If you run an online business, or have a website to promote your offline services, then email marketing should certainly be a part of any marketing campaign. I personally use the AWeber email marketing service as i have found this to be the most efficient way to build an email list, as well as to deliver periodic messages to my subscribers that actually finds its way to the inbox, rather than the spam folder of my subscribers.

Building a targeted email list is a vital part of business development, as you are able to easily increase sales to new or existing products within your business, whether you are running a discount offer, or a one-time product promotion as a product owner or affiliate. Its much easier to sell your products and services to existing customers, than it is to find a new client.

If you decide that its time to start your email marketing campaign, then i suggest you try AWeber. If you sign up today, you can enjoy a full month of service for just $1, which will give you plenty of time to test drive the library of features developed by the AWeber team.

AWeber Features At A Glance:

Send Email Newsletters: You have access to over 150 professional html email templates for your newsletters including several color schemes, dedicated logo & image placements for branding purposes, personalized inserts within the email text to enter subscribers name, your signatures and more, or you can use plain text emails if you prefer. All templates have been tested within the most popular email service providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! & more.

Website Signup Forms: Within just 3 clicks, you can create web forms to capture email addresses and names from your website using the web form building which includes hundreds of professionally designed web forms. Other features enable you to add facebook signup integration, have your web form hover over your website, slide in from left or right & much more.

Autoresponder Follow Up: With full scheduling capabilities, you can easily set up welcome emails & a series of follow up emails that can help you build subscriber trust. This enables you deliver downloads or an email course over a set period of days. Its a well known fact that if you continue to send emails, people will start to recognize you & will be more likely make a purchase.

Performance Tracking: When you send an email or a broadcast to your list, AWebers built in email analytics enables you to track the progress. This feature can provide valuable data such as who opened that specific email, who clicked the links within your emails, how many purchases were made from which subscribers & how many subscribers actually un-subscribed as a result of sending that email.

World Class Support: AWebers success is founded on providing expert services with world class support, so you can expect nothing less as a client of AWeber. You have access to phone, email & live chat which is available Monday through Friday, 8 am – 8 pm ET and Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm ET. Besides that, AWeber also provides a vast Knowledge Base that provides answers to common questions & free email marketing training including regular webinars.

AWeber Blog Feed:

You can increase website traffic using twitter if you understand how to harness the power of this internet giant. Twitter has sparked a new revolution in how people connect on the internet and its simple platform can be used to send thousands, if not millions of targeted traffic to your website. You have to grow your followers by offering something of value, give people a reason to follow you and you will soon see the benefits of this amazing, free service.

Open Your Account!

If you dont already have a twitter account then there is no time like the present to jump on board and work towards taming this beast. You will soon find out how lucrative this free service can be when you look at your website traffic statistics and see twitter driving tons of visitors your way, but you have to start from the beginning.

Use your website name as your username and edit the bio, input your website address and insert as many details about you and your company as you can. Always use a personal picture of yourself to front your twitter profile and use the background uploading feature for your business logos.

I have found that you get a better response from twitter users if your own personal face is on the profile and not a company logo, as this just seems as you are there to sell something, but you are not, you are there to first grow a network of people who are interested in the content on your website, you can sell them something later!

About Your Background Image!

Although, i dont currently do this (but will in the future), you can have a designer create a custom twitter background to make your profile look more professional. This shows other twitter users that you mean business and that you are serious and passionate about the service you use. Ask you designer to place your logos and contact details on the left side bar, horizontally so its highly visible, once you upload to twitter.

There are many free twitter backgrounds that you can find by searching google. Anything, is better than the standard backgrounds as a majority of other users will use these for their own profiles but you have to stand out from the rest.

Start Off Your Network!

As you need followers initially to actually grow your followers, you are best to start following people yourself. If you go to the search box on twitter and type in keywords related to your business, you will find many members that you can follow. Once these members follow you back, you will become more visible as your tweets will be visible on their profile and other people will notice your tweets and follow you.

Connecting To Twitter!

There are many ways in which you can connect to twitter to ensure there are as many updates to your account as possible. I have noticed, that the more tweets you make, the more followers you will gain as you become more visible across the network.

Here is a few ideal ways you can connect and update twitter:

- Your Main Site: Its always best to start off by having a follow me button on your main website or blog which gives your existing visitors the chance to join your network. This will provide you with more exposure for any tweets that you make. People may also retweet your tweets which will provide extra exposure, just make sure your own tweets are gold.

- Your Blog: If you use wordpress like me then there is a handy plugin called “post to twitter”. You can find this by navigating to the “add new” button under the “Plugins” section within your wordpress admin panel.

Once you have installed this plugin and activated it, you will enter your twitter username and password into the plugin. Every time you make a new post to your blog, a tweet will automatically be sent to your twitter account with the post name and a link to that post. This means that all your followers will be updated automatically, every time you post.. MAGIC!

- Youtube: If you make instructional videos like me then you can connect your youtube account to your twitter account and again, every time you upload a new video, it will automatically send a tweet to your twitter account with a link to your new video.. MAGIC!

- Ezine Articles: What better way to drive more traffic to your articles by using the auto twitter posting feature within your ezine articles account. This will gain you more followers within twitter as you should be posting articles on a daily basis and will be more visible within your twitter network. Navigate to the social media section of your ezine articles account and insert your details, job done!

If you use any other video sharing website or social network, the chances are that you can also connect that to your twitter account. The more the better if you ask me as i know that the more tweets you make, the more followers you will grow and the more traffic and sales you will make!

So now you have a good idea of how to increase website traffic using twitter so what are you waiting for? Get out there, take some action and grow your traffic, exposure and sales using the internets most popular, free online services.

There are many freelancer type websites taking the internet by storm, such as freelancer and people per hour, which has opened up many opportunities for people with a wide range of skills.

Web designers, article writers, seo experts, programmers and general online assistants have access to a massive list of available jobs that you are allowed to bid on. Millions of dollars are changing hands on these websites and if you learn how to tap into these buyers, you can easily get a piece of this massive money pie by offering your own online services.

Before You Start:

If you already have a skill that is required by website owners then this will be much easier for you, but if you have not yet mastered a skill then it will be much harder to get started. Like i say in many other posts, if somethings worth having, it wont come easy, so you are going to have to brainstorm a few ideas of what you would like to do, and then learn the skill before you start offering your service to other webmasters.

Already Have  A Skill?

If you already have a skill thats wanted by webmasters such as web design, programming, article writing or any other online service that is worth cash, then you will need to register on the best freelance sites such as people per hour, freelancer or any other widely advertised service that can be found by searching the internet.

To increase your chances of landing a job you can request feedback and ratings from your previous clients you have worked with outside of the website. This will help you build your reputation and help you land more work. Having a few positive reviews from clients outside of the system is much better than starting off with nothing, and if you have done a good job previously, then you should have no issues pursuading these clients to help you out.

You can also upload files into your account such as reports, previous designs or sample articles that potential clients can review. This is your chance to prove to the potential clients that have the skills to complete the required work and will give you a much better chance of landing a good job. Upload your best work and show it off.

Fill out your complete profile and dont leave anything empty. Your experience, qualifications and company description could make all the difference. Your best profile picture, error free content and honest approach will work in your favour, never try to hide anything and be forward about the earnings you would expect for your time.

Dont Have Any Skills:

If you dont have any online experience or dont have a skill related to the internet then its time to learn. If you are very interested in becoming a freelancer then you need to be determined and willing to learn. The internet is a database of free information and if you know which road you would like to take, its a case of searching & Learning.

Everything i have personally learned has been from going out there and finding the information i need. All you need is access to the internet and you can learn anything you wish. Finding videos and articles related to the skill you want to learn will really help, or you can visit your local library and study the books inside and out.

If you find it hard to decide on which skill you should learn then what about article writing. Its not the best job in the world, but you can earn a living on the internet from this skill alone. All webmaster require unique content for blogs, websites and reviews, you can very easily tap into this market.

Practice re-writing existing articles in your own words and then posting them to gain valuable writing and submitting experience. After a while, this will become second nature and then you can start to offer your article re-writing services on sites such as digital point or the warrior forum to generate some positive feedback that can be used on the bigger freelancing sites.

Everyone has to start somewhere, but you must have a good think about the road you want to take, dont just become an article writer because i say so, there are thousands of different possibilities and its always best to start learning something that you are really interested in personally, as this will make it easier and more fun to learn.

Smaller Gigs:

Theres a cool little site called fiverr – do a search and see what all the fuss is about. This will give you some great ideas of how you can make some quick cash by offering one-time services. I know from experience that people on fiverr are highly interested in article writers and submitters.

Facebook is very clear on what will ensure long term stability for the future of its social network & that is apps. The guys and gals over at Facebook have realised that third-party apps are essential to attracting and retaining new or existing members within the ecosystem. With some apps boasting millions of daily users, its no wonder that more focus will be pointed towards developing its very own “app hub”.

On Wednesday 9th May, the company announced plans to develop an actual “app hub” within Facebook itself, which will enable its users to find & discover facebook integrated apps, as well as offer app publishers an easier way of submitting or featuring their new or highly established apps.

Since this key change on Facebook, users have only a small number of ways to discover new or popular apps, such as that provided by the “social discovery” feature, which will show up within the news feeds. Apps that are popular or most used by users own friends and family will be discovered here, although the new “app hub” will enable users to discover more apps, that would otherwise never be discovered.

The “social discovery” feature will also be integrated within the “app hub”, as well as apps that are most relevant to you, which is determined by Facebooks own scoring system. Apps displayed within your account when you visit the “app hub” may contain apps related to keywords within your profile, games related to ones you already play, or apps that are popular among your friends. Featured apps will also display, depending on how Facebook intends to integrate premium app developers.

Preview Of The New Facebook App Store:

This new app store that will be integrated within Facebook, should not be mistaken for an attempt to compete with Apple or Google App Stores, as its literally a more organized, easy to navigate, centralized hub within Facebook, that enables users to discover apps more easily.

“Success through the App Center is tied to the quality of an app,” wrote Facebook employee Aaron Brady in a blog post. “We use a variety of signals, such as user ratings and engagement, to determine if an app is listed in the App Center.”

Not only will this encourage members to use Facebook more, it will also open up another revenue stream such as extra advertising spots within the directory, paid app placements for increased app visibility or enable the development of existing revenue streams including in-game purchases. What ever this may entail, one thing is for sure, Facebook has a clear vision of what users want the most & Facebook will deliver exactly that.

What is your opinion on this matter?

I think a big congratulations is in order for Fiverr, an online jobs marketplace that lists hundreds of thousands of “gigs” available for $5, as they have managed to raise a further $15 million for business expansion plans in round two of funding. First time round, Fiverr secured $5 million, bringing the most recent total up to $20 million. (queue the round of applause!)

The first round of funding capital was led by successful angels Jonathan Kolber & Guy Gamzu, along with Bessemer Venture Partners. The second round of funding capital was raised by Accel Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners, who are or have been involved with many popular online services including Etsy, Kayak, Wonga, Dropbox, Spotify, Skype, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Yelp.

This funding will help the company to expand its current operation and move more quickly towards global expansion. With more than 40 current employees in Irael, Europe & the US, fiverr plans to double its employee count by the end of 2012 and gain a better presence throughout the US & Worldwide.

The company, founded by Shai Wininger and Micha Kaufman, has experienced a 600% transaction volume increase since the beginning of 2011 & since its launch in 2010, the company now lists more than 750,000 jobs from millions of micro-entrepreneurs across the globe. Fiverr is used by millions worldwide and is within the top 100 websites in the US & within the top 200 worldwide.

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the fiverr community as recent developments allow its most successful members to generate even more cash from this “small jobs” website. Previously, you could only offer “gigs” for $5, although today is much different with the introduction of “Levels”, which is awarded to members who provide on-going quality. Every time a level is achieved, the freelancer is provided with more features such as multiple order capabilities & “gig extras” which allows members to offer add-ons for up to $150.

With over 750,000 active gigs and hundreds of thousands of members, you will suprised at what is actually available for five bucks. You can have a professional voice over artist record a radio commercial for your business, hire a professional web designer to create banners or logos for your website or buy high quality content for your website, all for just five bucks. “I know, it sounds insane, but thats exactly what you will find over at fiverr”.

Due to its massive growth at the start, fiverr has been featured on some of the most influential websites such as the wall street journal, NBC, Yahoo Finance, CNN Money, Tech Crunch, Fox News, Wired, Smart Money & lifehacker, to name a few. This massive exposure has exploded fiverrs popularity and is quickly becoming a main player within the freelancer communities, along with websites such as freelancer.com, elance and odesk.

If you need something for your online business, maybe a logo, internet promotion, videos, social marketing or literally anything you can think of related to your business, then i suggest you visit fiverr to see whats on offer. Their database of active gigs is growing daily & you can certainly snap up an amazing deal, in which you would otherwise pay much more for!