Is there any Internet marketer who’s revealed their list of top tools and resources for running a successful Internet business?
The way this list came about was after numerous requests from subscribers of my “Unstoppable Internet Marketing newsletter”, who were curious to know what tools I use to run my business.
In this post, I will share with you 33 of my best tools and resources I use to run my own business, since 2005 (free and paid). You’ll find that most of these aren’t “ordinary”, meaning I’m not going to simply tell you that “Paypal” is one of my best tools, even though it is. I figured that there’s already enough sources out there that/who tell you to get a Paypal or Clickbank account. I’m not even affiliated with most of these tools and resources, so I’m not here to make money.
Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Shortkeys - This free tool will help you save 10, 20 even 30 minutes a day. It’s a simple text replacement tool that allows you to program text you type regularly. I’m telling you, this tool has saved me the pain of having to type the same things over and over again. You can watch a video tutorial I did for this program here.
2. Camtasia Studio - Ever wondered how people record their screen? Well, it’s by using this screen capturing software. The price tag for this software may be rather dear for some, but the return-on-investment you get out of it is priceless. This, by far, has been the most useful tool for creating most of my products. People consider video higher in perceived value than regular ebooks and reports. If you’re on a budget, there’s a free screen capturing software called CamStudio.
3. Adtrackz - You may have heard a thousands times, from the “gurus”, just how important testing and tracking is. This software script runs on your server and with this software you can basically track all types of things like - your text links, PPC ads and email promos. You can even split-test your salesletter to see which headline, price, bonuses etc, out-pull the other. You can even cloak/mask your affiliate links so people don’t steal your commissions. Your cloaked link could look like this: www.yourdomain.com/Recommends/abc-product.htm. You can then check your stats to see how many people clicked on your link. Great tool to measure your conversion rates! Alternatively, you can use Frank Bauer’s Goto-Pro adtracking system, here.
4. JV Manager/Fantasos - This is the core script that drives my business. You install it in one domain and you can setup all your products, affiliate programs, memberships etc in the one central location. If you click on the order button, on a product like ListBoosters.com, you’ll see how JV Manager works. I’m using JVManager version 1, and there’s a newer version called “Fantasos” that has a really hefty price tag on it. JV Manager 1 is not being sold by the owner anymore, but you may purchase it for dirt-cheap ($97 or so), from resellers. Just Google “JV Manager 1″ and you’ll get a list of resellers. I purchased mine for about $500 back then.
5. DigitalPoint Forum - this is where I get all my cool logos designed for about $5 each in less than 24 hours. Talk about a bargain! Once you’re in the forum, scroll down to where it says “Buy, Sell or Trade” and then click on “Services”. Like the logo I used here? Costs me $5 bucks
. I also use this forum to find writers to write articles for my niche sites, too.
6. GMail - If you don’t already have a GMail account, get one. The last thing you want is to get hammered with a ton of email in your personal email account. Use it to subscribe to newsletters. One thing I like to do, since I’m an email marketer, is to sign up to as many Internet marketing newsletters as I can to see which emails get my attention. I then create a “swipe file” of emails that have attention-getting subject lines and email copy. So now you can have your very own rolodex of “winning” emails.
7. Need An Article - Do you hate writing? Do you need content for your sites? Do you need articles to submit to directories for traffic? This is the writing service the “gurus” didn’t want you to see! My friend, Scott Foster, has created a service where you can get your writing projects done by ghostwriters. The pricing is relatively affordable for anyone wanting to get their articles, press releases, ebooks and reports written.
8. Dictionary.com - I always like to increase my vocabulary, and find new words to use using their built-in thesaurus.
9. Niche-a-day - This free service will send you a hot niche via email, each day, with very specific details about the niche (like search results).
10. Web 2.0 site list - If you’re ever going to use Web 2.0 in your marketing, this page lists almost all Web 2.0 sites you can tap into.
11. Kayako Support Suite - This is the software that runs my customer support desk, located here. The price may be steep for some, but it’s well worth every dollar because of its features and flexibility.
12. NoteTab Light - Great, free tool for those email marketers. The main feature I use is the “split lines”. It basically wraps your text to whatever width you want. As a general rule of thumb, your emails should be no wider than 75 characters.
13. OpenOffice - Free alternative to Microsoft Office. You can use the word processing application to turn your documents to PDF files.
14. Avant Browser - I love this browser. I know many people like Firefox, but personally, I hate it. I’ve tested out different browsers, in terms of site loading times, and I’ve found Avant to be a heck of a lot faster than IE and Firefox, even though Avant uses IE’s shell. No browser can beat Apple’s “Safari” browser though. Sites load faster than any other browser. I’ve been using Avant Browser for two years now so I’m already use to it.
15. Affiliate Organizer - This is one of my best tools. If you don’t have it already, get it. This powerful tool saves all your Internet business information. You can keep track of all your login details such as your webhost details, blogs, autoresponders, domain registrars, URL’s, names, memberships, forums etc. This will save you time going through all those emails and papers containing your login details.
16. Sitepoint Marketplace - This is a great place if you’re looking for full sites that are for sale, or you can even sell your own site.
17. Warrior Forum - By far the best forum out there when it comes to Internet marketing. I guarantee you’ll learn a lot from this forum. This is the only forum I visit, everyday, to see what’s everyone talking about.
18. DigitalPoint’s Keyword tools - free to use keyword suggestion tool to build your keyword list.
19. Marketing Sherpa - For the most up-to-date marketing news, this is the best place.
20. IM News Watch - This your one-stop site to find out the latest Internet marketing news.
21. RoboForm - Hate filling in online forms? This software here is god-send and will save you a lot of time.
22. Wordpress Spam “Protect Web Form” - There’s an easy solution to stopping those “spammy” Wordpress comments you may be getting. Simply install this plugin and it stops spammers for good. The “Did you pass math” plugin didn’t work for me. I kept getting spam.
23. Compete.com - This service is similar to Alexa’s ranking tool, but features more comprehensive anaylytics that Alexa lacks, such as site growth and demographics.
24. Project Gutenberg - Heard of “Public domain” before? This is where you can get thousands for free ebooks whose copyright has expired. You’ll find dozens of topics to suit your area of target.
25. Phototricity - If you’re looking for images to use for your site design and product covers, this is a great site. The problem with most stock image sites is that they will only allow you to use their images on your own work. If you’re selling resell rights to your product, you cannot pass the images to your resellers. This is where Phototricity comes in. As long as you do not distribute the original images, you’re good to go.
26. AutoWebLaw - When it comes to selling or sharing any information online, you need to make sure you’re protected in case someone tries to sue you. This software creates legal documents for your websites, such as your agreement, disclaimer, earnings etc. This is the least you should do until you can hire a lawyer to specifically create legal documents for your sites. Please seek professional legal advice. With that said, do know that I’m sharing this for educational purposes only.
27. Aweber - The only autoresponder I’d recommend for any online marketer. I’ve tried many other autoresponders and nothing can beat Aweber, in terms of features, efficiency and reliability. Don’t even think about using autoresponder scripts installed on your own server just to save the monthly fees. If you’re serious about your business, then using autoresponder services is the way to go. There’s just too many benefits to list here.
28. Ebooks.com - This is my number one source for bookshelf books in digital format.
29. eScriptionist - These guys will transcribe your audios to words for about $1.50 /minute worth of audio.
30. Web Copy That Sells - This book, by Maria Veloso, is one of the best books I’ve read on the topic of copywriting. This is an essential read for anyone selling anything online. When subscribers ask me which book I’d recommend on the subject of copywriting, it’s Web Copy That Sells. This book helped me write my very first salesletter.
31. MindJet MindMapper - I use this tool to mindmap everything! When you get to a stage where you need to keep things simple and understandable, there’s nothing better than using mindmaps. I’ve been using mindmaps for almost everything I do in my business - When I read a book, I draw a mindmap to extract the main points. When I want to jot down ideas for a new project, I mindmap, and so many other uses.
32. AWStats - Most webhost providers use cpanel. AWStats is a tool you can use to find out how many people visited your sites, where they came from, what they search for, where they landed (like 404 error pages) and so much more. Without knowing your metrics, you’re pretty much doing business blindfolded. For instance, if you added a new feature to your site, like a forum, you could see what difference, in terms of site visitors, it made by looking at the stats. To access AWStats, simply log into your cpanel. Normally it’s www.yourdomain.com/cpanel.
33. BannersMall - I saved one of the best ’till last. I love using BannersMall for all my promotional banners because of their experienced design skills, quality banners, affordable prices and most of all - the quality of service they provide. All you need to do is tell them what you want, and they’ll turn it into magnetizing banners that’ll make readers want to click on your banners! Tell Chris (one of the site owners), that I sent you
So there you have it. The top 33 tools and resources I use to run my Internet business. If you liked it, feel free to leave a comment.
Do you have a favourite tool or resource you use that’s not listed here? Let us know by posting a comment…
I hope you’ve found at least one tool that’ll be useful for you and your business.
To your unstoppable success,
Aurelius Tjin
Popularity: 100% [?]
I
first started online as a hobby. In 2005 I became a full-time
Internet marketer and had created over 20 products. I have a passion for marketing and helping those who have a
burning desire to succeed as an entrepreneur. If you have just one idea
you can share with others, then I can help you. I will give you
the tips and strategies to turn that idea into something of value. Learn
more about how I can help you
October 12th, 2007 at 7:15 am
Hey Aurelius;
Thanks for the great list - some will definitely be going into my bookmarks.
I love the Niche A Day site - really useful for generating new ideas on hidden niches to check out. I like to take one of the keyword phrases and drill down further on that - it’s surprising what adwords spits out on occasion.
Just checked out the keywords tool at DigitalPoint. Your readers may like to check out a beta version of a keyword tool I’m developing.
It grabs the results from Overture and then checks their popularity in Google - will also count the number of Adwords there are for the search term (UK only at the moment).
Comp Finder
Have a great day now, ya hear
October 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Thanks Aurelius! Some great discoveries for me here! I always wanted to know where a voice-to-text service was and now I do…Thanks as always!
Stuart Stirling
=> Free I.M. Tips and Resources Blog
October 12th, 2007 at 7:58 am
a, you are crazy. why not just hand over the keys to your house as well? i\’ve bookmarked every single one. checking it out as i go. thanks man.
October 12th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Hey Aurelius
I will be trying out the mind mapper as that sounds great!
I couldn’t do with RoboForm (http://www.roboform.com/)
it has saved me many a time with forgotten logins, nothing watching your inbox for a reminder email that never comes!
Sally
October 12th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Great sharing! I can find some good tips in your list.
Thanks.
October 12th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Aurelius,
Great stuff, I will be using some of these, Thanks.
I have a toolbar for you that is free and sits on right side of your screen when in use and in the taskbar when not. It has many of the same features you use above built into it. Like -Search your PC- Spell check with
thesaurus, also screen capture, tickertapes for your list alerts, website monitors, and many other features
Download here. It is also free to use
http://www.newsoftwaresite.com/magnibar-new.exe
Install password(magni1234)
I use it constantly in my biz
Thanks
Mel Smith
October 12th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Hi Aurelius,
Thanks for sharing! Some good ones here that I am going to add to my own list of top resources.
All the best,
Francois du Toit
http://www.DiggingForGoldNuggets.com
October 12th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Hey Aurelius,
This is an awesome list of resources.
Most of these are must-have stuffs.
You even revealed a secret that you can easily sell for $37. (Hint: Item# 6)
Thanks!
Erwin
October 12th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Austin - looks like a great tool that can save a lot of time for those who do a lot of keyword research.
Stuart - Glad you found it
Jansie - Yes, I do like to share a lot
Sally - Yes, I also recommend “Mind Map” by the one and only mindmapping guru, Tony Buzan, if you want to make the most out of mindmaps.
Thanks Kent and Francois. Glad it helped.
Mel - looks like a great software. That spell check and thesaurus looks handy.
Erwin - Yes, “swipe files” are real powerful and I’ve actually compiled my very own list of power words and phrases you can use in your advertising. You can download it for free at www.webcopywordsthatmakeyourich.com
- Aurelius Tjin
October 12th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Hi Aurelius,
Appreciate you sharing your personal rolodex files. This will help me and shorten the learning curve. I am keeping the information for my top 10 list. Have a great day.
Thank You,
Sean R.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Aurelius,
If you like NoteTab lite, it’s well worth the small cost to go to NoteTab Pro. The difference in capabilities is just short of amazing.
I used to use the mind-mapping software you espouse, but I switched to FreeMind in lieu of upgrading last time ’round. Freemind is a bit slow - it’s Java based (Java, not JavaScript [grin /]) - but performs well and is open source with a pretty good group backing it up. You can find it at Source Forge.
I’ve been using RoboForm for over a decade - I’d be lost without it - but I never did like its password generation feature. Instead, I now use Key Maker v2.0 by Softnik Technologies. It is freeware. It takes whatever you want to enter as a key phrase, then converts it to a *hard* password. Nice thing about it is that it will produce the same password for the same phrase every time. So as long as you are consistent about your key phrases, you can always recreate a lost password. For instance, every time I join a Web site, I use the URL and certain personal information - that I will not forget, but no one else will know - so that I can always recreate the password to that site. Here’s an example: I input aureliustjin.com and get the password bvuoj6tc. I can’t remember that password, but I can alway reproduce it. The advantage over RoboForm is that I can access password protected sites from any machine, not just my box.
One last bit - the thesaurus thing. I used to use WordWeb, but now I use two desktop apps: one is TheSage, the other is MobySaurus.
The biggest advantage to most of these is that they can be put on a USB (thumb) drive and be used anywhere there is USB connectivity.
OK, I’ll go away now … just wanted to add to your list [chortle /].
Make a good day …
… barn
October 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Great write up over all of the great tools to use! If you get a chance, you should check us out here at Linkworth. You can make money off of your blog by using our linkpost tool and writing articles over our advertisers. Let me know if you have any questions.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Wow Thanks for all the great tools
As I read the replys everyone seems
to have some really cool stuff to
market there products and a lot of
them are free how cool So if you
dont mind I’ll slide my two cents
in here and show you my marketing
tools also I love to use each day
http://lgtmarketing.com/track/t.php?l=2564
Thanks
October 12th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Thanks Aurelius.
I already clicked on several links ; now I am gonna to look at the sites and probably take some test drive…
October 12th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
As a seller of turnkey website packages, I get bombarded by hundreds of emails a week from internet marketers. You are by far my favorite! Your emails are always informative and never annoying. I would definitely recommend your mailing list to my own turnkey website customers.
Keep up the good work!
October 12th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Hi Aurelius,
I work for Mindjet, makers of MindManager, which you listed at #31 above. I work with bloggers who are fans of our product and I’d love to chat more with you. I can send you some free training resources and special webinar invitations we host for bloggers and media. Contact me at my email address, if you are interested. There is also a cool MindManager user group on Ning.com, located here: http://mindmappers.ning.com.
Regards,
Gaelen
October 13th, 2007 at 12:42 am
Barney - Yes. The pro version has some wonderful features. Pretty powerful for a notepad software.
I use to use “Access Manager” to store all my logins/passwords. I’m now using “Affiliate Organizer”.
Thanks for sharing, Barney.
Scarlett - looks like a great service bloggers could use. Thanks for sharing that with us.
L. Wright (sorry, not sure what your first name is) - Thanks for your kind words. I appreciate it a lot.
Gaelen - Great! Thanks for stopping by and post. Good to see I’m getting the attention of bigger software companies
Mindjet is so easy to use, why would I need training 
?
– Aurelius Tjin
October 13th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Hi Aurelius,
Thanks for the great list!
As a productivity fan myself, I always get excited about discovering new tools to save time and boost productivity.
I know it has taken you quite some time to collect and write the list above, so thanks for taking the time to help us.
Ladan
October 13th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Thanks for the great resources. Some I was aware of, some I was not. I will definitely be bookmarking some of these.
Have a wonderful day!
October 13th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Hey,there are some really great gems in that basket!
I have used some such as roboform,aweber etc. but 7 out of 32 is not nearly enough.
Thank you Aurelius,
I shall remain loyal!
October 14th, 2007 at 6:29 am
Hi Aurelius
I get your updates when they are released and I think they are fantastic. I am a newbie to IM and need lots of help. Your products make it easy to follow and get results. I just have to make time to incorporate them more. Yeah I know I’m a slacko!
You have a totally awesome blog and the information on this page is out of this world. My head spins from wanting to read everything at once. But that could also be because I am blonde and female. (that explains it huh! hey you don’t have to agree with me you know:))
Anyway keep up the great work and I look forward to the next installment.
Phoenix
October 14th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Hey Ladan - You’re welcome. Haven’t spoken with you for a long time. I believe I was meant to send you something
I’ve been caught up with so many things. Don’t we all.
Thank you Etta, Shane, Sue and everyone else who’s shared a tool/resource with us all.
– Aurelius Tjin
October 14th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Hi Aurelius,
Yes, it’s been quite a while we haven’t talked.
I know exactly what you mean about “being caught up with so many things”. It happens all the time for me.
Have a nice day,
Ladan
October 14th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Wow Aurelius,
What a fantastic list of information. It’s going to take me all day to look at all the sites !
October 15th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Hi aurelus
You said that you get your graphics done at digital point please tell me what designer you use.
thanks
October 15th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Hey Adam,
For $5 logos, go here:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=344676
You’ll get a premium logo designed for you.
Note that I only mentioned “logos” in tool #5, not full “minisite” and ecover graphics.
For cool Web 2.0 styled logos ($10), use this guy:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=386401
Another Web 2.0 logo designer ($5), here:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=378586
I’m not sure if they’re still around though. Their sample logos aren’t showing.
I’m holding nothing back here
I could’ve easily charged for all these sources.
If possible - Ask each of these designers for their instant messenger ID so you can contact them if you ever need a logo urgently.
– Aurelius Tjin
October 15th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Great resource tools list.
Thanks for sharing without holding back your secrets.
We need to get together again with Frank soon.
Carlo
October 16th, 2007 at 2:36 am
Thanks
October 16th, 2007 at 3:23 am
Thanks for sharing your secret weapons with us. I didn’t even know half of them and quickly found myself browsing through some of the links. I particularly appreciated phototricity, Mindjet and Banners Mall. Thanks again!
October 16th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Hey Carlo - Yea, we’ll definitely organize something. Going to Mal Emery’s Sydney Seminar this weekend?
Hey Jen - Writer for Surefirewealth…cool. Jeremy G. and I have worked a few times already. Glad it helped.
– Aurelius Tjin