Press Releases and Your Online Success by Matthew Bredel

Sunday, May 25, 2008

When you try to make money online, you need to get the word out about what you're doing so people will be interested in visiting your website. Many people do this through press release distribution. Companies like PRWEB can help you mass distribute your news.
What is a press release?
A press release tells the media about your news and gives them an opportunity to publish your piece. If there's something exciting going on in your business, this is a great way to spread some buzz.
How do you write a press release?
First, it's a good idea to make sure you have something that's actually newsworthy. What might be newsworthy? A new website, a new product, a staff change, a promotion, you get the idea.
Second, unless you're a great copywriter you'll probably want to hire a writer or press release service to do the writing for you. If you are a decent writer, you can find some templates to use to help you with your press release. Then, you need to get organized and make a plan for where and how you'll distribute it. There are free and paid options which we'll explore here.
The anatomy of a press release
A basic press release is a news item. It follows the typical news format which answers the classic newspaper questions, "Who, What, Where, When, Why?" Generally, a press release starts off with an eye-catching heading and the first few sentences of the press release are what will create interest. If you don't capture your audience in the first paragraph, chances are they'll move on to something else before even reading the rest. At the end of the news bit, you have an opportunity to list where people should go for more information and this answer is your website.
How will press releases help my online business?
The success of the press release is two fold. First, people that read it could visit your site and buy something. Secondly and perhaps just as importantly, the search engines will read that there are articles on trusted sources out there pointing to your website and this, my virtual friend, will help you with your search engine rankings which is what you want more than anything online because that's the key to getting customers. Ranking well for target keywords will get you not only search engine visibility but will get you traffic that consists of people interested in what you're talking about. Now, your website copy needs to speak well so that you can convert visitors into customers.
Press releases are something you can often submit to free services that will syndicate for you but this is not full utilization of the press release. If you pay for a service like PRWEB, you could increase your reach and find that many more sources will display your article, which can result in an incredible viral marketing campaign. You could end up in places like Yahoo! News, Google News and more and receive visitors already convinced that you are an authority in your niche based on how well your press release reads.

Secrets to Successful Email Marketing by Colin Meunier

If you have decided to use email marketing to further the prospects of your online business, you have to tread very carefully. One little mistake, one little misdemeanor and your email marketing will be labeled as spamming. But if you do not use email marketing at all, you are losing out on the vast potentials that it has in bringing meaningful traffic to your business website. So, the crux of it all is that you have to use email marketing, but use it with the right balance. This is the main mantra of successful email marketing. There are certainly several strategies that you can use to make your email marketing campaign a roaring hit. The following are some of these strategies.
1. The first thing you will need is to build an opt-in list. What is an opt-in list? Simply put, these are people who have agreed to accept emails from you. When you get this list of people, you are going absolutely legal in sending them emails. Also, since these people have already opted to be in your list, they are probably already interested in what you are selling. That means, there is a strong chance they will be your customers soon. So, how you do you get this opt-in list? One very simple way is to put in checkboxes on your webpage itself asking whether people would like more information from your website to be directly emailed to them. If they are interested in what you are showing them on your webpage, and if they are sure that they have nothing to lose, they will opt in by giving their email ids.
2. Another way to get a list of email leads is offering your visitors something free, to access which they will have to give their email ids. You can use a squeeze page (also known as a lead capture page) for this purpose. It's simple to do - just put a link for downloading that free gift you are giving, which is probably an eBook. But do not allow people to go directly to the downloading link. Make them go first through a small page known as a squeeze page. Tell them that they will have to give their email ids on this page for verifying that they are real persons. This is truthfully important for you, because there are bots that can be rigged to take the free gifts from you too. Also assure them that their email ids will never be sold for someone else, and that you will only use these email ids to send them informative emails from time to time.
3. Once you get the list of emails, the marketing process itself is simple. Make sure that you send these people emails that are really informative. Give them some information. But to make them open the email you have to use a very compelling subject line. Something like 'Here are three simple ways that you can beat the heat'. Keep the subject line intriguing so that people go ahead and open the email. In the email, you have to give them the information that you promised in the subject line, or they will feel cheated. Then ask them to visit your website for more such information. Give them the URL of your business website in each email that you write.
4. From time to time, keep testing your email marketing process. You can do this by A/B split testing or multivariate testing. This is where you send different emails to different sets of people and see which email is eliciting the best kind of response. This helps you greatly in improving your email marketing campaign.

Why Promoting Yourself Is As Important As Your Product by Bob and Cindy Floyd

You have a great idea for a home business, or you see a great product you want to sell. You talk to everyone you know to see what they think. Everyone agrees it's a great idea and so you go about starting to put together your opportunity. So why can't you sell it? Because one of the most important things the new home business owner overlooks is self promotion. It really doesn't matter what your product is, many people who join affiliate programs or join network marketing companies or buy your product want to know you. Are you someone they can trust, will you there to help them? You should never make selling a product or service just about the product or service. Even in this day and age of the internet people still want to know who you are. I'm sure this is why video marketing has become so popular; people can put a face behind the product. It builds trust. So how do you go about promoting yourself? There are many free and low cost ways of getting your name out there and letting people get to know you.
1. Write articles and allow them to be published for free. The internet is all about content. Publishers of all kinds, bloggers, newsletters; they all need fresh new content. Allow them to publish your content with your bio attached at the end, that's a must.
2. Create a give away like a free e-book. Since it's your e-book in the author section give your readers an "About the Author" section. Tell them who you are, what you've done and promote your business. You shouldn't feel awkward about this; you see it on every flap of a book you purchase.
3. Send out media releases. This is one of the easiest ways to promote yourself. You can write about a new product release, maybe your new e-book or an interesting industry event. This is a bit different than publishing an article so make sure you follow the format. And there are plenty of free PR sites to post to; search Google for a listing.
4. Use your email list. Once you have established a list, even a non-buying list, send out information to them regularly about you, your business and how you can help them succeed in their home business opportunity. This tactic is two fold, you're promoting yourself and your business while establishing a relationship with them. This one task alone will create profits beyond your wildest imagination.
5. And always, always add your card/bio to the end of every email and article you publish. This is your online business card, hand it out everywhere you go. Every email, every article is another chance to tell people who you are. Make sure you keep it short so it's sure to get read.
If you apply these few quick and easy suggestions you will be rewarded with more customers, more revenue and you might just find a new friend or two.

How To Get Internet Money And Find Success With Your Internet Business? by Louis Charles Martel

You hear about people getting online every day to start their own home business and finding success. You can easily find success with your own internet business if you do what it takes to make it happen for you. One thing that successful business owners understand is that getting internet money doesn't have to be hard, it just takes a few things from you to make it happen. When you want your own part of internet money you have to do some very important things. If you don't do these things than you will always find yourself struggling to make money and find success. Here are the things that you have to do.
One: Education - You have to take the time needed to learn all you can about building an internet business and about marketing your business. Learning is something you will do every day when you have a home business. The more you are willing to learn about the easier you will find it to build your business and make internet money.
Two: Marketing - This is imperative to making internet money and finding success. If you don't market your internet business then people can't find you. You have to get your website and business in front of as many people as you can. This is where the education will come in because you will continuously be learning how to market your business.
Three: Hard work - Too many people get online and start a business expecting to find success right away without any work or very little work. Having an internet business is just like having a business offline. You have to treat it like a business and work hard to make is succeed. This is just a fact of life that applies to all areas, including building a business.
Four: Time and effort - The more time you spend building your business the more internet money you will make. Your business will build according to how much time and effort you put into building it, if you are not willing to spend time and effort than you shouldn't start your own business.
These are not all of the things that you will have to do to build your business and make internet money but they are the most important. Don't ignore even one of these things because if you do you will find it very hard to make your internet business successful.

Four Tips To Help You Choose The Right Internet Based Affiliate Marketing Business by Stephen Meyer

If you are looking for an online business opportunity that will allow you to work at your own pace and on your own schedule. An Internet based affiliate marketing opportunity could be right for you. Research is the key and must be done before you start an affiliate marketing business. There are many businesses out there and it is important that you research each of them to find a program that meets your needs and you feel you are capable of selling. The hardest part of Internet opportunities is finding the right one. Here are four tips to help you make your decision.
1. When searching products you want to find those that cater to a large consumer base. It is much easier to sell a specialized product than it is to sell a bunch of different products.
2. When choosing which internet based affiliate marketing program is right for you, it is important to choose one that provides promotional tools and strategies. Look for companies that have a clear marketing plan and offers you many tools to promote that plan. When the company gives you tools and a clear plan of action you will have the ability to start profiting much quicker.
3. Remember that you are the one that is building the business, which means that you, the affiliate, should be of the highest priority. Do not even consider a company that does not respond politely to emails or treats you badly. If the company does not respond to your emails quickly and treats your rudely it is a sign that they do not value you and that you should not choose their company.
4. The final thing you should do when deciding which company you should become an affiliate marketer for is to find the company that has a proven sales record and is part of your niche market. These are the companies that will give you what it will take to build a business and be successful.
Affiliate marketing programs are a great part time or full time business and are a good way to make money. By following the above four steps your search for an Internet based affiliate marketing business will lead you to success and profit.

3 Main Problems When You Work From Home by Orkhan Ibadov

There is no doubt that working from home is a great way of making a living. It can be a lot of fun at the same time. But there can be problems that you will encounter and this article will explore the main problems you can have while working from home.
1. First of all it's easy to get distracted. Because you work at home you will find that many of your well-meaning friends and relatives think you really are not working. Therefore, they can stop by, or call you and ask you to do things pretty much 24 hours a day. They wouldn't do this if you had an eight to five job yet they feel it is o.k. because you are working from home. They can contact you whenever they feel like. There are other types of distractions as well. Some of these can be brought on by yourself. Things such as errands to run, TV shows to watch, neighbors to visit, and so on can become distractions. You really have to be able to control your schedule when you work from home.
2. Another problem is you no longer have a steady paycheck. When you work for an employer you are trading your time for their money. But when you work from home for yourself, you will trade you time for the potential of making money. Some people have a hard time dealing with this because they never know exactly what they're going to make. Unless you're financially secure, sitting on a stable bank account, this can create added stress that you may or may not able to handle.
3. Benefits such as vacation days, sick days, retirement fund, etc. are not guaranteed if you are working for yourself. If you are the type of person who valued the benefits that your job provided then you need to set up a way to reward yourself accordingly. These are 3 problems you will have while working from home. The flip side of this is you are in control and can have a huge impact on your own personal success.
When you are setting your office hours people will respect that. Not only that but you'll get more done because you know exactly when you're working. Your potential income will depend on yourself. The more you work the more your income will increase. You can also set up a retirement plan and reward yourself with vacation days and sick days because you are the boss.
Most people find that the problems they have when they work from home nowhere near compare with the many rewards. Hopefully you will fall in that category.

Ecommerce Information and Resources by diane jenkins

The ClickBank E-Commerce Solution
ClickBank.com can offer you multiple solutions for your e-commerce business. Here are some of the advantages of using ClickBank.
1. Accept Credit Cards Without a Merchant Account
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), ClickBank may be an excellent solution for you. For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales.
2. Start Your Own Affiliate Program
With ClickBank, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates. To learn more about ClickBank.com, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/buy/clickbank.html
3. Receive Free Advertising
You receive additional exposure through free listing on the ClickBank website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com. To learn more about CBMall.com, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/buy/cbmall.html
4. Obtain Referral Commissions
Even without applying for ClickBank credit card processing, you can earn referral commissions on thousands of ClickBank Marketplace products. To learn more about ClickBank Marketplace, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/buy/clickbank-marketplace.html
5. Eliminate Sales Tax Problems
Are you registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) for online transactions for European Union (EU) countries since July 1, 2003? Are you collecting the appropriate state or provincial sales taxes? If you are a Canadian, are you aware of your obligation to collect Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.) and Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) on Internet transactions? Again, ClickBank may be your solution. ClickBank is registered for EU purposes and adds the appropriate VAT to each transaction.
As well, to deal with ClickBank, you must agree to sell your product to them. ClickBank then resells your product to their customers. Thus, ClickBank becomes the retailer responsible for collecting sales taxes -- not you. Obviously, ClickBank will not be subject to sales taxes in most jurisdictions. Since ClickBank is located in the United States and can only sell or use the products it sells from there, it would appear that Canadian G.S.T. and H.S.T. would not be applicable to them. Of course, this is not legal advice. To determine your liability for sales and similar taxes, consult your lawyer and accountant. To read more about sales taxes on Internet transactions, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/e-commerce-tax.html
Considering its many advantages, ClickBank may well be your e-commerce solution!
Resource Box: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,