4 Crucial Steps For Creating A Profitable Online Business!

Creating an online business has never been easier. With the right combination of software and a great business idea, you can start up a venture quickly. However, if you want to create a profitable online business, you’ll need to follow some simple, but essential, steps in your approach.

Here are four of the essential steps you’ll need to take to ensure your online business goes from set up to profitable — fast!
 

1. Get and maintain a list.

If you ask any online marketer today, they’ll tell you that having an email list is your most valuable asset — yet it’s probably one of the least developed or pursued avenues of most startups. Don’t make the mistake of letting your email list building and maintenance go on the backburner.

Start out with a simple, free list building tool such as Mail Chimp, which easily integrates into many online shopping cart services such as Shopify, or if you have the budget, begin with a more sophisticated email and customer-relationship management integration option such as Infusionsoft.

Regardless of where or how you start, make sure you have a solid communication schedule and strategy to leverage your list and build trust. Then as you grow your online business, you can use your list as a direct sales arm to reach an already interested audience.

2. Optimize for search.

Most people don’t understand search engine optimization. That’s OK — just know that SEO is an important tool for getting visitors to your site. You’ll want to build out organic SEO with industry standard practices such as page titles, keywords and links.

These things can change month over month, so it’s important you hire someone who knows how to manage this for you and is current on all the best practices.

SEO will boost your site rankings and help drive traffic, which means more potential clients on your site. Try sites such as eLance or Fiverr to hire a freelancer who can help you with SEO for cheaper than an agency, and less headache than trying to figure it out alone.

3. Test, tweak and track.

One of the greatest things about having an online business is the adaptability. With a brick-and-mortar business it might take weeks or months to judge the efficacy of campaigns, but online you can test and tweak in real time. To truly create an online business that is maximized for profitability, you should constantly be testing and tracking your efforts.

What’s the effect of changing the color of a call-to-action button? Is orange better than red? What headlines get the most clicks? What are people drawn to on your site?

You can find out some surprising stats on testing from the incredible site Which Test Won? For some free and inexpensive insights into where people are clicking around in your site, check out SumoMe, which offers a “Heat Maps” plugin that actually tracks the highest areas of click actions on your site.

4. Make it easy.

A clean, uncluttered site that is easy to navigate will be more profitable than a confusing site. This is especially important during checkout. You need a clear, easy process. The better your online shopping cart, the better your conversion rate will be and that means better profitability.

According to the Baymard Insitute, nearly 70 percent of all online shopping carts are abandoned. That’s a lot of people ditching your products after they’ve expressed interest in purchasing.

Up your conversion odds at checkout time by streamlining your shopping cart experience with a single page, frictionless experience. While studies and industry best practices may vary, by and large a shorter checkout experience gives the consumer less chance to get frustrated or change their minds.

Follow these simple steps and watch your online business become more profitable.

https://xlim.org/4-crucial-steps-for-creating-a-profitable-online-business/

Video Marketing: Why You Need To Start ASAP!

Fundamentally, the goal of advertising has always been to have your business stand out in your marketplace from your competition and be chosen (and remembered) by consumers. 

Most small to medium size businesses that I work with constantly have the struggle of wanting to do everything to stand out, while keeping a mindful eye of staying within a budget for their marketing efforts. 

Advertising your business in such a fragmented market low cost marketing roi, space  today can get costly and without measures in place to determine what the best mediums to market with, it's hard to figure out how you can capture a low-cost marketing ROI?  That answer is simple: Video Marketing.

When it comes to social and online marketing, video marketing has taken its place as a leader in attracting new customers. According to comScore, just over 45% of internet users viewed at least one video per month, and the average user is exposed to 32 videos per month. 

Companies are realizing that video has a dominant role to play in your content marketing-mix strategy. Video marketing captures the users attention and gives you the opportunity to deliver your message in an easy format that everyone can understand. Here are some great statistics on Video marketing:

90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60K times faster in the brain than text according to Zabisco. Invisia reports that viewers also retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text.

•52% of consumers say that watching a video makes them more confident in online purchase decisions according to Invodo.
•92% of mobile users share videos with others according to Invodo.
•87% of online marketers use video content according to Outbrain.
•46% of users take ACTION after viewing a video according to Online Publishers Association
•59% of executives would rather watch a video than read text according to Forbes.
•800% increase in conversion on websites that have videos on their landing pages vs. websites without according to Orion 21
•Blogs that incorporate video attract 3-times as many inbound links as blogs without video.

One of the biggest questions I get asked when discussing video marketing is how long a video should be? Statistics show that 20% of users will click away from a video in 10 seconds or less. If your video is over 2-minutes, you can expect a 60% drop of users clicking away from your video. 

It seems like the attention span for desktop and mobile users capacity to watch a single video is about 2 minutes. The "sweet spot" for most custom video marketing pieces should be one minute.

If video marketing is great for local businesses to stand out in the marketplace, what is the best vessel to reach your current and prospects through video? Most individuals host their video's on YouTube. Why? Google owns Youtube. 

Videos hosted on Youtube appear in more than half of all searches on Google. Makes sense to put your video on Youtube right? By creating a video, you can separately upload your video to social media networks like Facebook. 

Once they are uploaded, create or add these videos to your website through an embedding process. This can create a valuable link for your SEO on your website and hopefully increase your position on search engines over time.

How do I take advantage of video marketing? The best thing about video marketing can be the ability to connect consumers with your business without them even contacting you yet! 

They will understand who you are, what you do, what the inside of your shop looks like, and who might be answering the phone when they call. Due to this, there are companies that specialize in creating professional custom videos that take your business to the next level. 

This gives you an opportunity to connect what I call high-tech with a high-touch customer service while also putting your best foot forward for that all important first impression. I recommend AT LEAST ONE professionally crafted video to use when marketing your business.

If your business is on a tight budget, however, there are still great ways to take advantage of video marketing. Businesses can use their own smartphone cameras and create a "grassroots" video marketing campaign in their store or "on-location" for services businesses. 

They also can set-up product launches, special events or tutorials through video marketing and share that those on your website and through social media! What type of story can you tell that can fulfill a need in your local marketplace and position you as a leader in the industry while simultaneously building your brand?

Micro-videos have been a great tool for businesses to create a 10-second commercial, promotion or testimonial from their consumers and using that on social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Vimeo and Instagram. 

Customers can quickly view messages on their social media feeds. Get your customers involved! Ask customers that had a great experience with your company for a quick ten second video reference! They almost never write a positive review on Yelp or Google, so capture their review through video! (Make sure you have them sign a waiver for legal purposes).

Video Marketing is here, and it is powerful! By 2017 video marketing will take up 74% of all online traffic according to Syndacast. Video marketing can be a cost-effective way to market your business with professionally created content as well as DIY marketing. 

Take advantage of a medium that reaches customers in an easy to understand format with statistically proven success rate! 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/video-marketing-why-you-need-start-asap-alex-kowalkoski

Interested In Online Marketing? Read These Tips And Techniques!

If you create sites with strong content that also incorporate online marketing ads, then the traffic you generate will create substantial profits for your business. This article is full of great tips and advice on how to help your affiliate site grow and thrive.

You and your affiliate partners should never abuse this function. At best, this can be very irritating for the visitor. In the worst-case scenario, playing unethical cookie games can propagate viruses and even make it impossible to track customers and award affiliate commissions.

After you have established yourself, you need to consider asking your affiliate program for more money. If you generate enough sales and use good marketing techniques, the program will do everything it can to keep you working for them and give you a raise.

It is a good idea in affiliate promotion to pick an affiliate company that pays in a variety of ways. You may want you money quickly. The policies vary from company to company. Some will cut you a check after you have earned a certain amount of money while others have direct deposit and PayPal options.

Sign up with an affiliate promotion company which always adds new products to it’s lineup. If you want reliable commissions and new product promotion opportunities from a reputable, solid affiliate company, look for one that continuously produces new products for you to promote. Fad products will only benefit you in the short-term.

You’ll need to find new customers as most people will unsubscribe eventually. To catch the attention of new customers, only send them the emails that have gotten great results. This will ensure you grab their interest right away.

Text services are a great technique for affiliates to use in order to earn commissions. While a new service, many affiliates are already using them to keep customers informed and for further boosting their products.

Good affiliate marketers are honest about their business engagements. Tell your site visitors what your affiliations are, and tell them what you want to accomplish with your site. If your potential customers feel you are withholding information about your affiliate relationships, they may choose to purchase from the sites directly, rather than going through yours.

It is important that your readers trust you. When your readers appreciate the content of your site, they are more likely to click on your referrals.

You can make a nice chunk of change in online marketing, but you need to be on top of your game to get anywhere. You will need to find a way to make your blog/website ranked high by all of the search engines. The higher your rank for your keywords, the higher your profits will be.

Putting a time limit on purchasing an affiliate product is a great internet marketing tool. If your visitors see there is a purchasing deadline, they will feel more compelled to complete the sale. You can get your sales up by following these tips.

You should have a lot of knowledge about your target audience in order for your internet marketing endeavors to be successful. You want your message to resonate with your readers. Determine why they are visiting your website. Ask yourself what it is they are looking at.

Attract the proper audiences for your selected affiliate products. If it’s a cheaper product, then just simply having a high traffic flow will ensure that it sells. If it’s cheap enough, people will be more likely to buy it after a quick click and view. When your products are more expensive, more direct targeting is necessary.

Write a handwritten advertisement, scan it and publish it on your website. This gives the advertisement a personal touch which may result in higher sales. Does your handwriting look like a scribble? Find someone whose writing is clear.

Affiliate promotion can lead the way to a profitable business. Your well-developed sites are an investment that will pay off far into the future. However, you must understand that making money through internet marketing is going to take a serious investment of time to improve your website content. If you follow this rule, you will never be wanting for success.

http://beforeitsnews.com/gold-and-precious-metals/2015/07/interested-in-online-marketing-read-these-tips-and-techniques-2650226.html

Why You’re Bonkers For Not Using Email Marketing

Don’t worry, I used to be bonkers.

I never used to think email marketing would be that useful to reach my goals. I received hundreds of emails each week and I barely opened any of them. That was until I started to scale one of my websites and was about to launch my first product.

For 2 years, I had been building a website that received more than 1 million unique views lifetime, and I didn’t bother to collect a single email address. All I could think was how many extra sales I could have made, if I’d only had placed an opt-in form on my site to grab a percentage of that traffic.

Even a 1% opt-in rate on 1 million visitors would have been 10,000 potential leads to pitch my new product. Oh well, an expensive lesson learned.

Does email marketing really work?
While I hardly open my emails, email marketing is extremely effective. The problem most local and aspiring businesses owners face is not knowing how to correctly use email marketing to grow their business.

According to Econsultancy, email marketing returns the best ROI of all online marketing methods:

Furthermore, the Direct Marketing Association found that for every £1 a marketer spent on email marketing, they yielded a £38 gross profit.

What can it help you achieve? Okay, the stats sound great, but what can it help you do?

Capture Traffic – Your website will receive a lot of visitors who will most likely never revisit your website after their first interaction. With the average website bounce rate at 70%, placing opt-in forms allow you to re-engage with prospects that otherwise would have been lost.

Convert a maybe into a yes – Not all prospects will be ready to say yes to your offer. Some will be unsure of your product’s value, they may not trust you or need more convincing.

Ever wondered why so many businesses are giving away free eBooks and reports for email addresses?

It’s to convert the I’m not ready to buy just yet prospects into paying customers. You can send prospects customer testimonials for social proofing, free information to address paint points and valuable content to brand your business as an authority.

These are all common methods to turn ‘maybe prospects’ into paying customers.

Keep customers engaged – You already know that attaining customers is hard enough, the last thing you want to do is lose them through lack of engagement.

Weekly newsletters keeps the relationship between you and your customers healthy, and ensures they don’t forget about you. Holiday and personalized birthday wishes also makes customers feel more valued, and you know what valued customers do? Spend money.

Take this one actionable step today

If you’re not using email marketing to grow your business, start today by taking this one easy step I’m about to show you.

But before I do, do you know which type of email receives the most amount of opens? The welcome email:

For every prospect who signups to your list, 50% of them will click on your welcome email, that’s extremely high given the average email open rate is around 23%.

How can your business leverage this information? If you run an online store, create a welcome email that lists your top products. If profit margins allow it, offer a time-based coupon to encourage them to act now. This is the quickest way you will turn a prospect into a customer.

If you offer a service, list your telephone number or offer prospects a free 10 minute consultation to help solve their problem which they can book by replying to your email. Alternatively, link your most valuable blog posts in your welcome email, this will help build trust and cement social proofing faster.

Don’t send a generic thanks for signing up to my newsletter because you’re wasting a great opportunity to sell or brand your business.

Summary
To really make the most of email marketing you will need an email automation tool.
As with any online marketing strategy, don’t be put off at the start as you will only capture a few email addresses per week, building a high quality lists take time.


http://www.azuremarketing.com/why-youre-bonkers-for-not-using-email-marketing/

Three Top Tips for Online Marketing!

With the internet at everyone’s fingertips, online marketing has become a booming endeavor that looks like anyone may succeed at. However, with all who try there are those who fail. There is a secret language in the online marketing world that it seems some can speak and some cannot. 

You will find the way on the road to success with these three top tips for online marketing. Following these tips will not guarantee complete flawless success but can definitely pave the way.

1.Evaluate the product
It is first important to evaluate and ask the question, what are you selling? Is it a product or a business? The most important question is whether or not your product or service is useful to consumers. After asking that question, it is important to ask whether or not it will be profitable.

If the answer is yes to both of these than the business can certainly be on its way. However, bringing a business to the online market does not only take serious thought, it is important to take in the responses of other outside influences. Testing for potential growth can definitely save a lot of lost revenue.

2.Make the site attractive
If a simple picture is worth a thousand words, than a business website is worth billions. It is important to make an excellent first impression to those surfing the web for your products or services. 

For those brought up in the twenty first century it is easy to tell a badly designed website from a good one. Taking some classes in graphic design or even hiring a team to help design a promising web page can help traffic and sales skyrocket. 

Also creating a statement image can help those clicking around remember and connect the pleasant experience with your product to something visual.

3.Stay Relevant
Connecting to clients through social media consistently can help keep the business relevant even in times of a slow market. Investing time or a team into a social media marketing and public relations can help the business maintain an image for the client to trust.

It is important to address criticisms and complaints with grace and apologies. Surfing the web for honest testimonials about your own brand can bring to light some issues occurring in your business that need to be addressed and better the brand as a whole.

Following these three top tips for online marketing can pave the way for success in the digital world. These tips regard evaluating the business from top to bottom, making a great first impression, and connecting to the consumer of your goods or services. 

All of these tips are easy to act out and understand but weigh so heavily on either the success or failure of a business. Businesses such as Guru Neighbors are sites dedicated to giving advice and leading those just starting out to success. 

They can help with social media advertising, blog startups, and press releases. Connecting with businesses such as this one can help give a running start to those beginning in online marketing.

http://guruneighbors.com/three-top-tips-for-online-marketing/

Great Internet Marketing Starts With This Article!

If you have a knack for finding a niche, you might be a great affiliate marketer. With thousands of companies and millions of products to choose from, you can be an affiliate for any type of business you choose. 

However, you will first need to know more about internet marketing. We will cover some vital information in this article.

One way to get started in the affiliate marketing game is to sell a group of themed products from different vendors. You will offer your visitors a bigger choice than if it was just your website to choose from.

TIP! In order to make the most of affiliate marketing, you need to keep only the affiliates that profit you the most. You should submit your affiliate partnerships to a regular and thorough performance review.

Make sure you understand how order tracking works with the affiliates that you have chosen. If your affiliate ID isn’t connected to the order, either by the client directly calling or mailing the company that processes the orders, you might end up losing large amounts of your commission.

Many affiliate marketers feel a compulsive need to do too much. Generally speaking, they attempt to sell more products than they can effectively promote, and ended dropping the ball on all of them. There is no bar set for maximum results. It is important to take time and look for the best method that will apply to you.

TIP! When you are selecting an affiliate company, try to find one that offers several different ways to access your money. Some companies pay by postal check while others use AlertPay or PayPal.

If you are forthright and direct with visitors about your web marketing, they are more likely to view you and your business in a positive light. However, honesty will get you much further, even in affiliate promotion. 

If your site visitors see that you haven’t just thrown a bunch of affiliate links together and called it a site, they will be much more likely to use those links to buy products.

Put some thought into each product you would like to promote. It may take you a while to learn the best way to arrange your site’s affiliate links, but once you’ve struck upon a successful formula, your profits will rise accordingly.

TIP! You should be truthful about what you are doing in your business. Tell people who you are affiliated with.

Signing up with several affiliate programs whose products are targeted at the same consumer base is one powerful way to boost your effectiveness. You can provide your visitors a variety of places to go if they have plenty of links.

Gaining your reader’s trust is important in building a good reputation. If you build trust, customers are likely to support you and your affiliates by clicking the referral links on your page.

TIP! In order to make money through affiliate marketing, you need to have an understanding of the basics. High rankings with the search engines will benefit your Internet site.

So called “secret links” can be a subtle, yet effective strategy. There are ways that you can include affiliate links in your text without being glaringly obvious. 

Use these to your advantage, but inform your readers so they do not feel you are trying to trick them into anything. Avoid surprising your readers by allowing them to see the context used behind the link.

It’s imperative to have access to real time statistics. These will help you to track how much traffic your site is getting, and exactly how many of your products have been purchased.

TIP! In order to have successful marketing, you need to know your clients. You should be trying to meet your readers’ needs.

You will lose many of your initial customers, and you will need to get more people on board. Make sure to get and keep quality subscribers by providing only high-quality content in your emails.

Banner ads should give the visitor a reason to want to go to your site. Do not mislead your visitors however. Most visitors cannot abstain from clicking your lead banner. You can offer an incentive to people who had the correct answer.

TIP! Once you have made your decisions regarding affiliate products you wish to sell, you should focus your marketing campaign on the correct target audience. Low cost products can succeed through high-volume sales.

If someone visits your sport-themed website, you can be sure that they have one thing on their mind: sports. Putting a link to an affiliate site is not going to benefit you unless it is sports related. Your readers will be primarily interested in clicking links that are relevant to the rest of your site.

Try creating a handwritten ad, scanning it to your computer and then publishing it on your site. This type of personal touch will make you seem more real and approachable to your customers. 

When customers think of you as a real person, your sales will benefit. If you have bad handwriting, try hiring a freelance writer to create your ads.

TIP! Don’t allow your affiliate marketing campaign to rest on a few partner’s shoulders. Participate with many different vendors instead of hoping that one product or market will always be sustainable.

http://affiliatemarketing.passiveprofitssystem.com/great-internet-marketing-starts-with-this-article/?pk_campaign=feed&pk_kwd=great-internet-marketing-starts-with-this-article

3 Reasons Your Online Marketing Business Is Failing & How to Fix Them!

I wrote a post last week about how my Internet marketing business is failing to make as much money as I first anticipated. Don’t worry it wasn’t as depressing as that intro sounds but it was quite revealing and raw. 

As a firm believer in taking ownership for what does or does not happen in life, I have taken stock of certain actions over the last seven months and the necessary steps to correct them.

Here is what I observed…

Reason 1: Taking On Too Much, Too Soon
So you know how we all get hyped up on the brand new shiny toy (read business) that we just invested in and started learning about? Yeah, multiply that excitement by 4 if you are like me and have an addictive personality. 

Now, square that if you tend to believe that if you just work at it hard enough it has to happen. And add ten points if you get convinced that late nights and long days lead to faster success. 

Now multiply that by zero if you end up overwhelmed, disillusioned and quitting every time. Yup, it is a cycle and it’s vicious.

Once I started with network marketing, I was a blogging, e-book creating, website building, workshop hopping fool…Am I alone on this?

People like us spend hours just in front of the computer trying to learn everything faster, do it bigger, make it better and get there already. Problem is the more that’s taken on, the less efficient we became: blog content gets crappier and it’s hard to write engaging pieces. 

Our audience gets tired of reading the same regurgitated crap and we simply end up crashing and burning (usually with shame that it’s happening again, le sigh).  

While visions of dollars magically lining up to be counted in your account is lovely, overworking without a plan and burning out is brutal. So how do we ensure it doesn’t happen again?

The Solution 1: Chunk It Up And Chalk Up A Plan
In this book, which I wish I had taken the time and effort to read before starting this business, Yarnell & Yarnell, the authors, point out all the basic advice you can glean from anywhere online and in how to books. 

But they do teach something really important and that is how to be a professional at this business and have the right mindset.

Now if you have read the free e-book - 7 Daily Habits to Make Your Online Business Kick Ass, you would have noticed the primary focus on the mindset. And so going forward, it’s time to to adjust the force it to happen mindset. 

Because while there is nothing wrong with visualizing success and seeing the finish line, there is nothing right about taking on so much that you end up a crying, failing mess either.

Don’t know how to create a plan? Use Scott Bridges’ book Internet Marketing Plan… It’s a really affordable,  informative read. 

Or if you are sick of reading try the Business Planning Kit for Dummies which will give you step by step guide to help you create a business plan, which really goes a long way into chunking things down to bite sized pieces.

Reason 2: Inconsistency
If I had a dollar for every time I… Aww heck, who am I kidding I wouldn’t even be consistent at being inconsistent. If you get bored easily, cannot eat the same meals everyday(the horror!) 

Or find it hard to keep writing the same boring articles then you may find yourself looking at all the other shiny and exciting opportunities out there. 

Since I started Online Marketing, I started with a bunch of affiliates, signed on with Click Bank to become a product creator and even started an online course in e-newsletter marketing-yes, I am like that, judge away.

While multitasking seems great, studies continue to show that it is indeed very problematic. According to an article on Forbes.com, it may be damaging to your brain and even your career. Holy crap! 

It’s evident that doing more than one thing leads to distraction and further inconsistency in skill level and productivity but brain damage? Oy! As if I had anymore brain cells to spare, but that’s fodder for another post-lol.

Multitasking is problematic

The Solution 2: Set Realistic, Enjoyable Daily Goals
The three most important words in the above solution are : realistic, enjoyable and daily. While no no one expects to follow a schedule perfectly(no one sane that is,) every minute of everyday, (actually I can only follow a schedule if it’s a list of suggestions,) we do need to be accountable and strengthen our will power. 

So, for example knowing that you need to write 3-4 articles per week and promote products in each, gives you a measurable outcome. Did you write 2 or was it 6? It also gives you a way to answer the question, now where has the time gone? 

If you are spending more time on research so as to avoid emails or social media, then you can change it to fit the plan. Consistency for me has always been the big, fat fly in my soup. So let’s work on it together eh?

Reason 3: Not Enough Products To Promote
Okay, so this may not be anyone’s fault really. Except in a way it kinda is. See, when we choose our niche, for better or for worse we are choosing all the products that go along with it. 

So as I have choosen the online marketing information sector, I realize that unless I am promoting books and digital products and opportunities, there is hardly anything worth selling.  

And of course I could have chosen a different route but you know with the whole follow your passion and all I figured well, why not teach what I’m learning, ergo the lack of product. 

So what do we do in these situations? Well…seeing that it’s best to think about these things before hand, let’s do some damage control.

What to do when you have no products to promote?

The Solution 3: Consumable Products In A Higher Price Range
Follow your passion is bad business advice

Mark Cuban says, “don’t follow your passion, follow your effort.” Which means, focus on where you spend your time and energy, and build a business from there. But if you’re already knee deep in your pursuit of passion, then finding products that are higher priced and recurring is your best bet.

Sounds easy enough but in this situation, customer knowledge is key. This is where the true understanding of your customers will come in handy. So, for example Clickbank is a great product, for creating and promoting digital products, it also has a recurring element when people sign up for a membership. 

And even my personal favourite Wealthy Affiliate, which does not pay a high amount but does have the recurring payment capability. You can always read a review here and try it by clicking the link above or following the steps in the review. Just be sure to take it slow, because there is a lot of information to take in.

http://stayathomewow.com/3-reasons-your-online-marketing-business-is-failing-and-how-to-fix-them

Affiliate Marketing Myths #1: To Be a Successful Affiliate, You Have to be Passionate about the Products You Promote!

I'm sorry, but the idea that affiliates have to be passionate about the products they promote is bullcrap. It was put into circulation some time in the murky past by shovel-selling "gurus". 

 

Because gurus were saying it, soon everybody was saying it, and because everybody was saying it, it had to be true. Right?

Wrong.

The last affiliate commission I earned was for a water filter cartridge. Am I passionate about water filter cartridges? Do my visitors regard me as a "trusted authority" on water filter cartridges? Hell no.

I earned the commission because I was able to place myself in the right place in the sales funnel. The buyer searching for that specific water filter cartridge found my page dedicated to that specific water filter cartridge before he found the merchant's site. 

 

My page made it easy for him to click through to the merchant and bingo. A sale. That's it. That's what we're about. That's our business.

Selling (or, in the case of affiliate marketing, pre-selling) is a skill. A salesman can sell anything. An affiliate can pre-sell anything.

 Now, don't get me wrong. There are products I refuse to promote. Because I think they're bad products. I won't make money by promoting products I think are bad. We should never lose sight of ethics. That isn't the point here.

Stay tuned for further exploding myths. Enjoy the fireworks!

http://www.affiliatemarketingbullets.com/2015/06/affiliate-marketing-myths-1-to-be.html

4 Elements You Need to Include in Your Online Marketing Campaigns

It’s critical for business owners to understand how important it is to have a marketing plan for the products or services their brand offers. 

Most businesses are constantly working to find ways to give their brand awareness a boost, hoping to connect with new customers and reinforce the relationships with existing ones to ultimately gain a loyal following. 

That being said, you may already have some type of marketing program in place, but are you limiting yourself to the traditional platforms that include TV, print and radio?

As the CEO and founder of an online marketing company, I know firsthand that many businesses out there are making the mistake of not exploring all their options when trying to put together an effective marketing campaign. 

In fact, all too often, an online marketing plan’s potential to complement other advertising efforts gets completely overlooked.

There are different ways to market your business online, but the most successful Internet marketing strategies implement each of the following elements, allowing all the pieces to work together to accomplish the level of brand visibility, website traffic and revenue you’d like to see.

1. Web Design
In this day and age, there’s no question about the necessity of businesses maintaining a strong presence online, and having a well-designed website is the number one way to do that. 

If you’re a business owner who views their site design as part of their online marketing efforts, you have the right idea. Any advertising and content that’s published will point back to your website to encourage consumers to take action, making it the foundation for your entire campaign. 

Websites should be user-friendly and appealing enough to make visitors stay, while utilizing fresh blog articles, a mobile-responsive design and other optimization techniques. These key web design features will all play a significant role in your marketing tactics.

2. SEO
Search engine optimization is meant to help businesses rank higher in the likes of Google, Bing and Yahoo. Without it, there’s the potential for your business to get buried somewhere deep among pages and pages of search results. 

We all know that most people don’t make it past the first or second page when they’re looking for something specific so if your company doesn’t stand out at the top of the rankings, you’re likely to lose quite a bit of website traffic and profit. 

Using SEO properly can make a big impact on how well you fare over your niche competitors.

3. Social Media

Integrating social media into your online marketing program holds a lot of value, especially since it’s free to join and a small advertising budget can go a long way. 

With so many thousands of people engaging on all the various social media platforms out there, being active on your own business profiles can generate a reach you won’t get anywhere else. 

Social media not only allows you to share information about your brand and products or services through posts, Tweets, images and video, but it also gives you the opportunity to develop a genuine bond with consumers. 

This leaves them feeling good about purchasing from you, as opposed to a competitor they have no connection with.

4. PPC / Banner Advertising
Gone are the days when it was sufficient enough to run a few commercials on TV and advertise in the local newspaper. The majority of the world’s population uses the Internet to get news, shop and even stream their favorite shows, ditching cable. 

This is where pay-per-click and banner advertising come into play. Having your company name and offerings pop up on search engines and a wide array of websites repeatedly helps you gain brand recognition and get in front of consumers who are actually looking to purchase your type of product or service, leading to a higher conversion rate.

http://pjtec.info/4-elements-you-need-to-include-in-your-online-marketing-campaigns/

Achieve Affiliate Marketing Success In A Few Simple Steps!

Do you have ideas swimming in your head about how to run and operate a great idea? When your bulb starts blinking, now is the time to get that business up and running. Read these Internet promotion tips that are sure to increase your profits.

You have to have a superb website before worrying about getting it ranked. This must be your first step taken by anyone who is starting an online business. The more aesthetically pleasing your site looks, the less effort it takes to maintain.

Consider various methods of advertising for your website. Some easy ways to share your site are to post on blogs, use social media, and put posters in businesses in your area. You can use many methods to encourage people to visit your website. Just be creative, and work hard.

The purpose of Internet marketing is recognizing a need or want and filling it. When you start your day, be aware of the problems you are solving.

A frequently-asked questions page (FAQ) makes an excellent model for your site. For any question or concern, write a helpful answer, and mention any products you sell which can offer a solution whenever possible.

Knowing your competition can be very beneficial to your own strategies as you learn from their successes and mistakes. If you can easily picture yourself as a prospective customer for your competitors’ products, this means that they are successful in at least one area. Use that information to improve your company’s approach.

Advertise with the Internet’s most popular sites. This investment can make a huge difference for exposure.

Give your customers a variety of choices to people when they check-out.You could give a special promotion to previous customers.

Always make sure your webpages are informative and contain relevant information. Just providing a one page website that gives your hours and address is not going to attract customers. Through adding content such as articles or reviews, you ensure your customers that you know your business and industry.

If your company site isn’t often changed, incorporate an ever-changing blog. Search engines like fresh information, so if your site is no updated regularly, your ranking will suffer. A blog allows you to create fresh content.

If you can create an Ezine, it can be an on-going effective marketing technique where you can build a following with the people who subscribe to it. You can show your personality by including a staff photo. You can also include information about your company.

Make sure to cover all the angles and stock plenty of content, as you build your site. Your primary mission here is to convey knowledge to your prospects in a minimal amount of time, so that they understand what you are selling. Repeat information, fluff and unreliable information should be avoided.

Internet marketing has similarities and differences from other areas. If this happened, you would need to direct your efforts more towards other options, like viral video marketing.

Getting listed by Google is essential in any Web marketing strategy. Google is utilized by millions of people daily, so your company needs to be listed if you want to know exactly who is searching for you. Your business is more likely to have great success if it is listed on directories and registered with the search engines.

Create a space for customers to submit product reviews and comments about your products. Not only can these reviews help you improve your products, but they allow potential customers to feel more confident in their purchasing decision.

Encourage readers to imagine that their life can be made easier or better with your product. Your ads should make it so that they can enjoy special benefits and features of your product.

You will gain more business if you allow more payment options available. While it might seem okay to just offer credit cards as a method of payment, it couldn’t hurt to also give people other forms of payment such as PayPal and their bank accounts.

Putting a blog on your website is a great idea if your business is finding it hard to add new content regularly. To keep your rankings up with search engines continually add fresh content. Use a blog or a forum to keep new information on your website on a regular basis.

Web marketing is one way to help position your company into making the most money. The methods you’ve just learned can take your business to the next level if they are implemented correctly. With some attention to detail and a little persistence, you should be cleaning up in no time at all.

http://stoorpherdigital.co.uk/achieve-affiliate-marketing-success-in-a-few-simple-steps/ 

7 Tips for Increasing Landing Page Conversions!

It’s not hard to create a landing page, but very few marketers are skilled enough to maximize its value. In most cases, this is because people don’t understand how these tools work and what users are looking for.

If you educate yourself on proper landing page practices, you can become a more successful and informed Internet marketer. For optimal results, keep the following tips and best practices in mind:

 

1. Focus on driving targeted traffic
The problem with low-converting landing pages isn’t always the landing page itself. In other words, your landing page could be perfect and still not convert.

In this case, the problem is almost always directly related to the quality of traffic you’re getting. Your focus from the start should shift to driving highly relevant traffic that will have an interest in what you’re offering, otherwise you’ll experience unusually high bounce rates and few conversions.

2. Use a single CTA
As for the landing page itself, don’t overdo it. Simplicity is best, and a single call to action is typically more effective than multiple calls.

After you decide what your CTA will be, pay attention to where you place it. Ideally, it should be highly visible and positioned above the fold, not in an obscure corner or section of the page.

3. Integrate payment options
If your goal is to persuade users into making a purchase, why dance around the question? If possible, integrate payment capabilities directly into the page.

Thanks to resources such as Paypal, Stripe, and Spaces, an advanced landing page platform, this is not only possible, but extremely easy. By empowering users to pay on the landing page itself, you can reduce the risk of losing their focus and immediately capitalize on leads.

4. Instill urgency
People respond when they sense something is scarce or limited. One of the best ways to instill urgency is to place a countdown clock on your landing page or claim that only a few more units of your product or solution are available for purchase.

5. Continually A/B test
Don’t forget about A/B testing. Whether you want to see what’s working or what’s not, if you run A/B tests on a steady basis, that can help you stay on top of things and maximize results. Optimizely  and Improvely are currently some of the best solutions on the market.

6. Use social proof
One of the most powerful things you can do is include elements of social proof on your landing page. These might include a customer testimonial, industry ratings, a celebrity endorsement, an unbiased review, or anything in between.

According to research, product reviews are 12 times more trusted than manufacturer product descriptions.

7. Include trust factors
In addition to the social proof, people love to see signs of industry credibility. If you have accreditations or badges of trust — for example, from the Better Business Bureau or other organizations — place them in a prominent position on the page to boost visitors’ trust.

Focus on building desire
Above all else, your focus should be on fostering desire in users. Address as many pain points as you can with a single, succinct message that says your product or solution is what they need to be happy and satisfied.

It’s easier said than done, of course, but with the seven foregoing tips, you’ll be well on your way to achieving this marketing feat.

http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/7-tips-increasing-landing-page-conversions-01212989

How Mobile Marketing Is Like Online Dating!

It’s a very similar balancing act to that of another common online activity — dating.

Momchil Kyurkchiev, CEO and co-founder of mobile marketing solution provider Leanplum recently compared the two activities in a post for Mashable. He wrote:

“Like online dating, mobile marketing requires respecting and understanding your user while putting on your best face for them — courting them to become brand evangelists and not just one-time users. What you’re aiming for is not just a transaction, but, rather, a relationship — one that lasts longer than just one date.”

He then shared five common mobile marketing mistakes, included below, that are common among both online daters and mobile marketers.

By avoiding these mobile marketing mistakes, you might be able to avoid becoming that creepy weirdo and instead create lasting relationships with your customers.

1. Don’t Be Creepy
Technology gives you amazing access to data about your customers. But just as you wouldn’t bring up some information you uncovered during a lurking session on Facebook on a first date, you don’t need to bring up users’ ancient search history or other data every time they use your app.

2. Don’t Keep Calling
If you continue sending notifications to users about new features or updates and they never seem to respond or take action, it might be time to take a hint. Either they don’t want to use your app or service that often – or they might be getting turned off by the constant notifications.

3. Consider the Hour
Timing can have a huge impact on the success of your marketing efforts. If you constantly send updates while users are sleeping, at work or otherwise unavailable, they aren’t likely to pay much attention and they might even get fed up with the experience altogether.

4. Switch It Up
Don’t send the same updates over and over again. They probably at least saw the last thing you sent. So if they weren’t interested before, they probably still aren’t.

5. Get Past the One-Night Stand
You don’t just want people to use your app one time and then forget about it. You need to focus on building lasting relationships through gentle prompts and promotions.

Of course, marketing to mobile consumers isn’t exactly like online dating. But the similarities are clear.

You want to put your best face forward so that you can attract customers and actually keep them around. But it’s important to also consider their wants and needs in the process.

http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/06/mobile-marketing-mistakes.html

Tips To Help You Excel With Your Online Marketing Strategy

In comparison to other marketing ventures in the rapidly changing online world, web marketing is the time-honored grandfather of them all. The track record of affiliate program use has proven its potential for profits over a number of years. 

 

There is a ton of information on internet marketing that can be had. No matter what stage of online marketing you are in, this article provides helpful information to help with your success.

 

It’s a good idea to research how a business keeps track of orders not created through their web site when you’re looking through online marketing programs. 

 

If you send sales orders to a company that ultimately take place over the phone or through the mail, and your affiliate ID is not on them, you will not get your commission, which could really add up over time.

When taking a chance on affiliate promotion, it will be beneficial to seek out and sign up with affiliates that will provide you with the products and service you will be selling. 

 

Joining several different affiliate network will provide you a collective source of income. Don’t accept affiliates just because you feel you have to. Read up on what they do so that you will be comfortable working for them.

To maximize the profitability of your affiliate network, drop affiliates that are not performing up to standard. One thing that you will want to consider is to give your affiliates a review. 

 

Removing low-performing affiliates will allow you to create room for advertisers who will earn you more money.

A lot of affiliate communication happens through emails, but the inbox makes an inefficient place to store important information. Instead of going back to your mail box, write down the task you are supposed to accomplish. 

 

You are streamlining and organizing your work by pulling pertinent information out of the email and pasting it into a document.

It is better to affiliate with companies that product many different products if possible. Do business with a reputable company that releases multiple products. 

 

When you find a company like that, you have a reliable flow of commissions. Companies that offer fad products or one hit wonders will absolutely do you no good.

When a visitor comes to your site, they are prepared for information relevant to the topic that brought them there in the first place. 

 

To maximize your benefits, affiliate site links should be related to sports. Visitors are much more likely to click on links that have something to do with your site’s content and theme.

In order to succeed with affiliate promotion, you should consider taking advantage of paid advertising, such as Google Ads. You’ll increase traffic to your website by buying ads targeting important keywords that potential buyers are looking for.

Affiliate marketers need to be completely honest and upfront about the nature of their business. Explain your site and let people know what your affiliations are. 

 

If your potential customers feel you are withholding information about your affiliate relationships, they may choose to purchase from the sites directly, rather than going through yours.

Strive to earn your readers’ trust. If you have people that like you and the content of your website, they will help you out. They will click on your referral links more often, and chances are they will buy some of the products that you are promoting.

Try using internet marketing to make yourself more visible on the Internet. These programs generally bring in more traffic compared to other types of marketing programs. Each prospective affiliate program should be carefully assessed based upon its popularity, ease of use, and compensation plan.

These types of statistics can be invaluable to you. This lets you know how many users have been to your site and how many of them have made a purchase.

Explain to your readers why your affiliates are a good fit for you and for them. They will appreciate you being honest and will feel better about using your affiliate ads to help you earn money.

Don’t expect a lifetime commission from online marketing. Even though they are so rare, the potential profits are so fantastic that you should still seek them out. When a webmasters sells a products, they will receive a commission from the affiliate vendors that sent it to them. 

 

Most of the time, the commission will only be paid out if the customers makes their purchase withing a certain time window. This is what makes them worth hunting up.

You should consider using videos, pictures, or any other visual aids to make your product more visible. By giving people as much information as possible, you increase the chances of them buying the products that you are promoting. 

 

This will also enable you to provide as much accurate information as you can and education your customers on your product.

Getting a lot of content published on the web with links back to your site is great, but make sure the page your reader lands on is consistent with what you promised in the original content — visitors do not appreciate deceptive sales tactics. 

 

For example, if a visitor is led to a web page promoting Apple iPads when he or she clicked on a link for HP tablet PCs, that visitor is going to be somewhat irate. 

 

Even though you may think you have a good strategy going, mismatching your links and their destination pages will irritate and turn away potential customers, because they will no longer trust you.

You can make a lot of money with affiliate marketing. The more you know about this business, the more money you will make off of it.

 

http://www.nysmallbusinesshub.com/2015/06/06/tips-to-help-you-excel-with-your-online-marketing-strategy/ 

Affiliate Marketing Strategy - Important Aspects of Affiliate Marketing

You probably won't be surprised to learn that the winning affiliate marketing strategy involves getting as much traffic (and as much targeted traffic) to your affiliate products as possible. 

And getting enough traffic starts with choosing a product or service that is guaranteed to generate interest and then to convert into sales.

One part of an effective affiliate marketing strategy is making sure that you leverage off of the merchant's time and effort that have been put into his or her product or service. An experienced and skilled merchant will know that the more his or her affiliates are selling, the more he or she will earn. 

And therefore, he or she will continue to test and tweak the product's or service's sales page to make it into a the most compelling offer possible that makes it hard for people to refuse once they land on the page.

Look for sales pages that are simple and clean, that offer a compelling headline, testimonials and, if possible, even a timer that shows people how long they can claim the product or possibly the bonus that comes with it. 

Once you've chosen a product with a proven sales page and conversion rate, you need to get as much high-quality traffic to the offer as possible. You can do this directly by advertising your affiliate link with PPC (pay-per-click), classified ads, banner ads, etc. 

Or you can set up a content blog or website that provides useful information on the niche of the product or service you are selling.

If you are just starting out, a blog might be the easiest way to get started and a WordPress blog is often the most highly recommended because it comes with many free plug-ins that will allow you to be more visible to the search engines.

Keyword research is an important part of any kind of affiliate marketing plan of action. After you've chosen the product or service that you want to promote, then choose the keywords that you are going to use to get traffic to your link or to your website or blog. Again, if you are new, you want to choose less competitive keywords.

Go to the Google Adwords Keyword Research Tool (which is free of charge) and type in the general term that describes your product's niche. This tool will then provide you with all the related search terms that people are actually using when they go to their browser and do a search. 

The tool also provides you general statistics on how often each term is searched, how competitive each term is, what people are bidding on this term in PPC ads, etc.

Start with lower-searched terms and use these in your blog/website content, or in your direct link advertising methods. As you start to get more visitors, you can start using more competitive terms in your affiliate marketing strategy.

http://www.ibosocial.com/jwedin/pressrelease.aspx?prid=443399

My Internet Marketing Journey – The Power Of Success!

The Roller Coaster Affect

Here we are in my second installment of my internet marketing journey. In this post I’m going to share the story of my first big success and how I use it to push past my failures. As with anything in life, internet marketing is not immune to the roller coaster effect.

There are moments of success and of course there are moments of failure. There are times when your killing it and times when there’s nothing but crickets (insert chirp here). The trick is to celebrate and enjoy each success, learn from each failure and be patient when the crickets come calling.

In The Beginning…
As you know from the first installment of this series, getting started was tough. There was a lot to learn and it required a great deal of time and hard work on my part. After working my but off for a month, I finally had my first ad campaign up and running.

This was my first big success. I looked in wonder at what I had done. Just a few weeks before, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing and here I was with my very own campaign out there on the internet for all to see.

My Biggest Realization
Since first starting in internet marketing, there was always this little voice of skepticism inside me saying “is this real?”, “does this really work?”. Well within just a few minutes of launching my ad campaign I started seeing that people all over the world were actually clicking on it.

Another goose bump moment in my journey. That voice in my head was now a little quieter. Then just a couple hours after launching my first campaign, I had my first subscriber! I had been working away on another project and decided to go in and check my campaign.

When I saw that there was an actual person who had subscribed to my ad, I was in shock! The realization that yes, this was real and yes, this does really work overtook me to the point where I broke down in tears.

You see, up to that point, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Then when I saw actual results, that voice in my head completely vanished. I was overcome with the realization that I had found a way to reclaim my life and my freedom.

I didn’t realize until that moment just how much I needed to escape my corporate life. Sure I knew it sucked and and had taken so much from me, and that I needed to rid myself of it. But not until that moment did I actually feel that it was truly possible.

The proof was right there on the screen in front of me. By any marketers standards, getting just one subscriber is no big deal. To this day however, getting just that one first subscriber is still one of the greatest victories in my life and I often replay that moment in my mind to feed off the emotions that I felt in that instance.

Whenever I am struggling, I think back to that moment and my vision becomes clear again. I use the power of that experience to drive me through any rough patches I might encounter on my journey.

How To Use The Power Of Your Success
There is a lesson on this story. It applies to anything you do in life. Whenever you are struggling or experience any sort of set-back, think back to a moment in your life where you felt success. Where you made some sort of accomplishment that filled you with a sense of fulfillment.

Now take the memory of that feeling and imagine feeling that same way again once you conquer whatever it is that you are currently struggling with. Hold that thought in your mind and come back to it every day. Write it down and read it every day.

Better yet, re-write it everyday and imagine how you will feel in that moment. Let the power of your past successes fuel you to overcome your current struggles.


http://robert-forrest.com/internet-marketing-success/

Learn Internet Marketing Four Easy Steps!

There exists no difference of opinion among marketers in the fact that Internet marketing is the lifeblood of a business at present. This truth remains the same even if you are someone who does not sell anything online.

Whatever is your situation, you are required to explain the kinds of services you offer or products you sell. And, you cannot afford to expect customers to come to you requesting information on your business. For this reason, you have to develop a marketing strategy and promote your business online.

If you are someone trying to master the art of online marketing, the following overview would definitely be of assistance to you.

1. Surf the Internet:
If you are someone who does not have the time to attend online classes offered for those wanting to learn Internet marketing, the best option is surfing the Internet. Doing this would help you get an idea of the Internet marketing strategy being used by experts in the field. Exploring the websites like amazon.com or Craigslist.com would help you a lot in the matter.

2. Create profiles on social networking platforms:
The importance of social media is something no marketer can afford to miss at present. And, the best way to get acquainted with this mode of promoting a business is creating profiles in popular social networking platforms like Facebook.

3. Acquire a degree in Internet marketing:
If you are a high school student, the ideal choice is getting a degree in online marketing. Explore the Internet and go for a course you feel would work best for you. A few minutes online would come up with hundreds of courses designed to help those who wish to learn Internet marketing.

4. Learn from Google:
If you feel that all this would be a strain on your time and money, the best way to do the same is take help from Google. The webmaster resources offered by the company are a rich source of information in this regard. 

The attempt to learn online marketing may take time. But, all your efforts would pay you off in the form of a well-organized Internet marketing strategy capable of offering you maximum return on investment.

All of these tips will help you succeed online. Now, whether you are a beginner or experienced online marketer, all the steps explained above will help anyone prevail the Internet. 

It takes determination and a lot of patience sometimes before you see desired results while marketing. It is helpful along the way if you have something to reference every once and awhile such as a guide or ebook.

http://leenapeltonen.eu/?p=409

Internet Marketing: A Short Guide To Success!

You want the truth about internet marketing, not just what some random person has said on the Internet. There are scores of self proclaimed experts out there, but you need to know the correct information and be assured that it is legitimate. You will most likely find exactly what you are looking for in this article.

When creating your Internet marketing strategy, include one or two long-term goals. Your daily to do list is designed to generate income but the long-term success of your internet business will depend on developing a list of tasks to work on, that will promote this income for years to come. Set a timeline for accomplishing specific tasks.

For your Internet marketing efforts to be a success, your website must offer valuable content. People need to find something different and helpful on your pages that they do not see everywhere else. Make an effort to teach your visitors something. Add new content on a regular basis. Make your site a place worth visiting.

Customer support is very important to your marketing efforts if you're selling a product. Make sure you get a customer support team if your business grows. You can outsource this task around the web for a great price, or you can partner up with people you trust, and share this responsibility in-house.

One problem that plagues a lot of beginning marketers is the language barrier. A lot of people want to market to audiences that speak different languages, but they do not know how. Well, a good tip here is to not really worry about it. Stick with the native language of your product. Search engines have translators to do the work for people interested.

Make sure you're using subtle wording that encourages people to buy your products. Instead of encouraging them to buy your product, encourage them to invest in your product. Invest has more positive connotations for potential buyers than buy does. It's a subtle way to influence potential customers to buy your products.

You have to keep your content regularly updated. If someone visits your site and the information is outdated, they may assume that the company is not doing well and that it is a waste of time for them to contact you. A nice up-to-date site will encourage viewers to stay.

For your internet marketing to be a success, it is vital that you know your audience. Just who is it that you are trying to reach? Come up with a customer profile of the members of the ideal target audience for your business, and then build your marketing campaigns around that.

An important tip regarding Internet marketing is to be sure that you have a reliable company hosting your website. This is important to ensure that your site can handle a large amount of traffic in case of a sudden boost in popularity. You also want to be sure that if there is any downtime, that you receive communication as to what the issue is and the expected delay.

Have a clear marketing plan in mind before you start promoting your online business. While it would be nice to employ every marketing strategy in the book, it's often not practical because of time or financial limitations. 

Decide which techniques are going to be the most beneficial to you in the least amount of time. From SEO to blogging to podcasting, the alternatives are staggering. Choose wisely, and increase your chances of running a successful business.

To better market your business or products online, ensure that the title tag for each page on your site is unique, relevant, and descriptive. The title tag is a great place to include relevant keywords, the name of your business, and geographical key terms, especially if you primarily do business in one specific area.

Increase the interest to your site by sending out PR material to sites with a lot of traffic. Make sure that they have strong headlines, professional content and images, and a good enough reason for the journalist to consider publishing it. The more positive publicity you can get from multiple venues, the more sales you can get on your site.

In summary, you want to be careful who you take advice from with regards to internet marketing. It is important to you that you have the correct information and that is is portrayed in a clear and concise manner. Hopefully the tips provided in this article will be more than useful for you.

http://photographerswiki.rowanfarrell.co.uk/index.php?title=Internet_Marketing:_A_Short_Guide_To_Success

The Secrets Behind Video Marketing!

In 1979, video killed the radio star. Thirty-six years later, video is still a game changer, but instead of debating the merits of BETA vs. VHS, now we’re deliberating between Instagram videos and Vine. Indeed, in some circles, experts have predicted that 2015 is the “year of video marketing.”

Why the increased interest in video?

• Every day, 100 million Internet users watch at least one video online.
• 90% of online shoppers report that product videos help them make purchasing decisions.
• Visitors to e-commerce stores are 64% more likely to buy after watching a video.
• Video views are increasing. Cisco predicts that by 2017, 69% of consumer internet traffic will be to videos.

Video content can now be shared in a number of ways beyond just YouTube and embeds on your website. Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Facebook all support video content now. So what does a marketer need to know before they begin shooting their new video marketing campaign?

1.Have a plan. Short videos, around 30 seconds, perform better than long videos. If you have a lot to say, break your script up into a series of short clips, then publish them on a set schedule to create a campaign over the course of several weeks. 

Think about where you’re going to publish it. For example, Vine videos can only be 6 seconds long, but on Instagram you have up to 15 seconds to get your message across.
 

2.Don’t go too DIY. Just because it is incredibly easy to make a video with your smartphone, doesn’t mean you should. Keep it professional, people.
 

3.Think about your goals beyond making a really cool video. Do you want to be a thought leader? Consider tutorial videos. Want to give online shoppers a better view of your products? Product reviews or fashion shows are a great way to go. 

Starting your video (or video series) with a goal in mind will help determine what kind of video you should make.
 

4.Don’t forget the call to action. No matter how many people watch your amazing video, it won’t convert if you don’t provide information about the next step you want people to take.
 

5.Don’t set out to make a viral video. Only a very small percentage of videos “go viral”. Even if your video is chock full of kittens, double rainbows, and clever hilariousness, odds are it still won’t get watched and shared by millions of Internet users. 

If it did, would it help you reach your marketing goals? Unless you sell witty, rainbow colored kittens, you’re better off making an interesting, well-made video that provides your target audience with real value that something that might go viral.

Part of the fun of marketing videos is that there are so many directions you can go. Have fun experimenting and test different formats and topics to see what works best for you.

http://www.business2community.com/video-marketing/secrets-behind-video-marketing-01227194

Internet Marketing Truths And Fallacies!

Internet marketing presents both unique challenges and unique opportunities. Because internet marketing is still relatively new, plenty of fallacies regarding it are still floating around. Let’s look at several of them:

Fallacy #1: If you have great services or products, you’ll succeed. Not necessarily. Great services or products are imperative, but if you aren’t building relationships and trust, who will know or trust you? 

Internet marketing lets consumers “get to know you,” trust you, and become comfortable with you. That almost guarantees success.

Fallacy #2: The bottom line is the only important statistic. Of course the bottom line is critical. But the other metrics – your click-through, conversion, and bounce rates – can give you a fuller picture of where you are now and where you’re going. 

Don’t miss the red flags indicating that your website needs some tweaking.

Fallacy #3: If you build it, they will come. That’s true only in the movies. No one is going to find your website without some effort on your part, and SEO (search engine optimization) is key. 

Compile a set of keywords that reflect what your services or products are about, and create a site that includes these terms. With proper SEO and engaging, practical content, then they will come. 

A good internet marketing agency can create your website and its content, ensure proper and sufficient SEO, and help you promote your website through social media and backlinking, pay-per-click advertising, and email marketing.

The most important thing to remember is that online shopping is an experience, whether the consumer is shopping for a home, a microwave oven, or a doctor or lawyer. 

Establishing a web presence that’s comfortable, trustworthy, informative, and personalized is imperative to internet marketing success. Learn more. 

Discuss your internet marketing with the experts at a good internet marketing agency, and don’t wait. Someone may be looking for you online right now.

http://www.socialfirestarter.com/internet-marketing-truths-and-fallacies/