Message From jl

Hi Everyone!

WELCOME to all of our new subscribers, this week! We truly appreciate you! "Trade Journal Subscribers are THE BEST!"

Before I start with my own thoughts on marketing this week - as promised a couple of weeks ago - I want to give you a heads up on another matter.

All Online Merchants Must Comply!

There's an easier way to get this information than from me. Just join - free of charge - Merchant 911.

www.merchant911.org

Whether you're a merchant or a credit card holder, you'll find information at Merchant 911 you won't find anywhere else. Tom Mohoney has his finger on the pulse of every aspect of the payment card industry (PCI) - and he shares it all with his members.

The deal right now is a change in the regulations of the PCI data security standard. ALL merchants, whether brick and mortar or online, will be required to comply.

The new standards will require you to take specific steps depending on which level of compliance you fall under. So, if you have a merchant account, you definitely NEED to read the two articles below.

tinyurl.com/mjekgk

tinyurl.com/mfmk8o

This is just one more reason to add to my arsenal of reasons why I use a third party credit card processor. With 2CheckOut, I don't have to concern myself with all this stuff. I leave all that to them. It's worth what I pay them!

However, if you happen to use any other company, it will be YOUR responsibility to be sure THEY are compliant. The MERCHANT will be held responsible!

Up or Down, In or Out?

It’s time to make better decisions!

I mentioned last week, “they” say the economy getting better. Then, I read another article claiming the economy is NOT getting better – and won’t.

Of course, that same article claimed prices are going down, and I know better than that. Maybe SOME products have come down, but we have to judge by weekly purchases. I can SEE necessities are still going UP.

Sheeez – since Truth seems to have packed up and LEFT this country, you don’t know WHO to believe. Best we can do is try to separate the lesser from the extreme lunatics.

I suspect most folks in the USA have been waiting for this mess to be fixed FOR us. The huge majority of people in this country were raised from the cradle to believe nearly everything would be done FOR them. I’m surprised they can feed themselves. (Yes, there are exceptions, of course.)

I remember writing about how we should all just tighten our belts for a bit because the recession would pass. It always does. However, the whole thing has been turned into a huge freak show that will not end well.

Apparently, it isn’t going to go away until WE do something about it. WE need to stop waiting for it to pass and get pro-active about it.

Belt-tightening only goes so far – then we have to take steps to move forward.

I also mentioned when all this started ... many people do very well during a recession. They see a need and fill it. Or, they do NOT sit back and wait. They tighten up where they must - to move forward with their business.

Online businesses, as well as brink and mortar, have felt the pinch of this recession. If they tell you different, you’re being fed B.S. It HAS affected everyone, one way or another.

When we lose business, we can do several things: whine about it, try to deny it and go down in flames, or get busy attracting NEW business. For instance, I’ve heard ...

“I want to get the iCop seal when things get better.”

Hey! Get it now and MAKE things better!

I know for a fact how many people look at/for that seal by my email. They are very quick to let me know if a wrong link is found – or an unlinked seal – and they LEAVE those websites.

I also know from the download stats, people continue to use iCop’s Desktop Directory when looking for online businesses.

We can’t cut the expenses that MAKE us money. That isn’t good business!

It’s all part of marketing! Folks don’t walk down the street, or drive by, and suddenly discover our online businesses. We market, or we go belly up. The iCop seal is a marketing tool.

You may find other marketers who poo-poo our seal – usually the ones I’ve pissed off by calling them on their tactics. But, the online CONSUMER respects that seal. They seem to know what it means.

When iCop was in its infancy, I did nearly all my marketing using ezine article marketing. I had a list of several hundred ezine publishers, and I regularly sent them articles for publication.

My list is much shorter, today. Due to the ISPs blocking email, fewer and fewer people publish ezines. But, they DO publish blogs, so they are still a viable possibility for article publishing.

However, what you hear, today, is to publish your articles in article directories. I get that for building back links to your web site – and back links get you better positions in the search engines.

But, for having real people actually READ your articles – not so much. The articles will be buried with thousands of others.

You can ask folks in your social networks to read your articles and/or newsletter. Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. Any time someone has to lift a finger to read something, as in click, chances are they won’t.

After several years in this business, I started suffering from EXTREME information overload. I hit a point where I kind of shut down.

Blogging is a good example. I refused to learn it or have anything to do with it. I was tired! And, I hadn't yet learned to pick and choose what I took in.

This past summer, one of my daughters asked me to set-up a blog for her wedding information. I think she believes I simply stand in front of my computer and give it orders on what to do.

But, of course, when the kid asks, we jump to comply, right? I finally managed to get her set-up using Google's BlogSpot and a lot of trial and error.

Only to remember - too late - I have a product I could have used, had I bothered to think about it. Since then, I've decided to put a blog either on the iCop site, or turn the newsletter into a blog.

I read the above-mentioned product, and I was impressed. That's right - I had never read it, but had taken someone else's word on how great the product is.

Since monetized blogs are the “in” thing for online business, I might suggest starting there. Or, like I intend to do - add it to your arsenal.

Blogs and RSS Revealed has the answers to your most pressing questions on blogs and RSS. It includes both audio files and an ebook to use. It's done in question and answer format, and it's easy to find what you're looking for.

The price is extremely reasonable, and I highly recommend this product!

www.i-cop.org/products/blogs-rss/index.htm

Of course, not everyone writes articles, or wants to. It’s simply a way to drive traffic to your website.

And, of course, you DO still need to build a list of potential customers. At one time, I objected to the so-called “squeeze page” – having visitors give you their name and/or email address in return for something on your website.

I got over it. And, I’ll admit, I was surprised that most folks rolled over and submitted the information. I didn’t think they would. So, I was wrong. Some folks still object to that, but most will give you the info.

Of course, once you have your list – what are you going to do with it?

We’ll discuss that next week – along with more on marketing.

Have a fabulous week and ... keep on keepin' on!

  jl

P.S. Do YOU have the iCop seal on ALL your web sites? Scammers abound in a depressed economy. You will need the credibility of your iCop membership NOW, more than ever!

Use the iCop Seal on Every Site You Own at NO Extra Cost!

Join iCop Today!

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Thank You For Reading!  Have a Terrific Week!

Online Business Trade Journal™ is published solely by dr. jl scott, Director of the International Council of Online Professionals (iCop) and may not reflect the opinion of all iCop members.

Material in the "Leaving You With a Smile" column may be copyrighted by unknown persons.

We accept no responsibility for your use of any contributed information contained herein. All of the information presented in the Online Business Trade Journal™ is published in good faith. Any comments stated in this newsletter are strictly the opinion of the writer or publisher.

We publish all advertising in good faith but offer no guarantees. Please do your own due diligence in ANY transaction.

We reserve the right to edit and make suitable for publication, if necessary, any articles published in this newsletter.

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Copyright © 2009 jl scott, ph.d., Director
International Council of Online Professionals (iCop™)
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