Internet Secrets

Product Endorsement Joint Ventures: Short, Sweet ‘n Successful – Part 1

Chonticha Marijne Successful Internet marketers prosper from joint ventures with their peers every day, so why shouldn’t you? The joint venture (or JV) is a win-win, low-cost and low-risk proposition for all involved: you, your JV partner and your customers.

There are several forms the JV can take, but let’s focus in this article on a very popular form indeed: the product endorsement. It can be a powerfully lucrative method to rocket your sales within a very short time span… and by doing little more than sending a couple of emails! Let’s say you have a great product that you either own outright or that you have the resale rights to. However, you don’t have an opt-in list to offer the product to or you want to be able to tap into more markets. Why not find a reputable JV partner with a significant and targeted mailing list and leveragetheircredibility and influence instead? Provided this JV partner is respected in their field, they will command the trust of their subscribers and the upside of that is that the goodwill that they enjoy can be passed on to you. Of course, your product must be of high quality as your JV partner’s reputation is at stake and it must not be in direct competition with any of their products, otherwise it’s highly unlikely that they will agree to a partnership. Finding good JV partners isn’t hard, but you will need to select them wisely. Team up only with marketers who have an excellent relationship with their subscribers. As an Internet home business entrepreneur, you will undoubtedly be on many potentially lucrative lists yourself, so it’s a matter of selecting a few that will most likely contain your target audience. You can start off by sending the list owner an email to gauge their interest. Make sure that you show them that you are up to speed on their activities — you’re on their mailing list, so offering a comment or two is easily accomplished. Don’t try to sell the entire project right off; it’s better to follow up with details if they respond positively. Don’t use hype, don’t beat around the bush — you’ll find that keeping it short, simple, sincere and straightforward is the best approach. Don’t take it personally if they turn you down. You will meet with dissappointment regularly, but don’t give up, otherwise you will never hit the mother lode! Be sure to treat people courteously as they may end up doing a JV with you at another time. It should be part of your long-term strategy to develop good relationships with potential candidates — never view them just as a one-off JV partner .

Meanwhile, just move on to the next name on your list. If you have a good product, you will undoubtedly find a partner who is genuinely interested. [To be continued in Part 2]

Why Submit Articles?

Knowing what you now know about the value of incoming links, how would you like to have your links promoted by hundreds and Thousands of internet marketers, some even emailing your articles to their lists of subscribers? These would all be one-way INCOMING links to your site, and it can be totally free, but for a small amount you can send them to thousands and go completely viral overnight! That’s what we can do with articles! An article is just a story about something you know about or are interested in. It can be as short as 300 words or as long as say 1,500 generally. The best way I’ve found to write an article is to decide what I’m going to write about, and then think about how I would explain this story to a friend over the phone or in an email.

I go over the conversation in my head then start writing without stopping to fix typos, spelling, grammar or even worrying about it making sense.

If I head down a different path, and get off track, I keep going along with it and keep writing until I come back to the storyline. After a few paragraphs I find I have trouble writing as quickly as my thoughts emerge, so I never have a problem with finding enough content to put in the article using this technique. I understand there are many other ways to write articles and loads of tips and tricks but just remember “the ONE thing” above “We must be able to start anything!” After we have produced an Article we then need to get it published on the web with our signature containing a link back to our website!

Search in the Far East

To stay relevant or even solvent, a company must keep itself informed.

That’s why research, of both the in-house and outsourced varieties, is essential. At ConductSearch.com keeping tabs on who’s doing what in the marketplace is key to our success, and it doesn’t matter whether our information comes via mailman or email – at the end of the day, it’s still content, right? Recently, I happened to come upon the work of a reliable investment banking firm that specializes in Chinese tech research, New York Global Securities.

I learned that New York Global thinks as highly of search advertising’s positioning in China as I do of it was here in America. They initiated coverage of a major Chinese Search Engine, Baidu (which translates to “a hundred times”), with a “Buy” rating. Funny enough, ConductSearch.com and Baidu, the Chinese search giant, have something in common. But what, you ask? Baidu is based in mainland China (we’re not quite there, yet) and has little American presence. Yet, both companies, one small, one large, and on opposite sides of the earth, share a sentiment associated with search advertising – a sentiment shared by search advertisers all over the earth – namely, that there’s still brilliant opportunities in the field. As players in search advertising, no matter what the size or where we are, we must avail ourselves to these favorable conditions. We’re no GE, but we’ve got exclusive search technology surpassed by none, while Baidu, an indexer of 700 million pages, is located in a country that didn’t even have Internet access only 7-8 years ago. Incredible, sure, but these are hardly unique success stories in the field. One great aspect of search is that as it evolves, advertisers grow increasingly aware of its effectiveness. This makes the task of selling the revolutionary concept much less difficult, and industry forecasts indicate this advertiser confidence with predictions of continued search advertising growth through at least 2010. Advertisers simply can’t get enough of measurable, targeted end-users. According to Andrew Collier, New York Global’s analyst who’s recommending Baidu, the Chinese populace is even more receptive to Baidu’s relevant advertising than would be Westerners since existing Chinese advertising channels (that’s print, TV, and radio) are relatively weak.

So enticing is China’s advertising landscape for the accommodating platform of search, that Yahoo and, as of last January, Google, have launched Chinese versions of their popular search engines themselves. Baidu is sure to meet some stiff competition from Google.cn. Says New York Global’s Andrew Collier: “search is one of the best advertising models for the Chinese market because of its ability to target a specific customer base.

” Do no evil and do much business, right Google? In the meantime Baidu, with a 50% share of the Chinese search market, is reaching targeted customer bases within China. Search, by its flexible nature, adapts well to that frenzied economy. Massive ramp ups in Internet connectivity has been all the impetus needed. New York Global rates Baidu (BIDU) with a “buy” recommendation largely due to its positioning as a provider of this highly effective search advertising platform. The deep reach that search advertising provides Baidu in connecting with Chinese Internet users contrasts greatly with the Chinese Internet Portals whose total end user numbers are still too small to deliver mass goods to large audiences through banner ads and the like. So, too, is this a problem with traditional media, where government ownership is essentially a monopoly, thus preventing a healthy advertising environment. In China, Internet search marketing shines brightest in a sky of less than stellar advertising opportunities. Maybe I’m biased, but I believe it’s the best means here in America, too. Domestically, my company or yours might not have 50% of the search market, but, like any firm involved with search, we do have the same wind of opportunity blowing at our backs as Baidu. Jeff Conduct Director of Marketing ConductSearch.

com http://www.conductsearch.com marketing@conductsearch.com

Top 7 Strategies to Build Trust in Your Online Service Business

Donna Gunter How do you know whom you can trust online? Which businesses are legit, and which ones are primed to rip you off? It can be tough these days determining which is which. With the advent of phishing and other online threats, some days you just want to shut down your email program and Internet browser and wish for a face-to-face interaction with someone that you know, like it was in the «good ole’ days» before the Internet took over our lives. The ability to do business online is both a blessing and a curse, to paraphrase Tony Shalhoub’s TV character, Adrian Monk, from the series «Monk». As a business owner, the Internet lets you expand your business to more potential customers than ever before. However, as a small service business owner, you can’t be everywhere at once, nor can you possibly have time for personal interactions with all of your potential clients. So, what’s an online business owner to do? You can clone yourself online. I’m not referring to some science fiction technology involving the creation of a «mini-me». Rather, you want to create an experience of you that is available to prospective clients, without you having to actually be there.

Your «clone» creates a feeling of confidence in your prospective customer base — a feeling that you’re a real, live human being whom your prospective client can reach out and touch whenever needed.

Here are 7 strategies you can use to create your online business clone and increase customer confidence: 1. Make contact easy. Ensure your contact info clearly displayed on your website. Make it easy for your visitors to find your mailing address, phone number, or email address. Nothing is more frustrating to me when I’m searching for info on a website than to find only an 800 number. I want to know with whom I’m about to do business (a name) and where this business is located. 2. Be responsive. Respond to all email inquiries and phone calls in a timely fashion. Or, install a live chat feature on your site. I’ve dropped an email to several well-known consultant-types after reading their new book or hearing about a project in which they’re involved, and have been happily surprised to receive an email response from them, and even a phone call, in some cases. Nothing satisfies that human need for connection than some personal attention, and promptly returning your phone calls and emails will provide that for your visitors. 3. Become a real person. Use audio and video on your website and your photo. No one likes to do business with a faceless corporate entity. Come out of hiding and display your photo on your website, or photos of you in action in your business. Create a visual image in the mind of your visitor. Better yet, with the increasing popularity of online video and audio, let them hear and witness you in action. A great tool to help you put audio and video on your website is AudioAcrobat, http://dgunter.audioacrobat.com/ . 4. Provide client testimonials. «Can she do what she says she can do?» is a common question asked of service business owners, and they want to read about others who’ve been happy consumers of your service.

Ask current and former clients for powerful testimonials and sprinkle them across your website.

Keep in mind that the best testimonials give a synopsis of the client’s problem prior to hiring you, and the happy outcome as a result of hiring you. Those that just say, «Oh, Donna is wonderful!» is a great ego boost, but provide little credibility to your visitors. A second powerful way to demonstrate your results is by providing case studies, or a synopsis of a problem that a client faced and your strategy that helped that client solve that problem. People want to do business with people who have a proven track record, and testimonials and case studies provide that track record for you. 5. Demonstrate your expertise. One of the easiest ways to tell the world what you know is by writing articles. Article writing is an extremely personal experience for me, as I’m typically writing about a problem that a client has had, an issue that came up in conversation recently with a potential client, or something with which I’m struggling in my business or something I want to research and know more about. The greatest compliment that I ever got about my articles (other than the fact that they contain useful info) is that each article really sounds like me.

Don’t worry about giving away your info — those who may be able to implement your information without hiring you can also become your biggest champion and referral source because they know that you know what you’re talking about.

And, you never know where your articles might lead.

I got a call today from a friend who was in an online chat for resellers of a product, and the topic of writing articles came up with another person in the chat room. My friend went to my blog to provide a link to an article I had written on the topic of article submission, and when he published it on the chat, the person with whom he was chatting said, «Oh, I know Donna.» My friend was blown away by the coincidence. There are no coincidences–just good marketing. 6. Provide freebies. Add value to your website visitors by giving something away — an ebook, a report, an ecourse, an audio recording, or a a free teleclass. The more you can demonstrate your expertise and the more ways that a visitor can begin to know, like, and respect you, the greater chance you have of building trust with that person and converting that person into a paying client. 7. Stay in touch. Once you’ve obtained someone’s contact info, stay in touch with him on a regular basis, as the more someone sees and talks to you, the quicker the trust develops. Regular communication is key, and you can stay in touch on a regular basis through the publication of an email newsletter, a free teleclass series that is open to all of your contacts, or by updating your website regularly with new content, like articles for your target market.

Giving your visitors confidence that they can trust what you do and say is one key to success in the online world.

Eliminate the barriers in doing business with you and set visitors on the path of getting to know, like, and respect you. When you do, you’ll discover that their trust isn’t too far behind.