Online Marketing Strategy for Newbies – 4 Steps to Success

One of the most difficult parts of starting any business is knowing where to begin. With all of the different ways you can find to start just taking your first step can be daunting. In the case of building an internet business through online marketing you can get caught in a trap of failure right from the beginning because it’s so hard to figure out how to do it the right way from the start.

To break down the process lets take a step back and look at the problem as a whole and then narrow down from there. In my opinion the best place to get your feet wet is with affiliate marketing. You can sell someone else’s product so you don’t have to create one yourself right away and the commissions are usually more or equal to the profit made by the creator.

A great way to begin affiliate marketing is by setting up little streams of traffic pulling strategies to direct people to the squeeze page of the product. By setting up these little systems in multiple places you can start making money from home on autopilot. It can be broken down into only a few simple steps:

1. First you must generate consistent free traffic that is targeted to a certain demographic range. This can be done through article marketing or creating compelling video content and submitting it to websites like YouTube.com. The articles can be submitted to hundreds of article directories and all of these sources create backlinks that will increase your search engine rankings.

2. Once you start getting interest in your articles and videos, you then direct that traffic to your affiliate programs. Try to find products that have a high conversion ratio – that is the percentage of people who make a purchase out of the entire number of visitors.

3. As you go through this process you want to use the system to build your own list of interested prospects. Even if they don’t buy directly from the affiliate product squeeze page you should try to gather email addresses from these visitors. If you can get an email address from them you may be able to send them information about another product that they would be interested in.

4. This is how your new marketing system will work to generate income for you for years to come. The best part is that you can automate this process, once you have it set up it can become a passive income source.

The key to making successful online income streams from home is by doing something that works and implementing it over and over again in a way that is automated. In this way of marketing the traffic methods are even free. If you want to start looking for a program to follow you need to be careful, there are a lot of outdated and poorly created online marketing systems.

This article provides a rough outline of a solid marketing strategy, but you need more specific details on how to implement it. The most exiting part of working a system like this is you mostly just have to invest your time and you can generate real results from that time for years to come. That's the best way to make money online. Creating simple but super powerful systems that once they are set up they are ready to run forever.

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How to Come Up with a Good Domain Name for Your Online Business

There are times when we have no trouble finding a suitable domain name, but then there are those times when it just makes you crazy. If you want your online business to stand out from the rest, then you should waste absolutely no time in choosing a worthy domain name for your website. Some registrars are more organized than others, and the ones who are not can be quite difficult. You really have to pay attention to what you are doing when dealing with all the things they throw at you. Here in this article we will review the critical items necessary to ensure your next domain name is exactly what you want and need.

There is nothing sweeter than stumbling upon a domain that is short and available. A long time ago everyone and their brother were snapping up all the great - short, domain names. It is pretty much impossible to find a very short domain that is worth something, but if you have the money you can sometimes find the one you want. Generally speaking, people like to stay away from the longer names, but you can sometimes find a good short one in a .org or .net extension. So spend some time on this because your domain name is going to be central to your online business. You never know, after you develop the site you may opt for putting it up for sale, so a better name will command a higher resale value.

You will still have the best experience with dot com extensions, but the org and net choices have been accepted and are no problem to use. These are the popular domain name extensions that are recognized by people and are also liked by the search engines. There are many other domain extensions available in the market, but they don't hold much value in the long run. Even if you intend to sell your domain name in the future, you won't get a good price if your domain extension is not popular.

Most domains, if not all, that have numbers in them tend to not do well. Some people type domains into their browsers, and things like hyphens are really awkward to type. You know how it is when you want to type a domain and it is just a pain to do. It's a risk that's not worth taking, especially when each of your visitor is valuable to your website's success. There really is no need to anguish over finding a good domain name. The more you engage in domain name research, in time you will automatically know how to find a few good ones for yourself.

5 Things to Remember When Creating a Blog

When creating a blog you'll want to keep a few things in mind from the very beginning that will help you to properly direct your efforts. If you aspire to become one of the most popular blogs in your niche your focus will have to be on the blog reader. If you are blogging to make money then realize your income will be dependent upon the people who visit your site. These people will ultimately decide how popular your blog is or how successful your promotional efforts may be so don't lose sight of that.

With that said here are 5 areas you will not want to overlook or disregard especially if you are counting on your home business blog to earn you an income.

Establish Transparency

Allow your readers to get some insight into who you are and why you blog. By increasing their familiarity with you in this way you are gaining more trust from them. Don't be afraid to share your opinion or a little bit about your personal interests, family or anything else that would be relevant to your blog or the readers.

This is especially important if you intend to promote any type of products on your site. Trust will be needed if readers are expected to make any purchases on what essentially will be your home business blog.

Create a Network

When posting take advantage of great content you may have found elsewhere and credit the source on your blog. By linking to other sites in this manner you will eventually have these sites link back to you creating a flow of traffic from their site.

Leave Comments

Visit other blogs within your community/niche for ideas on content, design, or even to see what others are talking about. Participate and if possible leave ONLY helpful, insightful, or informative comments. You will be creating a greater awareness of both you and your blog by doing this.

Do Your Research

Before you post anything be sure it is accurate and helpful to your readers. Don't position yourself as an expert on something you know little or nothing about. Be willing to do the research if you are not already an expert and over time you will gain the recognition as an authority on the subject matter.

Show Gratitude

Remember what we spoke of earlier that your readers will be responsible for your ultimate success. With this in mind periodically extending your appreciation to them for their loyalty will only help to strengthen the bond between you and them. A simple thank you will suffice and an occasional 'free' report won't hurt either. Besides gratitude is always good for the soul!

When creating a blog it is always smart to keep your ultimate goal in mind. Your site was created for the blog reader and their enjoyment. By catering to the needs of the visitors to your site you will put yourself in the position to become one of the most popular blogs in your niche. If you are blogging to make money then this will be of obvious importance to you since it will directly impact your income. Your continual attention to the 5 areas above will likely result in the greater satisfaction of your readers which will lead to the desired results you are seeking for your blog.

5 Ways to Reduce the Stress of Working Online from Home

Working online from home seems to be the most picture perfect scenario anyone can imagine. Earning a work from home income obviously offers it advantages but with it comes a certain mental stress that is easily overlooked until you've actually experience it. With the growth and success many are achieving in online marketing more people are starting a small business in their homes. Although this does allow for folks to escape the traditional 'rat race' as we know it, these types of businesses are still fertile grounds for work related stress. No longer 'slaving away' in a 'formal' work environment no doubt offers its attractions but work is still work. The associated tensions and anxieties still exist and need to be addressed.

Due mainly to the solitude or isolation online entrepreneurs typically experience when working at home many stress related issues often go unnoticed. This can set the stage for even greater damaging effects if this stress is left unchecked.

Recognizing it does exist and can not be avoided here are 5 tips to help reduce the mental stress experienced when working at home.

Schedule Your Work Hours

It is important that you have pre-defined hours in which you conduct your work. Like a regular job you need start on time and avoid the habit of 'lingering' at work since it's right there in the home.

The hours that you set aside for work need to be maintained consistently. Don't allow the distractions/temptation of the home environment to disrupt this schedule.

Leave Work at the Desk

Once you've completed your work for the day walk away and forget about it. Having your work set up in the home may tempt you to 'sneak' in a little overtime since it is right there.

Discipline yourself to let work go till the next day. Whether you're aware of it or not you need the break to recharge your mind, energy and spirit.

Finding the Humor

As you know things don't always go according to plan so when the unexpected happens don't dwell on it but rather try to find the humor in it and let it go.

Schedule Personal Time

Schedule time for your personal life and maintain this schedule. It is important to maintain a 'balance' in your life between personal and professional pursuits in order to keep your mind and spirits healthy.

Realize that you personal endeavors are just as important, if not more so, then your profession since they better define who you are. Remember you work primarily to pay the bills so don't let this aspect of your life dominate you!

Consciously 'Slow Down'

Pay closer attention to your level of intensity as you work since subconsciously we have a tendency get too caught up in it leading to increased tension. If need be take the time to deliberately slow yourself down and take the 'edge' off. As your tension eases you will find your thoughts become clearer and your productivity increases.

Although working online from home does offer many freedoms it does not eliminate work related stress. When starting a small business in your home it is important to realize that stress could in fact take an even greater toll on you. Many online entrepreneurs enjoy earning a work from home income but also burn out quickly due to this stress. By consistently practicing the 5 tips we discussed above there is no reason you can't find long lasting financial success in the stress free environment of your home.

How to Become the Best Blog Site in Your Niche

Being the best blog site in your niche carries many advantages especially if you blog to make money. Operating a blog that has a strong following is a reflection of the dedication and commitment invested into the ongoing process of the blog development itself. Any blog owner/operator knows what it takes to attract and retain the average blog reader and this is not something that happens overnight.

Now if you blog to make money you can see how a strong reader base could benefit you financially. In addition your authority within the niche will make it all the easier for you to attract additional readers since other blogs will have the tendency to link to your site.

What we're going to focus on here today is the importance of paying attention to the comments left by subscribers at your site. Within these comments you can find valuable nuggets of information that can be used to improve not only the blog but even your marketing strategy.

Here are 3 ways to use these blog reader comments that can help you become a more effective blogger and marketer.

Market Research Information

Putting out questions to your subscribers asking their opinions on certain products or trends could yield useful market research information as to current consumer preferences. Another approach could be polling your readers on what are some of their more pressing problems to which they wish they had a solution: what bugs them!

In both these scenarios the response of your subscribers could uncover a previously hidden niche or trend you could capitalize on. Market research information like this can easily cost a significant sum for a large corporation but you can collect this information right from your blog and use it to your advantage.

Blog Performance Feedback

Asking for opinions on the subjects of your post or perhaps the content itself can give you feedback as to whether you may need to make a change. Even simple inquiries about the layout of your blog, the graphics that are used, or the format of your posts could lead to dramatic improvements for the site.

Remember your blog is really for your readers so you should strive to give them what they want.

Encourages Interaction

Involving subscribers in these polling processes or even merely responding to their comments helps complete the 'cycle' of interactivity. This creates a sense of community for subscribers and increases their satisfaction. People like to know that their words or opinions are being heard and better yet acted upon.

Being the best blog site within your niche comes with many advantages and benefits but it also translates into a certain amount of commitment. When you blog to make money the stakes go even higher. Learning to tap into any available resource that can enhance your blog development and marketing effectiveness is a valuable skill. Using comments left by blog readers as we discussed above will allow you to put more distance between yourself and your competition. It is simply up to you to recognize and act upon any useful information a blog reader may have already left on the site for you even if it hasn't been solicited.


About The Author

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.

For additional money making tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://blogbrawn.com