Monday, September 1, 2008

Teach Something

A great way to continue building your list is to teach something to your referrals.

Is there something you know a lot about within the marketing or online money-making fields? Do you know some simple computer techniques that you can share and explain to others in a very detailed way?

Even if it's something you think most others already know, such as "How to organize your browser bookmarks efficiently," there will likely be some people who have not considered the way that YOU organize your browser bookmarks/folders. Perhaps you have a way to organize which keeps you very clutter-free and allows you to stay focused, instead of searching for sites, trying to sort out random pages in your browser 'favorites' 'folders' and 'bookmarks.'

For the example above, if you can sit down, plan, and execute 3-7 "Lessons" surrounding the topic of "Bookmarking Organization," these lessons may well turn into something valuable that you can load up in your autoresponder and send out to your mailing list.

If your mailing list is quite small or you're struggling with starting a responsive mailing list, then build a page or blog post around an advertisement for your "Bookmarking Organization" lessons (or call them 'tutorials'). Make a special blog post for this - or a 'splashpage' on one of your sites - and simply insert your autoresponder 'sign up' form.

VOILA!

This will be a way to grab new email list members, while your 'lessons' also go out from your autoresponder - to your present mailing list members!

Inside each lesson, include reasonable and useful links - particularly if you sell or promote a product that has something to do with 'browsers,' 'keeping organized,' or a related topic.

Don't go sending out your eBay link for selling some sort of heart-shaped pendant or an Amazon link for potpourri burners from the 'gifts' area of Amazon...but DO go ahead and include a link to, say, some sort of 'affiliate data organizer,' or a link to some article you've published online that relates to organization or browsers (Such as "How to set IE7 Security Settings For Safer Browsing Online" - you get the picture, right?), and remember that 'free is best' at this point.

Nobody is going to get upset with you inserting something additionally helpful and free inside your new 'lessons' or 'tutorials.'

Doing something like 'lessons' for your mailing list will quickly establish you as an expert, and someone who pays attention to detail - particularly if you have tackled a 'simple' topic like 'browser organization' and have created very detailed, easy to follow instructions and tips in your lessons.

The nice thing about 'teaching something' and creating a lesson/tutorial 'set,' is that you can take your time doing this. I suggest putting something of 3-7 lesson length together in as many days. Take a day to prepare each lesson, including time for proofreading and eliminating typos and spelling mistakes. A day per lesson created will also give you time to 'test out' a lesson on a friend before you go ahead and load up your autoresponder! Email it to a friend or print out the lesson page and have a friend, spouse, child (if your child is old enough to be interested in and understand the topic) or co-worker read it and give you feeback on it.

If you're seeking additional ways to make money with your 'tutorial,' set it up - or a 2nd version of it - on one of the paid-to-write sites, such as Helium, or some other article-membership site.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Try Program Refs - Sure Referrals

Program Refs - Build a Referral Base With Ease!

ProgramRefs is free to join and will allow you to list your referral links for your favourite money-making programs, webpages, and offers. The big bonus here is that you'll have space to write a testimonial about the program you're promoting, or you can list the benefits of the program, website or offer you're promoting and that you want referrals for. From this, only INTERESTED people will follow your link and join the programs or visit the webpages that you're promoting.

In this way, Program Refs will give you very 'targetted traffic' on which to build an excellent referral base! Far fewer people will join your programs or visit your sites and offers - then end up inactive or deadbeat. This is because the other members at ProgramRefs are like-minded and have joined the program in order to gain referrals and earn money online. Most members will understand the 'trade-off' situation that Program Refs offers to all members.

Trade off some of your Program Refs credits when you 'request referrals' to your programs, sites and offers. This keeps your promotion cost minimal - you're not buying referrals, you're trading credits and awarding other Program Ref members for being active once they join your suggested programs.

There is a fantastic safeguard on-site, as well. You can pointedly mention what kind of activity you expect from your referrals - BEFORE THEY JOIN your programs! You have the option to forbid the credit exchange if your new referral from ProgramRefs does NOT meet your specifications!

For instance, I might want referrals for my YUWIE downline. In the appropriate area where I list details about the Yuwie program, I also have the option to give added details about my expectations. In this area, I can write something like:

"Must show reasonable and consistent activity on-site at Yuwie for 1 week before I award Program Refs credits."

After 1 week, if your referral from Program Refs has joined Yuwie from your Yuwie link, but has never logged in to browse or interact beyond sign-up, then you do not have to award the person credits through Program Refs.

The credit system is awesome at this site. You will start out with quite a few credits - these will allow you to get at least 1 or 2 referrals right away, once you list a site, offer or website you are promoting and want referrals for. After someone signs up for your program via the reflink you display at Program Refs, and once you award credits to an active referral, you'll need a way to gain more credits and repeat!

Program Refs has banner-for-credit earning so that you can build your credits back up and repeat the process of gaining referrals and awarding Program Refs credits.

* Most importantly * The site allows maintained contact with any referrals who get involved in your programs, so you will also be building a list! Simply use the 'chat' system on-site (within reason, of course - don't spam!) to chat with your contacts.

Join ProgramRefs and Start Getting Referrals and Building Your List



I wish this program had been around about a year earlier!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Build Your List By Offering Free Reports

A main purpose of your free viral report should be to build your mailing list.

If you are unable to pre-sell or sell affiliate items or other products contained in the report, you will have still collected leads. If your reader does not immediately convert into a 'buyer' or purchasing client, then perhaps you can still convert the person to be a long-time subscriber to whatever newsletter, pod-cast, or other subscription content that you are updating regularly. Sometime down the line, most subscribers purchase SOMETHING - otherwise they simply unsubscribe and are not the focus of your attention anymore.

Offering free reports allows a follow-up with your reader for all the future offers you'll be sending and creating. It is quite conceivable that if you offer great and worthwhile materials for FREE, you can hold on to many subscribers for a lifetime. In the least, if these people stay subscribed but don't purchase items from you or don't purchase often, they are still quite likely to pass "you" on to their friends and associates. By this, they stay subscribed because they appreciate the quality of your services and spread the word about your great free reports, leading you to more potential subscribers!

A particular tactic you can use to ensure the longevity of your readers is offer (and stay on top of this!) a "lifetime update" of one or two selected and appropriate free reports.

One of biggest success elements in the viral marketing of your free report is, of course, "QUALITY." Be absolutely sure to circulate a decent report of high quality, so that your information is worth sharing.

Quality first!

Subscribers will result.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Do Something You Love To Do

Instead of learning everything from scratch - do what you love to do and adapt this for online business. Why learn a mountainous amount of new things? It will take you forever to start earning online if you try to do that! Find some things that you already do well, find some things you like to do - then do them online for pay.

Almost everyone can write a little bit. If you can't, then this is probably a skill that you'll need to brush up on. Then put it to good use building up LENSES with a bunch of SQUIDS!

Squidoo Lenses, that is!

Write about something you LOVE and let the format and software of Squidoo Lenses make you money and build up your reputation and visibility online. Even if you've had to brush up your writing skills just a bit, you'll definitely have some favorite topics - everyone does, no exceptions!

Here's an example...

My favorite show on TV right now is Tim Kring and NBCs HEROES sci-fi/action drama. Even thought I'm not an expert on the show, I love to chat about it and other people do, to, so I made a Squidoo lens about the Heroes topic and combined it with something I do for business - build a referral base at Yuwie!

Here's the lens:

Discuss Heroes Episodes at Yuwie (opens in new window)

And then I also made a lens just about Yuwie on top of that:

I Yuwie Do U? (opens in new window)

Check out my lens

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Get In Touch at Yuwie



I'm aware that people are reading the blog, because I am gaining 'signups' and referrals to the programs I've promoted on this blog. I use trackers, too, so these tell me where referrals are coming from.

I just noticed that a couple of the programs I've promoted here do not allow for contact from inside certain members' areas. This means that certain people might not be able to contact me if they need help. I'm so sorry that I overlooked this detail about contact, especially to those of you who are having troubles implementing the tools and ideas from within certain programs.

Please use my Yuwie details to contact me if you need some help with these programs.

I am almost ready to officially launch my website. Once I get that up and running smoothly, you'll have a permanent location where you can reach me. Until then, the best alternative that I can think of is for you to contact me through Yuwie.



Just log in and (if you're already a member and didn't get there by following my link) then look for ' teeray ' and send me a message. I will reply as soon as possible.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Are You Missing The Point?

Are you signed in to half the 'paid for post' sites out there, posting like crazy and still freaking out because you're only making mere CENTS?

Well that doesn't make any SENSE!

Are you, perhaps, missing the point of Social Site networking?

Ever heard of the old adage 'give a man fish and you'll feed him for a day - teach a man to fish and he'll be able to eat every day thereafter' ?

Your main earnings won't come from the fact that you POST. Your main earnings come from the fact that you post QUALITY text and earn a good reputation within all of the social sites that you're involved with.

Referrals are part of the 'fish' part of the equation, too. They'll be around for a day, but may not sustain you through to large paycheques and payouts. Teach your 'fish' to fish - and then you will all be able to eat every day thereafter, and so will your downline! Basically, this means - STAY IN CONTACT with your referrals on sites that permit this. Teach them to fish.

This doesn't mean SPAM YOUR REFERRALS. This means - ASK your downline about real life stuff. Visit THEIR pages and interests, and see what they're involved in. If you can help them, then DO SO!

Some social sites don't have this built into the software well so that you can have decent contact with individual referrals and downline. In this case - USE YOUR BLOG provided with membership to update your referrals about what you're working on - and encourage them to contact you if they need assistance with anything.

BE HONEST - if you DO NOT KNOW something when someone from your downline asks, then SAY SO...but if you DO KNOW where to find information - lead your downline there.

For instance - I don't have my website completely functional yet, but my list is growing nonetheless, and my programs are gaining referrals, so if someone asks me about 'website tech' stuff, I have to honestly tell them that I DO NOT KNOW the answers they are seeking. I can, however, lead them to the place where I am training and finding the step-by-step answers that I need for the tech difficulties I ran into with my website. I simply say, "I honestly do not have that information for you, but I am learning from THIS site ---------- "

I can assist with questions about marketing, ad copy, lists, autoresponders, click-sites, autosurfs, domain name selection, hosting site recommendations, social sites, list-building sites, follow-up letters, splash pages, traffic exchanges, and many other things. I just don't want to answer questions about certain 'control panel' details and website tech stuff because I run into my own control panel battles from time to time, myself.

I WOULD NOT GIVE GOOD INFORMATION about web tech stuff and it would be a great mistake to try to 'bluff' about this information, so I don't try to bluff. You shouldn't either.

The point about social marketing and social sites and list building is that you DO IT and GET OVER YOURSELF!!! Get over your need to make coin on CLICKS. The money won't all come from there.

THE MONEY COMES FROM DOING and from REPUTATION that you build and from having people be able to COUNT ON YOU for help.

If your referrals can REPLICATE what you are doing - then they will MAKE MONEY and stick with you. They will know that if they hit a 'glitch' that you can help them or that, at least, you will direct them and be as helpful as you can possibly be.

Referral members who are your downline at 'pay per post' sites, 'pay per click' sites and social marketing sites WILL NOT STAY WITH YOU if they think they are just a number and coin value to you. Typically, referrals who aren't making money (with your help) just QUIT after a short time.

Bye-bye to your growing referral base, your list, your prospects. Bye-bye also - to earnings, right?

BE REASONABLE in your expectations about earning sites and opportunities.

How do you want to earn?

By chance?

Or with certainty - and in a way that is REPLICABLE - that you can repeat, day in and day out?

ENSURE that your earning potential can be made CONSTANT by looking at your ACTIONS and reputation - not just your downline numbers.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

No Fluff

Maybe I'm up way to early this morning, but I assure you I did sleep well and I am definitely in my right mind.

I haven't even put on my 'Internet Marketer' Hat yet this morning.

I think I'll just leave it OFF today - ALL DAY and send out a 'No Fluff' message.

The message:

These THREE new Social Sites ROCK. (I've already posted about two of them, so don't overlook the bottom link). Heck - if you don't think these sites are great, I will eat my Internet Marketing HAT once I get home tonight!

YUWIE
APSense
Friends Win - NEW

These THREE new sites put MySpace and Facebook to shame! I have had to change my interaction tactics completely on MySpace and Facebook over the summer months and I primarily spend time guarding myself against SPAM and DISTRACTIONS while I'm in those two monster sites. Now don't get me totally wrong here. These are still reasonable sites - I just don't get the kind of WORK done when I am logged in to them anymore - not like I used to. I still use them - but these are definitely 'break time' sites for me now - 'true social factor' going on, rather than a whole lot of learning and internet business.

Few people - or else the wrong kind of people (spammers and scammers) - have figured out the value of Social Sites for mass-contact list building, information-sharing, and money earning. THAT is what has made MySpace and Facebook lose their value as of late, in my opinion, as Social Marketing TOP Sites. Inexperienced users create 'fluff' groups like "Join my group so I can win an iPod" - or SPAMMERS just indiscriminately send reflinks around that they don't know anything about, trying to gain referrals. Man, that gets hard to steer around after a while, doesn't it? Especially when you're looking for quality information and people with 'Know How!'

Those problems are SOLVED now - with the appearance of the three latest Social Sites.

YUWIE
APSense
Friends Win - NEW

Created by people who got tired of the MySpace-Facebook scenario, the admins and crews at the three latest social sites are ready and armed against the spammers who will soon flock there. Plus - they set the sites up with UNBELIEVABLE and VALUABLE tools - whether you're just looking to gather information about hobbies or business. These sites even have MAILER programs! I mean - GOOD ONES. And the APSense site is very notably GEARED FOR BUSINESS interests, let me tell you!

Get into these member areas BEFORE the flock of spammers comes along. Check out the existing groups right away. These are filled with knowledgeable people who ARENT using 'Facebook' and 'MySpace' MASS-Friend-Show-Off tactics. Most of the people I've encountered at all three of these sites are CAREFULLY building contacts inside their members areas. They are actually keeping COMMUNICATION channels open, instead of just scoping out friends with same interests to add to their friend list.

Do you want to be on 92 Friend Lists with people who never get a chance to chat with you about anything? Do you want to be on 92 Friend Lists with people who constantly send you a barrage of Ref-Links to programs they don't even understand?

Or - do you want to interact with PEOPLE who care about who is on their Friends List, and once you get on THEIR LIST, they want to find out about YOU?

Make a choice:

YUWIE
APSense
Friends Win - NEW

Okay - so I'm up too early in the morning - this is true. I couldn't sleep any longer because I needed to get this information down on the blog before I start my 'real-life' day. It's a BIG DAY for me today. I start the first day of my semester classes at University. No anxiety about classes. That's not what helped me wake up so early - it was really EXCITEMENT about these sites!

How could I run off to classes (In search of Abraham??) while my blog was deviod of links? How could I? Well - that just wasn't going to happen.

Enjoy your new members areas while I'm off at classes!
(I want to hear all about your experiences when I get back!)

Heck, I'm not even going to go fetch 'banners' this morning. You've seen the banners for two of these sites already - so here are the links, one more time, plain and simple:

YUWIE
APSense
Friends Win - NEW

Have a great day!