There is a particular web site where I regularly place my free internet marketing articles to generate traffic to my blog. Quite often several so called internet marketing experts place articles shortly after one of mine has been posted talking about the impossibility of making any money online without spending lots of cash on advertising.

Recently one of these “experts” bluntly called some of the techniques that I was suggesting, “tools for beginners on the net.”

No, I was not offended. All my life I’ve met dozens of “experts”, not only on internet marketing, but on scores of other unrelated subjects. They have never intimidated me. More so because many times, I have seen many of them fail miserably when asked to put their theories into practice. And make no mistake about it, some of these folks who have failed the practical test have had a long string of degrees and fancy qualifications next to their names.

I’ll tell you the sort of guys that get my attention. People who have earned lots of money doing what they are suggesting to others. Sadly these guys are very rare to meet. As soon as most people find a winning formula for success, they will tend to keep their mouths firmly shut. So most of the “experts” you will meet online especially the internet marketing ones, are simply peddling theories they have read about or learnt somewhere else.

You will not find theories or stuff that I read somewhere else in any of my internet marketing blogs (not here and certainly not at http://marketingurhomebiz.blogspot.com.) All the writing and advice I give is firmly based on experience, my own experience in internet marketing. That is not to say that I don’t read. I read a lot and later in this article I quote from some reading I did recently in the New York Times.

So why do I reveal my very profitable internet marketing secrets?

I reveal my secrets because that is the only way to grow. And in a place as dynamic and fast-changing as the web, you can be sure that your secret will not remain a secret for long. So instead of clinging onto something that will not be mine for that long why not release it a little earlier and gain valuable publicity and image from it, to help me make even more money from my internet marketing?

Read the second and final part of this article at my blog; http://www.big-online-story.blogspot.com

Christopher Kyalo is a writer/marketing expert who makes money online only by posting free articles. He has recently launched a blog for writers, http://100grandonlinewriters.blogspot.com

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

Okay, I will admit, this article is a little tongue in cheek, but there is a very important message in it. It is my hope that you will get the message loud and clear and NOT do the things that I am going to touch on below. Any of this stuff can get you banned from your favorite forum faster than you can say Jumping Jack Flash.

So, just how DO you get yourself banned from your favorite forum? Well, one of the best ways is to spam it. If you don’t know what that means exactly, let me spell it out. Spamming a forum involves starting a thread or making a post with the self serving purpose of getting people to go to one of YOUR web pages. It doesn’t matter if the page has anything to do with the forum topic or not. In most forums, placing links in the main body of the post is a no-no. If you want to post links, do so in your signature…where it is allowed. Some forums don’t even allow that.

Another great way to get yourself banned is to start a fight with another one of the members. Starting fights is so easy to do. All you have to do is say something stupid to another member like, “Your mother wears army boots” to which you will usually get a reply that can’t be printed in this article. The fight will then escalate with many forum members taking sides. Eventually, the thread will either get locked or deleted but not before somebody is tossed out on the street. Yes, fighting with other members is a great way to get banned from your favorite forum.

Finally, there is scamming. This is probably the best way to get yourself banned. In some forums, they have sections where you can offer products or services to other members. Well, if you want to get yourself tossed out on your ear, simply sell crappy products or don’t follow through on the service that you promised. You’ll have so many complaints sent to the help desk, on your behalf, that by the time you wake up the next morning to log in, you’ll be wondering if you forgot your password. You didn’t. It just doesn’t work anymore.

There you have it…three great ways to get yourself banned from your favorite forum.

Now don’t do them!

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Tired of busting your behind for peanuts online? Go to my web site and find out how I earn a monthly income that exceeds 5 figures and how I can help YOU do the same. Get your free report at http://www.mysecretarticles.com/report.html

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

Podcasts are digital media files that can be downloaded over the Internet. They are fast expanding in popularity as effective communication methods, especially in the advertising world. The availability of free software (pod catchers) for retrieving audio podcasts has further escalated their popularity. Most famous pod catchers include Apple Inc’s iTunes and Null soft’s Win amp.

Yahoo and iTunes are the best websites for downloading podcasts covering a wide range of topics, while other websites such as Doppler and Juice offer an equally good service. Listeners can utilize various sources for listening to audio podcasts. Also, they can access audio archives of programs they like, online.

This popularity of audio podcasts have ensured that the content delivered through them are reliable, informative and of good quality. Due to the heavy competition in the corporate world for advertising and communicating to target markets via audio podcasts, the quality of the content being delivered keeps improving day by day.

To our audio podcast fans, this is good news. Now you can access expert advice on a wide range of topics in an easy to download, easy to comprehend, easy to listen to file format. A wealth of resources, only a click away! Go online and access information on a wide range of topics, delivered by the experts in the respective fields. Start podcasting today…

On podcasts and their popularity…

iTunes claim their web traffic has skyrocketed within a year to an audience of over 6 million visitors.

What does this imply? Better services on a broader range of topics.

Many corporate giants have started concentrating on audio podcasting for a wide range of services from advertising to improving investor relations, and so much more. They are hiring experts in the respective fields to publish podcasts on a range of topics, from talk shows to trainings to interviews and various other marketing and promotional campaigns.

A podcast can be published in a few basics steps. In a nutshell, they include:

· Recording the podcast

· Saving as an MPC file

· Uploading to the server

· Creating a RSS feed

· Publishing the RSS feed

· Promote the podcast

The simplicity of the process ensures more and more information is shared via audio podcasts. As educative material, advertising material, publicizing material, podcasts are a wonderful tool, offering personalized features in easy to manipulate formats.

When expert advice is only an audio podcast away, why look elsewhere? Become an exclusive audio podcast user and experience a whole new informative world full of fascination!

Bizymoms has been providing advice and information to women for over a decade. Now, Bizymoms invites you to visit their new Audio Podcasts section, and listen to advice and inspirational interviews with people like Dr Gary Chapman and bestselling author Beverly Lewis.

Audio Podcasts

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

One of the many things that really burns me up about network marketing is when people say things like “It’s a numbers game” or “Some will, some won’t, so what?” If there was ever more insipid advice given to new marketers, I sure don’t know what it is. The truth is, neither of these statements is true. It’s all about reading people. While the subject of reading people is a complex one, this article will begin to touch on some basics. In later articles, we’ll go into more detail.

There have been many studies done on the different personalities of people in this world. My favorite one is the study that divides people up into color groups. I’m not talking about skin color. I’m talking about the color of their personalities. Now, if this concept sounds a little odd to you, it’s actually a pretty widely known concept among network marketers, especially the ones who are experts in their fields. That’s why it drives me so crazy when these same people come out with phrases like the ones in my introductory paragraph. Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth.

The concept of personality color is really very simple. Each individual personality has certain characteristics. Some people may have a personality where they are very money oriented. These people are used to doing business, usually very successful, but also are used to being in charge. They need to be the one giving the orders. They view their network as drones in a bee hive whose sole purpose is to work under him. Donald Trump is a good example of this kind of personality. Well, this personality type is given a color.

There are various color models. The one I like the best is the four color model of red, blue, green and yellow. The basic principal and philosophy is that all people are really made up of all four colors. Each person, however, has a different mix of color personalities. For example, Donald Trump would be mostly red, as red is the color most dominant for a person who is a leader and a fierce competitor as Donald Trump is. However, Trump has a softer side to himself which is exemplified by the charity work that he does. This is because of the other colors that make up his whole personality.

What does all this have to do with reading people? When you are trying to recruit somebody into your network, you have to be able to read their dominant characteristics in order to know how to approach them. For example, somebody who is a real go getter needs to know the income potential of your program. The bottom line is all they care about. For those who are more team players, you’ll need to stress how the people in your program help each other. Mention the support structure and other things that point to community.

In future articles, we’ll go into more detail on the different personality types and how to read them.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Tired of busting your behind for peanuts online? Go to my web site and find out how I earn a monthly income that exceeds 5 figures and how I can help YOU do the same. Get your free report at http://www.mysecretarticles.com/report.html

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

Article marketing is red hot right now! Over the past few years many internet marketers have started to take advantage of this and have very good results to show for it. While article marketing in itself is not very complex, there are a few very important things that a company and writer must consider in order to effectively use this technique.

One of the most important things that needs to be considered is the use of quality content. Many writers will focus on using a keyword in bulk and will not focus on actually providing quality content.  In doing so, they will find that people who do come to their website to read their writing will generally not return due to the fact that their work does not contain any useful information.

That is why it is important for a company or individual is to make sure that their writing contain useful information that will make people want to return to their website time and time again. If you are only using article marketing to provide keywords for you website and do not focus on content you will be getting an ill result.

However, if you use this technique properly and provide quality content, your visitors will return time after time to your website in order to get your advice and information. This in turn will increase your sells and the amount of money that your website will make over time. Using proper and effective content is the best advice that can be offered to anyone who uses article marketing.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

If you’re running a PPC campaign you know how expensive top keywords can get.

Search Marketing Standard’s series on Seven Habits of Highly Successful Search Engine Marketing gives solid and helpful advice on how to spend your online marketing budget wisely. There are a couple of areas in Part II - Keyword Best Practices - that especially caught my interest.

Create Basic Keywords expands on the 5 types of keyword sets your campaign should encompass:

1. Root terms

2. Synonyms

3. Action Prefixes and Suffixes

4. Run-ons and Misspellings

5. Plurals (Google only)

By carefully developing, assessing, and using these 5 types, you will generate a well-rounded keyword universe for your campaign, with many less expensive yet highly effective keywords. The author notes that:

If you create five root terms, five synonyms, 10 prefixes and suffixes, and use plurals, this will result in a list of 200 keywords. Add in another 20 misspellings and you are up to 220 keywords. Add in all 50 states, specific cities, and combining prefixes and suffixes on the same keyword…

Follow a system like that and you don’t even need to look at a keyword tool. You’ll have build a huge keyword list pretty easily.

The other area of interest is negative keywords. There are two ways to use them. One is to create a list of generic negatives like “lawsuit, complaint, free, cheap, etc.” and append the ones that fit your service or product to your keywords.

The second way to use negative keywords is to find semantically related words that are not useful to searchers. You can save a lot of money if you specify, in your PPC campaigns, that your ads not be served if your negative words are part of the user’s search query.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

Internet marketing promotion serves two main purposes: 1) Driving

traffic to a website; 2) Ensuring that the traffic is targeted

traffic.

It is really crucial that your promotional efforts fulfill both

of these purposes. Without traffic, a website is nothing more

than a piece of art that is taking up space on the World Wide

Web.

Like an incredible, decked out building that is vacant, it

is simply decoration that accomplishes nothing. On the other

hand, a website that has loads of traffic and tons of unique

visitors per day is no more effective than the website that has

no traffic if the traffic visiting the website is not targeted

traffic.

Thus, if either of the two main purposes of internet

marketing promotion is not fulfilled, your business likely will

not benefit from your promotion efforts.

In order to drive traffic to a website, getting the website

listed in the search engines, either through search engine

optimization or through pay-per-click advertising is pretty

important.

Search engine marketing is undoubtedly one of the most

effective forms of internet marketing promotion in existence. The

majority of internet users who seek information via the internet

us the search engines to gather information, so a search engine

listing can be extremely fruitful in driving traffic to your

website.

In order for that traffic to be targeted, your search engine

marketing campaigns have to be carefully designed.

Keyword

research to determine the popularity of certain keywords and

keyword phrases among your target audience is essential to

designing an effective search engine marketing strategy.

Using

the right keywords for your target audience will increase your

website’s potential for receiving targeted traffic. The titles of

your web pages and their descriptions that show up in search

engine results also play a large role in getting internet users

to click-through to your website and to view what you are

offering or displaying on your website.

In addition to search engine marketing, there are other internet

marketing promotion techniques that have potential for driving

qualified traffic to your website. These include:

• Link exchanges
• Banner advertising
• Publishing of expert articles
• Email marketing
• Starting your own affiliate program
• Listing your website in directories
• Listing your website in portals
• Buying advertisements in ezines
• Participating in newsgroups and online forums
• Using shopping bots

In addition to these internet marketing promotion ideas, you can

also attract visitors to your website through more traditional

marketing methods.

For instance, you can issue press releases to gain media

exposure; place classified advertisements in newspapers or

industry-related magazines; deliver advertisements or coupons

through direct mail; advertise on radio stations or television

stations; engage in telemarketing; put up billboards; participate

in trade shows; or even hold seminars in which you share your

expertise and promote your internet business.

There are many different ways to drive traffic to your website.

Opening your mind to the possibilities of both online and offline

advertising for the purpose of driving qualified, targeted

traffic to your website is the first step to devising an internet

marketing promotion strategy that will be wildly successful.

Both modern internet marketing tactics and traditional marketing

methods can be used to promote your internet-based business.

Conducting market research to clearly define your target market

and to learn about the characteristics of your target market is

crucial to successfully promoting any business through marketing

or advertising efforts.

For some people, designing and administering their marketing

program for their internet business is something they can do

themselves.

Others may benefit from professional services from expert

marketers who know how to market an internet-based business using

both state-of-the-art and traditional marketing methods.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

• Home-Based Business Tips - Selling Vs Serving
  [Home-Based-Business] Many of us seem to have a built-in aversion to selling. Perhaps it’s because of what we believe selling must be like in order to be effective. We may have visions of the used car salesman swooping down upon us as soon as we walk onto the car lot. We don’t like feeling pressured or manipulated into buying something. And that’s what we think selling has to be like to be effective. If we bring this mindset into our business it’s no wonder we don’t like selling and we’re not very good at it. So how do we get over this aversion to selling and learn to embrace it so we can help the clients we know we are here to help? Here are some tips.
• Five Reasons to Start a Home-Based Business Now
  [Home-Based-Business] Financial markets are crashing around us. Auto companies are filing bankruptcy. Unemployment figures are skyrocketing. The terms “foreclosure” and “short sale” are part of the everyday vernacular (remember when a home was just a place to live and not an investment?!) And retirement accounts have dwindled to the point many aging workers are being forced to keep on working. So wouldn’t now be the time to curl up and stay in your secure job and weather the storm? It would be crazy to venture into entrepreneurship during times like these, wouldn’t it? Quite the contrary! For those who are brave enough now is a great time to start a business and here are five reasons why.
• Top 5 Home-Based Business Challenges & How to Overcome Them
  [Home-Based-Business] The first thing most people ask when they find out I work from home is, “How do you get any work done? I would always be finding something else to do if it were me!” Well, I actually have the opposite problem. One of the biggest challenges I face as a career-at-home mom is leaving work. I love what I do, and there is always more work than there is time to get it done. So I actually have to focus on maintaining balance in my life and not working too much. In surveying home-based business owners, here are the five of the top challenges they report facing, along with tips for overcoming them.
• Home Based Business Success Tips From Finding Nemo
  [Home-Based-Business] Lessons for creating a successful home-based business sometimes come from the most unexpected places. I was watching “Finding Nemo” the other day with my son and husband (yes, we still enjoy Disney movies even though my son is 17 years old!) and I recognized 5 great success tips I wanted to share.
• Professional Head Shots - It’s Not Just About Looking Good
  [Business:Branding] So many people mistakenly think that having a good head shot is about having an attractive picture. As a business owner, the way you look and present yourself through your head shots is about so much more than just looking good. Of course looking good doesn’t hurt, but it’s really more about letting the real you shine through. It’s about being totally authentic and congruent with who you are, and having an image and head shots that totally represent that. Yet so many people really miss the boat on this one, and as a result they’re actually stunting the growth of their business.
• Home-Based Business Owners - Chasing Money Vs Financing the Lifestyle You Want
  [Home-Based-Business] Having a successful home-based business does mean you have to focus on the finances. After all, if you’re not bringing in revenue, you don’t have a business. So while money is important, I believe it’s more important to recognize that if you’re focusing too heavily on the money side of the equation you may not end up building a business that gives you the life you truly want.
• Home-Based Business - Planning For Success
  [Home-Based-Business] When I began my journey to become a work-at-home mom, I knew exactly why I wanted to do it: I wanted to be home with my child more than working in a full-time job would allow. I didn’t want to miss out on her life because I was always working. This was a simple, yet very powerful “reason why,” and it provided the necessary drive and motivation for me to quickly build a successful business. If you want to build a successful home-based business, you must start with a powerful “reason why.” Once you have identified your “reason why” it’s time to develop a plan.
• Appearances Count - Why Your Home-Based Business Must Look Professional
  [Home-Based-Business] I remember back in my early days working in advertising agencies, when it was time to pitch a new client for their business, the agency would put on what they fondly referred to as a “dog and pony show.” While there was definitely focus on the content and ideas they were pitching to the potential client, it was also about “wowing” them with materials that were creative and looked professional and polished, making sure the office was neat and clean and presented a nice image, and even creating a personalized welcome sign to greet the prospective client when they arrived at the agency.
• Ezine Publishing - 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Ezine Gets Delivered
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] Ezines are hot. It seems every small business owner and independent professional on the web has an ezine these days. And for good reason. They continue to be one of the easiest, cheapest small business marketing techniques, if they are delivered successfully to your readers. Here are 5 things you can do to increase your deliverability rates.
• Home-Based Business Moms - 4 Keys to Getting it All Done Without Burning Out
  [Home-Based-Business] In addition to getting clients, the other top challenge most home-based business moms face is getting it all done. After all, trying to manage a family and a business under one roof can be a challenge. You’re trying to balance your role as wife, mother, business owner, chauffeur, and potentially many other roles such as chief dish washer, laundry superintendent, housekeeper extraordinaire, pet sitter and dog walker, and the list could go on forever.
• 4 Ways to Quickly Get More Clients
  [Home-Based-Business] The number one challenge I hear from home-based business owners is “getting clients.” It makes sense, after all, most people who start their own business don’t have training in marketing and sales. Usually, they’re just really good at what they do, and figure why not build their own business offering that service so they can reap all the financial rewards and have more freedom and flexibility than a typical job provides. Here are four tips for quickly getting more clients.
• Home Based Business Growth Stages - K-12 & Graduation
  [Home-Based-Business] There are six main stages every home-based business goes through. Once you become aware of these stages, and accept and welcome them, you can make the most of each stage, and relax and enjoy your business, instead of always wishing it was “older.”
• Home-Based Business - 5-Step Fool-Proof Success Formula
  [Home-Based-Business] If you’re looking for a simple process you can follow to build your home-based business, this 5-step formula really does work. While it’s simple, it can be difficult for some people to implement because it goes against the grain of what they’re used to thinking and doing. Not because the steps are difficult, in contrast they are actually not difficult at all. However, if you embrace these 5 steps, and follow them, they do not fail.
• Home-Based Business Growth Stages - Baby Business & Toddler
  [Home-Based-Business] There are six main stages every home-based business goes through. Once you become aware of these stages, and accept and welcome them, you can make the most of each stage, and relax and enjoy your business, instead of always wishing it was “older.” As you read about each stage, see if you can determine what stage your business is currently in. In this article, we’re going to cover Stages Three & Four, including the growth markers for each stage, and the common traps and pitfalls to avoid.
• Does Your Home-Based Business Do This? It Better!
  [Home-Based-Business] As I look around, our world is overflowing with people launching into home-based businesses and solo-preneurship. I firmly believe the vast majority of these people get into business with the best of intentions. Problem is, it takes more than a dream and good intentions to succeed in a home-based business. To succeed your business must do one of two things. This article discusses what these two business basics are.
• The Power of Authentic Marketing - Let YOU Shine Through
  [Business:Marketing] Do you sometimes feel that in order to effectively market and sell yourself or your services you have to almost pretend to be someone or something you’re not? If you’ve ever felt this way, I’ve got great news. You’ll actually be a more effective marketer and salesperson when you just be yourself. In fact, authentic marketing works like a charm.
• Using Keywords to Build Products That Sell
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] How would you like to know that if you introduce a brand new product or service, that you’ll have buyers just waiting to purchase it? We’d all love to be in that situation. Here are a few tips you can use to make sure the products and services you develop already have a pool of buyers waiting to purchase them.
• 3 Cheap Ways to Drive Website Traffic
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Traffic-Building] You can have the greatest website in the world but if it isn’t getting any traffic it’s not going to do much to build your business. So how do you get traffic to your website? Especially if you’re marketing on a shoestring budget? Here are 3 cheap, but effective, ways to drive traffic.
• Home-Based Business Growth Stages - Conceiving & Giving Birth
  [Home-Based-Business] There are six main stages every home-based business goes through. And just like you measure the growth of a child using a growth chart, you can measure the growth of your business using a business growth chart, and by understanding what stage you’re in. Once you become aware of these stages, and accept and welcome them, you can make the most of each stage, and relax and enjoy your business, instead of always wishing it was “older.” In this article, we’re going to review Stages One & Two: Conception and Giving Birth, and discuss the common growth markers and traps to avoid in each of these two stages.
• Small Business Marketing Lesson From Free Hugs Video
  [Business:Marketing] The Free Hugs video is one of the top-watched videos on You Tube. Juan Mann, the Free Hugs guy was just on Oprah. Look at all the exposure Juan and his video have gotten. And it didn’t cost him anything. It’s a great example of the power of viral marketing. Here are a few tips to help you put the power of this free marketing avenue to work for your small business.
• Looks Matter - For You and Your Marketing
  [Business:Branding] You’re running your own business and you’re on a budget. You need a logo and business cards. You need a website and a brochure. Should you do it all yourself? Or should you get help? Keep in mind that looks matter when it comes to your business image. And while it’s easy enough to do it all yourself these days, sometimes just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
• Small Business Marketing - Should You Toot Your Own Horn?
  [Business:Marketing] Are you shy when it comes to promoting yourself and your business. Here are a few tips and four simple questions you can answer to reframe your self-promotion so it doesn’t feel like bragging.
• Attraction Marketing - Put Your Marketing on Auto-Pilot
  [Business:Marketing] Constantly pounding the pavement looking for new clients is hard work. And there is an easier and more effective way to market yourself, especially if you’re a service professional. It’s called Attraction Marketing. Employ it and you’ll start attracting clients TO YOU instead of spending all your time chasing clients down…
• Can a Small Business Be a Big Brand?
  [Business:Branding] Do you think of your business as a brand? Because it is one, whether you view it that way or not. Even if it’s just you, a solo-professional, working out of your home. Here are some tips for making a small company a big brand.
• Use This Marketing Secret Weapon to Get Magical Results
  [Business:Marketing] If you’re not getting the results you want from your marketing, try this one-two punch approach to ramp up your results. I call it my “marketing secret” weapon, and I’ve used it to get amazing results over the past three years. And the best part is, anyone can do this!
• Why I Love Being a Twin
  [Home-and-Family] Being a twin has its ups and downs. But all in all, I love being a twin. And, here are the reasons why.
• The Twin Connection - Myth Or Reality?
  [Home-and-Family] You’ve probably heard the stories. Twins “connecting” mentally, seeing or feeling what their twin is feeling and doing other unbelievable things. Do these things really happen? There are too many stories to just chalk them up to coincidence.
• Market Yourself As an Expert With These 10 Simple Steps
  [Business:Marketing] Being recognized as an expert in your field offers some great marketing benefits. But you don’t have to sit around and wait for someone else to appoint you the expert. You can proclaim yourself an expert using these 10 simple steps.
• Creative Ways to Finance Your New Small Business
  [Business:Small-Business] Building a successful business takes time. It’s important to ask yourself if you have the financial resources to allow yourself that time. If not, your business may not stand a chance. Here are some tips for financing your small business from the start that don’t involve sinking your life savings into it or finding venture capital. Just a few simple steps anyone can follow.
• What Can Super Sunday Teach Us “Little Guys” About Marketing?
  [Business:Marketing] Every year the Super Bowl is a marketing spectacle. With all eyes glued to the tube analyzing and being entertained by the commercials, this annual event is about much more than football. But what can solo-professionals and small business owners learn about marketing from this event? Lots … read on to find out.
• Do Web Site Domain Names Matter?
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Domain-Names] As a solo-professional or small business owner, you know it’s important to have a web site. But how important is the actual domain name or URL for that web site? When it comes to branding, more important than you might think. Take these steps to ensure your domain name is working for you.
• Internet Marketing For Small Businesses
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] If you’re a coach, consultant or other service professional, the Internet offers a wide variety of effective, cost-efficient ways to market your business worldwide. Here are 10 easy ways to market online on a shoestring budget.
• Make Your Marketing Budget Go Farther - Use Seasonality
  [Business:Marketing] In my 10stepmarketing System I talk about a marketing strategy called Seasonality. It can play an important role in your marketing plan.
• Is Email Marketing Dead?
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] Spam is getting out of control. It’s getting harder to get email delivered. Everyone is talking about blogs and podcasting and RSS. So, is it time to put the last nail in the coffin and just admit that email marketing is dead?
• A Marketing Lesson From TV’s American Idol - Season 6
  [Business:Marketing] Believe it or not, you can actually learn a thing or two about marketing (and yes, I mean serious marketing) from TV’s American Idol. In fact, something I heard on this reality television show the other night, hit smack dab in the center of good small business marketing advice. What was it?
• 3 Ways to Kickoff the New Year Right
  [Business:Strategic-Planning] In business, your field position is comprised of the things you do to set up yourself and your business for success. Here are 3 ways to kick off the New Year right and establish excellent field position to keep you in the game.
• Your 52-Card Marketing Action Plan
  [Business:Marketing] Being successful in your own business means taking action. You can’t just sit by and watch from the sidelines and expect to succeed. Here’s a simple tip that makes taking action a breeze, especially if you tend to get sidetracked easily.
• Fuel Your Business With a Marketing System
  [Business:Marketing] Running your own business can be a wonderful experience. But being an entrepreneur can also suck the life right out of you if you’re not careful. Learn how to set up a marketing system to fuel your business 24/7, whether you’re working or not, so you can enjoy your life and prosper.
• Are Gatekeepers Your Ticket to Marketing Success?
  [Business:Marketing] When it comes to marketing, gatekeepers have the power to give you instant access to a large community of your ideal clients. And not only do you get their implied endorsement, it usually doesn’t cost you anything. Here are 3 steps to help you successfully use this valuable marketing technique.
• How Effective is Your Website? A 10 Question Quiz
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Design] Your website has the potential to be a powerful lead generation tool for your business. If you’re not currently generating as many prospects and clients from your website as you’d like, take this Marketing Step to find out how to transform it so it does.
• Are You a Brand Or a Commodity?
  [Business:Branding] It seems everyone is talking about branding these days. Is your business a brand? Take this quick brand quiz to find out.
• The Marketing Season Advantage
  [Business:Marketing] Why are the TV airwaves bursting at the seams with health club and weight loss advertising in January? Because these smart marketers are capitalizing on a marketing concept called seasonality. Learn how you can use this marketing method to make the most of your small business marketing budget and get better results.
• What’s Your “Follow-Up” Rating? Take My 10-Point Test
  [Business:Networking] If you’re a small business owner or solo-professional, you probably do some networking to help market your business. Are your networking efforts really helping you grow your business or are they a waste of your precious time? The answer depends on how you network and more importantly what you do after you meet someone. Take my 10-point test to see how well your networking skills rate.
• Establish Yourself As an Expert in 3 Simple Steps
  [Business:Marketing] The marketing benefits of being a recognized expert in your field are many. Especially if you’re trying to market on a shoestring budget. Do you know what it takes to become an expert in your industry? It’s easier than you might think. Here’s how to do it in 3 simple steps.
• How Much Time Should You Spend on Marketing?
  [Business:Marketing] As a solo-professional or small business owner, you have many responsibilities. Not only do you have to run your business you also have to market that business. But just how should you divvy up your day?
• Ambulance Chaser Marketing Can Kill Your Business
  [Business:Marketing] You’re probably familiar with the term “ambulance chaser.” But you’re also probably saying to yourself right now, that it’s got to do with lawyers, what in the world does it have to do with marketing? It’s more common than you think and I’d be willing to bet you’ve even been a victim of it yourself.
• Why Isn’t My Marketing Working?
  [Business:Marketing] Suppose you’ve been busy marketing your business and you just aren’t getting results. You’re spending time and money but you just aren’t making sales and attracting clients. What should you do to? To start, you can ask yourself the four questions outlined in this article.
• 5 Tips For Frustrated Marketers
  [Business:Marketing] Are you frustrated with the results you get from your marketing? Are you tired of spending time, money and energy to create and send out marketing materials and then getting no response? Here are 5 tips to get your prospects to take action.
• Are You Suffering From Wide Net Syndrome?
  [Business:Marketing] Early on in my marketing career, I was a media buyer in an advertising agency. And I remember when I used to buy radio air time, we would always buy specific demographic groups.
• Small Business Marketing - How Much Follow Up is Enough?
  [Business:Marketing] When it comes to following up with prospects, the question often arises, how much is enough? If you don’t follow up enough, those prospects will never become paying clients. And, if you follow up too much, you risk being branded a pest. Here are a few tips to ensure your follow up is just right.
• Award Winning Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] When you or your business win an award, you have an opportunity to merchandise that award and use it to market your products and services. Plus it’s a great way to establish credibility. Here are some tips for using this valuable marketing strategy.
• Is an Elevator Pitch Really That Important?
  [Business:Marketing] These days everyone is talking about Elevator Pitches. Are they really all that important? I believe they are, and not just for networking. There’s another very important reason to have a clear and concise elevator pitch, and here’s why.
• What Do Tennis Balls Have to Do With Marketing?
  [Business:Marketing] Having a focused and compelling marketing message is a key ingredient in any successful marketing plan. So what do tennis balls have to do with this? Read the following story to find how how they can show you what happens when you throw too much information into your marketing.
• A New Spin on Marketing Budgets
  [Business:Marketing] Do the words Marketing Budget make you want to run and hide? Do you feel like you’re throwing money into a money pit every time you spend money on marketing? Well, if marketing budgets are your least favorite topic of conversation, I’d like to put a new spin on things. Here’s a different way to view your marketing budget. In fact, it just may make you forget why you’ve always hated those two little words so much.
• How to Fill Your Business With Ideal Clients
  [Business:Marketing] Have you ever taken on a client who was extremely difficult to work with? If so, you probably vowed to never make that mistake again. It’s important to screen potential clients carefully, and only take on those who are a good match for you and your services. Here are some tips to help you fill your business with only the best clients.
• Small Business Marketing Tip - Re Purpose Your Content
  [Business:Marketing] As a small business owner or solo-professional, you have to be very efficient with your time. If you’re like me there are always more tasks on your “to do” list than hours in the day to do them! Here’s a marketing tip you can use to take content you’ve already written and turn it into valuable, cost-effective marketing avenues for your business.
• Can You Market Both a Product and a Service With The Same Marketing Plan?
  [Business:Marketing] If you offer both products and services, do you need to have separate marketing plans for each one? This is a very valid question, and one that could have several answers. Here’s how you can determine what is right for you.
• 7 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
  [Business:Marketing] After 20 plus years in marketing, I’ve uncovered the top 7 marketing mistakes most small business owners and solo-professionals make. The good news is there’s a simple cure for these mistakes. This article outlines these 7 mistakes and how to easily avoid them.
• 10 Reasons I Love Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] Marketing is a great profession for many reasons. After 21 years, here are the top 10 reasons I love it and wouldn’t trade it for any other job in the world.
• Is Your Networking Not Working?
  [Business:Networking] Have you tried networking only to find it never does much to grow your business? Or, do you hate the idea of having to go to networking events because you’ll have to sell yourself and your business to total strangers? My experience is that many people go about networking all wrong. Here are 4 questions you can ask yourself to help you evaluate your own networking behavior and to help make your future networking a profitable marketing activity for your business.
• 8 Benefits of Having a Marketing Plan
  [Business:Marketing] You have probably heard many marketing guru’s tell you that you need to have a marketing plan. But why is having a marketing plan so important? Here are 8 ways your business will benefit from having a marketing plan.
• Successful Marketing Requires Follow Up
  [Business:Marketing] Creating a successful business takes consistent marketing. Without it, even if someone becomes aware of your business, they’re likely to quickly forget about it. Here’s the story of a small retailer who started off on the right marketing foot, but didn’t stay the course, along with some tips on how to make sure your marketing supports your business for years to come.
• What is a Blog and Do You Need One?
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Blogging] As a solo-professional or small business owner, you may be wondering if you need a blog. Or you may even be wondering how a blog differs from a traditional website. Here are your answers.
• Your Year-End Measuring Stick - 10 Questions That Will Lead You to More Success This Year
  [Business:Marketing] Now that the holidays are over, it is time to jump start the new year. It is an important time of year for business. Now is when you should be reviewing everything you’ve done over the past year so you can apply it to help you be more successful next year.
• Do You Have Marketing’s Deadliest Disease?
  [Business:Marketing] Do you know what the deadliest disease in marketing is? It’s called “Be Everything to Everyone Syndrome!” How do you know if you have it? Here’s a quick quiz to help you find out, plus a simple step for overcoming this business-stifling ailment.
• The Right Marketing Message
  [Business:Marketing] Marketing without the right message will do a business about as much good as no marketing at all. But how does a small business owner know what that right message is? Here’s a tip that makes it easy to make sure your marketing message is right on.
• What Do Vacations and Your Business Have in Common?
  [Business:Strategic-Planning] Did you realize you probably do something every year before you go on vacation that could very easily help you grow your business? In fact this is something you probably do in many areas of your life. Apply this same thinking to your business and watch it grow.
• 3 Simple Rules For Marketing Yourself
  [Business:Marketing] So you’ve decided to hang out your shingle as a solo-professional. And you’re realizing there’s a lot you need to know to build a successful business. When it comes to marketing, there are some basics things you need to know to market effectively. Here are 3 simple rules to get you started.
• Successful Marketing is About Following Your Dream
  [Business:Marketing] Yes marketing does take some skills, but at the very core, successful marketing is about having a dream … a vision … and then mapping out a plan and taking steps to achieve it. You probably do this everyday in other aspects of your life. Now it’s time to apply the same thinking to growing your business.
• Free Marketing Tip #1 - Public Relations
  [Business:PR] If you think you need to hire a public relations professional to use PR to promote your small business, think again. PR is an excellent marketing tool for small business owners and independent professionals. And the best part is, it doesn’t have to cost you a dime. Here are 10 steps that will make it easy for you to create a PR program for your business.
• Mastermind Do’s and Don’ts
  [Business:Networking] Masterminding has become a popular topic these days. Having been involved in mastermind groups that worked and groups that did not, I can tell you it’s important to make sure you have a few ground rules in place if you want masterminding to grow your business and not just become a drain on your time.
• Too Busy to Market? Here Are 3 Tips
  [Business:Marketing] One of the biggest challenges many solo-professionals and small business owners face, is actually getting their marketing done. Marketing is usually the first thing to get put on the back burner, when business gets busy. Here are 3 tips to help you stay on track with your marketing so your business can succeed.
• Do Marketing Gimmicks Work?
  [Business:Marketing] Do marketing “gimmicks” work. You know, clever promotions - gimmicky names or products and services marketing with a trendy flair? The answer is sometimes. Here are a few tips to help you determine if using a marketing gimmick is the right step for your business.
• How to Sell With Ease - 5 Simple Steps
  [Business:Sales-Training] To build a successful business, you have to be able to market effectively and you must be able to sell. If you get the marketing part down, but you can’t convert, you still won’t have any clients and you will continue to struggle. Here are 5 steps to help you sell with ease.
• Marketing a Struggle? Here’s 6 Tips
  [Business:Marketing] Is business overflowing or is it growing slower than you’d hoped? Are you on track to achieve your vision or does success seem like it’s eluding you? If you find yourself struggling with your marketing, you’re not alone. Here are 6 tips to help you deal with struggle.
• SWOT Analysis - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
  [Business:Marketing] There are a series of questions you should ask yourself BEFORE you start marketing if you really want to be successful. The term SWOT Analysis sounds pretty daunting, especially for someone not trained in marketing. But rest assured, it’s a simple as asking yourself 4 questions.
• Small Business Marketing - A Step a Week is All it Takes
  [Business:Marketing] Marketing can be an overwhelming task for many solo-professionals and small business owners. Often you don’t know where to start or what to do. But by breaking down any marketing task into simple steps that you can take one at a time, you can be marketing your way to success in no time. As this article explains, a step a week really is all it takes.
• Free Marketing Tip #5 - Get Out and Speak
  [Business:Marketing] Have you been to a networking event or industry meeting lately? If you have,chances are someone spoke to the group about a topic. And there’s a pretty good chance they were using that talk to market themselves. Speaking is a great, free, small business marketing tool. And here are 10 steps to help you use it to effectively market your business.
• Small Business Marketing Tip - Branding on a Budget
  [Business:Marketing] So you’ve started your own business, and you know you need to brand yourself and get some marketing basics like a logo, a website and some business cards. But your budget is slim and you’re just not sure where to turn for quality marketing materials on a shoestring budget. Here are 3 ways to create a brand identity you can be proud of, at a budget you can afford.
• What Interviewing Job Candidates Taught Me About Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] I used to have the responsibility for interviewing and hiring employees when I was in marketing and advertising management jobs. And, there are a few things I learned that I apply very well to marketing your own business. These are simple things you can do BEFORE you start marketing to give your business the greatest chance for success.
• Is Branding Important For Solo-Professionals? Take My Branding Quiz
  [Business:Branding] You’ve probably heard the term “branding.” But is it just for big businesses like Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Nike? Do solo-professionals and small business owners need to worry about branding? Take my quick 3-question branding quiz.
• How to Get Out of a Marketing Slump
  [Business:Marketing] Athletes aren’t the only ones who find themselves in a slump from time to time. If your marketing isn’t generating the results you want, you may be in a marketing slump. Here are four tips to help you break out of your slump.
• Do Squeeze Pages Work?
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online] Squeeze pages are an Internet marketing technique that allows website owners to build their email lists by capturing email addresses in exchange for giving website visitors access to their content. Are they effective? I’ve been testing this concept for the past year. Find out what I discovered.
• Create More Success in Your Life by Taking a Gratitude Journey
  [Self-Improvement:Motivation] Most success coaches will tell you that to create success in your life you need to create goals and a vision and focus on what you want. I’d like to suggest you focus on what you already have. After all, what you focus on expands.
• Free Marketing Tip #2 - Publish an Ezine Or E-Newsletter
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] Most small business owners and independent professionals don’t have a lot of money to market. But they still have to find ways to market if they want their business to survive. Publishing an ezine is a great small business marketing tool and is one that can be done for free, or very low cost. Here’s a 10-step plan for getting started.
• Ezine Publishing - Get Your Ezine Read With an Irresistible Subject Line
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] The next time you’re getting ready to hit the “Send” button and broadcast your ezine, take another look at your subject line. Ask yourself, “Would that subject line get me to open and read this email?” If you can’t answer a definitive “YES” use one of these 10 tips to write an irresistible subject line your readers can’t resist!
• Build Your Marketing Muscles
  [Business:Marketing] You know you’ve got muscles in your body. But did you know you also have marketing muscles? Learn what they are in this article and how you can make the most of them in marketing your business.
• Ready, Set, Market - What to Do Before You Start Marketing This Year
  [Business:Marketing] Before you rush out and start marketing your business there are few things you need to do first. Take these 10 steps before you market and reap the results all year long.
• What Most Marketing Gurus Don’t Teach You
  [Business:Marketing] There’s a lot of marketing advice available but there’s one thing most marketing guru’s don’t teach you. Learn this and it could make the difference between your marketing making it and breaking it.
• 5 Ezine Publishing Tips to Help You Avoid Spam Filters
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] Question: What is the number one enemy of email marketers? Answer: Spam filters. Here are 5 tips to help you write “clean” ezines so they get through those pesky spam filters and delivered to your readers.
• 5 Email Marketing Lessons You Can Benefit From
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] Email marketing is not reserved for techies. It’s a great small business marketing technique for anyone looking to attract prospects to their business and build relationships with their clients. I started email marketing 8 years ago knowing nothing. I’ve learned a lot about email marketing since then. Here are 5 lessons to help you make your email marketing more effective.
• A Marketing Lesson From TV’s American Idol
  [Business:Marketing] So what can a silly reality TV show teach us about marketing? What can we learn about creating a successful business? I believe we can learn a lot. Even if you don’t like the show, it can probably teach you a thing or two about becoming successful.
• Free Marketing Tip #3 - Donate Something
  [Business:Marketing] If you’re a small business owner or independent professional who needs to market but doesn’t have much money to spend, all is not lost. There are a variety of free ways to market yourself and your business. One way is to donate your products or services. But you’ve got to do it right to make it worthwhile. Here are 10 tips help you donate the profitable way.
• Free Marketing Tip #4 - Share Your Knowledge
  [Business:Marketing] Do you own and operate your own business? If so, do you consider yourself an expert? If you don’t, you need to. Why? Because as an expert you have a wide variety of free marketing tools at your disposal. Tools that don’t cost a dime but can generate big returns for your business. Here are 10 of them to get you started.
• Home-Based Business - 3 Tips to Overcome Common Challenges
  [Home-Based-Business] Running your own business can be challenging at times. It’s probably easier to let someone else deal with all the challenges and just collect a paycheck, but in today’s economy there’s not a lot of security in that scenario. So how do you get past the challenges? How do you keep going when the going gets tough? How do you get back up when I stumble or fall down? Here are 3 tips.
• How to Measure Your Home-Based Business Growth For Maximum Success
  [Home-Based-Business] There are six different business stages every home-based business goes through. If you’re not sure what stage your business is in, read on and use the following descriptions to help you find out.
• Home-Based Business Moms - The Difference Between Straddlers & Leapers
  [Home-Based-Business] Did you know there are two very different kinds of home-based business moms? They’re known as Straddlers and Leapers. And both are very viable ways to start a new business. It all comes down to choosing the path that works best for you. Learn more about these two types of business owners e and gain some tips for starting your home-based business off on the right foot.
• How to Pick the Perfect Home Based Business
  [Home-Based-Business] How do you know what kind of home-based business you should be starting if you don’t have one yet? Or if you already have a business that you want to take to six figures, how do you know if it’s the right business to get you there? Here are a few tips to make sure you choose a business that will be successful.
• Raising a Happy, Healthy Home-Based Business
  [Home-Based-Business] As a mom you watch your kids go through different development stages as you raise them. They go from baby to toddler, from child to tween, and from teen to adult. Did you know your home-based business goes through those same stages, too? This article discusses the six main development stages every home-based business goes through.
• Home-Based Business Moms - 7 Easy Ways to Market Your Business
  [Home-Based-Business] A common problem among home-based business moms is they are so busy working behind their computers, either in or on their business, that they aren’t doing enough to market and get their business out there. Here are 7 easy ways for home-based business moms to market their business effectively.
• Marketing For Home-Based Business Moms - Yes, It’s Different!
  [Home-Based-Business] When you’re just starting out in business, usually you have a great idea, lots of enthusiasm, and just a little bit of money. That means you need to leverage your time when it comes to marketing. And we all know time is a precious commodity to moms. Here are 5 ways home-based business moms can leverage their time and limited budget and still successfully market their business.
• Home-Based Business Moms - Don’t Try to Do it All Alone
  [Home-Based-Business] Most home-based business moms start out as solo-professionals. They begin offering a service from a home-based office, and they wear all the hats in that business. Problem is, when they’re wearing all the hats, it may save on costs, but at what cost? Here are few things to consider if you’re a home-based business mom and you’re currently operating your business all on your own, without any help.
• Home-Based Business Moms - Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For and Accept Help
  [Home-Based-Business] What is it about solo-professionals that makes them think they have to do everything SOLO?! Yes, I’m poking fun at the name solo-professional! This name sets us up for overwhelm and ultimately failure, if we follow it literally. But for some reason, we get this idea that because it’s our business, we have to do everything ourselves. And, often we’re afraid to ask for help, for fear it might be a sign of weakness. Here are some tips to help home-based business moms get everything done, without burning out.
• 10 Ways to Quicker Marketing Results
  [Business:Marketing] Steps you can take to get better results from your marketing more quickly so you can get that new business up and running, or take your existing business to the next level with the least amount of struggle.
• Is Fear Stopping You From Pursuing Your Work At Home Dream?
  [Home-Based-Business] Are you sitting on the sidelines, wanting to open your own work at home business, but you’ve been afraid to take the leap? Are you worried because you’re not sure how to run a business, or how to market it? Here are some tips for working through those fears so you can pursue your dream.
• WAHMs - Do You Know Where To Find Your Ideal Clients?
  [Home-Based-Business] Running your own work at home business means you are responsible for finding your own clients. After all, without clients you really don’t have a business. Here are a few tips for finding your ideal clients so you can market and sell to them.
• WAHMs - Do You Need a Time-Out?
  [Home-Based-Business] Building your own WAHM business is not an easy task. While I find it to be one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done, it can at times be overwhelming. And sometimes a time-out is the best answer. It might be just what you need to create your own successful WAHM business.
• WAHMs - Here’s How to Hook Clients
  [Home-Based-Business] One of the toughest jobs in creating a successful work at home business can be getting clients for that business. So what’s a determined work at home mom to do? Well, creating a hook is the easiest way to attract clients.

  Here’s how.

• Step One in Becoming a Successful Six Figure WAHM
  [Home-Based-Business] Do you wish you could earn six figures in your own work at home business? Do you wonder if it’s possible? The answer is yes, it is possible, if you master a few skills. Here’s the first step you need to take.
• WAHM’s - How to Balance Work & Family
  [Home-Based-Business] One of the challenges faced by work at home moms is balancing their work and family.
  There is always the danger of work swallowing up all of your family time, or having your family
  time interrupt your business. Here is a tip to make it easier to strike a balance between the two.
• Advertising Your WAHM Business
  [Home-Based-Business] As a work at home mom, you probably don’t have a big marketing budget to promote your business. But even if you are marketing your WAHM business is on a shoestring budget, you may want to consider advertising. Here are 3 tips to help make sure your advertising works.
• Why I Love Being A Work-at-Home-Mom
  [Home-Based-Business] Being able to balance career and family is a battle faced by many women. I, too, struggled with this balance for many years. But, I was fortunate to become a work at home mom. Now I get to have my cake and eat it, too. Here’s what I love about being a work at home mom.
• Ezine Publishing: 5 Tips to Publishing a Successful Ezine
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] Ezines are a great small business marketing tool because they help build relationships. This is especially important if you are doing business on the web because your clients don’t have the opportunity to meet you in person. Here are 5 tips to help make your ezine publishing adventure a successful one!
• Small Business Marketing Tips: TV’s Apprentice Continues to Show us Great Examples of Bad Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] Whether or not you’re a fan of reality TV, there is one thing for certain. You can learn a lot about marketing from it. Reality TV provides great examples of bad marketing week after week. Here’s a three-pronged marketing lesson from the latest edition of Martha Stewart The Apprentice.
• Small Business Marketing: 10 Ways to Build a Prospect List Worth Its Weight In Gold
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:List-Building] Hate cold-calling? Wish you had a steady stream of prospects who are already interested in what you have to offer to sell your products or services to? If you’re willing to give a little upfront, a list like that is easy to have. Here are 10 steps you can take to build yourself a prospect list worth its weight in gold.
• Small Business Marketing: How to Balance Running and Marketing Your Business at the Same Time
  [Business:Small-Business] Many small business owners get so caught up in running their business, they don’t have any time leftover for marketing it. Eventually this catches up to them and their business starts to suffer. So how do you successfully manage both at the same time? Here are 10 tips to help you accomplish just that without going completely nuts.
• Small Business Marketing: A Marketing Funnel Should Be Part of Your Recipe for Success
  [Business:Marketing] What if there were a way you could always be assured you’d have a steady stream of prospects coming into your business? Well there is. By incorporating a marketing funnel into the way you do business and market your products and services, you can just about guarantee your business’ long-term success. Here’s how…
• Small Business Marketing: 10 Steps to Help You Plan for a Successful 2006
  [Business:Marketing] As 2005 winds down, many small business owners will find themselves naturally looking back at the past year and evaluating how well their business did. While they’re looking back they can also follow these 10 simple steps to create a “Success Plan” for 2006.
• Small Business Marketing: Are You Planning to Fail?
  [Business:Marketing] There’s a saying that goes “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” I realize no small business owner has the intention of failing, but that’s just what many do every day when they launch their small business without a marketing plan.

  It’s no wonder 80% of these businesses fail. But it’s easily avoidable.

• Marketing Plan Tip: Create A Success Poster
  [Business:Marketing] Here’s a fun way to help you achieve your goals that really works. Plus it’s a little more exciting than just writing down a few goals in your marketing plan. This method actually brings them to life, and puts them in front of you everyday so you’re constantly focused on making them happen.
• Does Your Marketing Plan Include A Crystal Ball? It Should
  [Business:Marketing] Marketing would be so much easier if we had a crystal ball. If we only knew how things were going to turn out, it would be so much easier to make the correct decisions now. There is a way to use this power of future vision to reach your goals. And it may just be better than a crystal ball because we create the picture.
• Marketing Plans: Who Needs ‘em?
  [Business:Marketing] Do small business owners really need to worry about creating a marketing plan for their business? As long as they are consistently marketing their business, isn’t that really enough? Maybe or maybe not. This article takes a look at this sometimes controversial topic.
• Effective Marketing: 5 Tips TV’s Apprentice Candidates Could Use to Win
  [Business:Marketing] There’s a common theme brewing in TV’s Apprentice, both Donald Trump’s version and the new Martha Stewart edition. And it’s one that most small business owners and entrepreneurs should pay attention to. Because while The Apprentice candidates could use it to save their jobs, business owners can use it to save their business from failure.
• How To Market Speciality Services
  [Business:Entrepreneurialism] I’m often asked by clients offering speciality services how they should market. How do they increase sales for high end non-essential services such as a skin care spa or services that consumers don’t understand or are fearful of such as accupuncture?
• 10 Business Card Basics: Does Yours Have Them?
  [Business:Entrepreneurialism] Business cards are a marketing must-have. But many cards I see are missing key ingredients - a mistake that seriously impacts their effectiveness. Following is my list of 10 things every business card should include.
• Getting Your Prospects’ Attention: Create A Character!
  [Business:Marketing] There’s a trick to getting your prospects’ attention
  when you are marketing to them. And that trick is
  to speak directly to their issues and concerns. To
  address how you can help them. But there’s
  something you must do first, before you can
  make that connection.
• Are You Missing Out on Free & Easy Marketing?
  [Business:Marketing] Did you know there’s something you do every single day that you
  could be using as an opportunity to market your business
  without spending a dime?
• Relationship Marketing: 10 Tips for Keeping Clients Happy
  [Business:Marketing] You’ve probably heard the saying “It’s easier to keep an existing
  customer than to get a new one.” That’s why you want to take
  good care of your current clients or customers and do whatever
  you can to give them lots of reasons and opportunity to buy from
  you over and over again. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that.
• Where Can I Find My Niche? Finding Your Ideal Prospects So You Can Sell To Them
  [Business:Marketing] Most marketing experts will tell you that you need select a niche or a target audience. That you can’t just market to “whoever is paying attention” and be successful. That’s all well and good, but how do you go about finding and marketing to this niche once you’ve identified it?
• How to Not Waste Money on Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] If you own your own business, you’re probably innundated with advertising and marketing opportunities and salespeople. You probably get asked to sponsor events and donate to organizations. Maybe you’ve even been hit up by the premium company trying to get you to buy pens with your company name on them. So how do you know what to spend your marketing dollars on, and what to pass on?
• 5 Tips to Help You Market When You Think You’re Too Busy
  [Business:Marketing] What if you’ve taken the time to create a marketing plan but now you’re so busy servicing your current clients that you’re having a hard time keeping on track with your plan? Is it okay to set the plan aside for awhile? After all, you’ve got enough business to keep you busy. And, you’re not sure you could handle additional clients right now anyway.
• Is It Time To Kill Your Marketing Program?
  [Business:Marketing] Ouch . . . sounds pretty drastic I know, but . . .
• Tracking Your Way to the Top!
  [Business:Marketing] I often wonder how people without a plan know where they’re going. Or, how they know when they’ve arrived at their destination.
• Stellar Customer Service in 10 Simple Steps
  [Business:Customer-Service] If you’re like me, you’ve had plenty of experience with BAD customer service. Just think about the last time you had a bad experience with a product or a service.
• Take My Commitment (to Your Biz) Quiz!
  [Business:Marketing] Starting and managing a successful small business takes time, energy, money and a HUGE commitment. But the payoff can also be HUGE, in terms of personal accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, and M0NEY! So just how committed are you?
• Ready, Fire, Aim!
  [Business:Marketing] You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute, isn’t that backwards? Isn’t it supposed to be “Ready, Aim, Fire?”
• Increase Your Sales With an Incredible Offer
  [Business:Sales-Training] What are you selling? Coaching? Consulting? Professional services? A product? Information?
  To start with, you need to sell your product or service in terms of benefits to your clients and not features.
• 5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals
  [Business:Marketing] No doubt you started this year with some big ideas about what you wanted to accomplish. I know I did!
• Earning the Right To Sell With Stats - 10 Steps to Greatness
  [Business:Marketing] Baseball players use stats to tell the story of their season and their career. Those of us in business could learn a thing or two from baseball players about using stats to size-up our careers and experience and to help us sell. Use these 10 questions to create your own awesome stats.
• 5 Tips to Help You Identify WHO To Market To
  [Business:Marketing] If you have your own small business, it’s important to decide exactly who you will be marketing your products or services to. But for many small business owners, narrowing their focus to one primary group of people can be a challenging task. Here are 5 tips to make the task easier.
• Are You a Small Business Lone Ranger? Take My 10-Question Quiz To Find Out!
  [Business:Small-Business] Are you feeling overwhelmed with work? Does there never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done? Perhaps you qualify as a Small Business Lone Ranger. Take my 10-question quiz to find out, and learn 6 tips to help you overcome this business-stifling affliction.
• Determining Marketing Effectiveness Even If You Didn’t Track
  [Business:Marketing] What if you’ve done a variety of marketing activities over the past year, but you did not establish any way to track the response? Now you don’t know what worked and what didn’t. Is there anything you can do now before you continue with your marketing efforts and potentially continue spending money on not-so-effective marketing activities?
• Should You Offer Commissions For Customer Referrals?
  [Business:Networking] As a small business owner you may find yourself in a situation where you want to partner with another business but they are asking for a commission on your services. You will want to be prepared to handle such a request BEFORE you find yourself in this situation.
• Print Advertising: Knowing What To Put In Your Ads
  [Business:Advertising] So you’ve decided to run a print ad in your local newspaper. The paper may have even told you they could produce the artwork for you if you just tell them what should be in the ad. Problem is, you’re not sure what should be in the ad.
• The Surest Way to Boost Sales
  [Business:Sales-Management] If you have a small business and you are looking to boost your sales and make the public aware of your business, how do you going about doing this? There is one sure way that I know to boost sales and create awareness. It may not be sexy, but it WORKS!
• Marketing Effectively to More Than One Audience
  [Business:Marketing] What’s a small business owner to do if they have more than one audience to market to? Perhaps they need to attract clients but they also need to recruit business partners or vendors. Do they need two marketing plans or can they use one plan that tries to address both aspects?
• Do I Have To Be A Good Writer to Market My Own Business?
  [Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing. What can a small business owner do if they’re not much of a writer? Can they still market their business effectively on a shoestring budget?
• Publishing Special Reports And Ebooks At No Cost
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] So you’d like to start publishing special reports and ebooks to use as marketing tools and to sell as products. But you have no budget to get this new venture going. Here’s a tip to help you get up and running at no cost.
• How To Market Effectively Even If No One Understands What You Do
  [Business:Marketing] So how do you effectively market your product or service when one knows anything about them because you’re in a new and emerging industry? How can you expect to get customers if no one understands what it is that you do?
• My Marketing Budget Is Small - How Can I Make The Most Of It?
  [Business:Marketing] So what do you do if you’re a small business owner and you have a very limited marketing budget? How can you market effectively all year long without breaking the bank. Here’s one strategy you can use to get the most mileage out of whatever dollars you have to spend.
• Getting a Web Site Can Be Fast, Easy, and Inexpensive When You Know Your Options
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Development] So what do you do if need to get a web site but you’re not sure how to go about getting one and you don’t have a huge budget. The good news is you have several options. To help determine which option is best for you, ask yourself the following five questions.
• Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan?
  [Business:Marketing] How does a marketing plan relate to an organization’s communications plan? What are the differences? Is the marketing plan just one aspect of the communications plan? Should one consider combining them into a single document?
• Marketing A Misunderstood or “Scary” Product or Service
  [Business:Marketing] What do you do if your business, product or service is something hardly anyone is aware of or understands? Or worse yet, if it is something they are afraid of or want to avoid? Here’s three tips to help you market successfully even if this is your situation.
• Deciphering Marketing Lingo: What’s the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?
  [Business:Marketing] Maybe you’ve heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven’t. Either way, let me help to clarify the difference between them, because you should have all three if you want to market successfully. And knowing what they are may be your first step to accomplishing all three for your business.
• Customers: The Key To Successful Marketing
  [Business:Marketing] What can your prospects, customers and even your rejecters (those who visit but do not buy) teach you about successfully marketing your business? Everything! If you don’t know why they buy or don’t buy, and what they like and don’t like about your business, product or service, you’re going to have a hard time convincing them to do business with you.
• Drive Tons Of Traffic To Your Web Site
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] If you’ve got a web site then one of your biggest marketing challenges is how to generate traffic without spending a fortune. Whether you’re trying to build your ezine or prospect list or get potential customers to contact you or buy your products or services, getting people to your web site is a must and can be a challenge. Here’s one way to generate traffic and get your site to the top of the search engine rankings instantly!
• How To Massively Multiply Your Web Exposure AND Position Yourself As An Expert
  [Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] What’s the quickest, easiest way to get exposure for your business all across the web AND turn yourself into an expert, in one fell swoop? The answer is Article Marketing. And if you haven’t heard of it, or tried it yet, you’re missing one of the most effective and inexpensive marketing strategies available on the net.
• Reach Thousands of Your Prospects, Absolutely Free
  [Business:Marketing] I’m big on getting maximum marketing exposure at the lowest cost possible. After all, most small business owners don’t have huge marketing budgets, so finding inexpensive ways to market is a necessity. Here’s one technique I recently used that got my business great exposure and didn’t cost me a dime!
• What Does Your Logo Color Say About Your Business?
  [Business:Marketing] Do colors really matter? Yes, they do. Different colors evoke different reactions and emotions. Make sure your logo mark, and all your other marketing materials communicate the personality tone of your business by learning what different colors mean.
• A Great Logo Is A Marketing Must-Have. But Is It Affordable For Small Business Owners?
  [Business:Small-Business] Logo marks are an absolute marketing must-have for any business. Yet many small business owners don’t have logos because they believe they can’t afford one. This simply is not true. In my opinion, they can’t afford NOT to have one. Get some great tips on where to get a great logo cheap.
• Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps
  [Business:Marketing] What if there were things you could start doing right now that could help you market more successfully in the future? Imagine being able to spend less on marketing and get more results. Well you can get there, even if you didn’t have your marketing act together over the past year. Even if you didn’t do a very good job of tracking what was working and what wasn’t, there are a few simple things you can do now, to get on track to great marketing results in the future.
• Naming Your Business: 3 Tips To Ensure Success
  [Business:Small-Business] If you are just starting your business, or if you have just developed a new product or service for an existing business, one of the first questions you need to answer is, “What should I name it?” And while you may feel pressure to make this decision quickly, I caution you to not make it lightly. What kind of things should you take into consideration when choosing a name?
• The Power of Taglines: Take My Tagline Test!
  [Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] When it comes to marketing, one of the most powerful tools you can use to build your brand is a tagline or slogan. Think about the taglines you know and remember. They communicate something unique, valuable and memorable about the brand they represent. You don’t have to be a big company to have and benefit from a tagline. They’re great for small business owners, too.
• Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success?
  [Business:Marketing] What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well, you’d be surprised how many small business owners think they are effectively marketing their business, when in fact they are cutting their own throat. Learn the mistakes they make so you can avoid making them in your business. Plus learn 10 tips to banish marketing sabotage.
• How Well Do You Know Your Prospects? Find Out With This 10-Point Quiz
  [Business:Marketing] It’s crucial to know your prospects if you want to market effectively to them. Take this quick 10-point quiz to see how well you know and understand your prospects. If you can’t answer these questions, how can you be sure you are connecting with your audience in a relevant and meaningful way?
• Marketing with Special Reports. 5 Ways to Develop Content Your Prospects Can’t Wait to Read
  [Business:Marketing] Marketing using Special Reports and Free Information Products is a great way to provide added value to your prospects and customers. But sometimes coming up with the content for these free products can be a challenge. Here are five ways to develop great content your prospects and customers can’t wait to read.
• 4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure
  [Business:Marketing] Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure without spending any money? You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think of creative ways you can get your products or services in front of, or in the hands of, your prospects. Here’s four easy ways to get you started.
• Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test?
  [Business:Marketing] Good marketing, whatever form it takes, always meets certain criteria. That’s what makes it good. The following 10-Point checklist will help you determine if your marketing passes the test. I challenge you to evaluate one of your recent ads, promotions or other marketing activities to see how it measures up. You may be surprised.
• Marketing Lessons From TV’s “The Apprentice”
  [Business:Marketing] Can we actually learn a marketing lesson from reality TV? In the case of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” I’d say we can. In my opinion it is certainly possible to be too creative for your own good. You can be as clever or creative as you want, but in the end if your marketing is not relevant to the product AND to those who are most likely to buy it, you have failed.
• Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps
  [Business:Marketing] In business, having competitors goes with the territory. Not only can competitors out-market you and steal your valuable prospects and customers, they can put you out of business if you’re not careful. But there are two simple ways to eliminate your competition and increase your odds of business success.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

A new study by Gravitational Media shows that 56% of users of Twitter, use this platform professionally for work or for marketing reasons. Therefore it is important to be careful with your Twitter profile, not just the writing and the way you tweet, but consistent and implemented throughout.

Twitter profile page

You can customize your profile page on Twitter by uploading a background image. This should be an extension of your company and your brand.It is also possible to customize the Twitter page it self and use the same font and colors you use on your website. A good example is the Dunkin Donuts twitter profile.

What are other people saying about me

Listen to what people say about you or your brand. By setting up searches on twitter on your brand and related keywords, you can keep up with what is being said about you and you can be ready to participate in relevant discussions. You can also configure these searches as RSS feed and read them in an RSS reader.

Do not use Twitter to spam your products

Give the people that follows you something they can use. Things like good tips, news from your industry and split it into the small personal messages. Nobody will bother to follow you if only you tweet on the marketing of your business. Interaction is the password to Twitter and gives you value for the key people in your industry, you will quickly gain influence in the Twitter universe.

Target the impact of your presence on Twitter

One way to measure the impact of your efforts on Twitter, is to look at how many people follows you. This is just not a good way to measure the effect of your marketing effort, but it provides a snapshot of your popularity. Look instead at how many times you get mentioned and retweet, if people react positively to your tweets, and also make an analysis of traffic you get from Twitter to your website.

Show your identity

If you tweet for a company, it is important that you make aware of this, and that all employees who tweet for the company, point out in their profile where they come from. One example is Dell, were all Twitters have dell in their profile, for example. richardatdell. Another example is Kodak, were all twitters has the logo in the profile pictures.

Make a strategy for your use of Twitter

Before you make a Twitter account, it is important that you have some goals for your presence on the Twitter. What do you want to talk about and why. What do you do in obtaining the marketing context.

Twitter can be used in many ways and for many purposes, including a mudplug of applications:

• Ervis Customer Support
• Brand reputation management
• Research and product feedback
• Lead Generation
• News Distribution
• Branding
• Product promotion
• Personalize a fire
• Public Relations (PR)

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp

I have been asked about my opinion on partnerships…joint ventures, integration marketing…and other arrangements where you are working with another business…do you go through a lengthy contract or is that not necessary? The first thing I am going to tell you is I’m not an attorney!

So I can give you opinions…but you are going to have to really listen to your gut and then decide what works best for you. Any business owner…including people with home based internet marketing businesses…needs to think about this question if they ever want to do a deal with anyone else…either short-term or long-term…and come to their own conclusion about what is best for them and their specific situation.

So the next thing I am going to tell you, is I’m not going to give you advice on whether or not you should, or should not, have contracts written up when you do business deals. I will however give you some thoughts on the subject…and it probably isn’t going to be what a lawyer would advise you! So just take my thoughts for what they are…just thoughts, not recommendations, okay?

If you want to know specifics about law, or you want some legal forms or advice, then your first step should be to look online. There are various sources on the internet for legal forms and legal advice. You can Google “Internet Marketing Law” and other similar phrases and find several sources…a couple places that I know about are Nolo.com, which has a lot of law books and legal forms, and Bob Silber who is an attorney who does a lot of work with internet marketers. There are others, so you can just look around. Just when you are looking, be sure you are working with somebody who is an expert in ecommerce or internet marketing law.

Most of the marketers I know, when it comes to making a short-term business deal, like a promotion of some kind, they just work out the details through email and a virtual handshake kind of deal. Writing up contracts can really slow down the process and it can add some paranoia to the process.

My goal is to be clear about what I want and be really, really clear about what the expectations are and what they compensation will be for the results. You know, who is going to do what and how much money will they get for it…you do X and get x%…and if you both agree to it, then I think you’re pretty much cool.

Again, I’m not a lawyer, but my general philosophy is you don’t want to get involved in big legal battles…you just want to be really honest and up-front about what you are doing and really, really clear about who will be doing what. And if the other guy doesn’t do what he says he would do, you just don’t work with him or her in the future.

For home based internet marketing businesses there sure may be times you want to consult an attorney…but in my experience most of the simple joint venture partnership arrangements are done more on the old-fashioned handshake…even though it might be actually through an email. Be clear on your arrangements, be sure both parties agree and then go out and do it…and always listen to your gut. If your gut is telling you that you need to have a big contract to protect yourself, maybe you do…or maybe that isn’t the right deal for you!

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing advice, marketing exp