Last night, just as I was dozing off, it occurred to me how like the martial arts is the fine art of marketing. A true practioner of the martial arts knows he or she must continuously work to achieve and maintain body, mind, and spirit oneness" or they are doomed to fail. So, too, the online marketer. Hence, the mantra of marketing goes something like this: The Art of Applying the "Body" The body of marketing consists of basic tools. Your website - and make one you must sooner or later - is the framework for bringing your other online marketing tools and resources into play. Your website can be as basic as a page or two, or as complex as your mind and creativity allow. It must, however, have at least one basic tool - the means to invite your visitors to hear from you again. The autoresponder is your basic communications tool. We've all seen them, and subscribed to them, at one time or another. So telling you how very effective they are is certainly a waste of breath. However, there is something that I believe is being overlooked when some marketers implement their autoresponder messages. Your autoresponder messages must also provide your list with the means of getting in touch with you personally. You won't achieve much success if they have no way of getting in touch with YOU. At a minimum, your autoresponder should always include your full name and true email address. Your phone number and mailing address also enhance your net "image," though my suggestion would be to use a Post Office box - better to be safe than sorry :) The Art of the Mind Your mindset while marketing is crucial to your success. Everyone knows that the slacker never succeeds. They might "get lucky" every now and then, but there is no long-term success associated with the slacker. Recently I mentioned the importance of choosing a real at-home business. I still believe this is the best way to go about creating a steady income for yourself online. However, no matter what program, service, or product you choose, market it with everything you've got. Use the fre*e sources, use the paid sources, joint venture, and search engine submit - at a minimum. Forums are also not only a helpful place to go when you need answers, but also a great place to let others get to know you. Rearrange your mind, and the way you are using your ezines. Start working the fine art of personally name branding yourself by helping other readers. Respond to many different types of ezines, each time providing good, useful information for the other readers. When providing input to these same ezines, always ask the publisher to include your website and/or mailto address. You WANT people to contact you directly! You can't be afraid online - hiding never leads to success. Above all, follow through! Your mind needs to understand that it's going to be engaged on a daily basis rooting out different advertising resources - being creative. The slacker hopes the "shot here, shot there" approach will work. The "mind marketing" artist truly understands the true meaning of work! Your Marketing Spirit The spirit of marketing in a word is integrity! I cannot think of a fate worse than the guy (or gal) that drifts off to sleep each night knowing they've sc^rew^ed their fellow man. Sleeping nights must be your top priority so, of course, market with complete honesty. Integrity is so compelling that word of mouth alone can grow your business. Desperate acts result in nothing but desperate and despairing individuals. Gather your forces and martial arts your way to success! |
