5 Breakthrough Marketing Ideas

Do you ever get frustrated with your marketing? Are you putting in a lot of effort but not getting the results you want? Don't you wish you could just hit a switch and get a better response from your mailings, sales calls and web site?


You hear a lot about breakthroughs; is it all hype, or can you really create a breakthrough in your marketing and sales? I know that you can.

I spent last weekend skiing in Vermont with my spouse, nephew and his finance Sonia. We were all having a great time on the slopes, except Sonia. Sonia doesn't have as much experience as the rest of us and was struggling to keep up. Her problem wasn't one of effort. She was working much harder than the rest of us, fighting each turn and slowing her progress down the hill. In a few minutes, I showed her how to tip her skis to make easy, graceful S shaped turns that took advantage of the new shaped skis. After making a run or two, she was skiing twice as fast with less effort, and having more fun.

You too can experience a breakthrough in your skiing, golf swing or in your marketing. If you are like most business owners, you advertise, send out mailings, make sales calls and have a web site. This is what you do to market your business; the way you do these things will make the difference between success and failure.

What would constitute a breakthrough in your business? Like Sonia, you may be inadvertently working harder than you need to be to get the results you want. With a few changes to your marketing strategy and techniques you could be getting a lot more attention, generating more qualified leads and converting more prospects to clients and having more fun.

Here are five ideas to get your marketing headed for a breakthrough:

1.Focus on your target markets' primary concerns in your sales calls, your brochure, your ads and on your web pages. Your prospects' problems and wants brought you together; use this to keep prospects' attention.

2.Use questions to get the conversation going. Whether you're on the telephone, writing web page copy or writing an ad, ask your prospects questions to get them thinking about what they want and how you can help them.

3.Give something away that your prospects need. The more helpful information you give away to prospects, the more business you'll receive in return. Give away ideas they can use and help them understand when and how to use your products and services.

4.Build a mailing list of people who want more of your ideas and information. Use the list regularly to stay in touch and you'll increase your credibility the perceived value of your goods and services, and your sales.

Other Breakthrough Ideas

-When people are at the point of purchase, prompt them to buy additional products and you can double your revenue.

-Call people who have bought your products after a couple of weeks to get feedback. There is a good chance they'll be interested in buying additional products or services.

Whether you want to become an expert at marketing, skiing or cooking, the key is to let go of methods that aren't working for you, and learn and apply the techniques used by the experts. Nine times out of ten, the problem is in getting the basics right. You can achieve a breakthrough in sales when you understand and apply these proven marketing principles and techniques.

The 4 Best Online Business Strategies

Almost always, the reason for business failure has to do with poor planning and execution. Instead of developing a strategy and applying it, the struggling business owner took a shot in the dark and didn't hit her target. Now she finds herself wishing she had followed a step-by-step approach, and built a solid foundation for long-term success.


What is the difference between you and someone who is making a hearty living with their Web business? The classic reason is that they found a need and filled it. But chances are, they also got savvy and applied a sound business strategy.

Many different strategies will work, just as many roads lead to the same destination. You've probably got a good online business idea cooking already.

Play with it a little. Stretch and snap it in different directions. Ideas are like Silly Putty - a mass of flexibility and potential.

If you're on the trail of an online strategy, ask yourself:

* Can I solve a problem my customer struggles with?

* Do I have any particular know-how that could benefit my readers?

* Can I to create a resource that a particular group of people need, such as a collection of success stories, or interviews with experts?

What are the best strategies for building an online business? Here's what I've found:

The 4 Best Online Business Strategies

1. Develop an application

By application, I mean an iPhone application or one for Google's Android, or an application that customers can download such as Adobe's Photoshop.

You may use Web and hardware applications all day long and hardly ever give it a second thought. For example, your iPhone runs on apps that are developed by third-person parties, that is, not necessarily by Apple. So does your laptop and your BlackBerry.

Developing an application requires programming skills, so this is an appropriate online career path for someone who has developed programing skills with languages such as Cocoa, Java, Ajax, etc.

If these sound like foreign languages to you, this is not the best online business idea for you. If you like the strategy of developing an application and want to investigate further, consider learning how. Most community colleges teach programming skills.

2. Sell information or consult

Provide information your audience can't easily find elsewhere. Create or teach something that your readers need or value, preferably both.

If you are an expert in any field there are certainly people that would like to learn from you online. This is the online business system approach that my partner and I have used many times while building our business. You can create a download-able product, or create a membership service.

Good writing skills are necessary. Can't write? Then get busy and develop your basic skills. This isn't about mesmerizing anybody with your flair for language. You do need to communicate clearly, however.

How do you develop writing skills? Same way a good violinist gets to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.

* Write every single day.

* Read your writing out loud.

* Develop an ear for listening to it objectively.

* When writing for your business website, keep your audience in mind.

That last tip alone is worth its weight in gold. Do not write to an anonymous or general audience. Your writing will lack energy and focus. Online, writing that keeps your reader engaged can make or break your eBusiness.

So keep someone specific in mind while writing. Write as if you're explaining something to this person. Make it an intelligent friend who is interested in what you have to say and wants to know more about it.

You need basic Web development skills as well.

The learning curve is steep for many programs you will need to know. Don't waste your time. Either hire or partner-up with a skilled Web technician or get the necessary skills under your belt quickly.

Delegation can be hard for independent-minded people. Get over it.;) Knowing your strengths is a must. But you've also got to identify your weak areas and compensate.

3. Promote an existing service

* Do you already own a real life business, such as a restaurant?

* Do you sell your artwork out of your studio?

* Would your repair shop benefit from more customers?

Say you run a local business. You want to let the world know that you own and operate the Best Bagpipe Repair Shop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Or, you make one-of-a-kind pieces of silver jewelry, or you're incredibly good with Bonsai trees, and you want to sell your goods or services online.

The best online business approach for local business is to get your business seen on local searches. Ranking high for local searches is one thing that can make the difference in small business success. This is particularly true if you offer a service such as healthcare (dentistry, chiropractic), cleaning or repair, because it can really boost your customer base from local traffic.

You'll need:

* a professional website.

* to network with other local websites via link exchanges.

* SEO.

* monetization opportunity. (Using PayPal eliminates your need to set up a shopping cart.)

* a method of shipping your work (USPS, FedEx, UPS).


Also, you'll probably want to blog on your site, so it doesn't appear to be one big advertisement
4. Develop a community

Think of the most successful online businesses. Their strategy? They provide us with ways to connect. These are the social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Orcut, MoveOn, Digital Point, Oprah, Huffington Post, and more.

If you have an idea, philosophy or hobby that draws a community, a social networking site may be the best online business strategy for you.

You will need a standard website or blog that includes a forum. Community sites are commonly fronted by a blog, or, as in the case of Facebook and Twitter, an interface. Provide room for interaction. Give instruction. Model leadership and vibrant, healthy debate.

* Bear in mind that many of your forum participants are searching for more than social chit-chat. They want useful information and solutions to their problems.

In conclusion...

Develop a sound business idea. Then go forth and multiply it.

Your desire to create a robust income stream on the Web is in itself a powerful force. You can learn how to direct that force to build a lucrative online business. Channel your time, energy and resources and watch your Web business grow and thrive.

But first, do some research and check out the pros and cons.
Ask yourself: Is my business idea

* reasonable

* necessary

* worthy of my investment (of time, energy and money)?

If the answers are a resounding yes, you're probably hot on the trail of one of the best online business strategies around.

The Simplest Tactics For Increasing Your Customer Base and Growing Your Small Business

As small business owners, we often struggle to find new ways to market our businesses and grow our customer bases. We're caught between a rock and a hard place - the time and expense involved in traditional advertising, and the limited marketing budgets we have to work with.I would like to showcase an extremely powerful and practically free marketing tool that we all have at our disposal. This tool is nothing new, the concept has been around for years, and because of that, it is often overlooked. I'm sure you've heard of it, and you might even be using it in one form or another. But I'm willing to bet that you're not using it 100% effectively.This concept is so potent it is guaranteed to increase your business almost instantly - if you use it correctly.So do yourself a favor and really read everything I have to say. Don't just skim the subheads and think, "Yeah, I already know that." Or you'll miss out on learning the distinctive nuances that make this concept actually work.Give It Away Free!Now I already know what you're thinking: "I'll lose money if I give it away for free." You're going to have to trust me on this and believe that this is actually an excellent business building strategy.There are two main reasons this tactic works so well (there are actually many reasons, but we're going to discuss the two biggies here).1. Free give-aways allow your prospects to "test drive" your product or service without any fear or risk. When they recognize the superior value you offer, they'll become addicted and want to purchase over and over again. Of course, we're assuming that you actually doffer superior value - and let me point out that superior value does not mean lowest price. But that's another discussion altogether.2. The law of reciprocity kicks in. When you give away something for free, people feel naturally compelled to return the favor. Just think about the veterans groups and their red poppies. They raise millions of dollars by giving away a tissue paper poppy worth a few pennies.So, what kind of things can you give away for free? You want to give something that is low cost but has a high perceived value.Information makes a wonderful freebie. It's relatively inexpensive to package and it does have a very high perceived value, as long as the information addresses your target market's needs. Your information can be compiled into a special report; it can be assembled into an audio file; it can even be turned into an autoresponder email course.The key is to give information that showcases you as the expert in your field. For instance, a real estate agent can give away a special report entitled How To Increase The Curb Appeal Of Your Home And Have Offers Flooding In Like Crazy. A used car dealer can create an audio CD called Pucker Up - 8 Tell-Tale Signs That The Car You're Test Driving Is A Lemon.You can also give away product samples or service consultations. Have you ever gone to the grocery store during the weekend? You can hardly step into an aisle without having a cracker shoved in your face - topped with the newest flavor dip to hit the market. Or being enticed by bite sized pastries still steaming from the oven. Grocery stores have been using the free sample tactic for years - because it works!It's easy to see how this idea works for products, but it pulls just as well, maybe even better, for service providers. If you offer a service, you can give a free sample that leaves your prospect not only wanting more, but needing more. Ever see the subway shoeshine vendors? The most profitable ones offer a free shoeshine, but it's only one shoe. You're left with the choice of either buying another shine or walking around with lopsided feet.How Much Can You Afford To Give Away?Before you plan your free give-away strategy, it's imperative that you figure out the lifetime value of your customer. This is relatively easy to do, and it's a statistic that will drive many of your future business decisions, but unfortunately, this is a step that not many entrepreneurs take.Let's say you own a quick oil change center. Your typical customer comes in four times a year. He spends $29.95 on each oil change (4 per year). Once a year he buys a pair of wiper blades at $19.99 and once a year he gets a coolant flush at $69.99. We'll say each oil change costs you $10, parts and labor; the wiper blades cost $8 and the coolant flush $15. Your typical customer also brings in his wife's car four times a year and his daughter's car four times a year. He does business with you for five years.The lifetime value of your customer is $2,201.70. How much are you willing to invest to get a new customer who will net you $2,201.70? What do you need to cover your overhead? How many referrals do you typically get from each customer? Does it make sense for you to give away a $29.95 oil change? How about a $69.99 coolant flush? What are you prepared to spend in order to acquire a new customer? Keep this "magic number" in mind when you're preparing your freebie.

How to Make Money With MySpace

MySpace has quickly become the internet's largest community, with millions of users and billions of hits every single week. MySpace has thousands of groups, thousands of new users every day, and countless opportunities to profit.There are poeple making a killing off of MySpace, and it's not only those who own the internet conglomerate. Instead, users like you and me are making money off of their MySpace accounts.I once gave a presentation to a group of high school seniors about internet marketing, because I started when I was just out of high school. I mentioned that anyone can make money with blogs, eBay, Google... and I received no reaction. Then I mentioned that you can make money off of your MySpace account, and all of a sudden I had everyone's attention.However, it is not just high school students that use MySpace. It seems anymore that everyone and their grandma has a MySpace account that is being checked several times a day. So, it's about time that you started marketing to those who use of this excellent marketing source.There are countless communities and groups inside of MySpace. Posting simple bulletins and messages on their forums can generate a lot of attention to whatever you are trying to sell. For example, any salesman can locate a niche that is targeted to their product, post a group bulletin that explains how the product can benefit those in the group, and all of a sudden, attention and buzz is created. If you sell baby strollers, guess where you can post a message to a group of new mommies? Yep, MySpace. Best of all, this marketing strategy doesn't cost a dime.With any marketing strategy, the use of a list is always stressed. Some people use the "endless chain" method, while others simply send out memos to the members of their list. Internet Marketers send out newsletters. MySpace is an easy way to generate a list of potential buyers. All of your "friends" are now potential buyers. You can send out bulletins and talk about new products, services, or free promotions.MySpace does most of the work for you. You can find people targeted to your niche by simply looking at the MySpace groups. You can also browse all accounts to find a certain age, weight, and even income level. MySpace will actually filter the best people to target for you. It could not be any easier to market online.If you have neglected to market through MySpace, you are leaving a lot of money on the table. It's about time that you start utilizing this unbelievable resource and market to the largest community of potential buyers.

Internet Marketing Ebook

With an internet marketing ebook you cannot lose. If you are looking to make money online then you need an internet marketing ebook. What these ebooks will do is show you the path to making money online. There are many different ways to profit on the internet and you are about to find out how it can easily be done in just minutes.There is no one great internet marketing ebook. The truth is that there are several. Some are better than others but unique in their own way. Some internet marketing ebooks will show you how to create a profitable website in under one day. Others will show you how to use cheap advertising to make money.An internet marketing ebook is priceless when you are just starting out your internet business. If you don't have a guide to follow then you may as well stop trying right now. It really does not matter which internet marketing ebook you pick up because many of them will give you a great understanding of how to get started. They are all different because they teach you different techniques for making money.The easiest internet marketing ebook to read and follow the steps is Super internet Handbook. This is an ebook written by someone who makes over $400,000 per year just with internet marketing. When you buy this internet marketing ebook you will learn the ins and outs of the internet marketing business. This is a great ebook to get started with. Get started today.

Market And Sell Your Self Published Books Easily

Whether you've just published a book or have a book that isn't selling, now is the time to start marketing the easy way today! It's one thing to write a book, but an entirely different thing to write one that's saleable, viable, and marketable. Ensuring the success of any book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee, but with a good book, a little or a lot of money, and just plain hard work the odds are in your favor; many have done it.Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book's website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release.Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords. When picked up by wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds of mentions for your book. Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month. Send out the same press release to the editor of your local daily newspaper every week until you are called for an interview or are written up. Press releases can easily generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Why not give away a copy of your book in a local raffle to get more book recognition? Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer. If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic. Every day it's important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books' genre, in trade for display ads on the same page. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Arrange to give a simple talk at local, regional and national events that relate to your book topic; bring books along and have an associate sell them at the back of the room.If your book solves a problem, focus on it in your marketing. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don't assume it's already listed. When you get a nice write-up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows.Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book's genre and to book review magazines. It's important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you'll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. With well chosen book marketing and book promotion, online and offline, you'll reap the profits you deserve for your efforts by way of the Internet and in your mailbox. Don't delay another day if you've fallen by the wayside; make sure to focus on promoting, selling and marketing your book each and every day. I hope this article has provided you with some easy, helpful tips to accelerate your book marketing and book promotion efforts.

Small Business Marketing on a Budget - Easy Technique for Growing Your Customer Base

Hopefully, you're aware of the value of giving something away for free in order to grow your customer base. When using this tactic, it's good to know the lifetime value of your clients so you can determine how much, monetarily, you can afford to give away for free.More than likely, that the lifetime value would be higher if you knew each customer would refer other new customers to you. And that brings us right to our simple technique for increasing your customer base and growing your business:Create A Surefire Referral ProgramA solid referral program is, without a doubt, the least expensive way of generating new customers.Prospects who are referred to you are "easier" to convert into customers since they are, in effect, pre-sold. Recommendations from friends are always more trust-worthy and credible than any advertising you could ever do.Additionally, the customers who do the referring become more loyal to your business. They've identified with you and staked their own reputation on your. It's very unlikely that their psyches and their egos will let them back down from this public statement.Don't rely on word of mouth to generate your referrals. While word of mouth does work, it's slow and hard to control; it will never bring in enough referrals quickly. You must have a systematic plan in place and you must follow it on a regular basis.One of the easiest ways to get referrals - and the one most mall business owners are the most afraid of using - is to just ask. I think many of us are afraid to ask for referrals because of fear of rejection. We're afraid our customer will think we're pushy and that they'll say "no". But let me share a little secret with you. Most of our customers want to give referrals. It makes them feel special, like "they belong", like they're a personal part of your business. And it allows them to be a hero to their friends by sharing an "insider's tip" or a "secret resource".OK, we know we should all be asking for referrals, but there's a little more to it than that. You can't just ask, "Do you know anyone who could use my service?" You'll get lots of blank stares and you'll hear lots of "Not right now, but I'll think about it." You've probably been down that road before and you took that response as a rejection. Which is why you're now afraid to ask for referrals.But the blank stare wasn't because you asked, it was how you asked. Your question was too vague. "Do you know anyone..." You're basically asking your customer to think of everyone she knows. That's overwhelming and confusing. You need to help her focus on specific people she knows.We'll use the quick lube center again as an example. Try this: "Kathy, do you have any neighbors who drive hybrid cars like you do who might be interested in using our service?" Do you see how that helped her focus? You narrowed down a demographic (where they live) and a psychographic (what type of car they drive). If Kathy still says "no" you can try one more appeal: "Well, how about co-workers?"Now you've got Kathy focused on three things: neighbors, co-workers, and hybrid cars. It should come as no surprise when Kathy says, "A guy at my church drives a hybrid car." or "My co-worker Jim was complaining about the condition of his wiper blades the other day. I'll tell him to come here and get some new ones."Great! You've got Kathy focused on specifics and she even mentioned particular people she could refer. Now you might want to take the extra step to get those prospects into the door. You can hand Kathy some coupons to give to her referrals, or, if you're bold enough, you can even ask for their phone numbers.If you want to use the coupon approach, here's an amazing tips that works on so many levels: on the back of the coupon, quickly jot down "special friend of Kathy Smith". The persuasive cleverness behind this is brilliant:1. You made Kathy feel special by implying that her friends deserve exclusive treatment.2. You've allowed Kathy to become a hero to her friends and acquaintances.3. Kathy is more likely to encourage her referrals to come in for service since there is now a tracking method in place. (Remember the law of reciprocity.)4. The referred prospect is more likely to come in since he now believes he'll get "special service".Want a more covert way of asking for referrals? This may not be as effective as asking outright, but it's a good way to "get your feet wet" if you're too afraid to ask. Remember that free give-away we talked about earlier? Now would be a great time to pull it out. As Kathy is paying her bill, simply say, "Kathy, I have this new report 'Which Funny Noises That You Car Makes Do You Really Need To Pay Attention To?' Here's one for you, and here's one to share with a friend." When Kathy gives the report to a friend, it's sure to spark an endorsement of your services.The key to generating tons of referrals on a consistent basis is to have a system in place that you use each and every time. If you decide to ask for referrals, ask every single customer. If you decide to use a freebie, give it to everyone, every time. It's also very important to reward the customers who send you referrals. (Remember writing the name on the back of the coupon? That's a very easy tracking mechanism. Why not send Kathy a free oil change for every three customers she refers?)

Mortgage Marketing For Dummies

How well you do in the highly competitive mortgage market is dependent on a number of things. Of course you have to provide good service. You also need to be able to do your job quickly and efficiently. Finally, and most importantly, you need to be able to market your service and products effectively. In fact, if you know anything about the mortgage industry, you know that marketing is what you live and die with. If you have the right marketing plan, then you have all the business you need. On the other hand, if you don't know what you are doing in terms of marketing, then you will be out of business just as fast.What this all means is that you need a good marketing plan. You need one that will bring you the most business with the least amount of competition. As with any product, a good mortgage marketing plan is one that is built around a niche. A niche is a unique spot in an environment. This particular environment is the mortgage business world. So what you need to do is find your mortgage niche so that you can get all the business possible. Finding the NicheThe best first step you can take in finding your mortgage niche is to have a good idea of what your own skills are. Knowing your skills is the best way to make sure you are working in your own abilities. You need to interview yourself.Ask yourself if you have been consistently solving the same problem for realtors all the time. If you have, then this is your strength: knowledge of that particular issue or problem. Additionally, ask yourself if there is any training you have received that separates you from others. The more you know and the more unique you are the better. Ask yourself if there is a particular loan program you favor. If so, you are an expert at it and can market accordingly. Maybe you can even set your sites on every loan of that type in a particular market.Overall, you want to make sure you find what you can do best so that you can work with that. Figure out what you get the most compliments from clients and realtors on. Also, think about what part of the mortgage business you like the most is. Maybe you like first time loans or working with certain types of homes (condos, town homes, or single family homes).Focus, Focus, FocusThe best way to get the most out of your resources in any business, and especially mortgage business, is to focus on your particular niche. You see, while many mortgage pros are using their time and money on a number of different loan programs, markets, and industries, you will be focusing on what you are best at. You will become more knowledgeable and more likely to land the loans within your niche.As you work in that niche you become an expert. People who work with you will understand how knowledgeable you are. This is something they will pass along and offer up when referring your services to others. Finally, concentrating on this niche makes your more valuable to real estate agents. When a realtor refers someone, they want to be sure that person is going to take good care of their clients. When you are an expert in a niche, they know that they can send those niche customers to you with confidence. Find a Program As WellAs you may know, your niche is almost as important as your referrals. In addition to finding your spot in the industry, you should also try to find your own referral partners in the real estate industry. Good referrals are as valuable as a good niche.One way to get the best referrals from the best realtors is to make yourself valuable to them. You can do that through many referral programs out there. The best ones will get you access to the low hanging fruit of the mortgage industry: renters who are buying for the first time. These mortgages offer the least competition when referred and are the easiest to close. Additionally, they are usually qualified because they come from a real estate agent. As you can see, there is a lot to be said for the importance of marketing in the mortgage industry. If you want to truly be successful, you need to find your niche in the market first. Then, as you progress, find your way to a program that will hook you up with realtors and the best mortgage leads around.

Finding Your Market Share With Article Marketing

The Internet is here to stay, and it's only going to become larger in the lives of businesses and their customers. In the 21st Century, it's simply not possible for a business to avoid it; if you're not marketing on the Internet, your competitors certainly are, and you will lose out. Of course, many of the old-fashioned marketing models can still get the job done, but only to a certain extent. Television and radio advertisements will still reach some customers, but technological advances such as TiVo, satellite radio, and the Internet are quickly rendering these modes of advertising obsolete. Meanwhile, fliers and mass mailings can be effective in the short-term, but do not earn respect from customers. In short, the Internet is the only advertising medium that is growing in effectiveness. The smart business owner will accept this reality, and use it to her advantage. Yet for many, the Internet is mysterious territory. How can we use the Internet to increase our market size and get ahead of the competition? First, know your marketing budget. If you are a small business, you might not be able to afford many of the advertising techniques that larger companies use. This can actually be to your advantage, as many larger companies are incapable of changing with the times. This is why the Internet is our greatest tool. The purchase and maintenance of a website is a very affordable alternative to old-fashioned advertising mediums such as billboards or television commercials. Second, know your target customers, and know where to find them. We may not think about it very much, but the Internet is, in reality, not a single medium -- rather, it is many diverse mediums. If you're advertising to a younger demographic, youth-centered social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are essential starting points. To target the slightly older generation -- Gen-X'ers and younger baby boomers -- start a blog, and update it regularly. Middle-aged to elderly generations are, in general, on the Internet far less than their younger counterparts -- yet their Internet presence is increasing. Think local newspaper sites, medical sites, and political sites that deal with older people's issues. Also, on the Internet you want to associate your business website with other websites that your customer base would tend to browse. For example, if you sell vintage clothing, you might want to advertise on independent music websites. If you sell pet supplies, try advertising on a site that contains articles about pet issues. Whatever the age and character of your target customers, you can find them. The key is to figure out where they are, and to contact website owners about advertising.Third, there are countless ways to generate hits on your website, and advertising on other sites is only one of them. Consider this: If you are confident in your expertise of your field, consider article marketing. If you do a Google search for "how article marketing works" you'll find some great info on how the process works, and where to start. You simply need to generate the content -- which should be easy, as you will be writing about what you know -- and submit it to the distribution service. You may be asked to make revisions, which is not a bad thing. These services exist to help you increase your market size. Also, it's important how you categorize your articles. Think of what your customers are looking for, and categorize your articles as such. With each of your articles that is accepted for publication, your business's website will be linked in your "About the Author" section. If your articles are well-written and insightful, you should generate thousands of hits to your website, which will lead to a higher ranking on the search engines. In the 21st century, we must respect the importance of the Internet and, particularly, search engines. The simple use of keywords will no longer get you ahead. Article marketing is one of the best new Internet marketing techniques that can put you ahead of the competition.

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING ONLINE

At last a sincere and honest guy tells you how to make a killer living online with affiliate marketing.He has left no stone unturned in his in-depth book, teaching you everything you have to know to succeed.1. For the person who wants to get into affiliate marketing there are some basic systems you should follow. This is very competitive so you'll have to learn from someone who has proven themselves.2. Finding the best products is crucial to your success. Digital one's have proven to be the best converting as they can be downloaded immediately by your customer. People love receiving their product straight away.3. Next you should have a lead capture page, building your list is imperative if you want to succeed in this business. Having a good squeeze page allows you to capture a prospects name and email address. Which you can mail over and over again, but don't over do it.4. Another tool that is absolutely essential is an auto respsonder. This email software is essential for anyone doing business on the net. The most popular ones are, Aweber and Getresponse.5. So how do you give the reader an incentive to sign up for your news letter? You offer them a FREEBIE. Make sure it's something that's actually worth something, don't give them any junk. What about a report on the subject. I did one the other day in about 15 minutes.6. When they've signed up, don't just ignore them. Keep in touch and every now and then send them something free. This will keep them trusting you.7. Promote your affiliate site, you can use Google Adwords, but you'll need to know how to do this if you're just starting off. You can join forums and get yourself known, remember don't spam them or you'll get yourself thrown off. Then you can write articles like this one, this is an awesome way to get back linksYo to your site.8. Search for some marketers with the same niche, then contact them and do a deal with them to promote your site. You could maybe offer them some percentage of the profits to make it enticing. This is called Joint Ventures.9. Don't forget, look for your products on sites like, Clickbank, Commission Junction, which are some of the favorites. Check out the percentages they offer. Above 50% is good, a lot now offer 75%. Choose the ones on the front page as they are the most popular.10. Once your campaign is up and running and earning some money. You'll want to repeat this again. Imagine having 10 or 50 of these sites. Your income will be building up more and more. This is what you want.

directory submission tips

Submitting to directories is one of the easiest ways of getting links. The practice has been in place since the concept of link building came into effect when Google started judging a sites' ranking potential based on the number of incoming links it had. From SEO pros with years of experience to relatively new website owners, a a large number of people with varying levels of expertise turn to Directory Submission everyday, because it's apparent that it is one of the first few steps needed for a website to get indexed by the search engines.The basics of submitting to directories are often forgotten and how it can best aid our SEO efforts - indiscriminately submitting a site to a bunch of directories will hardly prove to be effective or helpful. There are plenty of of factors to consider before you submit to a directory. Smarter search engines, tougher-than-ever competition and ever-changing SEO trends have made it critical that directory submissions are done with a lot of care and any possible help from experts.Listed below are the basic tips to consider when submitting to a web directory, follow the pointers below to make your directory submissions more effective.Directory Submission Tactics1. Submit to directories that are indexed by the search engines. The directory should not have their link pages with the 'rel=no follow' attribute for a link, this will prevent the search engines from finding your site in the directory.2. Submit to the most appropriate category available in the directory. Sites submitted to inappropriate or unrelated categories may be rejected or removed. 3. Read and follow the guidelines before you begin the submission process.4. Include your target keywords in your titles, but don't resort to 'keyword stuffing'.5. Keep a detailed record of your submissions. You need to avoid duplicate submissions in the future6. Use relevant targeted keywords instead of popular broad-based keywords as your anchor text. E.g. "Duplex Houses for Sale in Florida" instead of "Real Estate - Florida".7. Have as many titles and descriptions as possible.8. Keep submitting to directories from time to time - do not stop.