Pinoy Internet Business Marketing » internet marketing

Website and Free Publicity

Stanley Dumanig — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:00:05 +0000

People pay hundreds of thousands, if not millions, just to be “advertised” in TV. Since I have started this site/blog about 4 months ago, I was already invited to two big speaking engagements of which sponsored by well-known companies. Also, I had an invitation for a TV interview on one of Philippine’s top TV station to talk about internet marketing. Hmmm… I’ll be in TV for free? That’s a great thing for me and my business! Unfortunately, none of those ever came to past. Why? Geographic location and time were the reason. All of those invitations came from Manila but I’m based in Davao City which means a lot of money and TIME for travel, lodging, etc. It will not be a wise decision for me and the inviting party if we’ll proceed. I’m curious though on who they invited to speak and if their invited guest really delivered good stuff.

Anyway, here are the lessons we can learn from this experience:

1. Websites, if properly utilized, can give you “free” publicity. Publicity means more exposure and credibility, thus, more customers! There are about 14 million internet users in the Philippines and the media has its eyes on the internet for resources. If you are delivering REAL content on your website and have impressed people with your content, all of them will have their eyes on YOU and everything you promote on your website. Therefore, get YOUR website NOW!

2. People are trusting the internet as a source of information.

3. Websites can be used to establish your expertise in the field.

4. Your book is important. If my book were already published people will still perceived me as an expert in the internet marketing field even if I’m not there or if they have somebody else talk about the subject. It should have been a reference to their discussion. The book should have spoken in behalf of me. The book should have done the promotion for my business.

Note: My book is on the works right now and it will be published soon!

Though geographic location was one of the problem, this won’t be a problem in the near future as technology upgrades so fast that you don’t need to travel but a simple video conference will do. Actually, video conference is already possible in the Philippines but internet connectivity is still relatively slow, thus, video quality is not so good.

I got a dilemma on staying in Davao or transferring to Manila. Time will tell but I’ll let the “inner man” decide. As of the moment, I don’t have enough reason yet to migrate to Manila and I love Davao City so much.

Cheers and God bless you!

Is He/She an Expert?

Stanley Dumanig — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:00:04 +0000

First off, Merry Christmas!

I’m posting this one on Christmas day since it will talked about giving – this will be a short post though.

Christmas eve in Davao City are so quiet – that is because fireworks are prohibited in the city. Our world famous mayor, dubbed as “The Punisher” by Time Magazine, noted that let’s all be practical. Its better to save the money for more important things than to waste money for a quick fireworks show. Besides, many people get hurt with fireworks. Quiet indeed but our hearts still rejoice!

Few years back, I have a friend who asked me to buy an ebook for her since she does not have a credit card. The ebook “promised” to teach her how to earn money from the internet. I told her not to buy the product since I don’t know well the author of the ebook and haven’t heard that author delivered real meat yet. My “inner man” also tells me not to trust the author.

Eventually, it turned out that my feelings were true. The author did not deliver as he had promised. What he did in his ebook was he just introduced his higher-priced products. Then, he promised again that you will make more money if you’ll buy his higher-priced product. Why should I buy from him more if he has not delivered his promise on the ebook? It was just a waste of money.

Be CAREFUL.

Ponder this: Is he the one giving or taking away from you? Evaluate carefully. Make sure you are listening to an expert. Experts give away some of their knowledge for free to prove their expertise in the field.

I hope you learn something from this story and would inspire you to give *big smile*

Again, Merry Christmas!

Cheers and God bless you.

Internet Marketing – Is this for YOU?

Stanley Dumanig — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:00:13 +0000

One of my readers shot me an email and it sounded like he is hesitant to start his own internet business since his relatives has a lot of “negative” opinions on it. He was also seeking advice on whether his chosen market is a good one or not.

First off, I usually don’t answer these kinds of emails unless they’re my coaching client or they hired me for an hour/s of consulting. However, this time its different because I realized I have not talked about this topic on this blog yet – specifically on how to choose a market.

On the other hand, I have mentioned in my previous articles that I’m writing a book on internet marketing. [My process is too slow but I'm catching up]. One of the chapters in the book discusses about how I started my online business. So, this post includes an excerpt from the book and I hope this will inspire YOU, our valued readers, and may you succeed with your online businesses. This will take away the dark areas of internet marketing.

So, let’s get started.

Let me start by saying that internet marketing is a legit job – many are successful in their online businesses and you can get a piece of the pie too if you’ll just learn a proven system. Internet marketing is possible in the Philippines and this will explode in the near future.

I started doing business online in the early 2004. My parents and relatives especially my mother and sister was VERY skeptical on this new venture. During that time, there were very few to ZERO known individual in our city who is successful in a home-based online business. Consequently, they wanted me to pursue the corporate world instead since it is more “secure” as they say. I was the System Administrator of the biggest internet cafe in Davao City that time and receives a decent salary. Undeniably though, there were many stories of successful online businesses in the US, Canada and Europe. So, I did a LOT of research and was both persuaded and convinced that online business is possible in the Philippines and it will work for me.

So, I was able to setup a system of payment, a project workflow and pursued an online business – web design services. I didn’t left my job though but work on my online business AFTER office hours.

NOTE: I’m a risk taker since I was trained to be an entrepreneur in my childhood years.(more of this story in my book)

Finally, I got my first project. Even after receiving my first hard-earned $500 in just one month my mother was still skeptical and wanted me to pursue the corporate world. Not later than 5 months, I resigned from my work as a System Administrator and my mother was already convinced on the opportunities of internet marketing after I consecutively earned at least $500 monthly. (Cost of living in Davao, Philippines is low so $500 monthly is more than enough even for a married man with kids).

You’ll see TWO things at work in this early years of my business: an entrepreneurial heart and an effective system.

Entrepreneurial Heart
When I get to speak with high school and college students I always ask this question: would you like to work for someone else or would you like to work for yourself? Working for someone else, that is being an employee, is a great career to pursue and many people loved it and are very successful. For me, though, it just doesn’t work. I have an entrepreneurial heart. I’m a good employee but I feel I’m not successful if I’m working for somebody. I need to have my OWN business. Besides, an employee’s salary is fixed and grows very slow. Business provides bigger income but takes time to grow. It is risky but I’m willing to take the risk. If you have the motivation to setup your own business you’ll also have all the “instincts” of an entrepreneur built-in yourself. Don’t worry if you don’t seem to see yourself as an entrepreneur. I didn’t understand it at first but later I realized that it starts with the heart and all those instincts just follow.

So, you need to ask the same question on yourself. If the idea of working for someone does NOT fit with you then I suggest you pursue a business – in this case, an online business. If something inside you telling you to pursue a business then follow what the “inner man” is telling you.

Effective System
Equally important with an entrepreneurial heart is an effective system. Most young entrepreneurs fail because they do not have a system. I did a LOT of research and then build a system that will work for me – there were only few resources that time so it took time before I got everything going. I first chose a market/work that aligns with my passion then setup business systems, e.g., payment system(Paypal was not available in the Philippines yet during that time so I used a different method), mode of payments, work hours, email communications, etc. There were a LOT going that time but that “instincts” helped me. Once you have a system that work for you, be consistent with it and your clients will learn how to work with you – it will then be easy for BOTH you and your clients.

Note: Good news is I’m sharing some of my system in this website so you can use a tested system that works and won’t waste your time. So, keep checking on this site. *big smile*

Now, the question is how to look for a “responsive” market?

The first thing to check is whether your chosen “markets” are your passion or not since you will not last long if you don’t have a heart for it. And here are some questions you need to answer: Is there a demand for your products/services? How many companies are competing? How unique is your product/services among other competing companies?

I use the Google Keyword Tool to evaluate if it’s a good market or not. As a general rule of thumb, don’t pursue a market if it has searches of more than 50,000. Above 50k means that your target market is too broad. Ideally, look for ones between 10,000 to 20,000.

If you already found a good market then look for competitors in Google by typing the same keywords. If you don’t see other products/services for that market then that is NOT a good sign – it means no one is interested to buy. If it has too many competitors, consider if you have a unique offer to compete with them but this is not a good sign too. If you find a few products and especially if they are weak products then that is a very good sign – it means there are paying customers and they are looking for that kind of products/services.

So, that’s it!

I’ll send a copy of MY book for FREE once it is done to all who subscribe to my RSS Feed via email. So, subscribe now and tell others about this site.

Cheers and God bless you!

Am I Still in Internet Marketing?

Stanley Dumanig — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:55:30 +0000

Some folks asked me if I’m still in business and YES, absolutely I am! Admittedly though I’m guilty of being sluggish in writing blog posts – not that I’m too lazy but I was SOOOOO busy with my other online businesses.

Here’s how I allocate time and effort on every project so you’ll have idea on how to manage your time too with your online business: I spent more time on projects which is in line with my “passions” AND the one which “earns bigger income.” Luckily for me I have BOTH on my web design and coaching business. I love web design and coaching other people, and these are my biggest income generating businesses. I have multiple online businesses but I focus more on what I love to do and which pays me more.

I’m not saying though that other online business besides web designing won’t earn much. Its just because it is my passion and I’m good at it. I can finish projects easily and quickly, and I’m paid well with my great work. Writing, or should I say blogging(more about blogging on future articles), has become one of my passions lately BUT it does not provide real income yet. Some bloggers earned as much as $20K monthly but as for now blogging only gives me a few bucks so this is still below on my priority list – I hope that it will be on my top list! I’m sure it will soon!

Lessons learned: produce products(that includes “services”) that you love to create or do since naturally you’ll be good at it and you’ll be paid well of your great work, AND devote more time on things that gives you bigger income.

By the way, here’s some updates on my search engine rankings and again proved one principle that I shared previously. About 2 or 3 months ago, I launched this website. In less than a month, I’m #1 on keyword “philippine internet business” at Google.com. I’m also on top 10 on keywords “pinoy internet business“, “filipino internet business” and “pinoy internet marketing” on other major search engines. Now, I’m still #1 on keyword “pinoy internet business” at MSN, Yahoo! and Google. Also, I’m at least at top 5 on all the keywords mentioned including “pinoy online business“, “pinoy online marketer“, “filipino internet marketing” and “filipino online business“.

Lesson learned: when setting up a website pick a “niche market” so that you will be talking to it “naturally”, thus, increasing your keyword density on your web pages and eventually getting high search engine rankings. Check my previous article on search engines.

Lastly, let me remind you to subscribe to my RSS feed via email so you’ll be updated with all my articles. I’ll be publishing the 2nd series of the article “Necessary Preparations for Starting Your Own Online Business” very soon. It will be packed of information and I want YOU to stay “ahead” of others by getting the information immediately after it is published. So, sign up to my RSS feed NOW! Don’t delay.

Cheers and God bless you!

The Most Common Question Everyone Asked: “Can I really make money from the internet?”

Stanley Dumanig — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:17:59 +0000

The Common Question!

I’ve been asked many times if it is possible for anyone to earn a passive income from the internet. Doubtless to say, people need to see a PROOF before they’ll believe what you claim. Before I will show you MY proof, I’ll first establish some foundations:

1. I make money from the internet – earning passive income for the past 4-5 years. However, my online revenue now is a result of months(or years) of work. It takes time to build an online business but it is very rewarding once you get the system running.

2. My wife and I are currently mentors to several online marketers and THEY too have profitable online businesses. This shows that earning passive income from the internet is just following a SYSTEM. It is learned and transferable. This is not just for tech-geeks like me. It’s simply following a system. If we have done it, you can do it too!

That’s it! So, here’s the PROOF….

Below is a screenshot of an email sent by Xoom (more about Xoom on future articles) showing the client’s payment:

Xoom Transaction in July 2008

Amount received in pesos is 32,537.76.

Here’s the link to the transaction details above provided by Xoom:
http://www.xoom.com/trackxfer?invoice=X9541224156832

Here’s another screenshot from my Paypal account for the summary details for July 2008. (Click on the image to enlarge)

Paypal Report JULY 2008

Some names are blurred for privacy purposes.

The total net amount in my Paypal account is $883.79 - which is about Php 38,000+.

To give you an overview of Paypal, it is like a “remote” bank where you can save your dollars and you may withdraw it later in your local(Philippine) bank. You may also receive online payments(credit cards, echeck, etc.) with your Paypal account. (more about Paypal on future articles)

The great thing is the figures above does NOT show a one-time income only but it reflects a monthly residual income.

As you can see, YOU (a Filipino here or abroad) can really make money from the internet. I hope the 2 proofs out of many will convince you that I’m not making this up.

Now, YOUR BIG QUESTION might be ‘HOW do I earn from the internet?’

There are MANY ways to earn from the internet but we should first learn the BASIC SYSTEM. I’ll publish it soon and include the ways to earn revenue from the internet but first, I need you to make at least one of two things below:

1. Sign-up to my Email Subscription
This will ensure you get each article once they are published. We respect your privacy and promise to never share your email address. So, look for the Subscribe to RSS window at the top right portion of this page, enter your email address and click ‘Go’. See the image below so you’ll know what I’m referring to.

Subscribe by RSS via Email

2. Post YOUR comments
Use the comments section below to ask for questions or share your story. This will be the BEST TIME to hear from YOU as I’m in the process of writing my next article on the ‘how-to guides’ of internet marketing. I’ll try to answer all your questions and include that on my next article.

I would like to help you succeed in your OWN online business. So, subscribe to my RSS and/or post your comments now!

Also, PLEASE share this information to your friends especially to those who are skeptical about earning revenue online. They’ll thank you for it!

Cheers and God bless you!

What Every Filipino Ought to Know About Internet Marketing

Stanley Dumanig — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:51:33 +0000

First, what is Internet Marketing?
Internet Marketing is selling of products or services over the internet. It is also referred to as Online Marketing or eMarketing. The terms online store and eStore refers to websites selling products and/or services. For most Filipinos, they only think of tangible products when talking about internet marketing but it is more than that. It also includes selling advertisement and information among others.

So, what you ought to know about internet marketing?

1. Internet marketing is not hard! I’m not saying though that it is easy but YOU can do it! You can read my previous article for the diagnostic test if doing business online is for you. As long as you find time to learn the system in doing business online then your good to go! I now find it more easy(and MORE QUICK) to setup online businesses than setting up your own stall at the mall.

The good thing about Internet Marketing is you can do a LOT of business process automation. Cash in while sleeping – more about this on future articles.

2. Internet marketing is possible in the Philippines and it is a LEGAL activity. Internet marketing in the Philippines is just a dream about 5 years ago. If there are any it will take a LOT of money and technical expertise to do it. Now, even home-moms are getting a piece of the pie from the internet.

3. You’re not confined on the walls of YOUR office. You’re the boss! This is one of the great things of doing business online since you can do business anywhere – as long as you have a computer(rented or own) and an internet connection. With our technology nowadays, you access the internet from Aparri to Jolo or from Philippines to anywhere in the world.

4. Time freedom. No more RAT RACE! No more 7AM rush hour. You can work in the morning or in the evening. You can choose the best time that fits your lifestyle. Also, there will be times you can do overtime work if you want and sometimes you won’t work for weeks yet business is still operating!

5. Bigger market. Your scope will be much larger when doing business online. PLUS, your store* will be open and accessible worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

6. Financial freedom. Earning six to seven-figure income in the internet is definitely possible. Again, as long as you know the system of doing business online. Not easy but doable!

7. Affordable. Even a jeepney driver can now afford to setup his own online store. You can even start your own online business for only 5 pesos a day.

Here’s the practical tip for you: if you really wanted to start doing business online start by saving up money. From my study AND experience, just by saving 15 pesos a day you can setup one online business per year. NO business can stand without ANY investment. In fact, that is the smallest of the small investments I know.

I’ve been selling online for more than half a decade and I enjoy all the benefits above. I get my full time living from the internet and I enjoy the freedom to choose MY time and place to work. My wife and I are now coaching other people to do the same. You might want to browse our site for more info-packed articles.

To know more about internet marketing, subscribe to my RSS Feed via email so that my articles will be delivered to your email once they are published. Just go to the Subscribe to RSS window on the top right of this page, enter your email address and click ‘Go’.

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You may also use the comment form below to contribute or ask question.

Enjoy life and God bless you!

The Top 3 Reasons I Discovered Why Filipinos Don’t Start Their Own Online Business

Stanley Dumanig — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:10:51 +0000

I discovered three things that pushed back most Filipinos from starting their own online business. Here’s their common excuses:

1. “I don’t know where to start!”
2. “I don’t know much about computers. Internet marketing is just for computer geeks!”
3. “The cost of setting up a website is too expensive! I can’t afford it.”

Sounds familiar? Good news! You have come to the right place. I’ll give you quick and practical advices on how to turn down those excuses and convert them as “driving forces” to start your own internet business now!

“I don’t know where to start!”
I heard this many times and seems valid as an excuse since most of us tend to have someone do the work for us and let them show us on how they’ve done it (silly you! ü). When I started my online business I was like lost in the tall grassy field finding my way through. Not seeing what’s ahead of me, I keep cutting those tall grasses and moving forward - testing a LOT of things in my online business. Fortunately, I was able to find success on doing business online. How did I do it? NOT simple. I lost $$$ on the way. As a valued reader of my blog, you don’t have to go through where I’ve been especially the pits and falls on doing business online. I’ll give you my story so you’ll know how to start right:

I first learned about internet marketing by “Googling.” If some of you still haven’t known the word ‘Google‘ is now included on some dictionary meaning to search for a definition of a word or topic by typing the keywords(or phrases) at www.Google.com. Yes, that’s how I started. I spent countless hours doing research in Google(I thank Al Bungabong who first introduced it to me). However, the problem with finding information on Google is MOST information are lousy. Indeed, you can find GREAT information from Google for free but its only a few compared to thousands of scams out there.

Internet Marketing in the Philippines

Stanley Dumanig — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:19:41 +0000

Finally, after several weeks of brainstorming with my wife (and myself), I decided to:
1. Maintain only TWO blogs – this one and Information Marketing Central.
2. Write a book on the topic ‘Internet Marketing in the Philippines.’

Maintaining Blogs
It’s a pain in the neck maintaining multiple blogs. Trust me. I have setup a LOT of blogs in hope that I will earn more money. I’m dead wrong. If you can’t regularly post new content and give real meat to your audience then there’s NO way you can monetize from your blog.

If you wonder on how you can earn money from blogs read my other articles or subscribe to my RSS feed to get new updates on monetizing from your blogs. Consulting, which I mention in this article, is just one of them.

First, deliver GREAT content! You’ll eventually attract audience and thus can monetize from your blog. There’s a lot going on in between that but simply put ‘give first before you can take‘. There is NO “get-rich-quick” scheme in the internet. You should work! For me, it was about 6 months before I earned from the internet and about 12-18 months before passive income was started to come in. If there are “get-rich-quick” scheme you’ll find then that’s possibly 99% SCAM and won’t last at all!

I setup this blog and always been reminded to give REAL MEAT to my audience. People will not listen to me unless I have impressed them first. Once I get their attention, I’ll impress them more and eventually they’ll get my consulting services since they know that I’m an expert in that field by giving away free real content to them.

Am I crazy giving away my knowledge and expertise to other people for free? Not at all! It depends on two things: your passion and long term goals. If you have passion on your topic I don’t think you’ll run out of knowledge on it. My passion is music, technology and business. Yes, I’m a musician, a tech-buff and an entrepreneur. For more than a decade now, I never run out of ideas with my passions because I love doing it! Les Paul, the legendary guitarist said ‘…my hobby is my work and my work is my hobby‘. If I give away free content(REAL MEAT) people will think they can learn more from me since they perceive me as an expert having a broad knowledge in that topic. Consequently, they’ll keep coming back to get more from me. Although, unless you are not passionate on your topic then you’ll surely deplete your knowledge.

On long term goals: my goal is to elevate myself as an expert in the field – that happens to be ‘internet marketing‘. Most people, especially Filipino, are very skeptical. They should be convinced first by ’showing’ your knowledge and if possible that they will get it for free! If I want more people to see me as an expert in my field then I should give more and give it at absolutely no cost. That is the reason I setup this blog. I’m giving away free tips and advices for internet marketers. This blog will be focused on online entrepreneurship in the Philippines while my other site(IM Central) will be focused on tutorials for non-techy internet marketers. Marisa, my wife, will be starting her own blog too! Of course, her passion is handicrafts, cooking and entrepreneurship.

Then, where do I get money from my site? Quick answer: back-end products! I’ll talk more on back-end products on future articles.

Internet Marketing Book
My mentor once said that if you have knowledge that 90% of the people don’t know about then you are an expert in that field. I then considered myself as an expert in the field. Only few people know about internet marketing in the Philippines and in my humble opinion I’m one of the best. Why? I’ve been selling online for more than half a decade. I teach what I’m doing. Plus, I have worked and still actively working with top U.S. information marketers like Fred Gleeck and expert copywriter Bob Bly. I was able to tapped on their 20+ years of knowledge in internet marketing and direct selling. Besides, I also have experience in direct selling since I was a kid until I was in college. Most of the business principles I learned from my childhood are still the strong pillars in the business today. I thank God for the great training that my parents gave me!

I have also traveled to different cities in the Philippines and almost found no one who knows much about internet marketing. I have been hard-pressed to share my knowledge on internet marketing in my city, Davao, which is the largest city in the Philippines, . Then, that dawned on me – I should write a book!

I’m not a good writer. In fact, I’m a “trying-hard” writer but does it stop me from writing a book? Absolutely NO! I believe in MILO’s slogan ‘Great things start from small beginnings‘. One of the best principle that my mentor taught me is ‘DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT!‘ I want to finish this book. I don’t need to spend a lot of time “perfecting” the book. I don’t aspire to be a multi-awarded writer. I’m here to give people what I know – to share to my ‘kababayan’(fellow countrymen) what God has given me. Besides, many people ENJOY looking for misspellings and grammatical errors. I’ll try to PLEESE them and make them LUFF on my wrong speelings and gramar!

So, subscribe to my RSS feed and I’ll give you a free copy of my “on-progress” book in PDF format when it comes available. I’ll try to finish the book by the end of this year.

(If you don’t know about RSS feed, then check back soon as I’ll post a topic about it)

Cheers!

Pinoy Internet Business Marketing » internet marketing

Website and Free Publicity

Related Posts:

Is He/She an Expert?

Related Posts:

Internet Marketing – Is this for YOU?

Related Posts:

Am I Still in Internet Marketing?

Related Posts:

The Most Common Question Everyone Asked: “Can I really make money from the internet?”

Amount received in pesos is 32,537.76.

The total net amount in my Paypal account is $883.79 - which is about Php 38,000+.

Related Posts:

What Every Filipino Ought to Know About Internet Marketing

Related Posts:

The Top 3 Reasons I Discovered Why Filipinos Don’t Start Their Own Online Business

Related Posts:

Internet Marketing in the Philippines

Related Posts: