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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERNET MARKETING
by Craig Lock
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use
the Internet, and he won't bother you for weeks."
- anon
(Sorry men... however, I presume this principle also applies to
our
women-folk!).
Introductory Thoughts:
I hope that the following article based on our experiences may
be informative and/or helpful in your online marketing.
A successful online business isn't built overnight; but is the
result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can teach
you to make a substantial amount of money without hard work,
realize they are talking through "a hole in the head and are out
of their trees".
After seven years doing it, here are my TEN COMMANDMENTS setting
out how to conduct business online (in spite of the recent
demise of so many "high-profile dot-bombs"- ready availability
to large amounts of capital, I believe, can be a big
disadvantage to the small/home business cyberentrepreneur):
Now time to "get straight into it"...
1. Understand that technology should help you achieve your
business and personal
goals. It is merely a tool to move you forward with your vision:
a "means to an
end" to HELP and enable
you, rather than being an end in itself, (or perhaps even be a
disabler to
"untechnos" like me). So make modern technology work
to it's highest potential for you and your business. Spend time
learning about various computer programmes and applications
(hard though it may be for the 'technically challenged'). Then
"use it
repeatedly , so you don't lose it!" Accept that the vast
majority of www. users
are not "technofreaks" (like my "geek associate", Bill) and have
great
difficulty learning new
computer procedures. Well, I certainly do (just ask "Billy
boy")!
However, by making a conscious effort and with discipline and
effort the habit ingrained makes it easier and easier, as your
confidence grows
in leaps and bounds.
2. Don't take the competition for granted...and don't "knock"
them. Never ever!
Accept that no business can be the best in
every facet. The convergence of computer, media, entertainment
and communications means the underlying structures of the
computer world will
change rapidly and soon... or so my
"technogeek" associate, Bill (not Gates) says. The
TV/computer/music center is not far away, I hear.
The net is a world wide market-place, so don't be too zenophobic
(now that's a really big word, that I tried very hard to bring
in). I think many Americans (and perhaps New Zealanders too)
think that
theirs is the only country on earth in which to trade and is the
centre of the world... and we're nearly falling off the bottom
of the planet near Antarctica!
However, we can all compete fairly ("fairly") against the
competition by transcending international boundaries on a
"global level playing field" - whereby even the "little guys"
can take on the big corporations around the world (except for
their massive
marketing budgets, of course!) . It may mean
adjusting your marketing efforts to take into account some
cultural differences (like my rather 'weird' sense of humour, or
different spelling - although it's the same English language).
However, I believe people around the world have more in common
than their differences. Common aspirations, eg. security, to do
their best for their families, etc. Enough philosophical
digression, Craig... and back to your point...
Here in "Sleepy Hollow" (with one of the highest unemployment
rates in the country) in little provincial New Zealand near the
bottom of the
world, we sell our various products around the globe in response
to customer
needs.
3. Consolidate your business by focusing on what you do best.
Don't try to be "all things" to your customer, nor try to offer
too many products. Concentrate on perfecting and marketing your
"best sellers" in your CORE business activities. That is the
area which produces the most profitable results for your
organization. (remember the "80-20 rule" - 20 of your
activities produces 80 of your results/profit and vice versa!).
For us it's my various books, as well as creative writing
courses.
Define your "USP" (or "unique selling proposition") - a "fancy"
term loved by "those marketing types". What is the key, that
makes your product
or service really special?
Now for one rather more philosophical...
4. Honour your parents, your teachers and your communities and
especially your family. Family is most precious of all and
strong and stable family units make for a strong and stable
country. Parenting, I believe is the most noble occupation of
all - and parents
want their children to be safe on line, so
supervise them closely. Teach them responsibility in internet
usage... so they
don't push your telephone bill sky high (as my
dear boys do - but then that's the price of having and educating
children - a tax on sex!). Teach your children well (as Crosby,
Stills, Nash ... and Young used to sing so melodiously) and
wisely. Let them
learn that the net is a great EDUCATION tool
for the present and the future and they could be learning
"practical skills on the job" and preparing for a future
technological career.
5. Do not send spam (sending masses of unsolicited e-mail) -
under any
circumstances. You are likely to be cut off by your
server. I find it rather irritating receiving "mountains" of
spam and simply delete all unsolicited e-mail selling products
and services... and wouldn't you do likewise; because it just
clutters up your
mailbox?
We've had a lot of fun, learning as we've gone along and this
article has been
written in the spirit of helping others around the globe through
sharing our
experiences of the www. (after all, we have all been "newbees"
at some time)
*
"How will you ever know if you can paint that picture, run that
business, sell that vacuum cleaner, earn that degree, hold that
office, make that speech, win that game, marry that girl, write
that book, bake that souffle, build that house - unless you try
it!"
- Richard M. DeVos, founder of Amway
6. Do not launch your product before the market is ready for
it. Test the market first by doing a survey. Ask yourself: Is
there a NEED for your particular product? In what way is it
distinctive (and superior) to the competition (world-wide,
remember!)? Have all your systems in place to market it... then
always remember, all products have a definite life cycle...and
some are relatively short.
7. Take the business of internet marketing seriously. The
world online population is exploding daily and exponentially
(big word, eh...but what does it mean?). I'm not sure how many
people are online world-wide, but think it may be in the order
of 150-200 million at present and increasing daily. In
addition, I "guess" there are a similar number of web sites
(and many more pages) "up there in cyberspace". So the
competition is "pretty stiff"! As the "cyber-revolution"
gathers momentum, imagine if everyone is online one day?
Impossible perhaps,
but who knows! What will that do for your
business and you? An unlimited target market for your PRODUCTS
- if you are still going strong by then. VERY EXCITING!
8. Have an effective web presence. Your internet site should
explain
immediately what the visitor will get for their time online. If
it is not clear WHY they should stay, they'll leave before they
try to find out. Therefore make your site as interesting and
informative as you can. I've seen many sites, where I don't
know the webmaster's objective, their PURPOSE. Are they purely
for information, or trying to sell something? Make sure your
site loads
quickly, because people soon get tired of waiting in
today's fast /instant (coffee) world.
9. Always remember MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT EFFECTIVELY is the
key to the success of your business. If you don't get adequate
results, you'll soon be out of business... as recurring bills
in the post-box without income to pay them soon take all the
fun out of your venture into "cyber" self-employment.
I spend at least an hour a day purely on internet marketing:
mainly through my
various article submissions. Most effective!
Don't forget to use traditional methods of marketing to
promote your business, as in advertising (radio, news- papers,
brochures, and the most effective of all, word of mouth in your
local community). The two strategies (both on-line and
off-line), I believe, work best together in your marketing
plan. I plan to do more off-line advertising, by allocating a
portion of revenue to marketing, as it comes in.
Even if you have the greatest product in the world, you will
never sell
anything if you don't tell people about it. It's
like having a billboard in the middle of a forest or a desert.
An example: Just because you have a phone number in the phone
book, doesn't mean that a stranger will call you. So it is
absolutely vital that you advertise effectively to bring people
to your site;
because without advertising, there will be no
TRAFFIC... and without prospects there will be NO SALES. And
without sales there will soon be no business!
..and finally and most importantly,.
* 10. Use the Internet to build a better world. We are at the
forefront of one
of the most innovative and far-reaching
inventions in human history. The net is the most cost-
efficient, INSTANTANEOUS, EXCITING and effective way of
marketing products and
services around the globe through modern
telecommunications. We live in one of the most exciting times
in human history; so exploit the AMAZING POWER of the internet
to reach hundreds of thousands of people and perhaps even
millions around the
world. Use your creative energies and
imagination to the fullest, by thinking of new ideas of how to
market your
particular products. I keep a notebook by my
bedside and leave to my creative subconscious mind just before
I go to sleep. And we all have great powers of imagination as
the source for creative ideas, through the amazing power of the
human mind (that's the subject of my next book, btw).
SUMMARY:
I believe INTERNET MARKETING is the KEY to internet success,
especially if you have a limited marketing budget, like us. As
mentioned, I allocate at least an hour or two a day purely to
internet
marketing, through submitting my articles on numerous
subjects to various ezines and publishing resources. I find it
by far the most
effective way of free advertising to get
traffic (= SALES) . Always remember to have a resource box at
the end of each article, together with your web site address.
Carefully monitor what's working for you and what's not on a
regular basis.
REVIEW YOUR STRATEGIES REGULARLY.
FOCUS ON WHAT ACTIONS GET THE BEST RESULTS.
Remember Bill Gates's wise words: "There'll be two types of
business in the
year 2000: those online... and those out of
business. And that was some time ago!
A few final words to summarize...
There are no 'magic secrets', and there is nothing mystical
about making money
online. Other than the advertising budget,
it's a level playing field around the world and anyone, like
the self-employed entrepreneur working from home, like you and
I, can compete with the "big guys". And we have ONE BIG
ADVANTAGE: These corporations are too unwieldy to react swiftly
to changing circumstances and markets. So we "one and two man
bands running our technology through number eight fence wire*
have got the jump on them".
* Only joking, but Kiwis (New Zealanders) have a reputation for
ingenuity (big
word) - mainly caused by our geographical isolation near the
bottom of the
world.
(Note correct word order!)
It just takes a four letter word to be successful online: WORK.
With heaps of hard work, dedication, discipline and a little
perseverance (+ heaps of patience), I believe absolutely anyone
can achieve
online success, even taking on the big corporations. At Eagle
Productions, working in association with Bill Rosoman of the
New Zealand Enterprise Centre and Nugrow Technologies,
together with Stefan Van Lingen in South Africa (Bridgeniche.com),
we've
done it all on an absolutely "shoestring" budget (no-one could
believe the story!), lots of hard graft and heaps of pure
faith. We have been reasonably successful to date (the
past seven years), but have hopes of far greater success in the
future. No matter, we are enjoying the journey in a totally
new field and are having great fun innovating, learning and
extending
ourselves each day. I hope you too take pleasure and have great
success as you travel along your very individual journey in
"cyberspace marketing".
No matter where you may live on this planet, cyberspace can
produce income to so many "budding netrepreneurs" . The www
gives 'ordinary people' without much capital, like you and I, a
great BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: the opportunity of self
employment (and of a life-time) by reaching out to a GLOBAL
market-place. Each one of us has a responsibility to ourselves
and our families. It is up to each one of us to reach out and
help many people around the world through being innovative and
original in our ideas... and the money we earn from selling our
array of unique products and services can be used for many good
purposes,
like perhaps even helping others achieve their dreams. In
doing that, WE WILL BE MAKING THE MOST USE OF OUR UNIQUE
(God-given) ABILITIES.
The successful cyber entrepreneur of today could well be the
equivalent of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Kennedy's, Paul
Getty's
and Henry Ford's of yesteryear, especially in the new
ENTREPRENEURIAL (nice big word) AGE, which I believe, is even
more important (and a more appropriate term) than the
information age.
What you do today could repay you a hundred-fold
tomorrow...and there is just one rule:
If you really BELIEVE in your product, then get onto the
playing field (or perhaps you Americans call it "the
ball-park") of cyberspace. Then as the famous shoe ad says,
JUST DO IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT AND BE HAPPY ALONG THE
JOURNEY!
Craig Lock (Eagle Productions)
http://www.craiglockbooks.com
"Eagles may fly high, but weasels don't get sucked into jet
engines."
P.S:
Happy marketing online and "learn as you go"
I hope this information may be helpful to you.
* "We can all use the internet to reach out to the
"global community" and build a better world in this new
"Information Revolution" that is upon us. Let's use it wisely,
respect our
diversity and unique cultures; but celebrate a new
world in union. One where, like your founding forefathers in
America, you can first celebrate the Independance Day of the
strong burning creative spirit that lies deep within every one
of us. If this
spark is set alight, it is a flame that will
burn long and brightly for future generations and make your
personal VISION of
the future a REALITY... and perhaps even
fulfil YOUR UNIQUE DESTINY on this planet."
"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
- Colette
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is
no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
About the author:
Craig is a writer and "internet pioneer" (or "infopreneur"), who
believes in
sharing information, as well as encouraging and helping others
to find
their talents and gifts, to strive for and accomplish their
dreams in life - whatever they may be.
Eagle Productions Books* are available at:
http://www.craiglock.com/books.html
and
http://www.bridgeniche.com
* Hard copies and e-books - fiction and non-fiction:
self help, personal growth, inspiration, travel, humour,
novels and money books.
Uplifting, encouraging and empowering people through the power
of words and
thought energy.
Change YOUR world and you change THE world."
===================================
BUSINESSMATE EZINE is published and edited by
Jess Guim, MCSE. |
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