A lot of people who get into Internet marketing go straight for the “make money online” niche in order to make their income. They have no idea what the competition is like and aside from that, because they have absolutely no credibility when it comes to convincing others that they can “honestly” help them make a living online, their chances of getting anywhere are slim. So why do they do it? Why do they beat their heads into that proverbial brick wall? Well, before you strain yourself trying to think of an answer to that, I’m going to offer a simple solution in this article.

Find something else to do. I know, easier said than done. But the truth is, it’s not that hard. Think about the outside world outside of making money. There are problems out there that don’t revolve around the need for an income. Yes, we all need money to live, but not everybody wants to build their own business. It’s actually a very limited niche. Aside from that, the competition is incredible.

In the meantime, there ARE problems out there that need to be solved and solutions that exist. You don’t have to come up with them yourself. As an affiliate marketer to some of these solutions, you can make a nice income. You won’t get rich doing this because as an affiliate marketer, your earning potential is also rather limited. Making your own products will provide you with a much better income opportunity. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Think about all the problems that you have in your everyday life; the zit that you wake up to in the morning; the problem with getting your carpets cleaned; your dog that won’t behave; and I can go on and on. Then go to the Internet and take a look at all the products that are being sold for these problems. People are buying them because they solve a major problem in their lives. Don’t ever discount these niches just because they don’t involve making money.

I took the time to research 30 niches outside of IM that have great potential. If you put the time in, you can make an income that will be a lot easier to achieve than by trying to sell a “make money online” product to people who don’t have any reason to trust you simply because you’ve never made a dime in your life.

Details are in my signature.

Yes, there IS an easier way.

Okay, I admit, it’s a cheesy title. But the truth is, without advertising, the chances of your site being seen are slim to none. It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest site on the planet. If nobody knows it’s out there, you’re pretty much dead in the water. In my article, 4 Keys To Success, I mentioned advertising as the third key. In this article, I want to go a little bit more in depth, all though there is no way you can cover all of advertising in one article. I’m going to cover some basics here.

For one thing, there is free advertising and paid advertising. Contrary to what many people think, not all free advertising is worthless and not all paid advertising is good. Some paid advertising is a downright rip off. But I’ll get to that in a moment. The point is, you can’t judge a form of advertising just because it is free or paid for. You have to examine it for what it is.

For example, one of the most effective forms of advertising is article marketing. The reason it is so effective is because many people look up information on the Internet in order to assist them with a problem and one of the first areas they look for this help is articles. Think about your own surfing habits. When you have a problem and look for a solution online, don’t you look for articles? Well, you’re not alone there. Article marketing accounts for 67% of my monthly income. So it must be good for something.

On the other side of the fence, paid advertising, you have buying leads. This is probably one of the most worthless and dangerous things that you can do. For starters, you don’t know where these leads came from. You don’t know if these people are interested in what you have to sell or basket weaving. Most bought leads are very untargeted. In addition to the worth of the leads, there is the danger of spam complaints. Emailing these leads using your own ISP is an open invitation to getting your ISP to take away your service. Many a business has been destroyed because of buying leads.

In future articles, I’m going to cover various forms of advertising in more depth. I’ll give you some of the best ones to use and warn you about the ones that are a waste of time, money or both, and worse. Buying leads is a perfect example of that.

To YOUR Success,

I get to speak with a lot of online marketers. Sometimes we talk about what they’re doing to make a living online…or at least trying to make a living online. Some of the answers I get, as far as what they do with their day, make me just shake my head. One guy said to me, “Well, I come home from work, kick back a few beers and then I’ll work on something for an hour or so.” I then ask him how much he’s made so far, of course knowing the answer, and he said to me, “Oh, I haven’t made anything yet, but I’m getting there.”

No he’s not…and most likely he never will.

Do you think Bill Gates went downstairs to the basement one day, kicked back a few beers and said, “I think I’ll tinker with the idea of an operating system?” Think he didn’t make it his life’s ambition? I know that when I first started trying to earn a living online, even though I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, I at least worked hard. I tried everything I could think of. I worked 14 hours a day. And finally…it paid off. Think if I kicked back a few beers and worked for an hour a day I’d be where I am today?

I fully understand that some people have to go to work. But if you’re serious about starting an online business, you’ll come home and at least dedicate a few solid hours a night to your business. It’s going to take time, but if you have a solid work ethic and methodically go through things, you will find that eventually, it will begin to pay off for you.

But see, this is the problem. So many people just don’t want to work. That’s what they’re doing at their day job. So they want to come home, push a few buttons and have hundred dollar bills fall from the sky. I wish it was that easy. The truth is, earning a living online is very hard work. Anybody who tells you otherwise is simply not being straight with you.

I can’t teach you work ethic in an article, but pick up my free reports from Folusho, especially the one on “The Mindset Of The Successful Marketer.” I think you will learn a lot.

It’s easy to get into Internet marketing, and then after a while, think that certain aspects of running a business are logical. Well, if that’s the case, why didn’t we think of all the things that it took us months or even years to think of if they’re so logical? In this article, I am going to touch on a few things that some people would assume are logical and show you how they are not so.

Let’s take this statement. “You have to advertise in order to make sales.” Now, on the surface, this would seem like an obvious statement. Of course you have to advertise to make sales. How else will anybody know your web site even exists? Well, if that’s the case, if this is so obvious, why is it that so many people create a web site and do nothing more than submit it for listing to a search engine? Do they REALLY think that’s advertising? Maybe they do. Maybe in their mind, that’s all advertising is. Point is, most Internet marketers know that you have to do a lot more than that to make a sale. That’s why we have safelists, Adwords, ezines, traffic exchanges, web 2.0 sites such as YouTube and so many other advertising avenues. So no, it’s not so obvious that you have to advertise to make sales because some people just don’t bother doing it.

How about this statement? “You have to sell something that people need?” Seems pretty obvious, right. Truth is, it’s totally wrong. You don’t have to sell something that people need. You have to sell something that people WANT. Tell me the truth…do people need so MLM scheme that costs $3,000 and has no product other than to get somebody to sign up under them? No, of course not. They don’t need it. They don’t even want the product itself. What they want is the $3,000 commission. So let’s not kid ourselves here. People buy things NOT because they need them but because they think those things will make their life better. It’s a want…not a need.

Or what about this statement? “You need to know how to write in order to write sales copy?” Well, yeah, that’s a duh statement if ever I heard one. Of course you need to know how to write. This is very obvious. Yet, I see sales pages out there that look like they’ve been written by 5 year olds. Yes, they are THAT bad. Think these people know how to write? Think they even KNOW that they have to know how to write? They figure that they can throw up any sales page and just because of the fact that it’s up there, it’s going to make sales effectively. Yeah, and if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

So before you think something is obvious…take a look around you at all the people who aren’t doing it…yourself included.

Things only become obvious after you understand how important they really are.

It’s easy to get into Internet marketing, and then after a while, think that certain aspects of running a business are logical. Well, if that’s the case, why didn’t we think of all the things that it took us months or even years to think of if they’re so logical? In this article, I am going to touch on a few things that some people would assume are logical and show you how they are not so.

Let’s take this statement. “You have to advertise in order to make sales.” Now, on the surface, this would seem like an obvious statement. Of course you have to advertise to make sales. How else will anybody know your web site even exists? Well, if that’s the case, if this is so obvious, why is it that so many people create a web site and do nothing more than submit it for listing to a search engine? Do they REALLY think that’s advertising? Maybe they do. Maybe in their mind, that’s all advertising is. Point is, most Internet marketers know that you have to do a lot more than that to make a sale. That’s why we have safelists, Adwords, ezines, traffic exchanges, web 2.0 sites such as YouTube and so many other advertising avenues. So no, it’s not so obvious that you have to advertise to make sales because some people just don’t bother doing it.

How about this statement? “You have to sell something that people need?” Seems pretty obvious, right. Truth is, it’s totally wrong. You don’t have to sell something that people need. You have to sell something that people WANT. Tell me the truth…do people need so MLM scheme that costs $3,000 and has no product other than to get somebody to sign up under them? No, of course not. They don’t need it. They don’t even want the product itself. What they want is the $3,000 commission. So let’s not kid ourselves here. People buy things NOT because they need them but because they think those things will make their life better. It’s a want…not a need.

Or what about this statement? “You need to know how to write in order to write sales copy?” Well, yeah, that’s a duh statement if ever I heard one. Of course you need to know how to write. This is very obvious. Yet, I see sales pages out there that look like they’ve been written by 5 year olds. Yes, they are THAT bad. Think these people know how to write? Think they even KNOW that they have to know how to write? They figure that they can throw up any sales page and just because of the fact that it’s up there, it’s going to make sales effectively. Yeah, and if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

So before you think something is obvious…take a look around you at all the people who aren’t doing it…yourself included.

Things only become obvious after you understand how important they really are.

I always tell people to be careful when wishing for success because they just might get it. This article is a result of one of the craziest days I have had in my 5 years of Internet marketing. If you think things were insane when you first started and didn’t know which end was up, wait until you have a list the size of Texas and more projects than you know what to do with. That’s when it REALLY gets fun. Well, this article is probably one you’re going to want to put away for safe keeping for that day when you have more work to do than you ever thought possible and are making money hand over fist, because I am going to tell you how to deal with it all. It’s actually very simple.

The first thing you have to do is make a daily schedule of the things you MUST get done. Don’t overbook yourself because you have to allow time for support requests and emergencies that pop up. Make sure that you prioritize things from most important to least important and do the most important first, regardless of how much time it will or won’t take or how easy or hard it is. It doesn’t matter. If it has to get done, get it done.

The next thing you have to do is list your emergencies or support requests as they come in. I tell all my customers that they will be responded to within 24 hours. This way, they know that they won’t hear from me right away but they will hear from me. Yes, you are obligated to serve them, but you also have to prioritize. They will understand this if you are up front with them about it at the start.

As you finish items, cross them off. If by the end of the day you find that you have support requests left over that have to be answered tomorrow, then THEY go on your to-do list at the top as the first things you have to take care of. So as you can see, your list will change from day to day. Always make your to-do list the night before so you know exactly what you’ll be doing the next day.

Is this fool proof? Not at all. Today, I had to start writing sales copy for one customer, had to reply to 59 emails from other customers, had to do my normal day’s marketing and had to consult with my partner in business. On top of all this, I’ve had to deal with Internet connection problems for three days now.

But if you stay calm, keep it all in perspective and cross things off as you do them, you WILL get through it.

I am speaking from experience.

Interesting discussion popped up at one of the forums that I attend. The question asked was this. Are you a person first or a marketer first? What this means is, do you do whatever you can to make the sale, even if you know that some of your tactics might annoy people, or do you avoid those tactics because you do unto others as you would want done unto you? Interesting question. No, I’m not going to answer it personally. I don’t want to throw myself into the line of fire here. Those of you who know me know the answer to it. Those of you who don’t, will soon find out.

But it does bring up an interesting debate because what REALLY defines whether or not you are a person or a marketer first? To illustrate how really difficult this is to determine, I am going to present the argument about pop-ups.

Okay, what’s a pop-up? A pop-up is a small screen that pops up either over or under your browser, or even in a new window, that has some sort of message that the site owner wants you to see. Usually these are so that you don’t leave the site before taking some kind of action.

Stats show that pop-ups can be effective, as long as they’re not blocked. Now, with all the pop-up blockers that we have today, the effectiveness of pop-ups has been diminished. However, not everybody out there has a pop-up blocker. So for that small percentage, pop-ups can be effective. They can also be annoying.

I admit it, I don’t personally like them. But I don’t let them get me all bent out of shape either. I just close them up and go on my merry way…unless something REALLY captures my attention. Yes, I admit it. Occasionally, I do read the pop-up. So you see, they can be effective is used properly, which means delivering a solid message with it.

So what would you do? Would you use them because they can be effective, or would you not because they can annoy people?

If you go to any of my sites, you can find out whether or not I use pop-ups.

As a matter of fact, here they are so you can check each one out.

http://www.bcipe.com/

http://www.bcipe.com/copywriting_service.html

http://www.nicheresearchrevolution.com/

http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/

http://www.mysecretarticles.com/

If your PC blows up, I assure you…it wasn’t from any of MY sites.

So, are you a person or a marketer?

Me? I just happen to be a person who IS a marketer.

When I tell people that the best way to earn a significant income online is to create their own product or service, the first thing I hear is, “But I can’t afford all the stuff I need to create something.” Well, believe it or not, it doesn’t take a lot of money to create an informational product. As a matter of fact, you can create one for close to nothing. This article is going to show you just HOW cheap it is to actually create your own informational product.

First thing you need to know is what an informational product is and what formats they usually come in. An informational product is a product that provides a solution to a problem that a person might have in the form of written or verbal instructions. Yes, some info products are audio or even video in format. The most common formats for info products are PDF, EXE, Flash and mp3. All of these can be made cheaply or even for free.

Most of my own products are in the form of PDF files which I create from Word DOCs. Now, springing for Microsoft Office can cost you some big bucks, granted. However, there is a free solution to this that is just as good as MS Office, if not better, and that’s Open Office. Open Office is open source software that has all the functionality of MS Office, if not better, and the best part is…it’s free. That’s right…not one thin dime will it cost you. All you have to do is go to www.openoffice.org and download it. You do have to be careful with installation but for the most part, it should go smoothly.

Open Office has the capability to create PDF files as well, as where with MS Office, at least the older versions, you have to get your own PDF maker, which can cost a few bucks. The one I got was $97. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good and comes with the ability to create PDF files to text files, but Open Office is just as good, if not better. You’ll find very few people who have anything bad to say about Open Office.

So if you think that it has to cost a lot of money to create an info product, it doesn’t. And there are cheap or even free solutions for creating video and audio files as well. No, they’re not as good as some of the higher end paid versions, but they are more than good enough to get the job done. Then, after you have created your first product and made a few sales, you can start investing in better tools.

Product creation on a shoestring budget…It IS possible.

It happens to all of us…even me. I admit, it doesn’t happen to me often, but lately I find that I may be taking on more than I can handle. So what do you do when you find that your mind starts to shut down and you just can’t work anymore? Well, these tips have helped me get through the hard times, one of them I happen to be going through right now. I hope you find them helpful as well.

The first thing you have to do is get away from your work. Some people try to work through it. That just makes the problem worse. If your mind is shutting down, give it a rest. One thing I do is play my guitar. I don’t know what hobbies or interests you have, but there has to be something that you do for relaxation. Do it! Get away from the computer and pretend that business doesn’t exist.

The next thing you need to do, after you have had some time to relax and you realize that you have to get back to work at some point in time, is to sit down and make yourself a schedule. Make it light to begin with. Most likely if you’re burnt out it’s because you’ve been working too hard. So make a schedule that will be easy to follow. I might make one for a day where I write two articles and that’s it. I don’t do anything else. This accomplishes two things. The first is that it makes it so that you’ve at least accomplished something in your day and the second is that it doesn’t put too much of a strain on you at the same time.

Gradually, as you begin to get into the swing of your regular work day, you’ll increase your work load back to a manageable amount. If you found that by doing more than that amount subjects you to extreme stress and possible burnout, then don’t go beyond that point again. Learn to cut yourself off. Yes, it takes a lot of discipline, either when you’re trying to first build your business and trying to do everything that you can, or your business is already very successful and you want to keep it at a certain level.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough balancing act and not easy to do. But with time and experience, you’ll get good at it.