This question was recently asked by one my subscribers. Although I now heavily depend on Twitter and Facebook to help grow my business and develop my client base, I must admit that I thought Twitter was also a bunch of hype at one point.
I can remember when I first set up my Twitter account I had no clue what I was doing. Better yet, I had no idea what purpose Twitter served. Followers, Tweets, 140 characters... all of this made no sense to me! The only thing I knew is that this new form of communication seemed to just come out of nowhere and that if I was smart I would jump on board before this train picked up too much steam.
At first I was just going through the motions like many people do. You know, following people with hopes that they started following me. I was sending out multiple tweets each day to try and attract more people. What I was doing worked but I did not see the results from my actions. It took a while but I finally learned to use Twitter and Facebook to my advantage and it would be hard to picture my life without these tools
I would like to start a dialogue with people who either feel this way now or have felt like this in the past. I can help, but I would also like to hear what others have to say.
Peace and Blessings
Dec 31, 2009
Dec 12, 2009
There is money to be made by blogging!
There is money to be made by blogging. I'm doing it now and would love to show you how. See it here. http://www.profitsbythehour.com/bloggingfordollars.htm
Nov 12, 2009
How to Drive Real Traffic to Your Website
Is there a question more asked when it comes to Internet Marketing than "How do I drive traffic to my site?"
I really don't think so!
There's tons of information about driving traffic to your website online. Go for it, just do a search on Google and you'll find articles, forums, blogs, questions, and products all dedicated to this one question. The problem is, there is also an overkill of information, some good and bad that often confuses even the most seasoned Internet Marketers.
Although I don't claim to be the only person qualified to show you how to drive traffic to your site, I can say that my methods of driving traffic have worked since day one until now. I've also shown a few others how to not only drive traffic to their site but to convert that traffic into sales.
Let's spend the next few minutes addressing what you need to know to drive real traffic to your website.
So what is real traffic? Let me summarize it in 3 ways.
1. Real traffic is targeted, not just any random visitor who has no sincere interest inwhat you're offering.
2. Real traffic quickly converts into prospects who ultimately become customers.
3. Real traffic develops into repeat buyers who refer other customers.
In my opinion, this is the most important and valuable traffic to shoot for. Now let me be clear, while your goal is to have as much targeted traffic as possible there is also a need and purpose for anyone that becomes your opt in subscriber. I teach my students a great deal about directing targeted traffic to their websites in my home study course. Chapter 7 is entirely on this topic.
What I'm going to do is give you several of the key points in that chapter and provide you with the 5 things you need to do now to immediately generate real traffic and more than likely a few sales. (If you have the right product... Having the right product is a whole new lesson).
1. Start writing helpful articles - Is this article helpful to you so far? That's definitely my goal with every article that I write and it should be yours as well. You can write articles that teach your readers something new or give them information that is relative to what you're offering. It does not cost anything to write articles and there are several websites on the Internet that will publish your articles free of charge. Many of your articles will be picked up by search engines almost immediately if you are coming up with great content for others to read. The key is to provide useful information that cannot be found elsewhere.
2. Begin to establish joint ventures - Unless you have a one of a kind product or niche, there will be other websites on the Internet that relate to your product. Contact the owners of these websites and set up joint ventures to promote each others product or service. You'll only want to work with those who share a similar value system and reputation as you do. Joint ventures are a great way to sell more product as well as build your opt in list.
3. Join and contribute to message boards and forums - Visit other websites within your industry and look for online message boards and forums. These forums are excellent meeting places for people who may be interested in your knowledge and information. Subscribe to as many active message boards as you can handle and immediately begin joining in on the conversations. You will learn a lot and others will learn from you if you are responding to questions that fall within you area of expertise. You never want to advertise on these boards but rather gain the trust and respect of the other board members by becoming a valuable contributor. You will want to add a personal signature to each one of your profiles so that every time you make a post it appears along with a link to your website.
4. Responsibly place ads on Craigslist (Where applicable) - I emphasize the word responsibly because Craigslist is one of the few places that I know that allows you to place free ads in most cases that actually creates targeted traffic. There may be others but I don't use them. Craigslist is like fishing in a stocked pond, you have to preserve the environment and not deplete the resources if you want to fish there for many years. Unfortunately people abuse great fishing holes as they do with Craigslist which directly affects everyone else who uses them. You just have to do your part and post a minimal amount of great ads in the right category. Don't be a spammer or annoy people with your ads. Instead post responsibly and watch your targeted traffic soar.
5. Open up a Google Adwords Account - The other 4 ways of driving targeted traffic to your website can be done without spending any money but this one will cost you a few dollars but not too much if it's done right. Adwords is Google's PPC (Pay Per Click) program. Adwords allows its' customers to place ads on their site that are on the same page with their natural search listings. Your ads will be triggered by the keywords that you select. Meaning, most of the time your ads are only clicked on by people looking for exactly what you have to offer. A huge percentage of people searching on the internet for goods and services use Google so you will have the opportunity to capture a significant number of customers and prospects who only clicked on your ad because they wanted to learn more about what you had to offer. You can run as many ads as you like but the great thing is that you only pay for the ads when they are clicked on. So don't go around telling your family and friends to check you out on Google unless you want to pay for unnecessary clicks. If your goal is to make lots of sales and to build a huge opt in list you can't go wrong with want I'm telling you. As with anything don't expect results on everything the first day. That's why you have 5 profit generating activities to apply. Give proper attention to each one of them and eventually they'll all click to generate the daily traffic you need to make lots of cash.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://ProfitsByTheHour.com and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
I really don't think so!
There's tons of information about driving traffic to your website online. Go for it, just do a search on Google and you'll find articles, forums, blogs, questions, and products all dedicated to this one question. The problem is, there is also an overkill of information, some good and bad that often confuses even the most seasoned Internet Marketers.
Although I don't claim to be the only person qualified to show you how to drive traffic to your site, I can say that my methods of driving traffic have worked since day one until now. I've also shown a few others how to not only drive traffic to their site but to convert that traffic into sales.
Let's spend the next few minutes addressing what you need to know to drive real traffic to your website.
So what is real traffic? Let me summarize it in 3 ways.
1. Real traffic is targeted, not just any random visitor who has no sincere interest inwhat you're offering.
2. Real traffic quickly converts into prospects who ultimately become customers.
3. Real traffic develops into repeat buyers who refer other customers.
In my opinion, this is the most important and valuable traffic to shoot for. Now let me be clear, while your goal is to have as much targeted traffic as possible there is also a need and purpose for anyone that becomes your opt in subscriber. I teach my students a great deal about directing targeted traffic to their websites in my home study course. Chapter 7 is entirely on this topic.
What I'm going to do is give you several of the key points in that chapter and provide you with the 5 things you need to do now to immediately generate real traffic and more than likely a few sales. (If you have the right product... Having the right product is a whole new lesson).
1. Start writing helpful articles - Is this article helpful to you so far? That's definitely my goal with every article that I write and it should be yours as well. You can write articles that teach your readers something new or give them information that is relative to what you're offering. It does not cost anything to write articles and there are several websites on the Internet that will publish your articles free of charge. Many of your articles will be picked up by search engines almost immediately if you are coming up with great content for others to read. The key is to provide useful information that cannot be found elsewhere.
2. Begin to establish joint ventures - Unless you have a one of a kind product or niche, there will be other websites on the Internet that relate to your product. Contact the owners of these websites and set up joint ventures to promote each others product or service. You'll only want to work with those who share a similar value system and reputation as you do. Joint ventures are a great way to sell more product as well as build your opt in list.
3. Join and contribute to message boards and forums - Visit other websites within your industry and look for online message boards and forums. These forums are excellent meeting places for people who may be interested in your knowledge and information. Subscribe to as many active message boards as you can handle and immediately begin joining in on the conversations. You will learn a lot and others will learn from you if you are responding to questions that fall within you area of expertise. You never want to advertise on these boards but rather gain the trust and respect of the other board members by becoming a valuable contributor. You will want to add a personal signature to each one of your profiles so that every time you make a post it appears along with a link to your website.
4. Responsibly place ads on Craigslist (Where applicable) - I emphasize the word responsibly because Craigslist is one of the few places that I know that allows you to place free ads in most cases that actually creates targeted traffic. There may be others but I don't use them. Craigslist is like fishing in a stocked pond, you have to preserve the environment and not deplete the resources if you want to fish there for many years. Unfortunately people abuse great fishing holes as they do with Craigslist which directly affects everyone else who uses them. You just have to do your part and post a minimal amount of great ads in the right category. Don't be a spammer or annoy people with your ads. Instead post responsibly and watch your targeted traffic soar.
5. Open up a Google Adwords Account - The other 4 ways of driving targeted traffic to your website can be done without spending any money but this one will cost you a few dollars but not too much if it's done right. Adwords is Google's PPC (Pay Per Click) program. Adwords allows its' customers to place ads on their site that are on the same page with their natural search listings. Your ads will be triggered by the keywords that you select. Meaning, most of the time your ads are only clicked on by people looking for exactly what you have to offer. A huge percentage of people searching on the internet for goods and services use Google so you will have the opportunity to capture a significant number of customers and prospects who only clicked on your ad because they wanted to learn more about what you had to offer. You can run as many ads as you like but the great thing is that you only pay for the ads when they are clicked on. So don't go around telling your family and friends to check you out on Google unless you want to pay for unnecessary clicks. If your goal is to make lots of sales and to build a huge opt in list you can't go wrong with want I'm telling you. As with anything don't expect results on everything the first day. That's why you have 5 profit generating activities to apply. Give proper attention to each one of them and eventually they'll all click to generate the daily traffic you need to make lots of cash.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://ProfitsByTheHour.com and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
Developing Your Product
Now it’s time to take the topic that you are going to base your product around and develop a superior tool to offer your target market. If you’ve taken heed to my advice and chosen to write about something from which you have experience, the product development phase of your business will be easy.
The first question you need to ask yourself is who is going to write my material?
The second question to ask is what is the best format for me to distribute my material to the public? (See page 4 of my course)
Creating your product from scratch
For example, if you are comfortable at job interviews and seem to always get offered the position on the spot, deciding to develop a product that teaches people how to increase their interview success rate may be a good idea. In this scenario, the best person to communicate your successful interviewing techniques to your target market is you.
All you would have to do is document the necessary steps in an easy to follow format making sure that not a single detail is left out and that you even go out of your way to provide additional valuable information as a bonus. (Hint: this is the same exact formula that I followed to create my real estate course and the very course you are reading now)
If you decide that someone else will write your material for you, be sure to provide that person with as many notes and transcripts of your work so that your product does not become too theory based. You will build a huge list of unhappy customers if you’re provide them with the “what’s” and not the “how to’s”.
Remember, your customers are paying you their hard earned money to learn information that can only be learned by reading your material. They will not be too thrilled if all you provide them with is information that could be found free of charge on the internet. With this being said, you should at least write the rough draft before allowing someone to create a product in your behalf.
Don’t cheat your customers. You will want to build loyalty through your offerings and hopefully be able to provide them with future products and services. I can promise that the two quickest routes to failure as an online marketer is to provide an inferior product and to not honor the terms of your purchase agreement. Both are considered unethical and will bring you down faster than you can count to three.
Selling an already existing product
Let it be known right now that I suggest creating your own product, however I know that many people simply will not and would rather take advantage of the opportunity to market and sell an already existing product. Besides, there is not a written rule that says you have to create your own product; it’s just my personal preference.There are a few advantages and disadvantages of selling a product that you do not have to take the time to create. Let’s explore them:
Advantages
1. Time ordinarily spent on product development can now be allocated to marketing and sales.
2. If the product you’re selling has a good reputation this may help increase your sales. Customers typically buy from people and companies that they view as leaders or “players” in the industry.
3. Any costs associated with creating your product will be avoided which will therefore reduce your total start up costs.
Disadvantages
1. Chances are that you would not be the only one selling the product, therefore increasing the chances of on oversaturated market.
2. Unless you have the right to reprint and repackage the information, you have no creative control of the product and will not be able to edit or improve your work if necessary.
3. It is difficult to increase the price of your product if a potential customer can find the same product at a lower price.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://profitsbythehour.com/ and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
The first question you need to ask yourself is who is going to write my material?
The second question to ask is what is the best format for me to distribute my material to the public? (See page 4 of my course)
Creating your product from scratch
For example, if you are comfortable at job interviews and seem to always get offered the position on the spot, deciding to develop a product that teaches people how to increase their interview success rate may be a good idea. In this scenario, the best person to communicate your successful interviewing techniques to your target market is you.
All you would have to do is document the necessary steps in an easy to follow format making sure that not a single detail is left out and that you even go out of your way to provide additional valuable information as a bonus. (Hint: this is the same exact formula that I followed to create my real estate course and the very course you are reading now)
If you decide that someone else will write your material for you, be sure to provide that person with as many notes and transcripts of your work so that your product does not become too theory based. You will build a huge list of unhappy customers if you’re provide them with the “what’s” and not the “how to’s”.
Remember, your customers are paying you their hard earned money to learn information that can only be learned by reading your material. They will not be too thrilled if all you provide them with is information that could be found free of charge on the internet. With this being said, you should at least write the rough draft before allowing someone to create a product in your behalf.
Don’t cheat your customers. You will want to build loyalty through your offerings and hopefully be able to provide them with future products and services. I can promise that the two quickest routes to failure as an online marketer is to provide an inferior product and to not honor the terms of your purchase agreement. Both are considered unethical and will bring you down faster than you can count to three.
Selling an already existing product
Let it be known right now that I suggest creating your own product, however I know that many people simply will not and would rather take advantage of the opportunity to market and sell an already existing product. Besides, there is not a written rule that says you have to create your own product; it’s just my personal preference.There are a few advantages and disadvantages of selling a product that you do not have to take the time to create. Let’s explore them:
Advantages
1. Time ordinarily spent on product development can now be allocated to marketing and sales.
2. If the product you’re selling has a good reputation this may help increase your sales. Customers typically buy from people and companies that they view as leaders or “players” in the industry.
3. Any costs associated with creating your product will be avoided which will therefore reduce your total start up costs.
Disadvantages
1. Chances are that you would not be the only one selling the product, therefore increasing the chances of on oversaturated market.
2. Unless you have the right to reprint and repackage the information, you have no creative control of the product and will not be able to edit or improve your work if necessary.
3. It is difficult to increase the price of your product if a potential customer can find the same product at a lower price.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://profitsbythehour.com/ and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
Internet Marketing - Is it that simple?
I guess is somewhat of a rhetorical question but I'm asking because so much of what you read about Internet Marketing is that all you need to do is have a website and a product, put it out on the Internet, and watch the dollars start rolling in. I'm sorry my friend, it's not that simple.
It doesn't take much effort to create a website or to come up with a product. The real work is actually getting it out on the Internet. Let me ask a question. If someone produced their own short film or sitcom pilot would it be as simple as calling up the station and requesting a prime time slot? Same with the Internet. One does not simply come up with a product and website and begin making money.
I go over the real steps to making money on the Internet in detail in my course. It's not that simple but can easily be done with the right guidance. Learn more at http://www.profitsbythehour.com
It doesn't take much effort to create a website or to come up with a product. The real work is actually getting it out on the Internet. Let me ask a question. If someone produced their own short film or sitcom pilot would it be as simple as calling up the station and requesting a prime time slot? Same with the Internet. One does not simply come up with a product and website and begin making money.
I go over the real steps to making money on the Internet in detail in my course. It's not that simple but can easily be done with the right guidance. Learn more at http://www.profitsbythehour.com
Oct 13, 2009
So You Want to Make Money On the Internet Do You?
Maybe it shouldn't bother me, but even after 6 years as an online marketer one of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells me that they want to make money on the Internet like I do. Let me be clear, it's not that I don't want anyone else to prosper. I'm not that selfish, my problem is that 99.9% of the people who say this to me have zero experience as an online marketer and have not even read one book or article on the subject. It's almost like they give me no credit for all of the years and hard work that I've devoted to my craft or even worse, that Internet Marketing is nothing more than this "thing" that anyone can jump right into. I often get, "I'm going to write a book and sell it on the internet." Or even, "I'm thinking about creating a _______ website, can you show me how to make money with it?" My friend, I'm here to tell you that it's not that simple.
As with any profession there is a certain amount of training, skill, and education required to become successful. Can "the average Joe" just wake up one morning and decide to become a lawyer? How about a doctor? What about an award winning actress? Heck, I'm sure that some training is also needed to be a great cherry picker. Point is, you can't decide one day that you are going to build a successful online business without the proper education and training. My students are fortunate because they do not have to figure the in's and out's of this super profitable yet very competitive industry on their own. When I first got started my knowledge and experience came from the "School of Hard Knocks" because that was the only way to learn at the time.
Maybe I should take some of the blame for the way that others view my line of work. I don't walk around wearing my success on my shoulders and for the most part my life is no different than the average responsible father and husband. At first, my own friends and family thought I was unemployed until they realized that I must be doing something in order to provide for my wife and kids. I live a very modest life compared to some of my counterparts and at times I still find it difficult to explain what I do for a living. Sometimes I say that I'm an "Internet Marketing Consultant" and that works fine until someone probes me for more information. It seems like the more I try to explain, the more I just put my foot in my mouth. Just recently I've summed up my profession by saying that I own an operate several online businesses. That's seems to do the trick, either my explanation is sufficient or people figure they won't confuse themselves anymore than they already are (LOL).
Many people can't fathom the idea of earning the type of money that top online marketers make without actually being a highly paid employee. Even traditional business owners are perceived differently because of the long hours required to get their establishments off of the ground or the fact that there is usual physical evidence of a business like an office building, high profile clients, employees, or even business cards.
Making money on the Internet requires none of the above. As a matter of fact, with nothing more than a lap top or PC and a quiet place at home, anyone can create their own online fortune. All that's missing is the proper training and knowledge. Making money on the Internet is not as simple as having a product and building a website. Both are main components of every online business but Internet Marketing education is what separates the "top earners" from the "top failures". Don't cheat yourself or underestimate others that are successful in this business. Believe me when I say that it did not come without a price. Working smart, dedication, and most importantly education is what it takes to make real money on the Internet. Are you ready for the challenge? It's well worth it if you are.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://profitsbythehour.com/ and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
As with any profession there is a certain amount of training, skill, and education required to become successful. Can "the average Joe" just wake up one morning and decide to become a lawyer? How about a doctor? What about an award winning actress? Heck, I'm sure that some training is also needed to be a great cherry picker. Point is, you can't decide one day that you are going to build a successful online business without the proper education and training. My students are fortunate because they do not have to figure the in's and out's of this super profitable yet very competitive industry on their own. When I first got started my knowledge and experience came from the "School of Hard Knocks" because that was the only way to learn at the time.
Maybe I should take some of the blame for the way that others view my line of work. I don't walk around wearing my success on my shoulders and for the most part my life is no different than the average responsible father and husband. At first, my own friends and family thought I was unemployed until they realized that I must be doing something in order to provide for my wife and kids. I live a very modest life compared to some of my counterparts and at times I still find it difficult to explain what I do for a living. Sometimes I say that I'm an "Internet Marketing Consultant" and that works fine until someone probes me for more information. It seems like the more I try to explain, the more I just put my foot in my mouth. Just recently I've summed up my profession by saying that I own an operate several online businesses. That's seems to do the trick, either my explanation is sufficient or people figure they won't confuse themselves anymore than they already are (LOL).
Many people can't fathom the idea of earning the type of money that top online marketers make without actually being a highly paid employee. Even traditional business owners are perceived differently because of the long hours required to get their establishments off of the ground or the fact that there is usual physical evidence of a business like an office building, high profile clients, employees, or even business cards.
Making money on the Internet requires none of the above. As a matter of fact, with nothing more than a lap top or PC and a quiet place at home, anyone can create their own online fortune. All that's missing is the proper training and knowledge. Making money on the Internet is not as simple as having a product and building a website. Both are main components of every online business but Internet Marketing education is what separates the "top earners" from the "top failures". Don't cheat yourself or underestimate others that are successful in this business. Believe me when I say that it did not come without a price. Working smart, dedication, and most importantly education is what it takes to make real money on the Internet. Are you ready for the challenge? It's well worth it if you are.
You can read more articles that I've written related to Internet Marketing on my website http://profitsbythehour.com/ and you can also learn the exact system I've used to build my online fortune.
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