Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Q & A is finally here!

Published on June 19, 2009 in Articles. 2 Comments Tags: , .

I admit. This blog is just a hobby of mine. I love internet marketing and making money online. As such, I spend a lot more time on my own internet marketing projects than I do updating this blog. Even though I realize that I would be able to heavily increase traffic to this site by posting more frequently, I just put it off to monopolize my time with other projects. I am making some adjustments in my online routine and as such, I am going to start posting more regularly. What this means for you as blog reader is that there will not only be a lot more content available on this site, but I will have more to offer other ‘netpreneurs’ like yourself.

Big changes are around the corner. I have been trying to start a Question and Answer section and I am finally ready to launch that section of this website. I am very excited for this opportunity because it will help you as an Industrial Strength Fan to participate more and get the very specific answers that you have been looking for.  This will be great for ‘newbies’ just starting out trying to make a living online. Are you experienced in the realm of internet marketing? Go ahead and share those experiences with others through ISIM. Gain exposure. Brand yourself as an online marketing professional. Connect with others on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media websites using ISIM as a hub for Questions and Answers.

Take me to the new Q & A section now!

How much time should you spend on social networking and what are the most important activities?

Published on June 19, 2009 in Q & A. 0 Comments

Given the numerous social networking sites, how do you prioritize what you do and how do you make sure that what you are doing is worth your time?

I would focus most of my time on Facebook and Twitter. I would have to say that the most important activities are connecting with people. Find similar interests with other social networkers and connect with them about something that they like or appreciate. Social networking isn’t about selling or advertising, it’s about creating [online] relationships. Then through those relationships, [advertising] should come naturally because your connections can become interested in you and/or your business. As a participant on these social networking websites, you need to add value to the ‘network’ by getting socially ‘involved’. That is where the real appeal about social networking comes from.

Once you have Facebook and Twitter under control, I would recommend expanding to YouTube.com, StumbleUpon.com and Digg.com. It will also help to have a blog and update it on a regular basis, a blog is something that can become ’social’ as well. As long as you encourage blog visitors to comment on your blog posts and or participate in any other way. The blog should be linked to your social networking profiles and visa versa for the purpose of cross-promoting.

What is the best way to advertise your service with a non-existent budget?

Published on June 19, 2009 in Q & A. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

When it comes to advertising your service online there are two ways to make it happen. First is the quick and expensive way and needless to say, you would need a budget. The other, however, would be primarily free (no budget required) but it would need to be built over a longer period of time.

In a brief word, social media is one of the best ways to get started without a budget. It takes longer to build up a revenue because to advertise effectively on social media websites your advertising needs to be viral. That is to say, it needs to be memorable and has to have the appeal that your target audience will want to share it with others. If it is viral then fans of social media websites will ’spread the word’ for you. So depending on what services you have to offer, I believe that through social media and creating a ‘viral’ ad is the way to go. I recommend that you focus your efforts on Facebook, StumbleUpon, YouTube, and Twitter. (Sorry Fast Pitch. You come if fifth though.) I am working on a social media viral ad for one of my online projects.

If you don’t yet, I also recommend having a blog and link your social media profiles to your blog. Blog about things related to your services but make your blog posts interesting. Perhaps with an interesting twist to the blog posts. Depending on the service that you have to offer, I recommend listing classified ads on free classified ad websites. Do this on a regular basis. It may not be the most effective but on occasion it will work even if it just sends web traffic back to your website or blog.

Another long term “budget-free” way to advertise is to ‘give away’ stuff whether it’s your services (depending on what they are) or something related to your services. Create “Raving Fans”, customers that are not only customers but your biggest fans. People that want to keep coming back for more. I think that giving away ‘free stuff’ to your customers and potential customers is a way to show them that you care. For example, you create a “Make Money Online” ebook and want to sell the ebook. In addition to the ebook, create a “Free Report” and give it away in exchange for your visitor’s name and email address. Build a permission-based email list and continue to show those people in your list that you care by asking them what they want then delivering it to them.

Once you start building some revenue from your services through these online advertising methods, I recommend that you create a budget for advertising. Then you can continue to use the above methods but also add paid advertising such as Google Adwords. Then you will be on your way to creating a regular stream of revenue through effective online advertising.