Profit From Pleasure

By Todd W. Winslow
Posted Sunday, August 29, 2004

As I'm writing this, I'm wondering how many people just read the title of this article and thought, "Oh boy!" Sorry to disappoint you, but this has nothing to do with sex, unless of course you find Internet marketing sexy! Rather, I wanted to touch on an aspect of Internet marketing which often is overlooked, and may well increase, not only your profits but, the pleasure you derive from operating your business.

Creative Thinking:

As most of us are in business to turn a profit, I'm certainly not going to tell you to forget about making money. However, if you only focus on making money, you may be missing opportunities to both grow your business and increase your personal satisfaction.

For example, let's say you have an online business which sells how- to books. You've spent a lot of time and money on marketing to the general book buying public with moderate success. However, your true passion is golf, and there's nothing you enjoy doing or talking about more than teeing it up. Unfortunately, you're so busy trying to make a buck, you have no time for your hobby.

In this example, by being a little creative, you can market your product (for free), while doing something related to what you love - golf. Why not write an article about golf? Write about a favorite story, tip, etc., and submit it to various online golf magazines and ezines for publication (choose those which have a large subscriber base.) When your article is published, you don't get paid, but you will be given an author's byline - use this to plug your business.

Author's Byline: John Doe is an avid golfer who, when not out on the links, operates a successful Internet business which sells how-to books on golf and many other subjects of interest at wholesale prices. (http://myhow-to-book-business.com) .

In this example, possibly only a small percentage of your product is golf related. That's okay, as many of these magazine and ezine readers will visit your web site and purchase not only golfing books, but other subjects as well.

When you find something that works for you, stick with it. If writing articles proves enjoyable and profitable, try to write one article a week. It won't take long before you have numerous articles being published and republished all over the Internet, each of which carrying your author's byline.

This is just one example of using creative marketing. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. When trying to come up with creative marketing ideas, it often helps to think of those things which you enjoy, then combining these with your business. Let's face it, you can only get just so excited about selling how-to books. However, you may find your hobbies and other interests extremely stimulating, and these just might be a great source of creative thinking (and it can be fun too!)

So off with the blinders - open your eyes and your mind to the possibilities creative thinking can produce.

About the author:
Todd W. Winslow is the co-owner of TADD Marketing Group, L.L.C. He is also the founder of TADD Publishing Group which publishes a variety of e-mail newsletters (http://www.taddgroup.com), and is co-creator of The Mystic Beagle - a romance and relationship advice web site (http://www.mysticbeagle.com)