Share your biggest challenges -- and let's work together to solve them
If you want me to help you solve the challenges you're currently facing with your business?
Then you need to TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE.
Just leave me a comment and tell me what your biggest challenge is right now. Is your site not getting any visitors? Are you getting lots of visitors, but no sales?
Let me know and I'll do whatever it takes to give you the information you need to solve that problem and get your business back on the fast track to online success.
Thomas Edison once said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
You may be experiencing some challenges right now... but you don't know how close to success you are.
Let me help you find out!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
How to make sure those "links for sale" offers are worth it?
You probably know that high-quality inbound links are the foundation of effective search engine marketing.
(Reciprocal links aren't working any more. The search engines are on to them. Having a few on your site won't get you penalized, but having only reciprocal links will definitely send up a red flag.)
However, it takes a lot of time to build an effective structure of one-way inbound links. So to get the ball rolling, you may want to consider buying some.
But there are good links to buy... and bad links to buy. Today I'm going to tell you how to identify the good ones, and use them to build a solid link network the search engines will LOVE.
Rule #1: Build a content-rich site people actually WANT to link to. That's your core of your long-term strategy. After all, if your content is useless who's going to want to send their visitors there?
Rule #2: Make sure the linking site has content that's relevant to your website. If your site is about dog training, don't buy a link from a site that teaches people how to play the piano.
Rule #3: Make sure the site has a high Google PageRank and a regular flow of incoming traffic. A site with a PageRank with 4 or higher is considered good. And there's a free tool called Alexa you can use to see how much traffic a site gets. (Check it out at http://www.alexa.com.) If the site gets only a trickle of traffic, a link from it isn't going to help you very much.
Rule #4: Include your best keywords in the anchor text. And remember to vary your anchor text from link to link. If people were naturally linking to your website, they wouldn't use the exact same anchor text.
Rule #5: Make sure your link gets put in a high-traffic spot on the other site. The best place is at the top of the homepage, usually on the right.
Rule #6: Get links from as many different kinds of sites as you can. Get them from logs and online PDF documents, as well as e-zines and newsletters. Look for sites that get a lot of visitors and newsletters with a high readership.
Rule #7: (And here's the kicker): Don't buy a whole bunch of links all at once! Why? Because if your brand-new site suddenly has hundreds -- or even thousands -- of links pointing to it, Google's going to penalize you!
Google is very good at identifying links that aren't "organic." If a site gets a whole bunch of links all at once, it looks suspicious.
On top of that, Google tracks links from well-known link sellers and brokers. It doesn't count them as "natural" links, so having them won't help you. In fact, having too many of them will actually harm you.
So definitely beware of sites that advertise an offer like this:
Links For Sale
$20 Monthly
96, 458 backlinks, Sitewide, 6PR
$200 Monthly Entertainment
9,792,006 backlinks, Sitewide, 9PR
$40 Monthly Computer and Internet
124,310 backlinks, Sitewide, 7PR
$200 Yearly Computers and Internet
1,524 backlinks, Sitewide, 7PR
$20 Monthly Health and Fitness
97,218 backlinks, Sitewide, 6PR
View all links for sale
... Yikes. Offers like that'll get you booted off of Google in no time flat!
You've got to plan your link purchases carefully. If you stagger them out, it'll look as if you acquired them naturally over time.
Try to buy links from sites that aren't regularly in the business of selling links. You may even have to explain once or twice why you want a link from them. But the time you put into getting these links will be worth it.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN will all LOVE you -- and you'll never have to worry about being dropped from their listings because of bad links.
For More Info Click Here!
(Reciprocal links aren't working any more. The search engines are on to them. Having a few on your site won't get you penalized, but having only reciprocal links will definitely send up a red flag.)
However, it takes a lot of time to build an effective structure of one-way inbound links. So to get the ball rolling, you may want to consider buying some.
But there are good links to buy... and bad links to buy. Today I'm going to tell you how to identify the good ones, and use them to build a solid link network the search engines will LOVE.
Rule #1: Build a content-rich site people actually WANT to link to. That's your core of your long-term strategy. After all, if your content is useless who's going to want to send their visitors there?
Rule #2: Make sure the linking site has content that's relevant to your website. If your site is about dog training, don't buy a link from a site that teaches people how to play the piano.
Rule #3: Make sure the site has a high Google PageRank and a regular flow of incoming traffic. A site with a PageRank with 4 or higher is considered good. And there's a free tool called Alexa you can use to see how much traffic a site gets. (Check it out at http://www.alexa.com.) If the site gets only a trickle of traffic, a link from it isn't going to help you very much.
Rule #4: Include your best keywords in the anchor text. And remember to vary your anchor text from link to link. If people were naturally linking to your website, they wouldn't use the exact same anchor text.
Rule #5: Make sure your link gets put in a high-traffic spot on the other site. The best place is at the top of the homepage, usually on the right.
Rule #6: Get links from as many different kinds of sites as you can. Get them from logs and online PDF documents, as well as e-zines and newsletters. Look for sites that get a lot of visitors and newsletters with a high readership.
Rule #7: (And here's the kicker): Don't buy a whole bunch of links all at once! Why? Because if your brand-new site suddenly has hundreds -- or even thousands -- of links pointing to it, Google's going to penalize you!
Google is very good at identifying links that aren't "organic." If a site gets a whole bunch of links all at once, it looks suspicious.
On top of that, Google tracks links from well-known link sellers and brokers. It doesn't count them as "natural" links, so having them won't help you. In fact, having too many of them will actually harm you.
So definitely beware of sites that advertise an offer like this:
Links For Sale
$20 Monthly
96, 458 backlinks, Sitewide, 6PR
$200 Monthly Entertainment
9,792,006 backlinks, Sitewide, 9PR
$40 Monthly Computer and Internet
124,310 backlinks, Sitewide, 7PR
$200 Yearly Computers and Internet
1,524 backlinks, Sitewide, 7PR
$20 Monthly Health and Fitness
97,218 backlinks, Sitewide, 6PR
View all links for sale
... Yikes. Offers like that'll get you booted off of Google in no time flat!
You've got to plan your link purchases carefully. If you stagger them out, it'll look as if you acquired them naturally over time.
Try to buy links from sites that aren't regularly in the business of selling links. You may even have to explain once or twice why you want a link from them. But the time you put into getting these links will be worth it.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN will all LOVE you -- and you'll never have to worry about being dropped from their listings because of bad links.
For More Info Click Here!
"But they said I would be rich! What happened?"
You've heard the saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Well, if you follow this principle when deciding how you'll make money on the Internet, you could save yourself a significant amount of grief in the future.
It seems like every day there's a new "get rich quick" scam popping up on the Internet promising, "If you have a pulse you will be rich before you know it!!!"
Unfortunately, the only ones who ever make a penny are the scammers! And they'll be gone long before you ever figure that out.
At every seminar we hold, we meet smart people who were duped by scammers like this -- and in many cases, taken for a small fortune. These are great people who have a genuine desire to succeed. They simply made one bad decision. Now they'll be paying for it, for months or even years.
So what's the best way to fight these scammers? The answer is simple: EDUCATION.
Today I'm going to educate you on how to filter the REAL money-making opportunities from all the B.S. out there, with my "Scam Detector Check List"!
Whenever you come across a possible business opportunity, simply consult this handy checklist. It'll help you discover if it really is a genuine opportunity -- or a genuine waste of money.
1. If they can't prove a successful track record -- it might be a scam
If you've never heard of them before -- and they can't offer solid proof they've got a successful track record -- then how can you trust them to help YOU make money?
Be skeptical. Ask questions. Search for the URL in Google... are they listed?
If you can't find any positive consumer reviews about them -- or if the only reviews you find are negative -- you should definitely think twice about doing business with them.
2. If they can't show you legitimate testimonials -- it might be a scam
If you are making a significant investment in a business opportunity, the company you are purchasing from should be willing to put you in contact with other successful students. We get this request all of the time, and have numerous successful students who are happy to give us a personal reference at a moment's notice.
To take a look at how we use those testimonials on our salesletters, please visit:
Marketing Tips By Clicking Here
As you'll see, we provide names, photographs, and URLs for every testimonial we use, so you can easily see that they're all coming from real people.
In fact, we even use video testimonials on our sites. What better way to confirm testimonials are real than to get them straight from the source -- and watch people actually say them in their own words?
3. If they give you a product to sell, as well as the web site to sell it -- it might be a scam
If someone's offering to give you a product to sell, AND the website to sell it on, beware! Chances are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of other people are selling the exact same product with the exact same website. With so much competition, only a small percentage of sellers will ever make any money.
That's why at IMC, we're so adamant about teaching our students how to find their own niche market and develop or find their own products to sell. It's the philosophy our entire training system is founded on.
I truly believe niche marketing is the only GUARANTEED way to start a successful business on the Internet. Not using the same website to sell the exact same product that thousands of other people are selling!
4. If the company is charging you money to sell their products -- it might be a scam
If a company says you can sell their product and they will pay you a commission from each sale -- but you need to pay them for the opportunity to do so -- chances are it's a scam.
The truth is, companies like this KNOW their "affiliates" aren't going to generate any sales. That's why they need to get your money up front!
Take it from someone who's run a highly successful affiliate program for years. If someone wants to become an IMC affiliate and sell my products for me, I'd never make them pay! Why should they? They're doing me a favor!
5. If you cannot talk to them in person -- it might be a scam
Before you make a significant investment in a business opportunity, give the vendors a call. Talk to them in person. Ask them hard questions. If you cannot talk to them in person then don't do business with them!
And finally, use common sense. If you apply the points above and ask lots of questions, chances are you will make the right decisions and pursue the right opportunities.
Just remember: When it comes to online success, there is no magic pill. If you want to start a real business on the Internet you need to be prepared to put in the time and effort to get there.
I can give you all of the strategies you need to make that happen. And I can break them down into easy-to-follow instructions. But the rest is up to you!
Until next time...
Well, if you follow this principle when deciding how you'll make money on the Internet, you could save yourself a significant amount of grief in the future.
It seems like every day there's a new "get rich quick" scam popping up on the Internet promising, "If you have a pulse you will be rich before you know it!!!"
Unfortunately, the only ones who ever make a penny are the scammers! And they'll be gone long before you ever figure that out.
At every seminar we hold, we meet smart people who were duped by scammers like this -- and in many cases, taken for a small fortune. These are great people who have a genuine desire to succeed. They simply made one bad decision. Now they'll be paying for it, for months or even years.
So what's the best way to fight these scammers? The answer is simple: EDUCATION.
Today I'm going to educate you on how to filter the REAL money-making opportunities from all the B.S. out there, with my "Scam Detector Check List"!
Whenever you come across a possible business opportunity, simply consult this handy checklist. It'll help you discover if it really is a genuine opportunity -- or a genuine waste of money.
1. If they can't prove a successful track record -- it might be a scam
If you've never heard of them before -- and they can't offer solid proof they've got a successful track record -- then how can you trust them to help YOU make money?
Be skeptical. Ask questions. Search for the URL in Google... are they listed?
If you can't find any positive consumer reviews about them -- or if the only reviews you find are negative -- you should definitely think twice about doing business with them.
2. If they can't show you legitimate testimonials -- it might be a scam
If you are making a significant investment in a business opportunity, the company you are purchasing from should be willing to put you in contact with other successful students. We get this request all of the time, and have numerous successful students who are happy to give us a personal reference at a moment's notice.
To take a look at how we use those testimonials on our salesletters, please visit:
Marketing Tips By Clicking Here
As you'll see, we provide names, photographs, and URLs for every testimonial we use, so you can easily see that they're all coming from real people.
In fact, we even use video testimonials on our sites. What better way to confirm testimonials are real than to get them straight from the source -- and watch people actually say them in their own words?
3. If they give you a product to sell, as well as the web site to sell it -- it might be a scam
If someone's offering to give you a product to sell, AND the website to sell it on, beware! Chances are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of other people are selling the exact same product with the exact same website. With so much competition, only a small percentage of sellers will ever make any money.
That's why at IMC, we're so adamant about teaching our students how to find their own niche market and develop or find their own products to sell. It's the philosophy our entire training system is founded on.
I truly believe niche marketing is the only GUARANTEED way to start a successful business on the Internet. Not using the same website to sell the exact same product that thousands of other people are selling!
4. If the company is charging you money to sell their products -- it might be a scam
If a company says you can sell their product and they will pay you a commission from each sale -- but you need to pay them for the opportunity to do so -- chances are it's a scam.
The truth is, companies like this KNOW their "affiliates" aren't going to generate any sales. That's why they need to get your money up front!
Take it from someone who's run a highly successful affiliate program for years. If someone wants to become an IMC affiliate and sell my products for me, I'd never make them pay! Why should they? They're doing me a favor!
5. If you cannot talk to them in person -- it might be a scam
Before you make a significant investment in a business opportunity, give the vendors a call. Talk to them in person. Ask them hard questions. If you cannot talk to them in person then don't do business with them!
And finally, use common sense. If you apply the points above and ask lots of questions, chances are you will make the right decisions and pursue the right opportunities.
Just remember: When it comes to online success, there is no magic pill. If you want to start a real business on the Internet you need to be prepared to put in the time and effort to get there.
I can give you all of the strategies you need to make that happen. And I can break them down into easy-to-follow instructions. But the rest is up to you!
Until next time...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Internet Marketing Guru Reveals
How 1000's Of Regular People Are Raking In
$8,750 to $66,200 A MONTH With Simple
Website Businesses!
If you've ever dreamed of being your
own boss and all the perks that go
with it, such as:
* Quitting your job...
* Sleeping in every day... and
* Setting your own schedule...
... Or if you have an existing web
business and you'd like to discover
how to turn more of your visitors
into BUYERS...
You won't want to miss an opportunity
to attend The Internet Marketing
Center's 2-Day Intensive Internet
Wealth-Building Bootcamp!
To find a seminar happening in your
city, including a complete itinerary
of the stealth strategies you'll learn, go here now:
Internet Marketing Seminars
$8,750 to $66,200 A MONTH With Simple
Website Businesses!
If you've ever dreamed of being your
own boss and all the perks that go
with it, such as:
* Quitting your job...
* Sleeping in every day... and
* Setting your own schedule...
... Or if you have an existing web
business and you'd like to discover
how to turn more of your visitors
into BUYERS...
You won't want to miss an opportunity
to attend The Internet Marketing
Center's 2-Day Intensive Internet
Wealth-Building Bootcamp!
To find a seminar happening in your
city, including a complete itinerary
of the stealth strategies you'll learn, go here now:
Internet Marketing Seminars
Insider Marketing Strategies Cash Flow News Letter
I will send you nine very valuable lessons absolutely FREE!
Sign into my Cash Flow News Letter to Learn:
Essential Rules for Effective Email Marketing
Email Aesthetics
7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your Mailing List
Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing
Using Auto responders To Multiply Marketing Power & Save Time!
8 Steps to Irresistible Email Copy Every Time
Triggers That May Cause Email Filters To Delete Your Email
The Truth About Direct Email & Email Lists
What’s Unsafe, Plus six pages of Money Making Super Links!
and Much Much More!
GET FREE ACCESS HERE!
Sign into my Cash Flow News Letter to Learn:
Essential Rules for Effective Email Marketing
Email Aesthetics
7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your Mailing List
Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing
Using Auto responders To Multiply Marketing Power & Save Time!
8 Steps to Irresistible Email Copy Every Time
Triggers That May Cause Email Filters To Delete Your Email
The Truth About Direct Email & Email Lists
What’s Unsafe, Plus six pages of Money Making Super Links!
and Much Much More!
GET FREE ACCESS HERE!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Get Paid $500 to test this
Today’s you Lucky Day!
If you've always wanted an Internet business, but you've been
stopped by hurdles like no website and no product idea, I have
extremely exciting news...
After months of effort, Derek Gehl and his team at the
Internet Marketing Center have finally developed a proven,
guaranteed, and realistic SYSTEM that even a computer dummy
can use to start a highly profitable Internet business, in
one of the HOTTEST growth industries in North America...
... And Derek is willing to pay you $500.00 to test it for him.
No, this isn't some deal where he gets you to re-sell his
products. And yes, it will require some time and effort on
your part.
Because while Derek can't actually do this FOR YOU (that
*would* be the ideal scenario), he's taken everything he
knows about achieving wealth on the Internet, including all
the same secrets he's used to generate over $50,000,000.00
in online sales, and he's boiled them down into an extremely
concise but complete SYSTEM that will allow you to...
... Finally, start an Internet business you love, and leap
from $0 to potentially earning a six-figure income or more
with blinding speed.
Of course, you may be wondering... will Derek's SYSTEM work
for you? His track record says "yes" -- but he realizes you
may be skeptical, so he's willing to pay you $500.00 to
find out.
Visit WARP SPEED WEALTH
to get all the information, and then make your decision
to enroll.
All the best,
P.S. To clarify, I should tell you that if you don't succeed,
Derek will pay you $500.00... If his system works for you,
you'll have a six-figure-income of potentially $250,000.00
or more per year to "fall back on," and his $500.00 will
look like chump change ;-)!
How's THAT for a promise?! To try it yourself, visit:
WARP SPEED WEALTH
If you've always wanted an Internet business, but you've been
stopped by hurdles like no website and no product idea, I have
extremely exciting news...
After months of effort, Derek Gehl and his team at the
Internet Marketing Center have finally developed a proven,
guaranteed, and realistic SYSTEM that even a computer dummy
can use to start a highly profitable Internet business, in
one of the HOTTEST growth industries in North America...
... And Derek is willing to pay you $500.00 to test it for him.
No, this isn't some deal where he gets you to re-sell his
products. And yes, it will require some time and effort on
your part.
Because while Derek can't actually do this FOR YOU (that
*would* be the ideal scenario), he's taken everything he
knows about achieving wealth on the Internet, including all
the same secrets he's used to generate over $50,000,000.00
in online sales, and he's boiled them down into an extremely
concise but complete SYSTEM that will allow you to...
... Finally, start an Internet business you love, and leap
from $0 to potentially earning a six-figure income or more
with blinding speed.
Of course, you may be wondering... will Derek's SYSTEM work
for you? His track record says "yes" -- but he realizes you
may be skeptical, so he's willing to pay you $500.00 to
find out.
Visit WARP SPEED WEALTH
to get all the information, and then make your decision
to enroll.
All the best,
P.S. To clarify, I should tell you that if you don't succeed,
Derek will pay you $500.00... If his system works for you,
you'll have a six-figure-income of potentially $250,000.00
or more per year to "fall back on," and his $500.00 will
look like chump change ;-)!
How's THAT for a promise?! To try it yourself, visit:
WARP SPEED WEALTH
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Secrets To Their Success
I just interviewed two online marketers whose businesses DWARF mine.
(And one of them is running a business I'd never advise people to start in a million years -- an online bookstore! With heavy-hitting competitors like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, who'd want to get into that market?)
These guys are both running businesses that started out small -- and now they're making $25,000,000 - $170,000,000 in annual sales!
So today -- in order to inspire you and keep you working toward your own online business goals -- I want to share some of the key strategies they've used to achieve their phenomenal success.
You can't NOT learn from successful marketers like these guys. After all, they've got the results to prove their strategies really work.
NOTE: These two businesses were recently featured in our our "experts tell all" online magazine, "Secrets To Their Success."
If you'd like to read their complete interviews, you can sign up for your own "Secrets To Their Success" membership by visiting:
Secrets To Their Success
I hope their stories inspire you!
SUCCESS STORY #1: AbeBooks.com -- $170 million in sales in 2006!
Abe's Books started out as a small used bookshop in Victoria, Canada. When the original shopkeeper started complaining about how much time she had to spend tracking down rare or hard-to-find books for her customers, her "techie" husband suggested using the Internet.
Talk about a good idea. Just 10 years after going online, CEO Hannes Blum reports that AbeBooks.com is now selling $170 million worth of books a year!
Here's a rundown of some of the strategies the company has used to achieve its incredible success:
List segmentation: This company puts a lot of effort into splitting their customers and subscribers into different niche groups, and then presenting those groups with targeted promotional offers that speak directly to their needs.
Hannes says, "It's much more effective to contact our customers this way than with 'broad strokes.'"
Targeted newsletters: AbeBooks.com offers newsletters on a wide range of topics, so that people can get free information on their specific interests.
"We have specialist e-newsletters dedicated to textbooks, rare book collecting and niche genres like science fiction and fantasy," Hannes says.
Search engine optimization: "All of our sites are designed to bring in natural traffic when people are searching for authors and books," he says.
"Search engines are the roads people travel along when using the Internet to get places. If you're not putting out signs to capture their attention, they'll never find their way to you!"
Pay-per-click campaigns: Hannes says his company uses all the major pay-per-click programs -- Google, MSN, and Yahoo.
"Books encompass a massive variety of subjects, so we bid on a variety of keywords: titles, author names, genre names," he says. "You definitely have to know how your audience is trying to find you to use these programs effectively."
SUCCESS STORY #2: ToolKing.com -- $25 million in sales in 2006
Don Cohen's first online selling experience was on eBay. He and his 14-year-old son decided to list two items for $4.00 -- and they didn't even sell!
But Don didn't let that stop him. He recognized the profit potential of the Internet and took his retail tool shop online.
Turns out it was a great move. Don's site, ToolKing.com is now selling $25 million worth of tools every year!
Here are some of the top strategies Don has used to achieve his success:
Social networking: Don has built an online community site to support his sales site. People can go there to read free product reviews and recommendations, as well as industry information that's difficult to find anywhere else.
"They can come and get involved in various forums and workshops, set up blogs, connect with our staff, and access a ton of free information and product reviews on the tools and tool brands we sell," he says.
"The more value we can offer our visitors and customers, the more likely they are to return to our sites again and again, and give us the chance to market our products to them. And that's what we want!"
Search engine optimization: "Relevant content and relevant links are both very positive in terms of search engine optimization, and we're really providing them with both things on a consistent basis," Don says.
"You want to keep the spiders combing through your sites on a daily basis to see what's there. You want to know where people head once they've been there -- and how they got there in the first place!"
Dedication to customer satisfaction: "The bigger you get, the easier it is to forget that your customers are the bottom line -- not just your profits -- and that you need to satisfy THEM in the end, if you want to grow," Don says.
"We aim to provide the best product at the best price without sacrificing customer satisfaction, or putting a dent that all-important customer relationship."
... Of course, if you're just getting started, the idea of building a business that makes $25 million -- or $170 million! -- probably seems a bit ambitious.
But no matter what your goals -- whether you just want to make a comfortable $5,000-$6,000 income, or you want to drive around town in a brand-new Ferrari (because your Maserati's in the garage) -- the best way to achieve success is to model the strategies of people who are ALREADY running successful online businesses.
And that's why it's so great to learn about the strategies that successful marketers like Hannes and Don have used to achieve their incredible success!
P.S. As a "Secrets To Their Success" subscriber, you'll not only be able to read two monthly interviews with successful marketers like Hannes and Don -- you'll also be able to enter to win a complete site makeover from my team of experts, worth $5,000.
(And you can re-enter the contest every month you're a member!)
Click here for your chance to win!
(And one of them is running a business I'd never advise people to start in a million years -- an online bookstore! With heavy-hitting competitors like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, who'd want to get into that market?)
These guys are both running businesses that started out small -- and now they're making $25,000,000 - $170,000,000 in annual sales!
So today -- in order to inspire you and keep you working toward your own online business goals -- I want to share some of the key strategies they've used to achieve their phenomenal success.
You can't NOT learn from successful marketers like these guys. After all, they've got the results to prove their strategies really work.
NOTE: These two businesses were recently featured in our our "experts tell all" online magazine, "Secrets To Their Success."
If you'd like to read their complete interviews, you can sign up for your own "Secrets To Their Success" membership by visiting:
Secrets To Their Success
I hope their stories inspire you!
SUCCESS STORY #1: AbeBooks.com -- $170 million in sales in 2006!
Abe's Books started out as a small used bookshop in Victoria, Canada. When the original shopkeeper started complaining about how much time she had to spend tracking down rare or hard-to-find books for her customers, her "techie" husband suggested using the Internet.
Talk about a good idea. Just 10 years after going online, CEO Hannes Blum reports that AbeBooks.com is now selling $170 million worth of books a year!
Here's a rundown of some of the strategies the company has used to achieve its incredible success:
List segmentation: This company puts a lot of effort into splitting their customers and subscribers into different niche groups, and then presenting those groups with targeted promotional offers that speak directly to their needs.
Hannes says, "It's much more effective to contact our customers this way than with 'broad strokes.'"
Targeted newsletters: AbeBooks.com offers newsletters on a wide range of topics, so that people can get free information on their specific interests.
"We have specialist e-newsletters dedicated to textbooks, rare book collecting and niche genres like science fiction and fantasy," Hannes says.
Search engine optimization: "All of our sites are designed to bring in natural traffic when people are searching for authors and books," he says.
"Search engines are the roads people travel along when using the Internet to get places. If you're not putting out signs to capture their attention, they'll never find their way to you!"
Pay-per-click campaigns: Hannes says his company uses all the major pay-per-click programs -- Google, MSN, and Yahoo.
"Books encompass a massive variety of subjects, so we bid on a variety of keywords: titles, author names, genre names," he says. "You definitely have to know how your audience is trying to find you to use these programs effectively."
SUCCESS STORY #2: ToolKing.com -- $25 million in sales in 2006
Don Cohen's first online selling experience was on eBay. He and his 14-year-old son decided to list two items for $4.00 -- and they didn't even sell!
But Don didn't let that stop him. He recognized the profit potential of the Internet and took his retail tool shop online.
Turns out it was a great move. Don's site, ToolKing.com is now selling $25 million worth of tools every year!
Here are some of the top strategies Don has used to achieve his success:
Social networking: Don has built an online community site to support his sales site. People can go there to read free product reviews and recommendations, as well as industry information that's difficult to find anywhere else.
"They can come and get involved in various forums and workshops, set up blogs, connect with our staff, and access a ton of free information and product reviews on the tools and tool brands we sell," he says.
"The more value we can offer our visitors and customers, the more likely they are to return to our sites again and again, and give us the chance to market our products to them. And that's what we want!"
Search engine optimization: "Relevant content and relevant links are both very positive in terms of search engine optimization, and we're really providing them with both things on a consistent basis," Don says.
"You want to keep the spiders combing through your sites on a daily basis to see what's there. You want to know where people head once they've been there -- and how they got there in the first place!"
Dedication to customer satisfaction: "The bigger you get, the easier it is to forget that your customers are the bottom line -- not just your profits -- and that you need to satisfy THEM in the end, if you want to grow," Don says.
"We aim to provide the best product at the best price without sacrificing customer satisfaction, or putting a dent that all-important customer relationship."
... Of course, if you're just getting started, the idea of building a business that makes $25 million -- or $170 million! -- probably seems a bit ambitious.
But no matter what your goals -- whether you just want to make a comfortable $5,000-$6,000 income, or you want to drive around town in a brand-new Ferrari (because your Maserati's in the garage) -- the best way to achieve success is to model the strategies of people who are ALREADY running successful online businesses.
And that's why it's so great to learn about the strategies that successful marketers like Hannes and Don have used to achieve their incredible success!
P.S. As a "Secrets To Their Success" subscriber, you'll not only be able to read two monthly interviews with successful marketers like Hannes and Don -- you'll also be able to enter to win a complete site makeover from my team of experts, worth $5,000.
(And you can re-enter the contest every month you're a member!)
Click here for your chance to win!
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