Internet Marketing Tactics For These Tough Times (From Google and Me!)

As we enter into what many enlightened souls are calling
the most dire economic times since the Great Depression,
online marketers need all the help they can get - regardless
of the source. You have probably heard of Google; but chances
are almost 100% certain, you have never heard of me. Lucky you!

Actually, the only thing you need to know about me is
that I am a full-time online affiliate marketer and I
make a very comfortable living from the web. Last year
(2008), was my best year online so far, which left me
scratching my head and saying what recession?

But that may be something of a false positive, as I will
never know how much I could have made if the economic
times had been good instead of bad. Plus, judging from
my own limited experience, selling and marketing online
may not have been hit as hard as those businesses in the
real world in 2008, since consumers are doing everything
to save a penny and shopping online has become a much cheaper
alternative for many.

As we enter into these uncertain times, online marketers
and webmasters need all the help they can get. Recently,
Google mailed a small booklet to its Adsense users;
in it Google gives "6 Top Tactics For Tough Times."
It is obviously referring to its Adwords PPC (Pay Per
Click) program and clients but Google's advice can be
applied to your own general online marketing.

These tactics include: (quoting directly from the
Google mail-out)

1. Focus your ads on low prices and savings.

2. Use Value-related keywords.

3. Ensure your ad groups are targeted and relevant.

4. Don't waste money on irrelevant clicks.

5. Make it easy for customers to buy.

6. Focus your money on your high-performers.
(End Quote)

Sound advice and I especially like the idea of focusing
your marketing on low prices and savings mainly because
people want bargains in tight economic times. I also like
the fact that you must make it easy for your customers to
buy... something as simple as putting your "order/buy link"
above the fold can increase your conversions.

Also, targeting value-related keywords, is a very effective
marketing tactic. Relating your keywords to "discounts,
bargains, cheap, inexpensive, lowest prices..." will help
increase your sales. So too, is catering to phrases that
suggest the searcher is in a buying mind-set: gifts, presents,
gift ideas, wedding gifts... shoppers searching those words
are ready to buy.

Plus, focusing your time and money on your high-performers
is solid advice. Sometimes succeeding online is simply
finding a market niche that works/performs - then running
with it. Once you have found the keywords and products
that perform well with your site or sites - focus the
majority of your time and energy developing those niche
markets.


Now here are some of my most effective marketing
tactics that have worked for me and tactics I will
be relying on in the coming years - even in these
hard times.


o Make Keywords Your #1 Goal

This is the single most important factor for my own
online success. You have to make keywords and ranking
high for them in all the search engines your main
objective if you're marketing online. Might sound
obvious, but many beginning marketers don't truly
understand how important getting top rankings for
your chosen keywords will be in your online success.

Target less competitive long tail (multi-worded)
keywords to get started and slowly work your
way up to more popular keywords. Center your
marketing around getting those first page listings
(Top Five) for your keywords. Achieve this goal,
(especially in Google) and it will be almost
impossible for you not to succeed and make
a profit with your online marketing even in
bad times.


o Autoresponders, List Building & Online Relationships

Keeping in contact with potential buyers is mission
critical. You must use autoresponders to send follow-up
messages to build trustful relationships with your
potential customers. Establishing this personal contact
or trust is very important because the Internet is
still a cold distrustful environment for most people.

So building a large contact list is essential. That's
why the social networks such as Twitter, Facebook,
MySpace can be very effective marketing tools for
building this online contact and trust. Truth be told,
all these social networks are, more or less, just
glorified autoresponders and list builders!


o Your Unique Selling Position

You must give potential customers some very good
reasons for them to buy from you or your links.
Offering special bonuses and discounts works
wonders for your sales. Some of my most successful
pages simply consists of coupons and discounts
offered by different companies. If buyers can
save $100's OFF by buying thru your links, they
will.

Always remember, besides looking for the best
deal or bargain, consumers are also looking for a
quality product. If you're into affiliate marketing,
only pick top quality products to promote. Picking
top brand names also makes it easier to make sales.
So too is only promoting popular online merchants
like Amazon, can be an effective marketing strategy.
Most importantly, always remember consumers are also
looking for INFORMATION on the products they are
considering buying, give them helpful information
and you will succeed.


o Find A Niche You Enjoy

There are millions of profitable niche markets you can
choose from - pick one that truly interests you and run
with it. Your favorite hobby or something you enjoy
doing in your spare-time. Picking a niche market that
you like is a key factor, you won't mind spending your
time exploring and exploiting it. Just won't seem like
work because you will be having fun while you do your
marketing.


o Go With The Flow

If you're marketing online, you have to follow what's
working for you. Most times you will try countless
ideas or tactics - once you have found a process or
system that works, really work it or scale it up.
Making your first dollar is the hardest, but once
you do something that earns you that dollar,
just repeat that "something" a thousand times.

Tracking what works is very important so keep a
close eye on your site's traffic logs to find where
your customers are coming from. Something like
Google Analytics is simply priceless for "fine-tuning"
your site and your online marketing. It will tell
you what's working and what's not.


o Target Recurring or Residual Income

One of my most effective marketing strategies is to
promote and sell products and services that give you
a recurring or residual income. Make one sale and get
paid for years or for the life of that referred client.
Concentrate on services like web-hosting, telephone,
marketing programs... once customers sign up to these
services, they will likely keep them for years. I am
still earning income from sales I made five years ago.

Building a large residual income could be the key to
surviving in tough economic times. This will be income
which will carry you or your business over the rough
patches since it is based upon past performance and not
on your current selling situation.


o Target the Right Customers And Markets

The biggest advantage of marketing online is you
can precisely target your customers and your markets.
One tactic I use is to target customers who are likely
to buy more than one unit of what you're selling. For example,
if you target Corporate Business Gifts, a boss or employer
will not be buying just one coffee mug but ten or even
hundreds of mugs.

Even in tough times, seasonal markets will still
perform... back to school, mother's day, Halloween,
Christmas market... things might slow down but these
markets will still perform even in tough times.


o Automate Everything

The real beauty of marketing online and using computers...
you can automate just about every process in your marketing
system. Make it a point of automating everything you do...
use autoresponders to follow-up with potential buyers, use
automatic check-outs, automatic reporting... just set-up your
whole online marketing system that runs itself with little
or no supervision from you. This will free up your time to
concentrate all your efforts on marketing/promoting your
site or product. Besides, nothing beats coming back from
a vacation and finding out you have earned the cost of
your vacation and then some - all the while you were lying
in the sun and miles away from any computer.


o Find The Top Online Marketers

If you're just starting with online marketing, you
need to find the top successful marketers and "model"
what they're doing. This is relatively a new industry
and you have to seek out the experts and pioneers who
have set the groundwork. When I first started marketing
online, I was quite fortunate to come into contact with
some web marketing heavy-weights such as Marlon Sanders,
Ken Evoy, Neil Shearing... and SEO experts like Brad Callen
and Aaron Wall.

Often it is just a matter of finding the right "mentor"
to follow. You need to study their techniques to improve
your own marketing. Perhaps my best advice would be this:
find the top online marketers and stick to them like glue!



o Make Google Your Friend


Whether you love or hate Google doesn't matter, you
just have to make it your number one ally in your
online marketing. Google has just about conquered
the world-wide search market, Yahoo and MSN are
still important, but Google is the deal-breaker
when you're selling stuff online. Consumers have
enormous respect for Google, a number one listing
for a lucrative keyword simply means money in
the bank. Marketers must realize Google will
play a significant role in their online success
and may play an ever increasing role in these
tough economic times.

I have found using Google Search, Google Adwords,
and Google Adsense have played a more than significant
role in the success of my own online sites and marketing.
Google tools such as Google Analytics, Google Alerts,
Webmaster Tools... all have been invaluable and an
enormous help in achieving my "web-based" lifestyle
and livelihood. Of course, Google has also driven me
around the bend more times than I can count, but no
one is perfect.

Besides, when it's all said and done, anyone marketing
on the web must truly embrace Google if they want to
reach their highest level possible. In good times and
especially in these bad times, you must make Google your
friend. Your best friend. Even your BFF. When all else
fails, trust in Google, forget that other guy. Then again,
you better not; for you're going to need all the help you
can get in these coming tough times, regardless of the source.




...

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Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.