Creating an Ebook

Creating an Ebook

Ebooks or Electronic books are self-contained "executable" files of HTML. This HTML may be a web site you've created or HTML you've specifically prepared to be compiled into a downloadable .exe file for distribution. When downloaded, this file will self install on your clients desktop.

Ebooks are completely interactive with the Internet and can contain live links, graphics, forms, JavaScript, embedded video, can be protected via password/userid, search capabilities and more. This self-contained executable file can be distributed in a number of ways including; CD, floppy disk, download, etc.

With the rising popularity of the Internet, there is absolutely no better time than right now to develop your own informational product. Not only is there no better time, but it has never been any easier for anyone to develop and sell their own products.

Information is the number one best-selling product on the Internet. There are literally hundreds of Internet entrepreneurs quietly making a fortune simply by selling information.

Why are ebooks so popular? Internet users have a sincere desire to learn and want the information right now. They don't want to wait a week or two for the information to arrive. Ebooks provide your potential customers with instant gratification. As soon as they pay for their order, they can have immediate access to the information they desire.

Suggested Uses

Marketing - Provide your sales network with your complete sales presentation to freely distribute with their ID to track sales.

Promotion - Provide valuable information on a specific subject to bring traffic to your site.

Ezine Archives - Ezine publishers can provide their publication archives to enable subscribers to read back issues on their desktop, visit your web site, subscribe, submit ads, etc.

Catalogs - Provide a desktop catalog for you customers to view on their desktop. You can even provide a form to accept orders right through your ebook.

How To Manuals - Provide your affiliates with a complete "how to" manual for marketing, advertising and promoting your products.

Electronic Books - Writers can offer their books in an electronic version.

Web site - Create an electronic version of your web site to place on disk and be viewed on your client’s desktop.

Instructional - Provide an electronic training manual.

The first step in creating your ebook is to decide upon a subject. Select a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge. The knowledge you have within your own mind is extremely valuable. Simply write about what you know and teach others how to do the same thing. It's that simple.

Creating an Outline

The easiest way to begin writing is to create an outline. Begin your outline with an opening statement or Introduction followed by a Foreword. Your opening statement might tell your readers a little bit about what they are going to learn or may be a statement in regard to the subject matter. Your Foreword might include information in regard to who you are, your credentials, copyrights, and what you want your readers to learn.

Your next step will be to either create a Table of Contents or go directly into creating your Chapter Titles. If you're writing your information in the form of a how-to manual, you may want to use a Table of Contents. This will enable your readers to quickly locate important information. If you're writing your information in the form of a book, then you can leave out the Table of Contents and simply use Chapter Titles.

Whether you're using a Table of Contents or Chapter Titles, write your titles so that when they're read, they tell the story. In other words, when you scan your titles they will give you a step by step description of what your information is all about.

Finally, at the bottom of your outline, wrap everything up by including a closing statement.

Once you've completed your outline you can begin filling in the spaces. Write your text in small blocks and leave a space between your paragraphs. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a white background. In addition, write in an everyday language that everyone can understand.

Designing Your Interface

Your ebook interface MUST look professional. No matter how good your information is, if your ebook doesn't look professional, it’s perceived value will be low.

Design your ebook to be easily navigated and make sure you include navigational graphics within each page.

In addition, your ebook should include all of the following:

• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Copyrights
• About page
  

Your first step in designing your ebook will be to turn your text into HTML. Simply divide your text into sections such as, Introduction, Table of Contents, Chapters, etc., and create a web page for each.

You can include graphics, live links, and almost everything that HTML 4.0 supports.

In addition to designing an interface for your ebook, you will also need to design a book cover. A book cover can increase your sales or downloads up to 300% and is an essential part of your ebook’s success. Your book cover should compliment your ebook and be displayed on your sales page.

Delivering Your Information

In order to deliver your information to your customers, you'll need to compress it into a downloadable file, better known as an ebook. There are different types of compilation methods however, for this example we will focus on HTML compiled ebooks.

Selecting an HTML Compiler

Although there are many HTML compilers available on the Internet, these programs are just that – HTML compilers. What this means is that you must create your ebook within an HTML editor and then import your files into an HTML compiler to create your ebook -- not a very user friendly way to create an ebook. That’s why we developed eBook Starter.

Tips for Creating Your Ebook

• Create a directory on your computer to include ALL the files for your ebook. These files will include HTML, graphics, backgrounds, etc.
• Ebooks should contain mainly text. To keep your file size down, avoid using large, slow loading graphics.
• Make sure your pages are viewable through any screen size.
• Include good navigational links throughout your pages.
• Use spell check to search for any possible spelling errors.

Using an Ebook as a Promotional Tool

In addition to ebooks making a great product, they are also very powerful promotional tools. Ebooks can provide the Internet marketer one of the best promotional tools online. With its vast variety of uses, just one quality ebook development and distribution can produce an on going promotional tool that will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week for years to come. Millions can view your ebook, simply by giving it away.

The key to using this powerful promotional technique successfully is to create an ebook packed with valuable content and then give it away. I know what you're probably thinking. Why in the world would I want to spend time on creating a great ebook just to give it away? Well, not only should your ebook contain great information, but it should also contain information about your web site, products and services. Take every opportunity to mention any and everything you may be promoting and create links to each.

For massive exposure, select a subject with a broad appeal. If your site's focus is on web site traffic, consider creating an ebook on generating traffic. For example, Web Traffic: A Complete to Guide to Generating Massive Traffic to Your Site. Include several references to your site throughout your ebook, such as For even more great traffic generating tips, visit "Traffic Tips" your complete source for generating massive traffic to your web site. http://www.yoursite.com. Or, Winning awards can dramatically increase traffic to your site. For a complete listing of award sites, visit "Traffic Tips Award Sites" http://www.yoursite.com.

Here is an example of how powerful a good "free ebook" can be:

10 of your visitors download your ebook.
Your 10 visitors each give away 10 ebooks - 100
Those 100 each give away 10 ebooks - 1000
Those 1000 each give away 10 ebooks - 10,000
Those 10,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 100,000
Those 100,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 1,000,000

For massive distribution, make sure you include a short paragraph on your main page in regard to your copyrights and distribution. Let your visitors know that they may freely distribute your ebook. Your text might look something like this: “This ebook may be freely distributed”

If you really want to create a viral marketing ebook, create your ebook so that it can be customized with your visitor’s own information. In order to do this, you’ll need to purchase an ebook program that also includes an additional branding software program -- not all ebook software programs do.

However, eBook Starter does. Not only can you create your entire ebook within this powerful program from start to finish, but with the purchase of this software, you will receive a special branding software completely free. This special branding software will enable you to create customizable fields within your ebooks to enable your visitors or affiliates to customize your ebooks with their company name, affiliate URL or whatever you’d like.

Distributing free ebooks is one of the most powerful promotional methods online. Use it to your advantage.

Read more >>

Autoresponder Courses

Autoresponder Courses

Autoresponders, also known as mailbots, automatic email and email on demand were derived from the very popular fax on demand and designed to automatically respond to any email message it receives with an automatic response.

Autoresponder programs vary from software set up to run with your desktop email program and automatically answer your incoming email to a script that runs on your server. The script may run a Web-based autoresponder system that utilizes a web page form, or it may run with your pop email account on your server. It is programmed to automatically send out a predetermined message when a message is received to a specified script address or email address.

In addition to the standard autoresponder systems, there are also autoresponders that can send an unlimited amount of follow-up messages. These follow up messages can be set up to automatically be sent out at predetermined intervals. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder to automatically send out a new message each day for as many days as you would like.

This powerful technology is currently being used by some of the top online marketers to reach thousands of potential customers. As you may know, it may take up to seven contacts with a potential customer before closing a sale. By setting up an autoresponder and offering a free autoresponder course, you can completely automate a portion of your marketing efforts.

Creating a Course

The first step in creating an autoresponder course is to decide upon a subject. Your course should focus on a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge and target your potential customers.

Once you have selected your subject, you'll need to make a list of topics. Each topic will represent one lesson. If you have five topics, then you can offer your visitors a free 5-day course. If you have ten topics, then you can offer your visitors a free 10-day course and so on.

Separate each of your topics into course lessons. Your first lesson should welcome your subscriber to your course and explain a little bit about what they are going to learn, followed by the first lesson.

The key to creating a successful autoresponder course is to provide quality information that will be of interest to your target audience. Each daily topic must contain valuable information or your reader may decide to unsubscribe. In addition, make sure you include information in regard to your course such as the lesson number, lesson title, information about your products or services and highlights of the next lesson.

Your course should identify a problem, provide advice in regard to solving the problem and provide the solution with your products or services. Keep in mind, your course should not be written like a sales letter. It must provide quality information written to teach and inform.

Setting up Your Course

After you've written your course, you'll need to transfer your text into an autoresponder. You can find free follow-up autoresponders at GetResponse.

Sign up for a follow-up autoresponder and follow their instructions in regard to setting it up.

Once you've gotten your autoresponder set up, your final step will be to place your course information on your web site. This will include a description of your course and a mailto link to your autoresponder.

By offering your visitors a free autoresponder course, you are not only providing them with a great service, but you are also automating a portion of your marketing efforts. This form of free advertising can increase your sales considerably.

Read more >>

Mini-Sites – Highly Targeted Sales Generators

Mini-Sites – Highly Targeted Sales Generators

If you're looking for a highly effective method of increasing your Internet sales, then mini-sites may be your answer. Mini-sites are one of the most effective marketing tools online. Not only are they effective, but they're also very inexpensive and easy to create.

The concept is simple. Create a one or two page web site that completely focuses on one specific topic. Everything within that page should have one purpose -- getting the visitor to take action.

This page should be neatly designed in standard HTML with no Flash or fancy plug-ins and very few graphics. There should be no banners or outside links of any kind and nothing that will distract your visitor's attention.

The sole purpose of a mini-site is to attract highly targeted traffic. The more targeted the better. For example, if you have a web site that sells a number of products, a good mini-site would focus on one specific product instead of all of the products. You could create a mini-site for each product you offer.

Designing Your Mini-Site

Each mini-site you create should be optimized for that one specific product. Concentrate on just a few keyword phrases, as this will help you to tighten your targeting. Remember ... the tighter the targeting the better.

• Title - Your "Title" should contain your most important keywords. You've probably heard that before, but I've found a slightly different method for optimizing the title. Since mini-sites focus on just one product, place the "most" important "keyword phrase" first. Not just your most important phrase, but the keyword phrase that you think people will use when they do a search. Instead of capitalizing the first letter, type it in lowercase, as most people type in all lowercase letters when searching. This will assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engine for your targeted audience.
• Description - Your description should focus on one specific product and not generalize. Make sure you include your most important keywords towards the beginning of your description. In addition, make sure your description describes your site in detail. You want your potential visitors to know exactly what you're offering. Your description should be less than 200 characters.
• Keywords - Concentrate on just a few keyword phrases.
• Heading tags - Search Engines pay close attention to the text displayed within the "Heading" tags. Place your most important keyword phrase within a "Heading" tag.
• Graphic Alt tags - Place a readable keyword phrase within your graphic "Alt" tags.
• Text - All of your text should focus on your product. There should be no filler text whatsoever. It should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitor to take action. Make sure you include your keyword phrases throughout your text.

If you'd like to set up your mini-site using tables, try to place your "Heading" text above your "Table" code. If this isn't possible, make sure you include your keyword phrases within your top left "Table cell" to assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engines.

Mini-sites are not limited to just your products. They can also be used with any affiliate programs you may be promoting. You can include extra incentives such as a free bonus for purchasing the product or even your personal recommendation. This is a great way to pre-sell the product.

Hosting Your Mini-Site

When hosting a web site, you normally must purchase a web-hosting package for each domain. However, if you host your site with Host4Profit, you can host additional domains within your account for only $5 per domain – very reasonable.

What’s more, I highly recommend Host4Profit, as not only do they provide you with 300mg of web space and everything you’ll need to develop your site, but they also have an affiliate program. If you refer just three people to Host4Profit, your hosting will be free.

Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Site

Once you have tested the effectiveness of your site and have a good conversion rate, (the number of visitors compared to the number of sales) you can buy targeted traffic. Goto.com is the number one pay-per-click Search Engine and will most likely produce the best results.

For additional options, visit PayPerClickSearchEngines.com. They provide information and reviews on a number of pay-per-click Search Engines.

The key to using this technique effectively is to bid on "very" targeted keywords. This will weed out the casual visitors and only attract your target audience.

There's no sense in paying for visitors who really weren't interested to begin with.

In addition to bidding on keywords, you can also advertise in targeted ezines and even purchase some targeted banner advertising. Be creative and take the time to test all of your promotions prior to spending a lot of money.

If you really want to increase your sales, create some mini-sites. They are one of the cheapest and easiest to create profit generators online.

Read more >>

Protecting Yourself from Lawsuits

Protecting Yourself from Lawsuits

If you’re doing business on the Internet, above all else, you MUST take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your business. If you’re not displaying the required legal forms on your web site, such as copyright, disclaimers and terms of service forms, you could literally lose EVERYTHING!

Please, don’t take this point lightly. All it takes is one bogus lawsuit to lose everything you’ve worked for and everything you own.

There are thousands upon thousands of frivolous law suits filed against innocent, unsuspecting business owners each day. The truth is anyone, at anytime, can file a lawsuit against anyone.

First and foremost, you MUST take the necessary steps to protect yourself from these gold diggers.

There a few different routes you can take:

1. Contact an attorney – preferably, one who specializes in the Internet – and have these special documents drawn up. However, this option can be very expensive, as accomplished Lawyers charge $250 or more per hour – and, the more accomplished and/or Specialized Lawyers charge $350 or more.
2. Spend hours doing your own research and write the documents yourself. However, this option is very risky, as even the smallest omission in your legal documents could cost you a fortune.
3. Invest in a software program called, AutoWebLaw. This phenomenal software program was created by Bruce Safran, a Legal Specialist, and will dynamically generate your legal forms for you with all your information automatically placed in the proper fields -- ready to copy and paste into your websites and products.

Read more >>

Increase Sales by Building Credibility

Increase Sales by Building Credibility

The Internet has opened a whole New World of information and opportunity for all of us. However, it has also created a breeding ground for scam artists. For this reason, many Internet users are very reluctant to share their personal information and order products online.

As an Internet entrepreneur, it is your personal responsibility to ensure that your visitors feel very comfortable with you and your web site. In order to gain your visitor's trust and confidence, you must build your credibility.

Domain Name

In order to establish credibility, you must be willing to invest in your own domain name and professional web hosting. Web sites hosted on free servers are not taken seriously and will suffer a serious loss of business. Your visitors may feel that if you don't have your own domain, you may not be a credible company. They'll simply take their business elsewhere.

Contact Information

Provide your visitors with your complete contact information. This information should include your "real" postal address and not a Post Office box number. A business that hides behind a PO box loses credibility. It's perfectly acceptable to use a PO box as long as you also include your postal address.

Create a page to add to your web site called "about" and include all of the following:

• A personal or professional biography
• A photograph of yourself
• A complete description of you and/or your company
• Your web site and/or company objectives
• Your name, address, phone number and email address

It is very important that you include an "about" page, especially if you're selling a product or service. You must do everything in your power to put your visitor's mind at ease.

Privacy Statement

Internet users are becoming more and more concerned with their privacy. Create a page on your web site called "privacy" and let your visitors know exactly how you will be using the information you collect.

This page should include all of the following:

• How do you plan on using their information?
• Is their information sold or shared with a third party?
• Why do you collect their email address and how will it be used?
• Why do you track their IP address?
• Let your visitors know that you're not responsible for the privacy issues of any outside web sites you may be linking to.
• Why do you use order forms and what do you do with the information acquired?
• Do you run contests and what do you do with the information?
• Do you have a discussion forum or message board? Let your visitors know that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and they should exercise caution.
• Do you have security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under your control? If so, let your visitors know.
• Let your visitors know how they can opt out of your mailing lists.
• Provide your visitors with your contact information, should they have any questions in regard to your privacy statement.

You can create your privacy statement in a matter of minutes with the AutoWebLaw software. You simply fill in the blanks to customize the statement, click on a button, and copy your new privacy statement. This piece of software will save you a great deal of time and money.

Testimonials

Another great way to build your credibility is to display your customer testimonials. Include your customer's name, email address and web address with each unsolicited testimonial to increase believability.

You can find a nice script that will rotate your testimonials each day at Willmaster.com.

Money Back Guarantee

To further increase your credibility, you must completely remove your potential customer's risk. Provide them with a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. This will put their mind at ease by building their confidence in you and your product. In addition, you must honor ALL refund requests in a timely manner with complete professionalism.

No matter what you're selling or how great your product is you will receive refund requests. It's just a part of doing business. Don't take it personally or try to argue the point with your customers, simply give them a refund. You may be surprised to learn that the customers who ask for a refund may purchase other products from you in the future.

Feedback

Many times, potential customers will have questions in regard to your products and services. Create a page on your web site called "feedback" and place a form on this page to enable your visitors to contact you. It is very important that you answer these questions as quickly as possible. Your personal response to your potential customers can literally determine whether or not you're going to make a sale.

A feedback form will also enable you to gather testimonials and receive suggestions to assist you in improving your web site, products or services.

Secure Server

If you're processing your customer's orders online, you must place your order form on a secure server. This will protect your customer's personal information, while at the same time, provides your customers with added confidence in placing an order with you. In addition, make sure you let your visitors know that their information will be processed on a secure server.

By taking the time to build your credibility with your visitors, you will increase your Internet sales considerably.

Read more >>

Secret Formula for Writing Headlines that Sell

Secret Formula for Writing Headlines that Sell

We all know the importance of a powerful headline. However, writing a great headline isn't as easy as it sounds.

An effective headline will literally force your potential customers to learn more. It will instantly ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on.

In order to write an effective headline, you must learn how to use specific words to achieve a specific reaction.

Before writing your headline, you must first learn a little bit about the basic human motivators. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human behavior is always the result of one or more of five basic needs. He listed these needs in a sequence that he refers to as "the hierarchy of human needs."

He believes that until a less important need is met there won't be any desire to pursue a more important need. Below are the five human motivators, beginning with the basic needs and continuing to the most important needs.

Physiological - Basic human needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.

Safety (Security) - Human need for physical, emotional and financial security.

Social (Affiliation) - Human need for love, affection, companionship and acceptance.

Esteem (Self Esteem) - Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.

Self-actualization - Human need to reach their full potential.

When you are aware of the basic human needs, you can incorporate these needs into your writing. A great headline will appeal to your potential customers' emotions. You must feel their needs, wants and desires and write your headlines with passion and emotion.

When writing your headlines, keep in mind, you only have a few seconds to grab your potential customers' attention. If your headline doesn't immediately catch their attention, they'll simply move on and never return. Below, are several different formulas used by professional copywriters to write compelling headlines.

How to

"How to Increase Your Sales Up to 500% by Using This One Simple Strategy"

Headlines beginning with 'how to' are very successful, as the Internet is all about information. Internet users have a strong desire to learn. A headline beginning with 'how to' immediately grabs your potential customers' attention and forces them to read on.

Question

"Are You Sick and Tired of Working for Someone Else?"

Headlines written in the form of a question are very effective, as they appeal to your potential customers' emotions. When they read a headline written as a question, they'll answer the question in their mind. If the question identifies a specific need, want or desire, they'll read on.

Command

"Double Your Income within the Next 12 months --Guaranteed!"

A command headline focuses on the most important benefit your product or service has to offer. It instantly demands your potential customers' attention and intrigues them to read on.

News

"Announcing a Brand New Breakthrough in E-Publishing"

News headlines are very effective and used to announce new products and services. They are written in the form of an announcement or introduction and create curiosity.

Testimonials

"Internet Marketing Exclusive is Pure Genius -- Our Sales Have Increased by 40%!"

Headlines written in the form of a testimonial are very effective, as they instantly begin building trust.

When writing your headlines, certain words, when combined together, will literally draw your readers' attention to your ad. Below, are of few of these "Power Words" that consistently work.

Breakthrough - Discover - Discovery - Easy - Free - Guaranteed - Hidden - Incredible - Love - Master - Money - New - Powerful - Profits - Proven - Results - Revealed - Scientific - Secret - Shocked - Shocking - Ultimate - Uncovered - You - Your

According to a Yale University study, the following words are the most powerful words in the English language.

Money - Discovery - Save - Easy - New - Love - Health - Proven - You - Results - Guaranteed - Safety

Just as certain words ignite different emotions, certain subjects have a broader interest than others do. Some of the most popular subjects include wealth, love, health and safety.

Take your time and try the different formulas according to your needs. Use a combination of the power words and write a headline that sells. By learning the art of writing headlines that focus on the basic human needs and emotions, you can increase your sales considerably.

Read more >>

Testing and Tracking Your Marketing Strategies

Testing and Tracking Your Marketing Strategies

Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of your success. However, unless you're testing and tracking your strategies, you may be losing a great deal of time and money.

You can dramatically increase your sales simply by taking the time to test and track your results. Not only will it help you to determine what's working and what's not, but it will also enable you to focus your efforts on the strategies that produce results.

When testing your marketing strategies, keep in mind, a strategy that produces results for one person may not produce results for you. There is no 'set in stone' strategy that works for everyone. You must develop your own style and technique and test your results to determine what works for you. Below are some ad tracking resources to assist you in your testing and tracking endeavors.

Ad Tracking CGI Scripts

LnkinLite

If you're looking for a simple way to track clickthroughs, LnkinLite may be your answer. This free script will enable you to easily keep track of the number of clicks a specific link receives. Instead of using your standard link within your advertising, you can use a link created by this script. It will track the number of clickthroughs and instantly redirect your visitors to your URL.

Cost - Free

Willmaster's ProLinkz

This powerful script is a link creator, tracker, disguiser and manager all in one. It will enable you to create uniquely coded links that redirect to any URL you specify and count all hits and referrers. Cost - $45.00

AdTrackZ

This script will enable you to set up an entire ad tracking campaign including statistical reports for referring URLs, what browsers your visitors have installed, what operating systems your visitors are using and much more. Cost - $47.00

Ad Tracking Services

LinkCounter

A free service that tracks the clickthrough rates of your links. In addition to tracking your links, LinkCounter hides the URL of the link destination. This will prevent users from removing or changing your affiliate ID when visiting an affiliate site through your link.

HyperTracker

The PRO version of HyperTracker contains a number of advanced features including: unlimited advertising campaigns, tracking of sales and actions, special scripts that let you promote your own website address in your campaigns and much more. Cost - Starting at $10.95 mo. They also offer a free version.

Adminder

An online tracking system that will enable you to track an entire advertising campaign. It will enable you to see how many visitors were generated by each of your ads, keep track of sales that were generated by each ad and calculates the cost-per-click, cost-per-sale, and click-to-sale ratios for each ad. Cost - $19.95 mo. (for a limited time)

Statcruncher

Statcruncher tracks and reports exactly which ads, banners and links are producing results. They provide you with access to their powerful web-tracking system that will enable you to track your ad campaigns 24 hours a day in real time. Cost - $49.00 yr.

If you'd rather not use any of the products and services listed above, you can use some alternative methods. Below are some example tracking methods you can use to track your response rates:

URL

You can track your ads simply by adding some special coding to your URL. To code your URL, add a question mark followed by a special tracking code to the end of your web address.

Your coded link will still open your web page. Your code should look something like this:

http://www.yourdomain.com/?ad1

The text after the question mark should identify a specific ad. You can code it however you'd like.

To view your results, you'll need to look at your log files. Your code will be displayed within your log files beside your URL.

Email

You can track your email responses to specific ads by using the email subject. Select a specific word to be placed within the email subject for each ad. Although you can request that a certain word be placed within the email subject, many times it won't be supplied. To avoid this problem, you can create a special email link that will automatically fill in the subject when clicked on. Your link should look something like this:

mailto:you@yourdomain.com?subject=ad1

Testing and tracking your strategies is an essential part of doing business. By concentrating your efforts on strategies that produce results, you can not only increase your sales, but you'll also save yourself a great deal of time and money.

Read more >>

Organizing Your Strategies

Organizing Your Strategies

Organizing your strategies is an important part of your success. You must develop a weekly schedule for your business that becomes routine. Not only will this assist you in keeping your promotions organized, but it will also help you stay on task.

Your first step will be to decide what tasks should be performed each day, such as link exchanges on Mondays, managing your pay-per-click programs on Tuesday, etc.

A good way to organize your promotions is to set up a web page, for your personal use, that will contain your complete strategy. This page should be stored on your hard drive and not uploaded to your server, as you don’t want it to be accessible on the Internet.

Each section within your page should contain the appropriate information for each of your promotional resources, such as web site name, user ID, password (if applicable) and hyperlinked web addresses for each web site you plan to use for your promotions. This will enable you to open your web page each day and visit the sites you have listed.

In addition to developing a weekly schedule, you should also develop a separate page for each of your strategies. For example, if you’re advertising in ezines, you should create a page that contains the name of each ezine you’re advertising in, web address, cost, the number of subscribers, the ad you’re running and the results (clickthoughs / sales) for each publication and each ad.

Your first step will be to create your weekly schedule. You can then develop your promotional pages accordingly.

Tabel

The key to developing a successful promotional campaign is consistency and testing.

You must be consistent in your promotions. This is why developing a weekly schedule for your promotions is so important. By creating your schedule and organizing your strategies, you will not only have an organized approach to each day, but you’ll get a lot more accomplished by having a laid out work plan.

Just as devising a schedule is an important part of your success, it is just as important to test absolutely everything. This will not only tell you exactly what’s working and what’s not, but it will also save you a great deal of money, as you won’t pay for advertising ventures that aren’t producing results.

For example, if you’re running ezine ads, you should be testing your ads, including headlines, body text and every variation you can think of, such as capitalizations, wording, order, etc. You will be amazed at how one little tiny change in an ad can produce major results.

In addition, you should be testing the publications you’re advertising in. Above all else, make sure the publication targets your market. For example, if you’re selling health products, you certainly wouldn’t want to advertise in a publication targeting Internet marketers. You’d want to advertise in a ‘Health’ related publication.

Take your time and plan your strategies very carefully. Remember … Plan your work then work your plan.

Read more >>

Setting up an Advertising Campaign through Google Adwords

Setting up an Advertising Campaign through Google Adwords

http://adwords.google.com

If you're looking for a low-cost, yet highly effective means of advertising your products and services, Google AdWords may be your answer.

Google AdWords provides a simple way to purchase highly targeted advertising, regardless of your budget. Unlike other sites selling banner ad space and pay-per-ranking, AdWords provides advertisers with highly effective text ads that are displayed with the search results. Studies have shown that highly targeted keyword advertising produces an average of four times the industry standard clickthrough rate.

Google, one of the premier Search Engines, receives over 29 million searches each day. Their popularity most likely stems from the speed and accuracy of their search results. Needless to say, placing your text ad with Google Adwords will be a highly effective way to advertise your products and services.

It is a well-known fact that text ads perform much better than banner ads. What better way to target your audience than through a popular Search Engine? Your potential customer is there for a reason -- they're looking for something. When a Google visitor types in their keywords, they are almost instantly presented with their search results. On the right side of the results are colored text boxes containing targeted advertisements that match their search terms.

When you place your ad with AdWords, you will have the ability to select a list of tightly targeted keywords including all of the following:

Keyword Matching - Shows your ad when a search includes your selected words.

Phrase Matching - Shows your ad when a search includes your selected phrases.

Exact Query Matching - Shows your ad when a search contains your exact keywords and no others.

Negative Keyword Matching - Will not show your ad if a search contains certain words you select.

This unique targeting technique will enable you to create a highly targeted ad campaign and test your ads with a high rate of accuracy. What's more, you can even target your ads to a specific country or language.

The great thing about advertising with Google AdWords is that you will have complete control over your ad and how much you'd like to spend. You can open an account with a credit card with no minimum deposit required. Once you place your ad, it can begin running almost immediately.

Their advertising rates are very reasonable. The amount you spend on your advertising campaign will depend on two factors: (1) the number of times your ad is displayed and (2) the position, one through eight, in which your ad appears. The advertising rates are as follows:

Position 1 - $15 per thousand ads shown
Position 2 - $12 per thousand ads shown
Position 3 - $10 per thousand ads shown
Position 4-8 - $8 per thousand ads shown

The position of an ad is determined by how well it is performing. Ads with a higher clickthrough rate will receive a higher position and in turn will cost more.

In order to increase your clickthrough rate and spend less money, try to select keywords and phrases that specifically target the product or service you're offering. Avoid using common words, as these will use up your ad displays very rapidly. Instead, select words that specifically target your product or service.

For example, instead of using a general keyword like 'software,' use a keyword that focuses on a specific software program such as 'FrontPage 2002' -- or, a little less focused, 'web design software.' In addition, make sure you use your keyword phrase (search term) as the title of your ad. This will increase your clickthrough rate considerably.

When you set up your account with Google, make sure you use a different ad for each search term. Not only will this increase your ad's relevance in the search results, but it will also increase your clickthrough rate.

Once you place your ad, you can easily track your ad's response rate and make adjustments instantly. This is a great, low-cost way to find out which ads are performing the best.

Google AdWords provides Internet marketers with a cost-effective alternative to banner advertising. If you want to increase your traffic and sales, give AdWord a try -- you'll be glad you did.

For further information, visit Google AdWords:
http://adwords.google.com

Read more >>

Soul Searching

Soul Searching

Developing a successful Internet business is the ultimate goal of the Internet entrepreneur. However, statistics show that most Internet businesses never make any real money.

Making money on the Internet isn't easy -- it takes a great deal of time and effort and requires a total commitment. You must be completely passionate about your business and have a sincere desire to succeed. Anything less will be a complete waste of your time and will most likely result in failure.

You must also realize that success isn't going to happen overnight. There will be many obstacles along the way and a great deal to be learned. However, anything worth having is worth working towards and won't come easy. There will be many long days and sleepless nights. However, if everything falls into place, and you plan each step very carefully, the end will justify the means.

The largest obstacle you will ever encounter is fear -- fear of the unknown -- fear of change -- fear of failing. Fear is the root of failure and prevents dreamers from living their true passion. They fail to try.

Above all else, you must take the first step to overcome your fears. With each step you take, you will become a little closer to achieving your dreams. As long as you keep trying, you'll never fail.

There are many common characteristics shared by successful Internet entrepreneurs. Below are some of the most important:

Set Your Goals

Set your goals and write them down on a piece of paper. Set short-term reachable goals and long-term higher goals. However, don't set them too high, as this will cause you to become discouraged if you don't achieve them.

Work consistently toward accomplishing your goals each day, each week and each month until you reach your short-term goals. When you have attained your short-term goals, set them a little higher each time -- ultimately you will achieve your long-term goals.

Self-Disciplined

Get up early each day just as if you were working outside your home. You have to take your business very seriously and be completely self-disciplined.

Self-Motivated

Set up a daily schedule and stick to it. Your own personal drive will have a great impact on your success. You must have the ability to work independently and stay on task.

Positive Attitude

Your attitude is one of the most important factors that will determine your success. Your attitude will either guarantee your success or guarantee your failure. If you have a positive attitude and believe in yourself above all else, you will succeed.

Organizational Skills

Create a list of all the things you want to accomplish during the day. This will give you an organized approach to each day.

Attention to Detail

Whatever you're doing, do it to the best of your ability. Pay close attention to detail. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, as you're only human. However, if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Developing your own Internet business is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding experiences of a lifetime. It is a continuous learning experience and will be filled with many valuable lessons you will carry with you for the rest of your life -- some good, some bad, but lessons still the same.

Although there aren't any shortcuts to achieving your dreams, there is something you can do to speed up the process -- Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Follow in the footsteps of successful Internet entrepreneurs who are already successful. Not only will you save yourself a lot of time and money, but you'll also have a road map to success.

Read more >>

Work from Home

Introduction : A Complete Guide to Developing a Successful Internet Business from Home

By Shelley Lowery

The Internet has opened a whole New World of opportunity for even the smallest home-based business owner. There are countless numbers of new self-made millionaires that achieved their newfound success on the Internet. These new millionaires are no different from you and me. They started their Internet businesses from the ground up, found a niche and built their success one day at a time.

“Can I really make money on the Internet?” The fact of the matter is that you really can make money on the Internet -- a lot of money. You simply must take the necessary steps to make it happen. You must have a sincere desire to succeed and the attitude for success.

If you are sincerely passionate about your success, you will succeed -- it's that simple.

The true secret to creating a successful Internet business is pure determination. Most people fail just at the moment they are about to succeed. Why? -- Because they give up. They lack the true passion that it takes to succeed. As long as you keep trying, you'll never fail.

Below, is list of what I feel are the most important ingredients for Internet success:

Sincere Passion

In order to be successful, you must be completely passionate about your business and your success. If you don't have a "sincere" passion, you won't have the necessary personal drive that it takes to succeed.

Your Own Domain (www.yourdomain.com)

Businesses hosted on a free server are not taken seriously and are generally considered to be unprofessional. If a company doesn't care enough about its business to get its own domain name, potential customers may not feel comfortable doing business with them. A company with its own domain name and a professional looking web site will have a much higher rate of success when compared with most business sites hosted on free servers.

Professional Web site

Your web site is a direct reflection of you and your business. Creating a professional web site designed to sell will take a great deal of time and effort, as there is much more to take into consideration than design. You must look at a much broader picture and specifically design your web site to sell.

Quality Content

In order to create a steady stream of traffic to your web site, you must give your visitors a reason to visit and continue to visit in the future. You must provide your visitors with fresh content on a continual basis.

Targeted Traffic

No matter how great your web site is, unless you're receiving quality, targeted traffic, it will be useless. Your web site may receive hundreds of visitors each day. However, if they aren't interested in the products or services you're offering, your web traffic won't mean a thing. You must drive a continuous stream of targeted traffic to your web site.

Opt-in List

Having your own list of targeted potential customers is an absolute essential part of your success. It will not only provide you with a direct line of communication with potential customers and enable you to promote products or services, but it will also build your credibility.

Quality In-Demand Products/Services

Whether you’re marketing your own products or someone else’s, quality is an absolute must. Select products and/or services that will be of interest to your target market.

Multiple Income Streams

The key to developing a successful Internet business is to create multiple streams of income. You must not rely solely upon one stream of income, as you will literally be placing all of your eggs in one basket. By developing income from multiple sources, when one source is having a slow period, the other sources will supplement.

Killer Sales Copy

Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your product, web site and marketing strategies all depend upon your words. You must learn how to write persuasive words specifically written for your targeted customer. You must feel your customers’ needs and write your copy with passion, excitement and benefit.

Killer Marketing Strategy

Developing a successful marketing strategy is an essential part of your online success. In order to succeed, you must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following:

• Great products/Services
• A web site specifically designed to sell
• A killer marketing strategy

Each step plays an important role in your overall strategy and must be developed to its fullest potential. If even one step fails, your chances of success will be minimal.

Instant Product Delivery (downloadable, instant access, etc.)

Internet users are starving for information, as that is what the Internet is all about. They have a sincere desire to learn and want the information they desire right now.

The best products to sell on the Internet are those that can be instantly delivered over the Internet.

Credibility

As an Internet entrepreneur, it is your personal responsibility to ensure that your visitors feel very comfortable with you and your web site. In order to gain your visitor's trust and confidence, you must build your credibility.

Investing in Your Business

No matter what type of business you’re developing, you MUST be willing to invest in your business, including your time, and monetarily. You must also be willing to work hard, including educating yourself, researching, and learning exactly how to market on the Internet. You must also be willing to purchase a domain name, pay a monthly web hosting fee, purchase advertising and whatever else is needed to run your business. Failure to do so will result in failure.

Your attitude is the MOST important factor in determining your success. You MUST think positively and be willing to tackle any obstacle that comes along. The fact is, you CAN do whatever you put your mind to. You simply have to believe you can and believe in yourself above all else.

If you are sincerely passionate about your success, you will succeed.

To your success!

Read more >>