Archive for August, 2009

4 Tips For Article Marketing

August 18, 2009 @ 8:53 pm posted by John Brython

If you visit any online internet marketing forum, you are going to find a lot of people on there promoting article marketing and other forms of internet marketing for generating opt in signups, visitors to your website, and above all else, revenue generation through ads or affiliate marketing, or even selling your own products. Putting an article together is an important part of starting an article marketing campaign, but this does not come easily to everyone. Here are four tips that will jump start your article marketing campaign and help you put out some truly killer articles on the niche or concept of your website.

1 – Keep in mind that your title plays a large role in the effectiveness of your article. Make sure that you have an excellent title if you want your article marketing campaign to be successful. You can have the best content in the world, but no one is going to read your article if your title is boring or does not tell them what your article is actually about. If you want people to click on your title so that they can read your article, you must give them something valuable and enticing.

2 – Make sure that your article is structured in an easy to read manner. Unlike when it comes to paper, people tend to scan information when it comes to the internet rather than reading it all the way through. In order to make sure that your readers read your article completely all the way through, you need to make sure that the information that they need can be easily and freely found. Use sub headings, break the content apart into smaller paragraphs, and use bullet points whenever possible in order to build an article structure that is easy to read and scan.

3 – Make sure that your article is valuable and informative. If you are looking to create article content for an article marketing campaign that people are going to want to read, then you need to be willing to write articles that are informative. Your articles should have good information in them, because you want to build yourself a reputation as an authority on the subject that you are selling, rather than just regurgitating information that can be found everywhere else. If you do not know how to write valuable or informative information about your niche, you might be in the wrong business.

4 – Finally, make sure that the summary for your article is both catchy and memorable. The title may be the most important aspect of your article, but you need to be able to back that up with an excellent summary. The summary is going to tell people exactly what they can find in your article, so that they know right away whether or not they are going to want to read it.

Article marketing is an excellent means of promoting your website, products or services on the internet. Following these four tips for article marketing will help you jump start your way to success in this exciting internet marketing endeavor.

Email Marketing Lists- What You Should Know

August 16, 2009 @ 8:54 pm posted by John Brython

Many companies the world over are in search of ways to build their email marketing lists. Established companies make attempts to obtain the email addresses of existing customers and new companies are struggling to compile an original email list. Let?s explore the things you should know when it comes to building your email marketing list.

Try networking with local businesses. Attend meetings in your local area (i.e. seminars, and city commerce luncheons) to exchange cards and information with other professionals. Exchange business cards and be sure to follow up ? via email of course. However, you should make sure that the people in this network are interested in what you have to offer and the possibility of sharing contacts with you. It?s poor form to contact businesses that wanted nothing to do with you.

Try attending trade shows. Set up a booth or organize a presentation, or simply ?attend? a show and use it as a networking opportunity. Obtain general contact information and offer promotions and ?free? gifts. The people who fill out your information form have automatically ?opted in? to your marketing strategy.

Organize and attend informational seminars geared to both consumers and business contacts alike. Use registration information and other networking techniques to obtain contacts for your email marketing lists.

Retail storefronts are a great place to expand your email marketing lists. You can design a drawing or a contest that requires registration. You?ve probably engaged in this marketing technique before without even knowing it (i.e. registering to win a new car while shopping at the mall). Any storefront opportunities are well-received and are a great way to add to your email marketing lists of contacts.

Get involved in local events. Many people are addicted to openings, parties, musical concerts, and any other event that draws people together. You might even consider sponsoring one of these events yourself or joining with other likeminded business people; to sponsor the event. Doing so can afford you the opportunity to increase your Internet mail address listings and help you get your name out there.

Direct mail marketing techniques, such as sending out postcards, is a great way to grow your email contact lists. You can mass issue postcards with your company name and website and collect contacts as they visit the site or make inquiries. Offering some type of incentive will earn you the best response.

Consider telemarketing. This process can be time consuming but well the efforts if done properly. You can use phone calls to touch base with prior customers and it is a great way to rekindle old business and perhaps make new contacts. Just don’t allow your telemarketing staff to call during lunch and dinntertime hours.

Email marketing is just like any other form of marketing and is designed primarily to open the lines of communication and to make contact with people. You should do your best to translate your everyday interactions with people into business growing leads and contacts. To deploy a successful email marketing lists campaig, you must cultivate your people skills and always adhere to the Golder Rule; treat your customers as you would expect to be treated in a given situation and your business will go far.

If you are serious about internet marketing, and increasing traffic to your website by any means necessary, one of the avenues well worth considering is that of article marketing. Article marketing involves using content that is keyword rich, informal and easy to access to draw potential customers and visitors into your website. There are numerous benefits associated with using internet marketing through the act of article marketing, five of which are outlined in detail below.

1 – Through article marketing you are providing additional avenues for potential customers and other visitors to find your website because you are creating additional links to your website on highly trafficked websites. The more avenues there are for potential visitors to find you, the more likely you are to be found.

2 – Through article marketing, you are building inbound links to your website. These inbound links are one-way links, which makes them the most advantageous type of linking for search engines like Google to follow. If your search engine page rank matters to you, then creating these inbound links is an important part of marketing your website, and article marketing can allow you to achieve this quickly and effectively.

3 – Article marketing allows you to build a name for yourself. Most article syndication websites have biography sections where you can share information about yourself and your niche. By writing informative articles that people actually want to read, you are establishing a name for yourself as an authority on whatever subject you are writing about.

4 – Article marketing is free, which is one of the best benefits. You are getting your content out there, spreading the word about your website to the world, and it does not cost you a dime. By putting your content out there, you are building powerfully on your traffic potential, and submitting your content to article directories will not cost you anything but some of your time when putting your articles together to submit.

5 – Article marketing allows you to make excellent use of keywords, because you are writing about something that relates to your website. When you create links and get your name out there in content that is rich with relevant keywords, it will increase the SEO capabilities of your site, and allow you to build a powerful correlation between the information that you are offering in your article, and the capabilities of your website. Customers will have one of those eureka moments when they realize that they can travel to your site for more of the same excellent information, and this is an outstanding way to draw in new visitors from a highly respected source for information.

There are numerous other benefits associated with internet marketing through article marketing, but these should jump start your thinking processes when it comes to crafting articles to bring new visitors to your website. If you are serious about internet marketing, writing articles for syndication for the purpose of article marketing is certainly an advantageous way for you to go.

Buying Email Marketing Lists Yes Or No

August 14, 2009 @ 8:54 pm posted by John Brython

Now that you?ve decided to embark on an email campaign, your next task is to build an email marketing list, but where do you get it from? Many people succomb to the pitfall of ?buying? email marketing lists. Don?t make the same mistake.

You?ve very likely seen the ads that offer you millions of email addresses for a relatively low cost, well if you fall for one of these ads, you will end up labled as a ?spammer? almost as quickly as you send the email. Likely the vast majority of the messages you send will end up in ?junk? boxes, and you?ll reap zero benefit from your efforts. A good 70% of the addresses you attempt to purchase are, in fact, bogus or have been duplicated and the remaining 30% have not requested to receive your message.

Some people elect to ?rent? lists from varying submission services, but this can end up costing anywhere from 20 to 30 cents per email. What do you do? Use these next 8 ideas to get the ideas flowing and build your own targeted list. Remember, your primary goal should be to send emails to people who actually want to hear from you.

The big question, ?where do you find these people?? Your best bet is to start with diverse marketing methods and pay attention to your web traffic. Below you will find a list, contributed by an existing email marketing company, of things that will ensure your email marketing list is successful.

1. Your Webpage? request individuals sign up for your guestbook your online electronic magazine your newsletter, your offer for a free report or book and any contest that you have to offer. Be sure and put this opportunity on every page of your web site.

2. Try Direct-Mail Marketing — mail out flyers or postcards to all potential customers.When you design your postcards, be sure to request that people visit your site and sign up to get valued information and relevent messages.

3. Consider Telemarketers — consider using a telemarketing service or telemarketing agent to make contact with your potential clients. Request that your telemarketers require e-mail addresses (it’s a good idea to offer incentives for having clients give out their e-mail address [contest, free trials, etc.]).

4. Consider Using a Broker — request websites that offer brokerage services, with heavy traffic, to link to your service and offer sign up for information. Most brokers will provide this service for an average of $.10 to $.15 per e-mail message.

5. Get out There and Hoof It ? this is a great opportunity for students who are off during the summer. Then students door-to-door, offering information exchange for e-mail addresses.

6. Consider Hosting an Online Contest — open contests are extremely effective way to obtain e-mail addresses. On contest entry forms request e-mail addresses as method of approval for contest entry.

7. Get Physical — if you operate a physical store, be sure and request the customers provide you with their e-mail address at checkout. You may also want to consider sending out surveys via the mail and running additional contests to gain access to consumer contact information.

As you can see there is more than one way to ‘skin a cat’ when you need names for your email marketing campaign. You don’t have to resort too buying email marketing lists.

Article marketing is something that has been around for many decades. Collaborations existed between newspapers and companies, where the company would write article content, which the newspaper would get to publish. In exchange for the article, the newspaper would publish a little bio piece on the company. This exchange has been around for a while, and the internet has only made it easier to match up companies with writers. With the internet came internet marketing, a broad category that encompasses article writing. These two concepts blend together since article marketing needs to be a part of internet marketing, and internet marketing needs article marketing.

Article marketing is a way to get advertising for free. Businesses can advertise through the creation of articles, and internet marketing campaigns benefit by the creation of content, which raises the presence of the company behind the internet marketing campaign. Internet marketing covers many fronts, but most of them are costly, and do not provide the symbiotic benefit that the combination with article marketing provides. Within the world of ecommerce, the union of internet marketing and article marketing provides both parties with the means to get content and links back into the participating companies.

If you want to build a powerful internet marketing business, one of the best ways for you to achieve this is through article marketing. While most forms of internet marketing are not powerful enough on their own to achieve results, article marketing can create astounding results in a small amount of time because the powerful things that it does. Not only does article marketing build powerful and important one-way links from popular sites with high page ranks, but it also gives potential viewers new avenues for reaching your website, and simultaneously establishes you as an authority on the subjects that you are writing about, allowing potential visitors and customers to trust you enough to sign up for your newsletter or buy your products.

If you want to create an effective internet marketing business, using article marketing would be a wise choice. Many companies have been successful implementing only article marketing strategies, showing just how effective these strategies can be. They will allow you to create powerful one way links to your website, which will give search engines a larger reason to continue indexing you, raising your search engine results in the process. They will allow you to turn valuable and informational articles into a means of becoming an authority figure, so that customers will come to trust your word. And they will create numerous new avenues for visitors to pursue to find your website, often from places that they normally would not even be looking. If you want to create an effective internet marketing business, article marketing can make that happen for you.

Email Marketing Campaign Software Popular Terms Defined

August 12, 2009 @ 8:54 pm posted by John Brython

If you?re new to utilizing email marketing campaign software, you may be a bit confused as to what all those terms mean. Top Ten Reviews Magazine recently published a list of email marketing campaign software definitions that may help you on your way to launching a successful email marketing campaign. Below you will find an excerpt from that list of definitions. This may only be a drop in the bucket compared to what you?ll learn during your email marketing campaign, but they will provide you with a great start:

Feature Set
We ranked the software according to the number of practical features that will help you create and send professional and effective bulk emails.

Installation/Setup
Email marketing software, like any software, should be easy to install and setup, should come with clear installation directions and not cause errors on your computer.

Ease of Use
We considered how easy the software is to navigate and use to perform the basic functions. A computer novice should feel confident in using the program to send marketing emails.

Email Creation
This criterion ranks the software according to how easy it is to create an email.

Reporting
We considered the number of valuable reports like email delivery and unsubscribe lists, that the software produces.

Standard/Regular
The number of emails the standard software will allow you to send at one time.

Professional/Enterprise
The number of emails you can send at one time if you buy the professional/enterprise version of the software (if available).

Direct Send Mode
You can use your Domain Name Server instead of your SMTP server to send your emails.

Multi-Threaded Multi-Processor Engine
A system used to speed up your emails so your SMTP server won’t get bogged down because of the large number of emails you’re trying to send.

Auto. Detect Settings The email marketing program will automatically detect a built-in SMTP server and adjust the settings accordingly, so you can get the software setup with as little hassle as possible.

Email Setup Wizard/Tutorial
The product includes a wizard that will help you setup the program with the SMTP/DNS server.

Supports Unicode Characters
You can use Unicode and international characters in the marketing email.

Message Encoding
You can use message encodings in the marketing email.

Supports Images
You can add images to your email campaigns to create attractive visuals in your message.

Supports Background Images
You can import an image into your email and add text over it to create a stylish and impressive email.

Import HTML Pages
You can import a pre-made webpage or HTML email into the program and send it as an email blast.

View Email in Browser (Before Send)
After you create your HTML email, you can view it in an Internet browser so you can see exactly what the email will look like.

Add Unsubscribe Link
You are able to add an unsubscribe link to your email by adding a quick button or by hard coding the link into your email.

Successful Internet Marketing With Article Writing

@ 8:53 pm posted by John Brython

Article marketing is an excellent means for successful internet marketing, as long as you know how to turn the article writing process into a successful article marketing campaign. Article marketing is about more than simply article writing, but also has to do with implementing the right keywords, anchor texts, calls to action, resource box information, links and more. Once you learn how to put a successful article marketing campaign together, however, you will have a successful campaign for internet marketing that will do four very powerful things for you:

1 – It will help you establish yourself as an authority figure on the niche that your website focuses on, by providing valuable, useful, informational and easy to read content on the right subjects. By using the right keywords and implementing information that readers will actually be interested in, people will begin to trust your word as an authority on your niche, which can do excellent things for the traffic that your website generates.

2 – It will allow you to optimize for the right keywords and key phrases by implementing keyword driven content into your articles. By using the right keywords and anchor texts in your article, you can implement SEO techniques that will link back to your own website for an increase in search engine optimization.

3 – It will allow you to build powerful one-way links from popular article submission websites, guaranteeing you a better chance of seeing action from search engines like Google and Yahoo. One way links are the most powerful, especially when they are coming directly from popular sources like article submission sites with a 6 page rank, which is one of the highest possible page ranks that a website can obtain.

4 – It will create new avenues for potential visitors to find you, because your submission articles will appear not only in the submission sites where you add them, but all numerous other websites throughout the internet.

If you are looking for successful avenues for marketing, one of the best things that you can do is launch a powerful article marketing campaign that will allow you to submit valuable, easy to read articles online to generate a startling increase in traffic to your website. If you are serious about increasing your capabilities when it comes to increasing traffic, bringing new opt in signups, generating ad sense revenue, generating affiliate product revenue or selling your own products, then an article writing and submission or article marketing campaign is one of the best things that you can do.

No internet marketing campaign is complete without some article writing. While you can place articles on your own website for some success, the best way to generate traffic success with article writing is through a well planned, well written article marketing campaign. This is one of the best and most efficient ways to drive new traffic to your website so that you may sell products, generate opt in sign ups and earn ad revenue.

What Is Opt-In Email Marketing

August 10, 2009 @ 8:54 pm posted by John Brython

Have you ever wondered what ?opt-in email marketing? is and how it compares to bulk e-mail marketing? Being a ?newbie? to Internet marketing, and likely having limited funds, can leave entrepreneurs feeling lost in terms of marketing and they end up turning to extreme cost saving options like free classifieds and newsgroup sites. Most marketing experts will tell you that these efforts are not only time consuming, they afford very few results.

Internet marketing experts have compiled countless studies as to why Internet marketing works, as well as the techniques that are proven successful. In addition to the techniques that are proven successful. Studies have also revealed techniques that prove unsuccessful. If you’re interested in learning more about e-mail marketing help promote your business consider the following information before you decide on a method of advertisement.

First let’s look at the process of sending unsolicited bulk e-mail:

Unsolicited Bulk E-Mail is the practice of sending out huge quantities of e-mail to a massive list of e-mail addresses that remain unverified or qualified. This practice is considered incredibly controversial and in many cases may be against the law. If you’re considering this marketing tactic for your business; you must be incredibly cautious. Using unverified bulk e-mailing practices to promote your company could put your business and your reputation at risk; not to mention the possibility of huge financial fines and jail.

The appeal of unsolicited email marketing, for many aggressive entrepreneurs, is very dramatic, and it has become incredibly popular because it’s extremely inexpensive. Bulk e-mailing costs much less than standard mailing and is less labor intensive. Postage costs alone can cut into the profits of a growing company quite dramatically. To offset the costs, many companies will resort to the less expensive route, even though the risk is very high.

Unfortunately, massive bulk e-mail to unsolicited clients is considered in poor taste. In most cases, potential customers will simply ignore your incoming e-mail block your website or have you forwarded to a junk mail folder. The worst-case scenario would include your company’s website being reported to an Internet service provider resulting in your website being permanently banned from the World Wide Web. The bottom line is this; bulk e-mailing to unsolicited customers simply doesn’t work. It doesn’t get you leads and the risk is far too great.

Now let’s review the practice of direct opt in e-mail marketing:

Opt in direct e-mail is the practice of sending out company e-mail to recipients that have requested contact with your company. It is possible to hire a company that will specialize in direct e-mail in order to promote your company legally, and without the hassles of bulk e-mail to unsolicited customers. Opt in e-mail marketing services offer you a legitimate way to reach customers who are actually seeking your services.

When it comes down to your bottom line, opt in e-mail marketing is always the way to go. This process may be a bit more time consuming and could potentially be a bit more labor-intensive, but the benefits far outweigh the detriments.

How To Write An Article For Internet Marketing

@ 8:53 pm posted by John Brython

Article marketing is a concept that can greatly boost the capabilities of a website, but unfortunately getting started with it tends to feel tedious or overwhelming. Article marketing is not a difficult task, however, so if you are serious about utilizing this form of internet marketing, the following the steps outlined below will give you a good boost in the right direction.

Here is the basic information that you need to know when you want to learn how to write an article for internet marketing:

1 – The first thing to know is that article marketing has numerous objectives. The first is to generate keyword driven content that relates to your niche. The second is to create a link back to your website that search engines and potential visitors can follow. The third objective is simply to get your name out there as an authority on whatever subject you are trying to sell. All three of these objectives are important and should be considered when writing an internet marketing article.

2 – Internet marketing articles can range significantly in word count, but readers tend to prefer articles between 450 and 750 words. Your article should use friendly and easy to read language, small paragraphs and headers to break up the text whenever possible.

3 – Your article should focus on a topic relating to your website, and it should primary intend to inform potential readers. If the people who read your article feel like you know what you are talking about, they will travel through your link to your website to learn more information on the topic.

4 – If you really do understand your niche or product, writing about it should not be difficult. If you are not sure where to begin, visit online article syndication websites to get a feel for what is already available online and proceed from there. If you still need assistance, consider contacting a professional copywriter to help you put your article marketing content together. Article marketing is such a vital part of attracting visitors to your websites that you really need to get it right.

5 – Once your article is written, make sure it includes a call to action that invites readers to visit your website for more information. This will be at the bottom of your article, and should include a link to your website.

When your article is submitted to article directories, it will allow people searching for information on the topic to find the information you are providing. If they are impressed with your level of expertise, they will follow your link back to your website for more information. Article marketing is an excellent way to build traffic to your website while providing valuable links to build page rank in search engines like Google, while simultaneously building your reputation as an authority on the subject at hand. If you are not already participating in this vital form of marketing for your website, you could be missing out on traffic that simply does not know how or where to find you.

The Truth About The History Of E Commerce

@ 8:52 pm posted by John Brython

You might not realize it, but the history of e commerce started before the first Internet connection. Things started happening in the 1960s, over 40 years ago, that were crucial steps along the way bringing us to the level of e commerce we have today.

First, the EDI was developed in the 60s. EDI means Electronic Data Interchange. This is a set of standards for electronic transactions and the exchange of business information. Even with this development, many companies still couldn’t do business electronically with each other because there were different EDI formats. But in 1984, one EDI, the ASC X12, became the standard for transferring large amounts of transactions, and was adapted quickly by those institutions who wanted to do business electronically.

Eight years later in 1992, the first point and click web browser was developed, called Mosaic. Then the first downloadable browser, Netscape, was developed based on Mosaic, and this gave people with Internet access the ability to participate in electronic commerce. This was really the first step in the history of e commerce that lead to the widespread e commerce usage we see today.

DSL or high-speed Internet let more users take advantage of e commerce with more convenience, with the holiday season of 1998 setting a record of the most e commerce sales until that point. Online sales for AOL during that 10-week Christmas season topped 1 billion.

Red Hat Linux was developed, giving computer users a choice. No longer was Windows the only option, consumers could opt for reliable and open-sourced Linux, instead. Now that there was competition, Windows began expanding its ability to handle e commerce.

Napster was founded in 1999, and even though it started out as a way for users to share music files for free, its development was an important step in the history of e commerce. As it became more and more popular, consumers had a say in what they hoped to get from such a site, and e commerce and the entire industry, in general. Then, in 2000, AOL and Time Warner merged, combining a completely online company with an old and established traditional company. By then, Yahoo, eBay and Amazon.com were popular sites, their names synonymous with Internet use and e commerce. Hackers attached each of these sites in 2000, demonstrating the need for higher Internet security, particularly where e commerce was concerned. In the history of e commerce, this started the push for secure ordering and more secure browser interfaces.

Traditional companies started adapting for e commerce, and now almost every major retail player has an online presence where it’s easy and convenient to order electronically, like Sears, Wal-Mart and Borders bookstores. In 2001, business-to-business transactions alone accounted for $700 billion dollars changing hands.

With more people discovering the convenience of shopping from home than ever, it’s clear that the history of e commerce isn’t a closed book, but will continue to change as online shopping becomes more and more popular.