Maybe it’s time to get down to… or even return to… the basics of doing business online.

In this 4 minute video, I lay the foundation for getting you out of your comfort zone, and into the flow of success. I’ve even got a super Action Plan that you can embark on at the end of the video.

No more watching others fly by with their online success while you are grounded in frustration and overwhelm.

Network marketers, internet marketers, bloggers… here’s a great place to begin, to finally get your online business, your MLM or your business opportunity up and running.

I created this “Up & Running” tutorial a little while back, and it was specifically aimed at MLM entrepreneurs looking to get free leads. Despite it’s Network marketing slant, though, the techniques, strategies and resources are identical to the ones that would benefit internet marketers and bloggers, too.

“Up & Running” is a great launchpad for your online business, whatever your niche, whatever your business. If you need to build a list, develop customers, subscribers and prospects… watch the above video again. Then grab your own free copy of “Up & Running” at the end of the video.

Carpe Diem!

I love to read your questions and comments, and encourage you to share this post within your social media streams. I’d also love to hear what you think about “Up & Running” after you’ve reviewed it.

Internet marketing strategies are numerous and often complicated.  I suggest you get things moving, or elevate your business to new heights by focusing on simple strategies that can be readily implemented.

If you have strategies that you’ve found fruitful, I’d love to have you share some of them in a comment below.

Don’t forget to share this blog on Faceboook, Twitter, Stumbleupon and other social media sites if you’ve found this helpful.

Have you ever felt this way?

Have you ever been on track, working hard to develop a specific strategy when, WHAM… here comes a better one!  Gotta get to the free webinar, or sign up for the free ebook, or start doing some Google research on it.

Are all the newest ideas, techniques, info-webinars, systems and tools a whole lot of hype?  Are they just sizzle without any steak?

Sometimes they are.  Sometime they are not.

At one time, Facebook and Twitter were new “flashes in the pan.”  But they turned the Social Media world on its head.  But many other ideas never got any bounce at all, and nobody can even remember their names any longer.

Are You Missing Out On The Hottest Happening?

As an internet marketing entrepreneur, you must decide when to stop dead in your tracks to investigate a new method, tool or system… or when to put blinders on to EVERYTHING blasting off all around you, and just stick with the game plan that you’re carrying out.

I find that a big problem with my clients and fellow marketers is that they are all too eager to jump out of one ship, midstream, and leap onto another going in a different direction.  I think part of it is because the grass always seems greener on the other side, and also because things aren’t going as well as they hoped where they are.

Certainly another part of the ship-jumping problem, is that many entrepreneurs thought things would come easier, and instead of keeping their nose to the grindstone and pushing full steam ahead, it seems like it might be less work and more reward to leap for another ship.

Finally, another reason I see people jumping ship is pure and simple, good old fashioned procrastination.  Why isn’t their business going forward?
Why can’t they complete a campaign?  Because they MUST look into something better that just appeared.  That means more research, another webinar, 6 hours of video, read a new book… anything but getting down to the task of completing the task they started out on.

My Advice?

Know that being an internet marketer is a long-term business, not a get-rich quick scheme.  Don’t have unreasonable expectations of overnight success for very little work.  Don’t harbor expectations of grandeur that come without lots of sweat, hard work and temporary set-backs that teach us more than any book we’ll ever read.

Check out the latest and greatest internet marketing strategies, tools and systems… when you’ve completed the campaign or project you already began.

Could you miss out? Yes.  Will you?  Not likely.  If the latest hype has legs, it will be around for a long time.  If it doesn’t, you’ll miss out on a sinking ship.

In the meanwhile, the hottest internet marketing strategy today, as it was yesterday, is to stick to your plan, see it to fulfillment… then and only then, reassess and consider where to go next.  Chances are, the strategy you’re working on may not be the sexiest and trendiest thing on the internet, but I’ll bet it’s got a whole lot of success history behind it.

So, yes.  Check out the latest and greatest internet marketing strategies.  Just don’t jump ship so many times that you end up drowning.

I’d love to hear about the ship you’re traveling on right now.  Comments, re-tweets, Facebook and other social media shares are always appreciated!

It’s great to learn internet marketing strategies, and it’s wonderful to create a game plan for outscoring the competition.  But when it comes to actually scoring some runs, you have to get off first base and head for second.  That’s the time to test your faith.

How To Get To First Base

You can’t score unless you get to first base.  Swing the bat, get a walk, even bunt… but get to first base!   You’ll never get around the bases until you get out of the batter’s box and become a base runner.

This requires a definite skill set.  You must know how to get the bat on the ball, or at least, avoid the pitfall of swinging at bad pitches.  “A walk is as good as a hit!”.

Apply your marketing skills and get yourself on base.

How To Get To Second Base

Now that you’re on base, the fun begins.

You lead off first, always looking at the pitcher’s feet.  If his feet shift toward first, you’ve got to get back fast or you’re out.

You take one step… then another… carefully, cautiously, maybe even nervously.

The pitcher gazes in at the batter, then suddenly turns and throws the ball to first base.  What do you do now?  You think you could get safely back to first.

But your gut tells you to take off for second.  You know you’ll never score if you don’t advance along the base paths.  But when?  Now?  Is it really the right time?

A Matter Of Faith

You may get back to first base safely.  But that won’t get you to second.

Do you have faith that you’re marketing plan will get you to second?  Will you beat the throw to second?  Can you slide under the tag?  Are you finally willing to take that chance and put your faith in your ability to succeed?

If you get thrown out, you walk back to the dugout.  You hang your head.  You know things didn’t work out.  You failed!

But you also know that before long, you’ll be back in the batter’s box and swinging away again, seeking the next opportunity to circle the bases and score.

So why not now?

If it’s because you really don’t have faith in your marketing plan, maybe it’s time to create a new plan.

If it’s because you really don’t have faith in your self, then maybe it’s time to stop thinking about marketing at all, until you’ve you find your own internal center.

Whatever the case, this might be just the right time for you to stop for just a moment… just long enough to test your faith in your internet marketing strategies.  If you are convinced they are sound, why not take off for second base?  If you lack that faith, return to first, but just long enough to develop some strategies you do have faith in.

Do you have faith in your internet marketing strategies?  I’d love to hear your comments!  If you’d like to challenge your friends to test their faith in their internet marketing strategies, please retweet this post, and share it on your Facebook wall as well.

In the first part of this series, I discussed how creating a path to online marketing success requires taking up precise Social Media positions.  In the second part, I illustrated how to reinforce these positions consistently and systematically with valuable content that is specifically meaningful to your target clientele.

Use Your Positions To Co-Ordinate and Execute Extreme Marketing Campaigns

Now that you’ve assumed your Social Media positions, and have established a plan for the ongoing reinforcement of those positions, you are ready to unleash an extreme marketing campaign.  There are many types of campaigns you could embark on, of course, but let’s look at just one.  This will show you what a marketing campaign might look like.

Case Study

One of my clients (let’s pretend it is you) was interested in building up her MLM downline for a health products company.

Here’s one marketing campaign we devised.

Step One:

Create a single video discussing the product line: what it is, what its health benefits are, and who would want to use it.
Create a SERIES of 3 videos discussing the benefits of becoming a distributor of the product.

Step Two:

Release the videos (post them) onto You Tube and other video sites, one at a time, for 4 consecutive days.

Step Three:

On day one of your first video release (about the product), you will post an entry on your blog about health in general, pertaining to the product you are promoting, but not specifically.  So for instance, you could post about how your diet could reduce the likelihood of heart attacks, reduce high cholesterol and lower blood pressure.  (One of your key products utilizes these same principles, but that is only discussed in your video, not on your blog post).
On the second day, enter a pillar post on your blog about MLM  marketing, showcasing your skill-set and capability to lead people through a marketing process.   This post is NOT about your MLM opportunity, it IS about how any MLM can be effectively marketed.  This post should link directly to the “work with me” (or whatever you call it) page on your blog that will show prospects more about your MLM and HOW THEY CAN CONTACT YOU to get involved.  It should also backlink to your You Tube video.

Step Four:

At the same time that you post the two blog posts outlined in Step Three, you will post two ezine articles that are essentially the same as your blog posts, but reworked for article SEO formatting.

For SEO formatting, I recommend that your articles should be heavily key-worded to your niche.

In addition, the first paragraph should comprise a fairly detached and academic statement of  (in article 1) the health issues that your product addresses; and (in article 2) the nature and history of MLM marketing.

These articles should backlink to your You Tube video, and to your “work with me” blog page, or, probably best of all… an “excluded” blog page dedicated strictly to the campaign.

Call To Action

This campaign was designed for a client desiring to build her downline.  Its purpose was to root out all the browsers and seekers of MLM opportunities in general, and attract those ready and able to join the specific opportunity offered.

In order to have people ACT on my client’s video, blog and article discussions … a Call To Action had to be in place.  For the most part, I suggested that this be offered in the form of the “work with me” static page of the blogsite, or the excluded page linked to directly from video and article content.

In addition, Facebook links and Tweets are used to encourage people to view the blogs, as are email blasts to prospects already in the sales funnel, and direct messages to the Facebook sales funnel list of prospects.

The call to action in this case was essentially a “call me for more information” offer.  Optional to this, you could also employ an optin box on your “work with me” page, or even within the blog post itself.  Still another call to action could be an optin box on your Facebook Business page.

Summary

Marketing campaigns are designed to obtain prospects and clients, but also to put your business on the map and establish you as a force to be reckoned with in the world of cutting edge internet entrepreneurs and online marketers.

Besides the prospects you seek for the immediate opportunity you are promoting, you will also be adding to your overall online credibility.  This might lead to people joining other opportunities or products you offer on your blog, or at the very least, should add to your online visibility and personal branding.

Campaigns like the one I just demonstrated, can put your business over the top.  They can establish you as a force to be reckoned with in the world of internet entrepreneurs and online marketing.   Your Social Media sites will be the base from which all operations proceed, and your Internet Marketing Success will be measured by how effectively you carry out missions to attract and convert prospects, leads, down-lines and business partners into your marketing funnels.  Visit my other posts that detail the first and second parts of this 3-part series designed to propel you to rapid victory in Online Marketing.

I want to blog but I don’t know how to set up a blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I’m ready to blog but do not have the web design skills to create a blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I’d like to have a blog created but I’ll have to wait until I have the funds to hire someone to set up MY blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I can set up a basic blog, but I notice most bloggers have Facebook buttons and Twitter Re-tweet buttons to help them syndicate their blogs. I don’t know how to do all that. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SQUIDOO?

I have had more than a few friends, downlines and clients use the above reasons for stalling their efforts to getting started on their personal blog sites. They understand that to use a blog as a central hub is critical to orchestrating their social media strategies. They realize that they simply must have a “home” to send their friends to from You Tube, Twitter and Facebook.

But far too many cite the above reasons for sitting on the bench and not getting into the game.

If you are one of the benchwarmers, let me introduce you to Squidoo.

Squidoo is the brainchild of “Tribes” author and online guru, Seth Godin. I highly recommend it to my clients for many reasons:

It is really easy to set up, and you really don’t have to maintain your Squidoo site as intensely as you do your blog.

The design work is all done for you. No struggling with widgets, plugins or design code.

It’s free. You don’t need to pay a designer. Squidoo is ready to go. Right now! Really!

Not only is it free, you can actually make money from your Squidoo posts if they generate sufficient traffic.

Because you don’t have to mess with the technical aspects of creating and maintaining your own blog, You Can FOCUS Your Efforts On Creating Ideas, rather than getting bogged down in blog mechanics, or sidelined periodically by technical defects.

Squidoo has all the functionality of a personal blog post. It has Facebook and Twitter connections so people can syndicate your content, and they can even leave comments for you! This functionality exists the moment you write a Squidoo post (called a “lens”). You don’t have to set it up, you don’t tweak it… it’s simply there!

I HAVE ALREADY HAVE A BLOG, IS SQUIDOO FOR ME?

Absolutely!

One of the big benefits of adding Squidoo lenses to your online presence is that Google gives high priority for Squidoo lenses. That means it has great search engine optimization features that catch Google’s eye faster and more effectively than the majority of personal blogs.

So, whether or not you have a personal blog, it’s time to create a Squidoo presence to further enhance your online visibility.

If you want to see what a Squidoo lens looks like, check out mine:

http://www.squidoo.com/DavidMerrill101

OK, I’LL GIVE IT A TRY… WHERE DO I START?

This is the easy part. 

You just go to the Squido homepage, click on “Make A Lens” and then the “Get Started” buttons.

From this point on, it’s pretty self-explanatory.  Of course, I’m going to give you the advanced Squidoo training when you’re ready to get things smoking’… but for now, open your free account, create a lens, and get started.

I’ll be creating enhanced training for my clients and fellow bloggers who want to make the Squidoo lens an absolute powerhouse addition to their social media syndication strategies.  Until then, just keep blogging!

Pay Per Click online advertising, most commonly referred to as PPC, is undeniably the most immediate and powerful way to make money from your blog. PPC forms the most direct link between you and your prospects. PPC is designed to drive traffic to your blog and create a list of leads. These leads will become the basis of your online business for years to come.

So here’s EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW about PPC … and about putting your online business on the fast track to financial success.

PPC Mastery for Online Entrepreneurs