4) Using "rotator" pages to promote multiple programs.

You've seen, and maybe even used, "rotator" pages -- those programs that *let* you to promote one url and have maybe 3, 5 or even 10 different web pages shown in rotation. Never mind that you're giving up prime real estate at top of web page, where rotator company puts their logo and their info and their ad to get people to their business. You're also diluting your efforts by promoting too many programs at once. You can't use ezine or other classified advertising, because you don't know which page will come up when someone clicks rotator link in an ad. Your left with something like, "Come play rotator-roullete; click this link and see which of my businesses comes up!"

Most people load their rotators and put them on hit exchanges, then wonder why they don't make any sales or get anyone to join their programs. At very least, my friend, it's a numbers game, and numbers are stacked against you. (See number 3 above.) We've seen those pages a thousand times. Number 1001 is not charm.

The cure: Dump rotator pages. If you can't decide which program to concentrate on, sit down and breathe deeply until your head clears. Then make a decision, follow above advice, and stick with it.

5) Relying on "hit exchanges" to do your marketing for you

As I touched on above, most people throw their affiliate or company web page on hit exchanges and then expect money to come rolling in. When that doesn't work, they figure affiliate program is at fault, so they join a different one and put *that* page up instead. After a few such cycles, they conclude that hit exchanges don't work, and they either give up ghost, or they look for different ways to get people to their "me-too" website.

The cure: Hit exchanges can be useful, but not as places to post yet another "BuildReferrals" or "CashEvolution" website. (I don't mean to pick on either of those programs; they are just among most over-exposed sites on exchanges.) You should be using hit exchanges for one purpose only -- to build an opt-in email list that can be promoted to over and over again. Whether you're promoting an ezine or newsletter, a special report or training series, a free ebook, whatever, goal is to have viewer willingly and knowingly give you their name and email address (at very least, their email address) in exchange for what you are offering.

You've probably heard it before, but it's worth repeating -- your opt-in list is gold. Concentrate on building your list, and your list will build your business -- and your income.

6) Posting to FFA's and Safelists

There was a time in ancient Internet history (2-3 years ago) when you could get modest results posting to Free For All pages and Safelists. No more. These days all you get from them are dozens, even hundreds, of ads that (admit it) you don't read. So what makes you think anyone is reading your ads? Why do you think that even owners/promoters of FFA services and many Safelists caution their members that they should open a "throw- away" or "junk" email account, because they're going to get a *lot* of email coming back at them?

Many FFA services try to tell you that having your own FFA account is far better than just posting to FFA's, because then you get to send a confirmation email (usually containing your ad) to each person who posts to your FFA page. Of course, your replies are going straight to poster's junk mail account, where it is usually deleted without even being opened. Face it, only one's making money off FFA's are FFA owners selling you their "service." Fuggedaboutit.

Safelists are only slightly better, as *some* people (mainly newcomers) do read *some* ads they receive. But for most part, people join Safelists to post *their* ads, not read *your* ads. Most Safelist ads suffer same fate as FFA posts -- straight into junk email account, from which they get deleted without being opened.

The cure: Forget FFA's and Safelists. Spend a few bucks and place that ad you've worked so hard on in an ezine or newsletter aimed at your target market. Write articles your potential customers might find useful, and submit them to ezines those prospects might read. Work on your search engine positioning. Tweak your pay-per-click ads. You get idea -- do something USEFUL.

There you have it -- some of biggest time and money wasters you should avoid if you want to succeed online, along with ways to spend that time wisely. Don't waste another minute -- get started today.

3. An "Interview" With You

So you've hooked them with a story, established your credibility, and now they want to do an interview with you.

The most logical step they can take now is to contact you & set up a meeting... But what if they don't have time?

What if their deadline's in an hour, or you're living in a different time zone, or show is due for taping in 2 days and they're not sure if you can still book a flight?

Then do next best thing, only made possible because of magic of internet: provide them with an instant "interview with you."

This "interview" can come in 3 different forms:

- A Q&A document file where you provide answers to most frequently asked questions about you and your company.

- A streaming video file showing you answering same questions, or

- An audio file containing basically same thing.

This way, any media person interested in your story will have no excuse NOT to feature or talk about you, because everything has been provided for in advance.

Aside from these "Top 3 Things" to include in your kit, you can also put in:

4. The general history of your company 5. Biographies of key staff members 6. Your brochure 7. Photographs of your people & products (all captioned) 8. Your business card 9. Interesting quotes / stories from relevant personnel 10. A calendar of future events 11. Downloadable product samples 12. And other downloadable (or at least deliverable by mail) promotional items.

* WHERE do you put your online press kit? -----------------------------------------

Because of Net's interconnectivity & flexibility, your online press kit can actually be created as a stand-alone URL with its own domain name, or you can link to it from your index page to within your main site, maybe with a special icon designed to attract attention of press.

* WHEN should you turn your site into a press kit? --------------------------------------------------

Although you can choose to revamp your site anytime & have a year-long accessible press kit online, you can also choose to make change in time for a specific event, like:

- When you're launching a new product.

- When you've published a new book.

- When you're lowering your prices, or when you're raising them.

- When you'll be appearing as a guest speaker or lecturer.

- When you'll be interviewed on television or radio.

- Or when you'll be participating in a press conference or trade show, and you only have a limited number of printed kits to go around.

* Finally, HOW do you maximize publicity potential of an ------------------------------------------------------------ online kit? -----------

As with everything else on web, simple act of building a kit doesn't automatically compel press to gravitate towards it.

In order to be effective, people should know about it first; here are a few strategies to make sure your kit reaches RIGHT people -- who will hopefully also give you RIGHT kind of publicity:

- Create CD copies of your online kit, package them with attractive labels & designs, then send them to press via postal mail.

You can also distribute these CDs in place of business cards... particularly if your clients are on brink of saying "yes."

- Update your press releases regularly to reflect a keen awareness of most current issues, then submit them to search engines for ranking & filing.

- Submit your press release to online press release services, remembering to provide a URL link to entire kit on your website.

- Finally, you can also make use of trade show opportunities to distribute flyers or small cards containing your press kit's URL.

Cheaper to print than a full color press kit, these cards will nevertheless point media towards right stories & information... stories & information about YOUR company & YOU.

© Tatiana Velitchkov