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Harmony Major got started in online business in 1998, as an affiliate of a company called OutSource2000. Her first Web page started out as a single gateway page for the company, to make it possible to list her site in search engines and directories.

As Harmony kept adding the new affiliate programs she joined and the resources she used to PROMOTE those programs, that gateway page soon developed into her first, full-fledged website, which is now http://HomeBasedHeaven.com.

INTERVIEWER: So Harmony, you didn't come online intending to even start a business OR a website. Did this have an adverse affect on the success of your site or your business?

HARMONY: An adverse affect on the business? No. On the website? Yes. Since I didn't intend to start a business, I didn't have any of the feelings of hesitancy as many Netrepreneurs do, which was definitely a plus. But, my first website definitely should have been better planned.

For example, HomeBasedHeaven.com is basically a freebie site with only a few resources on it that actually make me any money. It should actually be the other way around. It should be a site that makes me a LOT of money, and only has a FEW free resources on it. And, those should also play a part in either making me money directly, or getting me a bit of free publicity.

And, for anyone reading this that thinks that I'm just a money- hungry, gold-digger who's only out to make a quick buck ;-), be realistic. What do YOU want to accomplish with your website? A trickle of occasional income, or a constant torrent of income without a lot of hard work? If you're like most, you want that constant income stream. But, the way to get it is NOT to have a "freebie" site. A lot of Netrepreneurs are completely missing the point. I COULD sell advertising on my site, but I hate having a ton of banner ads and flashing, bouncing graphics on any site. All of my sites are simple and elegant.

INTERVIEWER: Hmm ... THAT'S interesting. But, I'm sure a lot of people disagree with the part about not having a freebie site. So, before I start taking sides, what do you mean that they're missing the point?

HARMONY: Sure, a lot of people will disagree. But, those ARE the people that are missing the point. I'll explain.

Using freebies on your website is a commonly overused and dreadfully misunderstood practice. Freebie sites are pointless, and many Webmasters are off the mark. People who don't know any better are listening to self-professed "gurus" that are passing on the (MISINTERPRETED!) advice of the REAL pros stressing the importance of freebies. It's madness.

The real point of offering most freebies is to gain the trust of your prospects, to draw those prospects into believing that you have a quality product to offer, or to get those prospects to eventually buy whatever it is you have to offer. The point of offering other freebies is to gain free publicity with the distribution of that freebie. THAT'S the whole point.

If a freebie isn't benefiting you in one way or another, it's pointless. It's trash. It's a waste of your time.

INTERVIEWER: Ah, I see. But aren't there any exceptions to this rule? Every rule has an exception, right?

HARMONY: Of course. The exceptions are those ezines and websites that offer nothing but freebies. Their goal is STILL to make money, but to do it in a different way than I mentioned above. These ezine publishers and Webmasters are hoping to draw in a large enough audience of subscribers or daily visitors to attract paying advertisers that are willing to spend big bucks for advertising on their free site (or in their ezine).

Think this is far-fetched? Take Yahoo.com for example. That site is nothing but a huge (free!) directory of other websites and resources. They don't charge for anything BUT advertising, and they charge BIG money for that advertising. They get millions of hits a month through people using their (free!) e-mail service or browsing their (free!) online directory. The more people that visit their site on a regular basis, the more they can charge for advertising on that site.

I see SO many articles out there written by no name entrepreneurs that are preaching about things they don't even fully understand themselves. They're telling you to offer ANY freebie on your site to keep your visitors coming back. All freebies are good freebies in their eyes.

That's so incorrect.

You either:

Offer freebies that will lead people to your offer;
Offer freebies (like your articles for reprint) that will gain you free publicity;
Offer freebies to build up a large following in order to make money by selling your advertising space; OR
Offer A FEW freebies to entice people to buy your offer (i.e. ordering bonuses).

Just about anything else is off the mark.

INTERVIEWER: WOW, that's a very powerful point made. I agree, a lot of Webmasters and ezine publishers ARE missing the mark. Thanks for breaking things down for us. But, there's one point readers still may not be comprehending. That is, why would any advertiser want to spend "big bucks" on ad space on a free site that attracts nothing but freebie seekers.

HARMONY: Good point, but there's a discrepancy in your question. I didn't say that everyone visiting free sites like Yahoo are freebie seekers. Yahoo has a huge directory of general info on just about every topic imaginable. People are going there looking for something specific, but not necessarily free.

If your ad catches these people's attention at just the right time, (like a banner ad for calling cards on a search results page for calling cards), you have an excellent chance of gaining an interested prospect. And, not only is the prospect targeted, they're also prequalified as a buyer. After all, nobody expects completely free calling cards. Well ... almost nobody. ;-)

And as for why advertisers would want to buy ads on a site that offers nothing BUT freebies ... you got me. You *can* get sales from freebie sites by leading into your offer with a freebie. But even so, I'd question the legitimacy and quality of such leads.

INTERVIEWER: I get it now, Harmony. Thanks very much for clearing that up. And, speaking of Yahoo, a lot of Webmasters are frustrated to the point of exhaustion, trying to get listed in the directory. Is it possible? If so, do you have any tips on how our readers can do it?

HARMONY: Sure -- it's definitely possible. And, not only is it possible to get listed on Yahoo, it's very possible to get a TOP listing on the directory by doing a little more work than you would for a normal listing. I got my first website a #1 listing for not only "home-based jobs," but also for several other keyword phrases on my third try out.

The most important things are to read the Yahoo website, and the help files on submitting your site. I see a lot of people asking questions about submitting that are already plainly spelled out on the website if they'd only took the time to find the answers. Although those 2 tips sound simple enough, they really are two of the main reasons sites get rejected. Admittedly, there are several submission "secrets" to adhere to that *aren't* on the Yahoo website. I offer a special report with complete details on how to get any business website a #1 listing on Yahoo that also outlines those other important submission details. If you're interested in getting your hands on a copy of it, go to <http://YahooSecrets.com>.

INTERVIEWER: Thanks for the tips. At least now we know that we still have the opportunity to get listed on Yahoo. What do you recommend that every business website do before submitting to the directory?

HARMONY: Instead of my spelling that all out here, take a look at a free report I wrote on the topic in the mid-September 2000: <http://ExpertOnEbiz.com/articles/yahoosecrets.html> It's called "Generate 416 Unique Visitors to Your Website in One Day, Free." You can also reprint that article in any online media as long as you adhere to the reprint guidelines at: <http://ExpertOnEbiz.com/articles/>

I was interviewed by Monique Harris of the Netting Dollars radio show, where she asked a similar question. In that interview, I reveal the biggest reason why most people fail to make it into Yahoo, the three things every person submitting to Yahoo should do before taking the plunge, and what to do if all else fails. At the time I'm writing this, that audio interview hasn't been uploaded. It should be there soon at <http://NettingDollars.com>.

INTERVIEWER: Great, thanks. For anyone that's wondering, Netting Dollars is a daily radio show hosted by Monique Harris, co-author of Make Your Knowledge Sell. Now Harmony, here's one final Yahoo question. IS it still possible for business sites to get listed without shelling out $200 for the Business Express service?

HARMONY: Definitely. Although there are benefits to the service, using it isn't required for a listing. Yahoo can be very picky, and we might be overlooking something "wrong" with our sites that we feel is insignificant, but that THEY feel is a huge hurdle. And, it's all about what they think, right?

Although Business Express often gives you a very vague idea of what's wrong with your site, at least you're hearing it from their perspective. And, you might want to use the Business Express service for that reason. Then again, you might not. After all, the $199 they charge doesn't guarantee you a listing. It only guarantees that your site will be looked at within 7 days.

INTERVIEWER: Thanks for the tips, Harmony. That's certainly gives online marketers something to think about. Let's quickly go back to what you were saying about offering "the right kinds of freebies" in a website or ezine. A lot of online publishers are disappointed to find that their ezines aren't making them as much money as they thought they would. Does this go back to the point you made about offering "good" freebies?

HARMONY: Somewhat. Most publishers seem to throw any old thing in their ezines to make it attractive for their readers, and forget the goal for publishing an ezine in the first place. That goal? To make a profit! So how do you go about creating a quality ezine that does this? It's simple.

With EVERY change or new addition to your ezine, you MUST keep your goal in mind. That goal? Again, to make a profit. I've made this mistake very, VERY often in the past with my own ezines. In the excitement of adding new sections, I'd often forget to ask myself, "How will adding this new section help ME?" Ultimately, adding something to your ezine's format should offer you one or more of the following benefits:

Increase your credibility. For example, if you have an ezine targeted to your niche, you could introduce an "Ask the Expert" column. Your readers would get their questions answered (by you) on a regular basis, thus establishing you as an expert in that particular field.

Enhance your knowledge of your target market. For example, a poll can do this. Polling your readers on issues relevant to your niche focus will give you first-hand insight on their likes, dislikes, wants, and needs.

Make you money. For example, create a links section in your ezine that features resources targeted to your niche. If you also publish a paid newsletter on several related topics, you could have a links section that's constantly updated with those links.

For example, if the focus of your ezine and paid newsletter are both website promotion, you can take a specific set of resources (i.e. search engine promotion resources) from your paid newsletter, and turn that into a feature of your free ezine. At the bottom of that column in each issue, you'd let readers know that the info came from your paid newsletter, and have a link to more info, automatically and effortlessly creating more PAYING subscribers to your other newsletter.

Get readers to go back to your website. Using the example above about the links section, you can also feature links to your main website. Of course, you can't have this section filled ONLY with your own resources unless you have a massive network of websites, but at the END (or beginning) of this links section, you could put the top five links from your website to remind subscribers to re-visit.

Also, in addition to providing your readers with useful content, you'll also use your ezine as a means of promoting your products. A common mistake that I see a lot of ezine publishers making is being afraid to lose subscribers. For example, if you send out an endorsement mailing, you'll likely get a few unsubscribe requests as a result. And, some of those people may say that their reason for leaving is that they "didn't appreciate your ads."

Those kinds of unsubscribe requests are GOOD! The point of having a subscriber isn't so you can boast a huge reader following. The point of a subscriber is to convert them into a CUSTOMER. YOUR customer. So, if they're leaving because they don't appreciate a slight promotional edge to your ezine -- you say "good riddance." They wouldn't have become customers any way.

The key here is to remember not to have your ads even come close to outweighing your content, and you should be fine. Reasonable people aren't going to expect you to spend hours producing an ad-free ezine for them at no cost.

Remember -- unless your main goal is to create a huge following to make money from high-paying advertisers, your subscribers should have the potential of later becoming customers. Getting rid of the other "freebie seekers" is the best thing for you.

INTERVIEWER: Well said! And, what an excellent point. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers before you go?

HARMONY: Being innovative is the key to success in marketing. You don't have to come up with an entirely new concept. Instead, you can always take someone else's idea, modify it to fit your own needs, and create a new trend. Don't be afraid to try new things. But, don't ride so closely on other people's coattails that you're infringing upon their copyright. There's a fine line between creating a new idea, and outright copying someone else's.

INTERVIEWER: Harmony, thanks a lot for sharing your inspirational and unconventional e-business strategies. I'm sure they've given our readers a lot to think about.

HARMONY: Thanks for having me, and it's been a pleasure helping out. To all of the online marketers out there, DON'T GIVE UP. You can do absolutely anything you put your mind to. Remember that, and you'll go far -- in life and in business.

ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE

Harmony Major is the webmistress of Expert On Ebiz. She offers aggressive, power-marketing tactics to help boost online sales, market recognition, and website traffic. Harmony has personally tested, reviewed, or endorsed EVERY resource on the site to help ensure quality & save YOU time! Visit http://ExpertOnEbiz.com.