Depend on the tried and tested essentials of Internet marketing

These key strategies for marketing your business online have always been effective, but are now much easier to apply. Things like...

• Designing a web site that sells: As in the early days of the 'Net, your web site needs to have clear navigation and a good sales process to be effective; however, it's now much more important for your site to look professional. Today's web surfers have clear expectations of how a commercial web site should look and perform. Luckily, new tools and resources, such as the free web-building software Nvu, make it a breeze for you to create a good-looking, fully functioning business web site.

• Discovering a profitable niche market: Providing a solution to a problem for a narrowly-defined niche market is still extremely important – maybe even more so with the increased competition. But now, advanced tools such as Yahoo! Search Marketing's Keyword Selector Tool and Wordtracker can help you pinpoint exactly who your market is and what they're hungry for.

• Multiplying your profits with additional income streams: If you want to pile profit on top of profit, combine several revenue streams. The host of e-commerce opportunities that are now available mean that you have an almost limitless selection of these profit-boosters: from moving merchandise on eBay to creating free web pages with Google pages that will be quickly indexed by the search engines, to selling on-demand merchandise on sites such as CafePress.com.

• Expanding your reach – and profits! – with an affiliate program: An affiliate program can still ramp up your income while exposing your site to a wider audience. But instead of recruiting an "army" of affiliates, these days it's more important to attract "super affiliates" to your program – a few affiliates who will be responsible for generating the bulk of your sales. These superstars can be attracted by a generous commission structure and payouts for sales generated long after an affiliate's referral. And software like AssocTRAC helps you automate your program for almost hands-free affiliate management.

Take advantage of FREE sources of traffic

Take advantage of as many FREE sources of traffic as you can to drive tons of targeted traffic to your site!

A new way to drive free traffic to your site is to write short articles related to your industry and post them on e-zine article directories such as Ezinearticles.com. Include your tagline at the bottom of each article you write and watch your traffic increase exponentially – as well as your inbound links (which the search engines consider when ranking your site!).

Promote your business with the technologies that have changed the face of Internet marketing

Technology has been furiously advancing since the first edition of our Insider Secrets course – paving the way for new and highly effective ways to promote your Internet business. Let's look at some that have had the biggest impact:

• Audio and Video: The Internet has come a long way since its text-only roots! Programming languages such as JavaScript and programs like Macromedia's Flash have allowed for web video and audio, slide presentations, and other interactive elements. Our testing has proven that using audio and video as part of your sales process can now have a dramatic impact on your bottom line – if done right. Use short audio and video clips of you and your customers to personalize your site and reassure visitors that you are a credible business.

• Blogging: Blogs are informal web forums that invite feedback and discussion. They're free to set up and use, and so simple that they can be created in minutes using sites such as Blogger.com. As a result blogging has exploded in popularity over the last few years. With a business blog you can reach a wider audience, generate better search engine rankings, boost your revenue, and develop a rapport with your customers -- to name just a few benefits. And because blogs are updated frequently, search engines LOVE them. For an in-depth, step-by-step guide to using blogs to explode your income, check out "Blogging for Dollars" – a 125-page book plus DVD devoted to this subject.

• Podcasting: Podcasting, the delivery of audio files – typically MP3 files – via the Internet, is one of the hottest new technologies to hit the market. It allows you to publish audio content that interested listeners can subscribe to via RSS “feeds” – so they can automatically receive your audio broadcasts without having to go to your web site. Check out my blog post to learn how you can create your own podcast in three simple steps.

• Direct-to-desktop technology: Direct-to-desktop technology is a way to deliver information straight to your subscribers' desktops – without having to wrestle with e-mail filters, bouncebacks, or your competition! Here's how it works: The sender uses an application such as Desktop Marketer that formats and sends the information straight to a “reader” that’s been installed on the recipient’s desktop. Once your customers sign up, they don’t have to check their e-mail or visit your web site to get your latest news or updates. A flashing desktop icon alerts them as soon as they receive your message – and all they have to do is click to read it.