Join the Social Marketing Giveaway

Free Webinar: How to Use Social Media Marketing to Drive More Traffic, Get More Referrals and Increase Sales!

Join us for a Webinar on July 9

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/327064418

Businesses are now finding that the marketing tools and techniques for attracting new customers considered valuable just a few years ago, are no longer bringing in the sales they once were.  Why?  Because the dynamics of the market have changed.  The worldwide recession seems to have changed the rules of marketing.

Consumers are better educated and have more choices than ever before.  In addition, there are fewer buyers out there and more intense competition from everywhere for their discretionary income.

In order to compete in this type of market, more and more companies are seeking out low cost “guerrilla” marketing tactics.  Social media marketing is one such strategy and can provide business owners and manager something very unique – a low cost, high ROI alternative to traditional marketing and advertising methods.

Most companies know they should be doing something with social media, but many just don’t know what to do and how to get started.

Listen in as Bill McRea interviews, David Carleton, lead generation and social media marketing consultant.  Dave answers the question most frequently asked by his clients:  What is Social Media Marketing and How Can I Use it to Help Grow My Business?

Social networking sites discussed include: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more.  You’ll also see and hear specific examples on how companies big and small are using social media marketing to gain an unfair advantage against their competition.

The Day: Thursday July 9, 2009
The Time: 9 PM EST, 6 PM PST
The Place: Your Computer
The Cost: FREE

If your sales have been down or you just want to get more,  you’ll want to tune into this one-of-a-kind event.

There are only 500 spots available for this FREE Webinar, so please sign up early to ensure you get in.

Title:           Free Webinar: How to Use Social Media Marketing to Drive More Traffic, Get More Referrals and Increase Sales!

Date:         Thursday, July 9, 2009
Time:         9:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Success rarely comes automatically to an internet business. It is still the result of hard work and careful planning. And planning requires research. Part of what makes an internet marketing venture profitable is a well-thought-out strategy of how to attract clients and promote the product effectively. Otherwise, the business could end up floating without direction in the wide expanse of the web.

Research is key to a successful internet marketing business, but like any other marketing tool, it is only effective if used well. Here’s how:

Know your market
Going into internet marketing blind is like trying to pop balloons with darts in the dark. You might hit some and feel lucky, but probability very rarely favors the players. Just go to Las Vegas any day and you’ll see why casinos still stand.

Since almost anything can be sold online nowadays, going in without knowing who to sell to is a waste of time and effort. Do some research on what internet surfers like, what kind of sites they are attracted to and most importantly, what kind of stuff they actually buy. Positioning your product or service using this information can do wonders for your revenue.

Know your competitor.
Internet marketing is much like traditional marketing, in that you also need to know how and what your product stands against. It’s easy to be carried away by the promise that internet marketing is for everyone and marketers can just ignore their environment. This is a fatal mistake.

If your product has to stand out, you will need to do research on what makes it different from everything else. And that involves a little sleuthing on your part. Get to know your competitors, their products and their market. Find out how they promote and sell, how much traffic they get and why and then use this information to better tailor your product and keep it at par or better, a cut above the rest.

Keep the traffic in your direction
If you know what makes surfers tick, you can take a look at your site and your promotion tools and see if what you’re doing currently is right or a total waste of time. You might need to do a little site tweaking, add freebies like shareware and ebooks and revamp your marketing concept to come up with a site and product that people actually want to check out and buy.

To do this, you will have to make yourself visible on the net. Use articles and provide links to your site, offer useful information and tips, even free stuff. If your site is worth visiting, it will attract more people who will come back and actually stay to check things out.

Keep content fresh and relevant
To keep abreast with the changing demands, you will need to keep your site look brand new on a regular basis. Publish new contents to add to your site and keep your old info and articles in an easy to browse archive. Writing new articles or publishing new product photos and ads not only keep your site from looking stale, it will also do well to optimize it for search engines. You have a better chance of popping up high on a search engine list if your content is not only optimized, but new as well.

Keep up with trends
Markets do change and it is quite rare to see a product or service remain in its original state and still be a bestseller, unless it’s Coke or Dove, and those don’t rely on the internet to get sold. As more and more people use the internet for information and business, internet marketers need to use research to see and accept that trends come and go and adapting is not really compromise – it’s survival and a keen marketing strategy.

Finding the right pack to hunt with
Lone wolves do survive in the increasingly competitive world of internet marketing and many of them have been successful with their venture. However, finding the right circle to associate your business with could also work to your advantage. Remember how networking is still a highly effective strategy in traditional business? It works just as well online.

But as an internet marketer, you must be careful where you put your money in, since association with some bigger names and inclusion in well-browsed directories can cost a few dollars. This is where you will need to do a little background research on possible partnerships to find out which is the more profitable one to have.

Mario Churchill
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/using-research-to-keep-your-internet-marketing-business-competitive-87425.html

With millions of people surfing the net each day, marketing products and services through the Internet is proving to be far more worthwhile than traditional marketing methods. Merchants now have more chances to sell their products and generate huge incomes through affiliate programs.

affiliate marketers have equally benefited from online marketing.  An affiliate has a very specific job, to refer a customer to a merchant’s site, generally through a link.  If that customer ultimately buys any product or service from the merchant’s site, the affiliate earns commission.

By helping merchants sell products online, affiliate marketers gain many advantages over traditional marketing methods. They have complete control and flexibility, from what they choose to sell to the hours they wish to work.  Affiliate marketers don’t need to deal with inventory nor are they bound to the products of single company or merchant.

But for an affiliate to be successful, there is still one important challenge that must be faced from the start: how to pick a good affiliate program to join. Affiliate programs outline the relationship between merchants and affiliate marketers. Programs vary depending on the company, offering different commissions or incentive packages.

Remember that there is no single best affiliate program. Rather, different programs play to different people’s strengths and needs, and appeal to different target markets.  Here are a few things to consider when choosing the right affiliate program for you:

1.  Get the facts before you leap into an affiliate program.  Read up on products and services before you decide to sell them.  If you have a website with specific content about something, think about marketing products and services that match the site and the mindset of your visitors. To learn more about a program, start by visiting affiliate forums where you can discuss and weigh your options with seasoned affiliate marketers.

affiliate marketing “networks” can be good places to look for choices. Here, merchants and affiliate marketers can connect. The merchants advertise their affiliate programs to interested affiliates who sign up with the network for free. Third party affiliate program networks are helpful since they provide you with access to a large number of advertisers (merchandisers) simultaneously. You can easily track and compare their sales records, performances, benefits, products and services.

2.) Don’t waste your time with a product that isn’t marketable. Examine previous and present sales data.  This will give you an indicator of factors like the product’s reliability and quality.  It will also clue you into the effectiveness of the sales and marketing strategy of the merchant. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask yourself if you would buy such a product online. Would you recommend the product to someone else?  If the answers to these questions are no, move to the next option. Finally, make sure to overview the company’s compensation plan, since merchants who may be selling the exact same product may reward you differently.

3. If you do not have much time to promote intensively, choose merchants that offer strong banners, graphics, ads, and content. If the merchant also provides training and support on how to effectively sell their products, you have probably found a winner. Remember that affiliate marketing is a partnership, so make sure your partner is able to support you as you help him promote his products and services.

4. Note all the pros and cons of each affiliate program you are considering. Gather information on products and collect data on the effectiveness of the programs.  Ultimately consider the compensation and the support the company will give you in partnering with them. Online sales is a numbers game, so do research on the number of searches conducted for the products, the number of competing affiliates you find online, and the overall size of your potential marketplace.

Learn More About Affiliate Marketing

Dominate Your Market in a Web 2.0 World: Internet Mastermind Rich Schefren’s business acceleration Course Released Today

How to leverage the tools of Web 2.0 Marketing, such as social networking, to become the most visible and visited business in your industry.

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Delray Beach, Fla. (PRWEB) December 20, 2007 — There are 435 million other Web sites on the Internet. There are over 15 billion Web pages. There are over 1,000,000 blogs in the world. How do you make your Web site/business stand out amongst such competition?

The ‘old school’ marketing model of interrupting (radio, TV, newspaper) is dead and buried … just look at the declining TV audiences, plummeting radio listenership and newspaper industry layoffs for the proof.

Internet mastermind and business coach Rich Schefren supplies answers to this question in his new Business Acceleration Course to be released Thursday, December 20th at 12:00 p.m (EST).

Rich Schefren states, “The ‘old school’ marketing model of interrupting (radio, TV, newspaper) is dead and buried … just look at the declining TV audiences, plummeting radio listenership and newspaper industry layoffs for the proof.”

While traditional marketing channels are drying up, Schefren explained in his free downloadable report The Attention Age Doctrine how savvy business owners, entrepreneurs and marketers are taking advantage of Web 2.0 Marketing tools such as social networking, videoblogs, podcasting and viral marketing to still capture the attention of their audience.

“The problem,” according to Rich Schefren, “is that most online businesses have no clue how to market in this Web 2.0 Attention Age.” Rich Schefren urges entrepreneurs to take notice of how Robert Murdoch purchased MySpace for $580 million and even more importantly, how Google purchased YouTube for $1.5 billion. Both are examples of the future marketing punch of social network sites for business growth.

Rich’s Business Acceleration Course is the first in-depth training ever made available to transform business owners into what Rich calls social networking “Mavens”. Rich explains, “Mavens are the recognized experts (as in recognized by others not self-proclaimed) that others credit with a deep understanding of the overall market, the needs of its customers and the key trends that will affect the overall market.”

Consumers will turn to “mavens” over and over again for their buying suggestions and advice. As a business positions itself as a “maven”, it captures and engages the prospects attention, and ultimately consumer choices making marketing a product or service practically a piece of cake.

Rich Schefren’s Business Acceleration Course includes

• How to make your information stand out amidst all the noise of the Internet, e-mail, videos, newspapers and TV (this explains why you’re having trouble getting a start in your business and how you break through the noise if you’re just starting out).
• How to communicate your message on social networks such as Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, digg and the blogosphere
• How to identify the big problems in any market that nobody else is talking about and claim them as your unique position (the key to finding the right story to deliver in your marketing).
• Rich’s personal coaching on the six step process to become a “maven” in your market practically overnight. Helping Rich teach “mavenship” will be guest mentors such as the world’s highest paid copywriter, Clayton Makepeace.
• 19 DVDs of instruction by the leading Web 2.0 Marketing “Mavens” such as Janet Switzer on product development, Jeff Walker on product launches, Patricia Hutchings on accelerated learning and Mike Filsame on viral marketing.

As he only produces a limited number of courses, Rich highly recommends that interested business owners act fast if they would like to purchase this timely new course. There are over 60,000 readers of his blog, and over 1,500 readers who are already on a Front of the Line Pass who will have first opportunity to preview the Business Acceleration Course. Rich Schefren is uniquely qualified to teach business owners Web 2.0 marketing. He is the “guru to the guru” in online marketing. In other words, the biggest internet marketers have paid generously to be coached by Rich on how they can accelerate their business growth.

Rich’s business strategies has produced over $50 million in profits for his clients. He has personally coached Jay Abraham, Mike Filsaime, Brad Fallon, Jim Edwards, Marlon Sanders, John Carlton, Joel Comm, Yanik Silver and Jeff Walker.

Rich writes a blog on his website, StrategicProfits.com. He constantly educates the marketing community on both innovative and time tested strategies that build business systems.

Media Contact
Brian Johnson
Chief Operating Officer
Strategic Profits
(954) 429-3114
brian@strategicprofits.com

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Search Marketing Expo Launches SMX West: New Event Featuring Educational Sessions and Exhibition Unlocks Secrets and Power of Search Marketing

Search Marketing Expo – SMX West, a search marketing conference programmed by renowned search authorities Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman, delivers proven techniques for every level of search marketing expertise to take the fear out of search and keep search marketers ahead of the trends. Corporate marketers, advertising and marketing agency executives, public relations and communication professionals as well as search planners, buyers and specialists will gather at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California, February 26-28, 2008 for the only conference completely dedicated to search.

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Redding, CT (PRWEB) October 22, 2007 — Marketers spent $9.4 billion on search engine marketing (SEM) in 2006, a 62% increase over 2005 spending, according to search marketing organization SEMPO. And as internet marketing continues to grow and search becomes a fundamental tool in the traditional marketing mix, marketers who once viewed search as ‘new’ or ‘experimental’ are trying to catch up on the hottest segment in marketing today. Search Marketing Expo – SMX West, a search marketing conference programmed by renowned search authorities Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman, delivers proven techniques for every level of search marketing expertise to take the fear out of search and keep search marketers ahead of the trends.

Corporate marketers, advertising and marketing agency executives, public relations and communication professionals as well as search planners, buyers and specialists will gather at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California, February 26-28, 2008 for the only conference completely dedicated to search. Sullivan and Sherman were the first to showcase the world of search marketing in a conference exhibition format and have been educating generations of search marketers via in-person events for nearly a decade. SMX West will continue to deliver knowledge-packed sessions that take the mystery out of this powerful Internet marketing tool.

SMX sessions provide proven techniques from search marketers who are in the trenches. We help attendees improve their traffic from search immediately, and achieve their ultimate goal whether that is sales, lead generation or anther objective. Rather than intimidate marketers with search speak and technical jargon, we’ll speak their language – the language of business-building.

“Driving qualified traffic is critical to Internet business success and really any business success,” said Sullivan, founder and programmer of the Search Marketing Expo conference series. “Everybody’s talking about search–and some marketing events touch on the topic — but SMX West is a search marketing conference like no other. It covers everything search — and marketers of every skill level will walk away with actionable ideas they can implement immediately.

“Our sessions aren’t sales pitches and don’t focus on theories or generalist advice,” Sullivan said. “SMX sessions provide proven techniques from search marketers who are in the trenches. We help attendees improve their traffic from search immediately, and achieve their ultimate goal whether that is sales, lead generation or anther objective. Rather than intimidate marketers with search speak and technical jargon, we’ll speak their language – the language of business-building.”

Registration Information
Registration for the event with special pre-agenda pricing of $995 is now open. The low price offer is good through November 9th when the full agenda will be posted, covering topics including paid search and generating traffic from free or “organic” search listings, and more. Registration from November 9th through January 11th will be $1195 and then until February 25th will be $1395. On-site registration will be $1595. Visit http://www.smxwest.com/register to register.

Event Offers Satisfaction Guarantee
SMX West producer Third Door Media is offering a satisfaction guarantee to conference participants. “SMX West will be packed with information for both search marketing novices and veterans. We guarantee you will leave this event more knowledgeable about search marketing and more prepared to benefit from it than when you came,” said Chris Elwell, Third Door Media President. “It’s a one-of-a-kind offer for an exceptional event programmed by the masters of search marketing, Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman. Our guarantee makes attending SMX West a no-risk opportunity.”

About Search Marketing Expo – SMX West and Third Door Media
Search Marketing Expo — SMX West is produced by Third Door Media, Inc. Third Door Media’s mission is to empower interactive and search marketing professionals by providing trusted content and community services they need to be successful. Other Search Marketing Expo events include SMX Local & Mobile, SMX Social Media, SMX Travel @ PhoCusWright, and SMX East.

Third Door Media also publishes the fast-growing search marketing news and analysis site Search Engine Land, which launched in December 2006 and attracted 275,000 unique users in September 2007. The company also produces Search Marketing Now, a lead-generation marketing solution for suppliers of SEM-related products and services, and Sphinn, the place for web, online, search, interactive and internet marketers to share news stories, talk within subject-specific discussion forums, build a network and stay connected to hot topics in internet marketing.

For additional information Search Marketing Expo – SMX West, or to schedule interviews with Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman, contact Amy Hooker, 910-362-8004 or amy @ mavencom.com.

For Third Door Media, contact Claire Schoen, 203-664-1350 or claire @ thirddoormedia.com

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