IM Jumpstart 3 Simple Ways to Drive MORE Traffic to Your Site Today! (Part 1)

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

       The internet is filled with vast information on practically anything you need to know about or need help with. It is a never ending source of gaining knowledge, learning how to do new things, creating and marketing products and services etc.

       It not only caters to what you need specifically but also caters to vast amount of information that is not required. The possibilities of what you can do from or through the internet is endless.

       Today, the internet is widely and popularly used in order to earn fast cash or a steady income through online business opportunities as well as through online marketing of products and services.

       In order to go ahead with this, you need to be smart about it and do your homework- research! It is a matter of differentiating from a real business opportunity and an online business or marketing scam.

       Yes, it is understandable how annoying it gets to see all those different sites offering the same information and the same guarantees which are never what they actually say. In fact it is quite
contrary!

       So the question here is, how do you choose from all this information, what you require and which is beneficial to you?

       To ease your worries, I have put together a manual which will help you figure out what exactly is marketing online, a few ways of marketing online and strategies to help you out there.

       It is a simple guide to help you understand what exactly you are getting into and how to help you with marketing online using different free to use websites such as squidoo, Hub page, Google Knol etc.

       So, if you are ready to begin, let us start from the basics and take you to where you would like to end up.

STEP 1: UNDERSTANDING ONLINE MARKETING

       Online marketing in layman term is nothing but marketing your product or service through the internet. The main purpose of marketing a product or service online is to make an extensive sale
to customers or clients through the internet, i.e. your own website or a different website already existing.

       As the internet is widely used for various purposes, purchases and sales are the most popular activities conducted in this area. In order to take complete advantage of the trafficking on the internet, creating your own online business and marketing is a reasonable way to earn cash and even profits every month. Online marketing has its pros and cons.

       The main advantage of online marketing is that you pay much lesser to put up advertisements on the internet and websites rather than on the television or media. It saves a lot of cost and it is as effective as the latter. Every time a visitor is browsing through the net, and if he finds your advertisement caption captivating, he will automatically click on it to find out what you have to offer.

       So the trick here is to give your advertisement a catchy headline which is attractive. But, the main disadvantage of marketing online is that a customer or client cannot really judge what you have to offer as it may not be as it appears through the internet.

       If you are able to attract many customers with your advertisement, you know you have made a lasting impression and will continue to do well, but if you haven’t it will take time to get back on track.

       So, your first impression is generally your last impression when it relates to selling your product online. Make the best of it when you start. Marketing is the process of creating exchange
between a business and its potential customers, who might be consumers or other businesses.

       It is basically the advertising and selling of products, focusing on customer orientation and meeting the needs of the customer effectively. It includes a number of disciplines such as sales, public
relations, pricing, packaging, and distribution of products. It is the art of finding the right people to persuade to buy your product with the help of proper planning, research and intuition.

       There are several different methods when it comes to marketing your product. Some of the options are direct marketing, relationship marketing, advertising, public relations, and positioning.
Which method will suit your business best depends on the product you wish to sell, your budget and specific requirements.

       Traditionally, marketing of a product or service is done virtually with the use of advertisements, public relations etc or through word of mouth. But the latest trend is Internet or online marketing. 

Using the internet as a portal to market your product or service is not a new concept, but it is growing fast. Millions of people across the Globe have been using this method of marketing for years
and have benefited hugely in this regard and it is now the most popular form of marketing.

       There are several options available to use internet marketing to promote your services or products online. Some of the internet marketing techniques you can choose from in order to promote your products and services online are:
a. Search engine optimization
b. Blog marketing
c. Paid search
d. Email marketing
e. Affiliate marketing
f. Social media marketing

       The challenge lies in deciding what type of services to choose in order to derive best results. It is important to understand what each option is, in order to decide on the right technique for you.

       Search engine optimization is one of the widely accepted and appreciated techniques to attract internet traffic. This technique used in conjunction with organic listing within search engines will make your products and services visible for people searching the internet using particular keyword terms. It may not be suitable for those who want quick results, but will pay off in the long term.

Blog-marketing or Web log marketing is a great option when it comes to internet marketing, because blogging is highly popular now and people love visiting various blogs during their leisure time. Paid search is another good option for internet marketing. 

       Companies such as Google adwards or Overture are used to limit a budget and pay per click in order to list keywords that are popular on the search page for a particular key term. This technique is comparatively more expensive.

       Email marketing is a difficult method, as it is hard to grab attention using Email, due to the fear of virus and spam. However, if you work with a permission based subscriber, you can derive great results.

       Affiliate marketing is another technique that provides you an opportunity to present your products or services to online marketers, in order to increase your sales. You need to pay them a
commission for the sales they get you, but it is very beneficial since payment to online marketers need not be done unless there are sales made.

       The last and currently most popular method of internet marketing of products and services is the use of Social media for marketing. In this manual, we will see what social media is and how it can be used effectively in marketing your products/services online.

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT MARKETING STEPS TO FOLLOW?

       This is quite simple. There are a very few basic steps that you need to keep in mind when you start online marketing. This way you can see your options more clearly and you will be able to successfully go ahead with online marketing.

1. Categorize your target customers.

       When you start your online business and have reached the online marketing stage, the first step is to find out who are your potential customers.

       What do they need? Find out what are your customer groups including their sex, income groups, religion, locations, age groups etc.

       Also make sure you have a market segmentation chart where you can differentiate between distinct customer groups. Once you know who your target customers are, go to the next step.

2. Create your unique online advertising or promotion plan

       Advertising here is the most important aspect as it is the determinant to obtaining sales and profits. You should state your advertising goals in detail.

       This will include details about the product you are selling, about your company, what you plan to achieve, profit margins, awareness about your business, who your competitors are and ways of taking over your competitors customers.

       Once you have made an effective plan and you know who your target customers are and what they want, it is time for you to place your ads on different websites and search engines. Your advertisement should be so attractive that it seems like it is speaking to its customers.

3. Ensure your target customers view these advertisements

       The best way to make sure your content reaches your customers is by sending out newsletters, magazines, newsgroups and e- mails to them.

       This way they will be aware of what is new in the market and what you are offering to them. You should know the art of tackling a customer at the right time and the right place with the right
information and the right product.

4. Interact with your customers

       This is very important in order to keep your customers interested in your product and your website. This can be done by creating a forum to pass comments and opinions as well as newsgroups in order to have discussions. Using e-mails and e-chat is also effective to keep in constant touch with your customers.

5. Make changes

       Once you interact with your potential customers, you will learn more on what they want and how to better your product and online marketing technique. Learn from your customers by evaluating their needs. Take their suggestions and opinions in a positive way and make the necessary changes as soon as possible. Be efficient towards your customers needs.

6. Customer service

       Providing customer service is very essential as this is one way of obtaining feedback and providing customers a chance to voice out their opinions. It is essential to provide them with quality
service in order to keep them coming again and again and to purchase your product.

DIFFERENT METHODS OF MARKETING

       Here are some methods of online marketing through which you can market your product in different ways. It is essential to know this as it could give you the benefit of comparing your results and choosing the best suitable one.

- Personal Marketing

       It is the form of marketing where you spread the word around and you create a network of friends and associates and spread the word to them.

- Forums

       A forum is basically a platform for different users to come and give their comments, opinions and discussions on random topics. In forum marketing you can paste a link which will go back to your
website at the end of the post after you sign off your name.

- Blogging

       Blogging is quite similar to forums, but it is basically an online diary which allows you to paste your material and update it whenever you like. It requires time but it is a very popular technique for marketing and it is widely accepted by any search engine.

- Article marketing

       It is the simple method of writing an article based on your product or service and sending it to the web directories where it can be accessed. The advantage here is that you can add your link which will go back to your website where they can acquire more information.

       This method is recommended as it increases your web ranking, builds link to your websites as well as attracts trafficking to your website. The best part about this service is that it is absolutely free unless you subscribe for a paid service.

- Video marketing

       This sort of marketing is quite appealing as it involves a video which is more demonstrative and visually appealing. It is the most popular form of marketing these days as it is simple and requires you to create an attractive video about your product and upload it on different websites.

- Joint venture marketing

       This is a method which is a little different from the rest of the methods. It is the process when two or more different marketers get together in order to promote a product or service which draws
advantage to both the parties.

       Here the marketing methods are combined by two parties and thus more effort is the fruit which results in better sales.

- Search engine marketing

       In this method, a search engine ranks every website. The motive is for you to make your website and content in such a way so that it can please these search engines in order to get a good
ranking. This can be done by following the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or use services which will help you get there but after you pay them.

- Pay per click marketing

       As the name suggests every time a visitor clicks on your link you will have to pay an amount to the service provider. It is a form of paid services.

- Press releases

       Here you make a press release for your site which will contain all the relevant data and information about your website and your product and services. You then send this press release to other press release websites who will publish them on various other sites or news channels. It is availed as a free service or as a paid service.

- Affiliate Marketing

       This method requires you to create an affiliate program which is shared with other users. They in turn would promote your product on different websites through their affiliate links.

       When any sale is made through them they will receive a commission for every sale they make. The drawback here is that you will require an affiliate manager to help you such as ClickBank.com

- Social Bookmarking

       There are certain websites that are available which allows a customer or a person to bookmark any website that they like and would like to visit again. By providing a bookmarking option on your website, people will refer this link and bookmark it if it interests them. This is a great way of attracting more traffic.

- Resale Rights Marketing

       This is the method where you can give resale rights on your particular product or service where people who buy it could resell it to other customers again at their own price and will end up keeping the entire amount that they have made the sale for. This helps to increase the value of your product and promotes branding too.

- Email Marketing

       Marketing your product or service that is conducted through e-mails is called Email Marketing. This can be done by creating your own unique newsletters, e-magazines and manuals which gives
details and updates on your product.

       This should be given to those who are willing to subscribe for it. An alternate way of using Email is by buying a certain amount of ad space and publishing your ad in some of the leading Email or
newsletters etc.

STEP 2: ARTICLE MARKETING – EASY AND EFFECTIVE

       Now that we’ve taken a look at what exactly online marketing is and the various ways in which it can be done, let’s move on to studying in detail one of these methods.

       The most popular and effective method of marketing online is Article marketing. In the simplest terms, it is the practice of marketing a business/product/service by writing and distributing articles.

       Apart from making directory submissions and submissions to niche websites related to your subject, a very effective way of promoting by way of articles is to submit articles to Web 2.0 sites
such as Squidoo, Hubpages, and Google Knol.

       ‘Web 2.0’ is a new age term that refers to a perceived second generation of web development and design, facilitating communication, information sharing and credible web content generated by participatory users from all over the Web.

       Gaining free, organic traffic is the mantra of internet marketing and Web 2.0 sites simply make that simpler. This is the reason such websites are so popular on the internet. These websites usually allow you to create a web page in the quickest, easiest way possible. You can open an account on one or more of these sites and then pick out a niche subject and post articles related to them.

       These web pages are then linked to your website, in order to increase your traffic. Web 2.0 platforms are loved by people, because the pages are filtered by human beings, making them
more credible, containing better quality and relevant content. Therefore, links from these sites to your site are very valuable.

STEP 3: WEBSITES FOR ARTICLE MARKETING

       Some of the top most Web 2.0 sites to submit your articles for marketing your product/website and attracting traffic are:
The listings on this site are also ranked quite high and are valuable traffic accumulators.
 Weebly – Another website that allows you to create free web pages/websites to publish your articles. It is easy to create, looks attractive and offers several options for RSS feeds, pictures, links etc.
 GoArticles – Unlike most of the other websites mentioned here, articles are published instantly on this website. But this website does it for you quickly and is also very valuable, as articles being published on this website are ranked very high. Also, while most such sites are strict about having affiliate links on your web page, GoArticles.com is a little more relaxed on this rule.
 Zimbio – Zimbio pages are easy to create and are also ranked very highly.
 Google Knol – A website which allows you to write your own knolls or even import them from existing documents into Knol. Articles can be under any of the various Knol categories offered on the website.

       Powered by Google, this website of course offers high credibility and ranking. The use of popular, highly ranked websites such as these will ensure a massive increase in traffic flow to your website or blog. Once you publish your article on these websites, DO NOT FORGET to link your website or blog to them.

       This is only a comprehensive list of the most popular Web 2.0 sites available on the internet. You can open an account with any or all of these websites and post simple, easy to understand articles with proper titles, tags and keywords that link the reader to your own website, which contains the information you wish to share or product/service you wish to sell.

STEP 4: LEARN ABOUT WEB 2.0 WEBSITES

       You mantra: Exposure + Traffic = Sales = Money! This is exactly what you get by using such websites properly. They don’t take much effort, they are usually free and the definitely pay off!

       Now, we will take a detailed look at the most popular websites online, using which you can attain online marketing success.

To be continue....