Internet Marketing Basics

From time to time I have people ask me how to start a blog. So, I decided to write it up here so I could just point to a reference rather than making it up fresh each time.

1. The are several choices in blog software. Normally, I recommend Typepad as the easiest way to create a professional blog. Its a service, so its easy to get set up and going. If you are technically inclined, I'm partial to Movable Type, but you'll need someplace to host it.
   
2. I recommend that you register your own domain and point it at your blog. That way if you ever decide you want to use different blog software or move to another service, you at least stand a chance of keeping things intact. For this to work, your domain has to show up in the permalinks for your blog entries.
   
3. I recommend that you not tie your blog too closely to the corporate infrastructure of where you're presently employed since you may go somewhere else and your blog ought to go with you.
   
4. Once you've got a blog up and going, I recommend that you pick a topic and kind of stick to it. Decide what it is you're going to say. Themes can be pretty broad (mine's Enterprise Computing, for example which gives me broad leeway but doesn't just include everything). I go outside those boundaries from time to time, but pretty much I stick to the topic.
   
5. A good way to get started is by referencing and quoting material from other blogs and Web sites you read and then commenting on them as you see fit. Eventually you will start to mix in longer essays that express a thought that you want to develop.
   
6. Write about what interests you, not what you think your readers want. If you just try to guess what people want and write about that, you'll get bored with writing and it will become drudgery.
   
7. The way to get people to read your blog is to link to their blog and say interesting things. People notice when you link to their blogs (either through their referer logs or through Technorati ) and will follow the link back and read what you have to say. If its interesting enough they might link to you, comment on what you say and, in so doing, drive traffic to you. Read your own blog and follow the links (at first) to prime the pump.
   
8. In a similar vein, when you write something interesting that you think someone would enjoy reading, feel free to point it out in an email. I'm not recommending SPAM, just an email to a few people you know that asks them to read what you've written and provide feedback.
   
9. At a minimum, make sure that your email address or a comment form is available on your blog for people to send feedback. You may want to experiment with comments on blog entries and see whether you like them. Some people do and some people don't.
   
10. If you're using blogging software, it will undoubtedly offer a way to create an RSS (or ATOM) feed. Make sure its enabled and link to it prominantly on your site.
    
11. I favor creating an "About..." page to list biographical data and let people know who the blog's author is. I hate going to blogs and not being able to find out something about the person writing. Being able to know the person, at least a little, is part of the blog experience for me.
    
12. If you blog about your work, be sure to read Robert Scobles corporate blogger manifesto (PDF).
    
    
    © Copyright 2004 Phillip J. Windley. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or part of this work is permitted for educational or research use provided that this copyright notice is included in any copy.
    

A friend told me about a cool forum website that offers free advertising. It's called: Free Advertising Forum They allow you to post free ads about your product or service, affiliate links, ezine or newsletter, and much more. Try it yourself, it costs nothing...

-------Learning HTML?-------
If you`ve ever tried to build a website, you`ll know that HTML is one of the first things you need to use. Personally I`m totally useless with techie stuff like html, and HTML Kit has saved my butt on numerous occassions. It`s REALLY simple to use, and has tons of options, great to play around with for those of us daring to even think about learning a bit of html. The fact that it`s free just amazes me :~)

In case anybody wants to try it, here`s the link HTML Kit

--------------------------
Free online SEO tool to check the position of your website in the search engine of Yahoo™.

http://www.yahoosearchrankings.com/index.php

--------------------------
ABAKUS Topword V.1 Analyzes a web page for top keywords and phrases

http://www.abakus-internet-marketing.de/tools/topword.html

------Internet Marketing/Business Forums--------------------
How To Internet Marketer Forum
Business Success Resources
Affiliate Talk Forum
SEO Chat Forum
Virtual Promote

If you are interested in learning flash then there are many online tutorials, which can help you. A good friend of mine recommended this page http://www.swish-tutorials.com/ as it has a ton of free tutorials for flash.

There`s also http://websmartz.com,
http://www.swishzone.com and
http://www.flashkit.com to name a few.

Websmartz is a product by which you can get readymade HTML websites and flash intros, which can be customized.

You could also try looking around http://www.w3schools.com

To do business successfully, you need to learn to network well with others. There`s lots of great info to be had for both online and offline networking, and there`s quite a few useful networking sites.

A few good places to go for networking and contacts are:

http://www.ryze.com

http://www.ecademy.com

http://www.linkedin.com

A motto to live by, in ALL aspects of life, quoted from Napoleon Hill`s book "Think rich, grow rich". The book is very heavy reading, but well worth the time it takes to digest the information.

I found this book to be the most inspiring read ever when it comes to marketing and business. Download your free copy now: Click Here

One of my susbcribers, Ron, (who`s turning out to be a brilliant alliance and friend) sent me a bunch of great tips on using my blog. I mentioned him in a previous post, but thought I`d actually post a couple of his tips this time, as they could very well be helpful to other people too :~)

I really appreciate the fact that he`s taken the time out to help me with this stuff.

Ways to get people to read blogs

- comment
- join communities of likeminded bloggers
- organize blogmeets
- offer prizes (such as they are) for milestone comments (one blogger gave a #2 pencil, by mail, to a beloved reader :-))

And because I`ve mentioned him again, it`s only right that I show you his blogs again, in case you missed them first time around ;)

"start me up!"

"learners' permits!"

I`m always looking for great content for my ezine over at http://annamarketing.com.

It`s very time consuming, so I thought I might as well add a post here about it. I`m looking for things that can be helpful and useful for newbie internet marketers and/or people new to the internet in general. Free stuff, cool links, great articles etc. I`m not looking for programs to join, so please don`t send me any.

(I`m sure if you read a few of my blog posts you`ll get the idea of the kind of things I`m looking for)

Do you have an article, a great hint or tip you would like to share. Send us your ideas. All legitimate offers will be accepted for review. This includes ezine ad swaps, article submissions, link trades, and joint ventures. Send them HERE

Six ways to make extra money for Christmas
By Anna-Marie Stewart

Christmas time can be stressful and hard if you`re running low on cash. Here are 6 tips for making some extra money so you too can have a joyful season.

1. Root around your house, from attic to basement. Find EVERYTHING that you don`t need and don`t use, then list them on Ebay.com It`s amazing what people actually buy. Remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure.

2. If you find Ebay too confusing, or you feel the need to get out more, take all your new-found items along to the nearest flea market or car boot sale. If you don`t want to travel to find customers, throw up a big old "Yard Sale" sign outside your house.

3. If you haven`t got your own stuff, or want to sell more, ask your friends for THEIR junk. Tell them you`ll sell it for them if you get a percentage of what you make. That way, both you AND your friends make money for Christmas.

4. If you`ve got a website and digital products such as software and ebooks that you have full resale rights to, see if you can bundle up lots of goodies together for an unbelievably low price. Make sure you let people know it`s a one-off Christmas Special that will end soon. Be aware of copywrite and license agreements that may prohibit bundling of certain software products.

5. If you`ve got a website and you sell physical products, bundle a few together, make up a good price and offer free shipping. Or offer free shipping for purchasing a certain amount. Offering free products such as "buy 3 get 1 free" also works well.

6. Try to get a "stand-in" job in a busy resturant, pub or club. Maybe even a pizza delivery job. There`s big tips to be had at Christmas time, and never enough staff.

Try out one, two, or even all of these ideas NOW and you`ll have that little bit of extra cash in your pocket in time for Christmas. Feel free to let me know how it works for you, I`d love to hear it!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-Resource Box-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
How to easily avoid those contrived Scams, Shams, and
Spam. Yes; without spending your Hard won money with
every so called Guru. Be far better informed and prepared
With This Brand New, Huge money Saving Free E-Book!
Now You can quickly learn how to run a real home spun
business without all the Hype. http://annamarketing.com/pops/splash.html
Subscribe to Not Just Another Ezine http://annamarketing.com
=============================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) 2004 AnnaMarketing.com. All Rights Reserved

A lot of people have asked me lately which are my favourite internet marketing forums. I do tend to visit a lot of them, but I very rarely make posts. The thing I find I enjoy best about the forums are the massive wealths of information and opinions. So if you`re looking for some great forums to visit, here are my personal faves

Michael Green`s "How To" forum. (This is my alltime favourite one for info on internet marketing).

Anthony Blake Online. A very active internet marketers forum.

IM4Newbies Internet Marketing Forums. Lots of helpful info to be found here, especially for those new to internet marketing.

Willie Crawford`s Discussion Corner.

The Warrior Forum. This is one of the oldest forums, and a really must-see place. you`ll find a lot of "Big Boy" marketer names here.

So there you go, a few great forums for you to check out. Remember to always adhere to their rules for posting though, or they won`t be any good to you at all ;~)

Promoting in Online Forums
By Anna-Marie Stewart

Forums can be a useful tool if you`re doing business online. You can learn a lot by reading the content and actively taking part in the discussions. Reading a forum's archives can be a great way to get a basic knowledge about a topic, and it can also give you pointers about the changes in trends and opinions through time.

It is always very important to read the terms and conditions of each particular forum for a basic guideline as to what is acceptable. It`s also a good idea to read archived posts in order to see the guidelines in action. If you don`t, you could end up doing something wrong, like spamming the forum, and that could seriously hurt both your name and your business.

Taking an active part in forums can help you gain recognition in topics you show some knowledge of, and may even result in some great business leads and contacts. Read through posts, and answer any questions you are able to in a polite, friendly and helpful manner. It`s a brilliant way to get your name and services known, but you have to be aware that different forums have different rules in regards to self-promotion.

Some won`t allow any hint of self-promotion, some are specifically aimed at self-promotion, and a lot of them fall somewhere in between, allowing either signature files or URL's to an off-the-page member profile. The in-between ones are the best ones to use for marketing yourself, especially as the ones aimed at promoting usually end up more like "spam boards" than anything else.

See if you can choose forums that allow a sig file, which is basically a short block of text about you and/or your services which can be automatically attached to the end of every post you make. No matter what you do, never EVER post a reply to a 'legitimate' topic with nothing but spam in the body of your post. This will annoy forum members who are seeking valid answers, and kill your credibility as an online marketer almost instantly.

"Netiquette" is a must-have if you`re planning to use forums. What is netiquette, you ask? Basically the same as offline etiquette. It is essential to have a good understanding of acceptable ways to communicate with other forum members. That`s why it`s so important to do a LOT of reading in the forums before you start posting messages yourself.

This is where good moderators come into play. They check the forums for inappropriate posts and spam, they keep the boards clean, and make sure everybody plays by the rules. Forums without moderators tend to turn into ghost-towns, with nothing but spam bots visiting them. A nice clean board needs good moderators to keep it that way.

In the worst-case scenario, if you break the rules in a forum, by maybe spamming, or using inappropriate language or behaviour, either the administrators or moderators may well end up banning you from that particular forum. If that happens, they will most likely delete each and every post you`ve made, whether it`s good or bad.

Happy Visiting and Posting.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-Resource Box-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
How to easily avoid those contrived Scams, Shams, and Spam.
Yes; without spending your Hard won money with every so
called Guru. Be far better informed and prepared With This
Brand New, Huge money Saving Free E-Book! Now You can
quickly learn how to run a real home spun business without
all the Hype. http://annamarketing.com/pops/splash.html
Subscribe to Not Just Another Ezine http://annamarketing.com
=============================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) 2002-2004 AnnaMarketing.com. All Rights Reserved

Learn how to easily avoid those contrived Scams, Shams, and Spam. Yes; without spending your Hard won money with every so-called Guru.

Be far better informed and prepared With This Brand New, Huge money Saving Free E-Book! Now You can quickly learn how to run a real home spun business without all the Hype.

When running a business online, one of the first things you`ll be wanting to test out for your new website is which colour combinations look best together.

To make it easier for you, I`ve collected a couple of cool links to help you choose a colour scheme for your website.

Try this free colour scheme generator:
http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html

Here are a couple more:

Color Wheel Pro shows color schemes on real examples. When you rotate the color wheel, colors in the preview image change immediately.
Free download: http://www.color-wheel-pro.com

This one gives you a colour chart WITH their codes, both hex and rgb. Can be pretty useful at times, also good for testing combined colours ;~)
http://www.colorcombo.com

Doing business online isn`t all gold and brilliance, there`s a heck of a lot of bad stuff out there too. Almost ALL internet marketers will come upon scams and ponzi schemes at least a few times during their "life on the net".

A good friend of mine, David Congreave, has written a brilliant article that most definitely needs to be passed around.

Here`s what David has to say:

QUOTE
I've become increasingly frustrated by Doubler programs and the people who promote these blatant 'ponzi' schemes.

In a bid to spread the truth, I've written an article entitled, "The Truth About Doublers", exposing the legal and ethical implications of being involved with these scams. You can read it at: http://www.thenettle.com/doublers/truth.html

If you agree with the content of the article, please help me spread the word about this online theft by linking back to the article, or using any of the methods described at:
http://www.thenettle.com/doublers/truth2.html

You can follow the progress of this campaign at:
http://www.thenettle.com/blog/index.html

END QOUTE

Well done David! I used your article in NJAE ISSUE # 76, and I hope that by posting your info here it`ll get even more interest :~)

Ok, so I got accepted for the Google Adsense program. Who knows, it might even make me a few pennies if people click enough ads. Shame the links don`t open in new windows though, which means they`ll be taking people away from this page.

(Not quite sure how to get it to show ads related to internet marketing, ezines, articles and free ebooks etc. though. I suppose I`ll learn more with time).

I also managed to get my blog added to Blogwise, maybe that`ll bring a bit of traffic my way, and I signed up with statcounter.com to see if I can keep track of how many visitors I get.

One of my subscribers has been kind enough to give me some hints and tips about using blogs, hopefully I`ll get round to implementing some of them myself eventually. In the meantime, if you`d like to check out his blogs, here are the links:

"start me up!" -- http://www.tcnj.edu/~rgraham/blog.php
"learners' permits" -- http://www.tcnj.edu/~rgraham/ESLblog.php

(Thanks Ron, you`re a star!)

Every now and again, marketing online can get a bit tedious, dare I say even boring?? When times like that hit me, I go visit rinkworks.com and have myself a good old chuckle at anecdotes like this one:

Tech Support: "Ok, ma'am, I need you to do a ctrl-alt-del."
Customer: "How do I do that?"
Tech Support: "Push and hold 'ctrl' and 'alt' at the same time, and then hit 'delete'."
Customer: "Where are those?"
Tech Support: (explains the location of the keys)
Customer: "Nothing happened."
Tech Support: "Try again."
Customer: "Still nothing."
A minute or two later....
Customer: "Should I turn my computer on? Would that help?"
Tech Support: "Yeah, it might."

Find tons more brilliant nuggets like this here

My personal favourites are:

1. Articles promoting me/my website. Mostly because articles have a tendency to get passed around time after time, constantly creating new traffic surges. Of course, this only applies if the articles are of good and worthy content ;~)

2. Internet marketing forums. Promotion in forums is a bit harder, as there are a lot more rules to follow.

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Writing Articles.

Promoting in Online Forums

Here`s a way I`ve found to be invaluable when I`ve been looking for certain types of articles.

Go to a search engine, say www.google.com and type in:

free content business articles

(Of course, change it where neccessary. If you want articles about say, dogs, then business won`t exactly be the right category to search, right?).

Once you get to that initial list, dig deeper by going to "advanced search" and typing in things like "internet" or "internet marketing" (which again needs to be changed to YOUR category).

This should bring up a whole lot more of the kind of thing you`re looking for, and it actually works for any types of articles ;~)

The deeper you dig, the more targetted stuff you`ll find.

If you market anything online, you`ll definitely get to a stage where logos, headlines and banners come into play. There are tons of places where you can create these things for free, here`s a small list of them.

for Logos & Buttons, try CoolText at:
http://www.cooltext.com
Or here:
http://www.coder.com/creations/banner/
Gif Banner Creator (free) at
http://www.quickbanner.com/

3dTextMaker http://www.3dtextmaker.com/

I had a lot of fun playing with this free 3d headline creator. Although I only tried the online sample, there`s also a free download available :
http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/logo_creator.shtml

Samples from the 3d headline creator:








You can also try these two:
http://www.animationonline.com
http://www.addesigner.com/

That`s the question that springs to mind in regards to my little blog now. I really have no clue where it`s going, if anywhere. Nor do I have any idea whether it can help me in any way shape or form when it comes to internet marketing. But hey, if we don`t try things we never really know how they work, right?

I`m not entirely sure how I`m going to get traffic to my blog, but I did get it listed in Blogarama, and seemingly they give you a better listing if you link back to them. Of course, I did that immediately over on the left hand side of this page, so we`ll see if it helps any ;)

I mentioned my blog in this weeks issue of NJAE, where just about all of my subscribers are internet marketers. I also promised to keep them updated on how things work out here.

I`ve also applied for the Google Adsense program, which I`ve seen a lot but never actually thought of joining. Still waiting to hear from them, so I guess we`ll wait and see what happens there.

There were absolutely no comments to my "request for article topics" post on Thursday. If there had been I think I would have been totally shocked and amazed at the speed of people actually seeing my blog.. LOL

I think I`ll leave it at that for today, as I have some marketing forums i need to visit and make some posts on ;)

I finally got myself a blog! I`ve been fighting it for so long, but decided I`d probably best find out what all the buzz is about, if not for myself then at least so I can pass on the information and findings to my ezine subscribers.

The question is this: Are blogs being hyped up too much in regards of using them as internet marketing mediums, or is everything I hear true? I mean just about ALL the guru`s are praising blogs to the hilt, so there must be some truth in it, right?

I think I`ll actually pose these questions in NJAE this week, to see what my subscribers already think of blogs, maybe they`ll even have some great tips and hints for me.

LOL, I couldn`t even think up a good title for this thing myself, so I`m obviously going to need all the hints and tips I can get....

In an attempt at figuring out just how good blogs may or may not be, I`ll post a request for help here, in case anybody ever reads this page. If I get good replies, it`ll be a plus point for blogging, if I get no replies, it`ll be a minus point, so here goes:


"Newbie" article topics. Help please?
I love to write helpful and informative articles directed at new internet users and people new to the world of internet marketing. So far I`ve managed to write 25 articles, but right now I`m stuck for what to write about.

Up to now I`ve covered various things such as email marketing, building downlines, avoiding scams, winxp tips, spyware removal tips etc

Anybody got any ideas on new article topics for me?

Are you new to the net or to internet marketing? Let me know what your biggest questions/concerns are.

Are you a seasoned pro? What do you wish you`d had information about when you first entered the World Wide Web?

Hoping for LOTS of replies and ideas