How to Be Successfully Self Employed

Being self-employed allows for flexibility, the ability to take time off if one wants to or if it is needed. It also provides an individual a level of control over their life and their time. However, if it is not done correctly an individual can end up being unable to maintain their self-employed lifestyle and instead, be forced to go back to work in the traditional sense. There are several factors that will help one successfully work for themselves, we will discuss them below.

1. Be Disciplined: If you wish to work for yourself, it will require having some measure of discipline. This is because if your are self-employed, you only get paid when you work. It is not like a 9-to-5 job where you can slack some times and still receive a pay check. If you work for yourself if you don't perform you starve, so discipline is key.

2. Have a Vision: Having a vision is so important. Have some idea of what you want, where you want to go with your business. Doing so will help you to continue when times get hard, seeing the big picture will help keep you encourage and motivated.

3. Set Goals: Setting goals is also important for those who wish to work for themselves. Setting goals allows you to create a roadmap and measure your own success. Goals give you something to shoot for so that you don't get stagnant. They also help you to be focused.

4. Know Your Industry: Another important factor in successful self-employment involves knowing your market. Understand the costs and barriers to entry. Have some type of understanding of who your target market is and the best way to reach them. Who are your competitors? Knowing and understanding your industry, will increase your likelihood of staying power and profitability.

5. Don't Give Up: Being self employed is difficult. It will depend that you push past some lean times and feelings of insecurity. If you have done your homework, are disciplined and are hard working, you already have an advantage. If it makes sense, then stick with it. If it simply isn't working, try changing your approach, or going into another line of business. There is no shame in failing, only failing to try.

Being self-employed is a great way to earn a living. If you are disciplined, have a vision, are prepared and willing to work hard than you have a great chance of successfully running your own business and joining the ranks of the self-employed.

Marketing Strategies Success(TIPS 9):The Truth About Direct Email & Email Lists Part 2 - What`s Safe

Greeting readers,

Today, you`re going to learn how to protect yourself and your money from ineffective email lists.I`m going to introduce you to the safe-and-sound distribution techniques that will ensure that your message is always welcomed into a recipients` inbox, not his/her Trash Bin.

This is last one!
The Truth About Direct Email & Email Lists Part 2: What`s Safe

Safe Email Marketing

Safe email marketing in the direct marketing/Internet marketing world is called OPT-IN EMAIL MARKETING.This is an important term and one you need to commit to memory as a fundamental building block in successful marketing.

You`ve probably seen ads in trade magazines offering "Opt-in Email Lists."This is your best bet when conducting a direct email campaign. Opt-in lists help you identify people that are "pre-sold" when it comes to receiving offers in the mail. By opting-in to a list, they let you know that they`re eager to read about something new and beneficial.

Safe Email Marketing breaks down into these 2 categories:

1.Paid Safe Lists
2.Opt-In List Rentals

PAID SAFE LISTS

This is a twist on opt-in email marketing where you pay for the privilege of being able to send email to a list of other marketers who have done the same.A paid safe list can range in price from $2 and up.

The advantages:you don`t have to send the emails using your ISP and you won`t have to worry about spam complaints and disclaimers.

OPT-IN LIST RENTAL

This type of list is similar to a standard "specialty" direct mail list.It`s targeted and aimed at people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Companies that offer list rentals usually collect millions of email addresses by advertising well-branded, popular products and services.Also they may offer no-cost
newsletters and/or contests as a way to capture addresses.

Opt-in list rental companies ask interested people to fill out a form on their website.The forms gather as much info as possible, which allows the company to better categorize their email lists according to preferences by industry:
gardening,bodybuilding,Internet marketing, etc.

Of course you`re going to pay more to rent this type of list,but you won`t find a better-targeted audience for your offer.These companies do the mailing for you, so you won`t have access to the names.

Ok!

Three steps to success in Affiliate Marketing

By: Dave Holloway

If you are considering starting an online business in Affiliate Marketing there are basically three prerequisites to success. It is possible to make thousands of dollars per month, so called “super affiliate marketers” boast monthly sales in the tens of thousands of dollars. So, what essentials are required to add your name to the list of super affiliates in the world of online marketing?

I have compiled the three key elements that you will need to start your new career in Affiliate marketing.

Step 1.

The first item required is a “product” to market. For those of you who are not familiar with how affiliate marketing works, the basic idea is as follows: The affiliate marketer directs or refers prospective customers via the internet to merchants’ web sites where “products” are for sale. An example would be: The Merchant (Jim) has a website called “sportingwaresonline.com” where various sporting goods are available for online purchase. The affiliate marketer (Bob) has a website called “prosportsproducts.com” where he has links to various sporting goods websites. A web surfer browses Bob’s site where they see Jim’s online store advertised, usually by means of a banner or informative text describing the goods available. Clicking the link on Bob’s site directs the prospective customer to Jim’s online store, if the customer makes a purchase at Jim’s online store; Bob receives his “affiliate commission”. So we can see here that Bob’s “product” is sporting goods, even though he has no real stock to sell.

Step 2.

If you are planning to start an affiliate marketing online business, you’re going to need a website. This is where the “Bucks” are made. There is no chance of success if your website is not up to scratch. The main or “Home Page” must possess sufficient impact to keep the attention of web browsers once they arrive at your site. The site needs to provide instant interest and contain information unique to your “product” or line of products. You should create individual web pages for each specific product. An example would be: At Bob’s prosportsproducts.com website he would have one page dedicated to sports shoes, another page for tennis products, another for golfing goods and so on. Always include product reviews on the website to provide visitors with an initial understanding on what the product can do for those who buys them. It is also a good idea to include testimonials from users who have used the product.

Step 3.

The third step is to vigorously promote your website to attract a high level of “traffic” to your online “affiliate marketing store”. Without visitors to your site, it will be impossible for you to receive any affiliate commission. Initially you should use “Pay Per Click” (PPC) advertising through the various search engines like Yahoo, Google and MSN to get your website seen by more web surfers. You should also write articles, listing information specific to the products available on your website and include a link to your site somewhere in the article (be sure to follow the Article and Author guidelines specific to the publishing site). Submit your articles to e-zines and receive traffic to your website from readers. It's as simple as that. Be sure to write several articles and post them to as many article directories as possible! You never know how many hits you could receive from article readers, and remember if they are reading your article they must already have an interest in the product you are promoting and there is generally no cost for the service as most article directories offer a free service. Writing and submitting high quality articles to article directories is an excellent way of promoting any product or service online. Article marketing offer you a two fold benefit, firstly, establishing your product knowledge and expertise to readers, secondly, increasing the traffic to your site via your website address in the articles you have written.

The key to successful affiliate marketing and earning a genuine income is selecting the right product or opportunity, and following proven information or guidelines that will produce online success and financial reward. Affiliate marketing will require time and effort on your part, however getting started is a fairly simple process. By using these tips you will be well on the way to earning your first of many “pay checks” from internet affiliate marketing. If you are interested in starting your internet home business you can find more information here at workathomeasy

Dave Holloway has successfully promoted home business options from his website www.workathomeasy.com providing information to anyone looking for a genuineHome Business Opportunity

Marketing Strategies Success(TIPS 7): Triggers That May Cause Email Filters To Delete

Hi guys,

Even though you may have the perfect marketing plan, along with the perfect email sales letter, you still have to overcome the obstacle of the dreaded spam filters. Spam filters are automatic and unrelenting, and what they do is irreversible. When your message is snatched up before it reaches your prospect`s inbox, it`s gone for good.

What an unfortunate fate for of all that beautiful sales copy! To keep from having your messages go down the drain,you need to know the words, phrases, and characters that will cause your email to be treated like it has The Plague - isolated and left to die alone.

In today`s lesson you`re going to learn certain words and numeric characters that activate spam filters. If your email or subject line contains these "hot button" words, it`Good-bye consumer and hello trash bin.

Let go..

Triggers That May Cause Email Filters To Delete

Foolish, short-sighted marketers have created a "crisis" in email in much the same way unscrupulous telemarketers gave THAT business a bad name. (There`s nothing wrong with telemarketing, per Se, just with shady telemarketers and the ones who interrupt dinner!)

By sending millions upon millions of unsolicited messages,"bulk marketers" have turned consumers into enemies and their email boxes into barricaded fortresses with fortified perimeters. Utter the wrong word - one of the "dreaded"TRIGGER WORDS that email filters know and hate - and you`re wasting your time.

Your message will be deleted instantly and your carefully crafted offer - with all those brilliant headlines and benefits, the terrific bonuses, the zero-risk guarantee, and the irresistible post-script...none of it will ever be read!What a waste.

THE HALLS OF JUSTICE

The U.s. Congress has even gotten in on the act (pardon the pun) of trying to cut down on the garbage truckloads of unsolicited email that`s flying through cyberspace. In2003, the CAN SPAM Act became official, with laws dispersed state spam laws and fairly clearly spell out what is and is not acceptable and required when it comes to sending email.

So how can you ensure that your emails make "safe harbor" in a cold, cruel, and unwelcoming cyber-world? Good question.

The best way to help your message reach the eyes that you want to see them is to familiarize yourself with the TRIGGER WORDS AND CHARACTERS that activate filters and get your message a one-way ticket to the trash. Get to know them and then never use them.

Here`s the trick: JUNK AND ADULT CONTENT FILTERS work by looking for specific KEYWORDS, key phrases, and key characters (like the dollar symbol, for example). Filters check the To and From addresses for these keywords. Then they go hunting for those words in the subject line and the body of the message, or in a combination of the two to see what`s being used and over-used.

USE WITH CARE

"Over-used" is an important part of the trigger word equation. A single use of the word " free" (as an example),probably won`t "raise an eyebrow" on a common filter. But use the word a dozen times and it`s "Goodbye Charlie."

THE "Z" LIST (as opposed to the "A" list)

To serve you better, i has compiled an up-to-the-minute list of common "trigger" words and combinations that when used - or overused - activate spam filters. Use this information to wrap your messages in protective "force field" that even the most powerful filter swill pass right over.

Triggers That May Cause Email Filters To Delete Your Email AKA: The "Z" List

- First 8 characters of the From address are digits
- Subject contains "advertisement" or "adv"
- Body contains "money back"
- Body contains "cards accepted"
- Body contains "spam removal instructions"
- Body contains "extra income"
- Subject contains "!" AND Subject contains "$"
- Subject contains "!" AND Subject contains "free"
- Body contains ",000" AND Body contains "!!" AND Body contains "$"
- Body contains "Dear friend"
- Body contains "for free?"
- Body contains "for free!"
- Body contains "Guarantee" AND Body contains "satisfaction" OR "absolute"
- Body contains "more info" AND Body contains "visit " AND Body contains "$"
- Body contains "SPECIAL PROMOTION"
- Body contains "one-time mail"
- Subject contains "$$"
- Body contains "$$$"
- Body contains "order today"
- Body contains "order now!"
- Body contains "money-back guarantee"
- Body contains "100% satisfied"
- To address contains "friend@"
- To address contains "public@"
- To address contains "success@"
- From address contains "sales@"
- From address contains "success."
- From address contains "success@"
- From address contains "mail@"
- From address contains "@public"
- From address contains "@savvy"
- From address contains "profits@"
- From address contains "hello@"
- Body address contains " mlm"
- Body address contains "@mlm"
- Body address contains "///////////////"
- Body contains "check or money order"
- Body contains "click here" or "click below" (try using "visit here" instead)

THINKING CAP TIME

It`s going to take a little more creativity on your part to write emails that won`t be deleted by filters. You`ll need to replace trigger words with equally effective non-trigger words. But don`t worry - that`s why the Thesaurus was born!

Today, you`ve learned how to protect your messages from being deleted by spam filters. Next time, we`re going to talk about how to make sure your messages are hitting the right target audience to ensure a "bulls eye" for selling.

Da!!

Marketing Strategies Success(TIPS 6): 8 Steps to Irresistible Email Copy Every Time

Hye new tips arrive

Step #1 - WHO DO YOU THINK YOU`RE TALKING TO?
Before you sit down to write your email sales letter, you`ve got to determine exactly who your audience is.
This is a master key to getting results from email marketing. Ask yourself these questions:-

What do your prospects/customers want?
What frustrates your prospects/customers most?
Who else is selling something similar to you?
Why should your prospects/customers believe you?
Why should prospects/customers respond to you instead of someone else?
What kind of appeals will your target market respond to?

Step #2 - A GREAT SUBJECT IS YOUR OBJECT
Before an email can generate results, recipients need to open it. But what can you do to spark their interest and get their interest "motor" revved up?Your SUBJECT LINE is the key.There are four types of email formulas you can use as a guide in crafting your email.

Each has a different PSYCHOLOGICAL APPEAL that works like magic on consumers.Here are some examples:-
State a powerful benefit "Satisfies Your Need for Leads"
Pique curiosity "We Has Uncovered the Secrets of Success"
Write your subject line with a news angle - "{company name) Launches RSVP For Those Who Want to Double Their Money Fast!"
Offer Immediate Gratification - "With (company name) RSVP, you can start the money wheels turning before the sun goes down tonight"

Here`s an important "homework assignment": Write at least25 SUBJECT LINES before you decide on which one to use. Take the best two and test them against each other in your marketing campaign. (Save the "losers" to use for other purposes or spruce up later.)

Step #3 - WHAT`S IN IT FOR THEM?
Sit down and write every conceivable benefit your product has. Don`t know the difference between features and benefits? Features describe the product; benefits describe the results of using the product. Features appeal to logic...logic justifies emotion...emotion drives sales (see below).

Here`s a rule of thumb for benefits: ask yourself "What can my product or service do for my customer?" Then begin to write your letter telling your reader WHAT`S IN IT FOR THEM.Tell them how much better life will be for them after they buy from you.

Tell them how much better they`ll feel. Tell them how their peers will respect them more.

Step #4 - AN EMOTIONAL APPEAL
When promoting anything to anybody, you must remember that buying decisions are based upon emotion and later backed up by logic. Before you write a single word, determine what emotional hot buttons you need to push to "jump start" your prospect.

Selling health supplements? Go for the "fear of illness"button with "A Natural Way to Save Your Eyesight." Selling political bumper stickers? Hit the "anger" button with:"Let the President Know What You Think of His Policies."Other buttons include: curiosity, greed, ego, vanity, hope,and/or fear of scarcity or security

Step #5 - A NAME YOU CAN TRUST
To convince people to buy your product or service, you must make them believe that your offer is credible and that you(or your product) will deliver as promised.How do you do that? Here are three ways you can build credibility with the readers of your sales letter:-
Provide testimonials.
Include endorsement letters from authority figures in your industry.
Make your offer and promises sincere and believable.

Step #6 - A GUARANTEE
Nowadays, trying to sell without some type of guarantee is losing proposition. You`ve got to have one. And the stronger your guarantee, the better your response will be. And,believe it or not, although most people will NOT ask for are fund, they`ll trust your offer knowing that you stand behind it.You can offer a 24-hour, 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, or even full-year.

And here`s an interesting fact: The longer the time period, the fewer returns you`ll have! It`s human nature to procrastinate, so the more time someone thinks they have to get a refund, the more they`ll put it off or forget about the refund altogether.

Step #7 - DON`T FORGET TO ASK
It happens all the time. Someone makes a fantastic sales presentation, and then doest`t close the deal because he/she didn`t clearly ask for the order or made the process confusing rather than simple.

From the Research Department: Statistics show that you need to ask for the order at least three times to close substantial sales. (Some studies put the number at 7!)If you can, offer several ways for your prospects to order consumers love choice. It tells them, "You`re talking directly to me and meeting my unique needs." If you only offer one way to order, make it crystal clear how AND how easy it is. Describe it in detail and ask for the order. Then ask again

Step #8 - THE EYES HAVE IT
It`s a well-known fact: Large blocks of copy are intimidating and will often send people running for the hills or at least the Delete button.The solution? Break up paragraphs into two to four sentences. Use several subheadings throughout the email letter.

And use asterisks, dashes, and ellipses (...) to give your copy more rhythm. Bullet points are excellent eye-catchers - use them whenever appropriate.That`s a wrap for this lesson.

Next time we`ll be saluting"Triggers." No, not horses named in honor of Roy Rogers old steed -- trigger WORDS that will have consumers begging you to take the money out of their wallets.

Sound good? Stay tuned!

11 Tips for Pay-Per-Click Success

This list details some very important points to keep in mind when creating or managing any pay-per-click campaign. Is this all there is to know about pay-per-click advertising? Absolutely not, but for those new to PPC it should serve as good place to start. Additionally, pay-per-click veterans or at least the moderately-seasoned will want to touch upon these points now and then to brush up on their fundamentals.

1) Do your keyword homework.

Use Google's free Keyword Tool or sign up for a WordTracker account to find out which keywords are the most competitive. The more competitive the keyword, the more expensive your clicks will be. While you're finding out which keywords are too expensive you'll come across some that aren't being targeted heavily by advertisers. Take a good look at these - they may be your keys to a successful niche campaign.

2) Don't bunch your ad groups.

You should be striving to separate your ad groups by keyword. Whatever your target, separate your keyword lists into closely related groups containing the same target words and write ads geared specifically to those words. Your ads will show up higher in results based on their quality, and search terms show up bold in results - a click-through rate booster.

3) Drive home your selling point.

What's your offer? Why are you better than the others? Remember that your ads are going to display with your competitors. The difference between a user clicking your ad and clicking a competitor ad is about 100 pixels on the screen - or a millisecond of time. You need to convince them that you are the one they want. You are better. Grab them.

4) Don't send users to your home page.

This is perhaps one of the worst things you can do to your Pay-Per-Click campaign. Internet users are notoriously impatient. Send them to your home page when they were searching for a specific product or service and see how fast they leave. Don't waste your advertising budget - send them to optimized landing pages.

5) Optimize your landing pages.

Your landing pages need to drive something home immediately for your users: "you have landed in the right place." They need to know that, yes, this is what they were looking for, here it is, here is why it is better than the rest and here's the easy thing they need to do to get it. In most cases you'll need to create multiple landing pages based on your different ad groups and keywords, but look at it this way - if your users aren't landing at pages geared exactly to their search phrases they'll leave and take your advertising budget with them.

6) Don't lie in your ads.

People aren't dumb. If you promise something in your ads you had better well deliver. Otherwise you'll not only waste advertising dollars but damage your brand. Be honest, and focus on points that make you stand out from the competition. Grandiose ad text might bring in clicks, but if it isn't the truth it won't bring in conversions.

7) Your domain name counts.

In most cases you can display a domain name that you own as the "display domain" but point the ads to a page on a different domain. Why does this matter? If you own a domain name that contains the keyword text it will show up bold and increase conversions. Enter the optimized domain as the displayed domain, point the ads to your landing pages and you can expect higher CTRs in most cases.

8) Utilize negative keywords

Google has a new Negative Keyword Tool that will allow you to find negative keywords that you should specify for your ads. Negative keywords are those that you don't want your ads to display for. For example, if you're selling "blue widgets" you don't want to display your ads to those users searching for "free blue widgets." If you don't use negative keywords you are missing out on a chance to get more targeted traffic to your landing pages, and this can really hurt your conversion rates.

9) Test, test, and test some more.

The greatest thing about internet advertising is the ability it grants you to measure your success. It's easy to create A/B split tests with Pay-Per-Click advertising. Change one word, add a comma, include a value proposition. . .just make sure you only change one thing for each split or you won't know which variable it was that made the difference! You'll find out right away that this is a great way to optimize your click-through rates - just don't forget that clicks aren't everything!

10) Don't focus too heavily on CTRs.

Getting tons of clicks isn't always the name of the game. In fact, if you aren't using proper techniques to ensure that you're getting targeted traffic and sending it to well-optimized landing pages you can blow through your advertising budget in no time flat. Remember that the success of any advertisement is getting back more than you put in. It's an investment, not a cost - so do all that you can to better your rate of return!

11) Don't pigeonhole yourself.

We all know that Google AdWords is the most popular Pay-Per-Click service out there. Your competitors know it, your users know it - even your grandma might know it. It would be foolish to ignore Google as a venue for advertising, but don't forget that there are other search engines out there who offer similar services. Yahoo!'s new Panama search system is catching on, and Microsoft's adCenter is nothing to sneeze at either. Both companies are currently offering sweet promotional deals to new Pay-Per-Click advertisers to stay competitive so take advantage and diversify!

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About the Author: Mike Tekula handles SEO, SEM, usability and standards-compliance for NewSunGraphics, a Long Island, New York firm offering Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, W3C-Compliant web design using full CSS layouts and all things web design/development.

Marketing Strategies Success(TIPS 5):Using Autoresponders To Multiply Marketing Power

Hello!

Today`s lesson is going to introduce you to your new best friend -- the auto responder.

One of the best ways to cultivate new business and save hours of time is to use an auto responder. An autoresponder gives you the ability to follow-up *automatically* on the email addresses you capture. Instead of wasting hours following up manually, you can let your auto responder followup while you do the things that you do best -build your business...putter in the garden...chase your kids around the house...catch up on your power-napping.

If you have an auto responder, today`s lesson will show you how to make it super-effective.

Let started!

Using Auto responders To Multiply Marketing Power & Save Time!

An auto responder gives you the ability to send messages effortlessly for months on end. So if you captured an email address six months ago, your auto responder can repeatedly contact that person to offer your product or service.

WASH-RINSE-REPEAT
Repeat contact is a concept that top marketers first used effectively in the offline world. When you conduct a direct mail campaign, you send out message after message until it`s on longer cost-effective. This strategy yields a much higher response rate than with a one-shot mailing (typically just1% or less).

From the Research Labs: Research shows that, on average, PROSPECT MUST BE CONTACTED SEVEN TIMES before you have any real chance at closing a sale.

BE IN THE TOP 10
If you apply this strategy to your Internet marketing campaigns, you`ll have a real edge over the competition.Remember: 90% of businesses do not follow-up with prospects!

OPEN THE DOOR & CLOSE THAT SALE UNBEATABLE AUTO RESPONDER SUCCESS TECHNIQUES

TECHNIQUE #1 - THE "KILL OVERKILL" TECHNIQUE
You don`t want an email-inbox crammed with ads and sales letters, and neither does anyone else. Don`t send out sales letter after sales letter. Your messages will become an annoyance and the recipient will either unsubscribe or just delete the messages whenever they arrive.

By sending a series of sales letters SPACED APART BY 2-4DAYS, you`ll keep your prospect aware of your business and develop credibility over time without being a pest.

TECHNIQUE #2 - THE "MY GIFT TO YOU" TECHNIQUE
Send freebies such as ebooks, info reports, newsletters,software, or even product samples. Many marketers use this approach by offering a newsletter.

*Sneaky Salesmanship*: Within the newsletter you have an excellent
opportunity to plug your product with a few lines of irresistible copy.

With the soft sell approach, you can contact your prospect once or even twice a week with "valuable information" -- which coincidentally mentions your product or service -- without seeming like you`re over-selling. If you`re a vacuum cleaner distributor, for example, send a newsletter on allergies and dust mites, for example.

TECHNIQUE #3 - THEY`LL LEARN/YOU`LL EARN TECHNIQUE
Give away a valuable training course via email that has special appeal to your recipients! You can create a simple3-day, 5-day, 7 day, or even longer course. And at the end of some of the course lessons you can add a few lines of copy plugging your product or service.

This, too, is a soft sell approach.

TECHNIQUE #4 - COMBO PLATTER TECHNIQUE
Use a variation of the hard sell, soft sell approach.Simply alternate your messages. A balance of 40% hard-sell and 60% soft-sell is generally about right.

That wraps up today`s lesson. You a"crash course" in creating the perfect email message. Keep your eye on the horizon for: 8 Steps to Irresistible Copy EVERY Time.

Bye for now! Da!!