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For years, online marketers and home business owners have been chasing the elusive holy grail of Internet marketing strategies, to no avail. While industry leaders, and online guru's promise easy money and automated lead generation systems, the true online success stories are in the trenches utilizing tomorrow's technology to build profitable home businesses today.

Unfortunately, many people dismiss web 2.0 as a viable online business building tool, simply because it sounds too complicated, or too far outside of their comfort zone, but the truth is that web 2.0 is not rocket science, and it's one of the most effective methods for reaching virtually any target market.

Just imagine, putting your business in front of thousands, or perhaps even millions of potential prospects and clients. Better yet, imagine doing this without spending a single dime.

That's the power of web 2.0 marketing, and it's as easy as investing just a few hours per week on your home computer. In fact, the way technology is heading, you won't even need a computer to build your business with web 2.0 online marketing. You'll simply need an Internet accessible cell phone, but that's a topic for another article.

The fact is that the fastest growing trend on the Internet today is the online community. Think Myspace.com, YouTube.com, and then picture an endless supply of targeted prospects interested in meeting people and building relationships. After all, that is the glue that holds the home-based business together. Without relationships, long-term success in any business is nearly impossible.

One strategy for utilizing web 2.0 to generate leads for your business is to implement a video marketing campaign. Online video is the wave of the future, but the technology to do it effectively, and inexpensively is here today.

A video can easily be created with a simple computer web cam costing around $30, or there is the option of using a hand held digital video camera for about $100. Either way, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying leads, and it's much more effective.

The topic of your video will vary, depending on what you are trying to accomplish, but a good rule of thumb is to teach someone something of value, while introducing yourself as someone with a message worth listening to.

For example, if you're marketing a health product, do a short video that teaches people how to eat healthier, or exercise more effectively. By teaching someone something, you develop the position of an industry leader, or expert in your field, therefore, building credibility in the minds of your viewers, which results in sales and signup's.

Like I said, it's not rocket science, and it may require you to step outside of your comfort zone, but trust me, it's a heck of a lot easier than cold calling leads, hoping for a prospects that doesn't hang up on you.

All in all, web 2.0 is virtually untapped. True, there are a lot of home business owners on the social communities, and there are a lot of people uploading videos, but how many are actually sharing a message of value? How many of them are demonstrating their willingness to help you by teaching valuable skills and techniques in their videos?

The answer is not many, so give web 2.0 a try. Jump in with both feet; it may just be the best thing you've ever done for your home-based business.

Troy Berlin has been actively working in the home business industry for nearly 15 years. He teaches the true art and science of building an online business through web 2.0 marketing strategies. Learn Troy Berlin's Web 2.0 Social Marketing System at ProsperityHomeNetwork.com

Three Things You Must Do Before You Submit To Article Directories

To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills.With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is

suppose you are selling leather date book organizers and you target the word "organizers." There is no way for a searcher to determine if your site has information of interest to someone looking for a "leather organizer" for important papers, a "closet organizer" for a neater home, or a "wedding organizer" to orchestrate that big event. In this case, it is essential that you add a second word to clarify the meaning of "organizer" as it would apply to your site.

Another problem with single word searches is their attainability. Even if a single keyword is what you really want, you may not be able to attain a search engine ranking on it. While it would be nice to be positioned well on a single extremely broad keyword, you might better use your time to pair the keyword with something more specific. More specific keywords have the added advantage of ensuring that your prospects are more qualified. You do not want to disappoint searchers who visit your site in the search of a wedding organizer.

Another example: A search on "software" at almost any search engine will return over a billion documents. The sites at the top of the list are there because of an array of factors, some of which are beyond your control, such as Google's PageRank algorithm that uses link popularity in its rating. It's highly unlikely that your smaller software company could displace Microsoft or another software giant for a first place ranking. Their sites are too popular and have too many links to them to be ousted by a smaller, less well-know software firm. Instead of fighting a losing batter, you should search for a combination term that clearly describes your site and yet returns few enough sites to give you a fighting chance at getting a top ranking.

The bottom line: Do not waste your time fighting for a hard-to-get keyword, unless you are a major player with a powerful brand that dominates your industry. Some keywords will be highly competitive, and you may have to work hard to achieve a top 10 slot. If you find that after all your hard work, you still can not make it into that top 10, just keep working on your other keywords. There are so many other keywords and combinations where your site can achieve a top 10 ranking that you will find that it's not very difficult at all to develop strong traffic from those rankings.

Identify a niche or pocket of keywords that clearly describe your work and that few others are targeting. Then, go after them! Remember, successful SEO requires persistence and perseverance.

Pamela Upshur is the owner of Upshur Creative.

Upshur Creative combines fresh, contemporary, fully functional turnkey websites with the best PHP scripts and databases to create the largest and most comprehensive turnkey collection for entrepreneurs.

Visit her site at: Turnkey Home Based Business.

Viral marketing is a methods of list building

There are multiple methods of list building, and if you are just getting started, until you have gained mastery over one or two methods, it is advisable to use multiple methods of list building strategies. You’ll see every step of the process, no matter how small, in exacting detail so

Article marketing, using articles to boost your traffic and sales, is one of the most effective online marketing strategies you can use. Why you ask? Because articles are the perfect marketing tools for promoting any website or product.

However, it is not just simply a matter of throwing a few words together on a webpage and hoping for the best. To effectively use articles as marketing tools you must follow some simple procedures and practices in order to get your articles published online and in ezines more often.

Here are some article marketing tips you can try. These methods are proven and have worked for thousands of professional online marketers including the one writing this piece.

Why Articles Work

But before we start, you must understand why articles are so crucial to your marketing in the first place. You must truly understand why and how articles work so effectively as marketing vehicles in our newly wired world. It all boils down to one word... information.

The main reason articles work is information. The whole Internet is based on information. People use the web to access information and your well written article can help satisfy this need. You must place your article squarely into this whole information cycle.

Your article must be informative and provide some benefit to the reader. Tips, advice, how-to... your reader should gain something from spending a few minutes reading your article. The more beneficial your article, the more popular it will become and you will have a better chance of getting it published.

Title & Keywords

Your article title should contain two vital elements: Keywords and Benefits. Your title must contain your keywords or keyword phrases, these are the exact words someone types into the search engines to find what they are looking for on the web.

You must find the exact words people are using and include these in your title as well as in your article. Many professional marketers use keyword research software like Keyword Elite but you can also use free keyword suggestion tools like WordTracker or Overture: http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

I find short catchy titles are best for capturing the attention of the reader. With our split second surfing habits, the title may be your only chance you get to hook your readers and keep them on your page. Another tactic is to make all your articles easily scannable with your main points highlighted for quick absorption.

Length

Most experts suggest you keep your articles short, in the 500 - 700 word range. Many authors/marketers use even shorter formats in the 200 - 300 word range in order to fit neatly on webpages.

I personally have found my more meatier articles in the 900 - 1200 word range have worked the best for me and seems to get featured in important ezines like Addme, SiteProNews... more often than shorter articles. My best advice is to cut out any unnecessary fluff but write in your own natural style which is comfortable for you.

Submission

You must distribute your articles on the web. You can personally submit your articles to the many article directory sites on the web or you can purchase a service which does this for you. I do both.

I personally submit my articles to the major high PR6 or PR7 sites which display my articles. I have found articles placed on Ezinearticles.com, Buzzle.com, Goarticles.com, Articlealley.com, Promotionworld.com, Thumbshots.org, Site-reference.com, Ideamarketers.com, Selfgrowth.com... do extremely well.

I would suggest you use 9 or 10 of these highly popular sites to display your articles, not only for the traffic they deliver but for increasing your rankings in the search engines, especially Google.

I have also found using a paid online service like SubmitYourArticle is really helpful, especially when I am on vacation or away from my computer for any length of time. I also use this service to quickly write different versions of my articles for the best search engine optimization. I am also concerned with covering different article lengths because many webmasters will only publish short articles.

Resource Box/Anchor Text

Your resource box is at the end of each article and this is where you place URLs for those all important One-Way links back to your site. Many marketers are careful to place their targeted keywords and variations in the anchor text of their links. It is also a good idea to provide some benefit or free gift to enhance your 'call to action' and improve your chances of getting that all important click.

Be Consistent

I have found a steady supply of fresh articles on a regular basis works the best. These articles keep your site or products fresh in the search engines and in front of your potential customers and editors/webmasters who publish your content. Try for at least two articles per week.

Own List of Editors

Along the same lines, build your own opt-in list of editors and webmasters who have opted in to receive your latest articles. Send a copy of your article to these interested parties and you will increase your chances of getting your articles published.

I also make it a point of including my most popular articles in my own ezines and blogs. This helps to kickstart or launch my newest articles.

Autoresponders

Many marketers place their articles in autoresponders so anyone requesting your article can easily use email to retrieve it. Many marketers also use RSS feeds to distribute their articles. If doing your own feeds seems too complicated, then just use any of the major article directories like Ezinearticles which will supply you with a convenient RSS feed for your articles.

Spam Check Your Articles

I always make it a point of testing my articles for any words or phrases that will trigger the spam filters and block my articles. This is extremely important if you want your article to be featured in ezines and newsletters. I check my articles within my Aweber autoresponder service but you can use a free SpamCheck service offered by SiteSell: http://bizwaremagic.com/spamcheck.htm

Personality

Articles that show some originality and personality have worked the best for me. Showing and telling your own story and experiences in a light hearted way seems to work really well in the somewhat impersonal online world. Having a sense of humor also helps, try to make your articles entertaining as well as informative and your articles will be picked up more often.

Conclusion

Writing unique informative articles is one of the most effective ways to market on the web. Remember to keep your articles informative, personable, keyword rich, short and to the point. Take a pro-active approach to promoting your articles: submit them to the major online article directories, send them to editors and webmasters who request content from you and place your articles on your site, in your blogs and RSS feeds.

Used properly, articles can be effective marketing tools for boosting both your traffic and sales. Perhaps the best part of all, article marketing is completely free. What more can you ask for?

The author is a full-time online marketer. Give your marketing a real boost, take this free e-Course explaining all the tools and resources you really need to succeed online: Internet Marketing Guide For the most effective web marketing software try: Internet Marketing Software Copyright 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Viral marketing is a methods of list building

There are multiple methods of list building, and if you are just getting started, until you have gained mastery over one or two methods, it is advisable to use multiple methods of list building strategies. You’ll see every step of the process, no matter how small, in exacting detail so

Most people now know that a good way to improve the rank of your site in the search engines is to increase the number of good quality inbound links. Most people tend to think this would go to their homepage, but Deep Linking is also another method which could be more beneficial.

Put simply, a deep link is a link pointing straight at a page within your website, other than your homepage. For example, rather than just linking directly to a website's URL, like www.yourwebsite.com, I could link directly to a page within that website.

So, in which case, I would link to www.yourwebsite.com/content-page.html

For usability, this is great, as it saves the user having to find that specific page when directed to my homepage. Now they are there at the specific content I was targeting.

Deep links are also good for search engines too.

It is rumoured that it is better to have 5 links to 5 separate pages within your site, than it is to have 5 links all to the same page. This gives it a more natural flow in the eyes of the search engines - as if people are genuinely linking to content that is within your website.

Remember still to use descriptive title tags and anchor text, and you should be on to a winner!

So what is the best way to get other users to link directly to pages within your website? Simple.

Compel users of the internet to do this by writing or displaying interesting and unique content. This gets you one-way deep links that are natural.

This article was written by James Baldwin of JB and G Web Design, a Warwickshire Web Design Company.