Web Marketing & Your Business

WM methods

In mid-year 2020 the question no longer relates to whether or not you’re marketing your business online, but rather, how you’re marketing your business online. What do I mean by, how? In order to answer this question I will make the assumption that you’re not a Web marketer, but a business owner seeking information, which suggests you may be interested in learning about some of the many ways businesses can be marketed on the Web today.

Hope I’m making the right assumption but, be that as it may, let’s take a look at a few of the specialized ways you can market your business on the Web:

Email & Newsletter Campaigns
Articles & Ebooks
Search Engine Optimized (SEO) Websites
Blogs
Trafic Exchanges
Message Boards & Forums
Social Media Networks
Hiring a Web Marketing Guru

Emails & articles

An Email Marketing Campaign^[1] is a coordinated set of individual email messages that are deployed across a specific period of time with one specific purpose, such as download a white paper, sign up for a webinar, or make a purchase with a provided coupon. In some instances those emails come in the form of newsletters.

An Article Directory^[2] is a website with collections of articles written about different subjects. Sometimes article directories are referred to as content farms, which are websites created to produce mass content, where some are based on churnalism. An eBook is literature made available in digital form only, and is usually offered as a free gift containing information that is of interest to website visitors or email recipients in exchange for subscription to a particular email list.

SEO and blogs

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process by which website and some modern-day blog owners create content that is specifically meant to attract search engine robots (algorithms) by inserting popular keywords and key-phrases throughout the articles and posts in a way that the content still makes sense to human readers.

A Blog^[3] “(a truncation of “weblog”) is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent post appears first, at the top of the web page.”

Traffic exchanges & forums

Traffic Exchanges are a group of websites (portals) created specifically for members who agree to click on each others links and visit their websites and blogs – many containing product offers – for a period of time ranging from 15 seconds to 1 minute. In return of clicks and visits members are awarded points that help to defray the cost of credits required for visits to multiple sites.

“An Internet Forum^[4], or Message Board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. Forums act as centralized locations for topical discussion. The Forum format is derived from BBS and Usenet. The most notable and significant Internet forums communities have converged around topics ranging from medicine to technology, and vocations and hobbies.”

Social media & WM gurus

Perhaps the most popular Social Media Network on the Web is Facebook based on membership numbers alone, but there are other Web destinations that serve the same purpose of interaction and sharing of ideas, opinions and other such information, the proverbial public square. Sites like Flickr, tumblr, Linked-In, Reddit, Pinterest, MySpace and Delicious, just to name a few, serve a particular social media demographic.

Hiring a Web Marketing Guru (Web Services Consultant) may be the easiest way for the business who only casually utilize the Web to get his/her business marketed on the Web, even though this method tends to be more expensive in the short term.

Value and benefits

Of course, If you are not already marketing your business online it is probably about time to start, especially in view of the current environment (Covid-19 Pandemic) in which we’re all forced to the Web anyway. Although there are a few exceptions, just about every business can benefit from online marketing. There are just so many advantages to this type of marketing.

First and foremost is the economic value. It is extremely affordable to market your business online, but other advantages to to doing so may reach the same level in value beginning with the ability to reach a large target audience, as well as the ability to reach potential customers globally and the option to customize marketing campaigns for different sectors of the target audience.

The cost of creating and maintaining the website is insignificant in comparison to the number of potential clients you could reach through that site’s content. Additionally, the costs associated with posting links to your website are incidental. You could consider the cost of having access to the Web as part of the cost but you most likely require Web access for other reasons as well so it is a completely worthwhile venture.

Reaching a large target audience is arguable the primary reason for marketing your business online. You may have to spent a great deal of time and energy doing market research and determine who your target audience is; but you may also have to spend time trying to figure out the best way to reach that audience. despited the time spent this is a very sound marketing principle, as oppose to advertising on local television, radio and print media where you audience may be very limited by comparison.

keeping in mind that the Web is available 24 hours a day the potential for your products/services to be available any hour of day or night that is convenient to those who need them is definitely to your benefit as a business owner. Shopping for products and services in person can at times be very difficult, especially for individuals who work long hours or those who work unusual hours; and in a pandemic the difficulty is increased ten-fold. These individuals would not have the same problems obtaining their household needs from a business on the Web.

If you are a business owner who is reading this article and you do not already have a strong online presence, you need to immediately start learning more about the world of Web marketing. This is so important because if your competitors are marketing online, you may find they are gaining a steady advantage and are becoming more appealing to potential customers. Before too many of your potential customers become loyal customers of the competition you need to start figuring out how you can market your business online and keep pace with the competition.

References:

“Email Campaign.” Campaign Monitor. https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/glossary/email-campaign/. Accessed 19 Jun. 2020.

“Article Directory.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_directory. Accessed 19 Jun. 2020.

“Blogs.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

“Message Boards & Forums.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_forums. Accessed 19 Jun. 2020.

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How Many Affiliate Checks Would You Want?

The Affiliate Marketing model

It is often said that Affiliate Marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money online; and based on the revenue sharing model, which is a business relationship between affiliates who agrees to promote, market and sell products/services (‘products’), and the merchants who create and offer them, the prospects of making money are better than virtually any other business on the Web.

That having been said, however, it is important for every aspiring affiliate to keep in mind that the ease with which an individual can become an affiliate; and making money without investing the time, effort, and dollars required to achieve success are two entirely different things. In other words, making money in Affiliate Marketing is easy as long as the parties involved are ready, willing and able to perform their respective duties in as diligent a manner as possible.

The method by which revenue is shared in an affiliate marketing relationship is primarily commission-based and, in some cases, bonuses are paid for reaching certain milestones. When affiliates advertise a merchant’s products through his/her own efforts and expense any sale(s) that result entitles those affiliates to a commission; and for every potential referred to the merchant’s product page could result in the affiliate receiving a commission or fee even if a sale is not made at time of the initial visit; but no payment is due to the affiliate until successful results are realized.

Relationship mutuality

A mutually beneficial relationship – Compensation is based on either the number of visits (Pay-per-click), registrant (Pay-per-lead), or commission for each sale (Pay-per-sale). This system allows affiliate marketers to earn anywhere from a few bucks to thousands of dollars depending on the particular affiliate program(s). The important thing here is to understand that the opportunity to earn in affiliate marketing can only be limited by the affiliate’s determination, creativity and strategy.

In view of the above it is easy to understand why affiliate marketing is often referred to as a brilliant way to earn online, especially since affiliates don’t have to produce their own products or services to make a few dollars; but instead, to advertise a merchant’s products and get paid when their advertising efforts result in a sale. It is important to point out here that profiting from an affiliate marketing relationship isn’t immediate; the money usually starts small, but can get larger as the campaign starts to build up steam.

There are many things an affiliate marketer can do to maximize his/her profits; but if you ask any affiliate marketer how many affiliate checks s/he would want to receive, s/he will probably tell you that s/he wants as many as possible. Some affiliate checks are small, amounting to no more than $25; but others are large and can easily reach into the thousands of dollars and even more, depending on the affiliate, the program and the product; but over time these affiliate checks may build up to a really impressive amount.

Affiliate checks

To determine the number of affiliate checks – In order to achieve maximum success, you – as an affiliate marketer – should put in enough work and effort as well as utilize your imagination to find creative ways to attract more web traffic which can be converted to sales for the merchant and profit for you. Thus the question: How many affiliate checks do you want to receive?

Most affiliate marketers will enthusiastically reply that they want to receive as many affiliate checks as possible; but can it be said that merely wishing to receive checks will cause them to be paid? Obviously the answer is No! Because, like any other revenue generating business, the process is often not as easy as it sounds! Another question that is frequently asked is: Does joining many affiliate programs guarantee more affiliate checks that really amount to something? The answer is this quesion is also No!

Most affiliate marketers assume that joining multiple affiliate programs is a smart and viable option, because since it is very easy to join affiliate programs and there is really nothing to lose, affiliate marketers are tempted to join as many programs as they can in an attempt to boost their earnings. This effort often backfires however, because it ends in failure based on the affiliates inability to focus enough attention and work on any single program. The maximum earning potential of those affiliates are therefore not realized and the resulting income will be disappointing.

Affiliate potential

Realizing maximum affiliate potential – The best way to achieve multiple streams of income is to concentrate on one affiliate program at a time, by choosing product that you can promote passionately. Simply choose a product in which you have complete trust, and the best way to do this is to select a product you’ve used personally. This way your prospects will be able to sense your sincerity whenever you promote a product that you have experienced. This will also greatly enhance your credibility as well as your product’s marketability and will really encourage your prospect to purchase or avail of the product or service.

As soon as your first affiliate product is making a reasonable profit, then you can proceed to joining another affiliate program and repeat the process. “Too much, too soon” is a common pitfall in affiliate marketing which is why joining too many affiliate programs simultaneously in the hopes of having multiple streams of income simply does not work.

So the question should not be how many affiliate checks you want to receive; but rather, how many “high-paying” affiliate checks can you receive. The answer lies in your determination to succeed and with the right tools, the right actions, and the right mindset, you can definitely make a good profit out of affiliate marketing.