Grab your web hosting package deal with very special promotion - for today only!

I know it’s kinda last minute, but I just got the email for a special web hosting package for this Halloween. But for me, this is perfect timing.

I’ve actually just signed up for a package as my other web hosting package ends very soon.

For a normal package with limited hosting space and bandwidth, for today only, its unlimited. For a low, low monthly price of $5.95

So I immediately signed up and very soon, I’ll be transferring my hosting to An Hosting.

If you happened to be here and need web hosting, sign up immediately below for a special deal:

Did you know that software is the most downloaded product on the Internet?
Imagine the tremendous power to attract traffic if you could combine the most downloaded product with the powerful concept of viral marketing.

You now can, with software specially designed with viral marketing embedded, available at IM Buzz Creators.
IM Buzz Creator started a few months ago with a membership program whereby members get a new software with viral marketing element embedded, each month. This membership costs between $17 to $27 per month depending on when you join.

Some examples of the software are:

1. Copy Buzz
2. Affiliate Buzz
3. Keyword Buzz
4. Link Buzz
5. Cloaker Buzz
6. Forum Buzz
7. Project Buzz
8. Blog Buzz
9. Equi Buzz
10. Optin Buzz
11. Squeeze Buzz
12. Directory Buzz
13. Coupon Buzz
14. Info Buzz 

So there’s quite a few software you can use for viral marketing when you join as a member. 

Now, for a limited time, you can become a member of IM Buzz Creator for zero cost. Yes, that’s right. No typo errors.
IM Buzz Creator is giving these software for free and with rebranding rights for viral marketing.

So how exactly do these software work?

As an example, take Keyword Buzz. This software allows you to input any keywords to do your keyword research. On the interface of this software, are visible links that you can customize to link to your affiliate product websites or even your own websites.

You can sell these software or offer them free on your blog, website, etc.
You can build your list with this strategy and at the same time promote your affiliate products or other websites.

Watch this video for more details:

You’ll be hit with one-time offer to upgrade…twice. If you do not want to upgrade, click past that and you’ll soon have access to the free membership area with the above-mentioned software plus one new one each month. There’s also a training area teaching you how to use the software and do rebranding.

Sign up here and soon you can explode your list by using these viral marketing software tools, for zero costs.

Now he tells me!

A few months back I paid $9.95 for this eBook, Adsense Secrets 4.0.

Now Joel Comm is giving it away for free! Now you can download it free. Not only that, you also get 7 audio recordings of interviews with some highly successful online marketers. There’s also a video explaining the giveaway.

So go there now:

Here’s an update on some of the new features and services being offered on LeadsLeap.
Since the launch, LeadsLeap has been a bit quiet for a while. But that was probably because it was developing some new features for it’s membership.

A “Viral” blog was launched in early March. Why “viral” blog? Basically it’s like a normal blog except there’s a referral effect in that there’s an affiliate link to each post. Any reader that reads the blog through your affiliate link and signs up as a member, is considered to be your downline.

Read an article from the blog here:

How to Increase Your Google Page Rank to PR4 for Free

More …

Ever wonder what type of free gift works best when you want to build your subscriber list using squeeze page?

Would a free report do? Or would an eBook be better? How about software? Not sure?

Then you should go to this blog and read:

What Kind of Free Gift Works Best For Your Squeeze Page?

In the recently concluded World Effie Festival, Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew gave an insight on his strategy for Singapore when he was the Prime Minister.

The World Effie Festival, held on 28th and 29th February 2008 in Singapore is a world’s first “global celebration of creative effectiveness, where the brightest minds in creative, design and marketing will gather to analyze and inspire the very best in creative and effective communication.”The event was attended by some renowned personalities such as Lord Sebastian Coe, former double Olympics gold medallist; Simon Clift, Global Chief Marketing Officer of Unilever; Allen Olivo, VP, Global Brand Marketing of Yahoo; Larry Flanagan, Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard, and Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO of India’s United Breweries and Kingfisher Airlines.

Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew grace the event where he gave a speech, titled “Branding of Singapore”. He shared his personal perspectives on the strategy for branding and marketing of Singapore.

In his early days as Prime Minister, he decided that branding Singapore and its people is critical to its success, since the tiny island has no natural resources. Singapore’s current image as an efficient, law-abiding, stable, quality-conscious nation with integrity, is an end result of this strategy. Also part of this image is one of being prudish and up-tight. It is this latter part of image, that the government is now trying to change with casinos, Formula 1 races, and The Singapore Flyer (a giant ferris wheel).

Singapore started out after its independence in 1965 with the intention to create a corruption-free and efficient government so that it can be a place to do business without worry of its integrity. and inefficiencies. This has attracted many multi-national companies (MNCs) like Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments to start manufacturing facilities in the island.Similarly, Internet marketers must have a strategy and treat their online ventures as a long-term business.

Just like Singapore branding itself as an efficient, trustworthy and with integrity, Internet marketers must brand themselves as trustworthy, dependable and efficient. These enable Internet marketers to build good, trustful relationships with their subscribers. And when subscribers trust their Internet marketers, they will buy more! One important thing to note is that Internet marketers must build trust right from the beginning of their journey in Internet marketing. It’s much easier to start from a blank piece of paper.

It’s certainly not overnight that Singapore managed to cultivate it’s successes. Internet marketers, too must abide their time and build up their reputation by providing good content and service to their subscribers.

Strategies, just like business plans must have some flexibility built-in and be tweaked when necessary due to changing circumstances. This is what Singapore is trying to do now, to banish its staid and boring image by bringing in casinos, F1 races and the world’s largest ferris wheel, to attract more businesses and tourists to bring in more revenue.

In my previous post about Strategy Vs Tactic, I talked about the importance of having a strategy if you want to succeed in Internet marketing. In fact, having the right strategies are also very important when it comes to other areas of life.

Since this is an Internet marketing blog, I’ll just focus on that area in this post.I’m sure many of us, starting in our Internet marketing journey have bought “stuff”, me included. Stuff like eBooks, software, CDs, and coaching programs. We purchased these “stuff” thinking that they would further our cause in our online businesses.

What we’ve purchased are actually just a bunch of tactics, without having a clear idea of how we are going to put them all to work in setting up our online businesses. We buy them thinking, “Yeah, that’s really useful. I’m sure I need them in the near future”. Well, months passed and the CDs are still sealed in the original wrapper, the eBooks and software are still zipped up somewhere in the hard drive, the coaching programs are already gone and done with…but still no action!

Or maybe you’ve put some of the “stuff” to use in some un-coordinated fashion that leads nowhere.

Come on…I’m sure some of you are virtually nodding your head and understand what I’m saying! I’m guilty of some of that too!

Without a clear overall strategy on how we are going to build our online businesses, any new “stuff” that we come across will tempt us. And we will buy if the sales copy is good enough.

However, with a clear strategy, we will process each “next-best-thing” and see whether it fits into our strategy. It becomes clearer whether we need to invest more time to figure out whether and how this “next-best-thing” fits into our strategy.

To formulate your strategy, you got to have your goals and objectives set up. Each person’s goals are different and therefore, the strategy is different for each Internet marketer.

Take an inventory of all the “stuff” you have. Make a list of what’s in your possession. For instance, that web graphics package you bought, or that link cloaker software you purchased, or the eBooks sitting in your hard drive, or that eBay self-study course. List down every single item.

Get back to those goals and objectives that we had formulated and see how to integrate them into a plan to further your cause in Internet marketing. It’s the strategy that drives everything. Strategies set the direction of your actions and map out a path for you to navigate through it. The tactics are there to implement the strategy or strategies, as well as all the tools that you’ve purchased or obtained and the skills to use them. If you do not have the skills, learn them. Or if that’s too difficult or take up too much of your time, outsource the tasks.

So the next time you come across an Internet sales letter or attend an Internet marketing seminar, pull your hand-brake before you click the “Submit” button or hand over your credit card, and ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Does this fit into my strategy and do I really need it?
2. If it does and I need it, do I have a similar thing already in my possession? (That’s why taking an inventory of your items is important)
3. If I don’t already have it, do I need it now?

To succeed in Internet marketing, you have to start thinking about your goals, objectives and come up with a strategy or strategies on how to stake your claim on a significant portion of the online money pie.

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”…said Sun Tzu.

Internet Marketing can be likened to be a battlefield where Internet marketers battle for the online money pie. There are many battlefields in the form of different market niches or segments in Internet marketing and the combatants are the Internet marketers in their particular niches. Since Internet marketing is like the battlefield, Sun Tzu’s statement above is very appropriate.

To expand on this statement, right strategy without tactics will lead to success…eventually. Tactics without strategy will bring on many actions that lead to…nowhere. In short, strategy coupled with tactics brings success.

2 other elements smoothens the journey in Internet marketing success. These are tools and skill sets. Tools such as software and programs enhance efficiencies while skill and ability to use these tools shortens and enhances the processes to reach success.

Strategy is like a road map, which shows where to go. To know where to go, you have to know your destination. This destination is your goal. So you need to know your destination (goal) in order to know which road map (strategy) to use. After knowing which road map (strategy) to use, you plan on the methods (tactics) to reach your ultimate destination.

You have to decide on the goals you want to achieve in Internet marketing and other areas of your life and quantify (put into numbers) it, along with the timeline you want to achieve them. This will enable you to break down your goals into yearly, monthly, weekly and daily objectives and formulate strategies on how you want to achieve your goals within the time period you set. Then, devising tactical methods with the tools you have obtained and the skills to use them, you reach your objectives set according to your strategies.

Without a clear strategy in place:

• you are merely using tactics as and when you come across them in the Internet, claiming to be the next best thing.
• you will be swayed by craftily-created sales pitches and buy any product without thinking how they would integrate with your strategy.
• you will not be able to focus on what you are supposed to do and be lead astray by the bombardment of the many, many email marketing campaigns that fill your ‘Inbox’ everyday.
• and its accompanying tactical methods, you are like a little lost sheep going where the grass seems greener, even if its an illusion.

So decide on your goals, quantify them and then break them into various objectives with timelines. Next, formulate your strategies and tactics on how to achieve those objectives. If all these are in place and followed, your success in Internet marketing is virtually guaranteed.

Easier said than done, but that is the challenge in this Internet marketing journey you have embarked, which is not a sprint but a marathon. Just like a real marathon, the right strategy and tactics applied with the dexterity in usage of the proper tools, brings you successfully across the finishing line of accomplishment. 

ps. Click for an English-translated copy of The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The fruits of a successful Internet marketer are very tempting to a newbie in Internet marketing.
The dream of making money while sleeping or relaxing by the pool and beach sure conjure up a tempting picture!
And the image of cash pouring in at the push of a few buttons cooked up by some Internet marketers just increases the excitement felt by Internet marketing newbies.

The statistics on sales made online sure makes that a definite possibility. According to figures given by PC Magazine, in UK alone, web sales in 2007 rose 29% to a staggering £130 billion! Now, who wouldn’t want a slice of that online pie? Even if its a teeny weeny slice!

At Internet marketing seminars like World Internet Summit, you can commonly hear the Internet marketing experts say, “As long as you know how to send email, you can be Internet marketer!”

But is it really possible to make your fortune from the Internet?
Sure, its certainly possible to make piles of cash from the Internet. It’s been proven before.

But then again, is it really that simple?
Certainly…for some people. People with the right aptitude and mindset do make fortunes online. But for the majority, a huge, overwhelming majority I suspect, making enough money online to quit their day-time job remains a pipe dream.

Many new Internet marketers want to make it big but don’t have a clear idea how to go about it. So they buy coaching programs from “gurus”, hopefully to short cut the learning curve. But many “gurus’” coaching programs are not of the quality they claimed to be. Even if they are, newbies are not guaranteed success.

Even as the coaching programs’ quality is important in contributing to a newbie’s success, just as important if not more so, is each individual’s mindset and aptitude. Even with the best Internet marketing coaching program, if the newbie is not prepared mentally and physically to take action to implement it, he or she will not succeed. If he or she is not prepared to put in the hours to go through the program, he or she is better off saving the expensive fees, steering clear of such coaching programs. Some people buy such programs after being shown how good they are, hoping that the programs will somehow transform their lives.

The successful Internet marketers are some of the most hardworking people despite what some claimed. If the newbie is not mentally prepared to dig in the trenches and do the required work or wants success bad enough to do whatever it takes, its best to stick to their day jobs. Sure, they can outsource the tedious work but not everything can be outsourced. So what does it take to be a successful Internet marketer?

7 traits of a successful Internet marketer, in no particular order:
1. An entrepreneurial spirit
2. A can-do, never-quit attitude and does whatever it takes to make things happen
3. A marketing expert and be innovative in marketing techniques
4. Internet & technically savvy (not an absolute must but it sure cuts your learning curve)
5. Ability to focus on what’s important, one at a time in terms of priority
6. Integrity as a good business person. Building trust relationships successfully is huge, huge factor in Internet marketing
7. Be well-informed about the current and effective marketing techniques and ability to apply them quickly. This also means willingness and ability to learn and apply new stuff (techniques and technology)

If you have all 7 traits, GREAT! If not, you can still succeed if you have some of them.

If you are unwilling or unable to find time to take action to learn the ropes of internet marketing AND implement the knowledge you’ve acquired, don’t sign up for the “guru’s” coaching program! Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just by purchasing the program, you will somehow succeed in creating a passive income stream.

As an Internet marketer, it’s important to understand the factors that induce people to fork out their credit cards to buy things online.

Jim Edwards, a highly successful Internet marketer, shares what those factors are.

Everyone has a mental “switch”, which when flipped, would make him or her pull out his/her credit card to buy.
There are 2 basic emotions and one (or more) of 4 basic buying motivators that entices people to make purchases online.

The 2 basic emotions are:
1. Fear
Offline retailers try to invoke fear of losing out by holding sales (deadlines with financial incentives), but they hold sales so often that they lose much of their effectiveness.
Online retailers can effectively use fear of losing out by threatening to increase the price at any time, or only make an offer good until a certain period, or offer a limited quantity of bonuses.

2. Greed
Greed will also intensify the buying motivation by giving people a self-serving reason to buy now rather than later. This can be done simply by telling them how much money they can make or save as a result of buying now as opposed to waiting. This is especially effective in multi-tier marketing.
Greed can manifest in a more emotional form where customers covet the feeling they’ll get by making a purchase before anyone else. Whether it’s the good feeling from buying a loved-one that coveted gadget or the feeling of smug satisfaction of snagging the most popular gift, consumers are greedy for both material and emotional gain. Imagine the iPhone…Explain to them how they’ll be the first people to own that coveted item and you have a winner!

The 4 basic motivators are:

1. People buy because of money.
They buy based on how much money they can make or save by making the purchase. As a matter of fact, making money is the number one reason people buy just about any “info-product” online.
As an Internet marketer, you could put a spin on how your product could help people save or make money.
For example if you sell stuff related to golf (apparel, videos, equipment, etc.) you could add a report that explains how to get more
business by playing golf with clients. Businessmen, investment advisers, Realtors would buy your products just to get the bonus report about making money while playing golf.

2. People buy products that saves time and effort
People are always saying they don’t have enough time. So they buy products hoping to save effort and time in doing mundane tasks.
Software is popular because people hope (sometimes in vain) to offload tasks to their computers.
Show how your products saves time and reduces effort and people will help increase your sales.

3. People buy products to escape either physical or mental pain
Online pharmacies do well even though they represent a risky proposition, because people with physical problems need medicine.
One way to position your product or service to alleviate pain is by explaining how you take the risk out of the transaction. Explain how others put all the risks on the customers while you actually remove them through your guarantees, testimonials and proof that your products deliver as promised.

4. People buy products that promise increased popularity and social status

Why do you think people buy perfumes, books on how to pick up women, stylish clothes, acne treatments? So they can feel better about themselves and be more confident in social situations!

In summary, you can increase your online sales just by shifting the emphasis off what the product or service does (features) and onto what it does for the person buying it (benefits), along with putting in context as many of the 4 motivators for people to buy as you can.
Then, by intensifying your prospects’ desire through effective use of fear and greed, you can truly explode your sales.
All it takes is a little bit of careful thought, some basic explanation to your prospects, and the motivation to do a tiny bit more than others are willing to do in their marketing.

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