I’m sure you’re like me, you bought, listened, watched and downloaded everything you can find and afford to help build your online business.  Well, I have another one for you!  But hopefully this will be one of the last purchases you make to uncover the secrets to being successful online.

Joel Comm has just released his book, KaChing – How to Run an Online Business That Pays and Pays! I just ordered my copy and can’t WAIT to get it and start digging in.  Even if you are an expert, guru or just a know-it-all about online marketing, I’m sure this book will show you some new ideas.

You can grab your copy today it at KaChing: How to Run an Online Business that Pays and Pays

Are you trying to make a name for yourself in the online world? Do you know the best way to go about it? Do you know the importance of branding yourself, and getting your name out there everywhere you can? These are just some of the things you should be thinking about when you get started building an online presence. Whether you want to be known for your services, or for your products, becoming an online celebrity is a must for creating a successful business.

Many small business owners do not know where the best places to go to build their presence online. While there are the popular places such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, there are also tried and true ways to get the most from your time spent. No one has hours to waste just chatting, joining groups and trying to get to know people. If you learn the tricks and tips that can get you working in the right direction, you will begin to see the power of networking.

You will never know where or how far your networking can take you. There are specific steps you can take to achieve your goals much faster if you only learn the secrets.

If you want to learn from the best, you need to follow the leaders in your field. Search them out, listen to what they have to say, follow the steps they give, and create the success that they promise you can have if you work hard and follow their lead. Beware of so called leaders online today that are all talk and can’t truly back up what they say. They may want to mislead you by sugar coating things and paraphrasing other things to make themselves sound more important than they are. You don’t have the time to waste on these types of people.   You’ll know a true leader by their accomplishments and the quality of the information they share.

One such leader who has proven her worth in many ways, is Joanne Quinn-Smith, aka TechnoGranny. Joanne has four internet radio talk shows, and created a new media platform long before Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn were popular. She has been awarded the National Small Business Association (SBA) Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts in the new media. This marketing maven is searched out high and low for her remarkable speaking and teaching abilities.

Now for a limited time, you can grab a copy of her teleseminar “Becoming an Online Celebrity” and learn how to make your personality shine through the crowd, building a platform where people will soon be seeking you out for your skills and talents.

Grab your copy now for just $17!

“Becoming an Online Celebrity”

If you liked “Learn the Secrets to Branding Yourself Online! ” please share it with your online friends by clicking the links below.

Getting people to your page is just the first part of having a successful and profitable site. Making them stay there, is another matter. Website statistics just isn’t about driving traffic to your site, but it’s about making people want to stay there and come back over and over again. Bounce rates, which is defined as the percentage of visitors to any given site who arrive at a page and quickly leave before looking at any other page. Therefore, the lower the bounce rate of a site, the better.

So how does one keep visitors from ‘bouncing’ away? Here are a few simple tricks to keep your audience riveted to your website.

Optimize your site

No one likes to be kept waiting, least of all people who can leave your site at the click of a button. A site that loads quickly and pulls up all the information anyone and everyone may need will make it easier for visitors to poke around your website.

Clear and Intuitive Navigation

There’s nothing worse than arriving in a new city and not know where north, south, east and west are. Think of your website as a new place for visitors to explore – make sure the roads are well planned, and road signs clear and concise. A visible navigation bar, labeled accordingly and no broken links are essential to keeping visitors to your site.

Have relevant content

According to a recent study by BBC News, an average Internet user spends less than a minute per website. How can you keep people longer than that? By giving them what they need, of course, through relevant content. If you run a website about fashion, then make sure from the homepage that your design and content reflects this.

Keep content fresh and updated

A soap opera writer once said “Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry and make ‘em wait.” The same could be applied to your content – keep people interested and coming back for more. Having something new each day (or even every few hours) will keep people on your pages.

Have all the tools available

Web 2.0 is all about interactivity and socializing. Many blogs and sites make it easy to share links and content to their own social networking profile and interact with other users. You can install some simple tools directly on your website. Skysa, for example, installs a non-intrusive navigation bar on your site that lets visitors quickly access sites like Facebook and Twitter right on your site, without directing them away. (see mine below)

By making these few simple changes, you’ll see less visitors bouncing and more people sticking around your website.

Whether you’re an Internet Marketing Superstar, or just feeling your way through the world on online videos, you’ve probably never heard of these following 10 top facts about one of the fastest-growing online marketing tools today.

1. 77% of adults have viewed videos online. About 33% of these adults are in college or have completed a degree.
2. YouTube has an average of 100 million unique visitors per day, viewing about 6 billion videos.
3. An average viewer watches about 273 minutes of online video.
4. More businesses have invested in online video ads in 2009, growing up to 45% in 2009
5. After viewing an online ad, about 46% of viewers take action, whether through visiting the company’s website, asked for further info or purchasing a product or service.
6. 65% of viewers watch online ads all the way to the end.
7. By 2011, it is expected that $4.3 billion will be spent because of online video ads.
8. Most people (about 65%) who watch online videos are between 35-64 years of age and 67% of these have middle to high incomes.
9. Online videos account for 60% of Internet traffic.
10. Of the Top 50 Internet Retailers, 68% have videos on their site.

The Internet is no longer limited to just text and pictures, or one way communication. Customers and potential customers want to see your product or service, not just surf around your website, looking for more info. There is a demand for videos, especially with viewers becoming more sophisticated and having short attention span. A well put-together, professional-looking video is a great marketing tool, and can increase your business without harming your bottomline.

Are you using video in your online marketing plan?  Share your best video link below in the comments!   Here’s a link to one of mine – Best Social Media Guide

Sources:

http://www.bwcom.co.uk/web-video/benefits-online-video.php

http://www.internet-success-hub.com/online-video-marketing/online-video-marketing-facts/

http://www.jiffyspots.com/video-facts-statistics/

http://www.ronmedlin.com/traffic-generation/facts-about-having-an-online-video-traffic/

If you like, “10 Top Facts You Should Know About Online Video Marketing” please share it be clicking the links below.

As a savvy small business owner and entrepreneur, you’ve got to use every low-cost marketing weapon in your arsenal.  And the most effective and dynamic, new marketing tool is Online Video.  As you know, online video is exploding in popularity, and companies large and small are using it to promote their businesses with amazing results.

Since the beginning of YouTube, marketing with video has become the best way to connect with customers and drive sales.  In fact, studies show that video is 600% more effective than text alone in delivering your message.  600%!

If you haven’t had the time or resources or know-how to jump on this trend, now you’re in luck.  Finally, you can harness the power of video for yourself with the help of my friend and colleague, Lou Bortone – The Online Video Guy!

Lou was my special guest in the Social Media “T” Room on Thursday, May 6th .  He share some incredible secret weapons about the “One-Two Punch” that will rock your brand!  Some of the things he shared were:

• A few simple tips and tricks for looking fabulous on camera
• 7 exciting (and easy) ways to generate new revenue with video
• How Twitter and Facebook can be your marketing secret weapon
• And MUCH more!!

If you missed the call – No Worries!   We recorded it and it’s available for purchase.

The One-Two Punch That Rocks Your Brand with Lou Bortone.

Also, Lou made a very generous offer during the call and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I shared it with you!  You can get his Online Video Rock Star program, regularly priced at $197 for only $147 through this link – Online Video Rock Star.  It’s an amazing package that will have you producing top-notch videos in no time! Get yours now!

Are you considering starting an online store?  Have you done your research to see if there is a need or interest in your store? As easy as it is to start an online store, the business of selling is just as hard on the internet as it is on a physical marketplace. However, if you do your homework, and find a market for your business, you can be successful.

Here are some tips to help as you begin to think about building your online store.  It’s not enough just to want to sell a product online. What will make you stand out from other online stores?  You have to offer a product or service that is unique or popular enough to have enough buyers and then make an offer that no one can pass off.

1. You will also need to find your Unique Selling Point, the points that will make you different and better than the other online stores selling similar products. For example, you might choose to sell lawnmowers, but the competition is high in this market.  So what is your USP? Any of these can set you apart from the crowd:  a 24X7 helpline; an online chat with other gardeners; 30-day money back guarantee;or an in-store repair contract
2. Once you are clear about what you want to sell and how you want to sell, purchase a domain name.  ( I use GoDaddy to purchase all my domains) The cardinal rule of an online store is to keep the domain name and name of the online store short and relevant so that the customer can identify and remember it. For instance, an online store selling cheap cars can have the domain name “budgetauto” or “budgetcar”. It’s small, easy to remember and very relevant.
3. Once the domain is purchased, create an online store. Like your USP, your store should also be unique in style and content. But the basic structures of e-commerce websites are similar. You will need to display your products, let the customer browse through your catalogs, compare prices and features, add products to the shopping cart, calculate shipping, make payments through payment gateways, etc. I always recommend WordPress for all my clients, whether they are building an Online Store or just a regular website.  It’s easy to design and very easy to manage and works very well with all eCommerce services.
4. Full-blown or Simple eCommerce Site? You can either go for a full-fledged e-commerce service, like 1Shopping Cart.  Or you can go for a simple service through E-Junkie. There are many online eCommerce solutions; it’s up to you to decide which you need and best fits your budget.
5. Fill your website with articulate, creative and relevant content with popular keywords. Prominently display your products and prices and even highlight a “product of the week or month” on your Home Page.
6. If you are selling “downloadable’s” like software or eBooks, both 1Shopping Cart and E-Junkie offer easy ways to allow your customers to download their purchase while protecting your valuable products on a secure server.
7. Set up Affiliate Programs. As your online store grows, you might decide to develop an affiliate program to enlist the help of others in selling your products and services.  Affiliate Programs are very easy to set up with both 1Shopping Cart and E-Junkie.

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We all struggle with keeping our website and blog visitors on our sites.  If you use Google Analytics, like I do,  the Bounce Rates could really use some improvement!  But I just recently found a easy and free way to keep visitors on my site and it’s called Skysa!

Do you see the floating bar at the bottom of my blog; that’s my Skysa Bar.  And it is fully customizable.  I have added my social media links, an RSS ticker that reflects my last few blog post titles, an events area, comments, a share button and more.

There’s many reasons to use Skysa with your website. You can add or improve social features, engage your website visitors, collect valuable member information, and more.  Skysa is designed to help websites keep visitors longer, and build more traffic through socially engaging Apps.  Once you add Skysa to your website you never have to update the code to get new features or updates.  You can easily change the look and features of your Skysa Bar from your dashboard on Skysa.

Keep those visitors on your website and blog longer by engaging them in additional features and content – Add your Skysa Bar today!  I love mine.

If you found this post helpful, please share it with your online friends and contacts by clicking the buttons below or to the right.  Thanks!

Take a moment to think about how you would really answer this question. If given enough thought just about any business owner who utilizes the Internet for any purpose will likely find that whether or not they intentionally organized an Internet marketing campaign, they may already be marketing their products and services on the Internet. Let’s look at some subtle ways business owners may already be marketing their business on the Internet.

Do you have a website for your business? Business owners who answer yes to this question are already marketing their products or services online just by virtue of the fact that they have a website online. Having a live website means there is the potential for curious Internet users to access your website. You may not be actively promoting your website but you may still find that your website generates interest in your products despite the lack of promotional endeavors; this is a form of passive marketing.

Do you participate in message boards and include a link to your website in your signature? Again business owners who answer yes to this question are already marketing their website online. Savvy business owners realize the importance of participation in industry related message boards to create an interest in their products and services, establish themselves as knowledgeable about the industry and offer a link to their own website even if it is in the signature line of their posts. However, even those who don’t realize this, may already be inadvertently enjoying the benefits of Internet marketing just by doing something they enjoy.

Do you include keywords which are relevant to your business in the content of your website? Business owners who answer yes to this question are also already marketing on the Internet by optimizing their website for these keywords. These search engine optimization (SEO) affects the websites whether or not they were even aware of the concept of keyword density and how it can help to SEO a website. Business owners will likely use certain words often depending on the type of products and services they offer just because it is natural and logical to do so. This tendency, however, can result in search engines boosting your website rankings for these particular keywords. The concept of SEO is much more involved and complex than simply using keywords frequently but business owners can gain some benefit just by naturally applying relevant keywords to their website. A great free resource is Free Keywords Suggestion Tool from WordTracker.

Do you solicit feedback from your customers online? This is yet another example of how business owners may be accidentally marketing their business on the Internet. Most business owners realize the importance of soliciting feedback from customers and those who offer products online might solicit feedback in the form of online surveys and polls. Although the business owners may be doing this simply for a business purpose, the fact that it is done online makes it fall into the category of Internet marketing.

We’ve discussed several ways business owners may already be marketing online but what about business owners who want to have an increased online presence? For those who may already be marketing online accidentally, they may wish to launch a full scale Internet marketing campaign. The best way to do this is to hire a consultant with experience in Internet marketing and social media marketing, to assist in creating a campaign which is effective for your target audience. Tasting The Internet, can help develop a successful campaign for your online marketing success!

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• Internet Marketing To Boost Your Business Used For Everyone Who Has An Interest (wealthyways4you.com)
• Marketing On The Internet For Free: Article Marketing Techniques (ronmedlin.com)

One way of promoting your website and product can be achieved for free.  As an additional bonus, this “free” method can boost your sites and sales, doubling and even tripling your income.  Articles! One of the easiest ways to promote your website in order to generate traffic and increase your earnings.

How does this work?

You can write articles relating to your niche, industry or affiliate products and submit them to “free content” submission site like EzineArticles, ArticleDashboard and many more. This is easy to do, takes little time and can increase your website traffic, sales and of course, your income.

How can article writing boost traffic and income?

The articles you place on the free content site contains a link to your website. Readers, after reading your articles, may decide to click on the link and jump over to your website to learn more about you or your business.  Having them on the free content sites is also making these articles available to others who may wish to publish your article on their site.  If they do, your article will include a link back to your site. And anyone who reads the article on that site can still click on the link to visit your site.  So you can see how articles can really increase your traffic flow on your website.

As the list of your published articles grow larger, and more of them are appearing on different websites, the total number of links to your site increases also. Major search engines are placing a lot of significance on incoming links to websites so they can determine the importance of a certain site.  The more incoming links the website has, the more importance search engines attaches to it. This will then increase your website’s placement in the search results.

If you site is into promoting a product or service, the links that your articles have achieved will mean more potential customers for you. Even if visitors only browse through, you never know if they might be in need of what you are offering in the future.

There are also those who already have specific things they need on their mind but cannot decide yet between the many choices online. Chances are, they may stumble upon one of your articles, get interested by the contents you wrote, go to your site and became enticed by your promotions. See how easy that is?

Search engines don’t just index the websites, they also index published articles. They also index any article that is written about your website’s topic. So once someone searches for that same topic, the list of results will have your site or may even show the articles that you have written. Search engines also now search Twitter posts and Facebook Fan Page comments, so by posting on these social media sites with a link to your article, you will drive more traffic to your website and potentially increase sales.

And with little effort on your part, your published articles and the search engines have sent people to your site. It’s no wonder why many online businesses are suddenly reviving their old writing styles and taking time to write more articles about their niche or industry than doing other means of promotion.

Getting their site known is easier if they have articles increasing their links and traffic and making it accessible for visitors searching the internet. Since many people are now taking their buying needs online, having your site on the search engines through your articles is one way of letting them know about you and your business.

The good thing with articles is that you can write about things that people would want to know about. This can be achieved in a light mood but professional manner, with a little not-so-obvious sales pitch added. If you think about it, only a few minutes of your time is spent on writing one article and submitting to free content sites. In the shortest span of time also, those are distributed to more sites than you can think of. Even before you know what is happening, you are getting more visitors than you previously had.

If you think you are wasting your time writing these articles, fast forward to the time when you will see them printed and wide-spread on the internet. Not to mention the sudden attention and interest that people are giving your website and your products or services. Try writing some articles and you will be assured of the sudden surge in site traffic, link popularity and interest. Before you know it, you will be doubling and even tripling your earnings.

Nothing like getting benefits for something you got for free.

You can check out some of my published articles at my Ezine Article Profile.  Do you use articles to drive traffic to your website?  I’d love to hear your success stories!

With the recent announcement that more than 400 million users are now on Facebook, you would think that any online retailer or business would be ready to jump on board the Facebook Boat.  Oh no, quite the contrary!  According to a recent ForeSee Results study only half of online retailers have a presence on Facebook.

Of course, I think a Facebook presence is critical to any online business.  Having a customized Facebook Fan Page for your online store or business opens a line of communication with your customers that you can’t get through other means of advertising or promotion.  By building a customized Fan Page retailers can attract a loyal following of current and prospective customers and market their products through the Page and it’s posts.

I found three articles that speaks more about the study and the fact that they recommend to all online retailers…Get A Facebook Presence!

All Facebook

MediaPost News

The Big Money

Do you have an online store?  Do you sell your products and services online?  You should really get a Facebook Presence.