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By Alexandria Brown

 While there are many effective ways to get more traffic and build your email newsletter list, the one Ive had the MOST success with is to submit articles for use on other peoples websites and in their ezines.

But wait a minute, you say. Arent I supposed to be creating great articles for MY OWN e-zine?

Yes, you are! And after your article appears in your OWN e-zine, you should then submit it to others. Over the past few years, Ive found this to be the best way to get traffic, build my list, and increase my sales, for five reasons:

1) You can quickly gain FREE exposure to TENS OF THOUSANDS (or even HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS) of untapped prospects at a time. There are many high-traffic sites and ezines with high readerships that are looking for content from people like YOU.

2) Articles let you educate and share good information with your prospects. They also position you as an expert in their eyes, so theyll think of YOU as the most respected resource in your field. (Traditional ads dont do that for you.)

3) You have the right to promote yourself, your business, and whatever else you want at the end of every article. And anyone using your article must keep this information intact. (More on that in a minute.)

4) This is a tried-and-true method that will NEVER stop working, unlike the latest and greatest gimmicks to spoof the search engines. (Try one of those and see how quickly your traffic halts once the bottom drops out.) Search engines love real content and will always love real content.

5) Its EASY, and anyone can do it!

HERES HOW TO GET STARTED

1. PICK A WINNER

Browse through your archives and pick an insightful article that really showcases your expertise. Or, if this is new to you, write a basic article on your subject of expertise. (Not a good writer, or need help? Hire a writer from Elance.com.)

2. POLISH IT TIL IT SHINES

Publishers will not be interested in your article if it contains typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, or inactive Web links these goofs would compromise the integrity of their publications. So make sure its Kosher!

3. ADD A COPYRIGHT NOTICE

At the end of the article, insert a copyright notice, dated when you first published the article. Example: 2005 Alexandria K. Brown

4. WRITE A JAZZY RESOURCE BOX

In exchange for your letting other publishers reprint your article, its customary to require they include the contact information you provide. This is usually called the resource box and it should come RIGHT after your copyright notice. Heres where you can ham it up.

Dont waste time promoting your actual business in the resource box. Why? Remember your #1 goal is always to get prospects on your LIST. Youll gain MORE clients and customers by FIRST getting them to subscribe to your FREE ezine or special report. THEN youve got them! Youll be in front of them regularly, and thats when theyll understand why they should hire you or buy your products.

5. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE TO ONLINE CONTENT DIRECTORIES

There are hundreds of free content Web sites and announcement lists where you can submit your articles for other publishers to use. Some even let you include a picture and other information about your website. One of my favorites is EzineArticles.com.

6. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE DIRECTLY TO APPROPRIATE PUBLISHERS

For best results, take the bull by the horns and contact publishers directly. But not just any publishers ones with e-zines that accept articles AND whose readers are your ideal clients and customers. A great place to start your search and build your own list is Charlie Pages Directory of E-zines.

7. AUTOMATE THE ENTIRE PROCESS

I know youre probably thinking right now, OK Ali, this sounds great, but isnt this going to be time consuming?

The answer is most definitely YES. In the past, youd have to spend several hours a week just to get one article out there. Its a lot of administrative work, requiring time that you probably dont have.

But my friend Jason Potash has just released his brand new ARTICLE ANNOUNCER software that does all this work FOR you. It blasts out your articles to hundreds of directories, publishers, and other sources to help generate a slew of web visitors to your site, month after month.

My staff and I have tested Jasons Article Announcer product and wholeheartedly recommend it. I urge you to see Jasons information page NOW, and grab your own copy before the price goes UP in just a few days.

Remember also that if you dont want to do any of your own article marketing yourself, its a perfect task to pass on to an assistant, intern, or freelancer. The key is getting it down to a SYSTEM, which is what this software helps you do.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, The E-zine Queen, is creator of the award-winning Boost Business With Your Own E-zine system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to ezine marketing articles and FREE audio class, visit www.EzineQueen.com

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Using Affiliate Marketing To Promote Your Business
By Jason Swanson

 Even if you are already using the Internet to market your business, you should consider adding affiliate marketing to you Internet marketing campaign. Affiliate marketing, when done right, can yield a great deal of positive results for your business. Furthermore, even when affiliate marketing is not done right, it will not likely be financially detrimental to the business. This is because affiliate marketing is essentially an advertising program in which you only pay the affiliates when their marketing efforts yield financial results for your business. This article will take a look at affiliate marketing and explain how it works and how you can maximize the benefits of affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing essentially involves having website owners, known as affiliates, post advertisements for your website on their own website. You can lear more about affiliate marketig by checking out the Internet marketing blog at www.jeremyburns.com for weekly updates. Affiliate advertisements encourage visitors to click on the link and visit your website. The advertisements are specially coded to allow you to determine how many visitors enter your website through this advertisement. Unlike other types of Internet advertising where the business owner pays for the opportunity to place the advertisement on the website, an affiliate program does not work this way. Instead the affiliate is paid when the advertisement yields a desired result.

Affiliate advertisement can work on a pay per impression, pay per click, pay per lead or pay per sale basis. Pay per impression means the affiliate earns a profit each time the affiliate advertisement is served. This means for each unique visitor who views the advertisement the affiliate is given a predetermined amount of money. This amount will depend on a number of factors and will be agreed upon by the business owner and the affiliate before the advertisements begin appearing on the affiliate’s website. Pay per click programs reward the affiliate each time a visit clicks through the advertisement. Pay per lead programs reward the affiliate when a visitor not only clicks on the advertisement but also performs a desired action such as filling out a survey or registering with the website. Pay per sale programs reward the affiliate each time a visitor clicks through the advertisement on the affiliate’s website and also makes a purchase during this visit. The compensation plans associated with affiliate programs are so desirable because the business owner can have a number of affiliates and they only have to pay these affiliates if the advertising on the affiliate’s website is effective.

Affiliate marketing does not always work. When seeking out affiliates it is important to look for a number of different factors. An affiliate with a great deal of experience, a website with high traffic and a proven track record for producing positive results will likely be a good choice for an affiliate marketing program. These affiliates rely on their advertising knowledge to promote the businesses and do not necessarily have to understand the business they are promoting. Another excellent choice for affiliate marketing is to select another business that is closely related to your own business but does not compete with your business. This is a good idea because they may share your target audience and their website visitors will also likely be interested in visiting your website as well. For example if you sell running shoes you may wish to run an affiliate marketing campaign on a website that promotes road races such as marathons, half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks. This website does not directly compete with your business but they are likely to attract an audience that would be interested in and have a need for your products or services.

Deciding whether or not to implement an affiliate marketing campaign is easy. As we previously mentioned there is very little risk in this type of campaign so it is worthwhile in just about any situation. A more important decision to make is how you plan to compensate your affiliates. The compensation for pay per impression programs is typically pretty low because your business is not necessarily generating a sale from each impression. Conversely, pay per sale programs usually compensates the affiliate better because the business does directly generate a profit from the advertising on the affiliate’s website. This amount may a flat fee or a percentage of the sale depending on the affiliate agreement.

Learn more about creating an internet business plan at the Online Business Marketing Strategies site.

How Starting Your Own ‘Country Club’ Can Skyrocket Your Revenues!
By Alexandria Brown

 My mom was visiting recently and during our mother-daughter shopping time I noticed something interesting. Almost all of the stores I made a purchase at asked me if I’d like to get on their mailing list. That’s very smart.

However, the WAY in which they did this made a big difference in my answer. I said NO to almost all of them because they simply did not make it enticing for me. I mean, who WANTS more junk mail? So if you simply ask me if I’d like to be on your mailing list, the answer will usually be NO.

But one store in particular got me. First of all, it was a designer clothing store I loved. Second of all, they didn’t ask me if I wanted to be on their mailing list. They invited me to become a “VIP Client”.

Say the words “VIP” to me and my ears perk up. It of course stands for “very important person”. And in general it indicates a level of advantage and prestige. Suddenly I WANTED to be on that mailing list, especially when the salesman explained to me it came with certain benefits, such as early notice on new arrivals, a personal shopping service, and private trunk shows.

And you know what? I would have even paid to be part of that - to be regarded as a VIP.

You see, people WANT to be part of something special like ezine advertising. The example above was free. But don’t underestimate how much your clients or customers will PAY to do that, either.

Example: A friend of mine recently shared he pays $15,000.00 a year to belong to the President’s Club of a local playhouse, even though he and his wife could attend each show there for just $150.00. Why would even a loyal attendee want to pay 100 times more? Special treatment like preferred seating, valet parking, invites to VIP functions, private restaurant for members only, networking with a higher level of people, etc.

Another friend of mine pays for membership at a private nightclub here in Los Angeles up on Sunset Blvd. for many of the same reasons (but more so, I believe, because it impresses his dates ; )).

My marketing mentor Dan Kennedy taught me there is a segment of virtually EVERY customer or client group or market who will happily pay FAR above standard prices for convenience, status, and special treatment.

I call it “country clubbing” your business. Why be the driving range with an hourly charge when you can be the classy six-figure membership club down the street? You can offer both of course, but look at what will skyrocket your business FASTER, with less transactions and higher quality clients.

One example of this is my private Platinum Mastermind program, which I launched in 2006 due to overwhelming demand for my personal coaching. This group of 15 serious small business owners each pay $15,000.00 a year to have greater access to me than anyone else, and in a small group setting where we meet 3 times a year at luxurious 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts.

My Platinums are, essentially, VIPs in my world! And because I maintain a bit of mystique about the group, people seem to want “in” even more. (One of my members got cornered in the ladies room at my last Online Success Blueprint Workshop by several attendees who demanded to know how they could get into Platinum!)

I share this not to impress you, but to impress upon you that in YOUR market (yes, *yours*) there IS a percentage of folks who will gladly pay MORE - much more - for a higher level of service or treatment. Remember, you’re not trying to please EVERYBODY, just the select few who can afford that level of service.

So now, take a minute or two and consider how YOU can start your own “country club” for your clients and customers. Whether it’s a VIP level of service or a private client group that meets a few times a year.

To get your wheels turning, imagine this… if you can get 10 people to commit to some type of program that is just $10,000.00 a year, that’s an extra $100,000.00 this year for YOU!

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” publishes the award-winning ‘Straight Shooter Marketing’ weekly

ezine with 20,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at

ezinequeen.com

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