February 2012 – Page 3 – TP Javeton WebNet

There are so many ways that you can promote your Web business or website that it can seem overwhelming. Some methods are more effective than others. So how do you know which ones will work. These five methods are proven to generate traffic to your site as well as generating income for you.

Offer good quality freebies

One thing that appeals to everyone is “free.” If it is free people will take it. Think about all the samples of perfumes given away at department stores. Do you really want a small sample of perfume? Probably not! But you take it anyway simply because it is free and someone is nice enough to offer it to you. This same principle applies with information or services offered via your website. However, you must make sure that the freebie is of reasonable value.

You can send out free newsletters, free email courses, or offer a free trial period. some traditional items that have been given away in the past – and still are in some instances – were free credit reports and free PC scans. These freebies are what we in the marketing field like to call “teasers”.

By running the free credit report or PC scan, the vendor/marketer gives himself/herself the opportunity to do business with customers by repairing/removing their problem for a fee, if something unusual is actually found on the credit profile or PC. This can be an effective way to get information to your potential customers, create sales and generate traffic to your site.

Provide useful information

Your website contains information about a service or a product that you are very knowledgeable about. You can generate traffic to your site by writing articles in your area of expertise and have them published in an ezine or an article hub or directory. Submitting to directories is often free and can be very effective in generating links back to your site.

The most effective way to use articles is to write them for free and ask in return that the publisher allow you to include a byline. A byline is a brief summary of the author and his/her credentials along with link back to his/her website. Your byline is a way in which readers will come to know you as an expert on a particular topic. This generates trust that your site is a source of credible information.

Utilize pay-per-click programs

Some search engines allow a website to purchase ranking. This is an excellent Web marketing technique in that it is effective and inexpensive. In the pay-per-click programs, your website is billed only for those who actually visit the page. This is a more effective strategy than banner ads which may be seen by millions but only used by a few.

When using the pay-per-click programs you choose keywords relative to your site’s content and when those keywords are entered into the search boxes your site will appear. If the surfer chooses to view your site, you are then billed for that click. Many pay-per-click programs offer several other benefits as well, including updated lists of commonly used keywords and tracking.

Network with other Internet marketers

Remember that there are many other individuals out there trying to succeed in this business as well. You can choose to network with those who have similar marketing ideas. When networking, you share links and refer customers to each other.

Always be very cautious when choosing a networking partner since everything that you recommend is a reflection of yourself or your product. Therefore, be certain that your networking partner is a reputable source of information. Know something about the product or service offered by reading, listening to, or by actually using the product.

Utilize offline sources of advertising

Simply because your website is online, doesn’t mean that all your advertising has to be on the Web. Advertise in newspapers, on TV or the radio. You can send out a press release to get your information to thousands of people all over the country. Pass out flyers and postcards in your neighborhood. Use your imagination to find unique ways of letting the public know about your product or service.

Utilize any or all of the above strategies. These five strategies will ensure your Web marketing success when used consistently.

Think like an entrepreneur

It’s almost impossible to be an entrepreneur if you haven’t developed an entrepreneurial mindset. Yes, you have to be able to think like an entrepreneur if your entrepreneurship is to be a success. Sometimes though, it is easier said than done, because if you have been an employee in a structured corporate environment and want to break out of it to start your own business, some retraining of the mind may be necessary.

Following is a brief narrative that relates directly to the retraining of your mind with the desired result of completely reeducating yourself in entrepreneurial thinking and ultimate self-employment in a field of your choosing, if not of your dreams.

The obstacles within

A very valuable lesson learned by many entrepreneurs is realizing that one of the biggest problems in becoming self-employed came in the form of obstacles created by themselves. In order to be a self-employed person it is necessary to start thinking like one. I was one of those entrepreneurs before I changed my way of thinking. I found myself reverting back to that nine-to-five mentality in the sense that If I wasn’t accomplishing a task every hour, then I must not really be working.

Sometimes a self-employed person has to make decisions about his/her business. Sometimes s/he is just thinking about a solution to a problem. Sometimes s/he just has to quiet his/her mind so new ideas can formulate. Just because you’re not pounding away at the keyboard or some other office gadget every minute doesn’t mean you’re not working.

Learn to ignore distractions

I’ve also learned that it’s okay to NOT answer the phone every time it rings. That’s what voicemail is for, and the same goes for email. At my nine-to-five job I would leave the email program open all day and answer each one as it arrived.

It took me a while to realize it’s okay to only check email several times a day instead of constantly being interrupted. Periodically checking your email is so much more productive than having to stop your thought process every time “you have mail.” At my other job, I was able to let a phone call roll over into voice mail, but it took me a while to be able to shut down the email too.

You’re going to have days where you feel you didn’t accomplish much. Then again, you’ll have days where you’ll feel you can conquer the world and you’ll be amazed at how much you got done. Some days you may not finish many tasks, but you’ll make a decision on a problem that needed to be addressed. Or, you will have learned a valuable lesson about yourself.

Think big picture

And, I had to learn to stop breaking down all my tasks into dollars and cents. I tended to worry about how much I was or was not earning every day. The truth is, some days you’re going to make more money than other days. If I spent my day on marketing issues, even though I didn’t earn any money from it that day, I would benefit from it some time in the future.

Rather than worry about what benefits I do or don’t have, I realized the benefit I have in my business is that I answer only to me. Everything I do will benefit me sooner or later. Instead of my income being dependent on somebody else’s budget, I can go as far as I dream.

And because I’m now doing what I truly love and not what someone else tells me to, I’m much happier and more content. I learned if you start thinking like an entrepreneur, then you’ll actually be one; And a reasonably successful one, thank you very much.

Completing the transformation

The above narrative could have been written by any one of thousands of present-day entrepreneurs who had previously been employed in a nine-to-five position and was forced to reformulate his/her entire outlook during the conversion from employed to self-employed. Some instances were voluntary while others were forced due to economical circumstances, but in all instances the mindset had to be changed.