What Kind of Online Marketer are you? A Dabbler or a Doer? Your Answer Matters.

By Sandi Hunter

Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren't. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.

The Dabbler.

The Dabbler's marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won't commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!

The Learner.

This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services - now - RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.

The Sweat and Tears Syndrome.

This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard "working their business" late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they've tweeted like a mad person, they've bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don't get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever - that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.

The Doer.

The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn't get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren't always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don't give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.

Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.

Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.

Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.

As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don't get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.

Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don't make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.

I close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."

About the Author: Sandi Hunter, is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

Beware of any 'business' that relies on recruiting family and friends for your success!

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It all sounded so good.

Incredible earnings potential!

Work at home!

Big profits in your spare time!

Yours, all yours, if you only recruit a few family members and friends... who would then recruit a few family members and friends... who would then recruit a few family members and friends.

Easy! Get started today! Just pay a monthly fee and stockpile a few "they sell themselves"" products... and all those eye-popping benefits (and the money you so need) would be yours.

Unfortunately... it all went wrong, so terribly wrong and in such a short time, too.

No money!

No snug business producing guaranteed extra income!

And family members and friends angry at you for involving and misleading them, with collateral damage for years to come.

What went wrong?

"Warm marketing" is the culprit!

Consider any company you know from major household brand names to local "mom and pop" operations. Do these companies reply on their family and friends to prosper? Certainly not. In fact, the question is absurd. These enterprises, every one of these enterprises, relies on the quality of their goods and customer service -- and their own never-ending marketing efforts -- to attract people to their stores and develop long-term relationships. If you asked such business owners if they were relying on their family and friends to get by, they'd dismiss the notion in a minute as ludicrous.

And so should you!

Why "warm marketing" doesn't work.

Warm marketing is based on the proposition that people know people and that by everyone doing a little bit of presentation and recruitment, everyone benefits. Nice idea.


Unfortunately, it has as many holes as swiss cheese.

The premise of "warm marketing" is that people will buy whatever you're selling because they know you, and you ask them. By contrast, in real businesses people buy not because of their personal connection, but because of their need for the product, the eye-catching selection of what you have available, and the particular motivating offer you're making. Selling to their parents and best friends is most assuredly NOT the basis of their success!!!

So, who benefits from "warm marketing" then?

The parent company -- and no one else.

Does the opportunity charge you a fee for joining and/or a monthly "membership" fee. Bingo! They're making money off you.... even if you never make a penny.

Does the opportunity require that you buy a certain amount of product every month? 
Bingo! They're making money off of you ... even if you never make a penny.

Does the opportunity require that you maintain a certain level of sales to get paid? Bingo! They're making money off of you ... even if you never make a penny.

Let's be very clear: their objective is to make a profit for the company. Whether you make one or not is never their concern.

What companies relying on "warm marketing" never offer.

ALL businesses, warm or otherwise, need a steady flow of prospect leads. Regular companies master the art of lead generation early... or they go out of business fast.

Warm marketing companies don't spend a nickle instructing you on marketing mastery. No need! Instead, they just hand you a prospect script and tell you to call all your family and friends ASAP, since that's the sure-fire way to success.

WRONG!

Real companies that have dealer programs bend over backwards to accommodate your need for prospects and to help you educate and close these prospects.

The better the company, the more focused they are on your success, the more you can expect them to provide, such as

* a training program that shows you how to generate and work with your prospects

* multiple lead-generating services

* ad copy that works

* proven prospect scripts

* company-provided incentives to stimulate prospect identification and action

* company provided live and recorded presentations for prospects, delivering key information and answering queries.

Real companies don't say "recruit grandma and all will be well." Instead, they focus on providing you with EVERYTHING you need to generate and close leads, including (and this is absolutely vital) the hot new automatic recruitment software which only cutting-edge companies make a point of offering.

This exciting, money-making software enables you to generate

* unlimited

* guaranteed

* targeted

* specific

* unique

traffic to your website... and to do it AUTOMATICALLY and for FREE!

Related software delivers the Number One position in every search engine on earth... including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Alexa, etc. again AUTOMATICALLY and FREE! (I bet you didn't know you could do this in under 5 minutes, automatically. And for FREE, if the company gives you this amazing software!)

Real companies are happy to give this to you free because they know that traffic is king and that your success (and theirs) is dependent on it.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the outmoded companies advocating "warm marketing" remain in the dark ages.... snagging you with a system that seems easy but is the worst imaginable, not least because it leaves you with a trail of strained and broken relationships with family and friends you have irritated and angered.

To avoid this and all the other pitfalls of this notoriously inefficient and ineffectual marketing system, just remember Nancy Reagan's famous line: "Just say no." It will save you a world of grief, frustration, and a lifetime of bitter, recriminatory comments from family and former friends. It will also enable you to continue your search to find the best opportunities... those which eschew "warm marketing" altogether, and rightly so!

About the Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.

Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

Is it a Scam? Here's how you'll know!

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Hundreds of thousands of folks worldwide have been bilked by Internet scams to the tune of millions of dollars.

Now hear this: not one of these people had to lose a single penny. EVERY scam under the sun can easily be identified.... and hence avoided. Here are the signs of clear and present danger:

1) Scams prosper by telling people they can get rich without work.

Here's a dead give away! Real businesses can and should make their offers as good as possible, always maximizing advantages while minimizing what you must do to achieve results. But scams cross the line, touting success without effort. Here's where the old saying comes in, "If it seems too good to be true... it isn't!" Your mother told you this, and your mother was right.

2) Scams never feature how long they've been in business. Why? Because they aim to arrive, defraud the maximum amount as quickly as possible... then pick up silently and leave.

Real businesses are proud of the number of years they've been helping people. You'll find this information prominently displayed. They want you to know they've been here... and plan to remain here. Scams don't.

3) Scams are not accredited by The Better Business Bureau or other professional associations.

Real businesses understand that people may have hesitations or doubts about doing business with a new, untested company. They, therefore, make it a point to earn professional designations which give their new customers peace of mind.

The Better Business Bureau, for instance, the world's best known consumer protection and consumer advocacy organization, has a business accreditation program. After such extensive "due diligence", you can bet the business will proudly display their seal of accreditation. Scams don't, because scams can't.

4) Scams do not incorporate where they are subject to legal regulations and scrutiny.

Ask a scamster just where his business is incorporated and who regulates it. Answer will come there none.

Legitimate businesses are willing to submit to government oversight and review. While every business person under the sun bemoans the extra work this entails and the inevitable "red tape," in fact they welcome government oversight and review since it tells the public they are real and reputable. Scams are neither, so they don't bother to incorporate.

5) Scams don't sell real products. In actual fact, what they sell is greed.

Talk to any business person in the land about their products and services and they'll happily burble on for hour after factual hour. Not so scamsters.

A scam has no product or service. It doesn't sell anything worth having; it's all about tapping into and controlling you through your own potent avarice.

Real businesses are ecstatic to talk about what they can do for you, the beneficial details. Scams don't dare tell you what they're all about, so they tap deep into your own greed and use that to blind you to what they really do!

6) Scams don't provide real name, real address, real phone numbers, etc.

Real businesses, legitimate businesses are here today, here tomorrow. They live or die by treating old customers well so they return... and motivating new customers to come and visit. This means providing these customers with necessary contact information.

Scams are different. Go to their website. Can you easily get address, phone, etc? No. In fact it's just about impossible to get any genuine contact details. Remember, scams don't want you to know who they are, where they are located, how to contact them. Quite the contrary.

7) Scams don't tell you the names of the principals and their credentials

Remember, scams profit by dazzling you with riches without work. Such mundane details as the names and credentials of the principals -- always trumpeted in real businesses -- are never provided.

Scamsters, remember, count on you being so excited about your imminent prosperity that you won't notice you have no information about the people at this enterprise who are responsible for providing its benefits.

Last Words

There have been scams as long as there have been humans. The Internet, however, has empowered scamsters as never before. Luckily for you, every scam in the world can be easily detected. You simply must control the avarice that makes scams so attractive... and apply the common sense admonitions found here.

About the Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc
Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

Warning! You may be one of MILLIONS of people leaving money on the table because you won't work the phone!

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you looked at the economic news lately? The so-called recovery is still weak as a new born kitten. People are still being thrown out of jobs. Home foreclosures continue. Financial and social instability blanket the land.

Yet you who says you're in business...

You who tells me you want to squeeze every single cent from your business, won't pick up the phone to talk to prospects and so are leaving big bucks on the table.

Is that crazy or what?

Now hear this: e-mail did NOT replace the telephone as a crucial business money-maker.

Listen to some people, and you'd think the telephone became obsolete when e-mail was invented. "Oh, I never phone anyone anymore. I e-mail them!"

If you're one of the silly ones singing this tune, you need to stop, look, and listen to the vital information I'm about to deliver: as far as connecting, working with and developing long-term relationships with customers is concerned nothing beats your Alexander Graham Bell.

E-mail is spectacular... but it NEVER can or will replace the way phones enable you to communicate directly with your prospects and DO BUSINESS! In plain English, the phone is a money machine. You must learn to use it as such.

1) Review your current use of the phone

Do you make it a point to telephone your prospects, introduce yourself, ascertain what you can do to assist them, follow up with all you prospects to make the sale, and (a little while later) make sure they're happy with what they've purchased?

If you are remiss in some or all of these vital categories, it's time to make changes in your use of the phone... or continue to leave dollars on the table.

2) Do you end each day drawing up a phone list for the next business day?

The key to maximizing phone potential and profit is planning; knowing who you want to connect with on the morrow... and having whatever you need to do so readily at hand.

Create a computer file for each business day. This file should contain:

* name of prospect

* prospect phone(s)

* prospect fax and, yes, email

* what prospect is interested in

* then space for a record of all contacts, including what the prospect said and what you promised to do (and then did).

Review tomorrow's phone list BEFORE leaving for the day. That way it will be fresh in your mind when you start calling tomorrow.

3) Call your easiest prospect first

We're human. We all function better when we get off to a good start. In business, this means calling your easiest prospect first, the prospect you know and have a good relationship with. They'll be glad to hear from you; they'll be happy to place that kick-off order. When that order is in , the success of your day is ensured!

4) Be clear on the objective for each call.

Because the telephone is used both personally and for business, it's easy to lose track of why you're calling folks. Personal telephone habits spill over into business time. That's fatal to your bottom line.

Before you call each prospect, review just why you are calling. It is NOT just to say hi and chat. It is either to start a new business relationship, foster an existing one and, above all else, get the sale!

5) Keep good notes

The average telephone business user is casual (and hence ineffectual) to a degree. Sometimes they take notes on their prospects calls; sometimes they don't. This catch-as-catch-can approach to the telephone is not good enough... for you. YOU know the importance of good notes. The time to enter them into your computer file is the MINUTE your phone conversation ends. Indeed, if you have your computer screen in front of you while speaking to your prospects, enter your notes as you go.

6) No answer? Call back. No answer? Call back again.

Over the years, I have been consistently astonished at the high level of self-delusion that permeates the business community about incomplete calls; that is calls which do not result in direct conversation with your prospect.

Any call you place, including calls where you just leave your prospect a message, must be regarded as incomplete calls; that is, calls which must be made and made again until completion (that is direct customer contact) takes place.

7) Regard your customers as assets who need the time and considered attention of any other asset

If you are one of the legion of business people who don't call prospects, a major change in attitude (and procedure) is necessary. From this moment on, think of each prospect as an asset for your business and as one of a string of assets from which you derive wealth.

Would you take a corporate bond and abandon it in a taxi?

Would you leave the deed to your house on a picnic table in the park?

Of course not!

Then don't be cavalier with your customers and efficiently calling and following up. They are ASSETS, and they must be treated accordingly. One phone call at a time. Starting today.

About the Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.

Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

Landing Pages: What GETS Responses and What Turns Leads Away! You need to read this if you are an online marketer.

The test results are in! We tested various types of Landing Pages with rich media, and some without. Listen up, you need to know what we found are the BEST type of Landing pages to get you leads! You may be very surprised at our test results! Once you know the results you can abandon what doesn't work and concentrate on creating Landing Pages that pull not repel.

Our tests revealed that Landing pages with rich media like video, distracting flash, or animation did not produce nearly as good a response as old-fashioned graphic pages with good copy. In fact, some of the rich media Landing Pages actually irritated readers and sent then clicking away! The non-rich media Landing pages kept readers attention longer, AND got a FAR higher response rate.

Now that you know this here is what you should consider when creating your landing pages so you get the results you want!

These are the DO's of Landing Pages that get the BEST results!

-FAST Loading! -Use images that are colorful, directive, and related to the theme of your Landing Page -Your copy MUST be short, punchy, laden with benefits - speak directly to the readers. -Tell readers clearly what they get -Tell readers what they get if they ACT now! Limit the offer, even better! -Capture the contact information of the reader so you can deliver what they asked for -The more goodies, freebies, offers, and cool stuff you can give people the BETTER the response!

In a nutshell if you want Landing pages that get a terrific response, tell people what they get, how to get it, make an offer to get them to take action NOW!

Look reader! You get this! Do this to get it! Do it NOW and also get this BONUS!

These are the DO NOT's for Landing Pages!

-Do not use video on your Landing pages. I know you think the video helps, but test after test says, scrap the embedded video in your landing pages! 
-If you want videos, and don't get me wrong they DO have value, include them on your website but not your landing pages. 
-Do not use long, dull, oh so boooooring copy that never gets to the point. 
-Skip the animation, the flashing, the blinking irritation that readers hate and gives reason to click off and terminate your annoying page. 
-Don't FORGET to include a lead form, to capture contact information

In a nutshell: If you can't write short punchy copy on your Landing pages, list the benefits you are offering point by point then conclude with a compelling offer. Don't forget the # 1 purpose of your Landing Page: to get leads! Give people good reasons to become your prospect. Treat them right, make a pitch, make a bonus offer. They get what they want and you get a valuable lead.

Now go review your Landing Pages and start looking at them like a READER looks at them. Modify the annoying animated ones and get back to basics, powerful copy, eye-grabbing graphics, and a GREAT ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE REFUSED - DO IT NOW OFFER.

Sandi Hunter is President of Worldprofit, Inc.,where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Sandi is responsible for the design and development of thousands of websites. Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

So you think Social Networking Sites are a Waste of Time? Rethink this or lose out.

So you think Social Networking Sites are a Waste of Time? Think again, Google's new Indexing System says different, site owners take note.

If you have been one of the nay-sayers about Social Networking sites like FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, Friendster, and YouTube you may want to rethink this belief. If you have been saying, "I just don't get it." It's time to "get it" especially if you want to exploit this for the good of your online business.

First, you need to know that Google is now indexing Social Networking content including video, images and blogs right alongside with webpages. What this means for you is this. If you don't use these sites to promote your business you are missing out on a lot of free promotion for your business and opportunity to get better indexed at search engines. The more content you have online about your business, products and services, the better indexed your site will be. This means your customers and prospects will be more easily able to find what you have to offer at your site. The more links TO your site (called backlinks), the more popular your site is viewed by search engines, especially if those links come from what are deemed as high-profile (authority ) sites.

Here is what you need to know to capitalize on all this free promotion for your business (essentially this is Search Engine Optimization Strategy whether you know it or not).
Getting good returns from Social Search Results means:

1. If you don't have a Google account get one. Make sure you have all of your important links on your Google Profile.
2. Do make as many connections as possible on the most popular social networking sites especially the ones that attract your market. 
3. Encourage customers to follow you via social networks. Include your Twitter address, FaceBook address etc on your site and your marketing materials. 
4. Participate in social media so people will engage with you. This starts with getting a free account for your business on the popular social sites. 
5. Encourage sharing of content (there are plenty available social media buttons) Example: Flicker, Digg, etc, 
6. Always include social network information on business cards, signs and so forth. Get the word out in as many places as you can. 
7. Be sure to include as much social network information as you can in your online promotions 
8. Everywhere you network include a link BACK to your website - this is CRITICAL.

Remember when doing searches, social results will always be clearly marked as such on Google's SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). The returns will be accompanied by a heading "Results from your social circle". For traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it is just one more thing to compete with as far as website property. That's why social networking is a much more of an important part of search than ever. Get on board now, Google will be announcing more changes to their new indexing system, so make the most of this information now.

Sandi Hunter, is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc., and an IT Consultant for small and home business owners.  Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

10 Habits of Highly Successful Online Marketers

By George Kosch

1. Successful online marketers know that marketing must be done as consistently as possible. Marketing and promotion must be scheduled, frequent and without fail.

2. Successful online marketers know that the money is in the list and thus list building strategies MUST be integrated into all marketing campaigns.

3. Successful online marketers know that landing pages, also called squeeze pages are what will generate leads NOT a static website.

4. Successful online marketers know that you must continually seek out NEW advertising sources. Don't stop when you find a few good sources, keep looking for new sources to expand your marketing reach.

5. Successful online marketers know that paid ads produce the best results IF the source is trusted and proven, but a combination of free and paid ads is still smart marketing.

6. Successful online marketers know that ad swaps are both cost effective and a clever way to reach your target markets.

7. Successful online marketers know that having access to a number of quality products, services, affiliates or referral programs produce multiple streams of income is the key to generating online income.

8. Successful online marketers know that you need a reliable way to track your ads so you know exactly where you are getting results for your efforts and advertising dollars.

9. Successful online marketers know that one cannot know it all, and investing in proven-effective reputable training programs for access to software, list building techniques, and mentoring can save a lot of time, money and frustration.

10. Successful online marketers know that it takes time to build a successful online business.

George Kosch is the Home Business Bootcamp Instructor at Worldprofit Inc., a web-based company providing training for people who want to learn how to earn at home using the power of the Internet.

 Republished with author's permission by Bret Eikenberry

Turning Your Ambition Into Internet Marketing Gold

Have you ever wondered how some businesses got to be so successful on the internet? Their success did not come by luck, but it came by knowing how to market effectively on the internet. You can also gain that knowledge. Find out some of the things that these marketers did to achieve success.

A great internet marketing tip to increase the amount of visitors who will purchase your products is to reword headlines and testimonials in order too see what type of information gets better results. Try rewording titles and headlines while including the same information to see which ones work better than others.

Use Email marketing effectively. If you allow your customers to sign up for a mailing list, you are going to be able to attract them back to your site by emailing them the latest products and sales. You can even include a special discount to them for signing up to receive the emails from your site.

Try including small free products when your customers buy something from your website. You can use buttons, bumper stickers, window decals, pens, etc. Go with products that you can put your name or logo on so that they remember where it came from and other people can see where it came from as well.

If you are attempting to promote a product, service, or business using a web site, create a "news" page about your business. Having a press release up on your site, especially if you post new ones on a regular basis, will increase your search engine visibility and make your site seem more up-to-date to visitors.

Use terms like "guaranteed" and "money back," in your marketing campaigns. Customers like knowing that you stand behind your product enough to offer a guarantee that they will be satisfied. It will also help people who are on the fence about purchasing your product, go ahead and take the leap, since they feel they can return it if they aren't happy.

Mention the address of your website in your voicemail greetings and include it in your email signature lines. Get the word out to people that you have a web page. Prospective customers have more trust in companies that have online presences and it allows them to see who you are before they even talk to you.

When you are trying to use internet marketing for your small business, you should take a look at the content of your site. You want make sure that the information will grab the attention of prospective customers. So, try to add new content often, to prevent people from becoming bored of your site.

As you can see, there are many things that you can do to give your internet business a boost. It will take time, effort, and some trial and error. However, if you keeping learning about internet marketing techniques and applying what you have learned, like what you have learned from here, you will achieve the success that you are looking for.

Bret Eikenberry

Affiliate Marketing 101

Affiliate marketing tips for beginners is first to "Start". If you are looking to join a affiliate marketing business, following tips are just like a mile stone in this journey.

You control your actions and only have an effect on those people and things connected to you through relations and activities. The rest of the world and life you cannot control, so take some advice from one of my favorite Philosophers Bill Murray - "It Really Doesn't Matter".

You need to start each day with an empty glass and fill it the best you can, do it, start, become all you can be. Sounds like a commercial for the army. In real world business, it will add good value to your efforts. So here are some tips for beginners in Affiliate Marketing

1. Find a product or company you believe in to promote.  
2. Acquire an affiliate link through their affiliate marketing program.
3. Get a domain name and hosting from a company like Go Daddy.  
4. Outsource a web/blog site that is controlled by WordPress.  
5. Sign up with You Tube.  
6. Learn how to do keyword research.  
7. Now blast your videos out using You Tube And Traffic Geyser  
8. Use Traffic geyser to blast out your blog posts to article sites.

Now before you jump in and spend your money on things you may not need, get some help, mentoring. You need a plan of action, and realistic goals. There are some affiliate networks which offer free video training and seminars. These training videos and seminars are very useful for learning the basic and advance skills in affiliate marketing.

5 Essentials every online marketer must know. If you are a new Affiliate Marketer read this!

[category Affiliate Marketing]

So you want to make some extra money online by being an Affiliate Marketer. Affiliate marketing is fun and you've got lots of choices for what you can promote PLUS lots of places to advertise at no cost or low cost. I don't have to even tell you what to market, you have so many choices. Companies want people to become an Affiliate and market their product online and pay you a commission for doing so. A great gig for anyone who wants to work from home.

Amazon may be one of the largest companies familiar to you that offers an Affiliate program. Clickbank is another very familiar name, allowing you to promote thousands of digital products and earn a commission for your efforts. It's free to get started so you can sign up for a free account and learn more about how affiliate marketing works without making an investment.

If you are new to online marketing, here are five essentials you need to know so you can maximize what you earn as an Affiliate.

1. For those serious about building an online business and who want to market a number of programs, product, services or opportunities, you will want to start with a home base for your activities. The best way to do this is by booking your own domain name. This will cost you as little as $10 a year and establishes a permanent, reputable home for your business. If you are doing affiliate marketing on the side from your full time occupation (like so many do), it will also help your activities separate. Having your own domain name makes you and your business look more solid, accountable and professional. Your domain name can be your name, a business name, a catch-all name for your online activities that includes a few key words. You can book a domain name with any domain registrar, do a search at Google or Bing to find an option that works best for you.

2. In my role as a consultant to small and home business owners, I also recommend a system for organizing your business. A pen and paper will work initially. Over time you will come to recognize that as an online marketer time, and the saving of time, is critical to being able to market often and efficiently. You see, most websites that offer advertising require you to sign up for Membership account, and that means multiple user name and passwords at what could eventually be dozens and dozens of sites. So I recommend, a Password Manager program called Roboform. As your online business grows and you start to lose your sanity keeping track of all your user names and passwords you will come to realize the incredible organization value of a program like Roboform. It will make your logins or form filling, much faster and that means less time trying to recall or find passwords and more time for doing what makes you money - promotion.

3. If you are new to online marketing you need to understand that it is not enough to promote. You need a reliable method for tracking your ad results. In other words, if you post an ad, you want to know how many clicks you got on your ad. If you don't know what kind of hit rate you are getting you have no idea of the effectiveness of your ad, or the advertising source. These programs that allow you to do this are called Ad Tracker Software or Ad Analysis software. Most are free or very low cost. You can get started with a free Webmaster Tools account from Google. Some of the companies you advertise with may also offer you an ad tracking tool within their member area

4. I talk to many new online marketers, and they will tell me they have some amazing product that will sell itself it is so good. This is absolute nonsense. ALL products, no matter how good they are, need to be promoted to sell. If you want to make online sales you need to promote constantly. Understand that PROMOTION is what drives sales - it is so important that 80 - 90% of your time in building your online business should be devoted to promotion. I don't mean surfing, researching, or face booking and tweeting with your friends. I mean time spent actually posting ads online at classified ad sites, forums, blogs, safelists, traffic exchanges, pay per click, joint ventures, ad swaps, and email marketing. If you want to make money online as an affiliate marketer know that constant, consistent promotion is critical. Some see this as a very boring part of being an online marketer, get over it, promotion is what you have to do to earn money.

5. Don't do this alone. Affiliate marketing can be very frustrating if you don't know what you are doing and not seeing any results for your efforts. If you are determined to make money online, then invest in yourself, take a course, download eBooks, participate in a webinar, find a coach, training program or otherwise so you can learn the best methods. My company offers online training, software, advertising and resources for people who want to learn how to earn at home. Get a free Associate membership and get on your way to learning what works so you can join the growing ranks of people working from home and benefiting from affiliate marketing.

About the Author
Sandi Hunter has been an online marketer for nearly 20 years. Sandi and her team at Worldprofit Inc., provide a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Services include home business training, affiliate marketing training, earn-at-home programs, traffic tools, advertising, webcasting, hosting, design, WordPress Blogs and more. Find out why Worldprofit is considered the # 1 online Home Business Training program by getting a free Associate (Affiliate) Membership today. Be sure to ask for a free copy of Sandi's new book,

This post was republished with permission by Bret Eikenberry owner of LegendaryWealth.com.  New to internet marketing? Check out Bringing The Net Into Network Marketing

Affiliate Internet Marketing-Can Buy Some Happiness

[category Affiliate Marketing]

Everybody is looking to get more money. As shallow as it may sound, money can buy happiness. It can buy the happiness that is peace of mind. Having money means you do not have to worry about paying your bills or not having health insurance. It means you can buy the things you want and go to the places you want. Money alone can not make you happy but it sure can help.

But making that kind of money is difficult, working a conventional job will not net you the kind of money you would like. So that is why so many people turn to the internet and make their own businesses. Using affiliate internet marketing to promote their websites and grow them.

While online businesses can make you a lot of money, do not buy into the hype that it is some get rich quick scheme. Even if it is on the internet, it is still a business and you need to treat it as such. It will require a lot of time and effort to build up. To that end there are several tips you can follow to help you out.

1. Set work hours. While working whenever you want is nice, most of us lack the self discipline to actually do that. We would constantly go "oh I'll do that later" and when later comes, we will just say that again until the day is already over. So for most of us we need a more structured environment, which we can get from setting a specific schedule where we can work and use affiliate internet marketing to promote our websites.

2. Designate a work space. It is important to pick out an area in your house that will be used as your work area. Whether an officer or just a corner in a quiet area. Somewhere that you can go "ok, time for work." it can help get you in the right mindset and push aside distractions that might hamper your work.

3. Have the necessary tools. Working online means you need some software to help you out. There are all sorts of programs out there that can help you run your business, so making use of these are important if you plan on being competitive.

4. Connect with like minded individuals. There are a lot of people out there working on the same niche as you, and some of them will have already succeeded and be making money. Contacting them and asking them for help on how to affiliate internet marketing and any other questions you may have is important.

5. Maintain your health. This may seem a little silly and out of place, but when working online you and only you are responsible for the success of your business. If you get laid up from being sick, then your business suffers. As well the nature of your business means you will be spending a lot of time in your chair, staring at your monitor. Make sure to take breaks as needed and get enough exercise to compensate.

Bret Eikenberry

Affiliate Internet Marketing

[category Affiliate Marketing]
[tags ]
Affiliate internet marketing is a great way to make money promoting someone else's product. When you sign up as an affiliate, you receive an affiliate ID and URL. If you already have a website then you can start promoting their product on your site. Whenever someone visits your site and you make a sale then you get a commission.

The commission is usually a percentage of the purchase price of the product. If you do not have a website then you will need to get or make one. Sometimes the company you are working for will provide one to you and all you have to do is start getting traffic to the site. There are many ways to drive traffic to your site.

Do some homework and find a product that you think would be a good item to promote. Sign up to become an affiliate and if you are selected by the company then you can move forward and get everything in order to start making money. There are more steps involved so make sure you do not miss or skip over any of them. It will only take longer to make some extra cash.

Should you have to build you own site you will also have to buy a domain name and pay to get it hosted. The cost for a domain name is minimal at only about $10 a year. When you buy a domain name you are basically staking your claim on a parcel of the internet. Just like when the pioneers staked their claim on parcels of land, you now own a piece of the internet.

The domain name you choose is very important. It should have the keyword for the product you are promoting in it. Do some keyword research to find the best keywords to use. A good keyword is one that has high searches every month but that also has low competition. A keyword like this is like money in the bank. Download a good keyword tool and spend some time looking for a good one.

Check out some long-tailed keywords, you might find your little golden nugget has four or five words in it.

You will need a good content management system, or CMS, to install a blogging platform on your affiliate internet marketing website. Your web hosting service may install a blogging platform automatically on your site. The all you have to do is keep it updated and interesting. Use some backlinks to your website to help drive customers, or traffic, to your site.

People will respond to your blog if you keep it professional and sound like you know what you are talking about. To make the sales people have to believe that you are an authority on the subject. They need to trust you.

Now that your affiliate internet marketing site is up you can start posting reviews pertaining to the product you are promoting or you can write articles describing the product and it's benefits. Ask former customers to write testimonials and post them, too. One satisfied customer might bring in maybe as many as five to ten others looking for the same product.

A Day In The Life Of An Affiliate Marketer

Being in the affiliate marketing business is not that hard now with the internet at your disposable. It is much easier now compared to the days when people have to make use of the telephones and other mediums of information just to get the latest updates on the way their program is coming along.

So with technology at hand, and assuming that the affiliate is working from home, a day in his or her life would sound something like this?

Upon waking up and after having breakfast, the computer is turned on to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track on.

The site design has to be revised. The marketer knows that a well-designed site can increase sign ups from visitors. It can also help in the affiliate?s conversion rates.
That done, it is time to submit the affiliate program to directories that lists affiliate programs. These directories are means to attract people in joining your affiliate program. A sure way of promoting the affiliate program.

Time to track down the sales you are getting from your affiliates fairly and accurately. There are phone orders and mails to track down. See if they are new clients checking the products out. Noting down the contact information that might be a viable source in the future.

There are lots of resources to sort out. Ads, banners, button ads and sample recommendations to give out because the marketer knows that this is one way of ensuring more sales. Best to stay visible and accessible too.

The affiliate marketer remembered that there are questions to answer from the visitors. This has to be done quickly. Nothing can turn off a customer than an unanswered email.
To prove that the affiliate is working effectively and efficiently, inquiries would have to be paid more attention on. Nobody wants to be ignored and customers are not always the most patient of all people. Quick answer that should appear professional yet friendly too.

In the process of doing all the necessities, the marketer is logged on to a chat room where he or she interacts with other affiliates and those under that same program. This is where they can discuss things on how to best promote their products.

There are things to be learned and it is a continuous process. Sharing tips and advices is a good way of showing support. There may be others out there wanting to join and may be enticed by the discussion that is going on. There is no harm in assuming what opportunities ahead.

The newsletters and ezines were updated days ago, so it is time for the affiliate marketer to see if there are some new things happening in the market. This will be written about in the marketer?s publication to be distributed to the old and new customers.

These same publications are also an important tool in keeping up to date with the newly introduced products. The marketer has put up a sale and promotion that customers may want to know about. Besides, they have to keep up with the deadline of these sales written in the publications.

It is that time to show some appreciation to those who have helped the marketer in the promotions and sale increase. Nothing like mentioning the persons, their sites and the process they have done that made everything worked.

Of course, this will be published in the newsletters. Among the more important information that have been written already.

The marketer still has time to write out recommendations to those who want credible sources for the products being promoted. There is also time to post some comments on how to be a successful affiliate marketer on a site where there are lots of wannabees.
Two objectives done at the same time. The marketer gets to promote the product as well as the program they are in. Who knows, someone may be inclined to join.

Time flies. Missed lunch but is quite contented with the tasks done. Bed time?.

Ok, so this may not be all done in a day. But then, this gives you an idea of how an affiliate marketer, a dedicated one that is, spends the marketing day.

Is that success looming in the distance or what?

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[tags Affiliate Marketer, home business, work from home, make money online]