Eight Steps to Ruining Your Internet Business.
By Margaret Helms
You may not realize that there is a technique to failure. For those of you who can not fail properly, just follow these simple steps and I personally guarantee you to be a total wash-out.
1. Know hype as your friend: Earn $10,000 per hour while drinking lemonade and getting a massage. Gotta go for that one. It’s a real bargain at $29.95.
2. Never research a program: For those who simply cannot accept hype as their buddy, fear not. Having no reliable information about a company works almost as well.
3. Never spend money: Hey, this is all free. If I wanted to make an investment, I’d open a store on Main Street with a $6,000 lease payment every month, $50,000 in inventory, and shell out $10,000 every two weeks in payroll. Yep, that’s how I’d do it. But I sure won’t spend $200 on an effective lead generator.
4. Do not take your business seriously: Who cares? I’d rather be playing free cell.
5. Get as many site hits as humanly possible: Use every advertising source available. So what if BuckHunter103 visits my site on banning all firearms in the world. My hit counter is spinning!
6. Have no plan: Flailing blindly in the dark is sure to waste lots of time and leave you discouraged. A must for failing.
7. Work as little as possible: Work is the ultimate enemy of failure. Where’s that darn free cell bookmark?
8. Quit: If you’ve followed my plan so far, and it still seems you’re on the verge of success, there’s only one thing left to do. QUIT!
Over 90% of internet business owners have followed this plan and failed miserably in just a few short days or weeks. Are you next?
Margaret Helms is a freelance writer and successful business owner.
For a free subscription to her business tips newsletter, visit:
http://www.profitlandslide.com/biztipspop.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Helms
Friday, December 08, 2006
E is for Everything ?
E is for Everything ?
By Philippa Gamse
This article was originally published in three installments in the "Foundry Trade Journal", 2001.
Just this week, a member of my audience asked me the following:
"Why would a local company, with a large investment in trained, professional sales people need a Web site?"
Great question! And you might be thinking the same. . .
Maybe you already know many or all of your potential customers, maybe you have very defined processes and production cycles that don't change very quickly, maybe you're suspicious of the Internet "hype" - especially now that so many e-companies are falling by the wayside.
But we also know that the Internet isn't going away. 407 million people are now estimated to have access - that includes 167 million in N. America, and 113 million in Europe. Younger people increasingly spend more time online than watching TV. And the April edition of this magazine has an e-commerce focus . . .
The true challenge now - which personally I also see as a great opportunity, is to understand all the ways in which using the 'Net can help your business, and from this to strategise the best investment of time and money.
So if it's here to stay, how can the Internet benefit your business - and what's currently going wrong?
There are some key elements that prevent many Web site owners from maximizing the potential of their Internet-based activities:
1. Tunnel vision on sales and new business: it takes at least five times the time and expense to acquire a new customer as it does to keep a current one. Your Web site can be a great tool for providing ongoing customer service and support - and achieving significant cost savings to boot!
Most people access the Internet for information on products and services that they either use now, or are considering buying. So, your Web site can be a great place to provide ongoing customer support for your products. If you're worried about giving away trade secrets to your competition, place these in a password-protected area.
The best way to build your content is to compile a list of questions that your customers most often ask. These may be sales related, but can also cover operations, quality assurance issues, etc. If you don't already know the questions, have your receptionists and sales people keep a note pad for a week. Then, put the questions, together with the answers, on your site.
This provides a 24 hour a day, seven day a week availability of service for your customers, whether your office is open or not. And, it can save significant costs in terms of telephone support time.
2. Not "asking for the business": I know this sounds obvious, but how many sites have you seen where it's quite unclear what the site wants from you? Every page of your site should have a strategy, and be clear about inviting visitor interactions to achieve your goals.
Many times when a new client comes to me for e-business strategy consulting, I ask them a few seemingly simple questions: "Who are your markets? What do they want from you?" and "What do you want from them?"
Sounds easy enough. But often, there are visitors to your Web site that may be different from your traditional customers - and sometimes, you either currently offer or could create new products or services that they'd buy.
Thinking through all the possible audiences for your site, and all the ways in which you might interact with them is really crucial in creating your Web strategy.
Then, so is knowing who you expect to be looking at each page of your site, and what you want them to do. This might include requesting a catalog, asking for technical support, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Include clear text links and invitations to the visitor - and make it really easy for them to contact you.
Too many pages online provide great content, and then just tail off into nothing. Don't let yours be among them!
3. Under-utilising e-mail: e-mail is a powerful tool when used appropriately (and an awful one when not!) It can be used for marketing, customer service, public relations, in-company memos, business research . . . and much more. Look at your real-world communications - could e-mail save you time and expense?
E-mail marketing can be done without the costs of design printing, and postage associated with traditional direct mail. It's almost free of charge!
It can be used to send notices of new products, or upgrades to existing ones. It can keep your customers informed of news and events in your company, and around the industry. If it's offering brief, valuable content, most of your contacts won't object to receiving it - although of course if they do, you must take them off your mailings. But, with a few subtly embedded links to key pages in your Web site, it can be a great traffic generator.
Your own database of your customers, prospects and other contacts is the best place to start - and take every opportunity to nurture that. Ask visitors to your Web site to sign up for your newsletter, product alerts, or other materials. If you buy any lists, be very careful that they're bona fide and you won't be accused of spamming recipients.
And whatever you do, answer your e-mail! Lack of e-mail response is always one of the biggest customer service complaints around e-business.
So, consistently mine your customer list. Send them targeted, relevant e-mails, and grow your business relationships electronically!
Let's say it again - the Internet isn't going away. Today's challenge lies in understanding how to use it to maximise your market reach, optimise the efficiency of your operations, and achieve the best overall return on your online business investment.
(c) 2000, Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.
Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philippa_Gamse
By Philippa Gamse
This article was originally published in three installments in the "Foundry Trade Journal", 2001.
Just this week, a member of my audience asked me the following:
"Why would a local company, with a large investment in trained, professional sales people need a Web site?"
Great question! And you might be thinking the same. . .
Maybe you already know many or all of your potential customers, maybe you have very defined processes and production cycles that don't change very quickly, maybe you're suspicious of the Internet "hype" - especially now that so many e-companies are falling by the wayside.
But we also know that the Internet isn't going away. 407 million people are now estimated to have access - that includes 167 million in N. America, and 113 million in Europe. Younger people increasingly spend more time online than watching TV. And the April edition of this magazine has an e-commerce focus . . .
The true challenge now - which personally I also see as a great opportunity, is to understand all the ways in which using the 'Net can help your business, and from this to strategise the best investment of time and money.
So if it's here to stay, how can the Internet benefit your business - and what's currently going wrong?
There are some key elements that prevent many Web site owners from maximizing the potential of their Internet-based activities:
1. Tunnel vision on sales and new business: it takes at least five times the time and expense to acquire a new customer as it does to keep a current one. Your Web site can be a great tool for providing ongoing customer service and support - and achieving significant cost savings to boot!
Most people access the Internet for information on products and services that they either use now, or are considering buying. So, your Web site can be a great place to provide ongoing customer support for your products. If you're worried about giving away trade secrets to your competition, place these in a password-protected area.
The best way to build your content is to compile a list of questions that your customers most often ask. These may be sales related, but can also cover operations, quality assurance issues, etc. If you don't already know the questions, have your receptionists and sales people keep a note pad for a week. Then, put the questions, together with the answers, on your site.
This provides a 24 hour a day, seven day a week availability of service for your customers, whether your office is open or not. And, it can save significant costs in terms of telephone support time.
2. Not "asking for the business": I know this sounds obvious, but how many sites have you seen where it's quite unclear what the site wants from you? Every page of your site should have a strategy, and be clear about inviting visitor interactions to achieve your goals.
Many times when a new client comes to me for e-business strategy consulting, I ask them a few seemingly simple questions: "Who are your markets? What do they want from you?" and "What do you want from them?"
Sounds easy enough. But often, there are visitors to your Web site that may be different from your traditional customers - and sometimes, you either currently offer or could create new products or services that they'd buy.
Thinking through all the possible audiences for your site, and all the ways in which you might interact with them is really crucial in creating your Web strategy.
Then, so is knowing who you expect to be looking at each page of your site, and what you want them to do. This might include requesting a catalog, asking for technical support, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Include clear text links and invitations to the visitor - and make it really easy for them to contact you.
Too many pages online provide great content, and then just tail off into nothing. Don't let yours be among them!
3. Under-utilising e-mail: e-mail is a powerful tool when used appropriately (and an awful one when not!) It can be used for marketing, customer service, public relations, in-company memos, business research . . . and much more. Look at your real-world communications - could e-mail save you time and expense?
E-mail marketing can be done without the costs of design printing, and postage associated with traditional direct mail. It's almost free of charge!
It can be used to send notices of new products, or upgrades to existing ones. It can keep your customers informed of news and events in your company, and around the industry. If it's offering brief, valuable content, most of your contacts won't object to receiving it - although of course if they do, you must take them off your mailings. But, with a few subtly embedded links to key pages in your Web site, it can be a great traffic generator.
Your own database of your customers, prospects and other contacts is the best place to start - and take every opportunity to nurture that. Ask visitors to your Web site to sign up for your newsletter, product alerts, or other materials. If you buy any lists, be very careful that they're bona fide and you won't be accused of spamming recipients.
And whatever you do, answer your e-mail! Lack of e-mail response is always one of the biggest customer service complaints around e-business.
So, consistently mine your customer list. Send them targeted, relevant e-mails, and grow your business relationships electronically!
Let's say it again - the Internet isn't going away. Today's challenge lies in understanding how to use it to maximise your market reach, optimise the efficiency of your operations, and achieve the best overall return on your online business investment.
(c) 2000, Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.
Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philippa_Gamse
Build and Maintain Websites For Profit
Build and Maintain Websites For Profit.
By J. Stephen Pope
Even with limited knowledge and experience, you can build and maintain websites for profit. Here are just some ways you can do so.
1. Develop Websites for Local Businesses
Approach local business persons and sell them on the necessity and financial benefits of having a professional website. Local advertising may get you started as well, but expect to get a large portion of your business from referrals.
Charge your clients for the initial design and setup of the website. Work with them to develop a theme for their site based on their unique advantages over the competition. Keep the site simple to start with so that the cost of producing it is not prohibitive to the business and you can complete it profitably in a short time.
In this business, you can also make money on the maintenance and ongoing support of the website. Charge recurring monthly fees for such services needed as web hosting, updates and improvements to the site`s content, search engine optimization and submission, increasing traffic, traffic analysis, mailing list production and maintenance, and much more.
You don`t have to be a master Internet programmer to provide needed, additional services. There are many free and low cost sources of scripts and other resources available to you on the Internet. Offer your clients (and charge extra for) flash introductions, animated graphics, syndicated content, traffic counters, submission forms, chat rooms, pop-up windows, autoresponders, and more.
2. Sell Websites on the Internet
Build web stores, search engines, shopping portals, and other websites and sell them on the Internet.
Some develop sites from templates sold by others. Others build websites from scratch. These websites have been sold on the Internet as turnkey businesses through eBay and other websites.
Another option is to take existing free services and resell them. For example, you could take advantage of free web stores available to you on the Internet. Register a suitable domain name, obtain free or low cost web space, and host that free store at your domain on your web space. Promote your website and increase traffic. Finally, sell your website to the highest bidder on eBay. Be sure that either your Reserve Price or Opening Bid is high enough to make it profitable to you. You will need to transfer the domain name to the buyer.
3. Become an Internet Marketer
Build your own unique website based on a niche theme that has a sufficient market. Then tie in your content with appropriate affiliate programs and your own as well as other peoples` products and services.
To increase commissions and sales, you will need to regularly maintain your site by updating content, increasing targeted traffic, adding appropriate products and services, et cetera.
These, then, are just a few ways that you can profit financially from building and maintaining websites.
For further information and resources about making money from building and maintaining websites, please visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/webmstrbus.html
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Stephen_Pope
By J. Stephen Pope
Even with limited knowledge and experience, you can build and maintain websites for profit. Here are just some ways you can do so.
1. Develop Websites for Local Businesses
Approach local business persons and sell them on the necessity and financial benefits of having a professional website. Local advertising may get you started as well, but expect to get a large portion of your business from referrals.
Charge your clients for the initial design and setup of the website. Work with them to develop a theme for their site based on their unique advantages over the competition. Keep the site simple to start with so that the cost of producing it is not prohibitive to the business and you can complete it profitably in a short time.
In this business, you can also make money on the maintenance and ongoing support of the website. Charge recurring monthly fees for such services needed as web hosting, updates and improvements to the site`s content, search engine optimization and submission, increasing traffic, traffic analysis, mailing list production and maintenance, and much more.
You don`t have to be a master Internet programmer to provide needed, additional services. There are many free and low cost sources of scripts and other resources available to you on the Internet. Offer your clients (and charge extra for) flash introductions, animated graphics, syndicated content, traffic counters, submission forms, chat rooms, pop-up windows, autoresponders, and more.
2. Sell Websites on the Internet
Build web stores, search engines, shopping portals, and other websites and sell them on the Internet.
Some develop sites from templates sold by others. Others build websites from scratch. These websites have been sold on the Internet as turnkey businesses through eBay and other websites.
Another option is to take existing free services and resell them. For example, you could take advantage of free web stores available to you on the Internet. Register a suitable domain name, obtain free or low cost web space, and host that free store at your domain on your web space. Promote your website and increase traffic. Finally, sell your website to the highest bidder on eBay. Be sure that either your Reserve Price or Opening Bid is high enough to make it profitable to you. You will need to transfer the domain name to the buyer.
3. Become an Internet Marketer
Build your own unique website based on a niche theme that has a sufficient market. Then tie in your content with appropriate affiliate programs and your own as well as other peoples` products and services.
To increase commissions and sales, you will need to regularly maintain your site by updating content, increasing targeted traffic, adding appropriate products and services, et cetera.
These, then, are just a few ways that you can profit financially from building and maintaining websites.
For further information and resources about making money from building and maintaining websites, please visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/webmstrbus.html
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Stephen_Pope
Best Lead Method ?
Best Lead Method ?
By Silke Stahl
One of my Guest writers says in her article at The Stork News site that it is the ad that is most important, if the SL fails you, it is down to your ad.
I have always found this to be the case with all ad methods and it annoys me when people who fail because THEY did it wrong blame the method, whether it is SLs, FFAs, Free Class Ads, PPCs or anything else.
My primary biz opp leads in two main ways:
the first is using a gateway which lets them join for free - offers the biz opp straight;
the second offers them a free pack including a book, cassette, tape, and some other goodies, and backends the opp.
I have found that for class ads and PPCs the gateway offering the opp works best from an ad, while when using Safelists or an opt in list, offering the pack gets a better response.
A third method we use is a "lifestyle" approach - rather than promote the biz opp direct, we approach from the angle of changing your lifestyle, giving you more time, and follow with some example "testimonies".
This has pretty much remained the tertiary method for most people in my company and downline and has never gained the reponse rate the other two methods use.
I guess this is down to the difference between someone who is looking for a biz opp and goes to the search engines or scours the ads, and someone who has joined a SL or list to promote something else and then sees the value of what's being offered along with the freebie.
I have also heard back from people who have seen the freebie pack and realise what a great tool it is, and signed up so they can lead with it.
Just goes to show there is no end of methods that can be found to make success for yourself if you keep an open mind.
I think people who join and use Safelists are more open minded that a lot of people who market on the Net - those who just surf the TEs for credits for example, most of who don't think about what they are doing and don't think about WHERE to direct those hits.
Building an opt-in lists works great - I have five programs I use now - six if you include LSN which is technically a downline builder, and find they work best if you get to know your downline and offer them ways to promote, even better programs.
Sticking people on an autoresponder seems to be the worst method - there are lazy people who just do that and expect the whole thing to self automate.
I have an autoresponder at my site that sends prospects a series of emails so they get all the info, but each one includes my own email address so they can contact me personally anytime.
One of my own maxims:
In Network Maketing, the NETWORKING alays comes before the MARKETING.
Keep the faith!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com
her business opportunity: http://Silke247.Opportunity.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
By Silke Stahl
One of my Guest writers says in her article at The Stork News site that it is the ad that is most important, if the SL fails you, it is down to your ad.
I have always found this to be the case with all ad methods and it annoys me when people who fail because THEY did it wrong blame the method, whether it is SLs, FFAs, Free Class Ads, PPCs or anything else.
My primary biz opp leads in two main ways:
the first is using a gateway which lets them join for free - offers the biz opp straight;
the second offers them a free pack including a book, cassette, tape, and some other goodies, and backends the opp.
I have found that for class ads and PPCs the gateway offering the opp works best from an ad, while when using Safelists or an opt in list, offering the pack gets a better response.
A third method we use is a "lifestyle" approach - rather than promote the biz opp direct, we approach from the angle of changing your lifestyle, giving you more time, and follow with some example "testimonies".
This has pretty much remained the tertiary method for most people in my company and downline and has never gained the reponse rate the other two methods use.
I guess this is down to the difference between someone who is looking for a biz opp and goes to the search engines or scours the ads, and someone who has joined a SL or list to promote something else and then sees the value of what's being offered along with the freebie.
I have also heard back from people who have seen the freebie pack and realise what a great tool it is, and signed up so they can lead with it.
Just goes to show there is no end of methods that can be found to make success for yourself if you keep an open mind.
I think people who join and use Safelists are more open minded that a lot of people who market on the Net - those who just surf the TEs for credits for example, most of who don't think about what they are doing and don't think about WHERE to direct those hits.
Building an opt-in lists works great - I have five programs I use now - six if you include LSN which is technically a downline builder, and find they work best if you get to know your downline and offer them ways to promote, even better programs.
Sticking people on an autoresponder seems to be the worst method - there are lazy people who just do that and expect the whole thing to self automate.
I have an autoresponder at my site that sends prospects a series of emails so they get all the info, but each one includes my own email address so they can contact me personally anytime.
One of my own maxims:
In Network Maketing, the NETWORKING alays comes before the MARKETING.
Keep the faith!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com
her business opportunity: http://Silke247.Opportunity.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
Are You Searching For An Important Email ? Here's Your Big Time Saver !
Are You Searching For An Important Email ? Here's Your Big Time Saver !
By Bill Parks
You received an email from a friend a few months ago with directions to an up-coming seminar. Now that email is buried under months of other email messages.
How do you find it?...
Well... You can scroll through all your previous emails looking for the message...
But there's an easier way for You!
Email 'clients' as they're called, or programs provide shortcuts to finding your important email. Each provides "Advanced Find" methods so you can search by subject, name, email address of the sender, or by any of your folders you've set up to store your important emails. (i.e. trash, sent, friends, family, keep, print ), or even by date.
"Wait a minute, while I count my email folders... OK, I'm back!... Right Now I have 62 file folders for emails I want to keep for future reference. With all these folders it's hard to find any particular email."
Have you ever had this problem?... If you have... Hold on... Because, Help for You is right on your computer!
While in your email files, go to Edit or Tools. In one of them, depending on your email program you'll see one of the following:
Find Search Messages Find Messages Messages In This Folder Advanced search.
It varies whether you're using Netscape, Eudora, or Outlook Express... and the version.
Click around until you find the "Search Window." It will pop up. You can search different email folders with different search parameters. It's a lot easier for you than looking through your hundreds or thousands of emails for something that's important to you.
Here's some examples of how to find previously sent or received email messages, using a variety of popular email software and platform configurations. Check Yours... It can be your 'Big Time Saver.' It's worth spending a little time discovering how this works.
Outlook Express 5.02 - Macintosh: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find", or "Advanced Find." Set up your search parameters for the email you want to find.
Netscape 7.0 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Tools" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to "Search." Pick "Search Messages" from the resulting submenu. A search window will open. Set up your search requirements for whatever you remember about the email you want to find.
Netscape 4.7 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Edit" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to and select "Search Messages." You'll see a search window open with pull down buttons so you can set the search parameters you want. You can keep adding more search buttons by clicking on '"More." If you know several things about the email you're looking for... You'll save your time and frustration.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Windows: Under "Edit" on the Eudora menu bar, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu. Enter your search information.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Macintosh OS 9 and OS X: Under the "Special" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Search" from the resulting submenu.
Apple's Mail program for Macintosh OS X: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu.
You may want to spend some time working with this... Because it can be Your Big Time Saver when you need to find your most important email.
Bill Parks... Computer Consultant, specializing in Filemaker Pro database design. Publisher of "Information Age Products Ezine" and "Bill's Business Boosters Ezine." http://www.Build-UR-Business.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Parks
By Bill Parks
You received an email from a friend a few months ago with directions to an up-coming seminar. Now that email is buried under months of other email messages.
How do you find it?...
Well... You can scroll through all your previous emails looking for the message...
But there's an easier way for You!
Email 'clients' as they're called, or programs provide shortcuts to finding your important email. Each provides "Advanced Find" methods so you can search by subject, name, email address of the sender, or by any of your folders you've set up to store your important emails. (i.e. trash, sent, friends, family, keep, print ), or even by date.
"Wait a minute, while I count my email folders... OK, I'm back!... Right Now I have 62 file folders for emails I want to keep for future reference. With all these folders it's hard to find any particular email."
Have you ever had this problem?... If you have... Hold on... Because, Help for You is right on your computer!
While in your email files, go to Edit or Tools. In one of them, depending on your email program you'll see one of the following:
Find Search Messages Find Messages Messages In This Folder Advanced search.
It varies whether you're using Netscape, Eudora, or Outlook Express... and the version.
Click around until you find the "Search Window." It will pop up. You can search different email folders with different search parameters. It's a lot easier for you than looking through your hundreds or thousands of emails for something that's important to you.
Here's some examples of how to find previously sent or received email messages, using a variety of popular email software and platform configurations. Check Yours... It can be your 'Big Time Saver.' It's worth spending a little time discovering how this works.
Outlook Express 5.02 - Macintosh: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find", or "Advanced Find." Set up your search parameters for the email you want to find.
Netscape 7.0 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Tools" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to "Search." Pick "Search Messages" from the resulting submenu. A search window will open. Set up your search requirements for whatever you remember about the email you want to find.
Netscape 4.7 for Windows and Macintosh: Under "Edit" on the Messenger menu bar, drop down to and select "Search Messages." You'll see a search window open with pull down buttons so you can set the search parameters you want. You can keep adding more search buttons by clicking on '"More." If you know several things about the email you're looking for... You'll save your time and frustration.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Windows: Under "Edit" on the Eudora menu bar, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu. Enter your search information.
Eudora 5.1.1 for Macintosh OS 9 and OS X: Under the "Special" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Search" from the resulting submenu.
Apple's Mail program for Macintosh OS X: Under the "Edit" menu, drop down to "Find" and select "Find Messages" from the resulting submenu.
You may want to spend some time working with this... Because it can be Your Big Time Saver when you need to find your most important email.
Bill Parks... Computer Consultant, specializing in Filemaker Pro database design. Publisher of "Information Age Products Ezine" and "Bill's Business Boosters Ezine." http://www.Build-UR-Business.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Parks
An Introduction to Viral Marketing
An Introduction to Viral Marketing.
By Silke Stahl
Viral Marketing is the hot topic at the moment, but many don’t really understand what the term means. As this is an internet based business, and therefore Internet Marketing, we need to look at it in internet terms.
You know when someone sends you a joke on email and it’s a good one you want to pass it on. From your mailbox you open your list of friends names and post the joke on to everyone you know, or everyone on your “joke list”, a list of people you pass jokes on to.
Next time you do this, have a scroll down the email to see the list of people it has come from at the head of each mailing. Each person who sent the joke on will have sent it to everyone on their “joke list”. You’ll see quite a few names you’ll recognize, some of who will be on your own list.
This is “Viral” – the joke has been passed on like a virus – from person to person. Everyone they come in contact with has passed it on to everyone else they know.
The trick with viral marketing is to duplicate that process with your products and the business opportunity itself – pass your store’s website URL on to everyone who cleans their house or takes nutritional supplements, or who might, and get them to do the same with everyone they know.
Also, a lot of people who start using the products are going to want to get the products at wholesale. So they want their own store. So they sign up under you! And you get the commission not only on what they buy, but on anything people they know buy from them, and for anyone who signs up under them, who will be in your second line!
So, just as you send a joke you get to your “joke list”, you need to get the biz opp to anyone who has a biz opp list. Congratulations, you have just been introduced to Listbuilding!
Marketing tools
Why use marketing tools? A lot of people on the Net aren’t looking to join a program, they are already in one. It doesn’t matter that ours is better than theirs, if they never look at the opp and consider it, they ain’t gonna signup.
What we can give them however is a way to market what they are already selling. So we offer them our marketing tools. In doing so, they join our downline for that program, and so does anyone else they sign up. This gives us marketing methods to get our biz opp out to people who DO want to see it!
Listbuilding
Remember the analogy earlier about the joke list? What you have there is a list of people you send jokes to. How did you build that list? Your list of friends who you send jokes to. How did you get on the list of someone else, the person who sent you the joke?
What you need to build for your biz opp is what is known as an “opt in” list. This is a list of people who have chosen to join your list to receive information from you.
Building a list is vital for many reasons.
SPAM is the first and foremost – it is illegal to send spam – unsolicited email to people who haven’t asked for it and didn’t want it. Junk mail.
Despite the legal ramifications, look at the basic logic. Why send your biz opp to someone who doesn’t want to see it? Why send a letter to someone who will just bin it without even opening it? Why send an email with a link to your site if the person receiving it doesn’t want to know so won’t even go look at it?
You may have the best biz in the world and sell the hottest products but if you can’t get people to it, you aren’t going to make a sale!
So we use listbuilding tools so that you have people to send your biz opp to! These are known as VLBs – Viral List Builders.
And a great way to advertise your VLB is on a Traffic Exchange program – a TE, Surf Exchange, Surf 4 Hits, etc. (What’s in a name?)
Once you have a list of people who opted in to hear from you, and you have made initial contact and built up a relationship, then you can show them a biz opp that works for you, and then help them build their own business.
Congratulations - you've just become a mentor!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
By Silke Stahl
Viral Marketing is the hot topic at the moment, but many don’t really understand what the term means. As this is an internet based business, and therefore Internet Marketing, we need to look at it in internet terms.
You know when someone sends you a joke on email and it’s a good one you want to pass it on. From your mailbox you open your list of friends names and post the joke on to everyone you know, or everyone on your “joke list”, a list of people you pass jokes on to.
Next time you do this, have a scroll down the email to see the list of people it has come from at the head of each mailing. Each person who sent the joke on will have sent it to everyone on their “joke list”. You’ll see quite a few names you’ll recognize, some of who will be on your own list.
This is “Viral” – the joke has been passed on like a virus – from person to person. Everyone they come in contact with has passed it on to everyone else they know.
The trick with viral marketing is to duplicate that process with your products and the business opportunity itself – pass your store’s website URL on to everyone who cleans their house or takes nutritional supplements, or who might, and get them to do the same with everyone they know.
Also, a lot of people who start using the products are going to want to get the products at wholesale. So they want their own store. So they sign up under you! And you get the commission not only on what they buy, but on anything people they know buy from them, and for anyone who signs up under them, who will be in your second line!
So, just as you send a joke you get to your “joke list”, you need to get the biz opp to anyone who has a biz opp list. Congratulations, you have just been introduced to Listbuilding!
Marketing tools
Why use marketing tools? A lot of people on the Net aren’t looking to join a program, they are already in one. It doesn’t matter that ours is better than theirs, if they never look at the opp and consider it, they ain’t gonna signup.
What we can give them however is a way to market what they are already selling. So we offer them our marketing tools. In doing so, they join our downline for that program, and so does anyone else they sign up. This gives us marketing methods to get our biz opp out to people who DO want to see it!
Listbuilding
Remember the analogy earlier about the joke list? What you have there is a list of people you send jokes to. How did you build that list? Your list of friends who you send jokes to. How did you get on the list of someone else, the person who sent you the joke?
What you need to build for your biz opp is what is known as an “opt in” list. This is a list of people who have chosen to join your list to receive information from you.
Building a list is vital for many reasons.
SPAM is the first and foremost – it is illegal to send spam – unsolicited email to people who haven’t asked for it and didn’t want it. Junk mail.
Despite the legal ramifications, look at the basic logic. Why send your biz opp to someone who doesn’t want to see it? Why send a letter to someone who will just bin it without even opening it? Why send an email with a link to your site if the person receiving it doesn’t want to know so won’t even go look at it?
You may have the best biz in the world and sell the hottest products but if you can’t get people to it, you aren’t going to make a sale!
So we use listbuilding tools so that you have people to send your biz opp to! These are known as VLBs – Viral List Builders.
And a great way to advertise your VLB is on a Traffic Exchange program – a TE, Surf Exchange, Surf 4 Hits, etc. (What’s in a name?)
Once you have a list of people who opted in to hear from you, and you have made initial contact and built up a relationship, then you can show them a biz opp that works for you, and then help them build their own business.
Congratulations - you've just become a mentor!
Silke Stahl is an International Internet Marketer and Home Business Entrepreneur.
Visit her website at: http://www.SilkeStahl.com and her forum at: http://thestork.proboards20.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Silke_Stahl
10 Secrets To Online Success (It's All About The Customer).
10 Secrets To Online Success (It's All About The Customer).
By Todd Jamieson
You've got your web site online. You're on top of the search engines. You have killer web site copy. Now all you have to do is wait for the sales to roll in right? Well … not exactly.
In the last five years of working with all types of businesses, the most common mistake companies make is believing that their web site will do all of the work for them. Sure, a web site will definitely help productivity but it can never replace the human element of your business. Potential customers are still looking for some type of bond that brings them into your company, something that still makes them feel important and like an individual - they are looking for real people with real knowledge. And the reason why people choose to buy from you is because of you.
One of the most overlooked aspects of web sites is online customer service and ultimately your email correspondences. Think about it: if a "sales prospect" called your business would you leave them waiting a day or more before replying? Now, unless you work for a bank or just don't want the business, you would never do that. But as crazy as it sounds, this is what many companies are doing. Sabotaging their own success simply by putting off returning emails to clients.
Here are a few basic rules I personally go by and suggest you adopt:
1. Develop a sorting mechanism in your email program so that you can answer your "sales oriented" emails first and then others later.
2. Answer sales oriented emails in under ½ day if possible (even a simple return email "I am working on it" will suffice in some cases).
3. Answer non-essential emails within 1- 2 days.
4. When you respond to any email, make sure you include at least the following information 1) Your name + your company name, 2) your title, 3) address, 4) telephone (with area code), 5) your return email, 6) your web site and 7) lastly make sure your subject line makes sense!
Also consider the following:
1. The web is now used more than the yellow pages when people are looking to buy a product.
2. It is very probable that your potential customer also contacted your competition.
3. Like your first sales meeting with a prospect, make your email stand out. Tell them what makes you different.
4. Your prospect probably gets SPAM emails on a regular basis..
Make sure that the subject line is not confused with SPAM or your email may never even get read!
5. Make your subject line short and don't come across as a used sales car person. A simple subject such as: As per your request at ABC.Com is usually sufficient.
6. Do not send files larger than 500k (1/2 a mb) - as a lot of people are still on dial-up.
Following these simple steps will maximize the benefits of your web site. In today's fast moving economy, the old cliché "you snooze you lose" is more real than ever. And remember the web is no different than any other medium when it comes to building rapport/relationships with your clients. Have fun, stand out from the crowd and you will be surprised by the results.
(c) Todd Jamieson 2004
About the Author:
Todd Jamieson is Founder and President of EnvisionOnline.ca, an Ottawa-based web development and consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Bishop’s University and has over ten years experience with Internet and database technologies. Jamieson has worked as Project Manager on more than 200 web sites, web applications and Internet e-business initiatives for small and medium sized enterprises. He is also actively involved in a number of other small businesses and is Associate Director of Exploriem.org, Professional Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Organization. He lives in Ottawa with his spouse, Erin.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Jamieson
By Todd Jamieson
You've got your web site online. You're on top of the search engines. You have killer web site copy. Now all you have to do is wait for the sales to roll in right? Well … not exactly.
In the last five years of working with all types of businesses, the most common mistake companies make is believing that their web site will do all of the work for them. Sure, a web site will definitely help productivity but it can never replace the human element of your business. Potential customers are still looking for some type of bond that brings them into your company, something that still makes them feel important and like an individual - they are looking for real people with real knowledge. And the reason why people choose to buy from you is because of you.
One of the most overlooked aspects of web sites is online customer service and ultimately your email correspondences. Think about it: if a "sales prospect" called your business would you leave them waiting a day or more before replying? Now, unless you work for a bank or just don't want the business, you would never do that. But as crazy as it sounds, this is what many companies are doing. Sabotaging their own success simply by putting off returning emails to clients.
Here are a few basic rules I personally go by and suggest you adopt:
1. Develop a sorting mechanism in your email program so that you can answer your "sales oriented" emails first and then others later.
2. Answer sales oriented emails in under ½ day if possible (even a simple return email "I am working on it" will suffice in some cases).
3. Answer non-essential emails within 1- 2 days.
4. When you respond to any email, make sure you include at least the following information 1) Your name + your company name, 2) your title, 3) address, 4) telephone (with area code), 5) your return email, 6) your web site and 7) lastly make sure your subject line makes sense!
Also consider the following:
1. The web is now used more than the yellow pages when people are looking to buy a product.
2. It is very probable that your potential customer also contacted your competition.
3. Like your first sales meeting with a prospect, make your email stand out. Tell them what makes you different.
4. Your prospect probably gets SPAM emails on a regular basis..
Make sure that the subject line is not confused with SPAM or your email may never even get read!
5. Make your subject line short and don't come across as a used sales car person. A simple subject such as: As per your request at ABC.Com is usually sufficient.
6. Do not send files larger than 500k (1/2 a mb) - as a lot of people are still on dial-up.
Following these simple steps will maximize the benefits of your web site. In today's fast moving economy, the old cliché "you snooze you lose" is more real than ever. And remember the web is no different than any other medium when it comes to building rapport/relationships with your clients. Have fun, stand out from the crowd and you will be surprised by the results.
(c) Todd Jamieson 2004
About the Author:
Todd Jamieson is Founder and President of EnvisionOnline.ca, an Ottawa-based web development and consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Bishop’s University and has over ten years experience with Internet and database technologies. Jamieson has worked as Project Manager on more than 200 web sites, web applications and Internet e-business initiatives for small and medium sized enterprises. He is also actively involved in a number of other small businesses and is Associate Director of Exploriem.org, Professional Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Organization. He lives in Ottawa with his spouse, Erin.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Jamieson
10 'Psychological Triggers' To Get Your Prospects To Click.
10 'Psychological Triggers' To Get Your Prospects To Click.
By Crispian Lye
Copyright 2004 Crispian Lye
Are banner ads dead?
Well, contrary to popular belief, banner ads are NOT dead, and can produce a significant amount of traffic, IF you know how to make them work.
The best sort of banner is a simple 'invisible' banner popularized by Scott Covert with a direct response type, benefit laden headline that blends in and looks like part of the webpage instead of a blatant banner that screams 'banner ad!'.
Note: Avoid flash, gaudy graphics and colors at all cost.
Now, check out my top 10 'Psychological Triggers' to get that elusive banner 'clickthrough'.
1. The words on your banner should 'hook' and lure the reader to take action. Adjectives are known to be very attractive,words like scorching, starving, sizzling, powerful, etc. The words you use should really accentuate the benefits in your offer.
2. Make a discount offer on your banner ad. People are always looking for good deals. You could offer a percentage discount, dollar discount, buy one get one free discount, etc. But do always remember to justify your discount with "reason why" and make sure to NEVER devalue your product.
3. Advertise a trial or sample offer. This will tell people there is no risk or obligation if they click on your banner ad and try out your product or service. A 'try before you buy' risk reversal approach has been proven to be extremely effective, as postulated by Claude Hopkins in the marketing classic, Scientific Advertising.
4. You could advertise a free offer on your banner ad. People love free stuff. The freebie should relate to your target audience. If the freebie is attractive to them they will click. FREE, is one of the most powerful words in advertising. Bait them.
5. Here's a sneaky trick. Use reverse psychology. Tell your audience not to click on your banner ad. Here's a good example - "Don't Click Here If You Are Comfortable With What You Are Currently Earning". This is also known as the 'takeaway', which is one of the most effective tactics in marketing.
6. Use a testimonial on your banner ad. This'll give people proof they aren't wasting their time clicking on your banner ad. The testimonial should include enough information so they understand the offer. It would be better if the testimonial implicitly answered an 'objection'.
7. You could have a famous and respectable person on your banner ad representing your product, web site or service. People will click because they'll trust them over you. It's the power of the 'celebrity' and 'law of association' at work.
8. Use a strong guarantee on your banner ad. You could include the guarantee as a headline for your offer. It could read double or triple your money back guarantee, lifetime your money back guarantee, etc.
9. Inform people about the major benefits of your product, website or service on your banner ad. It could be benefits like make money, lose weight, increase energy, save money, save time, etc. Remember, you don't buy a drill. You buy the hole that the drill can produce.
10. Tell people to click on your banner ad. Newbies to the internet may not even know they can click on banners. Just having the phrase "click here" on your banner will increase your clickthroughs. People need to be told WHAT to do. As you're reading this, you might think that this conflicts with tip #5, but both have been known to produce results. What you need to do, is to use a scientific approach and 'test' both approaches to see which one produces the highest click throughs in your campaign.
Apply these Psychological Triggers to your banner ad campaign today and get a hold of that extra edge over your competitors.
Crispian Lye woke up one morning and decided to quit his lucrative job as a creative head with a Multi National Corporation in search of freedom. He now makes a fortune from home working a couple of hours in his boxers and has helped many others make a graceful exit from the rat-race. Get your FREE exit strategy at: ==> http://www.OpportunityWatchdog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Crispian_Lye
By Crispian Lye
Copyright 2004 Crispian Lye
Are banner ads dead?
Well, contrary to popular belief, banner ads are NOT dead, and can produce a significant amount of traffic, IF you know how to make them work.
The best sort of banner is a simple 'invisible' banner popularized by Scott Covert with a direct response type, benefit laden headline that blends in and looks like part of the webpage instead of a blatant banner that screams 'banner ad!'.
Note: Avoid flash, gaudy graphics and colors at all cost.
Now, check out my top 10 'Psychological Triggers' to get that elusive banner 'clickthrough'.
1. The words on your banner should 'hook' and lure the reader to take action. Adjectives are known to be very attractive,words like scorching, starving, sizzling, powerful, etc. The words you use should really accentuate the benefits in your offer.
2. Make a discount offer on your banner ad. People are always looking for good deals. You could offer a percentage discount, dollar discount, buy one get one free discount, etc. But do always remember to justify your discount with "reason why" and make sure to NEVER devalue your product.
3. Advertise a trial or sample offer. This will tell people there is no risk or obligation if they click on your banner ad and try out your product or service. A 'try before you buy' risk reversal approach has been proven to be extremely effective, as postulated by Claude Hopkins in the marketing classic, Scientific Advertising.
4. You could advertise a free offer on your banner ad. People love free stuff. The freebie should relate to your target audience. If the freebie is attractive to them they will click. FREE, is one of the most powerful words in advertising. Bait them.
5. Here's a sneaky trick. Use reverse psychology. Tell your audience not to click on your banner ad. Here's a good example - "Don't Click Here If You Are Comfortable With What You Are Currently Earning". This is also known as the 'takeaway', which is one of the most effective tactics in marketing.
6. Use a testimonial on your banner ad. This'll give people proof they aren't wasting their time clicking on your banner ad. The testimonial should include enough information so they understand the offer. It would be better if the testimonial implicitly answered an 'objection'.
7. You could have a famous and respectable person on your banner ad representing your product, web site or service. People will click because they'll trust them over you. It's the power of the 'celebrity' and 'law of association' at work.
8. Use a strong guarantee on your banner ad. You could include the guarantee as a headline for your offer. It could read double or triple your money back guarantee, lifetime your money back guarantee, etc.
9. Inform people about the major benefits of your product, website or service on your banner ad. It could be benefits like make money, lose weight, increase energy, save money, save time, etc. Remember, you don't buy a drill. You buy the hole that the drill can produce.
10. Tell people to click on your banner ad. Newbies to the internet may not even know they can click on banners. Just having the phrase "click here" on your banner will increase your clickthroughs. People need to be told WHAT to do. As you're reading this, you might think that this conflicts with tip #5, but both have been known to produce results. What you need to do, is to use a scientific approach and 'test' both approaches to see which one produces the highest click throughs in your campaign.
Apply these Psychological Triggers to your banner ad campaign today and get a hold of that extra edge over your competitors.
Crispian Lye woke up one morning and decided to quit his lucrative job as a creative head with a Multi National Corporation in search of freedom. He now makes a fortune from home working a couple of hours in his boxers and has helped many others make a graceful exit from the rat-race. Get your FREE exit strategy at: ==> http://www.OpportunityWatchdog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Crispian_Lye
ClickBank Questions
ClickBank Questions.
By Stephan Miller
It would seem that Clickbank would provide more for their customers. Obviously, when it comes to internet marketing and affiliate programs, you could put it in your top 10 links. No other database of affiliate programs offers such a possibility for profit on either the affiliate side or the product creation site. And you can't beat the fact that the commissions from over 10,000 products get consolidated into one check. But there are still a few lingering questions that may get you thinking.
What is up with the site? I mean, a site shouldn't be overly complex. In fact, complexity can be a turn off. Then again, I have found more complex site templates from free sites. And it's not just that. How many of you Clickbank affiliates have found news about Clickbank or FAQ's about Clickbank on a forum, clicked the link and the FAQ is on the Clickbank domain. But, if you go to the Clickbank homepage, there is no link to the page you just visited.
I don't know about you, but if I were running a business, I would make sure that customers and vendors could get all of the information possible and not have to find out news through third party sources.
But, on the other hand, I can't complain. The checks do come in. I have never had to search for a customer service link on the site, because there has been no reason to. You make sales and you get a check. It's that simple and I have never found anyone who says otherwise.
Then you've got to wonder about the search feature. There is none. But why? For one reason, if Clickbank itself had a search feature, any internet user who is familiar with Clickbank clicking on an affiliate's hoplink could recognize this. They could then go to Clickbank and buy the product under their own affiliate ID at up to 75% off, which wouldn't matter much to Clickbank or the product seller, at least in the beginning. They still collect their cash.
But eventually, the product seller would notice a drop in sales. Affiliates would become less than satisfied with the results of all their hard work and stop working as hard to make sales that weren't coming in anyway. Therefore, there would be less advertising of the product in total. You can't underestimate the value of an affiliate army who are rewarded accordingly.
There are plenty of third party products available that will essentially build a search engine on a Clickbank affiliate's site for them.
Even without this, there are some out there who know what a Clickbank Hoplink looks like and just where to put their own Clickbank ID in order to make a commission for themselves.
Should the affiliates themselves be responsible for protecting their sales. I don't think so. Of course there are products that can help you protect your links, but shouldn't the responsibility rest on the product developer. Our heroes, the third-party software developers, come to the rescue again by providing software to do this for you, but only a few of the product developers selling through Clickbank rely on these products. This leaves a lot of affiliate out in the cold, relying on link cloaking to protect their sales.
I love when I sign up for an affiliate program and click the link assigned to me to test it out and I am delivered to the main page of the site. There is no "?hop=" behind the URL, just "www.mysite.com." This lets me know that my only job is to get the word out on the product and not become an expert on encryption just to make a sale. Just to let you developers know out there, it is also great not to create a link for affiliates from any page designed for sales. You've just defeated any work we as affiliates or you as a responsible marketer have done to save our commissions. Send the link after the sales if you want to but don't treat your affiliates like dirt by telling their lead that they can get a 50% discount by signing up for your affiliate program.
Another reason for product developers to check out link cloaking software: link popularity. If you use the conventional hoplink, Clickbank gets a link back to their site. If the affiliate has to encrypt the link himself, no one gets the link credit. If you buy one of these scripts, your affiliates will advertise a link that points to your site. Just something to think about.
Then there is sales notices. There are none. There used to be a time when Clickbank would send you an e-mail each and every time you made a sale. Spam? Only if you consider a check from the IRS junk mail. Personally, Clickbank could fill my inbox to the limits with notices like this. But this service is no longer there.
I don't want to even start with Clickbank's sales reports functions. Lets just say that they could be improved, a lot.
This is even another area where third party vendors lend a helping hand. You can create affiliate sales reports, profit reports, send e-mails to your customers, and even graph sales trends with such software. Some are scripts that you run on your site. These will send out a thank you e-mail, add the customer to your database and even activate an autoreponder to send out e-mails to your customers in the future. Others allow to have multiple products, multiple sites, and only one Clickbank account.
So what am I trying to say? Just that with the money you would think Clickbank is making, it seems that they could create a more elaborate, user-friendly site. Despite this, you can't beat Clickbank for high commissions and consolidated payments. In fact, some of the holes in the Clickbank system has allowed some innovative software developers to step in and provide very useful tools. Those who use Clickbank to sell their products should take notice and guarantee an effective affiliate sales force by at least checking these solutions out. In turn, they will be rewarded with more sales and affiliates who trust them.
Visit http://www.clickbankebook.com for more details on the resources presented in this article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephan_Miller
By Stephan Miller
It would seem that Clickbank would provide more for their customers. Obviously, when it comes to internet marketing and affiliate programs, you could put it in your top 10 links. No other database of affiliate programs offers such a possibility for profit on either the affiliate side or the product creation site. And you can't beat the fact that the commissions from over 10,000 products get consolidated into one check. But there are still a few lingering questions that may get you thinking.
What is up with the site? I mean, a site shouldn't be overly complex. In fact, complexity can be a turn off. Then again, I have found more complex site templates from free sites. And it's not just that. How many of you Clickbank affiliates have found news about Clickbank or FAQ's about Clickbank on a forum, clicked the link and the FAQ is on the Clickbank domain. But, if you go to the Clickbank homepage, there is no link to the page you just visited.
I don't know about you, but if I were running a business, I would make sure that customers and vendors could get all of the information possible and not have to find out news through third party sources.
But, on the other hand, I can't complain. The checks do come in. I have never had to search for a customer service link on the site, because there has been no reason to. You make sales and you get a check. It's that simple and I have never found anyone who says otherwise.
Then you've got to wonder about the search feature. There is none. But why? For one reason, if Clickbank itself had a search feature, any internet user who is familiar with Clickbank clicking on an affiliate's hoplink could recognize this. They could then go to Clickbank and buy the product under their own affiliate ID at up to 75% off, which wouldn't matter much to Clickbank or the product seller, at least in the beginning. They still collect their cash.
But eventually, the product seller would notice a drop in sales. Affiliates would become less than satisfied with the results of all their hard work and stop working as hard to make sales that weren't coming in anyway. Therefore, there would be less advertising of the product in total. You can't underestimate the value of an affiliate army who are rewarded accordingly.
There are plenty of third party products available that will essentially build a search engine on a Clickbank affiliate's site for them.
Even without this, there are some out there who know what a Clickbank Hoplink looks like and just where to put their own Clickbank ID in order to make a commission for themselves.
Should the affiliates themselves be responsible for protecting their sales. I don't think so. Of course there are products that can help you protect your links, but shouldn't the responsibility rest on the product developer. Our heroes, the third-party software developers, come to the rescue again by providing software to do this for you, but only a few of the product developers selling through Clickbank rely on these products. This leaves a lot of affiliate out in the cold, relying on link cloaking to protect their sales.
I love when I sign up for an affiliate program and click the link assigned to me to test it out and I am delivered to the main page of the site. There is no "?hop=" behind the URL, just "www.mysite.com." This lets me know that my only job is to get the word out on the product and not become an expert on encryption just to make a sale. Just to let you developers know out there, it is also great not to create a link for affiliates from any page designed for sales. You've just defeated any work we as affiliates or you as a responsible marketer have done to save our commissions. Send the link after the sales if you want to but don't treat your affiliates like dirt by telling their lead that they can get a 50% discount by signing up for your affiliate program.
Another reason for product developers to check out link cloaking software: link popularity. If you use the conventional hoplink, Clickbank gets a link back to their site. If the affiliate has to encrypt the link himself, no one gets the link credit. If you buy one of these scripts, your affiliates will advertise a link that points to your site. Just something to think about.
Then there is sales notices. There are none. There used to be a time when Clickbank would send you an e-mail each and every time you made a sale. Spam? Only if you consider a check from the IRS junk mail. Personally, Clickbank could fill my inbox to the limits with notices like this. But this service is no longer there.
I don't want to even start with Clickbank's sales reports functions. Lets just say that they could be improved, a lot.
This is even another area where third party vendors lend a helping hand. You can create affiliate sales reports, profit reports, send e-mails to your customers, and even graph sales trends with such software. Some are scripts that you run on your site. These will send out a thank you e-mail, add the customer to your database and even activate an autoreponder to send out e-mails to your customers in the future. Others allow to have multiple products, multiple sites, and only one Clickbank account.
So what am I trying to say? Just that with the money you would think Clickbank is making, it seems that they could create a more elaborate, user-friendly site. Despite this, you can't beat Clickbank for high commissions and consolidated payments. In fact, some of the holes in the Clickbank system has allowed some innovative software developers to step in and provide very useful tools. Those who use Clickbank to sell their products should take notice and guarantee an effective affiliate sales force by at least checking these solutions out. In turn, they will be rewarded with more sales and affiliates who trust them.
Visit http://www.clickbankebook.com for more details on the resources presented in this article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephan_Miller
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Easy Internet Marketing And Earn While You Learn.
Are you new to making money online?
Or are you struggling to make money online?
How would you like 22 hours of Internet marketing videos that's a 150 videos covering everything you need to know to get you up to speed fast.
Yeah! 150 Internet Marketing videos!
A full point-and-click education captured LIVE, with full sound and video.
Featuring 22+ hours of audio and video screen capture.
Now, according to US Military studies -
A paltry 20% is all you take in when you read information.
A huge 80% is retained when information is presented in an audio visual format.
This being the case, it makes this package the quickest and easiest route to the Internet Marketing fast lane.
Here's just a tiny fraction of the information these videos reveal -
* Super Design Tricks To Set You Above The Competition.
* Make Your Site Run Hands Free With Automated Content.
* Easy Web Site Response Boosters To Pull More Orders.
* Easy To Use Traffic Building Tips That Get Results.
* Starting A Profitable Membership Site Without Cost.
* How To Get More Links (The *Right* Kind Of Links).
* Search Engine Optimization Skills Made Simple.
* Get More Subscribers And Build Your List Fast.
* Become A Real Whiz With Your Web Graphics.
* How To Create PDF Files At Zero Cost.
and there's lots, lots more...
It doesn't get any easier to learn than this.
I just wish this was around when I started out working online 7 years ago. :)
Take a look at the site now, which lists all the 150 videos you will get - www.ad-injector.com/IMVV Be sure to go into the mini site sections to view exactly what each video for that section contains.
It gets better.
The cost of these videos is as low as it possibly can be whilst the value is huge. :)
But be sure not to confuse the low cost with low value.
www.internet-marketing-video-vault.com
Finally, and here's the best bit.
Earn while you learn.
You get Master Resell Rights to the whole package which means you get the exact same website you will see here -
www.internet-marketing-video-vault.com
and all the videos to s.ell yourself at whatever price you choose.
You can literally buy the resell rights, set up the ready made site and make your money back with your first sale. ;)
So for those of you new or struggling with Internet Marketing, you get to learn easily and fast while you earn with your very own web business as part of the package.
I don't think it gets any better than that. :)
Or are you struggling to make money online?
How would you like 22 hours of Internet marketing videos that's a 150 videos covering everything you need to know to get you up to speed fast.
| I've had numerous emails over the last few months from subscribers new to or struggling with Internet Marketing. And I've learned that many of them are having problems with many different angles of Internet Marketing at many different levels. With this in mind, I wanted to let you all know about a quick and easy route to get you up to speed fast and lay a great knowledge foundation. Or simply fill in the gaps or clear the muddy waters.:) How would you like to explode your Internet Marketing efforts? By grabbing 150 videos!! |  |
A full point-and-click education captured LIVE, with full sound and video.
Featuring 22+ hours of audio and video screen capture.
Now, according to US Military studies -
A paltry 20% is all you take in when you read information.
A huge 80% is retained when information is presented in an audio visual format.
This being the case, it makes this package the quickest and easiest route to the Internet Marketing fast lane.
Here's just a tiny fraction of the information these videos reveal -
* Super Design Tricks To Set You Above The Competition.
* Make Your Site Run Hands Free With Automated Content.
* Easy Web Site Response Boosters To Pull More Orders.
* Easy To Use Traffic Building Tips That Get Results.
* Starting A Profitable Membership Site Without Cost.
* How To Get More Links (The *Right* Kind Of Links).
* Search Engine Optimization Skills Made Simple.
* Get More Subscribers And Build Your List Fast.
* Become A Real Whiz With Your Web Graphics.
* How To Create PDF Files At Zero Cost.
and there's lots, lots more...
It doesn't get any easier to learn than this.
I just wish this was around when I started out working online 7 years ago. :)
Take a look at the site now, which lists all the 150 videos you will get - www.ad-injector.com/IMVV Be sure to go into the mini site sections to view exactly what each video for that section contains.
It gets better.
The cost of these videos is as low as it possibly can be whilst the value is huge. :)
But be sure not to confuse the low cost with low value.
www.internet-marketing-video-vault.com
Finally, and here's the best bit.
Earn while you learn.
You get Master Resell Rights to the whole package which means you get the exact same website you will see here -
www.internet-marketing-video-vault.com
and all the videos to s.ell yourself at whatever price you choose.
You can literally buy the resell rights, set up the ready made site and make your money back with your first sale. ;)
So for those of you new or struggling with Internet Marketing, you get to learn easily and fast while you earn with your very own web business as part of the package.
I don't think it gets any better than that. :)
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