The Ten Commandments of Internet Marketing (Part Two)
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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERNET MARKETING (PART TWO)
by Craig Lock
6. Do not launch your product before the market is ready for it. Test the market first by doing a survey. Ask yourself: Is there a NEED for your particular product? In what way is it distinctive (and superior) to the competition (world-wide, remember!)? Have all your systems in place to market it... then always remember, all products have a definite life cycle...and some are relatively short.
7. Take the business of internet marketing seriously. The world online population is exploding daily and exponentially (big word, eh...but what does it mean?). I'm not sure how many people are online world-wide, but think it may be in the order of 150-200 million at present and increasing daily. In addition, I "guess" there are a similar number of web sites (and many more pages) "up there in cyberspace". So the competition is "pretty stiff"! As the "cyber-revolution" gathers momentum, imagine if everyone is online one day? Impossible perhaps, but who knows! What will that do for your business and you? An unlimited target market for your PRODUCTS - if you are still going strong by then. VERY EXCITING!
8. Have an effective web presence. Your site should explain immediately what the visitor will get for their time online. If it is not clear WHY they should stay, they'll leave before they try to find out. Therefore make your site as interesting and informative as you can. I've seen many sites, where I don't know the webmaster's objective, their purpose. Are they purely for information, or trying to sell something? Make sure your site loads quickly, because people soon get tired of waiting in today's fast /instant (coffee) world.
9. Always remember MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT EFFECTIVELY is the key to the success of your business. If you don't get adequate results, you'll soon be out of business... as recurring bills in the post-box without income to pay them soon take all the fun out of your venture into "cyber" self-employment.
I spend at least two hours a day purely on internet marketing: mainly through my various article submissions. Most effective!
Don't forget to use traditional methods of marketing to promote your business, as in advertising (radio, news- papers, brochures, and the most effective of all, word of mouth in your local community). The two strategies (both on-line and off-line), I believe, work best together in your marketing plan. I plan to do more off-line advert- ising, by allocating a portion of revenue to marketing, as it comes in.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world, you will never sell anything if you don't tell people about it. It's like having a billboard in the middle of a forest or a desert. An example: Just because you have a phone number in the phone book, doesn't mean that a stranger will call you. So it is absolutely vital that you advertise effectively to bring people to your site; because without advertising, there will be no TRAFFIC... and without prospects there will be NO SALES. And without sales there will soon be no business!
.....and finally and most importantly,.
* 10. Use the Internet to build a better world. We are at the forefront of one of the most innovative and far-reach- ing inventions in human history. The net is the most cost- efficient, INSTANTANEOUS, EXCITING and effective way of marketing products and services around the globe through modern telecommunications. We live in one of the most exciting times in human history; so exploit the AMAZING POWER of the internet to reach hundreds of thousands of people and perhaps even millions around the world. Use your creative energies and imagin- ation to the fullest, by thinking of new ideas of how to market your particular products. I keep a notebook by my bedside and leave to my creative subconscious mind just before I go to sleep. And we all have great powers of imagination as the source for creative ideas, through the amazing power of the human mind.
SUMMARY:
I believe INTERNET MARKETING is the KEY to internet success, especially if you have a limited marketing budget, like us. As mentioned, I allocate at least two hours a day purely to internet marketing, through submitting my articles on numerous subjects to various ezines and publishing resources. I find it by far the most effective way of free advertising to get traffic (= SALES) . Always remember to have a resource box at the end of each article, together with your web site address.
Carefully monitor what's working for you and what's not on a regular basis. REVIEW YOUR STRATEGIES REGULARLY.
FOCUS ON WHAT ACTIONS GET THE BEST RESULTS.
Remember Bill Gates's wise words: "There'll be two types of business in the year 2000 : those online... and those out of business.
A few final words to summarize...
There are no 'magic secrets', and there is nothing mystical about making money online. Other than the advertising budget, it's a level playing field around the world and anyone, like the self-employed entrepreneur working from home, like you and I, can compete with the "big guys". And we have ONE BIG ADVANTAGE: These corporations are too unwieldy to react swiftly to changing circumstances and markets. So we "one and two man bands running our technology through number eight fence wire* have got the jump on them".
* Only joking, but Kiwis (New Zealanders) have a reputation for ingenuity (big word) - mainly caused by our geographical isolation near the bottom of the world.
(Note correct word order!)
With heaps of hard work, dedication, discipline and a little perseverance, I believe absolutely anyone can achieve online success, even taking on the big corporations. At Eagle Productions, working in association with Bill Rosoman of the New Zealand Enterprise Centre and Nugrow Technologies, we've done it all on an absolutely "shoestring" budget (no-one could believe the story!), lots of hard graft and heaps of pure faith. We have been reasonably successful to date (the past four years), but have hopes of far greater success in the future. No matter, we are enjoying the journey in a totally new field and are having great fun learning and extending ourselves each day. I hope you too take pleasure and have great success as you travel along your very individual journey in "cyberspace".
No matter where you may live on this planet, cyberspace can produce income to so many "budding netrepreneurs" . The www gives 'ordinary people' without much capital, like you and I, a great BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: the opportunity of self employment(and of a life-time) by reaching out to a GLOBAL market-place. Each one of us has a responsibility to ourselves and our families. It is up to each one of us to reach out and help many people around the world through being innovative and original in our ideas... and the money we earn from selling our array of unique products can be used for many good purposes, like perhaps even helping others achieve their dreams. In doing that, WE WILL BE MAKING THE MOST USE OF OUR UNIQUE (God-given) ABILITIES.
The successful cyber entrepreneur of today could well be the equivalent of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Kennedy's, Paul Getty's and Henry Ford's of yesteryear, especially in the new ENTREPRENEURIAL (nice big word) AGE, which I believe, is even more important (and a more appropriate term) than the information age.
What you do today could repay you a hundred-fold tomorrow...and there is just one rule:
If you really BELIEVE in your product, then get onto the playing field (or perhaps you Americans call it "the ball-park") of cyberspace. Then as the famous shoe ad says,
JUST DO IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT AND BE HAPPY!
GOOD LUCK
Craig Lock
P.S: * "We can all use the internet to reach out to the "global community" and build a better world in this new "Information Revolution" that is upon us. Let's use it wisely, respect our diversity and unique cultures; but celebrate a new world in union. One where, like your founding forefathers in America, you can first celebrate the Independance Day of the strong burning creative spirit that lies deep within every one of us. If this spark is set alight, it is a flame that will burn long and brightly for future generations and make your personal VISION of the future a REALITY... and perhaps even fulfil YOUR UNIQUE DESTINY on this planet."
Craig Lock
"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." - Colette
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
About the author:
Craig Lock has been marketing products online for the past five years. Craig is a writer, who believes in sharing information, as well as encouraging and helping others to find their talents and gifts, to strive for and accomplish their dreams in life - whatever they may be.
Creative Writing Course
http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/creative.html
Craig's various books are available at: http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/books.html and http://www.novelty-gift.com/ebooks.html
* Hard copies, CD's (+ talking books) and e-books: Fiction and non-fiction, novels
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THIS ARTICLE MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED
Written By: Craig Lock