Yes!  That is right!  How would you like to get 7 hours worth of ‘live’ video footage of Derek Gehl’s two-day “Internet Marketing Bootcamp” — PLUS, a 167-page online-profit-planning workbook — all for the grand total of ….

$0.00 !!

Unbelievable! That was my thought when I saw it.

People paid lots of money to hear Derek Gehl speak and teach during the 2 day marketing bootcamp.  I know because I was there!

And I am actually a bit peeved because now he is giving away all of it for nothing (well… you have to pay the postage but but it is definitely worth it) because you can see that this is what you will get:

For those of you who do not know who Derek Gehl is, let me tell you.  He worked with Corey Rudl - one of the pioneering greats of internet marketing who tragically died a couple of years ago - and helped build he fully professional online business company to what it is today.

In fact, the very first big ticket internet marketing course I bought - “The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on The Internet” was from them and it helped kick start me in the right direction.   It was quite a hefty purchase at that time but the quality and quantity of the product amazed me and that taught me a very important lesson - always overdeliver!

But anyway, back to this “Internet Millionaire’s Protégé Bootcamp“.  This is what Derek says:

Not everyone can afford to take the time and cover the travel expenses to attend a LIVE Internet marketing seminar.

But now, your customers and subscribers can attend Derek’s ENTIRE two-day Internet marketing “bootcamp” seminar — right from the comfort of their own living rooms!

“The Internet Millionaire’s Protégé Bootcamp Videos“ package contains 6 DVDs with over 7 hours of LIVE video footage from Derek’s wildly popular Internet marketing “bootcamp” seminar…

… PLUS, an accompanying 167-page online-profit-planning workbook that walks your customers and subscribers through how to implement Derek’s moneymaking strategies, track their progress, and MAXIMIZE their online profits!

This strategic video series teaches both Internet newbies AND experienced business owners…

1. Where to find FREE tools and resources they can use to easily build a website in less than a few hours — even if they have ZERO web design experience…
2. How to develop a brand new product (for FREE!) in less than 2 weeks…
3. How to explode an EXISTING Internet business by driving 1,000s of buyers to your website using FREE and dirt-cheap traffic strategies — and convert these visitors into paying customers instantly…
4. The secrets to growing an opt-in list like CRAZY — even on websites that get almost NO traffic…
5. How to score a top ranking in the search engines and directories like Google, Yahoo!, AltaVista, ODP, AllTheWeb, and Ask (just to name a few)…
6. The #1 research tool for finding NEW lucrative business ideas that absolutely NO Internet business owner can afford to be without, and how to access it for FREE…

… Plus TONS more!

The stealth Internet marketing strategies Derek reveals on these DVDs have already helped 1,000s of REAL PEOPLE grow successful Internet businesses that are generating $50,000 to $500,000 per year (and more!).

Just check it out even if you have no intention of getting it.  One can really learn from the masters on how they promote and package their product.

As for me? I am not getting a cent for telling you this.  But it is simply an offer too good to be kept to myself.

I will be getting it - just as a refresher course for myself as well as for the workbook because that is worth its weight in gold if used.

What are you waiting for?  Oh yes… the link:

http://www.marketingtips.com/free-dvds/t/841028

Talk soon!

Gordon

I do not usually read Forbes magazine.  But I was at the barber’s yesterday and while waiting for my turn, I flipped through an old copy of Forbes. I did not have much of a choice because some kid grabbed all the Spiderman comics and another guy was drooling all over copies of FHM and Maxim.

But if that did not happen, I would not have read this great interview with self made Billionaires.  After reading through, I realized that many of their so called secrets of success can also apply directly to making money online.

Billionaires’ Advice is Good Marketing Strategy

1. Face Your Problems Immediately

Yes, prevention is better than cure and it is always much better to prevent them from happening.  But if problems arise, address them immediately.

Solve them!  Don’t let the problem fester and build.  There will never be a good outcome this way.

2. Develop A Laser Like Focus

One common mistake of all people starting out is that they want to do everything there is in Internet Marketing.  They want to attack Affiliate Marketing, build Virtual Real Estate, Create Products, Run Membership Sites… all at once.

Don’t try to be all things to all people.

If there is one thing you need to develop, it is a laser like focus.

Focus unswervingly on what you do well, and you’re guaranteed to succeed.

3. Don’t Worry About the Competition

Another common problem with online marketers starting out is that they worry too much about whether what they are doing will become a success.

They analyze.  They fret.  They investigate.  They think.

They do everything but what is really needed.  And end up with nothing.

Invest your energy into your own ideas instead of comparing yourself to others or worrying about how they’re copying you.

That’s what the billionaires do.

Remember what I said before, “Model Success”.

And you can’t go wrong in following a billionaire!

Talk soon!

Gordon

You all know how I raved about the free Internet Marketing webinar that started yesterday.

And the bad thing was that all the seats were taken.

But now, Jack Humphrey just emailed me saying since there was a big group that did not turn up for the lessons (duh!  these people do not know what they are missing out), he has opened up some more seats.

Now if you are serious in wanting to start a business online and do not have serious cash with you, rush over here right now:

http://www.16stepstosuccess.com/

There is no affiliate link or anything.

Quick!  Seats are filling up!

See you on the other side.  Say hi to me when at the training.

Talk soon!

Gordon

As I type these words, I am still buzzing all over.

It has been just 2 hours since I got off a webinar training and am simply blown away by the level of material that the 2 presenters were giving - for FREE!

Yep! That is right. Sam Clark and Jim Humphrey have gathered together to offer a 16 session 8 weeks training called ‘16 Steps to Success’ for absolutely free. Well, not exactly free because they expect the participants to work and do the things they teach.

But it cost me zilch! Nada! Nothing!

And I am very sorry I did not manage to let you guys in on this before all the seats have been taken.

The 1st webinar training pretty sets the tone for everything. It echoes my belief and what I have been saying in my past few posts about the need to treat the whole online home business for what it really is - a business.

But one thing that stood out for me was this crazy new article they referred to. Now this article is by one smart dude called Chris Anderson. If you do not know him, he was the one that wrote ‘The Long Tail‘.

Now this book is essential reading if you are in any form of business.  So if you have not read it yet, please do so as soon as you can.  I cannot recommend it enough.

But what I am going to talk about today is the future of online business.  Chris Anderson  has a new article in Wired.com that says, “Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business“

In it, he gives the example of Gillette’s rise to multi million riches started when they decided to give away their razors for free - and it turn sold millions upon millions of disposable blades.

He carries on the argument that ‘free’ does not equate to ‘cheap’.  Take the example of Yahoo! Mail.  Recently, this free webmail service has now offered UNLIMITED storage space for email users.  Is Yahoo! Mail a cheap, low end, hard to use and sucky service?  No way!  I use it everyday for my primary contacts and it has been consistently rated by PC Magazine as the best web based email service.

The winners made their stuff free first.  Think Google.

There is just so much more you can learn from that article so make sure you read it.  This will be your homework for today

And speaking of Free, did you see the gift I am giving away to all those who sign up to my mailing list?

Since my last posts have been on Social Networking, I have decided to give away an ebook called “Making Money with Facebook”.  There is more to making contact with friends and like minded people in Facebook.  You can actually make money using it!

So why not sign up now (plug! plug!) for my mailing list so that I can give this to you at no charge.  Practicing what I read

And I will constantly be changing the free gift and once you are on my mailing list, you will always be notified of the latest downloads available.

And my promise is also this - I will not drown you with emails every day promoting every new thing.

That’s it for today.  Talk soon!

Gordon

Why are you reading this blog?

Why are you into Internet Marketing or trying to Make A Living Online?

Why a home based business? Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?

Why? Yes… why?

When I meet people at internet seminars or when chatting with someone online who is asking for help to make some money online, I always ask them “WHY?” And this is a question you should ask yourself too before your eye gloss with the thought of establishing your own home based business via the Internet.

Let us first have a reality check and check the home based business trends.

Entrepreneurs venturing into the frontiers of the Internet typically have dreams of having all the time in the world for themselves. They picture themselves sitting on their couches with laptops on and money pouring continuously with every click. For those with more vivid imaginations, the picture of one working in his underwear and nothing much on is simply too much for me

Yes… it is possible to do all that BUT this normally is not a case.

I blame it all on the so called Internet Marketing Gurus who spin wonderful dreams to get you to impart huge amounts of cash for their over inflated marketing courses. I still remember one particular marketer who played a video of a scene at the lush beaches of Hawaii - complete with sound of crashing waves and hula skirt girls - and asked all of us to ’see’ where we are going to be in one year’s time if we purchased his course. Yeah… right!

Reality sucks doesn’t it?

Though we are talking of home based business in here, it is still not true that we can get things easily. Or that we can earn hundreds of thousands even while we sleep. Don’t be lured with business opportunities in the web that offer too-good-to-be-true fantasies. If they’re dealing with a motto like “be a millionaire in 1 month” then it is time for you to have doubts.

Success don’t come easy, you know that.

One of my mentors told me to do this… “Model Success”. This means looking at successful people and doing what they do.

If you examine all the successful marketers, you will realize one thing - they succeed due to having the right attitude towards work and also being able to seize hold of the opportune time to make things work.

The grand idea of becoming a home based internet business entrepreneur is that you can leave your annoying boss behind and in exchange for a stressful, deadline buzzing job, you get a flexible, own time own target job that you have total control over.

And that my friend, is completely true!

Yes, you could really have all these benefits when you make a move to a home based job. Some would find even more benefits! No office politics to deal with. No nasty co-workers to work with. No stupid boss to deal with.

You spend less time squeezing with everyone during rush hour. You spend less on clothes (no need to impress) and food.

You lose your tension and stress.

BUT (there is always a BUT)

It’s not always easy to sail on with internet businesses.

Noticed I said business.

A Home Based Business is still a business. And operating any business ventures - be it an online or offline one - can be just as risky. This is not some scare tactic. This is reality and the sooner you open your eyes to face this truths, the better it will be for you.

Before you take the plunge and be a full time home based Internet entrepreneurs, consider the following potential losses in your life.

One great risk is you’ll stop getting your fixed source of income. There are good and bad sides to this. And depending on your case, they may either make or break your business life.

All jobs have some degree of uncertainty in them after all, business would have to deal with risks of failure or of success. However, entrepreneurs have a good argument of controlling your own income is better than having other people fix it for you. That way, you’ll have greater elbow room for growth. However, you must also be prepared for periods of losses.

Remember that even the largest establishment fail. No one can ever be assured that Internet sales would keep on coming. You would surely have great and bad months and the only thing that you can be assured of is that you always have to deal with unpredictability of trends.

If you are not a risk taker, a steady paycheck may appeal to you more than an unsteady business earning.

As an entrepreneur, you have to face the truth that once you embark on an internet home based business - this will become your life!

It’s like turning work into your obsession.

When you have a day job, you can choose to leave your work behind at the office at the end of the day.  But you may find it difficult to do so when you have a home based office.  That is why most entrepreneurs practice an enforced time out period in their business.

Jimmy D. Brown, one of the internet marketers I listen to, explains that he will always make sure his weekend is free from his business activity so that he can keep his mind fresh for the new week ahead.  That is a very good principle to adopt.

Making money would be impossible unless you take charge of really selling your business. Well that would surely be a task that you would have to dedicate yourself.  Many, lured by the dreams of sweet success, give it a shot but fail to dedicate fully.  And fail miserably and conclude that the whole deal of working at home just does not work.

When you start, you must be prepared for many days of unrest before getting your home business to the second level.  And you have to continue working at it until you attain a level where you realize that things can indeed work and carry on smoothly.

Remember that there is no sure path to success.

There are many facets to success.  But in all of it, you must toil and really sweat for it. In the end, you’ll be happy that you did. After all, all your labor is an investment to your  future earnings.

Whew!  This is quite a mouthful of a post.  But I hope you get the message.

Making a living online is possible.  But you must be prepared to face the reality and work at it.

Talk soon!

Gordon

Now I know I have talking a lot about Online Marketing Strategies. But all the strategies in the world will not get you anywhere if you do not have traffic - targeted traffic coming to your site.

And one of the fastest way of getting free targeted traffic to your site is via social networks & web 2.0 viral marketing tactics.

Never heard of them? Have you heard of Facebook? MySpace? Twitter?

These are just some examples of social networks that has huge communities of users and if used effectively, can drive tons of targeted traffic to your site almost from the word ‘go’!

The key phrase here is: ‘Used Effectively’.

I think if you are reading this blog, you will have by now tried one or more of these web 2.0 tactics. Tell me? How successful were you?

If you were like me when I first started dabbling in Web 2.0 traffic tactics - not very successful.

I mean, the problem is that there is just so much information out there and no coherent plan to put it all into one actionable plan. I’ve spent thousands buying this ebook, ecourse, software, scripts… you get the picture - but I still did not see the spike of traffic that was promised. I spent hours poking here, digging there, stumbling around, socializing - and still not very successful.

And I kinda figured out it was precisely because I was jumping from this Web 2.0 tactic to the next tactic - never ever working it out properly to make it successful.

That was until I discovered Jack Humphrey. I was surprised to learn that many people still do not know who he is but you can learn more about him in his great blog “Friday Traffic Report” and I will leave you at that.

But Jack is an incredible traffic wizard that draws in free traffic like no other. And he has published an updated free report called Authority Black Book 2.0 for 2008. This is “67 pages of resources for Social Marketing Domination, Buzz Generation, Higher Rankings and Endless Traffic”. (ok … his words not mine).

But seriously, if there is nothing you take out of this posting, you should at least get the Authority Black Book 2.0. It does not cost you anything except to click on the link or image and download it.

Read it and your eyes will be opened to the world of possibilities of free traffic - almost instantly!

Well… at least that happened to me. I do not use Pay per Click now. I get my traffic the natural way (oops… sounds like another very expensive product )

But seriously, if you have not gotten started at using Web 2.0 to jumpstart your website traffic, you should seriously consider doing it. Now!

“Wait a minute! How do I get started? You told me that you spent hours getting very little returns. I do not want to go down that route!”

Yes, there are all very valid concerns and I just found a resource that you may want to consider to get started.

Now this is brand new and is called Web 2.0 Marketing Tips - Ramp Up Traffic Blueprint.

I want to make this clear upfront. I just signed up as well and I did so for a very good reason - Jack Humphrey is one of the man behind the team that is running this site. The rest of them are also well known marketers who have been around a long time - Miguel Alvarez, Bryan Winters and Jerome Chapman.

What they have done is to address the problems that many people who want to get started on Web 2.0 Marketing face:

• Too much information
• No game plan.
• Not sure what really works
• Accountability to do what is needed

Now what they have done is to set up 24 short, easy-to-digest lessons. Every week, you’ll receive a PDF file via e-mail that contains a short and to the point lesson (3-5 pages long) that explains that week’s tactic and the specific steps telling you what to do and how to do it.

This handles the information overload and no game plan problem.

Then to address your accountability problem - they will include a couple of assignments that you’ll need to follow along and complete during the week.

Doing things this way lets you build as you go & earn as you learn. But most importantly, it forces you to succeed long-term because instead of burdening you with information-overload, we’ll give you a “do this, then do that” blueprint that guarantees you get things done.

And in this way, you will see what really works.

As I said, I have just signed up for this as well. So that I can see if this something that you readers would really benefit from.

But if you cannot wait for my review, you can just signed up first as there is a 30 day guarantee.

http://true-money.com/vind40/

However, sign up only if you are planning to do something about it.

If you cannot spend some time doing the weekly plan, let me say now - don’t sign up!

This is NOT a magic button that you push and all your traffic woes are over.

I know Web 2.0 works - because I have done it and you can do it as well. But you need to put in the effort to learn, do, test, tweak and do it again and again.

Web 2.0 marketing tactics is not the holy grail of traffic generation. The internet evolves and changes. But at the moment, there is nothing better to generate free, organic traffic.

And that is what we all want, isn’t it?

Talk soon!

Gordon

Don’t you just hate it when you read about how Internet Marketing is so easy?  Just promote and all the sales will come. The Internet is a vast uncharted domain is waiting to be conquered.

I will freely admit that making money on the side without much work was an instant attraction to me when I considered making money online.   I spent thousands on useless traffic exchanges and safe lists.  I lost loads of money using Pay Per Clicks because I simply did not know better and copied the keywords provided by the merchants blindly.

I got lots of traffic - but boy, did they cost me!

Why?  Because it was not Targeted traffic.

Once I finally figured that out, the rest was much simpler and sales started pouring in as my costs when down.

Let me share with you how you can amplify your Internet Marketing in 4 Easy Steps so that you can be completely targeted in your online marketing business.

You must know that the success of your business largely depends on how effective you promote it to your target market. The more effective you are in establishing brand awareness, the more sales you will secure.

Here are the 4 interesting steps to amplify your internet marketing:

1.    List Building.

You would want higher sales potential every time you send out promotional ads to your target market. Your sales potential is highly dependent on the size and quality of your email marketing list. Know how to expand it by attracting the right people through the use of various list building techniques. It is of outmost importance that your list is targeted and responsive.

2.    Ezine Publishing.

Build a trusting business relationship with your potential clients through constant communication. Send them newsletters, useful articles, promotional campaigns, and email advertisements periodically to communicate your expertise on your chosen niche and to build up your product to make them more enticing to the eyes of your potential clients.

3.    Article Marketing.

I love this method.

Writing and distributing your articles online is currently the best traffic generator in the World Wide Web. Bank on your content and be willing to submit articles on a regular basis so you can easily build and establish loyal following.

4.    Website Promotion.

In internet marketing, it is crucial that you know how to drive quality traffic to your website. You can do so by learning the ropes of tried and test site promotion tools which include SEO, link building, and other content-based marketing solutions like blogging.

So you have it - 4 different ways to target your audience in Internet Marketing.  There are so many more things that I want to share on how exactly you can reach out to your customers via these 4 steps.
Now I need you to tell me which of these steps you would like me to focus on.

Drop a comments and I will get started.

Talk soon!

Gordon

I just started this blog a few days ago and it’s quite incredible that I am already receiving visitors… even though it is very much a blog at work. I am still deciding on my blog theme. I have not optimized my blog in any way. I have not tagged and ping my blog. And yet… I am getting more than 66 unique visitors with just 3 posts and Google bot has come a visiting.

If you want to know more about making money through blogging, I cannot recommend you this enough. I know you can learn for free online but this is the best resource to get started. I will be writing a review of this soon but if you cannot wait, check out Atomic Blogging.

Oops… got side-tracked abit

But let me now get to the next couple of Secret Online Marketing Strategies.

Secret Online Marketing Strategy No. 3 - The “Bombarded” Strategy

If you have been into Internet Marketing for any period of time, I am sure you are in hundreds of lists and you get bombarded by many different offers and enticements almost every single day.

Right now my mail box is swamped by promotions on a certain niche mass weapon of destruction (WMD) method and some super auction method of generating hundreds of leads at low cost.

So do you follow?

You need to set yourself apart from many of the clueless marketers. Do not bombard them. But tell them and show them you understand that they are being drowned in an avalanche of advertisements each day.

And show them why you are different.

Perhaps you will only have a weekly newsletter contact with your customers.

If you are intending to promote a certain product by constantly building anticipation or given out more information etc, you could consider creating a new list just for this purpose. But explain to your customers that this list is only for this promotion and that you won’t rent, share or sell their name to any other business. It will show them that you are trying to help them cut down on their junk mail and spam. And they are safe in the knowledge that they will not get more emails after the launch of product.
Secret Online Marketing Strategy No. 4 - The “No Install” Strategy

I am a bit of a techie.

I used to program in Assembly Language, Fortran, C Language and even did some Java programming.

If that sounds like Greek to you, you are not alone.

The fact of the matter is, despite computer being around for the longest time, many people are still technophobes.

And that is why the recent advent of web based applications is simply god-sent for many technically challenged people.

If you have software product to sell, consider making it web based. Why?

The “there’s no software to install…” strategy tells your prospects that your product won’t require any software to use it.

You can imagine the relief in many people when they see that. They will now know that they do not have to go through the hassle of installation of some software to gain their desired benefits with products.

Consider this.

Talk soon,

Gordon

One of my heroes is Winston Churchill, the old British bulldog [sorry, I cannot help it]

He has this to say about strategy:

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

This ties in beautifully with my last post where all my Online Marketing Strategies start - Test!

Before I share with you my best internet marketing strategies, I want to emphasize this: You can have all the beautiful and wonderful strategies that you may ever want or need … but if you do not check the results of the strategies, you are definitely leaving money on the table … and even lose more without realizing it!

Look at the results to determine if the marketing strategies work. If they don’t work, try something else.

I think you get the picture now…

And one more thing - strategies only work if you use them.

Secret Online Marketing Strategy No. 1 - The “Hidden Value” Strategy

If you study human psychology, you will know that one of the most powerful persuasion techniques that is most often used is the power of unfinished thought or action.

This strategy is shamelessly adopted by thrill novel writers, TV series, advertisers, direct sales man…

What you do is to leave out a little bit of information.  And it just drives the audience crazy not knowing what it is and makes them want to find out more.  They are simply hooked - line and sinker!

One example you could try immediately if you have your own salesletter promoting an product is this.

You add an extra call to action to the customer by telling them this.

“You will get an extra $__ in bonuses…”

This strategy tells your prospects that the total value of your bonus products is a mystery. They will realize that in order to find out the actual value of your bonuses, they will have to purchase your product. You can tell them it will be revealed after they order.

With the right offer and guarantee, you can bet your horses that most of the time, people will simply buy just to satisfy their curiosity.  Once they find out what it is, they will be satisfied… and you would have gotten your sale.

But make sure you deliver bonus of great value in this case!

Secret Online Marketing Strategy No. 2 - The “Confident Sell Out” Strategy

One of my favorite black pepper crab stores has the most incredibly bad customer service imagined.  The waiters bark at you and order you around.  Stammer and fumble over your orders and they will disappear - off to serve another table without a word.

But despite this - the queues remain long and they never, ever fail to sell out their quota of crabs each day.

I always wondered by this was the case.  There are other restaurants selling black pepper crabs that tastes almost as good but with much better service.  And yet each time, we happily subject ourselves to the queues and surly waitresses.

The key to it all is Confidence.  Confidence that they will be able to sell out their crabs each day.  And if you do not want it, someone else will take it.

The “this product will definitely sell out…” strategy tells your prospects that you are confident that your product won’t last long. Many people are influenced by confidence. You can show even more of your confidence by telling them the approximate timeframe when your product will sell out.

We all know the drill when we want to eat there.  Get there by 5 pm.  If not, expect to wait for an hour.  And last orders by 8 pm.  Or else there will be no more crabs.

They tell this openly to us.  Makes us want it even more.

So here are just 2 internet marketing strategies you can start implementing right away.

Tell me how it works for you.

Talk soon!

Gordon

I am going to dive straight in and introduce to you some of the Best Internet Marketing Strategies that I found that can work for almost any niche or products you are selling online.

One of the great things about marketing online is this:  “You can always try a wide variety of marketing strategies and see which fits best for the product or niche market you are targeting.  If it does not work, simply replace it with another and work at it till it produces good results.  Then either add on to it or try and beat it”.

And this leads me nicely to my Number One Marketing Strategy:

Test, Test and Test!

Many internet marketers do not test and evaluate what they are doing.  They read an ebook, attend an internet seminar or listen to some audio training and go ahead and implement what they have learned.  If it works, great!  If it does not, they just switch over to something else.

If they fail, they do not test and check to see what went wrong.

If they succeed, they do not test and see if they can beat what they have done.

Michel Fortin, my copywriting hero, is a testing fanatic.  He tests almost everything in his marketing campaign and sales letter.  He changes the headline… and tests.  He changes the color of the font… and tests.  He changes the capitalization of the leading character… and tests.  He replaces one graphic with another… and tests. He changes a bonus … and tests.

You get the picture.

Why is it he can be so successful in what he does is because he tests everything.  And in so doing, he knows exactly what works and what does not in every marketing campaign that he does.

Now this is not something easy to do or pick up overnight.  But stay with me as I am now working on a ebook on Testing and Tracking which I will be giving it to you … at no cost.  Just make sure you sign up on my notification list so that I can tell you when it will be out.

Talk tomorrow!

Gordon