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10 Internet Marketing Rules To Live By

by Terry Dean

Here are 10 simple Internet Marketing rules to live by. Print them. Post them to your desk. Use them everyday.

1. Invest Small When Starting Anything New.

Always invest small when starting out. It's possible any ad you run may lose money. Always keep your risks and investment small whenever you're starting a new type of advertising. Even if you had that top level copywriter write your ad, not everything they write will be a home run. It may need a few changes to produce the results you want. The market you're advertising to may not be perfect. There is no such thing as a "Sure Thing".

2. Test Everthing.

Only one expert is right, and it's not me. It's your own personal test results. Test headlines. Test the length of your ad copy. Test audio and video on your sales page. Test a squeeze page before visitors get to the sales site. Constantly run 2 ads on AdWords for every ad group. Test a "try before you buy" offer. Test telephone follow-up. Quit blindly following gurus and test everything!

3. Be Unique.

Don't ever be a me-too business. Take a look at everyone in your marketplace. What is different about you from them? Here's a quick exercise. Write down all the benefits someone gets from your product or service. Now cross off all the benefits they can also get from other people's products and services. What's left? If nothing is left, you may need to rethink or modify what you offer to provide something unique in your marketplace.

4. Target Your Ads Only to Buyers.

You've chosen your niche, but do you write your ads to all your visitors. No. You will never achieve a 100% buying rate. Much more common is 1%...and 10% is extremely high (possible at times with strong follow-up). This means at least 90% of your website visitors are NOT your target audience even though they came to your site. You're not writing to them. It doesn't matter if those people like what you write at all. You're writing only to the BUYERS...that 1 to 10% of your unique visitors who will take action.

5. Develop a Backend From the Beginning.

You should already have a basic idea or outline for your next offer before your first one is done. If your first product is an ebook or CD, what will you offer next? You may start your backend by offering joint venture deals and affiliate offers from others. The money is any business comes from repeat purchases and backend sales. In fact, I'd never want to be in any business where I HAD to make money from one product. It destroys your marketing ability. If your competitor can break even or even lose money on their advertising, how can you compete if you have to make a living off the same offer?

6. Your Network Determines Your Net Worth

First heard that expression from Mark Victor Hansen. Strategic Alliances, social networking, referrals, viral marketing, etc. are the key to building your business online. Going it alone is a recipe for failure. In most businesses, affiliates make up 50% to 75% of sales. Incoming links from other sites is the key to search engine optimization. Find ways to serve the other top players in your niche. Network. Mastermind. Grow together...even with competitors.

7. Don't Restrict Your Business to Internet Only.

You're not an Internet business. You're an Internet-based business. Develop your business model with both Internet and offline strategies. Follow-up on customer by phone. Here's a quick tip: call people who just purchased from you to thank them for their order and also offer them something else at a discount price right now (I've seen people increase profits by 40% from that alone). Send direct mail to your customers. Rent a targeted mailing list and send postcards to drive people to sign-up for your list. Use offline publicity and networking to generate leads.

8. Build your Relationship with Your Lists.

Yes, I said "lists", not "list". Concentrate on educating your list members...both with good content and about your products/services. Use online follow-up methods such as e-mail and be willing to use direct mail. Send thank you cards to JV partners and customers. Run a teleconference where you meet with your customers or prospects. Create a blog. Put a face on your company and let them get to know you as a person.

9. Focus on Your Gifts.

Focus your time and attention on what you're best at. There's dozens of ways to market your site. Concentrate on the ones that most fit with your style and skillset. If you hate writing, then don't use writing as your primary advertising method. Or hire out the writing. Figure out what skills you have...and focus on those. Outsource the rest to others. If you try to force yourself to be just like "Guru #1", it's simply going to be an exercise in frustration. You're unique. Build a unique business suited to you.

10. Plan for the Long Haul.

I'm sure you've been told about instant riches overnight. Quit trying for that. And quit trying to jump on the "new thing". Pick a business and work on it. Yes, I said work...that dirty four letter word so many people hate. Things might no go right when you first start. You might have to modify a few elements of your presentation. You might have to change your product. To be successful in this business requires you have a backbone and stick to it even when things don't go your way! Develop at least a one year plan with daily actions to push you to success. You'll make modifications along the way, but at least you have a basic roadmap of where you're going.

Terry Dean started his online business from scratch in 1996. He went from delivering pizzas for a living to building a million-dollar Internet business promoted primarily through the Internet. Within a few years he was also consulting with home-based businesses, local companies, and million-dollar corporations. His original company and websites were sold in 2004, and he founded MyMarketingCoach, LLC. which is dedicated to coaching entrepreneurs in the 10 key principles of success in business and life.

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