John Cow dot Com » business networking

How to Develop Powerful Relationships in Internet Marketing and See Your Profits Soar?

Jason Katzenback — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:38:06 +0000

If you living on a lone island the ability to generate a significant income online is going to become an uphill battle. Your network of colleagues, clients, mentors, and peers is the greatest asset you will possess in the Online Marketing industry. There is no such thing as a JV if there is only one party, and you can’t be mentored by someone if you have no contact with them. This business revolves around relationships.

What is the Importance of Building Solid Relationships?

Many new marketers entering the online industry focus much of their effort on building niche sites, optimizing these sites, writing articles and web content; and then they sit back and hope for the best. While you can’t sidestep any of these aspects, you should spend more of your time on the areas of marketing that will generate long-term rewards. If you’ve heard of the 80/20 rule, you will know that a great portion of your success in business comes from 20% of your effort. My experience has proven that spending a large part of that 20% on building solid relationships ensures long-term success.

Beside my personal experience, I have engaged with many leaders in this industry, and ALL of them are surrounded by a network of people who are of similar standing. These leaders have partnered with others to develop innovative products, some have helped their fellow vendors gain recognition by recommending their products, and some have entered into strategic alliances with others in an effort to dominate their chosen niche.

It is difficult for a lone-ranger to reach the top! You need the skills, experience, and influence that others bring to the table. The advice and opportunities that can come from a colleague or mentor can often expand your business considerably. And if you are surrounded by distinguished people, their success is bound to rub-off onto you.

Building Relationships is about Giving

If you are a newbie and find yourself surrounded by a community of prominent marketers, you should never take on the role of being a leech: someone who only takes and never gives, someone who marches to the most influential people requesting one-on-one assistance. This is completely the wrong approach! The best case scenario is that the influential marketer might feel sorry for you and give you a few titbits of information. On the other hand, you might establish yourself as the person to avoid completely.

The right approach will be for you to firstly take the initiative and gain a thorough understanding on a specific subject. Read, research and absorb all the information at your disposal. Before you know it you will be well-informed – maybe even a semi-expert – and you will be able to add value by actively participating in conversations on the subject matter. You might even find yourself assisting others. If you comment regularly on a highly-esteemed blog – ensure your comments stimulate conversation, and bring your newly acquired knowledge to the community. The more value you contribute, the more likely it is that you will get noticed.

I spend a lot of time removing spam comments from my blog, but on occasion I will come across a real “gem” of a comment. This type of comment makes me want to know who the person is that left the comment. If this particular person asks me a question in the future or requests assistance from me, I will be obliged to offer my help.

You see – the more you give in life and in business the greater the chances are of you receiving when you are in need. Although everyone isn’t wired the same: some people might still turn down your plea for help, but there will be others who you’ve positively affected through your contributions who will approach you with new opportunities and ventures.

A mutually beneficial relationship requires you to do your part – if you’ve proven that you have something of value to offer then you are well on your way to building solid business relationships.

Guest Post Author: Alex Papa is an internet entrepreneur and investor. Among the last websites he has started is the Business Opportunities Expo, which allows people to connect and exchange new business ideas. In his blog he also writes about Antivirus and Internet security solutions and he offers valid Norton promo codes.

schMooooze Your Way to More Exposure

Jason Katzenback — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:56:42 +0000

I don’t know about you, but sometimes learning the simpler aspects of something is the hardest part of the learning process for me. Take networking, for example. As a new blogger, I found myself with a pretty steep learning curve since I started my blog. My blog is in a very competitive niche, the “make money online” niche. Sure, I had read John Chow’s blog and many others for about a year prior to deciding to dive in to blogging. I read about their strategies, I read about the money they were raking in and thought that all I would have to do to be successful was start writing.

Now it’s been 3 and a half months since my blog went live and things are looking up. I’ve done some guest posts on TylerCruz.com and now here at the Cow’s place. I’m doing my best to learn from others who are more successful than me and have learned a few lessons along the way but the one cliché that is just as true in blogging as it is in the business world is the old “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. In short, it doesn’t matter how well you write or how novel your ideas are, but it’s about who can help you get the most exposure to your blog at the smallest cost.

It’s Not (Only) What You Know

Blogging on the topic of “make money online” has been very personally rewarding. I feel as though I have learned a whole lot about what it takes to create a blog that actually makes money and is able to evolve over time by growing its readership and adding income streams. Learning strategies like how to successfully run a contest, how to write reviews, and how to sell ad space have added to my knowledge arsenal and I am now able to talk shop with the best of them. I also think that I learn even more by making posts on my blog about these topics. When I regurgitate what I know, I do a little more fact checking before pushing the “publish” button to make sure that nobody laughs at me (too much). However, no matter how exciting or insightful my posts are, they are worthless if nobody is reading them. It’s like the old saying goes “if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around, does it make any sound”? What good is an excellent post with tons of helpful information if nobody is gaining from it? What good is me spending an hour or more on one post if nobody is every going to see it? This is where networking comes in.

It’s WHO (Moo?) You Know

Getting over the initial resistance and reaching the point where your blog has some momentum takes a lot of effort. From my part, it required being active in places like the forums at Digital Point and getting to know some bloggers like Tyler Cruz and Gyutae Park from Winning the Web. It’s also required me becoming active in others’ blogs by making comments and letting people know that “hey, I’m here too”! Networking has played a huge part in the life of my blog and I think that it will continue to do so. If you’re unsure how to network, here are 5 tips to get you started:

Be active in other blogs. This is a simple and fun way to participate in the current events of your niche. I’m sure you read other blogs, so why not post helpful comments that help you to stand out as an authority on a subject? Don’t just be a flamer, but actually try to help and participate in the discussion. Once people see that you’re actively participating in these blogs, they’ll be more likely to check out your blog in return.
Participate in your niche’s community. You community is probably full of resources. Do you know them? Do you know the biggest hangout for people who are interested in the same things that you are? Do you talk with members f the community? Do you give helpful information to those in need? If you’ve answered “no” to any of these questions, then you need to bring your game up a notch! Start looking for the places to go and become active!
Meet bloggers in your niche. If you’ve done steps 1 & 2, you’ll probably already be familiar with others who are blogging about your niche. Now that you know who they are, drop them a line to say “hello” and tell them who you are. Chances are that they’ve already seen your screen name around and will be happy to get to know you. Once you’ve opened up a line of communication, you’ll be able to start working on projects together and be able to promote one another’s site.
Learn all that you can about who is who. The “who is who” list is an important one. Once you know the top cats of your game, you should learn all about them. Not in a stalking kind of way, but in a “how did they get to be so successful?” kind of way. Learn about their strategies, learn about their networking communities, and try to do the same. Think of yourself as a virtual James Bond; be the part and know the part! If the people on top of their game are doing a certain thing, you should probably follow their lead. If they are hanging out at certain forums, you should probably be there listening to their advice.
Do guest posts! After you’ve met others, become active in your community, become aware of what others are doing and know what the trends are in your niche, it’s time to go all out! Guest posting has been great for my blog as it’s widened my site’s reach and helped me to gain confidence in blogging. By guest posting, not only do you help out a blogger in need but you also get to share your ideas with blogs that are bigger than yours. This is a win-win!

Nick is a 20-something full time grad student and full time IT guy. Specializing in Information Architecture, he often dabbles in online projects. His latest project, a blog at http://www.learnhow2earn.com, is a blog that details his online money making experiences. Like what he has to say? Check him out and drop a comment!