Productive pod casting is a worthy goal. If you are interested in productive podcasting, if you’re interested in making a profit through podcasting, there are four initial steps that you want to take. Through this article, you are provided with an explanation of the four steps you need to take on your way to productive podcasting.

First, when considering what you need to do to move towards productive podcasting, you need to make certain that you develop an interesting and innovative idea in concept for your podcasts. You do not want to recycle what is already floating around out there. You want to come up with something new and original.

Second, on your way to productive podcasting, it is important that you obtain the services of experienced professionals to assist you in pulling together your podcast. While this may require you to spend a bit more money at the outset, most people who have obtained at least some professional assistance in developing your podcast have been very satisfied with the and results.

Finally, when your goal is productive podcasting, when your objective is to make profit through podcasting, you will want to make sure that your podcast production is extremely professional. Unfortunately in this day and age there are plenty of podcasts that seem as if they were thrown together at the last minute. In order to ensure that your podcast is successful, in order to ensure that you have a productive podcast that generates profit for you, you will want to make absolutely certain that your podcast is professional on absolutely every level.

By following the steps set forth for you in this article, you will be well on your way to productive podcasting and well on your way to making a profit through your podcasting efforts.

podcasting

No matter what type of email you send out, you’ll need a mailing list. The basic way to build a mailing list is by capturing name and email address information for everyone who buys or shows interest in your product.

An email list that YOU COLLECT YOURSELF is worth its weight in gold. This can be accomplished by using a list manager on your site such as Aweber. List managers also provide the HTML coding for the form on the Gateway pages. A list manager collects the email addresses that are gathered with the form. Thus, your email list is collected. This might take some time so there are methods to use until you get your own email list built.

One way to build a mailing list is to do ad swaps with other list owners. The way this works is, you (as company A) have an email list that you send newsletters to and another list owner (company B) has a list they send newsletters to. Company A and Company B place ads on one another’s mailing lists. Each of you is promoting the other’s list.

You can rent or buy targeted email lists. The list you develop using your own customers’ names is called your “house list.” Of course, when you’re first starting out, your house list is likely to be skimpy. To augment it, one way to go is rent or buy a mailing list. There are two ways to buy or rent a mailing list—approaching the company you want to rent from directly or using a list broker. Any company that emails information to its customers usually has a list manager, who handles inquiries and orders for the mailing list.

Another way to build an email list is to list your newsletter in all of the ezine directories such as:
http://www.ezinelisting.com/
http://www.jogena.com/ezine/ezinedata.htm

Please leave comments, list building tips & resources below.
Most valuable comment gets a free Mark Flavin Marketing T-Shirt!

Regardless of the online business model you are running, you will need traffic. And traffic is best provided by the search engines. For you to maximize this traffic source, you will need back links – lots and lots of back links.

The Different Kinds Of Linking Strategies

Beginners who are not that familiar with search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are often lost when it comes to discussions about linking strategies. Hence, before we can proceed with our discussion on how to gain the most potent links possible, it will be better if we’d first discuss what the different linking strategies are, in essence.

1. One way links. These are described as the best kind of links that you can gain. One way link has one site linking to yours, with no obligation on your part to link back to the same.

2. Reciprocal linking. If you will win a link in a website in exchange for that website’s link to be displayed in your web page, then such is reciprocal linking. Many people believe that search engines frown on reciprocal links. This is, however, not really true, as you will discover later on.

3. Triangular linking. Because of many people’s fear of the possible penalization of reciprocal links, a lot of webmasters have resorted to triangular linking. Site A will link to Site B. Site B will link to Site C. Site C will link back to Site A.

4. Multi-linking. This is similar to triangular linking, but it involves more websites in between.

As much as possible, you should aim for one way links, as in the hierarchy of values, one way links carry the most weight.

How To Get One Way Links

The old fashioned way, of course, is to request other webmasters to display a link to your website. However, the internet has evolved into a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” landscape. You’d find it difficult to have your link displayed in other websites if you won’t be able to provide something valuable for the webmasters of the same.

However, some strategies do seem to work efficiently well when it comes to acquiring one way links. These are:

* Solid content. Webmasters are always on the lookout for high quality information. If such information is unique, they’d have no choice but to link to the same. Information is embodied in content. If you can deliver unique information in a clear and eloquent manner, you’d have many webmasters linking to you easily.

* Article marketing. Webmasters are always on the lookout for fresh content as well. Often, they derive the content they need from the many article directories in the World Wide Web. Since they cannot simply reproduce such articles without citing the accompanying resource box, you can leave your link in the same, and it will be displayed wherever your article will be republished.

* Affiliate program. If you’re selling a digital product, you can set up an affiliate program that will provide affiliate links to your signups. Your signups will promote their affiliate links, and since such will carry your domain name, you’d be able to build the back links to your website.

Why You Need To Build Back Links

In theory 80% of the traffic that you will be able to generate for your website should come from the search engines. Hence, the more prominent the position of your website in search engine results, the more visitors you can gain for your web pages.

It’s a constant battle to win the favor of the search engine spiders – those robotic little creatures in charge of indexing your website. And before they can index your website, they must first be able to find it.

And they’ll find it via the trail of back links you’ll leave behind.

The common mistake committed by most newbies or beginners online is coming up with a product without determining a hungry market. Why is this dangerous? Because the product might not cater to a certain demand. Without demand, no one would buy the said product, and such would surely be disastrous for any business.

So the first lesson in any internet marketing course should be about finding profitable markets.

Now, despite how intimidating this subject may sound, it’s actually quite easy to pull off. All you need is an idea. Yes, like one of those eureka moments. This idea can come to you at any time… while watching a movie, for example. Or while reading the morning papers. Or while viewing the billboards by the road your way to drop off the kids at school. This idea may also be inspired by your current or previous profession, or a passion you nurtured when you were still enrolled as a student (just like me right now!!).

It is always advisable to carry a small notebook with you, so that whenever these ideas pop up, you could write them down so that they won’t have to fade from memory. If you have a personal digital assistant (PDA), the better it would be for you.

So how would you know if the idea that enters your mind is the right one to build a business for?

This wouldn’t be difficult to figure out. Surely, an idea would entail thoughts of various possibilities you do with the same. An idea about dog grooming can make you think of a dog grooming service, for example. Or an idea about pest control can make you think of a do-it-yourself pest control eBook.

Once you have an idea, it’s time to determine its profitability. For this, you would have to use the tools found at:

www.wordtracker.com

Or…

www.nichebot.com

Simply type in the idea you have in mind, and press the submit button. You will then be presented with a list of keywords and key phrases that are related to the subject you have entered. Each keyword or key phrase would have an indication of the number of searches that they have gathered from internet users. The number of searches made for a particular keyword or key phrase is a good barometer of the demand for the same.

Naturally, you would want a keyword or key phrase that has gathered many searches, right?

This shouldn’t be the case. Demand is just half the battle. You would also need to determine the amount of competition you would have for that particular market. To do this, you just have to run a search in Google using the particular keyword or key phrase you have selected. Look at the number of web pages catering to the said subject. If this number is less than the number of searches made for the same, then you have a profitable idea indeed!

Let’s illustrate.

Your idea is about dog grooming. So you use the tools mentioned above, and type in the phrase “dog grooming.”

You’d immediately get some keywords or key phrases like “shih tzu dog grooming” or “dog grooming cases.” The searches for these terms are greater in number than the web pages catering to them. As such, you could consider them as highly profitable markets. These markets are what many people call as niches. Finding a niche is the first integral step in making money online.

Once a niche is determined, focus on it. If you’re not familiar with the subject, do some research. Build a website that would provide accurate and educational information about the topic. Employ marketing strategies to give it the exposure it deserves.

It all starts with finding a niche. The sooner you discover one, the sooner you will realize the many promises that the online world can offer.

You can learn more about Niche Marketing by visiting How To Win In The Niche

Have a great day.
Mark Flavin

Technorati Tags:
Niche Marketing
Mark Flavin Marketing
Marketing
Wordtracker
Make Money Online
Business Ideas
Internet Marketing
Mark Flavin

Article marketing is most probably the most effective link building strategy in existence. Picture it this way. Article directories allow you to include a resource box for every article you will submit. Inside this resource box, you could include a link to your website. If you will submit just one article to 100 article directories, you will in time receive 100 back links to your website (in theory, sometimes not all of them are picked up by the search engines). There are thousands of article directories in the World Wide Web!

Now, if you will submit, say, 5 articles to a hundred directories, you’ll get close to 500 back lines over time.
The best part about this strategy is that quite a number of article directories have high page ranks. We’re talking about PR4, PR5, and on occasion, PR7 websites! Having a link to your own website in a website which has a high page rank would give a significant boost to your own pages’ search engine standing!

All seems rosy with article marketing, but as with everything else, there are doubts as to its real nature.

Let’s have a no hold barred, truly in depth discussion about the matter, by asking the questions you always had in your mind but had no opportunity to set loose. Let’s begin.

1. If I submit the same article to many article directories, won’t it violate a search engine’s policy against duplicate content?

No, it won’t. Since we’re dealing with high ranking websites, the search engines would assume that the submitted content is their original work. This is the reason why a lot of article directories are pretty confident about the articles they display. The problem that they encounter, really, is with regards to the credibility of their services. They don’t want to be known as a repository of junk content, that’s why they have outlawed the posting of PLR articles as well as articles imbued with affiliate links.

2. Does this mean that I could submit articles which I have already posted in my own web pages?

No! Since the search engines would assume that the higher ranking websites are the originators of the content, your web pages would be distinguished as duplicates, and this could possibly lead to the de-indexing of your website. You wouldn’t want this to happen. (Please see comments below for more debate on this point)

3. Could I submit as many articles as I could to as many article directories as possible?

Yes, you could! In fact, this is very much advised, to build up your link popularity and secure for your website a great page rank.

However, please bear in mind that search engines, and Google in particular, become quite wary about a website that suddenly experiences a great increase in the number of its back links. It is advised that before you submit another article to the article directories, you have to wait for at least 3 weeks after your last submission.

4. My page views are quite low. Does article marketing really work?

Yes, article marketing does work! If your article’s page views remain in low levels, ask yourself the following:

a. Is the subject of your article interesting enough? Does it cater to a wide audience?
b. Is your title enticing enough to merit a reading of your entire work?
c. Is your article informative enough to merit recommendation?
d. Is your article readable enough to give your audience an easy time in digesting the information you want to share?
e. Does your resource box/autor bio compel the reader to click on your link

These are the factors that contribute to low page views. Doing some necessary editing to correct these problems can dramatically increase the number of times your article would be viewed. Additionally, some article directories really attract a few visitors. But the popular ones like www.ezinearticles.com , www.goarticles.com and www.isnare.com should give you hundreds of readers in a month’s time.

5. How sure am I that my article would be kept intact by people who would use it in their own websites or eZines?

You can never be sure. This is why you have to run your own check from time to time. Search for unique phrases in your article, and click on the results. Determine if the webmaster honored your resource box. If he did not, you could ask him to include the same, or you could file a complaint with the article directory so that they themselves could act on the matter. Vigilance is the key.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Mark Flavin

P.S Please leave your questions, comments, tips & recommendations below. Just click on the comments tab.

Technorati Tags:
Article Marketing
Mark Flavin
Articles
Web Site Promotion
Article Advertising
eZines
Advertising
Marketing
Duplicate Content
Website Promotion
Internet Marketing

Every online business needs content. Whether it is meant to drive traffic to a website for PPC purposes, or whether it’s to help sell digital products, an online business would need content to convey it’s business message.

But original content is rarely cheap. Often, online business owners have to pay around $5 to $15 for a 400 word article. And a single article is not enough for their purposes. They need at least 20 of them to jump start a content site. They need at least 50 of them to combine as an eBook. The amount quickly becomes inaccessible to most small online business’s, especially those who are just starting out.

This is the reason why PLR products have become widely popular in recent months. PLR stands for private label rights, which basically means the right to alter, alienate, or otherwise dispose of the said products anyway you please.

There are some advantages and disadvantages in availing of PLR products, however. Let us take a look at them, as well as the solutions around the problems.

Benefits:

* PLR products are cheap. Since you will be sharing the expenses with other purchasers, you won’t have to contend with the total cost of production by yourself. An eBook ghostwritten by a freelancer, for example, can range from $200 to as high as $1,000. But a PLR eBook sold to many people can be sold for a cost below $100.

* PLR products can become excellent search engine fodders, if you’re in PPC business. All you have to do is to rewrite 25% to 50% of the pieces to avoid being tagged as dupe content.

* PLR products make excellent backbones for your own works. Since the thoughts and the flow of the ideas are already there, it would be easier for you to work on them and come up with totally unique content.

* PLR products give you total freedom to alter the contents thereof, as well as resell them for any amount you feel is justified. This means that you could combine PLR articles, for example, to come up with your own eBook. Or in reverse, you could separate some parts of a PLR eBook to come up with several articles or e-courses. The possibilities are endless, and you have full liberty to proceed as you wish.

Problems:

* PLR products, if used for website content without changing at least 25% to 50% of what is written, will be susceptible to search engine filtering because of duplicate works. This can lead to a lower page rank for your website, or worse, a de-indexing for your web pages. Since 80% of your traffic would come from the search engines, this would be a dire consequence indeed.

* PLR products may be difficult to resell. A lot of other people would purchase the same product, and each one of them would be your competitor. Imagine if 2,000 people have purchased the same PLR product, you’d have 1,999 businesses competing for the same market.

* PLR products, if used for article marketing without changing at least 25% to 50% of their content, will be rejected by most article directories. A lot of article banks these days employ a script that weeds out similar submissions. The rejection of your PLR articles would be the least of your worries, as worse things can happen, including the outright banning of your account.

Solutions:

* Treat PLR products as the base for whatever marketing tool you have in mind. If you desire articles for web content or for article marketing purposes, use your PLR articles as basis for an improved work. Most of the information that could be conveyed is already there. You’ll be able to save a lot of time on research and organizing your thoughts. Try to rewrite the pieces, and effectuate a 25% to 50% change to their content.

* You could try article wrapping as well. Pinpoint the main information of the PLR article. This should be somewhere in the middle. Often, PLR articles have information wrapped between an introduction and a conclusion. Just change the introduction as well as the conclusion, and you’re good to go.

* Hire freelance writers to rewrite your PLR products. Since the base information is already there, freelance writers can charge you as low as 25% of their normal rates.

* Mix and match. Do not hesitate to combine two or more articles to come up with a work that is seemingly different from the original materials.

PLR products are great options, especially for budget-conscious online business’s who are in need of content in large amounts. The disadvantages presented by their nature should not dissuade anyone from considering them as viable solutions to a great need, as there are several solutions that can work around the problems that come with their nature.

Till next time.
Mark Flavin

Technorati Tags:
PLR
Private Label Rights
Content
Mark Flavin
Home Business
Resale Rights