For example, you have to know what words people are searching for.  I promote a product called iLearning Global that I write about in a blog.  I needed to figure out how people were searching for the product before I started worrying about how to structure any given page.  See the article ilearningglobal for a detailed look at it.

Another article that will teach you a lot about SEO is How to Write a Review.  This article talks about how people search for the term XYZ Review all the time, and writing a review about your product (XYZ) is a great way to get good SEO results.

No, this is not everything, but these two articles will help you improve your SEO writing results a lot if you are not doing these things currently.

Here is an internet marketing plan intro that will help you craft your complete internet marketing strategy.  Let me be absolutely clear.  I want you to craft a great internet marketing plan using all kinds of free and cheap internet marketing tools and techniques.  Then I want you to realize that it is very valuable to do it, but it is a lot of work, so you will submit your project to our Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant Network.

Internet Marketing Plan – Step 1

The first thing you need to do is focus on the outcome you want from your internet marketing plan.  I do not mean vague things like more sales.  You have to think about your selling process and understand what internet marketing can do for you.

1. Can your internet marketing create sales directly?  Is it likely people will buy from you online?  It depends on the product.
2. Can internet marketing generate sales leads for you?  Will people pick up the phone and call you?  Will they submit via a form?
3. Will your internet marketing effort generate strong brand awareness?  Will it increase your ability to close sales when you are calling on people in person?
4. Can internet marketing be part of a drip marketing strategy where you help people get to know you and eventually call you?  Email auto responders are a great example of this.

Don’t just pick one.  Ideally you will have some things to sell, some ways to generate leads and some techniques for strengthening relationships.  But you have to be clear on the outcome before you can start.

Internet Marketing Plan – Step 2

Next you need to plan out your internet marketing strategy.  The entire thing is a funnel.  And if you have three outcomes you want, then you have to build three funnels.  Some of the things high up in your funnel will probably give people options to drop down into different funnels depending on their interests.

You know where you want to get people, but how do you find them?  There are several different ways people will find you and begin exploring what you have to offer.

1. Press Releases
2. Email subscribers
3. Search Engines
4. Word of Mouth
5. Affiliates
6. Paid Ads
7. Social Media
8. Online Advocacy

Before you invest big money into ads, make sure you test the conversion and profitability of the page people are landing on.

Keep in mind that you will not get instant results from many of the online options.  Because the internet is so crowded and noisy, it is hard to stand out and get noticed.  It can take months or even years to build a credible site that has a real audience.

So for this step two, you should have your Internet Marketing goals defined and have your funnel strategies listed on how you are going to build traffic and awareness for the marketing outcome you want.

Example:  I want people that are thinking about becoming a Virtual Buzz Assistant to visit that site and join our network so that I can help them be better virtual marketing assistants and help businesses find virtual assistants that they can depend on to help them promote their business.

• I have the sign up page which is the end of the funnel.
• I have the site and blog, which is the middle of the funnel.
• I write articles to generate search engine traffic, such as this one about internet marketing plans
• I write articles on different sites to increase search engine results and visibility
• I use a variety of social media sites to create higher visibility for the site.

Without going into too much detail, you can see how this internet marketing funnel is built and works.

Internet Marketing Plan – Step 3

Now you have a plan in place.  The next step is doing it.  Marketing is never a set it up and forget it proposition.  You will have to try different things, experiment, track your marketing results and ROI and keep making adjustments.  Also, even if you get great visibility one day, it is not easy to maintain that visibility for the long haul without considerable effort.

That is why we created the Virtual Buzz Assistant network.  If you create a good, detailed markting plan there are many people available that can help you execute it.  But do not think that because you have outsourced particular internet marketing tasks that you can forget about your internet marketing effort.  It is up to the owner  to keep an eye on the reports and results to ensure great ROI.  And if the numbers are not where you want them, then experiment and adjust, don’t just stop doing it.

I have seen a lot of people give up. Blogging is an excellent example where people give up instead of evolve.  People get excited about blogs, they start a blog, then when they do not get a big audience or sales quickly, then simply stop blogging.  It is not a question of whether blogs work as part of your internet marketing strategy or not.  The question is, are you doing the right things with your blog.

Internet Marketing Plan – Step 4

At some point you reach a time where you have to assess your effort and make some decisions.  If something is working, you need to put more time and money into increasing that effort.  If something is not working, you have to ask yourself why and decide if the effort needs changed or is it simply not reaching the right people.  You do not want to give up on things too quickly, but you also do not want to keep throwing more money at failing strategies.  Move your resources to what works.

I hope you find this internet marketing plan article valuable.  People always make requests on our virtual buzz assistant site to get more buzz, but they have not done their homework and written at least a simple internet marketing plan.  If you cannot clearly define the marketing tasks you want a virtual assistant to do, then you cannot expect them to get results for you.

Don’t have time to write your Internet Marketing Plan?  Then you can always pay someone to write your internet marketing plan for you.

1. Start a blog. Yes, this is obvious, but the way you craft it really counts here. To be really effective, talk about what you are doing. Tell stories about what is going on. Most importantly though, show the results that donations are doing. Keep it positive and show people that their donation money is being put to good work, and to make them feel good about helping out.
2. Fundable.com. This site is totally dedicated to fund raising. It allows users to set a timeline and dollar amount for your cause. Its quick and easy to use, to boot. The only thing to be aware of is that if you don’t meet your goal within the deadline set no money gets donated at all. If you are confident you can make it though, this is a great, easy tool to use. For an example of this, check out the page for African United Partnerships .
3. Squidoo. This was originally started for charity groups, so this should be a no brainer. You can eve submit your group to be added to their list of charity/non-profit groups. This means that any user creating a lens can have a portion of any profits made on it go to your group. Be sure to join groups to take advantage of this. Once again, check out the lens from African United Partnerships to see how it’s done.
4. Blog Networks. Once you start a blog be sure to claim it on a blogging community like MyBlogLog.com and BlogCatalog.com. Be sure to follow other blogs here to grab their attention as well.
5. Mingle. Don’t just build these things and sit on it. Talk to people! Read other blogs and comment on them. Send them emails with helpful things. Make them see you as valuable. When the time comes, they will return the favor.
6. Main Site. Make sure you have a professional looking main site that details your cause well. Also, make sure there is a very clear, easy way to donate. It doesn’t help to get people rallied for your cause, but be confused on how to help.  Here, we see that AUP (http://africanunitedpartnerships.org) has a professional site with obvious donate buttons on every page.

The important thing to note is that you really have to focus with these and take the time to cultivate them. Use the powerful social aspect of these tools to build links and relationships with other people. It is also important that you look professional. People want to make sure their money is going to a good cause. Leverage the power of relationship building combined with good design on your sites to build that trust and audience. The web has some powerful methods of reaching people around the world. Take advantage of it to spread the word.

This post, Web Marketing Nonprofit Organizations is written by guest writer Hans Strock.

I had lunch today with a friend that runs a successful PR & Marketing Agency.  We were discussing how to use Virtual Assistants to grow her agency.

Here is the main issue.  When you get clients, you could put them with a virtual assistant, but that is risky because you do not know their skill set or dependability.  So you end up fitting those tasks into your full time staff’s schedules, even though it would be more profitable if you knew the Virtual Assistant could do the job.

So what is the solution to effectively growing your marketing/PR agency with virtual assistants?  Simple.

1. Hire them on a small monthly retainer to market your marketing agency.  This way you have an existing relationship in place and you know the quality of work.
2. Communicate in advance when new opportunities are upcoming.  Make sure you know if they have the time to take on additional hours.
3. Get the virtual assistant accustom to your culture and expectations.  Be tough in these small projects, so they do not think you will be easy to work with on client work.

If you just do those things, you can have one or even a few virtual assistants waiting to take on additional work when the need arises.  Plus you will be doing a better job of marketing your marketing agency.

This approach will keep you lean and help you scale to meet fluctuating demand.

Because internet marketing is newer than other forms of marketing, it is easy to think of them as two different marketing worlds.  However, if you think of business being about relationships and providing value, that barrier breaks down immediately.

The question is not whether online will work for you.  The very legitimate question is, do you have the time and inclination to use online tools to extend what you are doing?

I do not try direct mail.  I don’t want to, and while I may be losing out on some clients, I do not care because I do not believe in direct mail as an effective marketing tool in my case.

Many business owners have a website, but they do not believe in internet marketing.  That is fine as well.  It is your choice, and it is less about whether it works or not, and more about your inclination to try to do it right.

Something that is often lost is that online extends off-line.  Here are some ideas on how to use your real-world marketing and online marketing to form a great marketing alliance.

1. Networking – When you have a chance to meet people and work with people, use sites like LinkedIn to connect and leave testimonials and endorsements.
2. Speech Teaser – When you give a speech, mention the limited time but let the audience know where to go on your website to find a video of 5 more secret tips.  Ideally it is after they sign up for the newsletter.
3. Direct Mail – Go to the website and sign up to get your secret discount code – or to see if you have won a prize.
4. Brochure – Expand your paper brochure with a website url that has video of your product, service, etc.
5. Business Card – Don’t just list your main website.  List your blog or other resources.  Use the back of your business card to add value.
6. Cold Calling – When you call someone and they are interested in your offer, get their email and send them a link or two to your video or resources that will interest them but not be too sales oriented.
7. Print – Always have ways to get more information by visiting the website.  I recently saw a whole proposal done as a public blog to demonstrate the companies commitment to social media.
8. Advertising – No matter what your advertising, they should be able to explore the topic more by going to your website.

If you are doing all of these things, you could say that you are doing Internet Marketing, you could say you are doing traditional marketing, or you could just say you are a damn fine marketer.

This is an accidental discovery on how to create some great backlinks.

If you want really good inbound links from popular sites, you can develop content with links on many of them.

You probably know about Squidoo, Humpages and Gather.  That is not what I am talking about.

What about an expert site that lets you build html into it?  For example, I recently set up a virtual assistant job board at Jobamatic.com.  I did it because I thought it would be another source for leads for my Virtual Buzz Assistant Network.

I customized the header to look like the site and added some important links.

The end result is that it is a link to my sites from powerful domain that is updating the page constantly with fresh content.  While it does not have page rank yet, it is a quality link that makes my sites have more credibility with certain keywords.

I am in the process of setting up a Virtual Assistant Radio Show – and guess what, another set of links that come from an expert site that should add some great juice to my site credibility over time.

I also get some link love from a trade publishing opportunity I participate in.  Even though it looks like my website, it is actually another website with my shell built in.  (And my links)

Too often we are looking for those big publishing places or little social bookmark places – but this is an example of great in between opportunities.

A good example of this was when I signed up for a piece of software that monitored the blogs I like so that I could comment faster on the new posts.  I do not remember how I found out about it, but it got me on the guys list.  Later I joined a broader system that had a monthly membership fee.

No, this is not a huge viral marketing example like Hotmail.  Instead, its interesting because it was  viral and it was targeted to his audience.  He knew exactly what his audience would be interested in and wanted to grow his list of people that were likely to buy his other products.

It was not a trick – it was good marketing.  A good give away that generated a list of people willing to pay for more down the road.

Too often, something becomes viral and people refer to it as viral marketing.  Unless it has a marketing goal it is just a popular thing.

Here are some examples of Viral Marketing goals.

1. Email List Development – This is the big goal.  It is easy to integrate and you can get a lot of value in the future from your list.
2. Up sell – of course, if you up sell hard you are probably not going to go viral.  Unless you are Frank Kerns and very obvious about it.
3. Branding – If your video just went viral, you are probably not getting emails or anything.  Hopefully it is strengthening your brand and getting people to go do a search for you.
4. Traffic – Your viral marketing effort may have links back to your site for case studies, instructions, a user forum, etc.  It depends on the product.
5. RSS Subscribers or Twitter Followers – If your viral effort is interesting, you can encourage people to follow your twitter or rss to find out about updates and new items.

Viral Marketing Ideas

So what things can have a viral marketing hit?  Here is a list of the common possibilities.  Before you assume you know exactly what everyone wants, go look at sites that list these kinds of things and see what is popular.  Youtube for video and download.com for software.

1. Free Software Download
2. FireFox Toolbar
3. Funny or very informative video
4. eBooks, PDF Download – Report or Case Study
5. Blog Theme or Widget
6. Friend or connection option in web service (Like LinkedIn, Plaxo)
7. Audio Recording or interview
8. Deal too good to be true (For real, not just telling them that)

Remember, Viral Marketing is not about getting the most video views.  It is about having a goal and a target and giving that audience something they can spread to their friends.

For More Information read: Viral Marketing

Regardless of your advertising budget and strategy, the one thing about advertising that is always true is that you need to measure and analyze the effectiveness of every single piece of advertising you do.

• If you are running Google Adwords, look at the profitability of every single keyword.
• If you are running blog ads, look at the profitability of each blog generating traffic.
• If you are running print ads, use a coupon code to track the effectiveness of the ad.
• If you are advertising in a eNewsletter, create a new landing page for every ad and measure the clicks and profitability.

This is a lot of work and it takes an organized person.  I always suggest people learn how to do it themselves, but then hire a Virtual Buzz Assistant to oversee the process and make recommendations on a monthly basis.

Have them report cost vs. income on every single advertising effort.  Then, each month you can cancel those efforts that are not bringing a good return and you can always have some new efforts ramping up each month for a trial.  Having one persona as your Virtual Advertising Manager will help you save a lot of money and get much better results.

You know it is important to have a broad network to succeed in business. A broad network also helps when you want to create some buzz if many of those people are advocates of yours.

The problem for many people that enjoy networking is that they are attracted to networking with people that are like them.  That is fine to a certain extent, but consider the diversity of people you are missing out on.

For example, can you learn how to be more successful than you currently are by spending time with people that are exactly as successful as you are?  No.  You need to learn from people that are doing it better than you are.

So how deep is you network? How many people do you know and are very different from you? A diverse network is going to be more interesting and more powerful, because it gives you access to more varied groups. You may not know all of these things about everyone, but if they are a strong connection of yours, you will have a good idea of many.

• Economic Situation
• Age
• Race
• Religion
• Occupation
• Nationality
• Interests and Skills
• Location of Residence
• Sexuality
• Marital Status (With or without kids)

Do an audit of your Top 50 in the network and see how diverse your network is.  Begin stepping out of your comfort zone and really form stronger relationships with people that are not just like you.  Whole worlds will open up to you when you do.

Have you ever had someone recommend something to you via email?  Sometimes it is interesting, but not something you need right that minute.  Yet you hang onto it for future reference.

With all the good news about the power of Word of Mouth, one thing that I think has not previously gotten attention is the ability to archive Word of Mouth for future use.  I do this all the time.  I often remember who sent me an email that I knew would be useful one day, and I simply go back and search my email archieves.

But there are many ways to store Word of Mouth referrals for future use.  Here are ones I unintentionally use.

• Email Archives
• Bookmarks
• Blog Posts – If I think I want to share it.
• iGoogle Link
• Tumblr
• To Do list in Microsoft Outlook, Google, Etc.
• Forward to my wife and expect her to remember for me.
• Future to do item in my iPhone
• White Board behind desk
• Slips of paper I scatter about and review when I clean
• Pass on the word of mouth and then later go back and ask that person if they remember what I told them about.

And there are some that I do not do, but others do.

• Extreme Note Taking – I do this in spurts, and it is very effective.

It is worth considering these things.  We can measure inbound links, sales, inquiries, etc.  But how many times has your product word of mouth been archived for future use by someone?