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Internet Marketing In South Africa by: Derek Robson

2009-11-05T23:37:00.000+07:00

Part 1

This article is written from my own experiences, on the many problems facing South African based internet marketers. As a South African, myself, I have been trying to establish myself in internet marketing, for the last three years, but have come across a number of obstacles, which have proved seriously detrimental to my efforts. If you are South African, you can probably relate to this. If you have been battling what seem insurmountable odds, or if you are new to this concept, the message is the same. Stop wasting your time and your money on what is bound to be nothing less than - wasting your time and your money and I will explain why I said that. If you are an internet marketer, who is not South African, you should also read this article, because you are, unwittingly, leaving a lot of money on the table.

As we all know, South Africa is a part of Africa and is unfairly considered as a third world country, with the incorrect perception that this second largest continent, is nothing more than a waste of time, in the field of internet marketing. Well, I beg to differ. I will attempt to outline some of the misconceptions, obstacles, causes and remedies that I have encountered.

Yes, it is true that Africa has not progressed as much as the so called first world countries, but it is taking giant strides towards that. The advent of the internet, is only just beginning to catch on and the vast majority of the population, still have no access at all, but it is coming and it is coming fast. The internet is now available in all countries around the world and Africa is no different. We all know about the Nigerian internet scams. It is just that the vast majority of the population are poverty stricken and cannot afford the service, many are illiterate and the majority of the continent consists of large open spaces and small villages, making the physical provision of any basic services such as electricity, clean water, telephones and other communication devices extremely difficult. It is also an ongoing problem, where these desperate people steal cables and anything that can be traded for a meal. So, at this stage the internet is only available in the bigger metropolitan areas. It makes sense, doesn't it? Imagine how easy it is to supply services to a very densely populated area like England and where everyone is literate, in a fixed abode and living above the poverty line.

South Africa is the most technically advanced country in Africa and not far behind the standards of the other technology rich countries, but we are seriously lacking in internet technology. The internet is still very new to South Africa and has only just begun to catch on. It is experiencing a phenomenal growth rate and more and more businesses and individuals are "hooking up". All of the major cities are able to offer various means of connection such as ADSL, bluetooth, wireless and people are getting connected on their pcs, laptops and cellphones. The rural areas are battling to get connected and the only option available to them at this stage is the old antiquated dial up system using a telephone line, or via satellite. Promises have been made by government, that in a few years, everyone will be able to get a telephone and therefore, will have internet access available to them. This represents an enormous potential for wary marketers.

This is the overview of the situation with internet access in Africa and more particularly, South Africa. In the next article, we will look at some of the problems faced by South African users and the effects they have on internet marketing.

Part 2

Recent political changes, have reversed the fortunes of the South African population, in that the previously disadvantaged black community, now have money and the fine things in life, including access to the internet. Whereas before they wouldn't have been considered a viable market, they are now able to access the internet and dabble in small business. They want more. The whites, on the other hand, now find themselves out of work, unsure of the future and desperately seeking an alternative means of income. Both groups make good target markets, and both are particularly keen on using the internet to improve their lot in life. Remember, the internet is the biggest employer in the world and does not recognise age, colour, education, physical disabilities, wealth etc. People hear of the successes achieved on the internet and are fooled into looking for a quick fix. The internet and marketing via this medium, gives everyone an equal opportunity, well, almost everyone. Not South Africans, unfortunately.

Something like 70% of the S.A internet community, access the internet on the computers at their places of employment and as much as two hours each workday, is lost to private usage of the internet. Obviously these people are not all looking for ways to make money, but a large percentage are. These people who are newly exposed to all the hype on the internet are easily sucked in to believing the sales pitch. A lot of money is being spent on all sorts of junk and causing many heartbroken families. I was like that too. I firmly believed I could make a lot of money on the internet and set about joining all sorts of schemes. They do not work, but these desperate and naïve people don't know that. Imagine if it was possible to guide them, to channel all that energy and curiosity and of course all that money into your bank account? If those people all trusted you and listened to your advice, if you were able to develop well thought out plans and business opportunities? If those people all joined your membership site?

One of the biggest drawbacks in S.A is that the internet and allied services are still very expensive and difficulty in finding a good service provider. Other first world countries have direct, fast, unlimited service at very reasonable prices and if they do experience problems with the service provider, there are plenty of others to try. According to a recent survey, something like 70% of all internet users, regularly access the 'net from their places of employment. The employer provides pcs and internet for business purposes and these curious people cheat their employers, by using his service for private usage. People send emails to friends, go shopping, download files, look at pornography, play games, gamble and read classifieds and other adverts for a better job, or an easy method of earning more money. From this survey it was estimated that as much as 85% of this target group were looking for self employment opportunities. Now, that's a lot of people! If the price of internet access was cheaper, all these people would use it at home. In fact, most do have internet access at home, but due to small caps on their usage and exorbitant prices, they rather use the employer's service. My point is that millions are searching for opportunities on the internet and the fact that crime is rampant only makes them more determined, to start a business from home. This is a huge potential for marketers. So what is the problem? Why are more South Africans actively getting involved? In the next article, we will start looking at these problem areas.

Part 3

As the internet is still relatively new to South Africa, we don't have many experts, or experience in the field. Those calling themselves experts, have only a limited knowledge and are far too expensive, when compared to overseas competitors. Simple things like service provision, web hosting, design and site building, software, tools, optimisation and advertising, are grossly overpriced. In most cases, they are bought overseas and resold here. I was given a quote, last month, of R120 ($17) per month, for basic, small webhosting service, excluding the domain registration and excluding the internet service provision. That was only the hosting! I was quoted R6000 ($857) for a designer, to look at one of my websites and to make a couple of small changes. It is crazy. We pay between R8 and R12 for an mp3 song, which costs from 10c to 90c in the U.S.A.

The state owned telecommunications company, Telkom, have the monopoly and squash all opposition. This has led to very highly priced access and an indifferent service. Nearly all packages offered by them, or sub contactor service providers, are restricted and capped. The actual service, the technical help and the customer relations are dreadful. The dial up service is very unreliable, the speeds are far lower than advertised, due to the poor state of the physical 'phone lines and the modems cost the earth. Take the U.S.A for example, where there are something like 800 million people with regular access and hundreds of competitors all offering better prices. The internet is a way of life and the huge speeds and download capabilities are taken for granted. In South Africa only something like 27 million have any form of access, largely due to the high costs. I got a quote from Telkom last week for satellite service. The basic installation cost is R3100 ($443), paid upfront. The monthly rental for the satellite service, capped at 3 Gigs, is R1263 ($180) and I still need a service provider who comes in at a basic charge of R284 ($40) plus consumption and of course I still need to keep my basic phone service for R110 ($16) plus call usage. Once the cap is reached, the service is suspended and additional packages can be purchased for R120 ($17) per 250 Megs. So in all it will cost me, monthly, around R2317 ($331) for a basic internet service of 4Gigs and a phone at home. Obviously there are cheaper options available in the cities, but living out of town, there is no choice. By the way, a friend living in the U.S.A got a similar quote for only $40 (R280) per month and his service boasted more facilities and no capping whatsoever.

For some reason, probably the old apartheid days, South Africa was boycotted by the wealthy first world countries and nobody has told them yet, that times have changed. South Africans suffer many discriminatory obstacles in the use of the internet and over the last few years, I have repeatedly been stumped by these. I have two messages of advice here. To the frustrated, aspirant South African marketers and those who will follow shortly, stop and listen. Do not waste more time and money trying all sorts of offers, you will not succeed. Rather use the time to brush up on your skills. Select a market niche and learn to use control panel, FTP, html, php, hyperlinks and all the other things, that will help you to run your business. Wait for the solution. I have enlisted the help of two of the world's top marketers to find a way around the problems, for you. To the marketers who are knowingly, or unknowingly discriminating against certain countries, you are leaving money on the table and missing out on a huge potential market. But, that's okay, I'll take it. These are some of the more general problems experienced by South Africans. In the next article, we will look at some of the specific problems affecting our marketing abilities.

Part 4

By now, you are probably wondering what other problems I'm talking about and how they are affecting our chances of success. If you have been involved for a while, you have probably encountered a few of these yourself and if you are a newbie, you are likely to still come across these problems soon.

There are obvious generalities that exclude South Africans from participating. We joined about 163 survey companies, when we first started out on the internet. We soon found out that most were American companies and only for Americans. That makes sense, when the product, or service being rated is only available there, but why do they mislead us and take our money. You must have seen the misleading ads about how quick and easy it is to earn money by doing simple surveys. A lot of them claim to be international, for anybody who understands English. The same thing happens. You are invited to do the survey, but as soon as you type in your address, you are told it is not available in your area. We wasted a lot of money on these. The foolproof unconditional money back guarantees are a lot of hogwash. Just ignore them.

The same thing happened with the typing services. My wife joined a few of them, with the promise, that as long as she had a basic working knowledge of English, no experience was necessary. Money as easy and fast to earn, on simple assignments. Well, she wasn't given any assignments and on enquiring as to the reason, she was told that we spell differently. That was not ever mentioned at the time of joining and was also money wasted. For Pete's sake, we speak and spell correctly. It is the Americans who changed the language.

We also joined a lot of companies who promised to pay us for surfing and reading emails. We worked our butts off and eventually, after almost a year, had earned a whopping $247000! We tried to cash in, but were then told that no cheques could be issued. Monies were only paid into American bank accounts. They said they were an international company and anyone in the world could join. But, not get paid.

We often see special promos on free hosting, free domain registration and other all too important services. All looks great from the outside, but as soon as we apply we find out that we are unfortunately not eligible. I don't know how many times I have won prizes. Cash, free products, a trip, ocean cruises, but on trying to claim them, I'm told they don't apply to South Africans.

Very often, freebies are included to sweeten a deal. I joined a music site for mp3 downloads. The price was inclusive of a whole bunch of bonuses. I was to get meal tickets, petrol (gas) coupons, membership of some or other club, discounts on shopping, blah, blah, blah. Needles to say, I joined and paid full price, but never got any of the goodies that all my American counterparts received. I am very into music and 2 years ago I purchased Music Match Jukebox, with free updates for life, access to the online music shop and full usage of something I think was called Radio Gold. It was full access to 150 live radio stations. After I received my purchase, all I had was the jukebox and the promise of updates. On enquiry, I was told "Sorry, but this offer doesn't apply to you", but I paid the full price. Why don't they tell us before we pay? Why don't we get a discount? This seems to be common practice and apart from the obvious discrimination and disappointment is false advertising.

Anyway, these are some problems I have experienced, but not really connected in any way to our functionality at internet marketing. What are the problems facing South African marketers? More in the next article.

Part 5

We have covered quite a few problems facing South Africans already and here are some more.

Overseas companies, particularly those in the U.S.A, offering opportunities, services and resources, usually require a fixed email address, at the time of joining. This is to prevent temporary accounts and others such as Hotmail, from being used, as it is very easy to cancel, or change, after joining and the marketer is left with a useless address, in his contact list. South Africans have another problem, in that most of our suffixes, such as .co.za, telkomsa, za, are not allowed. Usually your country is required and many of the drop down menus have small, insignificant countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mauritius, Ivory Coast listed, but not South Africa. So we have to get ourselves an email address with an overseas company, just to comply. Why?

We, as South Africans, have no shopping carts, or payment processors, suitable for international use, or integration, into overseas websites and the biggest culprit is PayPay. They are the first choice, worldwide and any marketer not offering PayPal, as a means of payment, is seriously disadvantaged. Why then, do they not deal with South Africa? Sure, you can make a purchase through them, but they will not collect monies for you, or allow you to make a withdrawal, if you are South African. Other smaller countries are catered for, but not S.A. There are other options, but none as popular. Most payments, affiliate plans and opportunities, pay through PayPal. I joined dozens of respected affiliate plans and spent a great deal of effort, on advertising, before I found out the truth.

A few months ago, I was experiencing the common problems all new marketers face. I knew what I wanted to do, but not how to actually get it done. I'm talking about the setting up, in order to start business. I needed a domain name, a website, content and products, a hosting service, a shopping cart, a mailing list facility, a form for grabbing visitor's details, a payment processor, or two, etc etc. You know what I'm talking about. There are so many options available. The web is full of them. Some are free, some cheap, some having special offers, but which was the best for my needs? Nobody tells you that sort of information. How much space do you need for a bookstore, how much bandwidth do you need for customer downloads? How does the speed affect you? I had played around a bit with wysiwyg editors and done a little html coding. I had used a couple of free websites and hey, the last one I built without their website templated builder. I thought I was getting good, but still a little out of my depth. That scared me a bit, so I decided to look for a ready made, turnkey business. They all say the only thing you need to do is to enter your password and account details, then sit back and watch the money roll in. Well I eventually found something that sounded ideal. It was expensive, but I thought I would be saving in the long run. I wanted to sell ebooks, articles, plr, courses and so on. I paid for this business, as I had seen the example and even test drove the shopping cart prior to purchase. Just when I thought I had found a shortcut to starting my business, the problems began. What problems? Read the next article to find out and to see the solution.

Part 6

We were talking about the problems I encountered after I had bought the bookstore. Well firstly, the whole bookstore was inphp with cpanel control panel, my sql and a whole lot of Greek terms. You remember I had worked with online and offline editors in wysiwyg and a little html. Well now I was lost. I was warned not to try to edit in an html editor, or I would corrupt the php. I had never used these before and couldn't understand why I couldn't find the pages, to edit them. Then I found that the currencies shown on the products were not compatible with the Rand, but I thought so what, I'll just sell in dollars. Then I found that PayPal was not an option. Damn, but hey, I could still use NoChex, or the other one, I forget the name. No way, Jose, those weren't allowed either. I had to have a banking account in USA or UK. I eventually got EGold to work, but how many people pay with gold? That bookstore is still sitting, gathering dust.

There are no local, South African internet companies, for memberships, product sourcing, resources, search engine optimisation etc, so we have to look abroad. Although these are offered reasonably, overseas, we are still subjected to the exchange rate. At present the rate is 7 to the $, 14 to the Pound and around 9 to the Euro, but even so, it is usually cheaper, than our own prices and of course you are spoilt for choice.

Training is another area seriously lacking. With all the conferences, seminars, teleseminars, video training and group discussions unavailable to us in S.A, how are we expected to learn and to keep abreast of developments? Dial up is not powerful enough and anyway it is limited to times between 7pm and 7am, which is a bad time, as even if you stay up all night, it is roughly midnight to midmorning in the States. So how do we learn?

So, with a very limited number of companies prepared to do business with us, with our lack of choice, with our very expensive internet service, with very little access to all the great offers, with our SA email addresses, with our antiquated dial ups, without access to genuine training videos, with the exorbitant exchange rate, with our different spelling, without any reciprocal banks or payment processors, without a compatible shopping cart, with the scams and rip offs and all the rest we have discussed, can South Africans ever hope to get involved in internet marketing?

The truth is rather bleak. Nobody is worried about us, or the problems we have and nobody seems to care. The big "guru" marketers don't seem to be able to think outside their statelines and regard us as a waste of time. They are happy to take our money, though. But wait, there does seem to be a solution for you. As I said earlier, I have teamed up with two of the world's top marketers and together, we are trying to resolve these issues. We will put together a complete, turnkey package deal, a ready to run business, with domain, hosting, website, content, decent affiliate plans, a stream of products, an exclusive membership, a working shopping cart and payment processor, training and ongoing support, a proven plan, optimisation, adsense and other monetised methods for those poor South Africans, who want to be marketers. The hardest part of having your own business, is setting it up and getting it working. You will be able to enter the market place and do very well for yourselves, with our help, so in the meantime, there are a few things you must do.

Familiarise yourself with market trends and choose a niche market, in which you want to trade. Start practicing the basics and learn how things work. Get your mind sorted out. Tell yourself you can do it and will change your life. Sign up to our newsletter and mailings. If you really want to finally realise your dreams, give up the job, work from home, earn a good income, have flexibility and satisfaction, and be competitive in the international arena, then there is only one way you are going to acquire this - through us.

To remain informed of our progress, by newsletter and mail, to get recommended tools and lessons and to start your journey to wealth, sign up here. It's free. Click this link : http://dersalsites.com/newsletter/

About The Author

Derek Robson is an up and coming South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. He has started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles as part of Dersalsites.

To sign up for our comprehensive ecourse, on internet marketing and to start out on the right path, click the link below. This course consists of over 243 pages, videos, graphics and is formatted into 13 daily lessons. It is titled "The Magical Formula For Earning A Life Changing Income". Click here : http://dersalsites.com/course/

BEST Way To Make A Killing Online! by: Dan Enlow

2009-10-24T13:24:00.000+07:00

I'm going to share with you the most powerful ways to create wealth on the internet today. After reviewing many business opportunities on the internet I have only found this one that gives you the power to leverage your time like mlms but is not a mlm. (DISCLAIMER: No, i'm not bashing mlms. Yes, I am involved with a mlm myself. I believe they are a great way to make additional income in the long term and I know many people that have become successful in this industry.)

This program I have found is called 1StepSystem. It was created by Chris Koehl and Rod Stinson. Rod is rated one of the top 20 network marketers in the world! Very super guy and extremely helpful. Like I said it is not mlm...it is a 2-up system, which means you pass up 2 training sales to your sponsor before you start making commission off the product.

What is the product?

The product is called "Ultimate Marketer's Toolbox". This product includes various marketing tools that will help teach you internet marketing. It has 57 audio CDs, 3 software titles, and 8 manuals! Keep in mind too...it is constantly being added to! Find that anywhere else with a product. The retail value of the "Ultimate Marketer's Toolbox" is $2,600. Wow...you might be thinking...that's a lot of money! I thought the same thing until I found out that it only costs $597! I was amazed as you probably are right now.

How do I make money with this?

You get to make a commission off the sales you do for the "Ultimate Marketer's Toolbox". I know, I know...how much commission do you make off the product sale? You're thinking probably like 10-15%, right? WRONG! I was also amazed at the commission percentage...83% of the product sale goes to you. That's $500 in your pocket! That just makes the whole thing worth while, doesn't it?

What's this 2-up system?

It might sound complicated but it really isn't at all. Once you purchase the "Ultimate Marketer's Toolbox" and decide to market it you will be considered a Marketing Associate. What that means is you make 2 training sales that are passed up to your sponsor, so your sponsor will make $500 from each sale. You might be thinking that doesn't sound very good...it is very good let me explain more. At that point you will be a Qualified Associate which basically means you get the $500 commission off every sale you make.

Let's show you an example: Let's say Bill has made his 2 training sales and is now a Qualified Associate. He then makes 2 sales, one to Amy and one to Michael. Amy and Michael are both Marketing Associates now. Amy and Michael both make their 2 training sales so Bill makes $2000 and Amy and Michael now can both start making commissions and Bill doesn't make anymore from them. But Amy and Michael's 2 training sales they made are passed up to Bill so Bill can make commissions off of the 4 training sales. See, how that can grow and grow and make you extremely wealthy?

Reading through that you probably are starting to realize why this program is so powerful and a lot of money is to be made. The question is.....are you going to take your piece of that "money pie"? People see how they can make $500 commission and they think "Oh wow, I can make $500!" I'm here to tell you it is a lot more powerful than that BUT it does involve actual work! It isn't get rich quick. It isn't magical money that flows in once you sign up without doing work. Yes...there is 1 step, but you must do that 1 step in order to be successful. This will show you how to get wealthy right!

Want more information about 1StepSystem? I found a FREE eBook on it that you can download and check out. It also shows various methods used to drive traffic to your 1StepSystem site.

http://www.qualityipa.com/freebook/download.html

Here is a link to the 1StepSystem site so you can see it in action for yourself.

http://www.qualityipa.com/reviews/1ssreview.html

To Your Success,

Dan Enlow

About The Author

Dan Enlow, founder and owner of qualityipa.com, reviews various home based business opportunities across the internet in order to help people find the right opportunity for them.

How To Quickly and Easily Choose The Right Home Based Business Online by: John Stafford

2009-10-22T10:26:00.000+07:00

Chances are, if you're reading this you're looking for a decent business online. You're probably being barraged with a zillion different companies all promising you the moon.

So, how do you choose the right one? I'm glad you asked :-)

Here are the three steps you need to take to find out if online company you're researching is a winner:

1. Research The Products

Does the company you're considering have any products you can sell and how good are they? Talk to some current reps and make it clear you're not joining now you just want their opinion.

You can even order some and judge for yourself, if they fall short in this area they won't last long so make sure you find out first.

2. How long Have They Been Around?

Find out how long the company has been around, if they're new or in "pre-launch" then steer clear. Don't fall for the "get in early" hype, wait awhile to see how it turns out.

Too many fly by night companies crash and burn early and take alot of peoples money with them, don't let it be you.

3. How do you get paid?

Contact the company and find out exactly how you're getting paid for your efforts. If they use a processor you've never heard of or takes a high amount before you see a check, warning bells should go off.

If the company doesn't respond or gives you the run around then don't waste your time or money.

About The Author

John Stafford is the owner of: Research Your Home Business - Cutting edge ideas, resources and strategies for your home based business online http://www.researchyourhomebusiness.com.

My Own Online Business After A Divorce and Almost Bankruptcy by: Maria Estarellas

2009-10-17T15:59:00.000+07:00

When I got divorced, I didn't know how I was going to be able to cope with my financial responsibilities which included mortgage, car, my kids's private school plus all the other expenses related to having a family without a husband's salary.

I had recently lost my full-time job, had managed to find a part-time job, and wasn't receiving any child support because we had joined custody.

With all this happening at once, I was desperate to find some kind of work that I could do from home so I could pay the bills.

That's when I decided to look on the Internet. I looked for information on how to start an online business, web design, how to find products to sell and everything related to having a home based business. But guess what, most of the free information available talked about getting a product, promoting it and making money but they actually didn't say how and where to find products, where or how to promote your web site and I was so frustrated that for a moment I thought about forgetting the whole thing and look for a full-time job somewhere else.

At this point I knew that I only had one last chance at it so I decided to spend one more day looking for step-by-step information on how to set up your own home business. Luckily, I came across a very impressive step-by-step manual that taught me how to start my business online.

If you plan to start your own online business, keep in mind that you have to invest a little money. But hey, the investment is a lot less than starting any other business.

My initial investment (after having spent previously around $250 in information that wasn't worth a penny) was $296.90. This included the step-by-step manual, autoresponder, domain, web hosting and search engines.

The basic steps to start your own business are:

1. What to look for first?...A Niche Market

Some people think that they should look for a product first and then look for customers but in reality, it's the other way around.

One of the tools that I use for this is http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ac/index.jhtml and look in the "Search Term Suggestion Tool".

All you have to do is type a keyword and it will give you a list of related keywords that people have looked for during the previous month.

You may be asking, how do I know what keywords to type? Well, I recommend you start by writing on a piece of paper the answer to these questions.

What are my hobbies?
What are my interests?
What talents do I have?

Don't leave anything out. Why things you're interested in? Because having a home based business is not only about making money but also about having fun in the process. If you're passionate about what you do, you will suceed.

Once you have your keywords, then you go to Google and start writing each keyword in "search". You will notice numbers underneath the "search" box.

Just to give you an example, if you type the word "home based business" you will see "Results 1-10 of about 13,900,000". To see if you found a niche market, all you have to do is do the following calculation.

Supply/Demand = Supply/Demand Ratio

In other words:
Google Results/Overture Count = Supply/Demand Ratio

Let's say that when you looked for "home based business" in Overture the count was 415461 so the result is:

13,900,000/415461 = 33.45681063

The lower the Supply/Demand Ratio number is, the better because it tells you that there is more demand than supply and you will make more money with this niche market.

2. Looking for a Product

Once you identify your niche market, it's time to look for a product.

In my case, since I don't want to get involved in shipping products, I look for companies that once I sell the product, they will ship it to the customer allowing me to save on shipping charges and time.

Nowadays, people are looking for information on various topics. Most of internet sales are on info products that the customer can download immediately, once they pay for it with a credit card. It doesn't involve any shipping charge and the customer doesn't have to wait 2-3 weeks to receive it.

There are suppliers that have over 10,000 digital products on every topic and the best thing is that they deliver the products, and pay you commission. They issue checks twice a month.

3. Building a Web Site

Once you have your niche market and products, you need to build a web site. Since I didn't know any HTML and didn't have money, I looked for companies that would allow you to build your own web site at a very low price and that included some type of HTML program so all I had to do was type the information and the system would convert it to HTML.

In terms of the design of your web site, make it as simple as possible. Make sure the navigation is easy for your customers and don't use too many pictures. Less is more. The background should be white with black letters to make it easier to read.

Don't have too many pages. Don't give your customer an excuse to leave your web site because it is too long or have too many pages.

Have a "subscribe form" built in your web site. It's very important that you collect as many email addresses as you can because those will be your customers. Provide a free newsletter every month with useful information to your customers.

4. Writing your Sales Letter

When I read about writing a sales letter, I wasn't sure I could write anything. To tell you the truth, I'm not a good writer. What I learned was that if your going to write something for your web site, write as if you were writing to a friend of yours.

Be honest, write the pro's and con's of your products. That way you establish credibility and your customers will be more inclined to buy from you.

5. Choosing a Web Hosting Company

Look for a company that gives you enough bandwidth, email accounts, and support. Look for their reliability because you don't want to choose one that have frequent problems with their system.

6. Autoresponder

You need to set up an autoresponder because if you're going to send information to your costumers, you don't want to spend time writing every month and sending it to them. With an autoresponder, you can type or even copy and paste articles in advance that will be automatically sent to your customers every week or every month.

This may take you 1-2 hours to do but once you do it, you can forget about it for a whole year.

7. Promote Your Web Site

I've found that the most difficult thing to do is this, promoting. Know why? Because there are lots of companies that supposedly "guarantee" that you're going to get lots of hits for a fee. Most are scams. I personally don't spend a cent buying "guaranteed leads".

Another thing that doesn't work for me is "free ads". Most of the time, people don't read them and because they are free, these ads are not sent to anyone.

The only ads that have worked for me are the one in Google Adwords. These are based on a "pay-per-click" basis. You have to make sure that if your are going to use this method of advertising, that you set up the parameters. What I mean by this is, establish the amount of money you will spend on a daily basis so you don't spend more than you can afford to.

During my first month doing business on the Internet, I generated $532.16 working only 2 hours a week.

The feeling of checking my account every day and discovering that I had made money was so great that I decided to look for other ways to make a bigger income.

I'll be honest with you, it hasn't been easy and I'm not going to tell you that I became a millionaire in 6 months because I would be lying, but every day I search for more information and ways to make money and it feels great to be able to pay my bills and still have money to do whatever I want.

Final Thought

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make it. Believe in yourself.

The advantages of having an online business is that the expenses a very low, you get to have the flexibility of working the hours you want and the days you want, allowing you more time with your family and friends.

One important thing is to keep up to date on everything related to having a home based business. The Internet is changing every day and if you're serious about having an online business, make sure you read and educate yourself.

About The Author

Maria Estarellas is a former airline manager and mother of two teenage sons. Her website was created with the modern family in mind. She provides a variety of information and fun things to do for the whole family in just one place. Upon request, she also helps people find information when they don't have time to do it themselves. http://www.meg2.citymaker.com
meg2@aweber.com

How to Find the Best Online Business Opportunities by: Dallas Cove

2009-10-16T20:14:00.000+07:00

If you were searching for online business opportunities then you have landed at the right place. You are reading this article because you have a hunch that it just might be possible for you to make money online, or you might be considering a home based business. Online businesses, if used correctly, can earn you thousands per month, even while you sleep. With the growth of the internet and the down turn of the global economy, more and more people around the world are looking for ways to earn money online.

Ever since the inception of new concepts like e-commerce and online retailing the growth of the Internet and internet business opportunities have increased tremendously. The best feature about an online business is that anybody who is interested and passionate about it, and also learns the simple steps about how to turn that opportunity into money, can easily make a large amount of money online. There are all sorts of online business systems from which to choose.

There are several businesses for which you would require some specialized knowledge, but there are many other online opportunities for which you would require just some basic idea and a few simple skills. If you like the flexibility and challenges that come from working online, you can carve out your own piece of the ever-growing world of online money making opportunities. If you spend time on the Internet, you will no doubt run across a significant amount of these wonderful opportunities.

With online opportunities like Blogging, Google Adsense, Click Bank, article writing, paid to post forums or even creating web content, you should be able to write with reasonable effectiveness but you certainly do not have to be an expert writer. You only need to be able to write something that would be understandable to a sixth grader. Sound simple? It is!

A huge investment is not always required to take advantage of online business opportunities. Reputable opportunities are listed in a number of online publications that post reviews and ratings for home based businesses, and are a good place to get reliable information to get you started. More people now work from home than ever before thanks to the huge number of businesses available and the World Wide Web.

Would you like to leave the hustle and bustle of corporate America and take advantage of the many online business opportunities? Do you have initiative and persistence? If so, then the world is your oyster! With a little research, you can easily find the right home based business for yourself and begin earning money online by tomorrow.

--
Dallas Cove is the author. Are you looking for an excellent online, autopilot money making system with an unlimited income potential? You can find one that is top notch by visiting this website: http://DallasWealth1.com

About The Author

Hi, Everyone, I’m Dallas, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a business owner living in Southern California and enjoy sharing ideas about positive thinking, health, fitness and making money online from home.

The author invites you to visit:
http://DallasWealth1.com

How to Use Email Marketing To Build Your Entire Online Business

2009-10-16T09:52:00.000+07:00

Let me ask you a quick question....

Do you know what is the most effective way to use email?

C'mon...think really hard on this one...

Don't know the answer?

Actually it doesn't really matter...because I'm going to share with you 3 really simple and easy ways to use your email to build a profitable business completely online using nothing but your email list...

I see you like this already...

In fact these 3 simple solutions will answer some of the most common questions that I'm generally asked about email marketing and that you can begin using immediately.

So without further ado....

Tip 1. Invitations

Do you know of seminars, conferences, or any other special events your customers would be interested in? Extend them an invitation and you can subtly remind them of your presence.

Tip 2. Follow up. Once you make a contact it can take up to 7 reminders or more before that person will purchase from you. Email marketing is the perfect way to send reminders and follow up pitches without being annoying.

Tip 3. Staying in touch.

With email marketing you can send brief emails every couple of weeks or every month just to keep in touch with your customers. These emails can include anything from special offers, to invitations, to articles.

Bonus tip =

Tip 4. Special offers.

If you were to simply offer special discounts and coupons on your site, people would only know about them if they decided to pay your site a visit. But with email marketing you can notify people every time you have a sale, or offer them discounts and coupons that will draw them back to your site.

Your not quite finished yet....

I've got a few more helpful tips that you can also begin using right away.

I know, I know....you want to know the answers to questions like:

Should you use html or plain text?

What's the easiest way to get your customers to subscribe to your newsletter or ezine?

Or why you should never sell your product in your newsletter..

Tip 5. HTML or plain text?

Response rates for html newsletters are generally higher than plain text, and graphics and colors tend to make the publication look far more professional. The downside is that html is much slower to download, and some email providers will screen out HTML email.

Tip 6. Provide an incentive to subscribe.

Advertise the benefits of receiving your newsletter to get customers to sign up for your newsletter, such as helpful tips, informative content or early notifications of special offers or campaigns.

Another way you can get people to click on the subscribe button is by using what I like to call the "Sports Illustrated Offer"

Yep, I picked this one up from the sports illustrated magazine offer where they sell you the enticing free gift first. Then they briefly mention that the only way you can get this free gift is through a subscription to S.I. Then it's back to selling that free gift. The idea is that the free gift is more valuable than the magazine itself.

Here's how you can use this idea in your business.

If you feel like the product or service your offering doesn't hit your customers hot buttons, then you need to find and offer them a really desirable product or service, and make that your selling point. And in order to get it they will have to purchase your secondary product or service.

We're almost through...

I've got one last tip that I saved for last that's sure to make this article well worth reading. You'll learn exactly what you need to do to get your newsletter read.

Tip 7. Don't just sell your newsletter.

Many studies suggest that email newsletters are read more carefully when they offer information that is useful to the customers lives rather than merely selling products and services. Helpful tips, engaging content and humor are often expected to accompany email newsletters.

So you've just read through 7 powerful tips that you can put to use in your business starting today, the only question left is can you put all of these tips together to maximize your businesses profits?

About The Author

Keir Smith is the creator of the 100%, totally FREE, ecourse "Email Strategies Explained" a no holds barred explanation of how to use email marketing to build an entire business online. This course is free for a limited time only. To get your free subscription send an email to mylistprofits@geresponse.com.

Internet And Business Online – The Act Of Interdependence by: Scott Lindsay

2009-10-14T12:34:00.000+07:00

The best role of business online is that of interdependency. We’ve all heard the old saying, “No man is an island.” When it comes to online business this is especially true.

If a business owner who takes their business into the online world determines they will be self reliant and never accept the help of anyone then that individual will not be in business long enough to change their minds.

It is accepted fact that the greatest tool for long-term exposure to your website is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Without it potential customers can’t find you. It is unreasonable to expect that you can adequately develop a website without optimizing your website for the best possible search engine ranking.

Search engines also place a high value on sites that have links placed on existing sites. These ‘backlinks’ demonstrate to search engines that others trust your site. By placing your link on their website these other businesses indicate a trust and recommendation for your site.

In effect the two strategies listed above rely exclusively on what others can do for you when it comes to your online business.

Shirley Temple once proclaimed in her movie Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, “I’m very self-reliant.” American westerns are filled with lines dealing with pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and holding down the fort. Many of us have grown up to believe if we want something done right we have to do it ourselves.

This thinking is in opposition to the rules associated with an online business.

The online world can only exist because people share. Individuals share technology, but the also share links, reviews, blogs, forums and a wide range of other marketing strategies that find a commingling of interdependency.

In online business you are as dependent on others as they may be on you. Unlike the word ‘dependent’, the term interdependent indicates a mutual dependency. In other words you are depending on others to help provide links back to your site while they are equally dependent on you (or others) for the success of their business.

Have you really taken a proactive approach to networking? It’s possible you are reading this today and you’ve never considered asking someone else to place a link to your site on his or her online business site.

It can feel awkward depending on others to achieve online success especially if you’ve been lead to believe reliance on others is also a sign of imposing on their otherwise brilliant generosity.

I suppose it could be a deep-seated sense of pride that makes it hard to consider the need to ask others for help. However, the truth is depending on others is really what has made the Internet possible. The growth of this online world is comprised of a link of computers, networks and servers that are connected in a way that provides the maximum benefit for all.

Building an online business can feel a bit like trying to build a house of cards. Without the ability to rely on the other ‘cards’ around you it is virtually impossible to build.

Interdependence. This is the essence of online business.

About The Author

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. Make your own website in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com or Build A Website at: http://www.buildagreatsite.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com

My Own Online Business After A Divorce and Almost Bankruptcy by: Maria Estarellas

2009-10-13T21:41:00.000+07:00

I had recently lost my full-time job, had managed to find a part-time job, and wasn't receiving any child support because we had joined custody.

With all this happening at once, I was desperate to find some kind of work that I could do from home so I could pay the bills.

If you plan to start your own online business, keep in mind that you have to invest a little money. But hey, the investment is a lot less than starting any other business.

The basic steps to start your own business are:

1. What to look for first?...A Niche Market

Some people think that they should look for a product first and then look for customers but in reality, it's the other way around.

One of the tools that I use for this is http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ac/index.jhtml and look in the "Search Term Suggestion Tool".

All you have to do is type a keyword and it will give you a list of related keywords that people have looked for during the previous month.

You may be asking, how do I know what keywords to type? Well, I recommend you start by writing on a piece of paper the answer to these questions.

What are my hobbies?
What are my interests?
What talents do I have?

Once you have your keywords, then you go to Google and start writing each keyword in "search". You will notice numbers underneath the "search" box.

Supply/Demand = Supply/Demand Ratio

In other words:
Google Results/Overture Count = Supply/Demand Ratio

Let's say that when you looked for "home based business" in Overture the count was 415461 so the result is:

13,900,000/415461 = 33.45681063

The lower the Supply/Demand Ratio number is, the better because it tells you that there is more demand than supply and you will make more money with this niche market.

2. Looking for a Product

Once you identify your niche market, it's time to look for a product.

There are suppliers that have over 10,000 digital products on every topic and the best thing is that they deliver the products, and pay you commission. They issue checks twice a month.

3. Building a Web Site

Don't have too many pages. Don't give your customer an excuse to leave your web site because it is too long or have too many pages.

4. Writing your Sales Letter

Be honest, write the pro's and con's of your products. That way you establish credibility and your customers will be more inclined to buy from you.

5. Choosing a Web Hosting Company

Look for a company that gives you enough bandwidth, email accounts, and support. Look for their reliability because you don't want to choose one that have frequent problems with their system.

6. Autoresponder

This may take you 1-2 hours to do but once you do it, you can forget about it for a whole year.

7. Promote Your Web Site

Another thing that doesn't work for me is "free ads". Most of the time, people don't read them and because they are free, these ads are not sent to anyone.

During my first month doing business on the Internet, I generated $532.16 working only 2 hours a week.

The feeling of checking my account every day and discovering that I had made money was so great that I decided to look for other ways to make a bigger income.

Final Thought

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make it. Believe in yourself.

About The Author

Building An Online Business Is Like Starting A Garden, You First MUST Plant Your Seeds by: Cory Threlfall

2009-10-12T14:21:00.001+07:00

I know what your thinking, "what the heck does starting a garden and planting seeds have to do with building an online business?"

Well... it all depends on how you perceive what I'm about to share with you.

I'm merely using that headline as an analogy to a Powerful marketing strategy that I use to send HIGHLY targeted traffic to my online business... Effortlessly, that almost every website on the Internet is hungry for.

Now, we all know that in order to be in business you need to either provide a Product and/or Service that cater's to an particular Niche.

That's the easy part to figure out.

The part that is usually the hardest with most online businesses is growing that business, and we both know that in order to grow your business online you need "TRAFFIC".

We've all experienced these growing pains, myself included.

And, finding a cost effective marketing strategy these days like the one I'm about to share with you takes a little time to learn, but, in the long run will benefit You and your business for years.

Here are just a few benefits you'll receive when you incorporate this marketing strategy into your existing online business...

It'll BOOST your websites "Link Popularity"...
It'll give YOU and your business INSTANT credibility...
It'll build TRUST with your potential customers...
It'll send your website Residual traffic for years...

... and best of all, it'll put You infront of thousands of HIGHLY targeted customers... for FREE!

Do any of those Benefits get you excited?

They sure get me excited simply because I know it works and well at that.

So, with that said, I'm sure your getting a little anxious to find out what these "SEEDS" are that I'm so fond of that will put your online business infront of thousands of HIGHLY targeted customers Absolutely FREE!

Are You Ready?

!!WRITING ARTICLES!!

That's right... Writing Articles, in my mind, is one of the BEST and most cost effective forms of online promotion, no matter what business your in.

WHY?

Read the BENEFITS I listed above one more time to refresh your memory.

Where else or what other marketing strategy online will give you a list of benefits like that.

And, the best part is... it doesn't cost You anything, and yet, almost every website owner online is starving for it.

Here's another quick reminder for you, why do you think they call the Internet... "The Information Super-Highway".

The Internet received that name for a reason because that is exactly what it IS.

All you need to do is supply the Information in the form of an well written "Article" and send it to related websites and/or newsletters around the web related to your particular Niche.

Just imagine for a minute, what one article or half a dozen articles, for that matter, would do for your online business?

You'll never know until You get started, so my suggestion to You is, start brain storming some article idea's about your Product or Service and write them down on a piece of paper.

Once you have a clear idea, "Start Writing".

So, there you have it, and that's why I stated... "Building An Online Business Is Like Starting A Garden, You First MUST Plant Your Seeds" in order for your online business to grow.

I truly hope you understand the importance of writing Articles and why they are considered one of the BEST forms of online promotion for your business.

About The Author

Get YOUR "Step-By-Step" roadmap for Unlimited FREE traffic using Articles! FREE Details=> http://compactURL.com/wgwf

-- Or if you want to get MORE 'Insider' marketing Secrets subscribe to Cory Threlfall's Free 'Weekly' ezine called... The Internet Wonders eZine at --

http://www.internetwondersezine.com