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5 Useless Internet Marketing Tactics You Should Avoid

By Nick James in Featured

Knowing what doesn’t work can sometimes be more important that learning what does. Here are some things you should avoid when marketing your web site.

It’s easy to get confused with all of the various ways that you can be marketing your web site. Over the years I have tried just about every one and have learned some things along the way. Here’s some real time and money wasters that you can safely avoid doing.

1. SPAM Don’t waste your time on trash

You don’t like getting spam in your email do you? Neither does anyone else. Don’t send unsolicited commercial emails to try and promote your web site or product. (Out of all of the things listed here, I have never gone this route and won’t).

You risk getting your site shut down if your Internet Service Provider gets enough complaints. You can also be “blacklisted”. This means your email can be labelled as spam and be blocked by a lot of service providers.

Spam is stupid and a very poor decision for a business to make.

2. Free For All (FFA) Links

There are some sites which let anyone list a link to their own site. Sometimes you are required to put your own FFA link page up on your site. This tactic does not work. The only people reading FFA sites are other sites looking to post their own link. It is totally untargeted towards any potential customer.

Additionally, some search engines will penalise you for having FFA links on your site. They basically equate them as being garbage and not something a legitimate site would do. I can’t say I blame them.

3. Banner Ads

Once upon a time (in the late 1990′s) banner ads were very common and fairly effective. They don’t work very well at all anymore. I have read statistics that the click through rate is down to a mere percent of what they used to be.

You will have a much more effective chances of getting a visitor to your site by having a legitimate endorsement. You should also avoid having banner ads on your own site unless it is for your own products. Why on earth would you want to be sending people away from your site when you could be earning a higher profit if they stick around?

4. Classified Ads

Online newsletters commonly offer low priced classified ad spots. You can pay a few dollars and have your 4 to 5 line ad listed at the bottom of some newsletter when it gets sent out.

Generally these ads don’t work too well. I don’t read them. Do you?

Anything That’s Not A Solo or Top Sponsorship Ads

As a follow up to the classified ads, it is worth mentioning that not all ads are bad. You should try for a more prominent ad if you are going to go the newsletter route.

I recommend the Solo Ad or as second best, the Top Sponsorship Ad.

A solo ad is just that. Your ad is run all by itself. You have the reader’s full and undivided attention to your ad. The downside is that you will be paying top dollar so you want to track your results. If the ad was profitable, then keep running it until it is not anymore.

A top sponsorship ad is the very first ad in a newsletter. These can be pretty effective. They are a good alternative if you don’t want to take the plunge to buy a solo ad.

When it comes down to advertising in a newsletter I stick to either solo or top sponsorship. Otherwise I don’t even bother.

Knowing some of these tips can help you to avoid wasting your valuable time (and money) on ineffective marketing tactics.

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Nick James is a true example of a self made success. He offers the inside track in every aspect of internet business creation and development. Right now he’s giving away a Free Income Secrets DVD for only £1 S&H while stocks last! Free Nick James DVD

Internet Marketing Information: How to Tell the Good From the Bad

By Trish Lindemood in Featured

If you have an online business, you already know you need good Internet marketing information in order to succeed. Unfortunately, if you are just getting started, it can be difficult to sort through all the online clutter to find information that is genuine, reliable and most importantly, profitable.

Finding solid Internet marketing information is important because it can greatly reduce your learning curve. It can help you become profitable a whole lot faster. For example, when launching your business, you need good advice on how to choose the right niche and the right product or service. You also need to know how to develop a great web site and how to rank well in the search engines. In reality, these points are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of what you will need to know in order to be successful long term. Finding good Internet marketing information early on can shave months, or even years, off this process.

Of course, the Internet is a constantly evolving medium. A product or strategy that was all the rage a few months ago may now be out of favor as new ideas appear on the scene. Amidst this backdrop, it is very difficult to distinguish between what is genuine and what is unreliable. Therefore, you need to evaluate any Internet marketing information you find very carefully before investing your hard-earned money or even more valuable time in pursuing it.

When evaluating the validity of any Internet marketing information you find, it is very important to first consider its source.

Some questions you might consider include:

• Is the source reputable? A quick online search is a great way to find any obvious red flags.
• Is the author successfully using his advice in his own business? (Hint: the Internet is full of so-called gurus who have never made a dime by practicing what they preach).
• Can she provide proof in the form of testimonials or endorsements to support her claims?
• Is there an active community surrounding this individual? Does he have a forum? If so, are the conversations going on there focused on the ‘right’ way to do things (vs. sneaky tricks to game the system?) One of the best ways to determine the real deal is to hang back and study what is going on around their little corner of the Internet.

Once you find a reputable source, you then need to be sure the recommended strategies and tips will work in your case. Before accepting and making use of any Internet marketing information you find, make sure it is applicable to your particular business model. In other words, if someone is making a fortune selling information products to an international audience and you are running a dry cleaning service in Topeka, Kansas – you might want to look for advice more relevant to your own situation.

This is where good old-fashioned common sense comes into play.First, find someone who is already successful doing what you want to do. Then, do your research and make sure he or she is legit. Finally, start with the basics and build from there. You will find the tried-and-true fundamentals don’t change nearly as rapidly as the latest fads do. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to building a profitable and sustainable long-term business online.

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Trish Lindemood is an entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and professional web writer who specializes in creating search engine optimized web copy and content. She also teaches other online entrepreneurs how to build and grow their business with effective content creation and promotion. Want to learn how to use Content Marketing to build your business? Be sure to visit WebcopyResults.com today!

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