I am so excited!

In fact, I am shaking.

I just cannot believe it but…by the end of today I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams.

How?

Why?

I received an email saying I won on the Spanish Lottery. I don’t know how, but who cares.

I am a millionaire.

I always knew life would turn out great.

Here’s the email. I’ve hidden names and number because you might ring them up and claim MY PRIZE.

______________________________________________________________________________

Subject: OFFICIAL WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We are pleased to inform you of the released results of the Sweepstakes
Promotion organized by Microword Corporations, in conjunction with the
foundation for the promotion of software products, held this April, 2009 here in Madrid,
Spain.

Where your email address emerged as one of the online winning emails, in
The 2nd category and therefore attracted a cash award of 9,000,000.00 (Nine Million Euros Only) and a Toshiba laptop.

To begin your claim, file the release of your winning by contacting our
Foreign Transfer Manager via email or by telephone below.

Etc, etc.

______________________________________________________________________________

A laptop as well! Why do I need that as well as nine million euros. I’ll give the laptop away, that’s what I’ll do.

You don’t believe me, do you?

Well it’s true. When I get the money and fly off to the Caribbean, I’ll post some photos right here on this blog, as proof.

Were you fooled?

No, of course not. We all get similar emails every single day.

So who replies to this type of email?

My brother does. He writes back and says, “it is not enough money, please donate to charity”.

So is this approach the definitive Internet Marketing technique?

In a word, NO. In fact, it may be one of the worst.

The majority of people think marketing is just advertising or selling goods and services. Advertising and selling are a large part of it, but not the whole picture. A crucial part of marketing is identifying the wants and needs of your customers, and then fulfilling those wants and needs.

So why do I say crucial?

The more you understand the needs and wants of your customers, the better your marketing will be. You’ll have the right product, the right pricing and you’ll know how to promote and advertise.

No matter what your product or service is, via the Internet you can identify and reach a large number of potential customers.

How to approach Internet Marketing?

Here are three Internet marketing techniques that I have found to be very effective:

Article Marketing

Article marketing involves writing concise, helpful, informative articles that give your readers free advice. NO SELLING, just pure proven advice. Then, you submit them to Article Directories. See this Article Marketing Blog Posting for further information.

Blogging

Blogging is like your having your own personal Article Directory. You write the articles and post them on your blog. They don’t have to relate directly to your product or service you are offering, to be effective. As per Article Marketing, concise, helpful, informative articles that give your readers free advice are more effective than trying to sell directly people.

You can set up your own website domain to host your blog, or you can use one of the many websites that offer free blog hosting.

Hosting companies I use include:

Blue Host – Unlimited Space – $6.95 per month

GoDaddy – 99.9 uptime and less than $5 per month

LunarPages – just $4.95 a month

HostGator – Unlimited blogs for $7.95 a month

Free hosting blogs include:

www.blogger.com

www.wordpress.com

Whatever you choose, your own hosting or free hosting, be sure to update your blog regularly! People like fresh content.

Networking

Networking with others is vital. Share your knowledge freely, learn from others and share information about your business. Networking can generate you and your business many leads. There are numerous ways to do this online, such as e-mail discussion groups, message boards, specialized Internet forums, and social networking sites.

By completing these methods, you are building trust between you and your potential customer. After all, the approach you are taking is not a bullying tactic, you are not saying, “I don’t know you but I know you could be better if you purchased this”. Ensure you are offering advice and help.

So what is the definitive Internet Marketing Technique?

What’s the secret?

The secret’s simple: there is no secret.

In the Internet world today, Article Marketing, Blogging and networking have a tendency to work.