Driving Traffic to Your Blog

The growing importance of the internet as a channel of distribution as well as an inherent part of the brand equity of a commercial enterprise has led to some new factors of importance. One such is Viral Marketing.

What is viral marketing?

Viral marketing essentially uses the mechanism of ‘word of mouth’. Here the marketing message is passed along by people. The message self propagates as people send emails to others. It replicates and spreads easily.

Today individuals as well as companies specialize in the field of generating online revenue by employing viral marketing, much in the same manner as any other commodity. The forces driving the plan for launching a viral marketing campaign and the strategies adopted by individuals and companies in this market are similar to those of traditional markets.

The trendsetter in viral marketing was the classic case of Hotmail.com. They offered people free email addresses and services and simply added a text at the bottom of every email message: “Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com“. So as each member sends a message to another non-member the message to subscribe to Hotmail gets propagated instantaneously without any effort from Hotmail. Hotmail got millions of subscribers within months of launching it using viral marketing effectively.

What makes viral marketing work?

1. The keyword is ‘free’. Free email, free products to test, free services, free uploading of photographs, free buttons, free smileys – we see that in our mail and we tend to try it out. So keep it free and keep it spreading – the mantra for viral marketing.

2. Keep your viral marketing message short and succinct. Use the internet platform to your best use to propagate the message.

3. Use common motivations to influence people. What would people like? Free image uploading or free daily updates on their desktops? Imagine that you have a blog and you want to put a hit counter on the webpage. You pick up the HTML code for the counter from a website and put in on your blog. Now incidentally you will also propagate the website for the counter by having an instruction as ‘Click here to get XYZ counter.’

4. You can use affiliate programs and advertise your product or website in other forums and blogs and websites.

Here’s a simple example how you can apply all the above four points in order to make viral marketing of your product generate traffic and eventually revenue from your website. For example, you write an article on a topic that people wants to know more about. Then grant the readers the permission to replicate the article in their blogs or websites as it is and give you the copyright to it. Make sure that you insist your copyright statement is published along with the article. Within a short period of time, your name and article will be appearing in so many websites that you will soon start the benefit reaping the benefit of viral marketing. No extra effort, no financial investment, no lobbying – your name spread through simple ‘word of mouth’.

Trying to make money online can be a frustrating and humbling experience. All of the advertisements and rumors of making fast cash with minimal work, are well, a bunch of crap. Sure, a few people may have hit pay dirt not doing much but I don’t know any of them. Most of the people I know that are successful online, spend time researching their options, creating a plan and then working that plan. With that being said, there are various ways to earn online. I will discuss some of the best ways below.

1. Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is a fast way to start making money quickly. Because you don’t have to worry about creating or designing your own product, you can get started quickly. You are a given a link to a completed website and the only thing that you have to do is to promote it. While this used to be far easier a few years ago, it can still be very profitable. It will just take a little bit more work. Consider creating a simple website that provides information on the same topic as the affiliate product you are trying to sell. Be sure to collect email addresses, as you may be able to market other products to this same group. Market affiliate products using articles, social networking sites, forums and pay-per-click.

2. Selling Your Own Product: Selling your product is another great way to make money online. Depending on how you go about your product development, this could be a fast or slow process. One way to speed it up, if this is a concern, is to purchase PLR rights. Often times Private Label Rights come with a ready made website. For a few bucks, you have your very own e-book and website to sell it from. However, this method has its’ disadvantages, namely, other people will be selling the product and perhaps for cheaper. To combat this, consider, re-writing the sales letter and purchasing new graphics. Also add special and unique bonuses to make your offer appear more attractive.

3. Ebay: Many people are still making money on Ebay. Ebay has cracked down on digital products. However, you can still sell them, just put them on CD and send them out. You can also use the classified ad format listing to sell digital products. I use it and have had some success. If you want to sell physical products, find a good drop shipper or wholesaler.

4. Offering Services: If you have a marketable service, this is a good way to make money. Many people make money by writing articles, Press releases and site reviews for other webmasters. Other people offer coding and web design.

5. Blogging: Blogging can be a fun way to make a lot of money. The way to accomplish this is to first, monetize your blog. You can do this by selling affiliate products, your own products, selling advertising space or placing Adsense like ads on your blog. Also be sure to optimize your blog for the search engines just like you would a website. Next you need drive traffic to your blog and develop a following. Writing press releases, articles, joining forums and pay-per-click, are all ways to get traffic to your blog.

Of the many online business ideas that have cropped up in the recent past – online surveys have hold ground till now. You get paid for taking part in surveys. This works in three different ways:

1. You fill up a survey form on a certain product and get paid for it.

2. You try out a new product often for free or for a very minimal cost and get paid for it.

3. View movie trailers and get paid on an hourly rate.

Let’s look at each proposition one by one.

An online survey would generally involve filling up a form. A form will constitute a number of fields concerning a certain product for example the brand of shampoo that you use, the level of satisfaction that you have using it, the brand name, the features that you like about the product, etc. These surveys may have fields numbering from five to fifty.

There is generally no limit to the number of surveys one can take. The more companies that you register with for research, the more surveys you will be able to take online. Once your visibility as a researcher increases, you may be invited to be a part of focus groups that specialize in one field of market research. This in turn will ensure a better pay rate and more surveys.

To get access to a database of companies that need assistance in research, you will need to register with companies for a certain amount of fees. You will then be allowed to view the companies and register with those. Once you register with prospective companies, the companies will directly contact you with survey forms and pay you directly.

Trying out a new product launched by a company is also a business proposition that generates revenue. Here you may need to try out a new product instead of the one you are used to and test the usability and user satisfaction of the product. Such products may range from soaps to an electric massager. You will get to keep the product and also write your observation on the same. The company will pay you for your service.

Finally get paid from $5-$20 per hour for viewing and reviewing film trailers. Your feedback will be considered from short films to advertisement to movie trailers. Again you will need to be connected to the relevant companies and sources that give out such survey opportunities.

As with any new business opportunity, you must wait and have the patience. Although most of the websites that promise instant payment on surveys or product buying are essentially intermediaries who will just connect you to the prospective companies and research firms. You will get work from those companies and will be paid by those companies. This in turn means that you must be doubly sure that the company that you are paying the fees to be connected to the survey companies are reliable and can guarantee work. Since the internet is a nameless faceless world, it is even more important that you step cautiously.

We live in a fast-paced world and people spend most of their times in front of the laptop or the computer – reading the day’s news on the commute to office on a laptop, buying tickets for a theatrical show over the internet or making bookings for the dream vacation online. With Internet entering every sphere of our lives, it is no wonder that the concept of e book is fast picking up – helping people read on their laptop in the remotest jungles without having to carry hard cover books.

Before you start writing your e book, consider promoting your articles and sample features across different websites and other online platforms. It is important that an interest towards your book is generated before you actually launch it. Once you sit down to actually create your e book, try and keep it interesting visually and textually – use graphics and images if your topic permits. Online is a format that readers are used to see as being colorful, intuitive and interactive. If your e book can also incorporate such elements – people will have a good time enjoying your book and you can move away from the traditional book reading experience thereby giving the reader a different experience.

Writing an e book is similar as that of writing a book – the difference is mainly the challenge to keep the e book precise and to the point. Computer screens are not the first choice for any reader to enjoy reading – so the closer your e book content is to the topic, the lesser time will the read need to spend in front of the computer screen.

Today there are a number of online libraries with enviable collection of e books that you can lease or buy. This indirectly means that selling e books is also revenue-generating online business prospect. To create a storehouse for e books, you will first need to acquire some web space to host the e books. You may want to float a website or share a server with your loyal readers and customers. Then you will need to decide on the features that you will allow in the website.

• Should there be download facilities?

• Should the reader be able to read it online only?

• How much should you charge for each e book reading?

• If the reader wants to download the e book, then how much would you charge them for?

Next you must finalize on the design and the layout of the website, keep it intuitive and easy to navigate. Use graphics and images to keep it appealing. Then advertise your online library to relevant sites – for examples book forums, groups of readers and other libraries. Use the traditional online marketing and advertisement tools to promote the site. Once your library is up and running and you have regular readers, you will just need to look at promoting it at regular intervals and updating your collection. This is truly a low-investment online business that you can keep as a side business and concentrate on more businesses that you may be interested in.

There are many great ways to market your products online. Some will cost you money, other methods will not. All of the ones listed below are extremely effective. Read through the list carefully and commit to trying a few. You can’t make any money if you are afraid or too lazy to make the effort.

Pay-Per-Click: Pay-per-click is perhaps the fastest way to get targeted traffic to your website or blog. However, you better know what you are doing, or you will be stuck with major costs and no sales to show for it. Be sure that you carefully select your keywords and don’t bid or spend more then you can afford to lose. You may want to try some free advertising first (forums, articles, classified sites) to see if the product that you are selling converts well and then spend some money with pay-per-click advertising.

Social Network Sites: Social networking sites are a great place for people to get together, chat, and share information. It can also be a goldmine if used correctly. Don’t go on there spamming and trying to sell your products. Instead, provide some valuable information. Send them to a website that has more then advertisements. Work to build relationships and then the sales will come.

Forums: Forums are great place to market. You already have a captive audience that is interested in some of the same things that you are. Again, don’t spam. That is the quickest way to destroy your reputation. Instead, contribute to the board and give away something of value for free. Add a link to whatever you are selling in your signature link. That way, when you post, people will see your advertisement without you shoving it down their throats. After you have built up a good reputation and good will, then sell your product. Most forums will have a section for the sale of services and goods. Offer your product or service there.

Article Marketing: Article marketing is one of the most tried and true online advertising methods. If you write a quality article and submit it to the best article directories, you can almost be assured of hundreds of page views. If your article is really good, another webmaster may place it on their site and send additional visitors your way. To be successful as an article marketer, you will need to write consistently, write well crafted articles and create good signature boxes so that people want to visit your website.

Free Classified Sites: Free classified ads used to be wildly popular a few years ago, then seemingly overnight, they became irrelevent. However, sites like Craigslist and Backpage have revived the market. This is an especially good place to sell services. Selling an affiliate product is a little bit harder but can still be done. Be sure to ask for at least partial payment upfront when providing services so that you don’t end up getting scammed.

The internet domain name, or the internet website name, is seen as a key success factor for any organization dependent on the internet medium for direct business or marketing purposes. The importance of a good domain name is underlined by the fact that the “right” domain name can not only enhance the brand and prestige of a business enterprise, in much the same manner as a good logo or jingle in the traditional marketing world, but also directly influence the ease of accessibility of a portal by the average customer – thus influencing the probability of earning more business, in much the same way as a well-decorated storefront.

Needless to say, the importance of domain names makes them an important commodity in the world of online commerce.

Factors / Forces:

The value or demand of an internet domain name is mainly driven by the following factors:

1. intuitiveness: thus, “pizza.com” is more attractive than “breadwithtopping.com”

2. precision: thus, “pizza.com”, as opposed to “this-is-a-pizza-site.com”, is expected to be more valuable

3. universality: an interesting difference in the forces driving the market for internet domain names, as opposed to traditional markets, is that the value of a domain name likely to be in common or universal demand, as opposed to a niche area, is higher – thus, “pizza.com” is likely to be a good investment!*

*In fact, the domain name of www.pizza.com , bought by Chris Clark in the 1994 for $20, fetched the investor in excess of 2.6 million USD in 2007!

Strategies:

The strategies employed in this area are primarily dependent on the status of the enterprise – i.e. whether the seller is an individual or a commercial enterprise.

1. Individual: Typically, an individual will act as the middleman, and may choose to buy a small number of domain names, based on and banking on one’s understanding of future demand. This is similar to the strategy of an individual trader in the world of stock markets, but is relatively less risky as the prices of individual domain names bought are typically not high. The success of this strategy is dependent on the individual choosing a few but high Quality domain names. An example of a successful instance of this individual strategy is that of www.pizza.com mentioned above.

2. Commercial Enterprise: Commercial enterprises involved in this space act as primarily as wholesale dealers. Thus, these enterprises typically offer a large number of domain names, often multiple variations on each category of domain name or subject, for sale to both individuals as well as organizations. The success of this strategy is dependent on Quantity – the commercial enterprise that is able to acquire and offer a vast permutation of domain names for a given subject is more likely to succeed.

The keys to success in the area of selling domain names and making money in the process are, thus, quite like those in any other commercial area, and are greatly influenced by the market forces of supply and demand, not to mention the quality of the entrepreneur’s foresight and ability to predict future trends.

Most people are familiar with brands. If you live in the United States, you have likely heard of Tide, BMW and Lexus. Why, because these companies have done an excellent job branding their product. They have spent millions and millions of dollars to pound their product, their logo and their positive attributes into your head. Luckily, the internet has evened the playing field a bit. You don’t have to spend that much money to brand yourself. In fact, if you have just a little bit of money and a lot of time upfront, you can brand yourself to the people in your field. Read below to find out how.

Create A Logo: You can easily create your own logo using inexpensive software or you can have one created for you pretty cheaply. Visit marketing forums such as Digital Point or the Warrior’s Forum and you will be able to find someone to do it for you. A logo makes your business look more professional. People would rather spend their money or listen to people who own websites that don’t look amateurish.

Become An Expert: Becoming an expert in your field will definitely help you brand your business. How do you accomplish this? Visit the websites and forums that your target market visits and then contribute. Make informative posts, write white papers and advertise on these sites. If your target audience always sees your name or logo, they will begin to see you as an expert in that field.

Help Others: Help others by giving away free advice or ebooks. If you give away something free that a competitor may charge for, you automatically develop credibility. So give liberally, it will come back to you.

Offer Value: Whether you offer something for free or are selling it, be sure that it is of high quality. In fact, be sure to over deliver. If you do, your customers will always come back because they know that will give them more then they expect.

Reward Referrals: Build your brand by allowing others to spread the word about your company themselves. Offer a free gift or a discount if your customers refer business to you. You won’t make as much money initially, but you won’t have to spend as much in advertising either and if those new customers become repeat customers, the discount upfront, will be of little consequence.

Building your brand will help give you ‘staying power.” Avoid being a fly-by-night entrepreneur. Be in it for the long haul. Effective ways to accomplish this include creating an attractive image and logo for your company, becoming an expert in your field, helping others by giving away free information and advice, offering valuable products and rewarding referrals. If you commit to this and are consistent, you will see yourself getting more business then you can handle.