23 Jun 09 Tips on building links back to your web site
Here are some tips on improving your web site’s popularity.
- There are several good ways to encourage web sites to link to your site; the first tip is the basic “Make sure your site is worth a link from somewhere else.” In other words, your site should be useful, have great content and be useable.
- You can run PPC ads for your web site – eg use Google adwords to drive traffic. This can cost a lot of money and it is a very technical exercise to get appropriate keywords to match your web site content for a low cost per click.
- You can market your web site yourself in free ad sites. For instance, using USFreeAds is one good way to get targeted visitors to see your products.
- Writing articles and publishing them on article directories (you get to leave your web link in the resource box which describes you) is a very popular way of getting your web link distributed around the net. When you publish the articles, you give permission for other web sites to use this article as long as they provide an active hyperlink to your site.
- Creating blogs on blogger.com, wordpress.com and other free blogging platforms can also provide great opportunities for marketing your store. I just came across a new place to host a free blog – and, having tested it, I am quite impressed with the capabilities.
- Buy links on web directories. I use this quite often (ok, I would say that because I run my own web directory at Storexplore) but I do believe that this is a really useful way of attracting the attention of the search engines which compete with Google – I keep saying that Google’s not the only search engine in town!
People often ignore the old-fashioned ways of promoting their web sites. For instance, offline promotion of a web site can be especially effective if you are targeting local customers.
You have to work on improving your web business with the same determination and effort as you would a traditional bricks and mortar store. There is no easy way to do this and no time like the present to start marketing your business.
Tags: link building, market your web site, web links
26 Apr 09 Cold calls from advertising agencies
Since my poor experience recently (see posts about coolessential, I decided that it would be a good idea to make myself (and anyone else who might be interested) a check list of ways to avoid being scammed.
First of all – remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That was what I forgot.
My second experience with an advertising agency calling me was much better than the first – it was a company who are authorised by google.co.uk to manage sponsored advertising links on the google search engine. When they called at first, they mentioned their own web site and then proved to me that they had the correct authorisation from google to carry out the work on my behalf. They provided phone numbers and email addresses – but, most of all, they sent paper contracts and had physical return addresses for that.
So, here’s a quick list of things to look out for when someone phones you:-
- Ask for contact details.
- Do not agree to anything straight away.
- Ask for proof that the company is authorised to carry out the work.
- Do not pay for the work on first contact.
- Ask for a proper invoice to be sent to you, even if you subsequently pay by credit card over the phone.
- If the company is in the UK, check that the invoice has a VAT number if they have added a VAT amount on to your bill.
- Check on the search engines – search for “the company name + problems” (obviously replace the company name with the real company name) That should reveal any disgruntled clients.
- Ask for references – ask for a phone number from two existing clients.
That way, you will be doing much more than I did – and, while it might not save your bacon (… er, hard earned cash) – it might save you from some of the grief I have experienced over the coolessential issue.
21 Apr 09 Do you get Twitter?
My head’s swimming from information overload – apparently the next hot thing is twitter; actually, it seems to me that it’s currently really hot because Oprah’s just joined the Twitter crowd.
I have been a twitter user for some time and built up a small band of followers – and I’m following some cool people too. I tweet occasionally – and also add my aweber mailing list to my twitter account so that when I update my mailing list or make a broadcast, then it’s on twitter too.
Today I decided to try an experiment with a new bit of software from Peter Drew – which supposedly increases your twitter follower count dramatically. I’ve done the download and installed the software – it’s working away in the background as I write this.
There’s a five day trial of the software before it becomes a recurring billing situation – so I’m hoping to see some benefits of this before the full membership features kick in.
I’ll make a full report here of how I get on. I have to say that there is a bit of me that is scared of losing what I have already achieved, so I might end up baling out before it gets going properly. We’ll see!
Anyway, in case you want to see the full offer from Pete – you can find it at Brute Force Social Media
I’m looking forward to seeing your comments too!
M
Tags: social media, twitter, twitter friends
20 Apr 09 Overstocked? How do you deal with the excess?
When I got home from our shop this evening, I switched on my pc and checked my email. So far so good!
Among my emails was a mail shot from Rick Segel entitled “What Could Your Best Vendor Do?”
Rick proceeded to outline a dilemma being faced by one of the members of The Retailers Advantage. The store owners had built up a good business with one particular supplier over the years. Then customers started to approach the store owners about the same product line being deeply discounted at a bargain outlets. It turned out that the prices for the goods were well below trade price. The store owner had not been offered any of the discounted merchandise prior to the manufacturer dumping their product.
I recently had a conversation with one of our own suppliers more or less on the same vein; they said that there was an overstock of some of their goods and were wondering how best to dispose of the overstock items. Having read Rick’s email tonight, I decided to forward the message to them because a supplier’s reputation is very fragile and, in these testing economic times, it is important to maintain a good relationship with your bread and butter income.
There is a survey at The Retailers Advantage – and I’m going to add my thoughts to the conversation there in just a minute or two. I’ll let you know how I voted after I’ve seen the survey questions.
M
Tags: Rick Segel, Shopping, The Retailers Advantage
30 Dec 08 A quick review of my affiliate success in 2008
I thought it was time I had a look at the types of affiliate programs which are working well for me. I have to admit to having limited success with some – and some much more positive results with others.
- I have had best success by promoting physical products. As I run a store in Helensburgh, I guess I understand more about this than anything else. This is definitely my comfort zone. There are some great affiliate networks out there and some fabulous tools to take advantage of the earning opportunities.
- I have had limited success with ebook marketing – BUT until recently, I didn’t have a product of my own. Now that I have my own ebook, I am working at setting it up so that I can build my own affiliate network. This is a complete change in emphasis and so I am going through all the hesitation and indecision which no doubt affects us all from time to time.
- Promoting high ticket items?? I should do more of this. I keep putting obstacles in my own way, because I always feel easier about marketing something which I own myself. This is more or less what I was describing in relation to ebook marketing.
Which affiliate networks have got my attention?
Well, one program which has done quite well for me (despite frustrations of one kind or another) is the eBay Affiliate Program – details of the affiliate program are at the foot of the page. I use eBay to sell some of our own products – and so I understand how powerful this marketplace can be.
The frustrations of the eBay program are to do with tracking issues (ok, this probably occurs in other affiliate commission networks). I also get frustrated that I can drive traffic to auctions using various strategies only to have my commission redirected to some other site (eg auctiva or onecause – although there are other services which do the same).
I have had some good success with the shareasale network – physical products to promote, some great merchants – and some very useful tools provided which make promotions fairly easy. Also, Shareasale will direct deposit into my bank account with no fuss. (In the electronic era, it can be frustrating to have to bank cheques when a machine can do it for you.)
Among the tools offered by shareasale is their “make a page” section which pulls product information already formatted with your affiliate link – and you can safely copy and paste this information into a web page. I also like (and use) the datafeed section – although I have to learn a few more bits and pieces to take full advantage of this one.
In the months to come, I am considering building an affiliate program for my Scottish Gift Shop and Shareasale is in the running for this.
I also like Commission Junction – for banners and text links – but I long for the day when they provide a similar datafeed service to Shareasale 
– although using Popshops is also a possibility.
My google adsense earning fluctuates widely. Because of this, I am now putting less adsense code into my sites and am finding other ways to market and monetise them.
All in all, I have had quite good experiences with the networks I promote. I am looking forward to next year as I know that people will still be shopping online and will still be looking for coupon codes, bargains and special offers.
Margaret
08 Jun 08 U.S. President Teaches You Marketing!
Dear Friend:
Crazy as it sounds, the next U.S. President, whether it’s McCain or Obama, is gonna help you sell more of your stuff.
“Oh, yeah. Right Marlon. Let’s see you ‘splain this one to me…”
No seriously. Read this email for the complete scoop. It ain’t gonna cost you a cent, pound or peso. So wadda you got to lose?
Well, it’s election time again in the U.S. You guys and gals in UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and so forth are probably even hearing about it.
The candidates are making their final whistle stops. It’s a good time to talk the marketing of a President.
There’s a lot YOU can learn from this year’s election that can show you the path to selling more of your stuff.
Isn’t it kind of strange that the most prestigious job in the U.S. comes down to one thing –
M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G!
See, marketing is about selecting MARKETS for a product or service and designing an APPEAL to that MARKET that will get a response.
That’s what marketing is. The study of and appeal to markets. I bet a lot of people teaching marketing don’t even understand that.
Yeah, you have the traditional marketing mix of product, price, promotion and distribution (or place).
But at heart, it’s just about markets. Who is in the market for MY product (or service).
Think of it like this: The President IS a product that is sold to markets. Who are those markets?
Gays, lesbians, religious groups, right wing, left wing, investors, educators, labor unions, moms ‘n dads,
corporations, small businesses, and so forth.
You will hear each of the candidates specifically pick out certain of those groups and make an appeal or promise to them.
The appeal or promise is essentially a HEADLINE. It’s the articulation of a promise or a benefit.
A candidate is in the JOB of picking out groups or markets and making a PROMISE to them of a BENEFIT.
If you WATCH TV, you’ll see them speaking to different groups, making appearances at schools, labor union rallies, army groups, educators and so forth.
All in an effort to GET PUBLICITY for a marketing message delivered to a specific group or audience.
They don’t give a speech ’cause they wanna get their message to the local PTA. They do it because they’ll get national media coverage and gratus media coverage.
So instead of paying for radio ads or TV spots, they get advertising without forking over any green stuff.
You’ll notice they use all the media: TV, radio, billboards, publicity, direct mail, telephones, and more
I’m not thinking of right now.
Heck, they even have the equivalent of a commissioned affiliate program — you help ME get elected, and you’ll get pork barrell legislation back in return, or you’ll get a cushy cabinet position…or somethin’ along those lines.
What can YOU learn from this?
What GROUPS are you aiming specific promises or messages at for your product or service?
Even the President lives and dies by marketing. And if he or she needs to know it, don’t you think YOU better know it too?
Best wishes,
Marlon Sanders
P.S. If’n you want a crash course in marketing (both
online and offline), you can get it here:
http://getyourprofits.com/z/264/CD27304/
(By the way, if you problems on your PayPal limit, we have
an alternative payment method. Just live chat us
at amazingformula.com/support)
You may not make it to running for President. But I bet
you can get a better job, start a more successful
business, promote your group or organization with more
success — or help your kids be more successful in life.
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Tags: Affilaite Program, Best Affiliate Marketing Course, Corey Rudl, Derek Gehl, Internet Marketing Center
25 Feb 08 A New Way To Make Money With eBay
When you hear “eBay” and “money” in the same sentence you’re probably think of becoming an eBay seller.
You place product listings in the eBay marketplace, buyers bid, you pay your eBay seller fees and what you have left is your profit margin.
There is, however, another way to build a business which still revolves around eBay but which doesn’t involve you selling a single thing in the eBay marketplace.
This “other way” opportunity is based on the eBay affiliate program and a great tool which makes entry into this opportunity not only possible but also super easy. This tool is called “Build A Niche Store“.
Now if you don’t know – an affiliate program enables you as an individual internet entrepreneur to promote the products of a company in exchange for a commission on all sales that you refer.
You are basically operating as an internet middleman and connecting internet browsers to particular products and companies through you own network of websites and marketing methods.
If we return to the eBay affiliate program, eBay actually invites you to promote all of the product listings in the eBay marketplace and in exchange for your efforts will pay you up to 75% of the revenue they make from each sale you refer plus up to $35 for each new active eBay member you refer.
You can have a read about the eBay.com affiliate program here
What this means is that you can earn up to three quarters of eBay’s revenue simply for connecting people to the products listed in the eBay marketplace.
Not only do you get to partner with the best branded marketplace in the world, you also get access to and control over ALL of the products listed in this marketplace. The eBay product inventory becomes YOUR product inventory and yet you do NOT have to stock items, deal with customers, organize shipping or process refunds.
You are no longer limited to selling only those products which you can buy and sell for a profit margin. You can choose ANY niche market and promote those eBay products relevant to your chosen niche outside of the eBay marketplace, funnelling targeted traffic through to eBay and into your own affiliate commissions.
Golf clubs, sewing kits, laptops, dog collars, diamond rings, Florida real estate…
If you know eBay you know how BIG it is – there are NO limits.
At this point you might be thinking – well this sounds interesting but in reality is there any money in it? Well, here’s the shocker – eBay’s top affiliates make over 1 million dollars a month. That’s right – 8 figures a year without stocking, selling or shipping a single thing!
Now eBay does provide some basic free tools to help you succeed as an eBay affiliate and build an affiliate business BUT it has been the development of a tool outside of eBay that has really opened this up as a legitimate business opportunity.
The tool, as I mentioned earlier, is called “Build A Niche Store” and what it enables you to do is build eBay affiliate websites targeted to any eBay niche you want. These act as the medium through which you funnel targeted visitors to eBay.
Here are a couple of examples, one targeting Race Cars and the other Golf
Equipment:
Paintball eBay Affiliate Website
Golf eBay Affiliate Website
As you can see, these are professional looking websites that contain all of those eBay products related to their target niche inside a searchable store format, each of which automatically contains your eBay affiliate id.
These stores then automatically update as new products are listed for sale and old listing expire from the eBay marketplace and the software has built in development features which enable you to create new store pages, add content to these pages, create content pages, modify your template etc etc.
Basically, in the space of about 10 minutes (once you are familiar with how the software works) you can create a fully functional eBay affiliate website targeted to the niche market of your choice.
Your store content is all search engine friendly which will provide the foundation for attracting targeted traffic from the search engines and you can then use the development features to attract more targeted visitors which will in turn mean more eBay affiliate commissions.
It really is a brilliant concept and I’ve been hearing great things about the guys behind the project and the member forum which you get lifetime access to when you purchase the product.
Build A Niche Store comes with a step by step user manual which will walk even the most technically inexperienced through setting up their eBay affiliate website, 9 professional template layouts which can be customized (from inside your admin panel) to match your target niche, lifetime member forum access, comprehensive product support and possibly most importantly – an UNLIMITED domain license which means you can build as many of these niche websites as you want for the small one time fee.
Think about how many niches eBay caters to!
How big could your eBay affiliate business be?!
This product gets my full recommendation. I have made more money from this one affiliate program than any other – and with less effort – check it out today…
Click Here To Read More About Build A Niche Store
Tags: eBay, eBay affiliate program, home based business, make money, make money on eBay, make money with eBay, Work from Home
16 Jan 08 Derek Gehl Announcement
The jury is in.
After January 24th, 2008, making money on the Internet will never be the same.
A bold statement, I know, so let me back up for a second…
Ive just received a private press release from Derek Gehl and the folks at The Internet Marketing Center, and Im absolutely ITCHING to tell you what it says…
But I cant!
The door to this groundbreaking announcement isnt cracking open to the public until January 24th at 10am.
But I CAN tell you this:
On this day, prepare for the unveiling of a full-on revolution that will finally level the playing field for regular people who want to escape the rat race, strike a clean slate in 2008, and make REAL money online.
I’ll reveal more closer to the date as information trickles out of The Internet Marketing Center…
For now, watch a short video and get yourself a sneak peek here:
DEREK GEHL’S ANNOUNCEMENT
Tags: Derek Gehl, how to be successful internet marketer., Internet Marketing Center, internet marketing success, Success in 2008
11 Dec 07 eMail Marketing
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Has the response to your e-mail promotions taken a nose-dive?
From: Internet Marketing Center Over the past few months, a number of my subscribers have been asking me about the latest marketing technology to hit the Internet. It’s called “direct-to-desktop” publishing, and right now, Direct-to-desktop publishing gives these elite companies the kind of advantages that most Internet marketers can only dream about…
… When you visit one of these companies’ web sites (think online music stores, sports fan sites, entertainment sites, and so on), you’ll see an offer that says something like “Click this button to Click the button and you’ll download a small, customized “reader”
Direct-to-desktop publishing lets you send HTML messages directly to your customers’ desktops — instantly, reliably, and electronically — without having to wrestle with e-mail filters, bounce backs, or competition. Once customers sign up, they don’t have to check their e-mail or visit your web site to get your latest news or updates. A flashing desktop icon alerts them as soon as they receive a message from you — and all they have to do is click to read it. It’s brilliant. The system doesn’t use e-mail, yet it is 100% opt-in … The right technology at the right time
For these reasons, many marketers are looking for opportunities to use this new direct-to-desktop technology as a “partner” tool Unfortunately, there are still a few problems with it… The ‘big guys’ have cornered the market Right now, the Fortune 500 companies have cornered the market on direct-to-desktop publishing. And for good reason — they’ve been the only ones who could afford it! These companies have paid huge sums of money to have software developers convert their company materials into compatible content. They’ve hired professional designers to come up with attractive, customized “reader”applications they can send to their subscribers. And they’ve put tons of money into developing flashy graphics, streaming audio, and video clips to send out. There is a tremendous opportunity for marketers to be at the very front of the curve, taking advantage of this red-hot new technology to get secure, direct access to the desktops of your customers… But unfortunately, it’s next to impossible for the average person to get set up with direct-to-desktop technology right now. You need to know a programming language like XML to create your content “feed.” And unless you’re willing to hire some expensive software developers, your subscribers will have to use a generic “newsreader” application to receive your messages. Where this new technology is heading The current situation of direct-to-desktop publishing reminds me of the way things looked on the Internet five years ago, when most Then a few companies started looking at how to make web design accessible to the public — and now, user-friendly web design software has made it easy for anyone to create a professional-looking e-commerce web site in minutes! The same thing happened with e-mail marketing. At first, it was just a few entrepreneurs testing the water to see if there was a way to avoid paying postage for direct mail promotions — and now, thanks to e-mail automation software, it seems like every company is using e-mail to distribute their promotions and newsletters. And now, the same situation has come up again. This technology will become mainstream in the future, but it’s those who get in on it FIRST who will see the biggest profits from it. And at the moment, it’s just now affordable for all of us smaller companies that don’t make billions of dollars a year. I’ll let you in on a ‘little secret’…
I hope this information helps you kick your online marketing into the next generation! M |
