If you're a successful business owner or even a successful internet marketer whose been annoyed a time or two by other marketers who spam and practice unscrupulous marketing tactics, you'll probably relate to what I'm about to say.

Internet marketing or any marketing for that matter is not about flashing your stuff in front of people in hopes that they will buy it.

Marketing 101 — that never works.

Does that person who sent me an email with "You Just Got Paid!" in the title really think I'm going to pay any attention to what they are trying to sell me in their email?  I think we can all safely agree that I'm not.

How about the people who spam my blog, don't they know that I use Akismet?   It's unfortunate because they have seriously wasted their time and efforts.

And what about the Tweeters whose only goal is to advertise their stuff.  I'm not bashing marketers who use these tactics, I tend to think they are more inexperienced and not fully understanding how the process really works, or perhaps they are just plain lazy and don't want to take the time to do what it really takes.  Ok, maybe the latter is more likely but I remember not fully grasping concepts in my earlier years so I can't be too critical.

But here's what I've learned in my years of business.

Build relationships 

That may seem like work, and it is, but it's so worth the effort.  Think about this for a minute, you are a virtual being in a virtual world.  People seeing your ads, your emails, your website or your tweets don't know a thing about you at first. People buy from people they know and trust; if you do something to aggravate them right out of the shoot who can blame them for snubbing you?

I had a gentleman opt-out of my newsletter several weeks ago and his comment was 'Worthless'.   Like anyone, I felt a little hurt by that, but after checking out his website, I saw only pages and pages of advertising, nothing there was useful or helpful to anyone as a consumer. 

It started to make sense to me why he opted out; things like developing your email list, improving customer care, writing quality web content and all the other elements of a good marketer, was indeed 'worthless' to him.  I truly felt sad because this person could possibly have the potential for success, he either didn’t understand my methods or, as some might say, he was just lazy.

I think this is a hard concept for people starting out. The idea that you must put your customers and visitors before yourself doesn't always present an obvious benefit. But if you can think like your visitors and ask yourself "What's in it for them?" you can begin to see the light.   If you only focus on what's in it for you, you'll miss the boat.  Give and you shall receive. It can be a tough concept, well maybe for those that don't completely 'get it'. 

So what does all this mean for you? What am I really trying to say? 

Start by reaching out and connecting with others. We are all familiar with the social networking phenomenon. There's a reason it's so successful.  It's a means to connect and be responsive to others.  We recommend sites we like, we tweet and re-tweet about friends and their posts, we comment on blogs and other social networking sites and the list goes on.  But it won’t work for you if your goal is self serving.

Social networking is about building connections and relationships.  And when it comes to customers it’s about putting their best interests ahead of yours. 

Part of being success driven means going back to the old adage, "do unto others…"  Don't expect someone to buy something from you or do something for you if you can't offer them something as well.  Whether it be money, useful information, a gift, a helpful hand or a simple gesture of friendship.  Help others and they will trust and help you as well.

Show Gratitude

Never stop showing appreciation. Things like sending a simple thank you to a customer or a thank you note to a friend for a kind gesture works wonders for your outlook.  

Being grateful and showing gratitude helps us become more positive and it generates a positive attitude.  If you've ever complained to someone about something it's easy to notice the reaction, people not only dislike it, it becomes very clear that your attitude could use some adjustment.  It's a law of nature.  Show gratitude and it will change your attitude and that can turn your life around. 

These are not only the philosophies that I've adopted in my life, they also comes to us from great names like Wayne Dyer, Maya Angelou, Joe Vitale, Buddha, Ralph Waldo Emerson and one of my personal favorites, Wallace D. Waddles in his book "The Science of Getting Rich". A great read by the way – and it's free.

If you've ever given someone something of yourself, be it money, time or talent, it will always come back to you in a positive way.  But giving nothing and expecting something will prove disappointing every time. Be success inspired and give freely of yourself and then be grateful that you had the opportunity. 

I never paid much attention to thinking like a marketer when I started my business initially; it took me a while to fully understand how important it really is to effective internet markteting and actually making sales.

Now if you have an internet business or are thinking about one, that might seem like I'm stating the obvious but it's not something most people automatically think about when starting a business.  That's probably because most people never take the time to understand what that really means…       

Instead of wrapping yourself up in what to sell, building your site or figuring out how much money you will make, first begin to focus on what it takes to think like a marketer. 

Why is this important?

Because effective marketing is precisely how you are going to make sales, and lots of them.  You want to go beyond just selling stuff online, you have to market to people in such a way that they want to buy from you; and buy over and over again.

Salesmen are some of the highest paid individuals in the business world, that's because if they don't make the sales nobody gets paid.  If you don't focus on this aspect of your business first it's sort of like putting the cart before the horse.

So how do you think like a marketer?

I spend time watching commercials.  Huh … watch commercials?  Yep, stop looking at those ads as annoyances and begin to think about what might make someone buy the product being advertised?  What makes the ad peak your interest or not peak interest?

Try looking at various products on the market and try to figure out what makes them appealing.  Analyze why someone might want to buy it.

Think about what a sales process might consist of.  What's the step-by-step action you might have to take before someone buys?

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.  What would get you to buy a specific product?  Free gifts, discounts, trial offers are all common lures to get people to buy but there are a lot more creative avenues if you really think about them.

Do you know the reasons why people buy?  Emotions are a big reason and directly appealing to an emotion is almost a sure way to make a sale. 

Here are some things you should consider when you see an ad or a product:

• Understand what an ad is actually saying
• Understand how the ad making money
• Think about how an ad makes you feel?  Anxious, Secure, Scared.
• When you buy something think about why you are actually buying it.
• What caused me to want to buy this product?

These are all good marketer exercises. Get in the habit of looking at things with these questions in mind. 

To expand on this topic, these are excellent books to get a hold of.  You can also get these books from your local library, but picking up just one of them goes a long way in conditioning you on how to naturally think like a marketer.

Secrets of closing the sale by zig ziglar

How to master the art of selling by tom hopkins

How to sell anything to anybody by Joe Girard

The irresistible offer by Mark Joyner

Once you become aware of how things are being sold and the techniques used, you'll immediately notice the sales opportunities and it will soon become second nature to you.

Have fun with this.  Before you know it, you'll be a natural at making sales without even thinking about it.

Recently I've been following the buzz that Ken Evoy has generated with the article he sent out called:

"Why Blogging Is A Massive Mistake".

Just the title is enough to raise an eyebrow.

I don't think blogging is a mistake and I'm sure the millions of bloggers out there would agree.

If you read Ken's article, he makes some interesting points, but they are all debatable.

For example let's look at the 3 major flaws Ken points out with Blogging…

Fatal Flaw #1) Blogs Do Not Deliver Useful Information Resources

Wow, I've seen just the opposite of that.  I subscribe to several blog RSS feeds simply because that's exactly what I do get – useful information and resources.  But not only is there a ton of useful information in these blogs, I also get lots of good 'food for thought' from the comments of others.

Ken also talks about how articles and posts are dated and their usefulness plummets with time.  This may be true but not all articles or posts need to be dated. I often create content 'pages' instead.  Also posts don't have to be dated; you can leave off the date and it's easily done with WordPress. 

Fatal Flaw #2 – Blogging Navigation and Internal Organization Are Inherently Awkward

Not sure about the internal mechanics of blogging navigation but there are certainly organizational and management tips that you should pay attention to when creating your blog and if followed they all keep your navigation nicely in check.  For example:

1. Make sure there is a link to your home site.
2. Create links or pages to articles or information that may be of particular interest to readers of your blog.
3. Create logical categories and organize your posts logically under those categories.
4. Use anchor text links that are descriptive and point viewers to permalinks or comment links.

And finally…

Fatal Flaw #3 -  Blogs Do Not Meet the Natural Needs of Most Small Business Opportunities

Ken feels that not all businesses are well suited for blogging, however if you're in a fast moving field that experiences frequent changes and new developments, such as in the field of internet marketing, then blogs are a good thing, but for everyone else blogging should be avoided.  

Ken goes on to say:

"The nature of your business and its related subject matter is most likely inappropriate for blogging. Your own business is almost certainly better served by a Theme-Based Content Site. Why? Because your future customers will be better served by information delivered in this manner. Theme-Based Content Sites flex to meet the goals, knowledge and circumstances of everyone… "

Hmmm ….obviously Ken hasn't seen Manolo's Shoe blog 

Manolo is right on with his "shoe fashions", theme-based blog, not to mention it gets tons of traffic, lots of comments and does a really good job in keeping up with shoe trends and styles. I'd even be willing to bet he makes a killing in sales! 

In closing I also found it interesting, funny actually, that Ken points out that bloggers often "burn out" from the pressure and stress to blog.  Perhaps if you feel pressured to comment 'every day' — that WOULD be stressful! But personally, I don't think daily blogging is necessary.   I prefer to take my time and find something worthwhile and informative to comment about on a 'once a week' basis.  If I have something to post, I post it, if not, I let it ride until I do.  I almost look forward to making my blog comments.

So what do you think?

If you're marketing online, you might find that not everything you do or everything you promote brings in a steady income. 

Some months may be good, some months may be not so good, some products do well, and some don't. Every month can vary, there is one old standby that consistently bring in steady income for me – it's my AdSense earnings.  Every month I get a steady consistent income. 

That's because I have cool strategies I've learned, and no, they aren't my own strategies, for heaven sake my strategies were pulling my down, nope I listened to Joel Comm and purchased 'Adsense Secrets'.   It's amazing how just one subtle yet simple adjustment can increase earnings by 50%, and in many cases even more.

What's really cool is that Joel has just released his 2008 ver 4 of Adsense Secrets. Previous versions sold for $97 but now he's practically giving away for $9.95. 

I was puzzled at first at the low cost and thought perhaps he lowered the quality of the book but that wasn't the case at all, I did figure it out though  

If you purchase Adsense Secrets you'll be getting a small sales pitch for some other products Joel is marketing, which by the way are some excellent products so you may want to take a peek, but the additional sales page you are presented with is a small price to pay for getting the latest and greatest version of Adsense Secrets for $9.95. 

I also purchased my copy yesterday, read through it yesterday afternoon and already made a few AdSense changes last night, it's still too early to tell but I did notice this morning as I checked my Adsense earnings that they were UP!  

So it's already obvious to me that for $9.95 even just one good tip could boost my monthly income which makes it totally worth it to me. 

It's hard to say how long Joel will continue to offer Adsense Secrets for $9.95 but I wouldn't wait, he could end it at any time. 

===> Download your copy of Adsense Secrets today

So what’s the secret to getting Adsense to generate enough income to make it worth your while?

Here are a few Adsense tips for higher revenue that have worked for me.

Niche sites produce higher Adsense payouts

Niche web sites typically generate more revenue simply because of the better search engine placement they get from being tightly focused.  But not just any niche will do.  The idea is to choose a niche that does well in the advertising market and that merchants are willing to pay more for advertising.  Finance and loans is one such example.

Target the right keywords

To complement the above statement you need to find the keywords.  High paying keywords will point you to the high paying niche markets.

So you definitely want to find the keywords that pay the most.  Overture use to have a nifty keyword bidding tool that told you how much was being bid for a keyword however that tool is no longer available, too bad because I really liked it :- (  But after searching around for some time I came across Keyword Country

I found it to be quite useful for finding keywords. I’ve used Wordtracker a lot and still use it for my websites, blogs and advertising but found that it doesn’t give me the CPC and the variety of the high paying keyword data that I need for using Adsense.

The problem is that a keyword may have a cost per click (CPC) of $50 or more, but its estimated cost per click (EPC) may only be $0.80.  Consequently the problem to overcome is finding keywords that have a high CPC but also offer you a high EPC; you also need to know that there are enough advertisers for keywords. So you need a good tool that’s going to give you this information accurately and Keyword Country does a great job of giving you thorough data.

Placement of Adsense Ads
Google suggests that the wider ads perform better and this is because of their reader-friendly format.

If you have an article page, placing ads directly below the end of the article typically perform better. That’s probably because when a visitor finishes reading an article they are thinking about what to do next, if there’s a compelling ad right there for them, they are likely to click on it.

AdSense blocks wrapped between the quality content also works well.  You can use the medium or large rectangle format and place it in the flow of your content or to the right or left of it for best results.

For the websites having poor quality content, placing the Ads before the start of the content works well, but keep in mind that if you have a poor quality content website, you might get a high number of clicks, but you will be getting low priced ads. On the other hand, if you have quality content that keeps the visitors interested you may get a low CTR, but you will be getting high priced ads and regular visitors.

If you have horizontal links at the top of your page or at the bottom of your page that look like this:

Home  |  newsletter  |  About  |  Free Ebook  | Archives |  forum

Try displaying one of the following Adsense horizontal link units directly under your horizontal links:

(468×15) Displays up to 5 links
(468x15_4) Displays up to 4 links
(728×15) Displays up to 5 links
(728x15_4) Displays up to 4 links

Blend your Adsense Ads for Higher Revenue

If you can blend your ads into your website so as not to make them look like ads you’re likely to get more clicks.  For example, removing the border and changing the background color so it blends with your sites background color is a popular strategy.

Use the same color schemes for you ad that your website uses. If your headline text color is green then using green for your ad’s title will help it blend better.   I like to keep the text of the ad in black and I use a dark gray color for the actual link color.  Some suggest that keeping the link color in blue is better, however preferences vary there and I haven’t experienced much of a difference in click through either way.

Blending your ads is pretty standard stuff but I’m amazed at how many people don’t do this.

Use the Adsense Heat map
Google’s done their homework in this area and based on tests and experience their Adsense Heat map illustrates the best locations on your web page to place your ads for higher click through.

It’s also a good idea to keep your ads above the fold of your website.  Keep in mind that this map is just a guideline and everyone will experience different click through rates, so it’s always wise to experiment and take notes on what works and what doesn’t.

Google Adsense Update:

Google Adsense just recently updated (Feb, 2008) their Google AdSense Online Standard Terms and Conditions located at:

https://www.google.com/adsense/localized-terms

If you use Adsense you would have received a notice to agree to the changes.  What you may not have noticed is that Google is requiring Adsense users to update their website’s privacy policy.

If you look closely at the terms and conditions under the ‘program participation’ section, you will notice at the end of the paragraph the statement that says:

“You must have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy that clearly discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users’ browser, or using web beacons to collect information, in the course of ads being served on your website.  Your privacy policy should also include information about user options for cookie management.”

This means that if you use Google Adsense Ads on your website you must place a notice within your privacy policy that mentions the above.  If you need an example you can have a look at my Homenotion Terms of Use.

For a lot more quality professional tips, Joel Comm, the Adsense specialist, is practically giving away his Adsense Secrets

Best,
Elizabeth

I've used Google Adsense ads for a few years now and they bring me in a steady paycheck each and every month.  However, if you use Adsense you may have noticed that your monthly income has declined a bit.

Now there are several theories for that, in fact Jason Lee Miller over at Webpronews has a few ideas that are definitely plausible but in my opinion, it's probably due to a combination of factors.

The bottom line is that whatever the reason, it's probably not a good idea to rely on Google Adsense as your sole source of income.  We all know Google likes to change things and what seems like a goldmine one month may turn into a lump of coal the next.

But I'm still a fan if Google Adsense and I use the ads on many of my websites because I can get a fair amount of income from them, however it helps to know that there are websites and website topics that can make it harder to make money with Google Adsense while others do very well.      

For example, political sites or blogs can generate tons of traffic but political ads don't generally pay very much.  Also it's hard to get the right ads to serve your site.  Political blogs generally take a political side or point of view and getting the right ads to complement your site's viewpoint is difficult at best. During election season there may be more advertising competition however typically they don't generate very high bids. 

The same is true for religious sites; again it's hard to serve ads that correctly relate to your sites beliefs or views and the ads don't pay well.

Celebrity or gossip sites don't do well either, you would think so since there are so many of them, but even though they can bring in high traffic they don't bring in a lot of high product value. You can associate celebrities with movie tickets, DVD's or concert tickets and try to promote those types of items on your site but as far as advertisers go, most aren't shelling out the big advertising bucks.

Other sites that tank when it comes to Google Adsense are gambling and adult content sites. Google doesn't allow advertising on sexually explicit sites and they are not fond of gambling either.  Not sure about drug sites but Google doesn't allow them for Adwords so they may not allow the Adsense ads either.

Now where Adsense does seem to do well is with Skincare.  I have a skin care site that covers several topics of skin care. The section of the site that gets the most traffic is the anti-aging skincare.  The products sold on that site bring me about 23% of the revenue while 77% comes from the Google Adsense ads.   Kind of sad for the products but the Adsense does very well.

Another top adsense earner are the tech blogs.  Most tech advertisers pay top advertising dollars, so it doesn't surprise me that tech sites do pretty well.  If you own an internet marketing website you may also notice your Adsense Ads do quite well.

I'm sure there are other sites that do pretty well with Google Adsense and I'm sure there are some that don't.

Leave a comment below and let us know about your Adsense experiences 
 
Try this Free PDF guide on how to use Adsense for making the most money on a consistent basis.

Most of us don't want to come across as 'bossy' but when it comes to marketing online it's a fact that viewers like to be led by the hand on what to do and where to go.  After all, your visitors are looking for information and you're wise to direct them on where they can get it.  You do this by using a strong call to action.

Think about it.  Why do people come to the internet? They are looking for help, answers to their problems and guidance.  If you have the answers then you want to be sure your visitor finds them, so lead them where you want them to go.

This doesn't mean to simply point your viewers at things to buy. Yes you may have a book or great product that is ideal for whatever it is they need help with but simply telling someone to buy without backing it up with details and benefits won't work.  

If a viewer is ready to spend their hard earned money, they first want to be sure what they are buying will not only be what they need but is worth it.

Most marketers like to flash features and benefits in front of potential customers but to actually make the sale your viewers are going to need much more than that.  They need some personal convincing; they need to be compelled to buy.  The term has been coined 'preselling' and has been brilliantly captured by Ken Evoy in his book "Make Your Content Pre-sell" 

A good presale will include things like providing a personal story, product comparison or personal product review.  Your viewer has to believe you are speaking from your heart.  If you're not, believe me your readers can tell, you won't be fooling anyone.

Now that you've got your readers attention and trust, it's time to demonstrate your call to action.   You want to compel a response from your reader, so ask yourself, what do you want your reader to do once they finish reading your content?  Don't assume they know.  If you want them to check out your latest ebook or gadget, tell them.   Your call to action should follow naturally and build upon what you've already said.  You want them so engrossed by what you just told them that they can't resist the click.

Be specific with your message and avoid vague suggestions. Use concrete terms and descriptions, for example, "Save $10 if you buy today".

Studies have also shown that readers respond well to a P.S. at the end of a written offer, this if often an excellent place to put your call to action.

Here are just a few effective calls to action you can use:

"Click to register for your free report"
"Get Your Free Copy Today"
"Click here to learn more"
"Order now and receive… "
"Here's where to get the limited time offer"
"Check these great features here"

Don't be afraid to direct your readers by making a compelling presale and following it with a strong call to action. It's the best way to improve conversion rates thus increasing your sales and profits. 

Got a blog?  Maybe you want to start a blog but don't know exactly how to get started.  

Well, I have good news for you that's coming up on the horizon.

Alice Seba and Lynette Chandler are about to launch an intensive 4-week "Internet Marketing Blogging Bootcamp".  Alice is one of the premier online marketing trainers and she is teaming up with a Lynette Chandler who knows all about the technical aspects of blogging and can answer just about any question anyone has on blogging.

Anyway, Alice and Lynetter will be conducting a 4-week intensive and personalized "Internet Marketing Blogging Bootcamp". 

Anyone signing up for this bootcamp will receive weekly lessons that will be delivered in a private online membership area.  Each week students will receive printable training guides as well as audio recordings.  You'll also get practical weekly assignments that you can readily apply to your blog.  What's even better is you will also receive personalized feedback from Lynette and Alice directly. 

Registration actually starts on March 3 and classes will begin the following week on the 10th. 

These classes will be an excellent opportunity for anyone to get a blog started and begin making money immediately.  Even if you already have a blog it will teach you how to effectively monetize it.

But you don't have to wait until March 3.  Alice and Lynette have put out a blogging tips and ideas PDF guide that has 31 great starter ideas on what to blog about and how to begin making some early cash today.  
 
Ultimately I think this will be a 4-week course that anyone online will truly benefit from. It's not an ebook you have to push yourself to get through, it's a guided tour, if you will, on how to get a blog started and monitize it to its fullest.

At the very least, pick up your 31 free blogging ideas right now.

Happy Blogging!