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ebiotec
Life Style Success for You!
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Earn Money Selling the eSCALE Lifestyle Diary.
Please note that I did not promise you that you can "make money without any effort".
Internet marketing provides a great opportunity to start and grow a business. The gurus who tell you that
this requires little or no effort are not quite truthful. Internet marketers value affiliates because they perform an important service, which costs time, effort and persistence. Why else would anyone share his profits with affiliates?
Your share of the eSCALE price (as set on my web site http://www.ebiotec.net) will be 40 %. ebiotec will ship the eSCALE CD within 24 hours after payment is received. I will answer all customer inquiries regarding the eSCALE program, usually within an hour. Customers on the Internet do not have the benefit of a store front and a live sales person. This makes it very important to provide friendly customer care instantly.
Your affiliate share is due at the end of every week and will be made via PayPal.
The eSCALE program leaves the decisions about life styles where they belong, the eSCALE user and newsletter reader. However, the newsletter strongly discourages the use of appetite suppressants or the use of weight loss preparations as well as the dangerous overuse of supplements or drugs.
Please contact me to discuss the details and your preferences. I will be glad to provide you with more details and help as much as I can.
Telephone:
1+ (404) 873 - 4667
Regular mail:
eSCALE
Ursula Peter-Czichi
1460 W. Peachtree St. NW B12
Atlanta, GA 30309 (USA)
Are you new to creating web sites or web marketing? The following text may
contain some useful hints for you.
I welcome your input.
I appreciate your interest.
With this short text I like to save you some of the errors that I have made. A few free or price-worthy tools are mentioned here for your consideration: These references and my opinions are offered to you for your consideration only, not as a complete review or "expert opinion". I am not an expert in these matters, just someone "who has been there."
The Internet Gurus
The anonymity of the Internet has brought forth some rather strange phenomena. I consider the vast majority of Internet gurus a part of these phenomena.
While I was writing this, an email arrived in my inbox with the title: "Create Your Own E-Books Without Writing A Word!" According to the author's own "Newsletter", he hates writing but had "created" more than 440 ebooks. His ebooks are called "Multi-Media Ezines".
Shortly, we will all open our inboxes and receive spam that screams before it gets deleted! Fellow netizens, the worst has yet to come!
Wise people know that you cannot combat a problem by condemming it. In the meantime, wise marketers will not join the "dictate an ezine per day"-trend, but rather respect the public and deliver quality work as promised. Wise consumers will learn not to buy the hype - eventually.
The natural inclination is to look for experienced Internet marketers and learn from them. Regrettably, the Internet is full of "Fortune-500 marketing consultants" with their ezines and newsletters galore.
The "normal" course of events is that a newbie marketer buys one of their "Surefire Instant Millionaire Maker" ezines for his hard earned money. Then the newbie goes through pages after pages to learn how it is done. In most cases the marketing ezine can be summarized in a couple of sentences.
These sentences are rarely "revelations" but rather common knowledge.
So after much reading plus $39.99 you will know that you should treat your customer like he meant something to your business. How original! Would you have thought about that all by yourself?
I enjoy summarizing these ezines. A summary may look like this:
"In order to make money, the Internet marketer must show creativity." (true but obvious)
Then it gets interesting:
The ezine author wants to ensure the appearance of creativity and insists that "the successful marketer must repeat the XYZ recipe to the letter of each instruction!"
You must buy the recipe! Buy the Platinum Edition to get the "professional" version.
There are ezines like this.
Being forgiving - possibly also a bit at a loss about the business of marketing - you will give another one of this group of individuals his chance. Again, you pay, and you read and read long winding hyped assertions, skip the "success stories".
At the end the summary yields something like this: "You must stay in touch with your customer."
Of course, you will cater to the customer.
That's your business. You may, however, not have known all the many ways to pester a customer until he feels like a "target".
A potential customer is not a target. Give him or her respect. Good business deals end in a win-win situation.
It pays to keep some distance from the net-know-it-alls.
Your Web Site - Your Store Front
Personally, I do not use pop-ups or pop-unders for the purpose of advertising. Blinking lights and audios are for preschoolers. Some of them are so irritating, they could drive a saint into fits of frustration. Frustration does not create trust nor does it help the reputation of the web site owner.
Web sites work best when they are simple and have the navigation buttons where the visitor looks for them: on top or the top upper left. Make navigation easy. Avoid pictures that serve no purpose. Slow-loading web sites drive visitors away.
Avoid screaming colors, rolling texts or flash presentations whenever possible. They are irritating. The visitor gets sick from looking at the moving circus or won't wait for the page to load.
Click, he is gone.
(That's what I do.)
Remember those floating windows? You can't read the page content because the floating nuisance will keep sitting right on top, and it moves when you scroll. They are easy to create. You can find the code here:
www.echoecho.com (Please, do stay clear of the floating windows or panels.)
There is a catalogue of the most helpful tutorials and source code snippets on this site. Use them to master the basics of web authoring. It is easy and pays rich dividends)
Are you looking for excellent free tutorials on web authoring? You can learn to become a webmaster without paying a dime for any of the tutorials. The tutorials include sessions on style sheets, active server pages, xml, dynamic html and, of course, the basics:
www.w3school.com
You won't need prior knowledge or editors!
Publishing your web site is easy.
Some great software will make it even easier. While you get started you can use the free "lite" versions:
Here is a source of excellent tools for experienced webmasters and the beginner alike. Try the TopStyle Lite download to get a feel for this type of HTML editor. I have used it myself for more than a year. You can find this download and other reasonably priced versions on this web site:
www.bradsoft.com
It often pays to look at new-name software! This one will impress most users.
It is important to create web pages that load quickly.
There are ways to achieve this:
- Avoid excessive graphics
- Never use irritating graphics.
- Do not include "artwork" without purpose. Very few people will take you seriously after they have waited for a picture of your baby or dog to load.
- Do use style sheets. A style sheet loads once and is then available for all other pages. The user does not need to be patient when he navigates your site. This type of web design is easy to edit.
Are you looking for a free simple style sheet and complete instructions how to use it?
Please check back here soon.
To transfer your files to your web address use the free version (not a trial version) of LeechFTP. It is an excellent program, simple and reliable. It is hard to believe, but that program is actually free, no strings attached!
LeechFTP will soon be discontinued. The good news is that it will be replaced by a program called BitBeamer.
Web Hosting
I will not refer to the errors of my first choices. Even "bigname" web hosting companies can be sold to scoundrels. Sorry, this term is the only one that applies. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to keep an eye on your choice of a hosting company.
Is your web site still there?
Has the web host closed down his service department?
Has your hosting company changed its 800-number to a toll number that leads to an unmanned phone on a remote Island in the Pacific?
Is there anyone in that hosting company who actually receives and answers your email inquiries?
Is the return address on your last invoice actually a valid email address?
Are you sure you can reach out and touch someone when you have decided to transfer your domain to a better place?
ALL these questions have their basis in personal experience!
Let's all be careful out there!
All recommendations on this site are based on experience. Here is my recommendation for a business web host. I am an affiliate for this company and have tried all the services.
You get all essentials for a commercial site and better than usual responses to inquiries. The flash tutorials on this site are both impressive and very helpful. The price is another strong point for this web host:
You can try out this hosting company without any risk. They have a 30-day money back guarantee. This alone sets them apart from web hosts with somewhat less than trustworthy business practices.
iPowerWeb covers commercial web hosting as its special market niche. If you plan on using active server pages at some time in your business you must sign up for the WinPro service ($8.95/month).
You will find that many of your business needs are met, such as Newsletter management, shopping carts, autoresponders, etc. You can run your business without signing up for additional services.
All functions and methods involved in having your site hosted by iPowerWeb are easy. They certainly do not require any "technical" knowledge.
ISP Providers
Gone are the days when any email address was acceptable, and a business could skip buying a domain name. There are several reasons for this unfortunate fact. One of them is the rapid expansion of the Internet. A domain name is essential for everybody who is serious about business.
Another reason is the abundance of commercial sites, which try to sell dreams by the bucket. The Internet consumer rightfully expects some assurance that the web site represents an actual business, not a fun summer project. Still, it is sad that money and appearances are the primary rating factors. However, realities must be taken into account.
I have signed up with MindSpring as an ISP provider when it first emerged. It has since merged with Earthlink. Their service has been very good, and so I did not switch. The service provides server space for 8 individual web sites. I use this feature to set up a mirror site to my hosted commercial site. You will find the basic web content for my site on both these sites:
commercial site: http://www.ebiotec.net
In case one server is down: http://escale.home.mindspring.com
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This gives me a chance to provide an alternative web address (URL) for the customer. The alternative URL did not seem too long. These considerations might be relevant to you too.
Please note: It is usually not possible to run active server pages or forms on these free web spaces. If you do need to make due and need to run a form there is a an easy work around (isn't there always!). Try this service:
www.response-o-matic.com
It is a free form processor, no programming skills needed.
Web Promotion - Resources
There is an avalanche of ezines about web promotion. In newsletters about ezine publishing I have read that you can easily create an ezine a day! I have read only a few. There is only so much anyone can endure. It is hard to see the benefit of reading the long-winded story of one advertiser's one-trick-pony show.
There is no surefire recipe to promote a web site. If you have anything unique to sell, a product, a service or information, you will also need a unique way to tailor your advertising campaign. There is only one type of sale that does not need a unique advertising campaign, the sale of marketing ezines. They are not unique. Most marketers who sell them probably have not read them.
Most advertising "paradigms" are adaptations of a very famous bestseller written by David Ogilvy and edited to reflect developments over the last 20 years:: Ogilvy on Advertising (ISBN: 039472903X). You may also like his audio "Confessions of an Advertising Man" (ASIN: 0689706014). This title is also available as paperback book.
Considerations when designing your web site promotion:
- Who is my customer?
Find out, and then relate to him. Offer him a product or service that will serve his wants or needs. Emphasize the benefits to the customer, not your specific design considerations. The customer is interested in his benefits, not your business. - Offer some form of assurance that you can actually deliver on your offer.
Do not boast.
Do not try to trick the consumer - unless you are ready to manage a bad reputation and the justified anger of your customers. - Deliver your product as promised or better.
Deliver on time or faster.
Follow up but do not slam your customer with unsolicited information. Hardcore advertisers live in a different world. They actually believe that the customer will come around to react positively to frontal assaults.
I don't! Do you? - Respect your customer. The old maxim still holds: Treat the other person the way you want to be treated.
This applies to every single member of a group too. Everyone who addresses me as "folks" has just lost a sale even if I have considered buying what he had to sell.The anonymity of the Internet is no license to take liberties with the standards of good conduct or the rules of fair trade.
Some promoters dupe "leads" into buying merchandise that is of limited value to him. If you want to try this you may also want to change your name frequently. - Find ways to track your advertising success per investment. This is a common principle. It applies to all aspects of business. Calculating the ROI (return on investment) is an essential practice of business people with common sense. You will find instructions on how to do that for web advertising on sites that sell Pay-Per-Click web advertising (see below.)
- Targeted traffic to your web sites will result in more sales per click.
However, bring your calculator. The ONLY number that counts is the ROI number. Targeted traffic yields better results but costs more. Keep your calculator handy and optimize your approach! - ROI revisited:
Consider providing advertising space for other advertisers with related (not identical) products. Becoming an affiliate for other business ventures is another way to offset advertising costs. Make sure you know what you help to advertise. Your reputation is a valuable asset.
I highly recommend the Google Adsense program. You can see it in action on my web site. There are other portals with similar programs for web publishers, such as Yahoo. - Adapt your advertising strategies
to your product or service,
to the customer who you want to convince and
to your budget. - Answer all customer email immediately or as fast as possible! If you think you are too busy imagine how much busier you will be advertising for replacement customers.
Address all customers politely. Address the customer's concerns, avoid sending "canned mail". Your customer will start looking for "a real person" to accept his business. The customer is entitled to a pleasant shopping experience and service.
Keeping customers through good business practices is a cost-effective way to advertise.
Your inbox is probably filled with "newsletter" ads telling you that you must send a million emails a day, use pay-per-click advertising or subscribe to ezine advertising listings. All these methods can work. Whether they work for you depends on you, your product or service or your business.
Yes, sex sells. Soon overt advertising in this direction may result in costly fines or worse. I am glad! Everyone's child should be free to open electronic mail. Personally, I get furious when I see the obnoxious smut.
Another way to prey on human weakness is to facilitate gambling. This is only feasible for people who are totally oblivious to the consequences of their actions for other people.
Your good judgement is also required when you use jokes to "butter-up" potential customers. Be careful with jokes that may hurt others. Jokes at the expense of others show bad character and bad taste. Some very gifted people can write humorous stories. They are probably the best advertising copy. (Material on the Internet is not free for all. You do need permission to reprint stories and articles even if there is no copyright line.)
I trust that you will use your knowledge, ambition and persistence along with all your senses to make the right decisions. Make your creativity shine. Your customers will like your attitude and serious dedication. Trust yourself!
Make your business your own. Show in a sincere fashion that you have something valuable to offer. Nothing is more appealing than your honest enthusiasm, no trick or multimedia spectacle can substitute for it.
Ezine Advertising
Why and how to write an ezine:
Ezine advertising can be very effective.
How to find ezine publishers for your ads:
In progress
Search Engines
Meta tags: Title, description and keywords
Search engine (SE) submissions
Don't forget the Directory submission!
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
In progress
Link Exchange
In progress
Please come back in a few days. Thank you for your patience.
Tips and Tricks for the New Affiliate or Web Marketer
Technical Tips
I have only started this list. Please add your suggestions.
Opening external sites in a new window:
When you provide links to external sites on your web pages make sure that their site opens in a new window. Here is how you can do this:
This anchor will open the external site in the same window, your site will disappear from sight unless the viewer clicks the "Back" button in his browser:
a href="http://www.server.domain.com.file.html">some text (closing tag).
Add the "target" element and the site will open in a new window:
a href="http://www.server.domain.com.file.html" target="_blank"> some text (closing tag).
If you want to open a new window and determine its size you can use the "window.open" function. (See the JavaScript tutorials on these sites:
Learn or copy and paste the code snippet or learn some basic JavaScript:
Free w3 Tutorials
Tracing your visitors email to a specific link:
When a visitor to your web site sends you an email it is sometimes helpful to know exactly on which one of several links he has clicked. You can see what I mean when you click on the two email links in this section "Please add your suggestions".
The text in the subject lines tells me which link the visitor has clicked.
Here is how you do this:
In your anchor tag, after href="mailto:myemail@myISP.com" you can add a "subject" element:
(bracket) a href="mailto:myelmail@myISP.com?subject=subscribe" >some text (bracket /a>
Don't forget the question mark.
The sequence is mailto:youremail.com?subject=some text.
General Tips
I have only started this list. Please add your suggestions.
This site is still changing. Please come back for a few tips on web promotion.