Viral Marketing Tactics

Day683
Truly there is no trick to viral marketing, no strange equations such as those found in SEO strategies. All that is necessary is to get people talking about your website, emailing about your website and just generally creating a buzz.

Every website owner should certainly include one or more of the following in his or her own e-commerce game plan.

1. Email Signature

This is certainly the quickest and most simple method of ‘infecting’ the e-world with your message. Attach a message both intriguing and explanatory, with perhaps a touch of humor if it fits your niche. Then, just get into contact with others; compliment other website owners on their site design, offer advice or opinions, or ask a question.

The key is to make your email memorable or valuable, so as that the receiver of the email may pass it on to a friend or business contact. One gold nugget of advice here is to build a list of business contacts. Such a list is easy to build via the usage of forums or online communities. From there, just keep your eye open for tools or articles, which you feel, may interest your contacts.

Don’t spam your contacts! Just offer them value and a neat little signature back to your website!

2. Offer Something For Free

One of the most searched for words on the internet today is: Free.
Every second website we encounter offers us something for free because that little four letter word is what catches the prey. Free newsletters are abounding, to the point where we now hate to subscribe; we would actually need to be paid to subscribe at times.

If from your website you can offer something of great value to your visitors, for free, you can set the virus free quite efficiently. Think ebook, ezine, member-only resource center, screensaver and desktop downloads. Find a way, always, to imbed a link, or preferably many links, to your website within whatever you are offering.

3. Article Writing

Writing articles and posting them on article distribution sites is actually a form of viral marketing. Why? Because if you have a good article, it will eventually end up distributed all around the net, all after you spending an hour writing and posting the article. Simple!

The process is simple: Write an excellent article, full of profitable keywords and post it to numerous article distribution sites. Slowly, as people find and republish your articles, the number of links pointing into your site will grow, as will your most important brand; your name.

Click on the following link to discover how to: Write Effective Web Content.

4. Affiliate Programs

So, can you pay to have other people ‘viralize’ your marketing? Yes.
This blessing comes in the name of Affiliate Programs. The wonderful part of it, of course, is that you only pay if it works!

Of course, you need a product to sell, as the method of payment to your affiliate is offered in the form of a percentage of the sale, which they have created. Ergo, you need a product or service to sell.

5. Make it easy for visitors to bookmark and recommend your site

This is also a very simple tactic to use and implement. It may not get you amazing results as it is a very passive form of marketing. However, it is good to make bookmarking and recommending your site as easy as possible for your visitor.

In closing, it should be noted that the benefits of a viral marketing campaign cannot be reaped straight away; patience is required. Those who are patient, and keep slowly working away on their plan, will realize just how powerful a good viral marketing campaign can be.

About the Author: Ciara Carruthers is a professional website content writer, specializing in the creation of ‘Information Centers’.
Discover the Viral Marketing Principles: The Basics, on her website, “Website Copywriter”.

Submitting Your Site to Search Engines

Day606
You will find millions of opinions on the Internet. Some people say you should submit your site to search engines if you're not listed. Some people say you should NOT submit your site; that it's better to wait until your site is found and indexed by the search engine bots/spiders.

You don't have to submit your site because it will eventually be found and indexed.

As far as whether you should submit your site to the search engines that haven't found it yet, there isn't any correct answer since opinions vary. The most important or widely used search engines are:

http://www.live.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.ask.com
http://www.yahoo.com

Altavista uses the exact same database as Yahoo. Live.com is supposedly going to replace msnsearch.com. A lot of little "nobody" search engines are driven by Google. So you only need to be concerned about these four.

Submitting your site to Open Directory is good as well. They are at dmoz.org. Being listed with them seems to improve a site's position on the search engines. They're very slow to add a site though. They have humans look at the site and assign a description to it, so it gives the sites listed there a kind of legitimacy or higher "status" than the other search engines which just automatically add sites with a software routine.

The best way to help boost a web site in search engine rankings is to get quality links from other sites. Use www.webmastereyes.com to find sites with high page rank and try to get them to link to you with anchor text that's relevant to your site.(Not just “click here”)

Conclusion of Tips on Starting an online business

Day371
7. How To Promote Your Business Website

Write An Article: Write an article promoting your site or product. Write an article on a hot topic many people would like more information on and submit it to various e-zines. How do you find out what's hot? Visit a few of the message boards and see what questions are raised often.

Search Engines: Thousands of search engines exist on the Internet. But, you should only be concerned with the top eight or ten. You should manually submit to the top eight: Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, Hotbot, Lycos, Northern Light, Infoseek, Webcrawler, and use one of the FREE automatic submission services like *SubmitPlus* to handle the smaller search engines.

Directories: List your site here too. Directories organize sites into categories. Good examples of Directories: Yahoo, Magellan.

Ezine Listings: If you have an e-zine to promote along with your site. Why not list it with one of the many e-zine services on the Internet. E-zine Library is a good one to start with.

Free Classifieds: You will have to submit to a ton of FREE classifieds to get any significant traffic. Why? You are competing with thousands of other Ads. Remember to work on your Ad copy and make it attention grabbing. Go to one of the popular search engines, type in Free Classifieds, and surf to the top 20 classified sites for beginners.

Often, these sites will lead you to several other Free Classified Sites. In response you'll get a stack of e-mail thanking you for listing your site while barking their promo. Best to get one of those free email accounts. Hot mail is a good one. So is Yahoo mail.

FFA Pages. Free For All's are worth a try. Be prepared for an avalanche of e-mails from FFA web site owners. If your title is attention grabbing you will get a few clicks. Good Attention grabbing headlines, FREE, Limited Time, Limited Offer, Proven, Secrets, and many more if you brainstorm. Check out the sales literature delivered to you by regular mail. Check and see what headlines grab your attention. And why? Incorporate them into your Online Ads.

Tell Friends And Family: If your friends, family, acquaintances, have an Internet Connection, e-mail them telling them about your new website, and ask them to visit often. Offer a FREE incentive if they tell a few friends to surf over. Perhaps, a FREE Ad in your e-zine.

Leave Business Cards or Flyers: Leave these promo pieces with small businesses in your community. All relevant contact information; email address, URL, telephone number, should be included. Offer a freebie to anyone who visits your site. A free e-book, report.

8. IN CONCLUSION

Think of your first six months primarily as a training period. Don't expect large earnings until after you've educated yourself.

Even the most dynamic, highest-earning entrepreneurs in the industry took MONTHS to begin seeing an income of any real significance with their internet home business.
Don't be a negative thinker and don't let the negative attitudes of others (even if they're family members, friends, or peers) influence you.

All the great men and women in history had to overcome the naysayers who said it couldn't be done-and then went out and did it. Think for yourself!

As long as you think positive and focused on your internet home business target you're on the right way to a rich life, which is directed by you and it will lead you to tremendous success and personal satisfaction.

About The Author
Michel Richer, The Internet Home Business Specialist Can Help You Build A Successful Internet Business That Can Generate Massive Profit !!! So Start Your Own Internet Business for FREE >> Visit Now: http://hombyz.com/homebusiness.htm

Part two of good business advice

Day357
6. Offer Rewards for Opt-Ins

Everyone enjoys acquiring free products. Offering a free product as a premium for Opt-in customers must have a perceived value relevant to your clients needs. Here again, you must offer a bonus that will generously provide your future client with an aid to the solution for their existing problem or desires. The bonus should always have a value attached, whether it is monetary or a way to cleverly save precious time or money.

The bonus should also be solid with relevant information pertaining to the customers needs. The potential customer will appreciate that and award you with a vote of confidence.

7. Offer Quick Tips on your Home Page

Offering quick tips to your clients on your home page will inevitably increase your site's reviews. Everyone is always on the lookout for short cuts or new ways to accomplish tasks that will cleverly save them precious time and or money.

Try to post new quick tips weekly if possible, and let all your clients know this. Quick Tips also carry long lived value. Your Quick Tips weekly column introduces a curiosity factor to your clients. What will they miss if they fail to view your site this week?

8. Set-up an auto-responder program that Pre-sells

Set-up your auto-responder as a public relations tool. Your auto-responder message should be set-up to notify your clients regarding new events, products, articles, or anything else that may primarily benefit your client. Developing curiosity is your main goal with your messages.

Remember, you are not trying to sell them anything; you are establishing trust between you and your prospective client. Your site is there to help the client with their needs or desires. Your website provides solutions to their immediate demands. Do not become a used car salesman here, become a close friend that cares!

9. Research

Compare similar websites that offer the same types of services you offer. Review their popularity at Alexa.com. Alexa offers a free service that determines traffic rankings, related links, and more for all websites. Visit their site and download the free toolbar.

Reviewing similar websites will aid you with your decision on how to better your own site with regards to popularity.

When reviewing your competitor's website, pay special attention to their website layout, design, bonus offers (if any), and navigation to pages of interest, and overall presentation. Ask yourself, what was your first impression of the site, was it easy to navigate, was it relevant to your demands, what could you do better to vastly improve their site, and finally, would you return to this site?

10. Establish a Perceived Value to your Website

By following and practicing the previous steps of this article, your website is destined to ultimately achieve success. The last step to your success is establishing a perceived value for your website.
Just what is perceived value?

Perceived value is the potential benefits a consumer expects from a product or service. Also, this is a form of branding (developing awareness of a name or product).

Take for an example Wal-Mart. When this name is mentioned, what are your thoughts?
Friendly place to shop.
Great selection of products to choose from.
Assumption of outstanding pricing.
Established name that is well trusted.

In your mind you have determined that these are some of the influencing factors most companies should have to make you feel comfortable and confident while shopping there. Some prices may be higher, but you feel satisfied with your perceived value of such a business.

Understanding your customer is priceless, and learning how to obtain their confidence in your services is the real challenge.

Provide service to your potential customer as a close friend, not as a percentage.

Roy King, is the editor for Ecom Newspaper, which is dedicated to provide Ecommerce news, information, and articles of interest for home-based Internet businesses. Tips, Tricks, Techniques, and Secrets are revealed by the Guru's of the Ecommerce world within our online newspaper. Stop by and visit us at: http://www.ecomnewspaper.com Have a Great E-Commerce Day.... Roy King

Ways to drive traffic to your website

Day96
I read these before I started my store and saved them because they were so helpful.

Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Business Website

By Maria Marsala

1. Build a strong, solid business foundation. Design a business plan, marketing plan, ideal client profile and 30-second elevator speech.
2. Be consistent and “brand” your company. Use the same colors, logo, motto, etc. everywhere on your business web site!
3. Make your business web site trustable.
4. Create policies that build trust: customer service, code of ethics and newsletter privacy policy.
5. Ask your web master to name each of your pages using a keyword you have supplied them with.
6. Offer added values on your business web site that make sense to your business and ideal client. This can include affiliate programs, books, and recommended links to web sites.
7. Add a “favorites or bookmark this site” script to some of your business web site pages.
8. Add a "Recommend This Site" on your site. If someone visits your business Web site and knows someone else who may appreciate it, this feature will e-mail the page's link to a recipient.
9. If you have pages on your business web site that you update monthly (like an articles page or recommended links page) say so on the page.
10. Join a few Web rings. For additional information, visit WebRing and Bravenet.
11. Provide a subscription box, to your e-zine or business announcement list, on your most viewed business web site pages.
12. On large business web sites, create a "What's New Page" or even better, ask your web designer to design a "Site Map" for your visitors.
13. Find easy and secure ways for your clients to pay you. A shopping cart and a secure way to accept checks and/or credit cards work very well.
14. Check your business web site's links regularly to make sure they all work. Use a free link checker such as Xenu's Link Sleuth.
15. Provide monthly chats or bulletin boards (forums) to build relationships and community.
16. Conduct periodic contests and announce the winners on your site.