AlanAllport.Com

Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

Is it just me, or is there anyone else who is fed up with deceptive email subject lines?

What do I mean by deceptive email subject lines?

Subject lines like ‘You’ve made a sale!’, ‘Here are you login details’, ‘Here’s your download’.

And then the body message of the email makes it clear that the sender is just trying to sell you something i.e. you haven’t made a sale etc. at all.

Of course, the aim of these email subject lines is just to get you to open the email in the first place. We all get so much email these days that it is getting harder to get your marketing messages through and opened. So, certain marketers are, shall we say, being a little economical with truth in an attempt to get you to open their email messages.

But, I ask you honestly, if you open such a message and then find that you actually haven’t made a sale, etc. how do you then feel – let down, cheated? I know I do and that then makes me feel negatively towards the marketer who sent me the email message.

And feeling negatively towards the marketer – is that going to prompt me to be the least bit interested in whatever it is that they’re promoting? Do I really have to answer that question?

Surely commonsense tells you that getting people to feel negatively towards you when sending your emails is not the best way to build up the kind of rapport and empathy necessary if they’re going to trust and like you. And if your potential customers don’t get to trust and like you, they’re not very likely to become actual customers.

I know some people will say that all’s fair in love, war and marketing, but I really do think this is a counterproductive practice.

I don’t like it and I hope you won’t do it.

Ok, I’ll come right out and say it. Having had some time now to think about Google’s latest changes to its algorithm, ranking or indexing criteria or whatever, I think that it’s definitely more positive than it is negative.

In fact, I would even go as far as to say that it’s maybe even saved me from myself to some extent. I don’t pretend to be a perfect human being, I definitely have my moments of not being happy with myself for some of the decisions I make in business and in life. So what exactly do I mean in this context re: Google farmer? I mean that if crappy, spammy pages and poor quality backlinks can be successfully used to get good Google rankings and therefore bring in good amounts of dollars, I’m weakly human enough to probably try to get myself some of that – however bad it makes me feel on the inside.

Now before you all decide to cast aspersions at me for that last statement I suggest you look inside yourself and tell me that it isn’t true of you too. No? Well, you’re obviously a much better person than I, and I’m truly grateful that such paragons of virtue would be bothering to read my simple little blog posts.

Let’s face it, Google definitely has a vested interest in trying to make its search results as relevant as possible – it is in business to make money after all. It genuinely wants good information to be provided by the Websites it serves up to searchers on the first page of its results for any given keyword phrase. Any business knows that if it doesn’t provide what its customer wants, it ain’t going to be in business longterm irrespective of how successful it is short-term.

Put your hand on your heart and tell me that you haven’t yourself been extremely pee’d off at doing a keyword search when you’ve been genuinely looking for something Online only to be served up a plethora of Websites all giving you a load of keyword-stuffed, barely literate content that just doesn’t answer the question you had when conducting that search. I know I have.

Now, I am as aware as you that there are a lot of people who have had accounts frozen at ezinearticles, just to cite one example, and I’m sure that not all of them deserved this. It always seems to be the way that a severely blunt instrument always gets used in cases like this taking out the innocent along with the guilty – I’ve never liked the idea that specific subjects seem to be targeted wholesale in these scenarios rather than an attempt to just weed out the poor quality articles within those subjects. I guess it’s just easier to do it this way.

So, nothing is perfect. The good news is that ezinearticles does seem to have unfrozen some accounts that it froze upon the owner of those accounts petitioning them, so it doesn’t appear to entirely have deaf ears.

I think the big lesson to come from all of this is that we should all attempt to make sure that we put out genuinely good quality, helpful, useful content, wherever we place it Online, whether on our own sites or those of other people.

And I for one don’t really think that’s a bad thing.

It’s finally finished and up and ready for you to download – what? My FREE Internet marketing ebook library, that’s what!

It’s a collection of seven ebooks each one focusing on one key area of Internet marketing and Online business in general.

The titles are:

SEO Tactics

PLR Profits

Affiliate Income

Viral Traffic

Web 2.0 Blueprint

Joint Venture Secrets

Blogging Cash

If you’re a beginner who wants to start an Internet business, or a more-seasoned marketer who wants to learn some new profit-pulling tactics, these ebooks will be an excellent starting point.

And we’re not talking flimsy couple of page reports here either – these are genuinely full ebooks numbering around 50 pages each with plenty of meat (and this is a vegetarian telling you that!)

I think you should get down to the link below and check them out – all totally for FREE:

Free Internet Marketing ebook Library

Just a quick post to let you know that I’m in the process of putting up a new Internet marketing site which is going to offer you the chance to own a free Internet marketing library, so look out for the announcement soon!

I’ve been a bit lazy at the start of the year but I did get something done today – wrote 8 articles (intended to right 10, but I’m not perfect).

What have you done towards furthering your IM business so far this year?

If you’ve made yourself a promise that you’re really going to get it together this year then the sooner you start the better.

I know you’ve probably heard ‘take action’ coming at you from all angles so that to hear it again feels like your mom nagging you, but you have to agree it’s surely the best piece of advice you’re going to be given when it comes to starting or developing an Online business (or anything else you want to achieve in life come to that).

Anyway, I’m giving you that piece of advice yet again – take action – just do it – now!

I’ll let you know when the free Internet marketing library’s available.

Well, here we are, another new year has just started. Where do they all go to, eh?

Now is the time when traditionally we’re all encouraged to make resolutions of what we’re aiming to achieve over the coming year. Now, I must admit I’m not exactly huge on New Year’s Resolutions, I don’t usually bother, but I can see that it’s probably not a bad idea to choose this specific time to make some plans about exactly what you intend to get done either personally, professionally or both.

Of course, most people make those plans and give themselves the warm, fuzzy feeling inside as a result, like just making the plans themselves is equivalent to having done something. But, of course, you haven’t actually DONE anything by making a plan to do something have you? No, if those plans are going to come to anything concrete, you have to follow through with them and turn them into tangible success.

So, I want you to make yourself a promise that this is the year when you get something off the ground as far as that Internet marketing business you’ve been promising yourself goes. Make yourself that you’re going to follow through and take action this time and not allow the inevitable road blocks to completely derail you as you have in the post. This time promise yourself that you are going to work your way through all of the problems you face because you owe it to yourself and your family to do so.

I’m definitely planning on 2011 being my best year yet Online and I’m determined that I will not let anything knock me off course this year. I’ll be unveiling some exciting stuff soon so stay tuned to find out what that is and I promise as I go through the year that I’ll be providing a lot of valuable free stuff to help you out in your Internet marketing business.

Best Wishes

Alan

Don’t Just Dream It – Do It!

Hope your Christmas celebrations went well and if you’re still enjoying a holiday, good on yer.  I guess I’m still enjoying some downtime, but I’ve also managed to do some work as well – hell, I enjoy it, so why not?

And isn’t that what you’re looking for? Doing work that you love so that it’s not a chore and it isn’t frustrating and stressful?

If you’re looking to start an Internet marketing business – and I guess you probably wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t anything you’re interested in – then affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to start, and information products from Clickbank is a decent way to get into affiliate marketing given that commissions all the way up to 75% are on offer.

If the above scenario floats your boat then you’ll be delighted to learn that I’ve been slaving away over Christmas – started on Christmas Eve and just finished today – putting up a new Internet marketing site that gives away a free report entitled Clickbank Profit Systems. Just click the link and complete the email signup form and you’ll be taken straight to the download page – and as a bonus, you’ll also receive a free 7 part email course entitled The 7 Keys To Internet Marketing!

Check it out, it might just be the start of a new career that’ll enable you to kick that job you hate into touch!

Hope you have (or had – if you read this later) a very merry Christmas, if you celebrate it!

I’ll be heading out in a few hours for a Christmas lunch at my sister and brother-in-laws along with my mom. I hope you are surrounded by family and/or friends at this time.

If you can find the time when you’re all stuffed with food and don’t really feel good for anything but falling asleep, try to think about how you’re going to take your business forward in the New Year so that you can make the soon to be upon us 2011 your best year yet.

Remember, you’ve got a week between now and the start of next year to get your mind working on a plan of action. If you’ve always wanted an Online business but never started to put any plans into action, determine that now is the time that you’ll do it – no more excuses! If you already have your own Online business, make yourself a promise that you’ll work hard to make 2011 your best year yet.

I have lots of big plans that I’ll be rolling out as the year gets under way to give you the information and knowledge you need to set up an Online business on the right footing and take it forward to ultimate success.

Stay tuned!

The Active Net Biz newsletter mentioned in my last post is now Online and ready to take subscriptions!

As I mentioned, it’s taken more years than is good for it to get off the ground, but now, at last, I’ve got the domain up and running and put the sign up form on it this morning. It’s nothing to write home about from an aesthetic point of view but I’m a simple guy – what can I say!

I intend to more than make up for any artistic shortcomings by providing lots of very high quality, useable content in my own inimitable style!

What are you waiting for? Get along to:

http://www.activenetbiz.com/

And sign up today. The first issue is awaiting you.

There’ll be lots of thought-provoking articles on a wide range of IM-related topics in up-and-coming issues along with a select few product recommendations (no pitch fests – promise!) – my own products along with those of reputable sources. I’ll also be giving away lots of great free reports and giving you a taste of who I am and what’s going on in my life – warts and all (but I’ll try not to make you sick!)

Hope you check it out and I can’t wait to have you as a valued subscriber.

A name I’ve used before many years ago now – Active Net Biz – is about to be resurrected for my Internet Marketing newsletter – really something I should’ve done a long time ago (the original plans for me to have an IM newsletter under the Active Net Biz banner date back to 2002 so nobody can say I rush into things, can they?) Anyway, a regular newsletter giving lots of quality free information and downloads on a range of Internet marketing subjects interspersed with personal observations is something I’ve wanted to do for years, so now I’m determined to bring this to fruition at the tail end of this year so it’s fully active into 2011.

I’m also going to be putting a couple of ebook products up for sale – one on article marketing and the other on list building. In addition to these, I’m currently putting the finishing touches to my Internet Marketing Coaching Program which I mentioned several months ago on this blog. I’ve not fully decided on exactly what format this should take, but a monthly subscription is probably favourite – but I may make it available for a discounted one-off fee too. Will have to think about that one.

Anyway, busy, busy, busy, so I’d better get back to it.

I’ll put an update on this blog as each component becomes available.

Well it’s nearly the end of another year and as well as looking forward to a happy Christmas, any switched on Internet marketer will be looking towards next year and indulging in a bit of business planning at this time of year.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions I have to admit, but I’m certainly thinking about the IM products I’ll be releasing next year and I’ve made a decision.

I’ve decided that it’s a much better plan with an eye on the longterm to focus on creating Internet marketing products that focus on the nuts and bolts, the evergreen, the stuff that’s been there and worked since IM began and show no sign of going away anytime soon.

So, just what type of products am I talking about? Products that teach article marketing, affiliate marketing, blogging, getting traffic in standard and basic ways, listbuilding  etc.

So how do these products differ from the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ type of product? First of all I guess I’d better define a ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ product. This is the type of product that, for example, depends upon a particular type of social networking site still being in the ascendency e.g. Twitter or Facebook. Let’s not forget that Myspace was the original biggie in this type of social networking site and it has been well and truly eclipsed by Twitter and Facebook now.

The other problem with creating products focused on teaching people how to market on Facebook, Twitter or Squidoo etc. is that they regularly change their terms of service etc. so that you have to keep regularly updating any product that you create based on them.

I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t create any products teaching people how to market using Facebook etc. if you have some good information to impart, but what I am suggesting is that it isn’t a good idea to make these products your flagship products.

I think it’s a good idea to base your flagship products around the evergreen subjects like article marketing where the nuts and bolts don’t change too much from year to year – you’ll likely have a more stress-free life as a result.

Whatever the type of products you end up going with I seriously suggest that you set aside some time over the next couple of weeks to plan at least a tentative campaign for 2011.