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Posted on:
September 28th, 2007 |
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Most of the fastest growing B2B companies do not rely solely on just one sales lead generation method. They have a complete arsenal of sales lead generation tools at their fingertips, that they can use at ay given time.
Here are my eight proven B2B sales leads generation techniques gleaned from helping over 170 B2B companies reach their sales prospects: |
1. Sales lead generation using relationship marketing
Relationship Marketing is the approach underlying all of the “sales-lead-generation-success” methods. Relationship marketing simply refers to cultivating a personal, sales-winning relationship with your prospects. It’s about developing longer-term relationships with customers rather than individual transactions.
During my 20+ years of experience in B2B sales lead generation, I’ve discovered the key to picking up sales others leave on the table is to keep in touch with your prospects via a series of ongoing communications and offers throughout your prospective customers’ consideration processes.
2. Sales lead generation through complementary partner referrals
By joining forces with complementary partners, you can instantly multiply your sales lead generation pool and make it easier for companies to engage in doing business with you. Out of all the sales lead generation programs available to you, complementary partner referral programs can generate the highest qualified B2B sales leads.
3. Sale lead generation using search engine optimization and Internet marketing strategies
Business buyers are more sophisticated and getting harder to reach than ever. Studies show that about 90% of business buyers start with research on the Internet, therefore it’s critical to have a well-tuned sales lead generation program that includes search engine optimization (SEO)/Internet marketing strategies to attract prospects at the beginning of their buying cycle.
4. Sales lead generation via telemarketing (more…)
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Posted on:
September 26th, 2007 |
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Paid surveys are not new, despite all the hoopla. Marketing research firms have been paying consumers to participate in surveys, focus groups and such for some time. But the Web has granted them a more-efficient way to collect data. So, many now conduct legit, online paid surveys and other types of paid, online marketing research.
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But many questionable, “middleman” paid survey sites are poisoning the well, by hyping easy money for participating in online marketing research from home. When there’s competition for selling an easy-money scheme working from home, you can bet that there’s also exaggeration, if not outright scams.
Many questionable middleman sites charge “membership” fees for access to lists of marketing research firms that conduct online paid surveys.
But you can find many for free, by searching the Web. It’s how this writer found 60+ to review for this article. It’s also likely how the membership sites found most they list. Regardless, some try to dupe you into believing their lists are special. But, according to messages on scam forums, their lists are essentially the same as others. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 24th, 2007 |
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You pound on the keyboard each day, broadcasting your unalloyed truths to the world (or at least to friends and family) via your blog. Unfortunately, earning such singular authority demands serious time and energy, and what begins as a hobby can quickly start seeming like Job No. 2 — sans paycheck. But haven’t you heard? You can turn your Web log into a digital cash cow. Simply choose among these techniques (but keep in mind that it’s not all free money — come tax season, Uncle Sam gets his fair share).
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LET GOOGLE WORK FOR YOU. Selling ad space might be the oldest way to make a buck, and with Google’s free AdSense service (www.google.com/adsense), it’s way too easy. AdSense allows bloggers to display up to three content-specific “ad units” (boxes that can hold up to four ads each) per page. “If you’re writing about sports cars, they’ll be ads about sports cars,” says Biz Stone, Blogger senior specialist at Google. Each time a visitor clicks these ads, you get paid. Google doesn’t disclose its exact share of the revenue, but a personalized report page lets you track your own earnings. Earn at least $100 and Google sends you a check.
PLAY AD-SALES EXEC. If you want more control over the ads on your blog, hit www.blogads.com. BlogAds lets you join its database free and set your own ad prices. Companies (including media bigs such as Paramount Pictures and Random House) then search for suitable blogs and purchase ad space for a set period — say, one month. In contrast to the way AdSense works, your earnings don’t depend on whether a reader clicks the ad. All you have to do is give 20 percent of your net revenue to Mr. BlogAd, and you keep the rest. Perhaps best of all, you can indulge your megalomaniacal tendencies by approving or declining potential ads at will. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 21st, 2007 |
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Google isn’t the only kid on the block when it comes to online advertising possibilities. The Yahoo AdSense type service, too, can offer real income potential for publishers of web sites of all sizes.
Unlike Google’s service, Yahoo AdSense tends to provide advertisements to smaller and medium sized-web sites while also offering other advertising possibilities for larger companies, as well.
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The Yahoo AdSense service works in a similar manner to Google’s program, targeting ads to the content of the site, but it’s an alternative that’s getting some recognition.
The advantages of using Yahoo AdSense or Google’s programs for small, medium and even larger publishers are many. Let’s take a look at the benefits of Yahoo AdSense and similar ad programs: (more…)
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Posted on:
September 20th, 2007 |
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Google on Wednesday unveiled a new graphic ad format that will allow advertisers to create interactive ads within widgets that can be spread virally across the Internet.
The Internet giant’s new technology can be used to create a variety of ads that can be distributed across Google’s web sites, as well as a network of Google-affiliated sites.
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Google has already signed up a group of large advertisers to create their own “gadgets,” the company’s term for widgets. The gadgets can include video, images, constantly updated data feeds, and mini versions of entire web sites. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 18th, 2007 |
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There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:
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1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to “Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts” by http://TNL.net
2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.
3.) Submit to Google’s Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google’s Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.
4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.
5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.
6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 17th, 2007 |
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The amount of false information available about e-mail marketing on the net is staggering. If you are advertising your affiliate program through e-mail campaigns, make sure you know what your responsibilities are.
The lawless days of spam e-mail are over, at least for U.S.A. based advertisers. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) sets forth specific requirements for advertising via e-mail.
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The law has been tested numerous times since being passed and fines have been levied, property seized, people have even been sentenced to prison.
As an affiliate marketer obviously you don’t want to be on the wrong side of this law. Luckily, complying with the provisions in the law is fairly simple. Here is what it requires:
No misleading or fake header information. This includes the “From:” and “To” fields.
No deceptive subject lines. You want your customer to know what you’re selling anyway, so this should be no problem.
Messages must be labeled as advertising. Again, the moral is: no sneaky stuff.
An “internet-based” opt-out method must be provided. You have 10 days to stop e-mailing a person once you have received their remove request. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 14th, 2007 |
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The 80-20 rule applies everywhere, even in affiliate marketing:
20 percent of affiliates produce 80 percent of all income;
while 80 percent of affiliates generate 20 percent of all income.
Ironic but true. |
Do you want to be one of those 20 percent that is earning the 80 percent of the total earnings? Who wouldn’t?
Follow these basic steps and you will find yourself sharing the profits that the most fortunate ones are getting.
1. The best affiliate marketer cloak his affiliate links.
Theft of commission often happen when your affiliate link is exposed. Visitors have the tendency to bypass your link if they know see your link is an affiliate link. The best way to avoid this problem is to cloak your affiliate links. There are cloaking tools available over the Internet which you can use, one of them is tinyurl.com.
2. Successful affiliate marketers write and submit articles.
Articles marketing have long been proven an effective way to expand your reputation as a specialist in your field and to drive traffic to your site. Many of your articles have the chances to get published and reprinted by other site owners and ezine publishers, which will then give you an instant boost of traffic because of the resource box attached at the each of each article.
3. Affiliate marketers focus on a market niche.
Loading your site with content that is focused on a certain product or service niche is one way of getting more web traffic in your target market.
The main tools affiliate marketers used to determine niche market are Wordtracker and Keyword research tool. Most of these are available in the Internet.
4. Top affiliate marketers use autoresponders. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 12th, 2007 |
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Lately there has been a lot of discussion on how to make tons of money with Google Adsense. In fact, many people are making the claim that Adsense sites can earn a higher revenue then an affiliate-marketing site.
So that brings us to an important question: Which is a better online business - Affiliate-Marketing sites or Google Adsense sites?: |
Let’s explore each one and then find out which online business is better option:
Google Adsense
How do you like the idea of earning m*ney without dealing with customers or answering emails. This is possible when you run a Google Adsense site. With Adsense sites, you can have a virtual passive-income that requires little maintaining. But is this the best option for an online business?
Here are the positives of Google Adsense sites:
· They are perfect for people who run information sites that have no related affiliate product
· You can set it and leave it. With Google Adsense, you can create a content page, and there is little need to update the content.
· Adsense sites are easy to scale. Since they require little upkeep, you can easily create multiple websites that each make a nice income.
Here are the negatives of Google Adsense sites:
· They are not a great long term solution. Instead of getting your visitors to subscribe to a mailing list, you are focusing on getting people to click on ads. Real online businesses concentrate on building assets that can use for long-term growth.
· These sites are dependent on search engines. Most Google Adsense sites make the mistake of depending on search engines for the majority of their traffic. If the SE algorithms change then your income might drop significantly.
Affiliate Marketing
Being an affiliate marketer is great for those who want build a theme site. With this type of business, you can easily create web pages around a topic and get people to buy products through your products. If done correctly, you can easily build a loyal following that will help you make money for years to come.
But can affiliate marketing make you more money then Google Adsense?
Here are the positives of affiliate marketing:
· A great advantage of affiliate-marketing is that you can build a long term business that will bring in a revenue stream for years.
· With affiliate-marketers you need to focus on building an email list. This list is a major asset of your business. Every time you have an offer, you can go to your list and increase your profits.. (more…)
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Posted on:
September 10th, 2007 |
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What is an affiliate program?
With the proliferation of goods and services now available on the Internet, advertisers look to individuals and companies to help sell their products by utilizing webmasters and others to spread the word. |
This can be in the form of banner advertising on affiliate sites, text links, reviews written by affiliates, direct email etc. The advertisers compensate webmasters by paying them for displaying the ads, or for click throughs sent to them, or (as is most common these days) a commission on sales resulting as a referral from their web site or email message. For a more detailed look at the getting involved with affiliate programs, view the learning resources and tutorial links at the end of this article.
Affiliate Marketing Resources
Looking for software or services to manage your affiliate program and commission tracking? Read our guide and review
How can I make money from being an affiliate?
There are many thousands of affiliate programs out there, all claiming to be the best. Some of them will give you the impression that all you have to do is implement their banners and links and wait for the commission checks to start rolling in. This CAN be the case, but this scenario usually only applies to very large sites with massive web traffic that is relevant to product or service on offer. For most of us, being a successful affiliate requires a little more work!
As the range of goods and online services offered via the Internet has grown at an incredible rate over the last few years, therefore so has the competition. Web site visitors need to have a very good reason for clicking on a link or banner.
Choosing the right banners
In most affiliate programs, you are offered a wide variety of banners to place on your site - very few of them will be effective. If you can attain a click through rate of 2%, then you are doing very well. It has been our experience, and this is generally speaking, that graphically rich banners do not perform as successfully as their simpler counterparts. The main reason for this is download time. If a banner is the last thing to load on your page and the banner ad is excessively byte “heavy”, by the time it has loaded your visitor may already have scrolled down the page - missing it entirely. Heavy banner ads can also slow down the loading of your pages, or critical elements of your page and you can lose your visitors altogether! A graphically rich banner can also confuse the actual message - the artwork and marketing blurb can be imbalanced. For these reasons, we suggest that banners you implement be no more that 15kb wherever possible.
Banners that have “extreme” animation, such as rapid flashing, are also something to consider very carefully. While these do achieve high clickthrough rates, they are also highly annoying. If you do decide to implement this form of banner advertising, use it very sparingly.
When selecting any form of graphical advertising, try and keep the theme of your site in mind - while graphical ads are meant to stand out and catch a visitors eye, it shouldn’t be to the point that everything else on the page is totally ignored. Wherever possible, ensure that all banner ads (and any advertising for that matter) uses a link that opens in a new window. That way, if a visitor does choose to visit one of your advertisers it is easy for them to return to your page and review what they actually came to your site for!
Pop ups and pop unders
Many companies, but mostly agencies representing a number of advertisers, now give their affiliates the options of using pop up and pop under ads. Our opinion - pop ups are evil. They annoy visitors and are usually closed before they even have a chance to load. Go for pop-unders and preferably those that only display once per visit. See below for further articles on this subject.
Using Text Link Ads.
One of the most successful forms of advertising are text link ads. They are bandwidth friendly, don’t take up a lot of space and can be easily implemented into most page layouts. Good text links ads don’t just scream “buy me!”, they also offer some information as to why your web site visitor should investigate the offer. A company should also supply you with very short text links which only state the product or company name. The reason for this is so that you can implement the links directly into the content of related articles and reviews. (more…)
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