site development, which will benefit the visitors who do come. You will be able to find the code for collecting emails from your host provider (free) or an auto-responder (could either be free or paid).

Set up a place on your website where visitors can enter their name and email address. Then you will have the opportunity to send them a free report about your topic. The report could include tips or news that would be of interest to them. This will give you an opportunity to build a relationship with prospects as well as maintain contact for future offers.

Keep in mind that this method requires an investment of time and effort to keep the information current. Newsletters are typically written on a regular basis. Also, this method will not provide a way to attract new visitors.

As you think about these three strategies, consider what you have to offer when it comes to what will fit your model the best. Ask yourself the following questions: How much time do you want to invest? How will my business benefit from each method? What information can I provide? If you start by using two or even three of these methods you will likely establish a firm foundation for your business.

Exploring Marketing In Cyber Space

by: Dimitrios Loucas
Going into business for yourself costs money. It doesn’t matter what type of business it is, you are going to spend some kind of money getting started. Once your business is up and running, you need to attract customers. How are you going to do that? How are people going to know you are out there and purchase from you? You can use print ads, radio ads, billboard ads, or even television ads, but guess what? Yes, they are effective, but have you budgeted for that kind of expense?

One form of advertising that is cost effective, and can help attract customers to you is the internet. The internet and the World Wide Web (www) have attracted much attention since its appearance. The positive aspect of the internet is that businesses of all sizes have the same amount of exposure. Small business can now compete with the larger business in this relatively new environment. The internet is the most inexpensive marketing tool available in today’s business world, as well as the most cost-effective. The internet is has become a sales channel, directed towards the consumer. You name the product, and you can find it on the internet.

Some people are uncomfortable with the internet, due to high tech phobias or to not understanding the associated jargon. There is no need to be afraid. We have seen so much in the last 20 years with technology, and there is nothing to be afraid of. You don’t even need to know anything about technology to be successful, but you will need to know how to market yourself in a manner that separates you from the competition.

Think about how many people surf the web, and placing a business on the internet, will give it incredible exposure, and let a business owner reach millions of users. You are not confined to a specific area any more. Now a business can reach the world in a matter of minutes. This opportunity includes the online marketing networker as well. The internet is so much less expensive, compared to other forms of advertising. The online marketing networker could have a website built and up and running for a whole year for the same cost as one day's advertising in the classified section of a local newspaper. That message could be seen by people, from around the country and the world, for a fraction of the cost of any other marketing method, and will get more attention from the online prospect than any other method. The personal interaction is present which produces a very intimate selling situation.

The online marketing networker requires a different approach for development of online marketing network website. The following are four tips for the online marketing networker:

1. Building a professional online marketing network website with compelling copy, with the sole objective of obtaining more leads, more sales, and increased profitability, using fine, yet reasonable graphics and scripts to make it rich and appealing to the site visitors.

2. Use powerful, proven marketing strategies and techniques that allow your website to recognize excellent results and concurrently cutting online marketing network costs.

3. Improve the performance of the online marketing network website and transform it into a persuasive money making vehicle.

4. Employ customized and innovative marketing campaigns to increase online marketing network exposure and secure consistently superior results from the sales and marketing efforts.

The internet is a different marketing medium that requires its own rules and regulations for doing online marketing effectively. Instead of the advertisers sending a message to a targeted audience that acts or dismisses the call to action, online consumers seek out information and advertising. The consumers are the initiators of communication. Yet the internet is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Success on the internet requires full understanding of the concept, hard work, attention to detail, and constant promotional activity. The internet as a marketing tool is not about fancy graphics only; it's also about valuable industry information, professional marketing efforts and reliable hosting service, making it fast and easy to download information.

There are consumers out there, are you?

Internet Marketing Strategies That Work

by: Jason Pearson
One way to increase traffic to your site is through teaching a course. Choose a topic that you are well versed in, and write out step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Then separate each part and include them in an autoresponder where emails can be sent out with your ads attached to the top or bottom of each page. You can also use your autoresponder service to invite visitors to join through an online form. The more that sign up, the more will discover your products and services.

A good way to get free advertising is to create your own directory. Use a specific industry topic and place your own ad or banner at the top. Then you can make it available for others to list themselves in your directory by inviting them to add links to their website through an exchange program. Soon your directory will grow and advance while links to your site can be found across the web. If you need a guide to help your setup process go smoothly, search for “link exchange software”.

Another strategy is to publish a significant e-zine that comes out monthly. The recommended method is with an Adobe .PDF file as a book format. Each issue could include several articles as well as features like industry tips, advice, popular sites or quotes. Take advantage of multimedia technologies and full-color graphics. You would then have the potential to charge a monthly rate as well as sell advertising spots.

Lastly, setting up your own “Tip of the Day” can be a great way to target your area of expertise. There are many ways to make this work to benefit your products and services. Here are a few of the ways: an autoresponder, a blog, an audio file, an RSS feed or even in a targeted box on your website. Have your tip include your own ad that is specific to your product or service that you are targeting. This will provide a subtle reminder of where to go to find out more.

If you find ways to customize Internet Marketing strategies to your products of services, you are likely to experience more traffic as well as sales. You will find that the Internet provides many affordable options to help expand your business.

Affiliate Internet Marketing - Web Career Or Road To Ruin?

by Alex Picard

The question whether affiliate Internet marketing is a web career or road to ruin has plagued more than one webmaster. Touted by many as the must-start home business bar none, stay at home parents have taken on the challenge and many have sought out affiliate Internet marketing websites as their stepping stone to fiscal independence and making ends meet while still being able to stay home with junior.

As a career choice they may have a slight advantage over those participating in affiliate marketing as a hobby or even secondary job because of the amount of time they are able to devote to the activity, but even those who put in eight to 12 hours a day are not always as successful as at the onset it was thought. Has their web career turned into a road to ruin?

Although tempting simply by virtue of the creative ad writing that goes into the creation of an affiliate Internet marketing web campaign, do not sign up for anything until you have spoken to a successful affiliate marketer who has no stake in whether or not you sign on with the business deal you are considering. In some cases, this actually means talking to someone who has tried to make money in this business but has failed.

Learning from successful people might be a great idea, but learning from an unsuccessful marketer virtually guarantees that you will avoid the traps into which she or he fell prior to giving up. Ascertaining whether an affiliate Internet marketing web campaign is for real or more hype than anything else simply because the propagators are looking for gullible signups that will spend hard earned money on starter kits, online seminars, training sessions, and coaching may be hard at the onset, but if you avail yourself of any of the various resource that prepare you for marketing, you might have a fighting chance at separating the wheat from the chaff.

Available for free from a wide variety of different sources, you do not have to live at the mercy of benevolent up-line marketers or program administrators to guide you but instead you may develop your own already present sense of understanding the business of sales.

Of course, there are also other reasons why affiliate Internet marketing may not be a web career but instead a road to ruin for you: wrong expectations. If you believe that you can get rich overnight with virtually no effort and only a part time commitment to the job, you are sadly mistaken! Time away from your online business is time away from money that could be earned and thus any time off you take is a serious detriment to your overall business bottom line.

Do not kid yourself and assume that some of the get rich quick schemes which are being sold offer tried and true advice; if this were correct, the number of online entrepreneurs getting rick quick would be legion! As it stands, millions join affiliate Internet marketing web careers only to realize within a short period of time that they are not cut out for the business and leave it behind.

Effective Email Marketing Campaigns

by: Len Hutton
Are you interested in using email marketing to enhance the
traffic and sales of your website? It can be a confusing process
if you don’t know where to start. You will need to establish
your goals before you send the first email. What are you hoping
to accomplish? Make sure these goals are clear and realistic.
This will help you measure the success of the email marketing
campaign. This is a great way to learn what works and what
doesn’t for future email marketing campaigns. While your
particular goals will vary, some common ones include increasing
sales, getting more traffic to the website; improve awareness of
about your company and what products or services you offer, and
building a solid relationship with your customers.

As you start measuring the success of your email marketing
campaign, make sure you are comparing the data only against your
own information not that of the industry. For example did your
sales increase by 10% and traffic to your site increase by 25%
after your email marketing campaign rather than discovering the
rate that sales and traffic increased for the entire industry
you are in.

Don’t be discouraged if your first email marketing campaign
doesn’t do as well as you hoped, especially if you are a new
business. It takes time to build trust with consumers. Make sure
you use your original email address when you send out the
emails. This will help it get past the spam filters.

Make sure you take the time to update your email listings.
Remove any requests to opt out quickly and efficiently to
respect the consumer’s privacy. You will be wasting your time to
email to incorrect addresses or those who don’t want your
materials. Never change the first part of a person’s email
address even if the mail is undeliverable. However it is a good
idea to look for misspellings in the email service provider name
such as Yahoo being Yaho or Hotmail being Hotmall.

Some businesses like to use an email marketing template. Don’t
get too comfortable with a successful marketing campaign though!
This is because customers become bored easily with the same
format. You need to keep their interest by mixing things up a
bit in future email marketing campaigns. Opt in email marketing
software collects email addresses from your website. This is a
great method that is simple for getting you a data base started.
As your data base grows you can choose to send your future email
marketing campaigns to everyone on the list or just a select
target group based on their purchasing history.

You will need to design your email marketing campaign very well.
It needs to be attractive to hold the attention of the consumer
long enough for them to decide it is worth reading. You don’t
want your efforts to be mistaken for common spam or junk mail
right? Make sure all the content is spelled correctly. Keep the
text short and to the point. Readers who open your email may
choose to delete it or save it to read later if it looks to
lengthy. You want them to open it, be captivated, and read it.
The first sentences need to identify your company and what you
are offering. Place the important information first. Then reader
is likely to keep reading. Give them a sense of urgency for
responding by clearing stating the day the promotional offers
expire.


Email marketing is an effective tool if you take the time to use
it properly. It is anticipated to be the most used method of
advertising on the internet by 2008. While this means you will
have lots of opportunity to market your business, it also means
there is going to be a great deal of competition trying to get
consumers to look at their business. You will have to be
creative and work hard to develop effective email marketing
campaigns that are attractive, informative, and encourage the
consumer to take action.
Len Hutton is an information publisher specialising in helping people start their own home based business. You can read up on how to create your own info products in one day without writing a single word by going to http://www.nicheresidualincomes.com/
How To Turn Other Peoples Hard Work Into A Part Time And Instant Internet Business
http://www.nicheresidualincomes.com/underground.htm

Find Out All Keywords That Bring You Sales Within 3 Minutes

by: Egidijus Andreika
The effectiveness of an internet marketing campaign can be summed up in three words: search engine ranking. The higher your website’s position is in search engine results, the more popular it is. Popularity means two things – increase in revenues and greater traffic. To bring these good fortunes into your website, you need to pinpoint the keywords that bring customers and potential new clients to your website.

See these examples: “Snag PGA-standard Golf Shoes at Half Price Now!” vs. “Avail of Golf Footwear like the ones used by Players in the PGA at discounted prices!” Which is more effective and delivers the most impact? If you go for the latter, you must seriously reconsider your banners and ads. Both deliver the same message but the first ad is more likely to draw in a lot of clicks. Why? It uses strong words and a focused keyword. You can use SEO campaigns and pay-per-click advertising services in order to boost your sales and traffic but how do you find which keywords reel in the money? Here’s how:

Measuring click-through rates

Click-through rates are simply the number of times people clicked on your advertisements. Where is the keyword in this scenario? Do not forget that the life of your banners and other advertisements is built on words but not just any word. Banners and advertisements reel in potential customers by being targeted and focused.

There are two ways by which you can measure click-through rates: PHP and ASP Scripts and CGI Script.

There are plenty of CGI Scripts for tracking click-throughs available online. Install the script in your website but make it invisible so that visitors will not feel that they are being watched or something. You can also opt to have a CGI Script custom-designed for your website if you have extra cash. You can also inquire about CGI tracking scripts from your web host.

If a CGI script is passé for you, you can opt to go for PHP and ASP scripts in tracking your keywords’ click-through rates. Ask your web hosting service provider if it supports the script you want. You can also inquire about server-side scripts to find out which is more compatible for your website.

Online tracking services

If scripts are too technical for you, there are online tracking service providers you can sign up with. These providers usually let you try the free version of their tracking client so you can shop around for the best deal before upgrading to a paid version. Paid versions are generally more useful since the providers let you have automated reports detailing click through rates and other important information you can use to beef up your internet marketing campaigns.

You can also sign up with internet marketing and affiliate networks like Click2Sell.EU for a marketing campaign. Affiliates can use your own advertisement materials to ensure consistency and quality in your ad campaigns. By using its own software, the network can provide you with updated reports about your traffic, click-through rates, lets you track keywords and sales each keyword bring and even lets you manage your affiliates for maximum efficiency.

Tracking which keywords bring you the money lets you streamline your internet marketing efforts so you can focus on the keywords and methods that produce results.

Strategies to Get Your Membership Site Noticed Fast

by: Jeremy Gislason
If you want to make money with your membership site, you have to get it noticed. The faster the word gets out, the faster you’ll begin making money. Here are five strategies to get you noticed faster than a streaker at a soccer game.

Provide Free Information. This is a superior strategy to get folks to your web site, however you have a fine line to walk. Too much free info and there’s no benefit to joining your site. Not enough and you don’t give potential members enough of a complimentary preview.

Of course, if you don’t offer quality information then you’ll lose potential members anyway. So make sure that the information you offer is fantastic. You want your free information to be so good that visitors pass it along to others.

Give folks a peek inside with a free trial membership. Trial memberships hook readers! Not only do they instill confidence, once customers get an inside look at all that you have to offer they will want to sign up immediately. Consider also, making certain items on your website available only to ‘permanent subscribers.’ This type of feature works as a tease. Of course, don’t overdo it. You want trial members to be able to access a lot of your site.

Viral Marketing Miracles. Give free reports and even ebooks to affiliates to give away. This report will include the affiliate’s unique ID and any sales made through that report will be credited to the affiliate. It’s a great way to get people to spread the word about your membership site.

Remember that if you want to drive traffic to your site, the ebooks and reports that you give away MUST be excellent.

Article Marketing Mania. Article directories are a wonderful way to drive traffic to your membership site. They help to establish your credibility and they give potential subscribers a peek inside the offerings at your site. Also use article marketing to help build a top notch opt-in list. Always include a link back to your website or sales page.

Fabulous Forums, blogs, and chat rooms. Forums, chat rooms, and blog posts are a good way to get the word out quickly about your membership site. Most forums, chat rooms, and even blogs will allow you to place a link back to your website in your signature link. Consider that many of the people you speak to in these venues may not be ready to purchase but they will be a good resource in the future – if you collect their information.

Adsense Works For Surfers As Well As Publishers

by Steve Sharpe

AdSense is an easy program to grasp: it's a great form of an advertising bringing a lot of benefits to every person in the chain. And of course, seeing the results it can have on a business (and a publisher) people encourage this form of publicity.

For the browsing audience this is probably the most straightforward model available, because they can be directed to a lot of new sites they wouldn't have otherwise found. Needless to say, if you have an AdSense banner on your site, and a large number of visitors you'll know it offers a great financial benefit.

But why does it work for the people clicking the links, as opposed to a standard approach?

It is aided by today's society. With bloggers and information based articles on the internet, people may be encouraged to complete purchases, which adsense can provide links to relevant suppliers whilst also benefiting the publisher.

And the good thing about this is that it works for site visitors as well. In fact Google realized that by pleasing the people who are looking for something, and directing them to what they need faster, everybody wins.

It is because of this that a lot of websites promote through AdSense in both content and search. They do it because they ultimately learned that it works for everyone.

If we look in the past, we can realize that this kind of publicity has a great impact over the people, especially in the last few years. When we enter on a web site and we see a graphical banner, our first idea is to cancel it out of our mind, because it's of no concern to us.

That's why traditional banner advertising is wrong. It's precisely because people are becoming savvy that they don’t look at a flashy banner because they think they'll be losing their time with it.

We've gotten accustomed to banners that don't interest us. And we're accustomed to them having nice graphics. So we naturally associate the two things and think that a banner with nice graphics has nothing to tell us.

But we might look at a text-ad because we've grown accustomed to them being targeted at what we're looking for. Basically these advertisements have marketed themselves into being looked at by any visitor.

This is a typical "no fluff, just stuff" situation. And in the end it means the visitors will see what they're interested in, not some random cool graphics you throw at them.

As stated above, site visitors adopt this advertising mechanism, because it is efficient in leading them to pages of interest and can offer ton of things they really want to see. Someone coming across an article on adsense was probably looking for shoes or doing research on shoes when they came across the article.

And most importantly for everyone, including visitors, this scheme can only improve as the process gets further refined to make ads more relevant to what you're looking for, not just a couple of keywords on a site.

Nowadays, it is because of AdSense that Internet surfers are looking after more interesting related things from banners, and the companies behind the site (Google and the advertiser) need to have better ideas to display, as expectations have increased a great deal.

So could "Do no evil" actually work in today's cut throat competitive marketplace? Well, as you can see it can and it does. And you, as a visitor are the one who gets to enjoy this the most. Advertising becomes less of a burden and more of a benefit, and is still a benefit you can choose to ignore.

Less obtrusive banners; banners that you're actually likely to be interested in and click means you'll be less annoyed by surfing the web and feel like you as a visitor being offered a relevant service.

Although some may feel reluctant to read articles that are there purely to compel consumers, undoubtedly without this consideration they are useful. Ultimately the adverts mean that you don’t have to go back to your homepage every time you are compelled to complete a purchase.

How To Find Free Internet Marketing

by: Mark Walters
New ecommerce businesses are caught up in SEO and web optimization. They view Google as the holy grail of making profits via the internet. Their internet marketing budget is sank into buying traffic, optimizing pages, and establishing major PayPerClick programs with the major search engines. All the work, and expense, involved in following the pack, is virtually unnecessary in today’s ecommerce world.

Marketing the Website

Submitting to search engines is only the first step toward a strong Internet Marketing campaign – it should never be the full focus. There are several ways to market a website.

- search engine optimization
- Pay Per Click
- Search Engine Submission
- Generating Inbound Links and increasing Page Rank
- Building Content
- Adding Social Networking Tools such as forums

Each one of these tools have a benefit. Recently a blog community went from PR0 – PR4, and receiving 300 000 hits a month with a budget of $50 a month. The blog community invested $20 a month in a PayPerClick program to ‘boost’ their exposure on Google and be accepted and ‘ranked’ faster.

www.communati.com submitted the website to more than 3000 search engines, free, using www.webceo.com. Despite the ‘old’ search engine hype, this should only be done once or twice a year. They embarked on an article writing, forum promoting, and encouraging members to ‘put the word out.’ The inbound link campaign increased their Page Rank to PR4 within 5 months, an incredible feat.

Next, communati added social networking features like points and a chat. The important ‘trick’ to remember is that search engines give more rank to pages inside the website, not the index or home page. Building links to the home page is becoming a waste of time. Five articles with specific topics that contain high keywords, links to the rest of the ecommerce website, and ‘hooks’, will generate more PR than links to a buy now page, the index page, or a page with heavy images and graphics.

Marketing the Blog

All websites should include a blog. Not because a blog is necessary, or because people read them. The number one reason for putting up a blog is to increase keyword density, but keep in below the 5% ‘red flag’ level. It also generates dozens of extra content pages, increases the number of ‘in house’ links which are also important to increasing page rank.

A blog can also be submitted to blog directories. The best way to submit is using a service. When an Internet Marketing manager submits a blog to a directory, they must include a backward link. When they use a service they can submit to about 1000 directories without back links. The price ranges from $200 - $500.

One advantage of a blog is that it is submitted to the blog directories every time someone writes a new post. Web sites that are submitted more than 4 or 5 times a year may find themselves banned. However, a blog can ping the search engine several times a day without risk of being banned.

In turn, the blog search engines ‘ping’ the big search engines who give the ‘new’ content high page rank for the first few hours.

Marketing The Podcast

No podcast on your ecommerce website? Why? Submitting it to the podcast directories is another way to generate free exposure. The podcast only needs a few streaming or downloaded files to qualify. Podcasts can also be listed on dozens and dozens of free services, each building links to the main site, as well as increasing the exposure to the website. AmigoFish.com, Digg Podcasts , Podcast Pickle , www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts or http://podcasts.yahoo.com.

The most popular podcatcher software is iTunes, which is available as a free download from www.apple.com/itunes/download.

Promote Video

Does your product Appeal to younger people? Then load video at facebook, youtube, etc and then submit those videos. Don’t make a dry workshop or seminar style tutorial, but make it interesting. It is amazing how many younger people click in keywords, and then use the ‘search video only’ link to view relevant videos instead of reading articles.

The list continues. Submit your newsletter, forums, and chat directories. A single article can be submitted to more than 50 000 article submission ‘free content’ sites. No cost involved, except time, and the exposure will create a ripple effect sending your message farther across the web than a $100 000 SEO, traffic buying, and search engine submission campaign.

Marketing A Small Home Business

by: Zachary Thompson
Operating and owning a small home business web skin care store can be extremely profitable. The key to a successful web store in the wellness industry is to market your entire web store. Knowing the tricks and tips for marketing will help you be the most successful that you can with your new small home business web skin care store. Here are a few tips to get you started with successful marketing.

One factor that many entrepreneurs overlook is marketing. Make certain you write your business plan and do your business budget that you allow weekly and monthly money in the budget for marketing and advertising. Locating funds to market and advertise will help you in the long run. Additionally, if you don’t use all of the funds set aside each week and month, you can roll them over to the following month for when you are ready to launch a large marketing and advertising campaign.

No-one can buy your skin care products if they have no idea that you have a web store on the Internet. It is imperative to get the word out. One way that is relatively inexpensive to market and advertise your new web store is through links on the Internet. The more large sites on the Internet that are linked to your web store will help your over-all listing in search engine rankings. Basically, the search engines pick up that a ton of sites have linked to you and this tells the search engines that your site is good and popular. Go to people’s blogs, internet forums, chat rooms and even guest books and leave a non-spam message and link back to your small home business web store.

Sub-domains are counted as regular domains in the search engines. A sub-domain is a like a branch on a tree. You want to be certain to add links back to your web store from sub-domains as well. This will further ensure that the search engines think that your site is popular. Not only that but with sub-domains and domain linking, it lets others know that you are on the Internet and that you have a popular product that is in high demand.

Offer rebates for your products with a rebate code. You can have people put in the code and automatically take off the amount that they’re getting for a discount. Another method is to have a rebate coupon they can snail mail to you. The money will already have been made when they purchase the product. People love sales and rebates and this is a very effective marketing tool.

Advertise with an inexpensive paid to click email company. You can reach a lot of real people that could potentially buy from your small home business web skin care store. These are people that are interested in your products and will more than likely buy. Skin care is unisex and men are as likely to purchase as women if your product line is extremely varied.

Purchase Google Awards and market your new web store through them. Google has a strong reputation for helping companies market and advertise. There is also a company called Bidvertiser that operates similar to Google and you can make money through advertising with them as well. Plus, you can really market your profit if you set up your web store to accept affiliates through a program such as Click Bank or through a good programmer to set up the store for direct affiliates.

10 Telemarketing Basics You Should Know Now

by: Timothy Rudon
The way to drive business towards growth and profitability is marketing. Marketing needs careful planning and smart deployment of company resources. Marketing can take on several forms like direct marketing, advertising, and telemarketing.

Telemarketing must be end result oriented and include aspects like analysis of exercise and construction of goals, target audience, and more. From the focus to script every stage needs careful planning and execution.

According to marketing experts telemarketing is one of the best avenues and it generates appreciable returns on investment.

1. A telemarketing exercise can be handled in house or out sourced.

2. It must be planned to the last detail so that it demonstrates measurable results.

3. While most telemarketing companies offer either lead generation or appointment setting, the ideal is to get both done as part of the telemarketing exercise.

4. To be effective a telemarketing exercise must run for a minimum of twenty to thirty days.

5. As the plans made need fine tuning it is best to create a needs assessment study and run a pilot before launching the whole telemarketing exercise.

6. Avoid buying data from telemarketers.

7. To be successful and generate new business telemarketing exercise must be handled by a dedicated team that understands your business.

8. Any successful telemarketing effort is not a one time shot. It needs follow up exercises and continued action at least for 3-6 months.

9. Always work towards set goals and if you are using external telemarketing agencies develop a sustainable relationship with more than one outsourcing telemarketer. It will give not just increased volumes but healthy competition.

10. Always use a telemarketer who understands the auditing ropes and maintains records clearly.

Make the conversation scripts polite and convincing. Always check that your company strengths are being conveyed clearly. Ensure that calls are made to the appropriate audience and not to random data base lists. The focus and target audience must be clearly delineated.

The first 3 seconds are crucial so make the best of the moment and capture the would be customers attention and friendship. It is best to come across as friendly, concerned, and caring. Instill a sense of trust. Telemarketing is an effective method of increasing business volumes. In a world filled with advertisements, mailers, and commercials on radio and television the telemarketing effort must be special and effective to grab any attention. So plan well and get in experts if you need to. Telemarketing is not a simple task of phoning people.

Being polite is the key to good business. So use the time effectively and avoid ringing up customers during meal times or nap times. Show them they are important and that you care.

Create goodwill and the telemarketing effort will bear fruits.

6 Advantages Of Infomercials You Might Not Have Known

by: Timothy Rudon
Infomercials are commercials that are around 30 minutes long selling products of various kinds. They resemble programs like talk shows but highlight the view point of the sponsor. The first modern day infomercial was made and aired in 1984; it sold Ginsu knives.

The infomercial industry is booming at around USD 95 million. Products covered are household utensils and cleaning products, beauty aids, health products, and fitness products.

1. Infomercials are like direct selling programs. Their intent is to interest viewers in a product and convince them to buy it. Infomercials are a form of direct response marketing.

2. Infomercials have a set audience as they are aired on television during off peak hours and have a captive audience.

3. Infomercial sell products that can be bought on the phone from the comfort of your home.

4. Most products sold through infomercials are promoted by experts like doctors, health specialists, beauty queens and son on. They endorse the products in such a way that television watchers eagerly buy the products.

5. Most infomercials are hosted by popular talk show hosts who have a great fan following.

6. Infomercials are convincing as they have people giving testimonials on how x,y, or zee product had worked wonders.

With infomercials every one makes money, the product promoters, the infomercial makers, and the channel that airs the infomercial. The figures are astounding over USD 11 million are made by channels that run just say four infomercials.

Most paid programs that you find listed on TV programs are infomercials. Very often a talk show that captures your attention and holds you spell bound for thirty whole minutes is an infomercial; these programs are run on cable television during low-cost time. And customers can call on toll free numbers and buy products using their credit cards.

Infomercials have self regulation bodies such as the National Infomercial Marketing Association or NIMA who vouch for the accuracy and reliability of an infomercial that carries their logo. This is a step to protect consumers from products that cannot be vouched for. Infomercials under NIMA guidelines market valuable products that make responsible claims and follow fair business practices.

As a consumer you need to use common sense and basic precautions when buying products sold on television or radio. Never give into sales pitch. Make sure you need the product, that it is being sold at a fair price, has a NIMA logo, and offers guarantees, displays clearly costs and refund policies.

Internet Marketing

by: Mary Rose
Internet Marketing, also known as online marketing or emarketing, is the marketing of products or services over the internet. The internet has brought about quite a few exceptional advantages to marketing such as quick and economical mode of circulating large amount of information to a vast audience. It's interactive nature, both in terms of immediate response, and in drawing out response, are the sole of its kind attributes of this mode of marketing.

Internet marketing blends together creative and technical aspects of the internet, which covers design, development, advertising and sales. Some of it's methods include search engine marketing,blog marketing,viral marketing etc.Basically it involves the development and advertisement of an organization through online media. It does not simply mean developing and promoting a website. Rather a website is always created for a real organization having real goals.

Every minute detail of online advertising products, services, and websites, covering market research, email marketing, and direct sales are taken care of through various internet marketing strategies.Several industries including the advertising industry have been influenced by the internet marketing. It may appear comparitively an easy task to venture out into the scenario of online marketing.But one should never overlook the competitive edge,a sound business strategy offers in any kind of marketing. Of course the availabiltiy of latest and vast amount of information is one of the merits of this form of marketing.Here,the transaction is not restricted by business hours or days as a customer can access the internet ,study and verify the products, and even purchase them at any hour of any day.

Internet marketing also facilitates a company to cut down the expenses which it could otherwise incur on the salesforce.On the whole, internet marketing assists a business to spread out its wings from a local market to national and international market places. Moreover,it has a relatively low cost of entry when compared to any other form of the media.

Internet marketing has indeed become one of the major ways of making oneself known to the whole world. In fact in the present day scenario, there could be no better medium than this to market any kind of business

Using Postcard Marketing to Keep in Touch With Prospects & Customers

by: Dave Roth
There are many ways to keep the interest of a customer or prospect, and to ensure that person is reminded of a particular business. One of the more old-fashioned but still very effective ways to do this is through the use of postcard marketing. This can help a business keep in touch with both prospects and customers, and make sure that people know what they can expect to receive from a business in both goods and services. Letting individuals know this and keeping it in the forefront of their minds goes a long way toward building good customers relationships that are strong and that will last for a long period of time.

Postcard marketing is relatively inexpensive. Bulk postcards can be bought, or more expensive ones can be purchased for a more personal touch. Either way, they cost very little and mailing them out is also much less than the cost of a letter or package. Because of this, they are a very economic way of staying in touch with prospects and customers. This helps the business because it brings in more traffic and raises profits. In turn, it helps the customers and prospects because they are reminded of sales and other special offers that the business might have for them. In addition, keeping a business in a customers mind these days is not easy when there are so many businesses to choose from.

In order to keep up with the competition, individuals in the business world know that they must advertise. They do not want to ignore their customers, because another business will come along and snatch those people away. However, they know if they nag, customers will quickly tire of that, as well. There is a delicate balance that companies and their salespeople must find, and in order to do this they analyze customer trends and work to get to know what people that shop with them really need. Postcard marketing can be a great way to keep in touch with customers and at the same time make sure that these customers are not being nagged.

5 Ways to Strengthen Customer Relationships

by: Dave Roth
Strengthening the relationships that one has with customers is very important. Customers that feel comfortable and have a good working relationship with a specific person or business will return to patronize that person or business again. There are generally 5 ways to strengthen customer relationships.

First, making sure that customers are taken care of is vital. People need to know that a salesperson or employee cares about them. There are many ways to make this happen, and a business owner or employee should use whatever tactics work best.

Second, price things fairly. It is true that one has to make a profit to stay in business, but also true that a reasonable price can be charged so that profits are made and customers feel as though they received a good deal.

Third, remind customers about the business. Customers will not keep shopping at your store if they forget that it is there. Advertising helps to remind them that they want and need what you have to offer.Fourth, keep your store clean and neat. No one wants to shop in a dirty store, or one that appears unsafe or uncared for. It makes customers feel that a business takes no pride in what it has to offer to others.

Fifth and finally, make sure that employees take care of themselves, as well. This does not mean they are all expected to look like supermodels. It only means that they should make an effort to stay neat and clean, as hygiene is important, especially in the selling profession.

By following these simple tips, a business and its employees can greatly strengthen the relationships that are seen with customers. This will make customers want to shop at a particular store, and can keep them coming back more often than they otherwise would. They may also spend more money at that store, helping the business profits to grow, as well.

The Campaign Killers: 12 People You Need To Fire

by: Jerry Bader
Sometimes it seems like the hardest thing to do in business is to get things done: so little time, so many obstacles. And when it comes to marketing it gets even worse, after all there are all those administrative details that need to be dealt with, emails, inquiries, suppliers, and on and on. Finding the time to devote to creating a sustained, focused marketing effort seems like it's near impossible. But the biggest obstacles of all are some of your trusted colleagues and advisors; you know the ones I'm talking about, the ones that are a royal pain-in-the-ass. So lets just call them on the proverbial carpet and fire their butts; but first let's check the files and find out who they are.

File One: Mr. Inertia

Everybody knows this guy. He's the one who hasn't had a new idea in five years. This is the fellow who thinks everything is just fine the way it is, so let's not rock-the-boat, everything is just hunky-dory, thank you very much.

You have to treat your business like it's a shark: no standing still, if you don't keep moving forward, you won't survive. It's a competitive world out there, and in the Web-centric marketing environment, you're not only competing with the shop down the street, you're competing with the whole world, so standing still is not an option. Mr. Inertia, you're fired!

File Two: Mr. Know-It-All

I love this guy, he knows everything, he's done everything, and if you ask him he'll tell you he invented it. It doesn't matter what it is or even if it relates to your business, he's done it all and seen it all, or so he says. This is Mr. Know-It-All; he stopped learning, stopped improving, and stopped listening years ago.

Despite all his self-proclaimed knowledge and insight, this guy hasn't contributed anything meaningful to the marketing effort since a Blackberry was something you ate. Mr. Know-It-All, you're fired!

File Three: Mr. My-Business-Is-Unique

We all like to feel that we have created something unique, something different, something that no one else does. The fact is business is business; it's very dangerous to think that your company is so unusual that it's irreplaceable, so different that you don't need to market, so special that branding isn't required, and so singular that positioning is a waste of time.

Don't be fooled, finding your 'mark of differentiation' is just as much an exercise in marketing as it is an exercise in product development. Mr. My-Business-Is-Unique, you're fired!

File Four: Mr. We-Always-Do-It-This-Way

At one point in my career I ran a company that manufactured photo albums, we had a large competitor who always undercut our price no matter what we sold our product for. In an effort to find out how they were gaining this advantage, we cut opened one of their new albums and found that they were using cheap corrugated cardboard as a stiffener instead of the more expensive traditional 80-point board everybody in the industry used.

Our sales manager made an appointment with a major photo chain known for only buying quality. He made a dramatic presentation by cutting open our competition's product illustrating the superior nature of our product and demonstrating how they were being duped into buying the inferior junk our competitor was selling them. The buyer, who was also one of the owners looked at the products on his desk, uttered an expletive-deleted and laughed, "Yea," he said, "but they are cheaper."

Just because things were done the same way forever, doesn't mean that you can keep doing it that way. Keep innovating, experimenting, challenging the status quo. Mr. We-Always-Do-It-This Way, you're fired.

File Five: Mr. Everybody-Is-Stupid (But Me)

This clown's a real buzz-kill. In brainstorming sessions this is the guy who shoots down every idea that comes up without offering any alternatives. If some idea is actually adopted he immediately begins to try and change it. You'll usually find him with a coffee in one hand and a donut in the other, standing over someone who is actually trying to work, telling them to move it a pixel to the right or add a little blue or saying stuff like, "I think it needs a pony, ya add a pony." This jerk is like a dog going from hydrant to fencepost depositing his mark without any purpose or validity other than leaving his scent. Not only is this guy unproductive, he makes everybody around him less productive. Mr. Everybody-Is-Stupid (But Me), your fired!

File Six: Mr. I-Know-All-The-Customers-Worth-Knowing

Hard to believe but this guy does exist. I once called on a potential client who told me he didn't need a website because he knew all the customers worth knowing, all six of them. He was a manufacturer and he did sell to the six largest retail buyers of his merchandise but one thing I've learned over the years, you never have enough customers, and as soon as you think you've got them all sewed up, watch out, because every competitor is out to take them away from you. And as good as you are or as good as you think you are clients will eventually be pursued by a competitor offering something better or cheaper. Never stop prospecting, never stop looking for new business, and never be satisfied. Mr. I-Know-All-The-Customers-Worth-Knowing, you're fired.

File Seven: Mr. I-Know-All-The-Benefits

We all could be guilty of this marketing sin if we're not careful. Thinking you know everything that people do with your product or service is a risky mindset and speaks to a lack of vision. This guy goes to the appropriate conventions, listens to all his industry's experts and reads only stuff about his own established market. If it's about something else, he's just not interested, and he doesn't see or understand the relevance.

The fact is all your customers are people who have lives outside of business; they all have problems, insecurities, hobbies, and interests that have nothing to do with business. And they may have a totally different point-of-view as to what you offer and how they can use it. You must pay attention to what's going on in the world and how people think and react to events and situations. The market is an emotional and psychological minefield and you must pay attention to outside forces because if you don't you're limiting your potential. Mr. I-Know-All-The-Benefits, I'm sorry but you're fired!

File Eight: Mr. Everything-Is-Bulls@%t

This employee is not just useless, he's downright destructive; no matter what marketing plan you're considering implementing this guy thinks it's bull. He doesn't believe in branding, positioning, or any form of sophisticated marketing. He doesn't believe that psychology or emotion plays any part in the sales process and is probably the master of wining and dining clients resulting in the biggest expense account in the company but not much else. His clients were customers before he arrived and will probably be there after he leaves unless he pisses them off. This guy still doesn't see the benefit of a website and keeps repeating, 'it's just an electronic brochure.' His answer to a dip in sales is always the same, to cut prices. Mr. Everything-Is-Bulls@%t, you're fired!

File Nine: Mr. I'll-Get-Around-To-It

Nobody really knows what this guy does. He is pleasant, tells good jokes, and he most likely is the guy who brings coffee and cookies to the office for everybody once a week. His desk is always piled high with papers, files, and binders, and when you ask him for something he invariably starts to rummage through this heap of junk ultimately telling you that he'll bring it along as soon as he finds it, he just been 'sooo' busy. It takes him three days to answer an email, a week to return a phone call, and at least two weeks to respond to a request for quotation. This guy just has to go. Mr. I'll-Get-Around-To-It, you're fired!

File Ten: Mr. Automatic Pilot

This chap believes that the great benefit of having a Web-based business is that he doesn't have to work. This guy spent a considerable sum of money having a bunch of programmers, probably from one of those offshore sweatshops, develop a website system that automatically answers emails, fills orders, and processes inquiries. The only problem is that it doesn't matter if a customer has a question or complaint they all get the same email-response that says they can order even more stuff they can't figure out how to use. Mr. Automatic Pilot, you're fired!

File Eleven Mr. I-Don't-Need-No-Stinking-Creativity

This guy doesn't believe in any kind of creativity, he thinks everything is based on rational dollar-and-cents decision-making. His website lists as many features and benefits in 48 point red Times Roman as he can think of; he highlights each point in yellow and underlines them in green with a big purple checkmark beside each one. He adds several royalty-free photographs of fake customers with quotations he made-up while sitting on the john. And just to enhance his special offer page, he tacks-on a bunch of extra bonus gifts like a useless free e-book. This guy's idea of marketing got stuck in the fifties; so Mr. I-Don't-Need-No-Stinking-Creativity, you're fired.

File Twelve: Mr. Get-Me-the-Coast

You run across these types every now and again. I once went to a meeting with this guy who was the Vice President of Whatever Mega Corporation. At first glance, he was very impressive, handsome and tall with a big office and lots of hair, and a voice made for AM radio. He talked faster than anyone I ever met. As we made our presentation, he slammed his hand down on the intercom and bellowed to his secretary to "Get me Johnny on the coast!" Before I knew what hit me, he's talking to his guy in California who's on his way to his dry cleaner to pick up his laundry. He asked him a couple of questions as fast as I ever heard without much reference to anything we were discussing and slammed down the phone with a thud. I had no idea what we were talking about or if this guy heard a single word we said. This guy was the master of taking meetings and impressing people, but with what I am still not sure. Mr. Get-Me-the-Coast, your fired!

A Final Thought

The single most important thing about managing good staff or contractors is that they will only be as good as you let them. So now that you've laid-waste to a staff of deadweight, what's next? You need to hire or outsource the right people; people who are creative, innovative, and talented; people who are interested in getting things done, whether it's filing or creating your next marketing campaign.

Web-Programming: An Alternative To Unproductive Advertising

by: Jerry Bader
As of this writing the television writers in Hollywood are on strike. The significance of this strike will be felt far beyond the current television season and impact what and where people will get their entertainment in the future. People are now not only embracing the Web for their information needs but are also increasingly turning to it for their entertainment needs as well.

The Web will soon be 'the place' that fills the programming vacuum that network broadcasters have been unwilling and/or unable to fulfill. People were prepared to tolerate constant reruns, dreadful programming, and incessant repetitive ads as long as there was no alternative, but that is no loner the case. Viewers now have an option to bad television and it's the Web, but why should you care and more importantly how can you take advantage of the opportunity it creates?

Why Should You Care?

Information and entertainment have melded in recent years creating what has been dubbed 'infotainment.' It can be argued that the evening news has become more entertainment than hard news and let's not even get into venues like the History Channel where fact and fiction seem to be presented in equal and indistinguishable doses. So what does all this have to do with you and how you deliver your marketing message?

The time is coming, if it is not here already, that companies will not be able to get away with merely uploading online brochures and catalogues, or even extensive screeds singing the praises of every feature and benefit associated with their offering. People demand more, they insist your website be interesting, informative, and entertaining; and it is this aspect of entertainment that potentially makes your marketing presentation memorable.

What Is Web-Programming?

Web-programming takes the creative Web-video campaign concept and pushes it one step further up the evolutionary marketing scale by integrating the message into a programming environment.

This concept is not an entirely new idea, in fact one of the most noted television commercial campaigns of 1991 was the Taster's Choice soap opera-like series of spots that wove the marketing message into a courtship relationship between two apartment neighbors. In an environment where information and entertainment blur, it seems like an ideal solution to capturing an audience's attention and interest, and creating a viral buzz that few products or services can generate by presenting a bulleted list of features.

Build Brand Relationships

James E. Aisner, in his article 'More Than A Name: The Role of Brands in People's Lives' (HBS Working Knowledge For Business Leaders) references the research of Harvard Business School Professor, Susan M. Fournier, "Fournier has created a typology of fifteen different types of relationships between consumers and their brands." These brand relationships include the secret affair, the best friend, kinship, the fling, courtship, the marriage-of-convenience, casual friendship, childhood friendship, mother and child, and master-slave.

What kind of relationship does your brand have with your audience? Is it a short-term fling that starts with a lot of heat and passion and then quickly cools-off, or is it a long-term marriage that will last a lifetime? Finding, and promoting the most appropriate and beneficial brand relationship is the marketing goal of your Web-programming marketing initiative.

Part of the problem many smaller organizations have in developing successful marketing campaigns is that they think in terms of products and services rather than brands; features and benefits rather than relationships. Almost every product or service on the market can be replaced with a competitive substitute, but brands are much harder to replace; brands create a competitive barrier through the development of relationships based on prototypical psychological and emotional factors, the same kinds of factors that govern your personal relationships.

Generate Trust, Confidence, Loyalty and Passion

In his article, "A Brand New You," (Psychology Today), W. Eric Martin tells us that brands came into vogue in the post Civil War era as a response to an increasing mobile population that began to lose touch with local merchants and shopkeepers. Brands became a substitute for the personal relationships that people had with their suppliers. This seemingly minor historic fact helps us understand the significance of brands in today's Web-centric marketplace.

Today's consumer-client, whether retail or business-to-business is more remote, more isolated from the supplier than ever before. The Web allows us to market our products and services anywhere in the world, but in order to actually make a sale, we must establish a relationship that generates a sufficient level of trust, confidence, loyalty and passion. Sneer if you will at the passion and loyalty most Macintosh users have for their computers, but what other computer company can claim such brand allegiance?

Relationships Are Based On Psychological Needs

At the heart of any relationship is the emotional or psychological need that that relationship fulfills. If you haven't found that connection in what you do then you are at a definite competitive disadvantage; and you are competing on the most fickle and transient of factors: price and features. In business, there will always be someone who is prepared to sell a substitute product or service for less, or with more bells and whistles. So why would you ever want to compete on that basis?

It really doesn't matter what business you're in, there is always some emotional or psychological component to what you do. The iPod is the market leader in its category despite numerous competitors; it holds that position not because it's the cheapest, which it definitely isn't, or the product with the most features, which it probably is, but because it's an iPod - not a tool but a status symbol, a badge of intelligence and taste, a brand relationship akin to being a member of the coolest club in town.

Web-programming Development

In short, Web-programming is a marketing campaign based on a series of episodic Web-videos tied together by plotline and character development; an ongoing initiative that weaves into its storyline the marketing pitch. The integration of the marketing pitch can be done subtly using product placement techniques or overtly making the pitch part of the story arc.

This marketing technique is not for everyone; it is certainly not for the unsophisticated or for the marketer who is afraid to experiment or to take a chance.

If you are looking for an instant direct financial return like a big sale sign in your storefront window then you are not looking for marketing, you're looking for promotions. Marketing is all about building a brand relationship with your audience. The more time and effort you invest in marketing, the more solid your brand relationship will be, and the more appropriate the clients you'll attract and keep.

Web-programming - Where To Begin

There are four minimal requirements needed to create an episodic Web-video marketing campaign: need identification, point-of-view, attitude, and transformation. These are the same elements defined by Syd Field, the well-respected author, producer, screenwriter, and lecturer, in his book, "The Screenwriter's Workbook;" and they are the same elements that all top-notch salesmen use to build client-relationships - ask yourself - have you ever met a top salesman who wasn't a great storyteller?

Need Identification

Like all episodic series yours will need a hero or protagonist; this is the person your audience will identify with and who will act as their surrogate.

Your protagonist must be searching for something that relates to the emotional or psychological need fulfilled by your product or service. Anyone who has ever had to deal with an insurance company certainly understands the Geico caveman's need for respect. His frustration is the perfect foil for the company's marketing message, 'it's so easy a caveman can do it.' We are all cavemen at heart, seeking respect from big business bureaucracies that make us jump through hoops just to place an order.

Point-of-View

You must present your material from a particular point-of-view. Is your presentation told from the protagonist's point-of-view or is it told from an objective observer's, perhaps through voice-over. It can even be counter-intuitive and be told from an antagonist's point-of-view.

If your scenario is more procedural based, you can even present it from different points-of-view each delivering alternative perspectives, each highlighting different aspects of the emotional fulfillment.

Attitude

Attitude is especially important for Web-based presentations, but it is also one of the scariest aspects of marketing for the faint-of-heart. All too often businesses shy away from bold statements, or extreme displays for fear of alienating some segment of the audience, but it's attitude that grabs people's attention, makes the presentation memorable, and qualifies leads and inquiries.

Transformation

One of the hardest things a commercial-based episodic series has to deal with is story arc. What change takes place over the life of the series and is the campaign concept strong enough to sustain itself? What transformation takes place? Does your protagonist find fulfillment or does he fail to find the emotional or psychological answer he's looking for. If you're not sure what deep-seated need your product or service satisfies, find the conflict.

All stories are based on conflict, frustration, and desire, whether it's the search for 'whiter whites' or better insurance. If your concept is without conflict, you are not illustrating the need for your solution.

You can show successful transformation based on the adoption of your solution or you can show failure whichever works best for what you're marketing and the audience you are trying to attract.

Conclusion

The Web has from its infancy provided business with enormous marketing opportunities. As the Web's capabilities increase over time, these opportunities increase as well. As much as other media tries to adapt to the competitive pressures created by the Web, old methods and attitudes die-hard; the writer's strike being just one example of a group trying to maintain dominance in an environment they cannot control. The opportunities are there to make your marketing mark if you have the courage to act.