internet marketing

[steven]

My friend is is mad that I chose adwords over him.
He runs the site with the hundreds of thousands of users. I wouldn't mind
helping him joining him later if all goes good.

Does anyone have any ideas I could turn him to while telling him I want to
stick with adwords?

We don't know much about internet marketing. This is my main reason for
doing this, so I can learn something new. It is time to figure this
internet marketing out.

I looked at salesgenie but that didn't have internet companies or anything
I saw that would be helpful.

What he needs is companies with lots of inventory, that can be
inexpensively mailed as his users order items.

So I was going to tell him to find companies with excess inventory or over
supply, stuff not selling etc...

But since he isn't a marketer I don't even know how he will get contacts
to talk to.

I assume he should contact marketing departments..

If he can get 200,000 users to visit a website he could make $1000.00.

Any suggestions welcome.

[Rod H.]

Post by steven
But since he isn't a marketer I don't even know how he will get contacts
to talk to.
I assume he should contact marketing departments..
If he can get 200,000 users to visit a website he could make $1000.00.

Assuming the numbers listed above are correct (and not a typo), I would
recommend seriously reconsidering your friend's business model. The
marketing costs involved with driving 200,000 visits to a website will, most
likely, far outweigh a $1,000 profit many times over. You also have to
consider the investment in time it takes and question whether running a
high-volume website that only makes $1,000 is worth it. There are lots of
easier ways to make a thousand bucks.

[Tech 22 22]

If he's got a site up and rolling, with hundreds of thousands users,
what product drew them?

Were they drawn by what he has yet to acquire (The vendors of said
wares)? If so, he put the cart before the horse and should SIMPLIFY,
change his drawing point to something he can deliver, then focus on
customer care. Better to have less traffic than lots of traffic that is
mad at you for not delivering as promised!

If they were drawn by something else (Like free webpages or free email
or something?) Then he could develop an extension (enhancement) of the
product that drew them in the first place. It would come with a
reasonable fee monthly fee plus perks, ease of use and good service and
a free helpful newsletter.

There's his product.

But to try to have a shipping service (which is what I think you're
saying?!-- the wants to be a drop shipper???) in the mix of all that you
guys are doing... is a bit much. I agree with the poster above me, it's
asking for a headache half the size of Montana.... on a regular basis!

If he is not a marketer, the rules of the game are simple. Get plenty of
sleep, sunshine, and..,

1) KISS - Keep it simple (you know the rest).
2) Watch trends and keep developing new products, niche markets, and
working his prices
3) Keep your eyes on the ball. The ball is not the product... The ball
is the customers needs (which normally includes the product). Make it an
obsession.
4) When the stakes are high, hire a knowledgeable marketeer. (I'm not
for hire at the moment, but others on this list are)

Trying to help him figure a business marketing plan while running his
business with 200,000+ users it is sort of like trying to discover the
laws of aerodynamics from the cockpit of a Boeing commercial airliner in
flight. Much better to have a clue before take-off, my friend!

A Pilot has a flight plan. A surgeon has a operation plan. A Teacher
has a learning plan. A Trucker has route plan.
Are you saying he does not have a business marketing plan? (Shaking my
head).

See, all the things you're mentioning... product issues, distribution
(mailing/ shipping) issues, promo plan, they are all part of a marketing
plan. And it does not have to be complex. It just needs to cover the
basics and be researched. Heck, have him go to Wikipedia "Business Plan"
if nothing else. And just because it's an online Biz does not mean you
need no plan.

And as far him being mad at ya, he'll survive he blew it when he failed
to substantiate his numbers of targeted traffic over Google's. As a
marketer of promo, he should have been able to do that lickety split...
always. So his sales pitch is also missing in action, apparently.
(Sigh).

He should not be mad at anyone besides himself. One has to wonder how
good of a friend he is if he has not taken what's in your companies best
interest to heart. Tell him it's not rejecting him. It's rejecting a
fuzzy plan. And better that you reject his offer while he can fix it,
than to hide his blind spot from himself and be set up for a bigger let
down later.

Well, best of Luck. Let us know how Adwords treats you...

~zion