Archive | Internet Marketing

Beating the Competition With SEO

Regardless of the business you’re in, there is one thing all businesses share: they have competitors. Granted, this isn’t true for a monopoly, but that isn’t likely to happen online, The most likely scenario on the internet is finding a competitor, or two, or a hundred all competing for that number one spot. If you have an online business you have joined the competition. In order to win, you must know the rules for successfully competing. It’s a game with dire consequences, and winning is the only goal.

Search Engine Optimization is an important method you can use to efficiently compete with others in your field. In order to compete, however, you need to know and understand whom you are competing with. You have to understand competition even more than you know your business. And, luckily, there are methods available to help you do this.

You need to visit your competitor’s sites. Look for all the sites you can come up with that may be selling anything similar to your product, and then visit each one. Take note of those who top the search engine lists. You need to discover how these sites got to the top of the list. During your visits, notice design, keywords and anything else that might influence a search engine rank.

Once you’ve completed your research, search for ways to increase the quality of your own site. Think about different kinds of content, more effective keywords, and any other changes that will make your stand out above the competition. Keep in mind, that this is an ongoing process. You will need to do this on a regular basis to stay above the competition.

In addition to looking to others for ideas, try to come up with methods that others haven’t tried yet. New and different will increase your position. Just make sure whatever you try that is new or different has a test drive before you depend too much on it.

A final note: keep going over what you find. Decide what is effective and what fizzled out. Watch your competitors for what they are trying. This is a never-ending process. It is the most effective way to win over the competition online, and it will be decide your success or failure.

Collecting Subscriber Leads

If you’re seeking to grow your internet business, one of the best things you can do is collect subscriber leads. However, to keep this from turning into an overwhelming task, I would suggest that you utilize methods of collection that can be done automatically. Instead of gathering them manually, which is possible, the following methods of collecting subscriber leads require setup but then you can pretty much leave them alone to do the work..

First, when designing your website, make certain that everyone who visits, regardless of how they get there, signs up for either a newsletter or some other form of regular e-mailing. Granted you can’t push them to sign up, but you can enthusiastically encourage them to make use of all the benefits your site has to offer. In return, you will be reaping all the benefits that result from obtaining these all-important subscriber leads.

Another method for collecting subscriber leads by doing surveys. Put survey ads on your website. When the person checks it out, tell them all the details of the survey and how they can profit from it. Then make certain the only way they can respond is by signing up. This is a smart way to gather leads, and most visitors will be willing to give at least an e-mail address for the chance of getting to respond to the survey.

Another method of collecting leads is through affiliating. When you are part of an affiliate program, you will realize the benefit of acquiring leads that an affiliate will create and forward to you.

For this collection process you will be required to get an opt-in program and an auto-responder. These two programs will let you gather the information you need and instantly send out a confirmation e-mail to the new subscriber. I would adamantly suggest that you not be too fussy about demanding that every field be filled in. Some people will be nervous about giving a name, or a street address and telephone number. So don’t push the issue. Having sufficient information from the subscriber to be able to contact them at least one way, is better than having no contact information because you made them feel pressured.

One other method of collecting is possible but may not work as well. It’s called a mailing list, or a subscriber list, and you can buy these. However, I warn you about these because you may discover that often subscribers had not wanted their information sold, and you may end up damaging your reputation from the start as a result. It can work, but consider the price involved and consider whether it is a reasonable way for you to gather leads.

Composing Your Joint Venture Proposition

Your joint venture proposal is the main factor in whether you’ll be able to attract a joint venture partner or not. You have to write a winning, but not overpowering proposition. You need to explain exactly why you would be an excellent partner but you can’t make it so good it isn’t believable. Your main goal is to make your proposed partner feel he’s lose out if he doesn’t partner with you. I’ve gathered a brief list of all the elements needed for a successful joint venture proposal and will pass them onto you.

First, you need to include in your proposal everything you can to show the benefits of joining into a partnership with you. This is important, for the main reason that this is meant to be beneficial to both partners. You’ll want to relay to your proposed partner all the ways he’ll benefit. Detail the ways your business will make his better and he will be more apt to listen.

Next, it is important that you give your proposed partner a sample of the merchandise you sell. If you sell services, show them samples of work and let them read testimonials from happy customers. Allow them to see why teaming up with you would be a good thing.

The most crucial element of your proposal is your ability to write well. Even if you’re unbeatable in your field, if you can’t get that point across in writing you’re apt to get passed over. While preparing your joint venture proposal you will have to be clear and to the point. Let them know of your interest in joining forces. Detail what you have to give and how they will benefit. Try not to overwhelm with details in your first contact, but be certain to provide at least two ways for them to contact you if they want additional details or have any questions.

Following the above steps will make it easy to put together a joint venture proposal. This might be a new type of venture for you, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Take a few minutes to gather your thoughts and list details before you write and the proposal will come together effortlessly.

Defining Internet Marketing

Internet marketing is the activity of both advertising and selling goods and services online. This type of business is constantly growing in popularity, with millions of people now buying things on the internet. Internet marketing started in the early 1990s as mainly a means of product identification, consisting mostly of written descriptions. As technology grew, internet marketing quickly grew to include photos and other rich graphics as a means of advertising for products and services. After taking notice of the incredible possibilities of this avenue of selling, internet-based businesses began to open their virtual shops for business. Unlike what is happening in what are now known as “brick and mortar” businesses, these e-businesses extend their merchandise to a increasing number of buyers, conducting almost all of their transactions in the virtual stores of the internet.

There are numerous kinds of marketing online. These include: article marketing, blog promotions, e-mail sales letters, search engine marketing (to include search engine optimization), banner ads, pay-per-click ads, and pop-up advertising. It is imperative to know that each of these methods captures the attention of the target customer in a unique way, and some work better than others depending on what is being sold, the target audience, and the method and goal of the business marketing itself. Among the things that may require using a varied method are customer service, sales, public relations and information management.

Internet marketing has also become an important part of many “brick and mortar” businesses, but online-only companies have offered some competition in the area of retail sales. Still other online-only businesses have spread out into newer methods such as online auctions. There are even places that allow the consumer to set a price and others that help the consumer find the best deal. Affiliate marketers have appeared, adding another avenue for online marketers. These businesses work on what is called pay for performance. Even the home-bound crafter has a place on the internet to sell creations.

Online marketing offers many benefits. A person can shop anytime, anywhere as long as there is a place to connect to the internet. Partnerships enjoy a greater chance of working. Online shopping has added efficiency and speed over the old way of doing business. Even costs have been dramatically lowered. Sales taxes have yet to catch up with the internet and most times these added charges to consumers are non-existent..

Online security and the sometimes unreliability of internet connections are two disadvantages of internet sales. Progress is slowly being made to rectify both these problems and it is a sure bet that the progress will continue until solutions are found.

Disadvantages of Internet Marketing

With everything, there are both advantages and disadvantages.. It is that way with internet marketing. Keep in mind that internet sales is not static. As things change, what we find disadvantageous today may become a good thing tomorrow. With that, new disadvantages will take the place of these.

The lack of human interaction is a big disadvantage in internet marketing. When a person enters a store, he or she can ask for advice, gain information, and interact with a human. Many people don’t like the impersonal feeling that comes from shopping online. Telephones and chat rooms exist, but these do not help internet marketing give the same feeling as having a live person in front of you. So, even if a customer goes online for product information, they may end up choosing to buy the product in person anyway.

Internet marketing is not a free activity. There are costs involved in building and maintaining a website and buying hardware and programs to help run your business. There are, of course, costs in running a brick and mortar store that internet marketing does not have. Depending on what angle you approach it from, the cost involved could be considered acceptable.

When websites go down, customers can’t get to you. You lose sales and they become frustrated about having to seek a product elsewhere. This may not deter the customer who is in this situation once, but repeated times will cause him to take his business somewhere he can feel is reliable..

Safety has led many customers to avoid shopping online. Many people are afraid of identity theft and other forms of fraud that stop them from buying things online. You might have done everything possible to insure your customers privacy, but some people still will not trust the internet.

While the number of people online is steadily increasing, not everybody has gotten there. A major portion of the population will never see your site because they do not have internet access. Finally, you may find yourself targeting the wrong population if you do all your business online and don’t take time to come face to face with the customer to make sure what you are selling is what the customer wants.

Finding A Product That is in Demand

The first step in starting a successful online business is providing something there is a need for. It is advisable to do your homework and know for sure there is a demand for what you plan to sell before you try to market it. You may get lucky, but the chances of that happening are slim to none.

Skimping on the research won’t work on this step. Make a list of every niche you would consider working in. Then, research thoroughly. Once you know if there is a demand and how much of a demand there is, you will be in a better position of choosing your product or service.

One way you can check the need for a certain item is to join the forums in your target area. Get an idea for what people are talking about while you interact with them. Listen for people saying they can’t find something they have been searching for. This is the best place to start your research.

The internet has numerous tools to help you with your search. Entering keywords and phrases will narrow down your search. Some tools will tell you how many people used that term to search in a certain amount of time. Another thing to look at is the number of clicks. Clicks and hits will tell you how much of a demand there is for your niche. The higher the number, usually the higher the demand is for items in that area.

Other tools tell you how many people have visited a site. You may decide a certain niche is in high demand. You don’t see many websites devoted to it. Checking how many people actually visit those existing sites will let you know whether there are so few because there isn’t enough of a market-or it will verify that there is indeed a market waiting for you.

By doing your research thoroughly, you will find some of your ideas workable and some not worth the effort. Use your common sense and make the decision for which niche is best..

Four Positive Points for Internet Marketing

Advantages came ready made with internet marketing. These original advantages have continued to increase as the state of the internet has improved. Everybody has had a never satisfied wish for more, better, and faster access to products and service across the entire area of internet marketing. There is no indication that this will ever change, and so the number of online customers, as well as the number of advantages, for online sales will continue to grow.

One of the unarguable advantages of the internet is its convenience. If you have a computer and internet access, you can conduct business anytime and anywhere you please. Now that many people have laptop computers, this becomes even truer.

On the seller’s end, advertising costs are greatly reduced with the number of methods available. An example of this would be email. You can send costly postcards to thousands of people and may realize some success a week or two later. With email, however, you can send out emails to the same thousand people and realize an increase in sales an hour from now-all for no cost.

Suppose your business runs with no online marketing, and you just found out one of your products will be discontinued. You want to run a sale to clear your stock, but it will take a few days to reach your customers with the news. Now, the guy down the street also has this product and has gotten the same news. He, however, markets online. Hw can send one mass mailing out and have the customers at his store tonight. You end up being stuck with the product while he has moved onto the new, improved model.

Yet another advantage of the internet is you can literally sell to the world. Starting a business, you have the people who can physically travel to your store as customers. This is a limited number indeed. The internet reaches just about every nook and cranny of the world. If you open your store online, your customer base is anyone with internet access-a growth of millions. Each and every day, more people join the online community. As they are added to the internet, they are also added to your customer database. You can’t beat this advantage.

How to Build a Content-Rich Site

In order for your attempts to optimize your search engine rankings to be successful, you will need to turn your whole website into a type of billboard. You have to put keywords in every place they can be used efficiently. This is the most effective way for you to increase your visibility online. The greater the number of people searching for what you sell, the more customers you are apt to get. Keywords aren’t going to do the job alone. If they would, you could simply list every keyword you come up with and people would flock to your site. But what are they going to see when they arrive at your site? If it’s just keywords in a list, they’ll leave. That’s why it’s essential that you create a site that is both noticeable and content-rich.

The internet is all about information. Regardless of what else people want, they are searching the web for information of one type or another. With this in mind, it is your job as the online marketer and business owner to create a site full of information that will not only bring customers to your site, but make them stay there long enough for you to get their business. If information is all you are providing, a content-rich site is even more important. If the content is lousy, people won’t be back.

The best methods of making your site content-rich consist of a great deal of writing. Writing articles that will inform and entertain readers is one way. These articles need to be related to your target customer’s interests. The greater the number of short articles you write concerning the many varied aspects of the focus of your site, the more effective they will be. Adding news information will increase the site’s content richness. Information concerning some new aspect of the market will increase the value of your site. Something as simple as an interview, special report, or product descriptions will make your content better.

The last thing to keep in mind is that your content must be updated often. The same old information will become boring, so you need to keep adding new information to keep it fresh. Since keywords are what get the most notice, the more content you have, the more chances you will have to include those essential keywords. When you update your content, be certain to add in as many keywords as possible to that content. It’s all about getting attention and making a profit, and keywords and content are the methods that will help you get where you want to be.