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We are all trying at present to build our lists but let me give you some advice. Many people will search Google and type in “targeted Leads” or worse still “buy leads” and think this is a good way to start. WRONG!

When they do this they are taken to a lead generation web site that will have something similar to this example of one ad I came across.

Could you honestly afford $349/month? It does not really inspire me to want to pay that much money. I went to the site and there is no guarantee that I could find.

You may also come across an offer for a certain amount of target leads:
“250,000 target leads – low price $250”

Sometimes the “newbie” that has come across these sites believes that all they have to do is purchase these leads and you will have a massive list in a very short time. The newbie may also have a product they are selling, and they convince themselves, if they can get a conversion rate between 1-3%, they are well on the way to making good money.

Now sometimes these leads are from the dreaded traffic exchanges and are not targeted at all. Sometimes they arrive through other forms of social media and again these are not targeted traffic. Unfortunately, the worst case scenario is you get no traffic at all. If you ask the company where you purchased the product why this could happen, you are then advised that your ad has been displayed and it is only a matter of time. Sometimes you ad may even be placed on adult sites.

This is why it is advisable to build the list yourself. In my opinion, using one of these lead generating companies would only cause you to lose money, get very frustrated and find that anyone who has managed to come to your site is not going to become a genuine subscriber. The moment you send this list a sales copy email, there will be a great many people who will unsubscribe. So be sure that you avoid these sites.

Now we have our blog started and a few posts, we want to get traffic to our site as soon as possible. To get any traffic to your site you have to tell people that you have a site.

Here are a few suggestions that may help get you that precious traffic. These are in no particular order. I am not even saying you have to do every one but I have included them here to help you.

1. Register your domain with Google – http://google.com/addurl . You can also add your site to my.yahoo.com and Bing. Or you may want to install a site map. Install the plugin Google XML sitemap – there are two that I like but I prefer the multi site support. It is very easy to install.

2. Read and comment on other people’s blogs in your niche. Ensure that you do read them and you leave an applicable comment. This sets up links and Google loves links.

3. Use social media sites (like Twitter and Facebook) and some Social Bookmarking sites to get noticed. I have listed some social booking marking sites for you. You should be able to click on the link for it to open.

Del.icio.us
Tagza
Newsvine
Blinklist
Mister-Wong

Or you may wish to use a free service like Social Marker and submit a lot at once.

4. I would ensure you use a pinging service. Some people use more that one but it is your choice. Do this every time you post.

Pingomatic
Pingoat
Feedshark
PinGates
PingIn

5. Submit articles to various sites. I would suggest that you use unique content for each site. When you write these articles make sure you include a link to your site. The terms and conditions of these article directories can be different so it is advisable that you read them carefully.

Ezine Articles
Go Articles
Article Dashboard
Article Biz
Article Alley

6. Ensure when you are sending emails or any other correspondence that you add your site into your signature block.

7. Visit forums in your niche and when you can add your URL to your signature block. Some forums want you be on their forum for a certain amount of time, while others want you to have a minimum amount of posts or threads before you can add your signature block.

8. If you are having new business cards printed, make sure you include your website.

9. Ensure you add RSS( Really Simple Syndication) to your blog. By using RSS, you blogs can be read using RSS aggregators or news feeds.

10. It is essential that you get into the habit of posting on your blog. It would be good if you could do at least two posts each week.

11. You have to be able to measure how many visitors are coming to your site. If you have created an optin form on your blog you can monitor your traffic there. I personally prefer Google Analytics but people argue for and against it. I like it. Remember if you cannot measure your traffic, you won’t know how you are going.

So I hope some of these suggestions may help you. Let me know what works best for you.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald

If you are finding some of the tasks that you have to do are consuming all of your available time, you may want to outsource some of these tasks. To employ these people is relatively easy. The majority of these people will have a rate of pay that is much lower than if you live in the US or UK.

There are several sites where you can get work done and it is handy to know where they are. Some of these sites employ people from all over the world so you must know how to find the right person.

Most of these sites will show the rating of the people they employ. The ratings have been put there by people who have employed these people for various tasks previously.

How do you know if you are employing the right person? I have included some ideas and questions you may ask them. As I said, a lot of these people live and work where English is not their first language.

If you feel that they are capable and might be able to do the work, I would suggest that you interview by email first. Most of the companies that employ these freelancers will not allow you to deal with the person directly. You have to go through the company to get your answers – bit like a chat room.

Some of the questions you may ask:

Do you speak and write English fluently?

How long have you been doing this type of work?

What are your primary skills?

How many hours a week can you work for me?

If the company does not have a set method to pay them, for example credit card or paypal, ask how you pay them. If you cannot pay, using either of these methods, you will find that all other methods can become expensive.

So you think that you have found someone who may be right for you – give them a test. You could easily ask them to go and look at your blog or site and write a paragraph that explains what your blog or site is all about. This will give you a good indication as to their comprehension ability. If you want them to write articles or blogs for you, you need to know that they have a good command of the English language and their grammar is correct.

If they pass that test, you can then interview them on skype. Again you have to know what to ask questions. Here are a few suggestions:

What is your administrative background?

How many clients are you currently working with?

What kind of work have you undertaken in the past six months?

May I contact your recent clients for references?

What hours do you normally work?

What are your rates?

What do your rates cover and not covers?

Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?

These are some of the sites were you can find these workers.

ODesk –http://www.odesk.com

Scriptlance –: https://www.scriptlance.com/

Guru – http://www.guru.com/

Vworker: http://www.vWorker.com

Fiverr: http://fiverr.com (if you are thinking of getting something done on fiverr -  make sure you use the star top rated seller people.)

Start the person on one task to see that they can do it. It is advisable to create a video to tell and show them exactly what you expect them to do. You cannot expect them to know exactly what you want unless you instruct them. This is the beginning of you starting your own team.

If the person does not work out, you may have to tell them they are no longer required. Be well aware of your rights as each site is different. Always read their terms of service.

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Keyword research is actually a part of Search Engine Optimization. What you are aiming for is getting the correct keywords or keyword phrases in your niche that a visitor is searching for.

To begin to search for relevant keywords, there are several keyword search tools you can use but I would suggest the free version of Google Keyword Tool or the paid version of Market Samurai or wordtracker. Google keyword tool will give you all the information you need to allow you to make a decision on what keywords , both long and short tailed, you should use. Long tailed keywords usually consist of three or more keyword joined together.

Keyword research can be very time consuming but if done correctly, can help get your site up into the top ten with Google for your domain name or URL.

A good site contains the information that people are searching for. When you go to Google Keyword tool and you type in the keyword you want and the captcha. Google will automatically show you a very large list all related to the keyword you entered. Go through the list and select no more that ten but you may only want to select five.

Always select keywords or phrases that have lower searches per month. This way you will be able to be more successful, because less competition, means that you can get you site up the rankings faster. Many times people type in long phrases when they are searching for information.

Remember when you start to write you site pages always keep in mind the amount of keyword you can use. A density of 3-5 % is what is required. I have seen some site that say up to 10% but I would prefer less. There are free sites that will analyze your URL and let you know the percentage of keyword or keyword phrases you have used. Never use a higher percentage than this because your work could be regarded as spam and blacklisted.

Your main keyword should always appear in your domain name. Therefore always select your domain name carefully. If you have the right keyword combination in your domain, it is likely that people typing in your keywords will arrive at your site.

If you ever thought things weren’t going your way, try looking at this. What an amazing amount of courage this guy must have had growing up. I know that you will be amazed as I was when I first saw it. What a positive frame of mind. Words cannot describe this guy.

Search Engine Submission – AddMe

Internet Marketing is evolving at a rapid rate and if you are an internet marketer, you have to move forward with the new wave and that is – video marketing and mobile telephones. These are two of the fastest ways to advertise any product or service. The statistics are that 85% of people will answer a text message on their phone within 20 minutes. I tend to believe that email marketing will soon become a thing of the past. The reason I say this, because as you are all aware, how many email remain unopened in your own inbox? Most of us just delete emails if we do not see a good captivating subject line or we know the sender.

The benefits of using video as a marketing tool are many. The majority of people are too lazy to read and would prefer to watch a video. It is a much quicker way to give people more information in a shorter space of time. Video is a great media for introducing yourself, your company, your brand and also your services and products. People want to see images and learn some of the background information about you and your company. It is a fast way to build trust between you and them.

A point of caution – if you are going to start marketing using video, always keep your message short. Like any other form of marketing, you want to keep people’s attention. A short video will allow you to get your message across very quickly.

As I have told people before, this is the “instant” age. There are “instant” meals; “instant” coffee and now we can get “instant” information.  We want everything delivered at warp speed. If we go to Google and type in a search, we want the information – NOW. If given the choice of reading a report or a book on our search subject, we will opt to watch the video. It is a much faster way to obtain the information.

Think of how YouTube has taken off in the last few years. People love looking at the videos there. So if this is indicative of how people prefer to “see” information rather than “read” it; it stands to reason, a video marketing campaign could deliver you much more traffic.

It always surprises me that people sign up and pay for courses but fail to take action. Some start and then stop.

There are many reasons and a main one could be they are trying to hold down a full time job and juggling a family and then find time to devote to the course. They begin to fall further and further behind and get despondent. Rather than have this feeling of sadness, why not concentrate on the other two and try again later – maybe with another coach and teacher. Sometimes, something has to give, and at this stage, it cannot be the day job that is producing an income, and it certainly cannot be the family, so that leave the last one – the course.

I still cannot see that ever member of IBCX has started a WordPress blog. Some have allowed themselves to be defeated before they started. Internet Marketing, like a lot of other things in life, requires the right mindset. I know I talk about this subject quite a lot but it is so important and people ignore it. You have to know what you want, believe in your ability and take the time to write down your goals. Affirmation and visualization are two of the most powerful tools that you can use.

I will give you an example of how it works. When you are young you started walking everywhere and you do not even know of the existence of a bicycle and you would not even know if you wanted to ride one. This stage of your development is called “unconscious incompetence” because you really don’t know-what you don’t know. Then for Christmas or birthday you get your first bicycle. You get to try to ride your bicycle and sometimes you fall off and sometimes you surprise yourself how hard you have to concentrate to stay on and ride. This stage is called “conscious incompetence.”  This is because you really do not know how to ride but we are trying to learn. As time goes by, with all your concentration and focus you finally ride your bicycle. This is called “conscious competence”. Now you do not even think about balance and using peddles and all the rest so now you have mastered riding – you have reached the level of “unconscious competence”. It becomes an automatic thing; you can just get on the bicycle and ride it effortlessly.

The true success rate for Internet Marketing is between 2-3%. If, as a child, you could learn to master riding your bicycle just believe in yourself enough to master Internet Marketing. The thoughts we have and the images we visualize will determine the action we take. Positive thoughts will produce results.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a lecture – what I am trying to say that all things are possible.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald

I heard this the other day and thought how much it applies to all things in your life but especially for me it relates very well to Internet Marketing. So many people are drawn into the world of internet marketing with the promises of making a lot of money very quickly. They hear of the success stories and they think they will be able to replicate them but the truth of the matter is very different.

Do you think that YOU can be successful online? To be a success requires the right mindset and be prepared to work for what you want.

For someone who has just entered the world on internet marketing, they often make the fatal mistake of buying products that promise the world. They buy books, courses, DVD’s and anything else that they are offered because they are told they can make from a few hundred dollars a day to thousands in a few months. Sadly after spending, sometimes many thousands of dollars, they come to the realization that it is not easy and the only one that has made money is the person who sold them the material in the first place.

Unfortunately, this could be my story and part of it is. I was the gullible newbie who wanted so desperately to make money that I was shelling out money for video courses and books until I realized that there had to be an easier way. This is what I do not want YOU to do. Do not be deceived by “all the shiny objects” that you see on the net. I guarantee you – they do not work.

I was a bit like a ship without a rudder. Yes, I was in the water but certainly not going anywhere and maybe even ready to drown. If there was an easier way – I was determined to find it.
Now what I really needed was a coach, a teacher and someone who would mentor me. Now there is a Chinese proverb that says “When the student is ready the teacher will come”. I had studied Chinese philosophy and found a lot of wisdom in it.  One of the best things that happened to me was signing up for the Internet Business Code X Course.

So if you want to learn, I would recommend this course. You cannot join at the moment, but if you do sign up now, each week you will receive an email full of a series of quick techniques, tips and hints that will help move you forward with your knowledge.

So this is Sue McDonald telling you – “If it is going to be – it is up to me” but if you want success – it is up to YOU.

I really loved this video and thought I would like to share it with you.

It just shows if we really think about it, this is a lesson in copyrighting.The way we write could make a whole lot of difference. Think about how you want to express yourself.

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Well it has been a month since I signed up for my new course – Internet Business Code X. If you want to join, sorry this course is closed but you can go and put your name on the waiting list for when the course opens again.

I am really impressed with everything about this course. I would love you to join, hey not for me, but for you. What I really want you to think about is exactly where you want to be and what you want to accomplish in the years ahead.

If like me you are in the Internet Marketing niche, I want you to really be realistic and plan the months ahead to achieve what you want to do. For this plan to work we have to write out the exact road map to getting where we want to be.

I was in a college lecture once and the lecturer posed this question to the group. “If you don’t complete this course, where will you be in one year?”  Most of us looked at one another and were confused.  What did he mean? Where would we all be in one year if we did not complete the course? No one answered – the lecturer answered the question himself. He said “The answer is very simple, you probably will not have advanced in your job, but you will be another year older and have wasted another year of your life.” Those words really made me think. What he was saying was that time is a commodity that cannot be replenished. Unlike restocking you food pantry, by buying more food, you can never replace the time that you waste.

So whatever you think you want to do, think very carefully about how you are going to achieve your goals. So this is why I want you to think and plan and do not waste any opportunities that present themselves to you.

If you have wanted to get educated in Internet Marketing, I would suggest that this is the very time for you to take action. A lot of people want to know exactly the right steps needed to be successful in this field. There is no easier way that getting a coach/mentor to show you how to gradually learn all the skills necessary to move forward and finally break through and start earning some money.

As your skill level increases, be prepared to help other people and you will find that there is a Law of Karma “what you put out there, you will receive in return.” So be prepared to help others and experience the joys of giving and receiving.

To YOUR success

Sue McDonald