ARTICLE:

What do you think I'm going to say?

"FFA" this, "search engine" that, "reciprocal link" this, "ezine advertising" that?

Wrong.

Your most important marketing move for the new year doesn't have anything at all to do with the played-out marketing methods of years past. Sure, they might still work depending on how they're used ... but honestly?

They're old news.

So what should you be using to accelerate your online profit?

"No-Nonsense Marketing!"

There are three crucial components most marketers use in their e-businesses: the actual business, the business site, and the ezine for that business. All of these elements are vital to your success.

There are more advanced components of marketing, of course, but these are the bare minimum. Applying "no-nonsense marketing" to the way you promote these elements will prove *crucial* to your success. It can easily mean the difference between a home business built in 10 years, to a home business built in only 1 to 5.

Apply the following three "no-nonsense marketing" tactics to the way you promote your business, and triple your income by next year:

1. RECOMMEND *YOUR* PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Some people still think it's taboo to use self-promotion. Why? They think they'll be seen as money-hungry, self-absorbed people who're only out to make a quick dollar.

That's not so.

If you DON'T promote your own products and services, you're losing out on more income than you know.

If someone asks you if you know of a service that does XYZ, and you know that YOUR service does XYZ *and* ABC ... tell them! It's VERY possible that they just don't know about your service.

One of my subscribers once asked me about a Web design service, and I was hesitant to tell her about mine (not wanting to seem over-bearing). I was thinking that there was no possible way she could have been subscribed to my ezine for months on end and NOT know about it.

I started my sentence with something like, "As you probably know, I offer..."

But can you guess what she said to me?

NO ... she had no idea!

Even with the special mailings, product announcements, and comments that I'd made on the service in my ezine, she was clueless.

So, always go for it, and NEVER assume anything in your marketing.

Even so, when you're recommending your own products or services, don't make those the ONLY things you recommend. People will stop depending on you as a reliable source if all you ever talk about is your own stuff, and people know that product authors are biased towards their own products.

So don't hesitate to recommend other relevant products or services along with your own.

TIP: If you're afraid to point people elsewhere, you probably need to re-evaluate (and likely IMPROVE) what YOU offer. Because if your products truly fill a void in the marketplace, your prospects will likely COME BACK.

Your product should be better than others in one way or another, so you should have no reservations about having it compared with other products and services in a similar market. Potential customers are constantly making comparisons anyway, so this is a chance you'll have to take.

SUGGESTING that they compare yours to the competition also makes you appear more credible, and sure of your products.

2. PROMOTE YOURSELF IN YOUR EZINE

Still afraid to send out special mailings? Still weep over the number of unsubscribe requests you get when you send out an issue? Still terrified to offer your own services in your ezine?

Get over that, and FAST.

TIP: Send an announcement to your list whenever you're about to increase any of your prices.

You might also consider sending special mailings (occasionally) for other advertisers that are willing to pay you to help them get the word out. Doing so does nothing but make YOU money AND target your prospective customers ... so why not?

NOTE: When allowing outside advertisers to have their offer sent to your subscriber list, you MUST be careful. Even though it's not your personal recommendation, if the offer turns out to be bogus or fraudulent, some of your readers may hold YOU accountable.

I remember one unsubscribe request from a few years ago, where the woman said that I offered too many ads in my ezine, she was disappointed that I'd stopped offering free advertising, and that she was really looking for more free offers.

Do you think I was bent on keeping her subscribed to my list?

NOT HARDLY.

Now don't get me wrong. I value ALL of my readers. Even the ones that unsubscribe.

But, let's be realistic here.

At the time she unsubscribed, I only offered SIX ads in my entire ezine, and the content was REAL content -- not a bunch of sales letters. So, instead of wasting time trying to convert one unhappy unsubscriber, I realized that she wouldn't have become a paying customer anyway -- for my products, for ezine advertising, OR for other advertisers in the ezine.

Learn to TREASURE the unsubscribe requests that you get after every solo mailing. These are the people that were probably NEVER going to buy from you anyway.

And, isn't making a profit your motivation for publishing an ezine?

Don't be afraid to realize that benefit.

3. TAKE THOSE FREEBIES *OFF* YOUR WEBSITE

No I'm not crazy, but I AM going against what other "experts" are saying on this issue. They want you to give out enough freebies to make your prospects trust you to deliver quality content in an actual paid product.

Huh?!

All that's doing is targeting freebie-seekers that are only on your site to "have a look-see."

NOT to buy.

So how do you virtually eliminate these "free only" visitors and attract more buyers?

You can start by gradually decreasing your use of the word "free" in your advertising.

Sure, it's a very powerful word, but who does it attract?

FREEBIE SEEKERS and cheapskates.

And that's exactly who you're trying to avoid.

Use other power words in your sales copy, like "breakthrough," "guaranteed," "secret," "proven," "results," "revealed," etc. You'll hook more qualified prospects than you would by broadcasting "free" all throughout your ad for a PAID product or service.

HINT: I don't mean that you should have NO free information on your site, but use it in moderation. And, let whatever freebies you DO offer be a means of leading to income for yourself.

For example, if you have an extensive library of self-authored articles, offer reprint rights to them and add to it regularly. You'll get free exposure and a near instant credibility boost from your articles being published all over the Web, and your visitors will have quality content for their website or ezines.

You'll both come out on top.

IN CONCLUSION...

Apply the three proven techniques above when marketing your e-business online, and TRIPLE your income this year. Online marketing is all about testing, and there's no harm in trying new strategies.

Now, go get on the road to making yourself a SERIOUS online income.