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Like any industry, Internet Marketing has its own special

marketing tools and methods. Many of these marketing tools

may already be familiar to you: autoresponders, SEO software,

link-building systems, content management programs,

affiliate software… and the list goes on.

However, Internet Marketing has other more effective,

non-traditional marketing tools every marketer should

know about if they want to reach their full potential as

online marketers. Some of these marketing tools come cleverly

disguised or camouflaged, with many surfers or customers

completely unaware that they’re receiving a sales-pitch.

Yet, these innocent and simple sales techniques are some

of the most effective marketing tools on the web.

For anyone involved in Internet Marketing or for anyone

wishing to become involved, a quick rundown of these

marketing tools may prove helpful. Here’s a brief list

and a few pointers on how to effectively use these

marketing tools.

1. Domain Name

Lets start at the very beginning. Your domain name should be

considered your first Internet marketing tool. Pick it right

and your domain name can also be your most effective marketing

tool. Get it wrong and it may spell game over.

Most marketers agree you should pick a short memorable

keyword-related domain name. For example, http://www.hotels.com,

it’s easy to remember/spell and it tells you exactly what

the site is about. Picking a domain directly related to the

keyword or keywords of your site will help greatly in obtaining

a high ranking for your site with the search engines. Not to

mention, it will be a great marketing and promotional tool,

telling your potential customers exactly what your site is

promoting and displaying.

On the other hand, some marketers suggest you opt for a short

jazzy name that can be easily remembered by your visitors.

Ebay, Google, Napster, Yahoo… regardless of which route you

take, make sure you examine all the marketing potential before

you pick your domain name. The right domain name can be one

of your most effective marketing tools on the world wide web.

Many experts also suggest you only set up a dedicated server

for your domain or domains. A dedicated server only carries

one domain. Most hosting companies (for economic reasons)

often share hosting servers, i.e. your domain is co-hosted

with hundreds of other domains on the same server. Since you

will be using the same IP address this may have dire consequences

if one of the domains is accused of spamming or some other

unscrupulous behavior. Even if you can’t afford a dedicated

server, it would be wise (for SEO purposes) to have a separate

IP address for each domain you own. Most hosting companies

provide this service for a small fee.

2. Keywords

Keywords, what surfers type into search engines to find what

they’re looking for, are the real building blocks of the web.

They are the single most important element in any online

marketing venture. Pick the right keywords and you’re in

business, pick the wrong keywords and again, it’s game over.

Therefore, you must have special keyword software or use some

online sites or services to help you pick the right keywords.

Many top marketers use WordTracker.com, GoodKeywords.com,

or the new Keyword Elite by Brad Callen. A superior keyword

research product will supply valuable information: number

of searches made each month, amount of competition and the

top sites targeting your keywords.

Remember, you must target the right keywords with your site

or online marketing. Targeted keywords draw targeted traffic

(customers) to your sites or products. The right keyword software

or program will have a direct correlation to the success

or failure of your online marketing efforts. So choose wisely!

3. Articles

Many marketers believe in and rely upon purely organic SEO

techniques for marketing their sites. One simple method of

organic SEO is writing and submitting keyword related

articles around the topic of your website with links back

to your site. As other sites display your articles you gain

valuable one-way links back to your site. Search engines then

follow all of these links and rank your site highly for the

keywords in these articles. For this reason the modest article

may prove to be the single most important marketing tool you

have in your arsenal.

As your site becomes highly ranked for these keywords, other

sites will want to link to your site in order to become

optimized for those same keywords… article keyword marketing

is one of the most effective Internet marketing tools at your

disposal. Used properly if can position your site in the search

engines and bring in all that highly prized targeted traffic.

Keep in mind, many Internet marketers have side-stepped the

whole SEO optimization process by going directly to search

engines and buying their traffic with PPC pay-per-click

advertising. Overture and Google Adwords program are good

examples of this method. Marketers bid on clicks to their

site’s keywords and bring in targeted customers. In

knowledgeable hands, PPC marketing is an extremely

effective and lucrative marketing tool.

4. Lists

The backbone of any Internet marketing system is the list.

It is another marketing tool you can’t do without. The list

is simply a large database of contacts, people who have

given you permission to email or contact them. These are

subscribers who have opted-in to your ezine or newsletter.

Most successful marketers keep countless different databases

for each product or topic they’re targeting with their marketing.

Ezines or newsletters are vital Internet Marketing tools that

no online business should ignore. It is essential you keep in

contact/touch with your past and future customers. You must

build an ongoing relationship and connection with your customers.

Besides your ezine or newsletter, many marketers also set up

lists of affiliates to help promote and sell their products.

Never underestimate the power of an affiliate system as an

effective marketing tool. It is the stuff Empires are made of!

Once a marketer has acquired a large list of loyal contacts

or affiliates — the flood waters open up. Opportunities for

JVs or Joint Ventures with other online marketers make for

serious cash flow.

5. Blogs And RSS Feeds

Blogging and RSS feeds have become essential marketing

tools for savvy online marketers. Online journals or blogs

are all the rage, especially in the marketing field. These

blogging systems such as WordPress are great content

management tools that will quickly build a content-rich

site, pulling in targeted traffic from the search engines.

Search engines are enamored with blogs and RSS feeds mainly

because blogs provide fresh content, the main lifeblood

of every good search engine. For this reason no site should be

without a blog and RSS feed, it will keep your content

regularly visited and indexed by the search engines. In

addition, all that information and content is a perfect tool

for drawing potential customers to your products and services.

Along with your domains, lists, keywords, and articles —

blogs are effective marketing tools that will play an

important role in the success of your online marketing.

In the right hands, these Internet marketing tools can

work magic on any company’s bottom line. They are some

of Internet Marketing’s most effective tools.

You don’t have to think outside of the box, you just have

to know what makes up the box!

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The author runs an Internet Marketing website featuring all the latest marketing tools and techniques. Click here to visit Internet Marketing Tools

Copyright © 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached. Anyone wishing to learn about Internet Marketing and don’t want to spend a bundle should try these: Free Internet Marketing Courses