Home » Archives for March 2012

Month: March 2012

Start Your Own Business – Part I

Have you been thinking lately that maybe it’s time you start your own business and run your own show? With all the options to choose from in today’s marketplace how does one make a decision as to which business is the right one?

One thing is for sure, starting a business can be a lot of work and takes time, effort and money. If anyone tells you different, turn and run the other direction.

Now making the new business a success and becoming profitable is entirely another story and this pertains to both online and offline ventures. So which way should you go, online or offline; home based, office location or ???

For the remainder of this post I’ll focus on starting your own business online and some of the current options available to you.

Online Business Options:

Although some online businesses might be less money to start up than offline ventures, there’s still a learning curve and money that you will need to get your business started.

One of the things I see is that people think with online businesses you can start them for free or next to nothing. Well I’ve got news for you, no matter which online business you choose, there are expenses involved like hosting, domain registration and site development, let alone traffic generation.

A few of the options that you might consider and look into are:

1. Affiliate Marketing is where you market other people’s products and services and when a sale is completed you receive a commission on the sale. Commissions can range from 3% to 70% and in some cases even 90% or greater. The range of affiliate products available to the online marketer are many. Affiliate marketing also works well with my next option and that is email marketing.

2. Email marketing is where you develop a list of subscribers and convert them into buyers through the process of selling products and/or services, either your own or someone else’s. This process is also called list building and can be referred to as building an email list. To start a business with email marketing is a great way to go, especially if you already have existing expertise on a specific subject or you have a passion about a product or service that you would like to market.

Email marketing can also be used if you decide to establish an e-commerce site of your own where you market your own products or affiliate products.

3. E-commerce is the original online method of moving goods and services. Back when I first started out on the web in 1995, this was how transactions were primarily done. E-commerce is still a sound method, especially for those business owners looking to develop and grow their own business online while having the freedom to mix their own products with other brands.

Look for part two of this series about starting your own business and I’ll go further into more online options plus how you can transition an offline business some things to watch out for. In the meantime – here’s another resource that might help you in starting your small business: Start a Small Business

Should you find that your start up is missing a part or needs something to get going – go see the Small Biz Mechanic and he’ll get you fixed up.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Traffic for List Building – Part I

Traffic, Traffic, Traffic. One of the hottest and most debated topics online.

For list building – traffic is key. But traffic for list building has to be the right kind of traffic.

So I felt it best to use offline examples to show you four different kinds of traffic and how they relate to online methods:

  • City traffic can be massive if you are positioned in the right area.
  • Freeway traffic can bring massive quantities but only at certain times of the day.
  • Suburban traffic is much more targeted and can bring very qualified prospects.
  • Rural traffic is somewhat targeted but you need to be able to capture the prospect.

Each one has it’s own patterns and volumes.

The commonality amongst all the above options is that you need to capture the prospects attention, hence different methods work for the different kinds of traffic.

For years the saying in retail was location, location, location…and depending on your location determined what kind of traffic you received.

The beauty of the web is that you can dial in just about any kind of traffic that you want and along with the right amount.

The question you need to ask is, what kind of traffic do you want? Massive quantities but un-targeted or lessor quantities but more targeted. This all depends on your niche(s) and needs.

Here are four of the many online traffic sources you can use to build your list:

  • Pay-per-click can be turned on & off – which works great for some marketers.
  • Banner Ads work great and can bring tons of traffic, if you are positioned well.
  • Articles work like a charm for targeted traffic, especially if you like to write and already have knowledge about your subject and market.
  • Videos can bring searchers who are very targeted and have interest in specific niches, products, services and information.

Traffic for list building all comes down to ROI. Is the traffic bringing you ROI or is it just TOE (tons of eyeballs)?

Return on investment is the key. Without ROI, you are spinning your wheels. So make sure you test your traffic sources and work towards ones that produce ROI.

Tired of spinning your list building wheels and want to finally get some traction? This might be just what you need…check it out here: List Building Strategies & Tactics

What is Affiliate Marketing and How does it Work?

What is affiliate marketing and how does it work? And is it the right online business model for you? These are two questions that I will answer in today’s article.

There are many different ways to make money online and one of them is affiliate marketing. This model has been around for years and basically there are two side to the affiliate coin. One is the affiliate(you), who markets the product or service and second is the merchant or who provides the product or service for you to market.

When marketing as an affiliate you receive commissions when a transaction takes place. The amount of commission can vary depending on the merchant and kind of product or service.

One of the ways of utilizing affiliate products is through building a list of your own and then marketing to your list of subscribers. The biggest benefit here is that instead of you sending the searcher to the merchant’s site directly, they opt-in and subscribe to your site first. This way you maintain the relationship with the subscriber

As an affiliate the merchant will provide you advertising and promotional materials like banner and text link ads that can be used to promote the products or services. You can then use these ads on your websites, in signatures and on other people’s websites to generate traffic to the offer or your subscriber lead capture page.

So how do you the online marketer promote affiliate products and services so you can make commissions on the sales that occur?

1. Find affiliate products and services that are directly related to your niche or business and promote them on your niche based website. You will need to find an affiliate network so be prepared to research and have your sites ready so you can be approved.

2. Promote the affiliate products through content that you write and post on different websites and blogs.

3. Promote the mix of products and services to your list of subscribers in an automated email campaign. This way you can control what is sent to the subscriber and when it is sent.

Hopefully you can see that affiliate marketing can be a workable web-based business model and in some cases be just the right fit for list building online.

For more information on how you can build a list of subscribers – check out The List Building Guide for tips, tactics and strategies.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers-Part III

In part one and part two of this ‘How to Connect’ series I covered my first two rules when it comes to connecting and building relationships with subscribers and clients.

This article is about Rule #3 – Be available.

Be willing and open to connect with those people that opt-in and subscribe to your email list.

What this really means to be available is that when a subscriber sends you an email, you respond to them. And do so sooner than later.

This is one of the first tests that I do when I subscribe to a marketers list.

I send an email to inquire about something. If the message comes back as undeliverable, no response, with an automated reply, or with a support ticket system, then I know this marketer is not available. Or he or she has chosen to outsource email inquiries.

What this tells me is that the marketer is not really interested in connecting with subscribers and clients.

I did this just recently and the individual never replied. But then the next day his new message showed up to pitch me another product. The funny thing is that the product didn’t have a thing to do with why I subscribed in the first place.

The no reply and then follow up sales message didn’t do much to get me to buy his product. In fact it did the exact opposite and turned me the other direction.

When a subscriber contacts you, it’s usually because the individual is searching for more information or has a question about something pertaining to your product or service.

What you should do is make the personal connection and start the cultivation process. Because after all you are building relationships and if the relationship is strong, the better chance you have of selling your products and services.

Of course there’s the easy way out and you can simply say that … Shortcuts are the way to go. And then you look for ways to automate the replies or setup support ticket software.

I say – take the high road. Be available and Connect with your subscribers and clients until the day comes that you have so much business and are overwhelmed with emails that you have to search, hire and personally train someone to help you. More on this topic in another article.

To summarize our three part series: Be real, add value and be available to the people on your list –online or offline.

And if you still haven’t picked up the List Building Guide, go now and get yourself a copy.

To your continued success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Best Practices for List Building

Best practices for list building applies to any online and offline businesses. In this series I am going to cover how best practices can be used and implemented in your list building business.

First, let’s start out with the topic of content.

If you are building a list of subscribers then the content that you post needs to be original. Buying repurposed or second-hand articles is not the way to go.

You are better off outsourcing your articles to a professional article writer but this too has its pit falls as some writers will not deliver totally original content to you. How do I know this – because I’ve experienced it first hand and on more than one occasion.

Just recently I had yet another marketer sending me a message that said he was offering a certain number of prewritten articles that could be used to promote his product.

Now why on earth would he do that? A whole bunch of people on his list will be using those articles and most likely without rewriting them. This puts a whole bunch of the same content all over the web until the engines clean it all up.

Let me ask you this…

Do like to search and find junk content or content that is obviously not well thought out or just plain awful? Does this make your day or do you hit the back button and get frustrated?

It boggles my mind that people think that they are going to use second hand content just to make a buck. But really all they are doing is taking a short cut. And I understand this – find the easiest path. It’s just human nature.

But for you the list builder who is building a business, I am suggesting you take the high road and produce high quality content that your subscribers look forward to receiving.

The people on your list do not want regurgitated, repurposed, rehashed content that has been around the block several times. They want original, quality content and by you using best practices and producing such content, your subscribers will come to appreciate you.

There are other ways to build your list. You don’t need to have articles circulating all over the place, but should you choose to write articles and blog posts, make sure they are all original.

With all that said – take the high road and produce content, products and services that speak quality. Your subscribers will thank you and will be more likely to stick around for the long-term.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS- If you need some insight and tips on list building – subscribe here.

 

 

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers – Part II

In part one of this three part series I shared my first rule when it comes to my business and working with subscribers and clients. As an online marketer who specializes in list building, connecting with your list is critical.

So in his article I will touch on my second rule… Rule #2 – Add Value.

Deliver value in all that you do. Value added.

Value that says …This is worth it and I have put the time and money into it for you, my subscriber.

Value that speaks quality – whether it is free or purchased products or services.

Valuable content that your subscribers can use and implement in their lives.

Not rehashed, overused, repurposed and regurgitated content that has been used so many times that it looks like an old shop rag.

And it is not about adding bonuses to the sales letter page so your subscriber jumps for his or her bankcard.

It’s about value that raises the bar and sends a message that you deliver quality.

Because when you look at your business, yes I am back to that again – your business;

you need to realize that the people on the other end of the connection are looking for value.

They want and desire value and if you offer it to them in more than one way then you will find subscribers turning into clients

I believe it is very important that you as a business owner make every effort to create value in all that you do.

Whether it is list building, email marketing, an offline enterprise or maybe some other kind of online venture.

The value you add will make the difference.

Stay tuned for Part III in this series about how to connect with subscribers.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS- Need some help with developing your list – check out The List Building Guide.

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers – Part I

When it comes to list building you need to connect with your subscribers and clients.

This three part series is about the three rules that I employ in my business. The reason I have these rules is to keep myself accountable to you my subscriber and client.

My rules are simple and the first one is to Be Real.

Yes, Rule # 1 is to Be Real.

This is not the normal run of the mill series about attracting new subscribers, or how to convert and increase sales. This series is about how develop, cultivate and connect with the people on your list.

So let’s begin…

Some marketers I’ve run across in the last five years seem to think that connecting with the people on the other side of the computer screen is just a pain in the you know what. They hide behind their websites and avoid any kind of contact with their subscriber and client.

Recently as I was doing research for a project I came across some very well written content but the writer (marketer) chose to hide his or her identity on the article page, and even on the associated blog site.

The funny thing is that this individual seemed to be working on developing a list of subscribers, so why would he or she hide and avoid contact?

This strategy might work for certain web based businesses, say if you are in content or CPA marketing, but when it comes to building a list of subscribers, why would you make it difficult for your ‘customer’ to connect with you?

This immediately brought up a red flag and put up a barrier that lead me to be very cautious.  So this marketer lost a potential subscriber and who knows maybe I would have become a client if the products offered met one of my needs.

This brings me back to the point about my rules…

Even though we are marketing our businesses through a web-based model, it is still important to create the connection and be real. We humans have a built in desire to connect with other human beings.  So hiding behind web pages and avoiding contact is breaking my rule about being real.

It’s one thing to squeeze the searcher at your squeeze page. It is very obvious and the searcher has options. They can opt-in, save the page or hit the back key.

It’s entirely another to hide and avoid contact – especially if you are in the business of building a subscriber and client list.

Rule #1 – Be real. Being real helps you to better connect with the people on your list because list building is really about the relationship. The connection.

I’ll dig more into rules #2 and #3 in parts two and three of this series.

Stay Tuned,

Dave Krygier

Publisher

PS- If you are thinking about building a list of subscribers or are already in the process of doing so and haven’t picked up a copy of my List Building Guide, go get yourself a copy here.

 

The List Building Mindset

List building in the online world is a wonderful thing if you have all the pieces of the puzzle and know how to put the puzzle together. One of the most important pieces of this puzzle is the ‘mindset’ that you need in order to develop and build your business.

Now I refer to this as the ‘list building mindset’ but really this works for all small businesses.

The bottom line is that you are running and operating a business, unless of course you have decided that building a list of subscribers is for philanthropic reasons or just a hobby.

This article is written from the business perspective and is focused on the mindset that the  business owner needs to have.

So first you need to ask…

Do I have the mindset of a business owner or an employee?

Maybe you already have a business mindset and understand what it takes to build and develop a successful business?

Maybe you have never been in your own business and this is your first go at it.

Here are three things or what I’ll call components that you need to put in place in order to build your business:

#1  There is no get rich quick here. You need to do the work and put the pieces of the puzzle together just like any other business. It needs to be a do whatever it takes attitude.

#2  You need to have a long-term mentality. In other words – you need to understand that it is going to take time to bring in enough subscribers, so you can convert them to actual paying clients. Building a list of subscribers and monetizing it takes time. It is not poof and the money shows up.

Note: You can see some success right out of the gate, but it all depends on how you position yourself, the product or service you are offering, the market you are in and the kind of traffic that you send to your pages.

#3 You need to have ‘The Why’ solidified in concrete, so when frustration, delays, issues, complications and life in general gets in the way, you still keep moving forward. The Why is your goal(s), long-term and short – term.

If any one of these components are off kilter or out of line, then you may not make it.

So ask yourself, “why am I building a list of subscribers?”

What’s the purpose?

Is it to be free from a job you don’t like?

Is it to have part-time income?

Is it to pay off debt?

Is it to support a church or charity?

Is it to run your own business on your own terms?

What exactly is it? What is your why for building a list of subscribers and clients?

So, with all that said…Are you willing to do the work?

Are you willing to take the necessary steps to put all the pieces of the list building puzzle together so you can have a successful business?

The mindset that you have will determine if you are going to make it.

The mindset needs to be – I am going to do whatever it takes to get the work done, so my business is a success and continues to grow.

The mindset needs to be – I am a business owner and what I offer to my subscribers is the best information, products and services available.

I hope this all makes sense, because your mindset will determine if you are going to make it and build your business or stay in whatever it is you currently do.

For more information on list building and how you can develop your business, check out The List Building Guide.

To your continued success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

List Building Online

Have you been searching for the ideal online business but are not sure which opportunity or venture is best suited for you?

With all the opportunities to make an income online how does one choose which type of business is the right fit? Which online business really works and can you make money, if you put the time and energy into developing the business?

The questions you need to ask are:

Do you want to create and market your own products and services?

Do you just prefer to market someone else’s products or services?

Or maybe you would like to combine the two and mix it up?

After you have determined which of the options I listed out above works for you then maybe, just maybe, there’s one option you might consider…

Building a list of subscribers or what is referred to as list building online.

List building online is just one of the many ways that you develop a web based business.

The great thing is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home, on the beach, at the lake – all you need is a computer and Internet connection.

It has its plusses and minuses, positives and negatives, just like any business.

But if you are a specialist or have a talent or already know about a particular subject or topic, then list building may be just what you are looking for.

Here are the basics:

1. Find a niche (market) that has a need. This is called research. Maybe you already know what this is and maybe you don’t.

2. Once you determine the niche and market you are going to go into, then you set up a dedicated landing page called a squeeze page along with an email auto-responder account.

3. Then you drive traffic to the page and if the searcher/visitor is really interested in what you have to offer, they will subscribe and opt-in to your list.

4. Once they are subscribed, you offer them quality content along with quality products and/or services.

5. Some subscribers convert into buyers and the list owner makes a sale.

Simple concept but it takes work. And don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t.

Yes, list building takes work but this work is work that can pay off in the long run, if you know how to set everything up properly and put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

If you want more information about building a list online – check out The List Building Guide here.

To your online success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

 

List Building & The Relationship

How can you grow your small business and build stronger relationships with prospects, subscribers and clients?

This article about list building and the relationship might give you some insights.

No matter what area of business you are in, the relationship you have with other people always comes into play. This even applies if you are working in an isolated area and the type of person that considers yourself an introvert or hermit.

It makes no difference what profession you are in – small business, big business, self employed – online or offline. You communicate with people and if you are in the business of building a list of subscribers and clients, then communication is vital and the relationship is built on levels of trust.

The Art of the Relationship is just that, it’s more of an art than science.

There are skills to learn and building solid relationships has a lot to do with communication. Some people are better at communicating than others. It’s understanding how to help some one get what they want. Finding out what their motivation is.

So my question to you is how do you communicate with your subscribers and clients?

Are you just selling, maybe sharing a little bit of content or a mix of both?

Selling alone is not the answer to building a responsive list. Because if all you do is sell, people will turn the other way and unsubscribe.

You need to offer high quality content and mix it in with your sales pages and offers. Write the content that you would want to read. And make it so attractive that the subscriber is excited to read your next message.

Your subscribers are the lifeblood of your list building business. They are the reason you have a business and learning to communicate with them is vital to your success. So develop the relationship with your subscribers and offer them products and services that they need and your business should grow as your list grows.

As I’ve said in past articles, posts and commentary – be real, add value and be available to your subscribers and clients.

If you want to learn how to further develop a business by developing a subscriber and client list, go get yourself a copy of The List Building Guide and get started today.

Dave Krygier
Publisher