The Tao of Web Marketing

A few months ago I was watching a stream meandering back and forth across a flat plain in a high mountain valley. The stream reached it's destination - a small lake - but only after dozens of loops and curves. It occurred to me that Water and clever Web Marketing have something in common - they both follow the path of least resistance.

Let me explain.

Your first contact with a future customer usually starts with an email. It could be an Ad in an Ezine, it could be your Resource Box at the end of one of your Articles, or it could be your Signature File in your correspondence.

But in the chain of events that leads to a web sale, an email is the point of greatest resistance.

Why is that?

Firstly, your future customer is reading your message offline. She or he has to fire up their modem before they can buy your product. And that requires effort (and expense).

Secondly, if your message is in an Ezine, it's probably one of a dozen other messages all clamoring for attention.

Thirdly, whether your message is an Ezine Ad, a Resource Box, or a Signature File, you've probably had only a few lines to explain why your widgets are so good.

So if an email is the point of greatest resistance, what is the solution?

The ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism (pronounced 'Dowism') - also known as 'The Watercourse Way' - gives us the answer. Taoism tells us to be like Water and follow the path of least resistance. Water flows. It is soft and moves easily around obstacles in its path, instead of attempting to go through them.

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. (Tao Te Ching, ch. 78)

"What is the path of least resistance in an email?", I hear you ask. Offer something free!

Successful web marketers know this already. I recently did a survey of the Resource Boxes of fifty well known Ezine Writers. Over 90% of them were not trying to sell anything from their Resource Box. In fact, an overwhelming majority were not even trying to get a click-thru to their website - they were simply offering a free subscription to their Newsletter. In other words, they were more interested in building a long-term relationship than they were in making a quick sale.

When I started out on the Internet, I was pretty impatient. I certainly didn't want to the follow the path of least resistance. The path I had in mind was more like the flight of an arrow - straight to it's target.

But the statistics suggest that most web sales are not made like that; on average your customer will have to see your message seven times before he or she buys your product.

So next time you plan your marketing strategy, why not take a lesson from Water and follow the path of least resistance?

------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------

---

Internet Marketing Secrets Spiel

Wouldn't you like to know all the Internet marketing "secrets"... Read More

Strategic Internet Marketing Using Joint Ventures

The goal of most webmasters is driving more traffic to... Read More

Niche Marketing Nuggets: Picking the Gold from the Internet Mine

Building an Internet business based on a specific niche is... Read More

The Budget Webmasters Guide to Increased Credibility - Part One

Hey, I just noticed something. I've been sitting here filling... Read More

What You Wont Learn In Business School

What You Won't Learn in Business School----------------------------------------We all know the... Read More

Marketing Your Web Site Effectively

Every new generation of a Web site brings the hope... Read More

Multiple Internet Profit Streams

Have you been searching without success for a way to... Read More

Making Money from Websites - Common Pitfalls of Beginners and How to Avoid Them

Making money online is really easy to do because the... Read More

Lead Me On - Learn About Internet Marketing Leads

Every business is engaged in selling something, whether a product,... Read More

Viral Marketing:10 High-Impact, Viral Marketing Strategies,To Explode Your Sales

Hello, do you have any website that is not bringing... Read More

How To Create An Automated Income Producer

One of my favorite net marketing tasks is creating a... Read More

Tracking & Troubleshooting for Increased Sales

So many times, online business owners are confused about where... Read More

Beware the Click Without the Conversion

Why is this funny?Because in essence, a "click-through" places money... Read More

Online Network Marketing 101B - Basic Must Steps to Follow to be a Successful Marketer

In my earlier article, "Online Network Marketing 101A", I wrote... Read More

The Magic Upsell Technique

Just like the infamous thank you page that a buyer... Read More

Building An Online Business Is Like Starting A Garden, You First MUST Plant Your Seeds

I know what your thinking, "what the heck does starting... Read More

What is RSS - For Marketers

RSS is a technology that has the potential of overcoming... Read More

Internet Marketing - Advantages and Disadvantages

Everyone seems to be jumping on the internet marketing bandwagon... Read More

10 Deadly Joint Venture Profit Killing Mistakes

1. Not sending out another mailingSending another mailing (to the... Read More

Dont Treat Your Business Like a Casino

It's amazing how many people are jumping into the internet... Read More

Build Your Marketing Muscle

During a saxophone lesson the other day I realized how... Read More

Secrets Of An Internet Marketing Newbie - Or How I Fell On My Face Trying To Get RICH

A Cautionary Tale for the Internet Marketing NewbieIn an attempt... Read More

Networked Markets Are Democratic, Structured Markets Are Republican

Today I was checking out Michelle's A Small Victory. There... Read More

3 Reasons Why I Never Delete Spam Immediately

All of us hate spam and all of us have... Read More

How To Be A Web Entrepreneur With No Capital

With the advent of the technology age, the Internet has... Read More

Building Community Websites = Success Online

In this article I will discuss how important is it... Read More

Niche Web Sites Do Not Have To Be Small

I've been marketing for a long time now and I... Read More

Stitching Up a Niche

I am a great admirer of businesses that serve and... Read More

6 Proven Steps To Internet Marketing Success

There is a misconception that you can come online set... Read More

Paid Customer List On Autopilot?

How do you get a truckload of buyers eager to... Read More

How To Make Money Online With Your Website

So you have a website that has been a white... Read More

Hype! Has The Internet Gone Too Far?

I remember back in the 1980s (history for many of... Read More

How To Be 100% Sure That Your New Product Is A Winner

Yes folks, there is a way of making absolutely certain-sure... Read More