Internet marketing, originally, was intended to be a relatively simple and profitable experience for would be online marketers.  However, for most newcomers to Internet marketing, their first online experience is of some self appointed “guru” shouting at them: “Just plugin to our turn-key system and we’ll show you how to become a ‘Gazillionaire’  in the next 90 days!”

Unfortunately for the newcomer, however, they are unaware that the person shouting this nonsense doesn’t have a clue as to what they’re doing and are simply repeating what someone else told them.  Many times, without any knowledge themselves as to whether or not what they’re being told really works!

And due to especially tough economic times at the moment, more people than ever are making their way online seeking their fortune and freedom. And many of them also will waste countless hours, not to mention money, listening to someone who may not necessarily know what they are doing.

However bleak a picture I may seem to be painting for you, I do want you to understand this, Internet marketing is here to stay for a long time to come.   It is not some fad that’s going to go away any time soon, if ever.  However, Internet marketing will evolve and change over time.

With this in mind, I see one change in particular that is currently paving the way for a much brighter future ahead!

Because the world is becoming more connected through the myriad of social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Linkedin, etc) word is getting around of whom to do business with on the Internet, and whom not to!  We all are becoming a very “cliquish” bunch, readily identifying with those with whom we want to “friend” and those with whom we do not.  This is neither right or wrong, it just is.  People have a natural tendency to form groups, and to associate with others of like minds.

And because of the Internet’s natural progression towards connectivity, social media outlets in particular, we are actually “seeing” each other as we really are.  The very nature of social media, is to progress towards being connected and to create long-term relationships.  While those who may have ulterior motives, or less than ethical personal & business practices, can not sustain such long-term relationships due to their shallowness and short-term nature.

Individuals of this sort will eventually fade away into obscurity, having exposed themselves for who they really are.  After all, how many of us have been ripped off with a less than desirable product or service that did not live up to its hype, and then told everyone we knew about it?  With Social Media, that’s the power of “word of mouth” times 10,000!

Social media, as Internet marketing, is not going to go away any time soon. In fact, if you are not already a member of at least one social media outlet, than you will be soon (Provided you wish to be a part of the Internet of the future, that is).  From Twitter to Facebook, MySpace to Digg, as well as a myriad of others too numerous to list here, there is a social media outlet waiting for you to find them.  And when you do, simply plugin and be a part of the Internet that is to come.

And if you truly want to succeed at Internet marketing, now and in the future, than simply find your group (niche) be true to yourself, and offer something of great value to your friends.  And your friends will gladly do business with you and you with they! This is the nature of social media, this is the nature of the Internet to come.   And as for me, I’m looking forward to the day when we all can live and prosper, together.

(And as for those who choose not to do business this way, well, we’ll just let them take care of themselves…)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to check back often for more updates. As always, we appreciate your feedback, comments and questions.

Until next time,

Godspeed

James
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An obvious question, particularly for those who are searching for ways to earn money from home, is: “How can you make money online if you don’t have a product of your own to sell?” The answer to that question is a simple one, Affiliate Marketing! Just in case you should not already participate in affiliate marketing; it is simply the process of selling someone else’s products. In this post, we’ll look at three simple affiliate marketing steps you can use to start making money as an affiliate marketer.

Step #1: Affiliate Marketing Research – This is THE first step to becoming a successful affiliate marketer and, is the first place where affiliate marketers go wrong. The majority of online marketers jump right in and sell affiliate products without doing one bit of market research. They’ll just grab hold of whatever they’ve heard is a hot affiliate product, and start slinging mud against the wall to see what sticks. This leads to frustration, wasted time and low or no sales.

If you want to be a successful affiliate marketer, than you must put in the time and effort up front and do your market research. Also, it is best to first search out a targeted market, or ‘niche market’ instead of a product. By finding a targeted market, where there is a need for a product and people are actually spending money on the products, you eliminate the hardest part of your job as an affiliate marketer.

This may appear hard to do but it is actually very easy. The first thing to do is to take a look around you. See what people are buying and what they are asking about and what their needs are. it is those products that can fill a need that will be much easier to sell. A great tool for finding out what people are buying is “Google Trends”. Simply go to Google and search “Google trends” and see what people are doing. Google is the largest search engine and can be used to see what the general public is up to and what they are searching for.

Step #2: Affiliate Product Promotion – After you’ve found your target market to sell affiliate products to, there are several ways to market those products. it can be done through a website using article marketing with specific keywords to bring targeted buyers to your website. Banners ads, email advertising, and ezine ads can also be effective in drawing visitors to your web page. However, one the more popular and easiest methods of promoting affiliate products is through product reviews.

With a review you are not trying to directly sell a product, instead you are reviewing the different products with in any given market. In a review, you will show the good and bad sides of the different products, and you’ll also include a link pointing to where the buyer can go to learn more. The links that you send in with your review will lead them directly to an affiliate page for a product you represent. This will give your visitors a chance to get the information they are searching for, and a desire to buy a product from you that fills their need.

Step #3: Get Your Blog Up - You can place product reviews on a website, but the best places to post product reviews would be a blog, your blog. Blogs make it very easy for virtually anyone to create product categories and to add content. You can easily add your reviews to the different categories making it easy for visitors to go directly to the products they are looking for. Blogs also have a positive effect with search engines. Blog posts, or in this case, product reviews will be picked up more quickly with a blog than other means of page design.

If you do not already know how to create a blog, go to blogger.com or wordpress.com. Both sites have instructions that make it a simple process of installing and optimizing a new blog. Becoming an affiliate money maker can be as simple as the three steps I’ve pointed out here. Simply find a target-market, or niche, determine their needs, and offer a legitimate solution to their problem. But just as important, use the tools (many of them free) available to put your chosen affiliate products in front of targeted, hungry buyers.

Now quit “over-thinking” this stuff and go out and sale something!

Blessings to you and yours,

James

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I just finished another copywriting job for a local newspaper, that pulled in some really good results for my client, and myself (smile).  I can remember a time, however, when these types of results were not the case!  In fact, I can remember a time when I would actually apologize for having wasted a potential client’s time if they “weren’t interested.”  Sheesh, talk about low self-confidence!

However, the same is not the case today…

Listen, what I want you to take from this article, is the fact, that when you begin to take yourself and your business seriously; pony-up the money to invest in personal coaching, mentoring, and whatever else it’s going to take to get you to where it you want to go in life, then it really starts to pay off after awhile…Big Time!

Now, I know it may not seem like this at the time you’re going through the trials and tribulations.  But let me reassure you, for all the times you’ve spent falling asleep at the computer, for all the times you’ve driven the miles to sit in a cold, hard chair at a seminar, I can tell you for a fact, the results will come and they are worth it!

Back to the opening story…

Years ago, when I would step into an office to speak with potential clients, many times I would be  brushed off by an egotistical reply, such as “We’re not interested!“  And at that time, I seemed to be meeting  a lot of these, uh, egotistical people.  I can remember a time when this type of attitude would have sent me packing for the door, apologizing my way out for interrupting their precious time.  Has this ever happened to you?  If so, then let me encourage you that this doesn’t have to be the case, anymore..

Listen, since I developed the attitude that it’s “their loss, and not mine!” I never have a problem getting a new client, unless, of course, they either don’t want to pay for results, and/or don’t appreciate the value of truly great copywriting.  In either case, I don’t want their business anyhow (Can you smell attitude about now? – wink)…

Stop, this sense of self-confidence in my abilities to “deliver the goods” came about as a direct result of the coaching, mentoring, seminars and money I invested with my coaches, and in myself.  It’s the best investment I’ve ever made!

So nowadays, such as I did recently when I spoke to the managing editor of a local newspaper, I said this: “Hi, I’m James Artre with AIM, Inc. I’m here to offer you a challenge, and here it is, I will write the next 10 space ads for you at no cost.  My ads will out-pull anyone else’s ads you currently have on staff.  And when (not if, more attitude here) I deliver on my promise, you’ll promise to use me at my regularly scheduled rates.  Do we have a deal?”

Now that’s attitude, baby!

Listen, the results speak for themselves…

I now write ads for not only a local newspaper, but many additional clients worldwide. And more often than not, I get whatever price I ask.  How, you may ask?

Because…

• I deliver the goods, and
• I always keep my promises

So the next time you’re faced with the decision as to whether or not you can afford the cost of training, coaching and seminars, all I have to say is…

You can’t afford not to!

Godspeed,

James Artre