In a previous blog post, I touched on exactly what a niche is and how it relates to marketing. Now, I want to touch on the different marketing strategies I utilize when targeting a huge niche compared to what I find works for marketing to a small niche. There is a difference, and by gaining an understanding of what is best for each scenario, a marketer will become more efficient and effective.

For example’s sake, we will say that the huge niche I am marketing towards are business owners. There are many different types of businesses in the world, so I need to make it clear how my product or service will be of benefit to any type of business entity. I can accomplish this by how I word my marketing copy, and I should also pay close attention to where I advertise. When marketing to a huge niche, it is important to drive as much traffic towards my business as possible, but I still want to be sure to target business owners as a whole. For this reason, search engine optimization is an important tool, as pay-per-click is not cost-effective when trying to garner high volumes of traffic. It undoubtedly costs more money to market to a large niche than it does to market to a small one, and the competition will be more fierce. I need to be sure that I am on my “A” game when marketing to a huge niche.

When marketing to a small niche, like business owners who run their own shoe store for example, I will try and focus my advertising efforts in a way that will appeal to this smaller group. It serves me well to take a more personalized tone with my advertising copy. Instead of trying to get my message across to a large audience, I will want to hone in on finding ways to appeal to this narrow group. I will utilize pay-per-click campaigns, as this type of advertising is perfect for seeking out a small niche. Plus, I will look for advertising opportunities with shoe industry websites and publications that are geared towards shoe store proprietors.

As you can see, marketing to a huge niche involves a different mindset and approach than what is involved when marketing to a small niche. By tweaking my strategies based on my target customer, I can be as efficient as possible. In general, I prefer to market to large niches with respect to my wealth creation businesses because there are far more potential customers than what is found in the smaller, sub niches. There are many people looking for a solution to their financial problems, so this large niche serves my marketing purposes and strategies well.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

There are many ways in which I select the keywords for my Google Adwords campaigns. In fact, I utilize quite an extensive list of criteria for choosing my keywords based on how much I am willing to pay and what type of conversion rate I am looking for. Below is a list of some tips that will help you select effective keywords for your pay-per-click advertising campaigns.

1. Be willing to change keywords as needed: Take feedback from customers, website visitors, and your website logs into consideration. Never be afraid to use this information to select different keywords.

2. Take advantage of keywords tools: You will blow through your advertising budget if you bid on every keyword phrase that you can think of. Tools like Wordtracker and Google Ardwords: Keyword Tools will tell you the most popular of your keywords and those are the ones to use.

3. Always be as specific as possible: If you are selling men’s golf shoes, do not use the keywords “golf” or “golf shoes”. Instead use variations of “golf shoes for men”.

4. Learn from your competitors: Figure out who your toughest competition is and study what they do. Then do it better.

5. Ask plenty of questions: Be sure to talk to the customers you know and see what keywords they used to find your website. Also find out what those close to you use for keywords when they search for products similar you yours.

6. Think of your own keywords: Try and put yourself in a potential customer’s position and think of what they would search for.

7. Be sure to focus in on your niche: This relates to being specific, but do not hesitate to delve deeper.

8. Think creatively: All the best keywords have not been thought of. Think outside-the-box and you may find keywords that are heavily searched for but not heavily bid on.

9. Understand your market: Do research on your product’s market to think of additional keywords.

10: Find “bargain” keywords: change popular keywords around and check to see their search volume. You just may find some deals.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I am really a big fan of earning a passive income. This is where money gets put in my pocket with no effort on my part. There are many ways to earn a passive income with the Google Adsense program being one of the easiest methods.

Google Adsense is a program set up by Google that pays website operators to allow advertisements to be placed on their website. If you have ever been on a site where you noticed a series of “sponsored link” ads off to one side or on the bottom of the page, this was an example where a website owner is participating in the Adsense program.

There are several ways to set up Google Adsense on a website. Operators can choose to be paid by how many clicks come through their Adsense ads or they can be paid per-impression. Impressions are when the ad is shown, whereas clicks are when someone actually clicks through the sponsored link. The choice on which way to set this up depends on the type of website a person has and how much traffic it generates.

There is no cost to participate in the Adsense program and it can result in a nice commission check every month. If you own a website, you may want to look into Adsense. The only negative aspect of this program is that it can take potential customers away from your site and it does change the look and feel of your pages. Most of the Google Adsense ads will be similar in nature to the website they are placed on.

I love earning a passive income, and Google Adsense is a great way to do just that. No, you will not get rich through Adsense alone, but every little bit helps when doing business on the internet.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I’ve written in my blog about how important it is to understand what a conversion rate is. Increasing the conversion rate of a Google Adwords campaign is a science unto itself, but there are several simple techniques that I utilize to achieve higher rates.

Make sure your product is easy to order

You might be surprised at how many websites have an order page that is not easy to find. You will notice that on my Lazy Cash Formula website, there are several places where people can place orders. If people have to work at all to find out where to buy, they will have more time to change their minds.

Test, test, and… Perform more tests

It is critical to constantly evaluate what is working with your website and with your campaigns. Getting rid of things that hurt your conversion rate is the same thing as increasing your conversion rate. As you advance, consider using a program like Google Website Optimizer to gain a greater understanding of the positives and negatives of your Adwords’ campaigns.

Keep it simple and effective

Make sure that your website repeatedly explains the benefits of your product or service without overselling. There needs to be plenty of examples of how a life will change through the simple task of purchasing your product. Never get bogged down in listing a bunch of confusing statistics.

Use keywords and a call to action in your ads

The first introduction a customer gets to your product or service is when they read your advertisement. These ads should included keywords in order to attract targeted visitors. A call to action excites potential customers and they will become more likely to take action by purchasing your product.

It takes time and effort to increase your conversion rates, so it is important to understand that you are in business for the long run. By paying attention to the tips mentioned above, along with incorporating your own strategies, it will not be long until your conversion rates are growing exponentially.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I get questioned quite a bit regarding how I like to monetize a website. First of all, monetizing a website basically refers to ways in which you can generate income through the content on your site. There are many ways to get this done, but I tend to focus on the easiest ways to make the most money. Although each of these processes may not garner a ton of money on their own, you will be amazed at how steady income streams can add up and put a lot of cash in your pocket, month after month. Below is my list of favorite ways to monetize a website.

Find a good affiliate program

There is no better or simpler way to monetize a website and the right affiliate program can generate quite a bit of cash. Almost all affiliate programs are free to join, and you can start making money right away by simply placing a link on your site. Be sure to find an affiliate program that is similar in nature to the content on your site. If you have a website that offers marketing advice, you could put a link to my Lazy Cash Formula on there. I know, another shameless plug, but I am just trying to provide a working example.

Sell advertising on your website

Google Adsense is a program where sponsored links are placed on a website, and this can work well because these links are similar in nature to the content on your site. You can also make money through banner ads and text ads. Always be sure that the advertising you display corresponds to the content on your site, or your website will end up looking like a search engine.

Make your site a resource

If your site becomes known for quality content, your visitors will trust you as a knowledgeable entity. Therefore, any product you endorse will gain instant credibility.

Promote your website

Make sure that your website is easy to find. Email campaigns are a great way to garner targeted traffic, and the old-standby techniques of search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising will help your cause. Remember: no one can buy anything off of your website if they do not know it exists.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula Read the rest of this entry »

With respect to marketing and business, a “niche” is a group of potential customers defined by their narrow, but common interests. The most difficult task for marketers who wish to take advantage of these small groups lies in recognizing that a particular niche exists.

Most internet marketers, like me, are small fish in a big pond. There is competition out there that will chew us up and spit us out, without giving it a second thought. We can level the playing field a bit by identifying small niche markets that are virtually ignored by the large business entities. By marketing to a niche, we can stay a step ahead of our competitors and make the most out of our marketing efforts.

Let me try to make sense of niche marketing by providing a relevant example that relates to running an internet business. There are plenty of people out there who want to make more money in the comfort of their own homes. My product, the Lazy Cash Formula, will appeal to some of the people in that group, but it will serve my best interest to find a smaller niche to target with my marketing efforts. Perhaps, working mothers would be especially interested in my product, and working mothers who have low-paying jobs would be even more likely to make a purchase.

Now that I have identified my niche which is: working mothers who do not get paid enough money, I can now focus my marketing efforts in a way that will appeal to this group. I can figure out places online where this niche is likely to spend their time, and advertise there. I can also develop specific ads that appeal to working mothers who need more money. These ads could stress how my product will give them more time to spend at home with their kids.

Hopefully, my explanation regarding marketing to a niche will help some of you focus your marketing efforts. Finding a niche that is neglected by your competitors can pay off handsomely, and by cultivating several niche markets, you will be able to obtain customers that many did not even know exist.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

In order to get the most out of a website, it is important to pay attention to small details when creating a business site. A properly functioning website will improve your organic search results and increase overall conversion rates. As you become experienced with website design and functionality, there are advanced steps that can be taken to improve a site. For now, I will touch on the basic building blocks of a website that will enhance its overall performance.

Using Google Analytics

This program makes it easy to keep track of what is working and what isn’t working with your website. It also helps to see if the improvements you implement are getting the expected results. Google Analytics is a sufficient application for the tracking tasks that pertain to an independent marketer’s website.

Create functioning title tags

Failing to create tags that relate to the content on each page of your website will make it harder for the search engines to recognize the site. The process of creating such tags is easily accomplished through your website builder.

Identify and fix broken links

This building block of a functioning website makes it easier for your site’s visitors to navigate their way around and it helps keep a website up to date.

Make your links easy to identify

It does a disservice to your visitors when they do not realize that they are clicking on a link to another website, so make sure that your links are recognizable. Also, clicked links should always open up in a new tab. This will ensure that the visitors return to your website after they have checked out the linked page.

Make sure your site is easy to read and that it’s free of errors

Not only should your website be well-written, it should also be designed in a way that makes it easy to read. This means that you should adjust font sizes, colors, and backgrounds to create an aesthetically-pleasing site.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I have touched on the importance of continuous action several times on my blog and I feel that this topic is so critical that I am going to devote an entire post to how to keep moving forward. First of all, it is imperative to realize that there is not a program around where you can get rich by doing nothing. Think about it. If this was possible, everyone with a few dollars to spend would be forking it over to see returns of millions of dollars. Some companies will have you believe that this is possible, but don’t believe the hype.

That said, it is possible to work smarter instead of harder. By following the lead of those who have succeeded, carefully implement the strategies that they espouse. When you first start out as an internet marketer or as an affiliate, there is work to be done in order to get your business running. There should never be a dull moment and if you set out to work 3 hours a day, spend all of that time working. You can always find something to do like learning how to optimize your efforts on Google Adwords, posting an advertisement to a classified site, or sending out a promotional email.

There are hundreds of different ways to market an online business or affiliate program, so you should continuously be working towards making money. If you find yourself wondering what to do next, your business can always become more organized and there is always something that you can learn.

Succeeding at anything takes time and effort, but through the process of learning and implementing proven strategies, you will soon realize how to operate your business on “autopilot”. Depending on your level of commitment and the time you put forth, this could happen in a day or in a year. The overall goal of an online marketer should be to have more free time to spend doing the things that they enjoy. This will happen, if they display determination and continuous action in the early phases of their online venture.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

I will admit that I do receive quite a bit of praise regarding the writing on my Web site. Some of the customers I’ve helped make money on the internet will say things like, “Joel, I am so glad that you know how to write convincingly. I’m a skeptic at heart, and I never would have bought your system if you weren’t so good.” Although I tend to blush when I read something like this, the truth is, I was not always an effective writer and it was a skill I developed with plenty of practice and determination.

If you follow my blog, I’m sure you know about all the mistakes I made starting out in business. I wasted countless hours writing copy that did not sell. After a little while, I learned that I can’t make it sound like I’m trying to sell something. I started pretending I was writing to a friend, not to a potential client. Mentioning personal experiences also helped out a bunch.

Another mistake I used to make was being sloppy. This can kill your credibility and cost you sales. Never hesitate to ask others to read your copy before you post it and be sure to proofread and spell-check everything multiple times.

After I started improving at writing copy, and I was making a few sales as a result, I stepped it up a notch by changing my format around. I used to write long paragraphs, and this mistake cost me dearly. People shy away from big blocks of text. I started using bullets and headers which made my writing look more appealing. This may sound nit-picky, but it really does help.

The biggest tip that I can give my associates who want to write copy that sells is to really study copy that sold them. Also, practice does make perfect, and if you put the time in, anyone can learn to write convincingly. The gift of writing well is one of the most important skills that a marketer can have – if writing does not come naturally, don’t worry. I’ve know lots a wealthy online businessmen who cultivated their talents through practice and by learning from others.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula

When I first started out as an affiliate marketer, I made many mistakes. If I was lucky, these errors just cost me time. When I was unlucky, I ended up losing a lot of money. I truly enjoy helping others succeed, so I’ve put together some tips that will help new affiliate marketers make the right decisions during this vulnerable stage in their online business career.

Find the right program

Of course, I love the Lazy Cash Formula affiliate program and this is not just because I am unbelievably biased. I really believe that this program represents what a new marketer should look for. First of all, the Lazy Cash Formula retails for $77, which is a great deal. The more expensive a product is, the harder it is to market. Another reason that this is a good program to be an affiliate for is because it helps everyday people solve the problem of not having enough money – this seems to be an issue for almost everyone these days. Finally, the Lazy Cash Formula affiliate program provides a host of marketing materials that make it relatively simple to market the product without putting in a bunch of time and energy.

Diversify your marketing efforts

Often, affiliates get caught up in marketing just one way. Try a bunch of different methods when starting out to get an idea of what works best for you.

Keep good records

Try and find some good tracking applications that make it easy to keep organized. You want to be able to see what is working and what isn’t so that later on you can focus your efforts on proven marketing techniques.

Stay positive

If success is not happening as quickly as you would like, do not get discouraged. We all face setbacks at one time or another. It is how you respond to hardship that defines who you are as a person and as an online business entity.

Over the course of this blog, I will offer many other tips. One of the best ways to ensure success when you are starting out in an affiliate program is to learn from the mistakes of others and to listen to all advice from those who have realized their goals.

Make More, Work Less!

Joel “Cash” Johnson

Lazy Cash Formula