Article marketing has long been accepted as the best way to drive traffic to your website for free. In just about every affiliate marketing manual, there is a section that discusses the basics of writing and submitting articles.
However, most of these manuals don’t tell the whole story. They make it look like a very simple process. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. In most of the tutorials, the only instruction you get is to “write a 300-500 word article and submit it to several free directories”. I’m unsure why the most important details are often left out.
The fact is if you blindly follow those instructions it won’t be long before several directories delete your account. At the very least, your articles will constantly be rejected. This will undoubtedly lead to discouragement and frustration. Here are some important tips that will ensure your articles get accepted.
1. Only Submit Original Content
This is probably the golden rule of article marketing. Write your own content and make it original. It’s perfectly alright to consult other resources for information, however. Nobody knows everything there is to know about any given subject.
If you do consult outside resources to get information, do not copy anything written word for word. Interpret the information as you see it and then write it down in your own words. Plagiarism is morally and legally wrong, and it can get you into lots of trouble.
If you use any information that came from the research of another, the source must be cited in the article. If it’s a research paper or book, it’s a good idea to contact the author and ask for permission to write about their ideas or discoveries.
2. Avoid Duplicate Content
There is an ongoing argument between search engine optimization experts as to whether or not you can be penalized for submitting duplicate content. Many contend your article won’t be indexed, but there really isn’t evidence to corroborate this belief.
However, one thing that is certain is that most article directories don’t appreciate duplicate content, and some can even suspend or delete your account if you submit too much of it.
The article directories are in the business of providing unique, original, and informative content to webmasters who need it. Many article directories also rely on paid advertising revenue to survive. If the majority of their articles contain duplicate content then webmasters will stop using them to obtain content. They also fear the search engines may blacklist them and they could lose much of their advertising revenue due to loss of traffic.
I don’t recommend submitting the same article to more than one directory, but if you must, re-write it first. Don’t just change a word here and there. It’s certainly alright to keep the subject of the article intact, but the words and sentences should all be changed so the article is completely new.
I think you’ll find that by submitting so much original content, more of your articles will get indexed and …
Affiliate Marketing Tips – Discovering a Profitable Niche
If you are in search of affiliate marketing tips, then one of the best ones I can think to pass on is to learn the best ways of discovering a profitable niche. Without acquiring this skill, and using it each time you start a new campaign, there is little chance you will succeed.
Knowing and understanding your niche can mean the difference between profit and loss. If you follow the steps below the orders should naturally follow.
Offline:
When looking for a niche, you can find one wherever you are. Don’t just think online, as this is only a small part of the search area available to you. I bet you can find several broad categories to start the process off today without touching a keyboard.
Look in the daily newspaper, and magazines, look for popular items when walking around your local stores, TV ad’s for new products, etc. Keep a notebook and pen with you, and if you see a product write it down, or snap a picture with your cellphone, the iPhone has an ap that allows you to scan bar-codes and make a shopping list, so you could take all the details of a product you like the look of with the press of a button. The key is to be aware of your surroundings, and look at things with a niche hunters mindset. It is very important to make notes, if you don’t, trust me, by the time you are in front of your computer that great niche you found will be forgotten.
Online:
When looking online there are several places you can look that deliver ready-made niches. Keep an eye on trending keywords on Google trends, and popular products on eBay, (just search for eBay pulse.) Amazon has a section called best sellers that will tell you what people are buying from the site. The eBay pulse in particular will give you niches on a plate, scroll down for the most watched items, and start building your site now.
If you build it they wont necessarily come:
Once you have your niche, and have made your site or landing page, don’t wait for the buyers to come to you. There are many ways to find your consumer, and then place your site in front of them. Go to forums related to your product and post in them. Never promote your site directly in the forum, rather help people by answering questions, or responding to posts, just leave your link in the signature file and on your profile page. It is amazing how many people will click on it. You can also place free classified ads or answer questions on answer type sites like Yahoo answers and others. These can also bring a steady flow of targeted leads to your offer.
I am sure you will agree one of the most valuable affiliate marketing tips is learning ways of discovering a profitable niche. Once you have this skill perfected, you will able to produce profitable campaigns …
What Is True Article Marketing Automation?
What Is True Article Marketing Automation?
Some may say to get article marketing automation you must have a way to get your articles out to thousands of directories with the press of a button. This is not true automation of article marketing, however. There is much more to it than just buying some type of software and sending your article out to a ton of different directories.
In fact, you don’t need more than 10 to 15 directories when using article marketing. This is because most directories don’t give you much benefit at all. If you choose the top 10 to 15 directories, you can get all the benefits you need from marketing with articles. Just submit to these directories and the rest will happen over time.
Yes, some work will be involved with writing the articles and doing the submitting, but this is also the part you can automate. It will cost money to automate your article marketing, but it can help you build much faster. The best way to automate your marketing is with outsourcing. You can hire a couple good writers and you can hire someone to handle all your submissions.
Article Marketing Automation Myths
1. Spinning Articles
So many people say you have to spin your articles for each directory you submit them to. This is a horrible thing to do and will not help you in anyway. Spinning usually created content that is hard to read and it will not draw in the same traffic or the quality links you get from leaving your content alone.
2. Duplicate Content
Many think duplicate content is actually an issue, but it is not. As long as you don’t link the exact same content to the exact same content, you will be fine. Duplicate content actually has to do with the same content being on the same domain name, not with the same article being submitted to more than one directory.
3. Article Marketing is Dead
Using articles to make money online is very alive and you can still use traffic from directories, but it comes differently. You cannot count on submitting a ton of short, useless articles to get your traffic anymore. Instead, you need to submit quality content for the readers. This will help you to do more with your articles and you will get many benefits you don’t get from content that is not all that good.
Automating your Articles for Targeted Traffic
Once you have an article written you want to outsource it to someone that can submit it to all your directories. After that, you just wait for others to pick up your articles and use them. As long as you find a writer that can provide high quality content, you will be able to get syndication from the directories and your article will produce for you.
You will see a large amount of traffic if you keep up your efforts for a few months. Yes, it takes a decent amount of articles …
The Dual Benefits of Marketing Automation for B2B Lead Generation
The Dual Benefits of Marketing Automation for B2B Lead Generation
Many of those who consider using marketing automation and demand generation software first think about its applications for cost-cutting. Automated marketing packages can make light and easy work of a project that could tie up a staggering amount of man-hours if it was done by hand. This makes these systems very attractive to managers or small business owners who have had to let employees go during the current economic climate. Even those enterprises which have not needed to cut their wage bill may desire to use automated marketing so that valuable employee time can be used more efficiently and staff freed up to work on growing or consolidating the business.
However, automated marketing is not simply a tool that is used to replace personal attention; it is a valuable tool in its own right that gives particular benefits over and above that which can be gained from individual workers. Marketing automation allows a wide net to be cast in B2B lead generation through demand generation and email marketing. Generally speaking, the more contacts that are made, the more leads that are generated and the more leads that are converted to sales. This is not all that marketing automation is about; it is more than simply a automatic email-shot to a contact list. This kind of software also allows automation of responses based on the replies that customers send and integration of email marketing with the business’s entire online marketing strategy.
Marketing automation software also allows analysis of trends and development of strategies based on hard data. Analysis of website visitors’ behavior allows for automatic targeting of receptive potential customers so that they can be prompted to return to a business’ website and convert into sales. Follow-up strategies to maximize the amount of sales from a single customer are also possible. This allows a more accurate determination of return on investment so that unsuccessful strategies can be abandoned or reworked and more focus can be put on those strategies that are resulting in successful B2B lead generation. May software packages also offer integrated control systems so that all of the elements of a business’ marketing campaigns can be seamlessly organized from a single program.
While the cost-saving elements of marketing automation in B2B lead generation are a valuable draw, business owners should not forget the other benefits that they can gain and ensure that they choose the software that best allows their business to grow and prosper.…
Information With Reliable Lead Nurturing Programs
Information With Reliable Lead Nurturing Programs
If you are a salesperson looking to increase your reach with email marketing and marketing automation, there are a lot of gimmicks out there. It can be hard to figure out exactly what is going to make sense to you and what is going to be really effective with your product and your target audience. Then after you collect the data make sure to take good care of the information with reliable lead nurturing programs.
Marketing automation software packages often include many types of the sales process. From contact lists to schedules to reminders and notes, they will help you track information. Some marketing automation services will also send out email marketing messages and other material for you as part of lead nurturing. Lead nurturing includes harvesting warm contacts and following follow-up steps to keep them progressing in your sales process. If you are talking about hundreds of leads at a time, lead nurturing is not going to be something you can easily do on your own. Email marketing and marketing automation are tools to help with the lead nurturing process, until you get it narrowed down to a more qualified list of potentials that you can contact directly.
Here are some other ideas you can use to make marketing automation successful. Using a template in your email marketing, your regular readers will be able to recognize the information they like the most. It will be easy for them to identify themes and important information.
You will find that your efforts in lead nurturing will also be more effective if you use your own name in the From:line on correspondence. If it is a company name or another name, it can form barriers between you and the person instead of developing relationships. Lead nurturing means showing a human side and developing trust with your contacts.
While you are establishing marketing automation systems that include newsletters and email marketing, know the difference between opt-in practices. Many people prefer a double-opt-in system in email marketing. This means that the user will enter their email address, and then have to open their mailbox and confirm the message before they are completely added to your lead nurturing list. Single-opt-in means that they enter their email address on your page and it is immediately incorporated.
Above all, remember that it is always worth your time to test out your marketing automation system as you are getting started!Make sure you are getting the reminders you want, the messages that you want, and the look that you want going out to your network.…
Building Your Opt-In List
Building Your Opt-In List
As more and more people are venturing into Internet based business, competition is fast catching up. The need is therefore being felt to develop new marketing skills and various strategies are being evolved for this purpose. Though online marketing has shown a sudden growth, many have been already feeling its rise and taken pro active steps to cope with this oncoming challenge.
The result of all this is the demand for online marketing tips and strategies. This has given birth to Internet marketing strategies as a new form of business. You will find several offers of marketing strategies which will give you an advantage in your business. While this may be available at a price you can also look around for low cost ones that meet your budget.
Yet another strategy would be to go for opt-in mail marketing. This in other words mean marketing by permission. For this purpose you need marketing materials like newsletters, and promotional mailings via e-mail. The more opt-in marketing mail is sent, the more chances there is to bag sales and get repeat sales. Opt-in marketing requires the permission of a willing customer to subscribe to your marketing materials. Your list gets build with all those who want to subscribe to your opt-in marketing list.
Since the people in your list have opted to be in your marketing list, this list is a good source from where you get your customer!
It may at first look difficult to build an opt in list. Find out from other available sources and information the various methods used by other people and adopt your own strategies. A little patience and persistence will soon get you results. Whatever methods you would wish to adopt, certain basic essentials could be useful.
1) The content on your homepage should provide a good impression. A visitor to your website may leave your site without signing up if they do not find something interesting. At the end of your content, add a good web form. State that you have more interesting information and whether they would like to have more of these information through further updates. Your statement should tempt them to give their name and email address. Once done, the web form will save the information for you and build your opt-in list.
2) Ensure that your homepage is well written. Your site should be easy to use and understand. It should be equally attractive with beautiful graphics and able to capture your visitors fancy.
3) If you need returning visitors and customers, you should be able to provide useful products. A satisfied visitor will come back with more business for you or recommend your products. You will thus have more people joining your list.
4) Do not provide the emails of those in your opt-in list to others as they may get spammed. Your visitors will lose their trust and confidence in you. Build loyalty.
5) Update your list regularly and keep it clean.…
An Introduction to Cross-Channel Marketing
An Introduction to Cross-Channel Marketing
Cross-channel marketing is often mixed up with the concept of multi-channel marketing. In truth, they’re two entirely different things. Here are some of the primary differences…
Cross-Channel Means Channels Crossing
Well, obviously, right? But the basic definition of cross-channel marketing is that you have two different forms of marketing, say, a website and a catalog, and both of them are leading prospects to the other. In the cross-channel structure, you have two forms of marketing supporting one another like a pair of crossed fingers. They are both strengthened by the other, and in fact, intertwined to the point where they are best kept part of a singular ad campaign.
Multi-Channel Just Means Many Channels
Advertising using print, the web, television and radio is not cross-channel marketing unless they are actually referring to one another in some way. A radio ad that says “Get online to see more great deals” or “Check out our catalog for a great deal” is cross-channel. A radio ad that simply says “Come on down” is multi-channel marketing. Multi-channel simply means that you have multiple channels for marketing, regardless of whether or not they are “crossed.”
Using Marketing Automation Software in Cross-Channel Marketing
Crossing your channels can be easier if you have the right marketing automation software. What you’re looking for is software that is, first of all, easy to use. No matter how powerful, efficient or effective it is, if you can’t get it working then it’s not going to do you any good.
Email campaign management is one of the easiest things to do with marketing automation software. If you ever want to test the waters with a new program, just try out a trial run of a new email campaign and see how it performs.
Cross-Channel Challenges
However, you should know that cross-channel campaigns can be tough. They come with a lot of challenges. One of the main issues is that the data can be a little harder to track. It’s difficult to be absolutely certain as to whether or not the catalog campaign is working, for instance. The only way to know for sure is to stop running the catalog and see if it hurts your other forms of advertising.
Of course, nobody ever said that tracking data in a marketing campaign was easy, but when you start mixing your media, you can be surprised how fast it gets out of hand for an amateur or even a pro. This is why the right email campaign management software is so important. At the very least, if you can make a few parts of the job a little easier, then you absolutely should.
Is it worth it even with these challenges? Absolutely. Today’s consumer is unpredictable. You may think an email campaign is enough, but some people still don’t use computers. You may think email and a catalog will do, but some people throw catalogs away. Covering as many bases as you can and trying to bring leads …
The Real Value of Marketing Automation Software
The Real Value of Marketing Automation Software
Marketing automation software is such a name being given to a particular software platform which was produced for marketing divisions and companies as to make things easier by automating recurring jobs. If you would be working in marketing, then probably you’ve already known what this thing is all about. But just to make sure we have the same thoughts as well, then perhaps we could get to make some evaluation of marketing automation software.
This marketing automation software is a solution which provides innovative email marketing functions like landing page generation, complete analytics as well as multi-step campaigns. It could also involve sophisticated message testing and targeting attributes which can’t be found in a simple email marketing product. Marketing automation software is an essential feature of any CRM system. It plays such an important role in any online businesses. If you are making a business on the internet and wishes to promote it online, then you should be concerned with automated marketing software and the advantages which it could offer you. Promotion procedures such as incorporating customer information, customer segmentation as well as campaign managing could be time consuming if it is being done through manual operation.
Carrying out campaign would relatively become a lot effortless and more dynamic if you have this marketing automation software at your possession which allows you to perform processes such as summarizing initial proposals, accumulating and organizing feedbacks as well as collecting survey details. The data you would be obtaining is significant in aiming for your main customer sector and organizing persuasive messages. It would therefore be possible to automate your campaigns throughout various means which includes emails, phone calls and door-to-door marketing. The value and aptness of channels differs with the level at which your marketing campaign is.
It is therefore true that such a huge corporation having a huge number of leads from various sources would require some form of marketing automation to check out which are the ones prepared to be occupied. The lead promotion program is able to manage individual lead degree. If emails are being sent to a hundred target prospects, it would still be much likely to keep a trace of their feedbacks and levels of concern. Custom-made emails could possibly be sent through and based on the interest levels we could get in touch with the customers or even not make an interaction with them until the time they would be prepared. It is such a successful means in keeping in touch with the clients which are not yet in the stage of purchasing. Marketing automation software has its concentration on lead generation with targeted marketing programs as to make way with attentiveness and attention in an organization’s products or services and develop leads from the initial interest through sales.
The thoughts which you obtain with the assistance of marketing automation software allows you to plan the pattern of your webpage and include some factors unto it which makes surfing …
Hot HTML Formatting Tips For Your Business
Despite its effectiveness, HTML email marketing is a trend many businesses are afraid to tackle. This is with good reason too. While HTML can enhance email messages by making them easier to read, it can also lead to increased costs in terms of creation, as well as numerous compatibility issues. Fortunately, there are a few ways to deal with these problems and make the most of your email marketing campaign. Here are a few formatting tips that should come in handy when designing your HTML messages.
Go with a Simple Layout
HMTL email layouts range from simple and intuitive to advanced and incredibly complex. If you want the best results for your business, we suggest keeping things as simple as possible. This will help you save a lot of time and spare yourself of a headache in the process. It will also help to ensure that emails can be read faster and easier by your customers.
Good Coding Practices
The overall effectiveness of an HTML email marketing campaign mainly boils down to the quality of the coding. Sometimes it is just that simple. Therefore, you need to ensure that whoever is handling your design creations is proficient at HTML programming. Whether it is you or someone else, always make sure they are working with clean code and double check for any errors that may have been overlooked. This will also aid in better performance when your recipients go to read the message.
Adequate Amount of White Space
If you are using HTML to create your emails, then it is absolutely critical to have a proportionate amount of free white space in the layout. There is a very fine line between having too much and too little, but it must be determined in order to maintain a professional appearance. If you cannot find a way to balance this out, then excessive white space will make your messages look bland and unappealing while too little will make them appear congested and untidy. You should play around with the template until you find the balance that gives your emails the perfection you desire.
Give Your Customers a Choice
Your customers will really feel valued if you give them the option to choose between HTML or text emails. You have to consider that some email clients do not support HTML and others may not properly display the contents of the message. For this reason, it is better to play it safe and provide your customers with the power of choice. While this will call for a little more work, it could be worth it in terms of maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
Test and Review
It is a good rule of thumb to always test and review your HTML email before launching the marketing campaign. You might want to check to see how it looks on various devices for the benefit of your recipients who may read their email on a PDA or mobile phone. Once you have been assured that no …
3 Proven Online Marketing Techniques That Will Skyrocket Your Profits
Consider this for a moment. It is not necessary that every idea you ever get be originally your own. This is based on the premise, “build a better mousetrap and customers will beat a path to your door”. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, every time that you want to start a campaign or market your product or services.
Just look at what other successful marketers are doing and do it better. If you emulate the best practices of other successful online businesses then you are sure to come up with a winner! You can learn from other businesses’ successes and failures. Not only can you learn what to do, but you can learn a whole lot about what NOT to do.
By studying others’ favorable marketing techniques you can then effectively use those ideas in your own marketing strategy.
Here are 3 important tips for you to consider when you are formulating your marketing strategy.
Remember that the needs of your potential customers are your primary focus. How well do you know the wants and needs of your potential customers? You need to understand that no matter how valuable you believe your products and services can be for your customers, they will not appeal to everyone. Remember, you can please some of the people some of the time and the rest of the people the rest of the time, but you CANNOT please all of the people all of the time. Instead of trying to market your products to people who are not and probably never will be interested in what you’ve got, you should focus your marketing techniques on people who actually will be interested in what you have to offer. Would you try and market lifejackets to people who live in the middle of the Mojave desert? I don’t think so. Concentrate on sailors, for goodness sake!
Study your competition and learn as much as you can from your observations. What do your competitors do well? What do they not do so well? You should constantly be observing how your competitors are marketing. In most cases, if you can see the results of something then you can believe it. Rely heavily on your observations!
Be an expert in your field. Being an expert allows you the ability to market your products with the most effective method. How can you expect your customers to trust you and make purchases through you if you don’t know more about your product than your competitors? Every time I think about this it reminds me of that new carpet commercial that has been on television. You know the one… StainMaster vs. StainCaptain… now that’s funny! Learn about your products and services inside out. If they are products and services that you have developed on your own, you should carefully document every piece of knowledge possible about them. If they are third party products or services, you should read all documentation that is provided, test out the products and …