Marketing (4)
Every business owner should understand the benefits of marketing. Without marketing, how will you be able to attract new customers. There are many different types of marketing you can consider and it really depends on what type of business you are running and what you are looking to achieve.
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Article Marketing (1)
Article marketing is quite a recent method of marketing your business. It simply involves writing informative articles about the niche you have your business in. These articles are then distributed to various article directories with a link back to you website. At WordWolf you will find lots of tips and tricks on how to do this effectively.
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Brand Marketing (0)
Brand awareness is so important in business if you want to be recognized by your customers. Normally branding involves creating a logo and there are brands that everyone around the world will recognise such as the Campbell’s tins of soups or the Coca-Cola bottle. People buy into these brands because they feel like they know and trust them. Don’t underestimate the power of branding in business marketing.
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Email Marketing (2)
If you are a business owner you will want to tap into the benefits of email marketing. It’s a great way to keep in contact with your clients without spending a huge amount of money. However you should realize that there are good ways to carry out email marketing and then there are very bad ways. So make sure you do as much reading as you can on the topic.
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Marketing Tips (0)
As a business owner you ought to do your best to find all the marketing tips you can get your hands on. There are a wealth of tips to be had, whether you are looking for information on viral marketing, websites, videos or traditional print advertising.
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Social Marketing (0)
The area of business marketing is constantly changing as new technologies become available. In recent years businesses are realizing the marketing potential of socializing on the internet as there have been many social networks springing up such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. If you understand social marketing, you should be able to use them to your advantage.
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Telemarketing (0)
Telemarketing is one of the simplest and most effective marketing techniques however it’s important that you know what you are doing. It’s a great technique for keeping in contact with customers and there are even companies that offer telemarketing services for those who don’t want to do it themselves. This is certainly an area of marketing you don’t want to ignore.
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Video Marketing (0)
With such fast broadband speeds these days, more and more people are watching videos on the internet. This means that video marketing is a great way to connect with potential clients. You can provide information about your company or give tutorials to establish yourself as an expert. These videos can then be uploaded to video sharing websites in order to tap into a huge online audience.
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Viral Marketing (0)
Viral marketing is a very exciting field of marketing and can take place both in the real world and on the internet, however it’s normally associated with the online world. The idea is that the marketing efforts will take on a life of its own, just like a virus. You tell a small number of people and they tell other people who tell other people and before you know it there are thousands of people talking about you.
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Web Marketing (1)
Any business who wants to stay ahead of their competitors really needs to understand the importance of having a presence on the web. This can take the form of a simple website or you could try more advanced techniques of creating videos, social networking and commenting on blogs. There are so many different opportunities to be found on the world wide web if only you take the time to look.
View items...How To Write Marketing Articles Naturally
Written by WakiAs part of your internet marketing strategies, one of the best and easiest online work at home opportunities is article writing. This method is another source of online income that you can add to your other internet revenue streams.
Actually, you may find writing marketing articles to be a bit intimidating at first. However, as you begin to get accustomed to the basics of article writing you begin to fell relaxed and confident as you go on. You just need to learn and understand two simple steps if you wish to know how to write marketing articles naturally for your online business.
First step - Make an exhaustive research on the subject that you want to write about. Since your knowledge about your chosen topic is somewhat restricted when starting, you may find it not that exciting at first. But as you study and learn more about it, you will notice that your interest will also gradually increase. And because of the added passion and enthusiasm, your writing on the subject will become easier.
Second step - Make a follow through on your research. Your readers are your potential customers. You need to be able to answer the basic questions that they will likely ask. Give them the impression that you have full knowledge on the subject and a person of authority. This will increase your credibility to them and earn their trust as well. Thus, it is important that you gather as much information as you can on your subject.
Do not forget that your main objective here is to be able to market online your products or services. This is online marketing. Therefore, you have to guide your readers into taking the action that you want them to do. And that is to click on a link that will take them to a sales page for the product or service that you want them to buy.
It is very important to note that the introduction and conclusion of your article will spell the success of your article writing. You have to make the opening paragraph of your article interesting enough and immediately grab your readers attention. It must hold them to continue reading all the way to the conclusion. If not, they will definitely move on to something else and will be lost to you forever in a few seconds. Try reading other articles that you find interesting and find out what grabs and holds your attention. Use this as a pattern and inspiration for your article writing.
In the same manner, the concluding paragraph of your marketing article should lead your readers to follow your guide. Get them to click on the link that you have provided. Show them why they have to do so. People like to be asked or instructed on what to do. They usually oblige willingly. It is their nature.
Similar to email marketing, your articles must be written in such a way as if you are talking to your readers personally. Answer their questions with that feeling of excitement. Provide them the information that they want.
Writing your marketing article will be most effective if you do it like talking to a friend about a common interest. Write with passion and enthusiasm. You will be surprise that your writing will be that easy. It will come out naturally.
Email Marketing Software
Written by David
As you look through the many email marketing software providers, how do you choose? For a business person, price is always the first consideration. However, there are several email marketing services that offer a competitive price and even those that offer free services. The trick is to look at the support features to allow you to make the most out of the service that you have subscribed to.
Here are the features to check before taking the plunge:
Accurate tracking and reporting system. This is important in exactly calculating your return of investment (ROI), which is the profit in relation to the amount that you spent. This feature allows you to determine how many people opened the email that you sent, the number of e-mails that bounced back, and other metrics.
Automatic bounce management. Whenever your messages are not delivered because of unavailable email addresses or mailbox overflow, they are considered bounced emails. In such cases, you will get a notification of the error that has occurred. This is okay for a few bounces; however, when there are hundreds or even thousands of bounces, this becomes annoying. Bounce management features allow automatic removal of dead addresses.
Comprehensive support. Find a service which is ready to assist you with your problems any time that you need assistance. This spells accountability and speaks that the email marketing software service really cares about your needs.
Powerful sending engine. Find a sending engine that is reliable and has been tested. Ask specifically for this feature. Think of the problems of finding out that your expected customer base has not been reached because of a poor performing engine.
Professional email templates. This is an important feature for business persons who are just starting out. This will help you go through the first part of designing an e-mail because you can choose from available customizable templates.
Taking these considerations into account when selecting an email campaign service will allow you to navigate the often confusing feature lists and marketing mumbo-jumbo. The benefits of email marketing are so powerful that a modern business simply cannot afford to be scared off from the buying process.
Copywriting For Effective Email Campaigns
Written by David- Be creative on your advertisement. See to it that your advertisement entices as many senses as possible. Use pictures, videos, and audio which are more fun to watch than just the plain, boring text-based advertisements. Plus, when you use more graphics and lesser words, there is a lesser chance of being considered as spam.
- Establish a connection with your customer. Rather than giving a sale pitch right away, focus on the customers’ needs first; how you can help your customer.
- Focus on what your customers will get if ever they decide to take you on your offer. List as many benefits there are to buying your product and subscribing to your service. Encourage them to ask before purchasing by calling your toll-free number. This shows that you are concerned with their needs first. Provide as many information as you can in your e-mail but don’t overdo. Leave room for questions so that your customer will be encouraged to visit your Web site for more information.
- Make a statement. End with an unforgettable slogan or message which will entice your customer to the purchase.
It may shock you to hear this, but there are quite a few scammers out there on the internet. Of course, there are the usual suspects: identity thieves, hackers, and the infamous wealthy Nigerian prince. Most internet users are familiar with these scams, and have learned to avoid them.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
However, there is an entire class of scams out there on the intertubes that you may not even know about. Even if you do, you may not be aware of how they function. These scams are carried out by unethical affiliate marketers, and are extremely widespread. In this article, I'll be outlining how these scams work by dissecting five common examples you may encounter. I guarantee you've seen many of these before, so you'll be getting a look “behind the scenes” to how these people ultimately getting paid by ripping you off.
Who Are These Affiliate Marketer People Anyways?
Affiliate marketing is a very common way of selling on the internet. The basic idea is that vendors will offer a product or service for sale, and offer a commission to “affiliates” who can sell it online. These sales are tracked by means of affiliate links. The affiliate will place these links on their own website. If someone clicks the link and purchases the product or service, the merchant will give the affiliate a percentage or lump sum for the sale as a commission. It's a great system that rewards marketers for performance.
Overall, most affiliate marketers aren't bad people. However, there are many unethical marketers out there who will “game the system” to separate you from your money in attempt to make as many commissions as possible. They are often aided by unethical merchants who encourage their affiliates to sell at any cost. These merchants compound the problem by not clearly disclosing the exact nature of their product. To illustrate this, I will show some examples of some common internet marketing scams, presented in no particular order.
Scam #1: Craiglist Insurance Lead Scam
This was a new one for me. I am currently in the process of selling a used car on Craigslist. I received the following e-mail, seemingly from an interested party:
So, I replied letting her know that the car was indeed still available. I received the following e-mail in reply:
Notice the link? That's one of those affiliate links I mentioned earlier. Let's see where that takes us...
This is what is known as a landing page. It explains the offer, and usually asks for some information to get started, in this case, and e-mail address. Now, I can't be sure, but this is most likely what is known as an “e-mail submit” offer. That is, the affiliate marketer is paid whenever someone clicks their link and enters their e-mail address on the landing page.
Now, I know nothing about the legitimacy of the insurance site itself (let's assume it's 100% legit), but what my supposed Craigslist buyer has done here is unethical. Using false pretenses, they are attempting to get to fill out this insurance offer page so they can get the commission. This is unfair to me, and unfair to the insurance site owners, as they will be getting faulty leads from people who aren't really looking for auto insurance. Scams like this are common on Craigslist, and not just with insurance. Keep an eye out for these affiliate links and landing pages coming from Craigslist e-mails, as they are probably out to get your cash, not to buy your car.
Scam #2: Social Networking Game Cash
If you're on Facebook, you've no doubt noticed the wide variety of games people like to play. One of the most popular of these games, among my circle of friends at least, is Farmville. In the game, you operate a virtual farm, and are able to earn and spend Farmville dollars within the game as you improve your farm. So far, nothing wrong with this. However, many users are looking for shortcuts to earn more Farmville money, and the game is happy to oblige them by offering them cash for completing certain “offers.” These offers are all affiliate offers, some of them to legit services (such as Netflix movie rental, a very fine service I can highly recommend). You subscribe to Netflix, the Farmville people get a commission for bringing them a new customer, and you get your in game money. Everybody wins.
Unfortunately, not all of the offers have your best interest in mind. The most common type of scam here is the “quiz” offer. You will complete some type of quiz (say, an IQ test). To receive the results of your quiz, you will be required to enter your phone number and confirm a “PIN” number that gets texted to you. Easy enough, right?
If you go through with such an offer, you have just signed yourself up for a monthly reoccurring charge on your cell phone bill. The agreement you actually entered was outlined in very tiny print below the fold of the page, which you probably didn't even know was there, much less read. Now, you're out $9.99 every month until you can figure out how to cancel your useless “subscription.” Don't fall for these sorts of offers just to get extra Farmville cash. Enjoy the game, just don't fall for the special offers.
I would invite anyone wishing to hear more about this to watch this video.
Scam #3: Free iPod/iPad/Gift Certificate Offers
These are very similar to the scam above. The offer, often displayed as a banner ad, will promise a free item in exchange for completing certain offers. The truth is, it is sometimes possible to get the prize promised. However, you will have to sign up for so many different paid offers that you likely won't save anything in the long run. In the mean time, you'll be spammed to death. Not worth your trouble.
So, how are these people getting paid? These offers work on a multi-tier system. When you click on the banner and submit your zip code or email address, the affiliate (the one who's link you clicked) gets paid a small sum, usually around $1.50. These types of offers are known as “zip” or “email” submits and are popular because it fairly easy to get some to submit the form and get paid. Once you've submitted your information, the person running the offer then starts spamming you with further affiliate offers...ones that pay much more. The idea is that they will turn a profit despite sending out the occasional prize to those brave souls who sign up for all of their offers. They also have to pay out to their affiliates for the zip/e-mail submissions. Even with all this, this is a highly profitable business model that sucks away tons of money from unsuspecting consumers who just wanted a free iPad.
Scam #4: “Obama Loans”
This one bothers me the most. These scams advertise special loans or grants from the government, usually using Barack Obama's name somewhere in the ad. The truth is, there are really no special loans or programs for individuals under the current stimulus package. These scammers are simply peddling the same old scammy loan and grant programs and trying to pass them off as special programs from the US government. I find it highly unethical that these marketers are abusing economic hardship this way, often luring people into high interest payday loans. Don't believe a word these people say.
Scam #5: Flogs and Acai Offers
This trend is dieing down a bit, but it was huge for a while. If you've spent any time online at all, you've probably seen an ad that reads something like this:
One Rule To A Flat Stomach: Obey
Learn How I Cut 37lbs of Stomach Fat in Two Months by Using One Old Rule
www.edwardsamazingweightlossblog.com
You click on the link, curious to learn the one old rule. What do you find? A blog purportedly written by our friend “Edward” who will tell you how he lost weight using two products: acai berries and a colon cleanser. Going off of Edward's glowing reccomendation (he seems like a cool guy), you sign up for the free trial for these products to give them a spin yourself. What do have to loose?
As it turns out, quite a lot. You see, “Edward” and his blog are all fake. You've stumbled upon one of many fake blogs, or “flogs” on the internet. These are almost all promoting so called “rebill” offers. These offers start you with a free trial, then hit you with a large monthly subscription fee that's hard to cancel. Because they are highly profitable, those who run these rebill offers pay their affiliates very well. These flogs were wildly successful for a while, since the blog format seemed credible, which increased sales. Having a real person recommend a product is much more compelling than having a marketer with a crazy sales latter sell you the same thing. These flogs capitalized on this, and made tons of cash by promoting not one but TWO rebill offers on the same page. If someone signed up for both offers, marketers would receive somewhere in the range of $70. Pretty nice, eh? Not if you the guy who signed up, paying a huge monthly fee for your acai pills.
Fortunately, the FTC caught wind of this, and created some regulations that have reduced the prevalence of these types of offers. Still, in their day, flogs and rebills were a highly profitable scam.
Be Careful
So, I hope this has given you insight into how some popular ad scams are being run, and how they make money. Most affiliate marketers out there are honest business people using the internet to make sales, but a few are out to mislead you out of your money. Most of these scams can be spotted if you always read the fine print and use your common sense, so just be careful. With that, thanks for reading, and happy browsing!
