Last week, at least 30 people pointed me to a video of an unconventional wedding on YouTube. With pop music blasting in the background, it showed the wedding party (including the bride) dancing down the aisle in an elaborately choreographed routine. Maybe you’ve seen it. It’s gotten more than 8 million views.

YouTube – coupled with the Internet’s worldwide reach – can make a video go viral almost instantly. Just think of the Susan Boyle phenomenon. Almost 30 million people watched the YouTube video of her performance on “Britain’s Got Talent”!

But what good does a viral video do if you can’t turn it into sales?

The first step is to get the people who view your video to your website. (That’s where you present your offer and entice them to make a purchase.)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Make sure you mention your website address (or business location) during the video.

2. Put up a screenshot at the beginning and end of your video encouraging viewers to visit your site. (You may want to give them something in exchange. For instance, I tell viewers of my videos to visit my website to get a free report.)

3. Stamp the video with a “watermark” of your website address that shows throughout the entire thing.

Until recently, I thought there was nothing more I could do. But then I stumbled on a way to get a direct link to my website within the video – and it turned out to be a real success secret. After all, many people who view your video aren’t going to bother making a note of your website address and typing it into their browser. But if you give them a live hyperlink to your site, they’ll click on it.

And YouTube makes it so easy that I was kicking myself for not having done it sooner.

All you have to do is post your website address in YouTube’s “About This Video” section (being sure to include http:// at the beginning of it). That’s it. You automatically get a live link that allows viewers of your video to be transferred to your site with a click of their mouse.

Once they’re there, your sales copy will persuade them to opt in to your newsletter or purchase your product. And it will be easier than it ever was before, because you will already have made a personal connection with them through your video.

[Ed. Note: Driving traffic to your website is one of the most important things you can do for your business. This November, you'll discover an extremely powerful traffic-generating tactic that can make you more sales than you can imagine. This very strategy produced $5 million in sales for ONE product. The most interesting part? It doesn't use Google at all. Discover how to get your hands on this technique, plus dozens of other moneymaking strategies and cutting-edge ideas for taking your Internet business to the next level right here. Hurry - only 250 ETR readers will get a chance to snap up this opportunity.

Besides being a master Internet marketer, Craig Ballantyne is a world-renowned Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Check out his Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system - and get a look at his marketing techniques - on his website.]

“Do you feel your business is an information marketing business?

“Here are four questions for you to consider:

“Q1: Do you own a business card?

“Q2: Do you have a website or blog?

“Q3: Do you maintain voice mail?

“Q4: Do you send thank you letters?

“If you answered ‘YES’ to any of the 4 questions listed above, then your business is an info marketing business.

“Granted, you may not ‘market information’ for a profit, but you utilize information to market your business.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

(Source: AlexMandossian.com)

No matter what you’re selling, your job will be a lot easier of you target your marketing efforts to “A” prospects. By that I mean pre-qualified buyers – people who have already purchased what you’re selling. Ideally, they’ve done it recently (and often).

“B” prospects are people who have shown an interest in what you’re selling – maybe by calling a toll-free number, sending an e-mail, or writing a letter to ask for more information. They’re interested, and they’ve acted on that interest. That’s great.

But they’re not nearly as valuable to you as “A” prospects.

Where do you find these primo prospects?

First, go to your own list of buyers. Always target them when you create a new product similar to one they’ve bought from you before. Then go directly to a company that has successfully sold products like yours. Rent their mailing lists. Their buyers should respond well to your offer.

[Ed. Note: Small-business and marketing expert Marc Charles reveals a new "under the radar" business opportunity - and the marketing tactic you can use to take advantage of it - every month in the Liberty Street Letter.

He's joined by experts in real estate, commodities, and retirement planning, and others who specialize in making money "off Wall Street." Find out more here.]

I just took my 2002 Prius to the local Toyota dealer here in North Carolina for its 100,000-mile servicing .

Now I’m used to service stations and dealers in New Jersey, where standard operating procedure is to make customers guess where to park, what line to wait i n, and what those stains are on the back of their computer monitor, walls, floor, and, eventually, your credit card. So it was a nice surprise to see how the system works at this dealership .

And it got me to thinking about how what they’re doing right can be applied to Web landing pages.

Lesson #1: Show visitors exactly what to do.

As I drove up to the dealership, there was a sign that told me exactly where to go for service. It pointed to a row of four large, clearly marked parking spaces.

Have you clearly marked on your landing page what you want your visitors to do? Is your sign – up box prominent? Is the “buy” button plainly visible?

Lesson #2: Immediately create a feeling of safety.

When I dropped off the car, I couldn’t help but notice rolls of paper and plastic right next to the service lanes. They were obviously being used to keep customers’ cars clean while they were being worked on.

Does your landing page immediately make the visitor feel safe? Do you have instant credibility boosters? Does your site design communicate “fly by night” or “here to stay”?

Lesson #3: Show why/how you’re better/different.

While I was paying, an employee opened the door behind me marked “Authorized Personnel Only” and ushered in a prospective customer for a tour. I heard him talking about the facility’s cleanliness, its capacity, and how quickly repairs get done.

Does your landing page offer a glimpse into your expertise, process, or some other important differentiator? Or at least a link that says something like “Why buy from us?”

Lesson #4: Leave them wanting more.

After I paid, I went outside to look around for my car. Based on past experience, I expected to find it jammed into some pseudo parking spot. But before I had time to start searching, I saw my little baby driving up right next to me .

I don’t care how “sticky” your website is. At some point, every one of your prospects will have to leave. So what’s your “temporary exit strategy”? How do you leave them wanting more?

Whenever I offer a download or an opt-in, I always take the time to create a thank you page. The reason I do that is to make the prospect’s last contact with my site (for the time being) a positive experience. Leave them happy, and leave them wanting more.

[Ed. Note: Internet marketing expert Howie Jacobson's advice can help you keep your Web visitors happy. But before you can make them happy, you need to attract them to your site. Now, Howie has come up with a comprehensive guide to getting massive traffic to your site in the first place. Discover how you can skyrocket your traffic by 1,200% and make five times the cash with the quickest, easiest, most effective traffic attractor available online.

And be sure to pick up Howie's complimentary AdWords ER Report "Why Most AdWords Campaigns Fail - and How to Make Yours Succeed" at www.AskHowie.com.]

Several months ago, one of my favorite clients asked me to create a Web-based promotion for a new investment advisory. But instead of beginning with a series of e-mails – or even a new Web page – I promptly sat down and wrote a 24-page DIRECT-MAIL package.

Once the long copy was finished, I knew the rest would be easy. I could simply excerpt sections of it, over and over again, to create a multi-step campaign…

STEP #1. Pick the low-hanging fruit – cheap.

A respectable chunk of my client’s customers love him to death and will buy just about any product he recommends. For these wonderful folks, I created an extremely simple, low-cost e-mail promotion that we sent out immediately.

STEP #2. Get fence-sitters to a “tipping point” website.

I used about half the long direct-mail copy I had written about the product to produce an “Urgent Special Report” that could be accessed via a little website we created online. And in week #2 of the campaign, we began sending e-mails to the client’s customers urging them to click a link in order to read the free report.

STEP #3. Exploit other low-cost or free media.

Then I simply took the 12 pages of copy from the little website I’d created… wrote a new headline and opening copy… turned it into a printed special report… and had it inserted in the next issue of my client’s print newsletter.

STEP #4. Show up where they least expect you to.

Two weeks after the newsletter insert hit our prospects’ mailboxes, we hit them again – with the full 24-page direct-mail package I had initially created to promote the product. This time, it was formatted as a free special report – a “thank you” bonus for loyal customers.

STEP #5. Get tenacious.

Two weeks after the 24-pager hit prospects’ mailboxes, we stuffed it into an envelope, added a one-page letter from my client asking “Why haven’t I heard from you?” and dropped it into the mail.

The combined effect of e-mail, the website, the inserts in the print newsletter, and two direct mailings had a multiplying effect on response.

When the dust had settled, our multi-channel marketing campaign had sold more than $5 million worth of subscriptions to the new service in just five weeks – about five times more than we would have sold through an e-mail promotion alone!

[Ed. Note: Yes, the Internet is ripe with opportunities for savvy marketers to make money. But as master copywriter Clayton Makepeace just proved, the Internet is only ONE channel for communicating with potential customers. If you're stuck using just one marketing method, you need to get your hands on the bestselling book on multi-channel marketing by MaryEllen Tribby and Michael Masterson, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business. It's a premier guide to beefing up your marketing efforts to bring in double, triple, even quadruple your current revenues. Get your copy now.

Clayton Makepeace publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The Total Package to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits. Claim your 4 free moneymaking e-books - bursting with tips, tricks, and tactics that'll skyrocket your response - at MakepeaceTotalPackage.com.]

Here’s something I discovered shortly after launching my business in 2001: Up to a point, customers don’t really mind when something goes wrong.

What drives them batty is when they complain and nobody cares. And when you make it clear to everyone in your organization that listening to customers is the Number One job of your business, you can turn the inevitable screw-ups into opportunities to build loyal customers and passionate fans.

Luckily for me, I made lots of mistakes when I was starting out. That gave me constant opportunities to provide great “I’m really sorry” customer service and improve my business – the marketing, products, fulfillment, and more – rapidly.

What about your business?

Do the customer service folks on the front lines really feel remorse when your business screws up, or are they just punching the clock? Do your employees feel empowered to admit mistakes, their own and yours? Do your customers feel respected and heard?

If not, you have your marching orders.

[Ed. Note: Howie Jacobson (www.askhowie.com) is an Internet marketing expert specializing in pay-per-click advertising. In fact, he literally wrote the book on the subject: AdWords for Dummies.

Find out how Howie increased his income by five times - by accident - and how his unintentional good fortune can make YOU rich right here.]

One of the first questions you get when you meet someone at a networking event is “What do you do?” You need to answer this question not only at networking events but on job applications… on your website or blog… in promotional materials… and that’s just the half of it!

Clearly conveying the kind of work you do can be something of a challenge. You don’t want to say “I’m a copywriter” or “I sell shoes.” Boring! You want to capture the other person’s attention and get them to remember you.

Last week, a new client gave me a great idea for how to answer this critical question: Get the language from your testimonials (or even the testimonials on your competitors’ websites).

For example, I could take this testimonial for my business, Marketing Mentor:

“Thank you so much for helping me – I think I’d still be spinning my wheels! You’ve been a great partner in this sometimes halting process of getting the word out about what I do.”

… and turn it into this:

“We partner with you so you can stop spinning your wheels and get the word out about what you do.”

[Ed. Note: Ilise Benun is an author, consultant, national speaker, and co-founder of Marketing-Mentor.com. She helps her clients learn the tools they need to market their services, get ideal clients, and grow their businesses.

You can get twice-monthly marketing tips and a free report on "20 Ways to Get Your Prospects to Call You Back" when you sign up for Ilise's Quick Tips newsletter.]

Internet buyers LOVE discounts, yet most info marketers don’t use them nearly enough.

A case in point: On 4/9/09, we sent an e-mail to my list offering one of my e-books at the cover price of $79.

It generated 32 orders and $2,528 in revenues. Not great, not bad.

Last Thursday, we sent the identical e-mail to the same list. But we added a P.S. offering the book at $49 (a $30 savings) if they ordered by midnight Sunday. So far, we have sold 155 copies at $49 each, generating $7,625 in revenues, and orders are still coming in.

Does it bother me to let people have a $79 product for only $49? Of course not. What’s important is not profit per sale but profit per e-mail blast… which the discounting tactic will more than triple.

This works with products that have a large enough profit margin – and in the case of e-books, the margin is close to 100 percent.

[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books. To subscribe to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and claim your free gift worth $116, click here now.

When and how to discount is just one of the secrets Bob reveals in ETR's Internet Cash Generator program, the complete guide to jumpstarting your online business. Find out more about it here.]

Retailers like Walmart, IKEA, and J. Crew reach customers with print catalogs, TV advertising, online ads, and websites. Insurance companies use telemarketing, TV and radio ads, various online channels, direct mail, and print ads. Car dealerships can be found online, in newspapers, through direct mail, and on TV.

To be sure, there are still many successful businesses that practice only one type of marketing. But it is our belief that those companies are an endangered species. Relying on one marketing method to build your business today is like swimming upstream with one hand tied behind your back. It can be done, but it is very difficult… and completely unnecessary.

To be at the top of your game, you need to continue to do what you do so well – the kind of marketing that is now working for you – but you must gradually add new arrows to your quiver. You will notice a sudden and substantial improvement in sales and profits if you do.

Relying on one marketing channel is simply foolish. Even if you choose a lucrative channel, there is no telling when it will change to a mere trickle. You can make temporary adjustments by using marketing tricks – special offers and over-the-top promises. But those gimmicks will not sustain sales for long.

[Ed. Note: This is an excerpt from the bestselling book, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business. Discover how to double, triple, or even quadruple your business by making simple (and cheap) changes to your marketing efforts. Find out more here.]

By Michael Masterson & MaryEllen Tribby

You can offer legal services on the Web – and, get this, you don’t have to pass a bar exam! You don’t even need a law degree or any real legal experience.

The opportunity I’m talking about calls for selling legal services and documents on the Web as an affiliatefor established companies.

I’ve used Web-based legal services personally, most recently to set up a living trust. So, trust me, they are legit (at least, the ones I’m familiar with are). Plus, I’ve saved more than $2,300 over what an attorney would charge. That cost saving is what will attract customers to you and should be featured prominently in your marketing copy.

I recommend affiliating yourself with LegalZoom.com. A few other choices include LawDepot.com and LegalDocs.com. As an affiliate, you market their services on the Internet. Whenever one of your “clients” purchases a legal document or service from them, they pay you a commission.

Granted, there are products and services you won’t be able to offer as an online affiliate, like handling criminal or tax cases. And – this is a biggie – you can’t represent yourself as a lawyer or law firm. But the most common legal documents, incorporations, business agreements, trusts, wills, small claims, bankruptcies, and divorces can be managed effortlessly. And there are many innovative ways to market these products and services, including e-mail, text links, pay-per-click ads, Web banners, videos, and more.

[Ed. Note: As a member of the Liberty Street League board of experts, Marc Charles offers up under-the-radar investment opportunities every month in the Liberty Street Letter, a newsletter dedicated to making money "off Wall Street." Find out more here.]

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If you’ve caught the Internet entrepreneur bug, you probably can’t wait to get started making money with your own website. Of course, you’re going to need a few things first – namely, products and effective sales copy to sell them.

But while you’re working on your products and sales copy, there is a way to start bringing money in the door almost immediately. I’m talking about becoming an affiliate marketer.

As an affiliate marketer, you make a commission by selling other people’s products via your website. And they make it easy for you by providing both the products and proven marketing copy (such as banner ads and sales letters).

Your affiliate business can be up and running in a flash – and it requires very little in the way of start-up costs. All you really need to pay for at the beginning is your website domain and a website hosting service. 

While working as an affiliate, you’ll hone marketing skills that you can use to make your “real” Internet business even better… if you decide to go ahead and launch it. Like many affiliates, you might make so much selling other people’s products that you never get around to creating and selling your own.

[Ed. Note: Affiliate marketing does have its own particular techniques - methods that can result in 7-figure or higher paydays. And there's no better way to learn them than in person, from Early to Rise's affiliate program manager, George Dahir, and Web marketing manager, Edwin Huertas. You can join George and Edwin this July in Denver for ETR's Super Affiliate Summit. Find out more here. 

Not yet an ETR Affiliate? Get the lowdown and find out if you qualify for the program here.] 

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One of my readers, DH, writes:

“When selling information products on the Internet, what are the pros and cons of having a home website with more than one product and having micro-sites only for the more expensive and lengthy products vs. having a micro-site for every product?”

I told DH that he would need a separate micro-site for every product.

A micro-site, also known as a landing page, is a long-copy sales letter posted on the Web. The copy on your landing page describes the product and its benefits, and links to a form where visitors can order it online.

The reason information marketers should have a separate micro-site for every product is that each one of those products is unique. The reader hasn’t heard of it before, so he has to be sold on buying it. To make that sale, you need a long-copy sales letter.

By comparison, if an Internet user goes to Amazon.com to order the new Harry Potter book, she already knows what she’s buying. That’s why Amazon.com sales pages for books are relatively brief vs. the long copy we use on our landing pages to sell information products.

Each of your product landing pages should have its own unique domain name rather than be an individual page on a central website. And you should choose domain names that are easy to remember. For instance, the landing page for my e-book on how to write and sell your first e-book is at myveryfirstebook.com.

The only thing the visitor should see on the landing page is the sales letter copy selling the product. Don’t add a menu bar with a lot of options. And there should be no navigation. The visitor can either order the product or leave the site. There should be no free content for him to read or download. You want him to focus on one thing only: the reasons he needs to buy that product right then and there.

However, as effective as single-product landing pages are for selling information online, there’s one thing they don’t do very well: They do not attract a lot of organic search traffic. The reason is that Google recognizes them as sales letters – and Google doesn’t rate sites with sales copy very high.

The solution? Create a “portal” site for your Internet information publishing business.

Have links to all your individual product landing pages on this portal site. And in several places on the site, encourage visitors to opt into your e-list by subscribing to your online newsletter or downloading a free report.

Then, add one or more sections to the portal site where visitors can find and download free content – articles… press releases… special reports… videos… audios… content-rich Web pages.

Why are you adding all this free content to your portal site? Because Google loves content, and will, therefore, rank the portal site much higher than it will rank your product landing pages. That way, you’ll benefit from organic search traffic and get lots of visitors.

A percentage of those visitors will click onto one of your landing pages and buy a product. Or they will click on a box or banner that lets them opt into your e-list. Result: You sell more products and build your list organically instead of having to buy traffic.

Another reason I like having a portal site is because when people ask me what products I sell, I can’t remember them all. But I can remember the URL for my portal site. I tell them that they can find every product I sell at ctcpublishing.net.

The portal site serves one additional function for the information marketer: It further solidifies your credentials as an expert in your niche.

There are lots of Internet marketers selling info products on every conceivable topic. The ones that sell info products on the same topics you write about are your competitors.

Often, the reader perceives little difference between all the available info products on a given topic. What helps differentiate them… and close the sale… is the reputation of the author/publisher as a guru in the field. Your content-rich portal site gives you an instant online presence that sets you apart – and gives readers enough trust in you to buy your products.

[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books. To subscribe to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and claim your free gift worth $116, click here now.

Ready to get started with your Internet business, but don't know how? Find out how simple it can be right here.]

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Most people spend far more time watching the stock market instead of the bond market.

That is an enormous mistake.

The global bond market absolutely dwarfs global stock markets. This flow of capital is essential to modern life.

The largest bond market in the world is represented by U.S. Treasuries. The dollar used to be the global reserve currency, and players from all corners of the earth trusted in the safety of U.S. Treasuries. But our newest administration plans to meet ongoing obligations, as well as new ones, by raising money through the issuance of new debt.

Try on the 50 percent number for size.

Yes, the U.S. budget and its gigantic deficits will require half to be paid by borrowing from anyone trusting enough to continue the sham. The current annual budget deficit is projected to be a record $1.75 trillion!

In a rush to “safety,” global buyers panicked into short- and long-term U.S. Treasuries in mid-2008. 30-year bonds were bid up to the 142 level as interest rates plummeted.

But putting your money on their success is akin to purchasing shares of Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Lehman Brothers, and the entire spectrum of disastrously failed elitist-sponsored enterprises. Sooner or later, this market will implode and bring pervasive higher interest rates with it.

This beloved country has long been at the mercy of foreigners to buy our bonds as well as our stocks. China holds $740 billion in U.S. government bonds, and is just now closely inspecting the merchandise. The present verdict is “no more.” The Treasuries are due for a bounce higher at any time, but this debt, as well as the dollar, is mortally wounded. Default will enter the conversation sooner or later.

Protect yourself with gold, silver, and other tangible assets.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Russell McDougal offers his strong opinions and expert analysis of financial markets regularly in Investor's Daily Edge, ETR's sister publication. Find out more about IDE here.

Dr. McDougal has been an active investor for over 25 years, specializing in gold, silver, and resource investing. Check out his Resource Windfall Speculator investment advisory service for more information.]

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“I’ve read that a website or blog needs original content to get ranked higher by the search engines. If I use content from ETR’s newsletters/website on my blog, will that hurt my Google ranking and keep me from getting traffic?”

Anita Funkhouser

Keyser, WV

Dear Anita,

Using third-party content DOES NOT hurt your rankings. The reason Web marketers make such an issue about duplicate content is that only the original creator of the content gets the full SEO (search engine optimization) value from it. In other words, if you use articles from Early to Rise, you won’t rank as well for the content as we at ETR would.

Let’s say you republish one of our articles about satellite sites. (more…)

Industry watchers predict that overall online ad spending will increase by about 3 percent for the next two years, for a total of about $29.1 billion in 2010. The growth is being driven by search engine advertising (especially pay-per-click), which is expected to jump 13 percent by 2010.

Also growing rapidly is “Web 2.0″ advertising (on video and social networks), though it represents only a small portion of the market because advertisers are still grappling with the formats. It is expected to increase by 20 percent – to $1.4 billion – by 2010.

(Source: ClickZ)

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If you’re getting 20 leads a week now from AdWords, it’s hard to imagine what 200 leads a week would look like. From your current perspective, it would probably look just like 20, except 10 times more.

But when volume and velocity and quality of traffic increase, lots of things change. Big time.

You can get much pickier about the leads you accept as clients. You can create hurdles to prescreen and prequalify, and to give you the power and authority in the relationship. You can create waiting lists to generate the perception of great demand. You can raise your prices. If you sell products, you can start to source them at a cheaper rate. You can negotiate deals with your suppliers. You can increase your profit margins.

What all this means is that you make more money while expending less of your life energy (time and emotional angst) to get it.

When you understand your prospects, and what keywords they search for, and what they want when they’re searching, and how to engage them in your ads and landing pages – you start a process that can end with you being the biggest player in your market.

[Ed. Note: Howie Jacobson is the expert on Google AdWords and driving traffic to your website. Get his complimentary AdWords ER Report "Why Most AdWords Campaigns Fail - and How to Make Yours Succeed" atwww.AskHowie.com.

Pay-per-click ads are just one of the many elements of a successful online business. For a complete, step-by-step guide to starting and growing your own profitable Internet venture, check out the Internet Money Club: Independent Learner Edition.]

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Your website visitors will convert – to buyers or subscribers – when they’re ready, willing, and able. And the usability testing and feedback gathering you do should give you an idea of which of those three factors will make the biggest difference.

Ready: Are your visitors ready to take the action you want them to take? Do they have enough information? Enough trust in you? If not, what do you need to add to your site flow to make offers congruent with your visitors’ current state of readiness?

Willing: Do they want to take the action you want them to take? Have you explained the benefits? Have you done the cost-benefit analysis for them? Have you made it clear how you’re different and better than their other options?

Able: Can they take that action on your site? Can they find the right links and buttons? Does everything work? Do pages load quickly enough to keep their attention? Is it easy to navigate your site, or do you need to offer a training course to users?

Then Test: Start with simple curiosity. For example, ask yourself “Where should the BUY button go, here or there?” Then create two versions of the page. Use Google’s website optimizer to run the test. (It’s free – and really easy.)

Send some traffic to each version, and you’ll discover one of two things:

1. One version is clearly superior to the other.

2. There’s not much difference – which means that the element you were testing doesn’t matter very much, or that the differences were too small to affect visitor behavior.

Either way, you’ve learned something. Wash, rinse, and repeat, and soon you’ll have a landing page that contributes mightily to your bottom line.

[Ed. Note: Find out how Internet marketing expert and pay-per-click specialist Howie Jacobson (www.askhowie.com) increased his income by five times - by accident - and how his unintentional good fortune can make YOU rich right here.]

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Early to Rise is always giving subscribers helpful advice on Web marketing and how to generate business online. But one thing we haven’t said much about is Web hosting and how it can affect your sales.

A Web host is a company that provides server (computer) space for your website – for a “modest” monthly fee. Think of it as the landlord of the building where your website lives.

And you don’t want to take this service for granted. One of the things you need to consider when you are developing your marketing initiatives is the Web hosting provider for your company’s portal. Choosing the wrong one can give you a major headache.

I’ll give you an example of what I mean… (more…)

“This way, attendees could start making as much as $500 while they’re still at the conference!” MaryEllen exclaimed.

We’d already made a big promise: Every attendee at our upcoming 5 Days in July Internet Business Building Conference WILL walk away with their own fully functioning Internet business – in just 5 days. But now MaryEllen had upped the ante. Now, attendees would have a chance to start making money even before they got back home.

This is how it breaks down: All attendees will have the opportunity to enroll in ETR’s Affiliate Program at the conference.

As you may know, becoming an affiliate of an established company that already markets a variety of products is a great way to “get your foot in the door” as an online entrepreneur. You simply promote the company’s products on your website, and they (in this case, ETR) take care of fulfilling the orders generated by your efforts, handling customer service, and so on. You, of course, get a cut of each sale. (With ETR’s commission structure, you get 25 percent on all sales. So, for example, by selling just one ticket to ETR’s 2009 Info-Marketing Bootcamp, you can get $499.25 – straight into your pocket!)

George Dahir, ETR’s Affiliate Program Manager, will be in Denver to personally assist the new affiliates in setting up their websites for affiliate sales, show them the best ways to promote ETR’s products, and, of course, answer any questions.

But this is only one component of the comprehensive Internet business-building program the ETR team has in store for 5 Days in July attendees. Search engine optimization, pay-per-click ads, copywriting, e-mail marketing and list building, not to mention website creation with some of the easiest-to-use software ever… it’s all going to be covered in Denver.

[Ed. Note: Even if you are just thinking about starting your own business, you should go here to find out what the Early to Rise team has in store for you during our 5 Days in July Internet business-building conference.]

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You know all about the value of testing your marketing copy, but are you doing it on your landing pages?

Let’s talk about some tests you can run having to do with placement. Don’t worry about the copy at the moment. Just where things go on the page.

First thing is to know what your visitors are already doing on your landing page. So throw up some analytics. Google Analytics is quite good – and quite free. (If you have a Google AdWords account, Google Analytics is part of it.)

I like Crazy Egg for visually friendly analytics. I especially like their Confetti feature, which shows me where people are clicking on my page. I can view that info in aggregate, by keyword, by time to click, or by browser. With that info, I can figure out if the links and forms and BUY buttons are in the right place, or if my visitors are bailing before getting to the good stuff.

Once you can see where the problems are, set up tests that aim to overcome them. The first iteration of my home page, for example, featured a giant “Buy the Book” promo near the top right. I wasn’t getting many opt-ins, and since I make about 90 cents royalty per book, it wasn’t the best use of that real estate. It wasn’t even what most people wanted to do on my site, as I found out from Crazy Egg.

Nobody was trying to buy the book. Nobody was signing up for my free first chapter. But everybody wanted free advice from the chat box. So I removed the chat box (if you want advice, now you have to pay for it), removed the book promo, and changed the offer for the opt-in.

As a result, my subscription rate has quadrupled, and I now have over a 10 percent subscribe rate on my home page.

[Ed. Note: Howie Jacobson (www.askhowie.com) is an Internet marketing expert specializing in pay-per-click advertising. In fact, he literally wrote the book on the subject: AdWords for Dummies.

Find out how Howie increased his income by five times - by accident - and how his unintentional good fortune can make YOU rich right here.]

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I had just gotten off the stage at a major marketing conference when the founder of a nationally known software company (you’ve seen their commercials on TV) came up and said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Noah, one thing you just said on stage changed my life. I never realized that I’ve been living my life with one foot on the brake. And if I just get my foot off the brake, I’ll be much more successful.”

He told me that his company had been “stuck” at $4 million a year for the previous four years. (My first thought was: “Gee, a lot of people would like to be ’stuck’ at $4 million!”) He asked if I would coach him on how to stop holding himself back from success. Since I’ve been doing that for companies and individuals since 1997, I said “Sure.”

What I coached him in is what I call it The Secret Code of Success. I call it a “Secret Code” because even the people using it don’t know what they’re doing!

It’s like asking Tiger Woods to explain how he got so mentally tough or Bill Gates to tell you how he made so much money. These highly successful people do certain things that they’re totally unaware of, because they are unconsciously competent at allowing themselves to succeed. They might be able to tell you some of the steps they took to get there – but because they’re unconsciously competent at letting themselves succeed, there will always be something missing in their explanation.

Let me explain what I mean by “unconsciously competent.”

To become unconsciously competent at any skill, you go through four levels:

• Unconscious incompetence – when you don’t know that you don’t know how to do it
• Conscious incompetence – when you know that you don’t know how to do it
• Conscious competence – when you know that you know how to do it
• Unconscious competence – when you do it without any conscious thought

Happy, wealthy people – whom I call the Naturals – are highly successful for the precise reason that they are unconsciously competent at allowing themselves to succeed.

Which brings us back to our software entrepreneur. When I walked him through what the Naturals are doing (without being consciously aware of it), he began to understand why, even though he’d spent a lot of time and money taking “how to succeed” programs, he couldn’t move forward.

Here are the three essential steps he took to get his foot off the brake:

1. Show appreciation for those who have made a difference in your life.

Human beings are starving for attention, appreciation, and acknowledgement. Research has shown that people will do more for acknowledgement than for money, because appreciation is the true currency of human interaction.

There are dozens of ways to acknowledge the people in your life, but what it really comes down to is your willingness to do so. That’s because everyone is wearing an invisible sign that says “Please make me feel important.” The problem is, you’re wearing that sign too!

If you become that one person in a million who is willing to make others feel important first, you’ll see an amazing turnaround in your relationships… just like our entrepreneur did.

2. Become aware of the ways you’re holding yourself back at the same time as you’re pushing yourself forward.

When I’m on stage and explain that most people are driving down the road of life with one foot on the brake, many in my audience tell me it never occurred to them that they could be stopping themselves at the same time as they’re driving forward.

This happens because the Why-To’s of Success are conscious, but the Why-Not-To’s of Success are subconscious. Everyone has reasons to want to succeed. (Those are the Why-To’s.) At the same time, most of us have hidden reasons for holding ourselves back. (Those are the Why-Not-To’s.) What made this concept truly life-changing for our entrepreneur (and for thousands of others who’ve learned The Code) was understanding that:

• Because they’re subconscious, your Why-Not-To’s of Success are hidden even from you. No one gets up in the morning and says, “I think I’ll hold myself back from success today!”

• The Naturals of Success have eliminated their Why-Not-To’s of Success. But because they’ve never had their own foot on the brake, they can’t possibly tell someone else how to get it off. That’s why there’s always something missing when they try to explain their “secrets of success.”

3. Realize the benefit of regular mentoring to achieve your goals.

While the rest of us often feel adrift and alone, the Naturals either always had, or unconsciously created, Systems of Support that allowed them to reach their goals faster, easier, and with less effort.

Having that kind of support made all the difference in the Naturals’ lives, and it can make a big difference in your life, too. One way to get the support you need to succeed is to find a mentor or coach who:

• Understands and believes in you
• Doesn’t make you feel wrong for wanting what you want
• Gives you solid, doable action steps to reach your goals

Before our software entrepreneur heard me speak on stage, his company had been “stuck” at $4 million a year for the previous four years. But because he knew he was capable of much more, it was just as frustrating for him as it would be for someone making much less.

With just 90 days of coaching in The Code,he learned how to take his foot off the brake. His company’s revenues exploded from $4 million to $40 million in less than a year.

And now, every time I see his commercials on TV, I smile. Because his success is just one more example of what can happen when you take your foot off the brake.

[Ed. Note: Noah St. John, PhD, is the author of The Secret Code of Success: 7 Hidden Steps to More Wealth and Happiness and founder of SuccessClinic.com. He helps people get rid of the head trash that's holding them back and enjoy more wealth, freedom, and abundance in life. For a free book excerpt, visit http://SuccessClinic.com.

You can get more practical advice about how to accomplish your biggest goals and turn your dreams into reality from a "mentor to billionaires." Get the details here.]

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If you could create a steady side income by putting in just a few hours a week, would you do it? Listen, it’s entirely possible – and today I’m going to show you how.

I very recently started a new Internet business in a niche market that I am very passionate about. I’ve already started to collect names to build a subscriber list – and I’ve even made a handful of sales!

A handful of sales might not sound like much, but I’m excited. Why? Because the hardest part – getting this new site set up and starting to drive traffic to it – is out of the way.

I’m using the proven business model that helped ETR triple its revenues in three years… the same model that helped ETR’s parent company explode into a nearly $300 million Internet juggernaut. So I know I can realistically expect my site to (eventually) churn out significant income on virtual autopilot.

By no means am I putting a full-time effort into this project. (And most would argue that I’m not even putting in a part-time effort.) It’s just something I’m doing on the side. Of course, that’s one of the major benefits of Internet and information marketing. You can get started as a “chicken entrepreneur“… without quitting your day job.

You, too, can create a home-based Internet business that will provide you with a steady side income. Here are the seven simple steps:

Step 1. Identify Your Market

The biggest mistake I see budding Internet entrepreneurs make is to start by trying to figure out what they’re going to sell. And that can be tough. There are hundreds of thousands, even millions, of possible products and services.

It’s more important to decide what market or niche you are going to target. When you identify your market, you will know who your prospects are, what problems they have, and what solutions they are looking for. And once you have that information, it’s not hard to find a product to sell to them.

So how do you decide which market to go after? My recommendation is to make a list of all the things you are interested in and choose from that. Why make a list and not just zero in on your number one passion? Because you want to give yourself some options. Just because you have a strong interest in something doesn’t mean there are enough people out there who share your interest and (very important) have money to spend on it.

Golfers, for example, are passionate about their game. They also have a lot of money and like to spend it on golf-related “stuff.” On the other hand, though teenage boys may be into rough sports and fast cars, you won’t have much luck selling them anything anytime soon.

Here’s the formula: Your Passion + Profitable Market = Great Niche Website

Step 2. Choose – and Purchase – a Domain Name

Another mistake that online entrepreneurs make is to try to come up with a domain name that is cute or creative. (With the popularity if Web 2.0, I am seeing more and more of this.)

Your domain name should be descriptive of your website topic and benefit-driven. Ideally, it should also include your main keyword. And, of course, it should be easy to spell and easy to remember.

A good example of a domain name that is easy to remember, easy to spell, descriptive, benefit-driven, and includes the main keyword of the website’s topic: FreeCreditReport.com.

Step 3. Put Up a Website

If you can use a word processor, you can create a website with similar software.

I use and recommend XSite Pro (which ETR includes with its Internet Money Club Independent Learner Edition ). This is one of the best website content management systems out there. Another option is to use a website HTML editor like Microsoft Expression Web (formerly Front Page) or Dreamweaver by Macromedia. These two programs aren’t as powerful or easy to use as XSite Pro, but can get the job done.

There are many other lower priced and free programs – but, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

Step 4. Add an Opt-In Form to Your Site

When you visit any of ETR’s websites, including EarlyToRise.com, InvestorsDailyEdge.com, and TotalHealthBreakthroughs.com, you’ll notice that there is a box – an opt-in form – near the top right-hand corner.

Having an opt-in form is one of the key things that separate successful online businesses from those that fail. It allows your visitors to give you their name, e-mail address, and any other information you may want to collect.

The entire Agora Model of Internet Marketing is based on this concept.

By capturing your visitors’ contact information, you can follow up with them on a regular basis via e-mail. You can send them valuable content, build a relationship with them, and bring them back to your website to sell them products they are interested in.

Step 5: Offer a Freebie

The best way to get people to give you their contact information is to offer them something of value in exchange. At Early to Rise we offer a free subscription to the newsletter you’re reading right now.

You could also offer a free special report or some type of tip sheet. Putting one together can be as simple as coming up with 10 questions that people in your niche are likely to ask and answering those questions. It can be just 5 or 10 pages long. Better yet, unlike a daily newsletter, you only have to write it once. Then you upload it to your autoresponder (the same software you use for the opt-in form) and have it automatically sent to everyone who gives you their name and e-mail address.

I recommend using a third party autoresponder service such as Aweber.

Step 6. Drive Traffic to Your Website

There are many ways to drive traffic to your website, but when you’re starting out you’ll want to focus mostly on free traffic.

One of my favorite ways to get free traffic is by writing and submitting articles to article directories. I submit most of my articles to EzineArticles.com. (Make sure you include your website’s URL in the blurb or bio that runs with the article.)

Another good way to get free traffic is through social media marketing. Search for blogs and forums that are related to your niche and answer questions and post comments. Most forums and blogs will allow you to link back to your website. Just be sure that you are providing good content and that what you have to say is relevant to the forum’s or blog’s subject matter.

Keep in mind that most of the people you attract to your website by submitting articles and through social media will not purchase anything from you – at least, they won’t purchase anything on their first visit. But that’s why you have the opt-in form – to capture their contact information so you can keep bringing them back.

Step 7. Follow Up… and Start Making Sales

The final step is to follow up with the people on your opt-in list and start selling them products. These can be your own products or products you are promoting as an affiliate.

This, too, can be done with your autoresponder. For example, you could write a series of five to seven e-mails, each one promoting a different product. And as soon as people opts in to get your freebie, you have those e-mails automatically sent to them, one at a time, every couple of days.

You don’t want people to think they’re just going to be getting sales messages from you, so mix it up. Include some valuable content in your e-mails too. This will help you continue to build your relationship with them.

Those are the seven steps you can take to quickly and easily launch a new online business. Once you have this basic system in place you continue to build on it by learning more ways to bring traffic to your site, building a bigger opt-in list, and starting to promote what we call “backend” products.

If any (or all!) of this sounds daunting, don’t worry. I can give you hands-on help to get your own Internet business up and running at ETR’s 5 Days in July conference.

MaryEllen Tribby, Charlie Byrne, Edwin Huertas, David Cross, and I – as well as other experts in Internet marketing and website building – will be there to walk you, step by step, through the entire process.

We’ll teach you how to pick a domain name, set up a website, choose products, start driving traffic to your site, and much more. And at the end of the conference, every attendee will leave with a fully functioning Internet business that has the potential to churn out income for life.

Get all the details here.

[Ed. Note: It takes only 5 days to start an Internet business. Learn why right here.

Are you coming to ETR's 5 Days in July conference? What's the most important business-building technique you want to learn? Let us know right here.]

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Chris Schroeder – CEO of Health Central Network – bragged at a recent information-publishers’ conference that there were 2,000 items in his RSS feed inbox awaiting his attention. When I read this in an article by Bob Bly, I couldn’t help but shake my head.

“I have news for Mr. Schroeder,” Bob wrote. “If you have 2,000 unread items in your RSS feed, it is anything BUT an ideal way of getting information. Over-subscribing to free content via RSS feeds is an invitation to information overload disaster – equivalent to getting a Sunday New York Times delivered to your door every day of the year.”

Bob is dead right.

E-mail information overload, in particular, is a huge problem for entrepreneurs and small-business owners. Unfortunately, most of us are more or less addicted to it. Consider these facts, according to an eROI survey:

• 66 percent of Americans read e-mail seven days a week.

• 61 percent continue to check e-mail while on vacation.

• 41 percent check e-mail first thing in the morning.

• 26 percent say they can’t go more than two to three days without checking e-mail.

Is that bad?

I believe it is. For one thing, it is a significant cause of stress. In Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload, Mark Hurst says, “It may sound enticing to subscribe to the latest e-newsletter, but it’s demoralizing to see a pile of issues awaiting reading….”

But stress is just one problem. Consider this: A psychiatrist at London’s King’s College administered IQ tests to three groups. Group 1 did nothing but perform the IQ test. Group 2 was distracted by e-mail and ringing phones. Group 3 was stoned on marijuana. Unsurprisingly, Group 1 did better – by an average of 10 points – than the other groups. The e-mailers, however, did – on average – six points worse than the stoners.

As Gertrude Stein pointed out long before e-mail was invented, “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”

If you want to work smart and happily (and who doesn’t?), you need to get control over your e-mail inbox.

The first step, says Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week, is not to feel guilty. “Recognize that you receive too much information. It’s not your fault. Just accept that there is more information than time, and that it’s increasing every day.”  

Ferriss says that there are three ways to deal with e-mail overload. You can “live by reaction” and feel increasingly stressed and confused. You can opt out by not reading anything. Or you can practice “bit literacy” by getting “some information – the right information – without trying to get all of it.”

He recommends going on a “media diet” – i.e., getting rid of most of what is coming into your e-mail box and keeping only that which provides useful information on a reliable basis.

You can then divide the good stuff into “worth scanning” and “solid gold.” E-mails worth scanning are from sources that reliably deliver at least some relevant information. Solid-gold e-mails are from those rare sources that provide useful tips and insights every single time.

I would like to think that you would put both Early to Rise and Ready, Fire, Aim into your solid-gold category.

Your solid-gold e-mails should be read first. And both your solid-gold and worth-scanning e-mails should be read not thoroughly but intelligently and strategically – the same way as I’ve suggested business books should be read.

But even after whittling your inbox down to these two categories and reading the information strategically, you may find that you are still spending too much time on e-mail.

If that is the case, follow the Power of One rule. Scan your solid-gold e-mails until you find one good and useful idea – an idea you can implement immediately. Then stop reading.

Remember, you don’t have to know everything – or even most of what there is to know – to succeed at most endeavors. There are hundreds of ways to make money on the Internet, for example, but you can easily make a six-figure income by using only a few of them.

And finally, I’d recommend – as I have so many times in ETR – that you open your e-mail only once a day, toward the end of the day.

I have repeatedly found that if I read my e-mails first thing in the morning, as so many people do, I’m emotionally exhausted by the time I finish. It saps my energy when I need it most. And then, lacking energy, I don’t want to do anything very difficult or important. So I find myself taking care of “clean up” or “preparation” tasks – the kind that make you feel organized but don’t advance your career or help you achieve any of your major objectives.

I have also found that when I try to deal with work-related e-mail in the morning, I spend about twice as much time on it as I should. That’s because I tend to get involved in “discussions” that are unimportant or irrelevant to my goals.

That type of e-mail is full of the problems that other people are trying to get you to solve for them. If you ignore it until the end of the day, you will find that much of it already will have been taken care of – leaving more time for you to take advantage of the really good stuff, the information-packed, solid-gold e-mails that you really want and need.

[Ed. Note: How many e-mails do you get each day? What do you do to curb the information overload? Let us know right here.]

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In a few short months, I was able to achieve the ultimate Internet “fantasy” of making a lot of money from a simple (almost primitive) website that ran virtually on autopilot. Starting from scratch, I banked over $51,351.94 in my first 6.5 months online, just working part-time out of the corner of my living room.

I was 31 years old, and already on track to pull in six figures a year.

How did I go from a standing start to banking mega profits?

I did it with what I consider to be three inner secrets to Internet success. It has nothing to do with search engines or pay-per-click ads or any of the tactical stuff. It’s all about stuff that goes on in your head.

• Secret #1: Have “Cheerful Expectancy”

One of my main mentors was Earl Nightingale, who passed away several years ago. In his programs, he talks about having “cheerful expectancy.”

There’s a big difference between cheerful expectancy and hoping or wishing something is going to happen. When you have cheerful expectancy, you know it’s going to occur. And that doesn’t come from being a “Pollyanna” or looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.

It comes from having knowledge. And you get that knowledge by studying your field, whether it’s Internet marketing or neurology – by completely immersing yourself in it.

I learned from Earl Nightingale that if you want to be an expert on any subject, you have to spend at least an hour a day reading up on it. Knowledge gives you the confidence to have that positive expectancy. Your expectations determine your results.

• Secret #2: Do One Proactive Thing Every Day

You don’t need to do 100 things a day to be successful as an Internet marketer. Just do one proactive thing. By laying one little brick at a time, you will eventually build a big wall.

Don’t tell yourself, “Oh, I need to do e-zine ads and free-for-alls and pay-per-click search engines – and I need to do all this other stuff too!”

Agh!

Don’t overwhelm yourself. Just relax.

Make a commitment to do one proactive thing a day, no matter what. Even if you’re dead tired and worked a 14-hour day – come home and mail one letter or send out one joint venture proposal. I’m telling you, these little actions will have an immense impact.

One of my apprentices – Peter W. from the UK – is a perfect example of how powerful this can be. Peter was an Internet newbie and he also had a full-time job, so he was slow to get started. However, he took my advice and managed to do one proactive thing every single day. Whether it was something small (like writing one auto-responder message) or big (like writing 50 headlines), Peter was moving ahead. And, not surprisingly, he completed his first online project before most of my other apprentices.

• Secret #3: Make Quick Decisions

A lot of people have trouble making a decision. They don’t like to do it, because it cuts off their other options. Frankly, that’s the point. You want to cut off your other options so you’re forced to move forward. It can motivate you like nothing else.

And something magical seems to happen when you make a decision. I don’t understand it and I can’t explain it. But when you set your mind to do something, all of a sudden you meet people who can help you get to where you want to go. It’s like once a decision has been made, your mind gets tuned into it and all kinds of “freaky” coincidences start occurring.

Don’t be afraid of making the wrong decision – just make a decision. If you make a mistake, who cares? What you want to do is get all your mistakes out of the way, learn from them, and move on. Don’t be afraid of failure. Fail quickly. That will speed up the time it takes you to succeed.

(Michael Masterson calls this the Secret of Accelerated Failure.)

That’s a great thing about being an Internet marketer. You can test your idea and find out if it’s going to work right away – in days instead of months. Sometimes hours. If it doesn’t work, you say “Next!” If it does work, you keep on making it better.

As Michael Masterson says, “Ready, Fire, Aim!”

That’s what I did with our first product, InstantSalesLetters.com. I got it to the point where it was good enough to test. I quickly found out that, yes, there was a market for it, that I could sell it. And then I kept adding to it and making it better.

If you want to be a successful online marketer, that’s what you have to do.

• Expect that it will eventually happen.
• Do at least one thing every day to get your first product idea ready to test.
• When you’re ready, don’t hesitate. Make the decision and get it out there. If it works, keep making it better. If it doesn’t work, fail quickly… and go on to your next idea.

[Ed. Note: Serial entrepreneur Yanik Silver believes you can make more, have more fun, and give more back! Put his three Internet Success Secrets to work, and you could have your own powerhouse Internet business in no time.

Need a little help with the details? You can find out how to set up a website, pick a product, and get your own business off the ground in just 5 days this July. Get all the details here.]

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Networking is a great way to establish personal connections with people in your industry, whether you’re interested in joint ventures, finding a business partner, seeking funding, or looking for a new job. 

But do it wrong and you can burn a lot of bridges. Here are some things you should not do: 

Be too vague. Your friend passes on contact information for a consultant that you know will help your business – so you give him a call. But instead of briefly describing your problem and asking for specific advice, you tell a long rambling story and then ask: “Can you help me?” 

Prepare for the call by honing your elevator pitch – a one-minute, specific summary of who you are and what you need.

Bombard the contact with “follow up.” Let’s say you’re given contact information for a CEO who’s looking for your type of freelance services. Make your pitch with a phone call or by e-mail. Lay out your expertise and tell him what you can do to help him. Then let him carry the ball. Don’t send daily e-mails “checking” on the status of the hiring decision. Nagging isn’t going to get you the job. If he’s interested in you, trust that you will hear from him. 

Forget to follow up with the “connector.” When you’re introduced to a great contact don’t forget to say thanks and offer to reciprocate or help in some way.

[Ed. Note: Networking effectively is just one skill you can learn with Unscrew Your Life, Early to Rise's monthly newsletter dedicated to helping you navigate the trials and travails of daily life, whether you're at home, at work, or anywhere in between. Find out more here.] 

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With 200 million and 125 million users respectively, Facebook and MySpace have got marketers everywhere frothing at the mouth. “Look at all those potential customers!” they say. “How can we harness the overwhelming popularity of these sites to our benefit?”

Alexis Siemon has written before about marketing your business via social networking websites like these. Usually, that means interacting with members of the network, answering questions, leaving comments, and branding yourself as an expert in your field.

And now, (more…)

Even in tough times, opportunities present themselves… if you look in the right places.

One of the best ways to build a recession-proof income? Become an affiliate marketer.

Affiliate marketing is the process of using your website to drive traffic to a merchant’s website… and receiving a commission for sales that are generated. It has quietly become a $6 billion industry and, according to Jupiter Research, is expected to grow another 13 percent year-over-year through 2012. Jupiter Research also states that online marketers’ spending estimates for 2008 were $2.1 billion on affiliate marketing fees, with U.S. online affiliate marketing spending expected to reach $3.3 billion in 2012.

One reason affiliate marketing has experienced such massive growth is that it is a win-win opportunity – for the merchant and the affiliate. The merchant pays affiliates for their advertising efforts only when sales are actually made. Affiliates become an extension of the merchant’s sales force and receive nice commission payouts by driving sales traffic to the merchant’s website.

Many affiliate marketers do this as their only source of income and make a very nice living.

So what’s stopping you? If you aren’t making the money you need to live the life you wish to live – or if you just want an additional source of income – affiliate marketing may be for you. Early to Rise’s Affiliate Program has had a large turnout since its launch back in February (with 900 affiliates thus far) and the sales continue to roll in.

[Ed. Note: George Dahir is ETR's Affiliate Marketing Manager.
If you are ready to make money as an affiliate, join Early to Rise's Affiliate Program today by clicking here. You'll get $20 just for signing up!]

The topic of social media came up recently in my coaching program (the Radio Rant). People are understandably baffled by the cornucopia of ways available to gossip and reach out to touch other people.

And nobody has 4,000 friends. I don’t care what your Facebook total is.

Yet, many top online marketers (and politicians and journalists and probably the guy making subs at Quiznos) are obsessively writing 140-character neo-haiku on Twitter, including me. I’ve had an account since last summer, and I play around with it almost daily for weeks at a time.

Then I get bored and ignore it.

I doubt that it’s having much of an effect on my marketing results, but I have reconnected with a few old friends across the globe. Of course, I could have just as easily reconnected with them via e-mail, actual mail, or the phone. (Does anybody say “telephone” anymore?) But, no, it’s been Twitter.

And I’m not sure what to make of this.

I find it odd that a good pal will tweet something, I’ll reply (with my typical charm and wit) within seconds… and he won’t even see my reply. It gets buried in the avalanche of responses from his 4,000 followers.

And I’m starting to suspect that (like Britney Spears) some of my friends aren’t actually doing their own tweeting. They’re hiring some ghostwriter drones to do it for them.

For me, the “social” part of social media is murdered in its sleep when so little actual interaction takes place.
About 20 percent of the time I use Twitter to announce biz stuff – a new launch, a new product. The rest of the time, I’m performing pure social interaction. I am seeking the give-and-take of witty repartee, like the brassy (and extremely funny) sessions I have with other writers in a bar after a hard day of seminar presentations.

The advantage of Twitter is that it’s instant interaction. You tweet, and folks respond.

The DISadvantage of Twitter is the same instant interaction element.

A blog post stays up until you post again. People come to a blog, and read the first post – so if you put up something of value, you can engage large numbers of people with it. Plus, you can archive it, making it easy for people to access even years later. (I’m always getting comments on old blog posts from three and five years ago. Not sure why year four gets no respect.)

No such archiving exists with Twitter.

Just as at a real party, your witticisms and brilliant observations pass into the ether as soon as you make them. Within minutes, others tweet and move you off the main page.

If you’re following more than a few people, you might have hundreds of tweets in an hour or so. Anything you missed is long gone… unless you have time on your hands and can’t think of anything better to do than drift lazily through a thousand old tweets looking for something interesting.

I’ve heard it called texting for adults, and maybe that’s accurate.

My nephew, in college, uses Twitter as a way to define his personality. His tweets are little bits of language art, absurd or weird or confusing (kind of like Seinfeld asides). He’s establishing himself as smart and irreverent.

I tweeted today, several times. Tried to communicate with someone (no reply), left a smart-ass comment with someone else (they loved it), offered up some news stories for general consumption (no consensus yet on what my followers think about any of it).

And I’ll probably announce the posting of this article on Twitter later tonight.

But I don’t think Twitter can last long as it is. It has to be monetized – changed dramatically – or vanish. That much is (almost) for certain. I see my colleagues frantically searching for ways to monetize their Twitter accounts. The Holy Grail would be to discover a tactic that justifies the time we spend telling strangers where we’re at and what we’re doing.

Well… what do YOU think?

Are you using ANY of the big social media very much? (Blogs don’t count. Blogs rock.)

Can you swear to me that you’ve seen actual monetary results?

I’d like to know. Post your comments right here.

[Ed. Note: John Carlton is an expert copywriter, a pioneer in online marketing, and a teacher of killer sales copy. He knows marketing inside and out. Discover how to get your hands on the kick-ass secrets of the world's smartest, happiest, and wealthiest marketers right here.

Twitter may be the latest trend, but there are dozens of more effective ways to market your business - methods that have been time-tested and proven to work. Discover 12 of them in the Amazon.com bestseller Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions with Your Business.]

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