Hi Joe.
You'd like me to introduce myself a little?
Okay. So far, my main contribution to online
business is as publisher of eProfitNews ezine
(http://eProfitNews.org)
which currently has over 11,000 subscribers.
Since the year 2000, I've been sharing the
results of my ongoing research into "what
works" in online business.
So far, my most important ebooks are...
Niche Marketing Explained http://NicheMarketingExplained.com
HOTTEST eProfit Strategies http://eProfitNews.com/HOTTEST
Beating Chronic Fatigue http://GaryHarveyOnline.com/CFS
I'll keep this bio short, Joe, but for more
details, please give your readers this link...
http://GaryHarveyOnline.com/bio.html
NOTE: This was updated in Aug 2006.
Here is a current list of my ebooks.
QUESTION 1:
What kind of online business should a new
marketer start?
My first instinct is to let you know what
field NOT to enter... Internet marketing,
how to make money online. It's because that
arena is already highly competitive and because
of the credibility issue. By that, I mean
you should wait until you've become a successful
online marketer before setting out to teach
others how to "make it big".
The truth is that there are many routes to
online success. There are also many routes
to online failure. So here are two keys that
I believe are important.
KEY #1 - FOCUS.
The essence of being found by web searchers
is to cater to a single, defined slice of
the Internet population. You won't succeed
(hey, you won't even get found!) if you try
to cover everything at your website.
So focus!
On what?
There are several valuable ebooks out now
that competently address this whole question
of "How to find your niche?"
* Michael Holland's excellent "Strike
It Niche!" [No longer available]
* My own "Niche Marketing Explained"
ebook also covers the territory. And there
is a quite a large directory of online niche
marketing resources at http://NicheMarketingExplained.com.
The library of niche
marketing articles is especially valuable.
If you're passionate about your niche, so
much the better. Your knowledge and your enthusiasm
will shine through in your writing.
KEY #2 - DIVERSIFY.
Once your first web business is working for
you, start a new one -- in a different field.
By diversifying, you reduce your overall level
of business risk. If one venture should fall
over for any reason, your diversification
will allow you to have several other income
streams.
It's simply a matter of not putting all your
revenue eggs in one basket.
QUESTION 2:
How to make sure your business
lasts?
NURTURE VALUE-ADDING RELATIONSHIPS
Win/win/win is your goal here. You win. Your
business partner wins. And the people on both
your mailing lists win too. If one of these
wins is missing, your relationship probably
won't endure.
So look out for ways to bless others, to
help others become more successful while you
also "make a quid".
An example:
There is a successful online businessman that
I know. For a while, I assisted him in his
internet business because he had too much
incoming email that was of a routine nature
and didn't need to take up his time. So my
job was to send personal replies on his behalf.
After a while, his circumstances changed and
he didn't need that job done any more but
our relationship of mutual respect and friendship
has continued. So when I was promoting MasteryTV
during its pre-launch, I remembered my successful
friend and wrote him a brief personal email.
First result? He joined and then promoted
MasteryTV to his huge mailing list. Second
result? Now more than half of my 1000+ downline
in MasteryTV has come in because of that one
email. He wins. I win. Those who join MasteryTV
also win because of the value of their product
offerings. (Update: I'm quite unexcited about
MTV now, after one initial good-sized payment.)
I maintain my valued relationship with this
gent by sending him an occasional personal
email. (Yes, I could do more...) For example,
when I find a item of relevant interest to
him and his business, I will forward it to
him.
YOUR GOLDEN LIST
You'd do well to take especially good care
of your customers... those who have actually
bought from you. They should go on your "golden
list" because it's been proven that it's
easier to get a repeat purchase from a satisfied
customer than it is to find a new customer.
Easier and cheaper, by far!
GIVE VALUE TO YOUR READERS AND CUSTOMERS
Too many ezines are little more than someone
else's article and a bunch of ads. If you
want loyal subscribers, I submit that you'll
want to give them more.
For example, despite the many mistakes I've
made in my internet business, I have put a
lot of effort into collecting valuable content
for the ezine. The eProfitNews theme is "Helping
You Make Money Online" and I've genuinely
sought to do that by (amongst other things)
scanning the mountain of emails that I get,
searching for gems to pass on to my readers.
Gems that will help them enjoy success in
their internet business, while at the same
time helping to generate an income for me.
If you'd like to profit from the many hours
I spend each week searching for all this good
stuff, please feel free to join us. http://eProfitNews.org
is where you can subscribe then our welcome
email will direct you to the Subscribers Vault
where some of our best resources are located.
As an example of providing value, new subscribers
can currently download a FREE copy of Michael
Campbell's $79 ebook, "Nothing But
'Net".
DEVELOP TRUST, THEN PRESERVE IT
Marketers who view their mailing list as
a gold mine they can plunder anytime they
need cash will probably convey that attitude
to their subscribers. But if you're genuinely
out there to serve people, to help them achieve
their business goals and dreams, that genuineness
should also come through.
So if you want to build a business that endures,
be one of the good guys... or good gals.
AVOID THE HYPE TRAP
Online sales letters are typically characterized
by grand promises of what the product or service
will do for you. How it will transform your
life and make you so much more successful
or wealthy or healthy or happy or whatever
it is they're selling. The reader is urged
to feel that finally THIS product will be
the magic key to move them forward from mediocrity
into fulfillment.
Trouble is... it often doesn't work that
way. Why? One thing that hype merchants invariably
fail to tell you is that they dev
An example:
How often have you read that <fill in the
name of almost any well-known Internet marketer>
got a huge response (say 12%) when he promoted
some new thing. And we're supposed to think
that we too can get the same 12%.
Will you?
Probably not. For one thing, he may have
already reached some of the same people who
are on your mailing list, so they're unlikely
to buy from you if they didn't buy from the
guru. For another thing, he's worked hard
for several years building a credibility with
his audience.
Sorry, it's just reality.
The only way around that that I know of is
for you to provide your readers with some
ADDED VALUE as you promote the
new product.
One way to do this is to read the ebook (or
use the product) and write up your experiences
as an user. Show how the ebook or product
actually helped you. Maybe create a Users
Guide which adds value to the product - and
gives people a strong reason to buy from you,
as opposed to some other marketer.
Sometimes the product owner will actually
give you a copy of it if you explain to him
that you would like to test-drive his software
as part of writing an article which will go
out to the article distribution services as
well as to your readers.
In your article, avoid the hype. Be truthful
in what you write. Sure, be excited, point
out the benefits of your product but avoid
"stretching" the truth.
QUESTION 3:
How to achieve true freedom?
PRODUCE YOUR OWN PRODUCTS OR EBOOKS
This is also a great way to develop multiple
streams of income which makes your online
income more secure.
Say you spend a month or two putting together
a quality new ebook about an evergreen topic.
Then you optimize your web pages (by making
sure you use popular keywords in your title
and meta tags, as well as your body text).
After you upload them to your hosting service,
all that remains is to link to the new pages
from one of your pages that the search engine
spiders visit regularly. It won't be long
and the spiders will discover your site and
add it to their listings.
Of course there are other ways to promote
your stuff too... including writing articles.
Here is a list of article distribution services
that will assist you in getting your article
"out there": http://eProfitNews.org/article-directories.html
THINK "RESIDUAL INCOME"
Of course, the idea here is: Do the work
once, get paid again and again. It doesn't
always work out as easy as that in practice
but the goal is a good one. I'd encourage
you to bear it in mind.
Wishing you well in your online business
...and in life.
Gary Harvey
|
