The Silent Avatar Speaks

Internet Marketing newbies are those who form the largest portion of those who fail to make a living on the internet. This article is to help newbies not only survive but succeed and ultimately make a living online. If you are a newbie, chances are, these characteristics describe you.

Does this describe you?

You dream of making a lavish, full-time income on the internet, mostly on autopilot. This allows you the freedom to live the kind of lifestyle you desire without financial worries.

You are on many, many lists. Every online Marketing guru has your name and email address on their lists. As a result, you get bombarded with emails from these guys everyday crammiong your inbox and dutifully making sure you read every one of them in case you miss the next big “Aha!”.

You are on the internet everyday trying to figure out how to run a successful online business. You probably learn new things almost daily. You are constantly watching videos, listening to audios or reading e-books learning the newest money-making system on the internet.

You buy more info-products, software, scripts, systems, ‘how-to’ methods etc than you actually use. As a result, you have tons of PLR, MRR and RR e-books, the latest software and scripts, memberships to all sorts of programs that promise to be the silver bullet that answers the basic question, “What Must I Do To Succeed On The Internet?” sitting in your hard drive gathering virtual dust.

The combined effect of these characteristics is information overload and analysis paralysis. In other words, you hardly take any action based on what you already know or have in hand.  Your’e a bit like a dog chasing it’s tail. You donlt feel as though you have enough information to be successful, so you keep taking in more information, and this very process keeps you away from realising your goals.

You may think this article isn’t relevant to you because you do take action. If that is so then why are you not succeeding beyond your wildest dreams? And why is there such a high failure rate (some say as high as 95%) among internet marketers?

The reason is that ‘take action’ is far more than just putting up a webpage, setting up your autoresponder, writing some articles, bidding on keywords in Adwords, advertising on Craigslist or even creating your own product. All these are necessary but the way to big bucks online is far more than that. Here’s what to do:

Firstly, reduce the number of lists you’re on. This was the single best thing I did to free up my time and the worst thing about doing it was the time it took to do it! I was a list builders dream! But all that’s in the past. Don’t worry about losing out on the latest information – you already have enough information to put yourself on the path to success if you just use whatever you’ve got now instead of perpetually reading, studying and learning the so-called latest method in internet marketing. Do you think the gurus got to where they are by constantly reading e-books without doing actual marketing? Nope!

Secondly, spend your time such that it gives maximum returns everyday. Reading e-books, watching videos and listening to podcasts are good but they don’t make you any money in itself (not to mention it takes half a day for some videos to download). Website design and creating graphics do not make you money by itself. All these activities are essential but if you spend too much time on them, you drastically minimize your income potential. You must proportion your time wisely between that which actually makes you money and that which does not.

Thirdly, focus on taking action, one step at a time. Every Internet Marketing project involves roughly the same steps:

• Find a profitable niche
• identify keywords
• create your own or find an affiliate product
• create your website with a lead-capture form
• drive traffic and
• track your progress

Thereafter, build a relationship with those who subscribe to your list through a series of emails. Do not merely shove offer after offer down their throats but be personal and give good tips and contents that would benefit your subscribers.

Most Online Marketing gurus say that making money on the internet is not rocket science. Actually, it’s true. The steps above are simple but if done regularly, will produce results sooner or later. It sure beats all the hit-and-miss efforts that so many newbies make, that result in ultimate failure. Online success comes by doing the right things the right way.. consistently.

In an upcoming post I will gop through the steps above one-by-one showing you how to do them.

Until then.. any comments? This blog is about helping YOU! and if you have a question related to this blog post or not.. just ask it!

I’m the silent avatar and I have spoken

Tags: Affiliate Marketing, General, Internet, Internet Marketing by the silent avatar
No Comments »

The world of Internet Marketing is a highly competitive place. As a beginning internet marketer there are some basic things you should know about how search engines spider and index your web site. Unless the search engines find your web site and index it, there is no way the general public will know that it is there.

After you have created your web site and chosen the products or services you want to provide, you will be ready to get your site listed with the search engines. When developing your marketing strategy, it is important to include a plan to get your web site spidered quickly. In order to get your site indexed you must let the search engine spiders know you are there in the first place.

You may have wondered if there are ways to lure the spiders to your web site other than manual submission. The good news is that many SEOs recommend the following methods rather than submitting your pages directly.

The best way to get your site spidered quickly is to link your web site to another site that is already indexed, that is related to your site, and that is spidered frequently. Having your site mentioned in news releases, blogs, and so on can get your site your web site spidered very quickly, sometimes within days.

You can also use the more traditional methods of Online Marketing included posting in forums and providing articles for the various article directories. If you choose this route, be careful not to spam. Follow the posted rules, give helpful answers, and do not go overboard on your “sig file”. Private forums are not always indexed, so make certain that the forums where you post display recent posts and are listed in search results.

No matter which method you choose to get your web site spidered, you will need a good site map. A site map lists and links to all pages on your site. If your site consists of over approximately one hundred pages, consider using a multi-page site map. Make certain that every site map page links to all other site map pages. You should have a link to your site map on your home page and preferably on each of your pages. You should make sure your web site pages are simple and free of useless clutter.

Getting your web site spidered quickly is the most important thing you can do to achieve success in Internet Marketing. Using the methods suggested above can be very helpful in getting your web site indexed.

I’m the silent avatar.. and I have spoken

Tags: Internet, Web Design by the silent avatar
No Comments »

In order to process payments online, an online merchant needs to have an Internet Merchant Account, a credit card processing capable shopping cart and a secure payment gateway to connect to card company banking networks for transaction verification of credit card transactions.

To start credit card processing either you have your own merchant account or you use the card processing infrastructure of a third party. If your entity is based in the home or has been in operation for a little while, then you are likely to encounter objections or high costs from the corner bank in attempting to acquire a merchant account ID.

If you are an internet startup you must accept credit cards for sales. You simply don’t have a chance of thriving in business if you do not. Consumer payment preferences are evolving fast in favour of online payment processing. The important point, if you don’t start credit card processing online, your customers will find merchants who will. If you don’t accept payments online, you not only limit your profit opportunities, you stymie your ability to offer the newer credit card payment options that are continually being introduced to consumers.

How long does it take to begin to accept credit card payments online? An internet application is completed in only a couple minutes. Most of our merchant applicants are instantly approved for their merchant account online.

For small sales volume, manual processing is a sensible route. The order is received with the credit card number through a phone call, fax, or online form and processed manually, either by contacting the payment processor to verify number or by using a credit card card swiper to swipe the card. A credit card processing terminal is a small device designed with the purpose of authenticating credit cards that customers use when purchasing goods or services.

Merchant Account Advantages

The ideal is usually to find a processor that includes every thing for online merchants. First Data offers internet enabled merchant accounts that specifically offer over the web credit card processing services to the merchant. Merchant accounts are necessary for credit card processing; thusly to accept credit cards the first action is to complete signup for a merchant account from a solid merchant account provider.

If you are a web business and most of your transactions are from website then a merchant account is a must. In the alternative, real-time credit card processing means the credit card is automatically processed when the customer finalises their purchase.

A swipe terminal is needed where physically the sale takes place. Thanks to a series of advances in e-commerce, the smaller businesses can now accept credit card payments. Small Business Merchant Accounts are necessary requirement because customers have learned to respect small businesses who accept credit card credit payments. Interent businesses should also find out if the processing company provides a gateway as part of the program. Start accepting credit cards within minutes with one of the most efficient merchant accounts available and you will reap the rewards of credit card processing.

I’m the silent avatar… and I have spoken

Tags: Internet, Online Business, Promotion and Marketing by the silent avatar
No Comments »

Just What is a Marketing Plan?
A marketing plan includes a list of actions needed to accomplish marketing targets. It can be for a product, a service or a brand. There are marketing plans for short term goals – 1 year, and long term goals – five years.

A marketing plan might be part of an overall business plan, and a good marketing strategy is the basis of a well-written marketing plan.

Why does a Business Venture necessitate a Marketing Plan?
A marketing plan is an invaluable tool for guiding a small home based business owner to organise their marketing efforts. It ensures a systematic technique to creating products and services to meet and gratify customers’ needs.

How to write a Marketing Plan
Drawing up a marketing plan is not difficult. Focus on the goals and the efforts needed to achieve them.   Your goals need to be stated clearly in the marketing plan.

Remember that a good marketing plan sets clear, realistic, achievable and measurable objectives. It should consist of deadlines, a budget and allotment of responsibilities.

Marketing Plan Outline
A basic marketing plan outline may comprise of these topics:

Current Market Analysis
Depict the current market environment which your business is in. This analysis can later be used as a benchmark to fine-tune the marketing plan in the future.

Define your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and also the PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological) analysis tools, write a short description of the current product or service available, the marketing benefits and barriers the business could come across. Contemplate the threats posed by competitors and also consider other factors that could affect the business in the year to come. This may aid in the formulation of strategies in the future.

Target Market
Every product or service needs a market. This explains why customer analysis in marketing plans is essential to its success. The product could be directed at the online market as well as the conventional offline market.

It could be targeted at the general public or it could be aimed at a niche market. For an online market the analysis should include reasons why people shop online.Once a target market is selected, write a target market profile based on demographics and include selection yardsticks.

Marketing Objectives
Express your business’s marketing goals for the coming year. The targets should be specific, realistic and measurable to asses the marketing progress. Avoid vague statements like, “Increase indoor sales” Incorporate specifics instead – “Increase indoor sales by 25%.”

Strategies to Achieving Objectives
If the marketing goal is to boost indoor sales by 25% then a strategy has to be developed to meet this end. For example, there could be special a promotion for walk-in clients. This promotion can be marketed via an emailed weekly newsletter to clients. The strategies should be detailed and cover the 4P’s of marketing -

• Price
• Product
• Place
• Promotion.

Marketing Budget
Putting into affect marketing strategies to fulfill marketing objectives costs money and it’s just plain stupidity to think that you can have an online presence and just by the mere fact that you are online and have been indexed by the search engines you will have a successful business.

There’s a saying… spend some money to make some money. Create a breakdown of marketing connected expenses associated with the strategies. Have a look at the numbers and decide if it is too much. Do not be afraid to lower or revise the budget until a feasible figure is achieved – and then make sure you stick to it. Don’t be tempted to buy yourself the latest “toy”.  You are growing your business so you can have as many toys as you want.. but only when your marketing has paid off.

Bear in mind that a marketing plan should remain a constant process throughout the life of a company.

Revise your marketing plan at least every 6 months, and for goodness sake… track where your results are coming from! Analyse, analyse, analyse!

I’m the Silent Avatar… and I have spoken

Tags: Business and Management, Business Tips, Internet, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Advertising by the silent avatar
No Comments »