Perks of the Trade Volume 1 Issue 2 May, 2004 =========================================================== Contents =========================================================== Quote Of The Month--Lee Iacocca Editorial--Glenn Beach Feature Article--Internet Affiliate Marketing 101--Glenn Beach Guest Article Humor Veriuni Product Updates New Veriuni Products Internet Marketing News Tips Q & A Advertisements General & Unsubscribe Info =========================================================== Quote of the Month =========================================================== The speed of the boss is the speed of the team. --Lee Iacocca =========================================================== Editorial =========================================================== Hello, how are you today? I hope your day is unfolding as beautifully as mine is. Sunshine pouring through my open window, birds flying by and another day full of promise and hard but fulfilling work ahead of me. Never will I promise you that I can make you rich. Nor can I promise you anything really, except that I will do my best to help you on your way towards your financial dreams. What did I just do in those two paragraphs? Something that way too many people are forgetting as they surf around the web these days. Probably I will never meet you face to face. Chances are we won't even speak on the phone. What I did was extend you common courtesy, honesty, and the offer of a helping hand. So many people seem to think that since they are online and not face to face, they can throw those things to the wind and think only of themselves. How often have you opened an email, or joined a chat or forum conversation, only to be met with rudeness, lies or misleading information, or a general I-don't-care attitude? As internet marketers, we need to remember that we are still dealing with real people, with real human needs. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and relax. With this newsletter, I invite you into my world. Glenn =========================================================== Feature Article =========================================================== Internet Affiliate Marketing 101 - It's All About Relationships by Glenn Beach =========================================================== So you've found the perfect affiliate program, you've signed up and they gave you a website....now what? "They" say that "all you have to do" is drive traffic to your site...but you don'thave a clue where to begin... Never fear, Affiliate 101 is here...here's a list of a few simple,free or inexpensive tasks you can accomplish today. Detailsfollow, first just the list: 1. Send emails to friends and family; 2. Make new friends on the internet; 3. Print out and distribute posters, business cards, and/or postcards; 4. Write articles and post free ads. First of all, don't panic. You don't have to do ALL of these, just whatever you feel comfortable with. But I do heartily suggest that you push the envelope a little on your comfort level... Email Friends and Family If you're uncomfortable with contacting family members (they CAN be your sharpest critics) first scan the options, maybe one of the less obtrusive ones would work. Be sure to write ONLY to friends. Anything else will be considered spam; any worthy company will drop you like a hot potato when they receive legitimate spam complaints. Consider the friends and family you might write to and decide the best approach for each: 1. The Second Opinion Approach: save this for the hard nuts to crack, flatter them with "I've signed up for this opportunity and would really like to hear your opinion..." 2. The Beating Around the Bush Approach: "I'm making some extra money doing this biz, do you know anyone who might need a few extra dollars?" 3. The Direct Approach: for those close friends that you KNOW could use some financial miracles in their lives... you can lead with the business opportunity or with the products. I think it's Avon that has a nice promo these days, "products you can buy and sell". Simple and to the point... 4. The Chummy Letter Approach: just write a letter to a friend as you usually would and casually mention what you are doing, that it's on "wait and see", or already is making you a little money, or whatever. 5. The No-Mention Approach: just add a signature to all your emails that includes your website's URL and your email address, maybe the name of your company. Subtle, let's them explore if they want. Getting to Know You... How do you currently meet people on the internet? Game chat rooms, forums, opt-in email lists, Yahoo groups, messenger services...these are only a few ways to meet people. Many sites such as Yahoo, AOL, or ICQ let you create a profile including favorite websites, etc. While direct advertising is often frowned upon or prohibited, usually signatures at the bottom of posts is allowed. Many friendships formed in forums and chat rooms lead to email and website exchanges. Stuffing Envelopes... Printed fliers can be distributed everywhere you go, posted on your car...be creative. Include a business card or flier in every piece of mail you send including bills, on tables in restaurants, in phone booths, stick them in business books in the library. Make it fun! If you have mailing addresses rather than email addresses of anyone who might be interested, send them a flier or postcard. Become a Famous Author Anyone can write an article, everyone is good at something or has an experience that would help someone else out. Article writing helpsbuild trust and over time will brand your name and drive traffic to your website. And it's free. Submit your articles to individual webmasters and editors as well as article directories. Banner Swapping and Text Linking Some say that banners are not very effective in getting traffic to your website, but hey, it's free and it doesn't hurt to try. It's best to spend some time finding a high traffic site or two and not fill your site with banners. Text links are still your best bet. There you have it, lots of good ideas for beginning promotion of your website. I'll leave you with one more thought, something to come back to and mull over as time goes on...Spend some time on this one... Find an online entrepreneur that you truly admire. There are lots out there, but there will be someone that really rings true for YOU. Maybe it's this person's style, or background, but something makes him or her stand out in your mind. Think of something that you can do FOR this person, and pursue that thought. Joint ventures...more on this later. Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and business start-up info at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com =========================================================== Marketing: Free Advertising (this article is distributed freely on the internet, author unknown) =========================================================== The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your own objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them. One way is to write an article relative to your particular expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing in the dissemination of related information. In other words, become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and "tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more information. Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs, then follow up with an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of interest to the listeners or viewers of the program - perhaps even saving them time or money. Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include the posting of advertising circulars on all the free bulletin boards in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount the idea of handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping centers and malls, especially on weekends. You can also enlist the aid of the middle school students in your area to hand out circulars door-to-door. Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad relative to your product or service printed on the front or back of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your return address. Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will give you Per Inquiry (PI) space - an arrangement where all orders come in to the publication, they take a commission from each order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment. Many publications will give you a contract for "stand-by" space. In this arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they have unsold space, and then at a price that's always one third or less than the regular price for the space you need, insert your ad. Along these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban and neighborhood newspapers. If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get in touch with all the other publishers and inquire about the possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their publication inexchange for your running an ad for them of comparable size in yours. Finally, there's nothing in the world that beats the low cost and tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer. Just run an ad offering a free report of interest to most people - a simple one-page report with a "tag-line" inviting the readers to send money for more information, with a full page advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the appeal of your report and the circulation of the publication in which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with responses. The trick here, of course, is to convert all of these responses, or a large percentage of them, into sales. This is done via the "tag-line," which issues an invitation to the reader to send for more information, and the full page ad on the back of the report, and the other offers you include with the complete package you send back to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this report, it's just a matter of unleashing your imagination. Do that, and you have a powerful force working for you that can help you reach your goals. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- Want to learn how to start and grow your very own Home Business? If so, visit our internet home based business resource center at Work at Home Business Community. http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity- canada.com/endorsements.html ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------- =========================================================== Humor =========================================================== I was having trouble with my computer, so I called the computer guy over to my desk. He clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem. As he was walking away, I called after him, "So, what was wrong?" And he replied, "It was an ID Ten T Error." "What's an ID Ten T Error, in case I need to fix it again?" He grinned. "Haven't you ever heard of an ID Ten T Error?" "No," I replied. "Write it down," he said, "and I think you'll figure it out." I wrote: I D 1 0 T =========================================================== Veriuni Product Update http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity- canada.com/endorsements.html =========================================================== *Closeouts: Veriuni Activated Oxygen Stain Remover *The Neighborhood, built by MCI Sign-up today and get 50% off the first month (until May 31) =========================================================== New Veriuni Products =========================================================== *Veriuni Advanced Weight Loss and Veriuni Advanced Whey Protein - for replacing meals and building muscle mass *THREE new pet products: Aspirin, MegaVitamins, Joint Health =========================================================== Internet Marketing News =========================================================== *CNET: AOL updates its blog service AOL updated its Journals service, the online diaries elsewhere known as blogs. Bloggers can now make longer entries, include HTML and even submit updates via cell phones or instant messages. Readers can set their preferences to have new blog entries automatically sent via email or text message. *iMediaConnection: Texting to Win Text messaging, or Short Message Service (SMS), has been in heavy use by marketers overseas, but is just coming into its own in the U.S. It's already very popular as a companion piece to television as demonstrated by "American Idol" voting, and its efficiency - at 15 cents per contact - can be compelling as well. But, marketers have been slow to adopt mostly due to the steep education curve and the perception that it is difficult to implement. That may change as more and more successful uses of mobile marketing become known. *Internet Retailer: Patagonia explores Internet chat rooms as marketing vehicle Patagonia is experimenting with the use of chatrooms as a means to push sales. In a cross between the pushy salesperson role and a manufactured word of mouth buzz, the company is attempting to strike a balance between being invasive and starting up a more personal relationship with relevant groups online. The practice is much like the tactic used by cigarette and alcohol companies which have been hiring pretty women to sit at bars, pretending to be social with men and subtly pushing particular brands. A Patagonia executive said it has proven successful so far. =========================================================== Tips *Persistence, patience, and perseverance. Don't give up! -------------------------- *Include a good bio on your web site about you and your company. Write it in the third person. You don’t want your bio to sound autobiographical, but you do want your audience to know something about you. A good bio can create trust. =========================================================== =========================================================== Q & A =========================================================== Q. "I've signed up a number of affiliates, but they aren't going any further. What did I do wrong? A. Rather than concentrating on sponsoring the super affiliate of yourdreams, focus on BECOMING that affiliate. Work on your follow-up letters (they, like your business plan, will be ever-changing). Improve your website, link like crazy, write articles, advertise, advertise, advertise...and share what you know or are learning with your personally sponsored affiliates. You can lead a horse to water... =========================================================== Classified Ads =========================================================== =========================================================== General & Unsubscribe Info =========================================================== Perks of the Trade © Copyright 2004 Glenn Beach, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of theirrespective owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied income claims made herein. Your business success is dependent on many factors, including your own abilities. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content. To contact me with feedback, questions or praise, email mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com To subscribe, please email mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com To unsubscribe, please email mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter as long as you give credit with a link to my page: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com =========================================================== Sincerely, Glenn Beach SFI Sponsor Perks of the Trade is an opt-in ezine available by subscription only. I neither use nor endorse the use of spam. Thank you!