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P4 SPAM FACTS Head spinning stats.

P11 PAYPAL P5 TWITTER How it can help your business! PayPal highlights the changing habits of online consumers.

Whats Inside
P3. A Word From the Editor. P4. Online Facts. P5. Using Twitter to Help Your Business. P11. PayPals Mobile Predictions. P13. 14 Bad Ass Online Marketing Ideas. P20. Men v Women, Online Shopping Habits. P21. 6 Cool Ways to Get Raving Face book Fans. P26. The Traffic Vault. P29. Successful Marketing Fundamentals. P31. Security Basics for Your Hosting Account. P33. Subscribe to IMR. P34. IMR Supplement Download. Building Your List With Facebook.
P21 Facebook Fans 6 Cool ways to get die hard fans. P13 Featured Article 14 Bad Ass Online Marketing Ideas

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

A Word From The Editor

Its been a tough year and a lot of businesses have slashed their marketing budgets. The good news is you dont need to have a big budget to market online. Our cover article 14 Bad Ass Online Marketing Ideas for Businesses on a Small Budget reveals some brilliant marketing ideas that are guaranteed to increase your profits. even if you have a tiny budget. You are going to love our cheeky little Twitter idea. Speaking of Twitter, there are some businesses who still dont get it. As a result they are missing out on a fantastic free marketing resource. Our introduction to using Twitter brings you up to speed and shows you how to use it effectively. We also show you to use that other social media giant Facebook, by showing you how to turn you fans into raving fans that are going to love you. I value your feedback and suggestions and would love to hear from you. Best wishes Rick Freeman editor@imrevealed.com www.IMRevealed.com
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without prior permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information within this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any circumstance of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers. For our full terms and policies visit www.imrevealed.com.

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December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

n the 21st March 2006, Jack Dorsey, co-founder of a little communications service called Twttr (a play on words inspired by Flickr) made the very first Tweet Who would have thought that just six years later Twitter, as it was renamed, would be such a global phenomenon.

What is Twitter?
Twitter is a messaging service with over 200 million users and counting. Users send and receive messages called Tweets that are no more than 140 characters long. That means that they are really quick and easy to write and read.

It is not just used by celebrities and the general public announcing what they had Tweets are public so everybody can see for lunch. It has become a key communi- them, making it very easy to communicate and meet new people on Twitter. cations channel during major political events and natural disasters. Members of the Twitter community It is so powerful that businesses now rely choose who they will follow and read their Tweets, so you have to be intereston Twitter for marketing, PR and cusing or people will choose not to read your tomer service. messages. Completely different to any other comYou can send Tweets from your mobile munications service, users find it utterly phone, PC, websites and desktop proaddictive. That is why you, as a local grams and because they are instant, peobusiness, should be tapping into that ple can read the messages in real time, as power. This article will give you a quick, they happen. easy to understand tutorial on how it works.

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

For a business owner the power of Twitter is virtually limit- Many people use Twitter to find answers to questions so they can make an inless:
Twitter can:

formed decision on whatever they need to, from which hotel to choose in a particular city to what washing machine to buy. They trust the responses they receive through their social circle in the Twitter community more than by Googling the answer or just reading a website. So it is vital that you interact with them.

Provide you with a lot of FREE traffic Create additional sales through wellcrafted marketing tweets Enter into conversation with your customers Let you see what other people are saying about your products and services Allow you to provide the best customer service The most effective use of Twitter is to tweet quality information. You can do this by demonstrating your knowledge on a particular product or service. If you consistently provide this kind of value and information, you will not only have a loyal following but you will also get a lot more sales. The most effective way to use Twitter is to view it as a tool to build a relationship with your customers and potential customers.

How Twitter Can Help Your Business:

From a business perspective there are a number of compelling reasons why you should use Twitter:

Branding Twitter enables you to create an online brand that is not only professional but also personal.

Connect

You can build up a great relationship with your Twitter followers. Twitter alWhen you build the trust up with them, lows you to connect with existing and poand they see that you are committed to providing great customer service as well tential customers in an intimate way that as a fantastic product or service, they will builds trust. want to visit your site and buy your products. Traffic They will feel much better about their deThere are over 200 million users of Twitcision to buy from you and will be more ter and it is growing every day, so it is a inclined to do so in the future. very powerful traffic source.

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

Make Money

You just had to use the system for posting updates.

Gaining followers on Twitter is like buildHowever, pretty quickly, people found ing a social media mailing list. This can be very lucrative if you build up a rapport that they wanted to hold public conversations on Twitter. with your followers and provide great customer service. So users started to adding the @ symbol to the beginning of account names as a way to send a public message or refer to Market Research somebody on Twitter. Many tweeters are open to the idea of After a while, Twitter decided to incorpotaking part in surveys, so it is a very efrate this feature into the Twitter model. fective way to conduct market research. An @ symbol followed by an account name is a link to that account page.

Essential Twitter Commands you should know:

Most of the Twitter jargon and rules have come from the users themselves rather than from the company. The language that they use is no exception. In fact the word tweet is a perfect example of this. It was a term created by users and Twitter didnt incorporate the term Tweet into its site until three years after the service started.

This is very useful because any @messages are now a vital tool for networking on Twitter, helping you to discover and communicate with new people.

So lets consider some other terms that will be helpful to you:

If you want see @messages to you, or that mention you or your company, simply head to your Twitter homepage and look at the @mentions tab. This is not an automated service and you wont receive notifications when anybody does mention you, so you need to do this regularly, but it is still a great tool none the less.

@Username
In the beginning there was no way to send a message to any particular individual on Twitter.

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

DM messages

Although messages on Twitter are public, the system does have a private message option. Private notes on Twitter are called direct messages or DM messages. The only disadvantage is that in order to send a DM, the recipient has to be following you. Weirdly, if YOU are following somebody who isnt following you, he can DM you. To see any DMs or send one on the Twitter website, simply head to the top of the page and click Messages (Despite the fact that users call them DMs, Twitter officially refers to them as Messages. A quick word of warning: It is actually very easy to send a public message when you intend to DM somebody, and its also very easy to DM the wrong person, so be very careful. To eliminate any risks, use the New Messages button, which prompts you to pick a recipient from your followers. Double check everything before hitting Send. Just like sending a text message, double check to make sure the message is going to the right person.

Twitter has a feature that sends you an email when somebody DMs you. You can find this by going to Settings, then Notification. It is a good idea to leave that setting on, because the Twitter site doesnt notify you in any way when you have a DM. It saves you having to constantly check your account.

@Reply
A reply is any update posted by clicking the reply button on another Tweet. After the tweet, click on reply beneath the tweet. You enter your message and click on the Tweet to send it. Simple...

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

Retweet or RT
This is one of the most important of the terms that you need to know on Twitter. Retweeting is simply a way of re-posting somebody elses helpful, funny or thoughtful tweet with your followers but giving them the credit. Retweets are incredibly viral and help important messages work their way round Twitter. They also add credibility and kudos to the person who made the original tweet. In fact, if you find that your tweets get reposted, it shows that you have some influence on the Twitter community, which is great for your business.

about the same subject, e.g. #Simon Cowell As you have probably realised, this has many other great possibilities. By adding the hashtag you can find conversations relating to the kind of product or service that you provide, and make useful posts to encourage people to want to know about your business. Hashtags will also allow you to follow certain trends and popular discussions.

Hashtags (#)
New users on Twitter find hashtags the most confusing, but it is actually a very simple and useful feature and worth trying to understand. The hashtag is simply a way for people on Twitter to categorise messages. So if somebody adds a hashtag (#) before a post, basically what they are saying is all of these messages are about the same thing. For example, if you are watching the X Factor finals and want to enter into discussions about the X Factor as it is happening, by adding the hashtag before X Factor (#XFactor) or before the contestant you want to talk about, you will find all of the other conversations talking

When creating a hashtag, you cannot use any blank spaces between words or this will inactivate the hashtag. So to create a hashtag subject that is two or more words long, like the Simon Cowell example above, you will need to join the words together. However, instead of typing it like this: #Simoncowell, which is quite hard to read, you can differentiate the words by adding capital letters like this; #SimonCowell, which has the effect of separating the words, even though there are no spaces between them.

December 2012 edition | www.IMRevealed.com

Give Twitter a Try for a month and feel the love

If you just dip in and out of Twitter once or twice you probably wont get it. The real value of Twitter becomes evident only after you have followed a few accounts for a while and get a feel for how it works. If, despite reading this article, you are having trouble seeing what all of the fuss is about, try this simple tactic: Follow at least 4 or 5 accounts that you particularly like. It could be a celebrity, friend, politician or workmate. Then for the next 4 weeks, log into Twitter on a daily basis. Catch up on messages and click around for five to ten minutes.

Every few days, check the trending topics by using hashtags. Finally, spend 30 minutes one day running a few searches about your product or service to see what you can learn from the discussions on Twitter. At the end of the 4 weeks youll have spent a good five or six hours giving Twitter a go and hopefully you will be convinced that it is the most important new communications tool we have seen since email and how it can be hugely beneficial for your business

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PayPal Predict that Mobile Commerce Will Overtake Traditional Bricks and Mortar Sales.
In October 2012 PayPal sent an email to all business owners emphasizing how important mobile marketing has become. Alongside that, 42% of us regularly use social networks via our phones, 51% watch video clips, and 51% use our phones to read email (2).

It revealed the true extent of how peo- One in five of us use our phones to reple use their mobile phones to shop on- search products while watching TV(3). line.

They shared 3 official statistics proving Although people still use laptops and that our behaviour is changing due to desktops, the way we are using technolthis evolving technology: ogy is changing. 40% of mobile phone owners now say their phone is the most important device for accessing the internet something that looked very unlikely just a couple of years ago (1). Many of us now use tablets and mobile devices alongside other activities. We are more likely to purchase via mobile at weekends (4), and tablet owners tend to shop while watching TV at home (5).

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Mobile commerce and a warning to traditional bricks and mortar businessesPayPal claim that mobile commerce is predicted to grow an average 39% each year from now until 2016 (6). The percentage of smartphone shoppers has almost doubled over the last 12 months to 23% (7). There is even speculation that mobile commerce will overtake bricks and mortar sales. As a result, many shop owners are using mobile alongside their websites to help boost sales.

Mark Sanborn

sources:
1http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-dataresearch/market-data/communications-marketreports/cmr12/uk/UK5.82

John F. Kennedy

2http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2012/07/18/uk-is-nowtexting-more-than-talking 3http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/10446-will-mcommerce-overtake-other-payment-options-infographic 4http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/10446-will-mcommerce-overtake-other-payment-options-infographic 5http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/dualscreen-tablet-owners-shop-while-watching-tv-22684 6http://www.forrester.com/Mobile+Commerce+Forecast +2011+To+2016/fulltext/-/E-RES58616?docid=58616 7http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/10435-23-of-uksmartphone-owners-access-retail-sites-on-their-device

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14
Bad Ass Online
Marketing Ideas
for Businesses on a Small Budget

ost businesses are on a tight budget, especially when it comes to marketing.

success of each marketing campaign that you launch. Here are some big marketing ideas for businesses on a small marketing budget:

Times are hard and many companies dont have a lot of money to invest on advertising and marketing.

The irony is, not marketing your business 1. Optimise your website for the search engines: will have a detrimental effect on your business. One local business owner called Tom who owns a fireplace store has just put a closing down sign in his store window because nobody is visiting his store and he says he cant afford to advertise any more. This year alone he has spent over $6000 on advertising in his local newspaper with expensive one time ads and it was a total waste of time and money. Although it is sadly too late for Tom, the good news for other companies who are still in business is that online marketing is not only much cheaper but it is far more effective than traditional methods of marketing plus you can easily track the This is one of the first things you need to put on your to-do list. Why? Because Google is not only the most popular search engine on the Internet but it is also your business best friend. Google and the search engines want you to rank high in the search results. If their clients are searching for a product or service that provide, it is Googles job is to tell them about your business. However, you have to make it easy for them by optimising your site.

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This need not be expensive at all and yet will one be of the best investments that you could ever make. The return will be phenomenal as customers far and wide discover your company online.

Anyone can set one up, thats the easy part. Thinking of something interesting to say each time you blog is the tricky bit. You need to write good content that will be interesting for your visitors and customers. People wont thank you if its just going to be one long sales pitch.

2. Google Plus Local

Create a community and make your visitors feel part of it by responding to each While we are on the subject of Google, we blog comment. cant miss out Google+ Local. As menIf you do, the more people will be intioned in the previous marketing tip, clined to read and comment on your blog Google really is on your side and it wants more often. to help your business be found. They make sure that if potential custom4. Social Networking ers are looking for a product or service that you provide, Google wants to make sure that its results are totally relevant and your company appears in the listings. Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are all popular sites that you cant ignore. As a result, search results are becoming much more local and personalised and companies who claim their Google Plus Local Page and optimise it properly get the best rewards. By creating a profile on each of these sites, you will not only create new opportunities for potential clients to find you but they will also be excellent sources of traffic. Local businesses that use social media sites like these, almost always see a significant increase in monthly traffic. The part that excites them the most is the fact that it is completely free. All it costs is a little of their time but the results are well worth it. By investing a bit of time and effort providing good content that is relevant to your audience and interacting with your followers you will soon build a loyal following.

3. Start a Blog
No matter what type of business you are in, you can still have a blog. In case you dont know what a blog is, it basically stands for web log and theyre effectively online diaries. If you are going to create a blog for your company you need to do the following: Host the blog on your own domain. E.g. YourBusinessWebsite.com/blog

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This will raise your online company profile and make your site easier to find in the search engines.

5. Case Studies and testimonials

Online customers are used to and conditioned to leaving reviews. They are a great way to get more people interested in what you have to offer.

If you already have happy customers who 6. Write a free Beginners love your product or service why not get a Guide for customers to downtestimonial or case study from them?

load

Case studies and testimonials are a perfect way to get brand new customers because they build credibility and give the No matter what kind of business you are potential customers the confidence to try in, you can get a lot more business by your product or service knowing that oth- writing a free Beginners Guide. er people like it. It is an excellent marketing technique. They will be less inclined to buy if they They are an excellent way to get a lot of dont see any testimonials or reviews. traffic to your site and increase the interThe secret is to get your customer to talk est in your product or service. about your product or service, how they Examples: used it, and they results that they got. Most customers will be happy to do this if Beginners Guide to Choosing a Fishing Rod you ask them. You could also provide feedback forms on Beginners Guide to Setting Up an iPhone 5 your website.

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 How to Choose a New Bathroom Suite Choosing the Right Spectacles for You Beginners Guide to Tiling

8. Answer Questions relating to your product or service

These kinds of free reports rank highly in the search engines and do a superb job of The Internet is the first place people look up-selling your products and services, as to for answers if they have a question well as making you an authority in your about a particular product or service. field. They post their questions on discussion Customers will see that you know exactly forums and question and answer sites what you are talking about and will delike Yahoo Answers. cide to buy from you instead of your competitors. If you can provide the answers to their questions relating to your products or services, you can attract a ton of brand new customers. 7. Start an Affiliate Program It is a perfect free way to get more visitors to your website and gain credibility. This is possibly the best marketing tip for any business on a tight budget. By having a team of affiliates (individuals 9. Go To Networking Events and companies who promote your products on their websites for a commission on each sale that they get) you get people Networking events are a great place to marketing your product for free. find new clients and all businesses should make it a practise to attend networking There is absolutely no limit to the events if possible. number of people that you can have promoting your services. These are generally arranged by The Chamber of Commerce or global organiIn fact the more you have, the more likely sations such as BNI (Business Networkyou will make many more sales. ing International). There are a lot of third party applications A quick search online will reveal a and plug-ins out there which make setnumber of networking events in your arting up an affiliate program easier. ea. They will handle all of your sales and commissions. Feel free to contact us for more information and we will get you up and running in no time. They work because you will always meet somebody who you can form a business relationship with. This will either be as a customer or as a useful contact to give your referrals or joint venture with.

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10. Ask For Referrals

It is surprising how many companies dont ask their customers for referrals.

Not only do videos now appear in the search results, but you can also use videos to show how good your product or services actually are. If, for example, you create stunning cakes, why not show a video of you making and icing the cake.

Why not? If you have satisfied and happy Or if you are a painter and decorator, crecustomers, you really should be asking ate a video showing the transformation of for referrals as it a very effective way of the room with a before, during and after getting even more happy customers. video. Some people feel shy about asking and Do you provide a lawn care service? If so, are afraid that the customer will turn again, video the results. them down. There is no end to the things that you However, you will be surprised at how could video relating to your company. few customers actually will say no. Even a tour around your company If a large proportion of customers do premises could be interesting to your refuse to introduce you to others, it might customers. be a sign that you are doing something wrong and could be doing a much better job of making them happy, giving you 12. Provide exceptionally good something to work on. For a pain-free way of asking for referrals, why not try this method; Look up your current customers on LinkedIn and see who they are connected with. If you think someone that they know can personally benefit from your product or service, ask them for an introduction. Most, if not all will say yes, especially if you return the favour.

customer service.
The best way to keep a customer for life and to get them to tell others about your company is by providing exceptionally good customer service. By doing so, not only will customers be happy with their purchase but they will spend more of their hard earned money on your product or services in the future. There has never been a more important time for your company to provide excellent customer service, especially as customers are more willing to tell others about their shopping experiences on their social networking sites and by leaving reviews, good or bad.

11. Harness the Power of YouTube

Companies are latching on to the importance of YouTube in their marketing campaigns.

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You want them to tell all of their friends about the great experience they had using your company.

13. Do some online PR

popular and attracts the sort of readers that you want to target.

You can email the blog owner, asking if As you know, getting some good PR is a they would like to interview you. great free way to get people talking about As they are constantly looking for new your company. topics to write about, many will be happy The more they talk about you, the more to interview you, especially if it is somepeople will come to your website and thing that they think that their readers check out what you are offering. will benefit from. Most people think of PR coming from major media outlets such as radio and television. While this would be fantastic, it is not easy to get that sort of attention. However, there are easier ways to get PR online which can be just as effective, especially if you have a targeted customer group. Getting the attention of blog owners is one way of doing this, especially if it is a

14. A Crafty Little Twitter Technique

If you want more customers, here is a great suggestion to encourage people to promote your business for free AND build up a huge mailing list at the same time.

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Here is the plan:

Offer a free downloadable report, or set up an exclusive password protected VIP Loyalty Group on your website or Facebook page where you will have special offers and discounts not available to anybody else. People can get access to the report or VIP area by Tweeting about your product or service. Once they have sent the Tweet, they notify you and you give them access to their prize. This is an incredibly powerful way to not only spread the word about your company and website but also to build your online mailing list (if you are giving them the report) or group of followers on Twitter and Facebook. This means that you can keep in touch with these people and build a relationship with them. It will be good for your branding and Internet presence. As a variation, you can do this by asking for Likes on Facebook or any other social site. If just 10 people do this per day and they each have a following of 100 friends and family, you can see how quickly the word will spread about your business.

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Traffic Vault
Traffic the Stuff That Drives Your Business

ou may hear now and again that you need to be patient when it comes to building your business online. Ok, patience is a virtue and it has its place. But I think its a bit overrated. I reckon if you want to see a boost in your business, why not jam your foot on the accelerator and see how fast you can reach your goal? Of course, youre gonna need some fuel to get wherever you're going, right? Well in Internet business your fuel is your website visitors, aka your traffic."

These are not your buy the latest hot gizmo and cheat the system tactics, they are genuine long term methods applied by people making serious wonga online.

Traffic from Content

Content will most likely be the foundation for your business. It doesnt matter what business model you use, content markets your business; it provides value and credibility and it drives traffic to your website. For the most part, content is an important aspect of most traffic generation methods.

The more people you have visiting your website, the faster you're going to reach Whether youre talking about blogging, your goals, and the faster you're going to linking, social networking, or article marketing, all of which we will address be profitable and successful. in just a second, content is the foundaOf course, you dont want any old traffic. tion of that tactic. You want decent Qualified Traffic. You want people who are actually interested This is because thats how the Internet in your information, products, or servic- works. Its a source of content and as a website owner and business owner, the es. best way for people to find your website Or, to continue with our metaphor, you is for you to provide content. have to make sure you have the right fuel. You dont want the low-grade stuff in Anytime someone gets online, theyre your motor, you want the premium gear. generally seeking content. They want information. Each month here in the Traffic Vault I They want to learn, they want to imwill cover traffic methods that I have prove, and they want to be entertained. used, or am currently using to help get those eyeballs to my websites.

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Its important to know that content doesnt have to be just print material. It can also be audio or video content. Its also critical to know that content is directly related to the amount of traffic you get on your website because, among other things, search engines base their results on the content you have on your website.

By providing a wealth of content on your website about your niche topics, youre essentially giving the search engines more of a reason to list your website higher in the results. And when people search for your information, theyll see your website, click through and voila you have qualified traffic.

Lets take a look at the two basic ingredi- Links ents of content as it relates to generating Search engines also take a look at the traffic. links you have coming into your website SEO - Keywords and to specific web pages. The first and perhaps the most important way content drives traffic is that it helps your website show up on the search engines. When people talk about Search Engine Optimization or SEO, they usually start with content. This is because in order to show up on the search engines results, when your prospects search for your information, the search engines need something to search or compare. The more quality and relevant incoming links you have, the better your search engine ranking will be. This also means you can drive traffic to key web pages, like a sales page, or you can focus on driving traffic to your website as a whole. Its important to know that content for the sake of content will only get you so far. Quality content is really what youre striving for.

They look at and index your web pages Content that is well-written, entertaining your content. and informative not only brings website visitors back for more, it motivates peoFor example, if your webpage is about sports supplements, then your page and ple to link to it. website will be compared to other webTheyll link to your website content from sites with the same type of information their blogs, from their newsletters and and keywords. websites and theyll link to your content in their social networking posts.

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This all drives a tremendous amount of traffic to your website!

Making Content Work For You Key InYou vary the words so it sounds natural. gredients For Success Creating content that appeals both to your human prospects and the search engines is a delicate balance. The goal when writing content is to write naturally and then go back and insert your keywords where they fit.

you might use the words fatty acids Omega 3, omega three, omega fatty acids and so on.

You want to fit keywords into the content When using audio and video content, tag your content for the search engines so that the search engines recognize it. and your keywords. You also want the content to sound and If youre using a host like YouTube or read naturally. iTunes make sure to also properly cate(Im sure you have read content online gorize your content. thats been jam packed with keywords. This will help with search engine optimiIts awful, right?) zation. The most common practice is to create your content with the keywords in mind On your website you can also optimize audio and video posts by creating a debut not to position them anywhere iniscription and a title for the content. tially. Just write your content and then you can Search engines will recognize and index go back and place your keywords where this content. they naturally fit. And dont forget the growing trend of user-generated content. Its best to try to get the keywords in your headline and first and last paraThere are many ways to have your webgraph because that is one of the first site visitors help you create content, but places the search engines look. well get into that a bit more in a future They also look at your sub-headings and edition of the Traffic Vault in the body of your content. The remainder of your content should contain keywords and words related to your keywords but should not sound forced or unnatural. For example, if youre writing an article on benefits of omega three fatty acids

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Successful Marketing Fundamentals

here are quite a few different approaches to marketing, but all of them more or less involve the same sort of basic elements. With all the shiny objects and new technologies we have available to play with today, the fundamentals of marketing online or off are often forgotten. When you keep these principles in mind, marketing is much simpler and you'll be more successful in your results.

You Should Start With Your Target Market

Successful business all starts with your target market. Identifying and getting to look at who is in that niche and what they are buying. know your audience is the first and most important step. Use the Internet to find out what kinds Failing to define specific target custom- of people are participating in forums, ers is one of the most common reasons groups, and social media sites in that niche. businesses never thrive. The mistake they make is that they start with a product, offer, or niche they Feed That Hungry Crowd think is interesting. Then they try to find a market for it. You have to work the other way around. Once you know your market well, it's There are several ways to identify your easy to get an idea of what they want. target market. If you're already running a business, look at your current custom- The second step in successful marketing is to either create or find products er base or your competition's. that they need. If you havent launched your business yet but you have an idea of the niche or If you know how to listen, your target type of product you'd like to work with, customers will tell you this.

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Look for areas where there's demand but a gap in the market - where no one is providing a solution to peoples most urgent needs.

Promotion Methods Up until now, we've covered the basics of marketing and these are fairly universal. When it comes to promotion methods, there is an endless array of options. This is where people get confused by the many different choices. Offline promotion methods include advertising in print or on television, hosting or sponsoring events, promotional items, coupons, direct mail and networking in the community. To promote your product online, people usually start with search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.

Delivering the Goods

With a hungry crowd and the product they're desperate for, your next challenge is to figure out a way to put it in front of them. If you're marketing offline, you need to communicate with your target market and make your offer.

This often involves face-to-face or physical contact. Online, you create a You may also build awareness of your website. This is the 'home' of your prod- brand through social media sites, an uct or service. email list, promotions, blogging, or similar methods. Before you can make your offer, you need to calculate the best price point for selling it. Develop The Right Mindset for There is no easy way to do this. Most Successful Marketing companies start by determining the production and delivery cost, and then adding the desired profit margin. With all the options for promoting your business, try not to get overwhelmed. Another method is to determine a set return-on-investment (ROI) and price it Simple is always best. so that you can meet that amount in a The key to successful marketing no matcertain period of time. ter what methods you use or products You should also take into consideration you promote is to keep it focused on your prospects. the prices offered by your competition and the psychological value your goods Always start with what they need and have to your target market. want, and work your way back to your offer from there.

our With Y Start hould arket You S arget M T

If you know them well, provide what they want and promote it where they can see your offer, your success is assured

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Security Basics for Your Hosting Account

o matter how secure you keep your site, it can still get hacked.

Even if you constantly scan your computer and update your security, there's still a risk if you use a shared web hosting company. Keeping a network secure is actually a two-pronged attack it takes effort from both you and the hosting company. Many people take for granted that the web hosting company is doing mysterious high-tech things to keep your website safe. This is a dangerous assumption to make. The truth is that some companies handle security better than others. When you're searching for web hosting, make sure you investigate the extent of the hosting companys security measures. SSL Certification

This means secure sockets layer and it's an extra layer of protection for pages in which your users have to enter information. SSL involves encrypting your data and sending it in a sort of tunnel that hackers can't intercept. When a user visits your site, they can see that your site is certified, which gives them peace of mind. File Permissions Most web hosting companies allow you to set your file permissions through them. File permissions allow user access to either read, write, or execute files (or any combination thereof). This is important for the security of your files. When you set up your site, you'll set these permissions through the web hosting company, which can be changed at any time.

One of the basic features all web hosting companies should Data Centres provide is SSL certification. When researching web hosting companies, you should

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consider where your data is going to be provider that is going to fly into action to take care of it. Before signing up, stored. contact them and see how responsive they are. You can also find out about The hosting company should use secure data centres for storing your files, their customer support by reading online reviews of their service. with quick access to your servers and so ensuring that they have a quick reDomain Registration and Web sponse time should any issues occur. Hosting Malware and Spam Scanning Finally, for added security, don't have your domain registration and hosting on the same account.

Your web host may perform malware and spam scanning. Good companies scan their networks constantly, looking Your domain is your home on the web. Your web hosting is where your files for malicious programs. are stored. They'll have their own firewall and will When users access your domain, backup your data for you. You should perform all of these tasks yourself, but they're directed to your files. It seems easy and convenient to put both under it helps if your web hosting company does it as well because it means added the same account, but the problem is that if a hacker accesses your files, protection. they'll get your domain name as well. Good Customer Support If this happens, you could lose your site completely. If your site gets hacked and your data compromised, you need a web hosting

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