Please watch this introductory message from Mark Hodgetts

This is the single most important chapter in the whole series and you really need to get you head around this if your going to succeed. So please read it and watch the video several times before you go any further.

Imagine for a moment that you're an Internet Marketing Guru let's call you Mike F (hardly original) and you've got the inside scoop on a hot new product that's due for release tomorrow.  What are you going to do?

           a) Invest in a pay per click campaign with Google advertising the product directly

            b) Invest in a massive traffic exchange and safelist blitz

            c) Prepare a review of the product and recommendation to buy to your existing email subscribers

If you answered C go to the top of the class, because that's exactly what these Internet Marketing Gurus do.  Time and time again.  They email their list and they make money.  Not hundreds - thousands.

Why are they successful using this method?

Because people want to read their newsletters and email broadcasts because they offer value.

They give stuff away, they often  give bonus rewards with purchasers and they always offer a benefit.

"This product is good  for you because it will solve the problems you are having with ......"

"This product will save you hours of time and hundreds of dollars in advertising............"

You get the picture, in fact I'm sure that you've read many of their emails.  The fact is tat their methods work.

You have to aim to emulate them.

The first step along that road is branding yourself.

Now,if you're serious about creating a real brand,you need to establish credibility by purchasing a domain name in your own name and hosting a site on it, but many people starting out have neither the time, the know how or the connections to start off on the right foot.

Domain names give you a competitive advantage against every other Tom, Dick and Mary trying to run a business using their yahoo or msn email accounts as tehir professional email address. If you want to be taken seriously you have to look professional. A domain name is a great start. I use Name Cheap for all my Domain purchases and find them to be as good as any.

A domain name means nothing without a website and you'll need a quality web hosting package to assist you.

Now, there are some great hosting packages out there and I myself use GVO. GVO offer a great range of branding products and tools including Ezy Video production, autoresponders, conferencing facilities and web-hosting. I use them everyday. However, it has to be said that most people starting out may be swamped and confused by the array of tools that GVO offer and when you're only starting out and beginning with web-hosting you probably don't want to be spending much on services that they may not require .

A website is essential but you still need to establish a reputation on line as someone who is honest, reliable, helpful and knowledgeable. Get this right and your success is assured.  Of course, this is easier said then done, but by no means impossible.

What I am talking about is creating a brand awareness, because that's what you are, your on line business is you and you are a brand.  Hopefully you will establish a sound reputation with subscribers who will be happy to do business with you.

One critical aspect of using Traffic Exchanges is to get your face known and recognised.  Do not underestimate this, try and incorporate your face into all of your advertising, (including banners).  People recognise faces and they respond to them.

Brand recognition is one thing, delivery of service is the clincher.  Whatever you do you must deliver on your promise.  If it's a report make sure that it is well written and free of spelling errors, same goes for a course - make sure that it remains on topic.  Don't expect results overnight.  You're laying the foundations for a good business.  Make sure that they're solid

Recommending quality and methods products are essential.  As you are marketing directly to prospective on line marketers the first product you should recommend is the product you use to communicate with- your auto responder

There are dozens of autoresponder services, most dedicated services are good, most autoresponder services added as a tack on to an Internet Marketing program are disastrous, because their deliverability rates are so low.

One Autoresponder company has combined great deliverability rates with an exciting compensation plan.

That company is Traffic Wave.  You can check out their compensation plans here

Let me be perfectly clear about this.

Traffic Wave represents an amazing business opportunity if you consistently recommend it to prospects - it should not be your business per se, but it is an essential tool that you need to maintain contact with your prospect list and it has the best affiliate compensation plan of reputable autoresponder companies.

If you don't have an auto responder you need to get  one if you're serious about on line marketing.  Traffic wave gives you great deliverability rates and a great tool to recommend to your prospects.

If you already have an autoresponder service, great, you've taken an essential step to creating a sustainable on line business and I have two questions fore you. 

1.Does the Autoresponder have an affiliate program so you can recommend it to your prospects?

2.Is that affiliate program as potentially lucrative as Traffic waves'?

It's your call.

So once you have an autoresponder service set up and running, you are then in a position to start growing your own business.  Here are some essential points about branding yourself and growing your own business

Five Do's

Play to your strengths

Develop a Unique Selling Proposition

Keep it Simple

Learn something new everyday

Offer help and assistance at every opportunity

Five Dont's

Advertise an affiliate based program lead or splash page

Lie

Spam people

Advocate a dodgy product or program

Abuse people

Additional Recommended reading.

Beth Allen's Power of Promoting You explores this concept fully and is a great read. I highly recommend this publication which covers tehse important subjects.