the digital business starter kit

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www.Your-Website.com

Quick Start Your Digital Business

Fast & Easy Tutorials To Help

You Get Your Business Up And Running!

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Disclaimer

Please note the information contained within this document are for

educational purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide

accurate, up to date and reliable complete information no warranties of any

kind are expressed or implied.

Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in rendering legal,

financial or professional advice.

By reading any document, the reader agrees that under no circumstances are

we responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, that are incurred as a result

of use of the information contained within this document, including - but not

limited to errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.

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Table Of Contents

INTRODUCTION: ......................................................................................................... 4

CHOOSING A BRAND POWERED DOMAIN NAME ............................................. 5

Keyword Domains ...................................................................................................... 5

Branding Domains ..................................................................................................... 6

QUICK START GUIDE TO HOSTING ..................................................................... 11

UNDERSTANDING FTP ............................................................................................ 20

CONNECTING TO YOUR WEBSITE ....................................................................... 23

TRANSFERRING FILES TO YOUR SERVER ......................................................... 26

WORDPRESS QUICK START .................................................................................. 29

IMPLEMENTING PAYMENT PROCESSING ........................................................ 38

NICHE MARKETING 101 ......................................................................................... 57

OUTSOURCING QUICK TIPS ................................................................................... 65

EXPANDING YOUR OUTREACH: OFFLINE MARKETING ................................ 72

THE ART OF COPYWRITING .................................................................................. 81

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Introduction:

Building a successful online business is challenging, especially if you’ve never

done it before. With so many facets involved, it’s important that you

understand not only the fundamentals of what is required in order to build a

business destined for long-term success, but that you are able to manage and

expand your business without having to forfeit that control to a third party.

For starters, you should understand how to set up a hosting account, and

register a domain name that works towards building your overall brand. You

should also know how to install and configure Wordpress, a powerful

website building tool that will eliminate the learning curve and help you get

your business online faster and easier than ever before.

You should also understand the importance of choosing a niche, and how to

identify, target and profit from evergreen markets, and finally, you should be

comfortable using FTP programs, so that you can keep your website updated

quickly.

We cover all of this, and more, within the “Quick Start Business Lessons”

guide, a full tutorial-style blueprint that will help you start building your

online business the fastest and easiest way possible.

Let’s begin!

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Choosing A Brand Powered Domain Name

The first thing you need to do is decide which registrar you wish to use.

NameCheap (http://www.namecheap.com) is a popular option. They have

free WHOIS protection for the first year of each domain, and they have a

coupon each month that lets you get a nice discount, making each domain

less than $10.

In order to choose the right domain for your purposes, you need to decide

what you’re going to use the domain for. There are two main classifications.

Keyword Domains

If you want to create a niche-based blog or website or you want to invest in a

domain that you can sell for a profit later, you’ll want to buy a keyword-

based domain name.

You should look for domain names that have high-traffic keywords. If you

wanted to make a site about Discount Golf Clubs, you would ideally want to

get DiscountGolfClubs.com.

Keyword domains, especially for keywords that get significant numbers of

searches, also have great resale value. You could buy a domain for $10 and

flip it for hundreds, or even thousands.

http://www.namecheap.com/

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Branding Domains

If you want to create a site that will be branded like Twitter or Flickr, you can

be a little more creative. You’ll want to get a one word domain (or two at

most). But you can use creative spelling.

When buying a domain for branding purposes:

1. Look for a word that won’t be too difficult to spell. Flickr is relatively

easy to remember, but Fotograffi might not be. Too many letters are

changed. People might not remember which ones are different from

the original word. It should be memorable.

2. Choose a word that fits your niche. For a site about golf, you might get

something like Puttr.com, for example.

3. Integrate your branding. Make sure you can craft a logo that will help

people remember your domain name.

Warning: Do NOT search for domain names on any registrar until you are

ready to buy! Some registrars make deals with speculators to provide

recently searched names to them. They buy the domains and then charge a

premium for them later.

Once it’s time to register a domain, you need to keep a few things in mind.

First, don’t use fake information during the registration process. You could

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get your domain taken away from you later, which would be a real shame if

you’ve built significant traffic to it.

Second, you’ll probably want to register all of your domains with the same

registrar. It gets tedious having to worry about your domains at multiple

registrars.

You’ll also need to decide whether or not you want to use WHOIS protection,

and how long to register the domain for.

WHOIS Protection

Many people automatically opt for WHOIS protection, but this isn’t always

the best option. Some SEO experts have suggested that Google and other

search engines may penalize sizes who have their registration information

protected.

Additionally, some customers may not trust you if you protect your

information. This could result in lost sales.

However, if you are worried about people finding out what you’re doing or

coming to your home, you may wish to use WHOIS protection or at least give

a P.O. box instead of a street address.

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Registration Length

You can register your domain for only one year, or most registrars will allow

you to register a domain for up to ten years at a time. If you can afford it, go

for a longer registration period.

For one thing, you won’t be at risk of accidentally forgetting to renew your

domain. You’d be surprised how often this happens. You may not get the

reminder email, and if you don’t have it set up to automatically renew, you

could lose the domain.

Another major reason to register for at least two years at a time is because

some SEO experts believe Google may give a boost to sites with longer

registrations. They believe Google may think a site is more trustworthy if it is

registered longer, because spammers usually register for only a year,

assuming they may get banned quickly, anyway.

In order to use your domain, you need to set up the name servers. This tells

computers where to find your domain when someone tries to go there. It

connects your domain with your web server.

I’m going to show you how to set up your name servers with NameCheap.

You’ll need your name servers from your hosting company. You may be able

to find these in your control panel, or in the welcome email you got from

them. If you can’t find them, contact your hosting company and ask. You’ll

need two. They will look like this:

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ns1.yourserver.com

ns2.yourserver.com

Log into NameCheap. Beside “Number of domains in your account”, click

“view”. Then find the domain you want to modify and click it. In the menu on

the left, click “Domain Name Server Setup”.

Click the selection field beside “Specify Custom DNS Servers (Your own DNS

Servers). Then enter both DNS servers and click “Save Changes”. You’re

done!

You may not always want to host a website or blog on your domain name.

You might want to use it to forward elsewhere. For example, article

marketers often use domains to forward straight to their affiliate links.

It’s very simple to set up domain forward with NameCheap, but you can only

use it if you are using their default name servers. You’ll have to switch them

back to NameCheap’s before you proceed.

Log into your account and select Manage Domains. Click the domain you

want to forward and choose “All Host Records”. In the “@” field, enter your

domain name. In the “www” field, enter the URL you want to forward the

domain to (for example, your affiliate link.) Be sure it says “URL Redirect”

under “RECORD TYPE”.

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To transfer the name servers back to NameCheap, click your domain and

select “Transfer DNS Back to Us” from the left menu. Then tick the boc beside

“Transfer DNS to NameCheap Default DNS and click “Save Changes.” Do this

before you attempt to set up forwarding; otherwise, you won’t have the

option available.

You can make money with your domain name when it’s not in use by parking

it. You won’t make a lot unless your domain is visited very often, but it’s

better than nothing if you aren’t currently using the domain.

As with forwarding, you can only park a page if you have changed your

domain to NameCheap’s default name servers. Once you have done that, go

to “Manage Domains”, click your domain, and select “Customize Parked

Page”. You can then change your parked page to whatever you want.

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to add images to a parked page. You can

only use text on it. But you can use various types of ads there. Just make sure

they allow parking, because some companies (like Google AdSense) don’t

allow their ads to be displayed on websites with no content, like parked

pages.

Parking your domain can help you make a little money while you decide

what to do with a domain, or while it is under development.

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Quick Start Guide To Hosting

In order to establish an online presence you will need to first register a

domain name and then set up a hosting and FTP account so that you can

upload webpages, files, download items and effectively manage your entire

online business.

Hosting providers, such as www.HostGator.com, provide you with web space

that will house your websites, and make it easy to build your marketing

campaigns, as well as create squeeze and landing pages to capture leads and

begin promoting your product. You can even set up a fully loaded blog with a

basic Host Gator account!

Once you have set up a hosting account, you will use a FTP program (File

Transfer Protocol) to upload, download and manage your files, including

your index page and any graphics or images used on your website.

In other words, your hosting account stores your webpages and files and FTP

is the tool you use to update these pages, upload or download new files, and

manage all items stored on your hosting account.

While many hosts including Host Gator give you the option of managing files

directly from within your cPanel, using an FTP program simplifies the

process, and gets the job done much faster, so it’s important that you learn

how to set up and use a FTP program in connection with your hosting

http://www.hostgator.com/

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account.

To begin, let’s go through the process of setting up a simple hosting account!

HostGator offers several hosting packages ranging from basic plans to full

featured dedicated servers. When you visit their website, you will see the

following categories available, all with individual hosting plans.

Web Hosting

Reseller Hosting

Dedicated Servers

The plans featured within the “Web Hosting” category are all basic hosting

plans, with many of them offering you the opportunity to host unlimited sub-

domains as well.

With “Reseller Hosting” accounts, you are able to host an unlimited number

of domains and sub-domains on your hosting account, and can also choose to

SELL hosting to others in the future.

And finally when your website has begun to generate a consistent flood of

traffic and user activity, you can consider upgrading your plan to a dedicated

server.

When just starting out however, all you really need is a basic hosting

account. You can upgrade instantly just by contacting the HostGator support

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team should you wish to enhance or modify your website hosting plan in the

future.

Let’s set up your basic hosting package:

To begin, visit http://www.HostGator.com and click on “Web Hosting” to

review the different plans available under this category.

Every web-hosting plan comes with a 45 day money back guarantee, 99.9%

uptime guarantee.

Choose the plan that you feel best suits your needs. For the majority of new

business owners, the Baby (or Croc) plan will help them create an online

presence without having to invest a lot of money in start-up costs.


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Remember, you can upgrade your hosting plan at any time should you need

a larger package to accommodate your website traffic or bandwidth usage.

Click the “Order Now” link for the hosting package that you are interested in.

In the next step, you will be asked to choose to register a new domain name,

or if you intend on using an existing domain.

If you have yet to register a domain name for your website, go ahead and

click the “Register New Domain” link to secure your website’s domain.

In the event you have already registered a domain name with an external

registrar service such as www.NameCheap.com , click “I will use my Existing

Domain Name” and enter in your complete domain name, to proceed through

the checkout process as shown below:

The next page will provide a summary of your order, including your package

type, domain name and billing cycle. With HostGator, you are able to choose

to pay your hosting bill on a monthly basis, as well as for six months, yearly,

or even two or three years at once.

The price of the hosting package will vary depending on the payment terms

you choose.


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For example, if you choose to pay monthly, your hosting account will be

priced at $9.95, whereas if you decide to pay for six months of hosting

upfront, your payment will be $ 59.70. There is no discount for paying for

multiple months at once, so I recommend going on a month-to-month basis.

Click “Calculate Totals” to proceed through the checkout process.

IMPORTANT MONEY SAVING TIP:

Visit http://www.RetailMeNot.com to uncover the latest coupon that will

save you money on hosting costs. The coupon code “Wordpress” will reduce

your first months costs to only $.01 (And you can use it for ANY website, it

doesn’t have to be a Wordpress based site).

Note: This coupon applies only to your first billing cycle. After that the

standard pricing will be billed.

The next page will ask you to provide information based on whether you are

an existing customer or a new one. If this is the first time that you are setting

up a hosting account with HostGator, choose the “I am a new customer”

option.

Click “Continue”.

You now have to create a customer profile with HostGator. Enter in your

name, address and primary email address. All of your website hosting

information will be sent to this email address, so make sure that it is a valid

http://www.retailmenot.com/

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address and one that you can easily access.

The information required within the “Additional Information” form is used in

setting up your actual hosting account. You are asked to choose a username

and password.

Make sure that you use a strong password that combines both numbers and

letters, and that your username does not include any keywords used within

your domain name, for security purposes.

Note: If you choose a username that is too close to your actual domain name,

HostGator will be unable to create your hosting account until your username

is modified. You will need to contact their live support for assistance in

changing your username to one that is more secure.

Select your payment option to continue. You can choose to purchase your

hosting account via credit card or Paypal.

Once your payment has been processed, you will receive a series of emails

from Host Gator, the first one thanking you for becoming a customer, and

reminding you to pay for your account if you have not yet done so.

You will also receive a secondary email containing invoice details once you

have finalized your hosting payment, and a third email will arrive shortly

after containing your hosting account information.

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This email is VERY important so make sure that you retain a copy for future

reference. It will include your account details, domain name, username and

password to access your hosting account, as well as your website hosting

nameservers.

Your nameservers will look similar to this:

ns2011.hostgator.com

ns2012.hostgator.com

You will use these nameservers when pointing your domain name to your

new hosting account. You simply log into your domain registrar (where you

registered your domain name) and choose “Update NameServers”.

You then add in each of these nameservers and within a few hours (often

within a few minutes), your domain name and hosting account will be

“connected”, which means that when people enter your domain name into

their browsers they will be able to access your website.

Note: It can take up to 24 hours for your domain name to “propagate” so that

it’s visible to everyone who visits your website.

cPanel

Host Gator uses cPanel for all of their hosting accounts. You will be given

access to your cPanel within your HostGator account information email.

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CPanel, which stands for Control Panel, provides you with all of the tools you

need to effectively manage your website, including setting up email

addresses, forwarders, databases as well as creating sub-domain accounts.

If you would like to simplify the process of installing scripts and software,

look for the “Fantastico” icon in your cPanel area.

Fantastico is an automated “script installer”, enabling you to instantly install

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scripts such as Wordpress or free help desk scripts. It speeds up installation

by eliminating the need to manually install scripts or create databases. In

fact, you’ll be able to set up over 25 different scripts with just a few clicks of

your mouse!

Not every hosting provider offers Fantastico, but if you choose HostGator it

will be included at no extra cost.

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Understanding FTP

There are several free FTP clients available online, and in this guide we will

be using the popular FileZilla utility, available at: http://filezilla-project.org

Note: FileZilla offers both a PC and Mac OS X version of their FTP client.

FileZilla offers three different installation packages, and if you are new to

installing and configuring FTP clients, I recommend downloading the full

featured “Installer Version” available at:

http://wiki.filezilla-project.org/Client_Installation#Downloading_FileZilla

With this version you only need to download the file, run it and the program

will get installed by itself. The installer version also comes with debug files,

which helps solve problems should a program crash occur.

Visit the download page and choose your system’s platform (PC or Mac), to

start downloading the FileZilla FTP client.

If the download does not start automatically after a few seconds, click on the

link labelled this direct link.

Sometimes the mirror chosen for the download is unavailable. You can select

a different mirror by clicking on Select a different mirror.

Depending on which browser you are using you will (normally) see a

http://filezilla-project.org/

http://wiki.filezilla-project.org/Client_Installation#Downloading_FileZilla

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window where you can decide what to do with the file you are downloading.

The easiest way is just to hit run or open and the file will download and then

be run. You might get some warning messages telling you that you are

running a potentially dangerous file downloaded from the Internet, but let

me assure you, Sourceforge is a reliable download source and it shouldn't be

any problem.

If you are familiar with how to save the file and would like to do that, go

ahead. Just remember to save it where you can easily find it afterwards and

then open it from that location.

Installing FileZilla

A screen will be displayed where you can choose the Installer Language,

select the language you require from the list. Then click on OK to continue.

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You should now see the following window where you will have to accept the

terms of the license agreement to continue. Read through it and click "I

Agree".

Choosing Components

Next you need to choose which parts of the FileZilla client you want to install.

If you hover your mouse over a choice, FileZilla will show you a description

of the item.

The next window will ask you where to install the program. If you don't have

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any special needs, click Next.

Regardless if you chose to install the start menu shortcuts or not, you will be

asked what you want to name the folder with the shortcuts to FileZilla inside.

The default name "FileZilla" should be good for most people. You can also

choose not to install these shortcuts.

When you click Next, FileZilla will get installed. If no errors occur it should

complete in some seconds. When it's done, click Close to finish the

installation. Congratulations, you've now successfully installed the FileZilla

Client!

Connecting To Your Website

To connect to an FTP server, enter the address of the server into the host

field of the Quickconnect bar (i.e. domain.com - see image below).

If it is a special server type like an SFTP server, add the protocol in front of

the address. In case of an SFTP server, start the address with 'sftp://' (i.e.

sftp://domain.com).

Enter the port of the server into the port field if it is not the default port (21

for FTP, 22 for SFTP).

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If a username / password is required, enter it in the corresponding fields,

otherwise the default anonymous logon will be used.

Click on Quick Connect or press Enter to connect to your hosting account

(server).

Important Notes:

Refer to the hosting account information sent to you by HostGator as you will

need to enter in your hosting username and password when connecting to

your website via FTP. When FileZilla asks for a “server name”, enter in your

website domain, excluding the www.

(example: Server Name: domain.com)

After a successful connection attempt, a list of files and folders appears on

the right side of the main window.

The current folder is listed in the edit field on the top. Below you will see the

remote directory tree and below that, the contents of the current remote

folder.

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There are three ways to change the folder.

First, you can double-click a folder in the file list.

Second, you can change the current folder by clicking a folder in the

directory tree. Last but not least, you can always enter the folder name into

the edit field and press enter.

You will notice a folder called ".." displayed in virtually all directories. This

folder allows you to go up to the parent directory of the current folder.

Navigating on your machine works almost like navigating on the server. The

current local folder and the local directory tree are displayed on the left side

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of the main window by default.

Transferring Files To Your Server

You can upload or download a file by double-clicking on it. It will be added to

the transfer queue and the transfer starts automatically.

To transfer folders and/or multiple files, select them and right-click the

selection. Then you can click on Upload/Download in the popup menu

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You can also drag the files from one side and drop them on the other side. To

add files to the queue so that they will be transferred later, select them and

click Add to Queue from the popup menu. You may also drag the files directly

into the queue. Click on the button on the toolbar to start the transfer.

Or, you can click on a file, then drag the file (a box is added to the arrow

cursor) to the folder where you want to move it. The folder will be

highlighted when you are over it. Let go of the mouse button and the file will

be moved to the folder.

That’s it! You can upload your website files as well as all images and graphics

used on your website. Make sure that you get into the habit of creating

individual folders for all files and images so that you are able to effectively

organize and manage your website.

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Notes:

For additional details on configuring and using the FileZilla Ftp client, visit:

http://wiki.filezilla-project.org

http://wiki.filezilla-project.org/

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Wordpress Quick Start

The first thing you’ll need to do to be able to use Fantastico to set up your

WordPress blog is to locate web hosting that actually has Fantastico

available.

Fantastico is a script that runs on the cPanel platform. It allows users to

install scripts on their domains with just a click or two. It can install

WordPress, as well as several other blog platforms, forums, and much more.

Not all hosting companies have it.

One hosting company that does have Fantastico is HostGator

(http://www.hostgator.com). They are very inexpensive, and they have

cPanel and Fantastico. Use the coupon code “wordpress” to get one month of

their “Baby Croc” plan for a penny!

If you aren’t sure if a hosting company offers Fantastico, be sure to contact

them before you sign up. Most hosting companies have toll free numbers for

their sales department, and many also have live chat available if you don’t

want to call. Just ask them if they use cPanel and Fantastico.


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Step Two: Secure a Domain Name

Once you have hosting, you’ll need to set up a domain name for your blog.

You can choose to use an existing domain name, or buy a new one for your

blog. If you have a website, you could put your blog in a subdirectory, or you

could get a completely new domain for it.

Many hosting companies require you to have a domain name when you sign

up unless you want to purchase one through them, so you may want to do

this before you locate hosting.

NameCheap (http://www.namecheap.com) is one of the most reliable

companies for buying a domain name. If you search for “NameCheap coupon

month year” on Google (without quotes) you’ll find a coupon that will let you

get a domain for less than $10. They have a new coupon every month.

If you already have a domain name, you might want to get

YourDomainBlog.com or something similar. Remember you can always

install it in YourDomain.com/blog if you don’t want to spring for an

additional domain.


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Step Three: Install WordPress

When you sign up with your hosting company, you should receive an email

that gives you instructions for logging into cPanel on your server. You can

contact your hosting company for help if you can’t find the login information

for cPanel.

Once you log in, locate the link for Fantastico. This will appear in different

locations on different hosting companies. The link may look something like

this:

On the left side of the Fantastico screen, you will see a list of programs you

can install with it. Under “Blogs”, locate “WordPress” and click it.

On the next page, click “New Installation”.

Next, you’ll need to fill out some information:

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Use the drop down menu at the top of the screen to choose the domain you

wish to install WordPress on. If you want to use the domain solely for your

blog, leave the field underneath the drop down (Install in directory) blank.

Otherwise, enter the name of the directory you wish to install it in.

Next, add a username and password. This is what you’ll use to log in to your

blog admin. I suggest NOT using “admin” as your username, because this is

what most people use. It will make your blog easier to hack, which is

obviously not a good idea.

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Your admin nickname is the name that will appear as the author of all the

posts you make. If you are branding a specific name, you’ll probably want to

put your name there instead of using “Admin”.

Enter your email address next. This should be a valid email address. No one

will see it. It will be used if you ever forget your password, so make sure it’s

an email address you’ll always be able to access.

Finally, enter your blog name and description and click the “Install

WordPress” button at the bottom of the page.

On the next page, you’ll get a button that confirms the name of the MySQL

database that will be created, as well as some basic information about your

blog. Click the “Finish installation” button, and you will be taken to a page

with a link to log into your blog.

Click the link to visit the admin page and log in to verify WordPress installed

correctly.

If you didn’t click the link to get to your WordPress admin, it will be located

at the following URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp_admin

OR

http://www.yourdomain.com/dir/wp_admin

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp_admin

http://www.yourdomain.com/dir/wp_admin

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Note: there is an underscore between wp and admin, like this wp_admin.

If you forget your username and password, you can request your password

be mailed to you. WordPress will send your username and password to the

email address you entered when you installed it.

Once you’ve found out of the installation was a success, it’s time to make a

few tweaks in order to set up an effective blog. Don’t skip the next section,

because a WordPress blog isn’t set up well by default. If you skip the next

section, you may find your blog doesn’t rank well in search engines and gets

very little traffic.

Step Four: Beginner WordPress Tweaks

There are a few things you need to do to your blog before you start posting if

you want to ensure the most possible traffic and the best results for your

efforts.

First, look near the bottom of the menu on the left side of your WordPress

admin. Click “Settings”. Look for “WordPress address (URL)” and “Site

address (URL)” and enter www before the URL.

In other words, change:

http://yourdomain.com

To:

http://www.yourdomain.com

http://yourdomain.com/

http://www.yourdomain.com/

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This will log you out of your admin panel, and you’ll have to log back in using

the same username and password you used before.

Click “Settings” again. Underneath the “Settings” section, click “Permalinks”.

You’ll want to change the default permalinks structure to something more

search engine friendly.

You might want this to be:

http://www.yourdomain.com/postname

Or:

http://www.yourdomain.com/category/postname

To create the first, with only the post name, enter this:

If you want it to be like the second, including the category, enter this:

Next, you need to install a couple of basic plugins. These plugins are very

important if you want to get good rankings in the search engines and to get

good traffic.

http://www.yourdomain.com/postname

http://www.yourdomain.com/category/postname

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Google Sitemaps

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

The Google Sitemaps plugin creates a sitemap which can be submitted

through Google Webmaster Tools. This sitemap makes it easier for Google’s

web crawler to find all of your pages.

Submit your sitemap here:

http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/

All-in-One SEO Pack

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

You’ll want an SEO plugin, because WordPress is not naturally SEO-friendly.

It doesn’t have native support for customizing the title of the page,

description, keywords, etc.

All-in-One SEO Pack is the most popular SEO plugin. It adds several extra

features that will help your blog rank better in the search engines.

Akismet

I highly recommend using Akismet on your blog. It comes installed with

WordPress, and it helps block a lot of the spam comments you might

otherwise get.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

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This plugin used to be free, but now it requires payment. It’s still worth it,

but if you don’t want to pay for the plugin, there are other spam blocking

plugins that work relatively well.

Top Commentators Widget

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/top-commentators-widget/

This plugin gives you a widget for your blog’s sidebar that shows the people

who left the most comments on your blog. This lets them get more traffic, so

people post comments more often.

Google seems to be giving a lot of weight to sites that get a lot of social

attention, so it’s a great idea to encourage people to comment.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/top-commentators-widget/

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Implementing Payment Processing

You’re ready to start selling online – congrats!

You’ve done all of the hard work in creating your website and

there’s just one step left: choosing your payment processor.

There are many different ways to accept payment for your

information products, but one of the most important things to

consider is that your payment processor gives you the option to

streamline the process – from your customer ordering your

product to gaining instant access to the download page.

Customers don’t want to wait for access to what they’ve paid for,

especially when it comes to digital items.

And there’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s often easier to guide

your visitors through the payment process when they are already

familiar with the processor you choose.

Not only will this reassure them that their payment details are

secure, but when customers recognize your payment processor and

are familiar with the checkout process, there’ll be far less

abandoned carts, as they know exactly what they have to do to

purchase the product, and what to expect in terms of delivery.

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You also want to consider fees, and how much you are charged for

every item sold.

Many of the established payment processors online will charge you

based on volume, while other payment processors (including

merchant accounts) charge you additional monthly account

maintenance fees, so you want to be very thorough when evaluating

payment processors so that you’re not caught off guard with item or

service fees at the end of the month.

And finally, evaluate their dispute resolution process.

Find out how they handle refund requests or chargeback’s. Do you

they give you the opportunity to save a sale? Are you charged a fee

for settled disputes?

You need to know as much as you can about your payment

processor, so that you go into an agreement with your eyes wide

open.

Let’s take a closer look at the most common methods of accepting

payment online!

ClickBank

ClickBank | http://www.ClickBank.com

http://www.clickbank.com/

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ClickBank is the largest digital marketplace online, serving thousands of

web-based businesses that offer a wide variety of unique products

throughout hundreds of niche markets.

ClickBank ultimately serves as an intermediary between a customer and

merchants who have chosen to feature their information products within

ClickBank’s ever-growing marketplace.

So, not only will ClickBank handle all payment processing as well as refunds

on your behalf, but by featuring your product within their marketplace, you’ll

gain instant exposure while being able to recruit affiliate partners to

promote your information product.

Affiliate marketers trust ClickBank. They know that they’ll get paid on time,

and they’re familiar with how the Clickbank affiliate program works. This

familiarity and trust will help you recruit affiliates easier, because rather

than running an in-house affiliate program that you are required to manage,

they don’t have to worry about receiving their commissions on time.

Since there are no costs associated with becoming an affiliate within the

ClickBank marketplace and acceptance is automatic, eliminating the need to

sign up for individual affiliate programs, affiliates are drawn to the ClickBank

marketplace, where they can instantly search for quality products to

promote, making ClickBank one of the most lucrative sources for direct

access to experienced and qualified affiliates partners.

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Plus, affiliate marketers frequently browse the ClickBank

marketplace looking for new products to promote, so it’s likely that

you’ll be able to pick up new affiliates without even trying, just by

prominently placing your product in the marketplace.

ClickBank is one of the easiest and cost effective methods of connecting your

product with its target audience by offering all vendors with the opportunity

to promote their product within their marketplace for a one-time, low fee of

only $49.95, a wise investment for anyone who is serious about taking their

business to the next level.

This set up fee is payable only after your first product has been

approved and ready for placement within the marketplace.

PayDotCom | http://www.PayDotCom.com

PayDotCom is similar to ClickBank in that they offer exposure

within their marketplace, however there is one big difference

between PayDotCom and ClickBank in terms of how they process

payments.

Rather than accept payment for your product and then issue you

payment every two weeks like ClickBank does, PayDotCom simply

redirects your buyer to pay you directly through your Paypal

account, meaning that you’ll gain instant access to funds, rather

than waiting for a check to be cut.

http://www.paydotcom.com/

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The downside is that you are responsible for any refund requests,

as well as having to pay your affiliates for all commissions earned

on a regular basis. In addition, while the PayDotCom marketplace

is consistently growing, it doesn’t offer as much exposure as

ClickBank does.

With PayDotCom, you are charged a one-time lifetime membership

fee of $29.00, and are then able to submit an unlimited number of

products into the marketplace.

With ClickBank, you’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $49.97 and

while you are able to submit up to 100 additional products, only

one product will appear in the marketplace.

This means that if you want additional information products to be

given equal exposure, you’ll want to set up a new account for every

product you create. It can get costly, but you’ll want to consider the

difference in exposure between both marketplaces to determine

what marketplace you feel is more beneficial to launching your

product and maximizing profits.

Another thing to consider with PayDotCom is that your product

doesn’t require approval, meaning that it is visible and active within

their marketplace from the moment you create the listing.

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With ClickBank, the first product in your account will need to be

approved, but once your initial product is given a thumbs up, every

other product you add into the same account requires no further

approval.

There are also no maximum price restrictions with PayDotCom, but

with ClickBank, the maximum default price is $50, although you can

request a price limit increase by contacting the ClickBank support

department.

Since there are no costs associated with opening an account with

either PayDotCom or ClickBank, we suggest creating a merchant

account with both providers, and taking the time to go through the

options and features so that you can decide which system will work

best for you.

Quick & Easy Set Up

First, create a Pay Dot Com vendor account and then log in and click on the

My Products tab at the very top of the page. Choose “Create a New Product”

and you’ll land on a page with a form for you to fill out with the following

information:

Product Name

Description

Price

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Whether or Not It’s a Subscription (Recurring) Charge, and If So, the

Billing Period

An email where you’ll be notified about receipts for each sale

The option to ONLY use PayPal

Your Sales Page URL

Your Thank You (Download) Page URL

Options About Gathering Shipping Addresses or Other Personal

Information, Whether the Affiliates Are Automatically Approved,

and Whether It’s Shown in the Marketplace

Then you’ll set the commission payouts and levels and choose if you want to

pay them a percentage or flat fee. Enter the PayPal address that you want

payments going to and then verify your options before clicking the next step.

Here you’ll get to format your order form (if you like, otherwise leave the

default settings).

On the last step, you can add additional payment options.

When you’re finished, click “I am done” and your product will be added to

the marketplace for affiliates to see once it’s made its first sale. Buy it for

yourself and get it into the marketplace quickly so affiliates can start

promoting it!

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Setting Up With E-Junkie

If you are new to information product marketing, and you’re

interested in running a small, internal launch before featuring your

product on the larger markets, consider setting up a payment

processing account with http://www.e-junkie.com

Note: e-Junkie is NOT a stand-alone payment processor, but is a

shopping cart service provider that works to deliver your

information products using many different payment processors

including Paypal and 2Checkout.

You can reap the benefits of instant download and order

verification with full product protection by setting up an e-junkie

account, and integrating it with the payment processor of your

choice.

E-junkie is not only affordable but also very easy to use, and best of

all, it’s designed to work with a number of payment processors, so

you’ll receive instant access to your earnings.

E-junkie also offers built-in protection, so you don’t have to worry

about adding security to download pages, as with your E-junkie

account, you can choose to upload your products directly to their

server and let their automated delivery system handle processing,

or you can upload your product files to your own server, and let E-

http://www.e-junkie.com/

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junkie encode download links, so that your customers are never

shown the real download link.

E-junkie is a shopping cart system, so you can set up multiple

product offers and your customers will be able to purchase multiple

products at once simply by adding them to their cart prior to

checkout.

Their system offers advanced protection as you don’t have to create

individual download pages for each of your products but instead,

can upload all of your products into one folder, or directly to e-

junkie’s servers and let their system handle protection and delivery.

One of the greatest things about E-junkie is the flexibility you’re

given when setting up your products.

If you aren’t interested in a “shopping cart” format, you can simply

create individual purchase links that work in the same way as

Paypal “Buy Now” buttons, directing customers through Paypal

where they make their purchase and then automatically redirected

to E-junkie where they can access their purchases.

E-junkie works with multiple payment processors as well, including

Paypal, 2checkout, Google Checkout, Authorize.net, Clickbank and

even Paypal Payments Pro.

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Ejunkie also makes it easy for you to track your marketing

campaigns as it integrates with Google Analytics, Yahoo Overture,

MSN Adcenter and even Abrite Marketing channels.

Their transaction fees are lower than nearly any other payment

processor, charging around 3% per sale rather than 7% or higher

like the majority of merchant accounts.

Better yet, E-junkie doesn’t charge based on per unit sold but rather

a flat rate monthly fee that varies depending on the number of

products you are selling and the space needed to house your

products.

For example, a starter account is just $5 a month and gives you the

opportunity to sell up to 10 products with 50mb of storage.

If you plan to sell a higher number of products, or you need more

space in which to store your products on e-junkie servers, you can

instantly upgrade your account to another service plan, such as

their $15 monthly plan that offers 250mb per month.

Tip: Search www.RetailMeNot.com for E-junkie coupon codes and

save money by extending your free trial account. There are always

coupons available, with some of them offering up to 120 days of

http://www.retailmenot.com/

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free access.

E-junkie also gives you the opportunity to set up an affiliate

program, where you can set a flat rate or percentage based

commission offer on all of your products, or customize your

commission offer per product.

You can create your own customized affiliate page and link to it, or

use E-junkies affiliate link creation page and direct all potential

affiliates to their site.

E-junkie also gives you the option of setting up coupon codes for

your products, so you can run promotional campaigns, or reward

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loyal buyers with private discount options on future purchases.

Again, you can assign a coupon that works for all of your featured

products, or assign a discount coupon to individual products. You’re

also able to assign a maximum use count, so that the coupon can

only be used a certain number of times before automatically

expiring.

And finally, E-junkie even gives you the opportunity to set “time

based” download links, so that you can customize the amount of

time or even the number of downloads that a customer is allocated

for their purchases.

This can offer a bit of extra protection against download links being

distributed to non-paying buyers, and gives you the flexibility of

customizing your sales system however you like.

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You can even choose to have customers instantly redirected back to

your own site so that you can better control the delivery process, as

well as encourage customers to subscribe to your mailing list or

newsletter.

E-junkie will keep a log of all purchases made, including your

customers first and last name, and email address so you can

download a copy of the database from within your E-junkie account

at any time.

You can choose to search for specific transactions based on invoice

number, transaction ID or by payer email address, or you can

generate a snapshot of all payments and sales over a specific period

of time.

Paypal

If you have a Paypal account, you might choose to accept payments

directly through Paypal using their built-in payment button

encryption.

Simply log into your Paypal account and click on “Merchant Tools”

to browse through available options.

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You’ll be able to set up a regular payment button for a one-time

payment, shopping cart buttons, or you can choose to set up

subscription buttons where your customers will be charged a

recurring fee.

Use Paypal’s built in “payment wizard” to create a payment link

based around your offer. For example, if you are interested in

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setting up a shopping cart system on your website where customers

can add multiple products into a shopping cart, click on “Add to

Cart” to create your payment links. You can also use their advanced

features to set “return URL’s” that direct customers back to your

website or to specific thank you/download pages and more.

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Authorize.net

If you’re interested in a full featured merchant account that

provides you with extended flexibility and features, Authorize.net is

the Internet’s most widely used merchant account provider.

With Authorize.net, you can easily integrate your merchant account

into many different delivery and shopping cart options including e-

Junkie.

There is a one time set up fee when using Authorize.net, along with

monthly fees associated to your account (known as a “Monthly

Gateway Fee”) of around $20.00. Along with the set up fee and

monthly fee, you’ll also be charged a batch fee and transaction fee

for each transaction.

While the fees can be quite costly, Authorize.net provides you with

added flexibility and the ability to handle a high number of

transactions each month. In addition, you’ll be able to accept a

wider range of payment types including all major credit cards.

Once you have an Authorize.net account, you’ll be able to manage

your transactions and preview sales within a secure administration

panel.

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And finally, another great benefit to using Authorize.net is in just

how quickly you’ll receive your payments. Authorize.net will

deposit your finds into any business account you choose every few

days.

You can find out more as well as apply for an Authorize.net

merchant account at:

http://www.authorize.net/solutions/merchantsolutions/onlineme

rchantaccount/

You can also download their Getting Started guide (in PDF format)

at: http://www.authorize.net/files/gettingstarted.pdf

2Checkout.com

2Checkout is an affordable option that provides you with lower fees

and extended flexibility.

Benefits to using 2Checkout include:

Get paid quickly

No term contracts

Supports recurring billing (for membership sites)

Automatic order notifications

Robust Shipping Options (for Physical products)

Easy to use (plugin system and complete integration options)

Sell digital or physical items!

http://www.authorize.net/solutions/merchantsolutions/onlinemerchantaccount/

http://www.authorize.net/solutions/merchantsolutions/onlinemerchantaccount/

http://www.authorize.net/files/gettingstarted.pdf

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There is a one-time charge to activate your 2CheckOut account, and

then a low fee for every transaction that occurs in the system. You

can get started by signing up for a free account and only once you

have been approved will you be required to pay the set up fee.

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2Checkout.com also offers an affiliate program, so you can integrate

all of your products into an affiliate directory and recruit affiliates

without ever having to install an affiliate script, or pay any affiliate

software costs!

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Niche Marketing 101

In order to make money in any type of business, you need a niche. You can’t

just open a “clothing store” an expect to make money. You need to open a

“baby clothing store” or a “wedding dress store”. The more tightly niched

your business is, the less competition you have to worry about.

This is especially true with online businesses. In your local area, there will

only be so many companies you’ll have to compete with. For example, how

many bridal shops do you have in your town? Three, five, maybe twenty in a

larger city. Online, there are thousands and thousands.

Not only would you have to compete with all of the thousands of bridal

shops, but you’d also have to compete with potentially millions of affiliates,

all competing for the top spot.

In this case, you might have to go for an even tighter niche. For example, you

could go for petite wedding dresses, plus-sized wedding dresses, or Victorian

wedding dresses.

Niche selection is a critical element of any business, and in this guide, you’re

going to learn how to choose hot ones!

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Desperate Niches

A desperate niche is one in which the average person has a problem they feel

desperate to find a solution for. Desperate niches are generally the most

profitable, because people are willing to pay money to solve desperate

problems.

Let’s say you had bed bugs. You wake up every night itching from their bites,

and it’s making it nearly impossible to sleep. Wouldn’t you be pretty

desperate to get rid of them? Wouldn’t you pay money if you thought you

found a real solution to the problem? Most people would.

Examples of desperate niches include:

Weight loss

Acne

Chronic severe pain

Many types of pest infestations

Anything that causes physical or emotional discomfort or pain, and anything

that makes people afraid is probably a desperate niche.

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Passionate Niches

Passionate niches can be just as profitable as desperate niches, and they are

often less competitive. Everyone knows desperate niches are profitable, so

they are often highly competitive. There are only so many things people are

desperate about. However, there is a nearly endless supply of hobbies and

interests.

Passionate niches are those in which people have a major passion for

something. You probably have a niche you’re passionate in. Most people do.

It might be stamp collecting, NASCAR, golf, salsa dancing, or something else.

Passionate niches generally involve sports, hobbies, games, collecting, and

other types of pastimes. Some niches have more passionate members than

others. For example, golfers spend huge amounts of money on their chosen

sport. Stamp collectors may or may not be as passionate.

Look for niches where the average user is fanatical about their hobby. If

people are spending money in the niche on collectibles, memorabilia, books,

magazines, movies, or other merchandise, it’s probably a good niche.

Your Interests and Abilities

Many people prefer to choose a niche that relates to one of their own

interests, or something they are an expert in. There are two major benefits to

doing this.

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1. If you’re passionate about the niche yourself, you’re more likely to

stick with building your business until you have a chance to become

successful. Many business owners don’t stick to anything long enough

to do well, but if you’re very interested in what you’re doing, you’re

much more likely to keep doing it until you make money.

2. If you know something about the niche, it will be easier for you to do

research, write content, select products, and establish yourself as an

expert in the niche. Everything will take less time and be easier if you

already know a lot about the niche.

Of course, if you’re not interested in niches that are profitable, you won’t

want to do this. Some people find they just don’t have any profitable niches

they’re interested in. In this case, move on to something more profitable,

unless you’re just in this for a hobby.

Finding Popular Niches

Obviously, you need to find out which niches are popular. You might not

want to get into a niche that has extreme competition, but you don’t want to

choose a niche that has very little interest, either.

There are several ways to find popular niches:

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1. Amazon – Browse non-fiction books and magazines and look at the

bestselling products. You’ll find hundreds of different niches just by

browsing Amazon.

2. ClickBank – ClickBank.com has a wide variety of information

products. Check out their bestselling products in various categories to

find out what’s popular.

3. Alexa – Alexa.com ranks websites by traffic. You can find out which

niches are popular by finding websites with plenty of traffic.

4. Shopping Centers – Find out which shops are popular at your local

shopping mall or strip mall.

5. Bookstores – You can also check out your local bookstore. You may

find things there that aren’t easy to find on Amazon.

6. Magazines – Magazines.com has tons of magazines. If a niche has a

magazine being published, it’s probably pretty popular. Publishers

won’t waste money producing a magazine unless they’ve judged the

niche as profitable.

7. Forums – Check out Big-Boards.com to find out which forums have

lots of traffic. If people are interested in posting on a forum about a

topic, they’re probably pretty passionate about it.

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8. Cool Shopping – Visit CoolShopping.com and take a look at their Top

Searches to get some great niche ideas.

(http://www.coolshopping.com/topsearches.php/Mode/topsearches)

9. 43 Things – 43Things.com has a list of the most popular goals people

have. It’s a goldmine for niche research. Visit the page at

(http://www.43things.com/zeitgeist/goals).

10. Ebay – eBay has two useful pages at

(http://pages.ebay.com/wantitnow/index.html) and

(http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/ebay-pulse.html)

Keyword Research

Another important way to research niches is to do keyword research. Use

something like Google’s free keyword tool to find out how much traffic each

niche has:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Enter keywords related to any niche you are interested in to see

approximately how many people search for those keywords each month on

Google. This will give you an idea of how popular a niche might be.

Brainstorming Niches

Remember, it’s important to get into the tightest possible niche without

choosing something that has too little traffic. You want to select a niche that

http://www.coolshopping.com/topsearches.php/Mode/topsearches

http://www.43things.com/zeitgeist/goals

http://pages.ebay.com/wantitnow/index.html

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/ebay-pulse.html

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

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won’t have so much competition you’ll never get any traffic, without

choosing one no one ever searches for.

Make a list of niches you’re interested in pursuing. Research each one to find

out how much traffic they get. If they get far too much traffic for you to have

a reasonable expectation of competing, try to figure out sub-niches of the

same large niche.

Here are some examples of how to narrow down a niche:

Golf

Golf Clubs

o Golf clubs for kids

o Golf clubs for women

o Golf clubs for seniors

Weight Loss

Weight Loss for Women

o Weight Loss after Pregnancy

o Weight Loss for a Wedding

o Lose Weight for Prom

o Lose Weight before High School Reunion

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Wedding Dresses

Vintage Wedding Dresses

o Victorian Wedding Dresses

o Regency Wedding Dresses

o Antebellum Wedding Dresses

These are just some ideas. At first, just write down different sub-niches, and

even sub-niches of those sub-niches if you can think of any. Then, you can

use keyword research to find out how viable each niche is.

You can also search Google to find out how many other pages are currently

targeting a particular niche. This will help you figure out whether or not a

niche is too competitive!

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Outsourcing Quick Tips

You’ve probably heard the old saying “good help is hard to find” many times.

Unfortunately, that is true. Even in a bad economy, many people don’t

appreciate jobs. Thus, they’re prone to being late, calling in sick, making

excuses, or even disappearing altogether.

It sounds like a nightmare, and it can be, but I’m going to give you some tips

that will lessen your chances of running into such problems.

The first suggestion is to be picky about where you find workers. Don’t just

use any old freelancing site, because you’ll find it difficult to separate the

wheat from the chaff. Be selective.

Forums are a great place to find workers, because you can find out what

other people are saying about the worker before you hire him or her. Check

feedback carefully, and ask for recommendations.

Some forums for finding outsourcers include:

http://www.warriorforum.com

http://forums.digitalpoint.com

http://www.wickedfire.com

Outsourcing sites are also good places to find workers, however you have to

be careful to check one out thoroughly before you hire them, as the quality

http://www.warriorforum.com/

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/

http://www.wickedfire.com/

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can be quite poor. Many workers are from non-English-speaking countries

and may have poor communication and writing skills, so make sure you hire

someone suitable.

One great thing about hiring people via outsourcing sites is that most of them

have a feedback system. This allows employers to rate the quality of the

work and service they receive from a worker so other potential employers

can see how they performed.

While everyone has to start somewhere, it’s best if you leave hiring new

workers to others. Stick only with vetted, experienced workers with plenty

of positive feedback, little or no negative feedback, and a portfolio of sample

work.

You may also wish to ask for references. Make sure you verify the

testimonials by contacting those who gave them. Don’t just accept

testimonials with no contact information.

Another major benefit of outsourcing sites is that some of them act as an

escrow service, allowing you to deposit money for workers without giving it

directly to them. In the event that they don’t perform, they won’t be paid.

And the workers are also protected from the potential of non-payment.

Some outsourcing sites to try:

http://www.getafreelancer.com

http://www.getafreelancer.com/

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http://www.odesk.com

http://www.elance.com

Another great source of workers that many people seem to forget about is

Craigslist. Often, you can find people in your local area or in other areas that

post ads offering services.

If you can’t find what you want, you can post an ad yourself. It’s free to post

an ad, and you’ll usually get dozens of inquiries, allowing you to pick and

choose the best candidate.

If you hire someone in your local area, you will be able to meet them, find out

where they live, and keep them in check. If they stop answering your emails

or phone calls, you can go knock on their door to find out why!

http://www.craigslist.org

If you need design work, you can try holding a contest. Contests allow you to

be assured of getting a design you really love, which won’t always happen

when you hire someone.

It is sometimes difficult to explain exactly what you want to someone else, an

sometimes they don’t understand your vision. In this case, they could deliver

something you don’t care for, yet, you still have to pay them.

http://www.odesk.com/

http://www.elance.com/

http://www.craigslist.org/

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Ethically, you can’t just refuse to pay someone because you don’t like what

they deliver, but you can ask them to revise it based on their revision policy.

Be sure to ask a worker their policy about revisions, including how many are

included for free and how much they charge for revision above that, before

you hire them.

With a contest, you don’t have to worry about this. You get dozens,

sometimes hundreds of designs to choose from, and you only pay once you

have a winner.

Try:

http://www.99designs.com

Testing Workers

It’s a very good idea to test workers before you hire them, especially if you

need them for something highly skilled like writing or programming.

Paying Workers

There are two important things to remember concerning paying workers.

First, be sure you pay workers even if you’re not entirely thrilled with their

quality. People who do work for you deserve to be paid. Never make

someone waste their valuable time.

http://www.99designs.com/

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If they have delivered stolen articles or otherwise scammed you, then it is

fine to withhold payment. Otherwise, pay promptly. It’s the right thing to do,

and it could get you sued if you don’t.

Next, be sure you don’t pay 100% upfront, even for people you think you

know well and have worked with for years. This is especially true when you

hire someone for a large, expensive job.

Why am I saying this even about those you have worked with and have

proven themselves trustworthy? Because anything can happen.

People get sick. People have computer trouble, and sometimes they can’t

afford to get it fixed. People have loved ones die and need time away.

Anything can happen, and people can’t always (or won’t) offer refunds.

Remember, if they’ve already spent your money, they may not even have it to

send back.

I recommend paying a 50% deposit. That way, both parties have equal risk

involved in the transaction. You risk not getting what you hired them for, and

they risk not being paid the rest upon completion. Additionally, the other

50% payment is an incentive for the worker to complete the job quickly in

order to receive the rest of the money.

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Payment Methods

Most workers will prefer to be paid by PayPal. It will allow them to get paid

quickly and deposit the money into a bank account. Some people, especially

in banned countries, won’t be able to accept it. They may have lost their

account for various reasons (sometimes shady, sometimes not.)

Some outsourcing and contest sites will allow you to pay them directly, and

then they release the money to workers like an escrow service. This is a

method that is relatively safe for both parties.

Other services for people who don’t have PayPal include:

http://checkout.google.com

http://www.stormpay.com

http://www.moneybookers.com

http://www.xoom.com

http://www.2checkout.com

You could also pay via bank wire or Western Union, but keep in mind that

Western Union is a common tool for scammers. You’ll want to be especially

careful if you use this method, especially for the upfront deposit. People

often use Western Union to attempt to hide their identity by giving you

someone else’s name and then having them pick up the money.

http://checkout.google.com/

http://www.stormpay.com/

http://www.moneybookers.com/

http://www.xoom.com/

http://www.2checkout.com/

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Remember that people who are writing articles for a few dollars each,

designing graphics as a freelancer, or performing other similar tasks are

often living day to day. Don’t delay payment for any reason once work has

been completed, even if they were late completing the work.

Just like you expect them to deliver on time, they expect you to pay quickly. If

you are going to have to go out of town before work is completed, or you

cannot pay immediately, be sure to tell them when you can and why you

can’t do it at the moment. If you expect honesty and communication, then

you should also deliver it.

Keeping Workers Happy

A quality worker is a goldmine, so you should be sure to keep your workers

happy when you find them. Yes, they are lucky to find paying work at all, but

the happier they are, the better they will work.

Studies have shown that happy employees are more productive, work faster,

and produce higher quality results, yet many employers don’t take steps to

keep their employees happy. Morale is extremely important in the

workplace, but it is often forgotten.

To keep your workers happy, be sure to:

Pay them quickly every time.

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Give them bonuses now and then for excellent performance.

Be patient with good workers who have rare problems.

Communicate quickly, just as you expect them to do.

Give clear instructions so they can do their jobs effectively.

Remember, it’s extremely difficult to find quality, reliable workers, so treat

them well so you won’t lose them!

Expanding Your Outreach: Offline Marketing

Offline marketing is great for anyone who needs extra cash quickly, because

it allows you to make use of your online marketing skills to help offline

companies get more business, and you don’t have to wait around for SEO to

take effect or articles to be approved.

It does require a certain level of personal interaction. You need to be able to

interact with potential clients one-on-one to have a good chance of getting

the job, because most people will prefer face-to-face meetings. This means

you’ll need access to transportation, and you can’t be shy.

However, if you have an outgoing personality and transportation, getting

work in offline consulting is actually quite simple. People need the services

you’ll be providing, and they’ll be more than happy to pay for them.

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Businesses pay thousands of dollars each year for ads in the Yellow Pages

that bring them very little business. They spend huge amounts of money

advertising in magazines, newspapers, and on other ads.

They’ll gladly pay you for your services if you can prove your worth, and this

report will show you how to do that!

Services to Provide

There are many different services you can provide to local businesses. You

can pick and choose from these based on your strengths. Only provide

services you are comfortable with, or that you’re certain you could profitably

outsource to someone highly reliable.

Website Setup

Obviously, many businesses will need a website. Those that already have one

may need a revamp. You’ve probably seen local businesses with terrible

websites. These companies could definitely use a better website!

You could charge based on the page, by the project, or even by the hour. Just

be sure to create a site that is both attractive and functional. You can also

provide hosting for a monthly fee to bring in regular, additional income.

Blog Setup and Management.

Most businesses should have a blog, because it allows them to keep in touch

with their potential customers on a regular basis. Some business owners

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won’t have the technical know-how to manage their own blog, and some

simply won’t want to do it or will be uncomfortable doing it.

You can charge a flat rate to set up the blog, plus an additional monthly fee to

manage it for those who don’t want to do it themselves. The blog should

regularly post discounts, deals, announcements, and other information of

value to the company’s customers.

Social Marketing Setup and Management

Social marketing is something many businesses find intimidating. They think

it’s too technical, or they don’t know how to go about it. You can charge a flat

rate to set up social accounts for the business, as well as an ongoing monthly

fee to manage their pages, including adding new followers, posting on a

regular basis, and managing the pages.

Google Places

Google Places is extremely valuable, because it allows the company to have

extra information in Google. A company with a Places listing will give them

the potential to show up before the standard Google listings, as well as

having photos, videos, reviews, and other information available.

You can offer to submit the company to Google Places and manage their

listing for a reasonable fee.

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Autoresponder Setup and Management

One thing most companies fail to do is to set up a system for managing their

current customers.

This includes an autoresponder system. You should make sure the company

is aware that it is much easier to get additional business from an existing

customer, as well as much more cost-effective, than it is to procure a new

one.

Once a company has a customer on their email list, they will be able to email

them special offers, coupons, advance notice of sales, new product

announcements, events, and much more. This will keep existing customers

coming back for more on a regular basis, while also enticing people in who

may have signed up to the mailing list but never actually bought anything.

You can charge a flat fee for setup, as well as an ongoing monthly fee to

manage their list, including sending out mailings on behalf of the company.

Finding Clients

Perhaps the trickiest thing about offline consulting is finding clients to serve.

As with any business, you will rely on a steady stream of customers, but

finding them is probably the most difficult thing you’ll have to do.

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Door-to-Door

The most common way to find clients for offline consulting work is to visit

businesses door-to-door. This can be extremely effective, but you have to

follow some basic rules if you want to get business and avoid making people

angry.

1. Visit businesses during slow periods. This can vary from company to

company, but if you walk in and the place is packed, come back later.

For restaurants, the slowest period is usually around two in the

afternoon.

2. Ask to speak to the owner. You can also speak with a manager if

necessary, but the owner will usually be your best bet.

3. Avoid chain companies. While a local Subway owner might have the

power to purchase marketing for his franchise, he’ll be benefitting

from the national marketing campaigns of the company itself, using the

company’s website, etc. He won’t likely need your services. Instead,

visit smaller, locally-owned companies.

4. If you visit and the owner isn’t in, leave a business card! You can

always call later and ask to make an appointment.

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Business Cards

You’ll discover that you’ll just run into potential clients here and there.

Almost everyone either owns a business, wants to own a business, or knows

at least one person who owns a business.

You need to have business cards available anytime you meet someone who

could potentially become a client. You will also need them to give to

employees when the owner or manager isn’t in or available.

Your business cards should have your name, contact information, website

URL, and a tagline that describes what you do. Don’t call yourself a web

designer or anything similar! Call yourself something like:

Online marketing specialist

Web marketing consultant

These types of names are more conducive to getting business, because they

make it sound like you’re an expert, and like you could actually help the

business owner get more business as opposed to just setting up a

(potentially useless) website.

Chamber of Commerce Meetings

Where is the one place you will find the largest number of local business

owners gathered in a single location? In most areas, it would be at Chamber

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of Commerce meetings, where local business owners get together to network

and share ideas.

If you’re going to market at such meetings, be sure you don’t actually do any

hard selling. People don’t want to be sold to at such meetings, and doing so

will make you look like an amateur.

In fact, when you meet someone, ask them about their business. Ask them

how it’s doing. Ask them about themselves. Only once they ask what you do

can you bring up your business and exchange business cards.

Impressing Clients

The best thing you can do to turn someone into a client is to truly impress

them with your knowledge. Blow their mind! Make sure you know so much

about online marketing that you can recite a ton of information at will. This

will let people know you really know your stuff!

You can do this at Chamber of Commerce meetings, walk-in meetings, on the

phone, and even when you accidentally meet someone. Just impress the heck

out of them!

In fact, it’s probably a good idea if you confuse them. The more technical the

language, the more impressive you sound, and the more worried they’ll be

that they’d never be able to do it themselves.

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It also doesn’t hurt to have some samples of sites you’ve built and some

testimonials for other businesses you’ve helped. This will give you the added

edge.

That brings me to one final important point. If possible, bring a laptop with

you when you go looking for clients or attend meetings. This way, you can

easily show potential clients samples, and you might even be able to show

them a few things live.

Don’t forget to bring internet access! You can get a USB modem from many

different providers. This will allow you to get online almost anywhere!

Pricing and Payment

Pricing is a tricky subject, because you want to ensure you’re paid fairly for

the work you do, but you must also be fair to your clients. Never overcharge

them, because they’re you’re bread and butter!

Only you can set your prices. You know how much you’ll be willing to accept

for the work. Choose a price that makes you happy. Otherwise, you’ll end up

hating the work and you’ll be unhappy.

What I suggest is to estimate the time you think it will take you to complete a

project, add 50% to that time, and then figure out what you’d be happy (not

just willing, but happy) to accept for that much work.

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Some business owners will expect to pay you on a Net 30 basis. That means

they will have 30 days to pay you – usually by check. That’s a long time to

wait! Make sure you tell people your prices are as low as they are because

you work without the overhead of an office building and such, thus you need

upfront payment immediately.

You might consider taking 50% upfront instead of 100% if it makes the client

more comfortable.

Outsourcing the Work

If you don’t feel you can do most of the work yourself, you can always

outsource it. It can be difficult to find workers who will complete quality

work in a timely fashion, but once you do, they’re tremendously valuable!

If you’re going to outsource, be certain you either have the ability to do the

work yourself if your outsourcer fails, or that you have several backups

waiting in the wings.

You never want to risk upsetting a client simply because someone you’ve

hired disappears or makes a million excuses! Make sure you’re covered in

the event that something goes wrong. Never pay 100% upfront!

You can find people to hire at places such as:

http://www.warriorforum.com

http://forums.digitalpoint.com

http://www.getafreelancer.com

http://www.warriorforum.com/

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/

http://www.getafreelancer.com/

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The Art of Copywriting

If you sell any type of product or service, online or offline, you are

undoubtedly aware that the quality of your sales copy makes a huge impact

on how well you convert. If you have poorly written sales copy, your sales

are likely to suffer. Alternatively, if you have great copy, you will probably

experience tremendous sales growth and maximum exposure.

The trouble is, most people don’t know how to write effective sales copy. In

order for sales copy to be effective, it must:

Strike a chord with the intended audience

Prove an understanding of the target audience

Convince people they have a problem

Convince people you product can solve that problem

Remove doubts and objections

If your copy can do these things, you have a great chance at having a very

good conversion rate.

In this report, you’re going to learn about some of the most vital components

of effective sales copy. You’re going to learn how to get into the heads of your

potential customers in order to figure out what they need and how you can

best serve them.

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You’ll also find out how to improve various individual elements of your sales

copy including your headline, bullet points, guarantee and more.

Remember, a little preparation before you begin is essential, and it can mean

the difference between a wild success and utter failure. Don’t breeze through

your sales copy in a hurry to get it over with. Take your time, because this is

the one element that matters most in your marketing.

Don’t forget to build a swipe file. Find copy you find intriguing, especially if

you end up buying the product! Save the sales letters in a directory on your

hard drive to draw inspiration from. This will help you whenever you get lost

while writing copy.

Copywriting masters also suggest writing great sales letters out by hand.

Supposedly, it is much more effective to write them on paper with a pen than

it is to type them, and it will help you pick up stylistic nuances you might

miss during typing.

Understanding your Market

The most important thing you can do in order to improve your sales copy is

to first understand your target market. If you don’t understand what

motivates them, you can’t possibly write sales copy that will speak to them.

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The first thing you need to do is figure out the biggest problems the average

user in your market would have. Of course, any problem you concentrate on

must be one your product can solve.

Let’s say you’re selling an eBook that teaches people how to get rid of an ant

infestation. Obviously, their biggest problem is the ant infestation. However,

you must think beyond that. Why is it that they don’t want ants in their

home? There could be many reasons.

For example:

The ants make their house seem unclean

The pests are unsanitary

They can cause food waste by infesting food

They can bite/sting

Some people find them creepy or frightening

Remember, people buy based on emotion, and then they use logic to justify

their purchase later. They might buy your book because they’re afraid of

ants, and then they might justify the purchase to themselves by thinking of

all the food that might be wasted if ants get into it.

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Always try to focus on emotion rather than logic. Yes, people will want to

make logical, rational decisions, however emotion is the catalyst that helps

them do it. Emotion will push them to stop thinking and just purchase.

Make a list of problems your target market is likely to have that your product

can solve. Then choose one or two of those to focus on in your sales copy.

Remember to choose those that are the most intensely emotional.

You can also choose one or two logical points to use as backup. This will help

them later justify the purchase, making them less likely to ask for a refund

out of buyer’s remorse.

Headline

Perhaps the most critical component of any sales page is the headline. You

should put the most care and attention into the headline, because it is the

first thing people see when they visit your site, and it must grab attention

and make people want to continue reading.

When someone lands on your page, you have only a few seconds to convince

them to stay. If your bounce rate (the number of people who leave your site

immediately, without clicking any links or taking time to read anything) is

high, your conversion rate will be terrible.

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If your headline isn’t effective, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of your

sales copy happens to be, because very few people will ever bother to read it.

The headline must grab attention quickly, and it must convince people to

keep reading!

The headline must speak directly to the audience’s needs. It must grab

attention with exciting colors and styles, and it must make people want to

read the rest of the copy. So how is this done?

First, you might want to pose an interesting question or offer an intriguing

idea. Here is an example:

“9 Out Of 10 Doctors Agree – This One Dietary Change

Could Add Thirty Years To Your Life!”

As you can see, this poses a very enticing question that many people would

be very interested in answering. “What change could add thirty years to my

life?” People will read more to find out!

Additionally, you want to use exciting styles to make the headline highly

visible. There are a few tricks that make the headline more enticing and

effective.

Most sites use the color red for the headline. This grabs attention,

makes the text easy to read, and lends a sense of urgency.

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Use highlighting, underlining, italics and bold sparingly to call

attention to key points in the headline.

Put your headline in quotes. Studies have shown that putting a

headline in quotes greatly increases response.

Capitalize the first letter of each word. This draws attention and

provides emphasis, as well as consistency.

Bullet Points

More important than the sales copy itself, bullet points serve several

purposes. The major purpose for bullet points is to allow easy skimming of

important points.

You see, some people are readers, and others are skimmers. Some people

prefer to read every word on the page and absorb as much information as

possible, while others want to get to the nitty-gritty as quickly as they can.

By providing bullet points, you allow those who prefer to skim to quickly

access the most critical information about your product. Make sure your

bullet points are as easy to skim as possible by including varying text

sparingly.

For example:

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Uncover the secrets to living a longer, healthier life and adding

twenty to thirty years onto your life expectancy!

The eyes are automatically drawn to the most important words, because they

stand out from the rest of the text.

It’s a good idea to include at least two blocks of bullet points in your sales

letter. These blocks could both be related to benefits and features (see next

chapter), or they could be other important information you want to call

attention to such as statistics or problems.

Your bullet points shouldn’t be more than 2-3 lines each. Otherwise, they will

blend in too much with the rest of the text on the page and lose their impact.

Conversely, you don’t want them to be too short, because they won’t convey

enough information and the will be boring. They should be at least 6-10

words long.

Don’t forget to use colorful accents to draw attention to your bullet points.

Arrows, stars, checkmarks, circles, and other symbols will help draw the eye

toward your bullet points, making it even easier for people to skim through

your sales letter.

Read the next section to find out the difference between benefits and

features, because you’ll want to make sure you concentrate your bullet

points on benefits – not features!

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Features vs. Benefits

Too many people tend to focus on features rather than benefits. People don’t

care that much about your product’s features. They want to know how those

features benefit them!

Let’s say you’re shopping for a remote control. Which seems more

interesting to you:

Oversized buttons

Backlit button pad

Curved shape

OR:

Oversized buttons reduce accidental button presses

Backlit button pad allows you to see buttons even in a darkened room

Curved shape for more comfortable grip

Always let people know what the product will do for them!

Guarantee

A solid guarantee is the last great defense you have against customers

electing not to purchase your product or service. If you have a solid

guarantee, you will remove any remaining objections people may have about

your product.

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If they have any doubts left, a good guarantee can push them to purchase.

Even if they come to find out your product isn’t right for them, and that their

objections were indeed valid, they haven’t lost anything but time. They’ll get

their money back, and they’re no worse off than they were before.

The great debate over guarantee length rages on, but most people agree that

longer guarantees work. The longer the guarantee, the more it improves

conversions.

Surprisingly, the longer the guarantee, the fewer refunds you experience in

most cases! This is probably due to procrastination.

People think they have plenty of time to collect on the guarantee, so they put

it off and eventually forget to do it. Go for a 60-day guarantee at minimum

and you’ll see better conversions.

You now have everything you need to start building a profitable online

business. The next step is to take action and put this information and

newfound knowledge to work for you.

You can do it!

Author: Josef David