Are you going to be the ‘flash in the pan’ marketer who comes on strong in the beginning, but fizzles out when the going gets tough or it takes too much time to become successful?

Only you can decide. The main way you’re going to realize the success you once visualized in online marketing is to make yourself an authority figure to your audience and to release products on a regular basis ñ good products that go beyond what others are putting out.

If you don’t establish yourself as an authority figure, no one is going to pay attention to you and you’ll just be another copycat marketer that does what everyone else is doing. Originality is key to rising above others in your niche.

You have to keep some things in mind when figuring out how to serve your audience best. First, brand yourself in memorable ways. That means creating a name that will pop in your audience’s head and stay there, including the headshot or logo that you use on all of your sites and products.

When visitors see that image, they’ll automatically know it’s you. You have to be willing to put yourself out there ñ no matter how critical you are of yourself ñ your age, your teeth, your size ñ no one cares. What they want is information.

Be original. No copycat marketer (and there are a ton of them) has ever succeeded beyond the ordinary. Come up with unique angles to market your products. It doesn’t have to be difficult.

It can be something as simple as sharing your day-to-day life with others so they can better relate to you. And it doesn’t have to be extraordinary. If you’re in the IM niche, then showcase how your product allows you the freedom to do what you want as an entrepreneur.

If you’re in the weight loss niche, then show pictures of your meals (and make sure they know which product of yours they can find the recipes in). But become known for something ñ your humor, your sincerity ñ something that makes you, you.

Be knowledgeable. Becoming an authority in your niche is actually the best way to serve your audience. Make it a point to learn more than the average marketer in your niche knows and solve problems and find solutions for your audience.

That’s part of the problem with most marketers. They do just enough to get by. Stop doing that and get deep into your topic. Give yourself a thorough education in it. Read, take courses ñ become the leader they need you to be.

Put yourself out there. Social media, blogs, forums and related sites are all good ways to make yourself known. And, make sure you don’t just make an arbitrary comment like ‘me too.’

Give advice, value, opinions and insights when you speak and people will listen and remember you. Don’t be scared to stand out from the crowd. To blend in is what will make you mediocre.

Publish on Amazon. If you can put together an eBook for Kindle, it will boost your authority tenfold. You don’t even have to write it yourself ñ although it’s always good to impart your own wisdom.

But if you can’t or don’t want to do it yourself, then gather the information you want covered in the book and hire a good freelancer to write it for you. Make sure you edit it and put your spin on it, though. It’s worth the investment.

Avoid spamming at all cost, but make sure you release content or products on a regular basis. It takes time, planning and lots of research and forethought – but if you really want to be the best, it will make a ton of difference because the smalltime players get paralyzed and lack consistency.

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You can literally drive down the street in any town in America and see those successful businesses who became trendsetters in their niche. Some, like Starbucks, have even gone further and make it a ‘culture’ of followers.

McDonald’s speedy food service reinvented the fast food market. Like those highly successful entrepreneurs who saw a vision and acted on it, you need to do the same in your online niche.

Looking into the future, making predictions and creating products based on your research and instinct into the future of the niche can boost your credibility and make you hot in your niche

But only if you’re willing to expose your ideas without hesitation, fail forward and take risks with your branding. Examine the needs and wants of your target audience. It’s important that you know what pleases your customers and what they long for in new products and ideas.

Keeping a close eye on what they’re saying in posts and blogs and what they’re offering on their sites can be a good way of getting the insight you need to look into the future. If they’re complaining a lot, take it and run with it be the solution they’ve been waiting for all along.

Decide on a trendsetting product. Based on your research and instincts, create a product which is unique and one based on your customers’ ambitions and interest. Try to have an ear to the ground and do something before everyone else jumps on that bandwagon.

Then, deliver it in a way that covers all bases. Podcasts, forums, blogs, paid advertisements and launches with JVs and affiliates are all great ways to get the word out.

Update your sites and products. If you’ve been offering the same old stuff in the same old ways for too long, your sales likely show it. Take an idea someone else is doing and turn it upside down. Do it different better.

Respond to change. You may not see it coming, but when you realize the market is changing, change with it. Not responding to change will leave you in the dust and you may never catch up.

Your business is ever-changing and evolving and keeping up with the latest trends is part of the fun and excitement of keeping it all fresh. Don’t look at it as a chore. Welcome it as a change of pace to keep you excited about things.

Make a firm commitment to establish yourself in the niche and then set goals that will get you there. Rising to the top of your niche and becoming a trendsetter who can see the future and help others get there is an imperative step in becoming a true authority figure in your niche.

Develop the best product and best marketing strategies out there and continue to update as the trends dictate. It’s a never-ending process. As other marketers get bored, lazy, or sloppy you’ll be beating them hand over fist because you have that go getter attitude that makes you hungry for success!

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We’re all pressed for time and energy at times and cutting corners on a product or content seems tempting. Just slap it up there and hope it flies. But that may be a move you eventually regret.

Your reputation is at stake here and one product disaster could ruin it for you. There are so many ways to damage your reputation if you’re not vigilant. After all, your product and your profile is on display 24/7 and you want it to influence others rather than turn them away in disgust.

Here are some ways you might choose to cut corners to the detriment of your online business:

1. Focus on yourself. You may think you don’t have time to promote others and yourself but you’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you don’t take the opportunity to mention, promote, join affiliates and connect with other marketers in any way you can.

Promoting others boosts your professional presence and adds to your followers. Some marketers try to get away with the ìme, me, meî mentality but what happens is, those people promoting you realize you don’t reciprocate in any way, and they drop you drying up your income, fast.

2. Opt to create your own design. Some design elements might be easier done by yourself than others, but generally, DIY designs don’t work to create the best first impression.

When you’re designing a blog theme or website, it’s imperative that you present the best first impression possible. Don’t cut corners here. Can you get away with a sloppy DIY job? Maybe. But why would you want to put that out there to represent you?

3. Forgo originality. Everything about your product and your integrity should be unique and give your audience something they didn’t know or don’t have (and want). Your content, especially, should be your own.

You can hire ghostwriters or purchase PLR, but make interesting and unique. Everything out there should have some semblance of personality from you a style all your own.

4. Using untrue or irresponsible posts. The Internet may seem fleeting, but what you say or post is on there forever. So, it’s especially important that you take the time to verify information to make sure you always present the truth.

Unfortunately, you can’t erase what’s been posted. You may have heard the saying, ìyour reputation precedes you.î That’s certainly true when it comes to what you’re putting online.

We all want to cut corners and that can be done but with much caution. With social media and other ways to enhance your reputation, it’s a boon if done correctly and a disaster, if not.

Remember to take the time to cultivate a relationship with your audience and your fellow marketers. The time spent building relationships will be better spent in the long run than focusing on the greed that comes naturally for us as entrepreneurs.

It has to be stifled so that everything can be done with heart ethically, in a way that shows strength and leadership, not desperation and a lack of morals or professionalism in the niche.

Cutting corners can either reap great benefits for you or damage your reputation. Make sure that content, comments and products that you sign off on are representative of your values and business quality.

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Cutting corners without impacting customer experience

Don’t ever think you’re too ‘big’ to step down to a beginner’s level to answer questions and engage with your customers and other marketers (who are also your customers). The best way to build your business is to build relationships that are going to be pleasing – both mentally and monetarily.

That means being accessible enough to be on hand to answer your customers’ questions and to converse with them on social networks. It shouldn’t be moments you dread ñ but, moments you enjoy.

When you have fun with your customers, you’ll help ensure their loyalty and continuing satisfaction with your service and products. Get to know them ñ not only your present customers, but the future ones.

Know what their wish list contains, what attracts them to certain sites and products and what you can do to make them happy. From the very first interaction with your site, your customers should be delighted and feel they’ve learned something or found a treasure.

There are ways you can please and become closer to your customers and ensure their loyalty. Offer solutions. Don’t simply throw things out there for them to purchase. Offer your clients solutions to problems they may have or teach them a way to achieve a goal.

Even though your customers may not have purchased or signed up for anything yet, you can make huge headway into building a relationship if you attempt to solve their problems. That goodwill will go a long way.

Be enthusiastic. Find things about your promotion, product, sites and ideas to get excited about and find ways to instill that enthusiasm in others. Use warm and personal interaction.

A sense of humor helps, too. Get your messages out and keep your clients satisfied and happy. Keep in mind that your audience likely gets bombarded with tons of information every day. If it’s dry and boring, they probably won’t return.

Let them get to know you. Sometimes (especially true with beginners), a new person may feel that he or she isn’t up on the scale enough to approach a more successful entrepreneur.

That’s why you need to let them get to know who you are. You have schedules you have to meet, kids to take to school and games and other obstacles that make you human and approachable. Be sure to communicate this to others.

Positive interaction with others who may visit or sign up to your site, blog or social media site can only improve your relationships and result in long-term camaraderie – which will be profitable in the end.

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