Business is an indefinite market. Despite of the existence of sophisticated marketing tools to determine the exact wealth of a certain business investment, business is still an indefinite market where you are facing an undefined number of business competitors with unfamiliar or great strengths in terms of marketing their products. The existence of such number of competitors as well as the varying market conditions is just a few of the obstacles that you will meet as you hurdle your way to get a hold of even a meager share of profit on any existing markets.
On the other hand, the introduction of the Internet and E-commerce brought revolutionary changes in the business community. Although its arrival just paved the way for fiercer competition among online entrepreneurs and widen the indefinite number of competitors, it provided an opportunity for individuals who want to start their own business in a cost-efficient manner. It is relatively true; since you are not required to maintain a physical structure, hire more employees, and more paper works. The cost is not as expensive as starting a conventional business, yet the return of investment is higher—you can have your capital returned even just within a few months if you are capable of doing so.
Internet marketing does not only provide convenience in terms of commercial activities but also gave freedom to Internet marketers in terms of running their business at their own discretion. Starting your online business means you are the boss, do whatever you want to do, and work in your most convenient time and attire. Freedom is one of the reasons why there are thousands of individuals who prefer a career on the Internet marketing industry.
The success or failure of your Internet marketing career is dependent on what you learn about the basics of this lucrative industry. Just like getting a real estate broker license, you need to learn the basics of Internet marketing to ensure your success as an online entrepreneur. Although there are hundreds of basics that you need to learn, there are several things that you need to learn first prior to the start of your online business.
One of which is website promotion, a fast-emerging model that has been considered to redefine the traditional promotion methods on Internet marketing. Due to technological innovation, there are repeated shifts in terms of client from one brand or product to another. Thus, as an Internet marketer, you need to accomplish the maximum quantity of prospective clients in a short period of time so that you can get started with your business and acclimatize quickly to the fast-paced online marketplace.
What is website promotion? It means that you need to have your own website that will serve as your “propaganda” in providing portfolio information to your target market, details on the products and services you are offering, and contact details in case your site visitors are convinced that they really need your product and services. In addition, your website promotion may characterize supplementary information such as dealer and partnership networks, accreditation from some reputable Internet-based business organizations, documentations, free trial, online processing of Internet-placed orders, delivery services, and interactive customer care service.
Website promotion is also about defining a website that is well-developed and could be marketed on the Internet. Some of the characteristics/features of such website are as follows:
- It must have an well-organized information processing. All information requested by site visitors (email newsletter, regularly-posted updates, product information and others) must be incorporated to your website.
- It must be visible on the Internet. You can achieve this through high search engine result rankings that are commonly attributed to the site’s SEO (search engine optimization) and popular keywords included as part of the website’s content. Increased visibility will help you accumulate potential leads and eventually build a triumphant online business.
- It must be reputable. Keep in mind that your website is your “alter-ego” on the Internet. The good reputation of your website can be established through registering it in its own domain name and giving it a professional look.
Website promotion is one thing that you must not neglect if you want to see your Internet marketing business grow and achieve success. This promotional tool is essential so that you will not lose your way on the indefinite world of Internet marketing.

What is Search Engine Optimization, also commonly termed as SEO? Why do you need it for your network marketing business opportunity?

Basically SEO is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines via ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ search results. Usually the sites that are ranked higher in the search engines will have more traffic directed to their sites, thereby increasing the website traffic. Most internet marketers use SEO to optimize their websites as SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for.

When using SEO, the website traffic generated is free. You do not have to pay for the traffic that you get unlike when targeting paid traffic in the form of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or Google AdWords.

Normally when you do a search on any of the search engines like Yahoo or Google, you would normally click the results that are on the left rather than those on the right. The ones that are on the right are basically sponsored, which means they pay to be shown on the first few pages, unlike the ones on the left which are there due to the natural algorithms. This shows that SEO traffic is of higher quality as compared to PPC.

The latest trend now is using SEO for the network marketing industry. It is considered as one of the most lucrative ways to make money in network marketing. Why is this so?

SEO is basically unheard of previously in the network marketing industry. It is a new trend and very few network marketers know about SEO. At the same time, those who are currently involved in SEO are not network marketers. As such, the market is huge and generally untouched.

SEO in the next few years down the road will be the trend for network marketers. Currently there is little competition because many network marketers have not yet started to build their business online. And since those who are currently strong in SEO are not involved in network marketing, the opportunities are endless.

So if you follow some simple guidelines, you should be able to get your network marketing websites ranked easily on the Internet.

You can start by creating a Squidoo Lens or a Hub Page. This will help to drive traffic to your website and boost your rankings as they are considered high authority sites. What you need to do is to write a good content with high keyword density.

Target long tail keywords. Long tail keywords are usually 3 and 4-keyword phrases which are very specific to whatever you are selling. Whenever a customer uses a highly specific search phrase, they already know what they are look for. In virtually every case, such very specific searches are far more likely to convert to sales than general generic searches that tend to be geared more toward the type of research that consumers typically do prior to making a buying decision.

At the same time, write various articles about your network marketing company and the products or services. Focus on optimizing your company’s brand name. Submit these articles to various top ranking article directories like Ezine Articles or Idea Marketers. A good article needs to be easy to understand and powerful. Keep your articles short and sweet, preferably between 300 to 500 words.

In the long run, you will be able to drive free traffic to your website. Remember to optimize your articles with keywords that have high searches. The key is to drive traffic no matter which search engine ranking position you are in – it is no point getting rank no.1 if no one is searching for that keyword at all.

Many people who join or get involved in network marketing companies usually have a big concern about the saturation point of such a business model. They are afraid that one day soon, everyone in the whole wide world will be involved in a network marketing organization and that there will no longer be a market from which they can attract people into their organization as their downlines.

So is it true that saturation in network marketing is a myth? Will there be a day where it will be impossible to attract any new downlines into your organization due to the overwhelming competition in the whole wide world? If that were the case, then with network marketing as a business model for the past fifty odd years, the market would be pretty saturated by now. However, it is far from being so.

Saturation in network marketing is a myth and should not be a cause for concern. Here are a few reasons as to why this is so.

Network marketing saturation is therefore a myth. As long as the company is a legitimate company offering products and services that have appeal to customers, there is nothing to worry about.

First thing to do is get clear on Network Marketing & MLM. There is no difference between Network Marketing & MLM. They refer to the same thing. It is 2 different ways of expressing the same business model. By network marketing we refer to the fact that we work within a Network of people. By MLM we are referring to the different levels within our organization on which we get paid. MLM has a negative perception & connotation in the media. Network Marketing & MLM are the same thing. Today most people refer to it as Network Marketing.

Network Marketing is a Business Opportunity. You get an opportunity to start your own business and you need to relate to it as such. Most people who fail in Network Marketing because they do not relate to it as a real business. Most Network Marketing companies have a startup cost of $500 or less. Most businesses startup costs are $100,000 or more. The fact that Network Marketing business is a bargain should not be the cause of you treating it like it has no value. You need to be the same way as if you had invested $100,000.

Listen to Robert Kioysaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. He and Donald J. Trump have partnered up to promote Network Marketing.

It is a relationship business; it is about helping people build a business and focusing on customers for your products and services. Network Marketing really is an unseen business and it is all about referral sales. Its something we already do everyday but have not been getting paid for. For example: have you ever referred a good movie or a restaurant to a friend? Did you get paid? Well in Network Marketing or MLM you get paid for referring people to your products & services. Every time you refer someone and every time they pay for the service or product you get a percentage.

That is referred to as residual income. You acquired a customer once and then every time they use the service you get paid, month after month, year after year. Its the same as Jerry Seinfeld, he has stopped making his shows in 1998, yet every time an episode airs on TV he gets paid. Another benefit of this way of doing business is that you have an opportunity to build a team. You recruit others who want to join you as a business partner. Not only do you make money from your customers, you also make a percentage of your team’s customers. Now you are using the key wealth principle of leveraging your time. There is absolutely no limit to the number of people that can join you and no limit on the number of customers you & your team can have. Some companies have “Bonus Plans” in place where you get a bonus when a new Representative joins your business either through you or indirectly through someone you recruited.

Jean Paul Getty, The worlds first Billionaire and founder of Getty oil said “I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.”. This is the basic wealth principle. This how the rich make money and this is the underlying principle in a good Network Marketing company.

It is businesses in which anyone can invest a small sum of money and through sheer tenacity achieve staggering levels of financial reward and personal freedom. But it requires education based on market tested results. The biggest reason why people fail in Network Marketing or MLM is the lack of training. Before joining you must find out what training the company provides and what training & support the person that is recruiting you will provide. Ask them “Are they willing to hold my hand, go shoulder to shoulder and take me through step by step until I am successful”?

Network Marketing does not have giant signs or large offices, yet according to the Direct Selling Association (DSA) over 13 million people in the U.S. are working in the network marketing / direct selling industry.

They usually offer reasonably priced products and services that people consume in a short time. Generally the commission structure is less up-front then the direct sales companies, but it has a benefit that most direct sales companies do not have and that is residual income.

* It costs much less to get involved with this form of business, a few hundred dollars.

* Allows more people to become involved.

* Builds Residual Income.

* Leverages the time of others.

Network marketing is all about sales and distribution, but a different kind of sales. It’s more of a soft sale or recommendation then the hard closing type that you’re accustomed to with the typical salesman or saleswoman in the direct sales. It is also a recruiting business. Network Marketing does not mean No work Marketing. You consistently need to be speaking to 5 - 10 new people per week. You need to share with them the opportunity for them to be in your business as a representative. The more people you talk to the more success you will have. Unless you are willing to speak to people you can not succeed.

The best approach by far in network marketing is a consultative sales approach. This is used very successfully today. What makes it even more successful is when you are offering services that your customers already use and are able to save them money. Over $30 Billion worth of products & services go through Network Marketing annually.

The 5 keys to evaluate a Network Marketing Company:

1.Credibility of the Company

2.Products & Services of the Company

3.Training offered by the Company & Recruiter

4.Compensation plan.

5.Are you allowed to sell your business or leave it your children

Credibility of the company

You want to be sure the company is credible & has integrity. Stay away from companies that are in business less then 5 years. Most Network Marketing companies fail in their first 5 years. Look at the people endorsing the company & owners of the company. Look at the track record & growth of the company for the last 5 years.

Products & Services

If you do not believe in the Network Marking Company’s products and services then you can not succeed with that company. The reason being you need to be true to yourself. If you do not believe in the products & services then how can you possibly authentically refer them to your friends? If you do not feel good about it don’t do it. Remember the example of a good movie or a restaurant.

You then need to evaluate the ease of the sale. Ask yourself the following:

“Do you need to get people to change their spending habits or do they already use product & services you offer” …Ease of change

“Do people need to spend more money? …Cost Savings

“Will they automatically stay a customer month after month or do you have to resell them?” …Customer retention

“What’s the future trend?” …Longevity of Products & Service

Training

This is very important. When you get a new job the company trains you. They usually have someone work with you for a week. It should be the same with the Network Marketing Company. What is the training already in place. Do they have online training, Training manuals, Regional Trainings. How much time is the person recruiting you willing to spend with you.

Compensation Plan

You want the time to understand their compensation plan. When you are evaluating a job, do you ask “How much I will make this year and how much in the future?” Well you want to do the same when looking at the Network Marketing company. Ask the person recruiting you to put a plan together and see how much you can make in your first month, first 6 months, first year and so on. Find out what it takes for you to get qualified to start making money, different promotion levels and the money associated to them. See the detailed Compensation Plan. If you get numbers like up to $3,000 or up to 10% then in my experience you should realistically count on half (50%) of those numbers. I am sure some people get the full 100% of those numbers but during the evaluation of a company you should look at 50%.

Selling the business

If you are investing your time to build a business then you should be able to sell it to someone else or pass it of to your children. Find out if there are any limitations put on you by the Network marketing Company. There may be a small fee but a good company will allow you to sell your business.