One of the most important things in Internet Marketing is the list. In fact, it is THE most important thing. Ask any big name marketer (and there are 100’s of them) and they will ALL tell you the same thing. The List. The List. The all-important LIST!
Having a list enables marketers to contact people and, on occasion, market to that list.
But the list should be a two-way street and should operate on the premise of what is fair and reasonable. Unfortunately those who “own” a list and those who are “on” a list often lose sight of what is fair and reasonable.
Almost everybody with an email account is on multiple lists. Some are fun to be on, some we have forgotten we are on and some are a bloody pain in the ass to be on.
OPTING IN:
So, you “opt-in” to a list. We’ve all done it. It’s NO BIG DEAL. But it’s what happens after that point which can turn a happy marriage into an ugly divorce. Or just a boring existence.
It’s everybody’s right to opt-in to the list of an information or service provider. It’s also everybody’s inalienable right to opt-out of that list whenever circumstances change. That is, the information provider is not holding up his or her end of the bargain or you just get tired of receiving emails from that person.
Today I want to continue with my Internet Marketing Tips videos. This is number 6 in the series. This one was shot outside the front of the MGM Casino in Las Vegas in June 2009.
The MGM Casino is rather unique in that inside it houses a specially sealed glass enclosure that is the home to a changing family of lions and lionesses. These beasts are incredibly majestic and the views of them are spectacular. There is even a glass walkway where you can walk through a tunnel directly under lazing lions.
The enclosure is complete with ponds and waterfalls and it is sealed atmospherically from the filthy smoky air of the Casino itself. I tell ya, there were MANY times I wanted to be INSIDE that enclosure to escape the stench of cigarette smoke. Anyway…
… the lions are extremely well fed and a new bunch is brought in every few hours from the lion ranch some 10 or 12 miles away.
OK. I know, my joke about lions in the video is pathetic. (You gotta watch the video to hear it.) This tip is all about putting yourself OUT THERE. I had a lot of people walk past me and give me curious looks when I was making this video. Do I care now? NOPE! I couldn’t care less. It’s all a matter of confidence and nervousness at the time. If I can do it, you can do it. YES – you CAN! Put yourself out there. Show the world who you are.
I’ve been exchanging comments with a guy who I really like trading ideas (and witticisms) with over the last week and something occurred to me during that exchange. And it has to do with that word that I really rather cringe at even saying or typing. But here goes…
… G… G… Gu… Guru.
There, I spat it out. First, let me explain why I really don’t like that word. Well, to be honest, I just find it dopey. So I run to Mr Webster to get the definitive meaning. Here it is (verbatim):
“gu.ru 1: a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism. 2a: teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern. 2b: one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent (as of a cult, movement or idea).”
Now, maybe, just maybe the term Internet Guru falls into category 2b (albeit loosely). In any case, I find it very difficult to refer to anybody as a guru. I suppose this may stem from my 40 or so years as a karate practitioner where specific titles are awarded to people for a combination of knowledge and physical ability. On that score I also have difficulty with the term “Grand Master” which SO MANY false prophets in the martial arts use. Grand Master! Phooey! I think it’s egregious and egomaniacal. I prefer titles that are awarded upon a measured test of knowledge and/or physical capacity.
My goal for this blog is to educate and help any body that is trying to create an online business. So far, I have been trying to convey the techniques and strategies that have been working for me. Most of these have come from what I have learned in Alex Jeffreys coaching program.
Since the coaching program I have sought out other Internet marketers and have learned some valuable lessons from them as well. I am also constantly experimenting with various things to try and get the most out of my efforts.
I have almost doubled my list in the last month using a combination of ad swaps and giveaways. I must say that the ad swaps have proven to be very productive but the giveaways are what gave me the initial list to use in the swaps.
The key there is that I am using multiple venues to continue to build my list.
HINT, HINT, NUDGE, NUDGE.
Now that my list is becoming larger. I have a responsibility to my subscribers to provide them with good content and fresh offers that will help them grow their business. I feel that the ad swaps have allowed me to do this but I am concerned that I may be over doing it a little.
Therefore I am taking this opportunity to gather some feed back from my subscribers and from my blog readers as well. (I have a feeling many are one in the same) Please leave me a comment and let me know what you would like me to write about on this blog or in my emails to you as a subscriber.
Hi and welcome back to the TEMPLE. Do you like my new pics at the top of the page? I hope so. I do. It kinda encapsulates what I am doing here – that is, offering all sorts of resources to help you and others in your ongoing journey in Internet Marketing and/or blogging.
I hope you have been enjoying my Internet Marketing Tips videos too. I have five of them up now and many more to follow. Keep an eye out for them coz some are serious and some are frivolous and just poke fun at things. That’s me. I can’t be serious all the time. But today I want to be serious.
Oh… oh. That usually means… RANT coming! Well, not really but close to it.
You see, today I want to talk about blog hijackers.
What’s a blog hijacker? A blog hijacker is like a graffiti idiot. They come to a blog with the intention of spraying their invective bile all over everyone and everything. They make disparaging and often completely incorrect comments in a feeble attempt to “take over” the purpose and intent of the blog. In other words, they just want to disrupt everybody from the target of the blog. Most often they attempt this by trying to “take down” the blog owner – to make him or her look foolish to the blog owner’s readers.
Blog hijackers nit-pick on things like innocent comments or even spelling mistakes. They are hecklers.
