Online Marketing From Home

You have probably heard me say this many times before but I going to say it again… “You cannot fail in internet marketing… You can only quit”.
 
This does not mean that you are going to achieve massive success without hard work. It does not mean every project you undertake will make you money…. It means that if you are serious about making a success of your internet marketing business you will succeed. The only question is how long will it take you. Period.
 
Why I am so certain? Well, that’s easy… As long as there are people that are willing to buy products online there will always be opportunities for people that are offering the products these buyers want to buy. Very simple. And, we know ecommerce is worth billions of dollars every year and growing!
 
So, why do people quit? Some say it’s because they do not take action… Others say it’s because they do not have enough information on how to succeed.
 
I spoke to two guys on my list this week… One over the phone and one on Skype. Both these calls lasted about an hour each. In both cases they complained that they know what to do but they don’t know how to do it. Both guys have spent hundreds of dollars on reports, videos, seminars, etc. but have hardly anything to show for it. If you can identify with this then I have some news for you…
 
You may or may not have heard of Kim Roach… Well, she is one clever lady and I have been following her for quite a while. Let’s just say that when she has something to say I close my mouth and open my ears!
 
Well, Kim has recently launched a product called “Instant Payday Formula“. It’s by far the best product I have bought this year… It includes nearly 8 hours of step-by-step video training and a 184 page companion guide…
 
If you are looking for a step by step system on how to build and grow your online business I suggest you take a look.

I have spent thousands of dollars on products that are out of their league when compared to “Instant Payday Formula“. And, here’s the funny part… It only costs a fraction of what it could be sold for. I have no doubt that a guru can easily sell it for $ 1997 and even at that price it will be worth it. Kim Roach is the real deal.

All the best,
 
Francois

I can’t remember when I heard the saying the first time but “failing to plan means you are planning to fail” stuck with me. It may sound like an obvious statement… The type of statement that when you hear it for the first time you nod your head in agreement but do not do anything different in line with it.

It is amazing how often we as internet marketers do not understand the importance of careful planning. We are constantly looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and we always seem to be chasing after rainbows. There are many types of rainbows and they go by various names… Affiliate Marketing, Cost Per Action (CPA), Product Creation, or Website Flipping to name just a few.

All of these different types of rainbows hold the promise of a better life, an easier way to make money, the prospect of being able to spend more time with your family or to go on exotic vacations at the drop of a hat. And, I am not even mentioning the Porsche in the driveway… That’s obvious.

We buy into the dream of easy money. We believe that great wealth is ours for the taking and is only a couple of weeks away. We are convinced that internet marketing is the real lazy man’s way to riches.

When something does not bring us a lot of money in a short period of time or it seems like too much hard work we simply start chasing after another rainbow.

However, at some point in time all internet marketers reach a crossroad…

We realize that it’s possible to make a lot of money online but that we have been going about it in the wrong way. We finally understand that there are no shortcuts to great wealth and that it takes careful planning. We come to understand that it’s not all about working harder but also about working smarter.

It’s at this point that we truly understand that if we fail to plan we are really planning to fail.

There are no secrets to making money online. It’s all about giving people what they want. It’s about finding and serving a hungry market that is prepared to pay for products or solutions to problems.

So how do we go about it in the right way?

Well, for one we need to be realistic… Don’t complain that you are not making $5,000 a month when you have decided to write articles for other people at $5 an article and you only write 6 articles a day.

You have to reconcile your actions with your goals. If they fit, great! If not, you either have to change your actions or your goals. Complaining does not help.

Back to our example of writing 6 articles a day for $5 per article… So what are our options?

1) Do something else.

Find something more profitable. For example, inside of writing 10 articles for $50, add the articles to a website as unique content and sell the website on Sitepoint for $150.

2) Write more, charge more or work longer. 

If you enjoy writing articles but are hot happy with the amount of money you’re making you have three options:

a. Write more – Work on improving your writing skills so you are able to write more articles per hour. You should be able to write at least 4 articles per hour of about 300 words each. If you charge $5 per article that means you are making $20 per hour. Not very good…

b. Charge more – Do not be afraid to charge for your services. Starting out cheap may get you off the ground, provide you with a lot of work but will burn you out. Once you have established that you are a good and reliable writer, and have the testimonials to show for it, you should increase your rates.

By the way, you may actually get more customers since many people think $5 articles are rubbish and will gladly spend $10 or more per article. If you can write 4 articles per hour at $10 per article you will be earning $40 per hour. That’s a lot better!

c. Work longer – The average person is always complaining that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done… What I have learned is that if you want to get something done you give it to a busy person. Being busy is not an excuse for being more productive.

If you can write 2 more articles per day at $10 an article taking 15 minutes per article it means an extra $20 a day in your pocket. That’s $400 extra per month if you only work Monday to Friday for 4 weeks. Not bad for working an extra 30 minutes a day!

3. Leverage.

There is only so much one person can do in 24 hours. Smart people understand the power of leverage and use it all the time. It basically means getting more done for the same effort. And, getting more done means getting more money.

Let’s continue with our article writing example. You can only make so much money in a day if you charge $5 an article and if it takes you 30 minutes to write an article. Even if you can achieve the impossible and write articles for 24 hours every day without a taking a break you have an income ceiling of $240 a day.

But, assume you can charge $10 an article and can outsource the actual writing part for only $5 an article to someone else how much money can you make per day? How about getting a team of writers together that will gladly write good quality articles for you for only $5 an article? Well, that takes care of your income ceiling!

Writing articles for cash is only one example. The above principles apply to most online marketing money makers. Take product creation as an example. You can write your own report but you can also buy a report with private label rights and turn it into your own product in less than half the time it would take you to write your own report.

Furthermore, you don’t even have to turn a private label report into your own report. Make an audio recording and sell it as an mp3 or submit it to podcasting directories. Make a power point presentation and record it on video. Submit the video to sites like YouTube and include a link to your squeeze page where you will capture the contact details of prospects in return for access to another video or free report, thereby building your mailing list. The list of things you can do is endless.

In closing, focus on only one thing at a time and look at ways you can gain more mileage. Rather try to improve what you are currently doing than jump around from the one thing to the order. Think outside the box. Plan in advance and make sure your actions will enable you to reach your goals.

All the best,

Francois

P.S. If you are still looking for good ideas and methods on how to make money online I highly recommend you get a copy of “The Definitive Job Slayer Warriors Guide”. It contains 99 different strategies! Pick a money maker that you feel the most comfortable with, do your planning, think outside the box and take action today.

Google published a very handy report called Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, version 1.1 on the 13th of November 2008.

The original aim was for this document to assist teams within Google. But, Google decided that it would also be useful for webmasters that are not that familiar with SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

Download it, print it and use it as a reference guide. It’s only 22 pages, contains many screenshots and lists some helpful resources for webmasters.

Here is the direct download link:

Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois

Keyword research is one of the basic building blocks you need in order to build a solid foundation for your online business. But, it can be very confusing… Especially for newbies.

I have recently read several forum posts where some important questions regarding keyword research went unanswered and thought it may be a good idea to share some of my views on my blog.

I am not even going to attempt to cover this topic from A to Z and will only share my views on some very basic questions that come up on a regular basis. I am not going to go into things like the importance of using keywords in your title, LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing), anchor text, internal linking, etc.

Keyword research is all about understanding your market.

Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.

Source: Google on keyword research

I know there are some very experienced marketers that don’t rely that much on keyword research. They know and understand their market very well and don’t need to spend hours researching keywords. But, most newbies can benefit a great deal from keyword research.

There are many different keyword research tools and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever find two tools that will show the same results. This is often a big source of confusion for newbies!

Two of the most popular tools are the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and the Keyword Suggestion Tool From Wordtracker (free version).

You will never get the same results from Google and Wordtracker. The reason is very simple… They use completely different methods to estimate search queries. So, which one is the more accurate?

Here is how Wordtracker estimates daily search volume:

Number of searches for a keyword in our database
———————-
Total number of searches in our database

x Estimated total number of daily searches on all search engines* 

= Estimated daily volume of searches for the keyword

* Every day, on average, we collect about 2.2 million search terms from Dogpile.com and Metacrawler.com (accounts for 0.63% of searches across all engines). By combining these two figures, we estimate that the total daily searches across all engines is 290.6 million searches.

Source: Wordtracker’s Estimate of Daily Search Volume

Let’s assume their assumptions are correct. Even then it should be clear that they will never be able to predict accurate results. They do not get search information directly from Google and their database is not large enough to accurately represent all search queries.

Okay, based on the above many people feel that the Google Keyword Tool has to be more accurate. After all, Google should know better than anyone else how many search queries they get on average for a specific keyword. Well, it’s not that simple.

For example, when we search for the keyword “diet” we get totally different results from Wordtracker and Google.

Estimate according to Wordtracker – 3,041 searches per day
Estimate according to Google – 30,400,000 searches per month (Say 1 million searches a day).

We know Wordtracker is not 100% accurate. But, 3,000 searches vs. 1,000,000 searches! Big difference! Does Google really get 1,000,000 search queries a day for the keyword “diet”? No.

Google gets approx. 1,000,000 search queries a day for all keywords or keyword phrases that include the word “diet”. Big difference!

In other words, all other search queries that include the word “diet” such as “diet plans”, “diet foods”, “diet recipes”, “diet pills”, etc. are included in the 1,000,000 figure we get for “diet”.

Wordtracker, on the other hand, does not include other search queries that contain the word “diet” in their results.

Okay, here we go back to square one you may think! Not really.

Google is great for finding long tail keywords that Wordtracker will often not show any results for.

Bottom line… Based on my research and experience, Google is on average a lot more accurate than Wordtracker for keyword phrases that contain more than 3 words. By the same token, Wordtracker will normally be more accurate for a one word keyword or for a two word keyword phrase.

Many newbies make the mistake of only focussing on demand and supply without trying to understand their target market. In other words, they search for keywords that get a certain minimum number of searches every day and then have a look at the number of sites they will be competing against for those keywords.

You have to understand your target market.

For example, are we focussing on people looking for general information in the hope that they will click on some adsense ads or are we looking for people that are ready and eager to buy a product? They normally use totally different keywords when searching online!

Here are some keyword phrases for a niche that I am current researching in the health industry. I am not going the mention the niche as it is actually irrelevant…

[keyword] symptoms
Symptoms of [keyword]
Information on [keyword]
[keyword] information

The above keyword phrases may be great but do not really make me think that I am dealing with hungry buyers.

How to deal with [keyword]
How to cope with [keyword]

Getting better…

How to stop [keyword]
[keyword] help
[keyword] cure

Now that sounds a lot better!

Newbies often find great keywords but don’t make any money because they are getting visitors that only want free information or getting visitors that want to buy something but are not convinced they are at the right site, etc.

There are many ways of understanding your target market but it’s always a good idea to print a list of keywords and to put yourself in the mindset of the person using that search query. Try to understand who you are dealing with.

Assume you have a problem and want help asap you are not going to search for “what is [keyword]?”

I normally try to group keywords together. For example, I’ll have a heading “Information” and list all the keywords that people are using trying to find information. I’ll also have a heading called “Buyers” where I’ll list typical keywords a potential buyer will search for.

It will take a bit of time but I have often discovered great keywords that I would have ignored at first glance. Sometimes a keyword may not get a lot of searches but there are several other keywords that are similar and when you consider all the variations your target market is using it often makes sense to use some variations of the same keyword which can give you a lot more traffic than using the keyword in isolation.

Keyword research is not only about finding keywords with a high demand and relatively few competitors… It’s really about understanding your market and giving them what they want. You have to get into the mind of your target market.

Francois du Toit

There are many online marketers that I respect and admire… But, one marketer has a very special place in my heart… Dr. Mani. I really love this guy! He works tirelessly to promote awareness of congenital heart defects in children and has established ‘The Dr. Mani Children Heart Foundation’ to raise funds for this worthy cause.

On the 12th of September Dr. Mani started a ’24 Hour Heart Kids Twitter Marathon’ and raised thousands of dollars for children with congenital heart defects.

This year his theme was “Passion Purpose Persistence” and he asked me if I would be willing to write an article in support of his ‘HEART KIDS TWEETATHON’ initiative. I immediately agreed!

In keeping with the theme of the event I wrote an article called “How To Make Money Online By Following Your Passion” and since the event has been concluded I thought it would be a good idea to post it on my blog. So, here goes…

How To Make Money Online By Following Your Passion

Many people dream of making money online from the comfort of their own home. If you are one of them I sincerely trust you will enjoy this short article and benefit from it.

Maybe you just want to supplement your existing income or maybe you would like to be your own boss someday and like the idea of working from home…

There are probably hundreds of reasons why people are attracted to online marketing. Let’s face it, the entry barriers are very low and it’s relatively cheap to get started. Chances are you already have a computer and access to the internet!

The key question is… HOW TO START?

There is no shortage of people that will gladly relieve you of your hard earned cash in exchange for some “make money online” information. Still, where do you start? Google lists more than 13,000,000 (yes 13 MILLION!) search results for the exact phrase “make money online” and that does not even include the 22 pages of sponsored links on the right side of the search results!

So what do you do? Do you just click on the best looking link? The one that tells you how easy it is to make $1,000 a day while sipping pina colada’s next to your swimming pool? Want to see some other options? Okay, here you go…

“Generate $5000 to $50,001 daily! New, Easy Online Cash. Join US.” (Actual sponsored link)

“Earn $1,000 Per Day PT/FT – Make Money Online Within 15 Mins.” (Actual sponsored link)

“Join our Team Now & Stop Losing. Start Getting $6K to $60K Monthly.” (Actual sponsored link)

Fact of the matter is that there are thousands of get rich quick scams on the internet. There are also many different ways of earning an honest income online.

Remember that if something seems too good to be true it normally is too good to be true… And, don’t waste your time searching for the “best” way to make money online. There is no best way! If there was we would all be doing it!

You need to find the right way for YOU!

I am often asked by new marketers “Where do I start” and my answer is always the same… It is advice based on my own personal experience that I would not hesitate to give to my own children if there were interested in learning how to make money online.

Here goes…

Find a viable market you are passionate about or at least interested in that’s full of hungry buyers that are willing to spend money online and give them what they want.

It’s really that simple! Let’s look at it in more detail…

“Viable Market” – The market should be big enough!  

How many people will be interested in buying a report on the endangered Miami Blue butterfly? How many copies can you expect to sell every month?

The market must be big enough to make it worth your while!

“Passionate About Or At Least Interested In” – Don’t do something you don’t enjoy!       

Studies have shown that the majority of Americans are not happy in their jobs and would rather be doing something different. In fact, I think this is true in most countries!

If you have the choice to enter any new market why would you consider a market that you don’t like, don’t understand or have no interest in? Why would you do this to yourself? Because the potential money you can make looks promising?

Well, here’s a Newsflash…

You are going to be competing against many other marketers that are passionate about what they do, have lots of knowledge and experience, an established client base, and loyal followers.

Think you can effectively compete with them as a new online marketer in a field that you know nothing about and are not even interesting in? Good luck!

Note: As you gain experience you will be able to enter other profitable markets, even ones you are not really interested in. However, I will not recommend it to a brand new marketer.      

“Full Of Hungry Buyers” – Tire kickers and freebie seekers are not going to pay the bills!

Many people may be interested in a certain topic. However, that does not necessarily mean they are willing to spend money on it! Some markets are simply flooded with people searching for free information. People that have no intention of ever taking their wallets out of their pockets to pay for the information they are looking for.

You need to make sure that people are willing or even eager to pay for what you have on offer.

Note: It is often possible to eventually turn tire kickers and freebie seekers into buyers by giving them free ‘what to do’ information and selling them the ‘how to do it’ part. However, you will be much better off by focusing on selling to hungry buyers right from the start. 

“Willing To Spend Money Online” – Some people hate it!

This part has actually got two components…

The first component is ‘Trust, safety and credibility’ and the second is ‘Nature of the product’. Let’s consider them one by one.

a. Trust, Safety and Credibility

It’s one thing walking into a pet shop and buying a book on how to build an aquarium. It’s a different thing ordering a book online. You cannot touch the book and browse through the chapters to make sure it has the right content you are looking for.

Remember that your buyer may be thousands of miles away and has to feel comfortable buying your product or a product you are recommending as an affiliate. Some people just don’t like the idea of spending money online!   

b. Nature Of The Product

I don’t know about you but I would rather buy my shoes in a shoe store than order them online. I simply like to try them on and walk around a bit before buying a pair.

On the other hand, many people would rather buy sexy lingerie online than in a shop…

Take into consideration that some markets may be huge and have lots of hungry buyers but that does not necessarily mean that they will order online. 

“Give Them What They Want” – Do not make assumptions!

Many people and even large corporations make the mistake of offering people something they need instead of something they want. You may have a great product but unless people want it you are not going to be making a lot of money!

For example, many people need to lose weight but unless they want to lose weight they are not going to buy your product. Many people need to stop smoking but unless they want to stop smoking they are not going to spend money on a ‘how to stop smoking’ product. Clear?

It can be very difficult and expensive to create a market where there is no market despite the fact that you may feel people need your product. Do not make assumptions!

I see this very often in internet marketing… Someone has a great idea for a new product and he is convinced that it will benefit other marketers. He really thinks there is a need for it. He spends a lot of time and money developing the product and ends up selling 10 copies… Very often the reason is that people are simply not in the market for what he has on offer.

There is a big difference between a product that’s ‘nice to have’ versus a ‘must have’ product. 

Play it safe, especially if you are a new marketer. Do your research. Give people what they want and not what you think they need.

Don’t be under the illusion that you need to find something new that people really need. In the words of John Reese “Stop trying to come up with the next ‘Big Thing’. Let other people *Show You* what’s making money. THEN EMULATE SUCCESS.”

Moving forward…

There are many ways you can reach your market and give them what they want. It’s beyond the scope of this article to examine all the options available to you. There are simply too many…

You can build a content rich website, also called an authority site, and monetize it with Google Adsense as well as discreet links to suitable affiliate programs. You can build a one page sales website and promote a report through Google Adwords. If you don’t have any money to invest you can get a free Blogger account. The list is endless!     

The first and most important point is to identify the right niche market. The more passionate you are about this market the better you will be able to serve it.

Here are seven additional tips that can help you succeed…

1) Always try to help people.

Your first aim should always be to help other people. Few things are as important online as your credibility. It takes time to build it up but it can be destroyed very quickly.

Don’t sell or promote junk just to make a fast buck. Don’t promote a product as the best thing since sliced bread when it’s barely average to say the least.      

Always ask yourself if you would sell or promote the same product to your mother. For example, assume you are promoting a product that helps people deal with epilepsy in children. Would you like your mother to buy that product if you were the child suffering from epilepsy?

2) What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?  

What makes your product or a product you are promoting as an affiliate special? Why should people rather buy from you than from anyone else? Do you have a competitive advantage over your direct competitors?

Many markets are highly profitable but also very competitive. You need to find ways that will enable you to stand out from the crowd. Having a USP can give you a huge advantage in the market.

3) Keep an open mind.  

What may be working for other people may not always work for you. This does not mean that you are right and they are wrong.

Internet marketing is not black or white but comes in many shades of gray. Don’t be quick to believe everything you read but don’t be quick to discard it either.  

4) Don’t give up too quickly.

Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, it takes time to build a successful online business. Do not expect great results if the beginning.

Sidebar: You may be surprised to know that most of the people that are today considered as “internet gurus” really struggled for a long time before they made it.

5) Don’t try to be everything for all people.

A very common mistake that it’s nearly always fatal is trying to cover a broad niche from A to Z.

For example, the pet market is very big. But, don’t even attempt to try and cover the whole market. It’s simply too wide! Try to narrow it down as far as possible.

For example, instead of focusing on a very broad niche such as dog owners rather focus on a specific breed of dog and research what type of products or information these dog owners want.   

Visit specific websites, blogs and forums. Have a look at what questions are posted on Yahoo Answers. Do some keyword research and find out what key phrases people are using when searching for solutions online. Try to dig deep!

6) Build a long term business and large client base.    

The most profitable businesses are those that can build up a client base and supply those clients over and over. It’s much more difficult (and expensive) to gain new customers than to serve existing customers.

Always try to find a market where you have the possibility of getting repeat business from your loyal customers. Take the internet marketing niche as an example… I can sell many different reports to the same customer. The one report may be about how to find and research a niche market. Chances are that if my report is very good that the same customer will not think very hard about buying my second report that covers how to build a successful blog or my third report that covers how to get a lot of traffic to your blog, etc.

Here is another example, the pet niche. Let’s assume your target market is Doberman Pinscher dogs. Chances are you can sell or promote several reports over a period of time to the same customer ranging from how to select a puppy, how to ‘house train’ a puppy, how to teach your dog obedience and new tricks, essential dietary requirements, etc. This is just off the top of my head. I don’t know anything about Doberman Pinscher dogs but you get the point.   

7) Always look for golden threads of wisdom.

I often see marketers complain on forums about “rehashed information” that’s included in new marketing reports. Well, what may be old news to them will be brand new to a newbie.

I have learned a long ago to always search for ‘golden threads of wisdom’. Let me explain…    

I have more than 30 books that deal exclusively just with affiliate marketing. Many of these books include information that I am very familiar with. Does this mean I should not buy any more books on the subject of affiliate marketing? No!

You see, what I have found is that even though two books may basically cover the same techniques there is always something I can learn that I can apply to my own marketing strategies. Even if it’s only a short reference to a website or resource that I am not yet familiar with!

A single sentence or paragraph in a report can often give me a massive return on the money I invested in buying the report. This is what I mean by looking for golden threads of wisdom.

It makes no sense to buy the one report after the other report and not to apply anything you have learned. It also makes no sense to completely change your strategy (that you haven’t even fully implemented) with every new report you buy.

I am not saying that you should buy every single report on a topic you can get your hands on! But, remember that online marketing is a continuous learning curve and that you need to occasionally invest in your business. It’s just like any other business.

Remember that by maintaining the status quo you are not really staying where you are but you are actually moving backwards as your competitors move forwards.

Always be on the lookout for golden threads of wisdom that you can incorporate in your own business strategy. Test and monitor the results of everything you do and always strive towards continuous improvement!

Thanks for reading!

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

If you are a serious internet marketer you cannot ignore the power of online video.

It’s estimated that more than 130 million Americans watch videos online every month. That’s 3 out every 4 internet users!

A site like YouTube gets about 16 billion visits per month! That’s serious traffic!

But here’s the thing…

What is the point of getting 1000 views per day if nobody visits your website?

We all know the importance of copywriting as far as a website is concerned. The average conversion rate for a website is only about 2% and that’s still a lot higher than the average conversion rate of a video on YouTube!

So what’s this all about?

Well, I read an interesting report recently published by a guy that has cracked the YouTube conversion code… One of his latest videos is converting at a massive 70%!

Think about it for a moment… For every 100 views he gets on YouTube he gets roughly 70 new and highly targeted visitors to his website!

…and get this. He recorded that video in just over 5 minutes!

This is not simply a “what to do” report but a “how to do it” report that lists his ‘7 Simple Steps To Killer Video Conversions’ that anyone can copy and apply to their own videos!

I was so impressed with this report that I bought the Private Label Rights to it… In fact, I ended up getting the exclusive ownership rights as well!

And, this means I can offer my list and blog readers a killer deal that you cannot find anywhere else!

If you have videos on YouTube that’s getting a lot of views but you are not getting traffic to the website or blog you are promoting or you are thinking about using YouTube in the future as a way of generating traffic to your website or blog then you really need to check this out.

Click this direct link for details: Killer Video Conversions

To YOUR Online Marketing Success,

Francois du Toit

They say the money is in the list… And, they are right! Well, sort off… It really depends a lot on how you treat your list, why people signed up in the first place and how / where you found your list members…

Anyway, how do you go about building a list? Let’s make it more interesting… How do you go about building a list for free?

Many people simply set up a website or blog, sign up with a company such as Aweber, place an opt-in form on their website or blog and wait for people to sign up for their ‘newsletter’ by offering them some free content such as a free report, video or audio course.

Well, should you place an opt-in form on your website or blog it? Sure. Are you going to get a lot of new subscribers this way? Not necessarily… Unless you are able to drive a lot of traffic to your website or blog and give people a very good reason to opt-in! Your average website or blog will probably not get more than two or three signups a day…

Here are two free list building strategies that have worked very well for me…

1. Free Reports

How it works…

You compile a good quality report on a hot topic that you know your target market is interested in and set up a squeeze page to collect names and email addresses. Set it up in such a way that a new subscriber must first confirm his request for information before he gets a copy of your report.

Even a free report must be sold. I get many offers every week for free reports and ignore the majority of them simply because my time is valuable and the fact that I am offered something for free does not mean I want it.

You have to convince people that your report will benefit them by highlighting as many benefits as possible. In addition, give them a reason why you are giving it away for free… Many people think that a free report has no real value!

Do not make the mistake of giving away a report that is full of fluff and affiliate links and expect people to opt-in before they can read it. Yes, you will be get new subscribers even if the report is crap. But, subscribers do not pay the bills… customers do! By giving away a crap report you will damage your credibility before you have even started building a relationship with a new subscriber!

If I give away a report as an incentive for someone to subscribe to my list I want them to think only one thing, namely: “If he is willing to give away such high quality information for free I can only imagine how good the content is that he is actually selling!”

Tip: Make a note every time you sign up for a special offer, promotion, free report, etc. How was it presented to you? What made you sign up? Copy and test what seems to be working for others!

Do I need to write my own report?

It depends on how / where you are going to promote the report. Let’s look at a couple of options…

WSO (Warrior Special Offers) at Warrior Forum

Okay, this is not free but for only $20 it’s as good as free… I have gained many subscribers by giving away a report as a WSO. It must be your own report! For example, you cannot list a report for which you have acquired resell rights!

Ad Swap (actually a ‘List Swap’)

This is a great way to build your list!

In principle two marketers agree to cross promote a free product to their respective lists.

Okay, let’s consider some common questions…

Do I need a huge list before I can participate in a list swap?

Short answer… No. Even if you only have a list of say 500 subscribers it can work. If your ‘partner’ has a bigger list he is obviously under no obligation to email his whole list and only needs to send an email to 500 subscribers.

How / Where do I find possible list swap partners?

I suggest contacting other marketers that you feel positive about, for example marketers that post good content on forums and that’s on a similar level to you. In other words, focus on your peers and not on contacting gurus.

What do I say to them?

You have to make a proposal. Here is a short and simplified example…

Hello {name},

I really enjoy reading your posts on {forum} and I think we share very similar views on {topic}.

I am going to get straight to the point…

I am very interested in the possibility of doing a list swap with you. I have a list of {number} double opt-in subscribers and was wondering if you have a report that I can email my list about that they can get for free by subscribing to your list?

I have a very good report about {topic} that I sincerely believe will benefit your list members. Here is a link to my squeeze page and a direct download link for my report – {links}.

I am convinced that by doing a list swap we can both gain a significant number of new and responsive subscribers. In fact, it’s a win-win situation… I am sure your list will appreciate getting my report for free and I know my list loves getting quality content.

I look forward to hearing from you!

All the best,

{Your Name}
{Your Contact Details}

A couple of tips…

Do not send reminders! Once your potential partner has indicated his interest you can suggest a date and time, and provide him with a proposed message that he can email his list (he can obviously edit it or use his own).

If your potential partner is interested in your proposal but does not mention the size of his list or the product he wants you to promote ask him for this information. Do not email your list about a product that you have not reviewed. If the product is crap walk away!

Can I trust my partner to email his list?

It really helps to know your partner and to be on his list before you approach him about a list swap. I have done a couple of list swaps and only had one case where a partner didn’t email his list as he said he would.

Tip: If you get a good report for free from another marketer that’s using it to build his list contact him. You already know he is offering his report for free as an incentive for people to join his list and you have already determined that his report is good.

Lastly, I suggest that you use your own unique report in a list swap. You will look very unprofessional to a potential partner if you do not have your own report. If you want to use a report that you have private label rights for I suggest you completely change the report to make it unrecognizable from the original report!

Giveaways

Participating in a giveaway event as a contributor can be a good way of building your list fast. In fact, it’s recommended by most gurus… But, there are some things you should consider before participating as a contributor…

A typical giveaway event will stipulate that you should have a list of at least 500 people and that you need to promote the giveaway to your list. In addition, many giveaways insist that you only list your own unique product and some even request that it must be a product that you are currently selling.

The more people you refer and that sign up under you the better. You usually get more points for referring new contributors than “normal” members and the number of points you have will determine whether your gift is listed on the 1st page or the 30th page. Obviously the 1st page gets a lot more traffic!

There is normally also an OTO (One Time Offer) when you sign up but that another story…

Is the structure fair? Yes. But, that does not mean it’s always a good idea to participate. No, and here’s why…

Unless you can get your product close to the 1st page you are not going to get a lot of people to opt in to your list in exchange for your free report. I often see claims about how you can add thousands of new members to your list… Take it with a shovel of salt!

What about the new members you gain? Well, chances are they signed up for many other “gifts”. They don’t only have a truckload of new products to digest (serious risk of indigestion or information overload) but they are also getting a lot more emails than before.

Remember that at the end of the day an unresponsive list is as good as having no list and you run the risk that some of your previously responsive list members may be less responsive afterwards.

All in all it’s not a bad way of building your list but I very seldom promote giveaways to my list. I normally only participate when I can buy a spot on the 1st page without having to email my list.

But, do you not always need to be a follower!

Here are two ideas you may want to consider in the future…

One – Host your own giveaway! Why not? Learn from what others are doing and copy what works.

Two – Contact a couple of reputable marketers and set up a Giveaway JV with them. This is a similar to a ‘list swap’ except that instead of only one partner you will now have four or five partners. The products can be placed on the home page of a newly created website and the partner with the biggest list can get the top position. Even if your product is the last of five products listed on that page you will probably get more new subscribers than with a traditional giveaway!

Here is one last tip on building your list with free reports…

Tip: Ever heard of article marketing? Sure you have! Well, why don’t split the free report you have created into several articles and submit it to an article directory such as Ezine Articles? At the end of each article (in your author bio box) you mention that this article is an extract from your special report on whatever topic but that they can get the whole report for free by clicking on the special link you have included (that will take them to your squeeze page). I’ve done it… It works!

2. The $7 Script

Just in case you have not heard about the “$7 Script” here’s how it works…

In a nutshell it gives you the ability to run your own affiliate program from your own website. One of the main benefits of the script is that it can pay affiliates 100% commission straight into their Paypal account immediately after a sale. Once you set it up the script takes care of it.

I am surprised not more people are using it…

I think I know why… People often focus too much on the $7 part (you can actually set your own price) and the 100% commission part… They don’t like the idea of paying affiliates 100% commission. But, you know what? They are missing the point!

As far as I am concerned the main benefit of using the “$7 Script” is list building!

I am sure you have heard of “viral marketing”…. I have seen many people advocate that you should give away a free report and encourage others to give it away as well…

Well, here’s a newsflash…

MOST FREE REPORTS NEVER GO VIRAL!

You know why? Because there is no direct monetary incentive for others to promote it!

Marketers want to make money. When they email their list it’s normally to promote a product that will give them the opportunity of earning money. Telling their list about a free report is simply not a priority. In some cases they will promote a free report if they can rebrand some affiliate links with their own but even this is an exception.

Promoting someone else’s free report with no way of capitalizing on it? Yeah right!

Now consider this for a moment… You write a good report and sell it for $7. Your affiliate only needs to add his Paypal address to the url and will earn 100% commission on every sale he refers. In addition, all the people that bought the report through your affiliates will also be able to promote the report for 100% commission. Can you see how such a report can go viral?

It does not matter that you do not get any money on the front end sales of your affiliates! You basically have an affiliate army that’s building your list for free!

By the way, nothing stops you from adding an OTO! You can for example stipulate that your affiliates will earn a 100% commission on the front end and 50% commission on the OTO!

Before I forget… The “$7 Script” is not an expensive product. In fact, it’s only $7! However, unless you are very familiar with installing scripts it can be tricky to install as the installation instructions are not very clear!

Kevin Riley recently launched a new report called “All-Thumbs Guide To Installing $7 Secrets”. The report only costs $9.95 (last time I checked) and includes a copy of the $7 Script meaning the actual cost is only $2.95 since you don’t need to buy the $7 Script separately. It’s over 50 pages long and includes many screen shots that will walk you step by step through the installation process.

Kevin also mentions several precautions you need to be aware of in order to be compliant with Paypal’s policies! This in itself is worth more than the cost of the report!

Click this link for more info on Kevin Riley’s report: $7 Secrets

Tip: Once you have your first report (that is using the $7 Script) up and running you can list it for free on ‘7 Dollar Offers’!

Here is the direct link to ‘7 Dollar Offers’: 7 Dollar Offers

If you have a bit more money to invest then I highly recommend you take a look at the “Rapid Action Profits Script” by Sid Hale. The best way to describe it is “$7 Script on Steroids”! It’s more expensive and will set you back $177 but it worth every cent and more.

I recently started using the Rapid Action Profits Script and can kick myself for not getting it sooner…

Click this link for more info on the RAP Script: Rapid Action Profits

Okay, there you have it. Some of my best free list building strategies!

As always I welcome your comments and will reply to all questions.

Wishing you all the very best!

Francois du Toit     

It’s no secret… The Warrior Forum is the Number 1 Internet Marketing Forum on the web. It’s the place where many of today’s top internet marketing experts and gurus hang out. In fact, many of the members rank amongst the most successful online marketers in the world today!

So, what is this all about?

Well, recently Allen Says the owner of Warrior Forum posted a challenge that was hard to ignore! He asked a simple question…

“If you were talking to someone brand new to the Internet and they asked you how they could make money in the shortest time possible, what would you tell them?”

At stake was a free copy of Traffic Secrets 2.0 by the ‘Master of Traffic’ John Reese for the top 20 answers… A course that’s selling for $397!

Several top marketers accepted the challenge… In fact, the question got 205 answers! Some of the greatest minds in marketing history participated in the event!

The majority of answers posted were nothing short of amazing!

But, here’s the thing… Working your way through 205 answers is not a walk in the park!

Well, I have some good news for you!

You see… Dean Shainin spent dozens upon dozens of hours reading every single reply, distilling the best answers down, extracting duplicate answers, adding back links to each of the 99 Warrior members profiles that made the grade, contacting members and creating this guide for easy print access in an organized manner.

End result?

The Definitive Job Slayer Warriors Guide – A comprehensive guide detailing 99 of the “Best Of The Best” strategies on how YOU can make money online in the shortest possible time!

And, you can get your hands on this valuable resource for less than what you would pay for a small pizza! Not only that… You can also promote this report for 100% commission paid straight into your Paypal account!

I always say that the best way to succeed online is to help other people! Well, not only will you pick up several gold nuggets in this report for your own use but you will also get a great opportunity to help others!

Here’s the link…  The Definitive Job Slayer Warriors Guide

Check it out!

To YOUR Online Marketing Success,

Francois du Toit

P.S. Don’t be fooled by the low price. It’s a special introductory price and may be increased at any time without prior warning.

Many product creators follow a very predictable marketing strategy… They normally start by selling the product without any rights, i.e. “personal rights only”. As is often the case, especially as far as ‘how to make money online’ products are concerned, sales start to drop after a period of time.

Note: The ‘shelf life’ of a ‘how to make money online’ product is often limited. A new report that may be selling like hot cakes today will probably be outdated or old news by next year…

So what do these marketers do to revive their floundering fortunes? Yes, they offer Resell Rights, often followed by Master Resell Rights and last but not least Private Label Rights.

It’s not a bad strategy! Many top marketers swear by it!

However, it can present a problem for the buyers of these rights and this is what this head’s up is all about…

Let me explain by giving you a practical example of something that happened to me today and made me decide to quickly write this post…

I received an email this morning from a marketer offering a limited number of resell rights to a software product he has developed. The name of the marketer is not important…

It’s a great product, he will only sell a very limited number of resell rights and the product may not be sold below a certain price level (I reserve my judgement on the enforceability of this), may not be given away for free, may not be offered as a bonus to another product and may not be added to a membership site.

Sounds like a good deal right? Yes, it is except for one thing… On his main site (from where he is currently selling the software) he states that all buyers of Version 1.0 will get a free upgrade to Version 2.0 when it’s released. However, on his sales letter where he is selling the resell rights he only states that all resell right buyers will receive free updates of Version 1.0.

I contacted him and asked him if resell right buyers will also get a free upgrade to Version 2.0 when it’s released to which he replied that this won’t be possible as he has invested a lot of money into Version 1.0 and developing Version 2.0 has been very expensive.

My dilemma? Should I buy resell rights to Version 1.0 knowing that my customers will not receive a free upgrade to Version 2.0 when it’s released? By the way, if you buy the product from his site it will only cost you $10 more and you will get a free upgrade to Version 2.0 when it’s released.

I don’t think so…

Don’t get me wrong… I am not saying this marketer is doing anything wrong. He has sold many copies of Version 1.0 and with the imminent release of Version 2.0 he is trying to make some very nice additional income by offering resell rights to Version 1.0. In fact, he will fully recoup all of his development costs of Version 1.0 by selling the resell rights to it!

If I was allowed to offer the software as a bonus to another product or use it as an incentive for people to join my list I would not have hesitated in buying it. But, I realized that I would not really be helping my buyers by selling them a product that is soon to be upgraded and where the product creator is in effect penalizing them by allowing me to sell the product to them. Makes no sense… 

Bottom line…

Always be diligent when buying the resell rights to a product, especially a great product! Why is the product owner selling resell rights? Why doesn’t he or she simply offer an affiliate program?

Most importantly…

Don’t make assumptions! If you are not sure about anything ask the seller!

You should always have a good idea what you intend on doing with the product once you have bought the resell rights. You may want to offer it as a stand-alone product, burn it onto a CD and sell it on eBay, offer it as a bonus to another product, list it on Clickbank, give it away to your list, offer it as an opt-in bonus, etc.

One of the biggest mistakes I made when I just started online was to buy resell rights to products without a clear strategy in mind. Most of these products just ended up gathering digital dust on my hard drive and when I finally had a closer look at them they were often really bad, completely outdated, and full of affiliate links. Very often I couldn’t even find my “rights” meaning that I didn’t want to do anything with them because I simply could not remember what rights I bought!

If you are not sure about your rights send the seller an email. For example, “I understand that I may not offer my buyers resell rights but I assume I am allowed to sell it through affiliates. I also assume that there is no restriction on the commission rate I can offer affiliates. Please confirm.”

Tip: When buying resell rights to a software product or script always ask the seller if you and customers will get future upgrades at the same terms and conditions (if any) as his own buyers.

Make sure that you always save the resell rights license as well as any correspondence you had with the seller.

Oh, and by the way, always read a report or ebook, for which you have acquired resell rights, cover to cover. By the same token, always test software or scripts that you bought resell rights for. Your name may not be mentioned as the author of a report or the creator of a software product but if you promote it you have a duty towards your customers to ensure that it lives up to its expectations!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your comments.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

I’ve had the privilege of meeting several of my ezine members face to face during the last couple of months and also spend quite some time every week answering emails from my valued list members.

Want to know what is one of the most commonly asked questions?

“Is there a quick, easy and free way to build a website?” 

It may come as a surprise to some that this is one of the most frequently asked questions I get every week. But, actually it’s not that surprising…

You see, many new marketers have no problem understanding basic online marketing principles such as finding a hungry market full of buyers and giving them what they want, etc.

However, they often have endless trouble with “technical stuff” such as building a simple website. In fact, many marketers simply do not get off the ground despite knowing what to do because they simply don’t know how to do it!

Building your own website should not be a stumbling block! I am the first to admit that it does require a slight learning curve. None of us are born with the knowledge!

But, it’s probably a lot easier than you think especially if you have the right guide!

My friend Chris Farrell has created just such a guide…

It is an excellent report called “Create Your First Website By 3:45 This Afternoon” and it takes you through an easy to follow, step by step process.

Best part… It’s FREE!

According to Chris the biggest myth about making money online is that it is hard to get started. It really is not… His report has already helped thousands of people establish their first website.

Click on the following link to claim your copy while it is still free:

http://www.chrisfarrell-online.com

By the way, I am not benefitting financially in any way by recommending this free report. I simply believe that in order to receive you first need to learn to give. And, giving feels good! 

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit