Online Advertising

There are many ways to advertise on the internet. Some are free, some cost money. Some work, and some don't. The best thing you can do is to test, test and then test some more! When you find something that works, keep doing it until it stops working. The Internet changes so quickly that many methods that work at first, quickly lose effectiveness once people get used to them or too many people start using the same methods. Don't be discouraged when something stops working. Just stay ahead of the game and do something else!

Here are a few things you can try:

• Signature Files
• Classified Advertising
• Banner Ads
• Sending email to purchased or rented "opt-in" lists
• Advertising in Ezines, Newsletters or Discussion Lists
  
• "Posting" to discussion boards, newsgroups or forums
  
• Paying for placement in search engines and directories

Before you start using any of these things, please make sure that you are familiar with the eCosway's Advertising & Anti-Spam Policies and that you have read the Marketing Guidelines. Things that can get you in trouble are marked with a symbol like this:

 

Signature files (Sig Files)
A signature or "sig" file is like an online business card. You place it at the bottom of emails and posts to discussion groups or bulletin boards. A sig file should be no more than 3-5 lines (longer sig files tend to annoy people and result in spam complaints.)
In its early days the Internet was used mainly for academic purposes. Scientists and researchers would use it to exchange information. It was considered bad netiquette, (improper) to blatantly market a product or service. Some of this attitude still exists in areas of the Internet (most notably in news groups and discussion groups). However, even in areas that don't like blatant advertising, people are still allowed to tell others about their business using a signature file.

Putting a good signature file at the end of your personal email is a great way to subtly let friends, family and colleagues know about your business without blatantly pitching them.

You may want to consider creating several different signature files so that you can target your message to different people. Many email programs allow you to have multiple signature files.

PLEASE NOTE: You may NOT use the name eCosway and you may NOT use your www. ecosway.com/home/yourID website address in any sig files anywhere.

Email
You may use eCosway's targeted URLS (such as FinallyABetterWay.com, MakeMoneyStayingHome.com, WeSellYourProducts.com and AmazingOneDollarAuction.com) in the signature file of your email as long as:

• The email and/or sig file are not in violation of eCosway's spam policy.
• The sig file is placed at the bottom of the email in 12 point type or less.
• The sig file is inconspicuously placed at the end of all of your normal day-to-day correspondence with friends and family in emails NOT in any "first-step" emails which pitch an opportunity or talk about eCosway.
• OR, the sig file is placed at the end of "second-step" email which is about eCosway, but which is being sent to people who have already given you "permission to pitch."

Online Posting
You may use eCosway's targeted URLS (such as FinallyABetterWay.com, MakeMoneyStayingHome.com, WeSellYourProducts.com and AmazingOneDollarAuction.com) in a signature file when you post to discussion groups and bulletin boards as long as:

• The post and/or sig file are not in violation of eCosway's Advertising & Anti-Spam Policy.
  
• The sig file is placed at the bottom of the post in 12 point type or less.
  
• The post is not in violation of general posting etiquette (in other words, it must be targeted to the discussion and relevant to the audience, it cannot be a blatant advertisement or a blind post).
  

Making a Signature File

Most email programs allow you to create a signature file that is automatically added to the end of each email that you send or to add one to manually by checking a box. If you only use your email account for personal correspondence, go ahead and have the signature file added automatically, but if you send lots of email, you're better off inserting it manually so that you don't accidentally send it in an email that it shouldn't be in. You might also want to use different sig files for different people, so the manual insertion option is best.

If your email program doesn't store signature files, you'll have to type one in by hand or store them in another file somewhere and then cut and paste one into each email.

A signature file should be no more than four to ten lines long. It should contain at least the following:

Your name
Your email address
An approved web address or URL (not your ecosway.com address)

It can also include:

Your phone number
Your mailing address
A sound byte or slogan
An offer that also tells readers how to take action, (i.e., click on a link or email you)
A phone number

Here are the sig files approved by eCosway:

Please note: any other signature files containing any of the eCosway URLs must be pre-approved before you can use them.

Your Name
https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
your email address

Win the chance to buy a Rolex watch, Palm Pilot,
or a luxury perfume or cologne for only $1.
https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Have you ever seen a Rolex watch, a Palm Pilot, a Sony Cyber Shot
or a Christian Dior fragrances selling for only $1? Come visit
https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Genuine Luxury Items Sold for Only One Dollar each!
Visit: https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Want to see genuine luxury items sold for only one dollar?
Visit: https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Great Deals on Exotic and Exciting Products.
Exclusive Values on Special Items.
An Eye-Popping Auction (luxury items always sell for only one dollar!)
https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Stop by my exciting Global Online Shopping Mall.
It features great products and an amazing auction
where you can get genuine luxury items for only one dollar!
https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

When was the last time you allowed yourself to think about
owning a really expensive watch? Find out how you can
get a genuine Rolex, or Tag Heur for only one dollar! https://www.AmazingOneDollarAuction.com/home/YourID
(your email address)

Your name
https://www.FinallyABetterWay.com/home/YourID
your email address

If you aren't having fun and making tons of money,
You haven't found the right business!
https://www.FinallyABetterWay.com/home/YourID
or email me (your email address)

What would your life be like if
you had all the money you needed,
and all the free time you wanted?
https://www.FinallyABetterWay.com/home/YourID
or email me (your email address)

Dump the dull deals.
Drop the dead-end job.
There's a better way to earn a living!
https://www.FinallyABetterWay.com/home/YourID
or email: (your email address)

If you're ready to stop earning a living
and start living your life, come visit:
https://www.FinallyABetterWay.com/home/YourID
or email me at: (your email address)

When you own your own business,
you own your own life.
Come discover our B.O.S.S.
(Business Ownership Support System)
Visit us at: https://www.BusinessOwnershipSupportSystem/YourID
or email me at: (your email) for more information

If you hate your boss, you'll probably love ours!
Come meet the B.O.S.S.
(Business Ownership Support System)
https://www.BusinessOwnershipSupportSystem/YourID
or email me at: (your email) for more information

Your Name
https://www.WeSellYourProducts.com/home/YourID
your email address

Do you have a product or service you would
like to sell globally?
Visit: https://www.WeSellYourProducts.com/home/YourID
Or email me at: (your email address)

Would you like to sell your product to loyal customers
all over the world at no extra expense to you?
Visit: https://www.WeSellYourProducts.com/home/YourID
Or email me at: (your email address) for more information

Your Name
https://www/MakeMoneyStayingHome.com/home/YourID
your email address

If you must work, there's no place like home!
https://www/MakeMoneyStayingHome.com/home/YourID
your email address

Tired of fighting traffic, dealing with stress
and barely making deadlines?
How does a 30 second commute to a fun
and profitable business sound?
https://www/MakeMoneyStayingHome.com/home/YourID
your email address

Why let other people raise your kids?
Stay at home and earn an income
that grows faster than they do!
https://www/MakeMoneyStayingHome.com/home/YourID
your email address

You can also use an ending like this:

Dedicating my best to your best,
Your Name
https://www/FinallyaBetterWay.com/home/yourID

And add a Quote like:

"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves." Thomas A. Edison

Classified Advertising

Important Note: Never use eCosway's name or your eCosway.com URL in online classified ads. If you place FREE online classified ads, use teaser lines that get people to go to a generic website, or to respond to an email address. Treat free ads like first-step emails and get people to take a second step before you link them to eCosway.
(The reason for this is simply to protect eCosway's reputation. We don't want eCosway to appear anywhere that people might consider "sleazy." Many free ad sites are highly questionable. Since we can't have every business owner sending every site to us for approval, it's best that everyone just use the two-step method.)

If you place PAID ads, you can use the TARGETED URLS (such as, FinallyABetterWay.com, MakeMoneyStayingHome.com, WeSellYourProducts.com and AmazingOneDollarAuction.com) that link directly to your eCosway site. (You can also use the targeted URLS in offline classified ads.)

Placing classified ads online is likely to bring you mixed results. If you pay for ads in premium places, you might actually get some new Shopper or Business Owners as a result, but if you only place free classifieds, don't expect a lot of traffic to your website!

People don't usually search through thousands of free ads looking for things of value. Free sites are generally full of business opportunity ads. Many are for illegal pyramid schemes so they make ridiculous and inflated claims. The type of person who would make a great eCosway prospect probably isn't going to wade through hundreds of outrageous claims in search of your one reasonable ad.

On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to place free ads. They don't cost you anything.

but time and even if they don't generate a lot of response, they're still good for two things. First of all, the other people advertising there might actually be good prospects for you. Secondly, as soon as you start placing classified ads on the Internet, you will suddenly find you email box full of junk email because your email address will be "harvested" by people who compile those spam email lists. You can send your own email to each of these groups of people.

Approaching other advertisers
Whatever you do, DO NOT use software to harvest email addresses from classified ad sections and then send bulk email. This is spamming and it is not allowed by eCosway. However, there is no reason why you can't approach individuals advertisers with a personalized message. If you see an interesting ad with an email address you can start the 2-step email process with an email that says something like this:

---

Subject Line: Saw Your Ad

Hi,
I saw your classified ad about a business opportunity.
I'm trying an online business myself and would like to ask
you a few questions if you don't mind.

Are you having any luck with free classified ads?
Have you tried any of the paid ad sites?
How long have you been with your company?
Is it working out well for you and paying off like it's
supposed to?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
(Your Name)

---

If the person replies back with praises for his or her opportunity and tries to recruit you, you can respond with something like this:

---

Subject Line: Thanks for replying

Dear (his or her name),

It was great to hear that your opportunity is working for you.
It's always good to meet fellow travelers on the road to financial freedom!

I'm actually happy with my program too, so I won't be taking you
up on your offer. L You can check out my company by going to: https://www.ecosway.com/home/myID

I would of course like to recruit you as much as you would like
to recruit me, but since both of us are happy with our current businesses,
neither scenario is likely to happen at the moment. You never know
what will happen to either of us in the future though, so let's stay in touch.
I'll send you any useful business building tips I find and hope you can do
the same for me.

To Prosperity & Freedom!
(your name)

---

Anyone who responds favorably to an email like this should be put on a special email list that you send occasional tips to.

If a person replies to your original inquiry email telling you that his or her business opportunity is NOT working out. You can reply with an email like this:

---

Subject Line: Thanks for replying

Hi (his or her name),

Thanks for responding to my email and for being so honest with me.
I can certainly understand your frustration. I've tried lots of programs
myself and was never happy with any of them until I found eCosway.

eCosway is different because it's a real retail business that caters
to Shoppers, not just to people who join to make money. I've found that
this difference makes all the difference in the world long term.

As an eCosway business owner, you own a branch of a really cool
online shopping mall that has exciting products, exclusive offers
and an Amazing One Dollar Auction where people can buy things like
Rolex watches and expensive electronic items for only $1!

eCosway also has a comprehensive Business Ownership Support System
that gives you everything you need to succeed.

I would love to work with you. If you're interested in checking it out,
please go to: https://www.ecosway.com/home/myID.

To Prosperity & Freedom!
(your name)
________________________________________

Responding to Spam
When you start placing online ads, you will suddenly find your email box filled with email offering you everything from herbal potions, to offshore investments, to dating services, to money opportunities.

Even though you could reasonably argue that anyone who sends you a solicitation that you didn't ask for, has no right to complain if you send one back to them, you're still not allowed to send your eCosway link or to use eCosway's name in a first-step email to people who send you offers by email. When you respond to these people, send a generic email as a first step and then if (and only if) they respond favorably, send them your eCosway site in a second email.

Your email to a spammer could go something like this:

______________________________________________

Subject Line: Re: Your Offer to Me

Dear (Solicitor's name),

Thanks for telling me about your opportunity. Is your business
working for you? If so, I wish you all the best. I have an online
business too and I love it.

If yours isn't working out, or if you are interested in an additional
stream of online income, I would love to show you my system. It is
really different and it really works.

If you're interested in hearing more about it, please email me at:
myname@myisp.com

Thanks, and good luck in your marketing efforts,
Your Name

---

If the person replies and asks for more information, you can send them a link to your eCosway site.

Banner Advertising.
Banner advertising isn't as effective as it used to be, but it can still work to a certain degree so if you can find a cost effective way to do it. A "banner" is kind of like a billboard placed on a web page. The best position is at the top of the page so that everyone who visits the page is sure to see it. The second best position, believe it or not, is at the very bottom of the page (because many people scroll to the bottom and then look for where to click next).

Important Note: You can never identify eCosway or use eCosway's name on a banner ad, so choose a catchy slogan, as your "bait" to get people to click. (Don't make income claims or mislead people though.) Where people are taken once they click depends on whether the site that the banner sits on has been promoted using spam.

• If the site where the banner sits has been promoted by using Spam or in any other manner that violates our spam policy, you must not link to your eCosway site directly from the banner ad.
  
• If the site where the banner sits has not been promoted by spamming, you can link directly to eCosway from there.

The reason for this is explained in the Marketing Guidelines. We want to be sure that people are not simply getting around our Spam policy by sending spam and then using one or two intermediate websites that eventually lead people to eCosway without any permission obtained along the way.

Of course you can argue that even if a person was spammed to get them to a website, that once they clicked on a link or banner to eCosway, that it was by "choice"… but those people are not the ones you have to worry about! The problem will come from people who are unhappy with the original spam email and turn it over to "anti-spam cops" who then diligently track down all parties connected to it. If the spam email lead to a website that had a link (or a banner that links) to eCosway, eCosway would still be in jeopardy because someone might conclude that eCosway was profitting from the spam and was therefore partially responsible.

The bottom line is that we do not want any trails leading back to eCosway in any circumstances where a person might complain to any of the consumer organizations on the Internet. The best thing is not to spam at all - not even to promote a generic site. While we cannot police your activities on behalf of your own websites, we CAN forbid you to have any links or trails leading to eCosway from websites promoted in any manner that violates our anti-spam position.

To animate or not to animate…

In general, animated banner work better than static ones, but not if you overdo it.
Extremely bright or flashing banners tend to irritate people, especially if the web page has content that people want to read. A banner should stand out, but not irritate people or overpower the web page it sits on.

Where Do you put a Banner?

You can put banners on websites that you own or on the websites of friends who are willing to help you out. You can also put banners on sites that attract the type of people who would be good prospects for your offer. Try to find sites that will put your banner in front of a targeted audience. If your banner focuses on the shopping aspect, it won't matter as much since everyone is a potential prospect, but for example, people who frequent financial information sites might be more interested in the Rolex on auction or the business ownership opportunity than people visiting a medical site might be.

Banner Exchange Programs
Since you don't know how the sites that participate in banner exchange programs are promoted, you CANNOT LINK TO ECOSWAY from banners used in exchange programs. Have your banner link to a generic website just to be safe.

Here are a few banner exchange programs
https://www.123banners.com
https://www.bannerswap.com
https://www.bcentral.com/services/bn/default.asp
https://www.bpath.com/index.dbm?page=promote
https://www.linktrader.com

You can probably find many more if you go to any search engine and use the search terms, "banner exchange program."

How do you create a banner?
Here are a few sites that will help you create a banners for free:

https://www.3dtextmaker.com
https://www.cooltext.com
https://www.crecon.com/banners
https://www.flamingtext.com
https://www.quickbanner.com
https://www.web-animator.com

Sending Email to Purchased Lists

There are many offers on the Internet for millions of email addresses at ridiculously low prices. They are all a waste of time and money. Mailing to them is sure to get you in a lot of trouble. (See the Marketing Guidelines for more information.)

There are two types of lists that are sold as "non-spam" addresses. One type of list is called an "opt-in" list and the other is an "opt-out" list. The people on both types of lists supposedly "gave permission" to receive solicitations by email, but this is an area of great debate. It is better to stick with "opt-in" lists if you are going to use lists at all.

Opt-in lists are usually compiled from websites that have a little checkbox asking people if they would like to receive offers in the mail. To be considered an "opt-in" list, people have to actually put a check in the box (it is not pre-checked).

An "opt-out" list is often compiled in the same manner, but instead of asking people to check a box, people have to "un-check" a box that is already checked for them. This is not good because many of the people on "opt-out" lists don't remember giving permission to receive unsolicited mail. They might not have even noticed the box! Just because they "did nothing" they ended up on an email list. You can see why they might not appreciate mail sent to them as a result.

People on opt-in lists are much more responsive to offers because they had to take action to be included on the list. If you want to avoid spam complaints, it's always better to only use opt-in lists only.

Important Note: Even people who checked a box on some website may not remember doing so, and they may not understand why they are getting your email. This is why you must still use a 2-step method if you buy such a list. Do not use eCosway's name or link to your eCosway website from an email sent to ANY purchased list.

Legitimate email addresses usually cost a lot more than cheap CD Roms with millions of names on them. Depending on how "targeted" the list is, prices can range from $.20 to $.45 per email address. Some companies will even sell you email addresses that are considered "leads" rather than lists, and these can cost several dollars per name.

When you pay for a list, you are generally renting it for one time use-- not buying it. List owners usually put several decoy addresses in their lists to catch people using the list more than once, so make sure that you never enter the entire list into an autoresponder series that sends out more than one email. You'll need to send out only one mailing to the entire list, then once you get a reply from some of the people, you can do more mailings.

Once you receive a reply from someone, they are considered part of your own list and you can email to them as many times as you like after that (unless they ask you to stop of course.)

When you're paying for a list, you want to make sure that the results will be worth it. Here are some of the questions you'll want to ask before you rent a list from someone.

How many times has the list been sold?
How well are the addresses targeted?
How can you verify that the emails were actually sent out?
How can you verify that the correct number of emails were sent out?
How can you verify the number of emails that were undeliverable?
How has the list responded to various other offers?
Can you talk to someone who's used the list and had good results?

Click here for a list of companies that supply email lists.

Testing A List

Testing is a great way to find out in advance if the list is going to work for you. You should always test a portion of any list before investing in the entire list.

Rather than sending an email to everyone on an email list, just send it to a portion of the list and see what kind of results you get. If your test turns out to be profitable, you can send to the rest of the list.

How many emails make a good test? It depends on the size of the list. If you are looking at a list with tens of thousands of names, you might want to test 2500-5000 of them first. If you are renting a specialized "opt-in" list that only has a few thousand names, you might want to test 200-500 of them.

Once you've sent out a test email to a small percentage (5-10%) of the list, you should be able to predict the results you'll get if you send out to the rest of the list. If the test fails, you obviously don't want to waste money sending to the rest of the list. On the other hand, if the test is successful (and the mailing is profitable) you obviously want to buy as many names from the same list as possible. If there are no more names on the same list, look for lists that were compiled in the same manner from the same types of websites, or from the same groups of people.

Getting professional help for free: List Brokers

If you're just beginning to do email marketing, finding the right list might seem difficult. There is a lot to keep in mind and making a mistake could cost you a lot of time and money. However, there are some very knowledgeable people who will be glad to help you and they'll do it for free.

A list broker is a marketing professional who researches lists for you and then, based on your needs, recommends one or more lists for you to test. List brokers will also make the arrangements for you to rent the various lists. Since they've seen many different lists and offers, list brokers should prove to be a storehouse of valuable knowledge for you. Best of all, his services are free to you because the list owners or list managers pay him a commission whenever he rents one of their lists.

How do you select a good list broker? Find out if he or she has experience in finding lists for offers which are identical or similar to yours. When you're interviewing list brokers, don't ask them if they have experience in a certain area. They might just say yes to get your business. Instead, ask what types of lists that list broker specializes in. If the list broker brings up the area you're interested in, it's much more likely that he or she will really be of service to you.

It's also a good idea to ask for references. Ask the list broker if you can speak to clients who used lists for offers similar to yours. Check with these references to see how well the list performed.

Once you've selected a list broker, you can best help him or her by describing as much as possible about the kind of customer or prospect you're looking for. If you don't exactly know who it is you're trying to reach, the list broker may still be able to help you. Just tell him or her what you're trying to offer, and get list suggestions that way.

There is another type of person, called a "list manager." List managers work for the list owners. They can also be helpful, but they will also be biased. They will only show you and sell you lists from their own company. They will not have an interest in telling you about all other available options. List brokers are like travel agents who represent all the airlines and tour companies. List managers are like ticket agents for a particular airline.

Advertising in Ezines, Newsletters or Discussion Lists

Besides email lists that you can purchase, there's another way to do paid opt-in emailing. You can buy ads in Ezines, Online Newsletters or Discussion Lists that are sent out regularly to a group of people by email. You can find these by going to any search engine and using the terms, "ezine" or "newsletter" or "moderated discussion list." You can also click here for a list that will get you started.

You cannot use your eCosway.com URL in ads. You can use a catchy slogan and have people respond to an email address, or you can use the targeted URLS (such as FinallyABetterWay.com, MakeMoneyStayingHome.com, WeSellYourProducts.com and AmazingOneDollarAuction.com) and link to your eCosway site.

Ezines are like short online magazines. Some have pictures now, but most are still just text because not everyone can receive email with pictures (in html). Ezines are generally full of interesting articles and some advertising. One of the best ways to use ezines is actually to submit useful articles and use a signature file. However, if you aren't a writer, you can still capitalize on the popularity of ezines by purchasing ad space.

Online newsletters are very similar to ezines but they are normally targeted to a smaller group of people who have a shared interest. They may belong to the same organization or may be "members" of a website. The newsletter usually contains "news" but it can also contain very short articles of interest and many are now accepting advertising.

Discussion Lists are even more targeted. They are usually sent to a group of people who not only have a shared interest, but who also want to participate in discussing it. Some discussion lists allow all of the participants to send email to everyone else in the group, but most lists are "moderated"-which means that someone screens all of the email and decides what should be sent out to everyone. Not all discussion lists accept advertising. The ones that do operate very much like newsletters or ezines.

Here are some questions you should consider when advertising in ezines or newsletters.

Would the subscribers be good prospects?
This is probably the most important question you can ask. If you can't answer this question with a "yes," then all the other questions are meaningless. You must be able to show the subscribers how eCosway can help them get what they want out of life. The newsletter pretty much tells you what they want and what they're interested in.

How many people subscribe?
The more people there are, the more exposure you get, but it may cost more if the publication charges accordingly.

What will it cost?
Some newsletters charge as little as $5 to sponsor an issue. Others may charge hundreds of dollars. Some newsletters charge by the cost-per-thousand (CPM). Typical ranges would be from $20/CPM to $60/CPM. Consider multiple insertions if it makes good financial sense.

How much space are you allowed for your ad?
You'll need to have enough space for you to get your message across to the people reading your ad.

Where will your ad be placed?
Being first or last ad in the newsletter is best.

How many other people are advertising in the same issue?
The less the better. Some newsletters are all ads with no articles. These are pretty worthless because very few people read them and even if they do, your ad is likely to be lost in the clutter.

How was the subscriber list compiled?
Make sure that subscribers "opted in" to receive the newsletter. If they had to pay a subscription fee, that's even better.

Testing Your Ads

Whenever you're doing any kind of advertising, you need to know how well it's working for you. You need to constantly test how well it's doing. In the beginning, you don't know, so you just make the best guess you can and then keep track of the results. The next time you run an ad, try something different and keep track of the results.

What should you change?

• Try a different subject line>br> · Try a different headline
  
• Try different benefits in the body of the email
  
• Change the order of the benefits
  
• Add more benefits
  
• Get rid of some benefits
  
• Use a different list targeting the same type of people
  
• Use a different list targeting a different group of people

When testing, it's important to change only one thing at a time, otherwise you won't know which change is effecting your results. The more you test and track the results, the more you're going to know what works and what doesn't. You should always be testing?especially on the Internet.

Click here for where to find ezines, newsletters and discussion lists.

Posting to Newsgroups, Discussion Boards & Forums

Another type of email discussion group is called a "Newsgroup." I've placed it in this category instead of the one above because even though the discussions are sent by email, the group operates more like a forum and no ads or blatant pitches are allowed.

Newsgroups are one of the oldest features of the Internet because they allow people to discuss special topics with people from all over the world who have similar interests simply by using a "newsgroup reader" which provided by nearly every email program . There are literally tens of thousands of thousands of newsgroups operating today and millions of people who use them.

Discussion boards (sometimes called message boards) and forums are not sent by email, but are actually located on websites. Almost every major portal (AOL, Yahoo, Netscape, AltaVista, Lycos, Ivillage, etc.) has multiple discussion boards. Many individual websites host discussion boards to keep people coming back to their sites.

Discussion boards operate kind of like online "chat sessions." People write things and other people see what was written and respond to it. But discussion boards are different from chats in two major ways. Chats happen "live" - everyone participating in a chat session is online at exactly the same time. Words appear as people type them and everyone "talks" as if they were in the same room at the same time. (That's why the "boards" that chats appear on, are usually called, "chat rooms.") Once a "chat" is over, the conversation disappears and the room becomes "empty." Discussion boards don't require everyone to be online at the same time. People can visit the website to read and reply to messages any time they want because the conversation remains on the board. Some boards preserve conversations forever, other erase posts after a certain period of time.

Discussion Boards, Forums and Newsgroups all tend to develop "regulars" (people who come back often and post consistently). They are like little communities. Even though you are not allowed to blatantly advertise or place ads in these communities, it can be very worthwhile to spend time developing relationships with the people in these forums.

Newsgroups, discussion boards and forums generally do not accept advertising and don't like people posting "pitch" messages. You're likely to get "flamed" if you do. Flaming is the term used to describe nasty retaliation. If you post a "pitch" to a forum, you are sure to get a lot of nasty email from angry members, and you might get something much worse. People might actually send you viruses, or enter your email address into a system that will send you huge files every hour of every day endlessly! If that happens, your email account will become useless because it will always be over it's storage limit and no other email will be able to come in.

The ONLY way to "pitch" in a forum or on a discussion board is by posting questions, answers or tips that are relevant to the group and using a good signature file at the end of your post.

You should target discussion groups only if have an interest in the group topic. Focus on groups where you truly enjoy the discussion for its own sake, otherwise, it really is too much trouble to market this way because it is time consuming.

Subscribe to two or three lists or visit the forum for a week or two. You'll get a pretty good feeling for what's allowed and not allowed on the list. Don't post until you're sure you can do it safely.

Once you decide to post, stay on topic within the body of your message and then use your signature to deliver a subtle pitch. If you try to put a commercial message in the post itself, you'll lose credibility with the group and won't get anywhere with them.

With discussion groups you must be opportunistic. This means that you have to read the messages on the list and see if there's some way you can ask a question or respond to a question in such a way that will be beneficial to members of the list while at the same time promoting eCosway. You'll probably be able to find a good example of what works and what doesn't by reading the messages from the group for a week or two.

One of the disadvantages of this "soft" marketing is that you can spend a tremendous amount of time keeping track of your groups and responding to other people's messages. Remember, you aren't sending ads here. These are discussions and you're expected to participate.

Click here to find Discussion Groups, Newsgroups and Forums

Paying for Placement in Search Engines & Directories

Some search engines and directories now offer placement or listings for a fee. Before you spend any money paying for this service, you should read these articles:

https://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/01/07-inclusion.html

https://websearch.about.com/library/searchtips/bltotd010903.htm

You can also check out all of the "pay-per-click" search engines and directories by going to https://www.payperclicksearchengines.com

Some of the best "pay-per-click" search engines are www.goto.com and www.findwhat.com.

Sites like this either charge a flat fee for listings, or they ask you to "bid" on certain search terms. Some search terms can generate traffic for as little as 1 or 2 cents per click, but other terms can cost you a lot of money.

If you decide to go this route, get creative. You'll probably be better off choosing some obscure terms and paying less for them than trying for something like "business opportunity." The idea is to go for a strategy which is profitable. If something costs a fortune but produces great results, it's still a better deal than something that costs very little but produces nothing. Once again, your best bet is to test, test and test again!

One thing about www.goto.com and www.findwhat.com is that often have relationships with America Online, Lycos and Hot Bot, Microsoft, Netscape, CompuServe, MSN, EarthLink, and CNET. If you get listed with these paid engines you are automatically boosted in the rankings on those other engines and sites so you can actually end up getting more for your money than meets the eye.

Note: You can submit your eCosway URL or any of the targeted URLs to search engines and have them show up in search results. However, if you actually purchase ad space on a search engine site, please use only the targeted URLs, not the www.ecosway.com URL.