List Building – Your Bread & Butter

“Bread and Butter!” That is what people say who are walking along and an obstacle comes between them. They release one another’s hand and walk on either side of the obstacle, then rejoin hands and say, “Bread and Butter”. It’s symbolic. Bread and butter belong together.

Another way the term ‘Bread and Butter’ is used is to denote the main substance of an enterprise. “That trick is his ‘Bread and Butter’ trick.” This means that it is the backbone of his act and that he depends on it and relies on it regularly to sustain him.

Both interpretations of the term ‘Bread and Butter’ apply to list building and Internet Marketing. You just can’t have one without the other. You can’t separate the two because they belong together and, likewise; they are the sustaining part of an Internet marketers business.

List building is the first, most important and most constant of all the tasks that Internet marketers engage in. Their lists are their bread and butter and their lists and their businesses belong together. Neither can exist without the other.

You won’t have to wander around the Internet very long before you will find people saying that list building just isn’t important… and that it isn’t even necessary. Don’t you believe one word of that hooey… and that is precisely what it is… hooey!

That is without a doubt the worst Internet marketing advice that is available anywhere on the Internet… and there is lot of useless information out there. There is useless information but the idea of not building a list is just downright dangerous advice to follow. List building isn’t important… it is absolutely vital… it really is your bread and butter. Without a list, you are simply without a business.

The CAN SPAM act of 2003 made is illegal to send bulk marketing emails without the consent of the recipients. That is the law. The penalties for disobeying this law are tough! You can be fined up to $11,000 per unsolicited marketing email that you send!

It wouldn’t take but one to do a lot of damage and if you send hundreds, you’ll never get the fine paid off… at least not in just one lifetime. Do you NEED an opt-in list? YES! Your list is your bread and butter.

Now, let’s discuss ways in which one can go about building that bread and butter opt-in list. There are several ways that have been proven to be very effective list building techniques.

One way to build your bread and butter opt-in list is to write articles and submit them to article banks.

If you weren’t blessed with any writing ability at all or if you simply do not have the time to devote to writing articles, you can have articles written for you by ghostwriters or you can join a PLR site and download articles that will just need some rewriting to prevent them from being identified as duplicate content by search engine spiders. These articles need to be no longer than 300 to 400 words and they need to be keyword rich. Your resource box needs to include your name and a link to your website.

Another proven list building technique is to join and post to blogs and forums that are dedicated to a topic that relates to the products and services that you sell.

You must be careful not to post blatant advertisements on these sites. That’s a big no-no. You will need to post 3 to 5 times each and every week to these sites and you sig tag on your posts needs to be your name and a link to your website.

Exchanging links with websites that sell products and services that are complimentary to but not identical to the products and services that you sell is another way to build your bread and butter list.

Now, some marketers do not believe in link exchanges. They object to the idea of two way traffic and don’t think that a marketer should ever post a link that takes traffic away from his or her website. The key word, however, is TWO way. A link exchange also brings traffic to your website that you might not otherwise ever see and every person who visits your website is a potential customer or, at the very least, a possible addition to that bread and butter opt-in list.

Then there is paid advertising to consider for the purpose of list building.

A PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign is not free, of course, but if your list is greatly increased because of it then it will be money that has been well spent. PPC campaigns are very effective tools for list building… and more especially so if you can give something away for free. People do love ‘free’. Free reports… free utilities… free E-Books… if it’s free, it adds to your bread and butter opt-in list.

A very effective, maybe even the most effective, way to use paid advertising to build your list is to advertise in E-zines that relate to the topic of your website and to the products and services that you sell.

E-zine advertising is very targeted advertising that has proven to be effective as well as cost effective. The people who will see your advertisement are the very people who are most likely to buy the products or services that you sell and to join your opt-in list… and, did I mention that it is cheap? You can usually get an advertisement in an E-zine for $30 or less.

The well established and savvy Internet marketers all know just how important list building is. List building is at the top of their ‘to-do’ list every single day. List building is never considered a side effect… it is the object of their attraction to every enterprise that they consider undertaking. They know that their lists really are their bread and butter. They fully understand that without their lists that they are without a business and you should believe that with all your heart because it is true.

Leveraging on Joint Ventures

When Internet marketers hear the term, ‘Joint Venture’ they will immediately begin to drool… maybe ever to slightly… but they are certainly drooling.

New marketers dream of getting that first lucrative Joint Venture deal under their belts (and into their bank accounts). Well-seasoned Internet marketers always have both ears and both eyes wide open searching for their next Joint Venture opportunity.

Everybody wants a Joint Venture for the very simple reason that they are lucrative… and ‘lucrative’ is an understatement.

The first, most important and most on-going task of every Internet marketer is to build an opt-in list.

There are basically three kinds of lists and all of them are not created equally.

First there are lists that are bought… these are just about worthless.

Second there are lists of potential customers. Potential customer lists are valuable because they are lists of people who have opted in to a mailing list and may well buy something at some point but they haven’t as yet.

The third kind of list is the ‘paid customers list’. The paid customers list is the one that is very, very, very valuable. This is a list of people who have actually bought a product or service. They have already proven that they will spend money. Most importantly, the paid customer list is one of the factors that potential Joint Venture partners will base their decision of whether to Joint Venture with you or not will base their decision upon.

So… building a paid customer list is the number one task for an Internet marketer. In order to build a paid customer list, you may well have to give something away. One of the best ways to build a paid customer list is to offer a product that is relatively inexpensive… say one that will sell for $9.95 or even $19.95… to Joint Venture partners and allow them to keep all of the profits from the sale. That’s right. Give them 100% of the profit… the whole $9.95 or $19.95 that the product sells for.

What you get is a long paid customer list which will turn out to be a lot more valuable than the $5 or $10 dollars per sale that you would have made. That paid customer list is like your own private gold mine. It can be used to leverage future Joint Venture deals that will add a lot of money to your bottom line.

Another method that can be used to build that valuable paid customer list is to have two membership sites… one free and one paid.

You can then offer Joint Venture partners the opportunity to give away free memberships and an opportunity to gain a commission when anyone that they send the offer of a free membership chooses to upgrade to a paid membership. You can structure this offer as a one-time payment for an up-grade or as an ongoing commission on the price of the monthly subscription.

By using either of the above discussed methods for your first Joint Venture deals you will have built a paid customers list and you will also managed to create some serious credibility for yourself. Both are assets that are beyond placing a value upon. This is the formula for success:

Paid customer list + Credibility = Success

Whatever method you choose to employ, the bottom line is that what you need the very most in order to get a profitable Joint Venture deal is a long paid customer list and some credibility. There are no substitutes for either.

Make no mistake here. Credibility is equally important to a paid customer list. Credibility is achieved by becoming a recognized authority in a niche. The paid customer list adds greatly to your credibility but you need to work hard at building credibility by writing and marketing articles, posting to blogs and forums, etc. Building credibility on the Internet isn’t easy and it takes some time. There aren’t any shortcuts.

With a paid customer list and credibility you will then be in a position to leverage the best and most profitable Joint Venture partnership agreements that are possible. Always remember that adding to your paid customer list is one of the factors that you want to insure when you enter into any Joint Venture agreement.

Now, armed with a paid customer list and credibility, your next move is to find ways to make your potential Joint Venture partners willing, even eager, to help you. Contrary to what appears to be common sense, your best Joint Venture partners are those who, up to this point, you have considered your main competitors.

No, I’m not kidding. These are the Internet marketers who are most closely associated with your customer base. The names and email addresses on their lists are the ones that you want on your list.

Let’s say that you sell ‘whatsits’… you and several other marketers are in the ‘whatsits’ selling business. If you can come up with a product that will make selling ‘whatsits’ easier or explain how customers can get the best use out of a ‘whatsit’ then you can approach your most fierce competitors and turn them into your most valuable Joint Venture partners. They will eagerly assist you in promoting your new ‘whatsit enabler’ product… for a commission, of course.

A product that will make people feel better, look better or solve a problem for them is a product that potential Joint Venture partners will embrace and then they will be eager to help you sell it.

Additionally, you must always offer generous commissions and ample support to all of your Joint Venture partners. This is never a place to cut corners or get greedy and you credibility is always on the line.

If you have made a name for yourself in your niche (gained credibility) and you have a product that Joint Venture partners know will make them look good to their lists (even your most fierce competitors), there is no limit to the help they will be willing to provide for you as a Joint Venture partner!

Invest Regularly in Advertising

Those who choose to make their living by sailing on the rough and tumble sea of Internet marketing are, by nature, confident, self-assured people who well understand that investment in many things is a necessity for survival.

They invest in themselves by learning all they can about the products and services in their niche market. They invest their time, their effort, their energy, and, yes, their money in order to achieve success. You are obviously one of those brave souls.

The one investment that every Internet marketer must invest in regularly in order to achieve success is advertising. The old saying, ‘Advertising Pays’ is as true today as it was when those words were first uttered by a long forgotten marketer of years gone by. It really does pay to advertise. You stand to gain more by advertising than what the advertising costs. That is always a given.

When we talk about advertising and Internet marketing, we are speaking of advertising by a variety of methods that include both free and paid for advertising. All of the methods that we will discuss here are effective ways to advertise.

Some of them will require only an investment of time while others will include an investment of money, as well. Advertising, however, is essential. Advertising should be at the top of the ‘to-do’ list of every Internet marketer every day of the week.

First, let’s discuss paid-for advertising. The fact is you are going to have to invest some money in advertising your product, your service, your website or, even, your free membership website if you are to have any success at all on the Internet. The Internet is a huge place. There are millions of websites. You are going to have to tell people where to find you in this enormous world of the Internet.

When people are surfing the Internet looking for a particular product, service or just information, they always start that search by plugging the key words about their search into a search engine. Search engines are like keys that open the door to information about where to go on the Internet to find what is being searched for and you (your product, your service or your website) will need to be on the other side of that door when it is opened.

This is where PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising comes in. Your advertising budget needs to include a certain amount for PPC advertising. You can set a budget with search engines and limit the amount you will pay each day for PPC advertising. Set that limit as high as you can to begin with and then increase it as you soon as possible.

Another very effective method of paid advertising is to take out advertisements in E-zines that are related to the products and services that you sell. There are thousands of people who regularly receive E-zines in their inboxes about subjects that are near and dear to their hearts.

Most E-zine subscribers actually read the E-zines that they subscribe to and if you have an advertisement in it, they will see it. Advertising in E-zines is a very effective, as well as, cost effective way to advertise.

Usually you can place advertisements in E-zines that have a very large subscriber list for $30 or less per mailing. The beautiful part is that you are advertising directly to your best prospects.

Now, let’s discuss some ways in which to advertise that don’t cost any money. Paying for advertising doesn’t take much time but free advertising requires a time investment. You will always pay something for advertising… either money or time both of which are in short supply when you are an Internet marketer.

These free advertising methods that we will discuss are possibly even more valuable than the paid for ones that we have discussed before because they will not only advertise your product, service or website but, in addition, they will help to build your visibility and your credibility in your niche market.

The first method of free advertising is to write articles and E-Books then submit them to article banks and E-Book repositories for other website owners or E-zine publishers to download and use for free. Articles should never be longer than 300 to 400 words and E-Books don’t need to be longer that 10 to 12 pages.

When you submit an article or an E-Book, you need to include a resource box that includes your name and a link to your website. A link to your website should be on every page of an E-Book. Articles and E-Books need to have attention getting titles that contain key words and the articles and E-Books themselves need to be key-word rich.

The second method of free advertising is to join and post to blogs and forums that are dedicated to topics which relate to the products and services that you sell. Be aware that posting to blogs and forums takes time… and a lot of it. You will probably spend at least one hour per day posting to three or four blogs or forums.

This is, however, time that is well spent. Your signature tag that will be included at the bottom of every post you make should contain your name and a link to your website. This accomplishes three important things: (1) it is advertising for you, (2) it is building credibility for you, and (3) it is adding links for search engine spiders to count, thereby, raising your PageRank in the search engines.

Link exchanges with other Internet businesses who sell products or services that are complimentary to but not identical to the products and services that you sell can be a very effective way in which to advertise, as well.

Link exchange partners should have a PageRank at least as high as yours and preferably higher. You can find link exchange partners in several ways. You can go to link exchange websites and find them there or you can simply plug key words into a search engine and locate them yourself.

New Wave: Give Away Events

There is one thing that has to be said about Internet marketers. They are advertising innovators. Internet marketers simply tossed out all of the written-in-stone advertising policies of brick and mortar advertisers and devised new and effective ways to reach their potential customers.

The Internet itself changed the way that people buy things. People no longer have to get dressed, drive into town, find a parking place, stand in line or wear out their shoe leather searching for the products and services that they want. Three cheers for the Internet!

Internet marketers devised ways in which to reach their customer base that were unheard of in the brick and mortar world of advertising and now these giants of innovation have come up with yet another method that defies all of the principles of advertising that have been established over the years.

This new and innovative marketing technique that I’m talking about is called a “give away event” or a “Joint Venture give away event”

Can you imagine a group of brick and mortar stores getting together and agreeing to give free ‘stuff’ to one another’s customers? I can’t either. It isn’t likely that Sears is going to give something free to JC Penny customers, is it? Brick and mortar stores wouldn’t even dream of giving something free to stores that are not in competition with them. JC Penny would never give something free to customers of an automotive store even though JC Penny doesn’t sell automotive supplies. It just isn’t done in the brick and mortar world. But it IS done on the Internet.

When this marketing technique first came on the Internet, the Joint Venture give away was done only between October and mid-December to try to take advantage of the holiday shopping season but now the Joint Venture give away happens all year long.

The idea here is that people are more than one-dimensional. People who are deeply into Internet marketing, for example, also have spouses, kids, dogs, cats, like to ski or buy boats. People who are avid fishermen may also be interested in getting the best interest rate on their savings or learning to play a guitar. People may belong to one mailing list that reflects their main interest but that doesn’t mean that they are not interested in other products or services.

The fact that people are more than one-dimensional was noted by innovating Internet marketers. They devised a plan to take full advantage of the varying interests of people by putting together the now famous Joint Venture give away.

A Joint Venture give away is usually limited to a specific number of partners. Each partner offers a free gift which is almost always digital and downloaded from his website. These free gifts are usually E-Books, special reports or utilities that are valuable in some way.
Once a Joint Venture give away is organized, every participating partner sends the entire list of free gifts to the members of his mailing list. Those who sell Internet marketing E-Books on their websites will send offers for E-Books about ski vacations and guitar lessons to the members of their list. Those who sell ski equipment will, likewise, send free gift offers for Internet marketing E-Books to their lists.

Every partner advertises the free gifts offered by themselves as well as every other member of the Joint Venture give away and each and every partner in the Joint Venture give away has the opportunity to build his or her list.

As I said before, when the Joint Venture give away was first conceived of it was usually limited to the holiday shopping season but that is no longer the case. The fact is that it has proven to be such an effective list building opportunity that there is almost always a Joint Venture give away or two or three going on at all times of the year now. That number is growing by leaps and bounds as marketers realize the value.

The phenomenal success of the Joint Venture give away begs the questions, how does one put together a successful Joint Venture give away or find one to join?

The answer to finding one to join is really rather simple. You just do a search for ‘Joint Venture give away’ using your favorite search engine and you will find more than a few. Choosing which Joint Venture give away to join can be a little tougher. Remember that you are going to be required to send all of the offers in a joint give away package to all of the members of your list. You want to be sure that the offers are ones that your members will not find objectionable so you need to know who the other participants will be and what they will be offering as free gifts.

Creating your own Joint Venture give away is probably the better option. It is fairly simple to put together a Joint Venture give away but it will require a good deal of hard work. Rather than advertising for Joint Venture partners to participate in your Joint Venture give away, seek out each partner individually and limit the number.

For example: if you are selling Internet Marketing How-to books, you might choose two or three other marketers who sell similar products. Then you might want to look for other marketers who sell products that are totally unrelated to your niche like a marketer who sells fishing supplies and one who sells guitar lessons, for example. Make you Joint Venture give away as versatile as you possibly can.

People really do have many dimensions. They are interested in many different things and those who belong to one mailing list may very well be interested in belonging to another mailing list or even buying the products and services that they find through a Joint Venture give away.

Internet marketers are always looking for new and innovative ways to build their lists and advertise themselves and their products and services. The Joint Venture give away is only the latest way that they have found. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Google Base

Google Base was launched in November of 2005. Google base describes itself as “a place where you can add all types of information that we’ll host and make searchable online”. Now, if that isn’t a webmaster’s dream, I don’t know what is.

Your item could be almost anything: your products, research papers, articles, or press releases. You can describe all of your items so that you can zone in on your targeted visitor. In addition, your items may also get included in the main Google search index, Froogle, and Google Local.

Anyone with a Google account can use this service, so why not give it a try. Google base is the perfect way to get an additional audience for your content.
To find out more about Google Base, visit http://base.google.com/base/about.html

Google Local

Getting your products into Google local can put your items in front of some serious buyers. People often go to Google Local looking for a specific item or service in a particular geographic area. So, if you own a small business, Google Local is the perfect opportunity to increase your reach without spending lots of advertising dollars.

Froogle

Froogle offers searchers a directory of products by category, a searchable index of online products, and the ability to narrow searches by price range. By putting your products into Froogle, you can get some very targeted, qualified traffic to your website.

So, how do you get into Froogle? Well, Google has already been actively searching the web for online product catalogs. For many online merchants, there’s a good chance that Froogle already has some of your products listed.

However, one of the best ways to get into the Froogle directory is by providing them with a data feed that lists your products, descriptions, pricing, and URLs. This allows you to fully optimize your listings.

To get the most out of Froogle, you’ll want to make your product description clear and enticing. Create titles that not only have targeted keywords, but also encourage the visitor to click-through to your site.

Once they are at your site, it is important to upsell and cross-sell. Otherwise you will be throwing potential profits down the drain. Make the most out of every Froogle referral.

When someone does decide to make a purchase from you, be sure to capture their name and email address. This way you can develop a relationship with them and offer them related products in the future.

Now, onto a facet of Google that you certainly won’t want to miss out on.

Google Blog Search

This is one of the best ways to get some additional listings in Google. If you have a website, why not start a blog. By starting a blog, you can be indexed on a number of blog searches, including Google Blog search. This area of marketing is largely untapped, so it is the perfect time to get your particular niche grounded in these specialty search engines.

To get your blog listed you simply need to ping an updating service such as weblogs.com. It’s as simple as that. If you are using WordPress, you can set it up to where your blog pings the major services every time you make a post.

You can have multiple listings in the Google Blog Search because they list specific posts as well as entire blogs.

Google Video

Google Video allows you to have your very own tv show on one of the largest search engines on the internet. This is a form of multimedia that is certainly gaining popularity online. Right now it is in a growth stage and it’s one of the perfect times to get in and be one of the first one’s in your particular market. Videos are also a great selling point if you have a product that can be demonstrated. With Google video, you can now have your very own infomercial indexed in the search engines. Of course, you’ll want to provide some great content too. To check out this new technology, go to http://video.google.com

Google News

Want to get your article and even your picture into Google News? Well, it’s really not that hard. The first step is to go to http://www.americanchronicle.com, Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click on the link that says “submit work”. From there you can sign up to be a contributor.

If accepted as a contributor, you will then be able to submit articles along with a picture. Many of their articles are syndicated on Google News and will be available to the millions of searchers who go to Google News each and every day.

If you are looking to get your press release into Google News, all you have to do is submit your press release to PrLeap.com. As you can see, there’s certainly no need to pay money to get into Google News.

Are you looking to provide interesting content to your visitors? How about popular in-demand products? Do you know what your target customer is really searching for online?

No worries. You are about to discover that there are literally thousands of untapped markets just waiting at your fingertips. To get started, let’s go on a little virtual journey.

Our first stop is on the huge metropolis of eBay. This may be your favorite place to shop online, but did you know that it is also one of the most valuable sources of keyword and market research?

To mine eBay for the true gold, you have to dig a little deeper into their online treasure chest. Let’s begin our search at eBay Pulse (http://pulse.ebay.com/), where you can get a daily snapshot of current trends, hot picks, and popular search terms. On this page, you will be finding out which keywords and phrases people are searching for the most on eBay. From there, you can then dig down into categories.

To do this, simply click on the drop-down menu right above where the popular searches are listed. This will allow you to find the most popular searches by category and sub-category.

Don’t take eBay Pulse for granted. They are basically handing you a proven business model on a silver platter. From this one page, you can find out exactly which products are in highest demand.

Let’s take a further look at some additional hot product items. To do this, go to http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/sellbycategory.html . On this page, you can search by category to find out about insider selling strategies, which items are in demand, and the most popular searches. Take your time here. There’s lots to learn and many treasures to uncover.

I would also advise you to check out the Hot Categories Report (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/hotitems.pdf), which is updated monthly to show you the most in-demand products in each and every category.

With the holiday’s right around the corner, eBay has even created a 2006 Holiday Hot List (http://pages.ebay.com/holidayhotlist2006/) which gives a detailed list of products predicted to be in high demand and short supply this holiday season.

Your next stop is at eBay Keywords (http://buy.ebay.com). This is a directory of thousands of highly popular terms that people search for on eBay. This is invaluable information because these are keywords that have proven profit potential.

Other valuable eBay Tools:

Popular Keywords: http://popular.ebay.com/ Find the most popular items in any category.

http://product-index.ebay.com/best_selling_1.html – Browse the most popular products on eBay, sorted by category.

The next part of our journey will take us to a web site that you are probably very familiar with. It’s time to slip on over to Amazon.com. This online hot spot is one of the most popular online shopping destinations, but it is also a remarkable free research tool for Internet marketers.

Within each of their 35 product categories, there is a “Top Sellers” tab at the top of the page. So, for instance, if you sell fitness equipment, you can quickly find out which items, and which types of items are best sellers on Amazon.

You still need to do your own testing and research to see which products sell best on your own site to your unique audience, but the Amazon top sellers can certainly give you a very strong starting point.

Amazon is one of the most underused sources for market research. However, if used properly, it could be your own personal gold mine. One of the best places to start on Amazon in order to find an untapped niche is in the magazine section. Here, they list over 80,000 magazines.

Magazine topics are profitable by their very nature because they only exist if a large number of people are willing to buy them. Therefore, just knowing that there is a magazine on a particular topic shows that there is a particular group of people that are passionate about that topic and are willing to spend money on their interests.

The last time I dug through some of the magazines at Amazon I found some really good markets. They included sea kayaking, fly fishing, and retirement planning. Retirement planning is definitely an upcoming trend with all of the aging baby-boomers.

Once you find a magazine that appeals to a certain sub-culture, order some back-issues. Thumb through the older versions and find which advertisers have been advertising their product in multiple issues. By doing this, you’ll know which products your target audience is buying.

If you’re like me and like to save money, you could just go to your local library and look through the back-issues there.

Amazon.com can also be used to tap into a wide range of trends. Simply check out their top-selling magazines, which are updated every day. Using the Amazon movers and shakers tool, you can tap into the latest trends before the rest of the online marketers ever think about catching up to you.

Our last stop online is at the Learning Annex (http://www.learningannex.com). This site is a comprehensive list of adult education classes that are available online. As you probably know, information is one of the hottest selling products online. In fact, information is the number one reason that people even go online.

By finding out what people are paying to learn about, you can uncover a multitude of profitable niches. Here are just a few of the niches I discovered the last time I explored the Learning Annex:

Real Estate
How to learn a foreign language
How to create gift baskets for fun and profit
How to become a special event / party planner
How to talk to your cat
How to make money doing voice overs on Radio and TV
How to become a successful travel writer
Speed Reading
How to be a mystery shopper

Are you starting to see the unlimited amount of opportunities?

Well, we’re almost to the end of our journey. I have saved one of my very best tips for last. It is a free marketing magazine called Direct Mag (www.directmag.com). Every month, this magazine contains a feature known as List line, which shows announcements of mailing lists, their number of subscribers, and what and how much of a product they are buying. Directmag.com will show you exactly what people are buying and how much of it they are buying. This is an invaluable free resource that I would highly suggest you take advantage of.

Profit Analysis

Now that you have found some niche topics that you think could be successful, it’s time to see if those markets are truly profitable.

One of the best ways to do this is to search actual eBay listings related to your niche. Count exactly how many listings there are under your chosen topic. Then, take a look at how many people are actually bidding on those items. Do you see any bidding wars? If so, you’ve definitely found a hot market.

Next, go into Google and type in your keyword phrase. Make sure that you use a targeted phrase. For example, I might type “model hovercraft kits” into the Google search engine. If the results show 600,000 or less results than this is potentially a good market to target.

If the number is much higher than this, you should probably look for a different market that has less competition.

Remember, you are looking for a niche that you can dominate. It is much easier to find a very targeted market than to try and compete with companies like Microsoft and Wal-Mart.

To further analyze this markets profit potential, you’ll want to go into the Overture suggestion tool (http://www.pixelfast.com/overture/) and look for the top 3 highest bids. If the number 3 bid is under 30 cents, then this market may not be a profitable market that you want to go after.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself about your potential market:

Is this market wildly passionate about their interests?
Do they have their own events?
Do they have their own celebrities among this market?
Are there magazines that target this particular topic?
Does a typical member of your target market have a credit card?
Are there related products being sold to them online?
Does a typical member of your target market have disposable income?
Are members of your target market buying products online?
Are advertisers paying good money to advertise to your target market online?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you have probably found a profitable niche.

The many in-demand products and keywords that you find during your search can transform into hundreds of different web sites, info-products, and ebooks. They can also lead to successful SEO and pay-per-click campaigns.

Just a few years ago, this kind of information would cost you thousands of dollars to access and now it’s all free of charge. All you need is an Internet connection.

There are literally millions of untapped markets, it’s just a matter of picking one.

One thing that continues to amaze me is the power each of us has
to control our lives. The power of the human mind is beyond our
own capacity to understand, and modern science continues to
discover more qualities that we each possess within us,
that have the potential to make us into literally anything we
choose.

Today you’ll discover how to use that very power to dictate your
state of health (or lack thereof).

Basically, (and this is me putting it in simplistic terms), you
are as healthy as you believe you are. The simple things are
often the most powerful.

Your current state of health is the direct result of the
conditioning you have given yourself regarding your health over
the years.

Neuroscientists have now proven what faith healers have known
over the centuries: it’s not your genes that determine your
state of health – it’s the way you perceive things about
yourself and your life. If you’re a pregnant woman, your
perceptions and beliefs affect your unborn child physically.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can visit Dr Bruce
Lipton’s site here http://www.brucelipton.com/biology.php –
really fascinating stuff.

So what does this all mean to you?

Well think about it: if the way you are today is based on your
‘programming’, it makes sense that the only way to change or
improve your health is by ‘reprogramming’ your mind.

Now don’t expect any overnight changes – afterall, your being
overweight or unhealthy or sickly is the result of years of
negative health programming.

Rather, commit to a lifelong program of positive conditioning or
self-talk in order to change things from their root source.

Why do you think many ‘diet’ programs don’t work in the long term?

It’s because when people ‘go on a diet’, they’re focusing on
the outward effect, without paying attention to the root cause of
the effect in the first place.

If you desire long-term changes for the better, where your health is
concerned, you must combine inner work (the re-programming mentioned
earlier) with outer work (sensible eating and regular physical
activity). Any other plan is doomed to fail.

Your body is like a computer, with your subconscious mind and brain
as the central processing unit. You are the one to input the
information into the computer (you are the programmer of your life)
- you give your computer instructions to follow.

The output that comes from your computer (the outward results of your
life) depends on the instructions you gave it. Whether or not you
believe it.

Here’s how this relates to you: even if your current outward health
looks bad, by consistently telling yourself that it is good, you
eventually begin to believe it, and with that belief combined with
persistent programming, your outward health inevitably changes to
reflect your inner reality.

Always remember that you are a spiritual being. Your body is simply
a container for the real you. You are not your body. So when you
are saying ‘I am perfectly healthy’, know that you’re referring to
your true self, thus you are speaking the truth when you say that, for
spirit is indeed perfectly healthy.

The neat thing about this is that when you say that, your physical
body picks up the vibrations sent out by that line of thinking and
starts to respond by changing to reflect ‘perfect health’.

It may take time, depending on how focused, consistent and committed
you are to the programming process.

You may feel funny or even silly when you start talking to yourself
this way, but you’ll get used to it and when the results start to
show, you’ll know that you’ve hit on something real and powerful.
Which would you prefer – to feel funny for a while while you get used
to your new way of thinking, and eventually reap great health, or to
remain ‘cool’ and aloof about it, do nothing and remain vulnerable
to every sickness and disease out there. Your choice. Your chosen
consequences.

By focusing on the outcome you’re working towards, you will eliminate
any feelings of discomfort that may threaten to sabotage your efforts.

In summary, if you wish to be healthy or achieve a certain weight goal,
begin today to program your mind to see yourself as already having
achieved that goal. Write out an affirmation in the present tense that
describes how you desire to be, then say it to yourself several times
a day, at least three times a day (when you are about to sleep off,
soon as you wake up and after lunch.).

Commit to this or a similar program of self-conditioning; don’t be put
off by its simplicity. That would be a mistake.

Do it and reap the benefits for yourself. And think about it. Since
you have the power to choose your thoughts, doesn’t it make sense to
choose to think of yourself as healthy rather than unhealthy? Since you
have the power to paint a picture of yourself, doesn’t it make sense
to paint a picture of your ideal self and dwell on that instead?
Especially since your dominating thought or mind picture eventually
manifests physically?

You’re the programmer. Program health into your life today.

Dr Kem Thompson is a Health & Success Coach, Speaker and Author.

Discover how to achieve optimal health, create balance and achieve success in every area of your life: financial, social, spiritual, physical and mental. Subscribe to the FREE ezine, ‘Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Life’ now by submitting the form at http://www.truehealthseminars.com You will receive a thank-you gift when you subscribe.

Author: Dr Kem Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It is essential that a person is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake. The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for the majority of vitamins which it regards as a good food health vitamin intake. These figures vary according to a person’s age, sex and some other factors so that the good food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies.

The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

Learn about healthy balanced diets, and various types of diets for many needs.

For vitaminsdiary.com. Your ultimate nutrition centre! Also learn about many nutrients and dont forget to visit our herbs section at http://www.vitaminsdiary.com/herbs.htm.

Author: Nitin Jain
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Compared to a woman, the sexual health of men is much simpler. If you want to know if a mans sexual health is working properly all you need to do is show him a picture or make a move on him. If he produces sufficient amount of nitric oxide and responses positively then is his sexual health is normal.

Sometimes men are unable to respond because of emotional or mental stress but as long as it not anything related to a physical problem it is not something you cannot deal with. If you wish to maintain a good sexual health then you need to take care of your hormone level and cardiovascular health. Most of the men think that having a good hormonal level is importantly but rarely anybody pays attention to cardiovascular health which is also highly essential.

In this article I have discussed all the essentials required to sustain a good sexual health in men by highlighting several issues experienced in cardiovascular health and hormone levels.

Cardiovascular Health!

You need to take care of your heart. The reason being the very center of your heart consists of epithelial cells which create nitric oxide. If you do not produce the right amount of nitric oxide you can experience penile dysfunction. Nitric oxide is not produced due to high blood pressure, excessive smoking or cholesterol. So you have to make sure your heart stays healthy at all times.

Hormone Levels!

Yes, sustaining your hormone levels is very essential. The sexual hormones of men are basically testosterone. The stronger testosterone they have the better bone and muscle mass they will have. And if you do not have a good testosterone level your libido will be very low and your chances of having diabetes also become higher. Over the past twenty years it has been observed that male testosterone have reduced overall by 16%. This means less bone and muscles mass, less metabolism, reduced energy and increased body fat. Doesn’t sound nice does it? However, this all can be controlled if you eat well and exercise regularly.

When people come to know that their sexual health is not good they simply give up. Although not having a good sexual health today does not mean the situation will stay the same tomorrow as well. Did you know that you make one new cell each day? It is totally up to you whether the cell developed is weak or strong. So if you exercise and have a good diet you will eventually make your overall health better leading to better sexual health.

Darius has been writing online for a while now and has a lot of different interests. You can check out his websites at http://www.booskitchenislands.com and http://www.poltisteamcleaners.org.

Author: Darius Raeisi
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A menopausal woman has to deal with all the trappings of this natural body condition. Night sweats, erratic mood changes and insomnia are just some of the debilitating menopausal symptoms. But in addition to these symptoms, your skin is also suffering from different changes. This is the time when skin starts to lose its internal moisture. Your dermis will feel excessively tight and dry. Dry dermis should be alleviated quickly if you don’t want it to progress to an even worse condition called wrinkles.

In order to have young, dewy and supple-looking skin all the time, here are a few tips you can consider:

1. Update your skin care moisturizer
If you are still using the same moisturizer you have been using in the past, maybe it is time to change it to something more potent. Go for natural treatments. Pick a moisturizer loaded with beneficial natural ingredients such as CynergyTK, Phytessence Wakame and Manuka honey.

CynergyTK is an ingredient taken from sheep wool. This actually contains an abundant supply of functional keratin. Our body is in need of functional keratin because this nutrient is responsible for regenerating collagen and elastin. Phytessence Wakame is a type of Japanese sea kelp that preserves hyaluronic acid. This acid supplies moisture to collagen proteins. If collagen proteins are well-nourished, they do not get damaged easily. Manuka honey contains emollient properties that deeply hydrate the skin. It is also loaded with vitamins and minerals that can improve the over-all health of the dermis.

2. Get lots sleep
Due to hormonal imbalance, sleep can be an elusive commodity to a menopausal woman’s life. In this case, you should try making your room a lot more comfortable. See to it that you have proper ventilation in your room to alleviate night sweats. Drink lavender or chamomile tea before sleeping to calm your nerves. A relaxing bath before bed time also helps. Sleep is crucial for hormonal balance and growth hormones production. These processes will then improve the functions of your skin.

3. Eat foods rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and omega-3 fatty acids
Vitamins A, E and C are essential for tissue repair and moisturization. Proteins, on the other hand, are necessary for the production of functional keratin. Omega-3 fatty acids are what you need in order to normalize hormones. Studies said that these fatty acids can help lessen the other symptoms of menopause. With the help of these nutrients, you can improve the functions of your skin.

And now I would like to invite you to visit http://www.goodhealthyskin.com to find out which are the anti aging products you should use in order to achieve clearer and radiant looking skin.

Author: Elizabeth Simpson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The nutrients consumed in a healthy diet for pregnant woman serve mother and child in different ways. Of course, these nutrients continue to perform all the duties required of them prior to pregnancy. During pregnancy, however, more demands are placed on the essential nutrients as part of a healthy diet for pregnancy and baby’s growth.

Only the best pregnancy diet will be able to provide all the extra nutrients needed for normal body function as well as normal fetal development and other pregnancy-specific functions.

Vitamin A: Vital for Healthy Pregnancy

Vitamin A is a vital, but often unappreciated, element of a healthy diet for pregnancy. It attributes greatly to eye health. Want those baby’s baby blues to see clearly? Get your Vitamin A.

Vitamin A also helps to speed healing after baby is born. Some women also find Vitamin A in adequate amounts during the first trimester tames the symptoms of morning sickness.

Folic Acid: The Essential Nutrient for Pregnancy

In recent years, folic acid has enjoyed the spotlight. It has been promoted as an essential nutrient in the diet for pregnant woman. Folic acid helps mom’s body manufacture red blood cells, an essential part of healthy pregnancy. It also supports the body in other metabolic processes.

Folic acid deficiencies post high stakes risk for baby as well. A deficiency in folic acid has been connected to brain and spinal birth defects. Getting enough of this B vitamin early in pregnancy can prevent these serious abnormalities.

How Vitamin C Benefits the Gestational Period

This citrus vitamin helps to support the mother’s immune system protecting her and her unborn child from illness during those critical nine months. Vitamin C also helps to speed healing and increases elasticity. Both of these properties are of benefit to mom during pregnancy, labor and postpartum.

Without Vitamin C the growing baby is not as able to create collagen. Ligaments, tendons, cartilage and skin all use Vitamin C’s ability to manufacture collagen for proper growth.

These essential nutrients are only part of the many vitamins and minerals that comprise a healthy diet for pregnancy. If you are left wondering, “What should I eat during pregnancy to get all the nutrients needed?” you are not alone. Prenatal vitamins are only the start.

To answer the question, “What should I eat during pregnancy?” mothers-to-be need to examine every part of diet and nutrition. Select only those elements that comprise the best pregnancy diet options. The foods most beneficial to a healthy diet for pregnancy are generally fresh, minimally processed (if they are processed at all) and free from chemical additives.

Isabel De Los Rios, nutritionist, exercise specialist, author and successful business owner has unlocked the secrets to a healthy diet for pregnant woman and weight maintenance not only for life but during the especially crucial time of pregnancy. Learn her secrets at http://www.WhatToEatWhilePregnant.com to get the body, health and vitality you’ve always wanted.

Author: Isabel De Los Rios
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are several feminine hair loss treatments in the market these days. Do you think you’re asking yourself just what item is really best for women in order to change hair thinning quick? Women are suffering from hair loss from olden days. Because of this, different organic remedies as well as oil-based home cures had been concocted simply by the ancestors and forefathers.

Modern day medical studies have given some time and study to find techniques to revitalize “dead” hair follicles of hair, in order that hair growth treatments can certainly stimulate your system to be able to activate healthful hair hair follicles. Hence, numerous hair development products grew to become offered, possibly through approved and over-the-counter. They’re usually marketed on radio and television and also all over the internet.

Essentially the most popular is actually Rogaine, that is easily obtainable from virtually any pharmacy. It can be provided within a couple of sorts, with regard to females and males, to deal with their respective hair difficulties in different ways. Most scientifically-produced hair loss treatments will have individual products for ladies as well as guys, simply because, obviously, human hormones within every may fluctuate and also of different levels.

Another answer comprised of minoxidil will be Provillus, as well as, again, reviews has founded it to be effective. The gap between Provillus along with other women hair loss therapies is the Azelaic Acid, that has been additional through its manufacturers. It’s an additional factor which usually appears to further improve the actual hair follicle repair within both men and women. Provillus could be the subject of various research. Like Rogaine, it is also offered individually for men and also women. The treatment methods are a combination of the topical oils liquid that you will have to wear the hair loss areas in your brain.

Additionally there is the capsule or tablet being obtained alongside with the liquid application. The important action to the achievement regarding improving your hair, based on the designers, may be the add-on with the azelaic acid solution, nonetheless, the precise volume on this acid is actually most significant with this treatment to figure. As with numerous woman hair loss treatments, it may take the time like 3-6 months prior to deciding to see any kind of really good outcomes. For this reason the makers suggest fortitude and also a little bit of endurance when exercising on their product and soon you will ultimately always be preserving your own crowning glory.

For more information regarding hairloss, you can contact me at http://twitter.com/jessicaalias.

Hope to see you there!

Author: Jessica Alias
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Maternity Insurance In The US

When we discuss finding maternity coverage, we know that we are probably attracting two groups of people. One group is planning ahead for the time when they would like to have a baby. In this case, no family member is actually pregnant yet. This is, of course, a much better time to find maternity coverage. The other group of people who are reading this article already has a pregnant family member. In this case, they are probably scrambling to find some help covering all of the bills associated with having a healthy baby. This will be a little tougher, but there are still some options.

If You Are Planning Ahead For Pregnancy.

If nobody in the family is pregnant yet, but you plan on having a baby in the future, here are some common ways to find maternity health insurance. Some of these options, like payment plans or group health, may still work if you are already pregnant too.

Group Health Insurance – A work related health plan usually covers pregnancy. This is probably the easiest and most common way to find maternity coverage. If your current employer does not offer this, it may be time look for for one who does.

A pregnant woman may still be covered on her parent’s insurance if she is young enough. There could be other qualifications like she must be unmarried or a student too. A wife should be covered by her husband’s policy if they opted into that coverage. And of course, she would be covered by her own employer’s plan if it covers maternity.

Individual Health Insurance - I am not an expert on the private health plan market in every state. In my own state, I can tell you that most family or individual plans do not cover normal maternity costs, or they cover them with a very high deductible. The basic health plan should cover complications of pregnancy. So a C section should be covered. However a basic private health plan probably does not cover office visits, tests, or a normal delivery.

The only health insurance company that I know of that offers a maternity rider (option) is Time. This will vary by state, and it is an extra option with an extra premium. It also has a waiting period before it will pay benefits. If you think that you need this benefit, you must take it well before anybody gets pregnant!

HSA Health Insurance - In some states, there is an individual HSA (health savings account) major medical plan with a maternity rider (option). The health savings account part of the plan is a tax deductible account you must contribute to before you need it. The major medical has a maternity option you can choose. Keep in mind that this option will have a waiting period before it will pay any benefits so this will only work if you plan ahead. But if you do plan ahead, your HSA balance should help you defray the costs of the higher deductible.

Your HSA, on its own, can be helpful even if the major medical plan does not cover maternity. You could use your cash balance, for instance, to pay for prenatal care.

Supplemental Insurance – Some disability policies may cover time lost from work because of a pregnancy. I have also seen some supplemental hospital or illness policies that will pay in case of maternity. These plans are unlikely to accept anybody who is already pregnant though, and I have never seen one that would cover the whole cost of maternity.

Save Money - If you can afford it, and you have no maternity coverage, or you do not have much maternity coverage, you can save for it like you save for a down payment on a house or new car.

If You Are Already Pregnant Without Maternity Insurance

Public Health Insurance – CHIPS is the federal and state children’s health insurance plan. It also covers pregnant women. Your income must be less than the guidelines, but it is a good option for people with moderate incomes. You will be restricted to using the doctors on hospitals that participate, but you should be able to find medical care in your area. Very low income people with few assets may qualify for Medicaid.

You may also be able to find low cost clinics and hospital systems in your area. Visit PPARX.org because they have a search by zip code.

Your local Department of Health and Human Services is another public resource. Again, these options are probably going to work the best for people with limited incomes.

Payment Plans - Some OB-Gyns and hospitals have payment plans for the normal cost of maternity. You may need this if you lack coverage, or if your own health insurance will not cover the bulk of the cost. It would actually be better to check this option out before you are pregant, but if you are pregnant, it is an option to research. Try asking your current doctor or a nearby hospital. You might also search online for maternity payment plans in your area.

Private Loans – Many maternity doctors will give you a fee schedule for normal deliveries. Even if they have a payment plan, you may do better with your own financing. I hesitate to advise anybody to go into debt, but when you are safeguarding the health of a mother and baby, this may be something to consider.

Are You Pregnant or Planning To Get Pregnant?

Keep in mind that a normal US delivery costs $5,000 – $10,000. This cost will be multiplied if there are any major complications. In a perfect world, this would all be planned for before conception. I am not writing this to preach because I am aware that this does not always happen because we are humans living in an imperfect world. The most important thing is to make sure that the mother and baby have the best possible health care.

Are you concerned about the costs of having a healthy baby?

Learn more about maternity health insurance where you live.

We want to help you afford health care.

Author: Marilyn Katz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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