Neil Shearing’s Internet Marketing Strategies

I’m working on a new, top-secret project at the moment.

Don’t worry, it isn’t a “big box” I’m going to sell at $1997!

In fact, I don’t know if a product will come out of this project at all. I may very well keep the information to myself and dominate the Internet on my terms.

After all, I’m ploughing in my money and my time, as well as that of my developers… so it may be better to keep it all ”hidden” and locked in the same vault as the Coke(R) recipe.

What I can tell you is that my brain is melting from the information I’m trying to absorb such as… the latest, cutting-edge developments in organic SEO (white hat!), PHP scripts with artificial intelligence, the synthesis of end-user contributed content with core quality PLR content, the organization of multiple talented developers on the same project, plus my own crash-course in PHP site-building, xml sitemap generation and pagerank, page reputation, link reputation and so on.

I don’t know what other webmasters are doing, but in my opinion, this is cutting edge site generation on several different fronts and I’m really excited by it!

Can anyone guess what I’m doing?

I read Phil Wiley’s latest newsletter and he said, “Before long I think we’ll be seeing 2 or 3 nearly every week or the year.”

He was referring to these “big ticket” Internet marketing launches where the products sells for $997, $1497 or $1997.

Is he right?

Will we see two or three per week… every week of the year?

He could well be right… I’m awful at predictions… but my gut instinct is that this fad of high ticket launches may fade away as people become jaded with them.  

I don’t know the legality of this, but someone is currently trying to sell Mark Joyner’s Farewell Package with resell rights on ebay for $5.99! (link, may not work after auction ends) . Another guy is selling it for $9.99. John Reese’s Traffic Secrets is available at $399. Why pay $1k or $2k for something that will be available for 1/10th the price in a few months?

I expect we’ll end up seeing just a steady trickle of $997+ launches… but not the flood that Phil foresees.

What do you think?

Do you use press releases as part of your marketing system? You should. I’ve got an idea for a press release in my head, and am just waiting on some data before I create it and send it out. If the press release picks up some attention you can get it onto sites with high pagerank (and traffic), which will gain you visitors and some important links from authority sites.

Press releases can quickly land you at top positions on Google News, Yahoo news and other similar sites, which get heavy traffic from news watchers around the world. If properly done, you may even get interview calls from some reputed publications in your niche, followed by excellent publicity for your site.

For more tips on using press releases, check out Secrets Of Press Releases

“11 Days To List Profits” is the next product to be released by Michael Cheney… he of Adsense Videos fame.

Michael managed to build a huge list during the successful launch of Adsense Videos, and on the back of that list he has made a small fortune promoting other people’s services and products… so who better than Michael to explain how to build and profit from your own lists?

When Michael first mentioned the project, I was concerned that people wouldn’t have the contacts necessary to build a list in the way he did (not everyone can launch a product and sign up thousands of people per day!) but Michael assured me that he would describe the list-building process in a way that anyone could follow, step-by-step and starting from scratch.

That’s what I wanted to hear… step-by-step info that beginners can apply.

More info about the product coming soon.

I have a discount code to save you $200 on Launch Formula Marketing, the new product by Robert Puddy (a fellow Brit). If you like the sound of the product, use the code “LFM001” to claim a $200 savings.

When Michael gives advice, it’s wise to listen. For all those people who have bought templates, from any source, it’s an important message…

“Modify Your Templates or Suffer the Consequences”

It’s not exactly ambiguous, is it? The message is quite clear… you can’t use those templates “as they are” and hope to avoid any penalties from the search engines.

Personally, I’m not sure about this… if you look at most major sites, they’re built around templates. There’s usually a “masthead” graphic, a left-hand navigation menu, some “center of the page” content, and a footer with contact information. Usually only the content part of the page will change… so each page on the site has elements in common.

Perhaps the problem is when multiple sites online, that are otherwise unrelated, have the same site elements? But then, would every site built with XSitePro’s templates be hit with a “template” penalty?

I’ll have to ask Michael to clarify… but, until then, it’s definitely wise to heed his words of wisdom.

(having just done a bit more research, Michael seems to be specifically referring to using templated sites for Adsense revenue. He states that as soon as your publisher ID appears on a site, Google will check it against your other sites with Adsense ads on them, and if it sees a “template pattern” you may get hit with a penalty for having cookie-cutter sites)

One of the reason for starting this blog was to rank highly for my own name in the search engines, so people could find me easily. I accomplished that, and wrote a post about it.

One of the happy spin-offs is that I now get top rankings for other products, names and topics. For example, one of my blog posts ranks third for the phrase “Xybercode System” at Google.

 < -- click to enlarge

Now, you may think, well, “so what”?

But, it’s interesting to me because this is a hot new product… people are quite likely to type that phrase into the search engines at the moment and will be looking for the high-ticket product. The fact that my blog post is third, and only beaten by two of Jeff’s sites, indicates that I’m in a position to get some clicks and sales just from blogging about the product launch.

Did I get lucky for “xybercode system”? Was it coincidence that got me to third place?

I don’t think so…

< -- click to enlarge

If you search for “Infoproduct Blueprint”, the other high ticket product launch from last week, my blog post ranks 4th… behind two results from Ken’s official site and a blog post by Joel Comm.

So, I stand to gain clicks and potential sales from organic search engine traffic just by doing a couple of blog posts about the launches. That’s the result of quick indexing of the blog posts by Google, and little initial competition for those product launch keywords.

It looks like the Xybercode System fell victim to launching on the same day as Ken McArthur’s InfoProduct Blueprint. According to Jeff Alderson, “Sales are a bit slower than expected so far.”

Hence, the price was dropped by $500 and two new bonuses were added…

Here are the new bonus details, according to Jeff…

1: Product Analysis and Feedback

I will personally evaluate one product that you develop and give you my expert opinion on the functionality, usability, and design. I will also give you suggestions to make your product even better!

Having someone giving you feedback on your product (who has done this countless times before), could mean the difference between a small amount of profit or a huge windfall when you launch!

And…

2: Six Header and 3-D Box Graphics

It is important to use professional looking graphics when selling any product online. You do not want to lose any sales by trying to save a few bucks on your header and product boxshots.

I am going to give you the exact same high-quality type of designs that I personally use on my own sites. These graphics will save you time and money when you work on your own sales pages!

Here’s the second of today’s huge launches…

Jeff Alderson is offering his massive Xybercode System from 12 noon, EST. I don’t know Jeff personally, like I do Ken, but I know what Jeff has accomplished…. he’s made a huge amount of money from quality software such as Traffic Equalizer, Adwords Equalizer, RSS Equalizer etc.

Now, in the Xybercode System, he’s offering dozens upon dozens of his own custom-built “white label” software products which you can rebrand and sell as your own.

This is NOT a cheap package… but if you’re looking to get a flying start in your own online business, and you can afford the upfront cost, this could be a very effective way to start selling your own products… LOTS of them… in just days or weeks. Compared to the development time and costs of all the software, this is actually a bargain purchase. I know… I’ve tried to get software developed and have the battle scars to prove it!

There are two big Internet Marketing launches today… both at exactly the same time…

First up is the InfoProduct Blueprint by Ken McArthur. I’ve personally known Ken for years. He’s one of a few guys I genuinely respect and look up to in this industry. If Ken puts his name to something, you know it’s quality.

The “Infoproduct Blueprint” is a “big box” of goodies which shows you, “Exactly How to Create an Info Product and Make SIGNIFICANT ‘In Your Pocket’ Profits - Step by Step”.

I haven’t seen the product yet… but I’m certain this will be another top-quality winner from Ken. If you check out the link as soon as you can after 12 noon EST today, there are some superb $1,000+ early-bird bonuses… check it out here.

Some people have said it’s tricky to get the free movies… so I made a 2 minute video running you through the process of grabbing the freebies. Please note, my video will whisk you past all Michael’s offers, so, if you watch the free movies and like them, please check out the upgrades/upsells.

Click here to watch my video (2 minutes long) showing you how to access the free movies.

Do you want to stop search engine robots indexing some pages on your sites? Then you’ll need a robots.txt file.

How do you know it’s working? Test it here…

http://www.searchenginepromotionhelp.com/m/robots-text-tester/robots-checker.php

You can also create new robots.txt files here…

http://www.searchenginepromotionhelp.com/m/robots-text-creator/simple-robots-creator.php

Useful little tools.

Her “shave-a-thon” event was too successful!

She says…

“we sold 263 clickable square inches of my head and raised a total of $13,215 for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade!”

and,

“I didn’t plan for what would happen if more than 96 square inches of my scalp was “sold”!”

Oops! Time to shave hubby Michel’s head, methinks.

Read all the details at Sylvie’s blog… Breast Cancer Victory

What do you make of this?

—

Hello Neil,

I am now needing Christmas tree stand at wholesale prices.  The metal simple one, must have good price.  Please let me know if you can quote them for me,
  Tks,  Blessing  [name]

—

That just left me speechless.

Seriously. I still am.

I don’t know if or when Keyword Avalanche will re-open its doors to new members after they close their membership later today.

Check out the movie explaining all about Keyword Avalanche and how it can help you boost your Adsense and affiliate earnings.

 A lot of the time, most things people offer for free is junk. BUT, I’ve personally reviewed these movies and they are most definitely worth checking out. Michael does a great job of explaining how to go about crafting emails that really generate responses… and I can tell you, it’s not easy!

Does Michael know how to get people to respond to his own emails? Yes, absolutely. He finished in the top-20 joint venture partners for Joel Comm’s most recent Instant Adsense Templates promotion… two spots higher than me.

What does Michael want in return for giving you his $197 product for free? Yes, your email address. Just sign up at this page and you’ll be enjoying a quality series of movies on improving your profits by improving the clicks and sales your emails generate.

Michael Campbell is one of the all-time Internet Marketing greats… and I count him as one of a handful of “mentors” I respect highly.

His free newsletter is always very high quality, his products are excellent and his knowledge of quietly making money online is top-notch.

Now you can grab his two best-selling ebooks, Clickin It Rich and Revenge Of The Mininet for free… just sign up to his newsletter. (he also gives away his first ebook… Nothing But Net too… so you get “three for free”!)

This was how Michael broke the news to his subscribers…

As a special “thank you” for being loyal subscribers and readers - some of you have been with me for seven years - I want you to have two of my best sellers, Clickin’ it Rich and Revenge of the Mininet, as a gift.

Yep, not a hitch. Just my way of saying thanks.

If you want to tell your friends, colleagues and subscribers, about this wonderful gift, please send them directly to the newsletter’s home page. Once they subscribe to the newsletter, they’ll get to download the bonus ebooks as well.

Send your friends here:

IMS Home Page ==> http://www.internetmarketingsecrets.com/

Ken’s gone a bit “dolally” and is letting people download about 1/3rd of his upcoming Infoproduct Blueprint for free!

I seriously don’t know how long this will stay up… click this link and download the freebie now.

Not content with being the Internet’s gravitational equivalent of a black hole, Google also makes a ton of cash…

“Google continued to blow away the competition after it nearly doubled its earnings last quarter, even as rivals like Yahoo were forced into profits warnings. The search giant posted profits of $733m for the three months to September, compared with $381m a year ago.

And while revenue for the period totalled $2.69bn, a 70pc increase from $1.58bn last year, its “traffic acquisition costs” or the amount it pays its partners, remained steady at around $825m. The figure shows top line growth has not come at the expense of margins.

Surpassing Wall Street’s lofty expectations is nothing new for Google, which has beaten analysts’ projections in all but one of the nine quarters since its flotation in August 2004, thanks in part to its advertising systems which are street ahead of its rivals’.”

source

OK, this has nothing to do with Internet marketing… unless you consider the fact that I wouldn’t be living in my current house if it weren’t for the income my online business generates.

I love autumn… the mists, the fruits, the chill mornings.

Here’s a picture I just took, 10 minutes ago, of the view from my back-garden across the misty fields.

You’ll have to imagine the slight chill and the water vapour swirling in the air, and the dew on the cobwebs in the bushes and shrubs… but hopefully you can see the mist.

Here’s one of my favourite poems, an Ode to Autumn by Keats… just to bring some culture to the blog…

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,–
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

So my mouse started acting weird… it would scroll to the bottom for no good reason, it would scroll up for no good reason, it would just muck around and have a great time on its own.

Being a technophobe, I thought, “Great! what’s that lump of plastic playing at? I bet it’s a nasty “driver clash” or something!”

I did a bit of research online and it turns out that cleaning the mouse is a good idea!

You should’ve seen the junk that came out of it! I was going to post a picture, but, ewwwww!

So, to save yourself an hour or so of searching the web… consider this… if your mouse plays up… clean it.

I love the Wiki. It’s a fantastic resource and a goldmine of information.

I noticed they are trying to raise funds. Out of curiosity, I clicked the link, and noticed this donation…

>Norma Vazquez USD 0.25 -0.25 0.00 A PENNY CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

This person donated $0.25 and made the comment that “a penny can make the difference”. You may notice that Wiki actually received nothing because the fee was $0.25.

The only beneficiary was Paypal.

Overall, Wiki has received $591,000 so far in 2006… I wonder how much it costs to run…

I finished in the top 20 for Joel’s recent Instant Adsense Templates product sale.

It was a real whirlwind promotion which lasted only 5 days. The price of the product rose every day, encouraging people to take action and buy immediately. There was fierce competition among the super affiliates because there were some serious prizes on offer for the best-performing affiliates, plus the “cache” of winning such a fierce competition, plus the actual commissions themselves!

Joel said 51 affiliates earned over $1,000 in commission. Based on knowing how much I earned, and where I finished, and some really flimsy scientific guesswork, I reckon Joel will be paying out roughly $300,000 to his affiliates for that five day sales event.

Am I close to the right figure? I have no idea.

What I do know is that, from a marketing perspective, Joel’s promotion was near perfect. I hope you were taking notes during the promotion.

(one little sidenote… if affiliates were paid half, does that mean Joel also earned $300,000? Of course not… he had prizes to pay for, in-house partners to split revenue with, processing fees to pay. But, he also had a $97 upsell which affiliates didn’t earn commissions on… and a members site which he also upsold to new customers… again, non-commissionable… so, my best guess is that Joel very likely made $500,000+ from this launch. Way to go, Joel!)

Breast Cancer research is the area I worked in for my Ph.D. I was looking at specific genes which code for resistance to cancer drugs and trying to understand one small piece of the puzzle as to how those anti-cancer-drug genes could become more active.

All that “benchtop” work was dry and quite a long way removed from patients… actual breast cancer sufferers.

That’s why the personal blog of marketer Sylvie Fortin, recently married to Michel Fortin the copywriter, is so shocking for me to read. It’s the story of a real woman hit by this awful disease. Emotions tumble from the page as she describes what she’s experiencing.

Sylvie is having a Shave-a-thon event to raise money for a breast cancer charity, and her bald head will be “sponsored” by people at $50 per square inch. The mapped out graphic of Sylvie’s head will be shown on a website, with the sponsors having links to their websites (along the lines of the milliondollarhomepage idea where people paid for pixels).

It’s a great idea… and I’ve signed up as a sponsor… but I really wish we weren’t doing it at all. I wish you a full and speedy recovery, Sylvie.

Now I know what my word of the day is… Abonnementstornierung!

If you ever decide to run a member’s site, it could come in handy. According to Babelfish, it means “Cancellation of subscription”. How cool is that?

Fellow British marketer, Robert Puddy, is set to offer people his Launch Formula Marketing shortly.

In Launch Formula Marketing, Robert shows you how to use the power of creating free membership sites to generate huge volumes of traffic and sales… yes, sales… even though you’re creating free membership sites!

How? Sign up for the list to find out more.