The Biggest Danger in Online Marketing

I know the headline sounds ominous. And I’m not talking about a technique that can get you slapped by Google or labeled a spammer by AOL.

No, I’m talking about the risk of complete lack of action due to information overload. Between the constant flood of email messages with valuable information, as well as those offering to sell you the latest marketing technique you absolutely must know about, it’s enough to keep you surfing the web seeking to learn more and more for the rest of your days.

3 Ways to Offer a Membership

In the Internet Marketing world, just about everyone is creating a membership these days. Several of my professional clients are also setting up memberships to offer their information and/or products.

Maybe you want to get in on this, too? Setting up a membership can be a terrific way to create a stream of income often greater than what you’d receive from a single sale of the complete set of information.

But many are intimidated by the idea of offering a membership, fearing it’s too complicated to set up and run.

Here are three easy ways to structure a membership:

The Journey Has Value Too

I was on a call with Jack Canfield recently where Alex Mandossian was interviewing him to promote Jack’s book, “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.” There was a great metaphor Jack used that I wanted to share. You should know by now how much I like reflecting on ideas presented through stories!

Jack was addressing a question about the Law of Attraction. The questioner said that it worked for her in small areas, but she hadn’t achieved the results she wanted in larger areas.

Carrot, Egg, or Coffee?

This is another story I appreciate. I hope you will, too.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

Just Say No to Forced Continuity

Memberships are an increasingly popular way for marketers to receive a continuing stream of income from just one sale. Memberships are also called “continuity programs” since they have a continuing stream of income.

Typically, members pay a monthly fee for information and/or support. The deliverable can be as simple as a digital report each month, or as involved as a package of materials, teleclasses, and one on one coaching. Some high end memberships even include live meetings. I’ve seen memberships costing from $10/month to $297/month and more for “platinum” levels.

The Most Important Aspect to Marketing Your Business

When we consider the many ways to market our businesses, we usually think about these types of online strategies:

  • posting a blog entry
  • sending an ezine or newsletter
  • article marketing
  • using Google AdWords
  • search engine optimization (SEO)
  • creating more incoming links to our web site

There’s a key strategy that’s more important than any of these. To be effective, they need to be done consistently over a period of time. Not one of these strategies will help your business if you focus on it once and then move on to another strategy.

Get Creative About Creating New Ezine or Blog Content

The quality and value of your content will determine how your subscribers feel about you and your business. When we talk about starting a blog or an ezine, our clients will often express anxiety about generating quality content on a regular basis.

When I started my first ezine – long, long ago! – I was a little worried, too. But I soon realized it wasn’t that hard if I kept in mind the various formats I could use.

Your content can include one or more of the following formats:

Donkey in the Well

I thought this week I would step back and get a bit philosophical. I know many are going through hard times, due to real estate issues or flooding or hurricanes or job loss. This little parable is an old story, but one of my favorites. It never fails to give me needed perspective when the world seems aligned against me.

If you’ve been a subscriber for a long time, you may recognize this story. I published it in my ezine many years ago and thought it was worth repeating.

Donkey in the Well

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.

When Business is Slow, It’s the BEST Time to Market

I’ve noticed that when the economy slows down, many of my clients stop marketing their businesses because they’re afraid to spend the money. I think this is a big mistake!

When business slows down, it’s a great time to increase your marketing. Why? Two reasons.

First, you’re looking to get more business and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is through marketing.

Second, since so many other businesses are slowing down their marketing, any that you do for your business will stand out that much more and be even more effective than usual.

Surf the Web and Market Your Business at the Same Time!

Did you know that you can browse blogs and forums your target market reads for about an hour a week and be marketing your business? You can!

First, find blogs and forums that attract your target market. The topic should generally be related to your business in some way, but probably not published by a direct competitor. The objective in selecting these sites is that your actual or prospective customers are reading them on a regular basis.

Next, read through recent entries to find posts where you have something useful to add to the conversation – preferably on a topic that’s directly relevant to your business.