10 Quick and Easy Steps To Building A HIGHLY Targe

10 Quick and Easy Steps To Building A HIGHLY Targeted And Responsive OptIn List

by: Cory Threlfall

Weกve all heard it that in order to stay in business online you need to build a Targeted กOptInก list.

Well… I truly have to agree with that simply because this is where youกll always have a consistent source of FREE Targeted traffic(also referred to as กSticky Trafficก) to promote your offers or related information to for years to come.

It just makes sense, wouldn’t you say?

And, we all know that กEmailก is where the $MONEY$ is truly made when it comes to marketing your business online because it gives You the ability to FollowUp your potential customers until they decide to buy from You.

But, the problem that usually takes place is that people don’t know where to start when it comes to building there own targeted OptIn list.

Now, for those of you that are new Internet marketing and don’t know what a กOptInก list is, hereกs a quick definition:

An กOptInก list is simply a database of peoples Names and Email Addresses that have subscribed to an email list via a web form giving that list owner permission to send them periodic emails on the topic they are interested in.

Notice how I said, กgiving that list owner permission to send them emailก.

When they subscribe to your OptIn list they are giving You permission to send them offers or related information on the topic they are interested in, this is known as กPermission Email Marketingก.

This is the ABSOLUTE safest form of email marketing where You won’t get accused of กSPAMก.

This is very important that You understand this from the beginning.

So, now that you have a clear idea in your mind of what an OptIn list is and how it will benefit You and your business, I guess itกs time to share with you the simple ‘ten Step Processก that I have put together for you on HowTo build your own targeted OptIn list that you can email your offers to at any given time for $Profit$.

Step #1. Pick your Target market or Niche.

This is a very important step because this is where you need to figure out who your target market is going to be for the Product or Service your going to offer.

So, for example, if I was interested in selling a book related to Internet Marketing, well then, my target market would be Internet Marketing related.

Step #2. Can your Target market or Niche be reach online?

This step is where you need to do a little research on whether or not your particular target market can be reached online.

In order to do this you need to do some keyword research using keywords related to your target market.

You can do this by using the Overture keyword research tool located at the URL Iกve provided below.

http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

Simply type in the keywords related to your target market in the form provided.

This will give you a detailed history of how many searches have been made in the last 30 days on the keywords related to your target market.

As a general rule, if your targeted keywords aren’t pulling in 15,000 or more searches per month, then this is a market I wouldn’t pursue simply because there isn’t much demand for it.

Step #3. Are they making money in this Niche?

This is where you need to do some research on your competition to see if people are spending any money in this Niche.

You can do this by going to Google at http://www.google.com and type in your targeted keywords related to your Niche in the form provided.

This will give you a list of search results.

Those results are your competition, but even more important, to the right youกll notice little ads.

These are paid ads offered through Google Adwords.

This means that somebody is willing to pay to advertise and is paying attention to this particular Niche and must be making money if they’re willing to pay for advertising.

Thatกs good news for you.

Step #4. Use Forums to find your Target markets problems.

Forums are a great place to find out exactly what your potential customers TOP problems are by simply scanning there posts and looking for the most common threads.

By doing this youกll be able to know right away what your target markets TOP problems are and how you can help solve there problem.

To find Forums related to your Niche simply visit Google http://www.google.com and type in your targeted keywords with ก+ forumsก after your keyword.(ex. internet marketing + forums)

Step #5. Whatกs keeping them from getting what they want?

This is where you have to figure out whats keeping them from getting what they want in order to fix the problems they are dealing with, meaning, this is where you need to work with them to find a solution to there problems.

Whether its a Product they need or a Service of some sort.

Step #6. What can you offer them to solve there problems?

This is where the money is being spent.

Now, the only thing you need in order to receive your share of the revenue is a Product or Service that will solve your potential customers problem.

If you don’t have a Product or Service of your own don’t get discouraged.

Iกm going to give you two resources where you can find products or services that You can become an affiliate for that are related to any Niche that will pay you a commission for every sale you make by simply referring your traffic to there website.

The two websites to visit are http://www.clickbank.com and http://www.associateprograms.com

Step #7. SetUp a simple direct response minisite.

Here is where you SetUp your lead generating website with a FollowUp System that your potential customers will come to and OptIn to your list to start receiving offers or related information on the topic or problem they are having.

This is a very simple process to do and you can view my website as an example of how one would look.

http://www.internetwondersezine.com

If you don’t know how to build your own website you can always hire someone to do it for you by going to… http://www.elance.com

Step #8. Get an AutoResponder account.

This is where youกll be laying the foundation down for your list.

You MUST have an AutoResponder account SetUp before you make your minisite go live because this is where your potential customers are going to come and submit there Name and Email Address so that you can start building a list to send your offers or related information to.

So, do not miss this important step.

Step #9. You need to figure out what กBaitก to use.

What I mean by กBaitก is… what are you going to offer them for FREE to get them to subscribe to your OptIn list.

Here are some examples of what you can use as กBaitก: ebooks, special reports, minicourses, coupons, etc.

These are the most common. It really depends on who you are targeting, so be creative.

Step #10. Reach out to your target market.

This is the part where you send traffic to your website in order to get subscribers.

Iกm going to mention only two methods.

These methods are the most POWERFUL and for good reason, they work.

The first method is Writing Articles.

By Writing Articles your showing your target market that You are someone who knows how to help solve there problem and may have a possible solution for them.

This is the quickest way to build INSTANT credibility in your Niche.

The second method is to send targeted traffic to your minisite through PayPerClick search engines.

PayPerClick search engines are where you bid on the keywords terms related to your target market and are listed according to the highest bid for that keyword term.

By using PPC search engines, it will get you infront of your target market Instantly.

Writing articles gives you INSTANT credibility and will put you infront of thousands of readers, and PayPerClick search engines send you HIGHLY targeted traffic to your website within minutes depending on which PPC search engine you are using.

The More traffic you send to your website, the More subscribers youกll receive.

Itกs simply a numbers game.

Well… there you have it, ก10 Quick and Easy Steps To Building A HIGHLY Targeted And Responsive OptIn Listก.

Now… itกs up to you to take the neccessary Action in order to get started with your own targeted OptIn list.

If you already have an existing web business online simply implement the steps outlined above to your existing website.

These are the 10 basic steps required in order to get your OptIn listing building started in the Right direction.

Simply follow them and youกll be on your way to receiving your first subscriber in No Time.

Copyright 2005 The IWE, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Want To Learn HOWTO Build And Profit From Your Own HIGHLY Targeted กOptInก List In Record Time? Click here=> http://compactURL.com/pcex Or if you want to get MORE กInsiderก marketing Secrets subscribe to Cory Threlfallกs Free กWeeklyก ezine called… The Internet Wonders eZine at http://www.internetwondersezine.com

This article was posted on March 31, 2005

by Cory Threlfall

Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy

by: Brandon Milford

With the plethora of websites online and hundreds added each day, how are you going to separate your website from the others? When I began my first online venture I was so excited to have my website up and running and I remember thinking ขwow, the toughest part is behind meข, referring to finally getting the aesthetics and functionality of the website just how I wanted them. I thought that marketing the website would be the easy part. Boy was I wrong.

My site was up and running and was designed very professionally. I had no doubt that visitors would be confident in my ability to deliver top notch services. The only problem was that I had very few visitors. I made a couple of ignorant marketing mistakes early on that cost me.

One mistake was simply not planning. I had no plan in place on how I would go about marketing the website and reaching my target market. I really had not even truly defined my target market. Sure, I thought about it a lot, but I had not written down who my target market consisted of. I find that actually writing down your goals in business and life is key to your reaching them. By writing down what you wish to accomplish you can have your plan there in front of you and it makes it easy to analyze and ask yourself if you are taking the correct steps to achieve your goals. How on earth could I have expected to successfully market the website if I had not defined my niche market and written out my course of action on how to position my business within this group? So what sort of things should you think about when planning your marketing strategy? Here’s a basic list to get you on the right track.

Basic Steps to Planning Your Marketing Strategy

1. Decide whether you are going to sell products, services or both.

2. Test the waters to ensure that there is a legitimate demand for your product and/or service. Do this by simply talking to friends and family and ask them if they would find your offerings useful. Also, make up a short questionnaire and have people fill them out. On the questionnaire include questions pertaining to the problem that you are solving with your products/services. This will give you insight into the number of people that are experiencing this problem as well. Also on this questionnaire include questions such as ขWhat magazines/newspapers do you read?ข ขWhat type of websites do you most often view?ข What we are now doing is ensuring that there is indeed a market for our products/services and at the same time gathering valuable information on how to place our products in front of them and others like them, once we bring our products/services to the market. Use your imagination and ask other insightful questions that will give you additional information into their lifestyle, shopping habits, and tastes/preferences. Now we have proof that there is a demand for our products/services and the information on how to target this market.

3. Get your website up and running and optimize it for the search engines before submitting it. Please see my article for more on this topic.

4. Take the information you gathered in step two and decide how you will place your products/services in front of your niche market.

An additional mistake was submitting my site to the search engines before it was fully optimized. It is much easier to achieve a great ranking if you optimize your site first and then submit it rather than submitting your site and then trying to pull it up to a higher ranking. So how can you optimize your website for a better ranking in the search engines? This is a topic in and of itself and entire books have been written on this subject. Below are four basic steps to get you on the right track. These four steps were taken from Obtaining a #1 Ranking in the Search Engines by Ryan Allis. I highly recommend this book and it can be found at http://www.searchenginesguide.com/.

Four Basic Steps of Page Optimization

1. Select the keywords you want to focus on.

2. Create an optimized page for each of your targeted keywords by having ample page copy, focusing on keyword prominence, and using related page names, proper metatags, proper title tags, proper alttags, heading tags, and text links.

3. Avoid dynamic databasedriven content, JavaScript, keyword spamming, and multiple use of content.

4. Make sure there are lots of web sites linking to yours.

So before you embark on your ebusiness journey be sure to develop a marketing plan. This plan must be flexible as it will change as your business grows, but it is critical to the success of your business to identify how you will position your products/services to your target market; and remember – optimize your website BEFORE submitting it to the search engines.

About The Author

Brandon Milford is the President of Pimil.com, a web solutions company based in Georgia, and the Marketing Director for Email Marketing Software Center, a website devoted to providing knowledge and product recommendations on permission based email marketing.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 02, 2004

by Brandon Milford

Why Researching Is Good, And a Failure To Do So Is

Why Researching Is Good, And a Failure To Do So Is Not.

by: Brian Holte

When creating an ebook how well do you research the topic before hand?

It’s absolutely crucial that you research what problems your target market is having and what they’re spending money on.

The time to pay attention to detail is here.

If you don’t research how will you know what problems exist in your target market, what their recommending for products to try, pay even closer attention to the dollars involved. Hope fully they’re purchasing pattern will lead into 3 digit numbers.

This is why probing for the information you need you’ll be in a better position to analyze the information to see if it’s a worthwhile project to start, if not junk it.

Case in point, I recently had a young lad email me and explain he was a first time author of a 30 pg ebook targeted at teenagers.

He realized that because his target market is teenagers and teenagers do not purchase as frequently online as adults do that he was in a bit of a bind.

What was he to do? He’d put a bit of work into his project and knowing what he does now, he has to decide whether to sell or give it away. He needed some positive feedback, nothing to devastating. Instead of targeting students he could alter the ebook towards another target market, a market with money to spend and a hunger for his type of info product. Just a little copying, pasting, and editing.

Praise those accomplishments: The first thing I did was congratulate him for being a first time author.

Good topic, wrong market for low income earners: The topic he was covering was actually a good topic, but he realized after the fact that he had probably created a dud for an ebook because of the restrictions imposed on his target market…lack of access to purchasing power.

What would you do in his position? His question to me was what he should do with the ebook. He had considered giving it away to people as an incentive for them to sign up for his newsletter, or selling the ebook at $5.00 a copy. Indication of his problems: I assumed that because he only put a price tag of $5.00 on the book that he was either not comfortable with the content he placed in the ebook OR that he was selling himself short. I would assume the latter.

Summary:

The collection of data, decision time. Once you’ve collected what you think is all the info required via surveys, it is now time for the decision making process

Why researching the right way the first time will save you hair loss and disappointment:

This is why doing a thorough job in the researching part of your work is so important. If he would have put a little more thought into who his target market was he wouldn’t have created a dud for an info product.

Lack of researching is the number one mistake that most new authors make, take your time researching…what’s the rush?

by Brian Holte

Copyright 2004 August

This article may be republished as long as the source box remains. Notification of use would be appreciated.

About The Author

Brian is a freelance writer and publisher of The Ebook King Chronicles. Brian’s goal is to give you more ideas for your next project, step by step.

www.theebookking.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 11, 2004

by Brian Holte

Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dr

Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream!

by: George Dodge

When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your headlines to deliver the dream? Do you create headlines that draw your reader deeper into the rest of copy?

Let me ask you a simple question. กWhy do people read any printed material beyond the headline?ก

The answer, because there was something in the headline that attracted their attention, raised their interest and curiosity, or contained a perceived benefit for the reader. At that moment in time, the headline was an irresistible headline to your reader.

How to Write a Headline to be an Irresistible Headline

If you are writing material to sell a product, what is it that your target audience is seeking? Of course, itกs the benefits that your product offers them (your product does have benefits for your target audience, doesn’t it?).

They are looking for a beneficial means of solving their problems. They want to know กwhatกs in it for them.ก They seek solutions to problems and new options that save time, money, and effort. If your product can do all three, youกll have a winner if you can convincingly convey those benefits to your reader.

But, no matter how good the product is and how well it matches their wants and desires, if you don’t create headlines that present the benefits to your readers, then you certainly will not have a headline that makes you rich.

The purpose of this headline writing technique is to present your solution as the solution to your target marketกs most base wants and desires.

However, in order to render the ideal solution when you create your headline, you must understand what your target market wants… their likes and dislikes… their disappointments and frustrations with other competing alternatives. What is it that bothers your target market most concerning your niche?

Once you understand the wants, desires, or dreams of your target market, you can กenter into the conversation inside your customerกs mindก as the famous copywriter Robert Collier once taught. Copywriter Maria Veloso refers to this as FrameofMind marketing.

Supplied with this important knowledge, itกs not too difficult to determine what it would take to create a more beneficial solution. But, you don’t want to be content with being a little better than the other options available. If possible, you want to be the ultimate alternative to your target marketกs problem. What would your target population really desire to have, to be, or to achieve, that their current alternatives fail to provide? What is the right alternativethe best answer to the problem?

So, now itกs time to become the master copywriter. Put on your thinking cap. Think of how to write a headline that conveys the benefits of your product or service as the solution to the wants and desires of your target market. When creating your headline, try to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience mentally and think of how to give your audience the กperfect alternative’the biggest benefit they genuinely desire.

Create the Irresistible Headline

When writing your headline, your mission is to span the gap between where your target market is and where they want to be. Try to imagine what would be the perfect end state. Then, using picture words, create a mental vision that meets the fundamental dreams and desires that members of your target market harbor inside their own minds. Finally, portray your message as the perfect solutionthe dream option. Create an irresistible headline.

Iกm sure that you have heard the old saying that in order to get rich, you need to find a need and fill it. But that is really not the answer. Many sales people will tell you that that course of action is a sure way to the poor house. People don’t buy what the need, the buy what they want. If you need transportation, a Yugo will do, but many people want and buy Mercedes, BMWs, and other expensive cars because the want or desire them, not because they need them.

Creating headlines that target needs will result in weak headlines with little results. Create headlines that make you rich by targeting your readerกs wants, dreams, and desires. Purchases are made on emotion and then afterwards justified with logic. Sell the dream, not the need.

So, find out what your target audience wants, desires, or dreams about and fulfill that want or desire with your miracle product. Then put the strongest benefit in your headline.

What might a headline look like that puts a strong benefit right in the headline? How about this example from Jimmy D. Brown: กHow to Sell 300% More of Your Product in 72 Hours Than You Did All Month.ก If you sell products, would you like to do that? Could you resist reading at least a little further on to find out how that might be done? For a product seller, that headline is most likely an irresistible headline.

Or how about some of these famous headlines:

Headline: กHow A New Discovery Made A Plain Girl Beautifulก

(If you thought you were a plain girl, would this headline interest you? Would you continue to read on past the headline?)

Headline: กHands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours Or Your Money Backก

(If you were a woman that thought your dishpan hands were ugly, might you be interested in reading past this headline?)

Headline: กFree Book Tells You 12 Secrets Of Better Lawn Careก

(If you wanted a better lawn to win the garden clubกs yard of the month award, would you order this Free book?)

Want your sales to skyrocket? Create headlines that deliver the dream!

About The Author

George Dodge is owner of the http://www.HeadlineCreatorPro.com website where you can download software that saves you time and effort by allowing you to quickly and easily create headlines with push button ease. Also, get FREE Weekly Headline Tips.

This article was posted on August 03

by George Dodge

Where Can I Get Clients From?

Where Can I Get Clients From?

by: Sue and Chuck DeFiore

The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our HomeBased and Small Business Support Group meetings and some weกve developed by trial and error.

Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Knock on doors and call others in your line of business for overload work, or clients they have trouble working with. Send surveys to your clients. This will also help you to obtain testimonials. Do a general survey of your target market. This will give you better leads. For example, for my classes, I have a survey I use that contains, what type of equipment is being used, what type of programs they are using, and whether or not they do desk top publishing inhouse. This survey gives me the name, address, and phone number of the person to send my class listings to, in addition, to determining whether or not they are a desk top publishing prospect.

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2000

About The Author

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our กhow toก Home Business Solutions Digest, itกs like having your own personal coach: mailto:[email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 17, 2004

by Sue and Chuck DeFiore

Is Your Business Ready for 2003?

Is Your Business Ready for 2003?

by: Kimberly Stevens

Anyone who owned a business in the U.S. in 2002 knows the difficulties that a poor economy can cause. Even those in other countries who may have operated under better economic conditions last year have or will experience downturns in business.

Well, 2002 is over, so how do you regroup to face 2003 with optimism and a fresh game plan? That was the topic of discussion in my recent coaching session with Denise.

ขThe economy can’t possibly be as terrible this year as it was last year, can it?ข she asked. ขI mean, I’m really struggling to get new jobs from my current clients much less bring on new clients.ข

ขWell, it does seem like the economy is taking a longer time to rebound than anyone expected, so let’s see what we might be able to do to shore up your business during this down time.ข

During the rest of our conversation, we set a new agenda focused on strengthening relationships with current clients, further distinguishing herself from her competitors, and approaching segments of her target market that she’d never really considered.

By strengthening her relationships with her current clients, she is ensuring that they will return to her when things do pick up instead of hiring some writer they’ve recently met who was more in the forefront of their mind.

By focusing on identifying more ways to distinguish herself from her competitors, she is making sure that if she does get the opportunity to make her pitch to a business that is hiring now, they will be more apt to hire her over her competition.

But, the most significant way you and Denise can get new business coming in the door now is to identify and approach segments of your target market that you’ve previously ignored.

People and businesses haven’t completely stopped spending money, but many have cut back significantly. Your job is to find those that are still hiring people to provide the service you sell.

You can do this by focusing in on one or two market segments within your target market and really going after them. Segments are smaller groups that fall within the larger label ขtarget market.ข

Let’s say your target market is ขbusiness owners.ข Well, there are a lot of industries represented within the group called ขbusiness owners.ข And finding, reaching, and pitching your services to each one takes a different approach.

The ขbusiness ownerข group could include:

* freelance writers * caterers

* interior designers * florists

* house cleaners * doctors

* landscape planners * recruiters

* accountants * architects

* massage therapists * dry cleaners

And, I’m sure you’d agree that these people do not likely belong to the same networking groups, read the same national publications, attend the same annual conferences, or buy the same support services. Additionally, they don’t have the same needs or care about the same things.

If you go out into the marketplace in an attempt to reach ขbusiness ownersข with one marketing message, nobody in the group is going to hear the specific message they want to hear – ขwhat’s in it for me?ข It’s impossible to answer that question for all the diverse groups that make up the whole category of ขbusiness owners.ข

So, what’s your target market and can you identify segments within it that might represent new opportunities for you in 2003? And, further, how can you locate, approach, and sell to them? Take some time to think about it this afternoon. It will be well worth your investment.

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A StepbyStep System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 07, 2003

by Kimberly Stevens

Top 10 Tips on Running a Widely Successful and Pro

Top 10 Tips on Running a Widely Successful and Profitable Business Online

by: Ammar Ahmed

1. Know your target market

I know you’ve all heard this many times over, but believe me, if you have taken the time to research your target market and find out what their exact needs are then you have already taken the first step towards success.

For example, if you were to start selling a new, more effective brand of dishwasher detergent, you would need to make sure that before you waste all your wellearned money into marketing and advertising, that you know what exactly is your target market looking for. Are their concerns related to the pricing? Or is the brand that interests them? Or do they prefer a liquid detergent as compared to powder or tablet form?

I’m hoping that you’re starting to see the picture. And that is why the big companies spend so much money on ‘market research’. This information alone saves them millions of dollars and promises a substantial gross profit margin. Now a normal person, such as ourselves, do not have that type of money to spend on research but there are other tools that we can use to find out what our target market is searching for.

WordTracker is a proven and an indispensable tool that you can use to find out what exact keywords, your target market is searching for most on the search engines. You can visit it by going here: ขhttp://our.affiliatetracking.net/wordtracker/a/12305ข and once there will be given a choice of whether to use their free trial service or their paid services but either way, you will get a very interesting idea about what your niche market is really looking for. WordTracker shows you how many people searched for your keyword, your online competition (number of other websites with similar products/services), the rating of how good the keyword is and it also compiles for you a list of other similar keywords that people have also searched. It truly can give you an edge over the competition.

2. Set Goals and Plan out your Strategy

The second most important step for you to be successful in either online or offline business, is to sit down and over a cup of coffee carefully plan out and structure your ideas before jumping headlong without a direction. At this point some of you must be thinking, ขYes Ammar, I already know my goals and its pointless to plan each detail out as they’re all in my headข.

If anyone of you has not read ขThink and Grow Richข by Napolean Hill, then I would recommend it now. As it is one of the most powerful books written on the subject of success. And one of its most important ideas revolves around the notion of planning and writing down what are you exact longterm and shortterm goals are and what steps you are going to take to reach them. This is one of the major ways by which you can keep motivated, especially during those ‘dull days’.

The best and the only way to plan, is to sit down with a piece of paper and pen and write down your exact shortterm (attainable and realistic) goals, the exact amount of money that you would like to receive, the exact methods that you will utilize to reach this amount and the exact date by which you want to achieve this goal. Be it extra income, money for a new car, purchasing of clothes, items that you’ve wanted etc. Write it all down in a paragraph form or a couple of sentences so that it forms a strong statement about your desires and your actions.

You should read this statement aloud, every day before going to bed and once when you wake up, in order to remind yourself and your subconscious mind about the importance of your goal and the things you need to implement that day to get closer to that goal.

The old adage still stands true to this day, ขIf you fail to plan, you plan to failข. Plus, having well thought out plans and ideas will save you a lot of time and money in the future and if ever you do need to borrow money, you will be able to acquire this funding more easily as you would have well, writtenout plans about the steps that you would be taking.

3. Decide on a budget

The first question you need to ask yourself, is ขdo I have enough money to cover my starting expenditures or will I need to borrow money from the bank or friends?ข

My advice to you would be to stay away from Bank loans and lines of credit as much as possible because reimbursing them can very soon become a nightmare and to convince them to give you a loan would require you to show them a detailed plan of your future actions, and I mean detailed.

So therefore, if you need the money, your first source should be your relatives, friends as they would be pretty happy to give you money to get you started on your business.

But I’m pretty sure that you have more than enough capital to start up with your business online as that’s the beauty about the internet; Your initial startup costs are extremely low.

Most people start out with a budget of less then $100. Registering your domain name and finding a good hosting company should cost you about $50, and that’s it, You’re READY! A good place to visit for hosting and registering is www.websitesource.com as they have plans that can get you set up for less then $30.

4) Design and Build Your Website

Ah, now comes the step where the majority of the people groan and moan and even consider giving up BEFORE they’ve even begun! The first thing that you need to know is, you DO NOT need a graphicsladen, picture perfect site to be successful online.

In fact, people should be concentrating more on their sales copy as opposed to the ขfancinessข of their website. The people who will be visiting your website, are not looking for fancy graphics with dazzling logos and navigation but instead information on how your product/service can benefit them.

Visit this site ขhttp://www.marketingtips.com/directsales/t.cgi/793095ข and read the story about an ordinary guy from Oregon, who is raking in $32,876 A DAY, using a site that he even admits is ugly! This should convince you that sales are not made on highperformance sites but sites that work.

For those of you who are new to the internet and have no clue about how to create a website, don’t worry! There are many courses being sold on how to make good websites and all you will really need are the basics. The two best programs to make your websites on, are Microsoft Frontpage and Macromedia Dreamweaver (you can download a free trial from their respective sites). For people who are new to making websites, Frontpage is very similar to Microsoft Word and due to its userfriendliness everybody can use it. Plus, there are just so many website designers out there who would be willing to make a site for you for a very reasonable price.

But you should keep in mind that by building your own website, you are in complete control of any testing, tweaking or changes that might need to done and you won’t always have to pay a website designer to do it for you. So get your feet wet and make your first site…

Some good webbuilding resources are:

Builder.com www.builder.com

WebDeveloper www.webdeveloper.com

WebMonkey www.webmonkey.com

In order for your site to be successful, you need to ensure that the it works and that all the elements of an easy navigation are present. This means, that you should have a navigational bar which contains all your important links, such as:

An order page,

a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page,

an about us page,

a contact us page

and a testimonials page (very essential!)

Note: You should make sure that you do not have any more than sixeight links on your navigational bar as this would just lead to confusing a potential buyer.

You also need to make sure that you have an Optin offer so as to collect the email addresses’ of your visitors. It is to these people that you can afterward send promotional emails without worry of Spam. But you have to give your visitors a persuasive reason for giving you their email addresses such as a targeted newsletter, free information or informational products (such as an ebook that is related to your target market) or perhaps even a contest.

5.) Plan your Salescopy

You might be asking yourself, ขwhy would I possibly need salescopy?ข. The answer is very simple, because salescopy acts as your personal contact with the majority of the people who visit your site. It acts as your own, personal salesman who keeps pitching 24/7.

On the internet, you have to create relationships with your customers as soon as possible. And in order to do that, you need to ensure that you present yourself as a credible business owner with a very useful product to sell for your target market. Without salescopy, this would not be possible and you would be giving up atleast 90% of your profits.

I could go on for longer about the importance of salescopy, but I’ll spare you the details and leave you with one thought: Your Site Needs Salescopy, whether you are selling one product or ten…

There has been a long debated question on the net of whether you need ‘long copy’ (610 pages) or ‘short copy’ (16 pages). And my opinion is that ‘long copy’ wins hands down. Why?

Long Copy Sells

Enables you to prove your credibility

The more clicks you ask your visitors to go through, the more you risk losing them

Unless you are an established website, such as Amazon.com, you will need ‘long copy’ to persuade and lead your visitors from the beginning to the order page by presenting them with specific facts/benefits at specific places on the copy.

There are many aspects to creating a good salescopy, but you have to keep one thing in mind, your salescopy is the major appeal for your visitors and it will determine if you make the sale or not.

But do remember this crucial piece of information, anyone and I mean anyone and everyone can write out salescopy and great salescopy at that. I personally don’t like writing, but hey, I’m doing it aint I 😉 And writing on the internet, is much different then writing out a school or master’s paper. It’s much more relaxed and there’s an actual science behind it. For more information on how to write very effective salescopy that can ขincrease your sales by 400% (and more)ข, visit this site: ขhttp://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/793095ข.

6.) Submitting your site to the search engines

Why should the aspiring entrepreneur submit his site to the search engines? Traffic, Traffic and more Traffic. Every body knows that in order to make sales and start receiving a nice paycheck every month, you need to have a consistent flow of traffic to your site every day of the week.

Statistics have repeatedly shown that anywhere from 20% to 80% of your visitors will find your site, using the search engines.

Search engines should not prove to be the only source of advertising for your site but it would be a very good place to start. The two major search engines that you should focus on are: Google and Overture.

There is a lot of information concerning submission of sites to the search engines, but in a nutshell, here are the few things by which your site is ranked in the listings.

Link Popularity: Determined by the quality and quantity of sites linking to yours. You can check out your own link popularity by going to a site like www.linkpopularity.com. You can increase your popularity by firstly making your site as informative and engaging as possible and secondly by contacting other sites that are also targeting your target market and requesting a link (or perhaps linkswap or affiliate program).

Link Relevancy: This takes into account the sites that are linking to yours. Are these sites relevant to yours (meaning are they offering the same or similar products/services) and does the site linking to yours contain the keywords that people are using to access your site

Keywords and phrases: Keywords and phrases make up a very important aspect of your site ranking. The one thing you have to keep in mind is that are you ‘targeting the same keywords’ that your target market is searching for. And you should go for multiple, targeted keywords rather then the highly competitive ones. A very good and effective tool to use, to find out what keywords your target market is searching for, is again, WordTracker. Copy and paste the link: ขhttp://our.affiliatetracking.net/wordtracker/a/12305ข to visit the page and try out either their free trial or their advanced search on major search engines at a minimal cost.

These are a few of the many tips that will ensure that you can get a high search ranking. In order to find out the most effective and uptodate techniques for submitting your site to the search engines and effectively learning how to grow your business on the internet, visit this page ขhttp://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/793095ข and find out the exact ways by which this normal guy has been earning $7.6 million dollars from his online business. I personally recommend you to check out his site if you’re really interested in earning an income from your internet business.

7.) Ways to get free, cheap and effective advertising for your site

There are many ways to get cheap but very effective advertising for your site and some of these include:

Requesting links from relevant sites: This happens to be the easiest and most lucrative ways to drive tons of traffic to your site, provided that the sites you contact are high traffic ones. Getting links from other relevant websites, goes lengths to build your credibility with your target market and also enhances your chances of moving up in the search engine rankings.

Giving away Free Advertising and Expert Content: Even though at first, this seems to most people as a wasted attempt. Do not underestimate it, as it gives your readers a reason to trust you and put their faith in you. We all know that once your customers or visitors trust your opinions and realize that you are knowledgeable about your target market, they would be much more at ease to purchase from you and would not need to be continually convinced.

Don’t get scared away by the writing aspect of the article/newsletter as it is much easier than you think. All you need to do is write about that which you are already familiar with. If, for example, you are a mechanic you can write a short article on the best ways to protect cars during the winter. I’m sure your target market would be most interested in learning information like that. There is also no need to write long essays; simple tips, tricks and benefits for your target market is sufficient. Remember, DON’T SELL… INFORM. The people reading your article will be more inviting to any products/services that you might have to sell once they see that you are not just a salesperson.

You can post your articles on some of these free content sites which get a whole lot of exposure by a multitude of people:

www.ezinearticles.com

www.ideamarketers.com

www.sitepronews.com

‘Viral Market’ Yourself: This can be a huge way to increase your site’s visibility and image. Viral marketing is more wellknown as wordofmouth advertising and is being used by Hotmail.com, Yahoo.com, MSN etc. Chat groups such as Msn Messenger has grown exponentially by using mainly viral marketing. If your optin subscribers and clients pass on a good word about how good or beneficial your service/product was for them to their friends or family members and then these friends pass the message on to their friends and friends members….You see the cycle. And this can turn into huge, loyal and referring, repeat buyers for your business.

8.) Growing and Using Optin Email Marketing

Email has now become such a big part of our lives that overlooking this medium of advertising and marketing would surely affect your business in the long run. Email marketing can be tricky and you have to ensure that the people that you send your promotional email to are optin subscribers for your newsletter or service.

The numerous advantages of email marketing include:

It can save you hundreds of dollars on costly advertising as unlike conventional mediums of marketing, with email marketing you can see the results of your promotional material within hours.

You are, in essence, sending your subscribers and clients information that they have requested and therefore they will be very responsive to your claims

You have the ability to develop a relationship with your subscribers and clients. Be consistently emailing your subscribers, you will give them a chance to trust you and acknowledge your knowledge of your target market and therefore the next time you send them an offer, they will definitely take a second look at what you have to offer

Plus, Email marketing is completely free, especially if you are emailing your newsletter subscribers or your service clients. And most importantly, it WORKS!

9.) Remain Consistent!

Do you know the one reason why 80% of the homebases businesses that people start up, both offline and online don’t see success. Yeah, you’ve guessed it, it’s CONSISTENCY. All over the world, people are trying to find the secrets to becoming rich and going in for quick retirement, but they always forget the basic essentials. I have too, many times over. And it takes practice and confidence but you have to remain consistent. So many people have given up, just a few steps from success. Remember, failure is just temporary and before striking gold, you might have to bear some temporary failures. But these should be regarded as tests and an opportunity to learn from.

There is a simple, yet very powerful saying that defines the mindset of a born winner. Print it out, Place it somewhere visible and Repeat it Everyday…

ขA quitter never wins – and a winner never quitsข

Someone once told me that there is nothing beautiful about success, it is just unabashed commitment and the willpower to remain consistent day after day, till you have achieved your goal.

10.) Test your ideas, again and again and again….

Ever wanted to know the real truth behind all those millionaires and big businesses? Well, the heading says it all. Sounds simple, I agree, but if you keep an accurate record of all your advertising material, marketing methods, number of visitors, number of visitors turning into customers etc you will be able to immediately correct any and all flaws and spend your marketing capital into only those methods that actually work.

Things that you should definitely consider testing on your site are:

Your offer

Your headline

Your price

Your site outline

Don’t neglect testing these things as a good headline can improve your site’s visibility by 750% or more! And you can do the math on how many of those would become customers 

Other things that should be tested are:

Your Email Promotions

The Userfriendliness of your site

Salescopy changes

Changes in the ordering process

Effect of Popups and banners/text links

I hope that these tips can act as a starting point for anyone wanting to start their own homebased business, either parttime or fulltime and proves to be a beneficial tool for those of you who are already involved in running their own businesses.

About The Author

Ammar Ahmed is a wellestablished entrepreneur who runs his own online business and acts as a guide for people who are just starting out online. To learn how ANYONE can start their own successful internet business… in less than 48 hours by visiting this site: ขhttp://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/793095ข. It truly is the most definitive guide for people looking to reach success online.

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 15, 2004

by Ammar Ahmed

Are You Hitting Your Target?

Are You Hitting Your Target?

by: Chris S

Interesting question huh? Iกm not talking about hitting target sales, hitting your target budget, or hitting your target margin. Iกm talking about hitting your target market. If you can find your target market and hit them dead on then the sales and margin will be sure to follow.

Every business owner knows who their target market is but where most fall short is knowing how to reach them. If you can unlock this mystery your business is sure to flourish. Unfortunately, thousands of marketers have been led to believe that by advertising their products and services to hundreds of search engines and FFA links, that millions of people will see what they’re offering and thousands will buy it. Sounds reasonable right? No! Think about it for a minute; would you try and sell an ice maker to an Eskimo? Heck No because they don’t need it. By posting to thousands of FFA sites you are precisely doing this. You need to think more like your potential customer and narrow your focus.

Whats the easiest way to find out how to reach your target market in the most efficient manner? Take a walk in their shoes! Think like your potential customers and how you can reach them online. Think beyond search engines and search engine optimization because cracking this puzzle could take you years to figure out.

Where do your potential customers hang out? You really have to become your customer and figure out what trips their trigger. It has been my experience that people like to feel like they are a part of what they are interested in. They will want to interact with other people with similar interests as them. For instance you are reading this article likely because you are interested in earning money on the internet. This article is a part of an ezine I have put together at my website www.homebizwiz.com. If someone who had similar interests as you wanted to advertise a product in my ezine they would be reaching their target market. YOU:)

Discussion boards and Ezine advertising really do work. Most subscribers to these types of services have very targeted interests depending on what the subject matter is. With the internet growing like it is there are hundreds of ezines and discussion boards out there that pertain to your particular business. All you have to do is find them and harvest them! If you can find a large targeted market for your product in an Ezine it is definately worth your time to check out and possibly work out some sort of advertising deal with the Ezine owner. If you have your own list many Ezine owners will exchange a one time email marketing campaign with you. You blast their list and in exchange they will blast yours.

So think about who your target market is and figure out where they hang out. You will be doing yourself and your business a great favor by doing so. Become a part of your particular businessก community and make friends. Who knows they could be your next best customer or a super affiliate themselves!

I wish you all success.

About The Author

This article was written by Chris Simmon ‘the HomeBizWizก owner of http://www.nwmguide.com and http://www.homebizwiz.com. To subscribe to Chrisก home business tips news letter(a $147 value) send a blank mailto:[email protected].

[email protected]

This article was posted on October 12, 2004

by Chris S

Get Over Your Resistance to Sales

Get Over Your Resistance to Sales

by: Audrey Burton

I have found that there are two best ways to eliminate your fear or resistance to sales. First, become so familiar with your product/service and any objections that might surface, that you simply can’t be flustered during a sales call. Second, you need to truly believe that your product or service will be of value to your customers – that you’re really helping them by sharing your product with them.
The next most important step is to make sure you’re selling to the right people. Set an appropriate target market and find out where they are. Make sure your sales pitch and sales materials speak to that target market.
By approaching your prospective customers with this approach, they will sense your confidence, which in turn gives them the confidence that you are true to your word.
Often, service businesses struggle more with the sales process since the results and benefits can be very difficult to articulate. I’ll use my coaching business as an example.
When I first started, I had not identified a target market, and could not clearly articulate the benefits of coaching with me. Most of my advertising and marketing attempts were lost in the multitude of messages everyone sees and hears every day. Now that I have some experience (and a LOT more marketing education) I understand the importance of deriving the overt benefits of coaching with me.
However, that alone will not get me clients. I also needed to identify a target – my ideal client. I often hear from coaches and other service professionals that they don’t want to eliminate a large majority of the marketplace by focusing on a niche. The truth is, when you send out a generic marketing message, no matter in what form, you’re not making a connection with anyone. People see and hear hundreds of marketing messages every day – you need to make that emotional connection with someone.
My target is women entrepreneurs – specifically women entrepreneurs whose businesses are doing ok, but they’re not happy for some reason. Imagine an attorney who had so many clients that she needed to hire additional lawyers and an administrative assistant. At that point, she would be spending her time maintaining sales, minimizing expenses, managing employees, keeping up to date on the newest laws, trends, markets and regulations, etc. This does not sound fun! That is the client I want, specifically. By painting you this mental picture, you have a clear idea of my ideal client. You may see yourself in the picture and you may know her and refer her to me.
Setting a target does not exclude other types of clients, but if my messages don’t reach anyone, I’ll have NO clients, or will have to work much, much harder to get each one. Besides, the example client above knows lots of other people who aren’t attorneys who could benefit from my services, and I will ask her to refer me to them.
By going through the steps above, you will want to talk with people about your product, as you know you can answer any question and you will feel you owe it to your target market to share your product with them. If you need help with this process, a book that has really helped me is ขJump Start Your Business Brainข by Doug Hall. Or you can shortcut and call me to walk you through the steps.
After eliminating your resistance, you will then need a plan of action to contact the individuals in your target market, and scripts to know what to say. Sales is simply a numbers game. The more people you contact, the more people who will say yes. Now get out there and sell!

About The Author

Audrey Burton is a Business and Life Coach with a caring, nononsense style. Audrey’s clients are primarily women entrepreneurs who become happy and successful at work working with her. Audrey keeps her clients focused and motivated by helping them create a custom plan they can be excited about. To sign up for a complimentary coaching session to better understand how she works, visit her website at http://www.audreyburton.com. You only live once – Love Your Life Today.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 09, 2004

by Audrey Burton