Article Marketing & Online Marketing Strategies from IdeaMarketers - Where Your Ideas Shine

Can You See Some of the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing?

Michele PW, our official Marketing Online Expert

As you may know, I am on a MISSION to shine a great big TRUTH spotlight on all the Big Fat Lies you're most likely telling yourself about Internet Marketing right now. However, I can only do so much. I can tell you what the truth is. And you may even believe it. (In your head that is.) But then, come the darkest part of the night, you'll wake up in a sweat. And you'll be thinking: "What if Michele is wrong? What if the reason why I'm having so much trouble succeeding on the Internet really IS all about me?"

During the day it's easy to be rational. We understand in our heads that some marketing strategies will succeed, some will fail, and the best way to grow a successful business is to analyze why the failures failed and use that information to create more successes. But in the dead of night, all of those good, objective intentions can fly away, leaving us alone with our doubts, fears, frustrations and anxiety.

 

Read Michele's entire article Why do we believe the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing?

Find Your Market Through Viral Video Marketing and Other Marketing Techniques

Ruth Kettler, our official eBusiness web development and marketing strategies for online success Expert

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, viral video marketing provides you with the most powerful and effective method of connecting with your market. A quality video that establishes your credibility and professionalism is a hot ticket to reaching your market in the best way possible. Most website and blog visitors do not like to read volumes of information. They will scan headlines and sub-headings, look at images and if the overall design and content get their attention, they will eagerly click on a video to get the full scoop. Marketing videos can be one of the most effective viral marketing techniques online.

There are three considerations for making your video presentation create a viral marketing effect online. These include:

1. Making your video marketing message effective
2. Getting your video to the right market
3. Using the internet effectively to get your video to the largest numbers of people in your market.

Read Ruth's entire atricle Capturing Your Market Through Viral Video Marketing and Other Viral Marketing Techniques

Quick and Easy Reasons Why You Should Use Email Marketing

Brian Rooney, our official Autoresponders Expert

More and more businesses are turning to Email Marketing. In today's economy, it is more important than ever to make sure that any advertising money spent results in good return. Email Marketing has been proven to be tremendously cost-effective and efficient.

Recent figures from the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) indicate that email marketing is now overtaking direct mail in terms of volume.

Regardless of the size of your business, you should consider using email marketing to begin reaching more prospects, attracting more business, and improving customer retention.

Here are a few of the top reasons your business should be using email marketing:

1) The Personal Touch: Email messages can be personalized to include the recipient's name. When someone gets an email addressed directly to them, they are much more likely to open it.

2) The Fast Track: Direct mail campaigns can be very time consuming and quite complicated. Typically, a direct mail campaign can take weeks or months to execute. Then there is the added waiting for delivery via postal mail.

Read Brian's entire article Reasons To Use Email Marketing

Internet Marketing Tips From the Expert Assisting You Even if It's Not Your Cup of Tea

Michele PW, our official Marketing Online Expert

On the surface, starting an internet-based business may seem like a dream come true. A business owner can start a business out of her home, selling her products and services everywhere and anywhere in the world without big marketing budgets or lots of advertising. However, once she puts up her first web site, that dream often comes crashing down -- it's not nearly as easy as it first looks. So, she does her research. She starts learning everything she can about Internet Marketing. But it's still not as simple as what the "gurus" say. Maybe the business owner is still stuck at her current revenue goals and she knows she could be making more. Maybe she feels uncomfortable or "icky" around her marketing. Maybe she agonizes over every negative email and feedback she gets. And maybe she feels like there must be a better way. Here are 3 tips to use to get more success through Internet Marketing:

1. Pull up those big girl panties and get some business training. People start businesses for all sorts of reasons that have really nothing to do with owning their own business. They want freedom, to provide for their families, to not have a boss, to get their message out into the world, to make a difference. None of those reasons started with the words, "I love business." So it only stands to reason they have little to no training or experience in business. If that's the case, it's unlikely that business will come naturally. Learning to run a business is like learning to do any skill. Learn to run an effective, profitable business, and put Internet Marketing in its proper place, which is . . .

Read Michele's entire article 3 Tips to Internet Marketing Even if It's Not Your Cup of Tea

Small Business Marketing Disaster Recovery

Jessica Swanson, our official Shoestring Marketing Expert

A few years back, I was one of the very first people to begin using Twitter as a marketing tool.

I was generating dozens upon dozens of quality leads every day, so you can imagine how thrilled I was with this brand new marketing platform.

Against by better judgment, I l spent hours a day on Twitter; I was busy as a bee connecting, following, unfollowing and Tweeting. I was addicted to this newfangled little marketing platform. (OK, it's probably safe to say that I was a bonafide Twitteraholic.)

As the months flew by, I had gathered a significant following of over 36,000 small business owners.

Ah, life was good!

But, in an instant, disaster struck.

In the middle of the night, my account was hacked and the hacker sent out hundreds of spammy and inappropriate Tweets to my followers. Of course, they complained.

The next morning, I logged in to get my daily "Twitter fix" and my account was gone.

Twitter had shut me down.

Read Jessica's entire article How to Recover From a Small Business Marketing Disaster

How to Tell Why Your Web Site Isn't Selling?

Michele PW, our official Marketing Online Expert, gives tips for identifying the problem with your web site - why isn't it selling? From the Women's Business Empowerment Summit (part 4)

 

Watch more of Michele's videos

Maximize Your Ideas for Business with Custom WordPress Themes for Websites, Blogs & eCommerce Website Design

Ruth Kuttler, our official eBusiness Web Development and Marketing Strategies for Online Success Expert

If you are feeling lost and bewildered about how to best compete on the internet with scores of competitive websites, this article will help you to understand exactly how a custom WordPress website created from a responsive WordPress theme could be your best answer. 

We will assume you have an understanding of the countless benefits of custom WordPress for your website, blog, sales landing page or eCommerce website design: affordable, quick to develop, easy integration of plugins and web conversion modules for enhanced functionality, enormous WordPress theme selections, and convenient and easy access to your market via search engine marketing.

A popular and growing trend is for more men and women to gain access to the internet through mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. These consumers will swiftly search, find, bookmark and purchase from mobile friendly websites on their smart phone and post their experiences on social networking sites. But they'll skip over your site when your eCommerce website design doesn't permit them to effortlessly view content from their phone. Websites without mobile friendly designs are being missed by this expanding and unique market of mobile device buyers. The good news is that most of your rivals haven't figured it out either. This leaves you with a clear advantage if you know what to do to and act swiftly to capture this market.

Read Ruth's entire article Maximize your Advantage with Custom WordPress Themes for Websites, Blogs & eCommerce Website Design

Witnessed Good Marketing in Small Businesses

Jessica Swanson, our official Shoestring Marketing  Expert

I love witnessing good marketing first hand.

I was driving my kids to school today and noticed a very large sign in the window of our local music store.

Free Guitars . . . inquire within

Even though I don't play the guitar, I took notice.

Is this store just handing out free guitars to anyone who walks through their door? Of course not. They're utilizing a very powerful marketing strategy that will ultimately bring them more prospects, customers and sales.

And, it couldn't be more simple.

Here's the brilliant strategy:

If you sign up for 12 guitar lessons, you will receive a free guitar for the duration of the lessons. Once you've taken lessons for 2 years, the guitar is yours to keep.

Read Marcia's entire article Remove Your Customer's Roadblocks

Marketing Made Easy, Natural and Fun

Do you have a product, service or message you'd like to share with the world? How would you like marketing it to be easy, natural and fun? 

I'm Marnie Pehrson, the creator of IdeaMarketers.com, and I've been helping hundreds of thousands of people get their messages out online since 1996. I'm here to tell you that marketing not only CAN be easy, natural and fun, but also it BETTER be if you want to be successful at it! Otherwise you just won't stick with it long enough to make it work. 

 I'd like to acknowledge something about you that's very important. If you're reading this, then you have something fundamentally necessary for successful online marketing. That's a desire! A desire to get your product, service or message out is critical. When your desire overpowers your fear, self-doubt and overwhelm, you'll do what it takes to succeed. So pat yourself on the back for having that desire! 

When someone asks you what you do, or visits your site, can you convey to them in seconds what you have to offer in a compelling way where they get it? Seconds is all you have. How would you like them to exclaim, "I love that! Tell me more!" I'm going to share with you three steps to achieving that type of reaction. 

First, get clear about the problem you see in the world. How are people suffering because they don't know what you know or because they don't have the product or service you offer? Are they lonely? afraid? trapped? stuck? depressed? dying? Make a list of the ways that people are suffering because they don't know what you know or have what you have. 

Second, what are the benefits that people will experience if they have what you have or know what you know? Once they have the solution you provide will they experience phenomenal relationships? Feel like they're floating on air? Be free? Achieve their dreams? Feel fantastically energetic and healthy? 

Third, who do you serve? What types of people can benefit from what you have to offer? Please, don't say "everyone." Everyone isn't your market. You can't possibly service the entire globe. Even if you believe everyone needs what you have, not everyone is going to be responsive to you. You need to narrow it down. Think of the people you've helped in the past -- which ones have been your favorites? What professions, gender, age-range, interests, or personality types are they? 

Now put them all together to create your elevator speech. I'll give you an example. Here's mine: 

I'm Marnie Pehrson, the creator of IdeaMarketers.com. The problem I see in the world is that highly talented, knowledgeable and creative people are going to their graves with their messages trapped inside them. This lack of self expression makes them feel unfulfilled and empty, which often leads to depression and even overweight and ill health. Why? Because they're 

• Trapped in fear -- of what other people will think, of failure, even of success
• Plagued by self-doubt. "Who am I that anyone would listen to me?" they ask.
• Overwhelmed by everything involved in the "how to" of it.

What if I told you that there's a way to greatly reduce, if not eliminate these three? What if you could convey your message powerfully in a way that grabbed people and made them want what you have to offer? What if you could feel the exhilaration of knowing you are delivering the message of your heart and it's changing lives? It's changing the world! You can! 

May I share a solution? I call it "Deliver Your Message to the Hearts of Thousands with Half the Effort!" In this free audio you'll discover the single most powerful tool for cutting through the noise and delivering your message in a powerful way that changes lives for the better. Grab your copy today for free at MarniePehrson.com

Ok, there's mine. Now, you give it a try! Combine the problem, the solution and who you serve to create your own grabbing explanation of what you do. You'll be able to use it everywhere -- at networking meetings, online, and even expand it into a signature speech. 

Don't forget to pick up that audio and start delivering your message to the hearts and minds of thousands with half the effort!

 

The REAL cost of Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies

From Guest-blogger, Michele PW, our official Advertising & Online Marketing Expert at IdeaMarketers.com

Over the years I've worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners. And there is one thing I know to be absolutely true.

It is NOT easy to own your own business. In fact, all of you entrepreneurs reading this should stop and pat yourself on the back right now.

(I mean it. Stop and pat yourself on the back. I don’t care how successful or unsuccessful you think you are -- you’re doing it. You've chosen a path that can be scary and frustrating and risky but it also can bring you the BIGGEST rewards and the HIGHEST highs.)

So if owning a business is tough, why would you make it all that tougher on yourself by believing the "lies" out there about Internet Marketing?

You see, there are a lot of beliefs swirling around out there about Internet Marketing that are either half-truths, sort-of-true-but-you-don't-know-the-whole-context or just an out-and-out lie. The problem is you may not know what is REALLY true and what you only THINK is true.

Actually that's not the biggest problem. The BIGGEST problem is when you believe these half-truths or lies and then you blame YOURSELF when Internet Marketing doesn't work for you.

THAT is the real cost of these lies. You blame yourself, the Universe, the economy, your products, etc. for what you PERCEIVE to be a failure. When, in actuality, it's something else entirely. For instance:

• Maybe you're using the wrong Internet Marketing strategy• Maybe you're using the right Internet Marketing strategy but you're skipping some crucial steps because you don't realize they're crucial
• Maybe your expectations are wrong  (maybe you're more of a success than you realize!)
• Or it's something else that is EASY to fix and has nothing to do with the "story" you've created around your failure

I want you to take a deep breath right now and open yourself up to this new reality. It's not YOU that's the problem. It's something else -- something outside of yourself and something that's easily fixable.
How does that feel?

What if THAT was the truth? Not these Big Fat Internet Marketing lies you're most likely telling yourself right now?

So, do you want to hear MY take on the Top 3 Big Fat Internet Marketing lies are? I've created a 3-part video series with the co-founders of the Inner Mean Girl Reform School Christine Arylo and Amy Ahlers.  I partnered with them because they specialize in helping women transform their negative self-sabotaging beliefs into self-empowering ones. Here's the link.