(IPRWIRE) Thurs, Feb. 1st, 2007 -- It is that time of year when online business owners are taking stock and making plans for the New Year ahead. Now that holiday celebrations are over, marketing expert Derek Gehl, CEO of the Internet Marketing Center (www.marketingtips.com), looks back at the major online strategies of 2006.

With an impressive track record of helping online entrepreneurs build successful web sites, Gehl uses real-world results to back up his advice.

"If online business owners want to edge out their less 'Net-savvy' competition, these are the 5 top 2006 strategies that will give them a running start," says Gehl. "And they are only going to become more important in the year ahead."

Here are Gehl’s top picks for 2007:

1. Write short, targeted articles that can be picked up by other web owners. "Distributing short, keyword-rich articles through online article networks is an incredibly effective way to boost your rankings in the search engines, increase your website traffic, and establish your credibility," explains Gehl.
   
2. Segment your subscriber list into smaller, focused groups so you can tailor email promotions to each group. According to Gehl, business owners who group their opt-in list according to information about what those customers have bought and other collected information — then create tailored email promotions for each group — can drastically improve their conversion rates.
   
3. Form strategic alliances and joint ventures with other business owners. "Partnering with other business owners is a great way to quickly tap into new markets, expand your product offerings, and dramatically increase your income," says Gehl.
   
4. Use testimonials to establish your credibility and win over potential customers. Posting reviews and comments from satisfied customers on your website is one of the best ways to convince your readers that your product really DOES do exactly what you promise. But, warns Gehl, "There’s a right place and a wrong place to put testimonials on your web site... and not all testimonials are created equal."
   
5. Visit the 'Net's most popular social networking and media sites and socialize your way to improved search engine placement. "Social media and networking sites such as MySpace, Flickr, and Digg are some of the fastest-growing sites on the Web today!" says Gehl. "The trick to using them to improve your search engine rankings is to get links from these high-PageRank sites to point to your own site."
   

Says Gehl, "I guarantee you'll see HUGE results in your business once you start implementing these top 5 Internet marketing strategies of 2006."

For detailed information about each strategy, visit www.MarketingTips.com/newsletters.

About Derek Gehl and The Internet Marketing Center:
The Internet Marketing Center provides their clients with all the tools they need to successfully start, build, and grow their own profitable online businesses on small budgets -- using the same tools, resources, and strategies that IMC has used to generate over $60 million in online sales.

Since 1996, the birth of online commerce, the company has created best-selling marketing software, courses, and other information products, including the "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet" (www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.html).

CEO Derek Gehl has carved a reputation as one of the Internet's foremost marketing experts, and recently completed a worldwide, multi-city seminar tour.

For more information, visit www.marketingtips.com

( An http://IPRWire.com Press Release )

Contact:

Mitch Tarr
The Internet Marketing Center
Phone: 604-730-2833
Fax: 604-730-2480
Website: www.marketingtips.com
Business Blog: http://blog.marketingtips.com

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