That question is the center of a raging debate in the internet marketing community right now. Common [...]]]>

Get paid to eat lunch

The internet is a big place with a lot of free information. So why should anybody give you any of their hard earned money for some crappy ebook that you slapped together in 20 minutes?

That question is the center of a raging debate in the internet marketing community right now. Common sense suggests that people won’t pay for what they can get for free.

After all, would you pay for a special search tool when you can use Google for free? Probably not, and Google is the best there is.

However, one thing to keep in mind when designing a strategy for your online business is that the MAJORITY of promotional techniques can be done by YOU, the entrepreneur, for zero cost.

It doesn’t cost you anything to write an article or upload a video.

No free lunch

Well, I take that back. It will cost you time, but if you’re like me and have much more time than money, that’s obviously not a problem.

So if all this information is out there for free, then how did $82 billion worth of stuff get sold on the internet in 2009?

Now, before you answer this question, keep in mind that MOST people don’t have the wealth of knowledge about the mechanics of the web as you have.

As an internet marketer, by trade you’re more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the web than your average consumer, who may not know how to properly use a search engine.

Try brunch

Anyway, in order to have a balanced strategy, you should release info products both for free and for sale. Give away the free ones in exchange for subscribing to updates about your site.

This simple trick nets you qualified prospects which you can market to at a later date. Also remember to stuff your info product with links to any affiliate products which you promote AS WELL AS a link to your own website on each page.

If you’re offering good info, where do you think your readers are going to go when they finish reading? Right back to you. And you never know, maybe this time they’ll buy something.

Can You Make More Money By Giving Your Info Product Away Than By Selling It? originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 7, 2009.

What’s that? You managed to launch a profitable business WITHOUT a web presence? What are you selling, buggy whips?

Regardless of your business’s standing in a given industry, you can still benefit from an increased presence on the net. Even if your business HAS a heavily promoted website, there are other ways for [...]]]>

What’s that? You managed to launch a profitable business WITHOUT a web presence? What are you selling, buggy whips?

Regardless of your business’s standing in a given industry, you can still benefit from an increased presence on the net. Even if your business HAS a heavily promoted website, there are other ways for you to design a specialized corporate internet marketing strategy to drive sales even higher.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Create an ebook (informational product) with basic information about your industry. LOAD the ebook with links to your more information (your website and sales pages!) establish an “affiliate” program for potential salesmen on a performance-basis. you only pay if they sell your product!

• Start a blog, giving out the latest news and updates from your company or industry.  Create interest in aspects of your company OTHER than the product itself. If you have a great blog or ebook that satisfies a potential customer’s desire for education, where do you think he’s going to look for more when he’s done? That’s right, YOUR SITE. Once he does, see if you can slip in some sales copy about your product or service.

• Create a YouTube channel for your company. Add videos relevant to your company’s field or industry. Update viewers about new products, services or any ground-breaking research your company might be doing.

While every business is different, the rules remain the same for each: expand, make more than you spend, and you stay in the game. For an organization with a corporate structure, often times these decisions are not carried out by those on lower levels.

Mid to large size companies have the potential to systematically dominate their industry-specific keywords, and oftentimes they do. While this will get them quite a bit of traffic from Google, it does relatively nothing to encourage users to arrive to the site from other means.

For example, take the soft drink giant Pepsi. Because they are so large, they can afford to buy Super Bowl commercials, sponsor major sporting events, and hire high profile celebrities to promote their product.

More money doesn’t always equal better marketing

Probably not, and I’ll tell you why. To those who Pepsi is marketing TO (us), it offers nothing of value other than a 30 second distraction from our otherwise bland lives. The advertisement is forgotten as soon as the commercial ends.

What if, however, Pepsi were to run a YouTube contest where people compete to make the best 30 second Pepsi commercial?

It would generate a HUGE amount of buzz across all forms of media and be virtually free to promote (nothing more than a well placed press release). This flexibility in the creative process is the major advantage small business owners have over their corporate competitors.

How Your Corporation Can Dominate Your Industry Via Online Marketing originally appeared on VIP Internet Marketing on November 5, 2009.