How to make a fortune on the information superhighway
The ultimate insider's strategy for internet marketing
Description
The emergence of the information superhighway offers exceptional opportunities for profitable direct marketing, especially on the Internet. The Internet, a global computer network with over 30 million users, can be used to market products in creative combinations through email, user groups, the World Wide Web, file transfer, and more. Historically attracting the computer savvy, the Internet now draws a much wider business audience.
This expanded audience, coupled with the array of Internet marketing techniques, is creating impressive and lucrative prospects for online advertising and marketing.
Table of contents
01Internet principles
Success in generating personal wealth often hinges on the ability to offer something better, faster, or cheaper. The Internet epitomizes this principle by providing access to a vast pool of potential customers through advertising that is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional methods. It has the potential to be the most successful salesperson one could employ. The term "Information Superhighway," first introduced by U.S. Vice-President Albert Gore in 1993, has become synonymous with the Internet in popular discourse. However, the Information Superhighway encompasses a broader range of electronic resources for information exchange, including commercial computer networks like Compuserve and America Online, as well as interactive television and video telephones.
The concept of "Cyberspace," coined by William Gibson, describes the electronic network of communication that constitutes the Information Superhighway. The Internet's origins trace back to the 1970s with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) seeking to develop a network that allowed computers of various types to communicate. Initially, the Internet was restricted to research purposes, with commercial use prohibited. This changed in the early 1990s when the National Science Foundation opened the Internet to commercial use, sparking controversy among its original users due to its non-commercial roots. To access the Internet, one needs a personal computer, a modem, a telephone line, a printer, and a communications program. Internet access is provided by companies that offer various account options. The Internet serves multiple functions, including electronic mail (e-mail), information databases, public forums for idea exchange, and real-time communication channels.
02Particular internet marketing tools
The internet offers various income-generating methods, such as usenet advertising, email lists, chat channels, multimedia web pages, gopher sites, and ftp servers. E-commerce is still evolving, with companies testing innovative programs. Online product advertising can generate interest due to e-commerce novelty and media hype. Internet promotion's low cost allows for interactive product testing and refinement before large-scale production, leveraging interactivity, group contact, and novelty to boost sales.
Advertising on discussion forums
The usenet is a massive collection of over 10,000 online discussion groups covering a wide variety of topics. It provides an opportunity to directly advertise products and services to a large audience. To effectively advertise on usenet: familiarize yourself with various newsgroups by reading discussions to understand the interests of each community; craft a compelling sales message tailored to each newsgroup while providing some useful content; select newsgroups whose interests align with your product to maximize relevance; descriptively showcase your offering as usenet is text-only without graphics; directly post your ad as a message that participants can read and respond to. Though commercial activity is restricted on usenet, creative and customized ads can effectively expose products to many niche communities. Popular newsgroups have hundreds of thousands of engaged readers. With some preparation and targeting, usenet provides direct access to large pre-existing online communities relevant to almost any business.
Marketing through email and mailing lists
Everyone with an internet connection has a personal email address. Email can rapidly replace faxes for quick written communication since it provides cheaper, faster, more convenient capabilities. Email marketing involves contacting potential customers by email to sell products/services. Ideas for profitable email campaigns include: using free email software typically bundled with an internet provider to send/receive messages; employing a one/two-step sales approach as with online forum postings; gradually compiling customer email addresses from inquiries or discovered contacts; utilizing shared interest “listserv” email lists covering myriad topics, enabling messages to instantly reach all subscribers; consulting list catalogs or dartmouth college for available lists, many moderated for relevance; joining moderated lists to enable message approval; considering controversy of unsolicited commercial email so messages provide information to improve reception; recognizing email lacks total privacy as with phone/fax, including vulnerability to forgery, necessitating verification of major orders. Developing encryption technologies may significantly improve email security.
Promoting through chat rooms
Internet chat channels provide a powerful platform for real-time communication and interaction with large groups of people. Any internet user can easily participate by typing a command to access available chat groups or start their own. Conversations between members appear live on screen, allowing for dynamic discussions between thousands of participants. Utilizing these chat capabilities for business purposes can be highly effective when done properly. Subtly interacting with potential clients allows you to organically raise awareness and generate interest. For example, an author marketing a dating book could join a singles channel, participate normally, then conversationally mention their relevant book, briefly describe it, and offer free samples via email to interested parties. This soft sell approach resulted in over 3,000 book sales for one author.
Starting your own topically-focused chat channel provides exceptional control for developing an audience ideal for your product or service. Making the conversation fun and engaging fosters community and familiarity with your brand when participants return. Some software tools even enable automatically moderating your channel, providing information, collecting leads, and emailing follow-ups without any effort on your part. Maintaining ongoing chat channels for current customer engagement strengthens loyalty and provides valuable feedback for improvement. As audio capabilities expand, so do opportunities to deepen connections through conversational interaction. Mastering chat channel utilization now positions you for expansion as the technology progresses.
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