Daily Motivation

How To Market Successfully On Social Networking Web Sites

2010-03-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

We have all heard that Social Networking is the next big thing in Internet Marketing. So, I joined Facebook and Twitter (over 8,000 followers) and started tweeting ads all over the place. I never even got a single nibble.

Various books and articles I read led me to adopt a different approach toward marketing on Social Networking sites. Think about the term "networking" and what it really means. If you were building an offline business, you would do some print and media advertising. But, you would also attend a variety of networking events.

Networking means getting to know new people, finding out what they do, helping them understand what you do, learning from each other, and obtaining new business leads in the process but without hard selling.

If you go to an offline networking event and just try to sell, sell, sell, you will not do very well. A better approach is to ask a lot of questions, really listen to the answers, and try to connect with as many people as possible.

It is very much the same on Social Networking sites. If you are there blasting ads all over the site you won't do very well. Rather, you should be seeking to create as many new relationships as you can. Especially, you should be trying to create relationships with people who are already trying to make money online – after all, that IS your target market.

Let’s use Twitter as an example. You don’t have to spend much time on Twitter before you realize that many of the people on Twitter are trying to marketing products and opportunities, directly, and they enjoy very little success doing it that way. I know, I used to do the same thing and I never made a penny.

So how can one take advantage of this Social Networking opportunity? Try this: find a few people who are advertising products or opportunities on Twitter (or any Social Networking site) and send them a personal message, something like this:

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Hi John,

I saw your tweet this afternoon about XYZ opportunity. I am not in the market for a new opportunity right now but I was wondering, do you get a lot of responses to those tweets? I have never found direct marketing to work very well on Social Networking sites.

I am trying to learn so if you are making money marketing directly on Twitter I would sure like to know more about how you do it.

I also have a couple of ideas about how we should be marketing on Social Networking sites and I would love to share ideas and experiences with you.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Don Merrill
Don@Don-Merrill.com
321-254-0883
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This is a very easy email to write and much more likely to be read and responded to than emails trying to get someone to buy your products or join your business opportunity.

So how does this approach benefit you and your online business? Several ways:

1. First of all, you may share information that will actually help someone and you will feel good about that. Plus, you may receive some ideas that could help you, personally or business wise.

2. You might just make a new friend. I have seen many friendships blossom over the Internet.

3. As your knowledge and experience grow, you will become more and more able to help other people make more money and that is what most people are looking for – a knowledgeable mentor who really can help them make more money online. Some people will join your opportunity just because they know you, they trust you, and they like you.

Networking on Social Networking sites can be the most pleasurable marketing you ever do. You will meet a lot of interesting people, make some new friendships, learn a few things (business and personal), and get a few sales in the process.

Give this method a try…..I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised how well it works. It won’t make you rich over night but, then I am not aware of any marketing method that will make you rick quickly unless you have already done the work to cultivate a strong following.

You don’t need to be an Internet marketing expert day one. Start by asking people legitimate questions that you really want to know the answers to. As you get answers, you will then be able to answer those questions for other people. Before you know it, you WILL be an expert. It really doesn’t take that much knowledge to know more than most of the people trying to make money online.

Once you get the relationship started, try to keep it going by asking more questions or sharing more ideas and asking for feedback on those ideas. First, seek to find out more about them as people. Where they live, their jobs, their after work interests, their families. Then find out more about what they are selling, how they go about online marketing, etc. If you have questions about marketing ask them - they may or may not know but you are likely to learn something. If they ask you a question answer it if you can and if you don't know the answer, tell them so. Always be straight and honest with everyone you meet online.

One final point, you should never overtly push your new contacts to buy your products or join your opportunity. If they ask you what you are marketing (and they will) you can tell them but never put the bite on them to buy. Give them time to figure it out for themselves. Most network marketers are not really convinced their current business will actually make them money, so they are not tied to it. Once people get to know you and trust you, joining your business will be a fairly natural move. This is the essence of what people refer to as Attraction Marketing.

Stop selling and start learn, educating, and cultivating relationships. Not everyone you talk to will join your business but some will, and you don’t need very many downline members to make a lot of money. And, you will then be able to teach them a marketing system you know works and that will help them do duplicate your success.

If you have questions or comments about anything I have written here, by all means send me an email or give me a call. I love talking about Internet Marketing, sharing ideas, etc. Together we can learn and earn.

Her is how I make money online: Infinity Downline

Sincerely,

Don Merrill
Don@Don-Merrill.com
321-254-0883

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Success Strategy: Traffic Exchange Marketing The Right Way

2010-02-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

Does marketing on Traffic Exchanges work?

Many people will tell you NO! Why? Because they do it all wrong.

Thousands of people are online advertising their products and business opportunities in Traffic Exchanges and they rarely get positive results.

Think about it, why are those people are surfing Traffic Exchanges in the first place. They want traffic (visitors) to their website, right? TE surfers are not looking for products to buy or a new opportunity to join. They want people to visit their website and buy their products or join their opportunity. So, if you are advertising your business directly in Traffic Exchanges, you will not get the results you are hoping for.

But, what if you were to give the rest of the people who are surfing Traffic Exchanges exactly what they are looking for.....more traffic, directed at their primary business opportunity website. Do you think they might be interested in that?

Here are the components of a successful Traffic Exchange marketing program:

1. Offer a free report that explains how to market to Traffic Exchanges sucessfully.....completely free.

2. Use a lead capture page to capture their name and email address in exchange for the free report. This will allow you to add them to your email marketing list and you know the old saying: "the money is in the list."

4. Follow up with those people periodically using an auto-responder. It is best to share additional information of value to Internet Marketers with an occasional advertisement woven into your email. Unfortunately, most people waste these opportunities by blatantly pushing their products or opportunities and providing little if any information of value. Thus, most people opt out of their lists rather quickly.

You should also have a funded proposal built into your offer. A funded proposal is a very low cost product that is also of interest to the majority of Internet Marketers.

People who request the free report receive an extremely good description of how to market successfully on Traffic Exchanges AND the report teaches them a marketing system that, if implemented, will help them make more money online.

If you would like to see an excellent example of a Traffic Exchange marketing program, with a built in funded proposal, check this out: Traffic Exchange Profits

The first page is called a splash page. You only have a couple of seconds in Traffic Exchanges to get the surfers attention. This splash is intended to get their attention and entice them to click through for more information.

The second page is the lead capture page. When they enter their name and email address they are able to get the free ebook: Traffic Exchange Profits. If you follow this through you will see the funded proposal on the third page.

Surfing traffic exchanges takes more time than I am willing to invest. The good news is there are two ways you can have people visit your website without spending time surfing other people’s pages:

1. You can purchase traffic credits. Traffic Exchange credits generally cost around $1 per 100 visitors. If your offer includes a funded proposal you should expect to break even on your traffic expenses, assuming your offer is a good one.

2. You can also earn credits for referring other people to become members of various Traffic Exchanges. Not only do you get a certain amount of credits when people join a Traffic Exchange, you continue to receive a percentage of their credits as they surf the Excahnge.

The best program I know of for building a Traffic Exchange advertising team is TrafficHoopla. You can visit their website here: Traffic Hoopla They also do an excellent job of explaining in more detail how to use Traffic Exchanges the right way. So, even if you don’t join their program (it’s free) do visit their website and read the information they have available.

I hope this brief article has helped you understand the right way to successfully market on Traffic Exchanges.

Sincerely,

Don Merrill
Don@Don-Merrill.com
321-254-0883

The Key To Online Marketing Success

2009-10-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

The techniques I descfribe below can be used to achieve any goal. I use this blog to motivate my business partners to grow their businesses, so I use primarily online business oriented examples. But, application of these techniques will help you achieve any goal you want to achieve.

There is an old expression that fits well in this article: If you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you are right.

Do you really believe you can make money in an online business of your own? It is not easy. If it were easy everyone would be enjoying Internet riches, right?

The power of belief is a remarkable thing. Think about anything you have achieved in your life so far. Before you achieved that goal, no matter how large or how small, first you had to believe you could do it. Then you had to want to do it badly enough to put forth the effort. Once you believed you could do it and decided to put forth the effort, then is when you were able to accomplish whatever it was you accomplished.

Try this exercise…..in your mind, tell yourself how much money you would like to be earning in your online business. No one else will know what you decide so pick an amount that would allow you to do what you want to do and live the way you want to live.

At this point many people will pick a very large number, like $10,000 a month (or more) and for most of them who aren’t already earning that much money it is difficult to really believe they can actually earn that much money every month. If you don’t believe it, it won’t happen.

So let’s break that number down into something that is more believable. Let’s build a series of steps that will lead us, eventually, to achieve the larger goal that is difficult to believe right now. Start with a very simple, modest goal. For example, can you believe that if to advertise any product or business opportunity you can get 1 sale? Just one sale, one time? You won’t get rich from just 1 sale but a journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step. You have to start somewhere.

So let’s say you set your goal to sell one product or refer one new member into your business opportunity in the next 30 days. That’s it, just 1. Can you believe that is possible? If not, give yourself 3 months or whatever it takes to make your goal believable. In future articles I will explain several marketing methods you can use to make your goal happen but for now we just want to come up with a goal that you really believe is possible.

So, let’s say you choose a marketing method, you do the marketing a little each day and low and behold, you get that one sale or refer one new member. Not rich yet, but you achieved your first goal. Now, set a new believable goal, maybe to get 2 sales or 2 referrals next month. As you set and achieve higher goals you will get smarter about how to do the marketing and your confidence will grow allowing you to set and achieve higher goals every month.

Want to run a 10K race and not embarrase yourself? I wouldn’t suggest starting by trying to run a 10K with no preparation. Start with a 30 minute jog, or 15 minutes, or walking…..whatever your believe you can accomplish. Then as your body gets used to the exercise, gradually increase your distance until one day you really believe you can complete a 10K run.

Building an online business or setting and achieving any goal follows the same process. Set and achieve small goals, then as your confidence and abilities grow, set higher and higher goals until you achieve your long term goal, whatever that may be.

You also have to believe in the products or opportunities you are selling. I believe deeply that if someone joins me in business, I can help them make money. I can’t and I won’t do it for them but I can show them the way. It is up to them to do the work. You will notice that I never advertise my business in my articles any more. I used to and yes, I did get occasional sales. But, in my opinion, if I meet you and I immediately try to get you to buy my product or join my business you will run away as fast as you can.

I believe in the adage: “You can have anything you want in this life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” That is the basis of attraction marketing and that is what I do. And, I truly believe that my business is an excellent vehicle for people to make a lot of money but I don’t try to shove it down anyone’s throat. Most of my business partners decide to join me rather than me forcing them to join my business.

In future posts I will delve into the various methods people use to market products and services online. I doubt I can tell you any marketing method you haven’t heard before. But, I think I can explain why most people are not successful with any of those marketing methods and how you can use them correctly and be successful.

I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful journey for you into the world of Internet Marketing and I will appreciate any comments or feedback you are willing to share.

Sincerely,

Don Merrill
Don@Don-Merrill.com
321-254-0883