Colin Klinkert Dot Com

Have you ever wondered how YouTube video marketing can help you generate traffic to your site? Well, the answer is pretty simple. YouTube is a site that has one of the largest reaches in the Internet. It receives millions of visitors everyday and because it is owned by Google, video results for searches are generally featured at the the top of almost every Google search.

So, with all the traffic going through YouTube, why not try to get some of those people to your site? YouTube video marketing is actually a lot easier than you might think. First, you need to make a video. Pick one of the most popular articles or sections of content of your site, understand exactly what the content says, and repeat it, in your own words, in front of a camera. Limit the length to a maximum of five minutes.

Most modern computers have built-in cameras, but if you don’t have one, don’t hesitate to purchase one online or at a local store. Webcams are pretty cheap nowadays, and the fantastic Flip Video cameras are not only inexpensive and mobile phone-sized, but they come with a built-in USB connection that pops out the side and plugs straight into your computer.

Once you have the video recorded, head over to YouTube and sign up for a free account (if you don’t already have one). In the meantime, join my YouTube channel for great internet marketing and money money online video content. There are a lot of videos set to be released.

The uploading process is very easy and streamlined. All you need to do is select the file from your hard drive when prompted and enter a title and description for the video. Feel free to use the same title and keywords you already used in the source article you used to create the video. Very importantly, at the beginning of the description, make sure to include a link back to your site.

That’s it! The process requires little to no initial investment (depending on whether or not you already have a camera), and doesn’t take that much time. You may then repeat the process to make more videos using other popular articles from your site to increase the odds of generating views and most importantly traffic to your online presence. Don’t forget to share your videos on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, etc. If you don’t know about the latter yet, learn how Google goes social with Google Buzz!

A few weeks ago I was searching for a great affiliate WordPress theme for future squeeze pages and sites of mine. I just couldn’t find anything I really liked until I found a great theme called Squeeze Theme. As you can imagine, this theme was developed to help internet marketers and alike easily set up squeeze pages, sites and even blogs with WordPress.

Squeeze Theme was specifically designed to grab visitors’ attention and make them opt in, which is of course a must in our industry. As they say, if you aren’t squeezing the email addresses out our your visitors, you’re missing out on new customers… and profits! I couldn’t agree more. Your site may receive lots of traffic but if it doesn’t convert well (if visitors don’t opt in) all your traffic generation efforts are pretty useless…

Now you may think that this is just sales text after all… but if you test drive the actual theme and take a close look at how it is built, you will certainly understand why I picked this one and not another. This theme is considered as being one of the best converting themes in the industry, and when you remember how popular WordPress is… this is quite a fact!

This very professional looking theme is also very easy to customize. I’m not surprised Frank Kern and John Reese themselves recommend it too! It has an easy-to-use interface to customize your online presence almost as much as you want. The best part is that you don’t need to know anything about coding. If you already have a site or blog, you may simply want to use this theme for a single page of your site. Well, that’s possible!

Squeeze Theme design

As you can see the design is pretty neat, and you can of course change the appearance. You can for example change the colors, add your own background as well as widgets, ads, etc. Added to the regular WordPress features… it simply has it all! There is not much else you really need to start making money online!

Squeeze Theme interface

Another great advantage is the resource center. The members area is indeed full of videos, tutorials, etc. on how to set up your squeeze page, site or blog and most importantly make the most out of it. It also has a support forum, which is great if you’re a beginner as you will be able to find help very easily. They even offer a 12-week training course to learn how to set up an affiliate site and build a list.

To be honest with you, I really regret I only found out about this theme recently… This is certainly the best WordPress theme I have ever used. Period. And with all the support that comes with it, even total beginners can have a professional looking squeeze page, site or blog in no time! The most important aspect is actually the fact that the theme was designed to convert visits into opt ins. That’s truly priceless.

The people who developed Squeeze Theme also developed another theme called Affiliate Theme. While you can use Squeeze Theme for almost any type of make money online page, site or blog, Affiliate Theme is more specifically targeted at affiliate marketers. Both themes are available on Squeeze Theme’s site.

If you aren’t really familiar with WordPress, I suggest you to sign up to ViralHosts and take the one-time offer, so you can install WordPress in just a few clicks (with Fantastico De Luxe). For more information, check out why ViralHosts web hosting is so good for internet marketers!

Are you one of those struggling to find a good domain name? If you are, don’t worry too much… you aren’t alone. I already had several of my customers asking me how to find a good domain name for their site, blog or squeeze page. According to them, most good ones are already taken… which is partly true. Finding a good domain name for your site or whatever the type of online presence you’re planning to have isn’t easy. However, don’t just hurry to register a domain name but rather take the time to think about what you really need or want.

Some will say that a domain name isn’t that important… Well, a good domain name can definitely help your site rank better in search engines but most importantly it can grab your visitors’ attention and stay in their mind. A great domain name can even become one of your greatest assets! Don’t be too over excited though. A great domain name can help you rank better in search engines for example but isn’t necessarily a guarantee of success…

How your domain name should be:

- Short
- Memorable
- Easy to spell
- Easy to type
- Descriptive…

Easy to say but difficult to do… By descriptive I mean including keywords (as in viralmarketingmanuscript.com even though this domain name is a little too long), because they can help you rank better in search engines. You should avoid dashes and numbers as much as you can. Web users are now overloaded with information, so it MUST be memorable. Unless you target a specific geographic area, choose a common domain name extension such as .com, .net or .org.

Study the competition, ask around you and maybe use domain name suggestion tools like Domains Bots, Domain Tools or Dot-o-Mator. Once you have an idea of what you need or want, check the availability on a domain name registrar like GoDaddy or NameCheap. You will need to perform a search to check if the domain name you want, with the extension you want, is available or not. Feel free to perform as many searches as you want as they will help you find alternatives.

If you really struggle in choosing a domain name for your online presence, it’s still time to do a brainstorming. Most good domain names are already  taken, that’s right… but with some creativity you can find a great one that will perfectly match your needs. Try to think outside the box but always remember the characteristics of a good domain name.

You can purchase your domain name from a large range of websites but I tend to purchase mine from well established companies like GoDaddy and NameCheap. They are large companies that aren’t going out of business anytime soon… which is definitely a plus. Both GoDaddy and NameCheap provide good support. Now if you need web hosting as well, make sure you check out what makes ViralHosts web hosting so good!

At the time I write this blog post, Facebook has over 350 million active users. 50% of them log on in any given day and the site now counts more than 700,000 business pages. As an internet marketer or home business owner, this should sound like a great opportunity for you to strengthen the relationships with your existing customers and even maybe generate new leads. Out of 350 million active users, you’d be unlucky not to find any of your customers already on there.

A few weeks ago I published a blog post on how to set up a Google profile for yourself. This time I will show you how to create a Facebook page for your business. It’s dead simple but I also give a few tips… Creating a fan page only takes a few minutes so don’t miss out on this opportunity.

Having said that, I tend to use Facebook for personal use rather than business use. However, Facebook has made it so easy for businesses to create a page that I eventually decided to jump in. Feel free to check out my page now. I will be giving away some cool products for those who join and participate in the community.

To create a Facebook page for your business, log into your personal account and go to the page creation interface. If you don’t have a Facebook profile yet, you will then need to create one. You first have to choose a category: an area, a brand, product or organization, or an artist, band or public figure. Select the category that best fits your business and move to the next step. Enter the name you want to give to the page and tick the box if you don’t want the page to become public at this time. If you do so you will of course be able to make it public at a later time. Then click “Create Page”. Too easy!

You will then land on your newly created business page. You can start customizing it. You may add a picture for example, and edit the information. Click “Edit Information” and fill in the fields: when the business was founded, what the website address is, a short company overview, etc. Make sure you complete the profile comprehensively so it really looks professional. Browse around and check out all the features that you can use for your business page.

Now a few tips… Having a Facebook page for your business is a good thing… if you manage to make it successful. Well I just created mine but I already have a few ideas on how to get what we will call “fans”. For starters, make sure your page is complete (with a picture, basic information, detailed information, etc.). You may add a link to the page to your blog (check out the buttons on the right), email signature or anywhere you feel like. You may even tweet about it.

To attract fans you will also need to make your page engaging enough, so people actually want to join the community. Make sure you regularly add new content (news, videos, upcoming events, etc.) to your feed. To engage visitors you may even organize contests or reward those who participate (with freebies for instance). These are only a few techniques on growing your fan list. Feel free to share your own!

Hello! I’m Julien Duc, and I have recently been appointed VP of Operations at ColinKlinkert.com. I am originally from Bordeaux, France but spent most of the past 4 years in Australia. I have worked in various industries including computer hardware, magazine publishing, website design and software development.

I recently graduated with a Master of Business from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. I had the chance to undertake several internet marketing courses and work while studying, which allowed me to turn my knowledge into practice in no time. After my studies, I decided to become an internet marketing consultant and to take on this great opportunity to work with Colin.

My role at ColinKlinkert.com encompasses assisting Colin with running and promoting his existing businesses, developing future projects as well as with general and technical support and various other tasks. I am also his new JV Manager so feel free to contact me if you’d like to joint venture with Colin.

I am currently working on ViralHosts (a new all-in-one hosting, list builder and mailer system), which is to be fully launched soon, on a site about Kenneth Cole Shoes and a few more very exciting projects that you should hear about soon. I am really glad to be part of Colin’s team. Be sure we will continue to provide you with the keys to online success, as Colin and I both share the taste for perfection.

Feel free to contact me via the help desk or provide me with your IM address if you would like to chat! I’d love to hear from you!

If you have the ability to write compelling sales copy, but can’t build a website for the life of you, it’s not really a problem, because a website isn’t required to be a successful affiliate marketer.  This is done by utilizing a variety of Web 2.0 sites,  which allows you to build an online presence using the in-place infrastructure of already popular websites.

There are a lot of content websites that are completely dependent upon user submitted content.  Sites like Associated Content and eHow are comprised almost exclusively of articles that are written and submitted by average users.  These sites get a lot of viewers and are usually at the top of many searches, so use that popularity to your advantage.  This isn’t some sort of nefarious scheme, it is an equal trade; the content sites get quality content you produce, and you get free space to promote your product.

Here’s how you can make it work:  write a bunch of articles about the product you are promoting or the about the topic in general.  Make sure that each of these are unique, because if you submit duplicate articles to many different sites, search engines like Google won’t count them and could even penalize them.  And make sure the articles are rich with the keywords related to your product.

These sites will usually allow you to place affiliate links either in the body of the content or in a special resource box on the page.  People searching for those keywords, will come across your articles on these sites (because web 2.0 sites generally achieve very high page ranks) and, if your sales copy is compelling, they will click through your affiliate link and purchase the product.

The amount of success you will have is completely dependent on the quality of your sales copy, but the beauty of this method is that it requires no start-up costs.  You don’t need to register domain names and build websites.  Just write the articles and start making money.

One of the biggest components of a website’s success in search engine rankings is the proper selection and use of keywords. Emphasizing the right keywords can make your website stand out in the right circles, getting you traffic and revenue. That said, finding the right keywords can be a tough task.

Selecting the right keywords and phrases relies on two things: research and specificity.

For the research part, go to websites that offer similar services to what you will provide and look at its keywords. Often you can see them by right mouse-clicking on the page and selecting “View Page Source”. But there are also a lot of online keyword analysis tools, like Spyfu, that allow you to enter a web address and return a keyword list, so make use of them. Such a list will provide you with a starting point.

Once you have the list, it is time to get specific. Basic one-word keywords generally face very tough competition. For example, if you wanted to start a successful website about independent music acts in your city, then the keyword “music” would not be one to focus on. You will face tough competition from online music distributors, online merchants like Amazon, record companies, music magazines, etc.

If, however, you use that starting keyword and make it more specific, you can have better success. So, instead of music, try “music in New York” or “New York indie music,” or any other variation that will include the base keyword and make it specific for your topic.

Search engine users have become sophisticated enough to realize that in order to find the content they want, they must enter specific search terms. If your keywords reflect variations of those specific terms, then you will be able to generate traffic, and that traffic will be made up of the exact people who are interested in your topic/product/service.

Are You Following Me on Twitter? http://www.TwitterColin.com – I Follow Back

Blogging has become an incredibly popular way to distribute content in the past few years.  Though subjects may vary, all successful blogs have two certain things in common:  regular content updates and content that is valuable to the reader.

While many who are looking to start a career in online marketing may use a blog as an occasional medium for releasing content, many underestimate just how powerful a good blog can be for developing a “hub” presence for online marketing.

Why spend your time developing a blog instead of working on other aspects of online marketing?  There are a few reasons.

First of all, a blog helps to put a personal face to your online business.  If people are able to regularly read things you are writing, and have access to an About or Contact page where they can learn about you or get in touch with you, that makes you an actual person in their minds, instead of a faceless internet entity.  People are more likely to want to do business with “Bill Jones” instead of “productnameplus.com.”

Second, if you provide quality content on your blog, you are able to attract more customers.  For example, if you build a blog about pet training that provides solid resources for web users, then when you use the blog as a platform for promoting a related product, people will value you as person knows what they’re talking about and who has provided a lot of free information to them already.  Having established this credibility, they will be more inclined to try it if it is recommended by you.

You can also add an “opt-in” box where people can sign up for a newsletter or email updates.  This allows you to set up a customer list and have people ask to be on it!  A strong blog with quality content can provide a central hub for all of your online marketing ventures, and can attract quality customers.

A Good Tip:

You can signup to my Optin Box top left to see the process I use. Another good Idea would be to follow me on Twitter. Doing so will trigger a DM sent to you on Twitter from me and you can see how I handle my new twitter followers with the video I send them to and the incentive I give to optin

This is a follow-on from a post I recently made about blog commenting. Today we are looking at Effective Forum Marketing. You can watch an intro to this post:  http://viralnetworks.com/view/rVIwm

Forums are a great way to get in touch with potential customers.  There are various forums all across the internet that are devoted to an incredible range of topics.  That means that regardless of the type of product you are working with, there is likely a forum somewhere that is devoted to that field.  The people who frequent that forum are a highly targeted demographic  – they are ‘warm’ prospects, with high conversion potential.

Establish a Presence

But you need to work at establishing a presence.  Forum marketing is not about just posting a couple links and watching the sales come rolling in.  Forums have moderators and administrators who look out for marketing scams and immediately delete those posts and ban the user who posted them.

So how can you use forum marketing effectively?

Trading value for value.  The value that the forum users offer is their attention to your product and possibly buying it.  The value you provide is determined by the nature of the forum.

For example, if you are selling a how-to product that teaches people how to use Photoshop software, then look for forums for beginners to the software.  They will ask questions about how to do certain things, you find the answer and post it.  That is the value you give them.  When you post in a forum, you are usually allowed to have a link to a website either in your user profile or as a “signature” – text or images that appear automatically at the bottom of each of your posts.

Don’t Blatantly Sell

As long as you provide value to the other forum users and don’t blatantly try to sell your product, you will be allowed to stay.  And the people that you advise will often follow your link out of curiosity, or the need for more information. If they see that you have a product that solves their problem or enhances the reason they are in the forum, they are more likely to buy that product.

Forum marketing is being used more and more by internet marketers, and while it does take time to establish a credible preference in the forum, the benefits are great if it is one that is very finely targeted to your niche.

Have You Tried This Yet

Have You Used a Technique like this before or during your product launch? Maybe you have used it as an affiliate for other products… What Results have you seen from Forum traffic?

The Power of Partnerships

So you’ve heard about online and affiliate marketing and have learned that they are a great way to make money online, but are you new to the process and don’t know where to begin?

If so it’s time to objectively take stock of your skills and learn what you need to in order to succeed.

At its most basic, online marketing breaks down into two principle parts:  search engine optimization (SEO) and sales copy.  The SEO will drive traffic to your sites, and good sales copy will convince those visitors to buy the product from you.  When you begin to get traffic and sales, you will have the basis of your own ‘list’ of clients. But what if you don’t know a lot about either?

Focus on one or the other to start with and once you have something to bring to the table, you can look for someone to partner with for a campaign.

Sales copy will likely prove to be the valuable skill, and as such is a great place to start.  Look for online resources, books from the local library about copywriting, anything you can get your hands on.  Also, read through the websites that other online marketers have produced.

For every person that wants to be an online marketer and has good sales copy skills, there is another person who is good at SEO but has problems stringing together words into compelling sentences.  Check with forums devoted to online marketing, and you can probably find somebody who is willing to team up with you.

Especially in your early stages of internet marketing, it is better to split all the profit generated than not make any profit at all.  Once you gain some experience, you can strike out on your own, or you may find that you like the partnership and continue with it.

Either way, by combining your skills and somebody else’s at the beginning of your online marketing career, you can start making sales faster.

Where To Find People

For ViralUrl, Frank and I teamed up as we had skills that complimented eachother. ViralUrl has been a big hit and we have plans to take it to the next level as well. I met Frank a while before we partnered through networking. A great new Business Social Network that you can use to meet people to partner with is ViralNetworks! I am on ViralNetworks as well as 18,000 other marketers, so come join us and get networking!