June 26th, 2008
As most of you know, I have worked with wholesalers both on and offline for many years and a number of my websites are based around helping people find and trade with wholesale suppliers.
I receive a fairly constant stream of emails from customers and potential customers asking various questions about buying from wholesalers and this has been the case for the past few years. These questions always increase in volume around this time of the year as people try and grasp a bit of buying madness that surrounds Christmas. In view of this, I would like to throw a few do’s and don’ts out there which will benefit anyone new to trading…..
1. One of the most common ‘gripes’ I get from people is that they can’t find low prices for popular products online. It never ceases to amaze me how little effort some people want to put into making money….
The fact is that it is highly unlikely that you will find the best prices for the majority of products online - this is especially the case in the UK as many of the larger wholesalers don’t even have websites. More often than not, an online wholesaler is merely someone that has gone to an offline wholesaler and purchased a load of stock to mark up and offer to online buyers. If the wholesaler you are buying from online doesn’t have a trade warehouse or premises that you can visit and purchase from, there is every possibility that they are not a wholesaler at all but simply a middleman.
Cut out the middleman and pick up the phone or better still, visit prospective suppliers and build a relationship with them. Buying wholesale stock online may be convenient but in most cases you won’t be getting the best deal and you may also be missing out on additional stock that isn’t advertised online. Note that this isn’t so much the case in the US where many big wholesalers do have excellent online ‘warehouses’ - we are yet to catch up in the UK 
2. eBay is an excellent venue for buyers and sellers BUT it is also the biggest marketplace in the World. This means that if you want to sell there, you will be in competition with some of the largest traders in the World. Don’t be surprised if you can buy products cheaper on eBay than you can from your local wholesaler. Chances are that the seller has negotiated a massive discount for buying in huge bulk or they may even be importing the products themselves (or using their buying power to source direct from the manufacturer). Unless you are in the position of being able to buy in similar quantities, you simply won’t be able to compete on a like for like basis with many popular product lines.
3. People often email me asking where they can find a wholesaler for a really specific, niche item (for example horse-riding saddles). With something so specific, it is highly unlikely that you will find an individual wholesaler that deals solely in that product. Often time it will be necessary to make your wholesale purchases direct from the manufacturer. Therefore, if you are having trouble locating a supplier for a particular item, don’t be afraid to pick up the telephone to the manufacturer and simply ask them who their main distributors are.
4. I’ve said it so many times before but I still get emails about this one - avoid products such as DVDs, computer games, electrical goods etc like the plague. The profit margin is tiny and you won’t be able to compete with the bigger sellers. I don’t know how much clearer I can make it - unless you want to work for peanuts, just steer clear of these products. The only exception is if you can add value in some way and differentiate yourself from the other larger sellers.
5. Remember too that if you are struggling to find a product at a particular price, there is every possibility that what you are looking for just doesn’t exist. I have lost count of the number of times people have emailed me asking where they can buy ‘product A for £x each’ and when I have asked them why they think they should be able to buy it at that price, they reply that ‘it sounds about the right sort of price for a wholesale purchase’!! Seriously - they have just made up the figure in their head that they ‘think’ they should be able to buy at!! Usually in these situations, the figure is wayyyy off…..
6. As with everything, buying and selling products takes a bit of effort (in fact, it can often take a lot of effort) but those willing to put the work in are the ones that benefit financially.
If you want to sit at home and buy stock online to resell on eBay, then don’t be surprised if you find yourself working hard for minimal profits. If however you are prepared to visit a few wholesalers, check out the latest stock as it arrives, build up a relationship and negotiate a great deal with your new business partner, then you have every right to expect to see a good return on your investments….
Copyright 2005 Richard Grady
Richard Grady has been helping people earn online since 1998. eBay sellers find wholesalers for free at: http://www.wholesale118.co.uk (UK) & http://www.thewholesaletrader.com (US).
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June 24th, 2008
*Note: This article may be re-published as long as the attached resource box below is included. A copy of the publication is appreciated at mailto:db@movingaheadcom.com - - thanks!
Building Healthy Writing Habits
Do you have good writing habits? Are you meeting or exceeding your own expectations?
Consider this gentleman:
A 19th century British Postal clerk decided to start writing 3,000 words each day so that he could author his very own first novel. He placed his watch on the table and wrote before leaving the house every morning. This new habit paid off, and later Anthony Trollope published not one, but many novels; among them, The Macdermots of Ballycloran (1847), Phineas Finn and He Knew He Was Right (both 1869).
What do you think? Maybe it’s time to think about changing or starting some of your own writing habits. If you want more out of your nonfiction plans, here are five tips, the FIVE A’S, to build healthier habits:
1. ACCOUNT: Make a written account of any habits you’d like to work on: get more organized, make more telephone calls to potential business clients for writing projects and assignments, quit checking your e-mail 10 times a day. There’s no need to be grammatically correct, just write something down so you can see the habit you want to improve in front of you.
2. ACQUIRE: Gather information about the habit from several sources: marketing chat rooms on the Internet, library reference books about organization, online newsletters from motivational speakers like Zig Ziglar with improvement tips, etc. Check around for activities & groups in your area & sign up for workshops and speakers. The Small Business Administration also hosts workshops and offers free marketing materials and advice. Sign up. Take notes. Ask questions. Everyone has to start somewhere!
3. ACTION: Develop a course of action for working on each habit. Be as specific as possible. For instance, to increase phone calls to potential clients, maybe start with two calls per day. Then increase to three, gradually building up until you get the number you’d like. If you get sidetracked, or let a couple of weeks go by due to busy scheduling, late meetings, or too many commitments, catch up! Work overtime, ask someone to take notes at the next meeting for you, just say “no, maybe next time,” but get caught up and keep calling.
4. ASSESS: Log your progress to follow ups and downs. A scientific assessment isn’t necessary. Even one line jotted down each day or so on your calendar can let you track good days and bad, days you cheated and days you excelled, etc. Try placing a sticker on each day or some type of art to follow your progress. It’s for your own self-improvement, so have fun and express yourself! Did you check your email only twice today? If you missed making some calls or organizing a portfolio one day, did you catch up the next? Why / why not?
5. APPEARANCE: Take time to relax and reflect on this change of habit. How do you appear now? Happier? Healthier? Feedback from friends can be helpful now, too. Are adjustments needed? Perhaps a little more time will be necessary; maybe a little less. If you have an already hectic workload, and three more calls per day on top of organizing your entire home and office space is stressing you and your family out, try cutting back to one or two calls, along with organizing only one room at a time. Maybe a self-help group or class is needed to learn time management skills?
Put these five A’s to work. Make modifications in your own plans, then go back to tip number one. Old bad habits that took time to develop will take time to eliminate. But remember, none of us are perfect. Each one of us has something to work on for self- improvement. It’s a process!
___________________
By:
Diana Barnum is president of Moving Ahead Communications, a company that offers marketing, public relations & freelance writing services. She teaches a 4-week course called, “Marketing and Public Relations Using Computers for Writers” at Word Museum at http://movingaheadcommunications.com/class .
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June 20th, 2008
After months of scouring the internet, I could not put my hands on the 2 million links various search engines said were available to do my book promotions. First, let me say I perceive myself as an intermediate user of the internet, but maybe my perception was misguided as I searched and realized I couldn’t put my pointer on the links I wanted.
The promotion of my book began with submitting a press release (PR) to one of the major PR services on the internet. They tracked how many click throughs received, and I began to think, if so many eyes are looking at the PR on this site and web crawlers (whatever those are?) are picking up the PR for other sites; what would limit me from submitting as many PRs as possible? This was not the only site that provided this wonderful FREE service and the more places I had the PR, the greater my chances of being picked up by “big” media.
My imagination began to go wild, conjuring up that lone journalist who was itching to break the story on the next bestseller. You chuckle! With this PR service, I placed the needle in the haystack but I could improve my chances if many needles were placed. A technique I learned from my days of online sweeping. What is that you ask? If allowed, the more you entered a particular sweepstakes the better your chances of winning as was one man’s story where he would send out literally thousands of entries and had won valuable prizes. My odds with sweeping were not that stellar but I do have a few trinkets to show for limited efforts. Hopefully, with my quadrupled book promotion efforts I could have stellar resultsdreaming again. Tip 1: There are auto-fill internet form software available and some even designate a few empty fields for your own personal use. A lifesaver when you have to input the PR summary line more than a few times. Tip 2: Don’t input your social security number and credit card information because I have read of mistakes made because of the ease of auto-fill.
Okay, I have deviated.
So I proceed to use my internet service provider and searched for “submit press release” and was in heaven when it responded with 2 million sites to upload my PR. I would spend hours determining which sites were free; which maybe more receptive; and which needed me to tweak the PR. Then just as quickly, my dream was shattered. I couldn’t go any further than 250 links, Why can’t I see or go to the other sites? I contacted my internet service provider to complain and they “allegedly” helped me to fix the browser. That didn’t work, so I moved on to the next major internet service provider, and again was limited to how many links I could access.
This time, I levied a stiff complaint about the violation of the freedom of information act, which I think only pertains to government (real smart). Why am I not allowed to access all 2 million-search results containing “submit press release”? It is only right that we have access to all the information on the internet, and not limited by how much or what we can see. Worst of all, we aren’t able to refresh the search and to be presented with other links we have not viewed.
I assume, businesses with an internet presence would perceive themselves as having access to the world, where millions are able to view their products and or services, and as a result, their livelihoods would be bettermeeting of the minds was just not taking place. And in this world of legalese, SPAM laws limit those who are promoting on meager budgets, and the few legal options we have of putting our product in the market place via the internet; where websites are actually telling us to submit information, our browsers (or internet service providers) are denying us access.
I continued checking the top search engines and kept encountering the same problems. What was most irritating about the search, besides the same links coming up, a few sites would fill several pages of the results with multiple categories. Do these websites have a monopoly on my already limited internet search? It was infuriating, the process was tedious, and now I was livid. Convinced my internet was broken, I was on a mission to fix it. I had another great idea, it was my browser (whatever that is?) that needed fixing and found a website that offered free software to do the job. I was nervous; I could be opening up myself to a can of worms, my husband would kill me for infecting HIS system. With all the scare of viruses and spy ware, I decided to only download what I thought were reputable software and ended up back at the number one software company. Based on their computer evaluation I already had the most updated browser. I was relieved, 1) I didn’t have to download anything, and 2) the browser was working.
What was the fix?
I continued my search efforts, going down the list of internet service providers. Alas! I think it’s working, I was flipping through pages, upon pages of links, so far I am at the 900th link to submit my PR, hoping my success continues. Though the search results were still littered by a few sites, at least, I was able to bypass them to go to obscure sites to submit the news about my book. The press release may have a huge appeal to that lone journalist working at “big” media, or maybe just one buyer willing to pay a few bucks for a great book. In this day and age, with the proliferation of information, I am happy to have any appeal at all.
Caren A. Adams, freelance writer and author of “Life 101 For the Young and Young at Heart!” ISBN 1-59457-835-4, $13.99 ($7.99 e-book) at bookstores, http://www.booksurge.com and http://www.amazon.com Freely give and freely you shall receive!
http://www.booksurge.com/product.php3?bookID=GPUB00869-00001
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June 9th, 2008
If you were to build the greatest web page in the world but did not link back and forth to any other webpage then no search engine would find you and therefore no web surfer would ever find you. The way to fix this is to make sure that every chance you get you go and put your website address inside a website so that it can be seen by a search engine and also eventually by a buyer or seller. If you have a lot of links from other sites to yours then the search engines trust your site more and move you higher in the rankings for your pages most prominent keywords. In the search engine optimization world these links are called backlinks. There are two kind of links, The links between two sites when I link to you and you link to me, this is called reciprocal links, and the other kind which is just when I link to you, this type of link is the most coveted and hard to get as the other site must like yours enough to link to it.
As I have started a realtor directory to give Realtors another place to list their websites and weblogs I thought it would be a good time to let people know more ways to add strength to the weight that search engines will give to your website. A directories main function to the Realtor is to give the Realtor another link on the internet to know about his or her website.
Now that you know why it is important to list yourself in directories the next step is to find them. Do a search at Google, Yahoo and MSN and get yourself listed in all of the Realtor directories you can find.
Here are some things to think about when listing yourself in Realtor Directories:
- Use your site name with the first letter of each word capitalized, this will make your listing stand out against a sea of other listings.
- Make sure that your description is not selling you but instead listing benefits of your site…remember that you will probably have to be brief so look at your site and pick out the highlights someone would see on your Realtor website.
- Remember that the directory listing is like a small advertisement for your website not you, your entry in the Realtor directory is only to entice the reader to click on the link to let the website sell you as a Realtor that can be trusted.
- Make the link that is being published, probably the title, be the term you want to rank well with in the search engines. eg: real estate, or Realtor.
- Think carefully about what page that you want to have as the page people will get to, do you want it to be your home page?, a current listings page?, or a Realtor bio type page.
- Finally proofread and make sure that there are no spelling mistakes in the Realtor directory entry.
If you have a site and are wondering why there are not more people finding it, or if you are not ranked very high on some of the search engines than I hope this little directory primer has been a good eye opener for you to get more exposure to your site or weblog.
Bill Nadraszky is a serial marketer and a pro for Realtor Marketing. If you are looking for internet marketing articles please visit my site.
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June 1st, 2008
What is the single most important thing you can do as a business owner? That is a question that this week I think I have found an answer to. The answer? Keep your ear to the marketplace by listening to your customers.
Ford’s Mistake
In the early 1920’s Henry Ford launched his assembly-line produced Model T. The car was relatively inexpensive, yet of good quality for the time. In order to reach production goals, the company decided to offer only one color of the carblack. “You could have any color you wanted, as long as it was black”, the saying went. With this strategy, Ford quickly dominated the market, capturing up to 57% of the car market at its height. It was a brilliant initial strategy, but Ford eventually faltered. He simply forgot to listen to his customers that were asking for additional color options. General Motors saw this trend, and capitalized on it, producing cars in a multitude of color options and quickly taking back much of the Ford market share gains. With all the innovative ideas, industry-changing processes, and brilliant strategies Ford came up with, he forgot the most basic principlethe business owner rarely knows better than his or her customers.
Surveying Your Clients
There are a few ways to listen to your clients. Most business owners, at least in the early stages, maintain contact with and speak with at least a few clients each week. This is a good start, but I have found that it is not enough to speak with only our large clientsas these clients often have very different requirements that an average user.
The best way that I have found to be able to get feedback from our full client base is by sending a survey. Surveys can be sent either by mail or via the web. I would recommend sending web-based surveys over printed surveys as it is much less expensive and provides a higher response rate and a quicker return of information. Within IntelliContact Pro, the email marketing software my company Broadwick has developed, there is an included web-based surveying tool called IntelliSurvey that allows anyone to easily create, send, and receive results from web-based surveys.
In sending a survey, there are a few questions that can be especially helpful to ask. These questions include:
- What do you like about our product or service?
- How do you use our product or service?
- How can we improve our product or service?
- Is there anything we can do to improve your satisfaction with our product or service?
- Are there any other services or products we could offer that you might be interested in?
Generally I would recommend leaving these types questions open ended. You can also ask non open ended questions such as “On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with our customer service?” or “Which of these five features add-ons would benefit you most?”
Once you have deployed your survey, the next step is to wait for the responses to come in. While this may vary by industry, I’ve found about 90% of the total responses will come in during the first 72 hours after deployment of a web-based survey. With IntelliContact Pro, you can always review and export the results to Excel at any time whether you want to review the initial responses after an hour or download the final results after a week. I’ve seen response rates for web-based surveys range from 5% to 50% depending on the number of questions, the type of list, and how well your customers know you. When we survey our IntelliContact client-base we generally receive about a 10-15% response rate. Our last survey, sent out on July 22, 2005 had five questions and received 295 responses out of a total 2350 clients who received the survey.
Reviewing the Results
Once you have the results, the next and very important step is to review them. If you have more than a few dozen responses, I would recommend creating a Feedback Summary Document that categorizes each reported method for improvement and tabulates the number of times a similar request comes up. At the end of this process, you’ll be able to get a very good idea of why your clients like your product or service and what they feel can be done to improve it, probably the two most important pieces of information you can have as a business owner. With this information you can create an improved roadmap for your product that will allow you to stay competitive and provide the product that your customers want.
In addition to being able to create this improved roadmap, you’ll also likely have a number of very good testimonials or case study material that you can use from the answers to the “what do you like” and “how do you use it” questions. As an example, my company Broadwick has collected and published a number of case studies and customer testimonials that have come from past client surveys at http://www.intellicontact.com/casestudies/
Implementing the Changes
Once you have a good idea of what the most requested improvements are, you can consider how and when to implement these changes. Depending on your production or development cycle, it may take days or months to make some of the requested changes. Know that not all clients will want the same things. Some may even want changes or new features that conflictcausing you to have to consider offering multiple product lines or completing custom work.
When you have made some or all of the requested improvements be sure to get additional feedback from your clients prior to launching your new version or improved offering. One of the larger mistakes that I’ve made to date in my still young business career is not getting sufficient client feedback prior to launching a new version of my email marketing product to the full user base a few months ago. If we had allowed access to a few clients to review the new version prior to launchwe likely could have averted a number of the bugs and headaches that occurred after the launch. We since have changed our development process so that this type of beta client review is possible. In your organization, depending on what type of product you are selling certainly consider showing an early version of your new offering to some clients or holding a focus group session to get the very valuable post-change feedback prior to launch. Giving your client, and prospects for that matter, a role in the development of your product will help them feel valued and also be more likely to want to purchase your new product after launch.
Here is a review of the seven step feedback process I’ve discussed:
- Ask the questions in a web-based survey
- Create a feedback summary document from the results
- Implement the changes
- Get client feedback on the changes
- Make final modifications
- Go live with the changed product or service
- Wait a few months and then restart the process
Listen to your customers and you’ll get the feedback you need to make customer-centric business decisions that will allow you to increase your client satisfaction, lifetime value, and retention rate.
Finally, I’ll leave you with a few best practice guidelines for sending out a web-based survey to your client base.
- Survey your clients at least every year, preferably every 6 months
- If your organization offers multiple products or services, create separate surveys for the customers of each major type of product or service you offer.
- Be sure to include questions asking both what your clients like about your product or service as well as any suggestions they have for improving it.
- Use a web-based survey tool such as IntelliSurvey (included in all IntelliContact Pro accounts) to increase response rates, make collecting and reviewing data easy, and save on postage.
Ryan Allis is a nationally recognized expert on email marketing. Ryan is the CEO of Broadwick Corp, providers of the email marketing software IntelliContact Pro. For additional information on email marketing software and web-based surveying, visit http://www.email-marketing-software-resource.com.
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May 31st, 2008
Here’s one of the most important success principles you’ll ever learn. It is this: The more people you know and who know you in a favorable way, the more successful you will be in your business or profession.
When you look around at the most successful people in your city, industry, or profession, you will find that they are the ones who are known and respected by the greatest number of people. One of the hallmarks of highly successful men and women, and most self-made millionaires, is that they network continually, everywhere they go and with almost everyone they meet. By learning and developing the skill of networking you can move ahead faster, rise further, and accomplish more in a shorter period of time.
Networking should be an integral part of any marketing plan. Networking produces word of mouth, which in turn produces referrals. Every businessperson and professional knows that word of mouth is the most effective and least expensive approach to attracting new business. Yet few people really understand how they can create it.
Networking is making contact to establish relationships that can lead to business. Sometimes the path to business is direct; other times it is indirect leading to referrals. Often times the person who you meet at a networking event will know someone else who needs your products or services.
Many people go to networking events hoping to business right then and there, but it very rarely works that way. Business is not done directly at networking event. When you attend a networking event, your goal should be to meet two or three people, find a reason to follow-up, and start a relationship. Any future business will come from an indirect referral, someone they know who might need your products or services.
Networks often have a greater impact than their size might indicate. Each member of a network knows dozens of people who, in turn, know dozens of others, and so on. Because of this mushroom effect, a group of 30 or 40 people might know literally thousands of other people throughout the local, national, and even international business community.
The possibilities are enormous. Being a member of a well-organized network is like having dozens of salespeople working for you all the time. Each referring prospective customers your way.
Before you begin to network, you must have a positive attitude. When you join a networking group, remain focused on the reason why you’re there. Too many people go to networking events and get caught up in nit-picking, such as “the speaker was mediocre,” as so on. These factors are secondary to the quality of contacts you are making. Never loose sight of the reason why you’re there.
It is also important to understand that people buy from people they know and trust. So to effectively network you must be a good listener. Listen to the people you meet to see how you might assist them in what they do. Giving first and giving more than receiving is a very important rule of networking.
Contacts to establish relationships that can lead to business, only happen when the relationship is mutually beneficial. Networking is giving first, and then receiving. If one party does all the giving, then the relationship will not last and the networking ends. Networking relationships takes work and cooperation by all parties involved.
Networking is not a skill you are born with, it is an acquired skill. It is developed through education, training, and practice. Many business people spend plenty of time trying to network, but very few spend any time trying to learn how to do it correctly. The way you learn to network is by reading books and listening to audio programs about networking, and by talking to other people who network well. And most importantly, practice what you learn.
Before you attend any networking event you must have clearly defined, realistic goals. Most people go to networking events with the goal of handing out as many business cards as they can. This is wrong. Your goal in networking should not be to pass out business cards. Your goal should be to receive as many business cards as you can. Your goal should be to make as many contacts and get as much information as you can that will lead to increased business.
At networking events, make sure your nametag identifies your company or profession. Always carry plenty of well-designed business cards with you. Use the backs of the cards you receive from others to make notes that will help your memory kick in about each individual. And, carry a card case with the cards of other people you network with, so you can hand one to anyone interested in their services.
When you attend a networking event, greet people, hand out your card, and then ask for their card. Introduce yourself in a way that is brief, effective, and memorable. Take the time to plan and rehearse your introduction so you can make the most out of your first 60 seconds. Prepare an easy-to-understand overview of what you do, or the product or service you offer.
Here’s an example of a simple and effective introduction sequence you can use:
* Give your name.
* Give your business name or profession.
* Give a benefit statement about one particular product or service you offer that tells people what you do that benefits others.
* Then, get them to talk about themselves, and listen carefully.
The key to success in networking is follow-up. Just like any other form of marketing, it takes time to cultivate the relationship before a lead can be converted to a referral or an actual sale. You must follow-up with your new contact with an invitation to coffee, lunch, or an after-hours meeting. Always send a card, note, or e-mail to the people you’ve met within twenty-four hours after the event. Mentioning some key points from your initial contact in your follow-up note is a great relationship builder.
Always remember that the most successful people and companies are those that are the most trusted. Trust doesn’t happen overnight. You must gain the confidence of other people by nurturing long-lasting relationships. Only then will you see a steady crop of new customers, referred by the people with whom you’ve networked.
What it really comes down to is this: You can have anything you want in business, or in life, if you’re willing to help enough other people get what they want. It is a simple and time-tested universal law. Yet, it is still a mystery to so many people in business. When you send a few people a day out to help other businesses in your network, you’ll find that the door also swings the other way: thousands of customers every year will go out of their way to buy from you, because they will be driven to your business through the power of networking.
Copyright© 2004 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe’s work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.
Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com
Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com
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May 16th, 2008
This one is somewhat of a surprise……
Cognigen Travel officially launched June 15, and is ready to be marketed by their 150,000+ independant sales agents.
The full service travel site follows Cognigen’s successful 15+year old Telecommunications model…offering multiple choices from multiple vendors to customers while including unusually competitive low rates and outstanding customer service.
The Cognigen Travel Center includes airline flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, cruises, and special event tickets. There’s also a monthly Leisure Newsletter to stay connected with current and prospective customers and attract even more sales.
Some unique “travel deal” categories in the Cognigen Travel Center include Sun & Beach, All-Inclusive Resorts, Great Outdoors, Offbeat Retreats, Vegas/Casino, Under $250, Top Sellers, International, Romance, Food & Wine, and Luxury.
You should visit the new Cognigen Travel Center and see what the hoopla is all about. Considering Cognigen’s reputation in the Telcom arena I’d expect this new Travel venture to do quite well.
About the Author
Michael is Moderator for MLMForums.com and OnlineMLM.com….and the owner of FreedomFire Communications http://ld.net/mscprez . You can get more MLM news, tips, wit, and wisdom from Michael at http://Best-MLM-Resources.blogspot.com
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April 13th, 2008
Copyright 2006 The IWE, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Google Adsense is simply pure genius because of its simplicity to produce profits from your website Day and Night while your sleeping.
Who knew that a business on the Internet could be so simple to build and makes many people 5 to 6 figures a month by simply offering people what they’re looking for… INFORMATION!
Now if you’ve been following my “6 POWERFUL VRE Business Models You Can Start Building In 2006 Using Google Adsense” series and have viewed some of the websites out there with Google Adsense on them then you should have a good idea by now of what you need to do to get your Google Adsense empire off and running.
I like giving examples because it really reinforces the importance of where you need to place your Google Adsense Ads in order to get a good CTR(Click Through Rate) as well as how you can blend them into your content so they don’t look so obvious that there ads and as well, give you some idea’s as to what others are doing so your not left there scratching your head saying… “Am I doing this right?”.
These few last weeks I’ve been working Day and Night on a new project using Google Adsense and want you first hand to take a look so you can model it for your own Adsense websites.
This website will grow on it’s own, and the cool thing is, I won’t have to write a single word if I don’t want to.
Go take a look ==> http://www.thearticlesyndicate.com
Like I said, I like to give you examples and this is an example of what I talked about in my first part of my VRE Google Adsense series.
Anyway, without further adieu, lets move on to the next VRE Google Adsense business model that could pay you in two ways depending how you choose to structure it.
In the last installment I covered “Web Directories”.
So in this part of the VRE series I’m going to cover “Review Sites” and then give you some examples of what they might look like.
Here we go.
VRE Model #3. Review Sites.
“Review Sites” are pretty self explanatory but are basically websites that focus on writing Product Reviews(people giving there personal opinion) about Products and/or Services that people offer on the web and/or offline.(ex: Automobile Reviews, etc.)
That’s it. That’s all they are. BUT, those reviews still contain “CONTENT”. Content Google can use to display targeted Google Adsense Ads which in turn could earn you BIG money if you target the right niche.
Now, as I just mentioned “Review Sites” can target any Niche, whether it’s Sports, Gambling, Dating — basically whatever your interests are as long as there’s a market for it.
I also mentioned earlier that you could get paid two ways by having your own review site and it’s really NO secret.
All you have to do is write reviews on Products and/or Services that offer an Affiliate Program and then simply incorporate your affiliate link into your review using a quick “Call To Action” like…
… “Click Here NOW For All The Details”.
Now, if they don’t click out through an Google Adsense Ad and choose to click out through your affiliate link and purchase, well… you did your job. You just made a commission.
That’s it.
Now you could also set up a review site where others could submit their reviews, the only problem is… they get the affiliate commission, but you still have your Google Adsense through out your review site making you clicks that make you money.
It’s up to you on how you want to build it.
Now, lets wrap this up with a few examples shall we.
Here’s 3 that I think will give you a good idea of what to expect:
Web Source:
http://www.web-source.net/previous_reviews.htm
Top Ten Reviews:
http://www.toptenreviews.com/
Consumer Search:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/lawn_and_garden/
Now, as I said earlier, your review site can be Topic Specific or can target multiple Topics. It’s up to you.
These are just a few that I picked randomly while doing a search on Google.
I hope they gave you some idea’s on whether or not you want to consider building an VRE review site.
Surf around on Google - http://www.google.com - in the area that interests you the most to see if anybody else is doing it or do some keyword research to see if it’s even worth pursuing.
There are always factors to consider before building a business, even with Google Adsense, so make sure you do your homework before hand.
That’s it for now. So, be sure to be on the look out for my next installment of “6 POWERFUL VRE Business Models You Can Start Building In 2006 Using Google Adsense”.
Cory Threlfall is the Editor and Publisher of a Online Business and Marketing publication called… The Internet Wonders eZine. Go NOW and get your $500 FREE Bonus! ==> www.internetwondersezine.com . The BEST ebook he’s ever read on Google Adsense and highly recommends is called “Adsense Secrets” by Joel Comm and is available at ==> www.internetwondersezine.com/adsense-secrets.html
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April 11th, 2008
Article marketing is an effective way to broaden the online presence of any small business. By distributing articles to multiple article directories on the Internet, your business can reap the benefits ranging from an increase in web traffic, lead generation, new customers and a solid reputation on the Internet. It’s a simple concept that has the potential to take your business to the next level and higher.
The foundation of article marketing has evolved from a well-known strategy called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO; a practice where web pages are optimized with keywords and published online in an effort to increase search engine rankings. There are three steps to article marketing; research, writing the article and distribution.
Research
The first step is keyword research. It is vital to inundate your article with keywords that you want to rank well for in the search engines. For example, assume I sell used DVDs online. I would research what keywords people are searching for relative to the term DVD (i.e. rent DVD, DVD rentals, DVD, or buy DVD). I would then make a list of approximately 10 or so of these keywords that I would want to sprinkle throughout my article. This step is relatively simple and only takes about 30 or so minutes; unless of course you are still on dial up.
Writing the article
You cannot just put together a glob of information and call it an article. If you have this skill, you can write the article yourself or hire someone to do it for you. The goal here is to write an objective article related to DVDs; and naturally placing the keywords within the content of the article. The article should not be a sales pitch or an advertisement. In fact, most article directories will not even accept articles written with a “sales type” approach. The article should be written with the intention to educate consumers about some aspect of DVDs. It’s always helpful to have a catchy title for your article.
In addition to keyword rich article, a second critical component of this strategy must include the distribution of a website’s URL, commonly referred to as back link. Most, if not all, article directories allow for an author resource box where links can be easily placed. Publishing a website’s address at the end of articles will allow interested readers to conveniently visit the site by clicking on that link.
Distribution
This is the component of article marketing that takes some time. There are approximately 200 or so directories online that allow marketers to post articles. It is good practice to manually submit these articles to each directory; as most directories have banned article distribution via automated software. Besides, by using automated software, there is less control of the article and the article resource box.
Article Marketing Does More Than You Think
Article marketing does more than simply reinforce your internet visibility. Unlike direct advertising, it actually presents an opportunity to educate your target consumer group in an effort to build long term, profitable relationships with them. Paid advertisements usually lose potency and relevance over time. But a well written article will continue to be republished on various newsletters, websites, forums and blogs; and trigger a viral marketing effect that will last for months at a time.
Benefits of Article Marketing
• Anchor text. Most of the article directories allow for the author to select the anchor text of the link in the author’s resource box. This is the primary value of the links from the article directories. For example, if you are trying to rank for the key term “internet marketing”, the anchor text would display “internet marketing” but it would link to your website.
• Relevant One Way links. Say goodbye to reciprocal linking. It’s ineffective and doesn’t work anymore. Article marketing provides one way links from web pages that are categorized within the directory according to topics such as technology, weddings, communication or small business. Additionally, most of the directories use the article title as the webpage title; and rest assured that the title of the webpage with your link has your target keyword.
• Website Traffic. Those who ready the article and our interested in it will click through to your website and bring relevant traffic.
• Viral Marketing. Most article directories allow other webmasters to reprint (or republish) any articles within their directory. Usually, republished articles can be found in additional directories, niche websites, forums and blogs.
• Mindshare. A click-through from a traditional link is just another visitor. But someone who has read an article and clicked through from the author’s resource box link is generally a highly qualified visitor who has been partly sold on the value of your offering. Meanwhile, even readers who do not click-through have been exposed to your message. You can help shape the market, building awareness of your product or service.
Finally, the Conclusion
With the recent buzz about article marketing, there should be no questions as to why it is regarded as one of the most potent marketing strategies today. However, the fact of the matter is that article marketing is only one component of a successful marketing plan. You cannot expect to invest a few dollars here and there and wake up in the morning with profitable business.
Michael Brito is an internet marketing consultant for small business specializing in SEO and web strategy.
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