Road to Marketing

Here is the first email ad designed to educate the first generation of email users.

Looking to make money online? You’re one of the many looking for the same, but only a few succeed. We have compiled 10 useful ways that can be used to earn money online.

Google AdSense

Used by millions, Google AdSense is the leading money-making source for many web entrepreneurs. If use intelligently, this Pay per Click advertising tool can bring in higher returns.

Affiliate Marketing

This is tricky but highly fruitful. Sell products from Amazon, Ebay and other renowned online vendors and make handsome money online. There’s up to 25% commission (and even more) that you can earn on each product you sell for any vendor. Websites like CommissionJunction.com can be a great earning source.

Paid Blog Posts

Got a blog? Write for different advertisers to promote/review their products and get paid. Such opportunities are available at PayPerPost.com and ReviewMe.com etc.

Free Lance

This option is more viable for pros. Use websites like freelance.com, elance.com, odesk.com to get online projects, complete the projects and get the money.

Sell Ads

That sounds pretty obvious, huh? You got to work hard for that though, market your blog/website and entice the businesses to purchase direct ads on your website. These ads could be PPC, CPM, or on per sales basis. Services like text-link-ads.com can also be used for that.

Well, what’s the connection? Millions of people today use AdSense as their major online earning source and some even rely solely on AdSense. From minnows like me to the big names like name.com, all run script based Google supported AdSense, after all we’re all hungry for money. But you have to put it to break somewhere, just stop for a moment and think if the AdSense wasn’t a Google supported phenomenon, would it have been encouraged and grown into such a big hit today? Ok, let’s just take an insight on AdSense:

The AdSense Idea:

What does AdSense offer? You sign up for the service, create an ad format for yourself, add the script in your website and whoa! Start making money! That was simple, eh? You get any control over the content of the ads? NO! You can block a specific website from not being shown (Using Competitive Ad Filter) in your AdSense and this works well if you have known competitors and they’re in brief list or otherwise you will have to keep a track of your AdSense and see what ads are being shown and determine and block the competitors. If it was literally possible and was that simple, I believe many business who run their competitors’ ads would have opted for this.

The Trap:

AdSense scripts change the links and ads on the fly and in accordance with the content of the page. This makes ads more relevant to the content of the page the ads are placed on which is the major reason why most of people prefer to use AdSense over others. That, in fact is a big trap most businesses will fall into. If you’re a good business, why would you need side-earnings by the way? I have couple of interesting examples to show you:

This one is when I was looking up for a domain’s who is information. I was astonished to see that since who.is is a name.com company. It got me curious and thought to give it another try:

Even worse this time! Don’t you think it will divert your hard-earned traffic to your competitors? Can you afford that for some cents? Won’t you just opt for the plain ads rather than dynamically generated links on which you get no control? I think the guys at who.is and name.com need to look into that and revise their policy while others who are in a business and are adding AdSense scripts just to create some side-income need to be more careful over what they’re losing in return.

Cross promotion means the promotion of a website using traditional forms of advertising like TV, Radio, Newspapers, Billboards and Magazines etc. Cross promotion can benefit you in following ways:

1. You Stand Out

You can provide more credible, valuable, and eye-catching offers through your partner in ways and places where your competition isn’t even in sight. For example, to reach professional women, cross-promotional partners distributed “Tips – Plus – Offer” flyers from each other. The Lexus dealer put the flyers in their windows and car seats. The upscale health spa, investment advisor, and medical clinic included them in their mailings and on their counters. The dry cleaner placed them on hangers, and the cellular phone agent put them in the new phone boxes.

Their cross-promotion also stood out by matching their targeted customers’ values, lifestyles, needs, or other commonality. For example, many of these professional women respond best to signs of respect — especially where they don’t always expect to get it (car dealer), thoughtful attention (doctor’s office), and convenience (dry cleaner).

2. You reach more customers with less time and money

Partners’ cross-promotions can be tied to their market’s special need (left-handed, pregnant, promoted, or pressed for time), value (vegetarian, non-smoker or “only the best”), lifestyle (heavy traveler, gourmet cook, or avid shopper), job (night worker, doctor, or salesperson), time of day activity (morning coffee, Saturday errands, or dinner), time of year (school’s out, Thanksgiving, or biggest local festival), time of life (divorce, graduation, or birthday) or even preoccupation (dieter, article clipper, or procrastinator).

3. You Save Money

You save money by sharing expenses/resources with partner(s). Split costs of a common “offer” or promotion card, or trade free gifts of your services with products of your partners — to offer each others’ customers.

4. You Reach More People

You reach more potential guests by working with partners who are reaching the same kinds of people, but they may not be your customers yet.

5. You reach people more frequently

You reach people more often because your exposure at least doubles with just one partner — your cross-promotion appears in front of both customer bases.

6. You Stand Out

You gain memorability because your promotions are more unique and eye-catching than the usual advertisement or public relations.

7. You build credibility

You gain credibility as your partner(s) tout your services or products.

8. You stabilize cash flow

You and your partner(s) can help each other through “slow times” and leverage opportunities during “busy times.”

9. You make news

You become more newsworthy when you carry out unusual cross-promotions, especially with unlikely partners or nonprofit and/or government partners.

10. You generate more reasons to buy — and buy more

You offer your customers more reasons to buy and more reasons to visit more frequently, when you involve ideas and resources from partner(s).

11. You improve support of community causes

You are more efficient when you collaborate with the right partners.

12. You have Fun

You can have fun trying new ideas with new partners — and see the positive results as intrigued customers are attracted to your business or public agency, with more reasons to buy.

A marketing plan does not have to be elaborate, nor does it have to be set in stone forever. However, it should specifically define key information including your target market and value proposition, as well as tactical ideas and action steps you will take in order to acquire customers and/or increase sales.

Here are 10 basic components to include in a Marketing Plan:

1. Product/Service Definition

Describe your product or service in simple and easy-to-understand terms. Consider this message to be a written version of your 30 to 60-second “elevator speech” that clearly describes your company’s mission and raison d’être. Include your point of difference and communicate the intrinsic benefit/value your customer will receive.

2. Target Audience

In conjunction with your company’s product/service definition, take the time to clearly describe your target audience. Be specific as to the demographics and psychographics of your ideal buyer. Focus your company’s resources and marketing tactics on these groups.

3. Goals & Objectives

Set the bar as to what you want to achieve. Establish both short term and long term objectives for your company. Make your goals meaningful, specific, and measurable. Concrete goals such as revenue and new customers will help you keep an eye on the ball at all times.

4. Identify the Competition

Is your competition a series of small local vendors, or is it a group of large national companies with ample resources? Or, is your product/service so unique that the resistance is really a lack of awareness? Either way, learn about and understand the competitive landscape. It will enable you to better position and target your message.

5. Pricing

A guidepost for setting price involves estimating the monetary value your customer will receive, and understanding your financial goals and objectives. Also remember to price your product/service at a rate higher than your fixed and variable cost (don’t forget — you are in this to make a profit).

6. Establish a Marketing Budget

Marketing expenses can add up quickly, so set aside a specific dollar amount per month or per quarter. Evaluate your marketing decisions such as advertising in the yellow pages or hiring sales representatives based on the amount of business that a particular initiative generates. Track each initiative and keep what works.

7. Look at Channels of Distribution

The planning is over; it’s time to identify marketing tactics. Brainstorm a range of ideas to reach your target market with your value message. Bring friends into your idea generation. Be creative and don’t censor wild ideas. Pick at least 5 activities that you feel you can execute within your budget.

8. Set Specific Action Steps

Each tactical idea comes with its own set of action steps/road map. For example, if you want to mail a brochure, you need to write (or outsource) the copy, design the mailing, print the brochure, create a mailing list.… Take the time to list the details that will get you to your desired end goal.

9. Set Timing for Each Step

Listing action steps is not enough — you must establish a timetable for each step. Be realistic so that you do not set unreasonable expectations, thereby creating frustration for yourself. At the same time, be careful not to set goals so far out in the future that there is no sense of urgency for you to take action.

10. Get Accountability

The best laid marketing plans fail when they end up in your bottom drawer, never to be seen again. Therefore, it is CRITICAL to have an objective coach hold you accountable for taking charge and executing your plan. Consider “hiring” this person to help write your plan. The more they believe in you and your ideas, the more helpful they will be in the long run.

Creating and sticking to a marketing plan is the best way to keep you and your business focused, and on track for success. Writing the plan is the easy part, sticking to it tends to be more difficult for most people.

It is highly recommended that you enlist the help of a trusted associate or coach to provide open and honest perspective/feedback as you work through the elements of your plan. More importantly, if you are serious about success, direct your coach to “hold your feet to the fire” and make you accountable for your actions. You will be glad you did.