Archive for April, 2011

Nice “Internet Marketing” photos

A few nice Internet Marketing images I found:

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_2006_saturday (72)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

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phoenixmediagroupllc.com – Phoenix Media Group is a Internet Marketing Agency that specializes in the use of web video to bring customers to local small and medium sized businesses across the country. Call us 2day for a FREE 30 minute marketing consultation @ 734-531-8823

bit.ly My name is Gene Wolff heres my contact info.. Gimme a call 604-229-1799 Add me on skype (the7figuremarketer) shoot me an email askgenewolff@gmail.com Dont be afraid to give me a call so I can prove to you I am a real person with a real opportunity! Or even if you just want some help in finding a proper business model! bit.ly how to make money online, make money online now, make money online fast, make money online paypal, make money online free, how to make money on youtube, how to make money on facebook, how to make money on twitter, work from home business, work from home business opportunity, affiliate marketing programs, mlm pre launch, how to generate mlm leads, how to make money now, way to make money online, honest ways to make money online, legit ways to make money Find out the top 3 reasons why you will fail to learn how to make money online now, free today in the work from home industry! Home business opportunity, work from home using affiliate marketing and make money online with a real legitimate online home based business opportunity work from the comfort of your own home internet business opportunities with the best system on the net Best Home Based Business The World’s Best Home Based Business Steps to start a Home Based Business Starting Your personal Home Based Business Home Based Business Possibility Home Based Business Opportunity : Home Business Best real online home based business opportunity listings. Free home business ideas. All you need for

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Lastest “Internet Marketing” News

The Boar’s Head Combines Tradition with Cendyn Marketing Savvy for Strong Sales Growth
Many independent, privately owned hotels bank on a tradition of personal service and individuality to attract business and keep guests loyal. But one such property – The Boar’s Head in Virginia – understands that first-class accommodations and deluxe amenities are only part of a successful business strategy in today’s market. The AAA Four Diamond Award-winner is realizing strong sales growth as …
Read more on Hospitality Net

First Cornell and SAS Hospitality Analytics Roundtable Focuses on Customers
Hospitality firms now have the tools to track customer behavior across many web and social media platforms, so that marketers can offer pricing and other offers that are customized to individual customers. The first Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) Hospitality Analytics Roundtable, sponsored by SAS, drew some 30 industry executives to Las Vegas to examine the level of market …
Read more on Hospitality Net

Posting election results to Twitter, Facebook may be illegal
Posting election results on your public Facebook wall — even if the only people who can see it are your friends — may be illegal.
Read more on Guelph Mercury

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image of bored woman

You’d better sit down.

I want to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it.

Your dreary blog is putting me to sleep.

I just visited your site, gave it the requisite three seconds of my attention, and found myself in Dullsville.

Nothing grabbed my eye. No headline inspired me to read. No images drew me in.

And here’s the thing: I’m not a captive audience. It was remarkably easy for me to rid myself of your insipid prose, your bland blog. One quick click and I was gone.

It doesn’t have to be that way. A few tweaks here, a little more effort there, and your website will stop me in my tracks.

Try these four changes this week to market your blog more effectively.

1. Speak to me

If it’s me you’re trying to reach, let me know by tailoring your writing and design so it connects with me.

(I’m pretending to be your perfect customer here. Work with me.)

Discover what frustrates me, and write about how to fix my problems. Find out what I’m passionate about, and share everything you know about the topic.

Learn what keeps me up at night, and figure out how you can restore my slumber.

If you’ll do that, I won’t be able to resist reading. I’ll become a frequent visitor, and I’ll know you’re speaking directly to me when you write. And — most importantly — I’ll realize your products and services are exactly what I need.

2. Colorize to feed my eyes

Why’s everyone so afraid of color?

If we had to print our blogs instead of displaying them on screen, I could understand the hesitation. In print, every ink color you add makes your job cost more.

But this is the web. We have millions of colors available to choose from.

So pick two.

Why only two? Using two main colors (not including black or dark grey text) is a great way to visually brand a website.

It’s easier for visitors to register and remember two colors. That’s one reason sports teams use two colors.

Don’t be afraid to harness the power of color to establish your brand personality. Find two that will resonate with your target market. Use them consistently in everything you do.

3. Break down those walls of text

You may have a lot to say on your topic.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but please, please present it in a way that I can digest it.

It’s frustrating to arrive at a website only to be greeted by walls of text with no line breaks, no subheads, and a scrollbar that gets progressively smaller as the page loads. Reading sites like that feels like a chore.

The solution is easy. Stick to one idea per paragraph. Keep them short: three to four sentences at the most.

Spend time writing good subheads, too.

After your headline, many readers will scan your subheads to decide whether or not to invest time on your site. If the subheads are compelling and tell a story of their own, your post will look appealing rather than daunting.

4. I’m yours for the asking

You’ve drawn me in, you’ve held my interest, and I made it all the way to the end of your post. Now what should I do?

Time for you to get bossy.

Tell me what you’d like me to do next. Should I share your post? Do you want me to sign up for your updates? Would you like to hear from me in the comments?

Insert a call to action. I can’t read your mind.

Once I’m at the end of your post, my hand is poised to click away. So ask me to take a “next action.” Sell me on the idea. Make me spend an extra minute on your site.

I can hear some of you now. “I just want to write. I don’t want to market my blog.”

These marketing and design techniques don’t take a lot of effort.

The first one takes some thought.

The second is a one-time decision.

Numbers three and four are simple habits you can adopt.

You have something to say. With these easy tweaks, you’ll wake up your visitors, keep them engaged, and give your ideas the best chance of spreading.

Don’t think of it as marketing. Think of it as caffeine for your website.

About the Author: Want to learn more about formatting your pages to invite scanners to stop and read? Download this free (no opt in) report, “8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content: Illustrated,” based on Pamela Wilson’s popular post.


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image of broken down typewriter

Is it just me, or is the whole starving artist thing highly overrated?

Yes, there’s a certain romanticism to being a penniless vagabond, sacrificing material goods in the selfless pursuit of art.

Yes, it’s fun to fantasize about everyone suddenly realizing you’re a genius after you’re dead and auctioning your once-soiled toilet for nearly $ 20,000.

Yes, it’s hip to take a stand against evil capitalists and proselytize about constructing digital economies based on currencies of cool.

But eventually, it gets old.

I know, because I’ve been there. In college, I was the epitome of the starving artist, winning poetry competitions and acing English classes with ease and then bumming gas money to get home, but eventually I realized three things …

  • No matter how good your poetry is, girls think you’re lame when you take them out for a romantic dinner at Taco Bell
  • After sleeping in your car for a week, you don’t feel like writing a damn thing
  • Pretty much the only job available to English majors is to become an English teacher, and they’re some of the most underpaid, under-appreciated people on earth

Sooner or later, you begin to reconsider. I mean, no, you don’t have to be rich and famous, but would having your own apartment and being able to afford food be so bad? Hell, it might even help your writing.

So, you embark on your quest to make some money.

You try to write some articles for magazines and newspapers. You hire yourself out as a freelance copywriter (even though you probably have no idea what copywriting is). You start a blog and wait for the world to beat a path to your door.

And if you’re lucky, you survive. No, you’re not sitting by the beach drinking margaritas, but you have food and a bed and a car, and people don’t worry about catching weird diseases when they’re standing beside you in the elevator. It’s nice, but you still haven’t “made it,” and you wonder why.

In my experience?

It’s because you don’t have your mind right. You have these nasty little demons sitting on your shoulder, feeding you lies about the relationship between success and art. You probably picked up some of these ideas from your parents, others from your teachers, and still others from fellow writers and artists.

And if you let them, they’ll cripple you. You’ll go through your whole life knowing you’re talented but never quite making it and forever wondering why.

We can’t let that happen.

Below, you’ll find some of the most common beliefs that hold writers back. Take a look, and see if any of them look familiar:

Crippling Belief #1: It’s all about you

The most heinous lie to ever infect the mind of a writer is the belief that your work is all about you.

You believe your writing is a form of self-expression, an extension of your mind, a little piece of your soul imbued into the page. To write well, you just need to be authentic, and if the world doesn’t like it, the world can go to hell.

Provocative, right? And like all the best lies, it has a grain of truth to it.

Yes, authenticity matters, but only to the extent people enjoy what you do. You’ll never find me auditioning for American Idol because, the fact is, I couldn’t carry a note to save my life. Yes, my voice is authentic, but it’s authentically bad, and that means I’ll never be a singer.

Writing works the same way. To be successful, stop worrying about who you are and start thinking about what your audience wants.

What do they like? How is it done? Only after you’ve answered those two questions are you ready to ask the third one: is it right for you?

I can’t overstress how important the order is. Them first, you second, never the other way around.

Crippling Belief #2: Building a following takes time

The last bastion of hope for any struggling writer is that building a following takes time.

Sure, life sucks right now, but if you’ll just hang in there, things will snowball, and everything will be all right.

It seems reasonable. After all, no one gets famous overnight, right? Everywhere you look, there are stories of successful people persisting when there was no hope, trudging forward one weary step at a time, unwilling to quit, clinging fiercely to their dreams, manifesting success through sheer power of will.

It’s inspiring… but it’s also deceptive.

Yes, building a following often takes time, but it’s not because people are slow on the uptake, incapable of seeing your brilliance until you’ve been around for a few years.

It’s because, when you’re a newbie, you do everything wrong, and most of us get knocked around for a few years until we figure out how to do it right.

In other words, you’re not waiting on the world. The world is waiting on you.

Yes, persistence is important. Yes, learning takes time. Yes, it’ll probably be slow and painful. But the sooner you learn, the sooner it will be over. So get busy.

Crippling Belief #3: You know what you’re doing

So, let me guess:

You’ve always been a pretty good writer, right? No, you haven’t won a Pulitzer or anything, but your teachers fawned over you in school, and your friends and family are awestruck by your skill with words.

Maybe you’ve even written for a magazine or newspaper a time or two and gotten some real credentials to put on your resume.

You believe all of that makes you different. When you start a blog or write a press release or hang up your shingle as a freelance writer, you believe things will be easier for you than all of the other bumbling writers out there. Unlike them, you know what you’re doing.

Heh.

It never ceases to astonish me how many writers believe this. They honestly think being able to spell, write a grammatical sentence, and make a few aunties and uncles smile is enough to make them a good writer.

It isn’t. The difference between writing for free and writing to become recognized as a worldwide authority is like the difference between taking a jog after work and running an Olympic marathon. Like running events, each type of writing is also quite different, and even a legend might need years of training to switch.

The bottom line: if you want to make a career out of writing, you have to be serious about it.

You’ll need to commit years of your life to mastering it, and even then, you’ll have barely caught a glimpse of everything there is to know.

Also, if you’re not willing to make that commitment, that’s fine. Just hire someone who is. It’s far faster and much, much less painful.

Crippling Belief #4: Writing can only be a labor of love

It’s about the art. It’s about the fans. It’s about the ideas themselves.

If you start trying to squeeze money out of it, you’ll just pervert it, commercialize it, transform it into a cold and hollow substitution for what it could have been. Right?

Well, yes and no. Once again, this one is dangerous precisely because it’s partly true.

Yes, all the best writers love what they do. The thing that separates Stephen King from a lot of other horror writers isn’t the gore or the suspense or the characters. It’s the joy. When he’s chopping off heads or destroying the world, he doesn’t just tell you about it. He revels in it.

Also, Stephen King is far from broke. I think he made something like $ 50 million last year.

Granted, we can’t all be Stephen King, but one of the greatest fallacies in writing is that art and money are mutually exclusive. If you love something, you can’t make money from it, or if you want to make money, you can’t love the work.

That’s just silly. You can have both. In fact, I would even say you need both, or you’ll never have the staying power to become truly great at what you do.

Crippling Belief #5: You’re a writer (nothing more)

Many writers take enormous pride in what they do, and rightfully so.

We use nothing more than little splotches of ink to communicate with people across the globe.

We speak the unspeakable. We snatch ephemeral ideas from the air and bring them to life on the page.

It’s delightful. Amazing. Humbling.

But if you think it’s your only responsibility, you are horribly mistaken.

The best way I know to explain it is, imagine a mother carrying a child for nine months, religiously taking care of her body, doing everything a good mother does, and then the day she delivers it, she leaves the hospital and sets it on the side of the road. “Goodbye, sweet thing,” she says. “It was a pleasure, but now I have other things to do,” and then she walks away.

It’s a horrifying thought, right?

Yet, as writers, it’s something we do every day. We finish working on a piece, publish it, and then prop our feet up, praising ourselves for a job well done. “Finally, I’m finished,” we think. “On to the next project.” And then we watch from afar as it struggles to gain attention, weakens, and finally dies.

It’s a morbid metaphor, I know, but this point is absolutely essential for you to understand:

If you want to be successful, you can’t be a writer and nothing more.

You also have to be a constant caretaker, a shameless promoter, a fearless champion. You have to fight for your ideas the way a mother fights for her children.

Your job isn’t over the day you publish. On the contrary, it’s just beginning. More than likely, you’ll spend weeks, months, and years fighting to get your words the attention they deserve, and it’ll be the most tiring, nerve-racking, and yet unquestionably rewarding experience of your life.

Don’t neglect that responsibility. Don’t try to outsource it to someone else. Don’t rob yourself of the experience.

The truth is, the joy of writing isn’t the writing itself. It’s seeing your ideas spread. It’s seeing them touch other people. It’s seeing them take root within the minds of those people, where they continue to grow into something more wonderful than you could have ever imagined.

Do you want that?

If you do, then be more than just a writer. The world already has enough of those.

What we need are more warriors. What we need are more heretics. What we need are wordsmiths with the courage to change the world.

Words aren’t just words, you see. They’re the medium through which writers accomplish change.

Great writers don’t just inform you. They don’t just entertain you. They don’t just persuade you. They change you, leaving you a slightly different person than you were before you read their work.

If you ask me, change should be the standard we hold ourselves to, not merely scribbling words down upon the page.

Then again, what do I know?

I’m just a writer. Nothing more. ;-)

About the Author: Jon Morrow is Associate Editor of Copyblogger. If you’d like to learn more about what it really takes to become a popular writer, check out his free videos on guest blogging.


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Cool “Internet Marketing” images

Some cool Internet Marketing images:

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_atlanta_2006_friday (103)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_2006_saturday (63)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

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Check out these Internet Marketing images:

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_atlanta_2006 (71)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_atlanta_2006_friday (104)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

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Check out these Internet Marketing images:

big_seminar_internet_marketing_seminar_atlanta_2006_friday (81)


Image by Ralph Zuranski

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image of a stack of magazines

I recently wrote about the benefits of direct mail for garnering new copywriting clients.

Now that I’ve been branded a “lover of all things old-school”, I want to teach you a pre-Internet content marketing strategy that still effectively lands new clients: Writing articles for trade magazines.

Trade magazines are print publications (remember paper and ink?) that focus on the business aspects of a particular industry.

You probably specialize in certain niches or topics, and focus your prospecting efforts on certain industries. Maybe you write for restaurants, or banks, or universities, or medical equipment manufacturers.

Believe it or not, there’s almost always at least one trade magazine for every industry you can possibly think of — including the ones you specialize in writing for.

Don’t believe me? I’ve written for trades ranging from In-Plant Graphics (for in-plant print shop operators) to The Federal Credit Union to Pizza Today, and my husband has written for Indian Gaming Business, a magazine for reservation casino operators.

Here are a few other interesting trade magazines:

  • Pig International
  • Candy Industry
  • Federal Computer Week
  • American Spa
  • Archery Business
  • Student Group Tour Magazine
  • Roofing Contractor
  • Biodiesel Magazine
  • OR Nurse
  • BUSRide

Get the idea? Each of these magazines has a very targeted market — just like your copywriting.

Many trade magazines run articles by professionals in the field and offer a bio at the end of the article, and that bio is seen by thousands of prospective clients. Even better, trades are often starved for quality content (like the kind you can provide).

For example, years ago I wrote for a magazine for KFC franchisees.

A franchise owner in California saw an article I’d written there and hired me to write a newsletter for his local business organization. Later, a software company hired me to write a brochure after seeing one of my articles in a marketing magazine.

So, if you’re convinced, bring on the trades! Here’s how to get started.

Find a Trade

I’ve found that the best places to find trade magazines are TradePub.com and Writers Market.

Writers Market costs around $ 30 for a yearlong online subscription, and is not a comprehensive directory of every magazine out there, but the benefit is that it gives tips on breaking into each market.

My post 11 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Writers Market on The Renegade Writer Blog gives advice on how to use Writers Market to find trades that aren’t even listed.

Choose a topic

Check your target magazine’s online archives to get a feel for what they run, and to make sure that you don’t brainstorm an idea they’ve already done to death.

In other words, a lot of the same things you want to do when you’re approaching a blog for a guest post.

As a copywriter, you probably want to focus on ideas that help readers learn to communicate with their customers, market their products and services, and write well. Assuming you’re also pretty social media-savvy, that’s another topic that many trade magazine readers will want to know more about, particularly with your business-friendly angle.

This will show prospective clients that you’re an expert in marketing and communication for your niche … exactly the kind of expert they want to do business with.

Write a query letter

A query letter is the pitch letter that sells the editor on your idea and you as a writer. It typically consists of three parts:

  1. A lede (beginning) that hooks the editor and makes her want to keep reading. For example, you can start with a surprising statistic, a compelling quote, or an anecdote from yourself or someone else.
  2. A body that tells the editor what you want to write about and how it will help the magazine’s readers. I often include a bullet-pointed list of a few of the tips I’ll be including in the article, and a couple of quotes from people inside the industry. For example, when I pitched an article on unusual marketing techniques for storage facility owners (yes, they have a magazine!), I included a quote from one owner who had a sign on his facility made from the world record largest pair of underwear. (It was something like 15 feet across!) You can find industry sources by calling industry organizations and using free source-finding services for writers like Help a Reporter and ProfNet.
  3. A conclusion that tells the editor why you’re the perfect person to write the article. This is where you tell the editor about your writing and industry creds.
  4. A closing that asks for the sale. I like to write something like, “May I write this article for you?” or “Does this sound interesting to you? I look forward to your reaction.”

This is a general overview of how to write a query letter; each situation is a little different, and you may find that another way works better for you.

For more details on the query writing process, check out the resources in my bio below.

Send it off

Find the name and e-mail address of the correct editor on the magazine’s website — trades, unlike national magazines, often list their editors online — and send your query with an eye-grabbing subject line.

I like to write something like “Query from Freelancer: Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Pizzeria Owners Make.”

This shows that I’m pitching an article — so editors don’t mistake it for a PR pitch — and the title of the article I’m pitching will hopefully reel the editor in.

And don’t forget …

Follow Up: If you don’t hear back in two to three weeks, follow up via e-mail. Editors are busy people, and sometimes queries fall off the radar.

Put Your Name in Lights: When you get an assignment, clarify with the editor that you will have a bio at the end of the article — and don’t forget to include it when you turn in your finished piece. In the bio, be sure to let readers know how to contact you.

Profit: Okay, I couldn’t resist. But seriously, writing for trades is a great way to get your name out in front of your target market. At the same time, it will give you more chances to hone your writing. And not only is it a free way to market — sometimes you actually get paid.

Happy trade writing!

About the Author: Linda Formichelli has written for more than 130 magazines (including more than two dozen trades) and is the co-author of The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock. On the Renegade Writer blog, Linda offers a free packet of 10 query letters that worked and an 8-week e-course on breaking into magazines


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Any legitimate online jobs out there?

Question by [*§*]: Any legitimate online jobs out there?
Does anyone know of any jobs online that are legitimate? Working for an actual company? Don’t reply with “internet marketing” please, I’ve been doing that for awhile and it’s not what I’m looking for. im not going to buy something through your hoplink ;) We’re overseas right now, and I would really love something that I could do from home as far as over the internet. Etc* I’ve been looking and i just keep getting frustrated! Soo many scams or worthless things out there. Anyone know of something REAL for a decent 2nd income?

Best answer:

Answer by RidinThe Storm Out IA HAWKS 10-2
Hey~ Starred your ? and hope you get a good answer- Wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Take care~

Add your own answer in the comments!

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SEO Expertise Means Maximum Revenue for Hotels and Resorts
Striving to be the most knowledgeable search engine optimization (SEO) experts in the hotel industry is a primary focus for VIZERGY. Through advanced education, experience and numerous awards for unique designs and marketing, the company has solidified itself as a hotel Internet marketing leader. VIZERGY’s search marketing team recently continued their advanced education with a series of private …
Read more on Hospitality Net

The Toyota President’s Award
Street Toyota is proud to be the area’s Toyota President’s Award dealership for 2010
Read more on PRWeb via Yahoo! News

CarPart4u.com Launches Spring Sale on All Headlights, Parts and Automobile Accessories
Save big bucks on headlights and other car parts and accessories with Carpart4u.com’s spring special. Receive 12% off on final purchases plus free shipping for orders worth $ 150 and above. Enter coupon code “SPRING11” to take advantage of this offer.
Read more on PRWeb via Yahoo! News

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