Online Marketing Bulletin

25^th August 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Why you should consider Affiliate Marketing
• The Clickbank Marketplace

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Why you should consider Affiliate Marketing

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To my mind affiliate marketing is one of the best business models for aspiring internet marketers so let us take a look at some of the compelling reasons for pursuing this route.

1. You will incur no production costs as the product has already been designed, created and brought to market.
2. Set up costs are minimal, a decent computer and reliable software is really all you need to begin with.
3. The choice of products is virtually limitless and there are thousands of affiliate programs from which you can choose.
4. You do not require sales experience or marketing skills, all the tools you require will be supplied free of charge by the merchant.
5. You will never incur the heavy expense of carrying stock; you just arrange the order the merchant handles everything else.
6. The likelihood is that you will be selling to a global market but you do not have the headaches of logistics and deliveries, again this is taken care of by the merchant.
7. Returns? Not a problem as all queries and complaints are directed to the merchant company.
8. Once you are set up with a product and an affiliate link, sales are then on auto pilot, you can even make money whilst asleep or lazing on the beach.
9. There is the luxury of working from home, you do need to keep disciplined, but no travel costs or battling with rush hour traffic.

10.  Low risks can be set against huge earning potential, like everything in life rewards come from hard work but for a minimum outlay income can be substantial.

We have 10 appealing reasons for taking the affiliate route and there are many affiliates comfortably making six figure incomes. So what are the downsides?

Not many to be honest, you will need some start up cash, preferably a website (a WordPress blog will suffice), web hosting and an auto responder.

Oh! And lots of hard work. “Nothing is for nothing” runs the popular saying and certainly unless you are prepared to put in the work the rewards will not come. But isn’t that true of everything?

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Starting with Clickbank

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If you plan to take the affiliate route there is no better place to begin than at Clickbank.

This is an extract from my latest newsletter to get a regular free copy please go to the Online Marketing Bulletin and get your free Affiliate Marketing ebook.

The Gremlins strike again

Online Marketing Bulletin

18^th Aug 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Are we slaves to the internet
• Do not overlook Article Marketing

Have we sold our souls to the WWW, well we have certainly entrusted our futures to the internet god. As you are aware last weeks Bulleting was not published due to a combination of internet incompatibilities and conflicts.

These are not my words but reasons put forward by my ISP and security provider. I now have intermittent access to the web which may be resolved by a new modem I will have fitted tomorrow, we shall see.

The preceding paragraph I wrote on Tuesday but things didn’t quite work out. It is now two weeks since I had a reliable internet connection and having changed modems, routers, and security software, given my computers a complete health check I think I am ready to roll.

So I sit here with bated breath as I prepare this week’s edition just praying all the pieces have been put back together properly.

This gives real cause for concern as our online destinies are very much out of our hands and the really frustrating point is we have no alternatives when our connection fails. No web presence, no email, totally cut off from our business tools.

At the same time as my personal debacle two of the largest auto responder providers shut down causing chaos to thousands of online businesses.

In the quest for instant action and communication haven’t we overlooked the fact that an attack by the “Gremlins” renders us commercially ineffective.

I think I will take another look at snail mail.

To be completely fair considering the complexities of the internet losing two weeks in about four years is just about acceptable.

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Do not overlook Article Marketing

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Article marketing is one of the best ways

to effectively propagate your website or
business online. While there are a number
of ways to submit your articles, one of the
best resources for this purpose are online
directories.

Today there is such a large demand for
articles on the Internet that most article
directories offer their services absolutely
free of cost.

Then there are those niche directories
that cater to select target audiences,
hence they charge a subscription amount
from the user. However, the choice of
whether to opt for a free or a paid article
directory is a matter of personal preference,
although most free directories offer you
the same if not better levels of service.

Directories such as Ezine Articles and Buzzle

often reach page 1 on Google these are free and

two of the more popular directories. Article Rich

has a free option but for a small fee your article

will get wide exposure.

How can article writing boost traffic and income?

The article on the free content site contains a link to your own website. Readers, after reading your articles, may choose to click
on the link and pay you an unexpected visit. Having them on the free content sites is also making these articles available to other
webmasters who may wish to publish that article on their site.

If they do, your article will include a link back to your site. And anyone who reads the article on that site can still click on the link to visit your site.

Each of the Article directories has their own publishing terms and conditions but in the main they all look for relevant content in the body of the article and provide a bio, or resource box where the author can insert links back to a website or product promotion.

One of the attractive features of articles is their enduring value as they can be read months, or even years after they were published, providing long term links to your site.

In the next edition I shall explore the virtues and pitfalls of Clickbank.

Tune in next week

Many thanks for your patience over the past two weeks.

I hope you enjoyed reading Online Marketing Bulletin.

See you next time

Russ Turner

Online Marketing Bulletin

helpdesk@onlinemarketingbulletin.com

Excerpts from my current newsletter

Online Marketing Bulletin

4th August 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Give yourself a financial health check
• Are you squeezing in the right place
• A bad night for Billy

I’m so broke that when someone saw me walking down the street with one shoe, they said, “Hey, you lost a shoe”, “No”, I replied, “I just found one”

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Give yourself a financial health check
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Before things get that bad why not take a financial health check, a full MOT of your financial situation. Consider the following points and then answer, honestly, the question “Are you really doing enough to protect your finances”.
• Are you living within your means or more specifically not funding your life style from bank lending or credit cards but living off income whilst also committing part of the income to savings.
• Are you paying off your credit cards in full at the end of every month, if you pay only the minimum required this can cause you serious problems because you start paying interest on the interest and the debt can quickly spiral out of control.
• What is the best method of getting your finances in order? Quite simply setting budgets. This is not as difficult as it may sound, in its simplest form just list all sources of income and set against all outgoings. Are you in credit? Good, if not take a close look at your expenditure. A quick tip, always include a contingency figure to cover any unplanned expenses.
• Are you setting goals? If you do have debts write down a time scale for paying them off, decide what level of savings you need again write down how you intend to achieve them. Make a commitment to be free of debt as soon as possible, it may be a twenty year plan but set your plan and adhere to it as best you can.
• Whilst it can be tempting to have a spending blow out from time to time, try to save at least something from your income each month.
• There is a recommendation to save up to 20% of monthly income, for most I will agree this unlikely, but why not set it as a target and anything saved is better than no savings at all.
• If there is a struggle to pay bills, ensure household bills are paid off first you do not want to lose your home.
• We all dream of that windfall, if it happened what would you do with it? After the holiday (you probably deserve it) consider setting a sum off against any outstanding mortgage rather than putting the money into a savings account.
OK be honest are you doing enough? No apologies for quoting from my favourite Dickens character, Mr Micawber
“Annual income £20,000 annual expenditure £19,999.99 result happiness, Annual income £20,000 annual expenditure £20,000.01 result misery”. I know Dickens wrote £20, shows what effect inflation has.

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Are you squeezing in the right place?
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The squeeze page, your make or break document, getting visitors here is a mighty task don’t lose them.
Just how do you convert the casual visitor into a buyer or subscriber, remember your dynamic squeeze page must hold their attention for at least 30 seconds. Research shows that most visitors will decide within 20 seconds whether an internet document is worth reading so your page must be powerful enough to make them want more.

This is just an excerpt don’t miss out on  the full version or on future issues.

Get regular free copies of my newsletter, yes FREE and always will be. A brilliant Free ebook on Affiliate Marketing is also yours just for signing up HERE

Online Marketing Bulletin

28^th July 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• I’ll have a few of those endorphins please
• Is this the end for EBay
• Master the Internet Basics

Don’t miss out on Your Endorphin Rush

I’ve just been to the gym, which in itself is an achievement because lately I have been incredibly lazy and have used all the excuses in the book to avoid going, only to feel guilty later.

My gym is great it is run by the local authority, exceptionally well equipped and used by a wide variety of people. Youngsters trying to develop that first set of muscles, a few, more senior clients, seeking trimmer shapes, and a group under going rehabilitation exercises but what put me to shame was Ted a 75 year old gentleman lifting weights, cycling and jogging and with a smile on his face.

One common factor was that they were all working hard, obviously at different levels, but there was a real commitment from every one and of course there was a reward at the end – The Endorphin Rush.

Endorphins are chemicals produced by the pituitary glands during exercise and they resemble opiates in their ability to produce a feeling of well-being. They are also known to act as natural pain relievers.

I can personally vouch for this feel good factor that a good session of exercise produces and enjoying my “rush” a little later I was able to draw parallels between my gym colleagues and business colleagues. Put simply the greater the effort a person puts in the greater the reward, be it endorphins from the gym or financial rewards from your business.

I will definitely be back at the gym tomorrow, I’ll see if I can keep going longer than Ted.

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Is it the end for EBay
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EBay has recently come under attack from some quarters for the raft of regulations being introduced which many claim are aimed to discourage individuals from trading and in a December 2009 article from Mail Online by Sean Poulter he states that “Fixed price sales overtake auctions as Tesco brigade muscle in”. His full article is reproduced below.

It made its name as the online auction site for amateur traders where you could bid for a bargain and offload those unwanted items from the loft.

But 14 years on eBay has been swamped by big retailers.

For the first time, auctions have been outnumbered by straight sales at fixed price Tesco is selling returned and reconditioned items such as iPods at below the High Street price.

Argos is doing similar, while Littlewoods offers ‘clearance’ bargains through eBay.

Many small businesses have used the marketing possibility of eBay to sell online. And they have been so successful mainstream retailers are moving into the market.

They allow customers to find items at a cheap price without having to go through a time-consuming – and potentially frustrating – auction.

Some 56 per cent of global sales on eBay are made at a cost predetermined by the seller.

The arrival of the major names has caused some antagonism among the small traders who feel their ability to reach customers is being trampled on by powerful multi-national brands.

At one time, the idea of competing in web auctions in search of a bargain was an innovation and fun. However, some buyers have become bored with having to spend so much time watching items and upping their bids to beat off rival purchasers.

Consequently, this group is offering to buy items on a fixed price basis because it is simple and quick.

Paolo Pescatore, a technology industry analyst at CCS Insight, said: ‘People want predictability. For an item that’s been available for five days, you’ve submitted a bid on the first day, and then been pipped right at the post, it is annoying.’

Richard Kanareck, of eBay UK, said: ‘Ten years ago auctions were fun…Ten years later that’s so commonplace that people want it to be quick, easy and mainstream.’

The website is seeing more internet auctions. However, the pace of growth has been outpaced by an explosion in the number of fixed price purchases.

According to Nielsen, the market research company, about 18 million people in Britain visit eBay every month, making it the top e-commerce site in Britain.

The website makes huge profits through taking a small commission from every item made available for sale, although the recession has recently dented its income.

The brand has, however, been tarnished by revelations that criminal gangs have targeted the site.

Scams can include the sale of fake goods and fraudsters who ‘pay’ top prices with banker’s drafts that turn out to be worthless.

Around 18 million people in Britain visit eBay every month. It remains the country’s favourite ‘e-commerce’ site.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1234840/Is-end-eBay-Fixed-price-sales-overtake-auctions-Tesco-brigade-muscle-in.html#ixzz0o8KAIPsf

Make what you will of this article but what we cannot ignore are the success stories. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Over ten years ago Mark Radcliffe earned £7-an-hour working at Tesco, he is now a multi-millionaire. He owns a Ferrari and an Aston Martin, and runs a 10,000 sq ft warehouse in Merseyside. The business has grown to become one of the biggest sellers on eBay.

He started selling mobile phone accessories then computer accessories and the business just escalated; he was able to build his business without having to lay out a great deal of money. “The internet means that virtually anyone can succeed in business,” he said.

Jane Williams, the Online Retail Manager at Sense Trading could see collector’s items being donated to shops that weren’t getting all the money they were worth. So she decided to sell through the eBay for Charity programme. By working closely with local shops and carefully organising all the logistics, Jane has turned Sense Antiques and dress*sense into thriving online operations.

Then there is Cathy a Chicago business woman who used her knowledge of diving to book vacations for fellow divers and the word quickly spread. She opened Visibility Unlimited specialising in diving equipment and when the economy took a downturn started selling on eBay.

In the first three years of trading on eBay Cathy experienced unprecedented sales and worldwide growth. Cathy is now selling over 250 items per month on her eBay Store, many to repeat customers and referrals. Overall, Cathy says that although she’ll never give up her brick-and-mortar store, her eBay Store is more successful. She’s selling more items-and much more quickly. “Dollar for dollar, eBay Stores is still the best value out there.”

Julie King, from Newcastle, gave up her job as an IT consultant after she found she could buy and sell designer shoes and handbags on eBay for a profit. Her eBay business, Killer Heels, has made over £6,000 a month buying shoes and bags from wholesalers and selling them on eBay.

Whatever the multinationals choose to do I am sure we will continue to hear of success stories connected with eBay because it does provide a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs. Not everyone on eBay is going to become a millionaire, but many still make a profit whether selling personal items on eBay or from running a full eBay based business.

Your biggest challenge will be finding plenty of low cost products you can sell at a profit, but why not start by clearing out the attic or garage apparently, over a quarter of a million British households have more than £500 worth of abandoned kitchen gadgets stored away

Starting an eBay business can be lucrative if done properly, take a look at the reviews at this official eBay site, http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/ dust down your unwanted goods and start making money.

Good luck.

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Master the internet basics
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Are you of a certain age and struggling with the intricacies of the internet, or do you know someone who is, then help is at hand.  “Internet Made Easy For The Over 50s”, published by Which?, is the perfect guide for those who want to understand not only the basics of the internet but also want to discover how to make better use of the information they can find there.

Assuming no prior knowledge, step-by-step tutorials and screenshots will ensure that the basics are mastered quickly – from connecting to the internet to contacting others – and on to the best methods of searching on the internet, how to find the information you want, booking online, various online activities, and how to stay safe online.

Top tips feature throughout the book as well as ideas for next steps to take in discovering the internet, and jargon busters explain technical language throughout. And if you still need help, this book includes exclusive access to the Which computing helpdesk.

Some of the topics covered in the book include:

• Connecting your equipment
• Surfing basics and how to stay in touch
• Finding accurate information
• Buying, selling and banking online
• Social networking and blogging
• Keeping your online identity safe

For a copy of Internet Made Easy for the Over 50s, visit http://www.which.co.uk/books

I hope you enjoyed reading Online Marketing Bulletin.

See you next time

Russ Turner

Online Marketing Bulletin

helpdesk@onlinemarketingbulletin.com

Disclaimer: It is my intention to be as accurate in fact detail and comment as possible. However, I cannot be held responsible for any error in details accuracy or judgement whatsoever. This eletter is produced on this understanding.

A brief synopsis of my newsletter to be published 21st July 2010.

Online Marketing Bulletin

21^st July 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Fail to Plan and you Plan to Fail
• Come on lets Blog again
• Chill awhile

Do you enjoy poetry? I’m not well read in the subject but like many others I have my favourite pieces and at the top of my list is “Leisure” by W H Davies.

What is this life if full of care

We have no time to stand and stare.

I won’t complete the piece as it is not to everyone’s taste but read the two lines again and reflect awhile. How many of us live life at 100 miles an hour, work, gardening, DIY, family chauffeur, and the list goes on. How do we fit it all in to 24 hours and get a good nights sleep.

From time to time we all need to find ourselves a quiet corner, perhaps with a favourite glass of something strong, some light reading or the opportunity to stare into space and clear the mind.

We need time to just “stand and stare” or close our eyes for a brief time and recharge our well run down batteries…………

Right we should now be bright eyed and busy tailed and bursting to go like Torchy the battery boy (now who remembers him?).

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Fail to Plan and you Plan to Fail
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This truism aptly sums up why so many people become quickly disheartened when their early attempts to make money bring nothing but frustration and disappointment. How can so many people truthfully claim to make millions on eBay; to be selling hundreds of affiliate products every day while paying just pennies to advertise; to be writing hundreds of short articles each month, every one of which generates double figure product sales?

Many are not and their fictitious claims are made solely to sell dubious products and courses, but there are hundreds of successful Internet marketers who are genuine, honest, entirely credible individuals who not only work hard but also spend as much time planning how to make money online as they do actually putting their ideas into practice.

Having a clear plan and setting goals keeps the mind focused on forthcoming challenges, prevents time wasting and should ensure that time spent on the business is effective and productive. Invest time in working out a long term and short term, perhaps daily, plan.

Your plans should be broken down into separate elements from beginning to end to ensure all the essentials are present and in their correct place. I find that keeping an Excel spreadsheet helps, listing the requisite steps vertically with the dates horizontally. Each day you can check off the individual steps as they are completed. This is particularly useful if some of the steps are not to be carried out daily as a well formatted spreadsheet creates a visual record of what has to be done and when.

Some days you will be faced with seemingly insurmountable tasks; take time out, break them down into manageable components resolve to complete the most important of the tasks before moving on to the next. Do not feel tempted to move between different jobs or waste time wondering what to do next, take this road and you will end up achieving nothing except frustration and despair.

We all feel good about ourselves having achieved something worthwhile; how many times have you looked at the uncut lawn, the unwashed car and the fence you always meant to paint. You cannot decide which to tackle first and by the end of the day-nothing. The following morning you wake up with a steely determination to cut the lawn, it may take you most of the morning but what satisfaction you get looking at your freshly manicured lawn and trimmed borders. Business life is no different, build that web site, send out those important emails, write the overdue copy, whatever it takes-DO IT.

When you switch off for the day make sure you have that “feel good factor” of achievement that you have accomplished something you set out to do. You will start the next day with enthusiasm if you finished the previous one on a high note.

You can get regular free newsletters directly to your in-box by clicking this link.

Kind regards

Russ

Here is a preview of tomorrow’s newsletter.

Ignore Web 2.0 at your Peril

Online Marketing Bulletin

14^th July 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Tweet your way to a fortune
• Don’t get caught by any of these scams
• Take time out

Not being a computer techie I have for some time ignored the term Web 2.0 thinking it to be some clever new software. However, over a pint of Guinness the other evening I was at the end of a lecture from a very enthusiastic and well informed friend who told me it was more of a philosophy, a community within which means of communication have reached a new level. He said that it has opened a whole new world for businesses, so I decided to do some research and it really was an eye opener.

Ignore Web 2.0 at your peril

Generically referred to as Web 2.0 is the interaction of people, either through the form of blog comments, social networking sites and other type of web based feedback. Its importance lies in the fact that you can react directly and share information as was not previously possible.

You can receive regular issues of my newsletter Free of charge by clicking the link here

Finally I have launched my newsletter, here is a taster.

Online Marketing Bulletin

7^th July 2010

In today’s Online Marketing Bulletin

• Now is the time to make that first small step
• Don’t believe all the hype
• Smile for the Camera

So we have a new Government, did anyone breath a sigh of relief or was that a gasp of despair I heard around the country, or is the jury still out.

I am no political analyst so I make absolutely no predictions as to how our new PM and the coalition will perform. However, I did agree with many commentators some months back that whichever party prevailed there would be cuts both in spending and jobs and a general tightening of our belts was inevitable.

To my mind this is the very best time to start your own home business, so instead of relying solely on your job to take you through an uncertain future take charge yourself.

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