Sharing: US$ 100,000 + income from internet

Stories of the successful online entrepreneurs, each has taken a different approach to profiting on the Internet. I see netter entrepreneurs trying to market their businesses a dozen different ways. and not really succeeding at any of them. The problem isn't a lack of great marketing ideas, but TOO MANY marketing ideas.

If you have many different marketing strategies in place and you find that none of them are really getting you the results you need, try focusing on just one and giving it all you've got. I think the results might surprise you.

As you read the case studies below, remember that these are "real people" just like you and me. Each one of these entrepreneurs focuses on just one marketing strategy at a time, does it well, maximizes profits, and then moves on to the next one. They all say they know there is much more they can do -- but they recognize that they don't have to do it all right now.

The three profiles I've included for you here have been heavily edited and condensed. The success stories that are posted at the Secrets To Their Success Private Site are typically 15 - 20 pages each, so there is no way I could reprint them in full in this newsletter.

Case Study #1: Truck-Bed-Covers.com

When Eric Weeks of Truck-Bed-Covers.com decided to start an online business, he knew it was critically important that he get traffic to his site -- so he decided to focus all of his attention on search engine optimization. This one technique has brought Eric huge success. Using this single strategy, he sold $800,000 worth of product in his first year online -- over $200,000 of which was pure profit!

When Eric first started optimizing his web site for high search engine positions, he saw it as a challenge.

"The opportunity to compete for top search engine positions was exciting to me," Eric says. "I love competition. It gave me a target, a bow, and the arrow."

So he started educating himself on how to achieve Top 10 search engine placement -- focusing all his energy on this one aspect of building an Internet business.

"I studied every article I could get my hands on pertaining to the subject," Eric says. "And the site began turning a profit day one. Top listings on Yahoo! and Google for the term ‘truck bed covers' (which gets roughly 800 searches daily according to WordTracker) and a healthy profit margin ensured early success."

For those who are just starting to take on the challenge of search engine optimization, Eric offers the following advice:

* Use your main keyword in your URL.

* Separate each keyword in your URL with a hyphen to make it easier for the search engine to locate that keyword when spidering your site.

* Try to get as many reputable, relevant sites linking to you as possible.

* Include good, relevant content.

* Place main keywords in hyperlinks.

* Wherever possible, use text logos instead of "jpegs" or "gifs" -- search engines won't spider image files.


Remember, Eric's success came from focusing on just one marketing strategy and really conquering it. Only now that he has mastered search engine optimization will he start to think about some of the other marketing ideas he's had floating around in his head for some time.

"If we weren't the first listing on page one of the major search engines -- if we were the first listing on page TWO, we'd only do a small fraction of the business we've been doing," Eric says.

Case Study #2: Sage-Hearts.com

Promoting affiliate products can be a great way to earn money on the ‘Net -- especially if you don't have a product of your own to sell. But just putting up a few links and calling it a day won't cut it. If you don't give your affiliate endeavors the attention they deserve, you will likely be disappointed by the paltry commission checks you receive.

Rosalind Gardner of Sage-Hearts.com has established herself as an expert in online dating services by building a site that provides tons of useful information about the online dating scene. And she's used that reputation to build a healthy affiliate income, promoting the top dating sites she reviews. Her focus has allowed her to earn $30,000 to $50,000 per month, with a whopping 40% to 50% profit margin.

Rosalind owes her "super-affiliate" status to some very simple but incredibly effective techniques that allow her to have conversion rates 3 to 5 times higher than most.

How does she do it?

"High-volume traffic sites are one of the first keys to earning excellent revenue from affiliate programs. A great conversion rate is another important factor," Rosalind says. "I believe the main reason for my excellent conversion rates is that I offer excellent products that I've researched thoroughly and on which I'm willing to stake my reputation."

And there's the key -- Rosalind thoroughly researches any program she plans to get involved with, making sure she's comfortable with both the service she'll be recommending and the program itself.

"Fortunately, top-quality services and reputable affiliate programs tend to go hand-in-hand," she says.

Here are some of the things Rosalind recommends you look for before joining any program:

1. A great product: She recommends only products and services she would be willing to pay for herself. "I frequently purchase and test products before listing them for sale on my sites," she says.

2. High commissions:Some programs will pay as little as 5% commission (which means it will take a huge volume of sales to earn any real money); some will pay as high as 50%.

3. A high-quality affiliate interface: You should be able to quickly and easily access your sales and visitor statistics at any time.

4. Excellent -- and available -- management: Great management is usually a sign of a great program. "The best companies take care of their affiliates by ensuring that their program managers are accessible and responsive," Rosalind says.

5. Real-time statistics reporting: Real-time reporting allows you to track the success of any advertising or promotion.

6. Low minimum payout: "One of the companies I promote has a $1,000 minimum payout, which means I don't get paid until I've generated $1,000 in earnings," Rosalind says. "That's fine if I can do that every month, but suppose it takes a year?"

7. Frequent payout schedule: Payout schedules can vary from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly, to quarterly. Frequent payouts mean your income is more regular.

She also recommends making sure that you understand your affiliate agreement by reading it from top to bottom before signing up and monitoring your statistics to keep close track of payments.

Once you're comfortable with the program, make sure you give your customers a reason to click on your affiliate links -- and that the affiliate products and services you're offering appeal to your site's audience.

Rosalind has accomplished this by personally reviewing and profiling the dating sites she recommends. Plus, she makes a point of constantly updating her reviews to make sure her visitors have a compelling reason to return time and time again.


Case Study #3: InvestmentHouse.com

Free opt-in newsletters are another great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. They're also a great tool for capturing the names and e-mail addresses of potential customers so you can contact them again, continue your relationship with them, and hopefully convert them into customers.

Eric Aafedt of InvestmentHouse.com offers a number of online newsletters, both free and paid, to a subscriber base that is currently 130,000 strong and growing.

With an emphasis on opt-ins over traffic, Eric grew from gross revenues of $80,000 in 1998 to a whopping $2 million by 2000 -- and now, a couple of years later, he's got the rules of success down pat.

What's his secret?

"My focus is solely on getting opt-in e-mail addresses and then converting them to paying customers over time," Eric says.

That's why Eric offers both free and paid investment newsletters. Once visitors opt in to one of his free publications, he offers them:

* A free 30-day trial of one of his premium (paid) newsletters, plus information about a free trial of Investors Business Daily (for which Eric gets an affiliate commission).

* Great free content with soft sell ads.

* Special offers for premium reports.

Notice how Eric's focus on newsletters allows him to leverage his opt-in list, nurturing them until they become paid subscribers?

"If I was going to give just one tip," Eric says, "It would be to have a process in place that constantly keeps you in touch with your opt-in list and that constantly gives them the opportunity to see that you provide a quality service... and then requests that they ‘convert' -- or in my case, register for a premium service."

It's an art form he's truly perfected, allowing him to create huge success -- and profits -- based on his subscription income alone! And remember, a paid subscription produces ongoing revenue!

"It's great to sell a product for $29.95," Eric says, "But it's so much more powerful to be able to sell it 12 times to the same person in a year!"

Of course, with an opt-in list as big as Eric's, automation is critical. It used to take three full-time employees to keep his business running. Now, with all of the newsletter processes automated, he has been able to reduce his payroll by 60% -- and focus more of his own time on growing the business.

Final Thoughts:

There are hundreds of techniques you can use to build a successful online business. But if you try to implement them all at once, you're going to be scattered and unfocussed -- and none of your strategies will work as well as they could.

Take a look at your web site now and choose one area to really focus on. Then, dedicate yourself to learning absolutely everything you can about that one area -- so that you can truly become a master. You don't have to know everything to have a successful online business, but knowing how to do one thing really, really well is a great place to start.

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10 Tips For Web Success on The Internet

by: David Risley
The webmaster's biggest job is to get their traffic up and keep customers/visitors coming back. Building the site is one thing, but simply building and posting a website does not guarantee traffic. In fact, a website could be beautiful and an example of all the latest technology and still not attract a single visitor if not promoted correctly. Here are 10 tips to guide you to success with your website.

(1) The internet is a new medium.
At least compared to print, it is. A website is a waste if it simply re-hashes something which could easily be put into print. Don't have the site be just an online brochure. Put up features which take advantage of the internet as a medium of communication. Filter information for them. Provide search capability. Provide interactivity with features like forums, quizzes and tools. Web visitors like to interact.

(2) Treat the Customer's Time as Valuable.
When a person visits your website, you have their attention for that point in time. You either need to use it or you will lose it - fast. Most visitors have short attention spans, what you need to design your site homepage so that it grabs their attention and provides what they are looking for right away. Its like walking into a restaurant. If you walk in and just stand there and nobody comes to greet you, you might wonder what is happening. But, if the hostess comes and greets you right away and walks you to a table, then you will be there for awhile and eat. The same analogy goes for websites. Don't overcomplicate your website homepage. Best results will be obtained if you make it very clear where to click to find what they need.

(3) Design the site for customers, not the company.
Your site needs to satisfy the needs of customers, not the company. So, don't post content which is not really useful to the site's customer. And avoid over-flattering marketing hype about the company. It inflates the ego of the company more than it helps your customer.

(4) Involve the Visitor.
Keep the visitor involved and make them feel like a valuable contributor. Actively ask for the feedback and suggestions. Ask for communication from your visitors and answer that communication swiftly. When getting that communication, capture their email address. This will allow you to communicate with them long after they have moved on and forgotten about you.

(5) Keep it Current.
You need to have content on your website which is timely and relevant to the customer's life. Posting month-old news is not interesting. Posting dry product information which never changes is not interesting. Yes, you need to have product information and other information on your site that won't change much, but you can also post more timely content. You can, for example, post content about how your products can be used in certain situations in life. Provide tips and techniques - things which are immediately applicable and solve a problem.

(6) Pay Attention to Form/Design.
Some sites simply over-do it on the eye-candy. Big graphics just for the sake of graphics often impress the site's designer more than the visitor. Do not use graphics that are large and purposeless. Remember, some visitors may still be accessing your website via dial-up. Your site needs to load up quickly for all users. A slow website will cause your users to leave quickly. Also, pay attention to graphic and design size. Many web designers operate on fairly large screen resolutions and sometimes forget that even though a graphic looks great to you, it will appear enormous to somebody on a smaller resolution. On the flip side, don't go too light on graphics. A site which is poorly designed and using the default font and no color is not very aesthetically pleasing. Any web visitor, whether they admit it or not, judges your company by your website unless they have something else to go on. A well-designed site communicates professionalism. A poor design makes the site seem like an afterthought.

(7) Promote.
When a visitor communicates to you via email, it is best to use a web form. not only will this keep your email address from being picked up by spammers, it will also allow you to ask your customers for their email address and then store that address for later use. Employ the "push/pull" marketing strategy. A visitor coming to your website is the pull, but later you want to push content back to them in the form of a newsletter or other promotional material. Start a mailing list and use it. Invite visitors to sign up. Promotion makes or breaks a business, and as long as you respect the ethical considerations of your mailing list, you should use it.

(8) Don't Operate in a Cocoon.
The internet is a medium which is shared by millions. When you set up your website, don't operate as if you are a self-contained island. Get out there and keep in tune with what is happening on other websites related to your own. Participate in forums. Post links to other websites and ask for a link in return. Form partnerships with other sites if it is appropriate. When it comes to communication, people like personal contacts. Hiding behind general email address like "sales" and "info" is OK as long as there is a way to also email you directly. A company site which allows email direct to the management is good. Just remember how much you hate calling a company and getting stuck in their phone system. Sometimes you just want to talk to somebody. Give your visitors that ability.

(9) Have a Plan to Attract Repeat Traffic.
Use newsletters, out-going email, contests, forums, clubs, auctions - anything that will cause people to return to your website. When posting links to other websites, don't just send your visitors somewhere else. They may never return. Provide them an exit page. Give them a pop-up when they try to leave your site. Or at the very least make external links open in a new window.

(10) Track Your Visitors
Pay attention to your site's statistics and react accordingly. What are people reading? How are they finding you? Do they just come and leave right from your homepage? How long as they are on your website? Do they return? This data is immensely valuable in fine-tuning your website based on customer needs and wants. Remember, the biggest mistake of any webmaster is designing the site for what THEY want. A successful website is designed for the target audience, not to impress the site's owner.

About the author:
David Risley is a web developer and founder of PC Media, Inc. (http://www.pcmedianet.com). Specializes in PHP/MySQL development, consulting and internet business management. He is also the founder of PC Mechanic (http://www.pcmech.com), a large website delivering do-it-yourself computer information to thousands of users every day.

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