Viral Marketing 202

Before we get to Viral Marketing 202 I'll give you the basics for Viral Marketing 101.

1. Get a free product or website where you can insert your links.
2. Give away or sell the product or website with your links.
3. Let others give away or sell the product or website with your links.

Now that we all know the basics of viral marketing we can begin.

I recently asked my subscribers if they were doing some form of viral marketing and the results were dismal. There were so few votes that I immediately thought no one was doing it and they were afraid to admit it.

Then I offered a fantastic sale and offered a viral product as the bonus just for checking out the sales page. Imagine my surprise when the offered branding option for this viral product outsold the sale product.

The results of this sale told me that my subscribers are doing viral marketing but ...not as effectively as they could.

Since you didn't get the product from my last sale, EZ Download Page Generator, or maybe you have it but haven't had time to read the manual yet let me tell you that there's a lot more to viral marketing than just branding an eBook or a site and giving it away. Inserting your links into something and then giving it away is the simplest form of viral marketing.

Without going into all the gory details that are included in the manual purchased by my lucky subscribers, I will tell you that to use viral marketing to it's full extent, you have to combine it with up-sales, bonuses, eCourses and everything else related to internet marketing.

Example:

When I offered my last sale I also offered a bonus just for visiting the sales site. The bonus was my branded copy of a viral product that site visitors could give away. Of course I offered an up-sell to those who wanted the bonus - the chance to brand it themselves. By offering a bonus for visiting the sales page I was able to get my branded copy to many and start my viral marketing. By using an up-sell I was able make a few sales from those who wanted to give it away with their links included. (Viral marketing and money - great combination!)

I also included a bonus to those who purchased the product. Again, this bonus was a branded viral product with give away rights. The branding rights for this product are also available but they don't have to be purchased. Instead, the branding rights come as an free affiliate tool. If the receiver doesn't join the affiliate program and just gives away the eBook I again have some viral marketing in place.

If the receiver joins the affiliate program they get free branding rights to the bonus. Why would I want someone to sign up for a affiliate program and have the same viral tool I have? Simple, this is a member's only affiliate program. That means they have to become a paid member to become an affiliate and I get part of their monthly membership dues.

The product bonus has the potential for viral marketing and residual income - another good combination.

This example from my last sale is still a simple form of viral marketing but it is much more effective that just offering a free e-book or promoting a free viral marketing site.

To get a complete description of how to use viral marketing to it's full extent you need to read the manual included with EZ Download Page Generator. The manual alone is worth the price and the tool works great.

Now here's a question for you.

Do you know what very important element was left out of my sales example? I'll give you a clue.

It's something you should be doing in all your marketing.

Now your wondering, if it's so important why didn't I do it?

I didn't tell my readers in this article. I made them wait a week for the answer but you can get the answer here: http://www.friendswhocare.us/join.htm

To Your Success,
Susan

How DEEP Is Your Foundation?

Today's tip comes from the first lesson in a 7 day ecourse written by Steve Yakim - one of my subscribers. In this lesson Steve gives some extremely valuable information about list building.

They say, "The money is in the list." But what they don't say is ...

Read today's tip to find out.
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Day 1 of a 7-Day eCourse

In Today's Lesson...

"4 Simple Principles To Building A Solid Foundation
That Will Insure Both Immediate and Long-Term
Profits That ANYONE Can Follow!"

FOREWORDBefore we launch into today's lesson and officially begin this 7-day eCourse, there are a couple things that I want to point out to you.

***This eCourse was developed specifically for the EZ - Marketing Kit owners.

While the information contained in this course is written with EZ-MK owners in mind, it can be applied by ANYONE. That means YOU.

***Today's lesson is a foundation that we will build on throughout the week and a general overview of what you need to succeed online.

Having said that, let's get started.

Whether you already have an Internet Business...

...or you are just starting out, your online business must be built on a solid foundation.

Let me paint a picture in your mind...

Think of your ebusiness as a tall building, a skyscraper. Picture this skyscraper as having many offices on each floor. Each of these offices represents the different parts of your Internet business.

One office could be for your autoresponder. Another office would be where your newsletter is published. Other offices could be for your tracking software, joint ventures, resell rights products, and your own products. This is just to name a few.

Now, it is very important that this skyscraper (your ebusiness) have a solid foundation on which to stand. Can you imagine a skyscraper not built on a solid foundation?

It would topple over because of the wind, rain and other elements. When constructing a building there is a principle that has to be followed...

The taller the building, the deeper the foundation has to be.

The height of a building is directly proportionate to the depth of the foundation.

So, if you want your business to grow big and tall (become successful), It has to be built on a D E E P foundation. The D E E P foundation of any successful online business is email marketing.

It is darn near impossible to be successful online without some form of email marketing.

Everything you do in your online business is going to be tied in some way to your D E E P foundation. I do not care what you are doing online, email marketing is your foundation.

There is NOTHING that can compare to a good list. I hope you will keep this image of your business as a skyscraper in your mind. It should help you remember that your ebusiness foundation has to be D E E P.

Now let's talk about your foundation, which is email marketing.Everything that you do online must in some way build your list.

I want to pound this into your head.

D E E P is really an acronym I use to represent 4 different parts of your ebusiness foundation. That brings you to the "D" part of the D E E P foundation.

"D" stands for diverse. By this I mean you have to have more than just a newsletter list. An ezine or newsletter is just one small corner of the big picture when it comes to email marketing. That is just one small part to your overall plan.

You need more than just one list. You need many lists and sublists. These lists need to be what I call tightly targeted lists. You need to use these tightly targeted lists to automatically build your skyscraper for you.

That's right!

For the most part, these tightly targeted lists can be built automatically. Personally I have over 30 different lists and that is what I call diversity.

If you want to be diverse in your email marketing, you have to have many lists.

Your email marketing can't be tied to just one list. Now you know the "D" part of the D E E P Foundation.

The first "E" in the D E E P foundation stands for effective. It's one thing to have 30 differents lists, you could have 300 different lists, but it is another thing to know how to use these different list and to use them effectively.

Email marketing as you should know is not just about building your lists. That alone will not earn your income and will not pay your bills. You need to know how to work your lists and turn your subscribers into buying customers.

Here is a point you need to remember. Subscriber is another way of saying future customer. This is a very important point that I am going to emphasize through out these lessons...

Subscriber = Future Customer

That is it for now about the first "E" in the D E E P foundation.

The second "E" in the D E E P foundation stands for educational.Now this part of the D E E P foundation is the biggest key to the success of your email marketing. That is to educate your subscribers.

One thing you have to realize is that you can't just hit your lists with offer after offer expecting your subscribers to part with their hard earned cash just because you asked them to.

You may get one or two give up this hard earned cash, but for the most part, your subscribers aren't stupid.

Instead you have to educate your subscribers. You have to give them quality content. Not just theories. Give your subscribers something they can easily put into practice.

By supplying quality content, you are insuring your subscribers that you know what you are talking about and will encourage them to purchase some of your paid materials.

So if you want your list members to buy from you, you have to supply consistent quality content that your subscribers can use and apply.

Let me explain what I mean when I say quality content...

Quality is much more than being valuable. Just because something is valuable doesn't mean it is of high quality.

To help demonstrate my point...

Suppose you are stranded on a deserted island and didn't have a way off the island. Let's say you find an old pirate's chest filled with gold.

Now you know that gold is very valuable, but that is not any good to you because you need a boat to get off the island.

So just because something is valuable does not mean that it is useful. To me...

Quality = useful

Quality is something useful that the subscriber can use in their ebusiness.

People join your lists and stay on your lists because you supply plenty of quality content. Something they can use right away in their ebusiness.

Now you know the second "E" in the D E E P foundation means you need to educate your subscribers by giving them high quality content.

Now that brings you to the "P", the last part of the D E E P foundation. The "P" in the D E E P foundation stands for proactive.

Email marketing needs to be proactive. You must aggressively build your lists. You should spend a lot of time doing just the little things that will help build your lists.

Most of the list building strategies don't take much time and are easy to implement. They just need you to apply the strategies and start putting them into practice.

So you need to spend a lot of time building lists. The most important thing you can do to make your business grow and I mean grow fast, is to focus on building lists.

Again, Everything you do online must in some way build your lists. As you change your mind set about different parts of your ebusiness, you will find that list building will become second nature.

Now you know the basics of the D E E P foundation.

To get detailed quality information about using and applying the D E E P foundation in your ebusiness, be sure to visit "Email Traffic Tactics"

This is a high quality resource that will really improve your ebusiness when applied.

Today's lesson was just to get you warmed up.

Tomorrow, we'll cover...

"The Absolute Best Way To Start Building Your Lists." I will tell you where to find the best subscribers and how to get these people begging to join your lists.

Until then,

Steve A. Yakim
webmaster@EZasMagic.com
http://www.friendswhocare.us/ez/ecourse.htm

To Your Success,
Susan
FriendsWhoCare

What's In The Box?

A few years ago when I was still working a "real" job, the corporation I worked for adopted a phrase and had it posted all over the building...

"Think out of the box."

Being in R&D I never quite understood why they started telling us that since we were always looking for new solutions to both old and new problems.

However, since I've been online I've downloaded several products with "in a Box" as part of the title. Things like "Ezine in a Box" or "eBook Business in a Box."

But I've never used any of them - at least not the way they were packaged.

Why?

Because the only time you can possibly get a "good," ready to use digital product out of a box is when you get a toolbox.

When it comes to your internet business there is no "in a box" package that can provide you with a ready made business. Heck, if it was that easy then everyone who started an online business would just get a package and start making money.

The truth is it's not that easy. You can't just open a package, change a couple of links and start making money.

A few years ago "in a Box" products may have worked for some but not any more. Today there are so many sites and marketers offering the same thing thinking you can just open a package and make money is a big mistake.

To be successful, you must do some "out of the box" thinking and be creative. Sure, you may take some of the ideas or content from the "box" as a start but you have to add your unique touch. Maybe you add or change the bonuses. Maybe you change the price. Maybe you make your own sales copy. It may be a large or a small change, but it must be something that will set you apart from the thousands of others offering the same thing.

Remember those Jack-in-a-box toys? Put Jack in, turn the crank and wait for him to pop out and surprise you.

That's how you should use most "in a Box" digital products. Put their information in your mind, mix that information with other things you know and surprise everyone with your unique offer.

Whether you're doing affiliate marketing, a reseller or you have your own product, you've got a lot of competition. And to use another old phrase: "You don't have to reinvent the wheel." - You just have to make it look different.

"What's in your box?" I don't know and to get me to find out you'll have to "Think out of the box."

To Your Success,
Susan

It's All About Discipline

Having your own internet marketing business means being able to enforce some self discipline.

While many people think that time management is the only form of discipline you must enforce on yourself when you have your own home business, it isn't. There are at least 7 aspects in your life you must learn to adjust and today we're going to look at them.

1. Time Management - Learn to use your time effectively.
   
   You must identify "weak spots" - the things in your business that suck a lot of your time and energy but produce very small results. For most, email and the amount of time spent reading and responding eats up their most valuable time. For others, proof reading their site and making sure they catch every typo is their downfall.
   
   If you are spending some of your most creative and productive time on "weak spots", you need to redo your schedule and give your most creative and productive time to the areas of your business that earn you the most.
   

   
   

2. Eating - Having a healthy diet will give you more energy to work your business. It's easy to fall victim to caffeine, sugar and "junk food" while spending hours at your computer but all of these things are actually draining your energy in addition to the damage they're doing to your overall health.
   
   To maintain your health and boost your energy level, adopt some healthy eating habits. Just because the refrigerator is only a few steps away doesn't mean you should visit it frequently. Likewise, just because the computer is close to your dinner table, you shouldn't be eating your meals staring at your monitor.
   
   Maintaining a proper diet and separating food from work is an important part of having a successful life and business.
   

   
   

3. Exercise - A good exercise program can boost your energy and improve your attitude. It's a well known fact that exercise improves muscle tone and it also helps reduce stress.
   
   Exercising your mind is a good thing but don't forget about your body. No matter what your physical limitations, you need to exercise on a regular basis and typing on your keyboard doesn't count.
   
   Walk, jog, play tennis or whatever it is you do, do it on a regular basis to keep your mind and body at their peak performance level.
   




4. Remember Your Family - When working from home it's easy to devote all your time to your business but this is a big mistake if you have a family and they're not involved in your business.
   
   Your doing your business to make your family life better, right? Well don't neglect your family or you might not have one when your business starts doing well.
   
   Having your family involved in your internet marketing business is a great benefit that most don't enjoy. And if you happen to be one of those with a wonderful family who's not involved in your business, remember to spend quality time with them - frequently!
   

   
   

5. Take Time For Yourself - You are not your business. You are a person who enjoys doing some things that may not relate to your business and these things are important.
   
   Although you may have built your business around the one thing you enjoy the most, you have other interests that you need to spend time on to maintain your mental health. Maybe you enjoy reading or watching certain TV shows. Maybe you enjoy playing games or participating in some sports. No matter what your other interests, you need to devote some of your quality time to them.
   
   Don't put your other interests on hold or in a time slot where you can't enjoy them. These interests make you who you are and allow you to relieve tension. Do them when you can enjoy them and get the full benefit of their usefulness.
   

   
   

6. Grow Your Business - You should be spending at least 50% of your time either developing new products or expanding your business in some way.
   
   Think of your business like a garden. You plant the seeds and nurture the seedlings until they become grown and produce results. Then you must maintain your garden by weeding, feeding and watering it.
   
   But no matter how well you maintain that garden, you will still lose some plants over time and the results of your labor will decrease. To keep the results high and to get an increase, you must keep planting.
   
   This is how your business is. You work hard to get a customer base and you must maintain it. But if you don't constantly work to get new products and to grow your customer base, the results of your labor will go down.
   

   
   

7. Have Fun - What's the point of anything if you can't enjoy it?
   
   Sure, you want to make money with your business but if you don't enjoy doing it then it's the same as having a "job" and you aren't getting one of the biggest advantages of being your own boss.
   
   Having fun with your own business means different things to different people. Maybe you want to set up a "fun" site that doesn't make money but allows you to share your creative side. Maybe you want to spend some of your earnings on something for yourself, your family or you business even though you don't really need it. Maybe you want to take some time off and be with your family or friends. It's your business, you're in charge and you can do any of these things when you want.
   
   Don't abuse this wonderful privilege but do take advantage of it. Allot a set amount of time or money to do those things that make having your business fun.

To be a healthy, successful internet marketer you must take control of your life and be able to impose and enforce some discipline to these 7 areas.

To Your Success,

Susan