Copyright (c) 2010 John McCullough

Online marketing may have developed with a sudden surge over the past years, but one thing is at the heart of it all and that is list building and a good list is money in the bank
List building is a great tool for building customer relationships and promoting your business

While there are companies that are all eager to help your site build a client base for a fee, there are other ways that can spread the word about your site in a more cost free way The opt-in email marketing is the one we will look at

The first thing that a person has to know about list building is that it is a way of increasing your client base
The list is a database of contact details, usually the e-mail address of people who have had an interest in a product or service that has been marketed by the internet marketer

The important factor that you must know about list building is that it is a simple process when you know how to do it There are various ways that can be used by the marketer to make his list; some to more effect than others it may depend on the product and how good it is

A great way to get people to sign up is by giving away something like a free report or ebook, remember you need to get their attention and if you give out good content for free, you will probably get people to sign up to become part of your list by signing up through your opt-in form on your squeeze page

When someone gives you their email address in order to receive information by email, it is called permission based emails or opt-ins and your list should consist only of permission-based emails, otherwise it will be considered spam

From your list, you will get your targeted customer, this is a good list since they already have shown interest in your products and have willingly signed up to your list these are people who have liked what they have seen in your site and have decided they want to see more and maybe purchase products your site has to offer

The value of each subscriber on your list over the years will put money into your bank account, but you will have to build a relationship with them to make them a responsive list and always provide a good service and products
Many individuals overlook the importance of keeping constant contact with all the members on their list, so in the end they will simply forget they have subscribed to your list

There will be people who subscribe just to get the freebie, so even with them you should still build a good clean private list Never lose the trust of your customers have put in you; if you provide emails to others and they get spammed many will unsubscribe from you
A good reputation will drive more traffic and subscribers to you and strengthen the loyalty of your customers

With an all-star line up and one of the best final twists of any movie of the last fifteen years (is it really that long ago), The Usual Suspects is a masterpiece And what makes it so good? That wonderful question - who is Keyser Soze?

'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist '

Just like an SEO copywriter For not quite as diabolical reasons a skilled SEO copywriter is also adept at merging into the background, blending with the page and concealing their true identity Those that really understand SEO copywriting are almost like spirits, a good web copywriter barely even exists

The search engines are all about relevance They exist to deliver the very best, the cleanest, most useful and most meaningful search returns on user queries The better they are at doing this, the more people use them and the more money they make Relevant search returns equals increased profits Relevance is the currency, the capital of the search engines The minute search engines detect manipulative or spamming techniques they will take action Good thing too Does anyone want Google or Bing jammed up with spam sites? Any SEO copywriter worth their salt understands the importance of relevance and can create carefully crafted copy for the target customer

A high rank on a search engine isn't the only thing that a copywriter should be delivering Once at the site the copy MUST engage It must inform, it must interest, entertain and most of all, through appropriate calls to action, it must work to modify the behaviour of the person reading it That's what it exists for Your copy isn't just there to fill space - it has a job to do It's there to get stuff done The thing is, in most cases loud, in your face or overtly salesy copy fails Why? People hate, absolutely hate feeling like they're being sold to You keyword spam a message or bend it so far out of shape that it condescends and not only do you turn off the engines but your readers will likely throw themselves off your site just to get away from you

No surprises We're hit with thousands of media messages every day, many of which are loaded with the sole intention of parting us from our cash At best you can just shrug them off Bounce from a web site for example In extreme cases they can really annoy people

So why the Keyser Soze analogy?

People aren't stupid People see the warning signals and find ways to avoid intrusive sales pitches - usually by leaving the offending site immediately Advertisers aren't stupid either Some people will do anything to get their sales pitch across, frequently by crossing that invisible line of trust between business and consumer That applies to search engines too As an SEO copywriter if you want to be in the sweet spot, you'd better be soft, frictionless and subtle about it, or your message will soon be thrown out A creative copywriter can entertain, and empathise with wit wisdom and civility; they can influence you without detection - it's almost as if they never existed

A good SEO copywriter is aware that effective copy isn't about trying to force themselves on others It's all about YOU You the reader are the only reason that this copy even exists Experienced web copywriters know how to communicate with you by understanding what you really need

If you haven't see the film - run to the DVD store now and rent it You're in for a great ride And if you have? Then you'll know very well all is not as it seems

Residual income is a dream to some people To others it is nothing more than a phrase without much meaning Because creating multiple streams of residual income offers great possibilities we will look at the three rules you should follow to achieve it

1 Focused on getting income started in one way first There certainly are numerous ways to earn residual income Trying to work more than one opportunity at a time is one mistake people make

You are better off focusing on creating one profitable income stream that produces residual income before starting on a second The only exception to this might be if you are outsourcing much of the daily activities of running your business

If you are a lucky Internet marketer with more money than you have time, this rule may not apply to you However for most people who have more time than money it is better to focus on one stream of residual income before working on the second one

2 Diversify your approach to business models This is a good idea because of the many online opportunities available

In the past multi-level marketing was the only real possibility for achieving residual income Even then a person would only join one MLM business and never consider being involved in more than one

You certainly can be in numerous MLM businesses today You can also create income streams in other business models too

For example, two-tier affiliate programs give you the opportunity to develop residual income Creating a virtual real estate empire of blogs in various niches is another way to develop residual income

One more example is promoting membership sites that pay you on a regular basis By diversifying into various business models you protect yourself against a specific one that might stop working

3 Expect to work long after you thought you could stop I see this to be a pretty common theme when it comes to residual income

Developing multiple streams of any type of income is a good idea, but you would expect to continue to work to earn them Expect the same thing to be true as pertains to residual income

Many people have built network marketing businesses with the dream of walking away and continuing to make money Very few people ever achieve that status in the time they might have expected

These are three rules to follow when working at creating multiple streams of income These are all certainly attainable if you are willing to focus on one opportunity at a time, diversify your approach, and expect to work extremely hard

You may want to consider doing paid internet surveys if you are looking for ideas on how to make money on the internet for free There are many online free paid surveys that you can join without spending a dime

If you ever encounter anyone asking for money in return for a listing of paid survey companies don't do it They are cheating you and it isn't necessary You can go to a site like Internet Paid Surveys and get that type of information for free

This is one of the best ways to make money on the internet for free because it's a great home opportunity that can be done in your spare time Doing these can be fun but are also an aid in helping companies develop new products

To get the opinions of the general public concerning various products in development by their clients it's important to market research companies They are more than willing to pay people for this information

The majority of the reputable paid survey sites are free to join and belong to market research companies They typically pay between one dollar and one hundred dollars to complete the surveys and they may also enable you the chance to enter into sweepstakes to earn some bonus money

Some may also reward you through a point system for completing surveys These points can then be redeemed for prizes or cash This is great for those looking for how to make money on the internet for free

Many survey sites are accepting people as members on an international basis although the majority of them are from the United States and Canada After joining a site you will be asked to complete information about yourself and give your email address

You will be sent an email notifying you about them if you fit the profile needed as new surveys become available It would behoove you to join as many survey sites as possible to enhance your chances for being selected

To help you with filling out many sign up forms quickly you may want to utilize the software "Roboform" This will save you much time as you join the various and many sites

To give you an idea of what kind of market research you may encounter here is an example One such research firm deals mainly in the healthcare field They are dedicated to the innovative development of brand naming and identifying solutions

The surveys they conduct are used in the development and naming of various healthcare products including new drugs Even though a specific niche like this is looking for feedback from healthcare professionals they also value the opinions of the average consumer

Viral marketing is nothing new It has been around for a very long time, and recently it has taken many different forms For instance in the beginning a viral marketing strategy could have been a song or a video We could look at the marketing campaign that Wendy's did a few years ago They claimed that everyone had a 'ranch tooth', and to prove it they had a giant tooth yelling "Ranch" at people I dare you not to think of that sandwich every time you hear the word ranch now

That's what viral marketing is all about! It's about spreading your influence to the people, but rather than forcing yourself on them, make them want more, and more, and more But don't think that viral marketing is easy Chances are that your first attempts are not going to work very well because the entire thing is nothing but trial and error You will have to make several attempts before you learn what your customers like, but in the end it will be quite worth it

By using viral marketing software you can actually make quite a bit of money What you want to do is look for a company or individual that is creating viral marketing software for business owners to use in their endeavors You can take advantage of this, but how can it make you money? Let's find out!

Let's say you offer your customers some sort of downloadable product, but you don't charge them for it How does this make you money exactly? Well in the short run you probably won't be making any money from this endeavor, you can expect long term returns so long as you have done everything right

For instance, you need to make sure your business name is on the product, because by doing this you will provide your customers with a quality app that they can use in their everyday life, and it will have your name on it! Now imagine that your customer finds this application useful and gives it to someone else Then that person also finds it to be useful and passes it on It keeps going and moving until hundreds of people have it

At some point at least a few of those people are going to wonder if you have anything else to offer at your website, so they come take a look If they like your freeware product, or viral marketing software, then chances are they are going to like what you have for sale Through this you will more than likely be able to transform traffic into sales, thereby making money using viral marketing software, which is a great way of earning a profit!

Did you know that most folks spend so much time evaluating a business they NEVER begin

Taking the cash to the bank is our goal, not getting everything perfect It sounds rather harsh but truth must be faced in the world of building a home based business

Evaluate and explore carefully to make sure you're not taking excessive risks with any new business venture, but decisions must be made if your goal is to be a business owner

None of us have a crystal ball Yes, I've seen their signs along the roadway, the fortune tellers, but we think it's a waste of time

With that said, you do need competent advisers to guide you in unfamiliar areas, i e accounting, legal, insurance, etc Don't overlook the necessity of taxes, payroll and know that the IRS is "on your side"

In all the major business schools, there are three basic foundations taught about business models to look for Exploring these basic foundations will give you the clues required to succeed:

1 Large and expanding markets in the field of your choice

2 Products and Services are consumed monthly You're looking for repeat commissions

3 Leverage You can leverage your time building a residual income stream

These three foundations are the basic criteria we use to evaluate all new business opportunities, whether it's network marketing, a brick and mortar store or a franchised business

Here's the good news Always select a business opportunity that satisfies important criteria for success

1 Be in an enormous market that is growing bigger every day As an example, every household we know has mobile phones and are upgrading or changing Mobile phones often

2 Products and services must sell themselves each and every month

3 Join in the momentum phase - where the real money is made

4 You can Leverage your time by commanding an international sales force from your living room

Leveraging your business is achieved by inviting friends, family and others to be your business partners You decide whom to invite

Some folks don't want to contact friends or family members and that's NOT a problem You can save them until the next growth level when they see your success and begin to ask questions

Duplication is Key #2 You must learn and follow leaders in your UPline willing to help YOU build your home based business

Tire kickers, those always looking but never taking action, is not our ideal for team players Sounds like a car salesperson at a new car dealership

Get on a system where interested folks "raise" their hand, letting you know they are interested in what you have to offer, the rest fade away

It's called leverage, NO employees, NO payrolls, NO benefits to pay We are all known as equal business partners, individually rewarded

Over time you'll have a team, let's say, you have 2,500 independent representatives working an average of ONE hour per week Some will work more, others will do nothing, that's a given

Yes, it will take most of us 6 months, maybe even 2 years to reach this level, which is OK Lots will be happening for you in the interim This group [your team] would represent over 2,500 hours per week working on THEIR own business,

I'm sure you're seeing the POWER of this leveraging BIG $$ for YOU

Time-leveraging your business is dependent on having a system that is easily DUPLICATED by your team members Even though help is available, you're the coach, the leader, the teacher

Your goal is to provide information where potential candidates express interest in what you offer Everyone is not a business prospect