Digg it UP - Internet and Businesses Online

Are You Marketing Backwards?
Marketing is like rowing a boat. When you know how the pointed bow moves smoothly forward through the water encountering the least amount of resistance. Rowing backwards, the square stern of the boat pushes against the water, requiring more effort and increases the risk of having a wave come over the transom (back) and swamping it. Yet most people market backwards, trying to grow their business while pushing against the greatest level of resistance.Wouldn’t you like to market your business so that it moved easily forward?What’s the first thing most people do to increase sales of their products, services? They put together a description of their credentials. Then they pick up the phone, run an ad campaign, send out a brochure and or build a web site and ask people to buy.Do you know anyone who has used this approach?Have you tried it yourself?Were you happy with the number of new clients and customers you attracted?It’s a

r stats you'll see that "code1" also generated 100 clicks. Use the two figures together and you can calculate the conversion ratio of 3%. In other words, 3% of the people you sent to the merchant actually bought the product.

The conversion ratio is important to know. There's no point sending traffic to a merchant that converts at 1%, when you could send that same traffic to a different merchant that converts at 3%. Assuming the commissions earned per sale are the same, you're better off with the second merchant. You'll only know this by testing different merchants and calculating the conversion ratio of each.

In fact there's no need to even calculate the conversion ratio manually - the click-tracker does it for you! Simply view the stats for the click-tracker and enter a "sales" figure for each tracking ID. The click-tracker then automatically generates the conversion ratio for each one.

To finish off this article, let's just quickly see how you'd track sales with more than one tracking ID. If you only have one link to your ClickBank affiliate URL then you won't need to do this, but what if you have two links to ClickBank, one on "index.html" and the other on your blog? Simply use the following URL on your blog where your ClickBank affiliate URL normally goes:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your cl

Internet Dependence
Ever since the evolution of the internet, individuals have been able to make complicated tasks a lot more simple. Doing research is a breeze for high school and college students. In the past a student could not accomplish any research without taking a few trips to the library.Communications was also a lot different before the evolution of the internet. Especially in long distance situations. Email has made communication between people in different cities, states, and even countries very simple at a low cost.The internet has no doubt had it benefits but its negatives need to be addressed. It seems to affect face to face relationships between people. People use email instead of a face to face meetings or a personal phone call. People use dating sites to find dates rather than going out and meeting people in person. People apply for jobs over the internet instead of going to job fairs in person.Even though the internet has its benefits, it’s negatives need to be

In this article I'm going to explain how to track your ClickBank sales AND traffic. Don't worry if you don't promote any ClickBank products, the techniques outlined below can be used with any affiliate network that has a "Tracking ID" facility. Everything is also 100% free, I'm not trying to promote any tracking systems here!

Ok, let's get started. If you're not familiar with ClickBank's tracking ID system then you can read more about it at ClickBank (read their Hoplink FAQ). The problem is you can only track sales, not clicks. Let's take a look at an example to demonstrate the problem, and the solution. Let's say you have a webpage at this address:

http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html

On that page you're promoting a ClickBank affiliate URL:

http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=code1

You can see that "yourid" is your ClickBank affiliate ID, "publisherid" is the ID of the merchant you're promoting and "code1" is the tracking ID for this particular link. If 100 people click on that link and 3 of them buy the product, that's a conversion ratio of 3%. A conversion ratio is the percentage of people you send to an affiliate URL who then go on to buy the product. In this case, the figure of 3% means that 3 out of every 100 visitors, on average, became customers.

3% isn't bad, but hang on a minute - ClickBank only tells you there were 3 sales for the tracking ID "code1". You don't know there were 100 clicks on the link, and without this figure you can't calculate the conversion ratio. What if 500 people had clicked on the link? The conversion ratio would be just 0.6% (i.e. 0.6% of the 500 visitors became customers). Ideally you should only promote websites that have a relatively high conversion ratio. If you're promoting two different ClickBank products for example, and one has a conversion ratio of 1% and the other 4%, you'd be better off focusing your attention on the second one and ditching the first. You'll only know this if you can calculate the conversion ratio. Luckily, this problem is easily solved with the use of a simple click-tracker PHP script. The script simply counts the number of times someone clicks on a link.

Don't worry if you've never used PHP before, there's nothing complicated about it. As long as you can upload files to your webspace you'll have no problem following these easy steps. It goes without saying that you also need PHP running on your server.

Go to PHPSuccessTools (see the resource box at the end for the URL), click "mailing list" in the navigation bar at the top and subscribe, then check your email for the password. This will give you full access to all the scripts that are available. Click on "Free Scripts" in the navigation bar and then click on "Tagged Click Tracker". Then fill out the form as follows:

"Password"
You should always choose a random combination of letters and numbers for your passwords, but to keep things simple for this example enter "showstats" as the password.

"Destination URL"
This is your ClickBank affiliate URL with a tracking ID appended to the end. It should look like this:
http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=[TAG]
Make sure you replace "yourid" with your ClickBank ID and "publisherid" with the ClickBank ID of the merchant you're promoting.

"Optional Expiration"
Leave this box as it is, we don't want the link to expire.

"Name"
Enter "go" for this.

You can leave all the other boxes as they are, unless you understand what they do. Now hit "Submit". Follow the instructions on the next page, where you'll be asked to save several files onto your computer and then upload them to your webspace and change the permissions. Upload them to the same folder as your index.html page (as this is the page we're going to edit in a few moments).

If you've never changed file permissions before then there's a simple guide at PHPSuccessTools - just click on "Guides" in the navigation bar at the top.

In this example we're assuming that you're linking to a ClickBank affiliate URL on your index page, so instead of linking directly to ClickBank, change the link on your "index.html" page to this:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

Let's recap what we've done. We replaced the ClickBank affiliate link on your "index.html" page with a link that goes to the click-tracker script (called go.php). The click-tracker script, in turn, counts how many clicks the link gets and redirects the surfer to the actual ClickBank affiliate link.

Now we understand what's changed, lets see how it works. Note the tracking ID (code1) at the end of the click-tracker link:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

When somebody clicks on that link, the click-tracker looks at the destination URL (which you entered when the click-tracker was created) and replaces [TAG] with the tracking ID. So in actual fact, the destination URL becomes:

http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=code1

Now all you have to do is view the statistics for this click-tracker and you'll be able to see how many clicks your link got. The stats are available at this URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?showstats

Now let's say that 100 people click on your new click-tracker link and 3 of them buy the product. By looking at your ClickBank stats you'll see that the tracking ID "code1" has produced 3 sales. If you look at your click-tracker stats you'll see that "code1" also generated 100 clicks. Use the two figures together and you can calculate the conversion ratio of 3%. In other words, 3% of the people you sent to the merchant actually bought the product.

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your cli

Is This The Way It's Always Been Done?
Let’s face it, we all tend to get stuck in doing things ‘the way they’ve always been done’, and creating products, or services, in a similarly conservative mode.But there is another way. Why not take a new look at your business. Take the opportunity to have regular creative thinking sessions in order to break the mould. Just one session could start off a new trend.The best way to do this is to organise a group of your own people, friends, customers, and anyone else you think can contribute, to sit round a table with you, for an hour, and literally set out to think creatively on the problem of the day.Throw in a few sandwiches and coffee to kill two birds with one stone, by doing it at lunch-time. This is absolutely ideal for this purpose. Even introduce a little competition to encourage people to take part.The first and most important decision you have to make, is to define the problem you want to solve, clearly and briefly. Thus, for example, you may b

tells you there were 3 sales for the tracking ID "code1". You don't know there were 100 clicks on the link, and without this figure you can't calculate the conversion ratio. What if 500 people had clicked on the link? The conversion ratio would be just 0.6% (i.e. 0.6% of the 500 visitors became customers). Ideally you should only promote websites that have a relatively high conversion ratio. If you're promoting two different ClickBank products for example, and one has a conversion ratio of 1% and the other 4%, you'd be better off focusing your attention on the second one and ditching the first. You'll only know this if you can calculate the conversion ratio. Luckily, this problem is easily solved with the use of a simple click-tracker PHP script. The script simply counts the number of times someone clicks on a link.

"Password"
You should always choose a random combination of letters and numbers for your passwords, but to keep things simple for this example enter "showstats" as the password.

"Optional Expiration"
Leave this box as it is, we don't want the link to expire.

"Name"
Enter "go" for this.

If you've never changed file permissions before then there's a simple guide at PHPSuccessTools - just click on "Guides" in the navigation bar at the top.

In this example we're assuming that you're linking to a ClickBank affiliate URL on your index page, so instead of linking directly to ClickBank, change the link on your "index.html" page to this:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

Now we understand what's changed, lets see how it works. Note the tracking ID (code1) at the end of the click-tracker link:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=code1

Now all you have to do is view the statistics for this click-tracker and you'll be able to see how many clicks your link got. The stats are available at this URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?showstats

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your cl

Quiz: Where is Your Marketing Message?
Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the spotlight right in front of your target market or is busy cowering by the punch table nowhere near your customer base? Take this quiz and find out.1. Overall, you would describe your marketing as:A. Going strong. You consistently get lots of good leads and sales from your marketing efforts. B. Getting better. You're seeing some positive results, but you're always looking for ways to improve. C. Flat. Your sales are neither growing nor shrinking. D. Don't ask. E. You don't do much marketing. Or any marketing for that matter. Customers pretty much find you. 2. Your last marketing campaign was:A. A huge success. It exceeded your expectations. B. No complaints. You're pleased with your results. C. Not sure. You didn't notice much change with your sales. D. A waste of good money. E. You can't remember your last campaign. In fact, you don't

vigation bar and then click on "Tagged Click Tracker". Then fill out the form as follows:

"Password"
You should always choose a random combination of letters and numbers for your passwords, but to keep things simple for this example enter "showstats" as the password.

"Optional Expiration"
Leave this box as it is, we don't want the link to expire.

"Name"
Enter "go" for this.

If you've never changed file permissions before then there's a simple guide at PHPSuccessTools - just click on "Guides" in the navigation bar at the top.

In this example we're assuming that you're linking to a ClickBank affiliate URL on your index page, so instead of linking directly to ClickBank, change the link on your "index.html" page to this:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

Now we understand what's changed, lets see how it works. Note the tracking ID (code1) at the end of the click-tracker link:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=code1

Now all you have to do is view the statistics for this click-tracker and you'll be able to see how many clicks your link got. The stats are available at this URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?showstats

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your cl

Business Management Case Study; Mobile Auto Motive Services and Hot Summer Heat
Starting and owning your own business can be literally be a dream come true for most new entrepreneurs, unfortunately it can turn into the biggest nightmare in the world too, as over regulation, labor issues and cash flow dilemmas from time to time. Indeed those are some of the most common problems that small businesses face in America. Of course there are other issues as well and often, new entrants into business do not consider them, yet find out that they can be over bearing.Let us look at a case study shall we? A new entrepreneur wishes to start a mobile oil change business. He lines up all the supplies, waste oil removal vendors, trains employees, markets to customers and off he goes. Next the summer heat comes and no one wishes to work. Customers complain of sweat dripped into their cars and employees are hard to keep. Additionally the unemployment rate in the county dips and grows closer to the national average each year of 4.9%. This scenario is to be considered and

index page, so instead of linking directly to ClickBank, change the link on your "index.html" page to this:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

Now we understand what's changed, lets see how it works. Note the tracking ID (code1) at the end of the click-tracker link:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code1

http://yourid.publisherid.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=code1

Now all you have to do is view the statistics for this click-tracker and you'll be able to see how many clicks your link got. The stats are available at this URL:

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?showstats

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your cl

The Internet - The New Wave?
Many people wrote off the internet after the dot com boom and bust. Because many people were burnt by flash in the pan companies that while big on promises failed to deliver and lost money big time. People saw the huge potential of the internet, but didn’t understand how business would work on the internet. Many wrongly assumed that it was just a case of taking traditional business practices and putting them online. They were wrong and it cost millions. The internet is so vast and spans the globe that new ways of doing business were needed. Those who learnt these lessons stood and still stand to make fortunes.A decade later and people are now wiser and the internet has indeed made many millionaires, but these people had learnt how to manage the new beast. Indeed the huge internet success stories were companies like Google which realised that to be successful on the internet took a team approach and that the more people involved the better for them, even if that meant

http://www.yourdomain.com/go.php?code2

Now when you view your click-tracker stats, just look for "code2" to see how many clicks this particular link received. Similarly, your ClickBank stats will show "code2" as the tracking ID for any sales that came from this link.

You are free to choose any tracking ID you want (you don't have to use "code1" and "code2"). Just make sure your IDs only contain alphanumeric characters (no spaces or symbols) and are 50 characters or less in length.

As I mentioned at the start of this article, you can use the above techniques with any affiliate network that has a tracking ID facility. When creating your click-tracker(s), simply enter your affiliate URL as the "Destination URL" and place [TAG] wherever the tracking ID should go.

If you're feeling adventurous, I recommend you make use of the hit-tracker script, also freely available at PHPSuccessTools Place a separate hit-tracker on each page in your website that contains affiliate links and you'll be able to calculate the click-through ratio as well as the conversion ratio of those links.

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A recent piece at Buddytv.com asked ‘Has 24 become too preachy?’, perhaps a better question is “Is 24 enough?”

Celebrity Endorsers: Unlock never before revealed secrets about how you can immediately, inexpensively, easily, and with zero risk, secure top line celebrities for a fraction of what they normally charge.

While gaps in hard skills, like understanding a balance sheet, are relatively easy to identify and fill in, it’s often quite difficult to pinpoint the personal assumptions and beliefs that can limit effectiveness. An individual's personality style includes strengths that when over-used can narrow perception and result in habitual ways of reacting that may not be the best choice for all situations. Becoming aware of limiting patterns makes it possible to learn new ways of thinking that offer a more balanced perspective.

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