Ok. Now we both feel a little bit intimidated. My research into blogs that cover game cheats, came in at 35,000 plus search results. I looked at some of the blogs and was impressed with the level of detail that the good ones had and laughed at the pitiful attempts at commercial hack jobs by the bad ones.
My oldest son is not that old and is working on his typing skills. This is definitely going to be an interesting project. I chose a blog format instead of a website because it's easier to set up and he'll be making his money through Adwords. It's the easiest way to make money on the web. The problem is consistency and the need to impart useful information to the site are the two areas that kill most blogging projects.
To make the blog useful and attract Google's attention, you really need to place useful information on the blog everyday. There are plenty of blogs with a few pages of ramblings that never see the light of day. What makes a financially viable website using Adsense is a blog with a lot of content.. I mean a lot of content.
So, we'll be investigating a strategy for driving traffic to the blog. First, I'll be doing some keyword research to see what Google Adwords can do to drive traffic to a free offer on a webpage. This will determine if we have a viable market, willing to signup for something.
You've got to see this in action yourself
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Getting your email list the right way.
There is an art to ethical email marketing that most people who try to get their business started aren't even aware of. My oldest son wanted to make some money (he's 12) so I asked him what he thinks would be a way to make some money on Internet?
Like most of my clients, he shrugged and said, "I don't know." That, by the way is the correct answer. He then proceeded to come up with some ideas for products he could sell door to door to make money. I stopped him right there. I told him that the amount of time it would take and the money involved in getting started would be ridiculous for a kid without working capital.
So I sat him down and treated him like any other client that came to me. I said, "What would you love to do two hours a day if you could and make all the money you can spend?" The answer came out before I was able to finish the last word.
"VIDEO GAMES!" he blurted out.
So we came up with an idea. He's going to create a resource for video gamers who needed cheat codes, he'd also create game reviews and sell books on gaming.
I told him that there is a step by step process to the launch of any new business idea and we would work together to make it happen. He agreed to work with me on this.
Step number one is the market. Is there a market for the product? We decided to find out. The search term video game cheats turned up over 38,000 searches in a month. I told him that this was pretty good. The next six related search terms made the prospects even better, they still came up above the Dennis Francis de-markation line of 6,000 searches. I use several programs for this kind of research but my favorite is Traffic Travis from www.traffictravis.com.
So being the chip off the old block, my son asked me how we were going to build the website and how we were going to get people to buy stuff? I referred to the first rule which was "We were going to take this one step at a time". We now needed to do some testing.
That required seeing how many people would willingly give up their names to a list for something free on the Internet that fits their interests. It was time to do some research. We needed to see how long it would take to collect 100 names and email addresses of people who were interested in videogame cheat codes.
I believe that the best way to test a product or service idea is to first see what kind of response the targeted consumer will give you if you made them an offer. In this case, what kind of offer could we give to the marketplace that would be of benefit? That was his assignment.
So to obtain a really good email list, first check to see if there is a sufficient market for your idea. Then see if there is something you can offer to that market online that will cause at least 100 interested people to contact you for a free offer.
Next, we'll see how we can reach the right target audience with our offer.
Like most of my clients, he shrugged and said, "I don't know." That, by the way is the correct answer. He then proceeded to come up with some ideas for products he could sell door to door to make money. I stopped him right there. I told him that the amount of time it would take and the money involved in getting started would be ridiculous for a kid without working capital.
So I sat him down and treated him like any other client that came to me. I said, "What would you love to do two hours a day if you could and make all the money you can spend?" The answer came out before I was able to finish the last word.
"VIDEO GAMES!" he blurted out.
So we came up with an idea. He's going to create a resource for video gamers who needed cheat codes, he'd also create game reviews and sell books on gaming.
I told him that there is a step by step process to the launch of any new business idea and we would work together to make it happen. He agreed to work with me on this.
Step number one is the market. Is there a market for the product? We decided to find out. The search term video game cheats turned up over 38,000 searches in a month. I told him that this was pretty good. The next six related search terms made the prospects even better, they still came up above the Dennis Francis de-markation line of 6,000 searches. I use several programs for this kind of research but my favorite is Traffic Travis from www.traffictravis.com.
So being the chip off the old block, my son asked me how we were going to build the website and how we were going to get people to buy stuff? I referred to the first rule which was "We were going to take this one step at a time". We now needed to do some testing.
That required seeing how many people would willingly give up their names to a list for something free on the Internet that fits their interests. It was time to do some research. We needed to see how long it would take to collect 100 names and email addresses of people who were interested in videogame cheat codes.
I believe that the best way to test a product or service idea is to first see what kind of response the targeted consumer will give you if you made them an offer. In this case, what kind of offer could we give to the marketplace that would be of benefit? That was his assignment.
So to obtain a really good email list, first check to see if there is a sufficient market for your idea. Then see if there is something you can offer to that market online that will cause at least 100 interested people to contact you for a free offer.
Next, we'll see how we can reach the right target audience with our offer.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
SPAM and Internet marketing in the 21st Century.
I started a new project a few days ago with a local chiropractor who wanted to know more about Internet Marketing. After he peppered me with a dozen questions, I stopped him and asked my usual opening question. " What exactly do you want to accomplish?
He wasn't quite sure what I meant. This is not all that unique in my profession. I see this look (the deer in the headlights image) when I try to get business owners to decide on a goal before deciding on a strategy.
"I want to get solid leads of local business owners so that I can develop a relationship with for future business." I said to him. Being much smarter than I am, he got the hint. "
I want to generate a master list of qualified leads with whom I can build solid relationships over the next year." my client said. I was impressed.
He was now able to shape his questions based on his goals. It turns out that email marketing was something he was interested in but felt that spamming was going to get him in trouble. He hated spam but didn't see how email marketing worked around the issue.
"You need to treat email like cold calling on the phone." I said. The people who are great at cold calling do two very important things first. They only call people who fit the defined demographic of their target market. Then they do not call to make a sale. They call to see if there is an opportunity to share information now, or later.
They use the first phone call to qualify the prospect. If there is a good match, the prospect is rewarded with a free offer, or information. If there is no match, the prospect is evaluated for future contact or dropped if he/she is disqualifies.
Email should be treated the same way.
So what constitutes Spam? This is the current information on SPAM the unsolicited email practice, not the canned meat-like product. O.K., let me get this off my chest. SPAM stands for Shoulder Pork and hAM, SPAM.
Now back to my client's serious considerations. Spamming (the Internet variety) goes all the way back to the days of the USENET newsgroups; around 1978 or so. The practice bases its effectiveness on the principle of averages.
If you can get one person out of a thousand to do what you want him or her to do, then you can get 100 to do the same out of 100,000 people. This idea and the ease of distribution of the web led to the proliferation of unwanted and repetitive email.
Pretty soon we were so fed up with the Viagra messages and home loan pitches that the US congress got involved. They wanted all of us to comply with the new USA federal law that went into effect on January 1, 2002 - 2007 referred to as the "Can Spam" law. By the way the law has not stopped the spammers from doing what they do best. It has however stopped a lot of folks who could ethically market online, to reconsider their options.
If you follow a few simple guidelines it's pretty easy to comply with the new law. Bulk email isn't illegal. As a matter of fact, most anti-spam organizations have complained that it actually legalizes unsolicited bulk email and hasn't stopped the spam problem at all.
The "Can Spam" law provides a new set of guidelines to prevent practices such as using fraudulent or deceptive subject lines, forged return email addresses or hijacked mail server relays.
By law, an email marketer has to to provide a valid unsubscribe option for “remove requests” (requests to have an email address removed from a mailing list).
For those like my client who are ethical and sensitive to the issue, there is a right way and a wrong way to conduct a bulk email campaign. If you have a computer, an Internet connection and a willingness to learn, you can achieve the same results for your business or organization that the big Fortune 500 online companies are getting from bulk email marketing. You just have to do it according to the rules.
One of the most important factors in email etiquette is courtesy. You really should not try to sell strangers products or services with unsolicited email; it's rude. Use the first round of emails to introduce yourself and find out if the strangers you approached are friendly and open enough to let you know if they have a problem that you can fix.
Do this by offering them a reason to "opt-in". Opt-in is the phrase marketers use for what they call "permission marketing". Opt-In E-Mail Lists
Opt-in e-mail lists include only those people who have specifically asked to receive information. You can create your own opt-in list by adding a section to your Web site asking interested visitors to leave their e-mail address. This is done with an "ethical bribe". You let the visitor know that you're willing to give them something for the effort of filling out a few lines on your website.
You can drive traffic to your website using Google Adwords (Online ad promotion service by Google)and then offer those who click to your site an opportunity to get your newsletter or special deal for giving you their name and email info.
There's nothing to be ashamed of. You can ask for what you want, it's up to them to get in or get out. Always be courteous online. This process can be done by direct mail as well. You can mail out an offer to people who then go online to sign up for the free gift or report.
People who opt in are sent a confirmation e-mail that they have to reply to. This ensures that the people who are on your list really asked to be there, and weren't put there by someone else." This option is vital in order to stay compliant with the law. A service such as aweber (www.aweber.com) or constant contact (www.constantcontact.com) can be a great service for this kind of marketing because they stay one step ahead of the legal changes regarding email.
Another option is to use a bulk opt-in email service such as Return Path (www.returnpath.net), will send your ad to a list of people who have opted-in to your category of advertisement. They fit your target market.
My chiropractor client wants to make friends over the Internet with local business people. He can send an introductory email letting them know that there is problem with workplace injuries and repetitive stress injuries that's been affecting local business profits.
He is willing to include the business owner on his e-newsletter if he has experienced problems in the workplace. He'll also include a free evaluation as part of the free subscription to the e-newsletter.
A short solicitation with a free giveaway and "no selling" goes a long way to making a stranger into a friend. The idea is to offer targeted lists something that they all could see as a benefit. Reference the major hopes and challenges that are specific to that target market. Give something free to them for the act of filling out a form.
Here are a few rules to follow to make sure you are in compliance with the law:
Always honor remove requests from your recipients.
Never use forged or fraudulent return email addresses.
Never use fraudulent or deceptive subject lines.
Do not redirect email through hijacked mail server relays.
Include a postal mail address in your emails.
Identify emails of an adult nature with the appropriate subject line.
That's pretty much it. So now you just need to get a list.
Here's the link to the CAN-SPAM details. http://www.marketing-2000.net/canspam.htm
I'll cover the issue of creating lists and more in another article.
He wasn't quite sure what I meant. This is not all that unique in my profession. I see this look (the deer in the headlights image) when I try to get business owners to decide on a goal before deciding on a strategy.
"I want to get solid leads of local business owners so that I can develop a relationship with for future business." I said to him. Being much smarter than I am, he got the hint. "
I want to generate a master list of qualified leads with whom I can build solid relationships over the next year." my client said. I was impressed.
He was now able to shape his questions based on his goals. It turns out that email marketing was something he was interested in but felt that spamming was going to get him in trouble. He hated spam but didn't see how email marketing worked around the issue.
"You need to treat email like cold calling on the phone." I said. The people who are great at cold calling do two very important things first. They only call people who fit the defined demographic of their target market. Then they do not call to make a sale. They call to see if there is an opportunity to share information now, or later.
They use the first phone call to qualify the prospect. If there is a good match, the prospect is rewarded with a free offer, or information. If there is no match, the prospect is evaluated for future contact or dropped if he/she is disqualifies.
Email should be treated the same way.
So what constitutes Spam? This is the current information on SPAM the unsolicited email practice, not the canned meat-like product. O.K., let me get this off my chest. SPAM stands for Shoulder Pork and hAM, SPAM.
Now back to my client's serious considerations. Spamming (the Internet variety) goes all the way back to the days of the USENET newsgroups; around 1978 or so. The practice bases its effectiveness on the principle of averages.
If you can get one person out of a thousand to do what you want him or her to do, then you can get 100 to do the same out of 100,000 people. This idea and the ease of distribution of the web led to the proliferation of unwanted and repetitive email.
Pretty soon we were so fed up with the Viagra messages and home loan pitches that the US congress got involved. They wanted all of us to comply with the new USA federal law that went into effect on January 1, 2002 - 2007 referred to as the "Can Spam" law. By the way the law has not stopped the spammers from doing what they do best. It has however stopped a lot of folks who could ethically market online, to reconsider their options.
If you follow a few simple guidelines it's pretty easy to comply with the new law. Bulk email isn't illegal. As a matter of fact, most anti-spam organizations have complained that it actually legalizes unsolicited bulk email and hasn't stopped the spam problem at all.
The "Can Spam" law provides a new set of guidelines to prevent practices such as using fraudulent or deceptive subject lines, forged return email addresses or hijacked mail server relays.
By law, an email marketer has to to provide a valid unsubscribe option for “remove requests” (requests to have an email address removed from a mailing list).
For those like my client who are ethical and sensitive to the issue, there is a right way and a wrong way to conduct a bulk email campaign. If you have a computer, an Internet connection and a willingness to learn, you can achieve the same results for your business or organization that the big Fortune 500 online companies are getting from bulk email marketing. You just have to do it according to the rules.
One of the most important factors in email etiquette is courtesy. You really should not try to sell strangers products or services with unsolicited email; it's rude. Use the first round of emails to introduce yourself and find out if the strangers you approached are friendly and open enough to let you know if they have a problem that you can fix.
Do this by offering them a reason to "opt-in". Opt-in is the phrase marketers use for what they call "permission marketing". Opt-In E-Mail Lists
Opt-in e-mail lists include only those people who have specifically asked to receive information. You can create your own opt-in list by adding a section to your Web site asking interested visitors to leave their e-mail address. This is done with an "ethical bribe". You let the visitor know that you're willing to give them something for the effort of filling out a few lines on your website.
You can drive traffic to your website using Google Adwords (Online ad promotion service by Google)and then offer those who click to your site an opportunity to get your newsletter or special deal for giving you their name and email info.
There's nothing to be ashamed of. You can ask for what you want, it's up to them to get in or get out. Always be courteous online. This process can be done by direct mail as well. You can mail out an offer to people who then go online to sign up for the free gift or report.
People who opt in are sent a confirmation e-mail that they have to reply to. This ensures that the people who are on your list really asked to be there, and weren't put there by someone else." This option is vital in order to stay compliant with the law. A service such as aweber (www.aweber.com) or constant contact (www.constantcontact.com) can be a great service for this kind of marketing because they stay one step ahead of the legal changes regarding email.
Another option is to use a bulk opt-in email service such as Return Path (www.returnpath.net), will send your ad to a list of people who have opted-in to your category of advertisement. They fit your target market.
My chiropractor client wants to make friends over the Internet with local business people. He can send an introductory email letting them know that there is problem with workplace injuries and repetitive stress injuries that's been affecting local business profits.
He is willing to include the business owner on his e-newsletter if he has experienced problems in the workplace. He'll also include a free evaluation as part of the free subscription to the e-newsletter.
A short solicitation with a free giveaway and "no selling" goes a long way to making a stranger into a friend. The idea is to offer targeted lists something that they all could see as a benefit. Reference the major hopes and challenges that are specific to that target market. Give something free to them for the act of filling out a form.
Here are a few rules to follow to make sure you are in compliance with the law:
Always honor remove requests from your recipients.
Never use forged or fraudulent return email addresses.
Never use fraudulent or deceptive subject lines.
Do not redirect email through hijacked mail server relays.
Include a postal mail address in your emails.
Identify emails of an adult nature with the appropriate subject line.
That's pretty much it. So now you just need to get a list.
Here's the link to the CAN-SPAM details. http://www.marketing-2000.net/canspam.htm
I'll cover the issue of creating lists and more in another article.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Most Frustrating Experience in Business Today.
I've been working with businesses for most of my life. After working on the phone, in person and on the web, I've come to the conclusion that the Internet is the most frustrating experience in business today.
I love it- I hate it - no, I think I love again. Most of my contemporaries are afraid of the darn thing. I get calls from clients who tell me that they can't access their email properly how in the world can they expect to make money off this thing!
The best way to navigate and work on the Web is to treat it the way you do paper. If you treat it like paper you will gain control of the beast.
I found that out when I got started in Internet marketing a while back. I used to toss all the spam in the virtual garbage can and ignore the popups and banners. Now I've been in sales and marketing all my life and I watch commercials for the construction not the content or the message. I patiently sort through all my junk mail to see how the marketing department constructed the offer and the payoff.
When I first realized that the Web was paper, it was like my wife telling me the obvious and waiting patiently for me to think it was my own idea. No matter, I got control of the medium.
I finally began to learn how to use the darn thing for making a living. I no longer became intimidated by the young guys making bank off a 30 page sales letter. I no longer fell for the folks who took the tools of offline marketing gurus from the 50's and 60's then pretended that it was the newest whizbang theory of making online millions.
Selling is about finding the right people who realize their needs can be fulfilled by what you can do for them, after they trust you to do what you promised. Once I realized that the same principles operate online as they do offline, I got it.
If you're like my "50 something" friends and clients who are still struggling with the "new medium", take heart. If I can come to terms with the medium by finding my personal analogy, I think you will too.
I love it- I hate it - no, I think I love again. Most of my contemporaries are afraid of the darn thing. I get calls from clients who tell me that they can't access their email properly how in the world can they expect to make money off this thing!
The best way to navigate and work on the Web is to treat it the way you do paper. If you treat it like paper you will gain control of the beast.
I found that out when I got started in Internet marketing a while back. I used to toss all the spam in the virtual garbage can and ignore the popups and banners. Now I've been in sales and marketing all my life and I watch commercials for the construction not the content or the message. I patiently sort through all my junk mail to see how the marketing department constructed the offer and the payoff.
When I first realized that the Web was paper, it was like my wife telling me the obvious and waiting patiently for me to think it was my own idea. No matter, I got control of the medium.
I finally began to learn how to use the darn thing for making a living. I no longer became intimidated by the young guys making bank off a 30 page sales letter. I no longer fell for the folks who took the tools of offline marketing gurus from the 50's and 60's then pretended that it was the newest whizbang theory of making online millions.
Selling is about finding the right people who realize their needs can be fulfilled by what you can do for them, after they trust you to do what you promised. Once I realized that the same principles operate online as they do offline, I got it.
If you're like my "50 something" friends and clients who are still struggling with the "new medium", take heart. If I can come to terms with the medium by finding my personal analogy, I think you will too.
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