Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
10d. Matrix Schemes, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
A matrix scheme (also known as a matrix sale or site, and as a hellevator, escavator or ladder scheme) is a business model involving the exchange of money for a certain product with a side bonus of being added to a waiting list for a product of greater value than the amount given. Matrix schemes are also sometimes considered similar to Ponzi or pyramid schemes. They have been called unsustainable by the United Kingdom’s Office of Fair Trading
HISTORY
The first known matrix scheme is widely believed to be EZExpo.com, which started the popularity of matrix schemes in 2002. By 2003 more than 200 matrix schemes were in operation, including one which had the same owner as the payment processor Stormpay (TymGlobal). Subsequently TymGlobal and Stormpay were accused of running an illegal Ponzi scheme. Stormpay later claimed to be independent of TymGlobal, and they stopped accepting matrix schemes as customers. Although many have since ceased trading, some schemes are still known to be operating worldwide. The payment processor, Stormpay, is no longer trading.
OPERATION
The operation of matrix schemes varies, though they often operate similar to pyramid or Ponzi schemes. Some of the former participants of these schemes consider them to be a form of confidence trick, although others are happy with their purchase. To move upward in the list, a person must wait for new members to join or refer a certain number of people to the list. This is accomplished through purchasing a token product of marginal value: usually e-books, cell phone boosters, screen savers, or other software CDs/DVDs. When a predefined number of people have purchased the token product the person currently at the top of the list receives their reward item, and the next person in the list moves to the top. The rewards for those at the top of the matrix list are usually high-demand consumer electronics, such as portable digital audio players, high-definition television sets, laptop computers, and cellular phones. Reaching the point on the list where you receive the expensive goods is termed “cycling”.
In many cases, the token product alone could not be reasonably sold for the price listed, and as such legal experts claim that, regardless of what is said, the real product being sold is the “reward” in question in those situations.
In these cases, the operator could be charged with running a gambling game or failing to supply ordered products. Steven A. Richards, a lawyer who represents multi-level marketing (MLM) companies for Grimes & Reese in Idaho Falls, Idaho, has stated that often there are no clear legal tests for Ponzi schemes. But if the product sold has no value or very little value, and consumers wouldn’t buy it without the attached free gift, the scheme probably runs afoul of federal and state laws
The “Matrix List” by which the sites receive their name would be what is known as a straight-line matrix, or 1 by X matrix. This is similar to many MLMs that use Y by X matrices to fill a down-line.
For example, one situation may be a 1 by 10 matrix for a Sony PlayStation 2 (a common reward). In such a matrix the site would usually sell an e-book for $50 to be placed on the list. After 9 additional people purchased a spot, the first person would receive either a PS2 or cash value equivalent and would be removed from the list.
The person who had been second would move up to the first spot and an additional 10 people would have to purchase in order for this person to receive a PS2. It is this orderly movement which has also given the name “Elevator Scheme” to these sites as people would move up the elevator (escalator, ladder) to the top at which they would then “cycle” out of the matrix.
In such a matrix, 9 out of 10 or 90% of all customers will not receive the reward item, because the rules of the scheme are that one reward is issued for every 10 customers that join. (The fact that the reward is issued to the customer at the top of the list doesn’t change the proportion of rewards given to customers signed up.) Supporters claim that additional revenue streams from advertising are used to keep the lists moving. However, detractors claim that it is impossible to generate enough outside revenue. If the entire world were to join the list, 90% of the world would be unable to cycle if the site did not draw sufficient alternate revenue streams. Adding more people to the list does not change the fact that the majority would receive nothing without these streams.
Additionally, the amount of time needed before a given individual will receive the product in question is often mistaken. In a matrix in which 10 people are required before it will cycle, the first person to join only needs 9 additional sign ups, but the second person needs 18 additional sign ups, 8 more for the person above him, and then 10 more for himself. The third person on the list likewise needs 27 additional signups, 7 for the person on top of the list, 10 for the person directly above him, and then 10 for himself. And then the number of people required continues to grow for each new person joining the list. For the 10th person to cycle it would require 100 people total, and 1000 for the 100th, and so on. Wikipedia
TIPS FOR CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES BEWARE OF ANY PLAN:
THAT MAKES EXAGGERATED EARNINGS CLAIMS
Beware of any plan that makes exaggerated earning claims especially when there seems to be no real underlying product sales or investment profits. The plan could be a Ponzi scheme where money from later recruits pays off earlier ones. Eventually this program will collapse, causing substantial injury to most participants.
THAT OFFERS COMMISSIONS FOR RECRUITING NEW DISTRIBUTORS
Particularly when there is, no product involved or when there is a separate, up-front membership fee. At the same time, do not assume that the presence of a purported product or service removes all danger. The Commission has seen pyramids operating behind the apparent offer of investment opportunities, charity benefits, offshore credit cards, jewelry, women’s underwear, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, and even electricity.
THAT PURPORTS TO SELL A PRODUCT OR SERVICE
Check to see whether its price is inflated, whether new members must buy costly inventory, or whether members make most “sales” to other members rather than the public. If any of these conditions exist, the purported “sale” of the product or service may just mask a pyramid scheme that promotes an endless chain of recruiting and inventory loading.
THAT CLAIMS TO HAVE A SECRET PLAN
Overseas connection or special relationship that is difficult to verify. Charles Ponzi claimed that he had a secret method of trading and redeeming millions of postal reply coupons. The real secret was that he stopped redeeming them. Likewise, CDI allegedly represented that it had the backing of a special overseas bank when no such relationship existed.
THAT DELAYS MEETING ITS COMMITMENTS WHILE ASKING MEMBERS TO “KEEP THE FAITH.”
Many pyramid schemes advertise that they are in the “pre-launch” stage, yet they never can and never do launch. By definition, pyramid schemes can never fulfill their obligations to a majority of their participants. To survive, pyramids need to keep and attract as many members as possible.
Thus, promoters try to appeal to a sense of community or solidarity, while chastising outsiders or skeptics. Often the government is the target of the pyramid’s collective wrath, particularly when the scheme is about to be dismantled. Commission attorneys now know to expect picketers and a packed courtroom when they file suit to halt a pyramid scheme. Half of the pyramid’s recruits may see themselves as victims of a scam that we took too long to stop; the other half may view themselves as victims of government meddling that ruined their chance to make millions. Government officials in Albania have also experienced this reaction in the recent past.
THAT ATTEMPT TO CAPITALIZE ON THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST IN HI-TECH OR NEWLY DEREGULATED MARKETS
Every investor fantasizes about becoming wealthy overnight, but in fact, most hi-tech ventures are risky and yield substantial profits only after years of hard work. Similarly, deregulated markets can offer substantial benefits to investors and consumers, but deregulation seldom means that “everything goes,” that no rules apply, and that pyramid or Ponzi schemes are suddenly legitimate.
CONCLUSION
As we continue to pursue pyramid schemes, we would be delighted to coordinate our efforts with law enforcement in your countries. It is only too evident that the expansion of fraud across borders and on the World Wide Web means that no one agency or country can work effectively on its own. We must be collectively vigilant in order to protect the integrity of our marketplaces and the pocketbooks of our consumers. SpeechFTC-IMF
FOR THE I DONT DO MLM READERS [removed]
EBAY POLICY MLM, PYRAMID, AND MATRIX PROGRAMS
POLICY OVERVIEW
We don’t allow listings and advertising of multi-level marketing programs (including online payment randomizers), matrix, pyramid, Ponzi schemes, and all similar programs on eBay. These programs are often regulated or illegal.
Make sure your listing follows these guidelines. If it doesn’t, it may be removed, and you may be subject to a range of other actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account.
WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?
MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING
Not allowed. This includes any business where you receive income from your own sales and income from your recruited members.
Online payment randomizers (because the majority of commissions are paid for recruitment of new members, and typically operate by random placement within the program.)
PYRAMID SCHEMES:
These schemes often ignore the actual selling of products and services, and concentrate on the income you can earn by recruiting new distributors. Pyramid schemes might not involve selling products.
MATRIX PROGRAMS:
These programs involve the exchange of money primarily for being added to a waiting list for a product. If you’re at the top of the list, you receive a product when a set number of people join after you join.
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
11. Managing Your Online Business?, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
Congratulations on your Decision to Start or Grow your Business Online. This handbook will help put you on the path to building a successful online business while avoiding the scams. It is written with an offline business mindset meaning that we are serious about your business and what it takes for you to prepare yourself. Online, it is not a 9-5 job any more than an offline business. It is not a hobby! While you may have to treat it as a part-time job due to other work commitments until it grows, it should be treated as I will do it when I can or want. Discipline yourself and follow a daily plan of action to build your business.
Doing business online is a far cry from just becoming an affiliate or getting your own domain, building a website and off you go!
1.1 GET COMFORTABLE
Get a good chair and desk, table or workstation of proper height for your keyboard to minimize your discomfort.
1.2 WORKING AT HOME
To think, read, write and work without the TV, and other distractions – especially if one of your income opportunities includes Forex. Adjust your online work hours for your day job, if you have one, and for the best time to work without distractions. Forget the chat rooms, social networks, Skype, etc. which is time consuming or limit your time to these methods of creating business for yourself.
So you have either been in the online business or looking to get into it. I call this section “Get Comfortable” because this online venture is not a 5 – 20 minutes a day job, no matter what you are told by others. If you have been online for a while, then you probably already know that.
Your website(s) have to be marketed, regardless if it 100% autopilot, no sponsorship required, we do the marketing for you, or any of the other “hype” stories that you have or will be told.
PAID OR EMAIL ADVERTISING
Set up you ads, spend your money, and wait for the next time you need to top off of advertising budget. Make several ads, ads need to be monitored, tested – to see what works, what doesn’t work- ultimately what brings in and converts the buyers.
Setup and periodically run your email advertising program. Get leads for your email and check your ads for spam. You need to learn advertising and marketing techniques. And the list goes on….
VARIOUS TRAFFIC PROGRAMS
You either have to buy credits to run your ads, or your click or surf the sites hour after hour to earn credits to posts your ads. Ads often have to be posted on a daily basis, so you have to access each site daily to post your ads. Ads posted to various free, or Free-For-All (FFA), ads blasters, etc.; these often require confirmation, so after you have posted your ads, you need to check your email to confirm the posting.
1.3 SELF-DISCIPLINE
A favorite of the work-at-homers: Work in your pajamas, shorts or whatever. Sounds great, but I recommend that you treat your online venture like any job. No, you do not need a tie, but get up shower and shave, brush your teeth (you get the point ladies)
Whether full-time or part-time treat your online job as a business and not a hobby. Your advantage is that you can do it at home. Great: No buses, no traffic and none of all those other inconveniences that you put up with in having to leave the house for an outside job. You will feel better, work better, and be more productive
1.4 MANAGING YOUR COMPUTER AND SOFTWARE
I get very uncomfortable and frustrated when I am trying to do something and my computer and other equipment is not working properly. I need this equipment to do my job, if they do not work properly; how can I be productive?
MICROSOFT VERSUS APPLE
I have with been with Microsoft since the very early days and do not have any Apple experience other than testing and having compatibly problems, so my comments here are Windows based.
If you can afford it, get a good high-speed computer, printer/fax combination, broadband or wireless modem, and a bigger monitor. Additional memory is cheap so it is value for dollar to upgrade your memory and graphics
Social networking, even email requires that your computer be able to cope with the video and graphic demands made of it. Check your computer Windows Experience rating.
WINDOW EXPERIENCE
Whether you are buying a new computer or using and older one; check your Windows Experience Index base score to see what you might do to improve your computer’s performance
Go to Start Control Panel, System and Maintenance, Performance Information and Tools;
Check Your Computer’s Window Experience Index Base Score. Click on Window Experience Index link The screen will advise you of the weak points in your computer that you might make an upgrade to improve performance, again check the memory. Usually, the memory and graphics will be your computers weak points. Again, if you are buying new, be sure to check this before your leave the shop. VIRUS PROTECTION
A necessary starting point to maintain and protect your computer. A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability.
A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase
their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
Most personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local area networks, facilitating the spread of malicious code. Today’s viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, email, Instant Messaging, and file sharing systems to spread. Wikipedia
As an active online user, you must protect your computer and files from any such attacks. Windows defender helps, but I prefer to supplement windows features with a third party solution.
While there a many paid commercial and free software available to you, I have had satisfactory results for a free program for personal use offered by Avast, although I have since upgraded to full-protection. This software program automatically runs in the background and is updated to keep your virus detection current. Free version available.
New computers normally come with a trial version of virus software leaving it up to you to accept and upgrade or not. I usually delete that program and install Avast.
SLOW COMPUTERS
The daily use of your computer will result in various defragmented files; i.e. a piece of the file here and another there. To improve the computers performance, it is necessary to periodically clean your computer hardrive; usually the “C” drive. Then defrag your registry and your computer drives. However, Windows will defrag the drives, but does not defrag the registry.
WINDOWS TOOLS
Windows Update Keeping your computer software updated can reduce your changes of a getting a computer virus, better operation and performance. Window update can update both windows and other Microsoft problem as the same time
Go to Start – lower left hand windows logo All programs
Find “Windows Update” Click and let it run
If you leave your computer running all night, you can set the update software to update the computer automatically; however, it will reboot itself to install the changes. Therefore, if you have Forex trades going, then your Forex sites will be offline until you open them again.
If there are a lot of updates, then it is recommended that you run the update program again to get updates to the updates. Change happens! Window update can update all your Microsoft products
RECYCLE BIN
When you delete a file from your computer, it is temporarily stored in the Recycle Bin. This usually gives you an opportunity to restore the file to its original location if you discover that the file should not have been deleted.
To permanently remove files from the computer and reclaim any hard disk space they were using, you need to permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin. You can choose to delete individual files from the Recycle Bin or empty the entire Recycle Bin at once.
Click to open Recycle Bin.
Do one of the following: To delete one file, click it, and then press DELETE. To delete all of the files, on the toolbar, click Empty the Recycle Bin.
You can also empty the Recycle Bin, without opening it. Right-click the Recycle Bin, and then click Empty Recycle Bin. To permanently delete a file from your computer without first sending it to the Recycle Bin, Click the file, and then press SHIFT+DELETE.
DISK CLEANUP
If you want to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster, use Disk Cleanup. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.
Click to open Disk Cleanup.
In the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box, choose whether you want to clean up your own files only or all of the files on the computer. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
If the Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection dialog box appears, select the hard disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
Click the Disk Cleanup tab, and then select the check boxes for the files you want to delete. When you finish selecting the files you want to delete, click OK, and then click Delete files to confirm the operation. Disk Cleanup proceeds to remove all unnecessary files from your computer.
Disk cleanup can also delete the files in the recycle bin
DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DISK
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter can run on a schedule, but you can also defragment your hard disk manually.
Click to open Disk Defragmenter. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Click Defragment Now.
Disk Defragmenter might take from several minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and degree of fragmentation of your hard disk. Although not recommended. You can still use your computer during the defragmentation process.
If you have not defragmented your computer in a while, then you should repeat the process a second time.
THIRD PARTY TOOLS
I prefer the free third party solutions offered below for defragging my computer. Often they offer more features and in this case are faster and more visible. Find tools to defrag both the hardrive and the registry. Often third party vendors will provide good and viable alternatives to the Microsoft’s Windows
One Vendor with various free tools, including both registry clean up and defrag, that work well for me may be found at Auslogics. Auslogics is easy to use, fast and nice graphic interface for the Disk Defrag, registry cleaner, etc.
Again, recommend performing the defrag more than one, as each pass defrag the majority, but another pass may find more. For the amount of work that I do online, I often need to defrag at least once a week with maybe 2-3 passes
While you are there, see the other products Auslogics has to offer. I like their Boost Speed Program.
CHANGE YOUR COMPUTER START-UP PROGRAMS
As you add programs to your computer, some that you will use only on occasion will be installed in your start up folder. This results in unnecessary programs trying to load when you start up, which slows you down
For the more computer savvy: Got to the Widows logo located at the lower left corner. Type “msconfiq” in the bottom box. The link will show in the window under Programs. Click and this will bring up a new screen
Click the “Start-up” tab and unclick those programs that you don’t need at start-up. Keep your Microsoft, virus and related programs. Click “Apply” and restart your computer. Try it, if you are uncomfortable, then do nothing and let someone else do it for you. Do so, at your own risk.
UPDATE CHECKER
Update Checker updates other programs on your computer for better operation and performance
ROBOFORM
Just managing your affiliations, traffic and other sites, providing signup details for a new site, remembering user name, ids and passwords name for logins can be very time consuming. Window, Google and other offer some help, but the long standing, best rated software that I have found and use is RoboForm
RoboForm includes a password generator which is convenient to generate and save different passwords for multiple sites, as has been recommended herein. If you maintain a lot of sites, as I do, then the upgrade is great, but not necessary. Upgrading enables you to click and the site loads and logs you in. The free version will log you in after you have loaded the site.
SUCCESS OFTEN COMES TO THOSE WHO LOOK, FEEL AND ACT THE PART.
Success radiates through others. If you feel good about yourself, then your chances of success improve. In most cases, to be successful, you need to surround yourself with good people. However, since you are most likely working alone, surround yourself with the proper tools and equipment to make your feel successful. Just as you need to keep yourself informed and up to day, you also need to keep your computers and equipment running at its top performance. Get comfortable and enjoy your online experiences.
ADDING NEW PROGRAMS.
We have already talked about doing your own due diligence as part of your decision to join a new program.
TIP: before you sign up, spend your money, and reload the site on another tab. Try right clicking and opening the site on the new tab. This will give you is a fresh site in case our tip doesn’t work for the site you are considering…
Now try to escape or close the first tab, if there is a discount of some kind, it will usually pop- up. Then if you are still interested, your entry cost has gone down; however, you will lose some digital product or something. At least you have a second or third choice, cheaper entry cost. Then if the program works, you can upgrade from your profits.
If you still like the original deal better; then complete your signup up on the second site that you made, before this experiment.
1.5 MANAGING YOUR TIME AND COMMUNICATIONS
Time is a precious commodity, especially if you are starting your online business part-time. Use it wisely and productively
CHATS AND FORUMS
Just like the job offline, some of your associates just to love to mingle and talk, Great for building relationships, but is the relationship productive, will it add to your financial bottomline.
Chats are also a great diversion and relaxing, but can eat up your time and take your away from your objectives
SKYPE
Skype is probably one of the best online VOIP solution offering message, telephone and video. Great to for building relationship, directly answering questions and perhaps training with your sponsor or downline. I use it sparingly and don’t leave it on. If one, you keep getting popup for so and so ins online.
EMAIL
I should have been paying more attention to this chapter as I will discuss later. Managing your email is a large part of managing your business after you have everything setup.
What to do when email that you want keeps showing up in your junk mail, instead of your regular mail folders? We have spent some time talking about scams and spam mails, but when you are in business you need your mail, when you are sending mail, you want it to get to the other party.
What is Whitelisting? How do you dispose of the spam or junk mail that is overloading your junk mailbox and inbox?
Why are most sites now recommending the use of Gmail; its advantage and disadvantages?
WHAT IS WHITELISTING?
A Whitelist is a list of email addresses or domain names from which an email blocking program will allow messages to be received. email blocking programs, also called a spamfilters, are intended to prevent most unsolicited email messages (spam) from appearing in subscriber inboxes. But these programs are not perfect. Cleverly crafted spam gets through, and a few desired messages are blocked.
Most Internet users can tolerate the occasional unsolicited email advertisement that a spam filter misses, but are concerned by the thought that an important message might not be received. The whitelist option is a solution to the latter problem. The list can be gradually compiled over a period of time, and can be edited whenever the user wants.
Some spam filters delete suspected junk email messages straightaway, but others allow the user to place them in a quarantined inbox. Periodically, the quarantined messages are observed to see if any of them are legitimate messages. This option is used by some Webbased email clients in place of, or in addition to, a whitelist.
How to Whitelist Your Emails
The Terms and Conditions of most traffic sites state that you must “Whitelist” their email when you join their site.
In other cases, some information or emails that you want to receive may wind up in your junk mail; Whitelisting, or Safelisting is a method of identifying and ensuring that you receive the mail that you want.
All this self-policing for spam is great, but affects us as well as the spammers. More and more sites, especially free Traffic sites with their volumes of advertiser’s email that they out only to have it blocked or sent to junk mail. Many sites now post the following message or otherwise complain about their problems with Yahoo mail getting through to their customers.
Please open a gmail.com account to sign up as more ISP’s are bouncing Ads.
If you use other than Gmail, then see your email provider for Whitelisting instructions.
GMAIL
From your junk mail folder, click the email and click the “NOT SPAM” tab.
To have future emails from the same originator go directly to your INBOX, click the email and go to the “MORE” Tab.
This will bring an up a drop-down menu, Select “FILTER MESSAGES LIKE THIS”. A new screen will show your selected email and others from the same source.
Click “NEXT STEP” which will bring up the CREATE FILER screen.
Select “NEVER SEND IT TO SPAM” You can apply of all message if there are any. Finish by clicking CREATE FILER”
WHAT IS A BLACKHOLE LIST?
A Blackhole list, sometimes simply referred to as a blacklist, is the publication of a group of ISP addresses known to be sources of spam, a type of email more formally known as unsolicited commercial email (UCE).
The goal of a blackhole list is to provide a list of IP addresses that a network can use to filter out undesirable traffic. After filtering, traffic coming or going to an IP address on the list simply disappears, as if it were swallowed by an astronomical black hole. The Mail Abuse Prevention System Real-time Blackhole List, which has over 3000 entries, is one of the most popular blackhole lists.
GMAIL ACCOUNTS
BENEFITS OF GMAIL
Gmail is FREE and you can open multiple accounts. Many list builders require that you have at least two accounts, one for admin type mail and one for advertising mail. Go to Gmail.com. All of your Gmail accounts can easily be imported into Outlook. Gmail will retain all of your email, BUT see disadvantages
DISADVANTAGES OF GMAIL
You cannot do sorts, and search results seem to vary from the messages in Gmail from those imported in Outlook. You cannot query junk mail. I prefer the features offered by Microsoft Outlook at this time. However that are some other good ones, try a Google search for your choices.
TIP: Since Gmail will retain all of your email, then anyone that hacks your Gmail account, which happened to me, will have access to all of your user ID’s and passwords
Print and maintain an offline file of all accounts, add to RoboForm. Search for User Id and Password emails, and delete them from your Gmail history.
Change your passwords and Ids frequently. Use different passwords and Ids on your financial and personal accounts
TIP: You can delete from Gmail, but you must also delete from Google Dashboard.
TIP: emails that are caught in the Gmail junk mails folder will not get through to your or Microsoft Outlook
Access your Gmail Junk Mail folder to screen the emails; move the ones you that you need to your inbox
MY TWO BIG MISTAKES
PRIMARY AND LIST ACCOUNTS
Where the signup traffic or list builder site did not offer 2 links, I used my primary email for all mail from that site – Dumb!
You really receive very little admin mail except, perhaps, for a promos code, your login, etc. So put all of this site mail into your list account. Once in your primary or admin email account, you have to load the login page and reset your email account to your list account. Slow and Painful, but necessary. Try to keep your Primary account clear of unnecessary ads.
Dump your trash as
Great idea; get a list account so you can keep your primary account free and clear. However, your list account fills up with emails that need to be read or dumped. My mistake, dumpling let’s say all the solo ads.
Doing this puts them in Trash which also must be dumped. Google says it dumps all trash over 30 days old, it my case something went wrong and I wound up with over 600,000 emails.
TIP: Create a minimum of two Gmail accounts
Keep your primary account clear of advertisement by directing all such to your list account. You will continue to receive spam.
LOGINS
Many sites expect you to login or read mail to keep your account active. Some offer a vacation mode which will keep your active, but relieve you of the daily email traffic. Most require you to login in to re- post your ads for the day, as the ads are only good for 24 hours. If you are trying to make money off these sites, rather than just use them to advertise your products; then you need to surf their site, some require you to surf “x” number of sites per day to earn from your downline or to post your ad. Joining one site often leads to joining another and another, until there is no way that you can keep up and read all the mail, or surf daily.
BOXBE
This Free Service site has been banned by many traffic sites; but maybe there is a message there. I just want you to be aware of it, what does and how it might impact or benefit your business and good selves.
REDUCE YOUR EMAIL OVERLOAD
Consider this; you now have some programs and you have joined a few advertising sites to promote your business. By now, you are now receiving emails; lots of them, both junk and intended. How to manage all these?
Some of your mail will wind in your regular account while others from the same source will be in your junk folder. If you use free traffic sites and safelists for your advertising, then you will be quickly overloaded with email to read just to earn credit for your own ads. First, unless you have no life at all, you will never keep up.
The best you can do is try to visit each of your sites once in a while, surf a little, manage your credits and read some of their emails.
TIP: If you have a particular site or probably several that you want to use daily, then you can monitor your junk mail for those sites, and have them filtered to your inbox.
See Whitelisting instructions’ above.
Remember, if you are using Microsoft Outlook and perhaps others, email links for credit will not work while that email is in your junk mail folder. Move it to your inbox
Once you sign up for these various traffic sites, the mails keeps coming, unless shut them off by going on vacation. Your terms and conditions of the site say that you are willing to read others members email, in exchange for posting your own ads, banners, etc.
With so much email coming in each day, you need a methodology to deal with it, since obviously you will never keep up. As I said, I joined many programs for evaluation; some of the “confirmation email” will show up in my “junk’ mail folder, perhaps before you have “whitelisted” the source.
Further, I may not remember the site names or the source, because some of these jokers don’t make it easy for you; i.e. Site “XXXa” email will come from XX@xx .xx, or a person you never heard of.
So then you are stuck with who is xx.xxobfsctd@XX and is this Site one that I wanted? Still others send email like confirm your site when you never signed up in the first place.
TIP: Start With Your Primary email Folder. Search for the Keywords: Welcome, Admin, Support, Confirm, Activate, Validate and Password. Check the junk mail folder for others
From your search, take the action required to activate your new accounts.
Save the settings, User Id’s and passwords to RoboForm and print the emails for your files.
Since you have completed the action required on these emails, they should be deleted
Search the remaining emails by site name. You can then delete all email from that site or Click 1 or 2 or all to get the credits you need, and delete the balance. Some site offer promotions, promos codes, others warn you if you site credits are running low. Most of the traffic sites require you to log in daily to post your ads.
TIP: If you really want to reduce your Inbox and Junk Mail boxes and start over because you went on vacation, took a break, or whatever; then Search for “solo”. This will cover the majority of your traffic exchange mail. Delete them form the primary folder and then remember to delete your Trash. I had over 300,000 emails in Gmail with “solo”.
SPAMMER KEYWORDS
The scammer/spammers are perhaps younger and smarter many of us as they now use the same keywords that we use to sort our email; Welcome, Admin, Support, Confirm, Activate, Validate to flood our emails by using the words in the From list or the Titles
SPAMMERS CREATE NEW PROBLEM
You have been waiting for that “Never to be received Support or Admin email”, but when you do a search for “support or admin” you will likely find several scammer/ spammer ads trying to sell you on another site. A search for Password and you will get scammer/spammer ads: Click her to activate you password and site. However, these may very well be emails for sites that you never requested to join in the first place.
ACTIVATING NEW SITES
If you are old and slow like me, then there may be an “activation” email that you have requested but overlooked. When your click on the link, the link has expired and so has your request.
TIP: No Problem. Edit the link in your browser to the base or home page, sign up again, and then wait for a new email with your activation link.
Thanks for Reading – 11. Managing Your Online Business?, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
12. What is Spam and Its Impact?, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
Many of us jokingly recognize Spam as canned meat that is sold internationally and has been around since 1937. Sorry. We could have added Spam to our Advertising Chapter, but the problem is so significant, it needs to stand on its own!
Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately.
Today – a more generally accepted definition of SPAM seems to be one of “I don’t know or remember you, I didn’t ask for it; therefore I consider it SPAM” (See Blog entry that follows)
TIP: Scammers are Spammers. One of their favorite tools is Spam. Learn what it is. Learn How to protect yourself from being Labeled or Blocked for being a Spammer.
While the most widely recognized form of spam is email spam; the term is applied to similar abuses in other media:
Instant messaging spam Usenet newsgroup spam Web search engine spam Spam in blogs
Online classified ads spam, Mobile phone messaging spam Internet forum spam
Junk fax transmissions Social networking spam File sharing network spam
Attempts to control spam is seemingly out of control as the following blog post suggest
WHY SPAM?
Spamming remains economically viable because advertisers have no operating costs beyond the management of their mailing lists, and it is difficult to hold senders accountable for their mass mailings.
Because the barrier to entry is so low, spammers are numerous, and the volume of unsolicited mail has become very high. The costs, such as lost productivity and fraud, are borne by the public and by Internet service providers.
They have been forced to add extra capacity to cope with the deluge. Spamming is widely reviled, and has been the subject of legislation in many jurisdictions.
Spam is prevalent on the Internet because the transaction cost of electronic communications is radically less than any alternate form of communication, far outweighing the current potential losses; as seen by the amount of spam currently in existence.
Spam can be used to spread computer viruses, Trojan horses or other malicious software.
The objective may be identity theft, or worse (e.g., advance fee fraud).
Some spam attempts to capitalize on human greed whilst other attempts to use the victims’ inexperience with computer technology to trick them (e.g., phishing) Wikipedia
According to a recent Microsoft report, 97% of the email that is sent each day is unsolicited, virus or spam mail. Another says that it is 60% spam.
As such, nearly everyone, as you will see, is on a “Spam Watch”. Everyone for Internet Service Providers (ISP), to Instant Messaging, (IM) to email providers is trying to find ways to stop the mail from getting through.
The problem created by this change of mentality, is that every email is treated as “guilty” mail until proven “innocent”.
Your good email may be filtered out for the choice of a wrong word. Anyone, even as a prank, can label your email as Spam, and give you the headache of a lifetime.
Your ability to recognize spam can help you reduce yourself from being a victim of a Scam, and give you a better chance of getting your own marketing email through to the intended receiver.
Further, it will reduce your likelihood of being penalized for being a spammer.
HOW TO AVOID THE SPAM FILTERS
To avoid being labeled or blocked as a spammer, learn what about spam and how to protect yourself against it or being penalized for using it
Email marketing as many of us know, can be a powerful and inexpensive method of reaching our most active potential and/or existing customers.
It can boost not only our direct sales, but also our credibility and referrals.
One of the major benefits of email marketing is that email is free, but obviously, this is the same reason that spam has become so popular and so frustrating.
With spam also comes the spam filters and with spam filters comes the blocking of legitimate email.
SELECTION OF WORDS
Many spam filters work by analyzing the email based on its content and the words used. Many words –
– such as free, sex and so forth — are very heavy spam trigger keywords. Your priority should be to avoid such words while keeping your newsletter as professional as possible. Later in this article, I will show you a technique that I use to help me detect words that could trigger spam filters that I may have missed.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FORMATTING
When formatting your email, keep it simple and professional. Excessive use of different colors, fonts, sizes, images and so forth will result in a higher spam filtering rate. Keep your email as clean as possible, and try to stick to a maximum of 2 or 3 different font types and sizes. Overly large sized fonts will surely add to an email being flagged as spam, as will too many images (not enough text).
Try and use a short and simple style sheet rather than using font tags excessively. Most spam filters don’t appreciate a multitude of font tags and inline formatting, and the more primitive filters can’t detect style sheets so they will not penalize as easily.
CONSISTENCY IS KING
Use a template if you plan on sending newsletters consistently. This will make sure that all your newsletters look and feel the same. It will also add a touch of professionalism and branding to your newsletters.
Whilst not directly affecting spam filters, this will enable your readers to distinguish your newsletter instantly, thus not reporting it as spam accidentally. Some spam filters work by querying a spam server, whereas others report individual emails as spam. If your email gets reported as spam, then more than likely multiple spam filters will flag your email.
Being consistent with your timing of the newsletter also helps. For example, if you send a newsletter once per month (I personally do not recommend you send out any more than this, unless you have something interesting to say), then aim to send it out at the same time, on the same day each month. Once again, your potential readers will learn to expect your email, adding professionalism and often improving open rates, also reducing accidental spam flagging as well.
ALWAYS DOUBLE OPT-IN
Always make your mailing lists double opt-in. This means that when a user subscribes to your mailing list, they will be sent an email with a link that they must click on to confirm their subscription. This is very important because many people can accidentally enter an incorrect email address or even the email address of someone else on purpose. When that person receives a newsletter they did not subscribe to, they will assume they have been spammed, and your newsletter (and possibly your web server) will be reported as spam.
UNSUBSCRIBE AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Every newsletter you send out should contain a way for the reader to unsubscribe. Not doing so is illegal in some countries and is an instant sign of spamming. You should also display your contact information (Phone, Fax and Address) clearly, as this greatly increases confidence in your email and your company, as well as conforms to spam laws in the United States. Contact information also allows a potential customer to contact you if need be.
TEST, TEST, TEST
The key to avoiding spam filters is testing. The first method of testing I use is to send the newsletter to multiple email accounts with existing spam filters. For example, I have a Gmail (http://www.gmail.com) account and a Hotmail (http://www.hotmail.com) account that I make sure I send my newsletter to. If the newsletter ends up in the junk folder, then I’ve got some work to do.
I also have a couple of email accounts with different web hosts that have spam filters in place. In particular, they mostly use spam assassin — a popular piece of spam filtering software. Spam assassin is useful because every email that it flags as spam is given a report and a list of why that email was considered spam. I also have a local spam filtering application called No Spam Today! For Workstations, that runs a local copy of spam assassin on my PC. It acts as a very close replica to the same software used on thousands of servers world-wide, by sending myself copies of the newsletter
No Spam Today! — Using the spam assassin checking techniques — gives me feedback as to why my email may have been flagged. If I have used words or formatting that I should not have, or if I have included too many images, etc. InterSpire
ALL I WANT TO DO IS SEND AN EMAIL AND MAKE SOME MONEY
I have to admit, it is getting tough even for the Good Guys to get email through the spam blockers.
We introduce Spam and spam blockers her, but see the next chapter for more detail.
You will quickly note from the following that almost everyone knowingly or unknowingly violates some aspect of the spam guidelines.
For example, look at one of my advertising programs: BuzzBee Advertising email guidelines:
BUZZ BEE MAILER
To keep emails from bouncing, please cloak your URL with a service like tinyURL.com or lil-URL.com.
The reason for this is many of the URLs being promoted are often BLACKLISTED by many ISPs. Please comply with this request.
We take SPAM very seriously, if we receive a complaint, we will follow through, and the member whom is spamming will be deleted and banned permanently.
No HTML please. No adult, offensive or illegal ads
THE SPAM HUNTER 1.0 PROGRAM
Copy and paste a mail you would normally send out on other sites. You will notice under the subject and the body that it will tell you words or phrases in your mail that should not be there. These are words that you need to change to keep mails getting through.
Note: after you add your mail just click outside the edit box to put the spam hunter to work. You will not see the send button until your mail is free of spam words and phrases and you click outside the text box.
Yes it is a bit more work but when you compare the numbers you will see far more clicks and that means more mails getting through.
TIP: Keep It Short And Sweet.
When you click your mouse outside the edit boxes the hunter goes to work. The Following are spam words you are not to use if we find you are trying to get around it by adding dots and dashes we will delete your mail and risk losing your account.
You are not to discuss ANYTHING to do with making money in your mails. Leave that to the site to sell for you. Your job is simply to get people to click your links. Buzz Bee
See Appendix B for words that are not to be used in your headlines – if you want to avoid the spam blockers
FIGHTING SPAM EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Starting out on the Internet during the late 1970’s, I used MSN and Hotmail email accounts. These accounts became too restrictive because they limited the amount of mail and the size of the attachments. Now they have improved as server storage space became cheaper
Recently, even with space, many email providers have become more selective with the types of accounts, or maybe better said the types of emails that they will take.
They use various spam checkers and I suspect with the amount of spam emails floating around, the vendors are being overloaded with their own “spam checkers” junk. More and more sites have stopped taking Yahoo and other email accounts. Most are now recommending Gmail for all business. Perhaps the following will clarify Yahoo:
YAHOO SENDING MARKETING EMAIL INTO JUNK-FOLDER PURGATORY
Changes to Yahoo’s internal rules determining whether an email is spam. Legitimate marketers began reporting in July and August that they were being shut out of the Yahoo inbox. For marketers whose mailing list is primarily Yahoo addresses, this is a major concern.
Others have countered that Yahoo’s ultimate client is the consumer. The wholesale blocking of legitimate marketers who refuse to pay to play, they contend, would prompt consumers to flee Yahoo to use more email friendly services. And that’s not in Yahoo’s best interest.
But the fact remains that Yahoo is testing new delivery algorithms that have adversely affected legitimate email marketers. And once you are in junk-folder purgatory, it is difficult not only to get out but to eliminate the ability of marketers to purge those who legitimately want off their lists as well.
The reason is that feedback loops that alert marketers to complaints made at the ISP level (i.e., those who click on the “spam” button rather than the unsubscribe link) don’t function if the email is already being sent to the junk folder, making list hygiene issues difficult for the marketers. New Rules for email Marketers
TWITTER ENLISTS USERS TO HELP FIGHT SPAM
Twitter has added a “Report as spam” feature to its service in an effort to get help from its users in fighting spam, the company wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
“Folks can now help us conquer spam by calling our attention to a profile they find questionable,” a company representative wrote. “Click the ‘Report as spam’ button under the Actions section of a
profile’s sidebar and our Trust and Safety team will check it out to see what needs to be done.”
To stop users from simply using the spam feature as a weapon against others they don’t like, Twitter said that “no automated action will be taken as a result of reporting a user as spam.”
That said, users who click the button would automatically have the profile blocked from following or replying to them.
Twitter’s decision to add a “Report as spam” button is just another way the company is trying to combat spam accounts. It’s fighting an uphill battle.
Out of my more than 12,000 followers, I’ve found several that do nothing but spam users.
That said, I do believe that the “Report as spam” feature will be quite helpful in limiting that going forward. Of course, all that depends on our willingness to report others. I’m all for it. Are you? D Reisinger
CHECK YOUR GOOGLE DASHBOARD
Google, Yahoo and probably others know more about you than you even remember. Check it out for yourself
Summary Of Data Stored With This Account.
View and manage all the data stored with this account. Learn more. Security Note: We may sometimes ask you to verify your password, even if you have already signed in.
This may happen more frequently for services involving your personal information.
Sign in to Google Dashboard with your email: yourname @gmail.com
REDUCING SPAM
It seems like anybody, including your competitors, can report anyone for spam – by mistake or prank. You risk losing or tying up your email accounts and websites. Yahoo offers you a “spam” button to report those people who are not on your contact list that might find and contact you.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE WEBSITES BLOCKED BY TRIPOD
One of my favorite programs had their account closed by their Internet Service Provider (ISP) (TriPod) for alleged spam complaints.
Although this client had been doing business with TriPod for years, the vendor showed no mercy and shut down their sites.
As a result, the site owner had to change his ISP/Hosting companies that also meant new URL’s for everyone.
As an affiliate, I lost my momentum, time and money, especially since I was both paying for advertising and using free ads on probably 100 plus sites.
I am still trying to catch up to avoid the wasted clicks for a 404 page or a route to the company’s home page where the potential client is assigned to someone else.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SOCIAL ETIQUETTE?
I have already written of Facebook which for me was too social, the sharing of family albums, music trivia, etc. I was struck by Paying Social Business Networking! Why not! Although I had prior introductions such as Direct Matches and a few others unnamed, I was not bitten until I saw SWOM a social business network were I upgraded on Day 1 of sign up and have been paid continuously for 18 months as of this writing. Later introductions such as BIZOPPERS (Swom’s sister site) ISMmagic , myNetworkingPro and APSense to our list that serve as hosts for our Internet Scams Anonymous (ISA) Group
Each of these has one form of payment or another for Likes, Q&A’s, referrals, etc. Each allows the creation of Groups by upgraded members for a particular programs or cause of action. Members can create posts and /or comments for sharing.
I still see these sites as relationship building among members having a common interest of sharing their businesses online. The polarity of this concept continues to lead with new sites cropping up trying to learn and improve on the other. While it is nearly impossible to keep up with them all – especially for those that seek to have their earning pay their monthly fees, it is this focus on monthly fees that drives members resort to any tactic that might produce a like, a point, or whatever for a question, a video offering or activity.
All too often, these activities and like or vote sharing reduce the effectiveness of social Internet marketing because the questions, the videos and activities are NOT related to business or building relationships except in blocks of “I will like you if you like me” or “please vote for my video”. For many, there is little real reading or learning except to earn the point, the like or ….
One of my groups “Swom Success” with over 16,000 members used to be a hive of activities as to how to Swom, learn, connect and network with others. The tips are among the best for Swomming and networking, were praised and referred to others, but nowadays few even take the time to read them It is this concern to earn the monthly fee where many members lose their focus. Members have resorted to thinking small, tying to meet the monthly fee, rather than thinking big – networking and marketing their business opportunities.
The value of the relationship has been lost to many, or never understood, as does the real money which may be made from their bizop, product or offering. Some member focus so much on earning their monthly fee, that they spam us for votes, likes, watch my movie, and their FREE offer sites to make money online.
Others are upgraded one month and then downgraded the next losing all benefit of the upgraded membership, and further reducing their marketing potential to other Upgraded members. They have truly lost the Big Picture and the Art of Thinking Big, Their mindset has changed!
For others of us, the value remains; the networking and relationship building continues and improves, learning continues and business (as intended) is conducted. However, we still have to spend too much time policing our groups, posts etc., to try to retain the focus. Attempts to retain the purity of the concept and to eliminate the spam falls on deaf ears.
EXAMPLES SPAM: LACK OF SOCIAL ETIQUETTE OR RESPECT?
Groups are created by members for a particular program or cause of action.
Other members should respect that group’s program or cause and other than the typical hello, good morning, etc., posts and/or comment should related to the groups purpose and not introduce, share or SPAM the group with another program or cause.
In other words, stick to the subject, do not introduce another program, i.e. do not introduce program B in program A’s group. I recall a post to my Swom Success Group, a popular group for how to Swom where a lady recommended that the members go to a competing group following a different strategy. Spammers post their comment without regard to the originators or subject of the post.
They may make the same post several times in the same thread of conversation
POST OR COMMENTS. SAME AS GROUPS, STICK TO THE SUBJECT
Post Example 1:
From Steve Motley@facebook: “WARNING: Facebook has been hacked by someone pretending to be Facebook Security saying that “your account is reported to have violated the policies that are considered annoying or insulting”.
It will ask for you to confirm your Contact details … or it will disable your account. DO NOT ‘CONFIRM’, otherwise your account will be hacked. PLEASE pass this on warn everyone!!! “
Comment: hi don like for you please also view my video for today ty have a gold day view @ swom.com/videos/14267
Remarks: Obviously this member is just looking for “likes” with total disregard for the Urgency or Nature of the Post from Steve
Post Example 2:
Welcome to SWOM and my SWOM SUCCESS GROUP, my pleasure to connect with you. Our sister site BIZOPPERS bizoppers.com/?r=36756, is a natural for you, and your Double Upgrade to Gold is our best value. FOCUS on your wall or PROFILE tab,
Respond to all Posts and Use our Daily Plan for Success. See Income and FAQ tabs. Log into our group, Read and Copy the Tips to your Desktop, Introduce yourself and look for connections. Gold Members get paid for “Like(s)”. Enjoy Judith
Comment: Good morning Mary, happy gold bizopping one like for sweet music for you, hope you visit my video tnx bizoppers.com/videos/17369
Remarks: Instead of Welcoming the new member Judith, this member ignored the member to whom the my post was made (Judith), but the comment was made to another commenter (Mary) and has nothing to do with the Subject “Welcome”
Post Example 3:
From Kathy Youla (Swom)> “Hi Dr Don, everyone is interested in the new Google plus project should perhaps read this first, there is a new phishing scam going round based on the new site blog.alertpay.com/2011/07/alertpay-scam-prevention-evenmore.html?”
Comment: Hello there, simply click on my picture and see my profile for the best money making program – do not wait click now and get the full details.
Remarks: Need I say more? This one is not even addressed to anyone.
TAILOR AND LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS
It is always nice to have a newbie ask to me to go gold, when he or she is not gold themselves, Further, they haven’t paid attention to the member that they are posting too.
Some members repeated ask me to join the same program, which if that had read my profile, they would have seen I am already a member.
The old offline tale of making 5 calls to make a sale does not work online. Online, it is easier just to call it Spam
Some member repeats the same post several times or several different posts at the same time.
Sort of overkill I would think. Monopolizing someone’s profile with your own interests does not help.
Check a spammer’s profile and you won’t see interaction; all you will see are posts after posts. Where is the relationship building?
FIRST LEGAL CASE FELONY – SPAM
VA Court Declares Spam Law Unconstitutional 2008
The Virginia Supreme Court Friday declared the state’s anti-spam law unconstitutional, reversing the conviction and nine-year prison sentence of a Jeremy Jaynes, a man once considered to be one of the world’s most active spammers.
The court unanimously agreed with Jaynes’ argument that the law violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because it restricts non-commercial email as well as commercial messages.
In rendering the court’s opinion, Justice G. Steven Agee wrote Virginia’s anti-spam law is “unconstitutionally overbroad on its face because it prohibits the anonymous transmission of all unsolicited bulk emails, including those containing political, religious or other speech protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Virginia’s Anti-Spam Act prohibits the sending of unsolicited bulk email by fraudulent means, such as changing the header or routing information to prevent recipients from contacting or determining the identity of the sender.
According to prosecutors, Jaynes in 2003 sent tens of thousands of unsolicited emails with false headers and return-address information to AOL subscribers advertising dubious products such as a FedEx refund-claim product, a penny stock picker and an Internet history eraser.
Police searching Jaynes’ home found discs with more than 176 email addresses and 1.3 billion user names on them, according to officials. They also reportedly found discs containing 107 email addresses that had been stolen by a former AOL employee.
In November of 2004, Jaynes was convicted by a jury in Loudoun County Circuit Court on three counts of violating Virginia’s Anti-Spam Act, which was passed in 2003.
he case was the nation’s first felony conviction for spamming. After Jaynes was sentenced in 2005 to nine years in jail, he appealed, claiming Virginia’s spam law is unconstitutional. DirectMag
Thanks for Reading – 12. What is Spam and Its Impact?, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
13. Advertise Your Business
Focus Chapter – it should be obvious to you that it means nothing to own a site – yours or someone else’s along with a hosting account for your site, if you do not advertise the site. No traffic equals any sales. This section will offer you some suggestions as to how and where you might place your site and get some business.
Online advertising is attracting everyone, including big corporations who often offer their own affiliate program in order to get more business. The corporation advertises and the affiliate advertises for the corporation. Some ads offer your 186 complete sites for just a $20 bill. Other Affiliate sites claim they will do the advertising for you – just sit back and collect your money.
We have shown that affiliates are competing with their site owners to get a piece of the pie, and Affiliates are competing with other affiliates to sell the same sites; often using the same canned email headlines.
Again, this section will offer you some suggestions as to how and where you might place your site and get some business. We cover various categories of advertising methods, since what works today, but may not work tomorrow. You may be limited to your budget, so see what free resources are available to you. Besides, you should take advantage of several marketing methods to get your message out. If something isn’t working for you, then investigate the alternatives. Do an online search and see what others are doing using the same method; otherwise drop it. There is plenty of free advice online (usually linked to sites of their choice to make their point.) Oh yes, we have already established that online advertising is not Scam Proof. One of the best tools is Pay-Per-click/SEO advertising. It is not free and be sure to read the potential scams risk.
1.1 ONLINE ADVERTISING
The term online advertising is simply a term that relates to advertising online, or advertising over the Internet. In practice, online advertising is about getting your website in front of the people who are interested in your product or service. All you have to do is find the best terms and phrases that people search for who would like to purchase exactly your goods and services.
If you can do this then your online advertising will be successful, however, if you select the terms and phrases that do not relate to the goods you are selling then your keyword based online advertising efforts will likely fail. It really is as simple as that. In fact more small business owners are using online advertising to market their goods and services to their target audience testing different keywords to specific pages of their website in an attempt to get more leads from their online advertising campaigns. And guess what? Yes-small business people are finding out that without a doubt advertising online is the most economical way to market their goods or services.
You do not need to be a rocket scientist to use online advertising programs like Google Adwords or Yahoo Marketing. What you do need is patience testing keywords and logic when it comes to the message you list on the search engine and on the page that prospective buyers come to.
HOW CAN ONLINE ADVERTISING HELP MY SMALL BUSINESS?
Online advertising is so flexible that even small businesses can afford to look into advertising online. Where else can you track leads per advertising keyword? Where else can you track the cost per lead? Where else can you track the dollar cost per sale? Only online advertising allows you to select the keywords for your online advertising campaign and track the effectiveness of each keyword in terms of sales and revenues. This is the ultimate power of online advertising. You wonder why Google has become a powerhouse in keyword based online advertising.
WHY DO I WANT TO USE ADVERTISING ONLINE FOR MY WEB SITE?
First off the traffic to search engines is becoming more valuable – how can we say such a thing? Well in the latest quarterly earnings from Google it is stated: Aggregate paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our AdSense partners, increased approximately 17% over the first quarter of 2008 and increased approximately 3% over the fourth quarter of 2008.
A 17 percent increase in paid clicks over last year is significant considering that surfers are aware of the differences between sponsored areas and non-sponsored areas in Google’s search results page.
Having your web site advertised on a search engine is important when you know recent findings on the habits of search engine users. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that
80% of users typically visit only the first three results from a search query. 54% of the users views only one page of results in each keyword search
19% of the users view the second page of search engine results, and less than10% looked at the third page of search engine results.
HOW CAN WE BE SURE THAT ONLINE ADVERTISING WORKS?
According to market research sources, search engines outperform all other online advertising media in driving visitors to web sites. Moreover, consumers are five times more likely to purchase products after seeing search listings versus banner advertising. In fact, statistics show the following:
77% of Internet users employ search engines more frequently than any other online advertising media, surpassing banner ads, Web links, and email links as the leading tool for discovering information about a product or service.
84% of Internet users who are online four or more hours each day reported they use search engines frequently to discover Web sites and find products or services.
55% of Internet users are more likely to purchase online after seeing search listings versus 9% for banner advertising.
1.2 ADVERTISING – AIDA
A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of your success. The secret to a successful ad is your HEADLINE. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Your potential customer will most likely scan the ads and only read one if it catches their attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits.
Use This Powerful Approach When Creating Your Ad Copy – AIDA A Attention Grab your targets attention
I Interest Create curiosity
D Detail Provide details
A Action Call for action
Create an urgency to act now. Creating a successful ad will take a great deal of time and effort. You’ll need to write it and re-write it over and over again before you come up with a great ad. We all know the importance of a powerful headline.
However, writing a great headline is not as easy as it sounds. An effective headline will literally force your potential customers to learn more. It will instantly ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on. In order to write an effective headline, you must learn how to use specific words to achieve a specific reaction.
THE HEADLINE
Before writing your headline, you must first learn a little bit about the basic human motivators. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human behavior is always the result of one or more of five basic needs. He listed these needs in a sequence that he refers to as “the hierarchy of human needs.” He believes that until a less important need is met; there will not be any desire to pursue a more important need. Below are the five human motivators, beginning with the basic needs and continuing to the most important needs.
Physiological
Basic human needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.
Safety (Security)
Human need for physical, emotional and financial security.
Social (Affiliation)
Human need for love, affection, companionship and acceptance.
Esteem (Self Esteem)
Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.
Self-actualization
Human need to reach their full potential.
When you are aware of the basic human needs, you can incorporate these needs into your writing. A great headline will appeal to your potential customers’ emotions. You must feel their needs, wants and desires and write your headlines with passion and emotion.
When writing your headlines, keep in mind, you only have a few seconds to grab your potential customers’ attention. If your headline doesn’t immediately catch their attention, they’ll simply move on and never return. Below are several different formulas used by professional copywriters to write compelling headlines?
1.3 HOW TO CREATE NO-SPAM HEADLINES
Other than the message above of using “How To” in your headlines, several searches in different combinations, nobody has come up with an answer for you. Many identify spam, other talk about forums, articles, etc., but no one seems to have the No Spam Headlines Solution. Some sell or provide
free Spam software. They tell us what not to do, tell us how to do how to eliminate Spam, but they don’t tell us how to be creative without using Spam.
This reminds me of being in business; when managers come to you with their problems, but they don’t offer a recommended course of action or alternatives to solve the problem. Therefore, our challenge remains, how to Write Headlines and Advertisements without using Spam that will still motivate the reader to click. Maybe someone that joins our group will have an answer for us all.
1.4 HOW TO ADVERTISE WITHOUT SPAM
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES?
Did you buy an email address list from a reputable company that consumers opt-in to receive such mailings? Did you collect your email addresses from newsletter subscribers and tell them up front they may receive special offers from time to time by signing up? Know the answer to these questions before beginning your email ad campaign. If you went to a message board covering your type of business and grabbed the first 1,000 email addresses, you see for your email ad campaign, you are a spammer.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WITHIN YOUR OWN MESSAGE.
People who have asked for your mailings may not be getting them because spam blocker software and email filters are set so high that they sometimes catch mail you really do want to receive. For someone about to embark on an email ad campaign, you can reduce your chances of your message getting discarded by these automations by using these quick tips:
AVOID CAPS
Just because you think your message will be loud and clear in all caps doesn’t mean it will actually make it to your recipient. Spam blocker software and email filters are designed to look for capital letters and will immediately flush your email.
AVOID EXCESSIVE EXCLAMATION MARKS.
Your message is powerful!!!!!! What could say that better than a few dozen exclamation points at the end of your sentences? This is another alarm signal for spam blocker software and email filters. Exclamation points can’t prove a point any better than simple text…especially when those exclamation points get your message trashed before it even reaches your intended audience.
AVOID REPEATING THE SAME WORDS AND PHRASES OVER AND OVER.
In advertising, you’re taught to use a subtle message while driving home points within your copy. You can do this without being repetitive. Many people Buy Diet Pills and when they run out they Buy Diet Pills and what could be better than if you Buy Diet Pills. This is another tip off to spam and spam blocker software and email filters will catch it.
Send your message to yourself using spam blocker software. If your own spam blocker software catches the email, chances are it’s going to be caught by someone else’s. Play around with your message until you receive it without your spam blocker software or email filter catching it. When it arrives in your inbox without being caught; you are ready for your email ad campaign to begin. Advertising–About
BANNER ADS
Affiliate posts and advertisement for your business in exchange for compensation when the banner ad produces a desired effect such as generating website traffic or generating a sale. The terms of these agreements are determined beforehand and are generally based on a scale of pay per impression, pay per click or pay per sale or lead.
Now that you understand what banner ads are, it is also important to understand how they can be overused and appear to be spam. Judiciously placing your banner ad on a few websites which are likely to attract an audience similar to your target audience is smart marketing, placing your banner ad on any website which will display the ad regardless of the target audience can be construed as spam. Internet users who feel as though your banner ads are everywhere they turn will not likely take your business seriously and are not likely to purchase products or services from you because of your banner ads.
EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
Email campaigns can also be very useful tools in the industry of Internet marketing. These campaigns may involve sending periodic e-newsletters filled with information as well as advertisements, short, informative email courses or emails offering discounts on products and services. Loyal customers who opt into your email list will likely not view these emails as spam and may purchase additional products and services from your business as a result of this marketing strategy.
Additionally, potential customers who have specifically requested additional information on your products and services will also find this type of marketing to be useful.
However, email recipients who did not request information are likely to view your emails as spam. Harvesting email addresses in a deceptive manner and using these addresses to send out mass emails will likely always be considered to be spam.
MESSAGE BOARDS
Finally, message boards provide an excellent opportunity for business owners to obtain some free advertising where it will be noticed by members of the target audience. If the products and services you offer appeal to a specific niche, it is worthwhile to join message boards and online forums related to your industry of choice. Here you will find a large population of Internet users who may have an interest in your products. You might consider including a link to your business in your signature or posting the link when it is applicable to the conversation.
However, care should be taken to carefully review the message board guidelines to ensure you are not doing anything inappropriate. This technique is smart marketing. Conversely, replying to every message with a link to your website when it is not relevant to the conversation is likely to be construed as spam by other members. Once they begin to view your posts as spam, they are not likely to visit your website via the links you post. Howtoadvertsizewithoutspam
1.5 A SIMPLE GUIDE TO INTERNET ADVERTISING
There are many ways to advertise on the Internet. Most of the effective advertising methods are simple and easy to do. Here is a quick guide to Internet advertising.
START WITH A BASIC MARKETING PLAN
If online marketing was a basketball team, here would be my starting five.
Natural Search Engine Optimization Pay Per Click
Media Campaigns Newsletter Promotions
ONLINE ADVERTISING WITH SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Search engines are the number one way to drive traffic to a website. There are a few components to having a site rank well in search engines.
BUILD A SITE THAT THE CRAWLERS CAN EASILY NAVIGATE.
Make sure each page has a unique title tag, description tag and lots of well-written unique content.
BUILD ONE-WAY LINKS FROM TOPICAL SITES.
Now there are entire books written on this subject, but most of it is overdone. Stick to the basics of a site that can easily be crawled, lots of good content, and links from topical sites and you’ll do fine.
PAY PER CLICK INTERNET ADVERTISING
Pay per click programs from Google and Yahoo where bids are placed on terms that show up in the search results. Depending on your budget there are a few options. You can hire a firm to do it or do it yourself. The key to a good pay per click program is to understand your conversion rates. Tune your pay per click program by bidding on words that convert and lower bids or drop them all together on terms that do not convert.
PURCHASING MEDIA
Similar to pay per click options the key is to understand your conversion rate. Most media is purchased on a CPM basis. That’s the cost per 1000 impression of your ad Google offers a contextual advertising network and depending on your budget there are many full service options available. Media for performance-based campaigns may be complex, but just be sure to make more than you spend.
EMAIL MARKETING
Collect email addresses from your users to keep them up to date on specials and other options. Email marketing is still one of the most cost effective and best ways to keep in contact with customers.
PROMOTIONS
I have one friend that makes his entire living off of an email list that he gives great Promotions of new products and services. It is sort of an early adopters program. Until I saw this, I never knew how effective they could be. Offer something unique that your audience wants regularly on your site. Hubpages
1.6 TESTING AND TRACKING YOUR STRATEGIES
Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of your success. However, unless you’re testing and tracking your strategies, you may be losing a great deal of time and money. You can dramatically increase your sales simply by taking the time to test and track your results. Not only will it help you to determine what’s working and what’s not, but it will also enable you to focus your efforts on the strategies that produce results.
When testing your marketing strategies, keep in mind, a strategy that produces results for one person may not produce results for you. There is no ‘set in stone’ strategy that works for everyone. You must develop your own style and technique and test your results to determine what works for you. Below are some ads tracking resources to assist you in your testing and tracking endeavors.
If you’re looking for a simple way to track clickthroughs, then LnkinLite may be your answer. This free script will enable you to easily keep track of the number of clicks a specific link receives. Instead of using your standard link within your advertising, you can use a link created by this script. It will track the number of clickthroughs and instantly redirect your visitors to your URL.
This powerful script is a link creator, tracker, disguiser and manager all in one. It will enable you to create uniquely coded links that redirect to any URL you specify and count all hits and referrers. Cost –
This script will enable you to set up an entire ad tracking campaign including statistical reports for referring URLs, what browsers your visitors have installed, what operating systems your visitors are using and much more. Cost – $47.00
A free service that tracks the clickthrough rates of your links. In addition to tracking your links, LinkCounter hides the URL of the link destination. This will prevent users from removing or changing your affiliate ID when visiting an affiliate site through your link.
The PRO version of HyperTracker contains a number of advanced features including: unlimited advertising campaigns, tracking of sales and actions, special scripts that let you promote your own website address in your campaigns and much more.
An online tracking system that will enable you to track an entire advertising campaign. It will enable you to see how many visitors were generated by each of your ads, keep track of sales that were generated by each ad and calculates the cost-per-click, cost-per-sale, and click-tosale ratios for each ad
If you’d rather not use any of the products and services listed above, you can use some alternative methods. Below is some example tracking methods you can use to track your response rates:
URL (Universal Resource Locator)
You can track your ads simply by adding some special coding to your URL. To code your URL, add a question mark followed by a special tracking code to the end of your web address. Your coded link will still open your web page. Your code should look something like this: http://www.yourdomain.com/?ad1
The text after the question mark should identify a specific ad you can code it however, you would like. To view your results, you’ll need to look at your log files. Your code will be displayed within your log files beside your URL.
EMAIL
Track your email responses to specific ads by using the email subject. Select a specific word to be placed within the email subject for each ad.
Although you can request that a certain word be placed within the email subject, many times it won’t be supplied. To avoid this problem, you can create a special email link that will automatically fill in the subject when clicked on. Your link should look something like this: mailto:you@yourdomain.com?subject=ad1
Testing and tracking your strategies is an essential part of doing business. By concentrating your efforts on strategies that produce results, you can not only increase your sales, but you’ll also save yourself a great deal of time and money. WebSourceNet
TIP: AIDA is a standard (Advertising 101) for most advertising, but unfortunately, most of the headlines created will not pass through Scam/Spam Filters. What to do?
Most Scam/Spam Experts Will Advise To Avoid the Use Of Scamp/Spam Words, So Our Challenge Is To Create Headlines And Ads That Motivate The Viewer To Click And Go To The Website And Let The Website Sell Their Program, Guarantees, etc.
1.7 SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
We cannot make you a SEO expert within these few pages, but we can give you a good beginning, things to watch for and typical SEO Scams. Search engines are considered the prime source of traffic for any website. The higher your search engine ranking will be, higher will be the number of visitors to your website, thereby leading to significant increase in sales, apart from gaining strong web presence as well as brand recognition.
Search engine ranking, otherwise known as search engine placement, simply refers to the creation of a website in such a way that it ranks as high as possible in the given search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. In other words, search engine ranking is a yardstick to determine the online promotional
success of a web page or website. A high search engine ranking is regarded as a more effective advertising tool than paid advertising.
Among the plethora of strategies adopted by SEO specialists to ensure top search engine ranking are preparation of pertinent content, selection of the most appropriate keyword or key phrases for your product or service, implementation of meta tags, HTML validation and link building.
Nowadays, a lot of SEO specialists are in the scenario to offer search engine ranking services. Many of them guarantee top search engine rankings. However, search engine ranking proves effective and beneficial only when professional and knowledgeable SEO personnel do it. Before you approach a SEO firm or SEO specialist, make a thorough analysis regarding its professionalism and Ethics.
Be sure they prepare content-rich information and adopt the most sophisticated SEO tools to optimize your website. There are certain SEO firms that offer search engine ranking services for low rates. Hence, before choosing such firms, their quality of service must be checked. Further, make sure that the SEO firm that you have chosen solely engage in SEOrelated works, and does not treat it as a secondary.
INCREASE YOUR SEO RANKING WITH KEYWORDS RICH PAGE CONTENT
It is the fervent wish of every website owner that his or her website attains a position of prominence with regard to search engine rankings. It is easier said than done and this is why so many website owners are giving up with search engine optimization and turning to SEO consultant to increase their search engine rankings.
MAIN ASPECTS OF SEO IS CREATING KEYWORDS RICH PAGE CONTENT.
Search engine optimization with keywords rich page content involve rearrangement or addition of keyword rich web content to specific location on your web site. You should start by positioning the keywords and a good place where to start is the page title, and at the very least, in the first paragraphs. It pays to have the keyword appearing frequently on your page body. Keeping your keywords frequency between three and five percent is recommended. More than that is considered ”Spamming” By the search engines.
Try to find targeted keyword phrases that your competitors are missing. Your competitors when searching for the top competitive search terms often overlook combinations of two and three word phrases. Doing a proper keyword research is a must! Make sure to spread your main keywords and keywords phrases in a natural manner. Also, using sub-topics will effectively make the keywords work well together. Making use of keyword rich content on your site will increase both your relevancy and search engine rankings leading to more traffic that convert in more sales.
1.8 BUILDING YOUR KEYWORD LISTS
The first step in search engine marketing is determining the right keywords for your business. These are the words and phrases your potential customers type in to search engines when they’re looking for the products you sell. They’re also the first thing search engines look for when determining the most relevant web pages to list in search results.
Building an accurate keyword list is critical to the success of your search engine marketing efforts. Successful search engine marketers develop their keyword list first, and then build a single, highly relevant web page for each keyword phrase.
TYPES OF KEYWORDS
Before you being to create your keyword list, it’s helpful to understand the different types of keywords people use in search engines:
GENERIC KEYWORDS
The most basic words used to describe a product or service category, such as “digital camera” and “accountant.”
DESCRIPTIVE KEYWORD PHRASES
Generic keywords modified with adjectives to narrow their focus, such as “two mega-pixel digital camera” and “Seattle accountant.”
TARGETED KEYWORDS
Keywords that apply to one and only one product or service, such as “Coolpix 2100” and “tax accountant.”
As you build your keyword list, it will be important to brainstorm all three types of keywords, as each one has a unique purpose. Generally speaking, home pages are optimized for generic keywords, product category web pages are optimized for descriptive keywords, and individual product pages are optimized for targeted keywords.
BRAINSTORM
To start the keyword selection process, sit down with other people in your company and try to think of a few words and phrases that best describe your site, company, and products. Ask each person to come up with at least 50 keywords – the more the better.
If you’re a one-person company, then ask your friends and relatives for help. You may also want to look at your internal search data for keyword ideas.
If your web site has internal search functionality, mine that data to uncover phrases your customers use to describe the products or services they are looking for.
Most importantly, ask your customers what terms they use when searching for specific products. Getting this feedback from them is crucial, as they will probably have a different, and possibly more accurate, idea of what keywords your potential customers are using.
GET HELP ONLINE
Also take advantage of free keyword-enhancement tools online. One of the most popular applications available is Yahoo! Search Marketing’s (formerly Overture) Keyword Selector Tool. The tool works as follows: enter your site’s main keywords and phrases into the system. You then receive a list of related search phrases in the order of popularity. The list will tell you how exactly how many people searched on each particular phrase in one month, giving you a clearer idea of what words work and what don’t.
You can take this process an extra step by incorporating fee-based tools like Wordtracker by Rivergold Associates Ltd. Wordtracker works in a similar fashion to Yahoo! Search Marketing’s Keyword Selector Tool, but offers additional options at prices starting at around $7 per day.
BE DESCRIPTIVE
Once you have your initial keyword list in place; expand on it as much as possible by adding descriptive and specific terms to each phrase. Including colors, geography, or location, plus brand names and model numbers will enable customers to find product pages more easily when they conduct searches. The more detail you can provide, the better results you will achieve.
BE RELEVANT
One of the most common mistakes people make in brainstorming keywords is including non-relevant keywords. Words such as “weight loss” and “Brittany Spears” may be highly searched, but if they are not relevant to your business, you should not include them in your list. In fact, you will be penalized for keyword stuffing by using these words.
CHECK YOUR WORK
Once you have your list in place, ask yourself the following questions: Are the keywords and phrases relevant to my business?
Have I brainstormed all of the descriptive terms?
Are the page-specific keywords relevant to those pages?
Are there any pages that are more suitable for a particular phrase than others? Is there another way to phrase this term?
Once you’ve verified that these words match your marketing objectives and are the right keywords to target, you need to review the following to make sure that the keywords are actually supported:
Page Titles Product Titles
Product Description Page Content
Remember, the keyword selection process is the most critical step in the optimization process, so doing your homework up front can go a long way to ensuring your success.
Take advantage of your peers, customers, and online tools at your disposal to make sure you’re not forgetting any critical terms. It is also important to update your list often, especially when adding new products or services to your site.
Search online advertising brings keyword based search traffic to your door. Keyword based search brings exactly your targeted audience to your ad message. Technology experts predict that more and more people will access the Internet at a higher speed than ever before and this added speed makes
getting audio or video news and information simple and fast. Keyword based video advertising will get increasingly popular as the cost of broadcasting that video over the Internet falls and as more and more people can see that video clearly (as a result of increasing access speeds).
How neat would that be if we could see a video of the product or service before we actually bought it, or see the people behind the company that sell us that “catalytic converter”. Online advertising via video feeds to your cell phone from live or recorded messages are only a moment away. Technology is moving so fast even the online advertising industry can barely come up with applications that meet the changing (and better) Internet technologies. The future of online advertising looks bright and very exciting to be sure. It is up to you to make sure you understand the changes that are taking place and up to you to become part of the online advertising boom.
MAKE ONLINE ADVERTISING EASY TO UNDERSTAND?
Online advertising is made easy by the use of search engines. Put it this way, if you can read then you can get your product or service on any of the big three search engines in less than ten minutes. All you have to do is open an account at Google or Yahoo or MSN and away you go. It does not get any easier than that. They have experts who help you every step of the way, and frankly, their advertising programs are so user friendly it is incredible. Online advertising made easy. OnlineAdvertising
1.10 COSTLY SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION MISTAKES
As website owners you already know the importance of traffic. Getting a steady flow of visitors to your site is the only thing that really matters. If you can’t generate traffic your online business is destined to fail. You need traffic to make sales! The key for generating targeted traffic is the search engine. Search engine optimization is by far the most cost effective method of advertising your website. Unfortunately, many Internet marketers do not understand search engine optimization, which leads to targeted traffic that convert in sales. They are making terrible mistakes when optimizing their websites. Try To Avoid The Following Common Search Engine Optimization Mistakes:
CHOOSING THE WRONG KEYWORDS:
It is so important that your site target the right audience. Select the right keywords and your audience will find you. Use the wrong keywords and you will get poor traffic, but most importantly, no sales!
KEYWORDS SPAMMING
(Repeating the same keywords): Never use keywords spamming or stacking. The search engines will downgrade and penalize your website for doing this. Instead, use keywords rich content on your page.
USING A FREE DOMAIN NAME OR WEB HOSTING SERVICE:
If you are serious about doing business online you need a real domain name with a real hosting company. In most case the search engines will not index the content from these free hosts. If you want to make money online you need to spend some!
PUTTING HIDDEN TEXT TO INCREASE RELEVANCY:
Putting on-page hidden text will not help you to achieve a better ranking. The search engine robot will detect the hidden text and penalize your site for using unethical SEO techniques.
USING UNRELATED KEYWORDS:
Using unrelated keywords that have nothing to do with your website is considered spam by the search engines and may cause your site to be removed from the search engine index. This is just a few of the unethical search engine optimization techniques that you should not give a try. Using these methods will not do any good and you are taking the risk of getting your site banned from the major search engines and directories. AffordableSEO
1.11 HOW WEB ADVERTISING WORKS
INTRODUCTION
Two different things are happening right now: More and more sites are asking you to pay a fee to subscribe to all or part of the Web site. Advertising is becoming more and more “in your face.” There are now pop-up ads, ads that play music and sound tracks, ads that swim across the screen, and so… The second trend is true of nearly all commercial Web sites. There are many new forms of Web advertising, and they are more and more obvious. Many Web users have questions about all of these new ad types. For example:
Why Do Web Sites Have So Many Ads Now?
Why Do Web Sites Allow Pop-Up Ads That Open New Windows? (People Hate Closing Them All.)
Why Do Web Sites Allow the Floating Ads That Cover The Content So I Cannot Read It?
How Can I Make All These Ads Go Away?
IN THE BEGINNING: BANNER ADS
When the Web first started being a “commercial endeavor” around 1997 or so, thousands of new sites were born and billions of dollars in venture capital flowed into them. The sites divided into two broad categories:
E-COMMERCE SITES
E-commerce sites – sell things. E-commerce sites make their money from the products they sell, just as a brick-and-mortar store does.
CONTENT SITES
Content sites -create or collect content (words, pictures, video, etc.) for readers to look at. Content Web sites make their money primarily from advertising, like TV stations, radio stations and newspapers. Banner ads the ads you see at the top of almost all Web pages today. In 1998 or so, banner advertising was a lucrative business. Popular sites like Yahoo could charge $30, $50, even $100 per thousand impressions to run banner ads on their pages. These advertising rates provided fuel for much of the venture capital boom on the Web.
EFFECTIVENESS OF BANNER ADS
At some point, advertisers concluded that banner ads were not as effective as full-page magazine ads or 30-second TV commercials. At the same time, there was an incredible glut of advertising space — thousands of sites had a million or more page impressions available per month…
The economic principle of “supply and demand” works the same way on the Web as it does everywhere else, so the rates paid for banner advertising began to plummet. Today, if you shop around, you can buy banner ads from thousands of Web sites or brokers for 50 cents or so per thousand impressions — which are exactly what they are worth to a person who is trying to sell something with banner ads using a direct sales model. But for most other Web sites, there is very little money to be made from banner ads. In order to charge more than 50 cents per thousand impressions, Web sites have to offer ads that either: Have a lot more branding power or Get a much higher click-through rate
NEW ADVERTISING FORMATS AND EXPERIMENTS
SIDEBAR ADS
A sidebar ad (also known as a skyscraper ad) is similar to a banner ad, but it is vertically oriented rather than horizontally. Because it is vertical, the height of a sidebar ad can often reach 600 pixels or more, and sidebars are generally 120 pixels wide.
A sidebar ad has more impact than a banner ad for at least two reasons: A tall sidebar ad is two to three times larger than a banner ad. You cannot scroll a sidebar ad off the screen like you can a banner ad. With a banner ad, you can scroll just 60 pixels down and the ad is gone. With a sidebar ad, the ad is with you much longer.
Because of this increased impact, sidebar ads have higher branding power and a higher click-through rate. A typical sidebar ad has a click-through rate of 1 percent (10 clicks per 1,000 impressions), or about two to three times that of a banner ad Advertisers will typically pay $1.00 to $1.50 per 1,000 run-of- site impressions for sidebar ad placement. Advertisers pay more for targeted sidebar ads, just like they do with targeted banner ads.
VARIED SHAPES AND SIZES
Banner ads and sidebar ads have standard sizes. But in the last year or two people have tried all different sizes and placements. Here are three examples:
Sites aren’t paid much for these smaller ads, because generally the click-through rates are low. But by putting 10 ads on the page, it can add up to $2 per 1,000 page impressions.
POP-UP AND POP-UNDER
A pop-up ad is an ad that “pops up” in its own window when you go to a page. It obscures the Web page that you are trying to read, so you have to close the window or move it out of the way. Pop-under ads are similar, but place themselves under the content you are trying o read and are therefore less intrusive.
Pop-up and pop-under ads annoy many users because they clutter up the desktop and take time to close. However, they are much more effective than banner ads. Whereas a banner ad might get two to five clicks per 1,000 impressions, a pop-up ad might average 30 clicks.
Therefore, advertisers are willing to pay more for pop-up and pop-under ads. Typically, a pop-up ad will pay the Web site four to 10 times more than a banner ad that is why you see so many pop-up ads on the Web today.
FLOATING ADS
If you have ever been to a Web site that uses them, you know what “floating ads” are. These are ads that appear when you first go to a Web page, and they “float” or “fly” over the page for anywhere from five to 30 seconds. While they are on the screen, they obscure your view of the page you are trying to read, and they often block mouse input as well.
Floating ads are appearing more and more frequently for several reasons: They definitely get the viewer’s attention. They are animated. Many now have sound.
Like TV ads, they “interrupt the program” and force you to watch them. They can take up the entire screen. From a branding standpoint, they are much more powerful than something like a banner ad or a sidebar ad they cannot be ignored. They have a high clickthrough rate, averaging about 3 percent (meaning that 30 people will click through for every 1,000 impressions of a floating ad).
The high click-through rate, as well as the greater branding power, means that advertisers will pay a lot more for a floating ad — anywhere from $3 to $30 per 1,000 impressions depending on the advertiser and the ad Because they can pay a lot of money, Web sites are willing to run floating ads.
The only problem with floating ads is that they annoy people. Some people become infuriated by them, and will send death threats and three-page-long rants via email. That is why you do not yet see them everywhere. The annoyance problem points out something interesting about advertising, however. When pop-up ads first appeared, they bothered lots of people and you did not see them on very many sites. After a while, people got used to them and stopped complaining, and now pop-up ads can be found on tons of sites. As people get used to floating ads, they will become more common.
WHY YOU SEE SO MANY ADS ON WEB SITES TODAY? IT IS EITHER:
LOTS OF ADS
Switch over to subscriptions (hope you can get 50,000 people to subscribe — no easy task).
OR GO OUT OF BUSINESS
A Web site is a business, and it must cover its expenses to survive. HowStuffWorks–Bain
1.12 IS THE ONLINE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY SHRINKING?
Growth in online advertising for the first time will shrink to single-digits in 2009, according to eMarketer
– yes it is still growing despite our worldwide recession.
Search engine keyword based marketing, like Google AdWords, is still growing at double digit growth rates. Look at the pricing revolution online advertising news article for April. The fact remains that there may be a big pricing revolution in advertising online; however when you are focused on search engine online advertising then growth is fine.
More and more business people understand the power and simplicity of search engine marketing and how online advertising benefits their business (in terms of sales). So yes the US economy is shrinking, ever so slightly, however online advertising (specifically search) continues to grow.
The world of online advertising can be divided into a several different advertising options. These options are not exclusively the only areas from which to choose, however they represent the most popular areas within the online advertising menu.
SEARCH ENGINE ADVERTISING: 50%
More than 50% of the total spent last year in online advertising. This relates to keyword based search engine optimization and paid advertising via pay per click campaigns. The three biggest sources of this type of advertising are Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
There are plenty of additional smaller online search advertising options but these three are the best of the best and each one has a pay per click advertising interface that is simple to use.
Just in case you are wondering the big three search engines represent 98% of the entire search advertising market. Get it correct with the big three search engines and you are getting it right with 98% of your keyword based search audience.
The great thing about search engines is that they make it so easy to purchase traffic. In fact online advertising has now become as easy as click, setup, and pay. All you need to do is select the appropriate keyword(s) for your service offerings, select the geographic region you want to represent, and away you go. Note that search advertising is paid per visitor so if your ad is not clicked on you pay nothing. How would you like to buy a billboard on the road that you only pay when someone calls you?
Experts refer to this type of online advertising as an outstanding deal. Even Google will give you free credit card processing for all the goods you sell online providing you are purchasing traffic from them and providing your ROI (return on investment) is less than or equal to 1,000 percent. Even Google thinks you should be able to make ten times your online advertising spend in total revenues. That says something right there.
DISPLAY ADS: 21%
21% of the total online advertising last year and falling fast. Banner or contextual advertising is not popular and is not working; even at these cheap costs per thousand impression rates.
Here you rent space on a web site and if you get many visitors to your site great since you pay for the space and not for the visitors. This is not the best way to advertise, but there are plenty of places to get CPM deals in the $0.60 or lower range so why not pay next to nothing and see what sticks.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: 17%
17% of all spending last year or just over $4 billion dollars spent on classified advertising. So next time you say classifieds are not for your company or service offering you better think again. In terms of dollars spent last year classifieds came in at roughly one third of the amount spent on keyword based
search. Classified ads run at a cost per space and not for visitors directed to your website so again you are paying per thousand page impressions whether people click on your ad or not.
LEAD GENERATION: 6%
Lead generation 6% of all advertising spending last year, or over $1.4 billion dollars.
It is interesting to see Google use lead generation in some cases since we all know Google is getting short end of the stick on their paid keyword based advertising (per click). How do we know that?
Well if I am a company and I spend $1 to make $3 from traditional advertising (TV, radio, newspaper) and now I am spending money with Google to the tune of $1 for each $9 in revenues then it stands to reason that Google is getting the sorry end of the stick compared to the cost of traditional advertising. Some argue this is exactly why keyword based search advertising is destined to grow.
RICH MEDIA: 4%
4% of all spending last year or almost $1 billion dollars. This sort of relates to display ads, except that these ads are video targeted and most networks know that the targeting aspect alone will improve conversion rates. In advertising, the better the targeting, the higher value and the greater the advertising revenues. Could this be why Google bought YouTube for over $1.5 billion dollars?
EMAIL: 2%
Holding on at 2% of total online advertising last year. Hard to believe email advertising accounted for
$500 million dollars in revenues last year. That is a lot of money spent on email advertising. eMarketer
1.13 LIST BUILDING
If you have been kicking around the net for a while; someone will always tell you “the money is in the list”. Great, but what if you have a 30,000 member downline, as I had with Vemma, but you have no access, you effectively have nothing, unless one of your downliners’ is real, a producer, a leader, and helps build you some income.
For that matter, your sponsors can pull your downline and move them to another program. Later, we will discuss some list scams, guaranteed signup as such.
A BASIC GUIDE TO LIST BUILDING
Without the list, your Internet business is a non-entity. It is that simple. The lifeblood of online businesses such as network marketing or MLM and content-driven sites rely on their lists. In fact, every beginner and experienced Internet marketer by now is probably familiar with the mantra, ‘the money is on the list.’ This is why careful attention is required in order to build a listing that is relevant to a specific marketing campaign. Here is some essential information you need to know about list building:
WHAT, EXACTLY, IS A LIST?
It is simply a mailing list – a list of names and corresponding email addresses, each of which represents a potential customer, subscriber or recruit. Each time you have news, updated information, a fresh article or video or are promoting a new product; you will be using this list to send emails to.
HOW LISTS ARE BUILT
The most common way of building a list is through on-site invitations. Let us say you are promoting a weekly newsletter regarding pet care. Now a newsletter is useless if it does not have any readers, so your goal is to find as many subscribers as you can.
To do this, you must create an invitation from your website through a signup tag. This invitation must contain all the necessary information that your subscriber will need to fully understand what exactly it is you are offering. The opt-in invitation should be specific to a particular product or service you are trying to promote.
In this case, the tag should inform the recipient that it is an invitation to sign up for a weekly newsletter that will be sent through email. Something like, ‘To receive more tips or articles on pet care, sign up for my free weekly newsletter.
Once the recipient agrees to be part of your listing, you can then keep his email address in a database or a spreadsheet. You could use a program to help you manage and organize this listing so email addresses relevant to a particular product or service you have are easier to access.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE LIST BUILDING
An effective list building effort should result to a quality list. A quality listing consists of individuals who belong to your target audience. If your website is about pet care, for more detail visit to www.mailing- list-gold.com then the quality audience for you is one that is composed of pet owners and pet lovers. Anyone who is uninterested in pets will not and should not be part of your list building efforts
The goal here is simple – effective list building helps you filter a segment of the huge market out there that will not respond favorably to your campaigns. With a quality list, you are more likely to interact with an audience who is more likely to participate in your marketing efforts, for more detail visit to www.freelist-pro.com sign up for future offerings, become your recruits or referrals or even purchase from you.
OPTING IN
There is one very important thing you should remember about list building and that is permission. It is considered an unethical practice for a legitimate online business such as yours to include email addresses of people to your list when they did not agree to such an arrangement. Without an express permission from these people, your email messages, no matter how well intentioned, will be viewed as spam.
Effective list building involves permission-based marketing which comes in the form of the opt-in listing. The opt-in list is simply a list of email addresses of people who agreed to a specific offer you made. Without this explicit expression of acceptance, you cannot and should not include these individuals in your list, no matter how tempting or valuable they are.
WHAT ARE THE BEST TECHNIQUES FOR MLM LIST BUILDING?
If you have ever tried to build an MLM list, you know how difficult it can be. There are quite literally dozens of excellent tools and techniques available for MLM list building and building an opt-in list for your MLM website.
This article provides covers eight proven MLM list building techniques to create and expand a profitable opt-in list of qualified MLM prospects. For more details www.37-list-buildingsecrets.com MLM list building is similar to the human emotions of dating. If you start out on the wrong footing, you may ruin a potential rewarding relationship between you and the subscribers.
On the other hand, if you provide valuable information to your list, you could look forward to building valuable and lasting relationships. When you start your MLM list building, do some due diligence and research on what your target prospects are looking for. If you already have a list, ask your prospects what kind of information or service they desire in a broadcast email.
In its simplest form, list building a two-step process: the one-step is the act of capturing a potential customers name and email address and the second step is to use that information to create a relationship with that person. Notice I said create a relationship not to sell. I will get back to that in a minute. You want to use your list building process to collect the names and email addresses of as many people who have shown an interest in you and your business as possible. You want to put a list-building link (subscription form or something like it) in front of as many visitors as you possibly can.
This will also show that you care about your customers and help build a long-term relationship. You might go one step further and search for fresh and exciting things that you think they will be interested in. Having new and fresh things to excite your customers will definitely keep them waiting for your next email. Here are eight techniques for MLM list building.
Add a subscription box to every page on your website and make it attractive, visible and easy to use. Add a link to a sample issue or your archive so potential subscribers can preview what they are signing up to. Clearly stating your Privacy Policy is also an important MLM list building technique. It helps potential subscribers trust you.
Get in touch with other newsletter editors and offer a trade for advertising. They promote your newsletter and you do likewise. Be sure to choose publications that are related to yours but not direct competitors. Registering your Newsletter with Newsletter (Ezine) Directories such as jogging, directory of Ezines is an effective MLM list building strategy. It helps increase the number of links to your website and newsletter.
Another MLM list building approach is to offer your subscribers a free tool, e-book or report when they subscribe. For more details www.mailing-list-gold.com Write something original that they cannot get anywhere else, and you will add value and establish your expertise. Brand your newsletter by creating a unique image and advertising headlines that you use as you promote it both online and offline. Invite
your current subscribers to forward your email newsletter to others. Following these MLM list-building strategies will help you attract qualified and educated MLM prospects. Techniques
HOW TO BUILD YOUR LIST OF LEADS QUICKLY
You know that it’s much easier to earn a profit from a lead that has already shown an interest in what you have to offer. Chances are very good that if someone has already signed up, or “opted in” to receive updates from you, then they are willing to take a look at products and programs that you recommend.
So, if you want to make any type of steady money online, the first thing you’ll need to do is create a mailing list of subscribers. Keep in mind the bigger your list grows the more profitable it will become. But for the purposes of this article, beginning your list and getting a few hundred subscribers will do just fine and help you begin earning some extra cash.
There are actually several ways to quickly build a list of subscribers.
I’m going to describe a few ways to get started below. If you don’t understand some of the things that I talk about mention, don’t worry I will do my best to clear things up for you in upcoming articles. And remember if you have any questions you can contact me at any time. Just use the link in my author box to visit my blog. Let’s get started…
PLACE A SIGN-UP FORM FOR YOUR LIST
First, place a sign-up form for your list on your website, blog, and even on your “About Me” Pages on your favorite social or auction websites, like Facebook, My Space or EBay.
If you need help doing this it’s best to check with your autoresponder service. They should have complete set-up tutorials and if you don’t have an auto-responder yet, it’s vital that you choose the right service. There are a couple of good ones, and I personally use and recommend Aweber.
JOIN FREE-TO-JOIN LISTS
There are list building programs, such as Listdotcom and ListQuik that are free to join. With these programs you sign-up, and then promote the service using the marketing materials that they have created for you. Put them up on your blog and website, and interested people will subscribe under you. You then get to mail to these new members as well as the number of people that are allowed when you first join. Often there is an upgrade that gives you the ability to mail to several thousand people once or up to a few times every week.
YOU CAN DO JOINT VENTURES.
Once you have a list of a few hundred people then you can build faster by getting in touch with the owners of similar lists or Ezines and strike a deal for a JV. This involves recommending each other’s newsletter or product to your own subscribers. Keep in mind that most people don’t just sign up to one list so it could be very beneficial for both of you. You may also want to check out JV-Network.com. It’s great for finding joint venture partners.
JOIN PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS
These are simply another form of joint venture. They usually consist of several list owners banding together and offering one of their products for free to anyone who participates in the event.
This benefits you as a contributor by requiring all of the people who want the product you’re offering to register for your list so that they can download your gift. These events can bring you hundreds of new subscribers targeted to your niche.
There are several other ways and ideas that will help you build your list, but these suggestions should get you headed in the right direction. The main goal is to start a list of valid email addresses that opt- in, which means they give you permission to send them email. Using any of the four ideas above, or better yet, starting all of them one by one will begin building your list. Out of the four ways above the fastest way to amass more subscribers is by participating in giveaway event.
You can find them by subscribing to free marketing Ezines, and by joining specialized marketing forums such as Free Advertising Forum, The Internet Marketing Warrior Forum, or IM4Newbies Forum.
When building your list it is a good idea to avoid safe lists, MLM programs, or purchasing lists of random bulk email addresses. These methods are nearly useless for list building purposes, and are huge time- wasters.
Now let’s discuss how you will compile and manage your marketing list. You can accomplish this with an autoresponder system. There are two main types of autoresponder to choose from: A php script that you run yourself, or an online service that you register for and pay a monthly fee.
You can download a free script from Hotscripts.com or do a Google search to find other script sites online. If you prefer not to go through the lengthy and confusing process of setting up your own mailing list script, then just go with one of the paid services. The one that I use is Aweber.com, and another good one is GetResponse.com.
A terrific feature with these autoresponder is that you can sign up for a free account, in order to experience the service before you spend any money. This is a great way to get started with list building when you’re budget is limited. QuickList
1.14 BLOGS AND ARTICLES
Many successful online entrepreneurs are doing very well with their blogs and articles. They have branded themselves as an expert in on one subject or another. Do not overlook the potential of this method of advertising and building your subscriber list. All of us are expert in one thing or another; how about your job, your hoppy, your experiences on line, or even your life experiences.
HOW TO PROMOTE BLOGS AND ARTICLES
If you’re new to writing online, you need to promote blogs and articles to maximize your chances of driving in more traffic, and making money online. You can drive traffic to your sites and make good money. It can be difficult; a lot of work, but it can be done if you put in the time. You need to understand
some of the basics in SEO words, where to promote your blogs, websites, or articles you write online for like ehow, or other writing sites.
INSTRUCTIONS
Use good SEO words. This is one of the most important ways on driving traffic to your sites, and promotes your work. Search engine optimization is using search friendly words that are familiar with what you are writing, or product you are using to sell. If you are going to drive in traffic to your sites, you need to understand simple terms of SEO words. For help, use Google’s search-based keyword tool. This will help beginners to writing online, or blogs.
Sometimes it can be difficult, and easy, it takes time adjusting. It is very important if you want to make money on the Internet. This will help promote more traffic to your blogs and articles.
USE SOCIAL BOOKMARKS
You should use social bookmark sites like Digg, Mixx, and Stumble Upon as ways to promote your blogs, or articles. It is a great way to expose more views to your work. You are going to need to create many backlinks, and use good SEO words when it comes to making money online. Those are key. Also, check out shetoldme. It is a promoting site, that allows you to not only create free promotion, but they have a Google AdSense program. If you have a Google AdSense blog, you are probably familiar with it.
If not, you need to sign up for Google AdSense, which is free. You keep 100% of the shetoldme clicks on Google AdSense. This is great way to make money on a site, while getting more traffic at the same time. Check out Xomba as well, to create links to your sites. They also have a Google AdSense program to make money from as well. You can also write articles on their site. Both sites are extremely helpful.
USE SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSIONS
Go to submitepxress.com, for free submission. Your blog or articles will go to over 40 search engines. Why just limit your exposure to Google, or Yahoo? This is a helpful way to drive more traffic to your site.
You cannot underestimate the smaller search engines, and using them to drive traffic to your site. Obviously, Google and Yahoo are the big ones, also very important but there is also more competition on those sites. The more search engines, the better for your site.
USE SOCIAL NETWORKS TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK
Place likes Facebook, MySpace, along with Twitter is very helpful. If you can generate a large following on twitter, you can definitely increase quite a bit of exposure to your site. It all depends on the following you can get, though. Adding more friends to your social network can definitely help drive a decent amount of traffic to sites. If you want to make really good money, I wouldn’t rely on that alone, though. How To Promote
MORE ON SOCIAL NETWORKING LEADS
One of my first blogs regarded my retirement boredom and that I had turned to the Internet. For sure it is hard to adjust from 12-16 hour days to zip, narda hours with nothing to do. I tried many social networks; however, I found some popular sites too Social for me and lacked the business minded members that I was looking for.
I retreated to my 1-on-1 networking, just me and my computer. I knew the computer and it knew me and my frustrations. Although I belonged to several social networks including a paying Direct Matches, now called myNetworkingPro, I could not find the satisfaction that I was looking for in trying to interact with these members. For the most part, unless they were really social, the interaction was more of spam and link pushing than trying to get to know me and interact with me.
As of this writing, myNetworkingPro has gone into Phase2 with a cleaner interface, improved communications, etc., and is now considered a must-have social business network and is the largest such site online. Swom became my first real social business network where I took an early position and leadership role in helping others focus on business, connecting and interacting with others. Since then I have added several others all of which support our ISA Groups: Swom, BizOppers, Fast Business Network (formally Sonar 247), ISMmagic, myNetworkingPro and APSense.
While these sites all have different personalities, benefits, etc., the members all represent leads, FREE Leads for your business opportunities. While the previous post “Use social networks to promote your work” closed with “If you want to make really good money, I wouldn’t rely on that alone, though”. I haven’t found the statistics as yet, but I feel that these social business networks are increasing market share as advertising resource that cannot be ignored.
I am sure not many might admit it, but every member that you connect with is a potential Lead for your business ops, but like many downlines, the numbers mean little, unless you learn to cultivate them. Unlike neighbors, that you cannot always choose, members can be connected and disconnected. (I disconnect with the spammers and link pushers) Be sure to consider Social Networks as one of your better resources. Where else can you talk and interact with your leads.
1.15 INCREASING BLOG TRAFFIC
Simple Ways to Get Your Blog Noticed in the Blogosphere. The blogosphere is a big and busy world with over 100 million blogs and growing. How do you attract visitors to your blog? Follow these simple tips to drive traffic to your blog.
WRITE WELL AND WRITE OFTEN
Frequently updating your blog with useful content is the first step to building your blog’s audience. The content you write is what will keep readers coming back for more. Make sure you have something meaningful to say to them and say it often to maintain their interest and keep them loyal. Furthermore, post frequently to increase the number of chances you have for your blog’s content to be noticed by search engines such as Google or Technorati.
SUBMIT YOUR BLOG TO SEARCH ENGINES
Get on the radar screen for the popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo! by submitting yourblog’s URL to them. Most search engines provide a ‘Submit’ link (or something similar) to notify the search engine of your new blog; so those search engines will crawl it and include your pages in their results.
It’s important to understand that simply submitting your blog to search engines doesn’t mean your pages will appear at the top of a Google search results screen, but at least your blog will be included and will have the chance of being picked up by a search engine.
USE AND UPDATE YOUR BLOGROLL
By adding links to sites you like in your blogroll, the owners of those blogs will find your blog and will be likely to add a reciprocal link in their blogrolls. It’s an easy way to get the link to your blog in front of many readers on other blogs. The hope is that some of those readers will click on the link to your blog on the other blogs’ blogrolls and find your content interesting and enjoyable turning them into loyal readers.
HARNESS THE POWER OF COMMENTS
Commenting is a simple and essential tool to increase your blog’s traffic.
First, respond to comments left on your blog to show your readers that you value their opinions and draw them into a two-way conversation. This will increase reader loyalty.
Second, leave comments on other blogs to drive new traffic. Make sure you leave your blog’s URLin your comment, so you create a link back to your own blog. Many people will read the comments left on a blog post. If they read a particularly interesting comment, they are highly likely to click on the link to visit the commenter’s website. It’s important to make sure you leave meaningful comments that are likely to invite people to click on your link to read more.
SYNDICATE YOUR BLOG’S CONTENT WITH AN RSS FEED
Setting up an RSS feed button on your blog makes it easy for your loyal readers to not just read your blog but also know when you publish new content.
USE LINKS AND TRACKBACKS
Links are one of the most powerful parts of your blog. Not only are links noticed by search engines, but they also act as a tap on the shoulder to other bloggers who can easily identify who is linking to their sites. Linking helps to get you noticed by other bloggers who are likely to investigate the sites that are linking to them. This may lead them to become new readers of your blog or to add links to your blog from theirs.
You can take links to other blogs a step further by leaving a trackback on the other blog to let them know you have linked to them. Blogs that allow trackbacks will include a link back to your blog in the comments section of the post that you originally linked to. People do click on trackback links!
TAG YOUR POSTS
It takes a few extra seconds to add tags to each of your blog posts, but it’s worth the time in terms of the additional traffic tags can drive to your blog. Tags (like links) are easily noticed by search engines. They are also the key to helping readers find your blog when they perform searches on popular blog search engines such as Technorati.
SUMIT YOUR POSTS TO SOCIAL BOOKMARKING SITES
Taking the time to submit your best posts to social bookmarking sites such as Digg,StumbleUpon,Reddit and more can be a simple way to quickly boost traffic to your blog.
REMEMBER SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
When you write your blog posts and pages, remember to optimize your pages for search engines to find them. Include relevant keywords and links but don’t overload your posts with too many relevant keywords or completely irrelevant keywords.
Doing so can be considered spamming and could have negative results such as your blog being removed from Google’s search entirely.
DON’T FORGET IMAGES
Images do not just make your blog look pretty; they also help people find you in search engine listings. People often use the image search options offered by Google, Yahoo! and other search engines, and naming your images with search engine optimization in mind can easily boost your traffic.
CONSIDER GUEST BLOGGING
Guest blogging can be done when you write a guest post on another blogger’s blog or when another blogger writes a guest post on your blog. Both methods are likely to increase traffic as your blog will be exposed to the other blogger’s audience. Many of the other blogger’s readers will visit your blog to see what you have to say.
JOIN FORUMS, WEB RINGS OR ONLINE GROUPS
Find online forums, web rings, groups or social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn where you can share ideas and ask questions of like-minded individuals. Add a link to your blog in your signature line or profile, so each time you post on a forum or participate in another online network, you’re indirectly promoting your blog. Chances are many people will click on that link to learn more about you.
PROMOTE OUTSIDE YOUR BLOG
Promoting your blog should not stop when you step outside the blogosphere. Add your blog’s URL to your email signature and business cards. Talk about it in offline conversations. It is important to get your name and your blog’s URL noticed offline, too.
NOMINATE YOURSELF AND OTHER BLOGS FOR BLOG AWARDS
There are a number of blog awards given out throughout the year. Nominating yourself and other blogs and bloggers can draw attention to your blog and drive traffic to it.
DON’T BE SHY
The most important part of the blogosphere is its community and much of your success as a blogger will be tied to your willingness to network with that community. Do not be afraid to ask questions, join conversations or just say hi and introduce yourself. Do not sit back and hope the online world will find you. Speak out and get yourself noticed. Let the blogosphere know you have arrived and have something to say! BloggingTips
1.16 EMAIL MARKETING
Like many small business owners, I work with a small marketing budget. Okay, truth be told, I hate to spend money on advertising. Especially if I can get better exposure at a very low cost, sometimes even FREE!
During the past three years online, I’ve learned some great ways to do just that. Today I’d like to share them with you. Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell you to spend days and days at free classified sites or newsgroups. The methods I will be sharing with you are much more powerful. So how does the cost- conscious marketer get the best free and low-cost exposure? Simple. By utilizing various forms of the best free marketing tool ever invented… email! There are many ways to utilize email marketing. For the most part, email marketing can be broken down into two distinct categories… Targeted and Untargeted. First, I’ll touch on the untargeted, just to show you why it is a waste of time.
UNTARGETED EMAIL MARKETING
Untargeted email marketing on the Internet usually takes on the form of “Unsolicited Bulk email”. Whether you are doing it yourself or hiring one of the thousands of email blasting companies online, it makes no difference. Bulk email is NOT a smart way to market.
Let me explain exactly why… “Spamming” or sending mass email to “unqualified” email addresses is considered bad “netiquette”. If you send unsolicited email to addresses that do not want commercial email, not only do you risk the reputation of your business, you can get into more trouble than you would expect. What kind of trouble? Well, since many ISP’s do not allow this activity, they will discontinue your account as soon as the inevitable complaints start to trickle in. If you want better results without the risk, consider the following alternatives…
TARGETED EMAIL MARKETING WORKS.
Truly targeted email means getting your email to recipients that HAVE approved of it. Not only do your get better results, you won’t have to worry about ISP cancellation and more importantly, the reputation of your business. Here are the best-targeted email marketing methods I’ve used. (Listed from most expensive to least expensive.)
“OPT IN” EMAIL LIST RENTAL
Did you know that you could actually rent email lists of people who have approved email about certain topics? This method is not the cheapest form of targeted email marketing, but it works! On average, you’ll have to spend about ten to fifteen cents per address. The companies that rent the addresses even do the mailing for you.
You just sit back and wait for the orders! When I released my book, “Insider Internet Marketing”, I used this method and sold a few thousand dollars’ worth of books in a twoday span. The company I used is called Postmaster direct.
EZINE ADVERTISING
I’m a big fan of Ezine advertising and regularly utilize this low budget technique. I’m not just saying that to drum up advertisers for my own newsletter, actually I have a waiting list of about a month just to get an ad in here. Why? Quite simply, email advertising works!
Take a look at the advertising section of your favorite email Ezine. The reason there are so many ads there is because the advertisers get results. Not only do you reach your target audience, you reach
them by the thousands. Of all the online marketing methods available, Ezine advertising could be the most effective.
Many larger companies are just starting to realize this and are entering into this exciting new advertising medium. Compared with the high costs of web site banner advertising, Ezine advertising is a bargain.
One-step better than “advertising” in Ezines, is actually publishing your own. If you are not already publishing your own e-newsletter, I highly recommend you do so. It is much easier than you might imagine. Your customers and prospects will constantly be “in touch”, your Ezine can keep them abreast of new products, and services as you make them available. You can also generate income offering classified or sponsorship advertising if you wish.
Unlike traditional newsletters, there are no printing or postage costs. Since your own cost is zero, you can offer free subscriptions, thus insuring a steady flow of new prospects. To get started publishing your own Ezine, you do not need to pay for list management. You can manage and deliver your Ezine yourself with a good email program like Qualcomm’s Eudora or Pegasus Mail by David Harrris. These are the best email programs available on the Internet and they can be downloaded for free at the following URL’s http://www.eudora.com,http://www.pegasus.usa.com
Once you have your email program installed, practice mailing to a few people at once by using the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature. It’s important to use the BCC field when mailing to a list. This insures that everyone on the list does not see other email addresses on the list. No one wants their email address publicized all over the net. After you have perfected your emailing skills, all you need is some subscribers. That is easy; simply post a message announcing your newsletter to the “NewList Announcement List”. Full details on posting are here:
An email discussion group is delivered via email like an email newsletter. But a discussion list differs from an email newsletter in one major way — you are allowed to voice your opinion, usually through a moderator.
Discussion lists also allow you to ask for help from others with similar interests. What’s more, you can assist people in need while your sig file (the footer you include at the end of every email message you send) invites readers to your site.
Discussion group marketing works because the posts are delivered directly TO a targeted audience. Once again, push marketing at its finest! In addition to posting to discussion groups, you should consider advertising if the group you join offers it.
No matter what you are marketing online, participating in discussion lists makes sense. Not only will you learn some valuable information, it’s is a great way to soft-sell some of your wares.
To find some discussion groups on your particular area of interest, visit http://www.egroups.com. While you’re there you can even start a group of your own!
Now that you are armed with the facts about email marketing, go out and start your email marketing campaign today! And remember, whatever email marketing method you choose, be sure that everything single email you send out includes your URL and a brief description of exactly how YOU can be of service to anyone who may be reading that email! JimDaniels
1.17 FREE FOR ALL (FFA) & CLASSIFIEDS
There are hundreds, probably thousands of free advertising sites available to you on the worldwide web. Most offer classified ads that cost you nothing. Others offer free links to your page or web site. Here are some tips that might make the process simpler and a couple of things that you might consider doing first.
HAVE YOUR ADS READY TO GO
You should have several variations of each ad. Some should be 25 words, some 50 words, and some 100 word ads. Ideally you should have them already typed up on your text editor such as Write or Note Pad, so that you can just call one up and paste it into the box that is normally found at the site. This will speed up the entire process
WHEN YOU GO TO EACH SITE
Check out what the policies and procedures are. These will normally tell you the number of words that are allowed, how long your ad will stay listed and any restrictions. They will also tell you whether they provide an active link for your URL and/or email address.
GO TO THE CATEGORY
Go to the category that you are considering and check out other ads listed. See how they are set up. This will also show you if they furnish active links and how they are set up.
If the site does not provide active links then you have to include your site URL and/or email address in your text if appropriate.
When reviewing the ads, check to see if any are similar to your ad. If so, consider changing your headline or wording to make it a little different. Also check the sequence of dates of the ads (if the dates are listed) to see whether your ad will be entered at the top or the bottom of the list. Many of the sites rotate, with the oldest falling off as new ones are added.
IF YOU PLAN TO MAINTAIN ADS ON THE FREE SITES
Consider creating some type of log or index card system. List the site address, how long the ad will stay up, how many words and the date it expires, plus anything else you might think is appropriate.
Some sites we have placed ads listed our ad for seven days, two weeks, thirty days and others longer. Each is different. Some send you an email reminder that your ad is about to expire, but most do not. Therefore, it is advantageous to keep some type of log if you are going to place these type ads on a regular basis.
Some sites also offer upgraded or premium ads. For an additional nominal amount they will list your ad with a color headline and your ad will stay at the top of the category you choose for a predetermined period. Some of the upgrade offers are pretty good and insure that your ad will not get lost in the hundreds of other ads that may be in the same category.
Remember, your goal is to create traffic to your web site or inquiries regarding your product and/or services. This is just one of a number of avenues to use in your marketing plan. You should also include paid advertising, direct email (not spamming), and targeted advertising in Ezines such as the one you are reading. JoeRienbold
1.18 PAY-PER-CLICK ADS
As advertisers started to push into more colorful, more multimedia “rich media ads” online, a surprisingly simple text ad started to make a huge impact.
The idea started with the GoTo.com search engine, which listed search results depending on how companies bid for keywords. The advertisers only paid GoTo.com each time someone clicked through to their site, a system known as pay-per-click (PPC). Even though earlier attempts at commercializing search results had failed, GoTo.com was more successful because they started life as a commercial search engine.
Meanwhile, Google made a crucial change to the PPC system when it launched its AdWords service in 2000, listing “sponsored links” next to search results. These simple ads consisted of a text headline, a couple short lines and a link, and they eventually proved to be a powerhouse for Google. These ads were successful for three important reasons:
They were tied to keywords, which meant that searchers were getting ads that were highly relevant to what they were searching for;
Advertisers only paid for the times people clicked on the ads; and Popular Google search engine drove huge amounts of traffic to these ads.
Google later branched out and started serving up PPC ads on third-party sites such as online newspapers and blogs through the AdSense network, delivering ads depending on the content of the page, rather than from search results.
Problems have persisted with PPC ads, as some companies will buy keywords using trademarked terms or the name of rival firms in order to divert traffic to their own websites. So far, courts have sided with Google, allowing people to use trademarked terms in PPC ads as long as they are not posing as the rival company and confusing consumers.
The other problem with PPC ads is click fraud, with hackers or rival firms driving up the cost of ads by clicking repeatedly on ads. Google and other search engines downplay the cost of click fraud, but researchers estimate that 10% to 20% of clicks on PPC ads are fraudulent, costing advertisers from $500 million to $1 billion per year.
MEASURING THE PHENOMENON
Over the past few years, online advertising has become a juggernaut, leading all other ad mediums in growth worldwide. Why, as more people get broadband Internet connections, they tend to spend more of their time online and less time with print publications, TV and radio. As the attention of the public shifts to the Internet, advertisers must follow them in order to keep reaching people.
Despite rosy projections, it pays to remember that advertising is a cyclical business, and online advertising dropped like a lead balloon after the dot-com bust in 2000
CHALLENGES
As marketers fall over each other to reach the growing online audience, hosts of challenges remain for them. Because online advertising is a new frontier, marketers often find themselves crossing ethical boundaries for users. email advertising led to spam, or unsolicited email, which has almost ruined the email experience for many people.
Advertisers also started using pop-up or pop-under ads that served an ad in a new browser window, forcing people to close the window and view the ad. That led to people using popup blocking software, now a standard feature in the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers.
Advertisers have had to worry about being associated with these types of ethically challenged ad methods online, along with adware and spyware companies that deliver ads via software that’s loaded onto unsuspecting people’s computers. In one example, ads sold by Yahoo in its search-advertising network ended up being served through adware companies unbeknownst to the advertisers. So their ads showed up through adware companies that might have upset viewers — not exactly a good forum for selling or promoting a product.
Advertisers also face the challenge of gauging just how many people have viewed online ads. Tracking ads online is a tricky proposition, despite the Internet’s claim to better trackability. The problem is that it’s difficult to gauge how many unique people are actually viewing an ad, versus the same people viewing the ad multiple times on different computers, or automated Internet spiders or bots that scour the web for search engines.
Pay per click (PPC) is an Internet advertising model used on websites, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. Content sites commonly charge a fixed price per click rather than use a bidding system. Wikipedia
The article was sourced from Internet World Stats which is also a great resource for targeting your advertising marketing campaigns. Internet World Statistics provided the scope of the user and scam problem in an earlier section. The following breaks down the data for further analysis and as a useful tool for your target marketing – where to place adverting, who you are trying to reach.
Click the link for an additional break down of the data. InternetWorld Stats
1.19 SAFELISTS
ARE SAFELISTS SAFE?
If you are like me, you are ALWAYS on the lookout for an easier way to sell your products, get people to join your opportunity, or subscribe to your Ezine. Today we take a look at how to do that using safelists. Safelists CAN BE one of the hidden gems of Internet marketing. You can sell any product or service with safelists, but if you are a member of SFI, Cash Evolution, or another opportunity-oriented program, pay special attention.
If you’ve ever wondered “Do people really READ that mail?” or “Isn’t that just a trick to get my email address?” then read on. Today we look at the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to safelists. Here is a situation that happens every day. A person, much like you or me, who wants to quit the day- to-day grind of working for someone else, joins an affiliate program. Alternatively, maybe they create an eBook. Or maybe they invent a product they want to sell. In any event, they are now entering the world of Internet marketing.
That is right folks, 97% of us will fail online. The only sure way to become one of the 3% (no, I am not selling an eBook) is to use EVERY tool to your advantage. Let’s look at one of the lesser known, yet more powerful, tools available safelists.
WHAT IS A SAFELIST?
A safelist is an email mailing list that people join (of their own free will) which enables them to send email offers to all the other members in exchange for agreeing to receive email from those other members. So you get to mail, but you have to agree to receive mail too.
And no one gets spammed. Some safelists are free while others charge a small annual fee. Those that charge a fee often offer you the ability to send mail without having to receive any. So how does this crazy arrangement work? Don’t people just sign up with a Yahoo account and never read the mail in order to get to send mail? Today, safelists have grown up. It had to happen. After all, every advertising medium started out rough and then became more polished.
SAFELISTS HAVE MATURED IN THREE IMPORTANT WAYS
In order to get people to actually read the mail that is sent, smart safelist operators now give away cash money every week. The trick is; they hide it in some random email. So in order to win the $1000, you’ve got to read the mail. This strategy alone has caused safelists to become very appealing, since much more of the mail is now being read.
Safelist owners have instituted rules to stop people from ruining their list. By placing a limit on how often you post, banning attachments and more safelist operators control their lists tightly.
Safelists have become web-based. This is the big one. You NEVER download some list, add them to your address book and send to them via your email program. It’s all on the web now and can be done in only a few minutes. And the mail is sent from their web server, not yours.
WHY USE A SAFELIST?
This one is easy. Ever see those ads, “Send your message to a zillion people a day without spamming!!!” While the message may be what you find at the north end of a southbound bull, the IDEA is not. Safelists attract thousands and thousands of people who want to promote the affiliate program they recently joined, test market a new product or service, get people to sign up for their newsletter, and more.
These people are opportunity seekers. While they may not read the latest herbal Viagra ad that is sent to them unsolicited, they DO pay attention to ads from the safelist that interest them. And there are thousands of members to advertise to.
HOW TO USE A SAFELIST
If you are going to use a safelist to promote your product, service, or opportunity, do it smart. Here are some key elements to help you get started. This is hard-won information, folks, so use it wisely.
USE ONLY WEB-BASED SAFE LISTS
NEVER download a list, buy a CD, or anything else where you send the mail from your ISP. You will lose your Internet connection and more. If you stick with web-based safelists you will do well.
FOLLOW THE RULES
I know you wouldn’t violate the rules on purpose, but who has time to read all that fine print? Let me save you some time. If you don’t promote porn or hate, don’t use an autoresponder as the email address where you receive mail, and don’t post more often that you are allowed (each list has different rules), you will be fine on 99% of safelists. So go forth and make money!
HERE IS AN INSIDER TIP FROM THE DOE INSIDER
This one really works, although it sounds stupid. Don’t try to sell your primary product on safelists. Told you it sounded stupid. What I mean is this: People on safelist read a *lot* of mail. Don’t try to close the sale in the three to five seconds they give you.
Think of it just like you would a classified ad. Use a powerful headline (subject line) and try to create
*curiosity* about your product. Get the reader to send for more information or visit your website. Use safelists to get them into your marketing system, and let your follow-up system make the sale.
Don’t hype it up and don’t over-promise. What you offer is the real deal. Tell them what’s in it for them. That’s what they want to hear. And don’t copy and paste the same ad that every other affiliate is using. If at all possible, write your own ad or pay someone twenty bucks to write you a good one. But don’t sound like everyone else.
TARGET YOUR AD.
Good safelists are broken into categories you choose when you join. This way you can advertise to a smaller, but much more targeted, group of people who have expressed a prior interest in your product or opportunity.
USE THE POWER OF REPETITION.
Get a great ad. Go to your safelists on a set schedule and post the same ad over and over. This really works! The reason it works is that repetition is the mother of learning (surveys prove people need to
see the same ad seven times in order to buy), in addition to the many new people who join the safelist every week. It doesn’t matter if you are sick to death of your ad. It matters that your ad works. When it stops working, pull it. Until then, if it ain’t broke … don’t fix it.
ARE SAFELISTS REALLY SAFE?
To be sure, there was a dark side to the old-fashioned safelists. You would sign up and get spam out the … ear. It still makes sense to use a free email account on safelists, although it is not as critical as it was before. And now you can pay a little and never get mail.
The good news is that safelists have been around long enough that they have become a legitimate Internet marketing tool, even if most of your competitors haven’t figured that out yet. Big-time Internet marketers like Andrew Fox and Lawrence Pryor have started their own safelist services. Most well- known Internet marketers have used safelists from time to time to boost sales or add new subscribers to their Ezine.
The bottom line is this: safelists work. How well they work is up to you. Use the information above as a starting point and give some safelists a try. Don’t expect to get rich overnight, but you should see results quickly if you do it right. Good luck! CharliePage
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET WITH SAFELISTS
Opt-in email safelists are one of the best Internet marketing strategies for getting your product or service immediately in front of many thousands of people. In this article, I will show you how you can successfully work with them.
BENEFITS OF OPT-IN SAFELISTS
Email to thousands – this can be done with free safe lists or paid safe lists. Even if you only get a 1% response from thousands, you interact with those that will respond.
Its immediate – you can instantly send your ad and receive an immediate response from those interested. With Ezine ads, you often have to wait for days or weeks before your ad is displayed.
TEST YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE
Safelists are a good place to begin testing your ad, before you spend a lot of money on other advertising methods.
TRACK YOUR ADS
Track those ads that pull the best. (Some safelists incorporate tracking in their subscriptions). You can then use these same ads repeatedly in other forms of advertising. The key is to have a great headline, because users will be scanning them for what catches their eye.
HOW TO USE SAFELISTS EFFECTIVELY
CHOOSE A TARGETED LIST
If you are targeting Internet Marketers, then don’t subscribe to lists that are contains home owners. The more focused the list, the better your chances of success.
USE A BENEFIT-LADEN HEADLINE IN YOUR AD
If you don’t capture the attention of users in the brief second they see your headline, they will pass you by.
USE A FOLLOW-UP STRATEGY
Direct customers from your ad to your web site or your sequential autoresponder. It often takes up to 7 times for users to see your ad before they respond to your offer. Instead of losing them after the first message, allow them to see another sample of your offer by following up on them every few days. This will increase your chances of making the sale.
TRACKING AND TESTING
Track the responses to your ads to know exactly which one works and which does not. You can then test which headline pulls the best. After a one-month subscription, you will have some idea if the safelist is worth staying with. If it isn’t, unsubscribe!
If you are getting a good response from the free lists, then pay the monthly subscription fee, so you can send your ad more often. You will also benefit from all the features they provide.
USE SEVERAL SAFE LISTS
Subscribe as a free member to several paid lists. Test which safelist pulls the best response. Paid safe lists are of higher quality than the ones that are free (no paid subscriptions). As a free member, you can often send your ad once a week to all members. If the response is great, pay your subscription and send your ad more often.
Utilizing Opt-in safelists is one strategy in your marketing arsenal that will quickly determine if your ad will be successful. Now explode your sales by implementing an email marketing campaign.
This is a much faster, less expensive way to market than offline marketing. You can reach many more people in a shorter space of time.
No Fear of Spamming Or Being Penalized For Spamming This is because all subscribers are strictly opt-in.
TYPES OF OPT-IN SAFE LISTS
Free Safelists – Pros
Cons
It is free to email to the whole list – you can mail to all free and paid subscribers.
Fills your email box with thousands of offers from other subscribers.
Email to thousands immediately
No tracking of ads provided
Pays commissions on referrals
email once a week only
Paid Safelists – Pros
Cons
Email the list (free and paid) every day or every2days
Most customers will not see your ad at all. People on these lists are more concerned about others seeing their own ad, than seeing yours.
Does not require you to receive other email ads from subscribers.
Lose money if you paid to subscribe, but did not get any sales.
Membership fees are low
Tracking of your ads
Pays higher commissions
Personalize your messages
This is just a general list of safelist features; however, each safelist has its own unique features and benefits.
1.20 TRAFFIC EXCHANGES (TE)
In your search for traffic and online advertising options; Traffic Exchanges must be considered as they are easily found and even for sale. Reviews are mixed; some think they work; some do not. Some say only the TE owners are making money, while others claim a nice monthly income once they have built their downline.
TE’s are for clickers to earn credits for their own ads. But like Paid to Read/Paid to Click sites, discussed later, most are resellers/advertising other traffic exchanges. Some say use videos and splash pages, as other pages don’t get anyone’s attention. What are they, do they work. Again, some say nothing great, slow process, time consuming. Most are free to join, and worthy of a look. If you have time, then try Traffic Hoopla as one of the best ranked sites to start and it links you to other tops sites. Advantage, advertise one site and get business to 50.
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
If you have a website and you want to increase the amount of visitors (also known as traffic) to your website, you can sign up for a free account at any of the thousands of traffic exchanges available online or choose one from the list below. Then once you have gone through the registration process, you will be able to add links to the website you want to promote, for example, I promote one of my home business websites on many traffic exchanges and this is the address I use http://www.carolking.ws you would simply add your own link.
Traffic exchanges work on a credit basis, in order for your website to be seen you must first generate credits by viewing the sites of other members. The credits you earn enable your site to be viewed by other members across the system. This increases the number of visitors to all of the websites involved.
Traffic exchanges usually enforce a credit ratio, meaning members earn a certain amount of credits for visiting one member site, and each credit is translated into one page view. Ratios can vary from program to program so before registering for a traffic exchange it is wise to check out their ratio first. A ratio of 1-1 is best, that way you will get your page viewed once for every (1) page you view.
All traffic exchanges have specific viewing times of all member pages. These viewing times can range from 10-30 seconds, so whilst surfing the system, every page that is shown to a member will remain in view for 10-30 seconds, you will not be able to proceed to the next site until the specified time has passed.
Most traffic exchanges have a toolbar at the top or bottom of the page that has a timer on it so you can see when the timer reaches 0 and it is ok for you to continue on to the next page. This is put in place to make sure each member site is promoted equally and fairly. If you try to go on to the next page before the timer reaches 0 you will be penalized in some way, the penalty varies from exchange to exchange.
To make surfing traffic exchanges a little more interesting, some services offer different ways to surf such as, playing games for credits or listing to radio stations whilst surfing. If you do not want to surf manually for credits you can purchase them, again prices vary. Many traffic exchanges are free to join but also have Pro versions that allow you to generate more credits from referrals. Always thoroughly check out what is available in the Pro version when you first sign-up.
HOW TO USE TRAFFIC EXCHANGES EFFECTIVELY
Using traffic exchanges to promote your business can be extremely effective, but as with all Internet marketing methods, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. I myself have wasted a great deal of time going about it incorrectly and consequently I did not gain the full benefit. I even went as far as to say that traffic exchanges did not work. Fortunately soon after, I became a Plug-in Profit Site member and the training that is given with the program soon educated me. I quickly learnt that traffic exchanges are very powerful and could channel a lot of traffic to my websites and blogs.
Even now, as I surf my favorite exchanges I still see so many people making the same mistakes I did, this is one of the reasons why I started this lens. I hope to offer straightforward, helpful tips to stop people from wasting their credits on the exchanges.
USING SALES PAGES IN TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
You know the ones I mean, affiliate pages that contain long-winded text, graphics, images and video. These pages are a waste of the surfer’s time. It is not the product or the wording of the page that is the problem; it is a simple matter of loading time. It may not sound very important but it is crucial to your success on traffic exchanges.
All traffic exchanges use a timer, which means you normally have between 10 and 30 seconds to grab the interest of the viewer and get them to click through your page. This is not a lot of time; so if you have a long sales page with graphics and images on it, guess what is going to happen?
Yep, your time is going to run out and the surfer will move on to the next page without having read a word of your page. How can this be avoided?
SQUEEZE AND SPLASH PAGES FOR TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
By using squeeze pages, also known as lead capture pages. Squeeze pages are designed to GRAB the attention of the reader and then tell them about your product or service in as few words as possible. These pages are also designed to build your list of subscribers to your newsletter, by placing a sign-up form on the same page.
Splash pages keep it is short, to-the-point and attention grabbing; and because of the clean concise design, it loads extremely quickly, thereby giving me the maximum viewing time in traffic exchanges. If you would like to learn more about growing your list with lead capture pages, take a few minutes and read the post on my blog entitled Traffic ExchangeTips
TIP: Online users now receive the lead generation techniques such as the Splash or Capture page. Yes, these have been around for a while, but now anyone can make a Splash page for any program. Often there is no clue as which program is being advertised along with the request free information. You may ever see the information, but your name and some details have already been captured when you signed up.
Further, you will get sign up requests from more than one affiliate, until you finally sign up for the program and your details are found in the master program database
Another common mistake is trying to use pages that contain AdSense ads in traffic exchanges. This is a definite no, and will get your website banned by Google because it is against their term and conditions. It is possible to use other types of contextual ads on TE’s. Better Text Ads for instance are TE compliant.
But it is still best not to use pages with ads on them in TE’s. Use squeeze pages to build your subscriber list instead.
HOW TO USE WEBSITE ROTATORS WITH TRAFFIC EXCHANGES
Website Rotators are necessary for anyone using more than one TE to promote their websites. This simple idea will save your hours when you want to change any of the sites you are promoting. So what are website rotators? They are sites that allow you to advertise multiple websites using one single URL.
After you sign up for membership with a TE the first thing you would normally do, is start adding the URL’s of the sites you want to promote. Let’s say for example you have registered with 10 traffic exchanges and you have 5 websites to promote. That would mean you have to enter your URL’s 50 times. It would also mean that whenever you want to edit or delete a URL, you have to do it at each of your traffic exchanges, that means 10 sites, 10 sets of editing or deleting, which equals a great deal of time.
Website rotators make adding, editing or deleting your URL’s so much quicker and easier. All you need to do is put the URL’s of the websites you wish to promote into your rotator, then the rotator gives you 1 single URL to use on your traffic exchanges.
This changes the equation dramatically. Now, if you have the same 10 TE’s and the same 5 websites, when you want to make changes, instead of having to go to 10 sites and make 5 changes on each, you will only have to make 1 change on your rotator. The website rotator will rotate all 5 of your websites using 1 single URL.
There are many rotators available online such as Free Rotator, TPM Rotator and HotScripts to name a few. I have recently started using Page Swirl; this rotator is a free service with options to upgrade to the paid service if you wish.
I like this rotator because there are no pop-up or ads, it is totally transparent so no one will know you are using a rotator and you get up to the minute stats. This rotator is simple to use and most of the changes you wish to make to your URL’s can be done in just a few clicks.
When you are adding your rotator URL to the traffic exchanges, remember to check the terms of service, as some traffic exchanges prefer you to use specific rotators or their own rotators.
Headlines beginning with ‘how to’ are very successful, as the Internet is all about information. Internet users have a strong desire to learn.
A headline beginning with ‘how to’ immediately grabs your potential customers’ attention and forces them to read on.
QUESTION: “ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE?”
Headlines written in the form of a question are very effective, as they appeal to your potential customers’ emotions. When they read a headline written as a question, they will answer the question in their mind. If the question identifies a specific need, want or desire, they will read on.
COMMAND: “DOUBLE YOUR INCOME WITHIN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS — GUARANTEED!”
A command headline focuses on the most important benefit your product or service has to offer. It instantly demands your potential customers’ attention and intrigues them to read on.
NEWS: “ANNOUNCING A BRAND NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN E-PUBLISHING”
News headlines are very effective and used to announce new products and services. They are written in the form of an announcement or introduction and create curiosity.
TESTIMONIALS: “INTERNET MARKETING EXCLUSIVE IS PURE GENIUS — OUR SALES HAVE INCREASED BY 40%!”
Headlines written in the form of a testimonial are very effective, as they instantly begin building trust. When writing your headlines, certain words, when combined together, will literally draw your readers’ attention to your ad See List for “Power Words” that consistently work.
Just as certain words ignite different emotions, certain subjects have a broader interest than others do. Some of the most popular subjects include wealth, love, health and safety. Take your time and try the different formulas according to your needs. Use a combination of the power words and write a headline that sells. By learning the art of writing headlines that focus on the basic human needs and emotions, you can increase your sales considerably. WebSource
1.22 HOW TO KEEP YOUR #1 RANKING
No Matter What Tricks Your Competition Tries To Pull! As it is said, it is far easier to reach the top, but maintaining that position is the most difficult part. With some serious SEO, one could improve the page rankings of a website. But, with thousands of new web pages being indexed by search engines daily, and the search algorithm employed by the search engines changing quite frequently, a once-done SEO can no longer guarantee top results. To continuously maintain a top ranking, one has to do something dynamic and innovative in SEO and that quite periodically. Few tips to do so are mentioned in the following paragraphs.
The very basic thing to do is to make search engine spiders come and crawl your website periodically. For that, you have to change your website content and code periodically. If your page does not change at all, its rankings will also remain the same. Other new websites with better content and SEO will then push you from the top spots.
Another aspect that is crucial in keeping the #1 ranking is how effectively you employ the SEO concepts in your website. Virtually every website owner uses SEO in order to make his or her websites search engine friendly, so at the end of the day, it is the Darwinian theory of the survival of the fittest that matters.
For best results, you need to do well in all the areas instead of concentrating on a single aspect. Since SEO is quite a wide territory that requires core expertise all the way down, this job must be best left to a professional to accomplish. If you make any mistake, it will be difficult or sometimes impossible for a novice to bring things back on track.
Finally, submit your websites only to the top directories and search engines. Submitting to the hundreds of directories and search engines – mostly illegitimate – does not serve any purpose. If you do link building, do it carefully, one at a time. Also stay away from link farms and mass link exchange offers. Those things could land you in a hot soup. AffordableSEO
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
14. FOREX (FX) Follies: A Gamblers Heaven
In this Chapter, you are introduced to Forex (FX), a favorite subject of mine. Like most online income topics, Forex has not escaped it share of scams and frauds. Because of the high risk involved, most newbies lose their money and blame Forex. For that matter, as we will see, most traders or 67% also lose money.
It is a gamble, yes because for every trade, there are winners and losers. It is high stakes, high risk and fast moving. Like any gamble, there are some winners, winners that have learned the trade, winners have a winner mindset, winners are those that have prepared, learned and understand the gamble. Winners that win more than they lose.
Forex is about you and the trade, it is not about networking, affiliations personal relationship, advertising, SEO and all the other factors that complicate other forms of online income.
Herein we cover the basic Forex tools, selected Robots or Expert Advisors, Mindset and Scams. Forex trading used to be for the “big boys” only. In the late 1990’s, online trading for individuals began, following suite with stock market programs like eTrade. These new Forex sites use software call “bots” to automate your trades. The bots make the decision to trade or not for you.
Because these programs are automated; most vendors advise you can simply install the bot and “walk away” Do Not! We will look at a few of these Bots. This is a grave mistake on your part if you allow the robots to run your Forex business as will be shown in this section.
Never invest more than you can afford to lose! If you do not have time to monitor your trades, don’t Trade
1.1 WHAT IS FOREX (FX)?
The Foreign Exchange market, also referred to as the “FOREX” or “Forex” or “Retail Forex” or “FX” or “Spot FX” or just “Spot” is the largest financial market in the world, with a volume of over $4 trillion a day. If you compare that to the $ 25 billion a day volume that the New York Stock Exchange trades, you can easily see how enormous the Foreign Exchange really is. It actually equates to more than three times the total amount of the stocks and futures markets combined! Forex rocks! Forex is arguably the best online business, prepare and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
WHAT IS TRADED ON THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET?
The simple answer is money. Forex trading is the simultaneous buying of one currency and the selling of another. Currencies are traded through a broker or dealer, and are traded in pairs; for example the euro and the US dollar (EUR/USD) or the British pound and the Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY).
Because you are not buying anything physical, this kind of trading can be confusing. Think of buying a currency as buying a share in a particular country. When you buy, say, Japanese Yen, you are in effect buying a share in the Japanese economy, as the price of the currency is a direct reflection of what the market thinks about the current and future health of the Japanese economy. In general, the exchange
rate of a currency versus other currencies is a reflection of the condition of that country’s economy, compared to the other countries’ economies.
Unlike other financial markets like the New York Stock Exchange, the Forex spot market has neither a physical location nor a central exchange. The Forex market is considered an Overthe-Counter (OTC) or ‘Interbank’ market, due to the fact that the entire market is run electronically, within a network of banks, continuously over a 24-hour period.
Until the late 1990’s, only the “big guys” could play this game. The initial requirement was that you could trade only if you had about ten to fifty million bucks to start with! Forex was originally intended to be used by bankers and large institutions – and not by us “little guys”. However, because of the rise of the Internet, online Forex trading firms are now able to offer trading accounts to ‘retail’ traders like us. All you need to get started is a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, and the information contained within this site.
BabyPips.com was created to introduce novice or beginner traders to all the essential aspects of foreign exchange, in a fun and easy-to-understand manner. BabyPips
1.2 BENEFITS OF FOREX TRADING
There are five things give trading the Forex market some unique advantages.
24 HOUR MARKET
Since the Forex market is worldwide, trading is continuous as long as there is a market open somewhere in the world. Trading starts when the markets open in Australia on Sunday evening, and ends after markets close in New York on Friday.
HIGH LIQUIDITY
Liquidity is the ability of an asset to be converted into cash quickly and without any price discount. In Forex this means we can move large amounts of money into and out of foreign currency with minimal price movement.
LOW TRANSACTION COST
In Forex, typically the cost for a transaction is built into the price. It is called the spread. The spread is the difference between the buying and selling price.
LEVERAGE
Forex Brokers allow traders to trade the market using leverage. Leverage is the ability to trade more money on the market than what is actually in the trader’s account. If you were to trade at 50:1 leverage, you could trade $50 on the market for every $1 that was in your account. This means you could control a trade of $50,000 using only $1000 of capital.
Typical 100:1 leverage is used
PROFIT POTENTIAL FROM RISING AND FALLING PRICES
The Forex market has no restrictions for directional trading. This means, if you think a currency pair is going to increase in value; you can buy it, or go long. Similarly, if you think it could decrease in value you can sell it, or go short Benefits
1.3 FOREX BROKERS
The Forex (FX) market has many similarities to the equity markets; however, there are some key differences. This article will show you those differences and help you get started in Forex trading.
CHOOSING A BROKER
There are many Forex brokers to choose from, just as in any other market. Here are some things to look for:
LOW SPREADS
The spread, calculated in “pips“, is the difference between the price at which a currency can be purchased and the price at which it can be sold at any given point in time. Forex brokers don’t charge a commission, so this difference is how they make money. In comparing brokers, you will find that the difference in spreads in Forex is as great as the difference in commissions in the stock arena.
Bottom Line: Lower Spreads Save You Money!
QUALITY INSTITUTION
Unlike equity brokers, Forex brokers are usually tied to large banks or lending institutions because of the large amounts of capital required (leverage they need to provide). Also, Forex brokers should be registered with the Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and regulated by the Commodity FuturesTrading Commission (CFTC). You can find this and other financial information and statistics about a Forex brokerage on its website or on the website of its parent company.
Bottom Line: Make Sure Your Broker Is Backed By A Reliable Institution!
EXTENSIVE TOOLS AND RESEARCH
Forex brokers offer many different trading platforms for their clients – just like brokers in other markets. These trading platforms often feature real-time charts, technical analysis tools, real-time news and data, and even support for trading systems. Before committing to any broker, be sure to request free trials to test different trading platforms. Brokers usually also provide technical and fundamental commentaries, economic calendars and other research.
Bottom Line: Find A Broker Who Will Give You What You Need To Succeed!
WIDE RANGE OF LEVERAGE OPTIONS
Leverageis necessary in Forex because the price deviations (the sources of profit) are merely fractions of a cent. Leverage, expressed as a ratio between total capital available to actual capital, is the amount of money a broker will lend you for trading.
For example, a ratio of 100:1 means your broker would lend you $100 for every $1 of actual capital. Many brokerages offer as much as 250:1. Remember, lower leverage means lower risk of a margin call, but also lower bang for your buck (and vice-versa).
Bottom Line: If You Have Limited Capital, Make Sure Your Broker Offers High Leverage.
IF CAPITAL IS NOT A PROBLEM
Any Broker With A Wide Variety Of Leverage Options Should Do. A Variety Of Options Lets You Vary The Amount Of Risk You Are Willing To Take. For Example, Less Leverage (And Therefore Less Risk) May Be Preferable For Highly Volatile (Exotic) Currency Pairs.
TYPES OF ACCOUNTS
Many brokers offer two or more types of accounts. The smallest account is known as a mini account and requires you to trade with a minimum of, say, $250, offering a high amount of leverage (which you need in order to make money with so little initial capital). The standard account lets you trade at a variety of different leverages, but it requires a minimum initial capital of $2,000. Finally, premium accounts, which often require significant amounts of capital, let you use different amounts of leverage and often offer additional tools and services.
Bottom Line: Make Sure The Broker You Choose Has The Right Leverage, Tools, And Services Relative To Your Amount Of Capital.
1.4 THINGS TO AVOID
SNIPING OR HUNTING
Sniping and hunting – or prematurely buying or selling near preset points – are shady acts committed by brokers to increase profits. Obviously, no broker admits to committing these acts, but a notion that a broker has practiced sniping or hunting is commonly believed to be true. Unfortunately, the only way to determine which brokers do this and which brokers don’t is to talk to fellow traders. There is no blacklist or organization that reports such activity.
Bottom Line: Talk To Others In Person Or Visit Online Discussion Forums To Find Out Who Is An Honest Broker.
STRICT MARGIN RULES
When you are trading with borrowed money, your broker has a say in how much risk you take. As such, your broker can buy or sell at its discretion, which can be a bad thing for you. Let’s say you have a marginaccount, and your position takes a dive before rebounding to alltime highs. Well, even if you have enough cash to cover, some brokers will liquidate your position on a margin call at that low. This action on their part can cost you dearly.
Bottom Line: Again, Talk To Others In Person Or Visit Online Discussion ForumsTo Find Out Who The Honest Brokers Are.
Signing up for a Forex account is much the same as getting an equity account. The only major difference is that, for Forex accounts, you are required to sign a margin agreement. This agreement states that you are trading with borrowed money, and, as such, the brokerage has the right to interfere with your trades to protect its interests. Once you sign up, simply fund your account, and you’ll be ready to trade! Investopedia
1.5 WARNING SIGNS OF A FRAUDULENT BROKER
Most brokerage firms are legitimate places of business that can give people access to the Forex market. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous companies that attempt to scam traders. New traders are particularly vulnerable to these types of companies. The Forex market remains largely unregulated so new traders cannot rely upon governmental regulations or safeguards to protect them from these scam artists.
But the Commodity Futures Traders Commission (CFTC) has developed warning signs to help traders protect themselves from unscrupulous dealers. All traders should be aware of these signs and report this type of activity to the CFTC or the National Futures Association.
SIGNS
A company that guarantees large profits
A company that promises little or no financial risk
A company that claims to trade in the Interbank market
A company that refuses (or delays) giving their performance track record A company that engages in high-pressure tactics
Any company that encourages quickly transferring money by overnight delivery or the Internet Any company that contacts you by unsolicited phone calls, particularly using offshore salespersons
Not every company that engages in these activities is fraudulent. However, any type of high pressure sales activity, particularly involving the transfer of cash, is a cause for concern. And, of course, any opportunity that sounds too good to be true should also be cause for concern.
A trader can investigate a brokerage firm that they suspect could be engaged in fraudulent activity. Any individual can perform a search on the National Futures Association online directory. The NFA will have information (including complaint and disciplinary history) on every member broker. This information can be very useful. However, since membership is voluntary, some legitimate companies do not belong to this organization. Otherwise, a trader can check on a company through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Better Business Bureau, or Consumer Protection Bureau. WarningSigns
1.6 THE FOREX CURRENCY PAIRS
Foreign Exchange trading is in general the trading of many currencies of the world. It is emerging as the largest and least regulated market providing the greatest liquidity to investors. This trading is always done in pairs – Currency Pairs, one currency is bought and the other is sold. Together, they make up what is known as the “exchange rate”.
For example, you may buy Euros with Dollars, anticipating that the Euro to increase in value relative to the Dollar. If the Euro rises relative to the Dollar, you sell the position and can earn a profit.
MOST COMMONLY TRADED CURRENCIES OR THE “MAJORS” ARE:
US Dollar (USD) Japanese Yen (JPY) Euro (EUR)
British Pound (GBP) Canadian Dollar (CAD) Australian Dollar (AUD) Swiss Franc (CHF)
MOST COMMONLY TRADED CURRENCY PAIRS ARE:
US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY) Euro and US Dollar (EUR/USD)
US Dollar and Swiss franc (USD/CHF) British Pound and US Dollar (GBP/USD)
While quoting currency pairs, the first currency is referred to as the base currency and the second as the counter or quote currency. The base currency is always equal to 1 monetary unit of exchange, for example, 1 Dollar, 1 Pound, 1 Euro.
TRADING FOREX CURRENCY PAIRS FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT
It is also known as domestic currency or accounting currency and sometimes also referred to as the primary currency of a Forex currency pair. The price represents how much of the quote currency is needed to get one unit of the base currency. When a currency is quoted against US Dollar, it is known as direct rate. Any currency not against the US Dollar is called a cross rate.
The quote currency is translated into a certain number of units of the base currency. This is also referred to as the foreign currency, secondary currency or counter currency. For example, if you find that a quote of USD/JPY is at 1.30, it says that for every 1 US Dollar, you get 1.30 Japanese Yen. When you quote for AUD/JPY of 67.73, it says that for every 1 Australian Dollar, you get 67.73 Japanese Yen.
Currency pairs are generally traded as 100,000 units of the base currency. For example, if you were buying EUR/USD at 0.95 you would be paying Dollars for Euros as follows:
100,000 x .95 = $95,000 for 100,000 Euros
When you find a quote going up, it means that the value of the base currency is rising or in other words, it is getting stronger. If a quote is going down, it means that the base currency is weakening.
THE DOMINANT BASE CURRENCIES ARE:
Euro – EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, EUR/CHF, EUR/JPY, EUR/CAD
British Pound – GBP/USD, GBP/CHF, GBP/JPY, GBP/CAD US Dollar – USD/CAD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF
The currency pairs are usually traded and quoted with a ‘bid’ and ‘ask’ price. The ‘bid’ is the price at which you are willing to buy and the ‘ask’ is the price at which price you are willing to sell. For example, if the USD/EUR currency pair is quoted as – USD/EUR = 1.5 and you purchase the pair, this means that for every 1.5 euros that you sell, you get US$1. If you sold the currency pair, you receive 1.5 euros for every US$1 you sell.
The key to successful trading lies in selecting one or two pairs of currencies that you wish to trade in as a beginner. As you gain confidence, you may wish to add more pairs in your trading portfolio. But for a new trader or investor it is always advised to have limited pair just to ensure simplicity. InstantForexIncome
1.7 THE TRADING PLATFORM
We have hopefully established and will provide some examples that Forex is dangerous and a gamble, especially to the Newbie. Since the platform is one of your main Forex tools, get a demo account and practice, get real familiar with this trading platform. The following videos will be of great help FOREXMETAVIDEOS
Play with the platform on your demo account; figure out how things change from a 1 minute chart to a 1 hour, 1 week etc.
Click and hold the click to move to drag the chart to the right to look at history of the trade Click on the dates at the bottom to expand the chart trades; i.e. if you are using “Candlesticks” and cannot read the signals. Clicking the dates with make the sticks more visible
Click on the right hand “values to change the scale of the numbers
1.8 FOREX CHARTS AND INDICATORS
There are 3 main types of charts in Forex; the line chart, bar chart, and candlestick chart. The line chart is constructed by connecting daily closing prices.
The bar chart is a depiction of the price performance of a currency pair, made up of vertical bars at set intraday time intervals (e.g. every 30 minutes). Each bar has 4 ‘hooks’, representing the opening, closing, high and low (OCHL) exchange rates for the time interval.
The candlestick chart is a variant of the bar chart, except that the candlestick chart depicts OCHL prices as ‘candlesticks’ with a wick at each end. When the opening rate is higher than the closing rate the candlestick is black (sometimes – red). When the closing rate exceeds the opening rate, the candlestick is white (sometimes – green).
Technical indicators (for example, RSI, MACD, Bollinger bands, Stochastic) help to analyze the price movements, expressed in Forex charts.
THE RELATIVE STRENGTH INDEX (RSI) IS A POPULAR OSCILLATOR.
The name Relative Strength Index is slightly misleading, as the RSI does not compare the relative strength of two securities, but rather the internal strength of a single security. A more appropriate name might be Internal Strength Index. Relative strength charts that compare two market indices, which are often referred to as Comparative Relative Strength.
INDICATOR OF BOLLINGER BORDERS (BOL)
Indicator of Bollinger borders (BOL) is represented by two lines, which are built on the distance equal to certain amount of standard deviations. Since the value of standard deviation depends on volatilessness of the price, the lines controls their width automatically. The width increasing when the market is more volatile and decreasing when the market is less volatile.
MACD
MACD is the most famous indicator, which is built on the basis of difference of the average values. This indicator was suggested by Jerald H. Appler as the difference between two exponentially smoothed averages (EMA). MACD is the most effective under conditions when
the market swings with high amplitude in trading. The most frequently used signals of MACD are intersections, overbuying/overselling states and divergences.
THE STOCHASTIC OSCILLATOR (STO)
The Stochastic Oscillator (STO) shows the moments, when the price reaches the border of its trade diapason within predefined period of time (this is an indicator of speed of changing or the Impulse of Price). It contains of 2 curves: the fast (%K) and the slow (%D). ForexRealm
1.9 FOREX EXPERT ADVISORS AND ROBOTS
A Forex robot or bot is a piece of software that analyzes the market based on settings entered by the user. A Forex robot makes automated trades that can be carried out even as you sleep. Forex robots are a good way to trade a mechanical system that requires no human evaluation.
HOW DO YOU USE A FOREX ROBOT?
Forex Robots is a pretty general term. It can refer to different types of Forex software. The most common type is a Metatraderexpert advisor.
Metatrader is a trading platform that is used by multiple brokers. Metatrader expert advisors can take control of your trading account and make trades according to whatever parameters you set.
TIP. Get thoroughly familiar with your trading platform, its features and how to use it
ARE THERE ANY PROFITABLE FOREX ROBOTS OUT THERE?
This is the question most commonly asked by traders looking for the Holy Grail answer to Forex trading. There is no holy grail that will get you around to understanding the markets and studying how they work. To answer the question, yes there are profitable Forex robots out there.
The problem is that it takes testing over a reasonable period to figure out how profitable they are. Most of the companies and individuals that sell these robots are great about writing sensational claims, but the customers soon find out that the Forex robot is not the “road to riches”.
To summarize, a Forex robot is not a substitute for learning how to trade and acquiring the necessary skills to succeed. However, if you wanted to employ an additional mechanical strategy to your trading, a Forex robot would work. Just keep in mind, there is no software that is a substitute for your good human judgment.
ROBOTS (BOTS)/EXPERT ADVISORS
These experts should have several advantages over us beginners; sure we can watch the charts, try to keep up with the news, etc., but they make their living off Forex with specialize software, charts and tools, the latest market information and should have much better resources then we could ever have. Regardless don’t put your blind faith in them – it is your money.
A friend of mine paid a couple of $1,000 for a Forex experts’ “How to Course” He would up losing the cost of admission, and his investment trades. Regardless of the hype you get from the affiliate ads, or
Forex system sites; a good broker will give you the proper disclosures and documents for you to read, understand and sign. Nothing can be guaranteed!
Take the advice of most brokers or experts and practice using a demo account for 3-6 months or until you have a good understanding of the platform, the charts, the indicators, and are experiencing a high probability of success in your trades. Be aware the money used in the demo account, call it USD5,000 is probably more than you will want to invest, so no matter what the result, scale the result down to the size of your investment.
1.10 THE FOREX MINDSET
Get the proper mindset for Forex; you will never always be right or wrong. Be aware of your mindset when your trading on a Demo account, you will freely play of other people’s money and may freely make profits.
When you go live, your mindset will likely change and you may make more mistakes because you are now using your own money. The thinking that made you profitable on the Demo account will likely make you profitable on the live account, if your mindset is ok
Take time to read about the market as you prepare to trade. Check the news. Remember bad news for one country, maybe good news for another. In a pair: 1 wins and 1 loses. If you do lose big, as I did on the first trade, you may not have enough money in the broker account to make a second trade and you will have to add funds to continue to trade.
TIP: Do not rely on the so-called experts or 100% hands off, “Just Walk Away” hype. There is no such thing a Forex Broker or Robot System that never loses.
EVERY TRADER LOSES ONE TIME OR ANOTHER
That why most traders quote a percent of accuracy. I don’t trust my money with my mechanic, never mind trust my financial future with 100% robot. Yes, anything about money attracts the hype, how about some reality. IvyBot claims several times in their various videos and Handbooks that all you have to do is set it up and “JUST WALK AWAY”, but before you believe that, see one of my blog entries that follows:
According to “About Forex Trading,” 67% of the Retail Forex traders lose money. If so, “Is it possible to be a profitable Forex Trader? You bet it is. Is it easy? Not in the least.”
Rely on your gut feeling; learn Forex and hopefully, you will do better than the “experts? It is your money. Check your mindset at the keyboard. Many people practice with a Demo account and they learn to make quick and proper decisions, and create profits.
It is “Other People’s Money.” Something happens when suddenly you go live and it is your money. Your fears and emotions take over, and you start losing instead of winning. These same fears and emotions can attack you when you have a few losses in a row from your Forex Expert.
KEY CHARACTER TRAITS WHICH YOU NEED TO WIN
In Forex trading 95% of traders lose money and that is a huge percentage but they don’t lose because they can’t learn to win, they fail because they simply cannot adopt the right mindset to win and this article is all about getting the right mindset for success. 67% of the retail trader lose money.
When trading Forex you only need a simple trading system to win and anyone can learn a method which can win in a few weeks but even if it’s a good system. You need to trade it with discipline to succeed most traders simply cannot do this and we will look this key trait in a moment but first, let’s start with how to learn Forex correctly and that means accepting this key Fact.
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
All the best traders know that no one else will give them success and there on their own Most new traders however think they will win by following a cheap piece of software, so they buy one of the numerous Forex robots or laughably named Forex Expert Advisors and think they will make money with no effort, guess what? They all Lose Money! If you want to win you have to accept you need to get an education and this is needed to give you confidence in what you’re doing, because if you are not confident you won’t be disciplined and will lose
DISCIPLINE
All the best traders know they are going to lose money at some point and their aim is to keep losses small, they don’t mind losing because they know they are going to hit trends again and run them, to cover their losses. To win you need to be disciplined, keep your losses small. This is hard for most traders, they take losses personally and let them get out of control and lose. If you want to be a winner learn to take them and your time will come, when trends and profits reemerge.
COURAGE
All traders have the courage to make their own trading decisions, are prepared to standalone, and against the majority opinion, while this can be uncomfortable, keep in mind 95% of traders lose so it’s the best place to be!
REALISM
The best traders are trading Forex for long-term gains and they have realistic expectations about how much money they can make. Don’t try to hurry profits and expose their accounts to unnecessary risks. Many new traders think they’re going to double their account in a few weeks or get rich quick but consider this – the best traders in the world aim for 50 – 100% per annum, in terms of compound growth so if you achieve that, you’re up there with the best.
YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU WANT TO!
Forex trading is simple to learn – but you must gain confidence in what you’re doing to trade through periods of losses and have the courage to stand alone and this relies on getting the right mindset. A good method needs the right mindset to apply it and if you can’t get it, you will fail – it’s as simple as that. ForexMindSet
If you can get the right Forex mindset, you can enjoy currency trading success and earn a great second or life changing income. Always keep in mind in Forex trading the trader doesn’t get beaten by the market, he beats himself.
1.11 TYPICAL FOREX HEADLINES
Make Money Just By Clicking
Guaranteed To Make Money with One Click Non-Stop Forex Trading, We Give You the Trade IvyBot, A Forex System That Never Loses
Math Geniuses Develop the Best Forex System The Only Forex System That Never Loses
Math Geniuses Knock Out a Forex System That Never Loses Forex Is a Big Scam; Don’t Quit Your Day Job
The Best 100% Mechanical Forex Systems for You 1,044%.54% Net Profit In the Last 190 Days
Attention! Whether You Are New to Spot Forex Trading, Or Have Been a Forex Trader for Years, You’ll Need All the Edge You Can Get to Improve Your Net Profit, Bottom Line!
We Personally Use All EA’s (Expert Advisors) On This Page And Are Exceptionally Pleased With The Net Profit Results Gained!
We’re already Up To 1400% NET PROFIT Thus Far This Year – 2009.
Will We Hit The 2000% Net Profit By The End Of This Year? You Be the Judge.
AFFILIATE HEADLINES
According to your fellow affiliate headlines for their various Forex Programs, it’s simple, just click, walk and way and you never lose. Whether you have been online or you are new to the Internet, and you are seeking to earn extra income, make money; your email will bring you hundreds, if not thousands of offers including Forex affiliate offers. Taken at face value, the headline offers are almost irresistible to your emotional needs or passion to find something that will make you money.
By now, you should have learned to recognize the obvious signs of false and misleading advertising. These are your fellow affiliates trying to catch your eye with non-compliance spam, untrue email headlines – they want your money!
FAP TURBO HEADLINES
Get A Forex Robot That Is Capable Of Doubling Your Money Every Single Month… Trade with the most accurate and profitable Forex robot in the world – 95+% Winners.
Cannot Monitor the Forex Market because of a day job, commitments, etc. and want automatic software to do it for them.
Want to trade Forex profitably but don’t know how (no need to know, the robot does everything for you…from A to Z!)
Want a secondary or primary income source that is consistent.
Want to be amongst the 1% of Forex traders who grow their trading account like wild mushrooms.
Want to break out from the boring and frustrating routine of hard work and no money (but frequently a lot of debt!)
Want to start making money today, not 2 months from now!
You Need To Know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING About The Forex Market Or Forex Trading To Benefit Day In And Day Out From FAP Turbo’s Cash Producing Power…
“Living A Worries-Free…Debt Free… Luxury Life Is a Reality No One Should Pass”
We are giving a select group of people the opportunity to live the dream that EVERY single trader in the world has: trading with an automatic Robot that doubles cash every month!
You Will Experience The Real Deal…You Will Experience The LIVE Proof….And You Will Experience Why FAP Turbo Is Not Just A Claim…But One Of The Most Profitable Forex Robot In Existence…
100% No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee… GIVE Me The FAP Turbo Details NOW!
IVYBOT HEADLINES
Attention! You Are About To See a New, Never Before Released Program that Makes Millions! Would You Like A Sneak Peak?
WHY THE IVYBOT? Developed by Ivy League Graduates, 4 Separate Robots at 1 Price, Free Robot Upgrades, 100% Hands off Trading Robot, No Experience Necessary, Most Profitble of All Robots
$ 500 Turning Into $ 3,736 – In 30 Days, – $ 2,500 Turning Into $ 9,733 – In 45 Days
$ 5,000 Turning Into $ 17,154 – In 60 Days, – $ 10,000 Turning Into $ 36,391 – In 90 Days
Now It Is Time To Get Real…. Are You Ready? Come See the Results, Be a Part Of The Phenomenon, Watch the Exclusive Webinar. 100% No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee…
COMMENTS
Personally, I prefer having the choice of monitoring several trades and yes you can make trades with your broker outside of those initiated by the robot, or you can double up or more on their recommended trade if you like it. Remember with Forex MegaDroid, you can trade only trade one pair: EUR/USD.
If for example, the EUR is strong against the USD, then EURO may be strong against other currencies as well. I never like just putting my money into just one revenue source.
Depending on your Broker, you can double up on the trade if you like what the expert is doing, or you can trade other pairs at the same time.
How much you can trade, depends on your deposits and the size of the trade. If you are on a limited budget, then maybe you can only make one trade. If that trade is going against you; then you will not have money to counter-trade or to protect yourself.
This Ad also says “No Experience Necessary and Most Profitable” again. Since these guys are a new bot, how can it be established that they are most profitable over time?
If all trades are International; how are these how are these guys doing so well? Then I must be doing something wrong, as you will see
As discussed in the following, IvyBot has and continues to be a loser for me. Now whenever IvyBot want to make a trade, and I am not there to watch the trade, I feel I am at risk. I have no confidence in IvyBot; or their support system.
If IvyBot is making multiple trades, some of which are profits; take your profit to help offset your losses, before you leave or shut down the computer. If there are no trades; one way to protect yourself, is to click the “Expert Advisor” tab, before leaving your computer.
This will keep Ivy from executing trade while you are gone and you may want to leave the computer running, if you have other trades, or “whatever”
Smiles, I understand that the word “whatever” was recently voted the United States most annoying word? I wonder what was second. IvyBot’ tale of set it up and “Just Walk Away” – doesn’t work. Leave the computer and let the Bot do its thing – doesn’t work!
Obviously, after taking such a loss on my first trade; I have been trying to dig my way out of the hole. The other day, I finally reduced my loss to something less than 50% (sounds a little funny, but going from 82% down to 50% down is a reduced loss). I left the computer and IvyBot running and retired for the night. The next morning, I found the Ivy has struck again during the night on another bad trade (a buy, instead of a sell), and I had lost 56 pips before it shut itself down. Talk about losing money while you sleep, and another DO NOT Just Walk Away lesson.
Take your time to learn about the platform, orders and charts, etc. For those of you are still laughing, you’re correct, I didn’t know I could “right click” on the order number and close it or modify it. Let us call it a good first trade mistake and an expensive lesson. See the video link above
I LOST 82% OF MY INVESTMENT ON MY FIRST TRADE WITH IVYBOT
Hello, Thanks for stopping by. I pulled my original post, which was a strong complaint, and offer this replacement post as a Constructive Update for my fellow Forex “newbie’s” and those that are using or considering using the IvyBot Program.
I first reported my loss problem 22 Aug 2009 to IvyBot support who pro-ported to have a personal interest in all questions since this program was a new Affiliate Launch for them.
I was down about 55-56% at that time, and ended up with an 82% percent loss by the time the Bot shut down. After several follow-ups to support I finally receive a form response on 29 Aug which read like this:
“We’re very sorry you are having difficulty. We are seeing much better results than this. Please make sure you are using a recommended broker and that you are using default settings. We are seeing results much like at this site.
Of course, I felt that this autoresponder form of response was less than humane and certainly lacked the personal touch that a client who had just lost 82% of his portfolio should have received.
I guess the Ivy League School’s do not teach customer relations or basic business. After some, more follow up from me, which included a constructive review and evaluation of their site; the errors of omission, the conflict between their videos and printed matter, etc., guess what after all my efforts, I finally got another reply:
“We’re very sorry you are having difficulty. We are seeing much better results than this. Please make sure you are using a recommended broker and that you are using default settings. We are seeing results much like at this site.
I would have expected something like, “Thanks for your input, we are working it, we will get back to you soon”, etc.
Fundamentally, I just wanted to know what went wrong; my IvyBot are properly configured, per the video; and once set up “Just Walk Away” which they “hype” several times on their site. My mistake – I did walk away, expecting that the system would take care of me, and protect me against such an “extraordinary” loss.
I found an article on the web saying that IvyBot doesn’t use a “Stop Loss” and upon pressing IvyBot, they claim they have an internal trigger that doesn’t show on the order. I guess the trigger did not work in my case.
Since this experience, I do not walk away and have watched other Ivy trades that were going bad, and then were cut short. This has left me with the impression that this is a Manual “Close Order” rather than the so-called robot doing it thing. Manual must have been asleep at the switch on my 1st order. The experts will tell you to use a “demo” account, practice until you are profitable for most of the time, before going “live”. Again, this is great advice for learning the platform, orders and charts. Too bad, I am from the old school of OJT (On the Job Training). I guess I like my knuckles cracked a few times, and when you are “live”, you pay more attention – least I do now. It is a job, not a hobby; it real money not play money.
TIP: This Is Where I Should Say Do as I Say and Not As I Do; Practice With the Demo Account Take a meal break before you set up your trades and decide to take your profits and/or losses or let them ride.
If you leave the computer running as I said before, the IvyBot can get you while you are gone. We all would like to believe a bad trade can be offset by a good one. However, I am still waiting the really good one, up 206 pips (EURJPY) or 56 pips (USDJPY).
TIP: Read and Listen, Join Forex Forums. One misspoken word or a decision can rile the markets.
MEGADROID HEADLINES
No Forex Broker in the World Will Ever Know You Are Trading With Forex MegaDroid™; No Forex Broker Will Ever Be Able To Stop Forex MegaDroid™
From At Least Quadrupling Every Dollar You Deposit; setting a new standard in automatic FOREX signals is FOREX MegaDroid™. What separates it from the rest is the 38 years of experience the creators have trading FOREX & the software is undetectable by FOREX brokers (which is why most systems don’t work).
We decided to give this baby a try using a free account prefunded with $ 25. In 30 days we had generated nearly $ 1,250. And all we did was enter the trade when it said and exit when we wanted to pocket the cash!
You don’t have to baby sit your trades at all… You don’t use any form of judgment….
You can fit it around your 9 – 5 (if you have one)…
You just spend 5 minutes setting up the software, and then let it automatically give you advices and be off for the day…
Forex MegaDroid™ HAS Proven To Spit Out Unheard Of, Industry Breaking Performance, YEAR AFTER YEAR…Steadily And Consistently Producing As Much As 100% NET Profit Per Month…
Not Only Has Forex MegaDroid™ Withstood the Test of Time in the “Old” Market Reality… Because of RCPTA Technology, it has adapted to the NEW Market Reality to the Tune of OVER 100% NET Profit per Month…
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COMMENTS
I strongly disagree with their statements “You don’t have to baby sit your trades at all, You don’t use any form of judgment, You can fit it around your 9 – 5 (if you have one), You just spend 5 minutes setting up the software, and then let it automatically give you advices and be off for the day”
MegaDroid only trades one pair; the EUR/USD. I don’t know how these jokers claim to have funded a free account with $25 and claimed to have made$ 1,250? I have not seen MegaDroid initiate enough trades to earn that much on a $25 bill. Ok someone tell me I have been out of the country too long.
Demo accounts are usually pre-loaded with $5,000 or more. This $5,000 package gives you a false sense of earning lots of money, which you will not earn, especially if you only fund your account with
$50-500.
My first trade with MegaDroid resulted in a minor loss (4.5%). What was strange was that I like the trade, would have made it myself; but the robot cut it off early and did not cover the spread. The next
two trades were profitable but small; again barely covering the spread. Some of the EUR/USD trades available that I thought the bot should have participated in – it did not.
Over the last 3 days 12-15 October the EUR has climbed through the roof while all the experts said to sell. My mistake was listening to the experts and was heavily invested when I should have done my usual thing. Instead of realizing this steady increase and taking advantage of it – MegaDroid did nothing, unless there was some wrong with my machine. No Buy trades were made
WARNING, Broker FXDD (or any broker) will not let you continue your losses while you wait for the market to come back. It will execute a “StopOut” that will close All your transactions (winners and losers) once your equity is gone.
1.12 FORGET THE FOREX HYPE
Regardless who makes the claim; does it make sense; use your gut and your brain. Like most things in life, it is still up to you, your decisions. It is still one winner and one loser on every transaction.
IvyBot and others prepare and use some Affiliate Guidelines for advertising; “the IvyBot program that never loses, or the most successful Bot available” What an insult to the professionals who have been doing this for years and years, who may have their own bots or strategies. Where is the track record for IvyBot??
For that matter, even the IvyBot Program oversells itself. Let us not forget, IvyBot needs a support system makeover.
Lastly, for now, make your own decisions. Experts are there like consultants; do not take their advice and blindly follow them; you will lose. IvyBot has made a few decisions that I did not agree with so when they enter a trade, I usually cancel the order; then make an opposite order and continue my recovery from my original loss. Sometimes when you see the charts, it is better to do nothing, regardless of what the experts say. Learn how to read the charts.
TIP: One more time, pay attention to your trades and don’t let the experts run your business. Use the experts as a guide, or shut of the “expert advisor tab. All-in-all; IvyBot trades has been losers for me
Let me mention couple more Forex Programs that the forgoing ad didn’t advertise, but ones that I use. If my memory is correct, the above sites are all onetime fees.
1.13 IS FOREX A GAMBLERS HEAVEN?
In the simplest of terms, whether you roll the dice, play a hand of cards, or spin the wheel – or make a Forex trade, someone wins and someone loses. For all practical purposes, and disregarding the potential for side bets, there is generally one hand, one bet and one winner. You can bet all your money with one bet. You can walk away from the dice or the wheel to take a break, and you can leave your hand of cards on the table till you return, or fold the hand. If you do leave your hand on the table; then your hand, the dealers and the other players’ cards won’t change.
HOWEVER WITH FOREX:
You can have several trades (bets) going on at the same time. I will call it a bet, because I am betting that I am going to be right and win the trade. You can bet all your money to the limits of your account, with one or more trades.
Each trade can have difference Stop Loss and/or Take Profit settings, or you can ride the trade without limits and close when you want. You can change your bet, for example if the trade is going against you, you can close the trade to minimize your loss.
If you see a long-term trade that you like, but it is temporarily going against you; you can double up with the opposite trade, take your profits and continue with the original trade. If the trade is in your favor, but weak, you can close the trade. Watch the charts for the optimum time to close. If the trade is in your favor and going better than you expected, you can increase your take profit settings.
If you particularly like a certain trade, you can place multiple trades and bets for that same trade. You can hedge yourself if you are unsure of the trade, place a buy and a sell, or maybe two buys and one sell for the same pair. If you walk away while you have an active trade or several trades, you can lose everything!
YES IT IS A “GAMBLERS HEAVEN” IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE; STAY OUT OF FOREX. IF YOU DO TRADE – TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR TRADE
1.14 MY FOREX EXPERIENCE
As a newbie to Forex trading, my experiences should be of help to others that want to venture into Forex trading. Most of us newbies will most likely start with a Forex Bot. Which one? Most of these new bot sites are marketed through Affiliate Programs. Anybody can be an affiliate, whether they know how to spell Forex or not.
Unfortunately most of these sites do not monitor the affiliates and this Laissez Faire management of the affiliate’s communications has resulted in a lot of false, untrue hype being used to sell these programs.
Even the robot site owners have hired the wrong copywriters and programmers to design their sites. As a result; they give the buyer a lot of false as to their mystical expertness and profitability claims. I imagine that they have to pay to meet more support staff to cover all the beginner’s questions.
I am a “new” Forex Trader (2009), I am not an expert. Not sure that there are any experts; some are just more successful than others. In any case, I have been in data services, charts analysis, etc. for nearly 40 years. I can interpret the charts with some success and I am an active trader. When I am paying attention to my trades and not writing this Handbook, I seem to make more money than these experts. I want to stress “paying attention” because you cannot allow the experts to run your business. Think of these experts as consultants, they are there to offer you advice and recommendations, but the final decisions that are to be made should be your own.
I am comfortable to discuss my experiences, mistakes, etc. If you decide to venture into Forex, I hope that you will learn and gain from my mistakes and not repeat them.
Let there be no question about it, it is dangerous, fast moving and yes – you can lose everything fast; it is a gamble. Later I will tell you why I love it.
While most sites offer you a demo account, you will need a broker to trade live. If you read the fine print offered by your broker; then the real picture, the real risks are explained, and all of the hype provided by the site and their affiliates will be dispelled. Regardless of what you have been sold or led to believe, you can lose and lose big fast in Forex trading. I lost 82% of my investment on my very first trade! Most brokers are regulated; site owners and affiliate are not. Regulated
The experts will tell you to use a “demo” account, practice until you are profitable for most of the time, before going “live”. This is great advice for learning the platform, orders and charts. Too bad, I am from the old school of OJT (On the Job Training). I guess I like my knuckles cracked a few times, and when you are “live”, you pay more attention – least I do now. It is a job, not a hobby; it real money not play money.
TIP: This Is Where I Should Say Do as I Say and Not As I Do; Practice With the Demo Account TIP: Take a meal break before you set up your trades and decide to take your profits and/or losses or let them ride. I lost money just going to the toilet, but at least I was a bit relieved, while my wallet was also relieved of some cash.
If you leave the computer running as I said before, the IvyBot can get you while you are gone. We all would like to believe a bad trade can be offset by a good one. However, I am still waiting the really good one, up 206 pips (EURJPY) or 56 pips (USDJPY).
TIP: Read and Listen, Join Forex Forums, Etc. One misspoken word or a decision can rile the markets. Recently while still trying to recover from the Sept 29-1Oct AUDUSD market which went rapidly north of nearly every expert and Bot order to ” SELL”
Hype: Does it make sense; use your gut and your brain. IvyBot should put out some Affiliate Guidelines for advertising; the “the IvyBot program that never loses, or the most successful Bot available” What an insult to the professionals who have been doing this for years and years, who may have their own bots or strategies. Where is the track record for IvyBot?? For that matter, even the IvyBot Program oversells itself. Let us not forget, IvyBot needs a support system makeover.
Lastly, for now, make your own decisions. Experts are there like consultants; do not take their advice and blindly follow them; you will lose. IvyBot has made a few decisions that I did not agree with so when they enter a trade, I usually cancel the order; then make an opposite order and continue my recovery from my original loss. Sometimes when you see the charts, it is better to do nothing, regardless of what the experts say. Learn how to read the charts.
WHY I LOVE FOREX?
I avoided getting into Forex, for years, because I did not have time to learn about it. When I finally signed up, I took a heavy loss due to a robot. Which led to my first Forex blog entry which ended with: Thanks Again – Take Care, Jump in, I love it
Most of my affiliate experiences have been a learning curve for me, the people, the scams, the ridiculous claims, the un-kept promises, false guarantees, the paid and unpaid advertising all provided me little to no results. Many thousands of dollars and hours after hours were wasted, except for the learning: the big people have got us over a barrel. For me, it did not matter whether I joined a site on the recommendation of my big boy membership, a pre-launch – with advance warning, a new launch, or an older established program – until your prepared yourself and learn, they all just take your money.
It is difficult to compete against the same person who created the program, because they have their established downlines, marketing plans and advertising that the big boys can afford. We all wind up selling the same program; the creator, their downlines and us wannabes. Further, I cannot hype my potential customers so maybe that why I am not so successful online. Spillover seems like just a word, because I never got any. No sponsoring required never happened for me, Help from my sponsor never was there. Just join have never produced the so-called guaranteed results. Support systems are a farce; you get no response, or you get a useless response.
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
Dr. Don, Founder ICFO
15. Plan and Prepare
Success can be yours if you properly plan and prepare. We have given to the keys to success, the blueprint, and the path; but as in all things in life – you must take the responsibility for going for it. The choices you make from now on will determine your future on or offline success.
This Handbook has been written for you; whether you are a seasoned professional or a newbie; whether you are starting or growing a business online. Our approach to online business is much the same as our approach to offline business. Business is business. There are no-short cuts, no free rides or free lunches. Follow our approach and turn your passions, interest or hobby into a lifelong online business.
In all business online or offline, you are your own greatest risk! Do you have the mindset for business, do you have the required skills, have you prepared for business and do you have a plan for yourself as well as for your business, and is there a market for your business? Without these, you cannot succeed online!
Your greatest risk to your business online success is Internet Crime. The Internet knows more about you, than you remember about yourself. Scams and spam is big business; it affects you as an individual, your business or other businesses trying to capitalize on the potential of the Internet to expand their markets. It can shut down or overload your systems and equipment with spam, or a virus. It can steal your identity or destroy your data with a virus. Click fraud can eat up you advertising budget. Other viruses can shut down your computer, putting your out of business.
Two ways to minimize this risk is to be doing something that you understand, your and to learn as much as you can about avoiding scams while doing business online. Learning is a lifelong endeavor, enjoy it. Our Internet Users Handbook is a Comprehensive Guide to Avoiding Scams while Doing Business online.
Use it and promote it to others. Help us combat Internet Crime.
Whether, you are newbie or a seasoned professional. You are here! Many of you have turned to the Internet for the wrong reason, to solve a financial crisis; out of work or too many debts. Unfortunately, you will be inclined to look for a quick fix – there are none. Others of you are here for an additional source of income, to supplement retirement, to improve your lifestyle, or even to start a new career. The latter has the greatest chance for online success by following the plan we have laid out for you in this handbook.
In either case, the scammers have an offer for you. They do not discriminate; they want any and all of you money. Many fine sites, blogs, articles and sites specialize and do a great job in various areas of the problem. However, we believe that this handbook along with our Internet Scams Anonymous Groups have taken the broadest, most comprehensive view of avoiding scams while doing business online.
Obviously, book after book has been written on every type of scam and fraud. Other books help you analyze yourself, start a business, grow your business, and advertise your business and others offer you another winning strategy to be successful in business. Any one of the topics herein can fill books on their own. This Handbook gave you the big picture with discussion, experience, examples and tips. Take
time to learn more each day. A particular subject of interest should supplement with your own online search.
It was easy to show and recognize that Scammers play to your emotions by their use of persuasion, trigger words and spam. We all have some trigger that will get us thinking and a willingness to take the action offered by the scammer. Everyone would like to think that the next deal to be the one that will cure our ills or greed.
Spam is a major contributor to the spread of Scams. Entry cost and advertising costs are minimal and the penalties few. New sites and email addresses are freely available to further these scams. Further because it reduces the productivity of both individuals and organizations by jamming their systems with junk. Further, because of the size of the problem, Spam has attracted everyone’s attention and has a priority greater than the Scams it represents. Perhaps some feel that the reduction of spam will reduce the Scams.
These “Let’s Stop Spam” methods have affected both the scammer and the legitimate business. These scammers can keep going, but business cannot simply change their sites and email addresses without further affecting their own business.
The reduction of spam alone does very little to help the individual who is simply trying to find a way to makes ends meet; especially those that have limited resources to apply to the task. A scammer will take your last dollar and does not give change. The Advertising section shows you how to prepare your advertising and to avoid the spam blockers and being a spammer. The challenge remains; how to grab the customer’s attention, without the use of spam trigger words used by everyone else.
The Handbook has demonstrated that just by doing your own due diligence is the cheapest and easiest way to avoid the Scam. A simple search, with Google or other search engines, will help uncover the problems of a given site. Additional due diligence tools dig deeper into ownership and other problems.
For that matter, learning how to do a simply search is quicker than scanning a list for banner or watch program. One of the best ways to avoid the scam is too slow down and take the time to check out the site.
Other sections of the Handbook covered Affiliate Programs, MLM, Pyramids and Networking Programs, with special sections for Paid-to-Read/Click and Forex Programs. There are so many sites and scammers, that no list from anyone can possibly keep up. Some tips and tools to manage your time, email and office were included to round out our objectives. The Glossary’s are a simple, easy-to-read resource for quick answers
Thank you and Welcome! It is my pleasure to champion this cause. With your help, we can grow as an Association, and take a large chunk out of this bad apple. You have the signs; hopefully you understand them, and will reduce or avoid the scam in the future. Take advantage of the references and resources offered herein as well as the support of your fellow members in our group sites.
Success if yours, if you accept our plan and prepare for it and please accept my very best wishes for your continued or future success.
Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.
In the 2nd Edition, we have decided that to follow our scheme of preparing you to do business online while helping you to understand that Scams are your greatest online business risk.
Therefore, we have elevated our definition of a scam to a standalone chapter one of the reasons for our definition is that even with the vast resources available to us online, the definition of what is a scam, used interchangeable with the word Fraud, is extremely limited, while Scams themselves are rampant. Second anything that does not seem to work for someone is often also called a scam.
Our best offer comes from Answers/Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia
(Scam) Internet fraud refers to the use of Internet services to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions, or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme.
It is easy to see a trend now where the Internet is now facilitating the passing of these scams to your personal mobile devices.
While this definition may be accurate, it needs to be broke down to be more of a working definition and to give online business users a better understanding of our interpretation of a scam, as we will show in the following:
The Internet Scams Anonymous (ISA) Groups expect online businesses to do business as a business. However, we have to except that not all online businesses were founded by business minded professionals. If they are not accessible or their support systems are lacking; then they are not doing business, and are either poor businessmen or are just scamming us.
These guidelines help provide a basis for our interpretation of a Scam
IS IT TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
Does It Makes Sense Is It Logical? Is it Realistic?
Does It Make You Think Twice? Does It Satisfy One Of Your Needs?
Is it Too Good to Be True? Said that already
For many this is the first pass; is it too good to be true? Others see the hype as fulfilling their need for immediate cash flow, more money, increased income during retirement, work at home, etc. It creates an obviously unrealistic expectation that if it were not for the emotion tug to satisfy something, you would normally pass and save your money.
Too many Newbies have turned to the Internet, perhaps as a last resort to solve their financial problems or crisis. They become prime targets for the first email that hits their inbox that offers them a solution
– most are Scams that drives them further into debt.
See how easy, you are out of work or have excessive debt. “Too bad, but I can help, how about a data entry job or real my emails?” ACCC
DOES THE OFFER PASS YOUR DUE DILIGENCE TEST?
Any business off or online should be approached as a business. Does it fit your criteria as a business that you can be excited about, does it fit your values, and is it one that you can promote. Sex sites make money online, but not all of us want to be part of that industry. Mobile communications, iPads, iPhones, Smart Phones and such all are the talk of the town, but I don’t want ads on my phones, so I don’t participate in schemes the put ads on other’s phone regardless of how much money I am passing up or leaving on the table.
What does a Google or Yahoo search have to say about the program?
WHAT IS THE OWNERS’ TRACK RECORD?
If a professional can put up 15 new sites per day then certainly a scammer can do as well. New sites are always a problem, because so many members have that “must get in first” and “start building your Team” mentality. Great for pre-launches and some that never launches.
In social networking, we can watch the members flock to a new site, start creating group after group for the same program to get their personal link out there, praising its virtues, and repeating the hype. In most cases, they get caught up in the emotional flow and promote the site without any form of due diligence.
Sure, I will join a new site, on occasion, as I still research sites for scams and new techniques, but most often I don’t commit or make payment until it has been around for a while. While I may mass market the new site with an impersonal link; I don’t make it oneon-one it with friends, make groups, etc., at least not until I have seen it work and have gotten paid.
Doing a routine Due Diligence for a new site will not work because of the lack of history, however, a WhoIs Ownership search will often help. As said elsewhere, hidden ownership turns me off on new sites. Too often the big dogs and have forgotten their roots and go into hiding rather than embracing business as usual and communicating and treating the last customer as they did the first. Of course others hide, because they should hide. For those that do provide ownership data, do your own researches on the owners; if a red flags turn up; I would pass on the program.
What does a Whois search show for the owners’ data?
NON-DELIVERY
The site does not work, leads and links promised are not provided, and automated systems do not provided the stated results. Payouts are not received within the stated timeframes. The site is often off-line for non-payment of hosting, or whatever. One of the top consumer complaints
LACK OF SUPPORT
Support systems, forums and telephone numbers that do not respond to your technical or other questions; probably means that they are just a valueless front. Try submitting a support question to see if you get a response. Perhaps ask about some feature not answered in the Terms or FAW’s.
LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY
Other than support, if it is hiding its identity on www.whois.com, and related sites, then it may be assumed that the owners have something to hide. Most successful businesses have channels of communication, support, help desks, forums, and responsive email. Having said that, see next.
While I am here if these sites are making so much money; why don’t they have international toll-free numbers and a 24/7 available for us? Check out all the big boys, Microsoft, Adobe, and others that have forgot their greatest assets – the customer. Are we not an international community? We don’t want your 9-5 mentality, because we are online 24/7 somewhere in the world. One of my larger social network affiliations not only has a 9-5 mentality, but also shuts down their ticket system after working hours. They won’t even take your problem or complaint on a ticket and promise a response with 24-48 hours. Makes me wonder just where are their priorities?
SCAMMERS ARE SPAMMERS TOO
Continual bombardment of emails from the same person or source with the same emails titles, etc. Scams are primarily delivered via email. On the other hand, unsuspecting affiliates are also great promoters of scams, a complaint that we often see in membership sites. More often, than not, these same Affiliates have neither done their due diligence nor have they ever been paid. These same affiliates tend to jump on every new program that comes along and start promoting it. Good, I am repeating myself! Hmm, I do that too as a trial balloon, on free to join sites.
ARE TRAINING, TOOLS AND RESOURCES PROVIDED?
As an affiliate, we expect that the company will help train us, or at least provide us with the training, tools and resources so that we can help ourselves. Sure, many offer tools and resources, but often they are non-specific to their site, where are the Welcome Letters, the how-to use the site or getting started guides, who is monitoring your success, where is the follow-up?
If the program is not a scam, then why do the owners not monitor and provide for the success of their affiliates? Maybe the business owners are just not business minded. How many offline companies, unless they are using independent contractors, have an extensive training and follow-up program to help assure the success of their affiliates? After all, aren’t they trying to protect their brand? So perhaps some are not always a scam – just poor businessmen. Even with the best of times, partnerships break up, outsourced hosting fail, spam complaints, outsourced payment gateways fail, and business problems come with the territory on or offline. Even with a great program, success is up to you, one man’s scam may be another man’s bonanza.
Thanks for Reading – 2. Revised Definition – Scams And Fraud, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A
In today’s digital age, empowering profits online has become a crucial aspect for businesses of all sizes. It offers limitless potential to expand reach, increase revenue, and drive overall growth. With the increasing number of consumers turning to the internet for their purchasing decisions, businesses must focus on strategies that will enhance their online profitability. This article will explore various techniques and key factors that can help businesses maximize their profits in the online realm.
The Importance of Empowering Profits Online
Empowering profits online is not just a luxury but a necessity in today’s competitive business landscape. The Internet provides unparalleled opportunities for businesses to tap into a vast customer base and increase their revenue. With more and more people relying on online platforms for their shopping needs, businesses that fail to adapt to this shift risk missing out on substantial profits. By focusing on empowering profits online, businesses can stay relevant, widen their customer base, and ultimately drive their overall success.
Strategies for Boosting Online Profits
Boosting online profits requires the implementation of effective strategies. One strategy is to optimize your website for search engines. By improving your website’s organic search visibility, you can attract more traffic, increase conversions, and ultimately boost your profits. Additionally, investing in targeted online advertising campaigns, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, can help drive relevant traffic to your website, resulting in higher conversion rates and increased profits.
Another strategy is to leverage social media platforms. By establishing a strong presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, businesses can engage with their target audience, build brand loyalty, and ultimately increase their online profits. Additionally, offering incentives such as discounts, exclusive offers, or loyalty programs to your online customers can encourage repeat purchases and boost profitability.
Maximize Your Online Profit Potential
To maximize your online profit potential, it is important to focus on enhancing customer experience. Providing a seamless and user-friendly online shopping experience will not only increase customer satisfaction but also encourage repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth. Additionally, offering personalized product recommendations based on customer preferences and past purchases can help drive additional sales and increase profitability.
Furthermore, optimizing your website’s performance and speed is crucial. Slow-loading websites can deter potential customers and lead to high bounce rates. By ensuring your website is fast and responsive, you can provide a positive user experience and increase the likelihood of conversions, ultimately maximizing your online profit potential.
Key Factors in Online Profit Empowerment
There are several key factors that play a significant role in empowering online profits. Firstly, having a well-defined target audience and understanding their needs and preferences is essential. By tailoring your marketing efforts to resonate with your target audience, you can increase the effectiveness of your campaigns and ultimately drive greater profitability.
Moreover, having a competitive pricing strategy is crucial. Conducting market research to understand the pricing landscape and ensuring you offer competitive prices can help attract customers and drive online profits. Additionally, providing exceptional customer service and support can set your business apart from competitors and increase customer loyalty, leading to repeat purchases and increased profitability.
Leveraging Digital Tools for Profit Growth
Digital tools play a vital role in empowering online profits. Utilizing analytics tools can provide valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns. By analyzing this data, businesses can make informed decisions, optimize their marketing efforts, and ultimately increase their online profits.
Furthermore, email marketing campaigns can be highly effective in driving online profits. By building a database of email subscribers and sending targeted and personalized promotional emails, businesses can generate repeat sales, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately boost their profitability.
Enhancing Profit Margins in the Online Realm
Enhancing profit margins in the online realm requires a strategic approach. One way to achieve this is through effective inventory management. By optimizing your inventory levels and reducing excess stock, you can minimize holding costs and maximize profitability. Additionally, negotiating favorable terms with suppliers and streamlining your supply chain can help reduce costs and increase profit margins.
Another strategy is to focus on upselling and cross-selling. By recommending complementary or higher-priced products to customers during the checkout process, businesses can increase the average order value and boost profit margins. Additionally, offering premium versions or add-ons for existing products can also help enhance profit margins in the online realm.
Harnessing the Power of E-commerce Profits
E-commerce has revolutionized the way businesses operate, and harnessing its power is essential for empowering online profits. One key strategy is to optimize product listings. By writing compelling product descriptions, utilizing high-quality images, and incorporating customer reviews, businesses can increase the likelihood of conversions and drive e-commerce profits.
Furthermore, offering multiple payment options, including popular digital wallets and mobile payment platforms, can help reduce friction in the purchasing process and increase online profits. Additionally, providing secure and seamless checkout experiences can instill trust in customers and further drive e-commerce profits.
Empower Your Online Business for Success
Empowering your online business for success requires a comprehensive approach. Firstly, investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial. By optimizing your website’s content, structure, and metadata, you can improve your organic search rankings, increase visibility, and drive online profits.
Moreover, creating a content marketing strategy can be highly effective in empowering online profits. By providing valuable and relevant content to your target audience, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders, build trust, and ultimately drive profitability.
Unlocking the Secrets to Online Profitability
Unlocking the secrets to online profitability involves constant testing and experimentation. Conducting A/B tests to optimize your website’s layout, messaging, and calls to action can help increase conversions and drive online profits. Additionally, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value can provide valuable insights and guide decision-making to unlock online profitability.
Furthermore, staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in the online realm is crucial. Embracing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) can offer unique opportunities to engage customers, enhance user experiences, and ultimately increase online profits.
Unleashing the Potential of Internet Profits
The potential for internet profits is immense, and businesses must strive to unleash it. By continuously analyzing and optimizing your online marketing efforts, businesses can identify areas of improvement, capitalize on opportunities, and unlock the full potential of internet profits.
Additionally, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability within your organization is crucial. Embracing change, staying ahead of industry trends, and constantly evolving your business strategies will enable you to stay competitive, attract new customers, and drive increased profits in the online realm.
Empowerment Techniques for Online Entrepreneurs
Online entrepreneurs can empower their profits by focusing on key techniques. Firstly, building a strong online brand presence is essential. By establishing a recognizable brand image, online entrepreneurs can attract loyal customers, increase brand trust, and drive profitability.
Moreover, leveraging partnerships and collaborations with other online businesses can be highly effective. By cross-promoting each other’s products or services, sharing customer databases, or creating joint marketing campaigns, online entrepreneurs can expand their reach, tap into new customer segments, and boost their profits.
Steps to Empower Your Online Profit Generation
To empower your online profit generation, it is important to follow specific steps. Firstly, conduct thorough market research to identify your target audience, understand their needs, and assess the competition. This will enable you to tailor your marketing efforts effectively and maximize profitability.
Next, develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that encompasses various channels, including search engine marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing. By adopting a multi-channel approach, you can reach a wider audience, increase brand visibility, and drive online profits.
Additionally, continuously monitor and analyze your performance metrics to gain insights into what is working and what needs improvement. Utilize this data to refine your strategies, test new approaches, and optimize your online profit generation.
Summary
Empowering profits online is a critical aspect of business success in today’s digital era. By implementing the strategies, techniques, and steps outlined in this article, businesses can maximize their online profit potential, enhance profit margins, and unlock the unlimited potential of internet profits. Embracing the power of e-commerce, leveraging digital tools, and continuously innovating will enable businesses to empower their online profit generation and achieve long-term success.
Thanks for Reading – Empowering Profits Online: Maximizing Success in the Digital Realm
As we look towards 2024, the economic outlook remains uncertain yet cautiously optimistic.
The Economic Outlook for 2024 is a topic of great interest to businesses, investors, policymakers, and consumers alike. As we look ahead to the coming year, there are a number of key indicators and trends that will shape the economic landscape. From sector analysis to global trade forecasts, technological advancements to government policies, this article will provide a comprehensive overview of what to expect in the year ahead.
Overview of Economic Outlook 2024
The Economic Outlook for 2024 is generally positive, with many economies expected to see growth and stability. However, there are also challenges and uncertainties that could impact the global economy. Factors such as geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will all play a role in shaping the economic landscape in the coming year.
Key Indicators for Economic Growth
Key indicators for economic growth in 2024 include GDP growth rates, unemployment levels, inflation rates, and consumer confidence. These indicators will provide insight into the overall health of the economy and help forecast future trends. Economists will closely monitor these indicators to gauge the strength of the economy and make predictions for the year ahead.
Sector Analysis: Opportunities and Risks
Different sectors of the economy will face unique opportunities and risks in 2024. Industries such as technology, healthcare, and renewable energy are expected to see growth, while sectors like tourism and hospitality may continue to face challenges. Understanding the dynamics of each sector will be crucial for businesses and investors looking to navigate the economic landscape in the coming year.
Global Trade Forecast for 2024
Global trade is expected to continue its recovery in 2024, with many countries looking to boost exports and strengthen international partnerships. However, trade tensions and supply chain disruptions could pose risks to the global economy. Businesses will need to stay informed about trade forecasts and adapt their strategies accordingly.
Impact of Technological Advancements
Technological advancements will continue to drive innovation and growth in 2024. From artificial intelligence to blockchain technology, businesses that embrace these advancements will be better positioned to compete in the global market. The adoption of new technologies will also create new job opportunities and drive economic growth in various sectors.
Government Policies and Economic Stability
Government policies will play a crucial role in maintaining economic stability in 2024. Fiscal and monetary policies will need to be carefully calibrated to support economic growth while managing inflation and interest rates. Regulatory frameworks will also impact businesses and industries, influencing investment decisions and market dynamics.
Employment Trends and Job Market Forecast
Employment trends in 2024 will depend on various factors, including economic growth, technological advancements, and government policies. Some sectors may see job growth, while others may face challenges due to automation and changing market dynamics. Job seekers and employers alike will need to stay informed about job market forecasts to make informed decisions.
Inflation and Interest Rate Projections
Inflation and interest rates will be closely monitored in 2024, as they have a significant impact on the economy. Central banks will need to balance economic growth with price stability, making decisions on interest rates to control inflation. Businesses and consumers will need to plan for potential changes in borrowing costs and price levels.
Consumer Spending Patterns in 2024
Consumer spending patterns will reflect broader economic trends and consumer confidence in 2024. Factors such as disposable income, employment levels, and inflation rates will influence consumer behavior. Businesses will need to understand these patterns to tailor their marketing strategies and product offerings to meet changing consumer needs.
Housing Market Forecast for the Year
The housing market is expected to remain strong in 2024, with demand driven by low mortgage rates and demographic trends. However, affordability concerns and supply constraints could pose challenges for potential homebuyers. Real estate professionals and policymakers will need to closely monitor housing market forecasts to address these issues.
Forecast for Stock Market Performance
Stock market performance in 2024 will depend on a combination of economic indicators, corporate earnings, and market sentiment. Volatility and uncertainty may impact investor confidence, leading to fluctuations in stock prices. Investors will need to stay informed about market forecasts and diversify their portfolios to manage risks.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact on Economy
Sustainability and environmental considerations will play an increasingly important role in shaping the economy in 2024. Businesses that prioritize sustainability and adopt green practices will be better positioned to attract customers and investors. Government regulations and consumer preferences will drive the shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy.
In conclusion, the Economic Outlook for 2024 is characterized by a mix of opportunities and challenges. Key indicators, sector analysis, global trade forecasts, and technological advancements will all influence the economic landscape in the coming year. Government policies, employment trends, inflation rates, consumer spending patterns, housing market forecasts, stock market performance, and sustainability considerations will also play a significant role in shaping the economy. By staying informed and adapting to changing market dynamics, businesses, investors, and policymakers can navigate the economic landscape in 2024 and beyond.
Far from being a fad, customer care remains crucial for businesses in 2024.
Here’s why:
Competitive Advantage: In a world with abundant choices, exceptional customer service sets your brand apart. (https://www.joinhgs.com/uk/en/current-openings/1905) People prioritize positive experiences when deciding which companies to patronize.
Customer Loyalty: Excellent customer care builds trust and satisfaction, leading to loyal customers more likely to return and recommend your business. Loyal customers mean recurring revenue and reduced acquisition costs. (https://www.proprofschat.com/blog/customer-service/)
The Voice of the Customer: Customer interactions provide valuable feedback on your product or service. By listening to your customers, you can identify areas for improvement and stay ahead of the curve.
Here are some trends shaping customer care in 2024:
Technology Integration: AI chatbots and automation can streamline customer support, answer basic questions, and free up agents for more complex issues. However, the human touch remains important.
Focus on Personalization: Customers expect personalized experiences. Companies are using data to tailor interactions and recommendations to individual needs.
Businesses can build stronger customer relationships and achieve long-term success by prioritizing customer care and embracing these trends.
The Importance of Customer Care in 2024
Customer care plays a crucial role in the success of businesses. Business owners and professionals need to prioritize caring for their customers. By providing excellent customer care, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction, and loyalty, and ultimately drive growth.
Caring for customers goes beyond simply addressing their needs and concerns. It involves actively listening to their feedback, understanding their preferences, and delivering personalized experiences. This level of care creates a positive impression and fosters long-term relationships with customers.
In today’s competitive market, where customers have numerous options, businesses that prioritize customer care gain a competitive edge. Satisfied customers are more likely to become brand advocates, recommending the business to others and increasing its reach. This word-of-mouth marketing can significantly impact a business’s reputation and bottom line.
Furthermore, customer care is closely linked to customer retention. When customers feel valued and cared for, they are more likely to remain loyal to a business, reducing customer churn. Retaining existing customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, making customer care a strategic investment.
In addition to customer retention, customer care also contributes to customer acquisition. Satisfied customers are more likely to refer new customers, expanding the business’s customer base. Moreover, positive customer experiences shared on social media and review platforms can attract potential customers, further boosting business growth.
Customer care also plays a vital role in resolving customer issues and complaints. Promptly addressing customer concerns and providing effective solutions not only resolves the immediate problem but also demonstrates the business’s commitment to customer satisfaction. This can turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal advocate.
In conclusion, the importance of customer care in 2024 cannot be overstated. Prioritizing caring for customers is essential for business owners and professionals to succeed in today’s competitive market. By providing excellent customer care, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction, and loyalty, and drive growth.
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