Friday, October 19, 2007

Can Word of Mouth Advertising Help My Business?

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

When it comes to advertising your business there isn’t anything better then word of mouth. When people hear about a product or service or business from someone not paid to tell them about it, it means much more than anything you could possibly buy. But while word of mouth advertising is always happening, is it working for your company or against it? Here are some things you can do to make sure word of mouth doesn’t wind up being your worst enemy.

The sad truth about people in general is that when people have a good experience with a business (or person, for that matter), they usually keep it to themselves. Unless the service is so over the top extraordinary that they simply need to tell others (or they just happen to be the type of people that like to share good news–a rare breed indeed), no one will ever hear from them about their experience.

On the other hand, if a company wrongs someone, they will climb Mt. Everest to make sure as many people as possible hear about it. If you don’t believe this, go to any message board or consumer reporting website and read feedback on companies and products. You’ll come away thinking that you should never buy from anyone at any time. Of course, this isn’t true, and you may think to yourself that you provide good service. Of course you do. Still, that’s not enough. As illustrated, just one bad experience can make the rounds far more quickly than a hundred good experiences. You have to make sure you have enough positive stories circulating to counteract the bad ones.

The best, most productive word of mouth is many times generated purposely, and comes about through hard work and direction, rather than through hope and happenstance. You can generate the direction and style of word of mouth advertising by enlisting the help of your friends and family members. It’s not unethical, nor is it uncommon. The best businesses do just that. Particularly in today’s Internet age, and the advent of the viral marketing era, more and more seemingly grassroots movements have their origins at the company itself. How do you get it started?

Have your husband or wife tell her group of friends about your business. You don’t need anyone to be deceptive, or “hide” his or her relationship to you. In fact, so much the better if they don’t. Friends naturally want to help friends. When someone happens to ask a friend of your spouse where they get their dry cleaning done, they’ll happily mention your business, even if they themselves have never spent a dime there.

Word of mouth advertising is as powerful a tool as you can use in the marketing realm. But it is just that: a tool. Don’t make the mistake of looking at it like some mystical force you have no control over. If you want to take the reigns and guide the direction of your business, you need to have control over every aspect of your marketing. That includes word of mouth advertising. To do anything less, to let fate decide your company’s destiny, would be irresponsible. You still have to have some paid advertisement to have a balance in your business advertising.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.

About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.NetMarketer.org/pips1.htm

Monday, October 15, 2007

Affiliate Marketing

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

One Internet business that many people are involved in is affiliate marketing. If you are unfamiliar with this type of online business, chances are you have become interested in a product or even made a purchase from an affiliate website. Companies who want to increase their presence online pay a commission to others to advertise and entice web surfers to visit the company's site, sign-up for membership or a newsletter, or encourage people to purchase products from the company. This is called affiliate marketing. One example of an Affiliate Site: http://www.netmarketer.org

There are many ways to advertise for another company. You can create a website, blog, newsletter, ebook, and other materials that are used to encourage people to place an order directly with you or visit the company website and place an order there. By using the links you provide, you will receive credit for each sale you make. At the end of the month, you will receive payment for every customer you direct to the company's site who makes a purchase. While companies offer different commissions, the marketing strategies are the same.

If you enjoy using the Internet, are able to find groups of people to target your marketing efforts with, and are able to write convincing copy that sells, this home business is very easy to get into. Because you can use the same strategies over and over, you do not need to learn new skills after learning the basics. Many companies offer training and other incentives for joining their programs. Once you have created a marketing campaign, you will begin to earn money during the day, in the evening, and while you are sleeping. Because people surf the Internet at different times, you can potentially make a profit at any time.

When choosing a company to work with, you should first review their terms, the commissions they are willing to pay, and also the types of products they are selling. If a product is too difficult to sell, then you won't make any money. While you want to work for a company that is known, you don't want to work for a company that is so well known that people will automatically visit the company site instead of looking for it online.

The best part about affiliate marketing businesses is that you can join two or three programs and make commissions from several companies at one time. As long as you are marketing each product, you will earn money. While some companies do not want their affiliates to work for other companies, many understand that you need to earn a living and will not care, which companies you, work for. As a rule, try to find companies that are diverse so there is not a conflicting.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.

About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.NetMarketer.org/pips1.htm

Friday, October 12, 2007

Standing Out in The Online Realm

Copyright: Earl Williams
The NetMarketer

It has always been a challenge to make your business stand out from the rest of the competition. On the Internet, this challenge is ten fold. The competition is fiercer and it can be very difficult without the touch of personal service to make your business stand out amongst the others. In order to do so, you’ll need to add that little bit extra that will separated you from the rest of the crowd. The cream rises to the top, so here are some ideas to make your online business the creamiest of them all.

One thing that a lot of startup online businesses skimp on is the packaging of their products. Yes, it’s fine to send out your products in a plain old boring brown box from UPS or the Post Office, but it won’t make you stand out in any way. At the worst, it will make you stand out in the opposite way you want. Better to design your own packaging and send your products out in something that has your company name emblazoned on the side. If you want to take the time to design something that looks a little colorful, or fun, that might even be better (although whether or not this is appropriate will be determined by the type of business you run). The Post Office will actually create custom packaging for you if you purchase enough of their shipping services to qualify.

One thing your website should have is some general information and education on the product that you sell. Say for instance you are selling tennis rackets. There should be plenty of information of your website about tennis is general and tennis rackets in particular. There are two reasons for this. One, it’s good to have some sections of the website that are not dedicated to the hard sell. This leads a customer to feel secure, as if the website is there for more than the express intent of taking their money. Another good reason to have this information is to attract visitors that weren’t necessarily looking to buy a tennis racket in the first place. Maybe they were searching for information about tennis. But once you have them at your site, perhaps they will buy something.

A message board is another great way to create a community and have repeat visitors. Don’t think you have a product that would attract a lot of people to sit around and talk about it? That’s okay. Again, think of the example above. A message board solely dedicated to tennis rackets wouldn’t likely entice too many web surfers. But a message board about tennis is another story. And it doesn’t even have to be just about tennis. There could be other sports, and a section for general talk, you name it.

Follow these three guides to bring your website up and into the light. It can be difficult to make a dent in the crowded online market, but it’s not impossible.

You may republish this article in its entirety, provided you leave the byline, author's note and website hyperlink intact.

About the Author: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who makes it easy for you to build your home-based business and earn a substantial income from home, learn how by Visiting: http://www.NetMarketer.org/pips1.htm