We see it all the time. You find, what you believe, is the perfect product or opportunity to promote to the masses. The first thing on your mind is to get the word out as quickly as possible. The problem is, you may be jumping the gun and the response to your campaign might not be what you expected.

When you have the perfect product or opportunity, take the time to sit back and analyze how you can reach your full potential with it. I'm not just talking about the quick bucks you will be expecting, I'm thinking more like the long term, residual income, and your profile. You may be thinking, "What does my profile have to do with anything?" Ok, fair enough, let me ask you this... Where do you want to go online? You are marketing on the internet, surely you are hoping that just some day you can quit your day job and do this full time right? Most people will say "Of course!"

Preparing your long term objective will take time and in many cases you will be learning so much along the way. Online marketing is a non-stop learning adventure and, over time, you learn an abundance of information while adding credibility to your profile.

The first step you should take before promoting anything, is to have your own website and the must-have opt-in list. I know, you've heard it a million times - the money is in the list. Well, while I don't dissagree with that statement, it's part of your profile. You are creating a database of people who opt to receive information from you and that builds trust, which equals increased income. Ok, I could go on and on about the importance of your own ezine or newsletter, but that would be a whole new article or two or three or four!

When you think about the product or opportunity you wish to promote, you will want to give your prospects more incentive to purchase from you. You can easily do this by making your product or opportunity the "second page" of your marketing plan. What I mean by the "second page" is something like a "one time offer". The "one time offer" is what your prospects will see after your initial landing page. Your landing page is the page you create which offers something for free.

On the page where you are offering "freebies", you could have an opt-in form which you can make a requirement in order to receive the free products. Once the reader opts in to your list, then you could have the autoresponder re-direct them to your "one time offer" page. The prospect will then either purchase the product, or click a link to let the offer go and just get the freebies you offered in the beginning.

I know you are thinking that the point is to make the sale. However, you just got that prospect on your mailing list! So, this person will have more time to get to know you and your recommendations. Either way you win!

Once you are set up with your website, your email list and your marketing plan, you are well on your way to creating your online profile and increasing your income - for the long term.