Interview With Internet Marketing Expert Willie Crawford

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, you’re one of the pioneer online, very respected and well known all over the internet, you’ve helped thousands of people to start their own successful Online Business. But just for the record…

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? What did you do before you became involved in Online Business and Internet Marketing?

WILLIE [A:] After growing up on a tobacco farm and making my way through college with a degree in Business (with a heavy concentration on Economics) I went into the U.S. Air Force. In the Air Force, I was a crew member on C-130 transports, which allowed me to travel to more than 47 different countries.

Which I had a full career in the Air Force and did fairly well, in 1996, I was ready to start my own business. I did that by surfing the internet in my spare time, filtering what I discovered through common sense, and just got started.

I built my first websites using site builders on some of the free hosting services, read a lot of ezines and just started DOING!

ALBERT [Q:] Was there a particular reason that you chose this avenue of Online Business?

WILLIE [A:] I was told that you needed a niche. So, the first website that I put up on my own domain was WillieCrawford.com

I was told that Internet marketing wasn’t the best niche to be in, so the second site tapped into my knowledge and experiences of cooking the rustic dishes that I learned while growing up. I built a site around soul food and southern cooking.

I applied the very Internet marketing techniques being taught in the ezines and course to my cooking site. My list or people swapping recipes asked if I had a cookbook, so I wrote one.

Using basic Internet marketing techniques, that quickly grew to six figures and garnered the attention of some in the Internet marketing world. That pulled me back into teaching what actually works in Internet marketing.

ALBERT [Q:] How long did it take for your Online Business to start making profit? I earn a little money right from the start.

WILLIE [A:] My cooking site was always profitable.

ALBERT [Q:] Everybody makes mistakes in the beginning. What were the worst mistakes you made that prevented you from generating profit? And what did you learn from it?

WILLIE [A:] I took too long to register my own domain names. Using throwaway emails and free hosting meant that it took me longer to build credibility.

I often joined affiliate programs for Internet marketing products and then advertised those products in the same ezines that everyone else was advertising the same products. It became a contest of who could create the cleverest ad for the same product. That was insane!

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, I’ve really wanted to ask you this for a long time even before I started NetBizReview.com What is your secret recipe for being number # 1 in all of the major search engines? And what tools or resources do you use?

WILLIE [A:] The secret is just basic webpage optimization. Each of my pages that ranks #1 really focuses on just one keyword phrase and everything about that page is very focused.

Many of my pages have lot of relevant external links pointing to them. Those links are often the result of forum posts, articles, press releases, and in a few cases, link exchanges.

For SEO, I’ve used WebPosition Gold. Right now I primarily use SEO Elite, but I don’t focus on search engine optimization very much. It’s too time consuming.

ALBERT [Q:] There is a tremendous demand for Joint Venture and affiliate programs choosing the right one is not easy. So what is your procedure or screening process on choosing the right Joint Venture or affiliate programs .

WILLIE [A:] I simply look for things that I know my list or website visitors will want. I look at what they have purchased from me in the past, what they ask me for in emails, and what problems they talk about on the discussion boards. That tells me what to sell them.

If something is not selling, I simply stop trying to sell that item. It’s the same for joint ventures and affiliate products. I do look for fresh products that I know my lists will appreciate me telling them about. I look for things that I know will improve their lives.

ALBERT [Q:] Joint Venture and affiliate programs are really creating a buzz on the internet and many established online merchants are now turning to Joint Venture strategies as a means of maximizing their profit. But we wanted to ask an expert like you. Can you actually make money through Joint Venture, and HOW?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. Joint ventures allow you to reach people that you otherwise couldn’t reach or that it would take you a long time to reach.

The most common joint venture that I can think of is simply getting a list owner to promote your product to his list, usually for a higher than normal commission. It’s a special arrangement that you make with only a limited number of people

The JV leverages off of the trust and the relationship that the list owner has with his customers. It also works because the list owner takes good care of his list members.

ALBERT [Q:] And can you please tell us, what are the advantages of Joint Ventures?

WILLIE [A:] It’s risk free, and win-win-win. The product owner doesn’t generally have to invest any money upfront to reach a lot of potential customers.

The list owner earns a higher than normal commission, gets to tell his list about something that’s really going to help them, and with some products even sets up a residual income stream. The customer gets just the product that he needs, often at a bargain price!

ALBERT [Q:] Do you think there’s room on Online Business for Newbie’s who want to start their own business?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. The majority of the world still hasn’t discovered ecommerce or the Internet. It’s only going to grow and billions will be made. It’s just another product distribution channel but a very powerful one.

It’s just important to get into the right business and to make sure that you’re selling something that people actually want!

ALBERT [Q:] What special skills and tools does a newbie need to have to succeed with an Online Business?

WILLIE [A:] A willingness to take risk. A burning desire to have a better life and a willingness to put in the effort that it takes. Also, the newbie needs to acknowledge that it is a business that will take a little time and hard work to figure out. Expect to start out slowly.

You don’t really need any special tools or skills since you can learn it online and all you really need is access to a computer to get started.

ALBERT [Q:] And are there any problems we should watch out for?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. Don’t get involved in businesses where there’s just a pretty site, but YOU have trouble figuring out what it’s actually selling. Sites like those actually just sell a dream, and you’ll have a hard time explaining it to others. You can’t sell what you can’t even explain. Only sell things that you would personally buy.

Look for things that people are already buying and offer them the same or similar products. Don’t innovate too much, it’s too expensive.

ALBERT [Q:] Where do you see the Online Business headed?

WILLIE [A:] It will grow extremely fast, and will probably grow faster in other countries than in the U.S. China is just starting to wake up for example, and they now have the world’s second highest online population.

It’s just going to become more of a global marketplace, and with the right product (something people want and are willing to pay for), you can do extremely well.

ALBERT [Q:] What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing Online Business over the next couple of years?

WILLIE [A:] Getting your email delivered as spammer cause ISPs to fitter email heavier and heavier.

There will always be scammers and dishonest people looking to make a quick buck off the unsuspecting. So, I see that as always being a problem, especially since the internet allows digital product to readily flow across international lines.

ALBERT [Q:] What are your future plans? Will you set up new business or services? Any big projects?

WILLIE [A:]
I have a membership site  at  TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com that I will really focus on the first half of 2007. I’m also very active in The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers.

I’ll help them to make that who industry more professional, with more unified standards. I’ll help do that by working with and providing guidance through InternationalAssociationOfJointVentureBrokers.com

I’m launching a television cooking show, with a partner in the Spring.

I’m rolling out a course detailing how I earned $1 million in 90 days using ordinary Internet marketing techniques. I’ll probably release that course in late January.

I do and will continue speaking at a lot of seminars in the U.S., The U.K., Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and will probably venture into Thailand, The Philippines, China, and South America soon.

ALBERT [Q:] Before we say goodbye, can you tell me what has been the most rewarding experience of your Affiliate Marketing Business career, and why?

WILLIE [A:] It’s teaching others how to find affiliate products that will actually sell, and then showing them methods of selling them that work best.

I’ve watched a lot of affiliates spend too much time using ineffective marketing methods and trying to sell items that the marketplace simply didn’t want. It broke my heart to see people struggle so hard to reach their dream while charging down the wrong trail!

ALBERT [Q:] For our final thought, what advice would you have for our faithful readers & subscribers who are starting out with their own online business?

WILLIE [A:] Only sell products that you really believe will better your customers lives. Only sell products that your customers tell you that they want. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. Just don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

As soon as you can, get out and meet other online business people. Seminars and conferences are the best place to do this. Just associating with people doing the exact same thing that you’re doing and discovering that you don’t have to do it all yourself, will change your life.

You can do so much more when your do form partnerships and joint ventures. These are easiest to set up in person.

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, I want to thank you for taking time from your day to do this interview for our subscribers and me.

WILLIE [A:] My pleasure.

  Editorial